inspired by yasiin bey.
i really like this idea and more so the idea of artistic re-invention through the means of a new name and want to talk about it...

we all are accustomed to name changes like jay dee to j dilla or puff daddy to p diddy for frivolous or legal reasons...

but i want to talk about the concept of taking on a new moniker in music as to conclusively communicate to the audience that this is a new period and the re-invigorating effect it can have creatively and attention-wise.

they say that first impressions are very important because you only get to make them once.
and in music/movies or any facet of the entertainment industry that is definitely true for the act and the impression they make on their audience.
it's possible to alienate potential consumers with subtle sub-communications that make people not want to align with you and consume your art.
"okayplayery" as an adjective is one relevant example of this.

we all know about parliament/funkadelic being 2 seperate entities to allow different directions in their music or zev love x transformation into mf doom or acts like prince/madlib who released music under a pseudonym.
needless to say, a name "chnage" can be freeing creatively for an act with an already established reputation.
which leads me back to yasiin bey.

if "mos def" (an outdated reference to 90's nyc hiphop) was releasing an album tomorrow, i would likely not even download it.
yassin bey on the other hand?
well the court is still out on how DIFFERENT yassin bey is from "mos def", but i am definitely more interested in hearing what a yassin bey mp3 sounds like.
imo, it's an interesting evidencing of perception in a consumer.
but more so, i think it could be utilized fittingly by artists to differentiate "periods" in their music.
where as mos def (to go back tothe example utilized here) represented 90's nyc hiphop, yassin bey could represent an allegance and a direction that is entirely different.
i think this is interesting and intriguing and i would think it's especially relevant to the internet age of music.
i'd love to see this become more common place if utilized appropriately.