‘So Gone’ gives Monica a boost
Castles return
NEW YORK, Aug 24, (AP): R&B singer Monica says she’s happy to see her 13-year-old hit “So Gone” trend heavily on social media, spike in sales and streams, and find a new audience with younger kids.
The Grammy winner’s 2003 song, produced by Missy Elliott, has enjoyed a rebirth since the #SoGoneChallenge was introduced, where rappers — or anyone — spit rhymes over the track’s slick beat. It reached new heights when Chance the Rapper posted a video of his version earlier this month, which featured the 23-year-old rapping about his pregnant girlfriend.
“It’s a humbling experience to have a generation of kids — some weren’t born when the original came out — (listen) to the song now and creating their own feeling toward it,” Monica, 34, said in a phone interview Monday.
On-demand
“So Gone” became a No. 1 hit on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop songs chart and peaked at No. 10 on the Hot 100 in 2003. After selling a few hundred copies in recent weeks, the song jumped from 224 digital sales to 2,080 through Aug. 12-18, according to Nielsen Music. During that same period, the total ondemand streaming for “So Gone” jumped 289.8 percent, Nielsen said.
And Spotify said there’s been about a 140 percent increase in streams for “So Gone” since Aug 11.
Fans have launched both serious and hilarious videos for the challenge, from wedding proposals to playful fights about sharing boyfriends. NBA player Dwyane Wade, actress Keke Palmer and comedian Kevin Hart — as his rapper alter-ego Chocolate Droppa — also joined the challenge.
Monica said she was inspired to participate after watching Chance show love to his future baby’s mother.
She said Elliott called her about how the #SoGoneChallenge had gone viral and later helped her craft her rhymes in the studio.
“I told her I wanted to take a moment and say, ‘The same girl that I used to be, I’m her still, I just grew. I grew as a person,’” said Monica, who posted her version last week and earned praise for her lyrics.
Conversation
Monica said “So Gone,” a song about a man’s infidelity that samples The Whispers’ 1977 tune “You Are Number One,” was based on a phone conversation she had with Elliott. It was featured on her third album, “After the Storm.”
The album was created after Monica dealt with the suicide of her boyfriend and the deaths of her grandmother and cousin. She remembers feeling inspired and recharged when she recorded “So Gone.”
“’So Gone’ is a record that’s really special to me and always has been,” she said. “My real hope is that ... it does make somebody feel like how I felt when I was making it. I felt hopeful, I was refocused, and I was realizing that my test would eventually be my testimony and that I was here for a reason.”
She said it’s special to share this moment with Elliott, who has produced other songs for her, including the No. 1 R&B hit “Everything to Me.”
Monica said they were working on new music the day she filmed her #SoGoneChallenge video, which showed Elliott in the background.
Electro-punk noisemakers Crystal Castles return with a lineup that’s 50 percent new and a sound that’s still 100 percent uncompromising. Original vocalist Alice Glass left amid reports of acrimony in 2014, and on “Amnesty (I)” producermaestro Ethan Kath is joined by new singer Edith Frances.
The essentials of Crystal Castles’ ethos remain. Frances’ vocals — ranging from ethereal to insistent — counterpoint Kath’s sonic assault on an album that blends electronic bleeps, industrial screeches and the human voice to often unsettling effect.
The title seemingly refers to the human rights organization Amnesty International, and the lead track is “Femen,” a mix of synths, electro beats and snatches of choir that may reference the Ukrainian feminist group of the same name.
Or maybe not. Crystal Castles are reluctant to explain their work, leaving listeners to decide whether to be infuriated or intrigued by what they hear.
Frances’ strong voice is blended so deep in the mix that lyrics become obscure. The voice is just one element on an album whose pleasures lie in its patchwork of contrasting textures.