“Definitive”? Says who?
definitive (de-fin-i-tive) adjective
- most reliable or complete, as of a text, author, criticism, study, or the like
- serving to define, fix, or specify definitely
- having its fixed and final form; providing a solution or final answer
I’m not sure which of these definitions fits properly to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s The Definitive 200, but needless to say it’s not any of them that I would choose. I don’t have much to say about this, nor do I want to, but here are so true WTFs of the list:
#50 GREEN DAY - DOOKIE
#57 50 CENT - GET RICH OR DIE TRYIN’
#61 GREEN DAY - AMERICAN IDIOT
#68 KID ROCK - DEVIL WITHOUT A CAUSE
#84 LINKIN PARK - HYBRID THEORY
#95 CREED - HUMAN CLAY
#128 JAY-Z - BLUEPRINT
#154 WILL SMITH - BIG WILLIE STYLE
#189 JAY-Z - IN MY LIFETIME VOL 1
…and I’m sure I even missed a few. I mean, seriously, these shouldn’t be on any sort of “definitive” list. Not even “definitely shit.” These are just shit. They shouldn’t be allowed more than one adjective to describe them, even if they are “definitive” and “shit” together.
I realize the bias… but come on. A 5% error rate based on only 200 albums is way too high. That scares me.
I can’t way for people to look back on this 10 or 20 years from now and wallow in a pool of their own self-pity about how uncreative their taste in music was. If people look back on this and don’t wallow, as stated, then I will be really scared.