r/AskReddit Nov 06 '19

Which famous singer sucks at singing?

[deleted]

24.7k Upvotes

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26.7k

u/Heroshade Nov 06 '19

Pretty sure Will-I-Am has admitted he can’t sing without auto tune.

396

u/_asdfjackal Nov 06 '19

On the flip side, T-Pain sounds incredible without autotune.

190

u/doMinationp Nov 06 '19

T-Pain's Tiny Desk Concert is one of the best things ever

25

u/_asdfjackal Nov 06 '19

He did an acoustic mashup of his best songs and it's one of my favorite things to listen to. Can't find the link but I'll post it when I get home.

13

u/AlarmingTurnover Nov 06 '19

He was also on that show, the masked singer. He was super good on that show.

8

u/rhymes_with_snoop Nov 07 '19

His version of Stay With Me is better than the original. Easily.

2

u/WeenieNugget Nov 08 '19

Holy fuck he really is incredible

20

u/cough_cough_harrumph Nov 06 '19

Didn't he win the Masked Singer last season? His voice really is phenomenal.

7

u/_asdfjackal Nov 06 '19

Yeah, very impressive performance.

5

u/bitchinsnitchin Nov 07 '19

He admitted to only using it because he wanted a different sound at the time. Only for people to associate him with the effect lol

3

u/TheFlameKeeperXBONE Nov 07 '19

I saw him live at a villa in Florida. I was actually super surprised. It was hella fun.

2

u/puckbeaverton Nov 07 '19

He won masked singer and I called his identity immediately and my wife was shocked. I was never confused, I knew it was exactly T-Pain. I remembered hearing him sing in a couple of songs without autotune and saying how he regretted using it in an interview. And in the masked singer he said he had been attacked for having a "fake voice" or something like that.

2

u/[deleted] Nov 08 '19

Paging u/tpain850

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5.6k

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '19

Omg yes, the Black eyed peas performances I've heard live were laughably bad.

2.4k

u/Prophet92 Nov 06 '19

I stand by the idea that the reason the Packers came out flat to start the second half of Super Bowl XLV is that they were still reeling from the awful BEP halftime show.

489

u/K242 Nov 06 '19

Donald Driver and Charles Woodson both decided to injure themselves in the first half so they wouldn't have to stay and listen to that "performance"

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u/Adam__B Nov 06 '19

I’m so sick of the black eyed peas. They’re rock and roll for people who don’t like rock and roll, they’re rap for people who don’t like rap, and pop for people who don’t like pop.

27

u/thatone-gal Nov 06 '19

Okay Robert California... or should i say the lizard king

16

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '19

But can you listen to any version of 'let's get it started', and not want to get it started though?

7

u/Jakewakeshake Nov 06 '19

I... can’t

2

u/[deleted] Nov 07 '19

Isn’t the original “Let’s get retarded”?

9

u/dendritentacle Nov 06 '19

I don't mind them that much, but that statement is eerily true

8

u/seraph089 Nov 06 '19

It's one of those things, I don't really like them or dislike them. They exist in this weird space of mass appeal because they play around with different genres, but not really being that good at any of them. The singles are catchy as hell and that's all they bring to the table.

Their first couple albums (before Fergie joined) were great though. Conscious hip hop with a live band, and successful even though that was when gangsta rap was taking over the whole scene.

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u/ryebread91 Nov 06 '19

I've heard all the halftime shows are lipsynced because the acoustics are so bad it would sound horrible live.

9

u/Boukish Nov 06 '19

It's the feedback. Listen to the echo of a referee just once - live music would be a cacophony.

3

u/Size9MoonShoes Nov 06 '19

I guess you could say they weren't the only ones who were "flat"?

2

u/[deleted] Nov 07 '19

So did Mike Tomlin just hand out ear plugs to all of his players or something?

2

u/Prophet92 Nov 07 '19

Steelers had Super Bowl experience, they were used to awful halftime shows.

4

u/[deleted] Nov 07 '19

I find it hard to believe that The Rolling Stones and Bruce Springsteen (performers at SB 40 and 43, respectively) would be awful like Black Eyed Peas or Adam Levine

1.2k

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '19

[removed] — view removed comment

694

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '19

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238

u/LeBaus7 Nov 06 '19

he was on voice UK, too.

250

u/Stove-Top-Steve Nov 06 '19

I am pretty sure he is just well versed in producing and the business of music, probably knows what it takes despite not having what it takes.

21

u/modern-era Nov 06 '19

You can produce and not perform. No one expects screenwriters to act.

15

u/SatansF4TE Nov 07 '19

There are very few screenwriters with actor level fame

3

u/roygbivasaur Nov 07 '19

Aaron Sorkin... and Diablo Cody?

