Jay-Z had the Internet going nuts on Friday with his anti-Auto-Tune smash, “Death of Auto-Tune.” It spawned a freestyle craze and inspired a new website.

Now that the buzz has died down and everyone has had time to fully digest the song, I summoned the Brain Trust to get their thoughts on “Death of Auto-Tune.” Dig in, it’s sweet.

Jay-Z – “Death of Auto-Tune” (Mastered)(Dirty)

Joe:
“After getting about 2 full repeats into the track I had already found myself on google trying to find the best picture to photoshop of Jay to make it look like he was giving me a hug. I love the ridiculousness of the No I.D. beat, and as much as I love auto-tune, Im glad dad finally came home from work to lay down the law (even if he is getting old and isnt as intimidating). His BP3 flow so far has been a bit lame, but this song is strong on all fronts.” 8

Jaap:
“Taken less literally and more as an attack on ceaseless trend-following it works. No ID drops a knocking beat that could use a bit use a bit more agitated spitting. Maybe Jigga should sign MOP again and get them on the remix.” 7.5

Andrew:
“The deep, harsh drums and shrill guitar give it a fleshed-out retro feel; the track sounds like something that would have come off of American Gangster and didn’t make the cut. I don’t have an issue with Jay giving Kanye a “pass” on the whole thing and saying to the rap game that Auto-Tune is done; frankly I’m glad someone just came out and said it. I think from Jay’s perspective it’s just a track that’s showing that he’s doing his thing – and he doesn’t mess with Auto-Tune but considering it’s Jay-Z it’ll probably get adopted by hip-hop and six months from now Auto-Tune will pushing up daisies.” 6.5

Nahshon:
“I thought it was an awesome idea and honestly, Jay has continued to lower his own lyrical bar since somewhere in the middle of the Blueprint 2, so I can’t pretend to be surprised that he didn’t really go in on this one. That being said, he almost acted as if he and Kanye collaborated on this in order to completely side-step the concept of attacking vs. giving a pass. If questioned, he will no doubt retort that Kanye did something spectacular and life-changing with a device that highlights the imperfections in his pitch and that his contribution to music in that regard will forever remain unmatched (both claims are untrue). But he almost interpolated Ye’s “Big Brother” in the chorus and that was cool.” 7.5

Ivan:
“Will it change the game? Sadly, no. Lyrically, “D.O.A.” sounds like a hybrid of “Dear Summer” and an American Gangster throwaway track. But boy oh boy, can No I.D. flip an oddball sample to lace a hot beat!” 7

Rizoh:
“The Auto-Tune fad was already on its way out. It’s been reviled and ridiculed. But here comes Captain Jay positioning himself to take credit for Auto-Tune’s demise with a late-breaking stunt clearly designed to stir up chatter. Jay has done better and is still capable of wowing us again, but it’s No I.D.’s monstrous production that keeps “D.O.A.” from becoming completely forgettable.” 6

Conclusion:
Jay’s stance on Auto-Tune is clear: don’t do it if you’re not Kanye, T-Pain, or Lil Wayne (the three people he’s not willing to go to war with). Kanye told MTV that they went back and removed all the Auto-Tune songs on Blueprint 3 to make a point. Either that or Jay realized that he sounded silly on Auto-Tune. Whatever the case, Jay’s stance against the pitch-correction device is unquestionable.

Overall Rating: 7/10