Hey, Vsauce. Michael here. And the iTunes store contains 28 million different songs. Last.Fm carries 45 million songs and the
Gracenote database of artists, titles, and labels contains 130 million different songs.
That's a lot.
If you were to listen to all of the songs in the Gracenote database one
after the other in a giant playlist, it would take you more than 1,200 years to complete. But since there are a finite number of tones
our ears can distinguish and because it only takes a few notes in common for two musical
ideas to sound similar, will we ever run out of new music? Will there ever be a day where every possible
brief little melody has been written and recorded and we are left with nothing new to make? A good rule of thumb might be to say that
if modern recording technology can't distinguish the difference between two songs, well, neither
could we. So, let's begin there, with digital downloads, MP3's, CD's, and a calculation
made by Covered in Bees. Digital music is made out of "bits."
Lots and lots of bits.
But each individual bit exists in one of two states: a "0" or a "1." Now, what this means in that for any given,
say, 5-minute-long audio file, the number of possibilities, mathematically speaking,
is enormous, but mind-blowingly finite. A compact disk, which samples music at 44.1
KHz, is going to need about 211 million bits to store one 5-minute song. And because a
bit can exist in two states, either a "0" or a "1," the number of possible different
ways to arrange those 211,000,000 bits is 2 to the 211th million power. That value represents every single possible
different 5-minute-long audio file.
But how big is that number?
Well, let's put this in perspective. A single drop of water contains 6 sextillion
atoms. 6 Sextillion is 22 digits long. That's a long number.
But the total number of atoms
that make up the entire earth is a number that is about 50 digits long. And estimations
of the total number of hydrogen atoms in our universe is a number that is 80 digits long. But "2 to the 211 millionth power," the number
of possible, different 5-minute audio files, is a number that is 63 million digits long. It is a number
larger than we can even pretend to understand.
It contains every possible CD quality 5-minute
audio file. Inside that amount is everything from Beethoven's "5th" to Beck's "Loser" -
it even contains a 5 minute conversation you had with your parents when you were 3 years old.
In fact, every one of them. It even contains every possible conversation you didn't have
with your parents when you were 3 years old. But, it is finite, not infinite.
It's cool
to think about, but it doesn't come very close to answering the question of this video, which
is "how many possible different songs can we create and hear the difference between?" So, for that, we're going to need to narrow
down our hunt. On Everything2, Ferrouslepidoptera made a
calculation that involved some assumptions that I think helped narrow the field down
in a really nice way. She took a look at the total number of possible
different melodies you could create within one octave, containing any or all of the intervals
we divide octaves into. Of course, sound frequencies can be divided much more granularly than that,
but giving ourselves more notes might mean we could make more technically different melodies,
but they wouldn't necessarily sound any different to our ears.
Now, given a single measure containing any
combination of whole, half, quarter, eighth, sixteenth or thirty-second notes, she calculated
that there would be this many possible unique measures, which is a smaller number than we
had before, but, to put it in perspective, this is how many seconds old the universe is. Yerricde's calculation is even more specific.
He stayed within one octave, but instead of looking at a complete measure, he only considered
the number of unique combinations of 8 notes. He also assumed that typical melodies, as
we know them today, only contain about three different types of note length. For instance, quarter, eighth and sixteenth or whole, half and quarter.
To be sure, that will most likely not always
be true. Musical tastes hundreds, thousands of years from now will most assuredly be different,
but given melodies as we know them today, across 8 notes, over 12 intervals, there are
about 79 billion possible combinations. We're getting relatively small here. I mean,
under this definition of melody, 100 songwriters creating a brand new 8-note melody every second
would exhaust every possible melody within only 248 years.
But it's still a huge number, way bigger than
the total number of songs that have been written that we know about. So, you can quite safely
say that, no, we will never run out of new music. But here's the rub. If that's the case,
why are there so many commonalities between songs? Even across hundreds of years, how
come so many songs kind of sound the same? I mean, if we have more possibilities than
we could ever exhaust, why is "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," the "Alphabet Song," and "Baa,
Baa, Black Sheep," all the same melody? "My Country Tis of Thee," and "God Save the
Queen," interestingly enough, are the same song.
"Love Me Tender," is exactly the same as the
old American Civil War song "Aura Lea." And a seemingly uncountable number of songs
merely sound like other songs. The Spongebob Squarepants theme has a very similar cadence
to "Blow the Man Down." Soundsjustlike.Com is a great resource for
exploring this further. It'll show you two songs and how they sort of sound alike. And when it comes to musical chords,
it's almost as if there's no variety at all, as was famously shown by The Axis of Awesome's
"4 Chords." I've linked it in the description, it's worth a watch if you haven't seen it
already.
These guys sing more than 40 different songs using the same four chords... Even though the number of possible different
melodies is gigantic, us humans tend to gravitate towards certain patterns that we like more
than others and we are influenced by what came before us. Kirby Ferguson has a fantastic
series looking into this called "Everything is a Remix." I've also linked that down in
the description. The commonalities he shows are pretty crazy.
Well, even when it comes to lyrics, to writing,
even though, mathematically, there are more possibilities than we could ever exhaust,
we have gravitated towards a few. In fact, there's a form of poetic meter that is so
common it's called "Common Meter." I've composed a verse using it to explain what it is. Line one contains eight syllables. The next
contains just six.
For emphasis: iambic stress. That's it, no other tricks. Here is a list of songs that are written in common
meter, also known as "Balad Meter." The commonness of common meter is the reason you can sing
the Pokemon theme song to the tune of Gilligan's Island. Or House of the Rising Sun.
Or Amazing
Grace. You could also use almost any of Emily Dickinson's poetry. Sure, they're different
melodies, but their lyrics are written in the same meter. There's a great video on YouTube that I've
linked below in the description that uses captions to let you see just how these all
fit together.
Oh, and don't forget one of the greatest compositions
taking advantage of common meter's commonness: Stairway to Gilligan's Island. And you know what? Our brains may also be
keeping us from enjoying the entire mathematical space of available songs. For instance,
research has shown that the way a song compresses, using software, can help us predict how enjoyable
it will be. Too simple, too easy to compress, like, say, a rising scale, and the song doesn't
challenge us - it's boring.
But too complicated, say, white noise, and the file won't compress
very much at all, and, likewise, we don't seem to enjoy it. There's a magic zone where
a file is compressible by a computer, and also happens to be enjoyable by us. So, interestingly, even though mathematically
speaking, there are so many possible unique melodies that we can safely say, there will
always be room for new music, we don't seem to be wired to care. We enjoy certain patterns
and melodies and calculating how many there could be is a lot less interesting than how
connected and similar all the ones that we enjoy are.
It's as if we have more space than
we need, more space than we could ever hope to see all of, or visit all of, or know all
of, but no matter what new place we go, in a general sense, new, popular music will always
remind us a bit of home. And as always, thanks for watching. Fantastic, you're still here. If you want
to hear music from people like you, from Vsaucers, go check out WeSauce.
You can submit music,
animation, short films, anything that you're making and putting on YouTube to us and we'll
feature it on WeSauce. It's like a trailer for what Vsaucers are doing. Speaking of which, Jake Chudnow, who does
all of the music in these videos, has a brand new song out over on his channel,
which I highly suggest you go give a listen..
[ "Penguin Cap" by CarboHydroM] What happened to music in video games?
Where did all those iconic tunes go? That question gets asked pretty often, so I guess it's high time we talk about it. So, music and games. Where did all those great theme songs go?
They were so memorable, like this one: [ "Overworld" by Koji Kondo] Or this one: [ "Title Theme" by Masato Nakamura] Or this one: [ "Dr. Wily Stage" by Ogeretsu Kun, Manami Matsumae, Yoshihiro Sakaguchi] Or this one: [ "Prelude" by Nobuo Uematsu] We know them all by heart, and for some reason, most of them come from games made in the 80s.
Why is that? Perhaps music was just better in the 80s. Well... Hmm. Oh, okay.
Perhaps not. Well, there's got to be some explanation. What changed? Certainly, sound quality has gotten better and music budgets are bigger. We've got access to entire symphonies now.
[ "God of War Overture" by Gerard Marino] We've got pop stars singing big theme songs. [ "Simple and Clean" by Hikaru Utada] And game musicians have got high-tech gear to work with now. So how come game music got worse? Trick question: it didn't. Like I said, sound quality is way better and today's game composers have far more resources to work with, but at the same time, modern game music has become a lot less memorable.
Why? Well, because of all the big expensive toys they have access to now. All the symphonies and quality gear have moved us away from that powerful element the old eighties chiptunes had to rely on: simplicity. [ "Stage 1" by Kinuyo Yamashita] Back in the 8-bit era, very few games could process more than three tones at once. For those of you unfamiliar with music terminology, three distinct tones are exactly enough to play a chord and nothing else.
This means that the old-school game composers couldn't write a tune with complex, multi-layered melodies moving over big chord sections with a separate bassline. They had to write entire soundtracks using single notes or individual chords. That was it. [ "Brinstar" by Hirokazu "Hip" Tanaka] This was a severe limitation, but it also ended up being a strength: those musicians were forced to focus exclusively on the melody line.
