JAY-Z/RADIOHEAD: JAYDIOHEAD
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Jaydiohead is a mashup record featuring the music of Jay-Z and Radiohead. I’m not a huge Jay-Z fan and I haven’t championed Radiohead since they released the bends so my complete love of this album really surprised me. Album creator Minty Fresh Beats has done an awesome job of mixing up parts from both artists that really work together. Nothing on Jaydiohead sounds forced, in fact you’d think that they got together in the studio to record it.
The album kicks off with the sound of Beyonce reciting some kind of prayer before exploding into a more guitar oriented Radiohead song featuring Jay-Z reciting his hustler themed lyrics. The blend of the two really drives the song and keeps it interesting. From there we’re treated to one of the many gems on the album “99 Anthems” which mashes up Jay-Z’s “99 Problems” with Radiohead’s “National Anthem”.
I was really excited that Minty Fresh Beats didn’t just try and cram vocals over music but instead decided to re-write the songs. He found tunes where not just the cadence but also Jay-Z’s emotion matches Radiohead’s music. Take the song “No Karma” where Jay-Z recites desperate lyrics about who he is and how he survives placed over the very intense “Karma Police” (with some additional Minty Fresh Beats touches). The result is a song filled with emotions I don’t think either band could have known would come up.
One of my favorite tracks is “Change Order” which uses Radiohead’s “Gagging Order” with Jay-Z’s “Never Change” to create a melancholy Jay-Z song. Jaydiohead is the best of what mashups can be. This isn’t a joke or some kind of time killer, this is real art created by somebody with an obvious love for both artists.
I think part of why this album is so amazing to be is that it makes hip-hop interesting again. For the longest time this genre has been regulated to a clichéd musical resume. The beats and music are usually repetitive and the lyrics convey no emotion other than to list what such and such rapper has bought with his millions. Jaydiohead brings back an era of producers like The Bomb Squad (Public Enemy) when you never knew what would come next and the music was just as important as the lyrics.
I will say that Jay-Z’s lyrics surprised me, as I only really knew him from songs like “Big Pimpin” and other such chest thumping anthems. He has a really masterful way at fitting words together and that lends a huge part to making this work. I couldn’t see somebody with the simplistic rap style of 50 Cent or Lil Wayne working with something like this.
I’m hoping that Jaydiohead will lead rappers to start experimenting with new avenues of music. Hip hop can only stay relevant and cutting edge if the artists behind it are constantly pushing the boundaries of what can be done. An album like Jaydiohead shows that really intricate music mixed with excellent lyrics can transcend genre and create a new art form. I know people have raved about the Jay-Z/Beatles mashup but for my money this album blows it away.
