mensahjacq

[mensahjacq]

The Legend That Was Lost Too Soon

I honestly am not a huge fan of Tupac. I do acknowledge that he is a legend in rap and hip/hop history but his music has never been anything I’d personally listen to. He still should be given his credit as one of the most influential artists of all time. However, he starred in one of my favorite movies from the 90s, which is why I dedicated this blog post to him.

Overview

Tupac Amaru Shakur, often referred to by his stage names Makaveli and 2Pac is regarded by many as one of the greatest rappers of all time in terms of success and influence. Shakur has sold over 75 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling musicians. Shakur's music has been recognized for tackling many of the modern socioeconomic challenges that inner cities face. Shakur was born in New York City to parents who were both political activists and Black Panther Party members. 

Controversies

Tupac’s legacy was not all sunshine and rainbows. He was arrested and sent to jail multiple times, and actually faced prison time at one point. 

He faced a trial in 1994 for alleged sexual assault of a fan. He and members of his entourage were charged with sexual abuse of a woman named Ayanna Jackson. Throughout the court procedures, the late rapper maintained that the encounter was consensual, and he even pled his case to the public by discussing it on The Arsenio Hall Show. He ended up being sentenced to 1.5 to 4.5 years. After serving eleven months of his sentence, he was released from prison on an appeal financed by Marion "Suge" Knight. 

An article by CBC, written by the CBC Radio, talks about how Tupac did not only release music with a societal conscious message. Shakur shifted away from positive and affirming political music and toward more profitable, but controversial, music when trends began to change. 

Acting Career

Tupac was a master of many cards, as he didn’t stick to just making music. He also pursued an acting career. One of his most famous appearances was in the movie Juice in 1992. This is one of my favorite 90s movies of all time! Tupac played the role of Bishop in the film. The plot foes like Bishop gets a taste of power with the possession of a firearm, he turns into a merciless killing machine who his closest friends no longer recognize. It really is a hood classic and introduced me to how talented Tupac was.

Tupac also starred in the film Poetic Justice in 1993. He played the character Lucky and had an on-screen romantic partner. This role showed how versatile Tupac’s acting style was and how he could truly fit into any role presented to him.

Accomplishments

Before he unfortunately passed away, Tupac made a huge mark on society and had an ongoing list of successes and accomplishments.

Tupac sold over 75 million records worldwide. Rolling Stone magazine named him one of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time."

One of his most well-known songs, "Changes," addresses issues affecting society. The song reuses phrases from "I Wonder If Heaven Got a Ghetto," which was recorded in 1992, and samples Bruce Hornsby and the Range's 1986 smash song "The Way It Is." Tupac had experienced growing up with concerns of poverty, classism, and racial segregation, all of which were addressed in the 1986 song.  Tupac addressed racism, drugs, war, violence, and police brutality in his verses.

Rappers' attitudes about movies have altered since Tupac's breakthrough film, Juice. Bishop, a confused young guy who betrays his friends and grows into a ruthless murderer, was played by him. The film not only illustrates what it was like to live in Harlem in the 1990s, but it was also the first time a rapper gave a truly excellent dramatic performance.

Tragedy

He was killed in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada, on September 7, 1996, at 11:15 p.m. The incident occurred while the vehicle in which he was driving was stopped at a red light. Four shots from a.40-caliber Glock were fired at Shakur. Six days later, he died as a result of his injuries. 

Just recently, Duane "Keefe D" Davis was apprehended on September 29, 2023, a whole 27 years later, after having been charged by a grand jury for the first-degree murder of Tupac Shakur.

This made me happy because society went all these years without knowing who killed such a legend in the making, and now it seems justice has finally been served.

citations used:

#tupac shakur #juice movie #poetic justice #suge knight #keep ya head up #music blog #blog post #artist #rap #hip hop #90s rap

[mensahjacq]

a deep dive into lana del rey

I can’t remember how exactly I stumbled across one of Lana Del Rey’s songs and what exactly started my obsession. I had simply never heard a voice like hers and the way she delivers her sound was like heaven to my ears and I immediately had to seek out her other music.

