Each generation has seen its share of top talent, exceptional artists, and artists that can continue to exceed from generation to generation. What are the components to a great artist? What are some of the attributes that all the top artists have in common? I had the opportunity to speak with the owners of Water Music Publishing, responsible for numerous gold and platinum plaques along with both Emmy and Grammy award nominations, and one of the pioneers of New Jersey music and DJs, DJ Doughboy, who has worked with Naughty by Nature, Queen Latifah, The Fugees and countless others. With years of experience in many different aspects of music including, production, writing, publishing, artist development and DJing they have had experience working with all types of artists.
In order for artists to become great they have to have certain attributes that allow them to stand out. Not all artists are created equal. Some are great writers. Some are fantastic singers. Some have charisma that draw fans to them. Lyrics, word play, melody, catchy hooks, are all aspects of good artists that can separate themselves from the crowd. Some simply posses the “it” factor. But, being a good artist is different from being a great or generational artist.
When thinking of a generational artist genre doesn’t matter. The artists’ ability in all aspects of music separates them from the field so much that even though they may make music for one specific genre, their talent exceeds genre confinements. In the 1950s think Frank Sinatra, he never wrote one song he sang, but his ability to deliver the songs put him head and shoulders above anyone else. 1980s think Michael Jackson, his dancing ability was second to none, his voice was better than anyone at that time, his songs were some of the greatest songs ever recorded, thank you Quincy Jones, and are still played to this day. 1990s think Whitney Houston, no one had a better voice then her, and her national anthem is still considered the best ever that at any championship sporting event the singer is always compared to her. 2000s think Eminem or Jay-Z, some of the greatest if not the greatest lyricists and storytellers of all time. 2010s think Drake, no artist since he has come out has more accolades than Drake. He has released a record every year and consistently has one of, if not the top records of the year. So what makes these artists such great generational talents?
The first answer I got was Beyonce. Speaking with Mike Cameron, co-owner and co-founder of Water Music Publishing, he said, “Beyonce is a great poster.” No, he wasn’t saying this due to her looks, although yes I think we would all agree that she would literally be a great poster for this reason and undoubtably at some point most males had a poster of her somewhere for this reason, but because of her desire and work ethic. For the time she was coming out, at first with the group Destiny’s Child, she had the desire to be a star. She was the “leader” of this three person girl group and was the lead vocalist on most of their tracks and a majority of their hits. Once the group broke up and she went solo, her career continued to take off. Her work ethic was second to none, her desire to be the best was impeccable. In an interview she mentioned working for three straight days so diligently that she forgot to eat. Being so focused on perfection is what drove her to the place she is now. Considered undoubtably the best female act and one of the best total acts of our generation.
Speaking with the other co-owner and co-founder of Water Music Publishing, Eric White, he mentioned Drake. Drake had made a career in television before becoming an artist. Being one of the lead roles on Degrassi gave him an edge in how to be prepared for the lime light when he broke as an artist. His ability to be both a rapper and a “singer” and do both at the top level is unmatched. Now it can be argued that Drake is not a singer, and I would agree. Drake is not a singer in the typical sense of what we think a singer is, but honestly no artist is really a “singer” in todays Hip-Hop and R&B genres. His ability to make hit songs and transform songs into masterpieces is one of a kind. The perfect example is when the demo tracks from a writer he worked with, Quintin Miller, were released. Yes, for a moment his reputation took a hit because he wasn’t writing his own songs. However, after hearing the demos compared to what the actual released song sounded like, it was night and day. Drake made the songs a hit. His melodies, simplistic style (meant as a compliment) and catchy lyrics is what makes him have a number one chart toping record year after year. Drake is able to draw the audience in with his melodies that the listener keeps humming even if they don’t know the words. Coupled with his catchy lyrics is why his fans, and many others, continue to wait on his releases. Case and point is when he recently released his tape, “Dark Lane Demo Tapes,” which was nothing more than unreleased songs, possibly even actual demos, and was still able to land at number two on Billboard. He even got ridiculed for the fact this was the first time his album didn’t debut at number one, and this wasn’t even an actual album with singles and a scheduled roll out. Side note, a thank you must be giving to his producer 40 as it was given earlier to Quincy Jones for his work with Michael Jackson. Aside from his musical ability, what can’t be failed to mention is his business acumen. His knack for marketing and promotion, along with aligning with the right brands has propelled his career to the next level. He is not only the face of Toronto, but the brand ambassador to the NBA franchise Toronto Raptors, who recently won the NBA championship with him front and center.
Finally I spoke with DJ Doughboy and asked him the same question. Doughboy has worked with countless artists who are considered top acts and legends in their respective genres. Queen Latifah is one of the best female rappers ever, Naughty by Nature is quintessential to the beginning of Hip-Hop and one of if not the best group to come out of New Jersey. The Fugees are self explanatory. So when he answered with Chris Brown, his answer wasn’t to be taken lightly. “Chris Brown right now, with the trouble he has been in and been through is a C+ student. Chris Brown without the trouble is an A+ student.” To him Chris’s ability to dance, sing, write songs, and act are what sets him apart from other acts today. Not to mention his artistic ability outside of the studio with graffiti and drawing (leading to hime having his own clothing line that he designs for, see his instagram from the proof). I had to opportunity to work with a producer who worked with Chris on a few occasions, he mentioned to me that Chris would walk into the studio, hear the song (or the part of the song he was meant to sing) learn it for a few minutes, then go into the booth and knock it out perfectly in one take(riffs, ad libs, backgrounds and all). Parlay this with the fact that he has some of the biggest records of this generation (two years in a row having the BET song of the year, once off a mixtape, Deuces, which helped propel Kevin McCalls career) and in the last two years has released back to back 45 song albums (at the same time releasing about 20 more songs that didn’t make those albums for deluxe versions) with multiple songs charting from each album. Very few artists have the ability, especially in todays music climate where listeners have incredibly short attention spans, to release that long of an album and have people not only listen to the whole thing multiple times, but have the listeners continually going back to listen to the album.
These three artist hold high accolades and praise because they all have certain factors and attributes that separate them from the rest of their competition. Work ethic, business acumen, desire, or just straight up artistic ability. As a budding artist in todays music, if you are able to have only one of these attributes, not to mention all the other top artists that could be put on this list that weren’t mentioned, you have a leg up on the competition. These artists are what the new generation of artists should aspire to be like.
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