Har Mar Superstar

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More About

• Har Mar Superstar
• Missy Elliott
• Mary J. Blige
• Justin Timberlake
• Timbaland

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Har Mar Superstar is a paunchy, balding indie rocker from Minnesota who creates bawdy R&B and hip hop that critiques the stereotypes of those genres by -- oh God, never mind. I'm bored just saying it. The point is, one can only see hairy, white, fishnet-encased love handles shaking to a straight-faced, Usher-by-way-of-the-Jackson-5-by-way-of-SWV groove so many times (and that number is exactly .75) before the irony wears very, very thin. But three albums into the joke, Har Mar's still around and here's why: 1) From Soul Man to White Chicks, we Americans think ridiculously unlikely white people impersonating black culture and vice versa is some funny-ass shit. 2) Har Mar can actually sing, as evidenced on "O," a pretty Justin Timberlake-y ballad, and "As (Seasons)," a bombastic Mary J. Blige-esque pressure cooker. 3) The Handler's tracks are such pitch-perfect imitations of pop songs that they get under your skin like, well, actual pop songs. "Back That Camel Up," for example, is a really stupid parody of the whole Missy Elliott-Indian/Middle Eastern-crunk hybrid. But I'll be damned if it isn't almost as much fun as any standard-issue Timbaland joint.