Elizabeth Woolridge Grant, commonly known as Lana Del Rey, is known for her theme of writing songs about romance, addictions, and tragedy. She has an American vintage glamour vibe that she portrays not only in her music but also in her lifestyle. Most of Lana’s inspiration for her songs comes from her own life experiences with past boyfriends and the heartbreaks she endured. Her songs act as an outlet for her own trauma and feature strong themes and messages about love, obsession, darkness, and struggles as a human being. 

Lana stated that one of her most famous songs, Born To Die, is about a past abusive and toxic relationship she struggled to get out of at a young age. She felt like she had no escape, and was unable to let go of him. She talks about finding her voice and strength to leave as she is now older with the lyrics, “Lost but now I am found/ I can see that once I was blind/ I was so confused as a little child”. Many women struggle with the same difficult situation regarding domestic violence and abusive partners, and it is quite admiring how Lana can take her pain and trauma and turn it into lyrics and music, to help others.

Her music videos give off a cinematic retro quality, are low-budget and some are even self-made and uploaded by Lana herself. For example, in her breakout album, Born to Die: The Paradise Edition, the music video for one of the most famous tracks, Video Games, was self-made and comprised of some clips of her singing on a computer camera, the busy streets of Hollywood, footage from the 1980s club scenes, and many more retro digital video footage. 

Getting into Lana’s life, there’s a bit of mystery surrounding her. She is a high-earning mainstream successful artist yet she does not typically participate in Hollywood-esque events and likes to do things as a normal, non-famous person would. For example, sometime in July of 2023, she was spotted casually working in a Waffle House in Alabama, serving drinks and completely disregarding her celebrity status. Here’s an article that gets into what exactly she was doing at this particular Waffle House, it just shows how humble and down-to-earth Lana is. 

Even her on-stage performances give off a relaxed, local vibe despite thousands of people being in the crowd and coming out just to see her. One of my favorite shows of hers features a clip of her setting down a lit cigarette on her microphone stand followed by her beginning to perform one of her most famous songs, Summertime Sadness. This clip went viral and goes to show why Lana is loved by so many. She has an intimate, genuine connection with her music and that is felt by her fans and anyone else who is listening.

She has experienced some success of her own. Her career-topping sixth album, Norman Fucking Rockwell!, was deemed the greatest release of 2019 by Pitchfork and is a Grammy Award nominee for album of the year. Del Rey's first two albums, "Born to Die" and "Ultraviolence," both appeared on various decade-end lists as 2019 drew to its conclusion. Insider named her one of the musicians who defined the decade. But soon after, Del Rey's actions started to receive more media attention than her music.

The Controversies

Although there are many people including myself who adore Lana’s music, she does have a fair share of critics, and many blogs and articles are written with a lack of agreement about her choice of music style and lyrics. Many criticize her decision to write about past abusive relationships and instead deem it as her glamorizing abuse and being anti-feminist. This blog by BBC goes into detail about the critiques and Lana’s responses to them. This is not the only article that goes into detail about Lana’s alleged “short-comings” in her career, there are many more and she often has to defend herself and the work she puts out.

Del Rey claimed to be writing "about the realities of what we are all now seeing are very prevalent emotionally abusive relationships all over the world" in her Instagram essay, picking up this theme. She went on to say that other women now had the freedom to express themselves through their music without having to sing about how happy they were, "in contrast to my experience where, if I even expressed a note of sadness in my first two records, I was deemed literally hysterical as though it was literally the 1920s."

Lana, like any other celebrity, has had her fair share of scandals and controversies, but this does not take away from her hard work and support of women who've been through struggles with domestic violence and also her intense love for her supporters and fans.

#lana del rey #blog post #music blog #bbc #Youtube

[mensahjacq]

Artist Interview

For this blog post, I decided to bring on someone that the class has heard from before, however this time, I want to truly give this artist the space and opportunity to truly talk about their music and creative outlets and what it means to them. We got into the nitty gritty of how this artist records and produces their own music, and also into the larger implications such as long-term career goals and thoughts about the current music industry. Here is the complete excerpt of the interview:

Today, we will be interviewing the upcoming artist, Wala. 

Me: Hello Wala, thank you for allowing me to interview you today. How are you?

Wala: Hey, I’m doing great. Thank you for giving me this platform to get my name out there.

Me: No problem, if you don’t mind, I’d like to get into the questions now. At what point in your life did you realize you wanted to follow a music career path?

