The Auto-Tune Sensation

Auto-Tune is taking over the world. It isn't just found in the music business anymore. Auto-Tune is showing up in the news and even kids' commercials.
Come on.

It seems like only yesterday when T-Pain stole our little hearts with his Auto-Tuned melodies. Now almost every R&B and hip-hop (musician?) entertainer jumped to board T-Pain's robotic, pitch perfect boat (*smirk) known as Auto-Tune. Still, let us not forget the true front runner in all of this Auto-Tune business was a little lady named Cher. Oh yeah, remember "Believe" the 1998 Cher song? Well don't, 'cause it's magic.

We've come a long way from 1998, now even the news has the Auto-Tune touch. The newest popular project on YouTube is the "Auto-Tune the News" videos, which aren't just witty and funny, but actually inform. The latest Auto-Tune the News video grazes over the topics of the Climate Change bill, Sarah Palin quitting her post as governor, and Michael Jackson's death.

Still, the most random place I have heard Auto-Tune used is the latest Chuck E. Cheese commercial. No lie. I have not found the commercial on the internet, but if you tune your television on a children's channel you'll be sure to come across it. You may be as weirded out as I was or just laugh at the large corporation's stunt to appeal to kids, though you really have to give credit from a business angle. Alas, it doesn't feel quite right now that Chuck E. Cheese and T-Pain are in the same boat, but it is pretty fun to imagine.

Auto-Tune is reaching its height of glory, but some have already grown weary of its use. And who could blame them? Jay-Z never would. After some playing around with the Auto-Tune in his previous work, he proves he prefers and IS the true thing. He wrote a song named "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)" calling for all other rappers to stop "singing too much. Get back to rap. [They're] T-Paining too much." Well said, Jay-Zizzle.

Sidenote: Jay-Z looks pretty damn sexual in this video.