The judges will get a private message from me.
You guys should read every entry and discuss them here in the thread.
Deadline: Friday, May 15th 4pm ET
T-Swizz
Quote:
Originally posted by T-Swizz
Episode 11: Tour Setlist
My family originates from a country where their people are rendered second/third class citizens within their own homeland due to their ethnicity. They suffer from widespread, systematic and institutionalized discrimination affecting everything from land ownership and employment opportunities to family reunification rights. All simply due to the fact that they were born on the wrong side of town. For that reason, oppression & injustice has always been near & dear to my heart. However, my parents were blessed with the opportunity to move to the "land of the free" where the Constitution prohibits atrocities that my family we were prone to witness on a daily basis. Yet, even in the "country of the free," we are by-standards to social injustice directed specifically towards a certain race. The death of Freddie Gray & unrest in Baltimore exemplifies just that.
“The young man was shot 41 times while reaching for his wallet"
“The 13-year-old was shot dead in mid-afternoon when police mistook his toy gun for a pistol"
“The unarmed young man, shot by police 50 times, died on the morning of his wedding day”
What crime did all of these people have in common you ask? They were born a few shades darker than most police officers are comfortable with. Social injustice & oppression are anything but one-dimensional, many seem to think now that slavery has been abolished, all's right with the world, when that couldn't be further from the truth. Critics say that destroying property and attacking police desecrate Martin Luther King's ideals and draw attention away from constructive, peaceful protests. That looters and “thugs” are blamed for derailing the “legitimate” path to justice. When that couldn't be further from the truth, there was a week of peaceful protests that resulted in no adequate response from the city or police, and little to no media attention.
Many seem to be more concerned with tranquility and the status quo than about justice, equality, and humanity. These concerns are still with us. Today's “unheard” repeat a mantra: Property matters more than black lives. Gray's death has made visible decades of unchecked police violence. In Baltimore and elsewhere, broken windows policing in practice is not about fixing things but about scaring people into submission in an effort to reduce crime. Years & years of oppression & injustice are deeply rooted within the hip-hop community so I felt it would be best to utilize their most popular form of artistry, rap, to help paint the picture for those who were unable to see it from before. Martin Luther King once stated that “a riot is the language of the unheard" & I feel as though that perfectly encapsulates the message I'm trying to convey with this setlist.
In the song, Kendrick details the importance of loving all people no matter how light or dark their skin may be. All races should be united rather than divided, and this also applies to people of the same race, but with a different skin shade of color.
J.Cole explains that most of these "criminals" have very little to their name, so they resort to crime as a way of obtaining things they never had. They don’t do it because they’re bad people, they do it because they see no other option.
Lupe Fiasco, who is infamous for his lyrical aptitude in the subjects of politics and social injustice, explores what may have happened if Black people were never enslaved and if racism never existed.
Common best explains the message in an interview he had "I looked at Ferguson and saw what was going on, and knew that it wasn’t far from what was happening during the civil rights movement — people standing up for what they believe in, marching for what they believe in, protesting for what they believe in. We wanted this song to be inspirational. We wanted it to have that pain, but also hope."
I decided to donate 70% of the revenue to BCCC (Black Community Crusade for Children), an initiative to mobilize the African American community behind a targeted effort to address the special problems facing Black children.
Business:
Beyonce is the highest grossing African American touring artist alive so I expect my revenue to be ten-fold that of which my fellow contestants will probably be making.
Buddy!
Quote:
Originally posted by Buddy!
Adversity
~following your dreams~
I decided to have an overall theme of adversity and overcoming obstacles. As a new act- you have gone through a lot. You have fought for your rightful place in the music business. It's hard but you made it. Each song will cover the whole theme of picking yourself back up and recovering from adversity and overcoming obstacles.
I am opening for Coldplay because they are one of my favorite bands, and I feel like their music kinda fits into the overall theme.
My first song would be:
Journey's "Don't stop belivin"
Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. And in this cause, you should never stop believing in your dreams. Because you never know what could happen.
Let it be by the Beatles
This song is about finding oneself through trouble and darkness.
And when the night is cloudy
There is still a light that shines on me
Shine on until tomorrow, let it be
I wake up to the sound of music,
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be
It's my life by Bon Jovi
It's my life, it's now or never. I gotta do what I gotta do in the time and present, and fight to get what I want. As a new act, a lot of the time once you're finally given the chance to express yourself, you have to prove yourself to executives.
Carry on by Fun
"Being able to find one's way and find strength even when lost and alone" This line is super important, and helps with the struggle. But once you felt rejection, you're able to carry on and be able to live life like how you want to.
And lastly
It's a beautiful day by U2
At the end of the day, after all the struggles you've gone through as an artist trying to find your niche, a label, and for someone to support you, after all of this, your ambition and fight was worth it. After all the times you were kicked down, life is still beautiful.
