Pop Culture Bracketology: Artist of the moment first round discussion and results

Below is the discussion that took place via e-mail between WEEKEND staffers over the past few days concerning our Artist of the Moment bracket (note: grammar/style is conversational, and less "correct"). Then below that are the results!

Round two discussion begins today.

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Cory Barker: Hopefully you've looked at the bracket and are ready to discuss some music match-ups. So let's hear some discussion: who has some upsets in the first round?

Brad Sanders: Quick point of clarification: is this about the BEST or the most relevant right now? If it's the latter, I will prepare a very sad paragraph about how Ke$ha is more relevant than Britney.

Steven Arroyo: That does make a big difference, I agree. Either way, my definite upset picks right now are the xx and Mariah Carey.

CB: Well, I think maybe relevant/quality combo. I mean Ke$ha is "relevant," but not the best, so she wouldn't hypothetically survive past Gaga, who is relevant and good. Make sense?

BS: That's fair. In that case, Ke$ha definitely survives against Britney. This isn't 2001.

Kasey DeVore: Ke$ha's only released 2 singles (I'm not counting her on "Right Round" since I didn't realize that was her until after Tik Tok came out). Don't  count out Britney -- "3" did remarkably well just last fall and her tour last summer was huge.

That's just me though, I'm always a Britney supporter.

CB: As the person who made this bracket, I'll note that Britney was a last minute addition. I feel like Ke$ha is more relevant and at this point (gulp) better.

Other match-ups to think about:

Luda v. Kid Cudi
Yeah Yeah Yeahs v. Muse
Spoon v. Passion Pit

BS: I don't listen to any of those, but I think I should drop in a couple of comments on the metal sub-section of the miscellaneous bracket since I appear to be the only metalhead on this mailing list:

Mastodon over Cobalt is a no-brainer. Cobalt has one very good album and one undisputed masterpiece, but no one really heard them. Mastodon has been doing it since '02 and keeps getting bigger and arguably better, depending on your taste.

BTBAM over Converge in a close one. Converge will always be media darlings who can't back that up with music. BTBAM, on the other hand, continue to raise the bar and push the boundaries of what you can do with a metal album.

SA: I think those are the 3 toughest.

Luda=slightly more talented, Cudi=slightly more relevant. I'll go with Kid Cudi because "How Low" is unbearable.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Muse are both equally good though not great, however YYYs are murdering them relevancy-wise with Where the Wild Things Are and the Grammy noms.

Spoon and Passion Pit I kinda dig but I definitely also find them equally overrated...Passion Pit by a nose.

CB: Luda more talented than Cudi? WHAT? I like Luda minus "How Low," but Cudi's album is one of the best hip-hop records I've heard in years. Also, I've just recently gotten into xx and DAMN. Their debut album is  ridiculously good. So so so good.

SA: Again, slightly more talented. Just thinking fundamentals here, that's really all I can speak about when it comes to hip-hop. I think "Man on the Moon" sounds great (mostly) but it's hardly even a rap record with all the filler and half-ass singing. But we agree he wins at least.

And HELL YES to the xx.

CB: Hmmm...I don't know of any filler on Man on the Moon. Perhaps it's the singing and extraneous stuff that makes it interesting to me? For me, I appreciate artists who are willing to do something different instead of the dance club-oriented club-baiting single culture hip-hop as become.

SA: Yeah, he took chances and that's definitely the right start. I like that he challenged himself with a concept album on his debut.  Personally though, I can count on one hand how many songs on that album worked  the way he wanted. My faves are "Pursuit of Happiness" and "Day n Nite" but at least half the album seems only like lesser versions of those to me.

Adam Lukach: Aw c'mon Steven. Luda hasn't done anything relevant or really even good for a long time. He's become kind of a caricature of himself; it seems like all of his lyrics are just one uber-ridiculous analogy after another. His cred is all but gone for me because it seems like he kind of epitomizes the commercialization of hip hop from what it was. That's just my opinion, but Cudi is at least doing interesting things.

"Man On The Moon" is the kind of album that some rappers spend their whole careers trying to make, in terms of the personal testimony and diversity of sound. I think he pulls of the concept album rather well, even comparing it favorably with something like "College Dropout." Also Cudi has 2 mixtapes on which he raps as much as he half-sings; he's got a solid flow. For me it's Cudi 100 percent.

SA: Ha okay all good points...but I picked Cudi from the start!! Just trying to consider both sides here.

