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Why certain songs don't make the album....


Bob

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Especially with an artist like Will Smith, who's music output has seriously decreased as the years have gone on, it seems perplexing certain songs don't make the final album cut. For example, a song like "Coming to the Stage" seems like a perfect complement to "Party Starter" and "Switch." Yet it was left off the US album tracklist, in favor of what we've all heard. Now I'm not discrediting the other songs, as many times an artist needs to sacrifice "single" material for prevailing theme of the album.

Now I understand why "Holla Back" and "Who Am I" could not exist on the same album, as they both have different mixes of the same instrumentals, and the question will always be which one should have been included over the other. Also, a song like "The Chosen One" could be at best a mixtape song, as its creative beat is interesting, but a track that had no tie to "Lost and Found."

But sometimes I get curious as to what goes on in the studio to make the cut... like why was "I'm chillin" left off of Game's album (only to be released as a bonus track on iTunes) or why "The N" or "Shine On" are not on Nas' Hip Hop is Dead regular release...

I don't know...it's just a curiousity I've had brewing in my mind....and also on the mention of mixtapes, why has Will abstained from hosting one, maybe with a guy like Consequence or even laying down a few free tracks on a mixtape?

I'd love to hear some thoughts...

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It could be lots of reason. Sometimes the record labels don't like certain songs and try 2 keep them off. Sometimes the artist doesn't like the song or even wants 2 keep the song 2 themselves cuz it's so personal. Sometimes a song can't get a sample cleared and it has 2 be kept off an album. Like Weird Al's "You're Pitifull." James Blunt stopped Weird Al from putting it out since it waz parodying what he considers his art. That's why Coolio waz mad at him years ago, cuz Coolio didn't have the power 2 stop Weird Al's parody of his song from coming out.

I kept this a secret for years (tho' i might have let it out some time last year)...but "Pump Me Up" waz intended for Big Willie Style. However, due 2 the fact that they couldn't clear all the samples in the original one, they had 2 re-do it and release it on Willennium. So that's a case where they couldn't clear the samples...but they did re-do it, re-record it, and release it later.

The new rock group Hinder actually almost didn't have their hit single on their album. Their song "Lips of An Angel" waz one of their favorite song...but their label wanted 2 keep the song off the album and use it as a b-side on something else. The group fought 2 get the song on the album....and now they one of the biggest hits of 2006.

It's just politics. That's why DJ Jazzy Jeff's album on Columbia never came out. They wanted an album kinda like BWS but Jazzy wasn't goin' for that...so the album never came out. Soul singer Maxwell was trying 2 put out an album around 2003 or 2004. But some of his lyrics came off as a double-meaning homosexual way (even tho' he's not gay) and the album got shelved. Q-Tip's 2nd album waz shelved cuz he waz a jazz album where he waz doing alot of singing. Even his 3rd one waz supposed 2 come out a year and half ago...and there's been no sight of it other than the single that came out way back then...which has since popped up on a Busta Rhymes mixtape. Rakim and Dr. Dre couldn't meet each other on the same level when it came 2 music...so no Rakim album.

It's all politics...which is stupid since it's supposed 2 be about art. I think that if a record lable isn't going 2 use and artist's material, they should get 100% ownership of it so that they can put it out exclusivly if they want.

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Well AJ basically hit it on the nail, it's a combination of many things, mostly industry politics though

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How can u say that "Chosen One" doesn't fit in with L&F? I think it works great with it.

to me, "Chosen One" screams the "Born to Reign" track on the 2002 album, but completely digital compared to the chords used on that intro track.

And Lost and Found was about as far away from Born to Reign as anything, except for the use of strings in the "Lost and Found" track, but even that was higher produced.

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I think "Chosen One" is a good track...but kinda bland compared 2 most of the stuff on L+F. The trax with DJ Kool are dope 2...but i don't know that they fit in the mix perfectly when u look at the project as a whole. Overall, i think all the trax should have been a part of the album, but i can see what FP or Interscope waz thinking with the final tracklisting.

Rock The House and He's The DJ, I'm The Rapper didn't have any tracks left off the album. They recorded some stuff during that time, but not for the albums. I don't know if And In This Corner... had any extra stuff. Homebase seems like it might have had a few tracks but i don't know. Code Red definitly did. Big Willie Style and Willennium definitly had lots of stuff that didn't make the album. B2R had about 15 other trax that he he did. L+F definitly had at least 20ish trax that didn't make the cut.

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