#dave is a terrible rapper

[frogsinajar]

almost missed the big mans birthday

[legion1227]

Ranking All 111 Albums Listened to in 2023!

111. Yeat- AftërLyfe. 0.5/5

Yeat's third studio Trap album was an utter slog to get through. I hate how it sounds, many of the tracks blend together, and it's way too long. Yeat's appeal as an artist is mindboggling to me.

110. Lewis Capaldi- Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent. 1/5.

Capaldi's second album harbors nothing of note and fails to engage me vocally, lyrically, or instrumentally.

109. Mia Carucci- Deities of Stone. 1/5

I appreciate it's brevity, but Mia's voice is grating to my ears and the production fails to evoke strong emotions from me.

108. Slowthai- Ugly. 1.5/5.

British rapper Slowthai's third studio album has one song, "Never Again" that is perhaps the best song on the album, but the rest of the competition is unimpressive with subpar instrumentals and lyrics.

107. Post Malone- Austin. 1.5/5.

Post Malone's 5th studio cements the notion that I am not a fan of his voice or music. His voice wavers and teeters onto annoying at times and with filler/bad bars, "I'm calling her Shrek cause she got a donkey" This is not an album I rock with.

106. Conor Maynard- +11 Hours. 2/5.

Back in 2013, Conor Maynard dropped the song "R U Crazy" which I liked then but does not hold up for me today. The songs on this album are slightly better than "R U Crazy" but are not lyrically interesting.

105. Crystal Fighters- Light+. 2/5.

The electronic indie band Crystal Fighters dropped their latest album in November and delivered an, in my opinion, underwhelming experience. With mediocre beats and forgettable lyrics, I feel there was potential for something better that they just didn't reach here.

104. American Authors- Best Night of My Life. 2/5

Best known for their 2014 hit "Best Day of My Life" the album to sequel from their hit song is too sweet and poppy. It has a positive vibe which I respect, and appreciate its brevity, but each song meshes together to create a generic, disappointing experience.

103. Youngboy Never Broke Again- Decided 2. 2/5

Decided 2 starts off terribly but gets a little better as the project goes on. Its production and lyrics are both okay towards the middle and end portions. Youngboy could've definitely stood to trim some tracks from the album.

102. Jason Mraz- Mystical Magical Rhythmical Radical Ride. 2/5.

Instrumentally, every song on the album sounds and feels different which gives it a somewhat unique listen. On that level, they surpass his 2008 hit "I'm Yours." Unfortunately, he lacks compelling vocals or lyrics. An instrumental version of this album might be better.

101. Escape The Fate- Out of The Shadows. 2/5.

The lyrics of this rock band are forgettable or incredibly cringe. "irreversible" is possibly the worst song on the album. Instrumentals carry the project slightly higher than the others.

100. Front Bottoms- You Are Who You Hang Out With.

The reverse of Front Bottoms appears as the lyrics are fine, but the instrumentals are uninspired. Lead singer Brian Sella's voice is something I can't stand with his nasally vocals.

99. Bebe Rexha- Seasons. 2/5.

Bebe's album has a decent pace and I really do like her voice, but she provides nothing engaging from a lyrical or instrumental perspective, unfortunately. "Born Again" is the only song of the 12 tracks I feel is worth a listen.

98. Scouting For Girls- The Place We Used To Meet. 2/5.

The Pop band's 7th studio album is a trying endeavor that's a bit too corny or sweet for my liking. Which might be surprising since I genuinely like their 2007 hit, "She's So Lovely" which is sweetness incarnate as a love song. The messages in some of the songs in the album are clearly made for his kids or his significant other, but it's not for me so it's ranked low.

97. Depeche Mode- Momento Mori. 2/5.

The English electronic music band's latest album was simply not for me. Lead singer Dave Gahan's low croons in his songs do nothing for me, and the instrumentals are not too fascinating. "Ghosts Again" and "People Are Good " were two of my favorite songs from the album, but nothing else really resonated with me,

96. Chief Keef- Finally Rich (Complete Edition). 2/5.

The Complete Edition of Chief Keef's Finally Rich adds seven previously unreleased songs to celebrate the anniversary of the album's release from over ten years ago. Besides the classic track "I don't like" there are no other songs that I really enjoy. There are still sparks of fun in his rap songs and the instrumentals are bombastic and go hard, so there's some credit to give.

95. Kelly Clarkson- Chemistry. 2/5

There are moments on Kelly's newest album where goodness bleeds through. "My Mistake" is her best song, but it's still a chore to go through it. The album could benefit from better production and lyrics, but at least Kelly still has some super vocals.

94. Sam Smith- Gloria. 2/5.

Chocked with features, yet none are particulalry gripping, especially Jessie Reyez on "Gimmie." It started decent with its opening track "Love Me More" but sadly wavered from there with forgettable tracks to follow.

93. John Mayer- Sob Rock. 2.5/5

Released in 2021 and resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic,John Mayer's Sob Rock carries solely on vibes. The title track is the best one, but goes down from there as the rest meander from vocals or lyrics.

92. Ten Tonnes- Dancing, Alone. 2.5/5.

Indie Rock artist Ethan James Barnett, or Ten Tonnes has decent production in his sophomore album, with hints of special moments sprinkled across the songs. It's a fine project, but nothing comes close to the acoustic version of one of his older songs, "Born To Lose."

91. Niall Horan- The Show. 2.5/5.

Another fine project from one of the former members of One Direction. There are some instances where the songwriting and vocals are strong, like in "Science" or "You Could Start a Cult," but other songs do not have the privilege to be as remarkable, unfortunately.

90. Gucci Mane- Breath of Fresh Air. 2.5/5.

Gucci Mane's newest album was too long with underwhelming features. Luckily for Gucci Mane, he outshines his colleagues and impresses at points. If the production were done by someone else, he could make something even better, I feel.

89. Robin Schulz- Pink. 2.5/5.

EDM artist Robin Schulz's best song on Pink is "No Drama" which reminds me a little of an Avicii song. Every other song is mostly serviceable, but doesn't stick out too much.

88. Rae Sremmurd- Sremm 4 Life. 2.5/5

Hip Hop duo Swae Lee and Slim Jimini do well on a few fine songs like "Royal Flush" and "Flaunt It/Cheap." Other songs don't live up to the quality, but Lee and Jimini are pretty competent in this run.

87. Taylor Swift- 1989 (Taylor's Version) 2.5/5

Taylor Swift's rereleased album 1989, which dropped back in 2014, is the weaker of Taylor's rereleases that I listened to this year. Her 'From the Vault' songs surpass the original tracklist, but they only carry so far. The big hits, "Blank Space," "Bad Blood," and "Shake it Off" have never worked for me, while the majority of the rest fall short lyrically. But still, from the vault tracks like "Suburban Legends" are really good.

86. Drake- For All the Dogs. 2.5/5

Drake's latest album is too long and at times monotonous. One of the best songs, "First Person Shooter" is brought down by Drake after an excellent J Cole verse and a beat switch that brings down the vibe of the song. There are some solid lines sprinkled throughout by Drake, but it's still overwhelmingly mediocre. Although, 8am in Charlotte is another bop admittedly.

85. Maneskin- RUSH! 2.5/5

The band starts strong with its first three tracks and then loses steam so fast. Sonically, every track varies from sounding really well to completely ear-piercing. Instrumentally sound throughout, but the fall-off is such a shame. The first 3 songs are good enough to carry it as high as it is.

84. EST Gee- MAD. 2.5/5

EST Gee is lyrically coherent throughout with a decent flow, but the production fails Gee too often. 25 Min Freestyle is the weakest song of the bunch as it lacks energy, but every other song is mostly okay. "Undefeated" and "Kadas Song" work on lyrical, instrumental, and vocal levels.

83. Idina Menzel- Drama Queen. 3/5.

The voice actress of Elsa from Frozen is unsurprisingly a great singer. "Madison Hotel" is the best song the Disney princess VA has to offer on the album. Besides that, the rest of the songs fail to meet her on the same level. If the production or lyrics were as good as her voice, Drama Queen would rank even higher.

82. Michael Bolton- Spark of Light. 3/5

The musical veteran behind classics like "How am I supposed to live without you" released a decent album that sounds better when he doesn't dip into guttural vocals. "Running out of ways" is my favorite song from the album, but the other songs could stand to be better.

81. Rick Astley- Are We There Yet?- 3/5

The legend of the Rick Roll has nothing here on the same level of his original classic, but there are plenty of fine songs in this decently paced 12-track album. Maria Love is the most intriguing song from a concept level and production-wise. While every other song is okay, I recommend seeking out Maria Love if you had to listen to one song from here.

80. Portugal, The Man- Chris Black Changed My Life. 3/5

Dedicated to their longtime friend Chris Black who died in 2019, the rock band produced a decent time with okay vocals and instrumentals, but spotty features. Grim Generation and Champ are standout songs, while the rest aren't bad but could stand to be more impressive.

79. Plain White T's- Plain White T's. 3/5

The same band behind Hey There Delilah produced a few songs here with the same cheesy earnestness. It works for tracks like Would You Even and Fired Up, but not so much for the rest.

78. Logic- College Park. 3/5.

A step down from his previous album. Not bad at all, but Logic might not be my cup of tea like he used to be when I was a teenager. His production this time around is iffy, the skits are intriguing but are too heavy in abundance, and the features fail to impress. But Logic can still impress with his lyrical ability when he puts himself to it.

77. Macklemore- Ben. 3/5

Macklemore's lyrical ability to surpass Logic by just a tad is wild to me. When he is rapping and embraces hip-hop, Macklemore is better. Unfortunately, the plethora of pop songs on here are nowhere near as good and bring down the quality. Still, it's a decent listen.

76. Rolling Stones- Hackney Diamonds. 3/5.

For a first-ever album listen from the classic rock band, I sort of expected more from them. On par with some of their classics? Probably not, but the instrumentals are enough to drive the album to become a vibe as other facets of the songs fall a bit short.

75. Offset- Set It Off. 3/5

Offset's solo record is bloated with songs that could be removed to improve the quality. But the rapper himself is lyrically decent. Coupled with features from Travis Scott and Cardi Bi among others that do well and production varying from okay to good, Offset's latest outing is an okay time overall.

74. Rick Ross and Meek Mill- Too Good To Be True. 3/5.

The collab album between both Robert rappers is a bit lop-sided as Rick Ross does a more impressive job than Meek. While Ross impresses lyrically and even has funny lines, Meek doesn't raise to meet Ross at his standard, though he has some good verses throughout. With mixed features and production alike, the album is a missed opportunity to be better than it is.

73. Kevin Abstract- Blanket. 3/5.

One of the members of the former rap group BROCKHAMPTON launched out on his own and surprised me with an alternative rock album to the usual rap he's known for. Kevin's best songs come from the crushy, love songs that remind me of old Blink 182 at points.

72. Blink 182- One More Time. 3/5.

Speaking of Blink 182, the punk rock band still presents decent melodies and instrumentals all these years later. Lyrically and vocally, there are moments where the band will falter, but there are still songs to enjoy and latch onto which is a more than welcome surprise.

71. ZZ Ward- Dirty Shine. 3/5.

A soulful artist at heart, Pennsylvania native ZZ Ward presents strong vocals in an engaging style. She harbors a little hip-hop influence in the album which I love to see. (She makes a Lil Wayne reference in a track that pops me). The features were decent on this project, but also could've provided more. Luckily for ZZ, she performs well across the album.

70. Icona Pop- Club Romantech. 3/5.

Swedish synth-pop duo Icona Pop dropped an okay EDM album that could've been more bombastic. vocally and lyrically the tracks are uninteresting as the beats carry somewhat, but they could be better.

69. Meredith O'Connor- I am. 3/5

Upon request earlier this year, I listened to singer Meredith O'Connor and her 2015 album, "I Am." With production and lyrics being decent as they are, it's O'Connor's vocals that carry the quality of the album, bringing a vibe reminiscent to someone like Cascada, which is a positive in my eyes.

