phunkdaddy said:

Glindathegood said:

It includes Stevie Wonder! Madonna and Stevie are singing Purple Rain together. Here's a spoiler from rehearsal. So you all can calm down about it being too white or not including your favorite artists who knew Prince.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BFuYc01pGxN/?&_suid=146395485926302809631403069943

Who the hell said anything about the show being too white but you? Most people had a problem with Linda Perry's comments versus Madonna performing the tribute. If the biggest thing was appealing to you guys favorite term mainstream why the hell are Ludicrous and Ciara hosting. When was the last time either had a big hit? And your message about Stevie: Are Black folks suppose to rejoice now as though we haven't seen Stevie perform on awards shows 1000 times over. Me as well as a lot of sports fans will be tuning into the NBA playoffs anyway so the Billboard awards are not RELEVANT to some us. Pun intended.

Adding Stevie was an afterthought....damage control. Mofos know when they wrong. Smdh.

Scorp said:

getxxxx said:

GO!

this why I don't watch these shows for stunts like this

I have nothing at all against Madonna,

here work in the 80s up unto the album True Blue was stellar

but this goes to show how the luminaries from years past have been shafted and pushed aside in order for others to be hoisted through the lens of Pop orientation, and that's why music and entertainment overall has declined

[Edited 5/22/16 6:18am]

I have something against her...she can't sing or play.

But she isn't the scariest part of this debacle. The really scary part is who is making the decisions about who and what is relevant.

SoulAlive said:

[img:$uid]http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y240/delivertheword/celebs/madonna_ugly_zpsjw6axwgv.jpg[/img:$uid]

GeorgieAto said:

MickyDolenz said:

She writes songs for many acts (like another well known songwriter Diane Warren) and was the lead singer of this 1990s band.

the worst fucking song of the 90s and thats saying a lot

yes, it's certainly up down there in the Top Low 10 but even that shitty song was stolen from Bobby McFerrin. if you decide to steal, then at least you should take from a good song

babynoz said:

Scorp said:

this why I don't watch these shows for stunts like this

I have nothing at all against Madonna,

here work in the 80s up unto the album True Blue was stellar

but this goes to show how the luminaries from years past have been shafted and pushed aside in order for others to be hoisted through the lens of Pop orientation, and that's why music and entertainment overall has declined

[Edited 5/22/16 6:18am]

I have something against her...she can't sing or play.

But she isn't the scariest part of this debacle. The really scary part is who is making the decisions about who and what is relevant.

That was what made me laugh about this and all the 'knowing' defences of it. All I can imagine is stiff-arsed suits sitting around the flipchart: "We need someone 'relevant' to the music of today....but who?? ....Wait, I've got it: Madonna!"

Anyway, I do hope the 'relevance'-watchers were pleased with that result - or at least satisfied that it was 'beige' enough to offend no-one who'd tuned in accidentally (and, of course, move no-one who cared a fuck about the artist being 'honoured'). And a special nod to that 'relevant' drum track they'd stuck on NC2U, too. Quite how they managed to get my mum to programme it, I've no idea.

MickyDolenz said:

deebee said:

Well, there you go. Don't trust the people who tell you it can't happen.

The Grammys & the Billboard Awards are different though. The Grammys nominate veteran acts (like Steely Dan winning over Eminem) and Billboard nominate who's hot now. It's unlikely Billboard would have nominated Steely Dan in the first place as their album was nowhere near as popular as Eminem's. Also, unlike Sheila E and Chaka, Stevie has pretty much always crossed over, going all the way back to Fingertips. Stevie's 1970s and early 1980s albums sold well too. So he's more on the level with Madonna and Michael Jackson rather than The Time & Andre Cymone. Madonna is also nominated for a Billboard Award. Chaka, The Time, and Stevie aren't. So Madonna was probably already going to be there. Here's a list of nominees.

.

Top Artist:
Adele
Justin Bieber
Drake
Taylor Swift
The Weeknd

Top New Artist:
Fetty Wap
OMI
Charlie Puth
​Silentó
Bryson Tiller

Top Male Artist:
Justin Bieber
Drake
Fetty Wap
Ed Sheeran
The Weeknd

Top Female Artist:
Adele
Selena Gomez
​Ariana Grande
Rihanna
Taylor Swift

Top Duo/Group:
Maroon 5
One Direction
twenty one pilots
The Rolling Stones
U2

Top Billboard 200 Artist:
Adele
Justin Bieber
Drake
Taylor Swift
The Weeknd

Top Hot 100 Artist:
Justin Bieber
Drake
Fetty Wap
Taylor Swift
The Weeknd

Top Song Sales Artist:
Adele
Justin Bieber
Drake
Fetty Wap
The Weeknd

Top Radio Songs Artist:
Justin Bieber
Ellie Goulding
Ed Sheeran
Taylor Swift
The Weeknd