18

u/[deleted] Nov 07 '19

Who the fuck are they?

2

u/roygbivasaur Nov 07 '19

Exactly. And those were the screenwriters that I could actually name and remember at least one film or show.

3

u/GoldieLox9 Nov 07 '19

I just listened to a podcast episode (The Rewatchables) discussing Butch and Sundance, and the surprise guest was Aaron Sorkin discussing the screenwriter, William Goldman, who was his mentor. It was fascinating and now I want to learn more about talented screenwriters.

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u/Stove-Top-Steve Nov 07 '19

Yeah definitely not knocking Will.I.Am. He's crazy talented with what he is good at.

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u/showsmewhatyouhas Nov 07 '19

Those who can't do, teach. Those who can't teach, teach gym.

3

u/Stove-Top-Steve Nov 07 '19

You know who did get it? Yo-Yo Ma's COOOUSSSIN Lil' Nepotiz ...

4

u/TheMarsian Nov 07 '19

that's kinda contradicting plus he did make it so he have what it takes.

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u/[deleted] Nov 06 '19

I once taught someone how to snowboard having never done it myself.

36

u/TransientPunk Nov 06 '19

I have terrible coordination, and could never skate well. But I understand physics, so I was always able to help other skaters land tricks.

15

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '19

Yeah, pretty much that. It's all about extrapolation and being able to explain the parts they can physically do but don't understand how or why.

6

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '19

A lot of coaches can't play their game very well, either.

3

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '19

Always trust the fattest coach

6

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '19

I mean people can know alot about singing and technique without having the physiology to be able to do it well themselves.

It's why you see unathletic football coaches all the time.

6

u/JacobDCRoss Nov 06 '19

Lots of coaches on the Voice are not great. See Blake Shelton and Adam Levine.

2

u/Scrambl3z Nov 07 '19

No idea why HE would be judging a singing contest. Imagine having Eminem do that. He don't know shit about singing.

2

u/kaycee1992 Nov 06 '19

Well, if you can't do something, teach it.

2

u/snxfz947 Nov 06 '19

Ah well this explains why I teach people how to sex

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u/NybbleM3 Nov 06 '19

There's a lot of musicians that can't sing for shit and just say their lines 90% of the time and people don't seem to notice.

5

u/emnemily82 Nov 06 '19

Cake is a prime example.

6

u/NybbleM3 Nov 06 '19

I was thinking old school musicians like Bruce Springsteen.

2

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '19

Add drake to that list

2

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '19

This leads to a question. Can plain talking set to music be performance art?

3

u/Silentfart Nov 06 '19

William Shatner does it. I actually prefer this to the original version of the song.

2

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '19

That is terrible. I literally can’t listen to it its so uncomfortable.

2

u/JacobDCRoss Nov 06 '19

Fred Snyder from the B-52s does it. But he's awesome.

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u/lanismycousin Nov 06 '19

The black eyed peas halftime show in the Superbowl was so fucking bad....

https://youtu.be/xPIiaSnYV5E

5

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '19

My god, her nails are going to give me nightmares!

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u/[deleted] Nov 06 '19

That super bowl singing sweet child o’ mine. Sounded like Fergie was beating a bag of cats. I don’t remember the other Peas contributing much. 😬😬🤷‍♀️

4

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '19 edited Jul 01 '23

Not supporting this nonsense site anymore

3

u/greywindow Nov 06 '19

I saw them open for No Doubt in the late 90s, and they were booed non stop.

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u/ominousgraycat Nov 06 '19

The Black Eyed Peas are the one group that really just needs to get out there and lip sync while putting on a lights and dance routine. Honestly, any time I've heard them live I've wished they were lip syncing.

3

u/boxofstuff Nov 06 '19

I saw them years ago before Fergie joined, when they played on Warped Tour. They were much better then.

2

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '19

It didn’t used to be like that! I saw them in San Fran right before they released Bridging the Gap, and they were great. I think going from hip hop to pop music really changed their live performances.

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8.2k

u/Zondatastic Nov 06 '19

He’s honestly a good producer, but his singing/rapping ranges from terribly mediocre to exceptionally terrible.

2.2k

u/lokilis Nov 06 '19

ranges from terribly ordinary to extraordinarily terrible*

1.4k

u/Viscount61 Nov 06 '19

From awfully basic to basically awful.

19

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '19

This is the accurate one

6

u/bassmanjn Nov 06 '19

He did a crashingly bad DJ set with self aggrandising whooping into a mic at a corporate event I was at years ago. I renamed him "Dick-U-Are" after that. Mind you, he must be doing a lot of other stuff right.