A strong melody is what makes a song memorable. It's what makes a song stick in your head and keeps you humming that song years after you last heard it. You know what makes John Williams such an incredible composer? The man is a genius at creating strong, memorable melodies. Like this one: [ "Main Title" by John Williams] And, of course, this one: [ "The Raiders March" by John Williams] And all of these: [ "Journey to the Island" by John Williams] [ "Home Alone Main Title" by John Williams] [ "Lumos (Hedwig's Theme)" by John Williams] You know every single one of those, don't you?
That's what a good melody can do.
Why do melodies stick in our mind this way? In part, it's because the human voice can only produce one tone at a time. Well, okay. Well, that's not strictly true, but it's functionally true for like, 99% of us. So when a person tries to wrap their mind around a song, most of us think of it in terms of single tones.
This focus on single tones or single chords, uncluttered by lots of competing tonal movement, is at the root of most iconic music. It's true from the "Imperial March" to Pachelbel's "Canon in D." From "Smells like Teen Spirit" to "Changes." Tupac's "Changes," Not, not David Bowie's. Well... No, you know what? David Bowie's, too.
And this is also true of some of the most recognizable modern video game music. Take the Halo theme: [ "Halo" by Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori] I know you know that one. Everybody does. Listen to the male chorus here: [ "Halo" by Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori] Strong, easily hummable melody, right? Now listen to everything the strings are doing.
[ "Halo" by Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori] There's a lot of layers in there, but they're all delivering strong, hummable melodies, and that kick-ass percussion sure doesn't hurt anything. [ "Halo" by Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori] Awesome thing. Does this mean we should turn back to our old ways? Should we do away with the new tech and the fancy symphonies? Of course not. That would be utterly ridiculous.
After how far game music has come, are you kidding? We've got a swarm of talented people working in game music now. Most of the old 8-bit veterans are still working, lots of new talent has come on board, and we've even got high-profile composers like Hans Zimmer and Danny Elfman writing music for video games now. That is awesome. And today's technology allows music to be far more flexible than it used to be.
Back in the day, games like Mega Man would just have a single theme playing for the entire level. And that was okay, because Mega Man was basically doing the same thing the whole time: jumping, shooting, and running to the right. But today? Sound and music programmers can crossfade between tracks, add and remove layers at will, and have the music constantly change to match the dynamics of the action on screen. [ "Tanker Incident" by Norihiko Hibino] And the music from long-running franchises like Mario, Zelda, and Final Fantasy have all benefited from leaving their 8-bit roots by adding extra layers and depth to the arrangements, while always staying true to the simple melodies at their core.
Sure, the original tunes are still great as ever, but would you honestly rather go back to the era of this: [ "Opening Theme" by Nobuo Uematsu] When we've got this: [ "Ending Theme" by Nobuo Uematsu] I mean, think of Metal Gear.
We started with music like this: [ "Jungle" by Iku Mizutani, Shigehiro Takenouchi, Motoaki Furukawa] All well and good, and great for its time, but... Would you honestly rather cling to that when we've got friggin Harry Gregson-Williams writing gold like this: [ "Metal Gear Solid Main Theme" by Harry Gregson-Williams] Besides, we've come to realize that sometimes, the most effective music in a video game are the tracks without the memorable melodies. Sometimes the best game music is the kind that functions only to reinforce the game itself. Artists like Akira Yamaoka have spent years studying the way that games and music interact, writing music that might not be all that iconic or even that good when listened to on its own.
But play that track in the game, in the environment for which it was intended, and it takes the experience to a new heights. It subtly brings the player's immersion to a whole new level. This is an incredible thing. This is exactly what a game musician should be capable of doing.
Okay, I'm seriously gonna wrap this up, or I'm going to have gone babbling about video game music all day. In the end, there's a place for both iconic theme songs and immersion building mood music. They're by no means exclusive. But if you want to kick off a new franchise with a tune that'll keep players humming, then be sure that music is grounded in the old-school simplicity of yesteryear, and then build from there.
A memorable tune can build a strong impression. A great game is a great game, but a great game with an awesome theme song? [ "Still Alive" by Jonathan Coulton] That's going to stick with people. [ "Still Alive" by Jonathan Coulton] See you next week. [ "Still Alive" by Jonathan Coulton].
*THUNK* aw heck yeah major's mask but which key is the any key The spirit of christmas is waning from the world! Fight to restore joy! (At the part I'm just gonna put in the lyrics of the songs in case you want to sing along, have fun) Should auld aquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind? Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and auld lang syne? OHSHI- Deck the halls with boughs of holly! FA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA. Tis the season to be jolly! FA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA. Fill the meadcup, Drain the barrel
(apparently the original lyrics) FA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA. Traul the ancient Yuletide carol! FA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA.
(Jingling intensifies) (shit's about to get religious up in this peice) (real talk: water themes are extremely under appreciated due to the garbanzo nature of water levels) (nice try tonkus) Gloooo ooooOOOOoooo ooooOOOOOoooo ooooooria in excelsius deo (latin, my dudes) (nobody can say for sure) On the first day of christmas, my true love gave to me, A hookshot to climb a tall tree. On the next day of christmas, my true love gave to me, A boomerang that comes right back to me On the next day of christmas, my true love game to me A bottle of honest whiskey
(LOOK VODKA DOESN'T RHYME) On the next day of christmas, my true love game to me A partridge in a pear tree.
(The classic) On the next day of christmas, my true love game to me Listen, now, to a tale of heartbreak and sorrow. *CLONG* (the opening notes to gerudo valley) Oh come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant! Oh come ye, Oh co-ome ye to Be-ethleham JINGLE BELLS. JINGLE BOMBS.
GUNSHOTS ALL THE WAY. OH WHAT FUN. TO STEAL A CAR. AND ALWAYS GET AWAY.
Special thanks to: Seth, for being your, my, and everybody's boy. The Internet, for sourcing these lyrics And most importantly, You. Thanks for playing! (OH GOD, CHRISTMAS OVERLOAD) (THE JOLLY, THE JOY) (IT IS TOO MUCH) (also buy the album) 3 Heart Peices, 2 Rupees Red and a (CHRISTMAS OVERLOAD INTENSIFIES) (ALL THINGS FALL) (FALL TO RUIN) (FALL TO CHAOS) (EVEN IN CHRISTMAS) (EVEN IN THE TIME OF GIVING) (NONE CAN RESIST) (seriously though merry christmas all) (or hannukah) (or kwanza) (or winter solstice) (or festivus) (y'know, for the rest of us) (also happy new year) (and chinese new year) (and to the rest of you, watching at the other times of year).
Translator: Ines Azabou
Reviewer: Queenie Lee Finding insperation is not the hardest part
of composing music. Musical ideas are all around us, but sifting through them to find something
that's going to be appealing not only to yourself
but also to other people is the real challenge. Hi, my name is Jackson Jhin, I am a composer
and electronic music producer. And what if I could show you
what makes popular music popular? So here is the end result
of a well-known piece: Pachelbel's Canon in D.
(Music) Now, even if you don't know
the title of this song, this chord progression is used
throughout contemporary music and is heard in weddings, graduations,
and throughout our culture. But how exactly did Pachelbel know
this would be so appealing? Well, he had commissions, audiences, and audiences that gave him applause
as sources of affirmation. But he would also stress the importance
of classical music theory, which states that
very certain harmonies, chords, and all these types of progressions are crucially important
to making appealing music. But if we look on the other side
of the world, for example, some cultures don't even use
the same 12 semitones per octave, much less the same harmonies or scales, so then what is it that defines music? What if you were born
on an island with no society? Then what would music sound like to you? So, on this island, we find a coconut.
(Pangs) It sounds like this. Pretty basic noise,
not inherently musical or special. But let's make it
a little bit more special. What if we find two sticks? It sounds like this.
(Tapping) Now, if I were to play this sound
over and over for an hour, how many of you would consider this music, or better yet, how many of you
would just go ahead and kick me off? (Laughter) Kick me off the island. But we find more sticks, and then now we can change
a variable to add more interest: pitch. Now we get something
that sounds like this. (Music) A lot more interesting.
So now what I'm going to do
is play this over - (Music) now this is a lot more
interesting than the coconut, but what we are going to do
is bring the coconut back in. Now what you have
is the stable rhythm of the coconut (Laughter) but a very interesting counterpoint
of the sticks on top. And lastly, to bring this
to our final step of musicality, imagine that we are in a cave. (Reverberating sound) And now what you have is the interaction
of the sound and the cave; the echo creating something predictable
that will always happen but yet inherently interesting.
So by raise of hands, how many of you'd consider
that more musical than just the coconut we started out with? Awesome, it looks like
almost everyone. Great. So then, what is it that defines music? Music is fundamentally the balance between predictability and variability. Now this is important because you
need your music to be intriguing, you want it to be interesting, but, at the same time,
if it is not predictable, if you can't anticipate
what's going to happen next, it's too chaotic.
So I'll show you what I mean. We take out one of these,
and all we have is predictability. A famous modern composer, Philip Glass, is known for using very repetitive music that sounds just like this, very predictable without much variation. So let me play a little bit for you.
(Music) on and on and on. This piece is an hour
and eight minutes long. (Laughter) That's crazy. And on the other extreme, let's take out predictability,
and what do we get.
