Tynan's Anger

SONGS OF THE DECADE #44

[For more info, read the Ground Rules of The Song of The Decade List]

Eve ft. Gwen Stefani - Let Me Blow Ya Mind (2001)



Forget No Homo: how about we address the almost permanently ingrained misogyny in rap music before we start working on the homophobia? In the late '90s, when cultural forces still pressured hip-hop to be nicer to women, Eve was deemed the First Lady of the Rough Ryders. While surrounded by the likes of DMX and Jadakiss, Eve proved to be more commercially and critically popular in the long run, showing just how impressive a woman could be in a boy's club if given the chance. Backing Eve up on her most intense single (and also her biggest hit) was Gwen Stefani, an artist who had done similar work to break up the boy's club of mainstream post-grunge (Somehow I don't see anyone calling Stefani the Yoko to Gavin Rossdale's John.) A grenade thrown onto the club dance floor, it's too empowering a song to be played in a strip club, and too vivacious to be played on headphones. All the song did was prove that mainstream culture didn't know how to deal with a black woman with a strong voice that didn't cater to stereotypes, which is why one of the best-selling singles of the decade is all but forgotten today. Of course, the song's significance hasn't changed a lick.

Labels: 2000s, eve, gwen stefani, let me blow ya mind, lists, pop music, songs of the decade

SONGS OF THE DECADE #91

[For more info, read the Ground Rules of The Song of The Decade List]

Gwen Stefani - Hollaback Girl (2004)


By my reckoning, Gwen Stefani's conversion into a full-fledged hip hop singer worked for a grand total of one song. The hints were there in her underrated collaboration with Eve in "Let Me Blow Your Mind," but "Hollaback Girl's" militaristic stomp will get in your head and shut you up rather quickly. I can't count the number of times I found myself humming "I ain't no Hollaback Girl" or "The Shit is Bananas" over the past five years, and realized that I had no reason to complain when the song became briefly but deservedly ubiquitous. Overall, Stefani fans are still the types who remember how transformational No Doubt was to pop music as the '90s
began to wind down. She won over fewer people then she lost with Love, Angel, Music Baby. But at the end of the day, "Hollaback Girl's" breezy horns, impeccable production, and vocal guile wins over the haters on the margin.

Labels: 2000s, gwen stefani, hollaback girl, lists, songs of the decade