LC Meridian

Issue date: 10/1/07 Section: Arts & Entertainment

Media Credit: MTV

Lately, musicians of different genres are crossing paths to create hit singles and get the coveted number one spot on the Billboard Charts. Popstar Avril Lavigne and rapper Lil' Mama are rocking "Lip-gloss" together for the remix of "Girlfriend." Rapper 50 Cent and popstar Justin Timberlake created a new industrial sound with "Ayo Technology." These collaborations produce a fresh sound, but the merging of already released solos is a more original concept. These recycled tunes are called mash-ups.

Originally called "break-in songs" or "bastard pop," mash-ups are the results of merging two songs to create a new song. Unlike remixes, lyrics and melodies remain the same. The first mash-up song was called "The Flying Saucer" and was created in 1956 by Bill Rorgawin and Dickie Goodman. It included Orson Welles's infamous radio drama, "War of the Worlds." In the mash-up, Rorgawin and Goodman mocked the famed director's emergency broadcast and included a musical parody to go along with it.

In 2004, mash-ups reemerged with the "Collision Course," an album by hip-hop artist Jay-Z and nu-metal band Linkin Park. The album combined songs from Linkin Park's "Hybrid Theory" album and several of Jay-Z's hit singles. The first single, "Numb/Encore," was number one in 2006 on the Hot Digital Songs Music Chart. Jay-Z and Linkin Park also earned a Grammy for the collaborative disc. In February 2004, Danger Mouse, of the techno-soul group Gnarles Barkley, released the infamous "Grey Album." Danger Mouse mixed songs from Jay-Z's "Black Album" and The Beatles' "White Album."

What's particularly fascinating about mash-ups is that they include artists from genres that are considered incompatible. For instance, what would happen if we took Kanye West's "Gold Digger" and mixed it with Beethoven's Fifth Symphony? Unlike the original version that sampled Ray Charles's 1954 hit "I Got Women," the mash-up has West rapping the verses of "Gold Digger" with classical melody of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. The combination creates a more dramatize version of Kanye's addictive song about money-hungry women.

A variety of websites have emerged to accommodate the mash-up trend. YouTube allows music lovers to create and share hundreds of mash-up tracks and videos. Websites like thehoodinternet.com has mash-ups with mainstream and Indie artists. The website exposes lovers of eccentric music to music that they wouldn't normally hear on today's mainstream radio stations or video music networks.

The Record Industry Association of America (RIAA) disapproves of mash-ups because copyrighted music is often used without the permission of the artists. Some record labels plan to file lawsuits. Nonetheless, mash-ups aren't necessarily getting a bad reputation. In September 2006, YouTube developed deal with Warner Music to incorporate catalog music in a video tuber's upload. A month later, Universal Music threatened the site for contemptible copyrighted violations.

Some artists don't have a problem with their music being used for mash-ups. Artist and producer Jermaine Dupri, doesn't even believe that mash-ups are a novel idea. In a 2006 interview with The Associated Press, Dupri said that he "always mixed different music with other music." Dupri said that DJ's have been combining ill-assorted musical genres for decades.

Mash-ups are beginning to form a genre of their own with fresh servings of already released songs that we've all enjoyed. The mismatched tunes also give a younger generation a chance to savor music that was made before they were born. The trend is growing like a pandemic all over the internet and will satisfy anyone who is hungry for new music.

Seven Mash-ups to Snack On:
(Courtesy of Youtube.com)

1. Jay-Z and Linkin Park's "Numb/Encore"
http://youtube.com/watch?v=647vIZu18iQ
2. Kanye West's "Gold Digger" with Beethoven's "Fifth Symphony" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jumopYHTTw
3. Jay-Z's Black Album and The Beatles' White Album
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cg8dYL3an9k
4. Linking Park's "A Cure for the Itch" with Eminem's "Lose Yourself"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nr7g-2eqebg
5. AC/DC's "Back in Black" with J-Kwon's "Tipsy"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULyAvVIBxvs
6. Rihanna's "Umbrella" with Ludacris' "Stand-Up"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4tqEWnuMJk
7. Queen's "We Will Rock You" and Outkast's "Hey Ya"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Czb0JhagK4E

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