68. The Hives- The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons. 3/5.

Garage rock band The Hives should have songs that work so much better than they do. Bogus Operandi and Two kinds of Trouble are two fun and intriguing listens that the other songs fail to reach the same level as.

67. Avenged Sevenfold- Life Is But A Dream. 3/5.

The metal band tried something bold with their latest project. There's electronic songs sprinkled throughout that seem to grab influence from controversial artist Kanye West/Ye. Some of it sounds fine but it's not as good as some of Kanye's older works. The production is better for the rock songs than for the electronic tracks. Above all else, it's an interesting listen.

66. Big Time Rush- Another Life. 3/5.

A nice welcome back from a boy band group that disbanded long ago and whose show I used to watch on Nickelodeon in the 2010s. Vocally, all 4 members of the group are sound, but it's admittedly hard to tell who is singing at some times. It's classic boy band material through and through and it's hard to hate on that.

65. Rita Ora- You & I. 3/5.

Her material needs better work, but vocally she is sublime. "I don't wanna be your friend" works really well as a cute way for the singer to articulate her feelings. Some of the songs feel a big generic, but some are really earworm-like on a sonic level.

64. Daz Dillinger- So So Gangsta. 3/5.

As one-half of the rap duo Tha Dogg Pound, Daz Dillinger dropped a "so so" album circa 2006. Daz and the various features have some decent lines and the production is sound and feels right out of the 2000s, but the subject matter to which Dillinger raps about could stand to be more engaging.

63. Temple of Angel- Endless Pursuit. 3/5.

This indie band has some decent songs overall, but I think they need to work on their mixing. In some songs, the lead singers voices feel drowned out against the instrumentals. With a male and female lead singer taking turns across the 11-track run, I also find the female lead singer to be the stronger of the two. I definitely recommend the album as a listen, but especially tracks like Tangled in joy, Waving to the Wind, and Secret Place.

62. Killer Mike- Michael. 3/5.

The other half of Run The Jewels manages to have plenty of impactful bars, but also comes off as preachy at times and uninspired. Shout out to Andre 3000 and 2 Chainz though for having some of the best features on the album.

61. Foo Fighters- But Here We Are. 3/5.

The first two tracks set a nice standard. "Rescued" and "You" are some of the best songs Dave Grohl and the band have to offer. There's a small downward slope in quality after the first two songs, but it's still an okay album overall.

60. Dave Matthews Band- Walk Around the Moon.

The beginning and ending tracks are some of the best songs Dave Matthews and his band have to offer. The middle portion is a bit meandering, but his acoustic, low-key songs work pretty well for Dave Matthews.

59. Metallica- 72 Seasons. 3/5.

The iconic rock band started incredibly strong with its first three tracks, but sort of drifts off into mediocrity afterward. It's roaring instrumentals and guitar riffs are dope, but could and should be better from its lyrics and James Hetfield vocals.

58. Kesha- Gag Order. 3/5.

Kesha strayed from the party days of Die Young and Tik Tok long ago, but the dive into her own psyche on this project is fascinating. Vocally and instrumentally, it holds her back. But lyrically, it's compact with thought-provoking subject matter. Living In My Head has to be my favorite song of the thirteen on here.

57. Poppy- Zig. 3/5.

Known for surreal performance art videos on YouTube, Poppy's music is as intriguing as her artwork, blending dark elements into pop-techno vibes. The first two songs are heavy into EDM as the rest lean more into pop. I would've preferred more EDM fusion but Poppy still crafted something worthwhile.

56. Daniel Caesar- Never Enough. 3/5.

R&B artist Daniel Caesar dropped a decent projects days after his 28th birthday. Vocally he's pretty good. The same applies to his lyrics, but the instrumentals are not so noteworthy. Cool and Toronto 2014 are 2 of my favorite songs from him here.

55. Ellie Goulding- Higher Than Heaven. 3/5.

Goulding's pop sounds comes across as typical sometimes, but other times its incredibly pleasant with stand out moments. Her songs for love, "Cure For Love," "Love Goes On," and "How Love" are some favorites on the album among a few that aren't as memorable unfortunately.

54. Kim Petras- Feed The Beast. 3/5.

You may or may not be aware of Kim Petras from her feature on Sam Smith's big hit Unholy, but on Feed The Beast, Petras strives off on her own in her debut album. The first half of the album is stronger with more bangers in the dance-pop project. "Alone" has to be one of my favorite songs from the album, though to be fair, it's a bit of a cheat since it interpolates the beat and instrumentals from the superior "Better Off Alone" by Alice Deejay.

53. Nicki Minaj- Pink Friday 2. 3/5.

The long-awaited sequel to one of her best projects, it could stand to be better by cutting some of the songs, but it's still an okay listen. J Cole's guest feature was the best on the album as others were more or less impressive. As for Minaj herself, she sometimes delivers and sometimes hits just right in Pink Friday 2 with some fun pop jams.

52. Miley Cyrus- Endless Summer Vacation. 3/5

Vocally, Miley Cyrus is a champion. Lyrically, she flip-flops between engaging and meh. Her lead single, Flowers, is a certified bop, but other songs like "Jaded" and "You are" are two other dope tracks. Every other song is mostly acceptable, but the album would be better if it ended on "Wonder Woman" instead of another version of Flowers.

51. Lil Tjay- 222. 3/5.

On his third studio album, Lil Tjay dropped a finely paced album with decent lyricism. He even incorporates singing elements that were surprisingly nice to accompany solid production. It's chock-full of features that are hit or miss, but Polo G is definitely a standout amongst the sea of other rappers.

50. Dave East- Fortune Favors The Bold. 3/5.

The same rapper who portrayed Method Man in the Wu-Tang series delivered an adequate album that's way too bloated. At 24 songs, it's too much Dave East to endure, but there are still some verses and bars worth praise. With decent storytelling and solid production, Dave East's album could be better if a plethora of songs were cut.

49. Rupaul- Black Butta. 3.5/5.

As someone who does not follow or keep up on Rupaul much, I was pleasantly surprised to see how good this album was. The energetic dance elements are astonishingly well done here by the drag race icon.

48. TK Blockstar- Malicious Heart. 3.5/5.

I did a review for Cave Dweller Music on this upcoming artist, but to touch on her, TK Blockstar's 2019 release Malicious Heart is a really good debut album for her with some of the best aspects coming from the production and its features. Though one of my favorite tracks has to be Came a long Way.

47. Vic Mensa- Victor. 3.5/5

A bit long in the tooth, but Vic Mensa cultivated a rap album that impresses lyrically and vocally. While the features vary in quality, Mensa delivers quality verses in a run that could stand to have some songs cut.

46. Wiz Khalifa- Decisions. 3.5/5.

A song dedicated to Nipsey Hussle was a strong beginning. From there, he mostly tackles subject matters typical to him: Weed and Women. The tracks about girls are okay, but his weed jams are fun and elevate the album to be a decent, fun jam.

45. Troye Sivan- Something To Give Each Other. 3.5/5.

The theme of love goes strong throughout the album as its main subject, and it's done incredibly well. It's a cool instrumental, EDM album that has some admirable songs across the board.

44. Ben Folds- What Matters Most. 3.5/5.

Ben Folds crafts an engaging, emotionally charge experience with superb storytelling. With simplistic instrumentals and a soothing voice, Ben puts a unique spin on songs only he could craft like "Kristine From 7th Grade" and "Paddleboat Breakup."

43. Yellowcard- Childhood Eyes. 3.5/5

A short EP that makes the most of its runtime. The Pierce The Veil feature is a great surprise, Three Minutes More is the best of the bunch, and every other song is nice to listen to sonically.

42. Ab-Soul- HERBERT. 3.5/5.

At the tail-end of 2022, established rapper Ab-Soul dropped his fifth studio album titled after his birth name. One of the better rap albums to listen to this year with good beats and bars, but some iffy features.

41. Ava Max- Diamonds & Dancefloors. 3.5/5.

Ava has a stellar voice that the instrumentals compliment nicely here. Pacing, lyrics, there's plenty to like from this project with good tracks like Ghost or Hold Up (Wait a Minute).

40. Steel Panther- On The Prowl. 3.5/5.

The raunchy comedic rock band has funny shtick that manages to entertain for at least the first half of the project. It starts wearing thin in the second half with childish jokes or remarks, but it's pretty fun to listen to at points throughout. And it definitely helps that the instrumentals are sublime for the most part for the band.

39. Rod Wave- Nostalgia. 3.5/5.

Rod Wave shifts back and forth between rapping and singing, but its the singing that's stronger from him. At 18 songs, the tracks could've been shaved off after the tenth joint. 2018 and Call Your Friends are lowkey faves with sweet or interesting messages attached.

38. Melanie Martinez- Portals. 3.5/5.

Melanie Martinez is a gifted vocalist and lyricist. There's a story told throughout the project with peaks and valleys aplenty. Contortionist and Evil are standout tracks amongst some others.

37. Jorja Smith- Falling or Flying. 3.5/5

Jorja's emphasis on love is a wholesome, fascinating endeavor. Helped with decent production, but also could stand to have some songs be shaved off to help its length.

36. Paul Wall and Termanology- Start Finish Repeat. 3.5/5

A lowkey rap album where two great lyricists trade off bars and go back and forth is a superb listen. It's a chill vibe for people looking for something lowkey to listen to.

35. Danny Brown- Quaranta. 3.5/5.

Danny Brown's solo rap joint is a somber, retrospective listen. His unique voice works for the most part, and warrants listens from fans of him and hip hop alike.

34. Pierce The Veil- The Jaws of Life. 3.5/5.

There's a four-track run from the punk album that's wild and utterly sublime.

33. P!nk- Trustfall, 3.5./5.

P!nk's vocals and lyrics are really good, with her still being outstanding this far into her career.

32. PinkPantheress- Heaven Knows. 3.5/5.

The features sort of fumble the bag, but PinkPantheress is clearly better on her own and relishes in her solo project.

31. Burna Boy- I Told Them. 3.5/5.

An improvement on his last album, Love Damini, that's carried by chill vibes and a sampling of Birthday Sex by Jeremih that I have a soft spot for.

30. Gorillaz- Cracker island. 3.5/5.

The Gorillaz do EDM surprisingly well to me, I wasn't expecting it.

29. IDK- F65. 3.5/5.

The fusion of rap, jazz, and soul, is too damn good. Some of the songs are too short and should benefit from an extra verse, but IDK can sing and rap well, it's astounding.

28. Tiesto- Drive. 3.5/5.

More of the artists featured on this lowkey album do better than others and elevate the project to be really good.

27. Olivia Rodrigo- GUTS. 3.5/5.

I didn't like as much as her first album, which is on this list, but it has a lot to offer with lyrics and her range as a vocalist.

26. Alicia Keys- The Diary of Alicia Keys. 3.5./5.

As the 20th anniversary came and went, the initial release of Alicia keys 2003 classic is iconic.

25. Mitski- The Land is inhospitable and so are we. 3.5/5.

Mitski is an impressive vocalist but her song-writing ability is top notch as she records poetry for the listener to indulge in.

24. Lana Del Rey-  Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd. 3.5/5.

Lana's songwriting and lyrics are even more sublime as she crafts a stunning effort with some easy favorites like Paris, Texas.

23. Rebecca Black- Let Her Burn. 3.5/5.

Rebecca Black recovered really well from the fiasco that was her disastrous song Friday. Tinges of darkness spread throughout to my liking.

22. Jon Batiste- World Music Radio. 3.5/5.

Jon Batiste aligned himself with a talented assortment of features to craft songs that are super solid to listen to.

21. Janelle Monae- The Age Of Pleasure. 3.5/5.

Janelle Monae crafted instant bops like Champagne Shit, Phenomenal, and Lipstick Lover, which fans of her and R&B genre should listen to.

20. Kali Uchis- Red Moon in Venus. 3.5/5.

Her soothing voice and intriguing lyrics help propel her romantic songs as some of the best tracks in 2023.

