Classixx have been busy preparing for their new album, and with that has come a series of collaborative tracks ahead of its releases. The past week alone has seen two new releases, the video for Whatever I Want featuring T-Pain, and new track Safe Inside featuring Passion Pit.
While Whatever I Want was first teased in late 2015, the video for Whatever I Want is absolutely worth a watch. It’s much more than just a musical collaboration, but a technological one. Director Daniel Pappas has teamed up with GoPro in a unique video, which allows the viewer to walk alongside T-Pain – and some Smiths fans – around LA. The Morrisey reference may seem left-field, but the video was reportedly inspired by a desire to remake The Smiths’ classic video for Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before, first released 30 years ago. You can certainly see the parallels between the previous and current versions, such as black and white poster on the wall, the bicycle brigade and the raw camera work.
Speaking to The Fader, Pappas explained, “The video was inspired by the song’s attitude towards doing ‘whatever I want,’ T-Pain’s well chronicled struggle with depression, the shared sadness of Smiths fans, and how, through all of the depression and sadness, when you look like Morrissey in whatever way you can, everything is going to be okay,” he said.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRbWBONZKTI&feature=youtu.be
Classixx have also just released Safe Inside with Passion Pit. The dance-heavy track has a cool, hip-moving beat and a bouncy feel good vibe. It’s a positive, upbeat track with a bright atmosphere – guaranteed to brighten up even the rainiest day. One half of the duo, Michael David explained why they decided to collaborate with passion pit on the track. “Shortly after finishing the instrumental, it occurred to us that Michael would make a great collaborator. We connected, flew to NY, and tracked vocals in Michael’s (Angelakos) living room over a three day period…We had a ton of fun listening to music and realised that we shared almost identical high school influences.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_Y3RVPzymM
Classixx will be releasing their new album Faraway Reach will be released on June 3rd.
Image: Supplied
Jacking sounds is nothing new in the world of hip-hop. Hell, even the most replayed song of 2015, Hotline Bling, has been accused of jacking the sound of an original D.R.A.M track. Drake‘s dancing aside, things get a little more contentious when a classic album is hit with the same accusations. 808’s & Heartbreaks, while certainly a polarising album, has asserted Kanye West‘s eagerness to experiment with the genre and his overall sound, and accustomed our ears to the world of auto-tune, a concept that has yet to leave the rap game, but it seems not everyone holds it in such high esteem.
T-Pain, who is undoubtedly renowned for his own auto-tune accomplishments, has recently reemerged from the depths of hip-hop obscurity to tell Billboard that Mr West blatantly copied the sound of his debut album, Rappa Ternt Sanga.
“None of this whole sound of music and it’s not even just rap and R&B — it’s going into pop and techno and dubstep and everything. It’s all kinda came from me. I’m seeing cartoons using Auto-Tune.”
“”I would say as recent as [Kanye West’s] 808s & Heartbreaks, which was a direct copy of Rappa Ternt Sanga,” T-Pain says. “I’m not just being a dick saying that shit sounds a lot like mine. Like literally [Kanye] told me that he listened to Rappa Ternt Sanga and he made 808s & Heartbreaks. He even brought me in to make it sound more like Rappa Ternt Sanga.”
Pretty big claim right there. Although you can’t argue with T-Pain as he continues, noting that the sound certainly hasn’t gone away; rappers such as Future have made a career from the presence of auto-tune.
“Something that I did that was directly copied got so many awards — that’s evidence right there. Rappa Ternt Sanga is still relevant because the sound is still prevalent in the whole industry. It’s never gonna stop.”
While T-Pain brought us some classic tracks from his debut album (namely In Luv Wit a Strippa), it is hard to compare the two projects. 808’s serves as a chilling and experimental insight into Kanye’s musical world, while T-Pain’s album is a little more on the glamorous and ritzy side of things. Unfortunately for us, we will probably never know what went on in the studio as the masterpiece that is 808’s was crafted.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMH0e8kIZtE]