Each song is mean't to highlight the struggle of a starting artist. But at the end, I, the artist finally gets my big break and am able to celebrate by singing in front of a crowd of people "It's a beautiful day"
Superiore
Quote:
Originally posted by Superiore
I decided to present myself as a debuting R&B/Hip-Hop female artist and the first reason why I'm opening for Nicki Minaj's current tour is, other than support and publicity deriving from the reigning queen of the same genre, the potential of gaining new followers through an audience who's there to see Nicki but that's likely to be supporting female artists doing the same genre of music.
The name of my 5-songs setlist is "Love & War" and it talks about the conflicting feelings originating from abusive relationships of whichever nature, may they be between parents and children, boyfriends and girlfriends or couples of spouses. Often, who gets caught up in one of these relationships fails to see with clarity what's really happening and tries to justify the actions of violence with elements like stress or jealousy that may influence the abusive one and decides to trust him when he says that it was a one time mistake that won't happen again and that it only happened because he loves her too much. When the abused ones finally find the strength to overcome their inner battle, they realize how dangerous that situation was and many artists translate all of this in their songs. The five artists covered all experienced this in their lives. Most of them were abused but one of them, Eminem, was on the other side of the ring being him the one to have abused of his former wife. Another big reason why I decided Nicki Minaj had to be the artist I opened for, other than for affinity of genres, is that she can relate to this theme too, having experienced abuses both in love relationships and familiar ones and I thought it was a nice way to close the circle.
Desperadoby Azealia Banks opens the concert with an extended intro version backed up on the big screens with an Old West inspired video where a man and a woman would engage in a duel where no one survives in the end. The song itself is about the relationship Azealia had with a married man that built castles of lies around their relationship saying how he was divorced and once discovered that he would have divorced for her. It didn't took long for him to lay his hands on her when she stood up against him but, recurrent situation, she went back to him and gave him a second chance only to fell for the same trick once again. This performance would also show up my versatility as an artist capable of rapping and serving a cool dance number. After this introduction all will become more and more introspective and focused on feelings and raw vocals. Love Without Tragedy / Mother Mary by Rihanna is based on the acknowledging of a troubled relationship where the abused person tries and wants to change with all her forces but keeps being attracted to the magic of the "moment". The performance would feature white lights and a lifted platform where I would sing from upon while surrounded by dancers. While the outro of Mother Mary plays, the lights will fade away and give me the time to get back on the stage. It's just me and a piano now. Oh Mother by Christina Aguilera talks about the relationship between her mom and her husband. The woman only found the courage to put an end to their story once he touched a bigger love than theirs, her children, but, before coming to terms with the man, she endured years of bruises and tears. Legend X wrote this song to praise her mother's bravery in putting her own life before of a rotten relationship when it still wasn't too late. Dirty Laundry by Kelly Rowland demonstrates how much it takes for a woman to come out and talk about being abused. A lot of times, because of threats received and centuries of views by the society on women, they have a sense of shame and decide not to make what they went through public. Kelly decided to talk about this relationship a decade after it ended with this revealing R&B ballad. The man didn't only abuse of her physically but also psychologically making her feel envy for her closest friends of a lifetime. Love The Way You Lie Part IIby Rihanna and Eminem is the version of the homonym hit song from the girl's point of view. She recognizes how sick their relationship is and how much pain it brings to both of them but they can't stay away from each other even knowing that. This reflects a big percentage of abusive relationships where the abused person knows the danger of it but still wants to believe that's just an extra passionate way of showing love. The performance would start with me just on the piano and singing until the second verse kicks off. Then, the top of the piano will be set alight and clips of fighting couples will show on the screens. One of Nicki's hypeman would join to fill Eminem's verse each night except for the LA show when Eminem himself will make a special guest appearance. I think this would be a powerful ending to my show and a way too leave the mark on the audience both of me and of the message I'm representing.
You can find the tickets for The Pinkprint Tour on Livenation to come see me and don't forget to buy my upcoming debut album -xo-
umich
Quote:
Originally posted by umich
Episode 11: Tour Setlist
...are you ready?
Conversations In A Café
ONE NIGHT ONLY
In support of the surprise release of her new album, Conversations In A Café,
JANET JACKSON returns to The Garden in exquisite style.
She's gonna take you there. Don't miss it.
Wednesday,
May 13
Madison Square Garden
Doors open at 4PM
With Special
Opening Act:
A. Mills
He brings breath-taking renditions of classic and modern hits:
Aaliyah - One In A Million
En Vogue - Don't Let Go (Love)
The Weekend - Earned It
The Staple Singers - Let's Do It Again
Miguel - Coffee
Who is A. Mills?
A. Mills is a singer/songwriter and a former backup dancer for Janet Jackson (Velvet Rope Tour, All For You Tour). He was was born in Detroit, Michigan and was discovered by Janet while on tour in his hometown in 1994. Recently, he has written songs for R&B acts such as Tinashe, Keyshia Cole and Kelly Rowland. Mills has decided to venture off into his music passion. His debut EP will consist of covers of five songs he plans to perform at MSG with Janet and two original songs.