19. Taylor Swift- Speak Now. (Taylor's Version.) 3.5/5.

The obvious superior album to release from Taylor's vault this year, as opposed to the other one she dropped. The original lineup and from the vault are better here than 1989 by miles.

18. Paramore- This is Why. 3.5/5.

My favorite band dropped an album not quite as good in my opinion as After Laughter, but still a reaaaaally good listen that's gotten better as I listen more and more. Lyrically, vocally, and instrumentally, This is Why is an awesome listen.

17. Weezer- SZNZ: Winter. 4/5.

As Weezer experimented with 4 albums in 2022, one for each season, its the Winter season that may be my favorite of the bunch.

16. Bishop Briggs- When Everything Went Dark. 4/5.

Possibly the best EP I got to listen to throughout the year that makes the most of its short length.

15. Olivia Rodrigo- Sour. 4/5.

Olivia's freshman album surpasses her latest album by just a little bit with better pop-punk elements at play.

14. Dove Cameron- Alchemical: Volume 1.

sonically intriguing, one of the better pop elements to come out with decent pacing.

13. Corey Taylor- CMF2. 4/5.

The lead singer of Slipknot does well on his own swimmingly, as it works well and almost makes me want to check out the other Slipknot songs.

12. Travis Scott- Utopia. 4/5.

The long-awaited Utopia was worth the wait as it has songs that have great production and features that kill across the board from Drake to Westside Gunn to Beyonce.

11. Voyager- Fearless in Love. 4/5.

Instrumentals are godly, its vocals are a triumph, and most of the tracks here are powerful bops.

10. Danny Brown and JPEGMAFIA- Scaring The Hoes. 4/5.

its not my favorite rap album I listened to this past year, but it is the most interesting by far. the production is all over the place, its loud, bold, it full of nerd samples and references to games and wrestling that I love, its awesome.

9. 38 Spesh and Conway The machine- Speshal Machinery. 4/5.

Some tracks feel like retreads of other Conway songs and albums, but there are still some great songs, samples, and features across the board.

8. Hozier- Unreal Unearth. 4/5.

Similar to Mitski, the lyrics are akin to poetry. It's a remarkable sensational achievement with highlights like Damage Gets Done.

7. Conway The Machine- Won't He Do It. 4/5.

Conway by himself surpasses the collab with 38 Spesh by just a little. Brooklyn Chop House is a masterpiece of a song where Fabulous and Benny The Butcher are sublime in it.

6. Talib Kweli- Quality. 4/5.

Released in 2002, Talib Kweli dropped a critically acclaimed album that supplies dope bars, off-the-charts production, and sublime features. if it was just a little bit shorter, it would rank a tad higher.

5. AFI- Sing The Sorrow. 4/5.

Another epic album from the 2000s, my favorite decade. The punk album floored me with nostalgia as it hits peak 2000s punk rock. Vocals, lyrics, and instrumentals are exactly what I want from a project like this.

4. Raekwon- Only Bult 4 Cuban Linx. 4/5

It's billed as a Raekwon album, but it's more of a Raekwon and Ghostface Killah collab featuring other Wu tang members. Released in 1995, the production and bars shared by members of the collective are at their best which shows why this album is among some of the best.

3. 2 Chainz and Lil Wayne- Welcome 2 Collegrove.

it's one of the most fun albums to come out this year. Chainz and Wayne go dumb for song after song as they go back and forth with memorable moments throughout.

2. Fall Out Boy- So Much (For) Stardust. 4/5.

Heaven, Iowa is the only song from the album that is weak as hell. Every other song is a strong addition. It's instrumentals, lyrics, it all is immaculate.

Czarface- CZARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. 4.5/5. Czarface is a hip hop duo involving Inspectah Deck and Inspectah Deck. They managed to make raps about nerd shit like Marvel cool and it makes me grin ear to ear. I love almost all the features, mama's basement and marvel at that are endearing highlights. few low points but no bad songs overall. Clearly, my favorite album listened to in 2023.

[debunkingtherightwing]

Ben Shapiro tackles the real issues facing Americans today....like "Woke Kindergarten"

And where does that leave you Ben? (Source; The Ben Shapiro Show on Daily Wire)

Ben Shapiro is one of those people that is deeply ridiculous and yet is very good at concealing how deeply ridiculous they are. Since we last covered him he has unhitched his wagon from Israel-Palestine and hitched it to immigration. He is also a terrible rapper now so that's great. Anyway, he has thoughts on woke kindergarten and the nature of reality so let’s get into it.

00:00, Ben Shapiro: "One of the beauties of life is the simple fact that no matter how stupid things get, reality always wins."

I mean, kind of. I feel like the Daily Wires success kind of runs counter to that given how many times I've shown on this blog that very little of their coverage is based in reality .

00:41, Ben Shapiro: "One of those dumb ideas that has obviously taken center stage as of late has been the dumb idea of woke, woke is a foolish idea."

Yeah, "wokeness" is something that these guys like to complain about. Dave Rubin also talks about it a lot. It's basically a right-wing outrage based catch all term for "ideas that I don't like". However I'll give Ben this, unlike most of these guys he actually tries to define what "woke" means. Too bad he is completely incorrect.

00:46, Ben Shapiro: "Now what exactly is wokeness? We've defined it before on the show. Wokeness is the basic idea that if there is any sort of disparity between group outcome in American life, that somehow that group disparity is due to discrimination and the only corrective is therefor reverse discrimination. Some form of discrimination that is going to equalize the outcomes of the various groups."

That's not even what "wokeness" means. The term woke essentially means that you are aware of social issues. Also, this makes absolutely no sense. Can Ben name an example of reverse discrimination? Is it that thing about less white people being in movies that Matt Walsh was whining about a while back? Who knows! Like a lot of what Ben talks about, this is super unclear and vague.

01:19, Ben Shapiro: "The reality is the vast majority of group gaps are either inborn or they are the result of culture and environment."

So, if that's the case I can't wait for Ben Shapiro to use his platform to advocate for a greater focus on education reform in disenfranchised communities or helping to improve job prospects for minorities.

Also, is he trying to say that minorities are naturally less intelligent than white people? Because I am trying to understand how saying that group gaps being "inborn" could lead to any other conclusion.

01:28, Ben Shapiro: "That does not mean that every result is the result of inborn differences. For example, differences in outcome intellectually very often are about educational differences or cultural differences as opposed to say, IQ."

Ah, good save. Again, I guess Ben Shapiro is for education reform now. How very non-conservative of him.

01:45, Ben Shapiro: "This sort of stuff happens throughout life and looking at the rationales for why things are different in terms of outcomes between groups is a good way of crafting good policy but we have basically thrown that all out in favor of stupidity and now we are going to educate our children in that stupidity."

Uh Ben...I hate to tell you buddy, but the left are the ones making all those good policies you are talking about and your team is actively fighting against those policies. Also, Ben would just call any of those good policies "woke" if he covered them on his show.

02:04, Ben Shapiro: "According to the San Francisco Chronicle, 'A Hayward elementary school struggling to boost low test scores and dismal student attendance is spending $250,000 in federal money for an organization called Woke Kindergarten to train teachers to confront white supremacy, disrupt racism and oppression and remove those barriers to learning. The Woke Kindergarten sessions train teachers on concepts and curriculum that’s available to use in classrooms with any of Glassbrook Elementary’s 474 students. The sessions are funded through a federal program meant to help the country’s lowest-performing schools boost student achievement.'"

Yeah, I looked into this organization and they seem like a total scam to me. The name "Woke Kindergarten" alone raises red flags, but the fact that the press was met with an automated email saying that the person who teaches the sessions was conveniently recovering from surgeries should say it all. If they aren't a scam, they are on the most extreme end of left-wing educational organizations and don't represent more reasonable left-wing educational policy.

Also, if you want to talk about political indoctrination in our schools, the Daily Wire owns PragerU which is currently pushing its PragerU Kids videos into public schools. If Ben were to argue against this honestly, he would have to be against PragerU Kids content in elementary schools as well. But he isn't because that hurts the grift.

02:35, Ben Shapiro: "And again, the basic theory behind this program is that if you just teach kids self-esteem they will magically become smarter and better performing. If you teach them about the radical injustices about the life they lead in the freest country in the history of the world, then magically they will perform better. Only one problem, it fails cause reality always wins."

Again, the views of this for-profit contractor that is probably a grift of some sort do not represent the left as a whole. I would personally think that we should put way less focus on outside contractors and way more focus on increasing teacher salaries as well as funding schools in disenfranchised areas. I'm sure most people on the left want that as well.

Also, while I don't think it should be the sole force driving the curriculum, yeah we should devote some time to teaching kids self-esteem. Mental health is important and teaching children the skills required to protect it is important as well.

02:54, Ben Shapiro: "According, again to the San Francisco Chronicle; 'Two years into the three year contract with Woke Kindergarten, a for profit company, student achievement at Glassbrook has now fallen prompting some teachers to question whether the money was well spent given the needs of students who are predominantly low income. Two-thirds of the students are English learners and more than 80% are Hispanic/Latino. English and math scores hit new lows last spring, with less than 4% of students proficient in math and just under 12% at grade level in English — a decline of about 4 percentage points in each category. Efforts to reach the organization were not successful."

Lets think about this critically for a minute. This is the only school I could find online that employed this company in the past, the website is super vague and doesn't really have any success stories or testimony, their founder Akiea Gross seems to have mostly done coaching stuff in the past and it seems like she hasn't actually fully implemented this program anywhere else, the fact that it seems like the school district was lied to about the success of the program, and the curriculum they created was ridiculously stereotypical and seemed to be only filtered through the bizarre conservative outrage version of the left.

I personally think Israel should be defunded but it shouldn't be taught in schools. This is mainly because kids in elementary school will not give a shit nor will ever give a shit about international politics and I don't expect them to.

I disagree with this program (if it is even a legitimate educational effort and not a grift) but I also disagree with the way Ben frames it in this episode. This thing feels more like a caricature of the left brought forward by guys like Ben instead of anything even close to actual left-wing politics. And there's way more evidence of a conservative effort to propagandize education than a left-wing one. They tried some educational method out, it failed and nobody will ever use it again. Problem solved, can we move on to actually important stuff now?

NOPE!

03:28, Ben Shapiro: "Now again, that is not a particular shock because again, woke kindergarten is a stupid idea. Teaching kids terrible ideas is likely to make them perform worse not better."

It's not that you are teaching kids "terrible ideas", it's that you are teaching kids ideas that are way too advanced for them to even grasp. Plenty of people are taught leftist ideas in universities and come out perfectly intelligent.

03:53, Ben Shapiro: "One of the most amazing things about the nonprofit world, and this is true virtually across the board, is that nonprofits are constantly exacerbating the problems they are supposed to fight so they can raise money to fight those problems. This happens all the time in nonprofit land."

OK, remember when I said that Ben Shapiro is a more serious commentator compared to other people in the griftosphere? I take it back because it seems like Ben forgot that Woke Kindergarten is a for profit company literally a minute after saying that it's a for profit company. This is not the kind of thing that a serious person who is interested in reporting the news truthfully does.

Also, can I get some evidence or data on that claim about nonprofits?

04:06, Ben Shapiro: "And when you talk about companies like Woke Kindergarten, if all of a sudden achievement rose based on you know, actual metrics of performance, the need for Woke Kindergarten would disappear."

This makes absolutely no bloody sense. I would argue that this whole fiasco in California has insured that absolutely nobody will ever hire Woke Kindergarten again. Since Woke Kindergarten is a for profit company, which Ben seems to either have forgotten about or is willfully ignoring, they are dependent on school districts hiring them to make changes to the curriculum. Since their curriculum has been proven to be a failure, nobody else is going to hire them.

If their program was extremely successful compared to other educational methods, the need for Woke Kindergarten would actually increase because that educational method would become well known as an example of what to do in schools. They would be in high demand amongst school boards across the country. This is the worst thing that could possibly happen to Woke Kindergarten and that's even assuming that they aren't some kind of grift.