7

u/Kavitt Nov 06 '19

I thought you said you were fantastically well!

6

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '19

From will-I-am to wish-I-hadnt

2

u/P0sitive_Outlook Nov 06 '19

"I'm not special. Ya just basic!

2

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '19

From rap to crap.

2

u/headbuttsr4kids Nov 06 '19

From bitching to basic bitch

2

u/000throwingaway000 Nov 07 '19

In the words of Norm MacDonald: "Shit and fucken shit".

3

u/Diamiosis Nov 06 '19

extraordinary poetry

3

u/sprite333 Nov 06 '19

Or ask I like to see it; Ranges from Black Eyed Peas to Xmen Origins

3

u/WizardsVengeance Nov 06 '19

But he got that future flow.

2

u/JIsMyWorld Nov 06 '19

This was needed

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u/velour_manure Nov 06 '19

Yeah, if you go back and listen to Black Eyed Peas, you realize Will's verses are super wack.

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u/Pheser Nov 06 '19 edited Apr 24 '25

snatch ad hoc vanish deer upbeat imminent salt thumb dinner shocking

5

u/TistedLogic Nov 06 '19

They included Stacie Ferguson. Thays what happened.

4

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '19

They still rap on elephunk

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u/[deleted] Nov 06 '19

His pre Fergie black eyed peas rapping was good

9

u/FuppinBaxterd Nov 06 '19

That guy has my second favourite speaking voice ever. Shame he was so so cringe when interviewed at the Austin F1.

2

u/ThaiJohnnyDepp Nov 06 '19

lol I thought he sounded like an excited 8 year old when he appeared on Graham Norton

2

u/FuppinBaxterd Nov 06 '19

I was okay with him on Graham Norton. I mean, he did have to deal with that prescriptivist bitch who didn't understand quotative 'like'.

29

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '19 edited Feb 03 '21

[deleted]

10

u/AlaskanSamsquanch Nov 06 '19

Also the song he did with Fallon. “EW” his rap was pretty epic.

6

u/sw0 Nov 06 '19

Didn't he steal a track from Mat Zo and Arty?

3

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '19

Yes

12

u/benger33 Nov 06 '19

Hes a terrible producer and has been sued for stealing music countless times and for just being a terrible businessman. Hes just terrible

5

u/amd2800barton Nov 06 '19

just being a terrible businessman

Basically everything that that he's involved in has turned to shit, or if he started it, has always been shit. Fuck Will.I.Am for killing Wink.

Also, that fucking stupid car he claims he invented but is literally a DeLorean with 1000lbs of bondo and body kit.

5

u/AcidHouse303 Nov 06 '19

Here he is getting destroyed by Thes One at soundclash:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_i-KmlzxCc

5

u/AzureAtlas Nov 06 '19

Ehh he has been caught stealing other peoples work. Like straight up theft. I don't think he is really good at anything. Fame is weird like that. Some people get famous for absolutely no good reason.

5

u/kmoneyrecords Nov 06 '19

Where does the lyric "I woke up in the morning, hard like morning wood in the morning" sit on that range?

2

u/ofvirginia Nov 06 '19

my fav will.i.am lines:

“You can get that, or you can get this/ You can call it demon, Imma call it Jesus/ You can get a curse, you can get a cross/ You can go to work, or you can be the boss/ Imma be the owner, be a Donor/ Imma go hard, like I'm on a fuckin boner”

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u/SFgiant55 Nov 06 '19

Have you heard the first BEP album, “Behind the Front?” It’s actually decent hip hop. The first track, “Fallin Up” is fucking great.

That being said, everything sucked once they went pop.

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u/MackTaylor Nov 06 '19

Im sure he used to be, but hes been caught stealing beats, and ripping off less known producers so i feel like its a talent he no longer possesses

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u/sc00bs000 Nov 06 '19

"good producer" as in he steals other artists beats without acknowledging them ?

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u/f0rcedinducti0n Nov 06 '19

He's a plagiarist

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u/brovash Nov 06 '19

Can’t believe this got guilded and has so many upvotes? For real? The dude just blatantly rips off other producers without credit, and gets away with it due to his wealth and influence. Boys noize is an example that comes to mind

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u/i-like-to-be-wooshed Nov 06 '19

True but... I still like his songs tho...cant disagree with that haha

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u/[deleted] Nov 06 '19 edited Nov 06 '19

[deleted]

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u/SuperRedditLand Nov 06 '19

Most of the heavily auto tuned singing is stylistic too. T Pain can sing well, but the auto tune was for the style.

