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rapuvdayear · 5 years

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2000: “Ghetto Qu’ran (Forgive Me)” 50 Cent (Trackmaster Ent./Columbia)

It’s been over a year since I teased the idea of doing a post about my favorite 50 Cent tracks, so I guess now is as good a time as ever to get around to it!

With the exception of maybe Kanye, I can’t think of another rapper with more raw talent whose career has been more disappointing. Obviously both Ye and Fiddy have been monstrously successful, but IMO they either burned brightly before descending into white supremacy apologia (Kanye) or never achieved their best possible trajectory (50). It’s not an accident to put them together in this way, either; just 12 years ago next month they faced off in what turned out to be a very underwhelming battle over whose album would sell better (this was back when album sales, not streaming numbers, still meant something). In many ways, it was a crossroads for each artist: Kanye dropped what I believe was his magnum opus, then followed it up with his fourth-best album, third-best album, and second-best album, before dropping off a cliff, while 50′s release basically removed him from the conversation about who was relevant in rap (“My Gun Go Off” and “I Get Money” are honorable mentions for the list below, but otherwise Curtis is entirely forgettable).

These days, 50 has gone the Ice Cube route and is probably more recognizable as an actor than as a rapper. So, it’s hard to remember that once upon a time he was the savior of gangsta rap and (co-)author of one of the 25 greatest albums of all time. He beat the odds to survive a shooting, link up with the two heaviest hitters (at the time) in the rap game, and even be included on some GOAT lists. He also essentially established the “flood the streets with mixtapes before your album drops” strategy of self-promotion that Gucci, Weezy, and even Drake would follow in the days before Soundcloud was the go-to resource for building a rep. He singlehandedly destroyed a rival’s career, launched a clothing line, video game, and music label, and made a halfway-decent biopic. And then... he just sort of petered out.

But! 50 is also responsible for some of my all-time favorite raps, which is why it’s so frustrating to me that he never lived up to the buzz surrounding him back in 2003. These are my five favorites, listed chronologically, with some commentary:

1) “Ghetto Qu’ran (Forgive Me)” (2000) Before the G-Unit days and before Eminem and Dre helped launch him to superstardom, Curtis Jackson was an up and coming rapper from Queens who had attracted the attention of another rap legend, Run-DMC’s Jam Master Jay. A mutual friend introduced 19 year-old 50 to Jay back in 1996, and the veteran producer/DJ gave him a crash course in how to write songs and signed him to his fledgling label. The business relationship didn’t work out, but it helped lead 50 to Columbia Records’ Trackmasters imprint where he recorded Power of the Dollar in 1999. However, this debut album would never see the light of day after 50 was shot nine times while sitting in a friend’s car and subsequently dropped by Columbia. In the wake of the shooting--and then later, after 50 blew the fuck up in 2003--it became a sort of “lost cult classic” among rap fans. “How To Rob” got the most attention at the time, a funny-yet-vicious song demonstrating 50′s hunger through fantasies about sticking up famous rappers and R&B stars (the song was also clearly an homage to Biggie’s unreleased “Dreams,” and provoked an oblique diss from Ghostface). But “Ghetto Qu’ran” has had a more lasting impact, primarily because of how it was rumored to be the source of 50′s shooting, Jam Master Jay’s murder, and the Ja Rule/Murder Inc. beef. While all of that intrigue is important to rap lore, it distracts from the fact that it’s a near perfect rap song from a technical perspective: a catchy hook, a fantastic beat and sample, an effortless flow, and a well-crafted story that is equal parts celebration of the Queens underworld and subtle shots at street legends. Seriously, this is akin to what traveling bards used to do in medieval Europe, what poets in Ancient Greece wrote, what west African griots did/do, and what narcocorrido artists do now. If you want to learn about the Supreme Team, Pappy Mason, the Corley Family, and the Rich Porter/Alpo crew in Harlem, then this is a good place to start; as 50 puts it, “consider this the first chapter of the ghetto’s Qu’ran.” The secondary title to this track--“Forgive Me”--has a double meaning now. It was initially a plea to forgive 50 for the pain he caused in his criminal life but in retrospect an appeal to the figures whose names he drops. Also, it’s interesting to listen to this first and then compare 50′s voice with the next four tracks: this was recorded before the shooting, which left a bullet fragment lodged in his tongue that affected his speech and gave him his now-distinctive flow.