Anyway, I've moved on to pondering another potential upset, LCD v Beach House. James Murphy has been damn busy lately with a new LCD album and that soundtrack to the new Ben Stiller flick. But Beach House just broke out hard and I think their music is better, as much as I enjoy LCD.

AL: Haha sorry I didn't mean to go off on you Steven... I just really like Cudi and really don't like Luda. I do agree on Brad's point too; I think that makes for a better contest. Policing yourself is a solid idea I think.

And to elaborate on Steven's point about BH v. LCD, I'm all in on LCD for being the better band but BH has broken out big time recently... And the passing of LCD's drummer recently certainly doesn't help their case.

SA: Interesting, I had totally forgot about that guy...that matchup's almost a split decision for me right now.

Two more upsets I'm leaning towards now, Dirty Projectors and Mos Def.

CB: Dirty Projectors over Vampire Weekend? Scoff. I've tried so hard to like DP's album and it juts bores the shit out of me. What am I missing?

I'm on-board for Mos Def over Slim Shady.

jj over Grizzly? I say yes.

SA: I could rant this for hours but I just do not like Contra very much at all. It's another battle of the overrated to me but my vote is with Dirty Projectors. They may be boring, but I can at least hear the nitpicking and attention to detail in Bitte Orca whereas Contra sounds to me like it was thrown together in a week. Amongst many other crimes.

I was totally gonna pick jj too but I don't think they've done enough to prove themselves, even over Grizzly Bear. But you might convince me if you have a better reason than mine.

CB: That's a fair assessment of jj. I actually love Contra, and didn't care for the debut until I went back earlier this year. Any time the sun is out, it's the first album I go to. I don't what that really means, but it counts for something I think.

SA: I get it, I can admit I actually play them more often than a lot of other bands that I know deserve more credit.

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RESULTS FOR ROUND ONE -- Winners in bold with percentage of vote.


Hip-Hop Region

1. Jay-Z -- 100 percent of vote
16. Rick Ross

8. Ludacris
9. Kid Cudi -- 80 percent of vote

5. 50 Cent
12. Clipse -- 60 percent of vote

4. Eminem
13. Mos Def -- 60 percent of vote

6. Young Jeezy
11. Ghostface Killah -- 60 percent of vote

3. Lil Wayne -- 100 percent of vote
14. Snoop Dogg

7. Lupe Fiasco -- 80 percent of vote
10. Drake

2. Kanye West -- 100 percent of vote
15. Gucci Mane

Pitchfork Region

1. Radiohead -- 100 percent of vote
16. Hot Chip

8. Spoon
9. Passion Pit -- 80 percent of vote

5. Phoenix
12. The xx -- 60 percent of vote

4. Animal Collective -- 100 percent of vote
13. Atlas Sound

6. Vampire Weekend -- 60 percent of vote
11. Dirty Projectors

3. LCD Soundsystem -- 80 percent of vote
14. Beach House

7. Grizzly Bear -- 80 percent of vote
10. jj

2. The Flaming Lips -- 100 percent of vote
15. Girls

Pop Region

1. Lady Gaga -- 100 percent of vote
16. Boys Like Girls

8. Kelly Clarkson -- 100 percent of vote
9. Justin Bieber

5. Black Eyed Peas -- 60 percent of vote
12. Mariah Carey

4. Taylor Swift -- 80 percent of vote
13. Akon

6. Justin Timberlake -- 100 percent of vote
11. Jason Derulo

3. Rihanna -- 80 percent of vote
14. Adam Lambert

7. Britney Spears
10. Ke$ha -- 60 percent of vote

2. Beyonce -- 100 percent of vote
15. 3OH!3

Miscellaneous Region

Metal Sub-Region
1. Mastodon -- 100 percent of vote           
16. Cobalt       
       
8. Between the Buried and Me -- 100 percent of vote       
9. Converge       
       
Alternative Sub-Region           
5. Brand New       
12. Thrice -- 60 percent of vote       
    
4. Manchester Orchestra -- 100 percent of vote       
13. Say Anything       
       
R&B Sub-Region       
6. Mary J. Blige -- 80 percent of the vote     
11. Trey Songz           
   
3. Alicia Keys -- 80 percent of vote          
14. Robin Thicke       
       
Miscellaneous Miscellaneous Sub-Region           
7. Yeah Yeah Yeahs       
10. Muse -- 60 percent of vote       
           
2. John Mayer -- 60 percent of vote     
15. Metric       

A slew of upsets here, what do you think?