The Summer of Cornball Superproducers
New albums from DJ Khaled and Calvin Harris represent the industrial consolidation of hitmaking—and suggest that kitsch is in.
DJ Khaled’s “Wild Thoughts” featuring Rihanna and Bryson Tiller is one of those song that’s so cheesy that it’s hard to believe it exists. Guitar sampled from Carlos Santana’s 1999 schmaltzy smash “Maria Maria” wails over an itchy Destiny’s Child-esque rhythm while Rihanna, seeming to smack her lips, delivers this bit of crass babytalk: “Know you wanna see me nakey, nakey, naked.” All of which, you may have guessed, produces a near-perfect piece of pop that may well become the cookout jam of this July or of this century.
Rihanna’s involvement in this piece of joyful piffle is a sign of a few important trends in pop. Lately, superstar singers have been spending their solo efforts on credibility-boosting