2) “Heat” (2003) There are several standouts on Get Rich or Die Tryin’ (“Many Men,” “Back Down,” “What Up Gangsta,” “Patiently Waiting,” and “Poor Lil’ Rich” spring to mind, and I will always love “21 Questions” for the “I love you like a fat kid loves cake” line alone) but this one has always been my fave. It’s a perfect distillation of the image that 50 was trying to project when he burst onto the scene: a hood-hardened gangster who wouldn’t hesitate to do his enemies harm. And given his recent history, you could believe him, too! There’s really nothing about this song that should be praised in any way, but I’ve been thinking about the gravity of the following line a lot in the past month or so: “The summertime is a killing season/ It’s hot out this bitch, that’s a good enough reason.” Also, 50′s boast “the DA can play this motherfucking tape in court” *has* to be one of the inspirations behind this great Key & Peele sketch, right?

3) “A Baltimore Love Thing” (2005) The Massacre was incredibly disappointing on the whole. I can remember clearly sitting around with my friends in a dorm room at the Shoreland listening to it all the way through the day that it dropped, wanting to love it but slowly realizing that it wasn’t going to live up to our expectations. “Ski Mask Way” could be an honorable mention on this list, and “Piggy Bank” is kind of funny, but otherwise it’s a steaming pile of shit. “Baltimore Love Thing,” though, is a masterpiece. It’s incredibly dark, rapped from the perspective of heroin itself (sort of like what Nas’s “I Gave You Power” does for guns) in order to detail the destruction that addiction--and, by extension, drug trafficking--leaves in its wake. Even more fucked up, 50-as-heroin voices an abusive partner addressing a woman, threatening her should she ever try to leave him. For my money, “You broke my heart, you dirty bitch, I won’t forget what you did/ If you give birth, I’ll already be in love with your kids” is one of the coldest lines in the annals of rap, full stop. In the second verse, he switches to the flip side of an abuser’s mindset: “I never steer you wrong, if you hyper I make you calm/ I’ll be your incentive, your reason for you to move forward.” All in all, it’s a great concept song that shows off 50′s range as a rapper... and is a testament to what he could have been.

4) “Hustler’s Ambition” (2005) Goddamn, I fucking love everything about this song! The beat is fantastic (great sample, btw), prefiguring the sound on a future great mixtape from the G-Unit crew. 50′s flow here is flawless, arguably the best, smoothest he’s ever been. This was basically the “theme” for 2005′s Get Rich or Die Tryin’ film, and tells the story of his come up in the drug game (or, at least, 50′s version of his carefully constructed hagiography). The lyrics are the true gems here, so I’ll just let a few of the standouts speak for themselves:

“Check my logic: fiends don’t like seeds in they weed, shit/ Send me them seeds, I’ll grow ‘em what they need”

“I sell anything, I’m a hustler, I know how to grind/ Step on grapes, put it in water, and tell you it’s wine”

“I made plans to make it, a prisoner of the state/ Now I can invite your ass out to my estate”

“Pour Cristal in the blender, make a protein shake”

and finally

“The feds watch me, icy, they can’t stop me/ Racists pointing at me, ‘Look at *****race’: Hello!”

5) “Ghetto Like A Motherfucker” (2011) I remember first encountering this track on a Tumblr compilation (I think?) called Don’t Fuck This Up, Curtis! and allowing myself to get excited that the old 50 was back! As the compilation’s name implies, around that time 50 had been releasing a string of online-only singles that were better than anything he’d put out in five or so years, and so there was some hope that he’d soon be making a triumphant return to the rap game. Sadly, this was not to be. But I still bang this track every month or so. The idea here was that 50 had written something, set it to a very sparse, stripped-down beat, and posted it online as an invitation for DIY rap producers to play with it and layer their own compositions on top of it. In that sense, it represented a melange of rap’s earliest roots--dudes spitting over vinyl cuts in basements and parks, just fucking around and having fun--and the possibilities afforded by the digital age and rap’s embrace of online platforms for mixing and remixing material (on a side note, I like to think of this as part of 21st century rap’s “punk rock” aesthetic, and would argue that this genre has done it better than any other). As with “Hustler’s Ambition,” “Baltimore Love Thing,” and “Ghetto Qu’ran,” this track gives 50 a chance to really showcase his talents as a writer and a rapper. The lyrics are as grimy as the beat, painting a picture of urban poverty and pre-fame 50, and 50 switches up his flow at multiple points throughout. Here are some of my favorite lines:

“Slim chance I’ma go back to killing roaches/ Be quiet, you can hear the rats in the wall/ Make you wanna pump crack ‘til you stack racks”

“Dice game, shake ‘em up, praying’ for a 6/ The wolves out there hungry, they lookin’ for a lick”

“****** pissed on the staircase, in the elevator/ Now I’m pissed cuz I’m starting to smell like piss, player”

and

“All a ***** need is a block and a connect/ And a box of 9 MMs to load in the TEC.”

50′s last two studio albums--Before I Self Destruct and Animal Ambition--honestly weren’t half-bad; I would venture so far as to say that they were both better than The Massacre and Curtis. But for 50 it was too little, too late, really. Too many rappers had come along since then doing what he did, only better and fresher. This is a Migos world now; we’re just living in it. And so, I’m left to ponder what could have been.

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larasatirachel · 3 years

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Unlocked on December 2020

This post created by author’s willingness to challenge herself by doing something productive during a pandemic. As it happened, an Indonesian news and media Instagram account, Folkative, shared a challenge for their followers to write any slightly activity to get out from their comfort zone, everyday on December 2020 in Folkative’s comment sections. Sounds like what she wanted to do all year. But instead, she just start to continuing her neglected blog.

And here she is.

Tulisan ini dibuat dengan keinginan penulis untuk menantang dirinya sendiri melakukan sesuatu yang dapat menghasilkan pada masa pandemi. Kebetulan, akun Instagram Folkative, membagikan sebuah tantangan kepada pengikutnya untuk menulis setiap hari dibulan Desember 2020 dalam kolom komentar Folkative, mengenai aktivitas sekecil apapun yang membuat mereka keluar dari zona nyamannya. Kedengarannya seperti suatu hal yang ingin penulis lakukan sepanjang tahun. Tapi, daripada melakukannya di sebuah kolom komentar, dia memenuhi tantangan itu dengan melanjutkan blog-nya yang terbengkalai.

Dan disinilah dia sekarang.

(udh kayak nulis abstrak)

1 Desember 2020

Try to being creative by creating a blog. And that’s not even for me. Haven’t post anything yet, but I’m gonna.

Have done a Proofreader Subtitle online training.

Joining this December 2020 Challenge by an Instagram account, Folkative. So, hello Tumblr. You’ll see me here more often now.

2 Desember 2020

I made my very own first recipe! An healthy scrambled egg with Chinese cabagge, atau kalau diartikan ke Bahasa Indonesia adalah telur orak arik dengan sawi putih. Berawal dari niat mengurangi kemalasan dan keborosan untuk Go-Food terus, akhirnya keberanian untuk mencoba itu muncul. Most simplest ingredients using just 1 sheet of Chinese cabbage, 1 egg, 1 garlic, 1 shallot, 2 pinches of salt and 1 mug of water. So what did I do was boil the sliced Chinese cabbage with hot water until it’s shriveled and the water shrink. Watch out if the water starts to dry. Put in thin sliced garlic, wait a moment then put in the thin sliced shallot as well. Boil them out until it smells good and there’s only a small amount of water left. Also the water looks different too, like a broth. Then, crack the egg and start scrambling and stirring them up, using light and medium fire. Take a good look at the egg, if you see it looks good enough then put 2 pinches of salt, stir them up again. Then eat it! With rice! Biar kenyang.

