The Negative Impact of Auto-Tune

In Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus encounters the sirens, mythological creatures whose song enchants all who listen to it. Yet, because of the precarious position of the sirens, any sailor who attempts to follow the song will be lured to a certain death.

In the epic that is 21^st century rap music, the siren’s song isn’t performed by mythological creatures, but rather by computers. Auto-tune, a pitch correction technology used in pop music, has enchanted the rap world as multiple artists have used the technology to create a distorted vocalization for their songs. These artists include Kanye West, who released 808s and Heartbreak, an entire album of auto-tuned tracks, and T-Pain, a man who has more performances as a featured artist than a solo artist. By all accounts, these artists are successful. The RIAA certified 808s as a platinum album (over one million sales) and T-Pain won a Grammy Award for best rap song.

Yet, even with all of the success that auto-tuning artists have achieved, auto-tune is a negative for the rap industry. First, it takes the emotion out of a form of music that has relied on emotion to make great music. No one listens to rap music for intricate three-part harmonies. Rather, the cadence is more important to the success or failure of a rap song than the pitch. For proof of this assertion, we’ll compare two songs by Lil Wayne, the self-proclaimed “best rapper alive”: “Ride 4 My N*****” from the underground mix-tape Da Drought 3 and “Prom Queen” from the forthcoming album Rebirth (videos NSFW):

In “Ride”, the listener understands the raw emotion with which Lil Wayne raps. He clearly demonstrates loyalty to his friends and ferocity to his enemies. Wayne’s tenacity convinces the listener that, for him, the sky is truly the limit. His bravado and swagger are the main features of the record and add emphasis to the rap’s lyrics. The bravado and swagger disappear from Wayne’s voice in “Prom Queen”. The auto-tune effect makes his voice sound generic and stale. His lyrics, instead of being explosive, sound like the desperate moaning of an emo teenager. The auto-tuned music fails to inspire the listener to do anything other than change the dial on his radio station.

Additionally, the proliferation of auto-tune caused the performance aspect of rap music to be forgotten. T-Pain performed at my college last year and the only people who enjoyed the show did so because they enjoy unintentional comedy (this fine writer included). No one enjoyed the show on its artistic merit because it had none. Every song sounded exactly like its CD counterpart. Because of the auto-tuned nature of his music, I could have had the same experience listening to his songs on my iPod and pretending that I was seeing him live.

One rapper is beginning to fight against the auto-tuned madness that has plagued the airwaves. Jay-Z’s newest single, “D.O.A. (Death of Autotune)”, addresses the rise of the technology how it has worsened the quality of rap music.  He raps, “I know we facing a recession/But the music y’all making going make it the great depression/All y’all lack aggression/Put your skirt back down, grow a set man.” By doing so, he is issuing a challenge to all of today’s rappers: create quality music without the aid of auto-tune. He understands that today’s auto-tuned music is inferior to the music that preceded it. He wants to continue the evolution of rap music and ensure that it does not stagnate.

Unfortunately, it seems like the music industry has ignored Jay-Z’s call. The past two songs to hold the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart have featured heavy use of auto-tune. However, in contrast to the rappers that have used auto-tune, the artists behind those two songs were The Black Eyed Peas, an R&B group. Groups such as The Peas and artists like Akon have used auto-tune effectively. Because they are singers at heart, the use of this technology doesn’t hinder their music. Hopefully, rappers will listen to Jay-Z and leave the auto-tune where it belongs: in the hands of the R&B musicians. If rappers resist the siren’s auto-tune temptation then we can all enjoy quality, emotional, rap.

Additionally, this man can use auto-tune whenever he wants: