Girl Talk - Smash Your Head
On his 2006 album The Night Ripper, Pittsburgh DJ and producer Greg Gillis takes the rather tired notion of the mash-up and takes it to the next level, chucking over a hundred snippets of classic pop, hip-hop and rock tracks into a blender and serving up the pureed remains over an extremely hectic 42 minutes. It's often inspired, sometimes annoying, but always unique listening. I'd liken the album to that one dude at the party - eyes seemingly trying to escape in opposite directions from his head - standing on the kitchen table endlessly screaming "PARTY!" until he keels over and hits his head on the sink. Entertaining yes, but only if you're in the right mood for it. The one moment of introspection in all this madness (and the album's undisputed highlight) comes on the track "Smash Your Head," where after mixing and matching snippets of Nirvana, The Pharcyde and Young Jeezy, Gillis gradually introduces the rolling piano riff of Elton John's Tiny Dancer and then drops the first verse from Notorious B.I.G.'s "Juicy" on top of it. It's an inspired juxtaposition, the sentimental strings and piano mesh perfectly with some of Biggie's most heartfelt lyrics, adding an even more poignant air to his tale of growing up as an aspiring rapper. It's a pairing that you wouldn't ordinarily expect to work, but when executed with Gillis' skill, it sounds completely natural and packs a real emotional punch. (It's also notable for disproving the equation that Elton John + Hip-Hop = Shit. See Tupac's woeful "Ghetto Gospel", or Sir Elt bellowing along to "Stan" at the MTV awards)