We get complete variability with no anticipation
of what's going to happen next. Another modern composer, John Cage, is famous for playing
very avant-garde music without much anticipation
of what could happen next, and in this particular piece, he uses a feather to stroke
and amplify cactus. I'll show you what I mean.
It sounds like this. (Music) So imagine that for an hour
and eight minutes.
(Laughter) Now, I don't personally enjoy John Cage's
cactus experiments, but some people do. Some people are
on either end of the spectrum that can like very predictable music
or very variable music. (Laughter) But for the most of us, we need it to be balanced
between predictability and variability. So what's an example of this? Well, actually, Pachelbel's Canon in D
is a great example.
What we have here (Music) is a piece that is balanced very well, with each chord sharing at least one note
with the chord proceeding it, a very steady tempo and chord progression, with a very interesting
counterpoint on top - What does this all mean? Translation: it's well balanced
and it's appealing. So, what we are going to do
is see if we can take that out, take the intentional
predictability and variability and see what happens then. So what I have done is cut this up
into eight arbitrary slices, and with the help of the audience - Could I please have a number
between one and eight? Right here. Seven.
Okay! A different number, please! Seven, four ... Between one and eight! (Laughter) Seven, four, two -
seven, four, two, three - seven, four, two, three, six. We have seven, four, two, three, six. Now, what I am going to do
is play this Philip Glass style.
(Music) Over and over ... And what we have is something
that sounds totally different, and honestly pretty bad. So, with the help from the audience, we have just destroyed one
of the most appealing pieces of music. (Laughter) But that is easy,
anyone can deconstruct music, you just have to take things
out until nothing is left, but what if we could transform noise
into music, using these same principles.
So this next sound I have - (Beeping) I can already see
by the looks on and groans that this may sound like something more that you try to hit in the morning
to shut off rather than music. But what if we change a variable
to make this more interesting. So let's change pitch. So instead of this ...
(Beeping) we change pitch and we get this ... (Music) A lot more interesting, right? And then next, we are going
to change the rhythm and see if we can make this
even more musical. We get this. (Music) So, how many of you think
that last part is more appealing than just the alarm clock itself? (Laughter) I would rather wake up to this as well.
But what does all this mean? Some people do have preferences
on either end of the spectrum, and our preferences
can fall anywhere in between. Some people may like
more predictable music, some people might like more variation; however, the majority of us
need this fundamental balance of predictability and variability
to find music appealing. Every day, when we listen to music, we use very strict frameworks,
like genre, culture, and era, to tell us exactly what music
is going to be appealing and what instruments
and sounds to listen for, but the next time you listen to something
that doesn't catch you immediately or isn't appealing at first, don't press skip, give it a chance, focus on the balance
of predictability and variability. Thank you.
So long, farewell auf wiedersehen, good night. I hate to go and leave this pretty sight. (Music Playing) So long, farewell auf wiedersehen, adieu. Adieu, adieu, to you and you and you.
(Music playing) So long, farewell au revoir, auf wiedersehen. I'd like to stay And taste my first champagne YES? NO. (Laughs) So long, farewell auf wiedersehen, goodbye I leave and heave a sigh and say goodbye Goodbye. I'm glad to go I cannot tell a lie.
I fleet, I float I fleety flee, I fly. The sun has gone to bed, and so must I. So long, farewell auf wiedersehen, goodbye Goodbye. Goodbye.
Translator: Joseph Geni
Reviewer: Thu-Huong Ha I thought if I skipped it might help my nerves, but I'm actually having a paradoxical reaction to that, so that was a bad idea. (Laughter) Anyway, I was really delighted to receive the invitation to present to you some of my music and some of my work as a composer, presumably because it appeals to my well-known and abundant narcissism. (Laughter) And I'm not kidding, I just think we should just say that and move forward. (Laughter) So, but the thing is, a dilemma quickly arose, and that is that I'm really bored with music, and I'm really bored with the role of the composer, and so I decided to put that idea, boredom, as the focus of my presentation to you today.
And I'm going to share my music with you, but I hope that I'm going to do so in a way that tells a story, tells a story about how I used boredom as a catalyst for creativity and invention, and how boredom actually forced me to change the fundamental question that I was asking in my discipline, and how boredom also, in a sense, pushed me towards taking on roles beyond the sort of most traditional, narrow definition of a composer. What I'd like to do today is to start with an excerpt of a piece of music at the piano. (Music) Okay, I wrote that. (Laughter) No, it's not (Applause) Oh, why thank you.
No, no, I didn't write that. In fact, that was a piece by Beethoven, and so I was not functioning as a composer. Just now I was functioning in the role of the interpreter, and there I am, interpreter. So, an interpreter of what? Of a piece of music, right? But we can ask the question, "But is it music?" And I say this rhetorically, because of course by just about any standard we would have to concede that this is, of course, a piece of music, but I put this here now because, just to set it in your brains for the moment, because we're going to return to this question.
It's going to be a kind of a refrain as we go through the presentation. So here we have this piece of music by Beethoven, and my problem with it is, it's boring. I mean, you I'm just like, a hush, huh -- It's like -- (Laughter) It's Beethoven, how can you say that? No, well, I don't know, it's very familiar to me. I had to practice it as a kid, and I'm really sick of it.
So -- (Laughter) I would, so what I might like to try to do is to change it, to transform it in some ways, to personalize it, so I might take the opening, like this idea -- (Music) and then I might substitute -- (Music) and then I might improvise on that melody that goes forward from there -- (Music) (Music) So that might be the kind of thing -- Why thank you. (Applause) That would be the kind of thing that I would do, and it's not necessarily better than the Beethoven. In fact, I think it's not better than it. The thing is -- (Laughter) -- it's more interesting to me.
It's less boring for me. I'm really leaning into me, because I, because I have to think about what decisions I'm going to make on the fly as that Beethoven text is running in time through my head and I'm trying to figure out what kinds of transformations I'm going to make to it. So this is an engaging enterprise for me, and I've really leaned into that first person pronoun thing there, and now my face appears twice, so I think we can agree that this is a fundamentally solipsistic enterprise. (Laughter) But it's an engaging one, and it's interesting to me for a while, but then I get bored with it, and by it, I actually mean, the piano, because it becomes, it's this familiar instrument, it's timbral range is actually pretty compressed, at least when you play on the keyboard, and if you're not doing things like listening to it after you've lit it on fire or something like that, you know.
It gets a little bit boring, and so pretty soon I go through other instruments, they become familiar, and eventually I find myself designing and constructing my own instrument, and I brought one with me today, and I thought I would play a little bit on it for you so you can hear what it sounds like. (Music) You gotta have doorstops, that's important. (Laughter) I've got combs. They're the only combs that I own.
(Music) They're all mounted on my instruments. (Laughter) (Music) I can actually do all sorts of things. I can play with a violin bow. I don't have to use the chopsticks.
So we have this sound. (Music) And with a bank of live electronics, I can change the sounds radically. (Music) (Music) Like that, and like this. (Music) And so forth.
So this gives you a little bit of an idea of the sound world of this instrument, which I think is quite interesting and it puts me in the role of the inventor, and the nice thing about This instrument is called the Mouseketeer ... (Laughter) and the cool thing about it is I'm the world's greatest Mouseketeer player. (Laughter) Okay? (Applause) So in that regard, this is one of the things, this is one of the privileges of being, and here's another role, the inventor, and by the way, when I told you that I'm the world's greatest, if you're keeping score, we've had narcissism and solipsism and now a healthy dose of egocentricism. I know some of you are just, you know, bingo! Or, I don't know.
(Laughter) Anyway, so this is also a really enjoyable role. I should concede also that I'm the world's worst Mouseketeer player, and it was this distinction that I was most worried about when I was on that prior side of the tenure divide. I'm glad I'm past that. We're not going to go into that.
I'm crying on the inside. There are still scars. Anyway, but I guess my point is that all of these enterprises are engaging to me in their multiplicity, but as I've presented them to you today, they're actually solitary enterprises, and so pretty soon I want to commune with other people, and so I'm delighted that in fact I get to compose works for them. I get to write, sometimes for soloists and I get to work with one person, sometimes full orchestras, and I work with a lot of people, and this is probably the capacity, the role creatively for which I'm probably best known professionally.
Now, some of my scores as a composer look like this, and others look like this, and some look like this, and I make all of these by hand, and it's really tedious. It takes a long, long time to make these scores, and right now I'm working on a piece that's 180 pages in length, and it's just a big chunk of my life, and I'm just pulling out hair. I have a lot of it, and that's a good thing I suppose. (Laughter) So this gets really boring and really tiresome for me, so after a while the process of notating is not only boring, but I actually want the notation to be more interesting, and so that's pushed me to do other projects like this one.
This is an excerpt from a score called "The Metaphysics of Notation." The full score is 72 feet wide. It's a bunch of crazy pictographic notation. Let's zoom in on one section of it right here. You can see it's rather detailed.
I do all of this with drafting templates, with straight edges, with French curves, and by freehand, and the 72 feet was actually split into 12 six-foot-wide panels that were installed around the Cantor Arts Center Museum lobby balcony, and it appeared for one year in the museum, and during that year, it was experienced as visual art most of the week, except, as you can see in these pictures, on Fridays, from noon til one, and only during that time, various performers came and interpreted these strange and undefined pictographic glyphs. (Laughter) Now this was a really exciting experience for me. It was gratifying musically, but I think the more important thing is it was exciting because I got to take on another role, especially given that it appeared in a museum, and that is as visual artist. (Laughter) We're going to fill up the whole thing, don't worry.
