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Subject: "Armchair A&R: Whitney Houston 2.0 needs you to be her Clive Davis" Previous topic | Next topic
-DJ R-Tistic-
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Tue Apr-10-12 04:08 PM

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"Armchair A&R: Whitney Houston 2.0 needs you to be her Clive Davis"


  

          

Imagine that today, you have Whitney Houston 2.0 on your hands...she's 19, looks and sounds exactly like Whitney did when she first came out.

What direction do you set her in? Would you get the writers and producers who you feel would make the best Black-Soulful music? (Badu, Ledisi)
Or the best Modern/Trendy R&B music? (Beyonce, Mary J, Keri)
Or in the Adele lane?
Or all the way on the Top 40 and EDM side? (Gaga, Katy Perry)
Would it be a good balance of the three? (Usher, Chris Brown, Rihanna)

Who'd you go to for her 3-4 potential singles? Would you throw a rapper or Pop/R&B singer guest on it?

How far would you go with her image? Would you have her come out with a slight naive/innocent vibe as she did in the 80's, or a slight edge with SWV in 92-ish themes that aren't too blunt/direct? Or would she be all the way Rihanna with it (I wanna fuck you right now)?

Would you use her ballads to be singles, or would they remain as album cuts?

Are there any songs in the last 2-3 years that you can picture as being the same exact vibe/energy as what you'd want from her singles? Whether it's "Love on top" "Rolling in the deep" or "Give me everything?"

Keep in mind, that the company is going to be on your head if she doesn't sell, because she has the talent package that should put her on top of the game if executed right. But how would you play it in this day and age? Do you feel that she could use the same lane as artists who haven't been successful, and out do them b/c of her voice and look, or would it limit her?

You can go as deep and detailed as you'd like, or just drop a few lines.

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Topic Outline
Subject Author Message Date ID
was there a Whitney 1.0?
Apr 10th 2012
1
Yep. I mean..it's completely hypothetical
Apr 10th 2012
2
      if there's already been a Whitney then i'd probably pass on 2.0.
Apr 10th 2012
3
           not entirely true...lol
Apr 10th 2012
4
           yeah there are ppl like that.
Apr 10th 2012
5
                RE: yeah there are ppl like that.
Apr 10th 2012
6
                     in 2012 it takes more than a pretty face and a good voice.
Apr 10th 2012
7
                          agree to disagree
Apr 10th 2012
15
                               i dont' agree.
Apr 11th 2012
19
           Um I'm pretty nostaglia is one of the most widely used marketing
Apr 10th 2012
8
                Lady Gaga reminds us of Madonna.
Apr 10th 2012
9
have her work with R.kelly, Lionel Richie, babyface
Apr 10th 2012
10
I know its kind of sad I've been watching some American Idol
Apr 10th 2012
11
You got some videos of her?
Apr 10th 2012
12
RE: You got some videos of her?
Apr 11th 2012
22
that girl can sing
Apr 10th 2012
13
Wasn't Mariah Carey A Whitney Houston 2.0?
Apr 10th 2012
14
yeah she was the oreo to Whitney's
Apr 10th 2012
16
      Crazy that Mariah had more Black upbeat jams though
Apr 11th 2012
17
           Her first 3 albums used them regularly as singles.
Apr 11th 2012
18
           i'd take whitney's thinking about you off her first album
Apr 11th 2012
20
Whole LP produced/written by The Black Keys and DangerMouse
Apr 11th 2012
21
Interesting. What are some links of the Black Keys music?
Apr 11th 2012
23

SoWhat
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Tue Apr-10-12 04:12 PM

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1. "was there a Whitney 1.0?"
In response to Reply # 0


  

          

b/c the game kinda changed as a result of her career.

fuck you.

