Why I Like Calle 13, and Other Matters.

(1) I tend to have a rockist (or at worst, a popist) attitude about music, which leaves out a lot of musical genres that are worth hearing. Looking at the list I made this year, I felt disappointed that it was so monochromatic. I feel bad that I didn't give a chance to albums by Ghostface Killah or Clipse or Lupe Fiasco, all of them hip-hop artists who released albums many people enjoyed. I didn't even listen to the J Dilla, or the Plan B (the British dude, not the reggaetonero), or the Kelis, or the Calle 13. Part of the problem is that I never was a big hip-hop fan and I feel like I should know more about it before I starty saying "this is good, this is bad." But I'm just mad at myself that I didn't even try. How am I gonna learn if I don't even try?

(2) I don't really like hip-hop artists who sound like hip-hop artists. ("Say what?") Like that's one reason I listen to The Streets or Buck 65 more than anything, it's like they're talking to me more than they're spitting out rhymes. I haven't heard his entire album, but this is the reason I like Calle 13. He's called a reggaetón artist, but he doesn't sound anything like it to me. Like the two singles I've heard by him use interesting "instrumentation" for hip-hop music (I quote that word because I'm sure the sound was created by some man-made process in the studio...). If the rest of his album sounds like every other damn reggaetón album out right now (aggro delivery + dirty lyrics + THAT REALLY ANNOYING BEAT), then I give him many props for choosing such unusual singles. And he's one of those talkin'-not-rappin' kinds of dudes. I mean obvs he does rhyme, but what the hell, rhyming "Coldplay" with "Green Day" doesn't call for Puerto Rican Poet Laureate of the Year, or even this month, y'know. Do I make any sense? I'm not sure.

At the same time, his singles, especially "Atrevete-te-te" are fucking catchy. And the rappero seems really charming but not in an arrogant sort of way ('sup Daddy Yankee). Of course, Calle 13 has been around for like a year, and there's a lot that could go wrong, either musically or in terms of public persona ('sup Kanye). But let's not dwell on how everything might go wrong, and let's enjoy what Calle 13 is doing well right now.

I dunno, maybe I have a warped sense of this artist because I'm not in PR having to hear his songs all the time. I wonder what Julissa has to say about this? I remember she was like, "Bitch, please!" when I said I liked "Gasolina".

"La Jirafa"


(3) On an unrelated note, I'm incredibly mad that Buju fucking Banton got nominated for a Grammy. I haven't heard this album so I dunno if it's good. Ugh. I understand that saying something in a song and meaning it is two separate things. I mean, sometimes you just have to love the music even though you hate the artist ('sup M.I.A.). The problem is, THIS IS THE FUCKING GRAMMYS. They have no concept of "art" or whatever, so it doesn't matter whether his album was good or not. I mean, the Black-Eyed Peas got nominated for "My Humps", so that really cancels out any other nomination for an artist I might actually like ('sup Thom Yorke). Why the fuck did Buju Banton get a nomination???