P.O.Y.B.L (Piss on Your Black List) is the debut

mixtape A mixtape (alternatively mix-tape, mix tape or mixed tape) is a compilation of music, typically from multiple sources, recorded onto a medium. With origins in the 1980s, the term normally describes a homemade compilation of music onto a cassette ...

by American singer

Melody Thornton Melody Thornton (born September 28, 1984) is an American singer and television personality. After graduating high school, Thornton became one the main vocalists of the pop girl group the Pussycat Dolls and released the albums '' PCD'' (2005) a ...

Background

In June 2010, ''

Rap-Up ''Rap-Up'' is a magazine launched in 2001 by founder Devin Lazerine. The publication was originally a website devoted to hip hop, until Lazerine decided to pitch the possibility of a magazine to several publishers. The magazine is focused on the ...

'' reported that Melody Thornton, a member of girl group the Pussycat Dolls, had departed from the group and was working on her solo album. In an interview for ''

The Source ''The Source'' is an American hip hop and entertainment website, and a magazine that publishes annually or . It is the world's longest-running rap periodical, being founded as a newsletter in 1988 by Jonathan Shecter. David Mays was the ma ...

'', Thornton explained that her songs will be different from the group’s sound but she's not going to abandon that pop demographic that she acquired through the Pussycat Dolls. " ..But it's not popular-for-the-moment, the kind of music that I'm making. It's live instrumentation and it derives from '60s influences. It's just kind of what I was raised on,

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...

B.B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shi ...

-ish as far as instrumentation goes. But vocally, I admire

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the whi ...

and was raised on

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With ...

Jackson 5 The Jackson 5 (sometimes stylized as the Jackson 5ive, also known as the Jacksons) are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, and for most o ...

and all of that, so it's not going to be like Pussycat Dolls at all." “After the Dolls, I let everything go and took some much needed time to put myself back together,” Thornton told ''Rap-Up''. “We worked liked machines and there was little time for maintenance, so I’ve spent the past two years just writing, relaxing, and discovering my musical self without limitations. My amazing fans and supporters have been patiently waiting to hear the REAL Melody Thornton and this is my thank you. I’ve written so many songs and P.O.Y.B.L is the first project of many.”

Composition

"P.O.Y.B.L" is a traditional

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

, and pop album, influenced by other artists such as

, and

. The mixtape features a distinct

retro Retro style is imitative or consciously derivative of lifestyles, trends, or art forms from history, including in music, modes, fashions, or attitudes. In popular culture, the "nostalgia cycle" is typically for the two decades that begin 20–30 ...

sound, while its instrumentation is that of popular 1960s and 1970s

. Speaking of the mixtape, Thornton said “Piss on Your Black List has nothing to do with being a rebel or fighting against anything. It has everything to do with fighting for myself. It's clever with attitude. It's kind of funny and gets a strong reaction; all things that, at times, describe my art.”

Track listing

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Poybl 2012 mixtape albums Debut mixtape albums Self-released mixtape albums