  

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-DJ R-Tistic-
Member since Nov 06th 2008
51986 posts
Tue Apr-10-12 04:19 PM

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2. "Yep. I mean..it's completely hypothetical"
In response to Reply # 1


  

          

You can picture it being her reincarnated, or someone else with equal talent, voice, and looks. Kind of hard to to ask/answer in a way if you overthink it

------------------------------

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SoWhat
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Tue Apr-10-12 04:26 PM

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3. "if there's already been a Whitney then i'd probably pass on 2.0."
In response to Reply # 2


  

          

b/c nobody likes a retread.

she'd have to be like Whitney but somehow different. like if she could play an instrument. or if she raps. or if she was transgendered. or she's not black. or something.

but i wouldn't be interested in putting out another act just like Whitney. b/c she wouldn't be just like Whitney and the public would likely judge her harshly and then reject her.

so if she's like Whitney i'd definitely make her into something else entirely.

fuck you.

  

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dafriquan
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Tue Apr-10-12 04:43 PM

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4. "not entirely true...lol"
In response to Reply # 3


  

          

>b/c nobody likes a retread.
>
there are alot of people who genuinely like artists mostly because them remind them of other artists. now run along and let this armchair A&R post go imaginary platinum...lol

  

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SoWhat
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Tue Apr-10-12 04:50 PM

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5. "yeah there are ppl like that."
In response to Reply # 4


  

          

but there aren't enough of them to interest me in a Whitney 2.0. maybe 10 or 15 yrs ago when labels had more money to throw around i'd have taken a chance on a retread. but not now. the stakes are too high.

again, if she's got a hook i'd take the chance. if she could rap or dance or was more of an all-around entertainer than Whitney. but i wouldn't be interested if she's just like Whitney. she'd have to be Whitney PLUS.

fuck you.

  

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howardlloyd
Member since Jan 18th 2007
2729 posts
Tue Apr-10-12 05:00 PM

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6. "RE: yeah there are ppl like that."
In response to Reply # 5


  

          

uh...

whitney was prettier than all these bitches and could sing these bitches under the table while sleeping...

u really wouldnt think she get all the attention? lol. alicia keys? katy perry? rihanna? and whitney houston (even cloned) wouldnt stand shoulders above?

maybe i'm missing something

...i'd do it almost how whitney first came out. i just make her sexier...and make her more of a tease

http://howardlloyd.bandcamp.com

  

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SoWhat
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Tue Apr-10-12 05:38 PM

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7. "in 2012 it takes more than a pretty face and a good voice."
In response to Reply # 6


  

          

can she dance?

does she write her own stuff?

does she rap?

does she design clothing?

can she act?

is she blowing up on Twitter?

how many views do her YouTube videos have?

does she have an interesting backstory we can exploit?

does she play an instrument?

...and on and on.

the game has changed since 1983. Whitney helped spur the change.

and if she came out as a Whitney 2.0 clone...she'd just be near the front of a long line of women who (think they can) sing (nearly) as well as Whitney. that wouldn't make her particularly special.

which is why i keep saying if i'm her A&R, i'm only interested if she's got everything Whitney had PLUS something Whitney never had. and it'd be even better if she had something no other popular mainstream act has right now.

fuck you.

  

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howardlloyd
Member since Jan 18th 2007
2729 posts
Tue Apr-10-12 10:47 PM

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15. "agree to disagree"
In response to Reply # 7


  

          

http://howardlloyd.bandcamp.com

  

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SoWhat
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Wed Apr-11-12 11:45 AM

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19. "i dont' agree."
In response to Reply # 15


  

          

fuck you.

  

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zuma1986
Member since Dec 18th 2006
9085 posts
Tue Apr-10-12 05:42 PM

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8. "Um I'm pretty nostaglia is one of the most widely used marketing"
In response to Reply # 3


  

          

>b/c nobody likes a retread.

tools in North America. Not just personal nostalgia but also nostalgia for a time many were never apart of to begin with. Most ppl have no problem with retread, infact imo if ppl could live out the same thing over and over again many would would

  

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SoWhat
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Tue Apr-10-12 05:47 PM

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9. "Lady Gaga reminds us of Madonna."
In response to Reply # 8
Tue Apr-10-12 05:48 PM by SoWhat

  

          

but she's not _JUST LIKE_ Madonna. she references Madge but puts some of her own thing in there. she makes several other references too, but let's keep this simple.

the OP asked about a Whitney 2.0 who is JUST LIKE Whitney 1.0. i said i don't think she'd be particularly successful b/c we don't like retreads.

an act who'd remind us of Whitney might succeed. but she'd have to have some thing(s) Whitney didn't have. she couldn't just be another copy of Whitney. if that's all she's bringing she'd be better off going the American Idol route.

fuck you.