Top Streaming Songs Artist:
Justin Bieber
Drake
Fetty Wap
​Silentó
The Weeknd

Top Social Media Artist:
Justin Bieber
Selena Gomez
​Ariana Grande
Demi Lovato
Taylor Swift

Top Touring Artist:
Madonna
One Direction
The Rolling Stones
Taylor Swift
U2

Top R&B Artist:
Chris Brown
​Jeremih
Rihanna
Bryson Tiller
The Weeknd

Top Rap Artist:
Drake
Fetty Wap
Future
Wiz Khalifa
Silentó

Top Country Artist:
Zac Brown Band
Luke Bryan
Sam Hunt
Chris Stapleton
Carrie Underwood

Top Rock Artist:
Fall Out Boy
Elle King
twenty one pilots
Walk the Moon
X Ambassadors

Top Latin Artist:
Banda Sinaloense MS De Sergio Lizárraga
Juan Gabriel
Nicky Jam
Ariel Camacho y Los Plebes del Rancho
Romeo Santos

Top Dance/Electronic Artist:
The Chainsmokers
DJ Snake
David Guetta
Major Lazer
​Zedd

Top Christian Artist:
Casting Crowns
Lauren Daigle
​Hillsong United
MercyMe
Chris Tomlin

Top Gospel Artist:
Anthony Brown and group therAPy
Tasha Cobbs
Kirk Franklin
Travis Greene
Marvin Sapp

Top Billboard 200 Album:
Adele, 25
Justin Bieber, Purpose
Ed Sheeran, x
Taylor Swift, 1989
The Weeknd, Beauty Behind The Madness

Top Soundtrack:
Empire: Original Soundtrack from Season 1
Fifty Shades of Grey
Furious 7
Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1
Pitch Perfect 2

Top R&B Album:
Chris Brown, Royalty
Rihanna, Anti
Bryson Tiller, T R A P S O U L
​Tyrese, Black Rose
The Weeknd, Beauty Behind The Madness

Top Rap Album:
Drake, If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late
Drake & Future, What A Time To Be Alive
Dr. Dre, Compton
Kendrick Lamar, To Pimp A Butterfly
Meek Mill, Dreams Worth More Than Money

Top Country Album:
Chris Stapleton, Traveller
Luke Bryan, Kill The Lights
Sam Hunt, Montevallo
Zac Brown Band, Jekyll + Hyde
Carrie Underwood, Storyteller

Top Rock Album:
Alabama Shakes, Sound & Color
David Bowie, Blackstar
Coldplay, A Head Full Of Dreams
Mumford & Sons, Wilder Mind
twenty one pilots, Blurryface

Top Latin Album:
Juan Gabriel, Los Dúo
Juan Gabriel, Mis Número 1…40 Aniversario
​Mana, Cama Incendiada
Gerardo Ortiz, Hoy Más Fuerte
Romeo Santos, Formula, Vol. 2

Top Dance/Electronic Album:
David Guetta, Listen
Major Lazer, Peace Is The Mission
​ODESZA, In Return
​Skrillex & Diplo, Skrillex and Diplo Present Jack Ü
​Zedd, True Colors

Top Christian Album:
Lauren Daigle, How Can It Be
​Hillsong UNITED, Empires
Joey + Rory, Hymns That Are Important To Us
​TobyMac, This Is Not A Test
Chris Tomlin, Adore: Christmas Songs of Worship

Top Gospel Album:
Anthony Brown & group therAPy, Everyday Jesus
Tasha Cobbs, One Place Live
Kirk Franklin, Losing My Religion
Jonathan McReynolds, Life Music: Stage Two
Marvin Sapp, You Shall Live

Top Hot 100 Song:
Adele, “Hello”
Fetty Wap, “Trap Queen”
Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth, “See You Again”
The Weeknd, “Can’t Feel My Face”
The Weeknd, “The Hills”

Top Selling Song:
Adele, “Hello”
Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth, “See You Again”
OMI, “Cheerleader”
Rachel Platten, “Fight Song”
The Weeknd, “The Hills”

Top Radio Song:
Adele “Hello”
Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth, “See You Again”
Mark Ronson Featuring Bruno Mars, “Uptown Funk!”
Walk the Moon, “Shut Up And Dance”
The Weeknd, “Can’t Feel My Face”

