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Billionaire, Travie McCoy feat. Bruno Mars

And out of left field comes the guy from Gym Class Heroes, the snarky rap group that did that "not much of a girlfriend" single from a few years ago. Who is this kid? And what kind of a name is Travie? 

Sound

There's a Reggae 101 chord progression here straight out of Jack Johnson's songbook. The strumminess and bright voice beg for status as a breezy summer jam, and they earn it pretty quickly. The chorus is perfectly singalong. The rap is melodic and easy, with a cadence like a bongo accompaniment. No bridge-- these guys keep it sweet and simple. It's been done a hundred times before, but this just sounds so welcome. Riding on Jason Mraz's coattails, Travie has tapped into the fact that a little guitar ditty cleverly sung can capture America's ears. Sometimes we get tired of all those synths and beats.

Hook Em'

This hook is so obvious, it grins at you through your stereo. "I wanna be a billionaire/ So frickin' bad." The presence of "frickin'," especially in the main hook, is so startling in a Top 40 track, and it colors the whole song with that special mix of earnestness and juvenility that the word implies. Some of the wordplay is quite clever, pulling out references to Obama and Brangelina. There are certainly cliches in such well-worn territory, but there is enough freshness in the delivery to make you forget it. 

Tropes n’ Themes
The old rap standby of a list of accomplishments or material possessions is flipped by turning it into pure fantasy. The list becomes further subverted by its altruistic bent (however breezy and sarcastic). I'm not saying Travie is a saint, but rapping about granting someone's last wish isn't exactly on Luda's to-do list. 

Zeitgeist Factor

McCoy is delightfully aware of the times he is writing for. He makes sure to acknowledge the irony of his wish amidst the economic climate: "I know we in recession/ but let me take a crack at it." He embodies the optimism of Generation Y, those crazy kids trying to tolerate each other and stop global warming. Braggadocio is out; collectivism and good will are in, with a couple of digs in between: "I'd probably visit where Katrina hit/ And damn sure do a lot more than FEMA did."

See Also
Jason Mraz, "I'm Yours"
Train, "Hey Soul Sister"
In the Heights, "96,000"


Time will tell if Travie has got more than this in him. I wouldn't blame him if he turned out to be a one-hit wonder. The song is irresistible as a unit, with his verses and Bruno's enchanting voice over those summer chords. We'll see if lightning can strike twice. 

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Billionaire [feat. Bruno Mars] - Travie Mccoy

Airplanes, B.o.B. feat. Hayley Williams

B.o.B., known for his recent hit "Nothin' on You", is back with his second single, "Airplanes." The title conjures up a theme of B’s newfound life of ladies and private jets, and that’s partially accurate. Rather than triumphant, though, the song is curiously plaintive, set over a sad little adult-contemporary guitar riff. It starts right off with Hayley Williams’ subdued chorus, made urgent by steady handclaps, where she sings sweetly that she “could use a wish.” It’s no club banger, but the hook is actually quite beautiful, the kind of thing you don’t mind hearing again when you get back in the car. The use of Williams, a pop punk singer, is unusual, and the song is informed by her voice and her chord progression. It leaves B. sounding more like a guest rapper than the main event, sneaking into a pop song rather than making his own hip hop. The subject of his verses is some kind of disillusionment with his newfound fame, wishing he could return to a simpler time, before he entered “the game.” It’s familiar subject matter, explored last year in T.I.’s “Live Your Life.” “Airplanes” is like the sad younger cousin of that single, the wistfulness without the swagger. B’s delivery is pretty deliberate, and the verses lack the inventiveness or daring that makes rap exciting. I can’t imagine B.o.B. having the wit or speed to survive a rap battle. The lyrics are inoffensive and rarely embarrassing, but there isn’t a lot of fun, either. And how is it that he’s burned by fame after one hit? Regardless, the song remains lodged in the charts, likely because of Williams’ appealing and endlessly listenable turn over the plucked electric guitar. If only the whole song were hers. 



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