That is today’s question. Let me first say that I always have to commend Jay-Z for giving hip-hop something to talk and think about. But with the new song that he recently released and the interviews that he’s done the last two weeks to support the song, this question is begged.

Recently, Jay-Z unleashed his song “D.O.A.” on the hip-hop community. The track, which stands for “Death of Auto-tune,” takes aim at the overuse of what has become a popular staple in recent hip-hop hits.  ”This is anti-Autotune, death of the ringtone/This ain’t for itunes, this ain’t for sing-a-long,” he raps. Later on in the song, he continues, “I know we facin’ a recession/But the music y’all makin’ gonna make it a great depression.”  After the song caused a bit of a stir on the radio and internet, Jay-Z blew it out by showing up at NYC’s Hot 97 Summer Jam as a surprise guest to perform this past weekend. The industry went nuts. Now, auto-tune is the devil.

Last Monday, interviews with radio personalities such as Angie Martinez further added hype to Jay-Z’s song and comeback. In an interview with Chicago radio station WGCI, Jay-Z called the use of autotune in hip-hop a “gimmick.” He said, “I just think in hip-hop, when a trend becomes a gimmick, it’s time to move on.”

Of course, because it was Jay-Z that decided to do a song about it, so many hip-hop heads immediately jumped on the bandwagon. But the interesting thing is, I distinctly recall the use of autotune getting much criticism when Kanye dropped his last album, “808’s and Heartbreak” in November. If auto-tuning it was so bad, then why didn’t Jay drop a record about it back then?

Maybe because it wouldn’t be setting up his album as it is now. Jay-Z’s upcoming “Blueprint 3″ is set to drop in September. I understand Jay-Z’s concern with originality in hip-hop, but if he was so concerned, then where was he when BET attempted to discuss major issues in hip-hop on the television show that this here blog is named after (Hip-Hop Vs. America)? Do we ever see Jay-Z defending the culture the same way we see folks such as Talib Kweli? Do we ever even hear from Jigga when he’s not about to drop?

Ironically, during Jay-Z’s summer jam performance, he himself was surprised. T-Pain unexpectedly joined Jiggaman on stage. The irony, is that the Autotune phenomenom of recent years can be attributed to T-Pain. But of course, Jay-Z wasn’t talking to T-pain, right? And chances are, he will never truly come clean about who he was talking to. T-Pain? No. Kanye? Never!

Well, it seems as though what we could possibly have here in ”D.O.A.” is the same thing the song set out to destroy: a gimmick. Think about it. Why is it that, now, almost a year after the auto-tune phase has been beaten like a dead horse, does Jay-Z decide he’s going to address it? It’s not that what he’s saying is without merit, it’s just that it’s a little too late.

During the interview, he mentioned that he saw a Wendy’s commercial using auto-tune, and they were ”joking on it,” he described. And when the interview began to address some individuals Jay might be directing the song towards (ahem, DJ Webstar–remember the “Chicken Noodle Soup” guy who used Auto-tune recently), Jay responded, “He’s a young guy. So he doesn’t have a full understanding of what I’m saying. Maybe he’ll understand one day.”

So in conclusion, is auto-tune played out? Hmm, probably so. But wasn’t it played out last year around this time. Um, probably so. What people seem to be leaving out is that while Jay- Z takes aim at auto-tune users, young guys, and Wendy’s restaurants, he’s forgetting to give some credit to the one thing that is giving him something to rap about these days: auto-tune.

–KIM O.

For another perspective on this Jay-Z “Auto-tune” phenomenon, check out Dr. Todd Boyd’s blog (the Notorious Ph.D.).