Generally when an artist or writer gets hot, a lot of people jump on the bandwagon and then the cool thing to do is to be the person that finds something wrong with what’s popular. Blogging has made it increasingly popular and easy to hate on artists, because bloggers have the option to remain anonymous. Cyberspace is an environment where generally uncool people can appear cool by saying almost anything that they wouldn’t say in a confrontational environment. I say all that to say that The-Dream is the current hot artist/writer of today and I’ve recently seen a few blog sites that had negative things to say about him.
Now I’m not jumping to his defense, I just want to give my objective opinion about him. He’s dope. I had the opportunity to work with him earlier this year (before “Umbrella”) and witnessed his genius first hand. He would listen to a track, step out the room, come back in five minutes with a melody and a hook….and it sounded dope. Once the hook was put down, he would almost freestyle the verse and the song was done. The-Dream is a hit record maker and its no coincidence or mistake that he’s been responsible for some of the biggest records of 2007. I’m not saying these things because I’m down with him (aside from our few studio sessions I don’t know him), I’m not signed to Def Jam (shout to Atlantic Records!), and I don’t need any records from him (I love my writing more than
anyone else’s). This is just one artist appreciating another artist. My song writing process is a lot slower and sometimes a bit more collaborative…..check the video below:
Speaking of one artist appreciating other artists, I want to briefly list a few of the up and coming artists that need to be acknowledged. If you want to get a headstart on who are some of the hottest new artists then be on the look out for: Boxie, Kevin Michael, Jaiden, Lydia Caesar, Jayms Madison, Robbie Nova, Duo Live, and the incredibly talented Karina Pasian. These are artists whose music or talent I’ve been exposed to and who I think will do well.
In my own development as an artist, probably one of the most difficult things that I’ve had to endure was the criticism that comes with being different. This summer I toured with Keyshia Cole who is a dope R&B artist. The challenge for me was that I’m a bit different in that my vocal tone is somewhat crossover/rhythmic. In my attempts to adapt to her audience, I would tailor my show a little bit different and in the end it didn’t really work out. One of my biggest lessons coming off of that tour was to be me, commit to me, and never compromise for anyone. This rings true because I’d rather people hate me for being me than love me for being someone else. Check me out being interviewed by my sponsor Drjays.com after the tour ended.
After the Keyshia Cole Tour ended, Craig Kallman (Chairman and CEO Atlantic Records) started calling me very often and becoming more hands on with the
development of my sound. This type of attention was much needed because I certainly needed the confidence boost after the rough summer. So since the summer, I have been working feverishly to finish this album. One of my techniques for always being ready in the studio has been my morning vocal warm-ups/devotionals. Check me out singing gospel/Disney tunes first thing in the morning….yes, it really was 6:45 in the morning!
Silly right? Lol.
Well in addition to songwriting, singing, and being an all around silly person, I am an internet addict. I spend most of my downtime watching random stupidity on
youtube, laughing at the hilarity of crunktastical.blogspot.com, or relishing in the guilty pleasures of concreteloop.com, theybf.com, nahright.com and bossip.com. And while I love these sites because they make me laugh, they deserve special attention because they helped spark the Jena 6 debate before it became cool. If you pay any reasonable amount of attention to my music then you’ll notice that I do take my social responsibility serious.
In a world plagued by global warming, violence, racism, and classism, its my goal to be an artist of substance.
Well for more random thoughts or silliness, you can check me out at http://www.myspace.com/wynter85 or http://www.youtube.com/wyntergordontv