04:16, Ben Shapiro: "One of the jobs of politically motivated people on the left is to exacerbate inequalities so as to claim inequity. That is the goal because if at any point those inequalities actually narrowed as a result of freedom and good incentive structures, then what would they do for a living?"

Ben, your team has been "exacerbating inequalities" enough for every political party under the sun. Also, freedom and good incentive structures don't combat inequality, policy does. And since Ben is against policy that helps combat inequality, he is as a result helping to exacerbate inequalities.

Anyway, Ben reads some of the curriculum that Woke Kindergarten was putting forward. Again, I think trying to teach first graders about international politics and foreign policy is an extremely stupid endeavor but I don't agree with Ben's bizarre assessment that this for-profit non-profit is using this curriculum to exacerbate equalities and as a result bolster their business by doing something that logically would destroy their business.

05:52, Ben Shapiro: "You have to understand that Woke Kindergarten is just the stupidest boiling down of what is in fact an extraordinary amount of educational theory. There is a theorist of education who is very often quoted in these terms named Paulo Freire. Paulo Freire was talked about by James Lindsey who we've had on the Sunday special before. He was a Brazilian educator who talked about what he called the Pedagogy of the Oppressed and the basic idea was that you were supposed to inculcate in students not knowledge or wisdom or even ways of solving problems, you were supposed to impose in students a revolutionary ideology. That was the entire goal."

That's a pretty stupid way of interpreting the Pedagogy of the Oppressed. For starters, the educational theory he posed wasn't called the Pedagogy of the Oppressed, that was the name of his book. The theory he discussed in his book was actually called Problem-posing education. The basic idea behind Problem-Posing education is that the current model of education primes students towards indoctrination at the hands of oppressive systems. Freire referred to traditional education as the banking model where teachers "deposit" information into students who as a result are predisposed towards ignorance and uncreative thinking.

Problem-Posing education on the other hand is more focused on engaging the student. Freire proposed that instead of "depositing" information into students, instructors should instead attempt to think and collaborate with their students in order to help students, particularly oppressed ones, gain greater critical development.

It's certainly an interesting thing to think about and is way more complex than the 2-D caricature version that Ben has presented to his audience.

06:57, Ben Shapiro: "Their goal is not to increase the math scores, their goal is not to increase the English scores. The goal of these educators is to exacerbate, again, inequities. It is to present America as a terrible place that must be overthrown. That is the generalized goal of the system."

Who is them? The founder of Woke Kindergarten? Again, assuming that she's not some grifter who took the school board for a ride, she's just one person. I have met many educators who lean left who keep it out of the classroom. More than can be said for PragerU Kids videos by the way.

She did say that America has no right to exist which I agree with to a point in of that no government necessarily has the right to exist. People have rights, governments do not. Again, what would the elite (or "them") stand from the overthrow of America? They'd lose all their power. Also, we still haven't acknowledged that Woke Kindergarten is a for-profit company. I'm just gonna assume that Ben doesn't realize that despite having said it on his show. That alone gets him a D- at best.

Ad pivot and then he plays that clip of her saying that Israel and America have no right to exist.

09:21, Ben Shapiro: "If she does not believe in America as a country and believes that anyone who is not originally on this continent needs to be thrown off the continent, what the Hell is she doing here?"

She didn't say that she thinks that anyone who is not originally on the continent needs to be thrown off the continent by the way.

This is something Ben does a lot. He makes up a version of his opponents argument that sounds unreasonable and then argues that version instead of what his opponent is actually saying.

09:33, Ben Shapiro: "The Pedagogy of the Oppressed is the way kids are being taught in public schools."

So, because one school hired an organization that taught something that is mildly similar to the ideas expressed in The Pedagogy of the Oppressed, every single public school in America is adopting the ideas of Freire in teaching. If you read that little breakdown I wrote about Freire's ideas, you would know that this argument makes zero sense.

Really, this is just Ben justifying America's poor education system to his audience using absolutely ridiculous arguments. "No, this isn't the fault of conservatives who are basically waging a war on education, it's the fault of too many schools adopting the ideas of Paulo Freire.

God, I feel so sorry for the teachers and principals who are going to have to deal with parents regurgitating Ben's bullshit.

10:21, Ben Shapiro: "Meanwhile reality is setting in at an enormous number of American institutions. So Dartmouth actually got rid of the SAT during COVID and now they've decided to put it back in."

Yeah, getting rid of the SAT had nothing to do with social justice and everything to do with the fact that there was a pandemic going on. The pandemic was causing people massive amounts of stress that would lead to them potentially submitting tests that aren't representative of their academic potential. On top of that, it is pretty hard to conduct SAT's remotely without running the risk of students cheating.

10:35, Ben Shapiro: "Why are they using the SAT again?"

Because we've more or less returned back to normal and pretty much all classes are in person again? The reason they gave was because of research showing that SAT's help to predict college performance.

10:37, Ben Shapiro: "Because originally, again these equity fools have been suggesting that because there are disparate outcomes with regard to the SAT. That for example, black students do less well on the SAT than say white students and white students do less well on the SATs by the way than Asian students but they don't mention that part. Whenever they say there are group disparities in SAT outcomes, they claim the test itself is racist."

That's kind of one of the criticisms of SATs. I say kind of because it's a complete backwards-ass misrepresentation of the actual criticism. The actual criticism is less about race and more about affluence. One of the concerns regarding SATs is that they can be very easily passed by wealthy people who have access to resources that less wealthy people don't have such as private coaches and tutors. Some highly intelligent people don't do well on SATs but do well with their grades and assignments.

Here's the thing, I am a Canadian university student. We do not have to take SATs here. The country has yet to fall into ruin.

12:08, Ben Shapiro: "They adopted it in 2020 not as a result of COVID but as a result of the quote-on-quote 'social justice' protests surrounding the death of George Floyd. Because a lifelong criminal and drug addict died and this rejiggered all of American life up to and including whether you have to take an SAT in order to get into Dartmouth."

That's a really funny way of saying "He was murdered by the police". Also, a lot of universities opted for standardized optional policies during COVID. Dartmouth even says it was because of COVID. It was because of COVID.

12:49, Ben Shapiro: "In fact the simple fact of the matter is an excellent way for people who are in bad neighborhoods to get ahead is testing. Testing is a pathway out. If you're a really smart kid and you were stuck in a crappy public school in a bad system and you didn't perform in that crappy public school and bad system because you were surrounded by bad influences but you score high on the SAT, that's a great way of overcoming that particular burden actually."

This is a deeply deeply stupid argument to make.

There are some people who are naturally more intelligent than others (although intelligence is kind of hard to define but for the sake of argument lets use memorization and processing speed as the characteristics that define "intelligence"), the knowledge required to pass SAT's isn't something that just naturally pops into the brains of people being tested because they are intelligent. They need the resources and if they are in, as Ben so eloquently put, a "crappy system" they most likely don't have easy access to those resources.

Also, all the data shows that kids from lower-income families score lower on SATs than kids from wealthy families so this argument is complete bunk. It ignores all the data in favor of a seven year old's idea of both intelligence and education. I'd be impressed in a nine year old walked up to me and made this argument but to see a guy who many regard as an "intellectual" making it is absolutely painful.

Ben does an ad pivot. Ben decides to talk about the police.

14:36, Ben Shapiro: "Eventually we are going to have to make a choice in this country between whether we actually want police officers to be able to do their job or whether we don't want police officers period. There is no third option where police officers are magical dispensers of justice who never make mistakes and everything looks pretty on camera. That's not the job of cops."

Increased scrutiny of the police so they don't murder minorities isn't asking them to be "magical dispensers of justice", it's holding their actions to account so that they don't abuse their power and murder minorities.

15:10, Ben Shapiro: "All the people on the left who watch a police officer tackle somebody and say 'Oh my gosh, that looks so rough' 'Oh my gosh, that looks so terrible' Are you the one policing for drugs? What is it that you do?"

It's not "tackling" that I'm pissed off about, it's unjust murder. For goodness sakes, it's fine to make an argument but at least base it in reality. For a guy who titled his episode "reality always wins", Ben is extremely detached from reality.

15:20, Ben Shapiro: "And the reason I ask that is not because cops don't do things wrong. There are certain times where cops absolutely do things wrong and when they violate the rules then obviously there should be punishment for that. But instead what you have typically is people who don't like the fact that the police have to do rough things to rough people to maintain the police."

If Ben thinks that there should be punishment for cops who do bad things, why does he routinely defend cops who do bad things? I am seriously questioning what Ben Shapiro views as crossing the line for a cop.

Ben reads a little bit of an article that Heather Mac Donald wrote over at the conservative magazine City Journal. The first policy that Ben talks about is the "How Many Stops Act" in New York City. At this point I am kind of fact checking Heather's article through Ben so lets cut through Ben's bullshit for the time being and look at the excerpts from Heathers article that he used;

"On January 30, the New York City Council passed the How Many Stops Act, over the veto of Mayor Eric Adams. The law requires New York police officers to fill out a form nearly every time they interact with a civilian. If, for example, an officer asks a potential bystander to a shooting if he had witnessed that shooting, the officer will have to complete a form listing the bystander’s race, sex, and age. Are there other potential witnesses in the area who urgently need to be contacted before they disperse? Too bad. Identity-based paperwork comes first. (If an officer waits to the end of his shift to finish filling out the forms, he will still likely need to have made some contemporaneous record of his encounters.)"

This is incorrect. The How Many Stops Act is mostly about something called "consent searches". Consent searches are essentially searches that a police officer asks a civilian on the street to consent to based on a "suspicion" of criminal activity. These are referred to as level two stops. Level one stops, for clarity, are the cops approaching someone on the street and asking them to present identification as well as pointed questions (ie: Where are you going?) due to the suspicion of criminal activity. The How Many Stops Act forces members of the NYPD to document level one and level two stops. This is to help combat racial profiling and it has absolutely nothing to do with witnesses to a shooting.

"The How Many Stops Act is innocuous, however, compared with California’s data-collection requirements for police officers. New reporting obligations under the Racial & Identity Profiling Act require California officers to fill out an eight-page form (up from four pages last year) with nearly 200 fields when they make what is known as a custodial stop (meaning the civilian is not free to walk away). The form, generated by the California Department of Justice, comes straight from race- and gender-studies classrooms. The officer first documents whether he, the officer, is a “cisgender man, cisgender woman, transgender man, transgender woman, or nonbinary person.” To avoid placing a retrogressive “gender” straitjacket on the state’s public servants, the form allows an officer to check both “Nonbinary person” and one of the other categories, such as “Cisgender woman.”.

Then the officer documents the civilian’s “perceived sexual orientation: LGB+ or Straight/Heterosexual” and the civilian’s “perceived gender: Cisgender man/boy, Cisgender woman/girl, Transgender man/boy, transgender woman/girl, or nonbinary person.” Here, too, the discerning officer is allowed to surmise that the person stopped is both a “Transgender man/boy” and a “Nonbinary person.”

The operative word is perceived sexual orientation. The officer doesn't have to stand there and ask the person they've stopped what their sexual orientation is. Here's the protocol list that I found on the LAPD's website. One thing that you will notice is that there is a lofty list of exceptions that cover the things that Ben and Heather are concerned about such as shootings. It also says that if you are dealing with somebody with a warrant on them, you don't need to fill out an AFDR (automated field data report). It's also not written, it's electronic and a lot of the things such as the officers name are auto generated upon the entry of the officers serial number. It can probably be done quite quickly if you are between stops and have nothing better to do.

The fact of the matter is that these kinds of things are necessary to combat racial profiling. Black people are disproportionately killed in traffic stops. Now back to Ben.

18:10, Ben Shapiro: "The predictable result of this is why the hell would you join up as a cop?"

It's a part of the job. I guess the conservative where you aren't supposed to complain about your job do not apply to cops.

18:23, Ben Shapiro: "They are scared to death of being on the street. Not because they are scared of the bad guys but because they are afraid that if they deal with the bad guys and there's a bystander with a camera and there are a bunch of morons watching NBC that the officer will spend the rest of his life in jail."

