BSBB Round 3: DJ Snake & Lil Jon, “Turn Down For What” vs. Ariana Grande feat. Iggy Azalea, “Problem”
Best Song Bracket Battle: View the Matchups | Critics and Rules
Turn Down For What
DJ Snake & Lil Jon
Problem
Ariana Grande feat. Iggy Azalea
CAITLIN WHITE: Ah yes, “Problem,” the song on which Ariana sought to finally shed her ballad-and-piano image, trading it in for a saxophone riff and the sex appeal of Iggy Azalea. And while the comparisons to “Thrift Shop” came fast and furious, it’s Ariana’s knock-‘em-dead pipes on the hook that shot this song straight to the top. Converting your problematic ex into a sky-high hook was an effortless move for Ariana, and one that resonated much stronger than “Turn Down For What’s” clichéd debauchery that DJ Snake & Lil Jon had to join forces to make stick. Even if I don’t like Iggy’s rapping, at least she’s doing more than repeating one hackneyed phrase over and over. There’s Dionysian celebration, and then there’s glorifying drug-addled destruction. For me — that’s a problem.
My Vote: “Problem”
JILLIAN MAPES: An uncredited Big Sean offering up a whisper chorus that would make the Ying Yang Twins proud on an Ariana Grande song is too rich not to love in principle. Dat sax makes it impossible not to love in practice. “Turn Down For What” is amusing, but it’s totally one-note – almost a novelty song.
My Vote: “Problem”
MYLES TANZER: Both of these songs are only at their best when turned all the way up. “Problem’s” saxobeat horns are amazing at 11, but Ariana’s mumbling is just a little much. “Turn Down For What” is the perfect club banger. You feel as if Lil Jon is screaming the words straight through you. That drop is not to be messed with.
My Vote: “Turn Down For What”
ERIN STRECKER: “Turn Down For What” was certainly a hit, but the win goes to the two women who dominated summer radio.
My Vote: “Problem”
CHRIS PAYNE: Okay, so Ariana and Iggy did their thing and did it well, but how vital was getting turnt in 2014 to a comeback Lil Jon single? Not even close. And yes, this opinion just screams, “I remember 2002, kids!,” but I do not care!
My Vote: “Turn Down For What”
JEREMY LARSON: One of life’s great mysteries, like Atlantis or whether Adnan killed Hae, is why there was never a remix of “Problem.” Put anyone on there—Onyx, Obie Trice, Organized Konfusion, ODB’s hologram, I don’t know, I’m just spitballing—and you have a bona fide smash. I’d even take Big Sean just whispering about some of the problems he still has. Turn Down for Iggy.
My Vote: “Turn Down For What”
CRAIG JENKINS: Ten years removed from his greatest success as an artist, Atlanta rapper-producer Lil Jon came roaring back this year on the wings of DJ Snake’s “Turn Down for What,” which ushered the crunk screamer into a booming EDM culture that maybe didn’t know it needed him. Ariana Grande and Iggy Azalea tapped into a bit of the same histrionics for “Problem” this summer but came out a few hairs too close to “Thrift Shop” for comfort.
My Vote: “Turn Down For What”
OVERALL WINNER: “Turn Down For What”
Best Song Bracket Battle: View the Matchups | Critics and Rules
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