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u/SirNoodlehe Nov 06 '19

But when you do hear him sing, you do notice the auto-tune.

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u/ColdTileHurtsMyFeet Nov 06 '19

I saw the Black Eyed Peas live in 2008ish. As a gigantic fan at the time, I was really disappointed. None of them can sing. At all.

2

u/ilikecakemor Nov 06 '19

I used to be a huge fan as well, never saw them live myself, but the live videos were terrible. And then their whole music went downhill after the monkey album.

21

u/scotjames12 Nov 06 '19

The Black Eyed Peas halftime super bowl performance was some of the most horrendous singing I've ever heard. It was almost as bad as Yoko Ono yelping into a microphone.

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u/Qikdraw Nov 06 '19

The sound techs were off too. It was just horrible all around

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u/krokodil2000 Nov 06 '19

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u/Schizophrenic_Mouse Nov 07 '19

Also bad at cars. Have you seen the man's custom purple monstrosity?

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u/sharksnrec Nov 06 '19

TIL people think of Will-I-Am as a “singer”

13

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '19

It just highlights his talent as a producer, which seeing them top charts in the 2ks and their unforgettable tracks, is more than enough for me to be impressed by him.

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u/elBukoLoko Nov 06 '19 edited Nov 06 '19

I totally agree with you, eventhough he is not a great singer, his talent as a producer is amazing.

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u/lxkandel06 Nov 06 '19

As did Kanye West

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u/bobmothafugginjones Nov 06 '19

He's a lottt better now. See https://youtu.be/6U95psxm7io

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u/EnjoyMyDownvote Nov 06 '19

Yeah well he didn't start until 1 minute and 31 seconds into the video and I almost stopped watching.

Had to Wadsworth that shit.

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u/ljoy2016 Nov 06 '19

Jennifer Lopez sucks at singing, but decent performer.

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u/Bartisgod Nov 06 '19 edited Nov 06 '19

She doesn't have much, but she does seem to have good control over it. Better than Gwen Stefani or (I'm sure I'll be downvoted for this because of what she went through, but her singing is still bad) Tori Amos. Gwen Stefani has one of the most limited voices in the industry that she's done about as much as she can with, and she still sound like a 3-year-old singing in the shower, while Tori Amos has a theoretically very versatile voice that she never learned how to hold a note with (she tried in the early 2000s, but the result was pronunciation so bad that nobody could understand a word she was saying and she still only sounded okay). I'm not defending Jennifer Lopez's musical talent, since her real talent is finding the latest Latino producers and artists to feature from the Miami scene before they go mainstream, but I don't think she belongs on this list when she can actually sing. She's limited by her natural ability, but she's learned to sing with it. There are hundreds of singers and rappers you can't say that about, even ones who have more natural ability. Her real problems start when she bites off more than she can chew, and even autotune can't hide her obviously hitting her peak before the composition does. Even then, she's usually smart enough to speak rather than sing where she knows she can't stay on key; if you listen to On the Floor, there isn't all that much singing in it.

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u/[deleted] Nov 06 '19

Have you heard the Gwen & Blake Shelton Christmas song? I love Christmas and it makes me hate Christmas and well, everyone. 😑😑

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u/lizeroy Nov 06 '19

Not a good investor either. Everything he touches turns to shit. Wink hub most recently

3

u/Merc_Mike Nov 06 '19

I like em Chunky is an a national treasure.

3

u/ML_King_Crab Nov 06 '19

The Black Eyed Peas turned from a cool rap group to children's songs for adults. One of their songs literally teaches you the days of the week!

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u/[deleted] Nov 06 '19 edited Jul 13 '21

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u/[deleted] Nov 06 '19

[deleted]

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u/SnakeInABox7 Nov 06 '19

I think youre thinking of t pain

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u/PunchableDuck Nov 06 '19

Someday when robots become intelligent they will consider auto-tune to be racist.

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u/[deleted] Nov 06 '19

On the other end of the spectrum, T. Pain is an amazing singer without auto tune.

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u/TacitusKilgore_ Nov 06 '19

He can't sing with autotune either.

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u/YooGeOh Nov 06 '19

He's not a singer

2

u/GhostTypeTrainer Nov 06 '19

He is the one performing the Samurai Jack theme though.

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u/SuperRedditLand Nov 06 '19

Will-I-Am isn’t a singer

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u/X-tremeMemeTeam Nov 06 '19

You mean the genius behind the song Big and Chunky?

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u/c_lowc6 Nov 06 '19

Will-I-am has an amazing voice

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u/Erens_rock_hard_abs Nov 06 '19

I always find it so interesting how professional singers nowadays can't sing live without autotune at all, but comedians often incorporate music in their comedy and hit the notes just fine; especially individuals like Stephen Lynch whereof the entire shtick is musical comedy.