Wala: I always had a passion for music. I always had it playing, there was basically always music around me. I slowly started to create my own sounds. Using apps like Acapella, and just using my voice as an outlet. I never published any of that though.

Me: When did you start to publish your work for others to see? Was this also when you decided to take your creations more seriously and think about the long term?

Wala: I’d say around 2 years ago is when I realized that my music was good enough for other people’s ears. But honestly, I still wasn’t headset to doing it seriously, it was just a creative thing. 

Me: I get that. I’d like to get into how exactly you make your music. What audio software do you use, how do you get your beats, and things of that nature.

Wala: I use FL Studio which is a computer audio software. It’s pretty taxing on me, cause it’s a paid subscription so every month I pay around $100 for it. I also use sample beats from like YouTube or whatever, and record my voice over them. I have a whole setup for recording, with a mic stand and everything. 

Me: All that sounds pretty expensive for an independent artist like yourself. How do you deal with high costs for equipment?

Wala: It’s obviously a struggle, but I need good equipment if I want to produce a good sound, you know? So, I suck it up and get the expensive stuff, just cause I’m that devoted to my craft.

Me: I have to say that is really inspiring. Thinking long-term, let’s say in 5 years. What will you have hoped to accomplish and what career goals do you have?

Wala: I definitely hope to be signed to a label by then. Working with bigger names and definitely have more songs out there. I hope to have some kind of fan base or following, and I hope I’m still able to be as creative and free with my sound as I am now.

Me: Yes, we would surely hope so! Getting to the end of this interview, as an upcoming artist, I’m curious to know your current thoughts on our music industry today. Do you like where it’s going, or do you feel there are big issues that need to change?

Wala: I feel the music industry needs a lot of work. I think it’s really skewed to support certain kinds of artists, and there really aren’t any searches to find the next new thing anymore. So, as a newer artist, you really have to make sure you're putting your foot through the door and making yourself known.

Me: I agree as well. Anyway, thank you for allowing me to ask you all of these questions. I wish you the best in your journey.

Wala: Thank you for having me. 

In conclusion, after interviewing the upcoming artist Wala, I realized the music industry and the media in general need to pay more attention and give smaller artists their credit. The music industry is extremely hard to maneuver on one’s own and a simple stream, follow, like or comment can be of more support to a newer artist than you might think. 

#music industry #interview #artist interview #upcoming artist #music blog #blog post

[mensahjacq]

The Frat Party Music Scene

written by: jaqi m

The experience of going to a frat party for the first time is one of a kind in itself, but when you really dive into the music scene and all the technicalities of what is actually being played at these parties, you start to give them a bit more credit.

Thankfully, I attend a school with a powerful fraternity and sorority community and the partying lifestyle at Rutgers is something I’d never seen before. In order to write this blog post, I had to think of a scene in which I’d been present in before, so that I could convey the true first-person point of view and feelings one would get if one chose to attend one of these parties. I didn’t want to have to go to one ever again, so thankfully my freshman-year self bore that burden for me and now I can write about it from the comfort of my bed. Phew, thank God.

Even before stepping foot into the actual event, walking up to the front of the frat house is a heart-racing experience in itself as you hear the loud, vibrating music and deafening screams of college students under the influence of any substance you could think of. In my personal experience, as I was about to enter the house, I heard raging EDM music and the most obnoxious stomping I’d ever heard in my life. I just knew off the bat this was not an environment for me, but curiosity got the best of me, and I’m glad it did. 

And don't get me wrong, I am not writing this whole music blog based on my own experience at one frat party I happened to spontaneously attend. After asking around, I came to the conclusion that most frat parties choose to play this same kind of music and seeing that college kids party every weekend, it doesn’t seem like they’re getting tired of it.

Since I could only stand to stay at this party for less than 10 minutes, the “DJ”, or rather, frat dude with a big boombox speaker playing music from his Spotify playlist, was able to fit a lot of different songs and mixes into this short amount of time. It was enough for me to grasp what kind of music would be playing for the rest of the party, and also at other frat parties all over.

Coming up first, there seems to be a lot of country-pop music that’s played. Songs like Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus and We Are Never Getting Back Together by Taylor Swift appear to be fan favorites and get everybody pretty “turnt-up”.