  

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mistermaxxx08
Member since Dec 31st 2010
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Tue Apr-10-12 08:39 PM

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10. "have her work with R.kelly, Lionel Richie, babyface"
In response to Reply # 0


          

and of course do gospel songs with Kirk franklin, mary,mary, kelly price and fred hammonds and the Winans.

the thing about whitney is that you could pretty much do the same stuff which launched her.

give her a few R&B/Pop albums

a gospel Project

a Country Project

a Jazz/Blues Project

a Live Album


and Whitney E.Houston could play the Piano so she could do that unplug thing as well.


thing about Whitney is that you see Beyonce and Alicia Keys and Mariah Carey progressing so Whitney in a 2.0 would still wipe the floor with all them with ease.


She is a Better Artist then all of them IMO.

mistermaxxx R.Kelly, Michael Jackson,Stevie wonder,Rick James,Marvin Gaye,El Debarge, Barry WHite Lionel RIchie,Isleys EWF,Lady T.,Kid creole and coconuts,the crusaders,kc sunshine band,bee gees,jW,sd,NE,JB

Miami Heat, New York Yankees,buffalo bills

  

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go mack
Member since May 02nd 2008
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Tue Apr-10-12 08:49 PM

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11. "I know its kind of sad I've been watching some American Idol"
In response to Reply # 0


  

          

but kind of interested in what they do with the Jessica girl, 16 and damn good voice has done a couple Whitney songs already almost to perfection.

  

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-DJ R-Tistic-
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Tue Apr-10-12 08:54 PM

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12. "You got some videos of her?"
In response to Reply # 11


  

          

------------------------------

50+ FREE Mixes on www.DJR-Tistic.com!

Twitter and Instagram - @DJ_RTistic

  

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go mack
Member since May 02nd 2008
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Wed Apr-11-12 05:44 PM

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22. "RE: You got some videos of her?"
In response to Reply # 12


  

          

Here's a couple

I will Always Love You
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPX-H3KGjJI


Sweet Dreams (Beyonce)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cm0_XHkeous

  

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mistermaxxx08
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Tue Apr-10-12 10:13 PM

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13. "that girl can sing"
In response to Reply # 11


          

and if she gets handled the right way as a artist she could have a nice run.

i dig her voice as well.

mistermaxxx R.Kelly, Michael Jackson,Stevie wonder,Rick James,Marvin Gaye,El Debarge, Barry WHite Lionel RIchie,Isleys EWF,Lady T.,Kid creole and coconuts,the crusaders,kc sunshine band,bee gees,jW,sd,NE,JB

Miami Heat, New York Yankees,buffalo bills

  

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Dj Joey Joe
Member since Sep 01st 2007
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Tue Apr-10-12 10:39 PM

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14. "Wasn't Mariah Carey A Whitney Houston 2.0?"
In response to Reply # 0


  

          

I always saw Sony trying to push Mariah in the same vain as Whitney for years.


https://tinyurl.com/y4ba6hog

---------
"We in here talking about later career Prince records
& your fool ass is cruising around in a time machine
trying to collect props for a couple of sociopathic degenerates" - s.blak

  

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mistermaxxx08
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Tue Apr-10-12 11:39 PM

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16. "yeah she was the oreo to Whitney's"
In response to Reply # 14


          

cookie. Whitney paved the way for her and Celine Dion and all that followed

mistermaxxx R.Kelly, Michael Jackson,Stevie wonder,Rick James,Marvin Gaye,El Debarge, Barry WHite Lionel RIchie,Isleys EWF,Lady T.,Kid creole and coconuts,the crusaders,kc sunshine band,bee gees,jW,sd,NE,JB

Miami Heat, New York Yankees,buffalo bills

  

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-DJ R-Tistic-
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Wed Apr-11-12 03:54 AM

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17. "Crazy that Mariah had more Black upbeat jams though"
In response to Reply # 16


  

          

Honey rmx, Fantasy rmx, Breakdown (Black club slow jam), later on its like that.

