Posted by Katherine St Asaph on 02/27/2012 at 3:31 PM News

The Popdust Files: beyonce, interviews, lmfao, pitchfork, santigold

Santigold’s new single is fantastic, first off; just making sure we’re clear there. So when an in-depth interview about her upcoming album plus the state of music comes out, of course we’re going to tell you to go read it in full. So go do that. But first, some things worth knowing:

“Big Mouth”‘s video wasn’t a diss, jeez.
You know when we predicted, because it was obvious, that Santigold would probably shrug off claims that oh my god, there’s a mermaid in the “Big Mouth” video when Santigold says the words “ga-ga-ga” and one plus one equals ONE THOUSAND-WATT DISSING? Santigold shrugged off those claims, just like we said. Hooray for being right!

That was actually not intended in the way everyone thought. I am not that familiar with Lady Gaga or Katy Perry, I swear to God. I missed that. I can’t say the director missed that, though– it might have been his brilliant interpretation of my song, but we never discussed it.

She has a point; the mermaid thing–especially if you get Katy Perry involved–is pop trivia, trivia that you’d have to be following either or both artists really closely to know. Now let’s just let this whole fake feud die. There are actual shots being fired elsewhere.

LMFAO, however, has been thoroughly dissed.
They’re not the only ones to be thoroughly dissed, although it’s up to you which “music awards show” Santigold said disappointed her. (Those Billboard Music Awards were iffy, huh? It’s like we’ve blocked them out of our minds.) Also up for interpretation: what brought on the quote “I’m disappointed with the state of music right now, but it’s not really about anybody specific. I think there’s a lack of true art, and the fanfare is valued over actual substance.”

What fanfare? Maybe the sort of fanfare that sounds more like whoopee-cushion “fanfare”–or at least that’s one way to interpret this quote:

I just felt really sad that people go along with stupid wack shit. I’m sorry, but LMFAO performed at the Super Bowl? Aren’t they a joke band? That type of shit makes me cry. I’m like, “Really?”

Really.

But Beyonce’s awesome. In fact, here is how “Run the World (Girls) might’ve come about.
Right after artists diss someone in pop, this is usually where they clarify things with “but Adele’s awesome,” like a wheaty, green counterbalance to the sugared-and-larded confection mentioned before. Everyone thinks Adele’s awesome; so does Santigold.

Admitting Beyonce’s awesome, though–which she generally is–is a step further. It’s a step that makes sense, because Santigold’s on Roc Nation, but the part about introducing Beyonce to collaborator Major Lazer’s “Pon de Floor,” which became “Run the World (Girls)”? That is some inspired camaraderie and/or fandom.