So let's talk about The Weeknd.
Yep this pineapple headed Canadian....without the "e",,,god what a stupid stage name.
Anyway, The Weeknd is without a doubt the biggest breakout star of 2015 as he has been on top of the charts the past two months, minus that one week blip from fellow Canadian, Justin Bieber. The guy is absolutely on fire right now with a top selling album, a surprise guest spot on Taylor Swift's tour, run ins with the law....seriously why would you punch a cop? It's safe to say the guy is going to be around for awhile.
But I'm not a fan. Not saying that I hate him because he does have songs that I like, but it has a lot to do with his voice. His voice can be grating and whiny to the point that it makes me not care what he's singing about because he sounds unbearable. It doesn't help matters that most of his songs come off as pretentious as hell. Yeah I get that R&B artists love to brag about their sexual exploits, but man. The Weeknd's stuff is beyond dark. To the point that he gets incredibly explicit. Like it's downright gruesome nitty gritty to the point that I just don't see the appeal of it.
Anyway, let's tackle his biggest hit to date....
Oh how I wish this was....because this only is actually good...hell it's great. At least this one I get the Michael Jackson comparisons because this is the best Michael Jackson impersonation I've heard in years....even if it's low key about cocaine.
Nope this is one is called The Hills and....it has one of the strangest...hell even ingenious samples I've ever heard.
This song samples, hell even references the belated Wes Craven's B-movie horror classic The Hills Have Eyes. As you can see, it makes a ton of sense to see how this got huge around this time frame. Take one of the most iconic horror movie classics and make a song dedicated to....cheating?
You said, "Keep our business on the low-low"
I'm just tryna get you out the friend zone
Cause you look even better than the photos
....the friend zone? Please tell me this is a parody of some sort because if not, bragging about trying to get a girl out of the friend zone doesn't make you come off as an alpha male player. It makes you come off as a pathetic loser....or creeper since I can't even tell if you met this chick past her Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
Even questionable lyrics aside, while I do admit the sampling is smart, could this song be any more unlistenable? It's an audio nightmare with the production not working at all with The Weeknd's voice and story that he's trying to tell. I don't buy what he is trying to pull off with this dark visceral persona here. Which is a shame because he was able to pull it off in the past. For those who don't know, this isn't the first time The Weeknd has done this sort of stylistic R&B before. I've heard plenty of songs off of his previous album Kiss Land where he was able to do this act better and while they may have not all been great, I was able to buy into the point. It honestly feels like he's not even trying here. For a song about cheating, The Weeknd isn't even trying to sound like he cares.
Who are you to judge, who are you to judge?
Hide your lies, girl, hide your lies
Only you to trust, only you
But who are you to care? You're the guy who is bragging about fucking multiple bitches before you saw this girl and how when you are fucked up that it's the real you. Who is the real you? I can't even tell because you come off as ridiculously fake that I can't even tell if any effort was actually put into this...at least until the recent Eminem remix. Because I totally buy Eminem as dark and visceral when he's spitting out straight fire like he does with this.
As for the stand alone single, I hate this. It's one thing to think you are visceral and shocking, but it's another thing entirely to actually pull it off. The Weeknd just doesn't do it and it makes this just a smart concept in theory and an audio nightmare in execution. I would much rather have my ears ripped out and eaten to death by radioactive cannibals than listen to this song. If The Weeknd can reference The Hills Have Eyes and miss the point, so can I.
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