Again, the only way that would happen is if the officer in question did something extremely serious such as say murdering somebody. This really just feels like Ben justifying police brutality.

19:02, Ben Shapiro: "In July 2023 the New York Post reported the number of people interested in taking the NYPD exam is cratering, likely hitting a new low as the city struggles to fill positions left vacant by senior officers leaving in droves."

I'll give Ben this, a lot of senior police officers are leaving the force due to the increased measures in the wake of George Floyd. The police are recruiting more people compared to previous years however they're losing faster than they can hire. However many have argued that this leads to a net positive of hiring qualified candidates that are prepared to handle policing in a less aggressive and more community oriented way.

In my opinion, a more community focused form of policing and a focus on reducing police brutality incidents to a minute number would help fix the reputational problems the police are facing and as a result more people would be willing to apply. The unfortunate thing is that that takes time. Loosening regulation meant to protect minorities is not the answer as increased police brutality will only worsen the perception of the police and lead to even less recruits.

Ben does an ad pivot. He then plays a recruitment ad from the Detroit PD. The woman in the ad mentions that they have programs for people with outstanding warrants (such as traffic tickets) and exercise programs so that people can pass the exam. A lot of cops take desk jobs and some take lower level positions like parking enforcement so I'd imagine that a lot of people in that stream would be assigned to that sort of position.

More importantly, the Detroit PD isn't deeply desperate as recruitment actually went up last year. Anyway, Ben plays more stuff regarding police recruitment numbers going down and it's basically more of the same.

Ben's next segment is about how Joe Biden is currently poling low. While I am not the biggest Biden fan in the universe (although he is better than the alternative), I think there are a lot of factors that need to be considered when you think of Biden's poll numbers. It's a contentious election between two contentious people and a large amount of the public thinks that Biden stole the election from Trump. This is not a normal election and Trump is poling only slightly better than Biden (and only in certain states). The rest of the episode is just polling talk and it's relatively useless to cover.

Conclusion;

Well, Ben is a lot more annoying than I remember. I feel like him arguing about a for profit company as if it were a nonprofit speaks volumes about the way he argues. Ben Shapiro is still definitely the most sane of all of the Daily Wire grifters but that's certainly not saying much.

Cheers and I'll see you in the next one.

[grad604researchedduley]

Design Research GRAD604 - Position the Researcher and the Research First Draft

Positioning the Researcher (400-500 words)  

How I personally feel about the current state of Rap Culture and why the sense of empowerment is lost under the rest of the culture.  

Over my teenage years I have grown up with loud rap music pumping adrenaline into my bloodstream. Being told off because the bass can be felt across the whole house. Other people telling me that my taste in music is terrible. However, this only makes it more gratifying when I meet someone who enjoys it as much as I do.  

Rap music to me, pushes the boundaries of my mind and imagination. It tempts the edge of dangerous and defies my natural instincts to avoid rather than confront conflict. It is so uniquely attractive in the way it is appears rebellious and explicit but still authentic and articulate. When I listen to rap music it give me a sense of resilience and even evokes a certain ego that I don’t normally exhibit.

Despite all this, I have come to question rap music and its direction in recent years. I personally believe with the recent developments in social media, like Tik Tok and short fed content, rap music has taken a serious hit. In the past rap music has drawn in audiences because of how it defies typical pop culture. Artists used to build status through reputation, whether you could walk the talk, however the new direction of rap music has devolved where artists focus on creating quick and catchy music that can be overplayed millions of times. In my opinion it is losing its touch.

Positioning the Research (400-500 words)  

Fortunately for rap, there are artists who understand that making one hit song for TikTok is not a sound business model. And that this will not establish them a long lasting status in rap culture. Artists like Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole and Jay Z are a dying breed. Their inhuman (a better word? A word that talks to their skill? Their skillful ability?) ability to articulate themselves and their environment is outstanding. Over years of work these artists have established a position far above the competition with their deep exploration of the genre and its culture. Their genuine appreciation and understanding of this intricate craft has and will continue to empower and influence audiences.  

Throughout my own practice I have explored the relationship between auditory and visual language, how I can convey the messages and meanings behind rap songs in visual art. This has led me on a new and exciting journey which has developed my love for rap music. It is a constant challenge when considering the music and how to capture everything that a song or album represents in a single image. But it is this challenge that I thrive off(enjoy) and keeps me coming back to it.  

I think the best cover art I have done that embodies the topic of empowerment in rap music, is of Dave’s song “In the Fire”. Although the artists in this song are from the UK, it talks through the concept of being “tried in the fire”. This comes from the bible and refers to the concept of being tested through hardship before resolving oneself and finding glory. “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ”. In the song there are several rappers and multiple verses with each rapper talking about how they tried in the fire. In the cover art I made, I looked at how I could show this test through fire. The image is centred with a burning car which I feel not only speaks to that core concept but also draws in an idea/scene taken from films where you see a distraught, lonely and hopeless person staring at their burning car. This cover art places the viewer in that perspective. It feels likes your world is falling apart, it is the last straw, and the world as you know it has ended. The film reel that frames this photo, reinforces that idea and also includes the title for the album which this song is from. - ‘We’re all alone in this together’. Furthermore, we can see how this ties back into empowerment in rap music. Although everyone goes their individual struggles, we are all connected and can grow together.

[fmhiphop]

TV Writer, Stand-Up Comedian, And Star Of Netflix Animation Series 'Big Mouth,' Jak Knight, Dead At 28

Some terrible news has been released to the world! On July 14, Jak Knight died at the age of 28. He was a TV writer, stand-up comic, and actor. People obtained a report from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner stating that Knight was found bleeding from a gunshot wound on a dam in Los Angeles, California. As a result of the investigation, suicide has been determined as the cause of death. Upon learning of his passing, comedians, fans, and actors took to Twitter to express their sorrow and to remember him. "My heart goes out to his family, by blood and by comedy, and everyone who loved Jak," wrote "Big Mouth" co-creator Andrew Goldberg. "There were a lot of us, and we miss him already." Jak Knight was an incredible voice and spirit in comedy. We really lost an incredible light in our world. I sincerely hope you’re at peace now brother. — ju-c smollet (@freebrokefuture) July 19, 2022 Overview of Jak Knight's Career Often, individuals begin at the bottom and work their way up to reach their desired level of success in life. LieGuys was Jak's first acting role in 2014. He played an iPhone cameraman in the film. Besides performing live stand-ups, he opened for several well-known comedians, including Dave Chappelle and Eric Andre. Furthermore, he has appeared in several popular series, such as the animated Netflix sitcom Big Mouth, where he voiced the character DeVon and the television series Black-ish. Furthermore, in March 2022, he appeared in the Peacock comedy series Bust Down. He shared the lead role with Chris Redd, Sam Jay, and Langston Kerman.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Jak Knight (@jakknight123) Important Message During this challenging time, the FMHipHop family extends its condolences to the Knight family. Moreover, the importance of mental health cannot be overstated! The most upsetting thing is when a person is suffering so much that they contemplate committing suicide. Also, ensure that a person experiencing mental health issues is not made to feel guilty. In addition, if someone requires assistance, they should seek it as soon as possible before things worsen. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, don't hesitate to contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text "988" to the Crisis Text Line at 741741, or go to 988lifeline.org. Written by Nikiya Biggs RELATED STORIES: Rapper J $tash Commits Suicide After Shooting Woman In Front of Her Kids Read the full article

[iwbfinterviews]

Jake Brown Interview

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? Is there a particular reason you chose to write about music, singers, etc?

I didn’t actually, lol.  I’m a songwriter/producer first, I grew up playing and writing music but always wrote as a way to kind of get through school because I was terrible at math, sciences, tests, etc.  I think there’s alot of people in the music business who started out like that.  It kind of happened accidentally, I was working for a record label right out of college and started writing copy for their catalog titles, press releases, etc and it just expanded from there.   I met a literary agent through that who suggested I try to write a book, and we sold the Suge Knight memoir to Amber Books, who gave me my start.  Another big early foot in the door moment was when I had the opportunity to write books with Ann and Nancy Wilson & Heart in 2007 and in 2009 with Lemmy Kilmister and Motorhead.  Then the book nearly 10 years into my career that really kind of made me appreciate this career was the opportunity to work with legendary guitar player Joe Satriani on Strange Beautiful Music: A Musical Memoir.  I’d also started specializing in anthology-style books that feature LOTS of exclusive interviews in one book in chapter profiles so you could tell a bunch of people’s live stories at once, including the BEHIND THE BOARDS series, which began 10 years ago as a Rock & Roll producers’ series, the aforementioned In the Studio series with Heart, Motorhead, and others, and then finally about 10 years into living in Nashville I began working on the NASHVILLE SONGWRITER book series and most recently the BEHIND THE BOARDS: NASHVILLE book.  SO: the long answer to that question is, because I love telling the behind-the-scenes stories of both the hits and those who make them, be it songwriters or producers or drummers in the case of the BEYOND THE BEATS rock drummers series, or Hip Hop producers with the DOCTORS OF RHYTHM audiobook and upcoming physical version in 2021.  I’ve also been fortunate to write memoirs with some interesting characters like Kenny Aronoff, country rapper Big Smo and upcoming Freddy Powers The Spree of ’83 book which features Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson.  So it's been an interesting run.

How long does it take you to write a book?

I work on several at once usually, that’s kind of my process, half day on one, a day on another, but for BEHIND THE BOARDS: NASHVILLE, I spent 4 straight months day in and out writing this book exclusively as it was over 600 pages.  I was reading the audiobook for Blackstone as I was writing it too, which was the first time I’ve ever done that.  Usually the audiobook is read after the book is completed.  Then it’s about a month of editing before its handed into the publisher.  So this was a real push, but it was worth it because of the feedback I’m getting first from the producers I worked quite extensively in many cases with on their individual chapters, and collectively in the book being a first of its kind for country music fans where they can read about how their favorite hits by country’s biggest stars were made while listening along on Spotify, iTunes, Tidal, etc.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

Oh, I don’t know... I write every book thinking from the outset before I’ve even started putting words down to paper thinking about how that book will be marketed and promoted upon release.  There’s no point in writing something no one is going to read because when you get to the finish line you don’t have a gameplan on how to make readers aware of it.  Publishers, to be honest, can only do so much in that arena, every publisher’s publicist is usually like a social worker with 30 cases on their desk, so yours can only get so much attention.  So for instance, I always recommend to a writer to hire a great publicist and know that while that’s a considerable expense, it may be the best money you spend in getting the word out about your book because that publicist is working for YOU, not for 30 authors at once.  It's just a fact of the business that I think should get more light shed on it because you’re competing with that number I  mentioned above of 60,000+ books a YEAR coming out.  I also negotiate the right to press my own promo runs of 100 if needed because if not, you’ll wind up with a paltry 10 copies from the publisher, who for their own budgetary reasons, might not for instance be able to service all the physical review copies you’ll have to give away during the book’s promotion, whether to a disc jockey interviewing you on the air or the listener he or she is giving away a free copy to during that broadcast, as just one example.  If you don’t plan ahead for that, you’ll wind up paying that publisher $6 or $7 per promotional copy, which is something I’m SURE some of my own publishers would hate for me to pull the curtain back on, but its true.  Writers are paid LAST usually in the royalty chain, especially early on, but you move up in that order as you build a value into your name as a writer, which only comes with people hearing about you and your book.  So again, HIRE A PUBLICIST, HIRE A PUBLICIST, HIRE A PUBLICIST!  Your agent can be helpful too, but its typically up to you as an author to maintain your own social media presence and look for every available avenue to spread the word about your book so it has a chance to be read.  This is equally important for newer or more established writers, because there’s always a new generation of equally-as-talented new wordsmiths knocking on those publishers’ same doors... 

What do you like to do when you're not writing?

