Cascada's Dance Floor Negligence

Today on Pop Exegete, I’m going to get a little serious. It’s an issue that I've been trying to raise awareness about for almost five years now. After a firmly worded letter from Center for Disease Control threatening a restraining order if I don’t stop calling, I've decided to take this conversation to a much more reasonable arena: the internet. For this post, we’re going to take a serious look at Cascada’s 2009 hit “Evacuate the Dance Floor,” especially as it relates to current trends in American public health policy.

"Evacuate The Dancefloor"

(Oh)
Turn up the music
Let´s get out on the floor
I like to move it
Come and give me some more

Watch me getting physical
Out of control, Ah
There’s people watching me, Ah
I never miss a beat

Still the night, kill the lights
Feel it under your skin
Time is right, keep it tight
‘Cause it’s pulling you in

Wrap it up you can’t stop
‘Cause it feels like an overdose
(feels like an overdose)

Oh, oh
Evacuate the dancefloor
Oh, oh
I’m infected by the sound
Oh, oh
Stop this beat is killing me
Hey Dr. DJ let the music take me underground

(Everybody in the club)
Oh, oh
Evacuate the dancefloor
Oh, oh
I’m infected by the sound
(Everybody in the club)
Oh, oh
Stop this beat is killing me
Hey Dr. DJ come burn this place right down to the ground

(Oh)
My body’s aching
System overload
Temperature’s rising
I’m about to explode

Watch me I’m intoxicated
Taking the show, Ah
It`s got me hypnotized, Ah
Everybody step aside

Still the night, kill the lights
Feel it under your skin
Time is right, keep it tight
‘Cause it’s pulling you in

Wrap it up you can’t stop
‘Cause it feels like an overdose
(feels like an overdose)

(chorus)

Come on and evacuate
Feel the club is heating up
Move on and accelerate
Push it to the top
Come on and evacuate
Feel the club is heating up
Move on and accelerate
You don’t have to be afraid

Now guess who’s back with a brand new track?
They got everybody in the club going mad
So everybody in the back
Get your back up off the wall and just shake that thang

Go crazy
Yo lady
Yo baby
Let me see you wreck that thang
Now drop it down low, low
Let me see you take it to the dancefloor, yo

(chorus, ad nauseum)

I had to cut out some of the lyrics because almost 50% of the song is:

Everybody in the club
(Stop this beat is killing me)
Hey Dr. DJ let the music take me underground

So, if you feel like something is missing, just add that in, and you’ll be caught up with everyone else.

Before I get into a detailed look at the lyrics, I want to raise one important area where Cascada has been grossly careless and where clubs have been simply negligent. What if this song were to play during an actual dance floor emergency? Would the calm announcement to please evacuate the dance floor be taken seriously? Would they just think that the DJ was creating some clever introduction to this song?

Lives are at stake Cascada.

Shame on you.

In addition to their laissez-faire approach to club safety; the advice given in this song is, at best, confused. This confusion can only lead to damaging effects on the American public’s approach to safety in a multitude of situations.

The main culprit is the song’s hook:

Oh, oh
Evacuate the dancefloor
Oh, oh
I’m infected by the sound
Oh, oh
Stop this beat is killing me
Hey Dr. DJ let the music take me underground

Let’s get one thing straight Cascada (and the CDC should recognize this as a real threat), dance floor evacuations are REAL and they HAPPEN. However, the singer clearly state that she is “infected by the sound,” and that your “temperature’s rising.”  That sounds pretty serious.

What do you not want to do with an infection? Spread it absolutely everywhere. What would an evacuation do? It would take the infection away from the dance floor, spreading it into the club and out onto the street only making the infection worse. Realistically, the song should be:

Oh, oh
Quarantine the dancefloor
Oh, oh
I’m infected by the sound
Oh, oh
Stop this beat is killing me
Hey Mr. DJ, I’m willing to sacrifice my personal good for the safety of the general public

Which I’m willing to admit is not as catchy.

