By Mesfin Fedakdu, Music Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --Jay Z, whose wife Beyonce is expecting twins soon, was absent from the 2017 Songwriters Hall of Fame, where he was inducted by a charismatic longtime fan: former U.S. President Barack Obama.
Obama, appearing in a taped video, told the audience Thursday that he's been listening to Jay Z since he was a "young and hungry state senator" and compared himself to the New York rapper.
"Nobody who met us as younger men would have expected us to be where we are today. You know what it's like not to have a father around, you know what it's like not to come from much, and to know people who didn't get the same breaks that we did. So we try to prop open those doors of opportunity so that it's a little easier for those who come up behind us to succeed as well," Obama said, earning an applause from the audience in New York City.
"Jay and I are also fools for our daughters, although he's going to have me beat once those two twins show up. And let's face it, we both have wives who are significantly more popular than we are," he added.
Jay Z became the first rapper inducted into the prestigious organization and was the first hip-hop act nominated for the honor. The icon, who rarely tweets, posted multiple messages on Twitter around the time the ceremony took place, naming rappers who he admires, from veterans like Rakim and Nas to contemporaries such as Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole.
"Thank you to all the people that have inspired me," Jay Z, born Shawn Carter, tweeted. "Salute to anybody who made a song to feed their family or just vent."
The 2017 Songwriters Hall class also included Motown founder Berry Gordy; R&B maestro Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds; songwriting duo Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis; pop music great Max Martin; and members of Chicago.
Jon Bon Jovi kicked off the multi-hour event at the Marriott Marquis Hotel with "It's My Life," his band's 2000 hit that Martin co-wrote. Bon Jovi said that Martin, who has written monster hits for Taylor Swift, the Backstreet Boys and other pop stars, had been a part of 22 No. 1s, placing him only behind John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
Martin, who rarely does interviews or appears in public, called the induction "unbelievable."
Johnny Gill, the New Edition member and solo singer, earned the night's loudest applause when he performed "My, My, My," one of many hits written by Babyface. Gill worked the stage from left to right, and even jumped down to the audience to scream the song's groovy lyrics, bringing them to life.
Babyface, who wrote hits for Whitney Houston, Toni Braxton and others, said he's amazed that "I, Kenny Edmonds, this little black kid from Indianapolis, Indiana, wrote a song and somebody in … Kansas is singing the words to right now."
Pat Monahan of Train sang in honor of Robert Lamm and James Pankow of Chicago, while Rhonda Ross Kendrick, Gordy's daughter with Diana Ross, performed for her father.
"Most people think I got this award many years ago," said Gordy, who has written songs for Marvin Gaye, the Supremes, Stevie Wonder and the Jackson 5. "Songwriting was my first love."
Usher performed a medley to pay homage to Jam and Lewis, the duo behind countless hits for Janet Jackson as well as George Michael, Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men.
"Without us the music doesn't exist," Jam said of songwriters.
Ed Sheeran, who performed his hit "Castle on the Hill," was honored with the Hal David Starlight Award. The English singer, who writes his own music and has also written for Justin Bieber and One Direction, said the "happiest moments of my life" are when he's writing songs.
"There's nothing like that moment," he added.
Pitbull closed the show with a performance and earned the Global Ambassador Award.
Songwriters are eligible for induction after writing hit songs for at least 20 years.
Jennifer Kent On Why Her Feature Directing Debut, “The Babadook,” Continues To Haunt Us
"The Babadook," when it was released 10 years ago, didn't seem to portend a cultural sensation.
It was the first film by a little-known Australian filmmaker, Jennifer Kent. It had that strange name. On opening weekend, it played in two theaters.
But with time, the long shadows of "The Babadook" continued to envelop moviegoers. Its rerelease this weekend in theaters, a decade later, is less of a reminder of a sleeper 2014 indie hit than it is a chance to revisit a horror milestone that continues to cast a dark spell.
Not many small-budget, first-feature films can be fairly said to have shifted cinema but Kent's directorial debut may be one of them. It was at the nexus of that much-debated term "elevated horror." But regardless of that label, it helped kicked off a wave of challenging, filmmaker-driven genre movies like "It Follows," "Get Out" and "Hereditary."
Kent, 55, has watched all of this — and those many "Babadook" memes — unfold over the years with a mix of elation and confusion. Her film was inspired in part by the death of her father, and its horror elements likewise arise out of the suppression of emotions. A single mother (Essie Davis) is struggling with raising her young son (Noah Wiseman) years after the tragic death of her husband. A figure from a pop-up children's book begins to appear. As things grow more intense, his name is drawn out in three chilling syllables — "Bah-Bah-Doooook" — an incantation of unprocessed grief.
Kent recently spoke from her native Australia to reflect on the origins and continuing life of "The Babadook."
Q: Given that you didn't set out to in any way "change" horror, how have you regarded the unique afterlife of "The... Read More