Hi, everyone! Once again, it has been a while since I've hit you guys with a Hot Take Hotline, but alas, the fifth installment has arrived. I'm going to respond to hot takes made by YouTuber Harrison Renshaw, who you all might know as Alfo Media. I did an interview with him last August, and since then he has had an incredible amount of success on the platform. His video from this past January entitled "Controversial Music Opinions" was one that I was super interested in. There were some good takes in there that I wanted to respond to, and I hope you guys are stoked to hear some classic music debates!
“The Beatles members ranked best to worst goes George, Paul, John, and Ringo”
I think if you’re looking at most innovative members, then yes. George Harrison is number one, no doubt. Known as the “quietest” of all the Beatles, he was a silent genius. If anything, he’s the man who should single-handedly receive credit for progressing that group’s sound as a whole. Even if it was adding new instruments and styles as early as Rubber Soul, that led to a much bigger revolution down the road. I think out of his sparse contributions to the band, some are great and some not so much. So, flip-flop Paul and George and that’s about where my list stands. Paul McCartney is a solid songwriter and overall musician who contributed a hefty share of fan-favorites to the group (and some of my personal favorites). Sure, he didn’t have the same psychedelic mindset of George or John, but may I remind you that he’s the one who kept the Beatles going til the dying days. To be that dedicated to your band - even when it’s lost - is something that stands out to me just a bit more.
“Graduation by Kanye West is not a top-five project from him”
I do disagree with this take. Graduation was one of the first records I listened to when I first began listening to Kanye’s stuff, and it really resonated with me from the first listen of it. While the most passionate of Yeezy stans (myself included) would view the album as a bad choice for being their “favorite project” from Kanye, I still believe it has a lot of merit that makes it top-five caliber. Harrison’s first criticism is that the album packs “less of an emotional punch than a lot of his other projects,” which I definitely believe the contrary. For the last two records, we heard him do a lot more socially conscious stuff, and now we’re listening to him write about his life at the top and new struggles with being famous. Hence the album’s title, Graduation. Some of the best-written and emotional tracks by Ye can be found on this record, including “Everything I Am” and “I Wonder” to name a few. Harrison also claims that “Barry Bonds” is a low-tier Kanye song, which, I do acknowledge, is another widely-agreed statement. That being said, if that’s one of the only reasons why this record isn’t top-five, that’s kind of lousy justification. If “Champion,” “Stronger,” “Can’t Tell Me Nothing,” “Good Life,” and “Flashing Lights” aren’t enough for you, then I don’t know what else will get it there. To make a long story short, Graduation is a fun album that still packs strong emotional themes throughout.
“EL-P carries the weight in Run the Jewels”
I hadn’t really thought about that before watching his video, but I think Harrison is right about this. The veteran producer oversees all production aspects for RTJ records, as well as providing his own verses to many songs. Honestly, I don’t really have too much to dissent upon here. After listening to the recently-released RTJ4, it seems like Mike took more of a center stage. EL-P’s verses are a little bit weaker this time around, which comes as a bit of a shock. Mike’s verses are pretty solid across the first three outings, but I think EL-P could match them in quality- if not better them.
“Channel Orange by Frank Ocean hasn’t aged well”
I strongly disagree with this take, because I see it as one of my favorite albums ever. Unfortunately, there wasn’t too much commentary from Harrison on this one, so I don’t really know why he doesn’t enjoy it as much. For me, I have to be in a specific mood to listen to Frank’s other projects- especially Blond. I’m not saying that’s the basis of my argument, but I want to reaffirm that so many of the tracks on Channel Orange are timeless. In my eyes, the tracklist here is the most sonically and lyrically dynamic compilation in Frank’s discography. Channel Orange has its fair share of sad moments, including “Bad Religion,” ‘Thinkin’ Bout You,” “Crack Rock,” or “Pink Matter,” but you don’t have to only be sad when you’re listening to it. The sappy, sad-boy songs on Blond pale in comparison to songs like “Sweet Life,” “Pyramids,” “Lost,” “Monks,” or “Super Rich Kids” on this record. They are ones that never fail to put me in a good mood or make me want to dance.
“Childish Gambino hasn’t made a good project in his career, and is a below-average rapper and a decent singer that relies too much on aesthetics.”
I’m actually kind of surprised to say that I agree with this take, too. I guess now that Harrison puts it this way, I had to reminisce on Bino’s discography as a whole for a minute. He really hasn’t made an Earth-shattering record, so to speak, since the release of Because the Internet. There’s fragments of good across each of his other records, but again, nothing feels consistent. I wouldn’t necessarily say he’s a “below-average rapper” so to speak, but Harrison’s comment about relying on aesthetics is definitely true; If it wasn’t apparent from projects like, Awaken! My Love or his most recent project, 3-15-20, Donald Glover has always been experimenting with too many different styles during his career and never really kept a true “sound.” In my mind, that holds him back from being the elite artist that many hype him up to be.
“Drake is at his best when he makes low-key, nostalgic R&B tunes.”
I think this is definitely another fair take. Drake is a lot better off when he’s making honest, straightforward R&B tracks rather than selling out or trying to pioneer every popular rap trend imaginable. I’ve been a pretty vocal critic about Drake’s modern releases before, but I want to at least give him credit where credit is due. I think some of my favorites would be, “Furthest Thing,” “Passionfruit,” “Hold On, We’re Going Home,” or “Too Good.” There are obviously some good rap cuts from Drake’s discography, but I think Harrison’s point is one I side with.
Random Access Memories by Daft Punk is better than Discovery
I definitely don’t hate RAM by any means, but I feel like nothing will be able to top how much of an impact Discovery made on me. Though Harrison believes the features on here are “perfect,” I think some are better than others. Those would clearly be Julian Casablancas’ robotic feature on “Instant Crush,” Paul Williams’ addition to “Touch,” Pharrell Williams’ and Nile Rodgers of Chic on“Get Lucky,” and Panda Bear utilizing his underrated vocal range on “Doin’ it Right.” While Harrison said it’s his “favorite production style on any album,” I can’t really say that it’s right or wrong. Let’s just say I have some other production styles I hold in higher esteem than Random Access Memories.
So, did you guys agree with my takes? If not, feel free to reach out to me! I'm always down to talk music! Now, Harrison, you're on the clock! Let's hear some more explanation behind some of these takes...
In the meantime, hope you guys are all staying safe. If you like what you're reading, it would mean so much if you could give further support. Whether it's following my Instagram (@bazzreviews), listening to bazzcasts on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or buying merch, keep watching the skies for more BR content coming your way soon!
If you're interested in watching more videos from Alfo Media, head on over to https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiBRvd_WgBNiq0CPmCVSFGw
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