Cardinal Points

Issue date: 4/27/07 Section: Opinion

Naughty by Nature was cool in 1991, no thanks

By Todd Costello

Color Me Badd, Jesus Jones, The KLF, Hi-Five and Tara Kemp - do you know who any of these people are?

Better yet:

Would you want to pay money to see any of these people to perform at Springfest, aka the 2007 Summer Kick-off Concert?

To answer the first question, these are the bands that were on the Billboard Top 10 in 1991 - the year that Naughty by Nature's first album hit the market.

You know what else was cool in 1991 - nothing.

I think you know where I'm going with this.

I was 6 years old when these guys dropped their first album, and it was great…16 years ago.

And I would love to see these guys perform live…16 years ago.

For those of you who want to defend Naughty by Nature by saying, "They continued to make music after their first album," you're right.

They made more albums after '91, including their one-hit album, "Hip-Hop Hooray", in 1993.

They actually released an album, "Ilcon", as recent as 2002.

Do you remember it?

Of course you don't!

Nobody does!

The fact that Naughty by Nature is performing at this year's concert is a joke.

These guys had one hit and two other signs of life with "O.P.P." - a whoomp-there-it-is themed pop song about condoms - and "Feel Me Flow".

Even if you liked "Feel Me Flow", that was released in 1995.

Just because these guys were cool when I was in fifth grade, it doesn't make them cool when I'm a senior in college.

On a side note, they even released three best-of albums.

I guess there aren't any qualifications for artists to release best-of albums because if there were, they wouldn't qualify.

I'm guessing all these albums were comprised of the three songs I just mentioned.

Now, I don't know the first thing about Marc Broussard except for the fact that he's 22 years old and he is described as blending styles from Stevie Wonder to Dave Matthews.

I like Dave Matthews, and I like the fact that Broussard isn't 40 years old.

If you think I'm exaggerating, I'm not.

Treach, lead-man for Naughty by Nature, turned the big 3-7 this year.

That's right - if you're going to the concert this year, get ready to hear a 37-year-old pop rapper waving his hands in the air.

No thanks.

Even if they put on a great show, how long can their set possibly last?

Are they going to perform three songs and leave the stage?

We could only hope to be so lucky.

If they don't get booed off stage, it means one of two things:

This campus has absolutely no taste in good music, or is too drunk to comprehend that these 40 year olds are trying to rap on stage.

I'm not attending, but if I did, I'd be part of the drunk group.

Unless you play an acoustic guitar, or if you're the Rolling Stones, there is no reason to be performing at a college if you're over the age of 30.

So bring on Broussard. There's no way he can put on a worse performance than Naughty by Nature. I don't even know why they are still rapping. Shouldn't they be collecting social security in their Florida condo by now?

OR

Forget age, Naughty is still better than Broussard

By Sam Hollingsworth

Marc Broussard?

Come on, at least I've heard of Naughty by Nature.

You're going to diss a rap group that made millions of dollars in the '90s because they are all pushin' 40?

Has anyone not told you to respect your elders?

This Broussard fellow is yet to sell more than 15,000 records.

"Naughty" sold nearly a half million - more than once.

It's just a fact of life: you don't go bashing someone who's already been there, done that.

I'll give Broussard some credit where it's due though, for I am a music lover and respect any human being that can gracefully widdle away on the strings, or any instrument for that matter.

Broussard has toured with some distinguished acts.

Dave Matthews…everybody loves Dave.

Nobody gets on stage so drunk he can't even enunciate his own name and performs a 20-song set as perfect as Dave.

And Willie Nelson?

That guy is still making millions and burning chronic - and he's 73 years old.

How can someone bash Naughty's Treach for being 37?

I give them both credit. Performing is exhausting, especially when doing it often.

Which is something Broussard knows nothing about, considering both his official Web page and MySpace.com page have only eight tour dates posted - five of which are on "The Rock Boat" - and that's not even counting PSUC's very own summer kick-off tour.

It's not even listed on his MySpace page!

Maybe he won't show up.

Maybe we'll be lucky enough to only get Naughty and MP3, the winner of the local Battle of the Bands competition, at the Field House tomorrow.

Naughty by Nature has more top 10 singles and albums than Broussard has, and ever will have.

Let's see: "Feel Me Flow", "Hip-Hop Hooray", "Jamboree", and of course, "O.P.P."

Referring to Naughty's self-titled debut album from 1991, which peaked on the Billboard 200 at 16, is like referring to 2000 as Michael Jordan's best year.

Naughty by Nature had two albums reach No. 3 on the Billboard 200, as well as a No. 15 and 16.

The bottom line remains this: The majority of the crowd at the concert will be there for the opening act, MP3.

They beat some talented bands - including Pi Alpha Nu's favorite, Funk Ewe - and if I were attending the concert, I'd look forward to seeing them.

But I won't be attending the concert, and I've yet to meet someone who is.

Sounds exciting.

I've reported on the Spring Concert, or whatever it's called now, all semester and I've got to say, I don't agree with these acts one bit.

I understand we have a smaller budget than most schools.

I still think one good headlining act is way better than two shleps no one has ever heard of, or at least not in the past five years.

I think Naughty would be a solid second act, but this mixture of music is nothing more than a mess.

I know where I'll be all day Saturday, and it isn't anywhere on campus.

And on an unrelated note, I want to wish Todd the best of luck in the future.

It's been fun and I'll be sure to hold it down next semester.

See everybody else then.

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