In a studio making music or writing books for the various publishers I work for, or recording audiobooks for Blackstone Audio, so it’s pretty time-consuming.  I did just sign a worldwide music publishing deal for my songwriting catalog with Streets Music and David Gresham Company.  So I’m lucky to stay busy, to be honest, you have to too make a living in the entertainment business.  I have a wife and a dog too, so I spend what time I have left with them. ☺ 

Your 50th book is coming out June 23rd, “Behind The Boards: Nashville”. Can you give us insight on what it will be about? 

First, I exhale deeply every time I get asked that because it's finally DONE!  I spent 2 years collecting extensive, first-hand – many for the first time in a book – interviews with 30 of country music’s biggest producers, and in some cases, that meant waiting for a break in their busy studio schedules to talk, in others it meant multiple conversations over a couple years as we wanted to make sure we had all their current hits as they kept banging them out, and in other cases, because of the sheer volume of their catalog – some of these guys have been in the business since the early 70s – it took that long to chronicle it all.  That’s just the interview process too, then I had to write it and I write everything in one shot vs. a chapter here and there.  Its to me like staying in character as an actor throughout an entire performance, and when you’re writing a book like this, you’re in a headspace that never lets you sleep because creative narrative is CONSTANTLY hitting you about specific hits, and there’s over 300 # 1s in this book.  Additionally, there’s an EXHAUSTIVE amount of research I do to source out certain critical quotes of praise, for instance, from way back in the 80s, 90s, early 00s, etc from magazines that aren’t even in print anymore, as well as supporting quotes from the actual superstars these producers work with in the studio, which also takes a great deal of time.  So after all of that prep, once you begin writing, there’s another 3-4 months before the manuscript comes to life as a finished product.

As a result of that, country music fans here are given arguably the MOST definitive to date book chronicling the stories behind the making of their favorite hits in the studio, again how those artists specifically and uniquely work at their craft – i.e. does George Strait sing each hit over 3 or 4 vocals or 25 or 30 takes, etc – as well as how specific # 1s within those individual catalogs of Greatest Hits were created in the studio.  Then from the other side of the boards, so to speak, you get the producer’s first-hand recollections of their own personal journeys from the time they could first crawl and walk and started discovering music to their teenage bands and first tape-recorder or 2-inch reel to reel or 4-track or laptop home recording sessions all the way up through their rise to become the biggest names in the business working in country music today.  

Collectively, BEHIND THE BOARDS: NASHVILLE features Dann Huff, James Stroud, Jim Ed Norman, Dave Cobb, Justin Neibank, Ross Copperman, Zach Crowell, Chris Destefano, Jesse Frasure, Norbert Putnam, Josh Osborne, Luke Laird, Clint Black, Frank Liddell, Shane McAnally, Jimmy Robbins, Josh Leo, Nathan Chapman, Paul Worley, Jeff Stevens, Jody Stevens, Bobby Braddock, Michael Knox, Don Cook, Frank Rogers, Joey Moi, Ray Baker, and Buddy Cannon, who did the Foreword, which was a TRUE honor.  Frankly, it was an honor to have every one of these legends speak to fans so candidly and openly about both their personal and professional lives in the music business.  Their stories are inspiring, ear-and-eye-opening, exciting, insightful, and hopefully educational for those kids growing up on their records now hoping to break into the same business.  So hopefully, there’s something for everyone who opens the book.

What were the methods you used to get ‘the’ interview with all the big names you’ve written about?

When you’ve been around this long, fortunately you can get in touch with just about anybody, whether they say yes or not to the interview is another story! (laughs)  But I’ve been pretty lucky, especially for instance with my NASHVILLE SONGWRITER book series, which has TWO volumes and 50 of the biggest songwriters in country music in the first two volumes, and a THIRD volume with another 30 legendary songwriters coming out at the end of 2021, and especially with BEHIND THE BOARDS: NASHVILLE, which has 30 of the most legendary record producers in country over the past 50 years, guys like Norbert Putnam, who ran Quad and produced Jimmy Buffet’s “Margaritaville,” Jim Ed Norman, who produced Hank Williams Jr’s Born to Boogie album, Ray Baker, who produced that whole 70s Honkytonk soundtrack including Moe Bandy, Whitey Shafer, and Merle Haggard and Freddy Powers among others.  Then you have the Millennial generation’s biggest names like Joey Moi, Dave Cobb, Dann Huff, Jesse Frasure, Ross Copperman, Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne, Ray Riddle, and on and on.  

What do you think makes a good story?

Well, for this book, the most common thread woven throughout many of the chapters/live stories of these producers were the long-term working relationships they’ve  maintained with many of country music’s biggest stars throughout their entire careers or the majority, for instance, Jeff Stevens and Luke Bryan, Byron Gallimore and Tim McGraw, Buddy Cannon and Kenny Chesney, Michael Knox and Tony Brown, Frank Rogers and Brad Paisley, Miranda Lambert and Frank Liddell, the list goes on and on as long as the Greatest Hits track listings do.  Equally as importantly for a book like this, is the fact it takes the reader quite literally inside the studio and pulls back the curtain on how their favorite country music stars record their biggest hits, and almost literally re-creates their recording from behind the boards by the producers interviewed.  Then on a totally separate front, from the academic side, its a 600-page book full of tips about how the recording process works from all sides, points of views, approaches, ages, and technologies, old and new, from analog to digital and the hybrid of both in the “in the box” generation of record making.  Hopefully, we’ve covered all sides of the process, that was the aim anyway so readers get a 3-D look, so to speak, at how the recording business really works.  

How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?

I sold my first book to my first publisher, Amber Books, in 2001 and Tony Rose gave me my start in the business and I wrote for them almost exclusively for the first 5 years and 10 books of my career from 2002 to 2007.  So having a stable and still exciting publisher willing to take chances on you and equally-as-importantly, the kinds of books you might approach them with, is KEY for any new writer because writers must remember EVERY time a publisher takes a chance on their book, they’re putting real money behind it before they ever see a dime back.  It's a big leap of faith, and carries with it alot of obligations for the author, where it doesn’t just end with handing the book in, but also helping promote it and building a brand for your name so it can become more and more reliable for both readers and new publishers, as any writer’s goal should be to eventually build a catalog where they write for as many publishers as possible throughout their career.  But be prepared to start out writing for one, or anyone for that matter, who you can verify has a good track record as a publisher, or if they’re new to the game, doesn’t just want to put out an e-book, which anyone can do without a publisher, and is willing to commit to a physical pressing, and promotion of that pressing.  I wouldn’t go looking for advances on your first or even necessarily second book out, but start asking for them as soon as possible as its an important piece of the income stream for any working author, as much as royalties are later on down the road.  An advance lets an author know a publisher first can afford to put money into their book, and values them, vs. Alot of these starter deals that promise big back-end but nothing up front.  You have to be able to afford to take that hit once or twice out of the gate, but its not a career model any writer should plan on if they want to make a living as a working author.  The other reason I mention all this is because being a working writer is not just about the creative side of the process, but the entrepreneurial one too, because you have to be a self-promoter, and not be shy to doing interviews or promotion on social media, etc, as you’re competing with a THOUSAND new titles a week minimum these days between all the digital e-books and print books out there. I think the statistic was to be something like 60,000 books published in 2018 alone, so that tells you the competition you’re up against to even get a book sold to a publisher, let alone compete on bookstore shelves for the reader dollar.

What’s your favorite under-appreciated novel?

Of my own books, I wouldn’t say any are underappreciated, I’m grateful for the fact that people still read my books after 20 years and 2 or 3 generations of teenagers (which are a primary part of my reading audience) still buy my stuff.  I try to give them consistently interesting reading subjects, either in the personalities I co-write with – like country rapper SMO, whose memoir My Life in a Jar: The Book of Smo, was released in 2019, or the Freddy Powers Spree of ’83 memoir, which is presently in film development and that I co-wrote a screenplay for with Catherine Powers last year, that was also something different, and say something like legendary R&B producer/artist Teddy Riley’s forthcoming memoir Remember the Times, which we’ve been working on for the past 6 years off and on and is looking like it might be heading to Teddy’s fans’ hands in the next year.  One key thing I tell new writers when asked for input into starting a career in the current climate for our business is be prepared to commit as much time to a book as the artist needs, its similar to an album – if the publisher wants it on a deadline, be prepare to deliver, but getting an artist to open up in depth about their life takes time, both to build trust and to physically take the time to do the interviews not only with them in principle but also with the huge list of supporting cast members between peers in the band and business and family members and friends, record executives, peers, etc that usually wind up on those lists.  It's a process you should NEVER RUSH yourself, only move at the rhythm of the people you work with and for, and you’ll wind up working alot longer in the business than those who are in a hurry.  

How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?

Haha, I actually have a folder called “Projects That Probably Won’t Happen” and its filled with all kinds of “famous” bands/musicians books that just never got off the ground for one reason or another, but they’re all under contractual deals where I can’t talk about them in case they want to put a book out in the future, and I hope they all do.  Sometimes you encounter someone who is thinking about writing a book but is really 10 years before they’re ready to, or they aren’t really committed yet past the concept, so you do some sample chapter interviews but it never gets past that starting line.  I’ve thankfully left on good terms with the majority of those names, but with 50 published books in my catalog, most of what I have committed my time to has thankfully made it to store shelves.  That’s important for any new writer to remember, because with every new book project you take on, you’re committing a year to two years of their life to that process from the start of interviews through the completion, handing it into the publisher, editing, etc.  Anyone in a rush usually isn’t going to get anywhere is what I’ve found, it takes time, even if your mind is moving a million miles a minute, and your ambition even faster, pace yourself and you’ll last a lot longer in the race I’ve found anyway (cheesy sports metaphor aside ☺).  

Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?

Haha, I’ve had some good and bad experiences there over the years.  I have NO problem with a consumer buying my book and then reviewing it one way or the other on say Amazon or Audible, etc, because that’s part of the business, but as far as book reviews from other writers, I just have to hope they like it and write fairly about it as it does matter impressionistically what readers then think of it as a potential product to buy and read themselves.  Sometimes, in walking the fine line I have to be between the technical and the creative in a series like this or Nashville Songwriter or say my In the Studio series, which has over 10 books in it alone, so you never know.  Its something I don’t pay alot of attention to as well because by the time a review comes out, the book has been out a couple months usually and we’re on the back-end of a promotional push, so if its a good review, it's a nice 4th quarter boost of coverage, and if it's not, then it's pretty buried vs. hurting the book’s launch on the front end.  I’m just being honest, sorry, but book reviews play a very MINIMAL role in most books’ launches if they’re properly promoted via author interviews, premier placements as we’ve done with American Songwriter, CMT, SoundsLikeNashville.com and others coming up, and for any newer writer, accept ahead of time that you’re GOING to get a bad review here or there, it's just part of the subjective review process, and doesn’t speak for your larger reading audience.  

Do you believe in writer’s block?

Not when you write for a living.  It's not a luxury I think any of the writers I know who work professionally writing books can afford, that’s why you have to follow the simple rule of A.B.W. (Always Be Writing) ☺.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Probably doing the same thing, writing is how I make a living, so it's will be with me until arthiritis set’s in, but I’ve got 2 screenplays in development and hope to have at had at least one of them produced into a film.  I’m not unrealistic to think that it will go to theatres, but I’d be happy to see a streaming service selection with my name on it as a screenwriter, there’s 3 or 4 of my books fortunately in that cycle right now so we’ll hope one or two of them make it that far.  Beyond that, I’m in the studio every week as I have been the past 20 years making music and will continue doing that, hopefully to a greater degree with these new publishing deals I’ve signed as I have over 200 released songs in my own catalog, none in Country lol, but I just try to keep putting out new creative product across multiple mediums at as prolific a pace as the muse allows without the quality of the end-product being compromised.  That’s the point at which I’d stop I guess, if the quality of the writing lessens to where people don’t want to read my stuff anymore.  Thankfully, I have built up a pretty loyal reading and retail-buying audience over the past 2 decades, and hope to keep putting out books that help music listeners understand how hard and still rewarding a business the record business is.  It's an amazing world to wake up working in every day, and I love helping musicians tell their stories on paper, so we’ll just have to see.  I hope to have hit 60 books by then, although my ultimate goal is another 50 over the next 10 years! (laughs)  Thanks again for your time and support of this latest project!    