I bought my love love KFC Cream Soup for my grandpa. He liked it. But I’m here praying that the KFC crews put less salt in my grandpa’s cream soup.

I stood up for myself, to not be okay for being used by others. Even if its your family. Soon, I believe I’m getting better at knowing which acts is got me just for being used and which acts is really need my help.

3 Desember 2020

I barely productive or achieve something new on this day. The only things I did was achieve a small emblem pack on mobile legend for destroyed 5 enemy turrets in one day. THAT AINT SOMETHING! y on earth do I write this as an achievement? And this is not even something new! (well, of course because you got nothing to write in the first place, Ras. duh.)

I also found out that most listened Indonesian artist 2020, Pamungkas, was a really cute guy. No, not by looks, I’m sorry. But in his Instagram account, he shared the journal he wrote and I love the way he thinks, the way he sees life, his goals, and I love the most he writes. He literally share his day with all things happen in words. A guy who write a journal --or should I say a diary?. Well, I find it really cute. I’ll try to listen to his songs later.

At ten to eleven p.m I still hope something good and new and surprising would happen to me. But then, I just fell asleep.

4 Desember 2020

Earlier this morning, when I woke up, I did actually have an intention to do some exercise like walking for an hour or two kilometers maybe. That is me, myself, my thought at 8 a.m, lying on the bed. Then 5 minutes later, the different me appears, still on the bed, but rather than thinking, she scroll Instagram all the hella whole time. But that iiss also me, that is myself. And again, this aint an achievement nor a new thing happen on December 2020. This just another failed goal. Actually I was about to walk around neighborhood to get some dinner, but my family held me down to order a delivery instead. So, yep, still a failed one.

Oh! I did feel like I am healing from my trust issues. Am healing. A present continuous, yes. Still have it, but I dont really feel like not trusting anyone anymore. On process, but a progress.

Trying to listen to Pamungkas 1st album, Walk the Walk. Dude, dis really not my kind of music. It does calming, but like too calm, much far less beat than my kind of music. But I still listening to it by the time I’m writing this at 1 a.m on the next day. HEY! I AM TRYING NEW THING RIGHT NOW!! WOOHOO!!! FINALLY! A NEW ACHIEVEMENT!

For the first time in forever, I downloaded some mp3s music. Of course by request. My dad asked me to download some christmas songs to put in his flashdisk. So, thank you soundcloud and the users.

I’m so happy that I and my aunt agreed to pay together for dinner. I kinda pay too much, but that is great. That makes me feel great. And even when she said “sok banget uang masih segitu aja mau bayarin” IT DONT EVEN AFFECT ME LIKE AT ALL, HER WORDS DONT KILL MY GREAT VIBE, I AM FEEL SECURED. I dont know why, I dont know how, I sure am grateful.

For the record, my writing is getting longer everyday. Unlocked.

4 Desember 2020

I skipped this day. Of course it is not the first time. That "I'll do it later" thing is such a trap. I trapped on a procrastination, for 3 frickin days. But I must say I will write this later too cause its 11.46 on Dec 7th and I'm sleepy. Actually its kampung melayu. (VERY MUCH LAME UNFUNNY NO GOOD INSIDE JOKE, LARAS.)

5 Desember 2020

I skipped this day too, and I am skipping it again.

6 Desember 2020

Actually I also skipped this day but of course I remember this: I on this day I successfully unlocked a new recipe at the very first attempt. I made bakwan! With tepung bakwan siap jadi, a cup of tepung serbaguna, toge, wortel serut, kol, pepper, salt, water, ketumbar and maybe a little kunyit bubuk, I made a VERY REALLY GOOD vegetables tempura. I might think its just a beginner's luck because trust me its way too good.

7 Desember 2020

Ooookay, finally, the actual date, right on time. So, new thing is I filled an quizionare from prakerja with iming iming get 500k and found some potentially funny questions.

I'm too sleepy to remember! But still got it for scrolling instagram, so I'll do this tomorrow. Really.

