Dueling Apps: Pandora vs. Last.fm, Round Five — Jay-Z
My best iPhone music app experiences are currently with Pandora and Last.fm. I downloaded Pandora almost instantly once I got the phone, but I was pointed to Last.fm by a friend two weeks ago and since the two services are fairly similar in format and functionality, I decided it would be interesting to take one artist each day and build stations for them on the individual services. I will list the first 10 songs Pandora and Last.fm deliver for each artist, and then assess which service offered the best response.
Today, we let Pandora and Last.fm try to follow the blueprint with Jay-Z.
Alright Last.fm, justify my thug:
1. Jay-Z, “I Did It My Way.”
2. Fabolous, “Trade It All.”
3. The Notorious B.I.G., “Hypnotize.”
4. Lupe Fiasco, “Superstar.”
5. Ludacris, “Ho.”
6. Ma$e, “Lookin’ At Me.”
7. Joe Budden, “Old School Mouse.”
8. Mos Def, “Pretty Dancer.”
9. Drake, “Brand New.”
10. Wale, “Strings.”
Pro: A wide range is represented here, begining with H.O.V.A. himself and bringing in some Biggie, a new Jay-Z collaborator (Drake) and three backpackers, Wale, Lupe Fiasco and Mos Def (including a track from Mos’ odd and beautiful latest, The Ecstatic). Overall, the output is generous and diverse, most of the players are within the same general family, and past the top 10, you get lesser-known but substantial talents like Maino and 9th Wonder.
Con: Seriously, Fabolous and Ma$e? Fabolous enjoyed a low-level peak eight years ago and no one would confuse him with being even close to Jay-Z’s caliber — weak, weak, weak — and Ma$e was a flyweight even in his blink-and-you-missed-it prime 12 years ago.
Now, Pandora, can I get an encore?
1. Jay-Z, “Streets is Watching.”
2. Mos Def, “Ms. Fat Booty.”
3. The Notorious B.I.G., “Going Back To Cali.”
4. Dr. Dre, “Nuthin’ But a G Thang.”
5. Jay-Z, “30 Something.”
6. Ice Cube, “It Was a Good Day.”
7. The Notorious B.I.G., “The What.”
8. Kanye West, “Stronger.”
9. Jay-Z & Linkin Park, “Numb/Encore.”
10. Jay-Z, “On To The Next One.”
Pro: It’s nothing but all-stars — four S. Carter tracks, two from Biggie, some Mos Def, and a track from the days when Mr. West wasn’t scaring teenage country singers. This Top 10 is something you could play for someone who needed a quick Cliff’s Notes on the last two decades of hip-hop.
Con: Don’t include that Linkin Park mash-up — even Jay-Z doesn’t have iron-clad taste every time. It’s also a litte too rooted in the past, and I’m not sure why you would put two rappers so deeply associated with West Coast gangsta — Dr. Dre and Ice Cube — on a list constructed around the biggest player in East Coast rap.
Advantage: Last.fm, for going deeper with the artists, but please excise those lame catalog players from somebody’s 2000 mixtape.
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