I've always been a Justin hater, but now I can't deny that this guy is good, and he's already better than most so called rnb singers we have now.

He could have been nothing but a white Usher, but he's much better than that.

Sorry but Usher is noway near Justin Timberlake now.
He proved us that he is worth much more. This guy is getting better and better.

Justin is crap

I give him credit for his SNL appearances, but until I understand that SexyBack song I can't give him much else

mmmmm.... justin.

Najee said:

CinisterCee said:

Actually, it's not racist at all.

Acts like Hall & Oates, Phil Collins, Lisa Stansfield, Boy George and The Culture Club, Teena Marie and George Michael I can appreciate. They all have had varying degrees of success with soul music listeners because they appealed via a genuine persona and musical style. Their appeal to black audiences didn't come across as forced -- it naturally occurred that they picked up black audiences via the general appeal of their music.

In the case of acts like Color Me Badd, Dino, Jon B. and now Justin Timberlake, they all come across as acts who are trying to enact musical personas and styles they may stereotypically associate with black comtemporary acts -- or in their case, black men in general. It's like some social experiment where they're looking from outside saying, "Oh! That's how the brothers act! Let me try that!" You never got the impression they were ever exposed to soul music (or to a degree, black people) except in isolated cases where they're trying to exploit it.

So yes, they are fake-ass "cool" white boys -- I'm sure most of us have met people in real life who act like that, like they are so "down" that they actually feel they can challenge some black men on who is acting more "black."
[Edited 1/29/07 2:29am]

Something a bit of topic:

Music is not an exclusive of a certain group of people. If it was, rock and other styles would have never grown or crossovered to the mainstream. If there's a place
were racism should not exist, it must be in music.

MikeMatronik said:

Well, you misunderstood what I said. I never said that musical genres should be race-specific -- though it is pretty evident that some musical influences and styles around are commonly performed by people from one common geographic region or culture.

What I said was that an act like Justin Timberlake comes across as someone whose musical style is based on exploiting what is considered a popular style of music only because it is popular. I feel there is a genuine lack of sincerity in his music -- if polka was the popular music of choice, he would hop on that style.
[Edited 1/29/07 1:42am]

Najee said:

Najee said:

As it happened with all 90's teen pop boybands, JT did not have any input or saying on the first releases. They were a pure manufactured boyband...the boys only provided the looks, the dancing and their voices. Lou Pearlman was in charge. Only in the last 2 albums, they started to control NSYNC (especially JT and that Chavez or Chadez guy!)

They were in it for the money and fame. People bought the records and saw the show.

So the blame is of the public.

MikeMatronik said:

And even then, you had the same 'N Sync style of music during the group's final two albums -- which was whatever was popular then. I certainly don't recall Justin Timberlake acting like some white version of Usher when the act was in charge of its own persona.
[Edited 1/29/07 2:01am]

Najee said:

At that time JT was busy shagging Britney!

MikeMatronik said:

So in other words, Justin Timberlake's fake-ass "cool" white boy persona couldn't emerge because he was banging the trailer-trash former Mouseketeer. WTF-ever.

Mind you, I'm calling Timberlake fake not just because he's trying to certain contemporary music styles. I'm also calling him out on his entire persona (at times, clothing, mannerisims, etc.).
[Edited 1/29/07 5:07am]

Najee said:

Yep, Justin is a poser. I still remember him running up on 106th and Park to confess he has a weakness for the sistahs. Really Justin? I mean Britney, Camron, Alyssa, and Jessica Biel are no sisters of mine.

Najee said:

roundables said:

Yep, no different than the likes of Jon B., Dino and Color Me Badd -- he's "down" with copying or exploiting any style he can use to establish his career. We saw how much he showed his "weakness for the sistahs" when he ran like a streaker jumping out of frozen water the way he distanced himself from Janet Jackson after the Super Bowl incident (yeah, let's not forget it was HIS ASS who created the "wardrobe malfunction.")

Also, wasn't that the 106th and Park performance where his entire band was black? What a poser -- just like the tired line about a "weakness for the sisters" is nothing more than a BS line to win some credibility with the black music-buying audience (ironically, Jon B. also used to a say that line to buy himself some credibility).
[Edited 1/29/07 5:56am]

It's a shame that the org sometimes is biased...

i finally heard sexyback last weekend (yes, i suppose my life really IS that sheltered!) and i didn't mind it, though i liked it more for the production than anything JT did for the song. anyone can mumble an electropop rap. timbaland could have done this song with nelly furtado and it would have been just as good.

JT is pretty and he looks good in suits and a buzzcut. anyone who thinks this latest album is his "artistic barmitzfah" (to quote entourage) is high.

Justin is good. Good at copying styles. I’ve never gotten a sense of who he is from N’Sync to now. He just seems to be a product of whoever he works with and whatever direction he’s steered in. Some of the music is listenable but I really credit the producers. I’m not surprised that he’s had success with them but it doesn’t take much to stand out in today’s 'so called R&B'.
[Edited 1/29/07 7:04am]

JackieBlue said:

he's a skilled performer, but i'm not convinced he's a talented artist.

Anx said:

co-sign. now can we give it a rest?

Yeah, I agree I wouldn't call him an artist.

I'm surprised he gets this much discussion. Uh oh. I just unintentionally bumped this thread again.

a young Elvis is all he is but didn't Elvis play the guitar?

JackieBlue said:

Exactly. Justin Timberlake is one of those acts where you get the sense he doesn't bring a lot of his own distinctive creativity to the product. He's only as good or as bad as the producers, songwriters and musicians make him. I used to say the same thing about Tevin Campbell back in the 1990s.

I thought this was a JustinUK1972 thread

Najee said:

what is like 85% of RnB and rap music is bought by suburban white kids.

roundables said:

I wouldn't quite say he was totally bullshitting. There were a lot of rumors of him and Janet being a brief item before the Superbowl incident.