When we first heard about the Ludacris vs. Mike Posner Soundclash that's going down at Miami's Bayfront Park on New Year's Eve, the thought was celebrity boxing. Wouldn't wearing some of Luda's spittle and blood on your T-shirt be a remarkable way to enter 2012?
But these guys want to keep their faces clean and just rock a party in a novel way -- maybe not as naked as the IsAnyoneUp.com bash at Speakeasy Lounge is gonna be, but who knows? According to the press materials provided by sponsor Red Bull, this is not even meant to be a lyrical battle per se. Instead, we get Mr. Bridges and Mr. Posner "In a series of four rounds, the bands perform various tasks, some rehearsed, and some improvised, to showcase the array of their musical abilities."
Here are our predictions on how this could play out.
In round one (the cover), both bands play their own version of the samecover song.
This could be a problem if Mike Posner gets to pick the song. Here's his respectable take on Electric Light Orchestra's "Evil Woman."
Ludacris is actually old enough to remember this band when they were performing but hasn't laced a Jeff Lynne sample into a hit just yet. We gotta say that Luda's cover of Michael Jackson's "P.Y.T.," which he did at a past SoundClash event, isn't anything to write home about.
Advantage: Posner
Round two (the takeover) begins with the first band
playing one of its original songs and midway through the other band
takes over, seamlessly finishing the song in their own style.
Ludacris could opt for something like "What's Your Fantasy" for this because he's looking for a well-known hit to win the crowd over early. But that's not a good Scrabble move if he has to hand it over to Posner, who can certainly croon about licking females from their heads to their toes in convincing fashion. Best to rock something harsh that Bill O'Reilly probably bangs secretly in his Lexus.
Get out the way, Posner!
Advantage: Luda
The thirdround (the clash) highlights each band's musical versatility by having
them perform songs in three different styles as determined by the DJ --
for example: Electronic, Reggae and Rock.
Ooh! Now this is gonna be a tough one. Assuming Ludacris and Mike Posner both opt for the genres listed, we're gonna see some stuff outside of comfortable zones, for sure. Posner might have the better singing voice between the two, but Chris Bridges is a Hollywood actor with more than a dozen roles under his belt. If he breaks out his DJ Donnie persona from Fred Claus and rocks a dubstep set, that could be enough to sway a Miami crowd.
Advantage: Luda
The fourth and final round isThough we'd love to see Ludacris bring Missy Elliott onstage to do the superior "Gossip Folks," if Mike Posner is no fool, this is how this round will culminate:full of surprises, as each act is allowed to bring on a special guest to
join their performance.
He even sings "Get your Red Bull on." Lil Wayne gets on stage, things get serious.
Advantage: Posner
In sum, we predict a draw. An overly caffeinated draw.
Ludacris vs. Mike Posner. Red Bull SoundClash. 7 p.m. Saturday, December 31, at Bayfront Park, Miami. Admission is free. Click here.
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