Of course, in the only piece of advice in this song that makes any sense at all, the DJ is told to “burn this place right down to the ground,” but at this point what would that accomplish? The infection has made it out into the streets. The seal has been broken. Destroying infection point zero isn’t going to help at this point.

Also, why is burning the place down to the ground the DJ’s job? Isn’t there some sort of club owner that would be held responsible for that? Is the DJ doing it so the owner can collect on the insurance payments and not be accused of committing insurance fraud? Is DJ to dance floor as captain is to sinking ship? Is Mr. DJ expected to go down with the flaming dance floor while everyone else escapes? After all, it is his fault.

Did you notice that? The song exclaims “Stop this beat is killing me,” who is responsible the beat? The DJ. Is “let the music take me underground” a cry for help from those suffering on the dance floor, asking the DJ to just end the suffering of all infected by the sound?

By the time you reach Pitbull’s verse on this song, in your heart of hearts, you’ll hear the whispered answer:

Yes.

Flo Rida Pines for the Reagan Years

Many things happened in 2009. I graduated from college. America was reeling from the economic downturn of 2008. The last season of I Survived a Japanese Game Show aired, and Flo Rida introduced the world to Ke$ha and reintroduced future fans of Ke$ha to Dead or Alive in "Right Round."

What casual listeners may not recognize is that Flo Rida's channeling of Dead or Alive's "Right Round" at a time of economic discord bears a strong resemblance to Russian literary scholar Mikhail Bakhtin's centripetal and centrifugal forces, which spin "Right Round" and either reinforce societal norms or challenge them, respectively. First, the video.

And for those that want to examine them more closely: the lyrics:

You spin my head right round, right roundWhen you go down, when you go down downYou spin my head right round, right roundWhen you go down, when you go down down
Hey, walk out that house with my swaggerHop in there with dough, I got places to go!People to see, time is preciousI looked at my cotty, are ya out of control?
Just like my mind where I'm goin'No women, no shawties, no nothin' but clothesNo stoppin' now, my Pirellis on rollI like my jewelry that's always on whoa
I know the storm is comin'My pockets keep tellin' me it's gonna showerCall up my homies, it's onThen pop in the next 'cause this mix'll be ours
We keep a fade-away shot'Cause we ballin' it's Platinum Patron that be oursLil mama, I owe you just like the flowersGirl you the drink with all that goodie powers
You spin my head right round, right roundWhen you go down, when you go down downYou spin my head right round, right roundWhen you go down, when you go down down
From the top of the pole I watch her go downShe got me throwin' my money aroundAin't nothin' more beautiful to be foundIt's goin' down down
From the top of the pole I watch her go downShe got me throwin' my money aroundAin't nothin' more beautiful to be foundIt's goin' down down
Hey, shawty must know I'm the manMy money love her like her number one fanDon't open my mouth, let her talk to my fansMy Benjamin Franklins
A couple of grands, I got rubber bandsMy paper planes makin' her danceGet dirty all night, that's part of my planWe buildin' castles that's made out of sand
She's amazin', fire blazin'Hotter than Cajun, girl won't you move a lil' closer?Time to get paid, it's maximum wageThat body belong on a poster
I'm in a daze, that bottom is wavin' at meLike, "Damn it, I know you"You wanna shoot like a gun out of holsterTell me whatever and I'll be your gopher
You spin my head right round, right roundWhen you go down, when you go down downYou spin my head right round, right roundWhen you go down, when you go down down
From the top of the pole I watch her go downShe got me throwin' my money aroundAin't nothin' more beautiful to be foundIt's goin' down down
From the top of the pole I watch her go downShe got me throwin' my money aroundAin't nothin' more beautiful to be foundIt's goin' down down
Yeah, I'm spendin' my money, I'm out of controlSomebody help me she takin' my bank rollBut I'm king of the club and I'm wearin' the crownPoppin' these bottles, touchin' these modelsWatchin' they asses go down down
You spin my head right round, right roundWhen you go down, when you go down downYou spin my head right round, right roundWhen you go down, when you go down down
You spin my head right round, right roundWhen you go down, when you go down downYou spin my head right round, right roundWhen you go down, when you go down down
Before we begin the analysis, we have to ask if these lyrics are meant to reinforce the cultural norms and challenge them. Here it is important to note that Ke$ha is singing the refrain. Typically, Ke$ha is seen to be a cultural firebrand carelessly throwing cultural norms to the wind and opting instead to shoot unicorns with a rainbow gun in an attempt to gain revenge of James van der Beek. That seems very centrifugal.
However, it is important to remember that much of Ke$sha's work is considered a parody or satire. At its heart, satire is a genre that requires having a "satiric norm," the moral element that they wish to enforce through the satire. The moral message of a satire is, perhaps surprisingly, to reinforce the morall norms of the society. Thus, we should read Flo Rida's remix of "Right Round" as a call for cultural norms.
But why should we think this is in response to the economic crisis of 2008? The key is in Flo Rida's verses, a centrifugal challenge to the norms of banking culture. For example:
I know the storm is comin'My pockets keep tellin' me it's gonna showerCall up my homies, it's onThen pop in the next 'cause this mix'll be ours
How should we interpret the storm? The storm is only "making it rain" as a cursory interpretation of these lines suggest. A storm is often a violent event and is a metaphor for hard times. Also, it is not his loose change, but his pockets that are telling him "it's gonna shower." Why? Because his pockets are empty. There is no change to mention in them. The storm could be "making it rain" in the club,  but it is most likely a sign that harsh economic times are coming.
The rest of Flo Rida's verses detail economic excess. This excess leads into the "Right Round" refrain led by Ke$ha. The absence of Ke$ha from these verses delineates them as the centripetal force dragging down society. Of course, as we now know, the excess and greed of the banks is largely what led to to the subprime mortgage crisis of 2008. Excess proves to bring down society, just as the song's refrain explains "when you go down, when you go down, down."
But why "Right Round?" Why Dead or Alive? Flo Rida could have come up with his own verses. Furthermore, only the lyrics are taken, not the music. It would be very easy to replace just the lyrics. Flo Rida is using this as an allusion to 1984, the year the song came out. What happened in 1984?
The U.S. was experiencing economic success.Ronald Reagan was vastly popular, winning his second presidential race.
The real centrifugal force norming society that Flo Rida posits as a cure for the economic woes of 2008 are the policies of Ronald Reagan. Flo Rida knows that, while the wealth may start at the top, that excess wealth should trickle down and not be used for those that possess it, the emphasis in his socially destructive verses. 
So, the next time you hear "Right Round" (most likely on an oldies station in 2030) think of its real inspiration: Ronald Reagan and Flo Rida's love of right wing economic strategies.

Jay-Z Care About Youth Fitness

Although it is veiled as a somewhat militant call to the hip-hop community, careful listeners will notice that Jay-Z's newest hit (feat. Kanye and Rihanna) is actually a call for the youth of this nation to rise up in a different way. Namely, he wants them to get off their hefty loins and "Run This Town."

We get our first hints during Rihanna's introduction to the song, which serves as a disclaimer to those about to participate in this particular exercise:

Feel it comin' in the air
see me the sreets from everywhere
I'm addicted to the thrill
It's a dangerous spooky man
Can't be scared when it goes down
Got a problem, tell me now
Only thing that's on my mind
Is who's gonna run this town tonight...
Is who's gonna run this town tonight...
We gonna run this town

She might as well continue:

Go too fat from eatin' pie
Gotta be atleast this tall to ride
If your pregnant go away
Heart conditions? Can not play
Only thing that on my mind
Who's eligible to run this town tonight...