(Laughter) I am multitudes. (Laughter) So one of the things is that, I mean, some people would say, like, "Oh, you're being a dilettante," and maybe that's true. I can understand how, I mean, because I don't have a pedigree in visual art and I don't have any training, but it's just something that I wanted to do as an extension of my composition, as an extension of a kind of creative impulse. I can understand the question, though.
"But is it music?" I mean, there's not any traditional notation. I can also understand that sort of implicit criticism in this piece, "S-tog," which I made when I was living in Copenhagen. I took the Copenhagen subway map and I renamed all the stations to abstract musical provocations, and the players, who are synchronized with stopwatches, follow the timetables, which are listed in minutes past the hour. So this is a case of actually adapting something, or maybe stealing something, and then turning it into a musical notation.
Another adaptation would be this piece. I took the idea of the wristwatch, and I turned it into a musical score. I made my own faces, and had a company fabricate them, and the players follow these scores. They follow the second hands, and as they pass over the various symbols, the players respond musically.
Here's another example from another piece, and then its realization. So in these two capacities, I've been scavenger, in the sense of taking, like, the subway map, right, or thief maybe, and I've also been designer, in the case of making the wristwatches. And once again, this is, for me, interesting. Another role that I like to take on is that of the performance artist.
Some of my pieces have these kind of weird theatric elements, and I often perform them. I want to show you a clip from a piece called "Echolalia." This is actually being performed by Brian McWhorter, who is an extraordinary performer. Let's watch a little bit of this, and please notice the instrumentation. (Music) Okay, I hear you were laughing nervously because you too could hear that the drill was a little bit sharp, the intonation was a little questionable.
(Laughter) Let's watch just another clip. (Music) You can see the mayhem continues, and there's, you know, there were no clarinets and trumpets and flutes and violins. Here's a piece that has an even more unusual, more peculiar instrumentation. This is "Tln," for three conductors and no players.
(Laughter) This was based on the experience of actually watching two people having a virulent argument in sign language, which produced no decibels to speak of, but affectively, psychologically, was a very loud experience. So, yeah, I get it, with, like, the weird appliances and then the total absence of conventional instruments and this glut of conductors, people might, you know, wonder, yeah, "Is this music?" But let's move on to a piece where clearly I'm behaving myself, and that is my "Concerto for Orchestra." You're going to notice a lot of conventional instruments in this clip. (Music) (Music) This, in fact, is not the title of this piece. I was a bit mischievous.
In fact, to make it more interesting, I put a space right in here, and this is the actual title of the piece. Let's continue with that same excerpt. (Music) It's better with a florist, right? (Laughter) (Music) Or at least it's less boring. Let's watch a couple more clips.
(Music) So with all these theatric elements, this pushes me in another role, and that would be, possibly, the dramaturge. I was playing nice. I had to write the orchestra bits, right? Okay? But then there was this other stuff, right? There was the florist, and I can understand that, once again, we're putting pressure on the ontology of music as we know it conventionally, but let's look at one last piece today I'm going to share with you. This is going to be a piece called "Aphasia," and it's for hand gestures synchronized to sound, and this invites yet another role, and final one I'll share with you, which is that of the choreographer.
And the score for the piece looks like this, and it instructs me, the performer, to make various hand gestures at very specific times synchronized with an audio tape, and that audio tape is made up exclusively of vocal samples. I recorded an awesome singer, and I took the sound of his voice in my computer, and I warped it in countless ways to come up with the soundtrack that you're about to hear. And I'll perform just an excerpt of "Aphasia" for you here. Okay? (Music) So that gives you a little taste of that piece.
(Applause) Yeah, okay, that's kind of weird stuff. Is it music? Here's how I want to conclude. I've decided, ultimately, that this is the wrong question, that this is not the important question. The important question is, "Is it interesting?" And I follow this question, not worrying about "Is it music?" -- Not worrying about the definition of the thing that I'm making.
I allow my creativity to push me in directions that are simply interesting to me, and I don't worry about the likeness of the result to some notion, some paradigm, of what music composition is supposed to be, and that has actually urged me, in a sense, to take on a whole bunch of different roles, and so what I want you to think about is, to what extent might you change the fundamental question in your discipline, and, okay, I'm going to put one extra little footnote in here, because, like, I realized I mentioned some psychological defects earlier, and we also, along the way, had a fair amount of obsessive behavior, and there was some delusional behavior and things like that, and here I think we could say that this is an argument for self-loathing and a kind of schizophrenia, at least in the popular use of the term, and I really mean dissociative identity disorder, okay. (Laughter) Anyway, despite those perils, I would urge you to think about the possibility that you might take on roles in your own work, whether they are neighboring or far-flung from your professional definition. And with that, I thank you very much. (Applause) (Applause).
T.I.: I did found and present trap music first.
I did not alone get it where it is right now today. There were other people who made very significant
contributions to it, that took it places that I didn't, that did things for it that I hadn't. But I started it. Rob Markman: What's up geniuses? Welcome back to For the Record.
I'm your host, Rob Markman. Now, today's guest is just one of the
illest rappers to ever do it, alright? He has number one albums. He has number one singles. Bars for days, okay.
He's a label head. He's an actor, a fashion label designer, and
he has a new show on BET titled The Grand Hustle.' Oh yeah, and if you act up he still might
whip your ass man. I'd like to welcome to For the Record, the
King. T.I.: No, no violence.
T.I.: You know people sue nowadays, man. You gotta keep your hands to yourself. Rob Markman: We gone take that back Tip, man. Rob Markman: How you doing man? T.I.: I'm chilling.
How about you? Rob Markman: I'm doing good man. Congratulations, man, new show on BET, The
Grand Hustle. Rob Markman: We all gone be tuned in it. It's really interesting to me because when
you look at your career and the duration of your career and all the things that you
do, I try to rattle off and give a picture of everything that you did throughout your
career, and this feels impossible.
Your hustle is kind of unmatched. You're the perfect guy to get on TV and give
game to a new generation. T.I.: Man, I appreciate the opportunity to
be here to be available, you know, to try to just offer some insight, or some helpful,
guiding tips on how to get from where people are to where they want to be. That's flattering.
It's a honor to do that. Rob Markman: What was the moment for you coming
up? When did that change happen right? Because hip hop is such a beautiful thing. I think most artists, you come in, and when
you're really serious about your craft, you come in just wanting to be the best rapper
... The best at your craft.
Rob Markman: And then, when you accomplish
that, all these doors open. And we seen it with you. We seen it with Jay-Z. We seen it with Dr.
Dre. T.I.: Sure. Rob Markman: We seen it with Diddy. At what point, if you could pinpoint the moment
when your eyes opened up, and was like "Man I could take everything that I may have learned
in my previous life before rap, and now that I rap and my talent is here, that I can open
all these other doors for me and people around me?" T.I.: Probably somewhere between, I'm Serious,
and Trap Muzik.
You know, when the first album didn't really
work as well as I had hoped, or we'd hoped or expected. You know what I'm saying? Like the process of us pulling it back together
and not waiting on the label to do nothing, but actually putting our boots on the ground
and operating as an independent label. You know, I think that that was probably the
first moment for me. Rob Markman: So you started realizing you're
more than a rapper and you can do more than? T.I.: Nah.
I realized that, that there was a dire need
for more than just rap. I couldn't sit back and wait on somebody
else to fulfill that need. I had to get out there and we had to mobilize
ourselves, align our efforts to do it together. Rob Markman: I remember man, and it was around
that time, that really made me a real, kind of fan of yours.
I was the type of kid coming up, I'd buy everything. Rob Markman: If there was a single that I
liked, I'd get the whole album. T.I.: Right on. Me too.
Because you a hip hop hit. Like it's things that's just undeniable. It's in your DNA. You had a joint with Beenie Man.
It was your first single produced by the Neptunes. T.I.: Yep, I'm Serious. Rob Markman: On I'm Serious, yep. And I was digging that, so I said, "Man, I'm
going to get the 'I'm Serious' album." T.I.: I appreciate that.
You are one of the 14,000 that staggered into
the record store and bought it the first week. Rob Markman: I aint say I got it the first
week now. T.I.: Damn. We still got to find out who those 14,000
was.
Rob Markman: I don't remember when I had bought
it but I remember I copped it. Being in New York, I wasn't around for it,
because there was a mixtape grind to it. It was a real street-level, boots-to-the-ground
grind with the "Dope Boyz" record and that whole movement. T.I.: Sure.
Rob Markman: If I'm being honest, as a
fan, being in New York, you had kind of fell off my radar for a minute. This is pre-internet where everything just
wasn't accessible. And I heard you give an interview on Hot 97
in the lead up to Trap Muzik. And, really, what made me a fan was just the
way you was talking about that independent hustle, that go-get-it and how you restarted
your whole career.
I said, "Man, I got to go check it." And I liked "24." So I was probably gonna buy the album anyway,
and maybe get Trap Muzik. And it was over after that. T.I.: Hey man, I truly appreciate it. That was 15 years ago, man.
August 19, 2003. That was 15 years ago. Rob Markman: So we got a anniversary we got
to celebrate, man. Rob Markman: What about these candidates on
The Grand Hustle? Are they music people? T.I.: Some of them.
