Great Sounds Great; Bad Sounds Bad: Tyson Tyler – ‘Go Hard’ Remix Feat. Young Sid, K.One and J. Williams
Every week, a panel of writers for The Corner will focus on a bunch of recently released local singles and grade them. We call it Great Sounds Great; Bad Sounds Bad. Read through the panelists thoughts below and let us know what you think of the song in the comments section.
[Grade: 5.8]
Matthew McAuley: I’ve been a fan of Ty-Ty since ‘Braggin’ Rights’, but I haven’t heard his name mentioned for a long while. I like this though. Starting a song with K.One is a pretty risky move, because dude is bland with a capital Flo Rida, but at least his verse is made interesting by a nice little switch up on the beat, and it’s pretty short. Young Sid continues to refuse to phone a single verse in, rides the beat real nice and perfectly nuanced. Tyson Tyler’s verse is kinda flat, mainly due to the fact that it’s essentially an introduction. He’s been around a while, but this is pretty much his first time in the majors, first time on a track that’ll probably get played on The Edge, so he’s gotta do this. I’m interested to see where dude goes on subsequent singles, because although I’m not sure how much he’s really got to say, I really like the way he says it. Oh also; J. Williams behind a cage = great work Illegal Muzik. [7]
Matt Monk: I’m so sick of hearing how rappers have made it, how they don’t listen to the haters, and how they’re going to keep striving to reach the top. This little ditty is alright in terms of lyrical rhythm, but the chorus honestly lets it down in a big way. And people always shouting “REMIX” in a remix is too R. Kelly. We get it. It’s a remix. But it’s also kind of a feature. And remixed with what? I don’t care enough about this stereotype rise from the rubble hip-pop to look into it much more than that. New Zealand hip-hop has definitely come a long way in the past decade, but not far enough or fast enough just yet. We’re just lucky we’ve got Homebrew, David Dallas and @Peace to really push the limit and not act like Jay-Z, talking about how you’re at the top. Some other kind of content would be good. [3]
Tim Gentles: There’s something kind of difficult about a track that features J. Williams, is called ‘Go Hard’ and featuring shots in the video of men boxing, playing rugby, pulling trucks and, uh, flipping tires. ‘Cos they’re so hard, y’know? I don’t really know what else to say about that other than that it’s there in the video and can’t really not be. The track itself goes for anthemic status – with the video featuring sweeping shots of everyone rapping on top of the Cross Street parking building and Auckland’s new favourite music vid prop, Iron Bank, in the background – but it doesn’t quite earn it, with tepid verses just sort of ambled through (although with nice warm production – piano!) to get to the not very convincingly triumphalist chorus. [4]
Dan Taipua: Tyson Tyler’s negotiated the tricky feat of going overground – ‘Go Hard’ is a clear attempt at a radio single, and it’s one that’s succeeded. There’s any number of ways you can swing a crossover rap, but this might be the first time a HOT97-styled Khaled shouty airhorn reeeeemix has been attempted in NZ – if not, it’s at least the closest to form. I’m generally not a fan of this approach, but you have to appreciate a well planned and well executed move. The highlight is definitely Tyler’s verse, which marks him as one of the better and more successful street rappers in a country better known for rappy raps or song raps. He sounds super tough, especially when he’s paired with that punchy beat switch (beat switches rule and are the foundation of U-God and Method Man’s success). Ladies Love Cool Sid, K.One and J. Williams do what they’re know for, and while I wouldn’t hold their performances up as benchmark, they keep the thing afloat. [7]
Maryann Savage: Tyson Tyler and Young Sid are great names. The raspy, accented vocals are nice. But this music doesn’t go anywhere: it’s neither melody nor rant, just a chat. Like Kanye West’s, Tyler’s style is vaguely hard, vaguely intellectual, but actually uncommitted and not sharply clever. [4]
Eamonn Mara: This is what all New Zealand hip hop sounds like these days right? It’s pretty funny how they’re appealing to patriotism by mentioning New Zealand four or five times, maybe trying to cash in on Rugby World Cup pride. Go Hard New Zealand. K.One and Young Sid’s verses rule but Tyson Tyler’s kind of sucks, and J. Williams should just go away because that chorus pretty much ruins the song. Hard to know how I feel about this because I really like some bits and can’t stand others. [5]
Luke Jacobs: “Trying to the start the car without the key” is how K.One describes what it would be like to make a track like ‘Go Hard (Remix)’ without him. And he isn’t wrong. Tyson Tyler adds some strong rhymes as does Young Sid but K.One makes this song really shine. The understated piano that morphs into a warm fat synth in the chorus is gold. I’d play this anywhere, at the work do so the cleaning ladies would have something to jive to, at my birthday party so my 13-year-old cousin wouldn’t hate me as much and at Christmas lunch just because it’s more awesome than Jesus. [9]
Timothy Marsh: With a sweet piano beat and fast-paced lyrical madness, ‘Go Hard’s’ flow is tight and consistent; a smooth ride from start to finish. General encounters aside however, this track itself seems to be littered with palpable hip-hop clichés. The Bombfunk MC’s – ‘Freestyler’-sounding air horn used precisely at the most predictable of times, the chorus consisting of not much other than a higher change in key, the repetitive ‘go’ chant toward its climax. All these factors seem like general faux pas even a non-music maker is sure to pick up on. Though high in production values, ‘Go Hard’ is sure to meet the needs of many. However, one cannot help but feel its constant slap of familiarity factors. [6]
Matthew Plunkett: Upbeat attempt at Kiwiana revolving around a colloquial refrain and three adept rappers spitting out mostly successful verses. I would feel silly singing this but I don’t suppose I am its target audience. Apart from the uninspiring, but catchy chorus, all the rappers have a good flow but Young Sid’s delivery and rhymes stand out and makes the song worth listening to. Good punchline about punchlines. If RWC doesn’t pick this up then maybe one of those erectile dysfunction companies might be interested. [7]
matt monk i did a great post tearing your whole review apart, then i decided to just post this short message saying that your review is bad and you come off as really clueless about rap in general PEACE
agreed.
