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Jay-Z Calls for Death of Auto-Tune in New Song

Posted Jun 2nd 2009 12:30PM by Theo Bark
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Though hailed by some critics as a harbinger of the impending apocalypse, the auto-tune phenomenon has proved to be an entirely unexceptional trend in hip-hop.

Like most movements in rap, from afrocentricity to bling, sped up soul to G-Funk, the voice-altering technology has had its share of good (Kanye West, T-Pain) and bad moments (most everything else, T-Pain). But the pitch changing software made popular by Cher appears to have to finally come to its unfortunate end as Jay-Z has taken it on himself to bestow the vocoder-like plug in with its official eulogy on a song entitled 'Auto-tune is Dead.'

According to reports, the song calls for artists to stop using the technology, over a beat by former Common producer NO ID.

While Jay's forthcoming album 'Blueprint 3' was said to feature a fair amount of auto-tune initially, Hova scrapped it all and recorded 'Auto-tune Is Dead' instead. Having worked with Kanye and Timbaland on BP3, both staunch auto-tune advocates, attacking the technology seems an odd choice.

"We actually removed all the songs with auto-tune off of his album to make the point that this is an anti-auto-Tune album, even though I released an album that has all Auto-Tune," West told MTV, about Jay's upcoming release. "I like auto-Tune, so I do it, but you want the other thing -- like you'll wear a suit to a wedding and gym shoes to a basketball game. I think it's a perfect moment for Jay to provide some gym shoes to a basketball game."

From what we hear, the one person who isn't happy about the album's new direction is Timbaland, who had a lot of auto-tune on the tracks he produced for BP3.

Though Jigga-man can hardly be considered a current trend-setter, we can't be mad at him for taking a stand. After Kanye's '808's & Heartbreak,' it wasn't like anyone was going to do anything better with the technology, anyway.

Filed under: Hip-Hop News
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16 Comments

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Hello Paul

Cher has been in exsistance before anyone. She is the ONLY female singer to have a hit record in the last 4 decades. Also, the most mature woman to have a number one hit record when @50 years old "Believe" topped the charts. Not even Madonna was able to break that record with her last CD. Madonna turned 50 last year. The CD released with Timberland failed to crack the number one slot and was quickly forgotten

February 18 2010 at 11:56 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

C.E.O Ready Renz

I'm sorry but this has been used for decades by artist like Cameo, Zapp & Roger Troutman, Teddy Riley, Parliament Funkadelic, Ohio Players etc.... and the list goes back as far as the 50s all these new cats just picked up where former artist left off.

July 07 2009 at 2:47 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Ashlee

Jay Z needs to calm down and groove with this cat http://tinyurl.com/o6u3op

June 09 2009 at 3:10 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

SquarerootZ

Jay-Z is actually biting what someone else already did....last year.

http://www.rappersiknow.com/2008/11/24/roger-riley-teddy-troutman-death-of-autotune/

June 05 2009 at 8:28 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

J.Nolan

Auto-tune is wack anyway, let it die completely.

June 05 2009 at 6:10 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

cuzo

jay gotta point mf's is gonna start thinking they should do that too and then music is gonna start sounding weird.t-pain can actually sing so it doesn't sound bad for him.it actually makes him sound better.but rappers naw man.kanye you got a couple now let it go.don't know who ron brown is,but these other mf's....stop.jay-z is ain't say stop period...he's talking to mf's that are just using it because of the success of other ppl's songs.you are not them i think that's what he ment.t-pain do ya thing,kanye do u not da machine.everybody else quit jumping on da bandwagon

June 03 2009 at 12:11 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

ronmadone

Jay-Z speaks at a level that obviously none of yall can hear......I bet after this song comes out REAL lyrisist in the game won't touch anything that has to do with that annoying sound. It's a trend and bandwagon device like everything else in culture, it's hot for a minute and then "POOF" it's gone....and I understand what he's saying and by the way Jay has been around 12 years and the rest of these guys will be gone and forgotten.......holla

June 03 2009 at 9:45 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

1 reply to ronmadone's comment

nemoism

yeah hopefully it'll die like the rest of commercial hip-hop. by the way.... Jay_Z has been around for wayyy more than just 12 years.

June 03 2009 at 10:08 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

kjp

Auto-Tune, Drum Machines,Sampleing, It just goes to show that these C-rappers are not musicians, just pathetic Hustlers using Gimmicks to get Rich

June 03 2009 at 9:15 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

1 reply to kjp's comment

Christopher

im pretty sure you don't know what the definition of a musician is, a musician is anyone who makes music, instrumentalist is what your talking about and no one claimed to be that so think before you speak, and don't make asumptions that just end in yourself looking stupid.

June 06 2009 at 2:33 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

MicSpitta

@dbelieve30
First off Roger and Zapp used a vocoder/talkbox not autotune. The effects are similar but not the same. And equating them to this new breed of artist is ridiculous.

Finally @JayZ.... Dude you are not hip-hop's daddy. Just cause you say stop using something (that you yourself probably should never use on your voice) doesn't mean people should stop. Shut up and retire already.

June 03 2009 at 2:30 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

brickcity2atl

Let not forget Teddy Riley was using it too back in the day. I love when T_pain & Lil wayne use it...Just cause Jay isn't comfortable using doesn't mean everyone else should stop using it . I don't know why he would waste his breath...Jay-Z needs to try new things. If Timbaland had tracks in auto tune for Jay they were probably hot but better for another artist.Jay should go out of his way to say to mention that its dead to everybody EXCEPT T-Pain

June 02 2009 at 9:20 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply