Today's Song: Kreayshawn 'Go Hard (La.La.La)'
Like any person with functioning ears, I am inclined to hate Kreayshawn, but with "Go Hard," she's hitting really close to the hypnotic inanity of the entire reason why anyone still talks about her in the first place, her breakout track, "Gucci Gucci."
Listening to "Hard," it strikes me that there is a certain stylistic overlap with M.I.A., especially as M.I.A. sounded when she emerged in 2005 with "Galang." Both confound the straightforward notion of skill with their similarly "bleh" tones and laid-back-to-the-point-of-lazy vocals. But whereas M.I.A. didn't really come off as trying to do much of anything but create rhythm with her voice to at least hang with her insane beats, Kreayshawn seems like someone who's trying hard to sound like she's not trying hard over tracks that do the same. M.I.A. also had the advantage of an other-worldly aesthetic, pulled from the bargain bin of a store too ethnic for the lion's share of her eventual audience ever to have experienced firsthand. Meanwhile, Kreayshawn just feels like Wal Mart.
That said, this track is hotter than anything Kreay has put out since "Gucci Gucci." There's a really nice contrast between her monotone and the peppy, chiptune sound that's floating them. She really needs to ditch the cupcake swag, though. It had already been chewed up and shit out by Katy Perry several times over last year at this time.