david bammer Member since Jun 20th 2010 4467 posts
Wed Feb-22-12 06:40 PM
"an act changing their name to differentiate a new period in their oeuvre..." Wed Feb-22-12 06:41 PM by david bammer
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if "mos def" (an outdated reference to 90's nyc hiphop) was releasing an album tomorrow, i would likely not even download it.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.
david bammer Member since Jun 20th 2010 4467 posts
Wed Feb-22-12 06:58 PM
1. "related... the implications of doing this" In response to Reply # 0 Wed Feb-22-12 06:59 PM by david bammer
i don't think there is a bigger RISK for an artist than doing this. potentially shedding your fanbase in favor of creative freedom in starting a new. i'm sure for a lot of acts who monetarily depend on the same x amount of people attending their shows and buying their albums every year, this would be a terrifying option to consider due to the involved risk.
2. "RE: Feels pretty gimmicky to me." In response to Reply # 0
Very melodramatic.
I don't really trust an artist who declares the reinvention before it actually happens.
Now, in the case of bands losing a member and/or changing their sound drastically, I think it's a good idea. I'm thinking mostly of Joy Division —> New Order and Slowdive — > Mojave 3.
>Very melodramatic. > >I don't really trust an artist who declares the reinvention >before it actually happens.
Exactly. If you're doing it just to stir up interst in your new shit, which happens to be the same as your OLD shit, then yeah... ( no Sasha Fierce-o)
> >Now, in the case of bands losing a member and/or changing >their sound drastically, I think it's a good idea. I'm >thinking mostly of Joy Division —> New Order and Slowdive — > >Mojave 3.
yeah, that's almost mandatory. It helps shed some of the old demons, and if need be, give the remaining band members the change to try a new sound minus the guy that left...
12. "RE: But you used Mos Def as your example." In response to Reply # 5 Thu Feb-23-12 12:55 AM by Austin
Unless he suddenly goes bluegrass, he will always be Mos Def to me.
With Joy Division, it makes sense to change the name to New Order because the band was something so many people saw as "Ian Curtis and some other blokes." That their sound changed too was a natural progression (and, in fact, many fans of 'Bizarre Love Triangle' and 'True Faith' actually aren't really into Movement because it sounds like a Joy Division album).
With Slowdive, they fractured apart and then regrouped as 75% of who they were. The main songwriters and voices were still there, but they were trying to do something different anyway. The change of the band name didn't actually happen until they had recorded three-fourths of their first album (and I also suspect the band name change had to do with legal reasons, as well).
Mos Def will still be doing that mildly angsty rappity rap boho-hop no matter what name he's using. So it seems a little less genuine in his case.
14. "i really disagree re: mos def... " In response to Reply # 12
i think if you look at his career from black star forward, it really has been a transformation w/ mos.. there have been experiments and missteps along the way.. but after listening to The Ecstatic, i got a feeling like that's what the experimentation blossomed into.. i def. saw a distinct change in the way he rhymed and the way he put songs together - his subject matter seems more "mystical" too.. even if his general crew and beats are similar to his older stuff, i really do believe there was a paradigm shift there.. he even said "yasiin" and "bey" all over the album, so if we use that album as a jumping off point for this "yasiin bey" moniker, i think it makes a lot of sense.. and it seems genuine too.. imo
7. "jay dee is considered a different sound/artist than jay dilla" In response to Reply # 0
maybe not by all but i would say by most fans of his music. jay dilla sought to step away from most of the neo-soul isms that made jay dee famous. if that's not a re-invention, i don't know what it is.
13. "meant to say j dilla NOT jay dilla..." In response to Reply # 7
>maybe not by all but i would say by most fans of his music. >jay dilla sought to step away from most of the neo-soul isms >that made jay dee famous. >if that's not a re-invention, i don't know what it is. > >just wanted to clarify that. >carry on. > >
8. "How long did Mike Bigga last for Killa Mike? " In response to Reply # 0 Wed Feb-22-12 11:37 PM by Laz aka Black Native
I know Peedi Crack changed to Peedi Peedi; both artist changed for a less derogatory pseudonym but when that happens, is that name even taken seriously? I feel like if you don't correct the blogs, interviews or whoever when calling you your "former" moniker, it really has no impact & make no difference. I've seen Yasiin Bey correct folk when calling him "Mos Def" & folk respect it. No one, including me respects the P. Diddy change, that nigga is Puff. LOL!
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