Many music writers and bloggers comment on the questionable and ambiguous process of genre classification (example: http://www.xlr8r.com/mp3/2010/08/oochre), and this article is no different. But instead of merely trivializing the characterization of certain kinds of music into boxes, i.e., rap, rock, dance, or to be more specific (pretentious, perhaps?), chillwave, screwgaze, soulfly, or down-tempo, to an extent it can be helpful to use descriptive ques. Genre classification necessarily exists as a means to direct interests (what kind of music do you like? I like dance music… what kind of dance music?). In this case, the genre ‘dance’ is too vague to be helpful. Artists have moment between and within genres; it does, however, become problematic when artists and their music become pigeonholed. Musical genres need not levy such intense criticism, but it is important to understand that they should be fluid and dynamic categorizations and not hermetically sealed, culturally restrictive labels.
Which brings me to The-Dream. I first heard 29 year-old, Atlanta native The-Dream (Terius Youngdell Nash) on my Hip-Hop KRLX radio show. My co-DJ, Dan Jensen, was raving about this one song called “Fancy.” I think he described it as the soulful, RnB version of Lil Wayne’s ‘Let The Beat Build.’ “Fancy,” a track on the March 2009 album Love vs. Money, is a 6:30 song, the first 5:30 of which is a slow build, continually adding different elements, ultimately culminating with 12 seconds of an actual snare/bass beat. I know no other song from an RnB/Soul/Hip-Hop musician/producer with this structure (save for, perhaps, Erykah Badu).
“Fancy” glimpses the life of a 23 year-old young woman from a poor background, who, presumably, is stunningly beautiful. I imagine a young and quieter Beyonce. As The-Dream sings, “She’s the dream of a billion men.” The first 25 seconds contain the fundamental musical elements of the song: an underlying, panning, hollow-sounding synth, a basic piano cord progression offset by a tambourine and reverb clap, Nash’s rich, tenor voice on the lead as well as the background, the “aayyyyyyyyyy” yell present in many The-Dream songs, accompaniment piano and strings, and what I can only describe as breathing noises. These elements remain throughout the song with increased or decreased importance as the verses and chorus’ progress.
With producers as talented as The-Dream, listening with a gross attention to detail reveals their musical genius (At one point, Nash is singing a three-part harmony with himself). While “Fancy” contains many brilliant moments, often very subtle, I’d like to highlight only a few. At 35 seconds, after singing “she climbs up way up to this bed singing melodies,” Nash sings a little three-note melody. It’s not the lead vocal part so does not detract from the flow of the verse and blends in nicely with the music. It is so subtle as to be almost unrecognizable. The song is filled with these background support devices, in place to give the listener a sense of the atmosphere and setting. Instead of simply hearing sensual lyrics of foreplay, the listener almost feels in the room, as creepy as that sounds. My other favorite device of this order is at 2:00, the start of the second verse. Nash is talking about yachts, traveling, and wine, and sings “In Paris seducing me while we dine.” Here we have a specific reference to Paris. Just before he sings this, in the background music, which has at this point only increased slightly in magnitude from the opening note, an accordion plays a little solo behind the lead vocal. What better romantic imagery than spending a quiet, pleasant evening together, drinking wine at a nice restaurant in Paris, with a single accordion player providing background music.
Beyond The-Dream’s musical gifts, this song is significant because it’s about a respectful and amorous relationship. The-Dream sings “I’m with her cuz she’s beautiful and deserving….have anything she was cause she my girl.” The woman is attracted to The-Dream not only for his money, though he has copious amounts of that. She’s looking for a certain savoir-faire or respectability.
“Fancy” is about class in it’s most ostentatious form. A hallmark of Rap, the genre in which The-Dream is heavily associated (he produced Rihanna’s hit ‘Umbrella’ and has collaborated with Kanye West, T.I., Drake, Lil John, Lil Wayne, and Jay-Z), is the showcase of riches: money, cars, diamonds, bling, etc. Against this background, “Fancy” is conspicuously fresh, a song about the glamour’s of wealth as opposed to riches. Nash walks a fine line between gaudiness and refinement. The-Dream is not excluding those previously mentioned exhibits of success, however, he is clearly in another league. Among the ritzy nice cars, diamond rings, and expensive plane rides are “Trips to Monaco…evenings among the stars…designer clothes…wine…Italian shoes.” While “Fancy” is 6:30 detailing The-Dream’s ascension over all other men, claiming the most sought woman in the world, the life-style present is elegant and sophisticated while not being pompous or snobbish. Nash is careful to maintain his swagger, concluding the song with “even when I used to rock Polo I was fancy.”
-Dan Curme