You woulda thought Mariah woulda had more of the "I wanna dance with somebody" type songs

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come on people
Member since Dec 02nd 2007
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Wed Apr-11-12 06:15 AM

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18. "Her first 3 albums used them regularly as singles."
In response to Reply # 17


  

          

>You woulda thought Mariah woulda had more of the "I wanna
>dance with somebody" type songs

"Someday"
"Emotions"
"Dreamlover"

But this goes back to what SoWhat said...you can't just re-invent the wheel. Mariah's career exploded against the backdrop of the rise of hip-hop (and hip-hop soul) into the mainstream. She (and her label) reacted to that. "Fantasy" and "Honey" very much in the "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" vein, but re-tooled for the 90's.

And she still makes those songs. "Shake It Off" was one. "Luv U Long Time" was one, it just wasn't a hit song.

Go Smack yourself and then apologize to your hand for looking stupid - Case_One

http://i54.tinypic.com/nxros2.jpg

  

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mistermaxxx08
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Wed Apr-11-12 11:59 AM

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20. "i'd take whitney's thinking about you off her first album"
In response to Reply # 17


          

over all of that.

Mariah's uptemo stuff though was the side dish of jelly, the slow cuts were the bread and butter you best believe that Man.

if Mariah had have tried to do the uptempo thing she would have had a tier higher level of a Lisa Lisa run, however the slow cuts were the money tracks.

mariah had those on the back burner because she knew she had to be Whitney Lite to get over

mistermaxxx R.Kelly, Michael Jackson,Stevie wonder,Rick James,Marvin Gaye,El Debarge, Barry WHite Lionel RIchie,Isleys EWF,Lady T.,Kid creole and coconuts,the crusaders,kc sunshine band,bee gees,jW,sd,NE,JB

Miami Heat, New York Yankees,buffalo bills

  

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phemom
Member since Oct 22nd 2004
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Wed Apr-11-12 05:40 PM

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21. "Whole LP produced/written by The Black Keys and DangerMouse"
In response to Reply # 0


          

The Black Keys already make the type of everyday music....and they put women in the backgrounds of their hooks anyways. DangerMouse keeps the music full....

I would be trying to make my Whitney 2.0 the person you listen to when you get tired of Adele (especially if she takes the 5 year layoff). Yet she can be more relatable & marketable b/c she would be cuter than Adele...and she could move on stage (but not full-on dance routines tho).

Since she's 19 and it's 2012 you can't really ignore other genres, so I would be releasing remixes on the regular based on what she likes...if she's into hip-hop only the eccentric get remixes (Ghostface, El-P, Madlib, Ski Beatz) if it's more electo...Brainfeeder remix album on itunes.

Tours w/Mayer Hawthorne & Nikki Jean on the low end....aiming for opening for Florence & The Machine on the higher end. Maybe even Fiona Apple...

phemom's the name, all-star writer/
searching 4 journalistic fame, mindframe igniter....www.twitter.com/hayabusaage

  

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-DJ R-Tistic-
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Wed Apr-11-12 06:16 PM

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23. "Interesting. What are some links of the Black Keys music?"
In response to Reply # 21


  

          

Good point about the remixes to reach different crowds. I feel she is the type who could fit on almost any type music you put her on...Jazz, throwback Boom Bap, Drake-ish ambiance Rap, EDM a the LMFAO-Katy Perry Level, modern Jazz, etc etc etc so yeah, that would be a good move.

------------------------------

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Twitter and Instagram - @DJ_RTistic

  

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