11 Desember 2020

Yes, yes it’s been 4 days since I wrote this journal. Mobile legends does get me addicted. I have a goal to achieve Epic rank before January and it became an obsession. Rather than writing this. So, this afternoon I found out that I accepted as an Proofreader Subtitle in Tujju Media with Nabila’s recommendations. And now I’m having a video call with Theo and Pangeran Christian on Pange’s birthday.

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devouer · 7 years

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unusual asks: 1-100,,,,, All of them,,,,,

Spotify, SoundCloud, or Pandora?

spotify!!!

is your room messy or clean?

clean usually, although it’s weird right now with moving back home and getting rid of pretty much everything I owned before this year

what color are your eyes?

dark brown!

do you like your name? why?

i like elma ling but not elma very much just because of the flow + because my host family used it to differentiate me from my host sister emma so I associate it with warmth and familiarity + it’s cute and reflects my heritage?? idk I feel like it fits me well enough

what is your relationship status?

marrying @katsudaddy and adopting our dog cranberry and our cat sock and living in a cozy apartment together

no but rly im single but so involved in my friendships that like... honestly I put no difference in commitment between them and romantic relationships

describe your personality in 3 words or less

grateful, I think, more than anything! I hear things like sincere and mature pretty often too, but I think love and thankfulness define my perspective towards others more than anything

what color hair do you have?

dark brown

what kind of car do you drive? color?

I don’t drive

where do you shop?

a lot of MUJI and uniqlo ngl + a bit of zara/h&m + school apparel + thrifting

how would you describe your style?

minimalist but dreamy? kind of a mix of european and asian styles

favorite social media account

instagram probably! I use tumblr and snapchat quite a bit too

what size bed do you have?

I mean, I had a twin in france + at school, but here I have a full which makes me very sad it’s too big for one person so I’m trying to switch rooms/beds with my brother

any siblings?

my brother, who’s 13! I also have five host siblings even if they’re not my real family :’)

if you can live anywhere in the world where would it be? why?

honestly, considering the languages I know right now, I’d want to live on the west coast of france – there’s nowhere I feel more at home in terms of the people and lifestyle, and I love the way the light endures in the evening and the delicate beauty of patchwork cities and gardens... I’d love to live for some time in Russia, China, and Japan for language acquisition, though!

favorite snapchat filter?

I never use the filters omg but hm I love when @katsudaddy sends me bunny filter snaps she is cute

favorite makeup brand(s)

colourpop is the bomb! + nuxe, la roche posay, and the body shop are good for skin and beauty things that aren’t makeup

how many times a week do you shower?

probably around 5

favorite tv show?

YURI ON ICE

shoe size?

36 EU/6 U.S.

how tall are you?

5′2″!

sandals or sneakers?

sneakers!

do you go to the gym?

I work out regularly, but not at the gym bc it was too expensive in france >:( I’ll probably start going now that I’m back, though!

describe your dream date

picnic and museum or exploring tbh... or going to the sea at a quiet hour... anything rly what matters is the other person!!

how much money do you have in your wallet at the moment?

around $40 I think

what color socks are you wearing?

not wearing socks atm, but was wearing grey socks earlier!

how many pillows do you sleep with?

one usually

do you have a job? what do you do?

I’m camp counseling this summer!

how many friends do you have?

probably a good dozen, although I have around 4-5 really close friends!

whats the worst thing you have ever done?

clarify worst

whats your favorite candle scent?

LAVENDER I LOVE EVERYTHING LAVENDER it reminds me of home and early autumn in the loire and the fields of provence and my favorite honey :’)

3 favorite boy names

remi, alexeï, antonin

3 favorite girl names

irene, tereza, kiyoko

favorite actor?

the 12 year old in me is still hopelessly in love with orlando bloom

favorite actress?

katherine reber class of 2017

who is your celebrity crush?

nathan chen......................

favorite movie?

i rly love amélie!

do you read a lot? whats your favorite book?

i read a decent amount, but used to read all the time before hs! my favorite book is The Unbearable Lightness of Being by milan kundera!

money or brains?

um brains lmao I don’t like having many physical possessions

do you have a nickname? what is it?