Rob Markman: Who did you pull from? Who are these cast of characters that we get
to see? T.I.: The one thing that I had absolutely
no hand in, was the selecting of the cast. I didn't view them, approve them. I hadn't seen them before you saw me walk
in that room. That was our first time meeting.
Just quite honestly man, they come
from all walks of life. They have different backgrounds, different
experiences, different ambitions. But they all gone have to serve one purpose. Rob Markman: The king.
That's that King talk, man. It's good. It'll be interesting to see, man. Because I think you really are ...
As successful
as you are man, very relatable. People see your success and it inspires us
to believe that we can do it ourselves- T.I.: Well you can. I'm living proof that you can. Ain't no real difference in where I came from
than where anyone else came from.
Maybe the timing of when we had to endure. But for the most part, if I can make it out
of what I made it out of, anybody can do anything. Rob Markman: You definitely made waves. I want to talk about some music, too.
Because man, you're just one of the greatest
to ever do it. T.I.: Thank you. Rob Markman: And the musical moments that
you've provided for us have been endless. Be it, Trap Muzik, be it records like,
"Swagga Like Us", be it like, King, Again, going back to the record store, I remember
King, and ATL being out in the same week.
T.I.: Yeah. Rob Markman: Whitney Houston ... Like, we
hadn't seen that type of movement. That was the first time I think, I went to
the record store.
And that one, I went to go get the first day. The Friday it came out. T.I.: That's what's up. Rob Markman: And Best Buy was sold out.
I didn't get King the first week. T.I.: Damn. Rob Markman: I went to go get it, but they
was sold out. T.I.: Back then, they came out on Tuesdays.
Rob Markman: Right. It was Tuesday, that's right. T.I.: Yep. I mean, man, that was another milestone in
my career, to release an album on Tuesday, and a movie on Friday.
That's something that hip hop hadn't seen. I'm just proud and happy that I was able
to achieve such levels of success. And you still been giving us these musical
moments. Earlier this year you collaborated with Kanye
West.
T.I.: Yeah. Rob Markman: On "Ye vs. The People". It was one of those records, not a hit record
by any means, but one of those moments when every hip hop fan had to listen, had to get
a little closer to they speaker and figure out what was going on.
T.I.: It was a moment for the culture. I mean, honored to be a part of that moment. I think the discussion was an important one,
and it still is. And I think that using that piece of art as
a platform to kind of break the ice on some much needed dialogue that could possibly bring
people together to work for change.
Because it started as a conversation between
you and him, and then it was a conversation in the world. Did you know that it was going to release
in this way-? No. I had no idea. I never thought he'd let it out.
I never thought he'd release it to the world. I just didn't. But, I was wrong. I mean, hell, you know.
24 Hours later, it was out. Rob Markman: You're not used to working. I'm not used to it. But it don't bother me.
T.I.: You know what I'm saying? To be able to be that flexible, and move kind
of, I guess, at the speed of opportunity like that, I admire that. Rob Markman: It kind of made sense to me when
I heard that he got you on it, and the construction of the record, because it reminded me of a
record that you had done. You kind of mastered that style of record
with, "T.I. Vs T.I.P", the actual record on Trap Muzik, where you have a by-yourself
conversation where you going back and forth.
T.I.: I produced that record as a matter of
fact. Rob Markman: I'm trying to picture you on the beat machine. T.I.: I can still produce some heat. It gone take me a few beats just to get reacclimated.
Then it also would depend on what kind of
equipment we use. So what was your weapon of choice back then? T.I.: Was it the MPC 3? T.I.: MPC 3, and it was the ASR ... Rob Markman: ASR-10? And, the Phantom ... Rob Markman: Okay, yeah.
Triton was out, Phantom was out. Rob Markman: There were these big keyboard
sounds. That's what I use. Finna give Just Blaze a run for his money.
Rob Markman: I saw you and Just Blaze were
together recently, man. T.I.: Yeah, man. Rob Markman: Anymore heat coming? T.I.: Yeah, we were working on "The Dime Trap". T.I.: Yeah.
It's coming, freakishly soon. T.I.: But yeah, "T.I. Vs T.I.P.", Man, I produced
that record, and I think that conversational style of delivery, it came in handy for "Ye
vs The People," definitely. Rob Markman: You mentioned "The Dime Trap,
and I want to get into that, but I want to talk to you about ...
You dropped a very important
project that, for the life of me, I couldn't understand why it wasn't more celebrated. I think hip hop failed in a way. "Us or Else. Look man, you're a guy that's no stranger
to the news cycle to the media.
Rob Markman: We've seen your ups and your
downs. T.I.: Sure. Rob Markman: So, everybody knows who T.I.
Is, and everybody covers T.I. I was really disappointed when you dropped
songs like, "Black Man, "I Believe, "Letter to the System," and they don't spread
as fast as a controversy so to speak.
How did you receive that once that album put out? Did it meet your expectations? Or did the people meet your expectations? T.I.: I had no expectations. I just had some thoughts, some feelings, opinions
that I felt that I had to get out. I had to express myself in music that way. That was the most important thing to me.
The way it was received, I wasn't really tripping
off that. Rob Markman: As a fan, and somebody in the
media, I'm like why can't Black Man be the number one record in the country? Can we get to that? Because we see it all around us. It directly speaks to, still, what's going
on right now. And that was maybe, what? We're talking about two and half years ago,
at this point? 2000 And it was, 15- Rob Markman: Right.
15, 16. Rob Markman: So, on "The Dime Trap, man,
where you going with it? It's the evolution of "Trap Muzik. It's a commemorative album to celebrate the
15th anniversary, but it's definitely evolved to a place where once, trap music was once
the philosophy of present-day dope boys. It has now grown to a place where it is the
philosophy of former, retired dope boys.
And I think that making it through that life,
enduring and overcoming the pitfalls and consequences that come with that lifestyle while not compromising
the morals, standards, and principles that I developed within the lifestyle, the perspective
is much different, but the energy is the same. T.I.: I think about being former drug-dealer
like. The fact that I ain't selling no dope no more,
I ain't got no bricks, no keys, that ain't really the life I'm living. However, it's sort of like if you meet a alcoholic
and he's recovering, he's battling his addiction day to day.
He could've been clean for 10 years. Although he's not waking up everyday going
to have a drink, he could still articulate exactly how alcohol tastes, how it makes you
feel. There are still very, very fond memories,
very vivid pictures in his mind about the things that he experienced while he was trapped
within the lifestyle, while he was battling his addiction. Just because he didn't have a drink today
or yesterday doesn't mean that he can't talk about the effects of it, how it made him feel,
and what it took away from him, and what it gave to him.
That's how I look at us as former drug dealers
making trap music right now. Rob Markman: You know, it's amazing. Trap music is obviously the most, I think,
popular moving genre within hip hop right now. It's no lie, and you're at the forefront and
at the origins of that.
There's a lot of debate that goes on for you,
social media debate. You, Gucci Mane, who started trap music? T.I.: There's no debate. Rob Markman: There is no debate because you
state very clearly that it was T.I. If you check the timeline- T.I.: The great thing about history is it
is documented with dates and facts.
I mean, there's data. So, for us to take our opinion and try to
override that shows that something is terribly wrong with us. There's nothing wrong with the facts. There's something wrong with you, not being
willing to accept the facts.
But I understand it. There were other people who made very significant
contributions to it, that took it places that I didn't, that did things for it that I hadn't. T.I.: What's everybody's favorite phone now? Rob Markman: The iPhone? T.I.: Okay. The iPhone.
Everybody loves the iPhone. We appreciate it, right? It's an evolved apparatus for cellular communication. However, you can never take anything away
from the Motorola block phone. The Motorola block phone was here first.
Rob Markman: Right. T.I.: It was here first. And then, you can't take away nothing from
that. You can't take away nothing away from the
flip phone, from the Nokia chirp.
You know. T.I.: All of the different phones that evolved
from the block phone, they led us up to the iPhone. Rob Markman: To get it where it is today. T.I.: You appreciate the iPhone for what it
is and where it is today, and what you are able to do and use it for, but you can never
discredit ...
You can't never say, "The iPhone was the first cell phone." You'll sound stupid saying that. Rob Markman: Right. T.I.: You'll just sound stupid. T.I.: You know what I'm saying? So, I think that when you have that knowledge
and understanding, it makes it easier for me to accept the outrageousness of others.
Rob Markman: And I bring that up just because
I appreciate the way that you articulated where trap music is and where you're going
with 'The Dime Trap,' just it being this appreciation for, really, guys that changed
they lives. T.I.: Yeah, man. This is a lifestyle. And that's another thing, right? Who would have thought, during the crack epidemic? Knowing that the government made deals with
Nicaragua to get cocaine in exchange for guns, took that cocaine and brought it back here
to our communities, taught someone in ...
Rob Markman: Los Angeles, right. T.I.: Los Angeles how to cook crack, took
that method to make cocaine less expensive, to be affordable by poor people, then changed
the laws to basically enslave us for increasingly large amounts of time, just by adding baking
soda and water and heat to the same substance, so, who knew that from all that destruction
and devastation that the activities that derived from that lifestyle would inspire a music
that we could use to change the lives and lifestyles of our families forever? T.I.: That's a true testament to what the
devil means for bad, God uses for good. I think that's the beauty of trap music. The fact that we narrating our experiences,
but regardless of how heinous the music may sound, or how irresponsible it may come off,
just realize, we could either still be out there selling crack, serving a lifetime in
prison, or dead.
