The reason why Den Vau was defeated

What Den has achieved in the past 10 years - since the hit Let me wander - is still a dream for many rappers working in the Vietnamese music market. He has created hit after hit, successfully held solo concerts at a time when rap/hiphop had not yet exploded like it is now. Many audiences still know Den's old songs by heart until now.

However, since then Cooking for you , Den has not had any songs that can be considered hits. The singles he released all had good results, attracting attention at the time of their release. But that attention mostly came from Den's existing reputation, not the songs themselves, because the songs lost their popularity quite quickly and could not go the "long way" as well as previous hits.

Wandering - Den's latest single - is also gradually falling into a similar situation. The song still receives more attention than other products released at the same time, is sought after by social networks, but its performance has declined very quickly, not creating a trend or leaving an impression on the public with any segment or lyrics.

Black is still Black

In fact, Den has almost no change in his musical thinking from the past until now. From the first songs until now, Den still retains the materials that have made his name. The lyrics are not too complicated, not rhymed densely but focus on expressing contemplation and life views. He does not use rap techniques that are too sophisticated, the flow is simple and often repeated without much variation; basic, rustic instruments, very little use of electronic sounds. He only focuses on upgrading each element associated with his music to be more polished and professional.

Den's approach to music has remained largely unchanged over the years.

As in the song Lang Dang , the arrangement of the song mostly uses acoustic instruments, but Den invited professional musicians and gave them full credit: piano Long Nguyen, Duc Ha Lan and flute Suong Mai. The backing section was also carefully done with the voice of Hien VK - the singer who has been with Den in some recent products. In particular, the post-production (mastering) was done by international engineer Anna Malee, also known as Anna Truong - Daughter of musician Anh Quan.

The song does not use the hook performed by the singer, but the entire song is performed by Den with dense rap lyrics, the chorus also has a fairly simple melody to match Den's singing style. The content of the song is Den's thoughts about life, where he is gradually finding peace and relief in his soul by harmonizing with nature " Now the joy is so small / Surrounded by grass and trees / Basking in the sunlight / Wind and skin meet passionately" . This warm, healing message has also been expressed by Den in a series of recent products.

Where does it go down?

Things Black does in Wandering are all things that made him successful in the past. Den's audience has always loved Den because of the rapper's "life" quality that is not too dusty, always bringing an "old-school" feeling in the way he develops songs instead of pursuing the hip hop trends that are popular in the world . Den's refinement in this single is also necessary for his current position - when he is no longer an underground rapper but needs a production quality that is commensurate with joining the mainstream.

What makes Den's recent music no longer easily become a hit with the public, mostly comes from the shift in the audience's music enjoyment trend. If in the period when Den started to achieve the first successes in the years 2014 - 2016, hip hop rarely set foot in the mainstream with a pure rap product, but most of them were forced to combine singers to express catchy hooks. At that time, Den appeared with simple, uncomplicated music, blending with the indie/underground atmosphere of that time with names like Vu, Trang, Ngot, Ca Hoi Hoang,... and especially Da LAB to create a whole "school" of its own independent of the mainstream but still carrying modern elements that are easily accessible to young people. Later, when he became more and more successful, the audience still loved Den because he kept the things that had accompanied him from the first day without being "marketized", still a destination for those looking for minimalism.

Black is still Black, but the market is always changing.

At present, the position of rap/hiphop in particular as well as the general appearance of Vpop has changed. Looking at the 2 most successful rap/hiphop songs in the market today, 2323 of MCK and Safe zone In B Ray's music, listeners can hear two schools of music that are popular with young people. Either it is very liberal, natural, and less calculated, accompanied by catchy melodic and dense electronic production; or it brings attractive, intelligent, technical storytelling, the story does not need to be too deep or special but emphasizes "authenticity".

Both MCK and B Ray are rappers with a “real rap” lifestyle and approach to music - which was not welcomed in Vpop in the past but is now highly appreciated. When comparing Den - a rapper who pursues a “clean”, polished, not too skilled lyric style - the difference is very significant.

In addition, Den's current contemplations are somewhat difficult to "feel" for young people. If 10 years ago, 2 rap songs Run away together as Let me wander While Den's works bring a very open and fresh spirit of exploring the world and encourage young people to "pack up and go", in line with the necessary desires of the masses at that time, at the present time, Den brings mature contemplations, suitable for his age but no longer the dominant spirit of young life.

Den is still Den as he has been for many years, he is not too "out of breath" compared to himself, even always trying to polish so that the final product is clean and meets higher and higher standards. However, the music market is always changing. When Den stops, it means he is out of the rotation of trends, and it is understandable that his achievements in terms of data are no longer as good as before.

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/ly-do-den-vau-bi-danh-bai-3370360.html