EDM. Electronic dance music is another favorite and go-to for these frat “DJs”. The constant “unce unce unce” sound acted as nails on a chalkboard to my ears, but as I looked around it seemed to light a fire in the crowd. Heres a link to some EDM if you are unfamiliar: EDM Music.

 The artist group, LMFAO, is played a lot as well. Their hit songs such as Shots and Party Rock Anthem make everyone’s night and bring out the “rager” state of mind in these college kids.

These are only a few specific tracks that are usually heard in this music scene. But hopefully, it gives you an idea of the Frat Party scene and what kind of music you'd expect to hear at these parties.

#fraternity #college life #university #rutgers #edm music #country pop #miley cyrus #taylor swift

[mensahjacq]

Analyzing "Sextape" by Deftones

I remember casually doing homework sometime in 2021, listening to "Risk" by Deftones, which is one of my favorite bands of all time. However, I was unaware that I had YouTube's auto-play feature on, and when a foreign, now familiar, slow melancholic guitar sound came on, I was instantly entranced and clicked off of my homework tab to find out what this new song was that would have me obsessed for the next week.

Honestly, Chino's (the lead singer) voice alone could turn a song from a 2/10 to a 10/10 for me. However, it helps that the drum and guitar work from the other members are superb and all together solidifies my intense love for the track.

Sextape by Deftones, in my opinion, is one of their best songs simply due to the soft vocals and captivating melody.

The start of the track begins with a calm, slow guitar and stays like this even as the lead vocals start. At 0:43, the intense drum beat begins to come in as the faster pace of the chorus begins to show up. Around 1:17, a certain melody I believe is a keyboard or piano of some sort, comes in and is almost unrecognizable and easy to ignore, but acts as a signal for the rest of the instruments to come in as the track moves into the chorus. At 1:36, the repetition of the word "Tonight" along with the addition of multiple guitars and the drum kit makes for a beautiful cohesive instrumental. At 2:20, that slow singular guitar sound comes back along with Chino's vocals. I also recognize the sound of drum cymbals being struck in the background as well. (I had to google a photo of a labeled drum set). At this point, I'm starting to recognize a pattern being followed, with the slow purposeful guitar sound and the same slow vocals right before all the crazy drum and other guitar sounds come in. I do like how this track sticks to a particular pattern that it delivers its instrumentals and vocals in. At 3:13, the same "Tonight" repetition ends off the track so satisfyingly.

One thing I like about the vocals in the track is how drawn out the words are, and at times it feels like the words are being whispered but are so loud and striking at the same time. Regarding the music/lyric relationship, I really like how the track has some points of solely instrumental like in the beginning and before the choruses, which takes the focus off of vocals and emphasizes the amazing guitar work Deftones always delivers. The lead singer, Chino, truly did his big one for this song, I was so in love the first time I heard it.

I did try to find a similar sound that I could compare this track to, but Deftones' music in general has been something that could never equate to any other artist or band for me. They have a unique way of delivering their sound. However, one similar track that reminded me of this song is Breaking Benjamin's "So Cold". Both tracks start out with a singular slow guitar sound and then are followed by an intense drum and bass beat.

*WRITER'S NOTE *

I had to listen to this track like 20 times for this blog post and honestly, I'm not mad about it at all lol

#deftones #music #blog #sextape deftones #analyze music #chino moreno #risk by deftones #rock metal #alternative rock #metal band

[mensahjacq]

Our Pre-Game / Aux Playlist

I think every group of friends needs to have a couple of songs that they enjoy listening to together. Or you could be in a group that has completely different music tastes than each other. Thankfully, my friends and I share a decent amount of favorite artists and genres, and because of this, we are able to vibe to anything any one of us plays. Not sure what a pre-game is? Well, according to the Urban Dictionary, it is “ a verb meaning: to drink alcoholic beverages prior to a social engagement to make it more enjoyable.”

My friends and I don’t go by this definition, a pre-game for us is simply listening to music, getting ready together, and setting rules/goals for the night ahead of us. Some of these songs are more fit for the pre-game and some are specifically for in the car, on the way to the event, and on aux. I put this collection of songs together based on how often I hear it around my friends, their reactions when the song comes on, and just the vibe it gives off.