elmy, elm tree, elmdog, soup dumpling, soup, xiao long bao, red bean, elma ling was a sort of nickname that became my normal name, french bitch

how many times have you been to the hospital?

none lmao

top 10 favorite songs

rachmaninoff piano concerto no. 2 (esp. the second movement!)

rach 3

rachmaninoff ave maria from “vespers” (can you tell that rachmaninoff is my total comfort music)

debussy arabesque no. 1

theme for a taiwanese woman in lime green by devendra banhart

immobile by cliché

you only live once by the strokes

chosen by blood orange

astor piazolla tangata

getting to know you by spazzkid

do you take any medications daily?

nope

what is your skin type? (oily, dry, etc)

normal-ish? i have acne which is annoying but it’s been getting a lot better since I’ve come back I’m convinced bretagne water was just really bad for my skin

what is your biggest fear?

losing my ability to learn with the ease needed to continually better my understanding of the world and others (lest the progress of time bypass my ability to view the flow) and thus have unsatisfiable ambition and love

how many kids do you want?

none rly

whats your go to hair style?

half-back, sometimes french braided

what type of house do you live in? (big, small, etc)

decent-sized family home, but I can’t wait to get out and live in an apartment I rly hate having space idk

who is your role model?

MY TEACHERS especially my physics and french teachers I rly adore them and could never express my gratitude for the dedication of their lives to my growth

what was the last compliment you received?

friends’ parents saying they believe I’ll do great things in the future and wishing me good luck at uni :’)

what was the last text you sent?

“OH MY GOD TOO FAR”

how old were you when you found out santa wasn’t real?

idk little me was caught between knowing better and remaining purposely ignorant out of a nostalgia for wonder in total unknowing of infancy so

what is your dream car?

i literally don’t ever want a car of my own

opinion on smoking?

very harmful, never something i’d try... like, I have a lot of friends/classmates who smoke and I’d never judge their characters from that, but idk I think it’s a rly bad habit

do you go to college?

yep, uchicago!

what is your dream job?

i’d love to be a journalist or writer with international involvement but idk really! I’m very flexible when considering my future!

would you rather live in rural areas or the suburbs?

RURAL AREA like anywhere but the suburbs tbh like a city would be ideal, but at least in a rural area, I could have a thoreau-esque retreat

do you take shampoo and conditioner bottles from hotels?

no i never use them

do you have freckles?

yes i have so many spots on my skin idk it just pigments very easily

do you smile for pictures?

i do now (even though i prefer candids by a long shot) but i would refuse to when i was very little maybe until i was like 6-7

how many pictures do you have on your phone?

7133

have you ever peed in the woods?

so many times lmao i hike i have no qualms

do you still watch cartoons?

.........does yuri on ice count

do you prefer chicken nuggets from Wendy’s or McDonalds?

idek the difference

Favorite dipping sauce?

curry sauce!!!

what do you wear to bed?

if it’s cold i bundle up in sweatpants + a patagonia, but if it’s decently warm, i just wear underwear

have you ever won a spelling bee?

what are your hobbies?

piano, painting, picking up new languages bc i’m a loser, organ, photography, hiking, teaching english from time to time + writing + editing

can you draw?

decently ehhh

do you play an instrument?

piano, violin, and organ!

what was the last concert you saw?

probably the marriage of figaro at the prague opera if that counts lmao..... i don’t go to non-classical concerts idk

tea or coffee?

tea usually, but I love a good espresso

Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts?

neither

do you want to get married?

@katsudaddy and I are already married

what is your crush’s first and last initial?

KIDDING lmao no i’m not really into anyone romantically right now

are you going to change your last name when you get married?

depends on what sounds nicest tbh... I don’t like the sonority of my last name much so...yeah probably

what color looks best on you?

deep red looks nice, but I prefer wearing neutrals + greens/blues

do you miss anyone right now?

my family (host fam)

do you sleep with your door open or closed?

closed, but i used to leave my balcony doors open sometimes in france

do you believe in ghosts?

what is your biggest pet peeve?

