feat.

As the pop-culture starved, cave-dwelling slowpoke that I am, I've noticed a lot of songs by one artist are featuring other artists. Maybe I sound like I'm surprised at this sudden trend of "rock and roll" music. (But even if I do it's good to look at the things you already accept as normal sometimes so just go with it.) Maybe it is a little weird for there to be so many guest musicians and team ups. Anyway, is this a case of creative minds making something bigger than the sum or their parts, or parasitic hacks and washed up stars leeching the fame and success of currently popular artists?

Or you know, just talk about your favorite collaborations.

I think it's a mix between creative minds blending together to create something bigger and something that can appeal to a wider audience of listeners that will sell. However, a lot of the time, it seems like artists today aren't really collaborating very much outside of a certain bubble. By that I mean many popular artists are just mixing music with the same people: Calvin Harris, David Guetta, will.i.am, Nicki Minaj, Pitbull, etc. There isn't a lot of variety between who's collaborating with who and that makes the music scene seem a bit boring in my opinion ─ despite the fact that some of these songs are pretty catchy.

One of my biggest pet peeves today, however, are those who think they need to collab with another artist (specifically a hip-hop artist or rapper) just to give their song a twist. Half the time it just ruins the flow a perfectly good song. A perfect example of this would be "Hanging On" by Ellie Goulding. The edited version without Tinie Tempah's collaboration is so much better.

Other than that, I really don't mind seeing music artists collaborating with other artists. I actually prefer it sometimes. In some cases it can really help to diversify a song that may just seem too one note. I would, however, prefer to see more popular names working with other artists and bands that aren't as highly recognized by the public, but create music that's better than a majority of what you'll find on the Top 40.

Two artists I'd like to see work on a song together are Rihanna and Sia. I think the two of them together could come up with something really great. I just have that feeling whenever I think about it..

Unfortunately it's a trend that's turned into something of a joke at this stage, where every flop singer desperately tacks on any rapper they can get (even if said rapper is as famous as people like """Lil' Play""" and """Juicy J"""). It's annoying. It would be one thing it there were a point to them but tacking on random nobodies to your song is not going to convince people to buy it.

That said I'm not against featurings at all. They can be annoying ('Hanging On' is a good example!) but quite often the song would be nothing without the featured artist.

EDIT: Can't help but feel I could have made a better 100th post (+ misread a post yay).

I don't mind features as long as it doesn't take away from the main artist or sound ridiculous. Let's use Nicki Minaj in Beauty and a Beat for example. I actually like this song, but her feature is a bit awkward. "Buns out, weiner, but I gotta keep an eye out for Selener"? Let's ignore the elephant in the room with the Selena reference because it was obviously written before the break up, LET'S FOCUS ON THE FIRST PART. Nicki! What are you going to do with that poor boy?

I don't like how some artists feel the need to join up with everyone in every song that comes on the radio. Pitbull, I'm looking at you. The main rule for last year is that if you're gonna be a generic pop song of 2012, you have to have 1. the generic club beat 2. the song needs to be about clubbing, getting men/women, or drinks, and 3. Pitbull has to be in there somewhere. Cause he was just in everyone's damn song early to mid 2012, it seems.

Then you have some artists that are better as features than they are with their own music. Nicki Minaj, excluing Beauty and a Beat, I prefer as a feature in other songs, like Rihanna's Raining Men. Lil Wayne is a much better feature than solo artist. Still not great of course, but he is more tolerable when he just has a verse to himself rather than the whole song. There are a few more I'm missing, but eh.

I mean, I don't mind features honestly, it just needs to make sense and sound good. And not be Pitbull. lmao

Two artists I'd like to see work on a song together are Rihanna and Sia. I think the two of them together could come up with something really great. I just have that feeling whenever I think about it..

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This would be fantastic.

Also when y'all mentioned Hanging On, the first thing I thought of was Active Child's song Hanging On lmao. :( I got excited for a second!!