Retro Flow - G Herbo

Starting off with my personal favorite, Retro Flow by G Herbo. (150 plays and counting on Apple Music, yes it is quite literally my favorite song by G Herbo.) It does its job in getting my friends hype and it's my go-to if I feel like the energy/vibe is falling off. We've memorized most of the lyrics and its always so fun rapping along to Herbo's fast flow.

2. I'm On One - Drake, Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, DJ Khaled

In my opinion, Drake carried this whole song. It for sure is a certified party song and in my opinion, it fits better being played on aux. It gives me that nightlife clubbing music vibe that gets everyone ready to have fun and let loose. I can't remember where exactly I discovered this song but I know I was out at an event, and the DJ put this on. A few seconds into this track is when I pulled out my phone and went to the Shazam app that listens through your microphone and finds the song for you. (I try not to ask people what song is playing.)

3. Sweet Dreams - Beyonce

Usually only played during our pre-game, this classic Beyoncé track offers a break from all the fast-paced intense hip-hop/rap that encompasses this playlist. This is definitely one of my favorite Beyoncé tracks ever, and as soon as it comes on I feel like I transform into one of her background singers/dancers.

4. Time of Our Lives - Pitbull and Ne-Yo

I usually roll my eyes every time a Pitbull song comes on, not saying I'm a Pitbull hater, his music is just not my cup of tea. This song is an exception though, it gives me such happy vibes. I first discovered it on VEVO music back in 2015 when you could listen to music on your TV by going to the On Demand channel. It just brings me back to my childhood which was a much happier, less stressful time so it serves as a great pre-game song.

5. Triflin H**s - Lil Durk

Lastly, this Lil Durk track is an immediate banger whenever it gets played on aux. It's definitely the most vulgar song on here, but still does its job of getting everyone hype and in a party mood.

Overall, this might just seem like a couple of songs that might not go together and it might not make sense to other people. However, this blog post takes more of a personal route and this is really what my friends and I enjoy listening to when we are together. Listening to these tracks alone gives me the same giddy stress-free feeling that I get when I am around all of them, and to me that means a lot.

#pregame #aux #drake #dj khaled #lil durk #beyonce #sweet dreams #pitbull #ne yo

[mensahjacq]

Can "Weekends with Adele" Be Everyday With Adele?

BLOG POST 3 - LIVE REVIEW

Written by: Jaqi Mensah

For this Blog Post, I was able to locate a video of a recent performance by pop singer Adele. Donning the title "Weekends with Adele", it was her last performance in Las Vegas, specifically at the infamous Caeser’s Palace Resort hotel on March 25, 2023. 

The show features a total of 18 songs, all from different albums. Some being old songs, and some more of her recent works.

TRACK LIST:

Hello

Easy On Me

Turning Tables

Take It All

Water Under the Bridge

Send My Love

Oh My God

Don't You Remember

Rumour Has It

Skyfall

Hometown Glory

Love in the Dark

Set Fire to the Rain

When We Were Young

Hold On

Someone Like You

Rolling in the Deep

Love Is A Game.

It starts off with a pianist playing the opening to her hit song “Hello”. She didn’t make an appearance on the stage until the first verse was about to begin. As soon as she walks out, the crowd erupts into cheers and applause as she begins singing live.

After the second chorus, she stops performing and allows the crowd to begin singing. 

She then performs another hit, “Easy On Me” and after this, she takes a break from performing and begins talking with the crowd. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this part because it felt like she had a personal connection with the audience and was able to talk to them casually. Thinking about this from the perspective of the performer, she probably did this to take the pressure off of herself and have a little lighthearted conversation with the audience. 

She begins performing the rest of the songs and once again the audience is under her spell.

I found it so intriguing that the majority of the beginning of the hour-long performance was done by just Adele and her pianist. I’ve never really watched a live performance before so I always assumed that it took so many instruments, people, and effort to make it look and sound good. However, with this performance, it seemed low effort but still delivered everything it needed to. With just her striking voice and the pianist’s fantastic execution, the performance really captivated the whole audience and this is everything I expected from Adele.

As she begins the 4th song, “Take it All”, three backup singers come out and begin swaying behind her and the pianist. They begin to repeat what she says and add a beautiful harmony that sounds like church music. 

