the predilection of the last oh, 5-7 years, seems to be that if you are a "buzz" act on the internet.
finally releasing a long-"awaited" album that doesn't succeed with flying colors is a surefire way to make sure nobody talks about you with relevance in their tone any more from that point on.

jay electronica - interestingly enough has postponed releasing an actual album for almost 5 years and has cut his output down to 1 song every 18 months for the past 2.

interesting strategy.
i'm not a fan of his rapping or his music in any way - because i was never a fan of nerd rap the first go around in the late 90's but whatever he was doing in the late 00's it worked.
he played the site like a fiddle and the rest of the internet too in a way that i can only equate to 9th wonder and the hucksters in little brother... but he did it SANS wanton boy-who-cried-wolf praise and behind the scenes wheeling and dealing from you know who.
which deserves recognition of some degree.

i'm a fan of the route he took in the "new paradigm" in postponing releasing a real album.
at this point i would say what i said in 2007 - why bother releasing an album a tall?
but here comes the next step.
will he have his ever-valuable "cool factor" evaporate if his debut album doesn't perform up to standard for "relevant" in 2k12 like so many that came before him?
will he suffer the diminishing returns that follow?
of course you know i say yes but what do you say?
you think if he's endured and stretched out "e-buzz" for literally years at a time without any new material he can overcome a "flopping" album and retain some of that credible "e-buzz" he's been existing off of?
is there already a new jay electronica clamoring to take his "spot" (lol @ that concept in 2012) like barbarians at the gate.
i don't really care - but what say you?

Jay Electronica has taken well-long enough to both market and polish his product. Entirely too long, in my opinion. And I know this post is reaching for something else, but I don't think he can prove all of us wrong once the final product is released. There's not enough wiggle room in the current mechanics of the industry for him to shape his career in the way he's trying to maneuver, which to me, from an outsider looking in, appears to be with cautiousness and over-perfection (while at the same time harvesting that mystique that Rakim and Nas both had with their respective fanbases).

Up to this point, the songs he's officially released weren't his best. They were great as singles, in his lane, but they weren't his best.

I'd like to eventually see a fully fleshed-out product from the guy, but at this point it's sort of moot. I haven't counted him out, but at the same time, I'm no longer waiting.

_________________

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~Austin

http://austintayeshus.blogspot.com
http://www.last.fm/user/Austintayeshus
http://twitter.com/Austintayeshus
http://soundcloud.com/austintayeshus

regardless of if you replied or not.

he obviously isn't going for the radio
the video tv market is now youtube/vevo/etc.
i wouldn't be shocked if his album gets 'released' like that busta album in some weird, warped way 'free' way..
i think the bbc/international love gives roc nation a 'critical acclaimed' type vibe like when jay brought over the roots to def jam

>he obviously isn't going for the radio

interesting. "exhibit c" was rotated fairly well.

>the video tv market is now youtube/vevo/etc.

i'd have to see that proven in figures from an unbiased source before i believed it.

>i wouldn't be shocked if his album gets 'released' like that
>busta album in some weird, warped way 'free' way..

i must have missed that. are you talking about "blessed" or something recent?

>i think the bbc/international love gives roc nation a
>'critical acclaimed' type vibe like when jay brought over the
>roots to def jam

what do you think about what i proposed in the thread?
given that when buzz act x releases full length album and it "flops".
buzz act x suddenly becomes ____ act x and stops "mattering".
jay electronica has bypassed this by postponing his album and scattering various material over 5 years to differing levels of success.
it's "worked" - but will everybody stop caring once his album drops if it doesn't break say... 100k?
-shrugs w/ raised eyebrows while looking at you-

>he obviously isn't going for the radio

>>interesting. "exhibit c" was rotated fairly well.

>the video tv market is now youtube/vevo/etc.

>>i'd have to see that proven in figures from an unbiased source before i believed it.

>i wouldn't be shocked if his album gets 'released' like that
>busta album in some weird, warped way 'free' way..

i must have missed that. are you talking about "blessed" or something recent?