PHONES OUT DURING MEALS

last person you called`

my dad

favorite ice cream flavor?

hmm I had a honey-almond gelato near marseille that I rly liked!!

regular oreos or golden oreos?

i don’t even remember what they taste like

chocolate or rainbow sprinkles?

rainbow bc they’re gay

what shirt are you wearing?

white t-shirt with a loose denim dress on top

what is your phone background?

aljkdfsh fanart of yuuri kissing viktor on the head... very cute

are you outgoing or shy?

honestly i think the best way to describe me would be intense? like, i rly swing between extremes with this depending upon where I direct my energy, so like... idk I’m naturally quite private but come off as outgoing bc I put up that front in public events when I have to

do you like it when people play with your hair?

ppl don’t rly play with my hair but I like playing with others’!!

do you like your neighbors?

idk the neighbors in PA or even in France, but at school, I lived with my classmates and teachers, and I loved the majority!!!

do you wash your face? at night? in the morning?

both!!!!

have you ever been high?

nooooo

have you ever been drunk?

yes, but I stay pretty in control

last thing you ate?

strawberries!

favorite lyrics right now

idk I don’t really think I have any! the sonority of music has always been a lot more moving to me than the lyrics

summer or winter?

summer, but the dawn of spring is my favorite time of year

day or night?

the last hours of day in the northern summers where the sky will be light almost until midnight

dark, milk, or white chocolate?

DARK like 85%-95% is good

favorite month?

maybe march or april... it depends on the weather each year!

what is your zodiac sign

taurus but idk it’s Very inaccurate for me (like i constantly crave change and take initiative to throw myself into uncomfortable and new situations, and I eschew material possession... at least i’m rly loyal though?) tbh my chinese zodiac (dragon) is much closer to my personality

who was the last person you cried in front of?

dave, my physics teacher :( I was thanking him one last time for showing me a way of surviving, u know? like there’s so much love and passion in what he does and idk I always worry about losing spark and so it’s like... idk he reminds me that there is always life in love if that makes any sense

#goth-dyke

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mudkipthemusical-blog · 7 years

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Music of the Month: February 2017

February may be the shortest month of the year, but it still gave plenty of time to make some great discoveries this month (plus the Grammys made up for the 2 or 3 lost days as far as exposure to material goes). Looking back on my picks this time around, they’re kind of all over the place as far as styles go, and the moods go to extremes, but I’m a firm believer in “variety is the spice of life.” I’m also surprised by how I found all of these from different sources, be it the Grammys, Apple Music recommendations, live performances, or even here on Tumblr! For a month with only 28 days, I’m alarmed by how much great music I’ve been able to find, and that makes me all the more excited to recap it:

Album of the Month: A Sailor’s Guide to Earth by Sturgill Simpson

A Sailor’s Guide to Earth was definitely the wild card up for Album of the Year at the Grammys. Even though I knew it was going to come down between Beyoncé and Adele, I mainly wanted Sturgill to win for the sake of pulling off what to me would have been the ultimate upset. However, after actually checking it out, I found it truly fantastic and well-deserving of its nomination! First and foremost, the overall sound is phenomenal. I've seen Sturgill's style described as "alt-country," which is quite accurate if you ask me; Sturgill definitely has a rich tone and twang to his voice and there's a distinctively southern flavor to pretty much every aspect, but there were moments where the songs drifted into more funky or orchestral territory. If you're not a country fan, like me, you'll probably still appreciate it, and that's probably why it stood out to me the way it did. I found it to be a lot more sentimental and original than the archetypal sound you find in most popular country music nowadays. My personal standout tracks were coincidentally the first three: "Welcome to Earth (Pollywog)," "Breakers Roar," and "Keep It Between the Lines." Considering the overall concept of the album is a series of messages to Sturgill's son and wife, I found these to have the most lyrical impact; just hearing the first line "Hello my son / Welcome to Earth," hit me hard. That being said, it's still a solid album to the end, packing in plenty of different flavors and moods. Couple that with the gorgeous engineering, and it's clear that I stand by this as an award-quality record.