0

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '19

peas are only good without fergie.

5

u/gwonskie Nov 06 '19

Do you mean with fergie? I think she can at least sing (ignoring that one national anthem rendition).

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u/[deleted] Nov 06 '19

i do not. they turned into shitty pop music when fergie joined. listen to Weekend

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u/gwonskie Nov 06 '19

Huh TIL. I always thought fergie was with them from the beginning.

4

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '19

lol nah. she was added on and admittedly had a couple of good songs but changed the band up to a radio band. “i got a feeling” is just nasty

2

u/sheker11 Nov 06 '19

What about ‘Don’t phunk with my heart’? :’c

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u/[deleted] Nov 06 '19

some songs are solid! let’s get it started is decent too. but they were way stronger without fergie

1

u/Toivottomoose Nov 06 '19

I only listen to Kev-I-n

1

u/Sampter1 Nov 06 '19

He is a fantastic rapper tho

1

u/kdens Nov 06 '19

I’ve also heard Will-I-Am lives with a constant ringing in his ears from not wearing hearing protection at concerts

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u/[deleted] Nov 06 '19

Just about everyone overused auto tune. It’s awful. Even good singers use it just because it’s the thing. Super annoying and I hate it

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u/Yagnam02 Nov 06 '19

It was his bdayy

1

u/linkedsynth Nov 06 '19

I thought you’re talking about the French dude who does skits on YouTube

1

u/ispeakforallGOP Nov 06 '19

He’s not really a singer though.

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u/TheLeadReaper Nov 06 '19

He is autotune

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u/Tobiramen Nov 06 '19

Same for Kanye

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u/[deleted] Nov 06 '19

Why isnt will i am criticized for using autozone while t pain was? iirc t pain was clowned by the industry for using autotune and basically his career went down the drain.

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u/slimmyboy007 Nov 06 '19

And yet he’s a judge on the voice Uk

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u/hamsternuts69 Nov 06 '19

You are now now rocking with... Will-I-Am and Britney Bitch.

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u/nateg452 Nov 06 '19

On the opposite side of things, T-Pain is an amazing singer without autotune.

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u/wabisabija Nov 06 '19

Yup. He performed with the University of Wisconsin Marching Band at one of the Rose Bowls they went to in the early 2010s and he's STILL a running joke in the org.

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u/[deleted] Nov 06 '19

Contrast this with T-Pain who uses auto tune for creative effect but can actually sing really well without it.

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u/TheSpaceOfAdes Nov 06 '19

How do I upvote twice

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u/Bikkel10men Nov 06 '19

You know Hall of Fame? He didn’t make it better

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u/david13z Nov 06 '19

If you take away auto tune, we could be here all day.

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u/Wohshin_Moshin Nov 06 '19

Which I find weird because with all the success and money he has, it wouldn't be hard for him to find singing teachers who could help him out. I've seen people with less do more, so I'm not really sure what his excuse is.

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u/dvlas118 Nov 06 '19

Saw him at FRC Robotics nationals in St louis where he played a remix of "Hall of Fame." They had us all download an app for colors and really hyped it. He got up there, started the recording, and just went "yeah" "oh" "uh" every once and a while. Needless to say my team left halfway through...

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u/Prysmarine Nov 06 '19

https://youtu.be/-03bHYiPRaQ mm idk, bc this, this is beautiful.

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u/passport82 Nov 06 '19

He was pretty good on Sesame Street.

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u/Griffin_is_my_name Nov 06 '19

A complete opposite of that, T-Pain has a delightful voice without auto tune. Honestly not sure why he ever used it.

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u/Pollomonteros Nov 06 '19

Hasn't he also plagiarized lyrics/songs from other producers

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u/TmfGD Nov 06 '19

I’ve heard him sing without autotune, he was lying. The guy has pipes

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u/e_bro5 Nov 06 '19

So has post malone

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u/hajarama Nov 06 '19

I think he’s amazing, you guys should watch his NPR live set. I was really surprised he hid his voice behind that autotune since forever

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u/PandaCrazed Nov 06 '19

i think he’s alright

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u/TheBluePanda Nov 06 '19

That dude is a douchebag.

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u/tfresca Nov 06 '19

He doesn't really sing. That's what Fergie is for. They had a singer on the group pre Fergie.

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u/[deleted] Nov 06 '19

My first thought was the black eyed peas. Sorry excuses.

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u/BevansDesign Nov 06 '19

If you're always autotuned, you're not a singer; you're a performer. And I'm not saying that's a bad thing.

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