>i think the bbc/international love gives roc nation a
>'critical acclaimed' type vibe like when jay brought over the
>roots to def jam

>what do you think about what i proposed in the thread?
>given that when buzz act x releases full length album and it "flops".
>buzz act x suddenly becomes ____ act x and stops "mattering".
>jay electronica has bypassed this by postponing his album and scattering various material >over 5 years to differing levels of success.
>it's "worked" - but will everybody stop caring once his album drops if it doesn't break say... >100k?
>-shrugs w/ raised eyebrows while looking at you-

exhibit got play out here in nyc, but...nevermind.
rap city, yo mtv raps, the box doesn't exist. jay may have his one day on 106 & park and thats a very long stretch. what other 'video' shows exist on tv?
busta's "year of the dragon" was released for free via google play:
https://play.google.com/store/music/album/Busta_Rhymes_Year_Of_The_Dragon?id=Bkp5xifkfd2niknmokjkzxupnau

i don't think jay is gonna apply to the conventional rules. even if he flops by most standards he will still have a solid promo run, spot date shows, & internet hoopla for relevancy.
this isn't slim thug dropping "already platinum" type level of anticipation
jays success will be measured by his cover story in the fader or headlining some international music festival with some corporate sponsor tie-in to look cool, not record sales

>jays success will be measured by his cover story in the fader
>or headling some international music festival with some
>corporate sponsor tie-in to look cool, not record sales

but your missing my point.

once you drop/flop - you ability to play those "cool", buzz-act shows becomes non-existent.
nobody fucks with you any more. on any side of the fence.

he won't flop
too much money involved
he will get that cover story and/or headlining festival like it or not

an abbreviated list of this summer's mid-to-major festival headliners: Jay-Z, Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, Prince, Black Sabbath, D'Angelo, Charlie Wilson, Radiohead, Snoop Dogg, Green Day, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Wu-Tang Clan, Nas, Jack White, The Roots, Erykah Badu, My Morning Jacket, Phish, Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Aerosmith, Beyonce, Beck, Kid Cudi, John Legend, etc.

is there a single name on that list that Jay Electronica, who currently has a live-reputation tending somewhere between non-existent to bad even amongst his fans, is bumping off the strength of finally releasing his debut album?

Album drops and the day after it'll be revealed that he's been dead for 8 years. He only ever finished one album, and the day it comes out it'll be the last thing he ever releases. He'll really blow up, and be the biggest rapper to ever release his lp after he dies.

on the Internet right? If the album doesn't meet the hype of those dudes and spark interest with the general public, then those 8 dudes stop talking about him and its over.

I think that's generally how these things go.



**********
"naive as the dry leaves on the ground looking past the trees to the blue sky asking 'why me?'" -Blu

the staff @ complex
the heads @ nahright
the heads @ two dope boys
the heads @ potholes in my blog
the heads @ hypebeast
the staff @ hip hop DX
the heads @ passion weiss
writers like Noz, David Drake, Brandon Soderberg and Briehen who generally seem to not be fans of his music but bring him up during discussions of contemporary rap to be fair (and get paid)
the hundreds of kids/people on tumblr who post about Jay E's music
and the posters in the Lesson who speak on Jay E

these 8 people? got it

but i think for the most part his hype is pretty much already dead. i don't think if this album fails that his career will be over, but he just won't live up to the messianic hype people have placed on him.

if people look for his album to just be good, i think it was a successful project. jay didn't create this hype, although he definitely benefits from it, so i can't fault him if his album doesn't make him on the level with Nas or Rakim or Biggie.

__________________________________________

http://www.twitter.com/chriscjamison/

People who don't take risks generally make about two big mistakes a year. People who do take risks generally make about two big mistakes a year.

Peter Drucker

*********************
www.dumhi.com -- We are ALL dumhi

www.royallegacy.org
http://therapfest.com/up-next-artists/

his strategy (if you can even call it that) is really interesting though.

<--- Big Baller World Order