[girlbossfrankshepard]

I still like looking back on how generally ambivalent Daveed seemed about his involvement with Hamilton. Like, when Lin first told him about the concept, Daveed basically said it was terrible but when along with it because they were friends and he trusted Lin's judgment. And then he felt all out of place in the world of musical theatre and being told by people who never listen to hip-hop and have no respect for the genre or culture that he's the most amazing rapper they've ever heard. Did the two of them ever even work on another project together after that? Maybe I'm wrong, but I really feel like they've grown apart.

[smokeybrandreviews]

Smokey brand Movie Reviews: Got Milk

I really hate musicals and plays and the like. Broadway is the worst. I was never a fan of Jersey Boys or Wicked or Les Miserables. I don’t care for the presentation of their plays or the ridiculously over-the-top music. I’m told that Hamilton is nowhere near as gaudy or abrasive as that more prominent fair. It skews closer to Sweeney Todd and The Book of Mormon than Phantom or Cats. God, how awful was Cats? There was a production filmed of the play early on. It was supposed to have a theatrical release but, instead, dropped on Disney+. Since it’s readily available, and I'm running out of new sh*t to watch, i figure why not give Hamilton a shot? Will it live up to the hype for me? Will it even come close to climbing my wall of prejudice against musicals? We’ll see.

The Good

I really like the diversity in this thing. Having so many colored faces, people who look like me, killing it on stage, was fun to see. I’m not a theater kid, i can’t stand it, but i absolutely know that sh*t is quite color deprived. Having Hamilton come through and murder everything so effortlessly while be so unapologetically black, was super dope.

Lin Manuel-Miranda as Alexander Hamilton was pretty good. Dude can’t sing like others on the cast but he has a flow that could give any Soundcloud rapper a proper run for their money. Dude ain’t Eminem or anything but, in regards to this role, he murders that sh*t.

Daveed Diggs is probably my favorite thing about this play. His Marquis de Lafayette was captivating and his Thomas Jefferson was just vicious. Dude has this energy that is rarely matched, which is a lot to say because the entire cast is definitely bringing their A game.

The Schuyler sisters, portrayed by Renee Elise Goldsberry and Jasmine Cephas Jones, were f*cking incredible. Each of their voices ere enchanting and the power behind their songs was enthralling. I was surprised by how well they executed, especially Goldsberry’s flow. Like, goddamn, ma got the shine!

The writing in this thing is mad clever. It takes a lot to make such dry subject matter, pop so fiercely. All of which was flavored with a hip-hop twist. I’m a sucker for lyricism and Hamilton actually has some of the best I've heard in a very long time. Plus, it does a miraculous job of making me actually give a sh*t about US history, even if it’s been neutered for mass consumption.

I must begrudgingly admit, the music in this thing is easily the best I've ever heard in a musical. I hate them so much but I've dated theater chicks and my family is super into these things, so I've seen my share. I almost always hate the music but Hamilton has an appeal that just kinds of worms it’s way into my psyche. It’s probably because I'm black and this sh*t is mad urban in a very real way. A lot of this stuff sounds like 90s R and B and 00s Rap. That’s, like, my sweet spot, musically. I mean, new wave and post punk, all day, but i grew up and came of age on that hip hop sound.

The camera work in this motherf*cker is amazing, i must say. For a production that takes place on one stage, one space, the way this thing is shot goes a long way to making it feel bigger than it really is. One of the things that i don’t care for about stage plays, is how small everything feels. They do little tricks to fool you into thinking there’s more depth with sh*t like dancing in the aisles or interacting with the audience or zip-lining in from a balcony, but it never frees you from the understanding that the production is wildly compact. The camera work and editing on this filmed play does exactly what live shows only attempt to pull off.

The Bad

This thing is very sing-songy. It's like one, big ass, rap. There is no properly spoken dialogue and that’s the sh*t which irks me about stage musicals. Tell me a f*cking story, bro, don’t sing it at me. It’s dope you own a rhyming dictionary but goddamn!

For all of the music and energy, the dance numbers are really subdued. I didn't expect Rent or Cats but at least something. This thing feels like way too much focus was put on the narrative and singing. I guess that works for the type of musical that it is but the sh*t has a mad boring visual component.

This sh*t is two and a half hours long and you feel every second of that sh*t, man. I don't know if this is considered a brisk run-time on stage but for film, it's a slog. Don't misunderstand, I don't mind a long movie as long as it's compelling. There is nothing compelling me with Hamilton.

It’s a play. Sure, it’s on film and has great camera work but it’s all on one stage. One set. One view. I wonder what this would look like if it was properly adapted to film but then i cringe because that would probably be terrible. It’ll definitely end up closer to what happened to the Phantom adaption rather than the Sweeney Todd flick.

The Verdict

I was pretty entertained. It didn’t quite conquer my hate mountain for musicals, but i didn’t dislike what i saw. It had clever production, a huge presence, and a lot of the music was pretty decent. Lin Manuel-Miranda does a fantastic job in the lead and as the driving creative force behind the whole production. Dude is a creative genius and i hope he gets to put his fingertips on more productions like this. Daveed Diggs is probably the strongest performer in this entire thing. He’s a little over the top at times, but fills his roles well. Overall, Hamilton is worth the time to experience but i don’t think it deserves all of the hype. This sh*t feels like a decent Broadway spectacle but it has benefited greatly from the atmosphere in which it was released. a massive, ensemble, production with a hip-hop edge, lousy with diversity, and lead by a person of color? That’s catnip for virtue signalers and there are a TON of those types all over the New York Upper crust. I’m not taking away from Miranda or the rest of the crew, I'm just curious how far this would have gone if it wasn’t so unapologetically black.

[deathbomb]

In 2014, Sean Jewel conducted a massive interview with a gathering of Deathbomb Arc artists and label head Brian Miller. In recent years, the article has been scrubbed from the site it was originally posted at. We have gathered all of the text content for it from archival sites and recreated it below. Only one image from it has currently been found, picturing (L-R) tik///tik, William Hutson, and Jonathan Snipes.

No Genre, No Authenticity, No Problem: An Interview With LA Label Deathbomb Arc by Sean Jewell

Interview conducted with Los Angeles DIY label Deathbomb Arc, on the birth of clipping., the meaning of experimental music, and the curses and blessings of liking everything:

I love Seattle, but after developing a nasty case of seasonal-affected malaise last month, I did what any miserable person would do: took some work in Los Angeles, California. I later realized that the dates I’d be there included the evening of the Grammys. I began to imagine a scenario in which an award would be given to artists who take chances with music rather than make popular music, and little Los Angeles label Deathbomb Arc came to mind. I did what any self-doubting writer would do: I requested an interview. Deathbomb Arc is the label that birthed Sub Pop signees clipping., a group whose music works as much to entertain as it does to muddle and expand genre. Their 2013 release midcity did the unlikely and combined two of my great loves: electroacoustic interference music and hiphop. I wanted to understand the genesis of their sound, so I talked to label boss Brian Miller and to my surprise in one evening he’d rounded up two-thirds of the members of clipping., Jonathan Snipes, and William Hutson (Daveed Diggs was away and unavailable), rapper I.E. (Margot Padilla), noise musician Tik//Tik (Stephen Cano) and label videographer and graphic designer Cristina Bercovitz for an all-pro interview session.

I did my best to avoid the Grammys in LA. I sped up Mullholland drive, tumbled down Topanga Canyon, and watched paddle boarders surf in the sunset at Malibu. I went to Watts, talked to the daughter of Harlem Renaissance player Leo Trammel about the Charles Mingus Youth Arts Center. We agreed Los Angeles’ legacy of great musicians (Eric Dolphy, Schoolboy Q, John Cage, Ice Cube, Tyrese Gibson, Barry White just to name a few) was shamefully not its most recognized feature. I watched a girl play guitar at Watts Towers, heard her father sing, and became aggravated at the police helicopters looming overhead. I relaxed in the sun. That evening I found my way to Mid City LA and met the Deathbomb Arc crew at the home of Jonathan Snipes. We sat around the kitchen table and talked. My malaise melted and was recast as a sense of belonging.

My first exposure to clipping. was through their mixtape for No Conclusion. The group took a leak of Kanye West’s Yeezus, and the idea from their Twitter followers that Kanye might have been listening to clipping. during its making, and put together a mixtape over their favorite parts of his leaked songs (there weren’t many) that included their favorite rap music from the year prior. The person who pointed me toward clipping. mentioned to me that this label had been releasing artists music on cassette like the medium never went out of style. clipping. released an untitled cassette on Deathbomb and very few sold until their album midcity drew attention with a free online download. Midcity was also later released on cassette. I asked Brian Miller about that.

“I feel pretty out of touch with the history of its hipness. I put out the first cassette on Deathbomb in ’04 and at that point I felt late to the game.” He and Jeff Witscher (aka Rene Hell) put out work on cassette as Foot Village. He reminded me that the cassette has always been the chosen medium of the noise music genre and that it just never went away in that small corner due to its relative cheapness to produce. Brian is soft spoken and obviously cares deeply about music. He’s seen to it that his younger musicians get albums put out on cassette so they can see and hold quality, visible copies of their work. He does it to show them he cares. The idea comes up that older cars accommodate the medium, as well as the fact that it can be produced in any length cheaply. “The thing I love about cassettes is that nobody is making the argument that they sound better,” Snipes jokes. “They sound awful, so the the appeal really is all fetish or novelty.” "I have no idea what many of the younger acts I work with think about me putting their music out on cassette," Brian Miller says. "For them it’s not novelty or fetish at all, they didn't grow up with them, and acts like Signor Benedick The Moor have been completely shocked when I describe releasing music on actual physical cassette” I.E. is sitting off to my left and confirms the notion when he asks if she had an opinion about the release of her work on a certain medium: “I didn't care what the hell it came out on!”

I.E. makes painfully earnest hiphop that stems from her growing up outside of LA (in Inland Empire, hence the name). I ask her how her recent show in Seattle was. “It was terrible.” I played at The Josephine, nobody came, I just kind of played for the two dudes that lived there and the other act.” Brian Miller reminisces on bringing clipping. and Foot Village to Seattle and being well attended, but recognizes the fortune of those in their scene in LA, a place with no apprehension about putting a band on a bill because of their style. It’s this kind of availability and openness at venues (the last decade) that has given way to such a youthful music movement in LA (think Burger Records, Innovative Leisure, Deathbomb Arc).

Snipes, who is also a film score producer (Room 237, the documentary that investigates the myths behind Kubrick’s The Shining, is his best work, which he brought along Bill Hutson for) confesses his love for CDs as a music medium and his worst show in Seattle. He’s hirsute and talkative, smart, and nice. He has a lot of thoughts about music. He recalls his worst show in Seattle with his "ravesploitation" group Captain Ahab (one part of the genesis of clipping.) “I played the Baltic Room, the people who booked the show were very kind, but we got unplugged pretty soon into our set because people who were there weren't there to watch a sweaty white dude rap about buttholes.” Laughter erupts at the table. “It gave me the perspective that my idea—which to me was the most important part of that group—was totally offensive to everyone else on the bill, rappers and DJs whose craft defined them. Since then I've been on a bill or two with acts who I regarded as offensive.” Captain Ahab was a group born out of post 9-11 nationalism and moroseness of a nation, “What Captain Ahab was doing was acceptable in the circles we traveled in because everyone had gotten so conservative and boring, but here was a group of young people with no genre, making art a safe space for dangerous ideas, defending that idea at a point in America where people were questioning the way they expressed themselves,” Miller says.