The Set List: After Dark
Being around Janet for nearly 8 years, A. Mills understands the atmosphere and audience of her concerts, so he has personally selected five songs to cover while getting the crowd warmed up for Ms. Jackson. In his covers setlist, A. Mills takes you through a story of a love rollercoaster driven by erotic emotions.
Aaliyah - One In A Million
This 1996 R&B throwback jam is one of the most iconic Aaliyah tracks ever. The song is a simple confession of one's love for his/her partner. He or she is ready to give their partner their "all" (I'll give you anything you want from me). It's only up to him to be willing to take it.
En Vogue - Don't Let Go (Love)
Another classic throwback track. A Mills' personal favorite (which also will be accompanied by a dance sequence). Sometimes, it seems as if he isn't listening to us after we've confessed our love and emotions. It's like talking to a brick wall (Don't you wanna be more than friends?). Is there someone else in the picture?
The Weeknd - Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey)
Finally, he lets his guard down at sudden notice.(I'm so used to being used. So I love when you call unexpected, 'Cause I hate when the moment's expected). Only on his terms does he feel like he/she is worthy of his passion (You're always worth it, And you deserve it ... You earned it).
Interlude: Painful Pleasure (30-second snippet)
He shares his most intimate moment with his partner (Is it right? I just might take a bite). Here, A. Mills quickly previews his upcoming single from his EP of the same name.
The Staple Singers - Let's Do It Again
After being entrenched in the heat of passion, both lovers relax calmly are are satisfied (Feeling yo' sweet face all laid up next to mine.), but they're ready to experience another dosage (Let's do it in the morning, sweet breeze in the summertime).
Miguel - Coffee
Once the passion ends, he still feels a deeper connection with his partner. Maybe he sees past the sexual energy that the two share (I wish I could paint our love. These moments and vibrant hues ... don’t wanna wake you, I just wanna watch you sleep).
What's next for A. Mills?
He will appear on The Breakfast Club on Friday May 15 where he will premiere his debut single Painful Pleasure. His EP, titled as the same name, will also be available.
Bey_Rihstan
Quote:
Originally posted by Bey_Rihstan
My opening act section for the Setlist is titled Hell Hath no fury like a woman scorned. You could say there are multiple themes that all connect back to one and is relatable to probably 95% of women (& some men too). The show kicks off with a cover of "Only U", by independent R&B artist, Ashanti. It's like the first stage of the relationship. You're crushing & in love, without even knowing the guy. (at least that's how I personally interpret it) This number shall serving choreography of course, and is an upbeat song that'll get the crowd pumped and on their feet.
After "Only U" plays, an interlude (or skit) happens. You've met the guy & the two of you begin dating. Shortly after, Mary J. Blige's "Beautiful Ones" begins to play. & of course I serve vocals. It mellows out the pace of the show & sort of heats the audience up for what's going to happen next. This song is one of Mary's best and is extremely relatable to basically anyone and I'm sure everyone in attendance.
I stop singing and another skit begins. This time, I'm not so head over heels in love like I was on the last song. You caught your significant other cheating with the sideline ho. This is when Kelis' "Caught out There" Begins to play and I start talking to the audience. (as Kelis does) I, being the talented vocalist that I am, serve vocals once again and begin to have an aggressive demeanor while on stage. Caught out there pumps the audience up again and gives them a reason to give a big **** you to their lovers. It's also sort of the climax/main point of the opening & The reason for the title. It ties everything together, basically.
After the Caught out there performance happens, another skit begins. This time, I'm lying in my bed, talking to myself about the break up. I'm debating it and wondering if it's my fault or not. I say to myself "Maybe I should've cheated" & of course, Keyshia Cole's " I should have cheated" begins to play. In this performance it is my intention to focus more on the acting aspect of it and show some emotion. The song slows down the pace of the show once again and gives the audience an idea of what the next song is.
The last skit starts and I can be seen still being a little upset about the break up... Until I pull up my spirits and say "I'm Not Gon' Cry" and Mary J. Blige's iconic song of the same name begins to play and I serve vocals, emotions and acting. Halfway through the second verse, Mary J herself joins me on stage, unleashing all of the roars from the crowd. Me And Mary finish to a standing ovation.
Mary then starts ha concert (she's the headliner)
Throughout the opening, I've served choreography, vocals and acting. What kind of triple threat?I mean what more could you ask for?
There are some staggering entries this week - you all definitely put some thought into this, especially umich and Swizz. I'm so happy that Swizz decided to take on a serious topic, and he really understands the important of black lives being heard. I've been very vocal about my support for black lives on social media (outside of ATRL), so it's nice to see that on here, as well. umich took things to another level with the way he set the scene. He really understood the kind of act he was opening for, and the vibe he was aiming for is clear as day.
These are all great, though. You guys should be proud.
