How Did This Summer’s Smash Hit Miss Blogworld?

Ed. note: As everyone knows, music blogs are the most powerful force in the industry, if not the world. You might think that you’re getting new music from radio or TV, but in fact, you’re only hearing it because a blogger once wrote about it. They have so much power! Seriously, have you even tried to fathom how many albums Justice and Battles have sold? Those guys must own mansions!!

Occasionally, though, an artist manages to find success without being noticed by the bloggers. We chart such musicians’ unlikely ascent to fame with a feature called Unbloggable.

ARTIST: Sean Kingston HOMETOWN: Kingston, Jamaica MOST RECENT ALBUM: Self Titled, to be released July 31st, single “Beautiful Girls” is currently No. 31 on the Billboard Singles Chart TOTAL NUMBER OF HYPE MACHINE MENTIONS: Two; one a remix by DJ Sujinho WHAT IS HE LIKE? Kingston follows the Akon formula for success, mixing semi-sweet, light pop with aggressive tough-guy reggae. WHY WON’T ANYONE BLOG ABOUT HIM? Even Akon’s massive success doesn’t merit much attention in the blog world, unless he’s committing a crime on YouTube or guesting on someone else’s track. Kingston doesn’t stand much of a chance, unless he commits mail fraud on digital video in the near future. IS HE BLOGGABLE? It’s a coin toss. “Beautiful Girls” seems unstoppable as a summer urban hit: Basically, the “summer song” race is between the entire T-Pain album and Kingston, and the irresistible “Stand By Me” sample may win it for Sean. On the other hand, it would be easier to maintain indie credibility by just discussing the upcoming Animal Collective disc. They named their disc Strawberry Jam, and they make nearly unlistenable records! It’s crazy!

NEXT WEEK ON UNBLOGGABLE: Plain White T’s, once I find the stomach to listen to “Hey There Delilah” in its entirety.