Talent Schmalent. They're hitmakers!

I would never make it as a music industry executive. I just don't have the knack for finding the next big hit or the next big artists. You'd think it'd be an easy task, right? Just find the person who's the best at what they do and give 'em a record contract. But it's not so simple. You see, talent is a sufficient condition for a successful artist, but it is in no way a necessary one. We've witnessed in recent years, in hip-hop/R&B alone; musical acts that defy logic by smashing the charts wide-open despite haven been forsaken in the talent department. I'm not hating, I'm just marveling at the irony.

Rihanna

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Rihanna is the direct inverse of a one-hit-wonder. So much so, that I think she utterly lacks the ability to not make a hit record. Despite the fact that her performances leave something to be desired; and that, when singing, she sounds like she's mimicking Tarzan, each one of her records seems to top the charts.

T-Pain

Photo by: Richard Alexander Caraballo

On the rare occasion that T-Pain decides (for whatever strange reason) not to remedy his tone-deafness with pitch-adjustment software, his singing is just slightly better than squeaky chalk. Nevertheless, the man (in whose presence, according to Kanye West, we should be honored to be) was involved in over half of the biggest hits of the last few decades. I just made that statistic up, but it's probably true. T-Pain has made himself the go-to guy for instant hit status.


Plies

When Plies raps, he sounds incredibly similar to a mentally handicapped person. I'm serious, go listen to one of his tracks. He's got an overly extended "deh deh deh" drawl. It's a stretch, even, to call it "rapping", as he's mainly just shouting sentences over a beat. Even more unusual is Plies's insistence to juxtapose his barely-comprehendible sex talk alongside other artists, such as Jamie Foxx, Ne-Yo, and Keyshia Cole; who are actually easy on the ears. Fans have proven to love his Southern swagger, however, and have made his album sales and radio plays absolutely skyrocket.


Trina

Trina is a special case in that she doesn't even have to keep herself in the spotlight to remain relevant. All she has to do is come out with an album, even if it's been three years since the last one. Trina's albums are all 2 or 3 years apart, and they've all been hits. Fans don't seem to mind her lack of skill as a rapper or lyricist. Perhaps it's her confidence. Whatever it is, it's working.

Some will say it's a good thing, some will disagree, but whether or not you find any of these artists to be particularly talented at the technial aspects of their trade, we call agree that they all definitely share one talent: hit making.