The Most Popular Songs Create Magic
Sway Interviewing Vanilla Ice
Good conversations have nuggets of insight that can help us move to the next level of success. Sway has built a brand interviewing the legends of the music industry. Two years ago he sat down with Vanilla Ice and pulled out a teachable moment for creating songs that transcend genres and connect with wider audiences.Sway asked Vanilla Ice about the irony of those highly respected rappers who can't seem to create a mainstream hit, "Most skillful rappers can't seem to reach the level of success they want- visibility, mainstream, marketability, brand-ability, the whole nine. At the end of the day, what do you think is the key to success." Vanilla Ice, who has sold over 160 million records, said the key was more simple than people think."People think it's rocket science and that there's some kind of chemistry that they can't figure it out... The truth behind it is, you have great talented rappers and everything, but really it's a simple thing. A great song is a great song. It's all the elements coming together and making the magic. That's what separates the difference. You can get respect on the streets for being a great rapper. Nas has never sold near as many records as Jay Z, but he's pretty equal as far as talent goes on skills, but has he had those great magical moments where he's laid it down- all the ingredients together....Jay Z has got those magical songs that relate to a lot more people than just the hip hop community."
The Translation that Speaks to Wider Audiences
Sway spoke on LMFMO's take on success, "One of them said, I just started rapping about the things I wanted to achieve and simplified it and had fun." Sway wondered if artists compromised their integrity by shooting for mainstream success. Vanilla Ice cautioned against overthinking the process, "You need to think about how can I make a dope song. Is it going to be the best street credibility rap verse I've ever written that's going to be the best song... probably not... What it's going to do is [be] the most translated song, like people feeling you, where you coming from. It's not always through the vocals and the lyrics. It comes through the whole package. A great song is a great song. Does it move you? Does it move a small amount of people or does it move a lot of people? The more people you're reaching, the more your translation is getting out and the message is going through your music, and you've created that magic. That's what its all about."