Top Streaming Song (Audio):
Justin Bieber, “Sorry”
Justin Bieber, “What Do You Mean”
​Fetty Wap, “Trap Queen”
The Weeknd, “The Hills”
Drake, “Hotline Bling”

Top Streaming Song (Video):
​Fetty Wap, “Trap Queen”
Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth, “See You Again”
Mark Ronson Featuring Bruno Mars, “Uptown Funk!”
​Silentó, “Watch Me”
The Weeknd, “The Hills”

Top R&B Song:
Alessia Cara “Here”
​Omarion Featuring Chris Brown & Jhene Aiko, “Post To Be”
The Weeknd, “Can’t Feel My Face”
The Weeknd, “Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey)”
The Weeknd, “The Hills”

Top Rap Song:
Drake, “Hotline Bling”
​Fetty Wap, “Trap Queen”
​Fetty Wap, “679” feat. Remy Boyz
​Silentó, “Watch Me”
Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth, “See You Again”

Top Country Song:
Sam Hunt, “Break Up In A Small Town”
Sam Hunt, “Take Your Time”
Little Big Town, “Girl Crush”
Thomas Rhett, “Die A Happy Man”
Chris Young, “I’m Comin’ Over”

Top Rock Song:
Fall Out Boy, “Uma Thurman”
Elle King, “Ex’s & Oh’s”
twenty one pilots, “Stressed Out”
Walk the Moon, “Shut Up And Dance”
X Ambassadors, “Renegades”

Top Latin Song:
J Balvin “Ginza”
Ariel Camacho y Los Plebes del Rancho, “Te Metiste”
Nicky Jam & Enrique Iglesias, “El Perdon”
​Maluma, “Borro Cassette”
Romeo Santos, “Propuesta Indecente”

Top Dance/Electronic Song:
The Chainsmokers Featuring ROZES, “Roses”
DJ Snake & AlunaGeorge, “You Know You Like It”
David Guetta feat. Nicki Minaj, Bebe Rexha & Afrojack, “Hey Mama”
Major Lazer & DJ Snake Featuring MØ, “Lean On”
Skrillex & Diplo, “Where Are Ü Now” with Justin Bieber

Top Christian Song:
​Hillsong UNITED, “Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)”
​Hillsong UNITED, “Touch The Sky”
​MercyMe, “Flawless”
NEEDTOBREATHE Featuring Gavin DeGraw, “Brother”
Chris Tomlin, “Good Good Father”

Top Gospel Song:
Anthony Brown and group therAPy, “Worth”
Erica Campbell feat. Big Shizz, “I Luh God”
Kirk Franklin, “Wanna Be Happy?”
Travis Greene, “Intentional”
Brian Courtney Wilson, “Worth Fighting For”

All I can say, mate, is I hope people genuflecting to Linda Perry and her ilk take a good look at that performance and see where the overly-cautious accountant's logic of aiming squarely at the middle of the middle of the road gets you. Stevie's ad-libs were the only flecks of colour against wall-to-wall beige. I simply don't believe that that's as good as things can get, even taking into account the need for commercial viability. Sometimes, people take risks and get behind something good that they believe in, and those risks pay off in terms of popularity - as in Prince's career.

Just after I posted my earlier response, my friend shared an old Bette Davis interview on Facebook. This bit seemed particularly fitting: "There’s always that old excuse here [in Hollywood], this is not the time to do a picture like that. The public doesn’t want it now. Well, I don’t think the public knows what they want until they see it. I really, really think it’s exactly like saying to your child, 'What would you like for dinner?' You don’t know until they see it. The public can’t say what they want to see. It’s up to us to decide and hope to God they like it."

Maybe what she's saying sounds arrogant, but I think there's some truth in it. Sometimes, people see something good and, glory be, they like it - and the accountants, who'd sold the idea that they could confidently predict the future based on past sales figures, are left scratching their heads. And thank fuck for that.

Dancelot said:

Dancelot said:

deebee said:

All I can say, mate, is I hope people genuflecting to Linda Perry and her ilk take a good look at that performance and see where the overly-cautious accountant's logic of aiming squarely at the middle of the middle of the road gets you. Stevie's ad-libs were the only flecks of colour against wall-to-wall beige. I simply don't believe that that's as good as things can get, even taking into account the need for commercial viability. Sometimes, people take risks and get behind something good that they believe in, and those risks pay off in terms of popularity - as in Prince's career.