You know what I'm saying? It ain't but so many ways to make it out of
the crack era or the crack epidemic. We took it and turned it into a revenue stream,
and used that to change the lifestyles of our families forever. I think that's pretty fucking dope. Rob Markman: Right.
T.I.: No pun intended. Rob Markman: Pun intended. That's a bar. Look, he got bars even just in his regular
speech.
No man, and I think that's also a testament
to the hustle because it takes- T.I.: Well, see. Another thing. When we talking about the discussion, the
back-and-forth between who did what, I mean, I think that you can't argue with the facts. But, from me just kind of trying to estimate,
how can anybody even argue that? I came up with an answer.
It's because who relates to who? T.I.: Everybody's different. Some people identify with different things
for different reasons. Let's take 'The Wire,' for example. Some people watch 'The Wire,' and they identify
more with Stringer Bell, someone who is in the hustle, and hands-on, and he's doing just
as much dirt, and has just as much to gain or lose from his actions and activities, faced
just as many consequences, solved just as many problems, but he just has an aspirational
view of where he's taking himself.
This is temporary for him. He's doing this right now, but while he's
in this game, he got his mind on building skyscrapers 10 years from now, somehow. So, you may identify with him, or you may
identify with Stringer Bell, the guy with dirt up under his fingernails, who loads his
own pistols, who standing out there on the block all day- T.I.: ... Actually standing over the body,
pow, pow, blood splash on his shirt.
That may be what you identify with. So, if you identify with Stringer Bell, you
gone pretty much side with me. And if you identify with Avon Barksdale, then
you probably gone go the other way. And once I understand that that's why, that
is the real root of it.
It ain't got nothing to do with me personally. They just siding with what they feel looks
more like them? You know what I'm saying? Rob Markman: I can't wait to check out this
album. Just the game that you kicking right now leads
me to believe we in for some shit. T.I.: Man, it's gonna be eventful.
Rob Markman: Yo, man. This is For The Record man. I want to do a quick game with you, word association. Rob Markman: For a little segment we call
"Record Break, I'm just going to throw out at you rapid fire questions, and you
answer the first thing that comes into your mind.
You ready? Cool. What's the record that made you want to rap? T.I.: "I'm Bad, by LL Cool J. Rob Markman: That's a good record. It's a great record.
Rob Markman: You got a long discography, now. What's T.I.'S best record, in T.I's opinion? T.I.: 'The Dime Trap.' Rob Markman: Just like that. Rob Markman: We got to see. I got to get this record, man.
Rob Markman: What's the one record that wasn't
yours that you hear and wish that you wrote? T.I.: I don't really hear nothing and wish
that I wrote it but I've heard records that I had, that were mine, and I didn't use them
quick enough and they came out later to become hits. T.I.: "Stir Fry" is one of them. Rob Markman: What's another one? T.I.: Nicki Minaj, Did It On Em. Rob Markman: You had that? That's Bangladesh beat.
T.I.: Yeah, Bangladesh. Bangladesh brought that to me first. Yep. Yep.
There's a few of them. Those two, they stand out to me the most. T.I.: Oh, well, this is one record that was
mine that I didn't ... O.T.
Genesis, "Cash On it? It was going to be on "The Dime Trap. I didn't move on it fast enough. He said, "Man, I'm gone just use it for me." "It's cool." I'm like, "Damn, bruh." Alright. Cool.
Let me see here. Those are the ones that just come and jump
off at me right off top, but I experienced those moments more times than that. Rob Markman: You've collaborated a lot with
the all time greatest, from Little Wayne, to Jay-Z, to Eminem. The list is endless.
And you hold your own. You're a damn fine MC. T.I.: Oh, I'm gonna burn your ass up in there,
you come in there playing around. Don't get it tangled up, twisted now.
Rob Markman: What's the one record you felt
like you might have got got on by somebody? Was it anybody? T.I.: Man, you got, "I'm Sorry" with Andre
3000 on 'Trouble Man.' Which record was that? Was it the Killer Mike ... The "Action Remix"
with Bun B? Rob Markman: Right. T.I.: Yeah, Bun B fired my ass up. Welcome to the rap game.
Those are the only two that really,
really stuck out. Rob Markman: I mean this, if you gone get
burned by some ... Andre 3000, Bun B are not- T.I.: Then, arguably, Eminem on- Rob Markman: Was it "Touchdown, was it? T.I.: "Touchdown, was it "Touchdown?" I think I might have got him on "Touchdown. I think I'm talking about "That's All She
Wrote.
It's one or the other, one or the other. Rob Markman: And you've burned many MCs
in your days. T.I.: Oh, yeah, man, swore it, stay driven. Swore it, stay driven.
Rob Markman: Alright, man. Two more things before we head out of here,
man. Now hip hop is full of these mysteries, these
urban legends that we just are dying to solve. Recently on Drake's album, Jay-Z, once again
confirmed that he did, indeed, lose 90 bricks.
And we're all trying to figure out how that
happened. That make my stomach hurt right
now. Rob Markman: It's been said that the Nick
player that Biggie was talking about on "...Story to Tell", it hadn't been confirmed, is the
late, great, Anthony Mason. That was another hip hop mystery that has
solved.
I wanted to know if we can solve one today. T.I.: What is that? Rob Markman: I want to know if we can still
clear up who T.I. Was aiming at on, "I'm Talkin' to You?" That's one of the great hip hop mysteries. T.I.: Hey man.
Just to be honest with you, the concept for
"I'm Talkin' to You" was really based on "How can I send several messages out?" Just in
case somebody might have been thinking sideways about me. T.I.: It was for the people who have quiet
conversations covertly, without me knowing. The things I never hear about in rooms that
I'm not in, how can I speak to them? I say, "Well, if I talk to everybody I'm not
talking to, then, if I don't say their names, and they were talking about me then they would
automatically know I'm talking to them. But, if I don't say their names, and they
weren't talking about me, they have no reason to feel guilty.
That was my approach. Rob Markman: Art of war. Nobody took the bait though, right? I felt like nobody felt froggy enough. T.I.: Listen man, don't nobody want this kind
of pressure man.
This shit tough now. You got to bring some ass to get some. Shit, sometime you can't save ass and your
face at the same time. You got to choose one.
You save your ass, you gone lose your face. You save your face, you gone lose your ass. I think people want challenges that they can
kind of dictate whether or not they're going to come out successful. They don't want this.
They don't want these issues. Rob Markman: That's a great answer. That's a excellent dance by the way, man. It makes all the sense in the world.
That was great footwork. We still didn't get the name we was looking
for, so we'll- T.I.: Ain't no name. Ain't no name. Man, it's a long list of suckers in my book,
at different times in my life I think back, and like, "Man, they hating,
man." "They don't want to see me make it." "They scared I'm coming for they spot." And you know, this is just conversations that,
as competitors, this is how we speak to ourselves.
This is how we feel. Sometimes we could be being paranoid, and
other times we could be right on the money, but just ain't got the substantiated justification
to actually take the action or initiative that we think we should. So, like I said, you got to find broad ways
to spread out in different directions. Rob Markman: Right.
No I hear you man. TIP, man, always love. It's always a pleasure to be able to talk
with you, get that insight from you. This show is For The Record, so I want to
leave you with this.
At the end of the show, we ask every guest
to just finish the sentence to clear up whatever they might wanted to clear up, or anything
they want the people to know. So the floor is yours, if you can finish this
sentence. "For the record T.I.: For the record, trap music was conceived
on I'm Serious, with Dope Boyz, and "Trap Nigga. It was permanently established August 19th,
2003.
No cap. Rob Markman: And there you got it. Rob Markman: T.I., Man, thank you for coming
through. T.I.: Right on, bro.
(Peter) Welcome to our most glorious nation. Papers, please and we'll get you on your way. Please provide some identification. Tell me now, how long do you plan to stay? (AJ) Please sir, let me through! My family has the flu! They're dying in Arstotzka while I'm stuck in here with you! (Peter) Sir, your state ID.
Is out of date, I see. But since you've implored it, I simply ignore it! The rest seems good to me. Welcome to greatest country, Arstotzka. Papers, please or you will not be allowed.
Just a few simple questions to ask ya- I will stamp your passport once these things you have avowed. Is this here your name? Your visa's not the same. (Miss Bird) I changed it only Sunday- (Peter) Where's the proof to back your claim? (Miss Bird) Please, I have not lied! I am a brand new bride. My husband's awaiting consumating! (Peter) Your entry is DENIED.
(Miss Bird) Hmph! (Arstotzkan Leaders) We, the leaders of Arstotzka hereby raise security. Every permit must be signed upside-down or you'll be fined. Glory to Arstotzka! You will tear up every visa from a person with a beard. Every woman, child and man from Antegria is banned.
Glory to- Glory to Arstotzka! (Peter) Welcome into our beautiful country. Papers, please or I'll have you thrown in jail. Please forgive, I must put this quite bluntly- On this card, it says that you are a male. ("Woman") Oh, I got that changed! I've since been 'rearranged'.
