Ben Folds (ft. Jarvis Cocker?) - Bitches Ain't Shit

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white-as-hell singer songwriters v. gangsta rap pt. 3485432

http://www.sonymusic.com/clips/selection/fu/071897/071897_01_01_full_100.asx

― Simon H. (Simon H.), Sunday, 6 March 2005 08:47 (twenty years ago)

That is fucking bizarre.

― kate/baby loves headrub (papa november), Sunday, 6 March 2005 10:03 (twenty years ago)

Very weird -- all it needs is William Shatner.

― John Fredland (jfredland), Sunday, 6 March 2005 10:19 (twenty years ago)

what a great title

― Nic de Teardrop (Nicholas), Sunday, 6 March 2005 12:25 (twenty years ago)

I can't hear the clip. This is the Dre track?

― Alba (Alba), Sunday, 6 March 2005 12:48 (twenty years ago)

i'm pretty sure that isn't Jarvis Cocker

― james porter (james porter), Sunday, 6 March 2005 13:47 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, it's the dre track.

and James, I agree, it doesn't really sound like Jarvis Cocker to me and I can't find anything online confirming that it is.

― kate/baby loves headrub (papa november), Sunday, 6 March 2005 14:03 (twenty years ago)

The Jarvis thing was just a guess. Who else might it be?

― Simon H. (Simon H.), Sunday, 6 March 2005 23:12 (twenty years ago)

Is Folds getting sued by the woman he sings about in "Brick"?

― milozauckerman (miloaukerman), Sunday, 6 March 2005 23:16 (twenty years ago)

Bitches can't handle irony

― ng, Sunday, 6 March 2005 23:30 (twenty years ago)

That second verse sounds EXACTLY like jarvis cocker.

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Sunday, 6 March 2005 23:33 (twenty years ago)

maybe he should do an album with that woman who did the folk version of straight out of compton.

― ambrose (ambrose), Sunday, 6 March 2005 23:35 (twenty years ago)

So what is this whole thing about? I mean, by now one can make a whole mix CD of ambiguously ironic hip hop covers. Is it only an arch excuse for educated, self-conscious white people to say "motherfucker" a couple of times without putting themselves on the line? Or (a more interesting version) do they actually like hip hop and would love to try their hand at it but realize they'd be roundly ridiculed? Take Travis Morrison's Ludacris cover - the mere fact that he bothered to learn the entire lyric says something.

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Sunday, 6 March 2005 23:43 (twenty years ago)

I believe Travis Morrison. I don't believe Ben Folds.

― miccio (miccio), Sunday, 6 March 2005 23:47 (twenty years ago)

Is it only an arch excuse for educated, self-conscious white people to say "motherfucker" a couple of times without putting themselves on the line?

You're not familiar with Ben Folds Five's back catalogue, are you?

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Sunday, 6 March 2005 23:51 (twenty years ago)

Even if it's Simon Le Bon instead of Jarvis Cocker, I'll take either one over Ben Folds.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Sunday, 6 March 2005 23:57 (twenty years ago)

You're not familiar with Ben Folds Five's back catalogue, are you?

Only what I had the misfortune of hearing on the radio. Why? Does he say "motherfucker" routinely?

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Monday, 7 March 2005 00:09 (twenty years ago)

"Song for the Dumped" basically invented AOR ign'ant.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 7 March 2005 00:13 (twenty years ago)

Also, "Fired" off his last album.

― edward o (edwardo), Monday, 7 March 2005 00:40 (twenty years ago)

And "Rockin' The Suburbs" is effectively a "Hit 'Em Up" for the nu-metal generation.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 7 March 2005 00:42 (twenty years ago)

Favourite unnecessary moment of Ben Folds swearing? I gotta go with "And we're all living in a submarine... asshole".

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 7 March 2005 00:43 (twenty years ago)

I believe Travis Morrison. I don't believe Ben Folds.

so wait when white AOR dudes wanna play a song they like (however radically they wanna transform it) all of a sudden the authenticity trope is invokable? wtf?

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Monday, 7 March 2005 02:21 (twenty years ago)

I mean, 2Pac didn't bother to learn what the words to the chorus of "The Way It Is" were, but the jam was still smokin

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Monday, 7 March 2005 02:22 (twenty years ago)

As the author of this gem, I can't raise the authenticity argument, but I think the question of whether the aformentioned AOR dudes and dudettes actually like hip hop is a legit one. Sometimes you smell condescension on their breath and sometimes you don't; that's just the way it is.

I find Nina Gordon's reading of "Straight Outta Compton" weirdly poignant, for instance, because she doesn't try to inhabit Ice Cube's character - she approaches the song's world as a complete fantasyland (which is arguably is). When Travis Morrison does "What's Your Fantasy," on the other hand, the joke is that a scrawny white dude professes big sexual appetites (but only by borrowing a black persona), so that's a bit revolting to me.

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Monday, 7 March 2005 03:17 (twenty years ago)

Somehow this would be interesting to me if it were Jarvis Cocker, but not anyone else. White dude non-ironic rap cover is my least favorite genre, but I really respect that dude.

― Sonny, Ah!!1 (Sonny A.), Monday, 7 March 2005 03:34 (twenty years ago)

yeah I'm just kinda wonderin' out loud if there aren't some real interrogatable gender/race/class issues going on here

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Monday, 7 March 2005 04:57 (twenty years ago)

um, hi john I guess you flew out of the ether to question it, but I believe Travis' "yo I like 2 fuck" over ben's "hi muthafucka fuck e-z-e muthafucka muthfucka"

― miccio (miccio), Monday, 7 March 2005 05:49 (twenty years ago)

it's not about authenticity so much as subject matter, sawry

― miccio (miccio), Monday, 7 March 2005 05:50 (twenty years ago)

Dynamite Hack...most influential band of the DECADE?

Also, it's rather awkward when these artists leave the original artist's names in the songs..."Dre, pass the glock."

― Michael Copeland, Monday, 7 March 2005 06:31 (twenty years ago)

It works for Travis because you can assume he says "that man is ludicrous...WOO!" about himself (and he'd be right) and that he'd still like to have sex at a ludacris concert. I'm not saying Morrison thought about this, but I have.

― miccio (miccio), Monday, 7 March 2005 13:45 (twenty years ago)

Also, it's rather awkward when these artists leave the original artist's names in the songs..."Dre, pass the glock."

Changing lyrics is always bad, no matter what.

― billstevejim, Monday, 7 March 2005 15:04 (twenty years ago)

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