When it comes time to perform “Water Under The Bridge”, she brings out a whole drum set and drummer. The addition of the powerful sound from the drums echoes throughout the whole auditorium/ concert hall, and gives the song a depth it wouldn’t have had otherwise.

My favorite part is when she began performing "Set Fire to the Rain". Not because it is my favorite song by her, but because of the sheer effort put into the production of the details behind her. For example, the rain falling from the ceiling of the concert hall, the fire being shot up from the floor, the guitarists and drummers, and Adele's powerful voice itself. Just mesmerizing!

I'd like to mention this article by the NY Times, "Adele Returns to the Stage in Las Vegas, Resolute and Reflective" talking about Adele's return to performing shows after taking a break. I'd like to highlight a part of the article regarding Adele's stage presence when it comes to her live performances.

"In one breath, the 34-year-old British musician will bellow a gale-force note that could shake a building’s foundation; in the next, she’ll mutter a colorful swear in her Tottenham accent."

I chuckled at this because it was something that I had noticed while watching the performance, how she could stop performing with such intensity and then crack a joke and have the audience go from devotedly singing to laughing.

Overall, I really admire the progression of the whole performance. How it starts off with just Adele and her pianists, and with each song she adds another element that makes the performance even more striking and beautiful.

#adele #concert #hello adele #caesar's palace #las vegas #set fire to the rain #live performance

[mensahjacq]

"Melophobia" was Everything BUT Mellow.

Cage the Elephant's "Melophobia" Album Review

This 2013 album is the third studio album by band Cage The Elephant. It features 10 tracks and was debuted on the Billboard 200.

Let me start off by saying this: I have always been the type of person to listen to songs individually. I never felt the need to listen to an entire album if I only cared for one song. This is why I thoroughly enjoyed doing this album review because it forced me to consider the other tracks and I definitely found some new favorites.

 🎶 THE TRACKLIST 🎶

Spiderhead - This song has such a happy-go-lucky sound and feel to it. I like playing it in the morning, while on my way to class or work to get me in a social, outgoing mood and prepare me for the day.

STAR RATING: ☆☆☆

Come a Little Closer - Yes, yes, yes! Now, this song tripped me up a bit. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a wonderful indie masterpiece. However, its shift from a hard, intense fast beat to a softer, slower, almost melancholic sound after the second chorus threw me for such a loop that made me fall even more in love with the song. I replay the “Time flies by” part so often, it’s ridiculous. Here are some lyrics from the bridge:

“Ten thousand people stand alone now”

“And in the evening, the sun sank”

“Tomorrow it will rise”

“Time flies by”

“They all sang along”

I definitely sing along to this part every time I listen. Definitely my favorite song of the whole album!

STAR RATING: ☆☆☆☆☆

Telescope - I love the hyperfocus on vocals at the beginning of the song. Then when the instrumental came in, the ditsy melody of the song sent me into an instant head-bopping trance. My initial reaction to this song gave me pre-school vibes, like I'd be listening to this as my mom was driving me to school.

STAR RATING: ☆☆☆☆

It’s Just Forever - This song really shocked me. It is placed right after Telescope, and the drastic change from a slow, melodic tune into an intense, heavy electric guitar rock ballad threw me for such a huge loop. Lyrically, it shares the same intensity. The singer goes on about their unconditional love for their partner which honestly gives off unhealthy obsession vibes. For example, take a look at some of the lyrics:

"I'll never stop until you love me Even if you treat me cold I'll love you 'til we decompose And the skin falls off our bones

Maybe we can die together Even in the afterlife Girl, you'll still be mine"

Like? It's giving until death do us part to the MAXIMUM level.

STAR RATING: ☆☆☆☆

Take It or Leave It - Woah, the way this track gave me immediate reggaeton vibes! To me, it sounds similar to Bob Marley's "Could You Be Loved" but much faster-paced and more upbeat. This comparison really shocks me because this is supposed to be an indie rock band but this instrumental sounds like it came straight out of the Caribbean and has heavy reggae influence.

STAR RATING: ☆☆☆☆

Halo - This song gave me heavy Grouplove vibes. The drawn-out and repeated vocals sound quite similar to the chorus of “Tongue Tied” and also gave me the same funky party vibe of the infamous 2011 track.