Of course, if we were to base this only on a few verses, it would be a very unsatisfying reading of the work. However, like all good readings, it is supported by the work itself. Jay-Z's call to wear "all black all everything" clearly indicates a type of uniform set aside for the particular activity at hand. Of course, gym is known for such clothing:
Jay-Z does at one point make a racial statement, one that some may consider insensitive or stereotypical. However, on further examination, it becomes clear that it is a fair steretype: "Back to runnin' circles 'round white folks." Seriously, is anyone going to challenge that? I don't think so. Jay-Z is merely appealing for black children to return to live up to their land speed superiority. His language here is consistent with the over all theme: get off the couch and run your town.

Now, I would be remiss if I did not address Kanye's verse. Although, as it is Kanye, it should be noted that Kanye's verse has absolutely nothing to do with running, towns, obese children, or anything else in the song. Then again, it is Kanye, so what did you expect. This is better addressed in Cracked.com's article, "What if Kanye is Retarded?" http://www.cracked.com/blog/what-if-kanye-west-is-retarded/

It is clear that Jay-Z is aiming to soften his gangster schtick and appeal to a broader audience. Now, as healthcare is taking the limelight, it is clear that Jay-Z doesn't want people to sit and wait for the government to take action, but that along with proper medical treatment, America should be a fit nation concerned with preventative care as well as reforms in the healthcare industry. How true Jay-Z.
One question remains. How does Rick feel about this one?

You Know What Sucks?

When blogs don't update but every five months or so. I'm going to try and update once a week. Don't count on more. This is too much fun for me to really stop. Today, we are going to look at Keri Hilson (feat. Kanye and Neyo) and her song, "Knock You Down."

There is a lot we could say about this song. First, there is Kanye's freakishly obsessive art show ("I'mma take you to an art show that has freakishly large and accurate paintings of you"), the fact that Keri Hilson pretty much only sings "Love gonna knock you down" for the entire song (while falling down, for emphasis), but the most controversial moment comes from Neyo. I do hope you watched the video most of the way through, because Neyo brings up one of the most controversial pieces of hip-hop archeology: the Pimp Ship.

The idea of a Pimp Ship has always been present in hip hop's mythology. In their song "You're Gonna Get Yours," Hip Hop pioneers Public Enemy described their vision of the Pimp Ship as a Buick 98:

"Sucka to the side you know you hate my 98. You're gonna get yours!"

It is possible that the Pimp Ship is a nautical craft, as revealed in the Lonely Island's "I'm On a Boat." Of course, we can not expect Andy Samberg to have discovered the true nature of the Pimp Ship. However, it should be noted that T-Pain collaborates on that song. It is possible that T-Pain's vision of the Pimp Ship as a nautical craft, and that is a valid, if admittedly unexpected, interpretation.
"I never thought I'd be on a boat"

Others believe that the Pimp Ship is lost to history, never to be found again. However, this not deter others from looking. Tupac was last seen looking for the Pimp Ship in the wilds of Madagascar.
Pimp Ship?

Neyo departs from all of these conventions by saying not only that he was commander and chief, but also that he was "flying high." This seems to suggest that he envisions the Pump Ship seems to be a flying craft. Perhaps it is a jet, or a dirigible of some sort. Based on the information given, there is not much we can know. However, there are a few possibilities. We can assume that there were some safety measure in safe, as he was able to avoid the destruction of the "pretty little missile" that knocked him out of the sky. It was probably not Hindenberg or a dirigible of any kind. Rather, it was probably a jet of some sort.
"Flyin' High"

These theories are all based not on experience, but on preference and personality. The Pimp Ship reveals itself to each MC. So, look inside yourself and find your own Pimp Ship.

Big Tymers - We Still Fly

Now a turn away from the serious and back to being ridiculous. These are the lyrics to Big Tymers' song "We Still Fly." There will only be one update this week. Blame the abundance of love between Caleb Sigler and Casey Cannon if you must blame anyone.

