Alright, I’ve been banging this remix so much this week that it warrants a post.
Norwegian DJ Cosmic Dawn‘s done official remixes for the likes of Jason Derulo, Donkeyboy and my American Idol Season 2 Queen Kimberly Caldwell, but this particular one’s not official—yet, anyway.
Navy Commander Illuminati Princess Marijuana Goddess RiRi‘s murky, ratchet-tastic “Pour It Up” is one of my very favorites from Unapologetic: I don’t pretend to twerk, but if I did, it would be truly my twerk anthem.
With his remix, Cosmic Dawn’s gone and given the track an ethereal boost, converting the harsh claps and chilly beats into a hypnotic trance affair full of warm, soaring pulsations and sonic lusciousness.
Madonna‘s recent arrival to the Instagram party has been delightfully weird, rule-breaking and, as is her usual M.O., rather iconic. (So much so, in fact, that each new upload seems to warrant another post here at MuuMuse.)
But in the past few days, the Queen of Pop has been doing more than just channeling Bettie Paige for Purim and stanning hard for Frida Kahlo, Marilyn Minter and Man Ray. No, she’s got something up her kimono sleeves: She’s going to tell us a secret — again.
Everyone loves a good rih-interpretation.
And no artist seems to be acting as more of a muse for the pop world lately than Illuminati Instagram Queen, Navy Commander and #PhuckYoFeelings Pot Pop Princess herself, Miss RiRi Fenty.
The Grammys happened, and lots of things happened during The Grammys.
Chris Brown didn’t stand up for Frank Ocean, Frank Ocean’s voice didn’t stand up at all, Rihanna did an amazing performance of “Stay” with Mikky Ekko, Kelly Clarkson did an amazing performance of being Kelly Clarkson, the Carter-Knowles Administration bobbed their heads in unison, Justin Timberlake made a comeback, Justin Bieber got pissy and Lena Dunham won everything.
But in my world, there was plenty of potential for other stuff to happen. Stuff that really should have happened. And in my world–which I don’t recommend visiting anytime soon–the Grammys could have gone very differently.
So without further ado, here’s how the headlines would read today if I were in charge of the Grammys.
Earlier this week, I posted my favorite singles from 2012. And now, it’s time for the albums.
Unlike last year, 2012 was not a very strong year for mainstream pop acts–at all. Most of the releases from pop’s biggest players, including P!nk, Nicki Minaj, One Direction, Christina Aguilera, Ke$ha and Adam Lambert–were largely ‘okay’ at best, playing like rehashes of previous successes and hopping on radio trends du jour. The result was a yearlong onslaught of dubstep breakdowns and guitar-led YOLO dance-pop (“Live While We’re Young,” “Die Young,” “Starships,” et al.) Even the Queen of Reinvention herself–as much as I wouldn’t normally dare to admit this–bowed to some occasionally cringeworthy youth pandering on her 12th studio album, MDNA. (And could she ever really recover from Cher‘s merciless shade?)
But whereas conventional pop faltered, dozens of up-and-coming players from around the world shined bright (like a diamond), resulting in music that actually was–and still is–largely ahead of the curve: A Swedish trance-pop songstress, a Canadian R&B crooner, a British neo-soul darling and of course, a certain American-born throwback chanteuse that set the nation on fire in a red, white and blue blaze of glory.
Here are my Top 20 albums of 2012. As with the singles, there’s a Spotify link at the very end to hear all Top 20 albums in a row. Enjoy, and I’ll see you in 2013!
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