rapping about triumph over adversity is a rap standard kinda like the love song is a pop standard, you can’t not write (at least) one, it’s not going anywhere and just criticising its existence is missing the point. the ‘good rappers’ you cite probs have a lot of respect for Jay-Z. u should check out this site Cheeseontoast and read about how Jay-Z and Kanye have jumped the shark and then like it on facebook. pretty sweet.
also young sid is the coolest rapper in nz hands down
i think this song is fuckn AWESOME and and the minority of the panelist wouldnt know a good song if it hit them in the face
peace
I have been waiting for this kind of New Zealand rap to die since I was 15; RnB for an equal amount of time. I am definitely not against rap in general. Attending a boarding school made up of predominantly Islanders and white guys pretending to be Islanders meant that I was introduced and schooled in rap through audio-osmosis, much in the same way that I had began unconsciously reverting to my parents’ music tastes as soon as I turned 22. Thankfully, the remix does offer more than the original – two extra dudes rapping over the exact same lazy beat and a nifty little Ty Tyler verse about the strenuous task of making a remix track. The ever-too-often screaming of J. Williams, “…I just go so hard!”, could either be taken as a terribly blatant sexual innuendo, or an insight into the possibility that the Minister of Social Development has located where many youths seek inspiration, funding a 3 minute motivational video featuring New Zealanders who have “made it” to be shown in health class. If this song ever comes on while I am waiting for my Sals pizza to be made I will not hesitate to leave the building, mourning that the likes of Homebrew and Tourettes have such a hard time getting the same recognition. Since I have to make a rating for this I am giving 400 points for having shot a video on Cross St but taking 399 points away for walking and not driving slowly in Jonah Lomu’s black Hummer. 1/10.
racist+’sals pizza’
because all islanders listen to bad hip-hop?
“Sal’s Pizza”
“Since I was 15″
there weren’t that many islanders bro. also i didn’t listen to the song. and unless j williams is singing about how he fights against women i can already tell that it’s a yarn and a half
lol [10]
personal pronoun.
Sal’s Pizza is always playing really bad music whenever Im there. sorry, i thought everyone thought that.
they played icehouse in there the other day hey little girl that song rules imho
louie g’s got you skewered, twine. wait til he quotes you again!
i wonder if louie g goes so far as to wear matthew’s underpants in his attempt to be just like him. matthew trolls, but matthew is also funny.
Who is this luke jacobs person, how can you honestly state that this tune is better than jesus? you have to be making some lame attempt at humor and i have to say ur jokes suck….This song is average at best, I’ve heard a few ty ty songs and this is his weakest verse yet, same goes for Sid, not a K.One fan so I generally tune out when I hear him on track haha. I’d give this song a 4.5/10…
i just realised the two examples i gave for good auckland rap are both white(homebrew et tourettes). i feel so racist.
Nah you just “et” suck.
Tourettes eats proper shit, for real. Terrible.
Thanks a fucking bunch Crackhouse 5.
I’ve never heard tyson tyler before, but judging from the comments this wasn’t the best introduction. The flows were ok, your standard “hi i am…”/overcoming something type rhymes, not terrible and better than I was expecting but not exceptionally memorable.
Despite the name it doesn’t hit quite hard enough on the chorus and j williams sucks all the energy out of the song. I like the rest of beat better though. I feel like this suffers from a flaw that a lot of nz music does, where it kinda sounds like a weaker example of its overseas inspiration. But i guess that’s the reality of getting played on pop radio. 5.5/10
yeah for a better representation, check out ‘reality cheque’. like i said in my review, this seems to kinda function as an introduction more than anything else. i’m interested to see where he goes from here though, similar kinda trajectory to PNC so it’d be cool to see him progress like mr palmy.
I like that better, just a bit more interesting. Having listened to a couple other tracks the pnc comparison is apt, and the monstars ink video is cool. nz vids work best when they embrace their lack of budget like that.
As hard as it is to criticise a song that includes the ominous warning “any critic belittle me I’ll flatten ‘em” from man mountain Tyson Tyler, this track fails to back up its braggadocious lyrics with real quality. The three rappers all bring decent flow to the track, but it’s no ‘Not Many Remix’ and certainly won’t be inscribed on many (if any) lists of hip hop classics. Token singer J. Williams sucker-punches the song like it’s his girlfriend with mind-numbingly stupid lyrics (“Go hard, I just go so hard”) and an uninspired melody. And like K.One’s name (it’s just missing an R.S.), the ‘Still D.R.E.’-ripoff instrumental riff is a bit too familiar. Despite all this, it’s a reasonably decent track and a worthy remix which won’t do Tyler’s career any harm. [5]
Go hard or go home as the saying goes. Home in this case
ain’t stateside US of A, but Sth Aux, where the homies still
dress like they think it’s a suburb of Compton and softcocks
get the bumsrush to the back of the rapping queue.
Prolly why this joint rocks the spot like it came straight
outta the home of the brave. Though depending on whether you
like your rap home brewed or imported, it’s still got enough
local flavour to suit most’s hiphop tastes.
Everyone comes correct with their lines, spits ‘em in good
time, flows good, energy’s up, so i guess the only thing to
hate on is that annoying piano line in the backing tune and
J Williams.
NZ hiphop has come along way from the cringeworthy noodlings
of Upper Hutt Posse, but sometimes on hearing ‘by the
numbers’ remixes, you think it hasn’t strayed far enough
from the formula to warrant serious attention.
(4)