(Peter) If you're no man, this body scan sure looks a little strange... ("Woman") Surely this could make it all a small mistake? (Peter) A false alarm, ma'am. Do no harm! ("Woman") I've got some LIVES to take! (Arstotzkan Leaders) In the interest of Arstotzka we impose new protocols. (Explosion and car alarms in the background) Every migrant overweight you must now interrogate Glory to- Glory to Arstotzka! (Rebel) Hey! Yes, you! Do you back the rebellion? 'Gainst the state and its grip upon the land? Vile, corrupt! Truly Machiavellian! Join the revolution! Now's the time to take a stand! (Peter) Listen, sir, you seem suspicious and extreme.
(Rebel) It's true, my covert goal's- To overthrow the whole regime! (Peter) Which side should I choose? When either way I lose? My occupation, or my kids and wife? My aspirations, or my worthless life? DENY, or APPROVE! (Peter) Cause no trouble. (Rebel) I'm a hooded figure, it's what I do! (Peter) Next! Papers, please. (Beard) Oogh! (Peter) Nope! I quit..
Let's try There was a lonely guy named robert, who was feeling kind of down, so he got himself a coffee He's depressed, he wouldn't drink coffee there was a lonely guy named robert, who was feeling kind of down so he got himself a beer Sound drown clown So he got himself a beer and he saw a weird clown No, that's weird. So he got himself a beer, and then he started to drown So he got himself a beer and he made a weird sound. So he got himself a beer and then he was wearing a gown So he got himself a beer, then he had a nervous breakdown. Oh.
I got it. Was a lonely guy, named robert, who was feeling kind of down so he got himself a Beer and he sat there with a frown. His girlfriend just broke up with him that day, so things were not okay. So he got himself an uber Roberts broke.
So he got himself a lift without any hesitation driver said Where are you going? I don't have a destination, he said -that's pretty weird Why you order a car if you don't know where You are gonna go. Are you stupid or something? What the f*ck is wrong with you? It's way too aggressive Driver said where are you going? I don't have a destination, he said i know a nice bar that has great Booze i don't know what rhymes with Booze What rhymes with booze he said i know a nice bar that has great booze. I'm a big fan of tom cruise So he got himself a lift without any hesitation Driver said where are you going? I don't have a Destination. He said i know a nice bar that has great booze.
Well, I have nothing to lose So he got out of the car and made his way inside the bar. The driver out the window Yelled- please give me five stars! He then sat down to get a drink from the bartender, by the sink, that's when he saw The very thing that changed his whole reality Oh Was the prettiest face in the world She was unlike any other girl She smiled at him, her teeth as white as pearls oh, yeah~ Like any other girl So he got up from his seat cuz His heart skipped a beat, it was time to change his day, he knew just the thing to say, he said hey, she said Hey, he said hey He said sorry to interrupt Robert walked Back to his seat as he accepted his defeat, then he finished up his beer as he lost all of his cheer and he felt a hand upon his shoulder, as the air grew even colder, she said before you drank another, sorry about what happened with My brother. I thought that was your man. It's just my brother Dann.
Hey dan. Hey man. So he got right up off of his chair, then ran his fingers through her hair and There was a lonely guy named robert Who was feeling kind of down, so he got himself a beer and he sat there with a frown His girlfriend just broke up with him that day but things will be okay. Hello, make sure you click here to watch full episodes of best cover ever, which i'm also in.
And make sure to subscribe to best cover average channel only on youtube.
Translator: Eren zbay
Reviewer: Denise RQ. Thank you very much. It's true I was born into a band; very literally, I mean that literally. When I was born, my four older brothers
who were already playing music, knew that they needed a bass player (Laughter) to round out the family band.
I was born into that role. As I'm older I'm looking back right now,
now that I'm called a teacher. When I look back on that,
and how I was taught, I realized that I wasn't really taught. Which is why I say
that music is a language; because if you think
about your first language, for me, and probably
most of us here might be English, so I'm just going to go with English.
If you think about how you learned it,
you realize you weren't taught it. People just spoke to you. But the coolest thing
is where it gets interesting because you were allowed to speak back. If I take the music example, in most cases, our beginners are not
allowed to play with the better people.
You're stuck in the beginning class. You have to remain there a few years, until you are elevated
to the intermediate, and then advanced; and after you graduate the advanced class, you still have to go out
and pay a lot of dues. But with language, to use a musical term, even as a baby
you're "jamming" with professionals. All the time.
To the point that you don't even know
you're a beginner. No one says, "I can't talk to you until--
You got to go over there. When you're older,
then I can speak to you." (Laughter) That doesn't happen. No one tells you what you have to say.
You're not made
to sit in a corner and practice. You're never even corrected
when you're wrong. Think about it: when you're 2-3 years old,
and you say a word wrong over and over, no one corrects you. If you say it wrong enough times, instead of correcting you,
your parents learn your way.
(Laughter) And they start saying it wrong too! The coolest part of that
is that you remain free, with how you talk. And so you never have to follow
the musical role of learning all these years and then,
going and finding your voice. With your speaking voice,
you've never lost it. No one ever robbed you of that.
And so, when I was young
that's how I was learning; I was learning English
and music at the same time and in the same way. So I tell this to people; I usually say,
"Yeah, I started when I was two or three." And I say that just
because that's more believable. But when did you start speaking English? Did you wait until you were two or three? No. You were speaking,
I'd probably say, before birth.
Whenever you could hear
is when you probably started learning it. To me, that's very, very cool,
and very very clever of my brothers - my oldest brother, out of the five... I'm the youngest, Reggie is the oldest - He's only eight years older than me. So how he was this smart, I don't know.
That's the real question.
That should be the real TED talk. How he figured out the ingenious way of not teaching us,
younger brothers, how to play! He didn't start me
by putting a bass in my hands. No. The first thing they did
was to play music around me from my earliest age that I can remember.
I can remember living in Hawaii, my brothers would set up,
and I can remember seeing a plastic stool. A lot of times
we'd set up in the front yard where I can see a plastic stool, with a little plastic toy,
Mickey Mouse wind-up-guitar, laying on top of that stool. No one had to tell me
that that was for me. The same way no one has to tell you
when it's your turn to talk.
You know how to do it
and so I knew that stool was for me. I knew that instrument was for me. It had plastic strings on it, you would
wind it up, and it would play a song. But you couldn't really play it from
the strings, and it wasn't about that.
By the time I was old enough
to hold an instrument, they gave me something to hold
Just for the sake of holding something; preparing me for the later years. It wasn't about playing that instrument. That's the mistake
a lot of us, music teachers make: we teach kids how to play the instrument
first, before they understand music. You don't teach a kid how to spell.
Teaching a kid to spell "milk" before they've been drinking
a lot of it for a few years doesn't make sense does it? But for some reason,
we still think it does in music. We want to teach them the rules
and the instruments first. But by the time I was about two,
and they put that toy in my hands, I was already very musical
because I believe you're born musical. Just listen to anybody's voice.
Listen to any child's voice.
There's no purer music than that. So my brothers somehow knew
I was born musical, but they wanted me to be a bass player so when I was old enough,
they put a toy in my hands, and they would play. I would just bounce up and down
and strum along, too. But the coolest thing about it, again,
is it wasn't about the instrument.
I was learning to play music
not an instrument. And I continue that hopefully today. Again, what I did know
was I knew what it meant when my brother opened up his high hat
at the end of a four-bar phrase. Or I learned these phrases
versus that phrase.
The same way a baby knows what it means when the mother raises
the pitch of her voice versus the father lowering
the pitch of his. You know these things, and even though you may not
even understand what the word means. And so you're learning all these things. By the time a baby can speak a real word, they know already a lot
about the language.
So I was learning music the same way. By the time I had the instrument
in my hands, I was already very musical. When I would turn about three years old, Reggie took two strings off
of one of his six-string guitars. He took the two high strings off,
and that became my first real instrument.
So Reggie actually started teaching me to put my finger
in certain places to produce notes to songs I already knew. I wasn't starting from the beginning.
I was musical first. Now, I just had to put
that music through an instrument. And looking back on it now,
I realize that's how I learned to talk.
It wasn't about learning
the instrument first. Who cares about
the instrument you talk with? It's about what you have to say. I've always musically maintained
my own voice. I've always had something to say.
And I've learned how to speak
through my instrument. So if we think about a couple of things not being forced to practice,
not being told what you have to say - I'm speaking English again -
not being told what you have to say. When the teacher teaches you
a new word in English, she has you put it into a sentence;
in the context, right away. A music teacher will tell you
to go practice it.
Practicing works but it's a slower process
than putting it into context. And we know that with English. And so this was the way I learned. As I grew older, about five years old,
we were actually on tour; the five of us.
We were fortunate enough
to be able to tour opening for a great soul singer
named Curtis Mayfield. So if I was five years old,
my oldest brother was only 13. But when I think about it,
we could speak good English at that age. Why not music? So I've always, since then, approached
music just like a language, because I learned it
at the same time and in the same way.
The best part of it all is I've maintained something
that little children are born with. And that's freedom. A lot of us are talked out
of our musical freedom, when we are first given a lesson. Because we go to a teacher, and the teacher rarely ever finds out
why we came in the first place.