Just after I posted my earlier response, my friend shared an old Bette Davis interview on Facebook. This bit seemed particularly fitting: "There’s always that old excuse here [in Hollywood], this is not the time to do a picture like that. The public doesn’t want it now. Well, I don’t think the public knows what they want until they see it. I really, really think it’s exactly like saying to your child, 'What would you like for dinner?' You don’t know until they see it. The public can’t say what they want to see. It’s up to us to decide and hope to God they like it."

Maybe what she's saying sounds arrogant, but I think there's some truth in it. Sometimes, people see something good and, glory be, they like it - and the accountants, who'd sold the idea that they could confidently predict the future based on past sales figures, are left scratching their heads. And thank fuck for that.

Exactly....

SoulAlive said:

This is exactly the problem....it's supposed to be about Prince, remember?

What is this tacky visual really saying?

deebee said:

babynoz said:

I have something against her...she can't sing or play.

But she isn't the scariest part of this debacle. The really scary part is who is making the decisions about who and what is relevant.

That was what made me laugh about this and all the 'knowing' defences of it. All I can imagine is stiff-arsed suits sitting around the flipchart: "We need someone 'relevant' to the music of today....but who?? ....Wait, I've got it: Madonna!"

Anyway, I do hope the 'relevance'-watchers were pleased with that result - or at least satisfied that it was 'beige' enough to offend no-one who'd tuned in accidentally (and, of course, move no-one who cared a fuck about the artist being 'honoured'). And a special nod to that 'relevant' drum track they'd stuck on NC2U, too. Quite how they managed to get my mum to programme it, I've no idea.

LOL...what's sad is that she wasn't even chosen, her "people" contacted Billboard and they allowed her to bogard herself into the tribute.

I mean damn, they couldn't find Santana? Is he not "relevant" enough? They could have had a jam session with Carlos sitting in with Prince's band members.

FFS, Prince was a musician first and foremost!

Btw, the gatekeepers overuse of the word "relevant" is just marketing hype and bullshit fed to chumps.

The award show was awful, but Madonna did great in my opinion. The stage was very pretty and the costume she wore was quite beautiful. It was quite evident that it meant something to both Stevie and herself. Loved the close up of her hand. Wish it was a longer set perhaps, but then again I liked how it wasn't just a performance of people dancing around to his hits, I found it quite sentimental and sweet... his passing is still very fresh in our hearts. Maybe the VMA's and the BET awards can do something more upbeat and lengthy... like the VMA's did with Michael's tribute; a mixture of words, performance and sentimentality. Tributes to our recently deceased favourites NEVER feel right, something is always missing. The Bet awards after MJ died had Ciara singing Heal the World as a tribute and Jamie Foxx prancing around in a Beat It costume. I think Madonna and Stevie did well. I don't think Madonna deserves all the shit thrown her way on social media.

Looking forward to see what the next award show does, but I think Madonna deserves a bit of slack... so good job Madonna.

For some reason, I figured she would cover, "Nothing Compares 2 U". One of his safest, popular, Pop hits. Wasn't surprised by the addition of Stevie either. Equally wasn't surprised with "Purple Rain". It was everything I expected.

As usual, the music snobs don't like the music that is commercially more successful with the masses. I listened to Top 40 and used to read Billboard every week and followed how much records sold. That's how I know what the general public likes, and it's not free jazz or something. It's like they used to say on American Bandstand "It has a good beat and I can dance to it". A few years ago, Lil Wayne passed up Elvis Presley's record of having the most songs charting on the Hot 100. Eminem and Nelly had sold over 20 million albums at one point. I stopped keeping up with that, so it may be more now. So that tells me that lots of people liked Lil Wayne, Eminem, & Nelly. You can also look at Youtube views to see the popularity of an act, since records don't sell as much nowadays other than Adele & Taylor Swift. Like Psy's Gangnam Style getting over 2 billion views. Going by Billboards new rules, platinum is equal to 1.5 billion views. Gangnam Style doesn't really count, since those are worldwide views and not just USA, which is what the RIAA use to issue their gold & platinum certifications.

.

If you look at the acts nominated and performing on the Billboard Awards like Fifth Harmony & Justin Beiber, then how exactly does The Revolution or Shiela E performing fit? It'll be like the Geto Boys, Sex Pistols, & KMFDM performing at a Renaissance Faire or Pat Boone at a X-Clan concert. To them, Britney Spears is the big legend since she got more performing time than the other acts. Britney fits more with the other acts on the show than people who worked with Prince.

