Urban Thought Collective

This ought to be fun for the UTC fam! I’ve come up with a few very cool musical comparisons that I’d love for you to weigh in on. Enjoy and, of course, comment as it makes this more interesting!

Let the games begin!

PETE ROCK OR DJ PREMIER?
We can all agree that both producers have made us nod our heads many, many, many times in the past and presently. When we are at a party and one of these guys’ hits come on, we still jam when we hear the horns of Pete Rock and the heavy drum patterns and scratches from DJ Premier. But, if you had to pick one to produce one of your tracks, which one would be behind the boards?

D’ANGELO OR BILAL?
Now we have to admit that both are disciples of Prince and you can hear the influence in the music as well as the vocals, but who can out Prince whom? The smooth vocals of D’Angelo and the falsetto pitch of Bilal invariably makes folks wonder who bit Prince more, but it doesn’t matter. Which one would be able to perform at your function if you had to pick between the two?

HERBIE HANCOCK OR WYNTON MARSALIS?
For the young hip-hop heads who don’t know any better, do your research, go online or ask anyone older about who these two musicians are. Both are good instrumentalists and have made a mark and amazing name for themselves, but which blows his instrument better?

USHER OR CHRIS BROWN?
Yes, it’s time to compare the two because, let’s face it, they are descendents of Michael Jackson (or if you listen to some people, reincarnations of MJ, although MJ is still alive, though his career may not be!). Usher has been doing it for years and Chris is slowly creeping up incredibly fast but who would outperform the other?

NELLY OR WILL SMITH?
This may seem strange but I see both of them as being ‘safe’ hip-hop artists for the mainstream, although Nelly has gotten in trouble over his “Pimp Juice.” But, you have to admit, and I could be wrong with this one, but, they both have a likeability factor amongst the general folk, you just don’t seem to understand why more talented (as far as lyrics and style go) artists aren’t as popular.

ARETHA FRANKLIN OR CHAKA KHAN?
You can’t take anything away from either of these talented women when it comes to carrying a note! But, if you were getting married or remarried and the two offered to sing for free, who would get the nod, the one with respect or the one who is every woman?

AL GREEN OR MARVIN GAYE?
Silky voices, smooth vocals and the type of flow that men envy and women adore. But would you take the reformed preacher over the oft-troubled man?

SHAGGY OR SEAN PAUL?
I am not a big fan of reggae in any form, style or mixture but these two have made a mark commercially for this genre of music. Both may even compliment each other when it comes to vocals and musical content, but which one would you rather ‘grind’ with?

BIG CED is the founder/owner and visionary for The Industry Cosign and has been involved in the entertainment field for over two decades. His rants on music and the industry-at-large are exclusive to Urban Thought Collective.