Still Fly lyrics
[Baby :]
Whats up Fresh , its our turn baby

Gator Boots, with the pimped out Gucci suit
Ain't got no job, but I stay sharp
Can't pay my rent, cause all my money's spent
but thats ok, cause im still fly
got a quarter tank gas in my new E-class
But that's alright cause i'm gon' ride
got everything in my moma's name
but im hood rich da dada dada da

[Baby :]
gotcha car play gems on shine, said its mine, get a mink, baby girl lets ride
You da Numba 1 stunna, and we gonna glide
and go straight to the mall, and turn out the inside
Prowler Gucci full length leather, Burbons cooler, coogi sweater
twenty inches pop my feather, The Bird man daddy i fly in any weather
Aligator seats with the head in the
inside
Swine on the dash, G-Wagon so Fly
Numba 1 dont tangle and twisle
when it come to these cars i am that nigga
The gucci with the matching interior
3 wheel ride with the tire in tha middle
Its Fresh and stunna and we like brothers,
We shine like paint daddy this our summer

Gator Boots, with the pimped out Gucci suit
Ain't got no job, but I stay sharp
Can't pay my rent, cause all my money's spent
but thats ok, cause im still fly
got a quarter tank gas in my new E-class
But that's alright cause i'm gon' ride
got everything in my moma's name
but i'm hood rich da dada dada da

[Fresh :]
Have you ever seen the crocidile seats in the truck ?
Turn around and sit it down and let em' bite ya butt
See, the steering wheel is Fendi, dashboard Armani,
With Your baby moma playa is where u can find me
Pushing through the parking lot on 24's Cadilac Escalade with the chromed out nose
With the navivgation arrow headed straight to your spot
Where your wife really love me cause the sex is so hot
Put the Caddy up, Start the 3 wheel benz
Hyper white lights, ultra violet lens
Suma tuma tires and they gotta be run flat
T.V. where the horn go, boy can you top that ?
I'ma show you some shit when you press that button
The trunk went Eh-eh and all of a sudden
4 15's didnt see no wire's, and then i heard boom from the amplifiers

Gator Boots, with the pimped out Gucci suit
Ain't got no job, but I stay sharp
Can't pay my rent, cause all my money's spent
but thats ok, cause im still fly
got a quarter tank gas in my new E-class
But that's alright cause i'm gon' ride
got everything in my moma's name
but im hood rich da dada dada da

Let me slide in the Benz with the fished out fins
Impala Loud pipes, Drinkin that Hen
Its the birdy birdy man ill do it again
In the Cadilac truck 24's with 10's
Lookin at my Gucci its about that time
6 bad broads flyin in at 9
New suburban truck with the porno showin'
Up and down and up they go and
Bodies on the Roadster Lexus You know with that hard top beamer
Mommy thats your truck
Im coming up the hood been lovely
New shoes on the whip and i wake up the bubbley
430 lex with convertible top
the rims keep spinnin every time i stop
I got a superman benz that i scored from shaq
With a old school Caddy with a diamond in the back

Gator Boots, with the pimped out Gucci suit
Ain't got no job, but I stay sharp
Can't pay my rent, cause all my money's spent
but thats ok, cause im still fly

I'm Hot Becuase I'm a Zen Master

While Mims's declaration that he "is hot" should not come as a surprise to any student of Hip-Hop, his reason for being hot presents listeners and readers with a complex and paradox. We see this paradox expressed through the phrase "I'm hot because I'm fly, you ain't because you're not." Now, "fly" as an adjective does not make much sense. So, we will define it further. According to urbandictionary.com (really, what did you expect me to use as a source?) fly is defined as, "cool, stylish."

Thus we find the paradox Mims presents. It would seem that one of the primary condition for being fly is to be cool. Mims explains to us that we are not hot, because we are not fly, which makes being fly one of the chief determiners of who is hot. If we must be fly before we are hot and we must be cool before we are fly, then we must be cool before we are hot.