A lot of times,
that kid playing that air guitar where there's no right or wrong, it's not about the right or wrong notes,
it's not about the instrument. They're playing because it feels right. It's the same way and reason
that you sing in the shower. Or when you're driving
to work; you're singing.
You're not singing
because it's the right notes or you know the right scales, you're singing because it feels good. I spoke to a lady at breakfast who said, "I'm Ella Fitzgerald
when I'm in the shower!" (Laughter) And of course she's right! So why does that change
when someone outside starts to listen? That freedom becomes lost
as we grow and as we learn, and we need to find
a way to keep that freedom. And it can be done! It's not gone forever. A kid playing air guitar will play
with a smile on their face.
Give them the first lesson,
the smile goes away. A lot of times you have to work for your whole musical life
to get that smile back. As teachers, we can keep that smile,
if we approach it the right way. And I say approach it like a language; allow the student to keep the freedom.
As I got older, a little bit older, and my brothers and I started
to tour and play a lot, my mom would ask a question
that I never understood really until I got much older
and had kids of my own. My Mom would ask us boys, and she was saying,
"What does the world need with another good musician?" Think about that. And I'm saying music,
but insert your own career. What does the world need with you? It really made me realize
that now, as I've got older, music is more than just a language,
music is a lifestyle.
It's my lifestyle. Don't get me wrong: I'm not talking about
the lifestyle a lot of musicians lead. Because we can look back
at our musical heroes of the past and realize that they were
huge successes in music, but just as huge failures in life. I could name a few of them,
but I don't want to upset anybody; but if we think about our heroes,
a lot of them were like that.
I think our parents were
preparing us for something that we didn't know at the time,
but I think she could see ahead. "What does the world need with another good musician?" So we're practicing all these hours. We turned our whole house
into a music room where all the neighborhood, all
the state-wide musicians would show up. We would practice, my parents would spend money
they didn't have to make sure we had
the next newest instrument.
Every Christmas,
Santa would bring the newest thing. What was that about? Was it just so that we could make money? So that we could stand on stage
and bask in the glory? I realize now, that it is
much more than that. Music is my lifestyle. And now as I'm going into
really studying music, so that I could share it with
other people in a teacher's role, I realize that there's a lot
that we can learn from music and apply to our lives.
To be a good musician,
you have to be a good listener. Doesn't matter how great I am
as a bassist, or any instrument. Doesn't matter how great I am. We can put five of the world's
best musicians on this stage.
But if we're great
separate from each other, it's going to sound horrible. But if we listen to each other
and play together, individually, we don't have
to be as great, and it'll sound much better. I was invited a couple years in a row
to go to Stanford, in California, and put together a musical team
to address the incoming freshman class. And we were able to use music
to give them an idea what the next four years
of their life might be like.
It was fun using music to do it
because music is a way that I can talk about anything
that could be kind of touchy: politics, racism, equality,
inequality, religion. I can do it through music,
and I'm still safe. We were able to pick
someone out of the audience who'd never played an instrument before. Usually, it was a female; have her come up,
we'd strap a bass around her neck, and then I would get the band playing.
And as soon as the band starts playing, that person starts doing this. (Laughter) And I say, "That's music!" If you listen to that bass,
like any instrument in a music store, when it's sitting there,
it doesn't make a sound. So if you want music to come
out of that, you have to put it there. And that groove that's in your neck,
you just have to put it in the instrument.
So I just had her
with her left hand squeeze the neck - because everyone knows how
to hold an instrument, that's not new - squeeze it and then, let
your right hand dance, on the string. She starts bouncing on that note,
and the band kicks up around her. All of a sudden, she's a bassist. More so, she's a musician.
A dancer never has to ask questions
before they dance. A singer doesn't usually have to ask
what key are we in. Musicians have to ask too many questions. So what that taught me is that, "Wow! Because we're great,
she doesn't have to know anything." (Laughter) And all of a sudden, anyone who were
to walk into the room and see this band with this newcomer on stage, no one would know
who was the newcomer.
So that let me know, "Wow! If I use my greatness in the right way,
it can help others rise up quickly." And the coolest thing about
that whole thing in Stanford is she got to take the bass home! (Laughter) I saw her recently,
she is still a bassist so that's great. Listening is a great musical key
that we can use for life, working together, of course, being great
to help other people become great. When people put you up on a pedestal, don't come off the pedestal
acting like you're humble. Stay up on that pedestal, because if they put you there
that's showing you how high they can see.
Stay there and pull them up. And they'll grow faster
than if you come down. So we're going to help these people
because we're great. In music, usually, I'm not great
until you say I am, anyway.
They say,
"He's won all these Grammy's." I can't win anything without you all. Another thing my mom
always taught us is, "You boys are already successful. The rest of the world
just doesn't know it yet!" I didn't understand that then,
but I really, really do now. Really quickly, before I get out of here
I just want you to think about this: If I were to play two notes,
Let's say I play a C; - just want you to use your imagination - if I play a C and a C-sharp
right next to each other, it'll probably sound
like those notes clash; "Wrong!", "Bad!" But if I take the C up an octave, play the C-sharp and the C again.
All of a sudden, it sounds beautiful. Same two notes. That C becomes a major seventh
to the C-sharp which is a key element that makes a chord
almost too beautiful, too nice sounding. So how can the same two notes
sound bad and clash in one instance and beautiful in another? Just take that to life.
When we see something bad,
or awful, or horrible in life, maybe we're just reviewing it
in the wrong octave. Maybe we could change our perspective. Actually, if you see
something that's wrong, you should know
that you're seeing it in the wrong octave and find a way to change your viewpoint. Or to use a musical term -
change your octave.
Countries make bombs
with the goal of hurting people, instilling fear, killing people,
proving a point. Countries, governments bless
the bombs before they're sent. This happens from the top-down,
the government down. This is our answer.
Makes me realize that the solution
may have to come from the bottom-up. Is anyone working on a bomb
that makes people love you? Maybe a cupid bomb? I believe we already have it. It's called Music. And every country has
their own version of it.
And it works. It brings people together. You don't have to know
a thing about it to get it. It's a language.
It's a lifestyle. And it can save the world. My name is Victor Wooten. I'm a musician.
And I hope you'll join
me on the battlefield. (Laughter) Thank you. (Applause).
[THEME MUSIC PLAYING] [AUDIENCE CHEERING AND
APPLAUDING] "Nick Jonas was cute back when
he was in the Jonas brothers. And now, he looks like
(LAUGHING) a ferret." [AUDIENCE LAUGHING] "Usher seems like he'll stop
in the dead ass middle of sex because he got chilly." [AUDIENCE LAUGHING] "P!Nk makes music for
obnoxious white bridal parties that drunkenly walk into
a Denny's and (LAUGHING) ruin everyone's evening." [AUDIENCE LAUGHING] I would have said Waffle
House, but whatever. "Watching Alice Cooper,
and all I can think of is that he looks like a ball
sack with face paint on." [AUDIENCE LAUGHING] Well, that's fair. "The Lumineers are the musical
equivalent to a triple venti half sweet iced
caramel macchiato.
[BLEEP] them and this." [AUDIENCE LAUGHING] "Common is the Pottery
Barn of rappers." [AUDIENCE LAUGHING] What the
[BLEEP] you know about rappers? "Like honestly,
saying Blink-182 is your favorite band
is like saying I'm OK. (LAUGHING) living with herpes." [AUDIENCE LAUGHING] "Used anti-frizz
shampoo on my pubes, and now my penis (LAUGHING)
looks like Steve Aoki." [AUDIENCE LAUGHING] "Waterfalls by TLC
has to be the worst song about waterfalls ever." [INAUDIBLE] That's-- you know
what, that's just some like natural earth bitch,
you know what I'm saying? That said that. "Fallout Boy is the
Comic Sans MS of music-- they're both (LAUGHING)
entirely overused." [AUDIENCE LAUGHING] "Zendaya's skinny
A-F. Damn, looking like a (LAUGHING) whole spaghetti." [AUDIENCE LAUGHING] That's awesome! That's awesome.
"I'd rather be homeless and
watch two cats bang in an alley than to go to a
Ludacris concert." [AUDIENCE LAUGHING] "Adam Levine is if a flaccid
penis could kind of sing." Bro. This is riddled with mistakes. [AUDIENCE LAUGHING] "Niall Horan is ugly. Good night, everyone." [AUDIENCE LAUGHING] "Erykah Badu tits
look like [BLEEP]."." [AUDIENCE LAUGHING] [CHUCKLES] I had three babies.
- "LOL.
Meghan Trainor looks like that
girl my parents would force me to listen to If I were white." [AUDIENCE LAUGHING AND GROANING] "If you're a guy
and you're listening to Depeche Mode,
reach into your vagina and pull your balls back down." [AUDIENCE LAUGHING AND
APPLAUDING] "I left more
talent in my toilet this morning than
Green Day has ever had. Green Day sucks [BLEEP]." [AUDIENCE LAUGHING] I'm glad that you're
thinking about us while you're taking dumps. We're doing something right. We'll think about you
while we're sucking [BLEEP]..
[AUDIENCE LAUGHING AND
APPLAUDING] [THEME MUSIC PLAYING] Congratulations on making it
to the end of a YouTube video. Why not celebrate by clicking
the Subscribe button? You earned it..