MickyDolenz said:

^^Hip hop has been the most dominate music of the last 20 years in the USA and most of the acts are black. The Straight Outta Compton movie has been a big money maker. Hip hop has even influenced fashion and TV. Will Smith, Ice Cube, Queen Latifah, and Ice T are well known actors today. Latifah's acting career has been bigger than her rap career.

MickyDolenz said:

Scorp said:

U are speaking to my point Everything has been channeled to one single form of expression because thats exactly how the people who are running it want it There is no deviating from it, everything else has been pushed aside Which is a major reason why there hasn't been a new form of music in the oast 30 years As the saying gies, this is the end of the road [Edited 5/23/16 11:01am]

The labels are just giving the people what it wants. When they stop making money with it, then they'll go to something else. If the general public didn't still enjoy hip hop, then it would have died quickly like glam metal, disco, new wave, grunge, light rock, psychedelic rock, New Jack Swing, and other styles of music that were really popular for a period. The younger generations don't really know a world where rap hasn't existed. It's their rock n roll. Rap has changed though. You can't say the rap style popular now (trap) is the same as the rap of the past. It doesn't sound like Kurtis Blow, Fat Boys, Run DMC, NWA, Beastie Boys, PM Dawn, etc. Now adult contemporary hasn't really changed much in 40 years or more. Feelings by Morris Albert & You Light Up My Life by Debby Boone could be released today without remixing it and they could become a hit with that audience. It's pretty much what Celine Dion, Josh Groban, and maybe Adele does.

you know what fucking sucks? when black artists actually had talent they had trouble getting on top 40 radio and tv..so what happens people like Prince & MJ change the landscape for black artists and who fucking benefits for the last 25 years? no talent hip hop artists!..its a fucked up world! lol

MickyDolenz said:

Scorp said:

Thats the point, there isn't going to ve anything, Rap is the newest art form that originated in the 70s, 40 years ago The music buyer today as a whole are being conditioned what to like, if thats the only thing being promoted to a person year after, then that person is going to conclude thats all their is to lusten to

That's silly to say. I have relatives who only listen to gospel music. They know other music exists but they choose not to listen to it because it's the "Devil's music". I knew goth kids and metalheads and they chose not to listen to Top 40 as they said it was commercial sellout music. Some would brag about some obscure band that sold 500 copies of a record. If a particular act happened to get mainstream success, some would say they sold out and stop listeneing to them.

MickyDolenz said:

Scorp said:

That's why I emphasized as a whole The promotion towards the whole is outweighing the lesser number of people who are more diverse in their observation

Promotion only works if the consumer buys it. New Coke, Ishtar, Heaven's Gate, Tusk by Fleetwood Mac, etc. all had a lot of promotion, but they didn't do well. Coke had to abandon New Coke and go back to their original formula. That is also why there's "one hit wonders" and other acts have said to have the "sophomore jinx", in that they had a big success with a debut album and their 2nd didn't sell well. The labels and Top 40 radio can't make people buy a record. There's way more songs that were played on the radio that flop than became a big Top 40 hit.

MickyDolenz said:

For drawing a big audience to a TV special, Chaka isn't relevant and neither is Larry Graham or The Time and they never really were. They're not ratings bait like Madonna. The Billboard Awards is a mainstream program on a major network (ABC). It's not the Soul Train or BET Awards. You're taking the quote out of context for your thread title.

I hate to admit it but I think MickyDolenze is right

This shit show of an award show is about one thing and one thing only... MONEY!! Advertisers don’t give a damn about artistic merit; they care whether or not they can capture your attention long enough to sale you boner pills and tampons. The music world and these award shows are no different than the commodities market for these guys, so they hitch there wagon to the same tired ass stocks that though profitable, probably lack musical substance. ( my opinion )

I would much prefer musicians like Sheila E, Lenny Kravitz, ect to do the tribute but then again, I like music that doesnt suck, so I would likely not be watching the billboard awards in the first place.

Musical taste and industry politics aside, it just seems sad to me that a guy that spent his entire career going against the grain and championing underappreciated artist, wouldn’t at least have some of them do a tribute on a big stage for him. I mean isnt that his ultimate legacy? Music for music’s sake?

The real question for me is If Prince knew he was going to die and had the chance to pick his own roster of artist to honor him, who would he pick? I’m not saying he wouldn’t pick Madonna or Stevie, Im just curious who else would be in HIS list. My guess would be people like Judith Hill, Janelle Monae, ect.

Other than my wants and particular desires, I know this:

there will be more Award Shows, (hopefully with better tributes),

People will always find something wrong and feel slighted ( although its not always unjustified)

and this entire thing is about money, not emotions