There are many possibilities for this paradox. For one, it could be a merism, expressing that Mims is cool in all places and on all degrees of a scale of "hotness." I do not believe this to be the case. There are some levels of hotness that even Mims can not ascend to, more likely because of personal choice than a lack of ability. He claims he is hot becuase "I don't gotta rap" (12). Clearly Mims at one time had a choice of different opportunities for hotness, but chose rapping, much in the way that Solomon chose wisdom. Still, it is hard to imagine Mims being equally as hot in Geek Chiq or dressed in Indie flair.

If this is meant to be a merism expressing place, then it is not a good one outside of the realm of meteorology. It is also redundant, as he expresses that he has been to New York, Chicago, San Fransisco, Sacramento as well as other places. It is clear that he is regarded just as hot in these places as in others.

I believe that Mims' hotness paradox is rooted in Buddhism. There are many famous buddhist paradoxes and it is thought that pondering them brings you closer to Nirvana, but not Kirk Cobain, although that would be pretty cool. Many of them, such as "what is the sound of one hand clapping" and "if a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?" are well known even today. It is clear that Mims has invented his own Buddhist paradox "How can one be both cool and hot?"

The establishment of a new paradox means that Mims is clearly one of the greatest Buddhist thinkers of our time, and is extremely hot. We are all fortunate to learn at his feet.

Promises, Promises

I know I said I would try to update again today, but today has turned out to be kind of busy, so I am shooting for tomorrow. Besides, I need to give you the text I will be examining. So, here is "This is why I'm Hot" by Mims.

[Chorus:]
This is why I'm hot [2x]
This is why [2x] Uh
This is why I'm hot (Uh)
This is why I'm hot [2x] Whoo
This is why [2x]
This is why I'm hot

I'm hot cause I'm fly (fly)
You ain't cause you're not (Mims)
This is why [2x]
This is why I'm hot [2x]

[Verse 1:]
This is why I'm hot
I don't gotta rap
I can sell a mill saying nothing on the track
I represent New York
I got it on my back
Niggas say that we lost it
So I'm gonna bring it back
I love the dirty, dirty
'Cause niggas show me love
The ladies start to bounce
As soon as I hit the club
But in the Midwest
They love to take it slow
So when I hit the H
I watch you get it on the floor
And if you needed it hyphy
I take it to the Bay
Frisco to Sac-town
They do it everyday
Compton to Hollywood
As soon as I hit L.A.
I'm in that low, low
I do it the Cali way
And when I hit Chi
People say that I'm fly
They like the way I dress they like
(They like my) my attire move crowds from side to side
They ask me how I do it and simply I reply...

[Chorus]

[Verse 2:]
This is why I'm hot
Catch me on the block
Every other day
Another bitch another drop
16 bars, 24 pop
44 songs, nigga gimme what you got
I'm in there driving cars
Push 'em off the lot
I'm into shutting stores down so I can shop
If you need a bird I can get it chopped
Tell me what you need you know I get 'em by the flock
I call my homie black meet on the ave
I hit Wash Heights with the money in the bag
We're into big spinners
See my pimping never dragged
Find me with different women that you niggas never had
For those who say they know me know I'm focused on my cream
player you come between you'd better focus on the beam
I keep it so mean the way you see me lean
And when say I'm hot my nigga dis is what I mean

[Chorus]

[Verse 3:]
This is why I'm hot
Shorty see the drop
Ask me what I paid and I say yeah I paid a guap
And then I hit the switch that take away the top
So chicks 'round the way they call me cream of the crop
They hop in the car
I tell 'em "all aboard"
We hit the studio they say they like how I record
I gave you black train and I did you wrong
So everytime I see 'em man they tell me that's their song
They say I'm the bomb
They love the way the charm hanging from the neck
And compliments the arm which compliments the ear den comes the gear
So when I hit the room the shorties stop and stare
Den niggas start to hate rearrange their face
Little do they know I keep 'em things by waistside
I reply nobody gotta die
Similar to Lil wizzy 'cause I got that fire

[Chorus]