This week’s hook challenge on Bravo’s Platinum Hit was to write a rap hook about a superpower. Jewel and guest judge, songwriter Rodney Jerkins picked the 3 winners of the challenge. Some of these hooks were pretty awful.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8p12oFuO4I
The 3 winners of the challenge were: 1st place Johnny – 2nd place – Sonyae 3rd place – Jackie. They pick their teams: Jackie, Amber and Brian on one team, Johnny, Jes and Scotty on another and Sonyae, Melissa, and Nick on the third. The newly-formed groups are given an additional challenge–they must incorporate another style of music into their rap hook, creating a “hybrid” song. And, they only have 1 day to complete the task.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyV0rLYCq0I
Everybody gets down to business. Jackie takes the judges encouragement of her comic side to heart and proceeds, with the help of team member Amber, to write a funny lyric. This will prove to be their undoing. Johnny and Jes are engaged in what looks to be a showmance for the cameras (See video below). This makes team member Scotty REALLY nervous. He feels they’ll shaft him if their team loses the challenge.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaFMNQlgtJQ
The three teams perform their songs for the judges, Kara DioGuardi, Jewel, Rodney Jerkins and Jive A&R guy, Keith Naftaly. The songs from Sonyae and Johnny’s teams are serious, ambitious efforts. Jackie’s song isn’t bad, it just looks a little silly by comparison.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFyJwSdXnDU
The judges deliver their verdict. The winning team is Johnny’s “Walk Through Walls”. Second place goes to Sonyae’s “Make the Boys Cry” and the losers are Jackie and her team’s song “Super Duper Rapper”.
The judges felt that the song from Jackie’s team lacked social commentary. Well, that was not part of the original challenge, was it? Their reasoning was that an artist like Eminem writes comic raps that have depth and meaning behind the lyrics, and that’s what Jackie and her group should have gone for. The finger pointing commences, and it’s not pretty. It’s revealed that a few of the group members think Jackie is a bitch. Scotty seems to dislike her in particular, and tells her that group members find her hard to work with because she’s so aggressive. The conversation in the studio devolves into a gnarly argument leaving Jackie and Sonyae (who insists she’s never put down Jackie) pretty upset.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoubJGrup20
It’s time to eliminate a contestant, and it is ultimately soulful singer/songwriter Amber who is sent packing. The judges figure she contributed the least to the song, and what she did contribute–some lyrics–wasn’t very good. Rodney particularly hated a rap about a canopy bed. Kara tells Amber that her defense of her songwriting sounds very sweet but “we just heard why you should be a nurse and not a songwriter.” I thought they’d send Jackie home. She’s won a spot in most of the hook challenges, but cannot seem to pull out a winning tune. But, Jackie and her partner Brian are safe for another week.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrKpaIsxF0Y
Amber’s exit interview
Full songs:
Walk Through Walls
Make the Boys Cry
Super Duper Rapper
Now, for an extra super-duper bonus: Here is Jackie Tohn’s NEW Video called “I am not a bitch”. JUST KIDDING! It’s called “Got it In Me” and it’s super duper clever! NO SOCIAL COMMENTARY NECESSARY. THANK YOU.
