Survival Of The Fittest

They said it could never happen and then it happened...

Then I took like a year and some change off...

Nobody said anything...

I got 3rd place and the top two placements gave up hosting rights…

And so it happened again.

Chad Test!

Y'all dun fucked up again (again).

And now for a theme so insidious, so obscure, so designed for my taste and not those of the site...

I present to you...



So it is a straightforward genre-themed test. The theme is on paper R&B but in practice I will not be so strict or stringent about genre conformity. This is because labeling things as R&B or Pop has often been a bit of an exercise of arbitrariness even for Billboard let alone ya boy. R&B at one point was a blanket term for all Black music in general, though it has evolved to have some tried and true traditions and tropes. Like any categorical concept there will be conventions. A basic primer for me would be singer focused tracks with an emphasis placed upon melody and simple instrumentation rooted within smooth drums and bass. Wouldn't hurt if there was some melanin in the performers but it isn't a requirement by any means.

But if that's a bit too esoteric, I will quote the Library of Congress on this...

Library of Congress wrote:Early on the term "rhythm and blues" was used for boogie woogie, African American swing, jazz, and blues. All of these styles influenced the development of what is called rhythm and blues today.The meaning of the term continued to change over time, and today it is still used as an umbrella term for many different African-American musical forms. Historically speaking, though, "rhythm and blues" as we understand it today most often describes a style of music that developed after World War II that combines elements of pop, gospel, blues and jazz with a strong back beat. The African American styles that emerged in those years were often played by small groups that emphasized rhythmic drive over the instrumental and harmonic complexity of the swing orchestras. Their vocalists often sang in an uninhibited and emotionally direct style.

If you have any confusion or doubt on whether or not a song may conform to genre, don't hesitate to ask me for consultation. R&B is a large umbrella and a genre with nearly a century of development and it is still actively producing some of the biggest stars in Pop today. This is a theme designed for openness and I can guarantee that if you've even passively listened to music on the radio across all genres and demos, you've prolly come across some R&B. It is that impactful, influential and all encompassing when it comes to popular music.

So, with that all outta the way, let us go with the normal copy and pasted stuff.

[+] cycle of plagiarism continues

- submit your song via PM or discord, whichever's easier for you

- songs will be randomly divided into 1, 2 or 3 semifinals depending on turnout. if there are less than 20 submissions within 5 days, then there will only be one final round. if you're going to be away at some point in the next couple of weeks, let me know and I can try to put your song in a round when you'll be here.

- listen to every song and give points to your top 10 favorites: 12 to your favorite, 10 to your second, 8 to your third, 7 to your fourth, and so on down to 1 point for your tenth favorite. if there are less than 10 songs to vote for in a round, then simply cut off the bottom portion of the ballot (i.e. no 1 point songs, no 2 point songs, and so on)

- if your song is in a given round, you must vote that round or you'll be eliminated. if your song isn't in that round (or you aren't in the contest at all), your vote will be counted as a public vote, which counts for half points.
- the top [x] songs will move on to the final. that number depends on the number of contestants.
- repeat the process for the finals and we get a winner.

- winner gets to hold the next contest, or they can pass the job along to 2nd place if they don't want to. 2nd place can pass down to third, etc, until someone wants to host.

general song rules:
- no eurovision songs
- no reality show/competition covers
- no songs already submitted in a songtest - thank you to Dancake for the list here
- there is no penalty for length in this contest. however, if a song goes over 7 minutes, listeners aren't obligated to listen to more than the first 7 minutes of the song. so choose a long song at your own risk!

each semifinal and the final will last for three days. some rules about activity:
- if you know at the start of your semifinal that you wont be available to vote for those three days, let me know asap and I can move you to another semi, if we aren't on the final one already.
- I'll be pinging everyone who hasn't voted on discord 48 and 24 hours before the round ends.

Sign ups will run until Friday March 1st!

You are listening to Power 91.6 'The Smoke' Light FM, Your Home for Smooth R&B and Soul! You want The Smoke to make your girl down to poke, this here station ain't no joke! If you know, you know! Coming up next is the smoothest, coolest, most sensitive selections from our most sensual and seductive submitters...

1. Chad aka DJ Habit Forming
2. Toni Snow aka Young Blizz
3. Fiorious Styles aka Fiori
4. "He speed in the Wraith while his hand on my Choochie" aka Mara
5. Dr. Love (PhD) aka Slam
6. Lady Lise aka Zetsu
7. Jill Scott aka Jilly
8. Da Arch Your Back Knight aka DeArknight
9. The Real Housepoet of The DMV aka Laurels
10. The Prima Primadonna aka Rugga
11. El Capitan aka Ahab
12. Mr. T aka Toben
13. Flapjacks aka Pan

Sign me up

h

Dootdoot

Smooth Sunday listening to all you Smokies. Let's get with the reason why we're all here...

The songs!

Voting will run until Saturday March 9th at 11:59PM EST! Good luck and happy listening!

Votes officially closed and calculated, results starting to trickle out soonish!

[+] 13th Place

Everybody Needs Somebody to Love by The Blues Brothers submitted by Fiori, it received 22 points with one 10!

[+] 12th Place

Intuition by Linx submitted by Toben, it received 24 points!

[+] 11th Place

Daydream by Nai Br.XX submitted by Jilly, it received 44 points with one 8!

[+] 10th Place

Young Americans by David Bowie submitted by Pan, it received 49 points that included a 12!

[+] 9th Place

Dirty Computer by Janelle Monae submitted by Zetsu, it received 59 points including one 12, two 10s and one 8!

[+] 8th Place

Voyage to Atlantis by the Isley Brothers submitted by Me, it received 61 points including one 12 and one 10!

[+] 7th Place

Desole by the Gorillaz submitted by DeArknight, it received 62 points including two 10s and four 8s!

[+] 6th Place

Love on the Brain by Rihanna submitted by Mara, it received 64 points including one 12 and one 8!

[+] 5th Place

Homemaker by Sudan Archives submitted by Rugga, it received 65 points including one 12, one 10 and one 8!

[+] 4th Place

The Duffler by Fantastic Negrito submitted by Ahab, it received 67 points including three 12s and an 8!

Onto the top 3!

[+] 3rd Place

Independent Women pt. 1 by Destiny's Child submitted by Slam, it received 74 points including one 12, two 10s and an 8!

[+] 2nd Place

Ex-Factor by Lauryn Hill submitted by Laurels, it received 75 points including one 12, two 10s and two 8s!

And that means the winner is....

[+] 1st Place

Escapism by RAYE, 070 Shake submitted by Blizzard! It received 88 points including three 12s, two 10s and an 8!

Congratulations to our winner and thank you guys for letting me host!

Thanks for this, everyone. I can't say I've ever been in the back of a taxi sniffing cocaine or spilled secrets to a stranger in my bed, but I have gone back to my ways like 2019 and left everyone I love on read.

I'll be passing on hosting duties, though.

I will host since I'm next in line.

I'll post the thread in a bit.