5 Great Songs from this Month:

"I Am" by The Lique

I reblogged the “Tiny Desk Concert” video to this song earlier this month, and it’s certainly stuck with me since. Everything about it just works and makes you feel good: the uplifting lyrics, the ease the rapper has performing them, the melodica break, etc. This is also one of those songs that I love re-listening to pick out the neat lyrical bits that pass by, but the refrain still sticks out to me every time. It works like a motivational mantra: "I am love/I am peace/I am joy/that can never be destroyed." Tell me that doesn’t make you smile!

"715 - CRΣΣKS" by Bon Iver

Bon Iver songs are notorious for being emotionally raw, and this is no exception. 22, A Million is certainly an unusual album for the average listener, but I found this to have just the perfect balance of Bon Iver’s classic essence with his new electronically-fueled style. It’s just him singing a capella through a vocoder, which is impactful in itself, but also reminds me of "Hide and Seek" by Imogen Heap: one of my favorite songs of all time. Both are pretty dark and show a lot of vulnerability, involve some deep and sophisticated lyrics, and have rich, rich harmonies that give everything else an extra punch. Expect to tear up, but expect brilliance.

"Little Fox Adventure (feat. Jenny)" by Tenkitsune

I’ve been following Tenkitsune on SoundCloud for months now, and I was delighted to see that he recently released a formal EP. I love Tenkitsune or making the happiest and cutest electronic music I’ve ever heard, and this is the cutest and happiest track he's put out to date in my mind. This song is like a ball of pure energy! While so much of that is rooted in the production, the vocal captures the essence perfectly, especially the line "Forget your worries / You'll float up to the sky." Whenever I hear that, though it sounds cheesy, I do exactly that. It's a perfect pick-me-up kind of tune.

"Dancing on My Own" by Callum Scott

Going back to the melancholy, this song is such a passionate, timeless piano ballad. It reminds me a lot of Sam Smith's work, especially with Callum Scott having the unique voice that he does. The lyrics are heartbreaking, but they tell quite an interesting story, and the way Callum delivers them with so much power takes you on a journey right along with him. I'm also a fan of the image of "I keep dancing on my own," referring to loneliness. It's a little easier to listen to than "715 - CRΣΣKS," but in that way, it's just as beautiful.

"If Your Dad Doesn't Have a Beard, You've Got Two Mums" by The Beards

This one, and frankly every song The Beards play, is just pure silliness. I discovered The Beards, a novelty band whose songs are all about beards, via a WheezyWaiter video on YouTube (WheezyWaiter being an avid beard-wearer and appreciator), and what followed that night was glorious. In a sense, this song could be seen as perpetuating toxic gender roles, but it’s too fun and ridiculous to be taken seriously. I can’t help but smile when I hear the vocalists harmonize over “two beardless moms,” and I highly reccomend you watch the video; if you’re like me, it will send you on a fantastically funny YouTube binge that may somehow change your life.

BONUS: “Haitian Fight Song” as performed by the Mirari Brass Quintet

This didn’t quite make my top 5, but I do have to give it special attention because I got to hear this live at my university, and in the moment, it blew me away. The Mirari Brass Quintet are a very versatile group, if you couldn’t tell from how it’s a chamber ensemble playing a Charles Mingus tune. What hooked me from the start was the "bass" solo coming from the euphonium, and I have never heard a euphonium play anything like that, ever. The layers fill in after that with the trombone playing insanely fast triplets (my trombone-player brain practically exploded at that moment), and everything turns into this fantastic chaos. I'm partial to this song additionally because I got to play it in my high school jazz band my senior year, and it brings back such great memories. As my blog title says, I am one heck of a band geek, and this was a direct appeal to my pathos that I couldn't help but share.

On that note, it’s been a great month, and March is shaping up to be as great if not better. Lorde just dropped a new single today, and Ed Sheeran’s new album is mere hours away. For now, I'm getting hyped for that and will probably refresh Apple Music rapidly once midnight rolls around, but I can't wait to see what else is ahead and talk about it once April rolls around!

.GIF summary:

via GIPHY

#music of the month #music #a sailor's guide to earth #sturgill simpson #SoundCloud #the beards #beards #brass #brass quintet #bon iver #npr music

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