Beyonce “Diva”/ Bangladesh “Adidas”
The one constant awe of Beyonce’s platinum-lined slew of hit records is the singer’s ability to turn the most challenging production schemes into phenomenon-scaling pop gold. Tell any lesser female R&B singer/ songwriter to try to build a song around the taut, melody-free beats of “Jumpin’, Jumpin’”, “Upgrade U”, “Ring The Alarm” and “Single Ladies”, and they would probably crouch in fear, completely overwhelmed by such a task.
Not only is Beyonce easily able to scribble out solid tunes to the industrial rhythms, she also jampacks them with the right amount of melisma, poly-melody and catchy hook craft (not to mention, eye-tractive video clip accompaniment) to make them worldwide pop anthems.
Her latest instance is new I Am…Sasha Fierce single “Diva”, producer Bangladesh’s R&B answer to previous concoction “A Milli”, that throws a minimalist recipe of military drum rattle, booming bottom end and dwarfish chants of “I’m-a-a diva” her way.
All hood-style Alexis Colby here, Be sing-raps “Fifty million round the world and they said I couldn’t get it/ I done got so sick and filthy with benjas I can’t spend” and alerts potential paramours that they better have “a six pack in the cooler”, all the while dismissing non-independent, money-light diva-wannabes with a quick whip of her mile-long ponytail and making fringed eye wear, hop hop’s newest fashion must have.
For “Adidas”, Bangladesh steals his own track back (the first of many surely to give this beat their own lyrical seasoning, “A Milli” style), bringing the “Pac out” for a tribute to his fancy man toys and favorite shoe gear (“On my feet/ Gotta have three stripes”).
Beyonce is one of the most prolific artists of the decade. I see “I Am…Sasha Fierce” adding a slew of platinum hits to her already impressive catalogue. Hope she keeps it up and stays original.