STAR RATING: ☆☆☆

Black Widow - The guitar work on this track is amazing. If the band released a track with solely the instrumental, I'd listen to it all day. No joke. In terms of vocals, the purposeful high-pitched tone wasn't my favorite, but brought an 80s-type feel to the song and made it pretty unique sounding which I can't knock down.

STAR RATING: ☆☆☆

Hypocrite - This song sounds like it should be playing in the background of a coming-of-age indie teen drama or something. Not my favorite, but still a great track.

STAR RATING: ☆☆

Teeth - Teeth is the longest song of the album, and the fact that it is over 5 minutes long did not do it any justice as I personally don’t like longer songs. Short and sweet takes the cake for me. Although, the fact that it reminds me of a Teen Nick show kind of saved it for me.

STAR RATING: ☆☆

Cigarette Daydreams - The title initially reminded me of the angsty, drama-filled Wattpad books I used to read when I was 13. The message of the lyrics follows suit with the same ambiance, being about someone feeling lost in life and feeling like they have no one in their life even though they have loved ones who want to help. The vibe of the song itself does not match the low-spirited meaning behind it, as it includes happy “doo-dahs”. Anyway, I do appreciate a "sad" song that doesn't make you feel sad when you listen. Every now and then you just find a song that hits you somewhere you just weren't expecting and it's one of my favorite things.

STAR RATING: ☆☆☆☆

Overall, this whole album gave me 90s indie coming-of-age movie soundtrack vibes and I actually stepped out of my comfort zone by listening to it, as I mentioned before, do not regularly listen to entire albums, but I am truly grateful I took the time to listen to "Melophobia".

#cage the elephant #melophobia #album review #cigarette daydreams #come a little closer #wattpad #bob marley #reggae

[mensahjacq]

The “Hot Girl” Agenda

Written by: Jackie M.

In the months of May and June, as the hot weather increases, up-and-coming artists aspire to have their music be the new hot summer trend for young people. Every summer there is a “Song of the Summer” that you might hear at parties, on the radio or blasting from a car filled with teens or young adults excited for their summer activities. In recent years, the “Hot Girl” and “City Girl” trend has taken our female youth by storm. Artists such as Megan Thee Stallion, the City Girls, Cardi B, and in recent months, Sexyy Redd have trended due to their promiscuous lyrics and alleged “female-empowerment”.

However, the real question is: What kind of behavior is being empowered in these songs? Is this the kind of message we want to send to our young, impressionable female youth? 

Unsure what I’m talking about? Let’s take a look at this song by Sexyy Redd.

This song has made its way on popular social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, whose user population is largely comprised of teens and young adults. Let’s point out some key lyrics that are repeated throughout the song. *Cuss words censored for sensitivity purposes*.

“I'm lookin' for the hoes”

“Yeah, yeah, shake that a** ho (it ain't my fault) (where they at?)”

“I'm his favorite b****, you a lame ho (baow, baow)”

“I bounce that a**, make my knees touch them elbows”

Some might say there is nothing wrong with this type of music, and that there is no deeper agenda. Don’t get me wrong, the song is catchy and I do understand the hype behind it, as not many female artists rap about such bold and unrestrained topics. Some might even say that this music is empowering for women and is a movement within itself. However, I believe there are certainly ramifications to promoting these songs especially since they are specifically marketed to teens through these social media platforms. 

Another artist group that is credited for having a trending summer single is the City Girls. During the summer of 2018, the City Girls released their hit song “Act Up” which sparked a social media trend of young women dancing to the song and posting it.

Let’s take a look at the lyrics to this viral track. *Cuss words censored for sensitivity purposes*

“F*****' on a scammin' a**, rich a** n****”

“I bet your lil' sister wanna look like me”

“I bet your lil' brother wanna f*** on me”

“I let him taste the p*****, now he actin' all delirious”

Obviously, no parent wants their teenage child to listen to such provocative words and obviously, this type of music shouldn't be broadcasted to teenagers.

I want to include this Genius article that gets more into detail about the Act Up challenge and how it was influencing teens to participate in harmful behaviors.

I do believe that is a great thing that female artists are now able to express themselves and their sexuality in their music however I also think it's counterproductive as the younger audience that is listening to this music is being influenced and not in a good way.

#city girls #sexyy red #act up #Youtube