Posted
at
3:52 pm
Somewhere along the way, rappers ditched the term duet, and made it lame to do anything but be "featured" with another artist. Now, pretty much everyone has followed suit.
I've got to ask, what's wrong with a duet? Is it too lounge act? Too Streisand? All it means is a composition meant for two. Is that so wrong? I mean, I understand the problem with calling a song a duet when a rapper only sings a single verse - but when Rihanna sings the chorus and TI handles the verses, how is that not a duet?
OK then: I'm starting a one-man attempt to right this wrong. With that in mind, this week, we've got a few duets. Sometimes they work. Other times, not so much. Let me know what you think about the results of these endearing and ugly videos via the comment section.
Vampire Weekend duet with Chromeo - "The Kids Don't Stand a Chance" - Live clip
Two groups heavily indebted to 1980s music trade verses on "The Kids Don't Stand a Chance," a Vampire Weekend tune. It looks like that crowd at the MTV Woodies loves it, and who can blame them, really?
Coldplay feat. Jay-Z - "Lost +" - Video, sort of
The beat-heavy Coldplay track "Lost +" includes a cameo by Jay-Z spliced into live footage of the British group. (This feels like a "featuring" to me.) My one question: Why did the director shoot the Coldplay bits as if they were filmed by a drunken YouTuber? Oh wait, two more questions: Why did Jay-Z decide to rap on a Coldplay song? Did he not realize it would sound like a middling mash-up?
T.I. duet with Rihanna - "Live Your Life" - Video
The two Billboard-topping artists team up for this track off T.I.'s "Paper Trail." Listen to the jubilant Carpe diem lyrics! Watch as TI gets his face beat in! Marvel as Rihanna applies make-up on her own!
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