“The modus operandi of Deathbomb is punk as a way of being in the world, and not a type of music,” Hutson interjects. He’s undoubtedly the dissident in the group. He towers over me in height, and he’s ruggedly good looking. There are things going on behind his piercing eyes. He doesn’t speak much, but when he does it’s profound. I’d heard of his work, but he surprised me with his in-depth knowledge of hiphop, noise, and punk. “If you listen to most punk now, it’s the most conservative, closed-minded shit you've ever heard. You can be punk now and not make punk music.”

His comment reminds me that I.E.’s work is a dead ringer for early-'80s LA punk. A self-proclaimed chola rave queen, she could be the child of Alice Bag, and her music recalls The Cholitas and X. “I do listen to that music, but I grew up on hiphop. I’m also big into Euro dance music and new wave.” The great thing about her album Most Importantly is that she reminds every hard-on about the absolutely horrid world women grow up in without a single sad face emoji. Instead she uses chip tunes, noise music, and hiphop to get her truly hilarious, truly feminist point of view through to you.

Besides I.E. and Brian Miller, everyone gathered is into theater or came from that background. Some went to UCLA, Daveed went to Brown, Christina is a well-known puppeteer in Los Angeles and has directed several videos for clipping. and other Deathbomb artists. “We studied very traditional American theater, what can you say about that? It makes you creative in a very production-driven way. It affects the way we all work together.”

“It’s also a style of art we’re all interested in, but realized soon into school that we really don’t ever want to make,” Snipes jokes. “We learned how to do all this by doing Captain Ahab (Snipes' earlier group). It took us a long time to learn how to brand things, how to package things,” Cristina adds.

Miller brings up the point that the improvisational ability members possess affects their love for their unorthodox performances and musical styles. That the training to recognize others' cues can direct you on stage—theater or musical—and take you somewhere further than just a recital of recorded work, can really bring the music to life. Snipes talks a bit about how theater relates to composing music: “What is the idea of this entire play, and does every decision you’re making support this one very simple idea. If it does not, you cut it, successful theater is based on this.” Hutson concludes, “The only other idea I would add is that what theater did for us, for Captain Ahab, and for clipping. is that we have no concern for authenticity. Lying is a performance; we lie a lot.”

“There is nothing explicitly sexist about speaking over rhythms.” William Hutson says, laughing. “You don’t have to say monstrous things about women as a rapper, they just generally do for some reason.”

I’d just brought up my theory that hiphop as a movement is incorrectly labeled as sexist. That people, rappers, as individuals can be called out for their actions or their speech, but the movement cannot. People don’t attack thespianism as a whole because the actor who plays Don Draper on Mad Men gives a sexist performance on TV, so what’s the difference with rap?

“Some people don't understand that. People do think that musicians go on stage and are the ultimate version of themselves,” Brian Miller adds.

People imprint themselves on music like no other art form. clipping.’s work especially has been regarded as more aggro than deserved (in my opinion) and Bill Hutson helps me understand why when I bring up the fact that I have feelings for abstract art (I feel as emotional at the lines of Judd and paint blotches of a Frankenthaler as I do at good music), yet I still understand the painters and sculptors of that period were not referencing me.

“But even abstract art was sold on the rugged individualism of Pollock as some cowboy. With the artist as the character and not the art,” Hutson interjects. “It’s all a bunch of bullshit to me,” he says, before shrinking back into his shoulders and staring into his wine.

Jonathan Snipes explains: “I always thought of my Captain Ahab lyrics as a sort of musical timbre. I responded to Miami Bass and Detroit Ghetto House music. I liked the drum machine sounds, the way they were programmed, the synths, and the words. The words in those songs just so happen to mostly be about women’s butts.” (Everyone at the table giggles. it makes sense, sort of.) “It wouldn’t be that type of music if we weren’t talking about women’s butts. The words you’re using can be a timbre choice. I think the same is true for clipping. I don’t feel like I’m allowed to say that, because I don’t write the words for clipping., but I would say that’s true of that band as well.”

He brings up a point I’d been dying to talk about. The lyrical choices on clipping.’s midcity are massive in terms of word placement. It’s clear that Daveed Diggs’ lyrics weren’t written into a cell phone that evening and recorded once, never to be edited. His story rhymes and raps are deliciously grotesque poetry about lost lovers, affection for the city, and blind loyalty to the street, that are as visually stimulating as they are precisely spit. I read that they'd been choosy about his phrasing. “Rappers don’t have editors," Hutson says, “except for Daveed, he’s been amazed that we have opinions, and will ask us which line or word is better, but that certainly is not how rap music gets written anywhere else.” The amazing thing about clipping.’s experimental hiphop is also the fact that Daveed seems to stand alone while rhyming, as the electro-acoustic interference and noise he raps over is not necessarily providing him with a rhythm, many times he is the rhythm, and the noise is the lead, but before I get to lost in my love for minimalism, the maximalist at the table speaks up.

tik///tik (Steven Cano) has been a noise-music fixture around Los Angeles for years. If there is a true noise music maker at the table it’s him. I’m surprised though, to learn that the vocals and vocal samples in his music are his own. Miller regards him as the most soulful musician of the group because of his earnestness, and I’m surprised at his personality in person. He's congenial, almost diminutive. He speaks quietly for having made such noisy music over the years. My favorite works of his Jewel Play, and Every Hex Is A Hearthache wrap his pop vocals in visqueen and duct tape and toss the kidnapped, dead idea of pop into a chilly slough. “I might push the volume, but there’s always something in the middle of that maelstrom of sounds going around in my music. There’ll be a horrible torch song right in the middle of my songs, and that’s what I’m worried about,” he says, quietly, almost unsure of himself.

If you hear his music you might be as shocked as me that he’s making pop tunes. His inspirations:

“I relate to Miami Freestyle, I used to steal my brothers N.W.A., I listened to LL Cool J, that’s kind of what attracted me to Captain Ahab (Snipes’ early group) originally because I like that Miami ‘booty’ sound.”

Brian says: “The first time he really struck me was on his tracks during ‘The Fruit Will Rot Vol. 3’; everyone else delivered really harsh noise for that compilation. Steven turned in these tracks that could have used vocal samples from pop acts from the '60s or something, but they weren’t, they’re actually Steven singing. I’ve never heard anything else like it." Then he sums up tik///tik in a single sentence, putting it in a way I'd never thought of: "How many people out there are like ‘Gee, I sure wish there was a group that bridged the gap between my harsh noise records and my soul collection?”

Steven's reply: “It’s part of the LA thing, though. I’m fine sitting between all these people. I’ve been on tour with them. Nothing is weird to me. To me I.E. has written the noisiest punk-rock track ever. Genre doesn’t exist.”

Speaking of LA acts going way back, and The Fruit Will Rot Vol.3 gives me the chance to ask Bill Hutson of what I’d heard was the genesis of clipping, his early work as a noise act called Beach Balls.

“It was a joke about all of the LA harsh noise acts at that time, people were ripping off one artist known as Pedestrian Deposit. Everyone’s music was coming out as blasts of harsh noise between ambient music cuts. I made the joke that I was going to do that in my band Beach Balls, but with harsh noise and rap a cappellas. It was just an attempt to re-format what everyone was doing by ripping off one guy. But instead of copying we’d switch out one of the genres for something I related to.”

The DNA of clipping. can be traced all the way back to that mixtape in which Bill uses a click track and a Ying Yang Twins sample to make a song called “Case Sensitivity” that takes the juvenile "whisper song" and turns it into an ominous hiphop adventure. Snipes recalls begging Hutson to form a band after seeing LA group Death Set play distorted radio-rap songs inbetween songs in their set. “I told him for years someone needed to do this as a band, combine noise and rap, and eventually I convinced him we should do it as a remix project. The first one we worked on was using an Insane Clown Posse a cappella.”

Hutson: “The reason I did all that, and I made all these songs that never came out, was because I was uncomfortable with the degree to which…it was a joke about taking these power electronic songs that are either explicitly or implicitly white-supremacist music, and I would beat match them with like Lil Wayne rapping over them. Because they were in the same tempo, and it was like, ‘these are two sounds I like and how do I deal with the fact that some of the music I like is really fucked up and I don’t agree with it’…” He goes on to rant about acts whose white-supremacist values seem to have been forgotten (or more likely not even researched) because their bands make for good buzz media.

Miller: “The idea was of negotiating between all the different types of music, and being able to touch base with them, but the culture at that time was not ok with us mixing those things. We mash things together so much that people don’t realize we love all these genres. You really have to listen to hear those things in there, the soul singing, Trina samples, J Mascis. We met because I once put out a very abstract tribute to Cash Money records, and I knew of Bill’s music, then wrote to him and found out we lived near each other. It was cool for us, but at the time it literally got me hate mail from people who thought we shouldn’t combine certain music and rap. Bill just happened to be into experimental music and hiphop like me.”

Hutson: “Very specifically, Cash Money records. When I was a kid I wanted to be a Cash Money Millionaire, and in 1998 I switched to wanting to be a No Limit Soldier,” he laughs.

As Brian points out, these things may sound like nothing weird at all now, but in ‘02 looked like a pretty defiant (read: punk) stance toward the standards of craven scenesters. Brian also previously put out a tribute compilation to No Limit records as well that asked bands to write songs around the idea of No Limit records. The DIY to stardom aspect of those labels are what inspired Deathbomb. Also the question of what it means to be a white person from suburban LA who loves southern gangster rap. The exploration, the experiment, was the point.

“Call it mysoginist, but those Southern labels supported more female acts at that time than any other label, I can name more female rappers from New Orleans than I can from any other city.” Earlier I mistakenly referred to Percy Miller (aka Master P, head of No Limit) as Patrick Miller, and Bill Hutson corrected me as soon as it came out of my mouth. I apologized. Dude is serious about his rap and hiphop.

What's the point of any music?

It would be taking advantage of the privilege of having so many experimental, electro-acoustic interference, musique concrète geeks in the same room to not ask: What is the point ? What is the point of music with little rhythm, few words, unrecognizable instruments? I look to the very intelligent members of this very noisy label for help.

“I might be the wrong person to answer that,” Steven Cano (aka tik///tik) says “when I’m making my music I feel like I’m Selena in the middle of everything. For me it’s another version of pop music, and that’s how I attack it. It doesn’t mean I don’t listen to other noise artists, but that’s how I know how to make music, that’s where it comes from”

“I love the sounds, personally. I find them exciting, and for me that’s all there needs to be is that the sounds are pleasing to my ears.” Jonathan Snipes says.

“What’s the point of any music?” Bill Hutson says, then crosses his legs and looks away and laughs.

But from I.E. comes something poignant as usual:

“The first time I heard these guys was over The Smell speakers and the hair stood up on my arms. I never knew what noise music was, but I kind of made it, and then when I was starting to become an artist I had the same feelings as these guys, like maybe everyone was a white supremacist or something, and being part of a group meant just getting together and collectively hating things. I tried to hang with punkers, because where I grew up hiphop was the music of gangsters, and though hiphop was my whole life, I didn’t want to be a gangster. Then I met these guys and they had this funky way of liking everything and playing it loud. I didn’t know what noise was but I saw tik///tik, and Beach Balls, and I just felt awesome. I felt so happy that there were people who didn’t discount anything or put things in a box”.

The conversation drifts and I let it. Most of these people haven't sat in the same room together in some time, and combined they have decades of experience making art. Clearly we have music in common, but just like I love to talk about Seattle, they love to talk about LA.

Hutson: “There’s also sort of an assumption—and you see this a lot when you play places that aren’t big cities or you interact with people who like noise but aren’t from big cities—there’s an idea that you’re making an extreme kind of music because you don’t like the music that the guys who picked on you in high school listened to. There’s an assumption that if you like noise that you dislike other things, like because you make this music you don’t like Mandy Moore, but the opposite is true in LA; you can do both.”

Snipes: “There’s so many weird nested little music scenes here that you’re not just part of the 'music scene' there’s a place for you here no matter what you do."

Brian Miller: “What’s been hard to find outside of LA is a scene of people who don’t play music that sounds the same, where the people are related by more abstract concepts and will share the same bill. There is a place for lots of acts who are not appropriate bar-rock acts.”

Hutson: “I’m interested in the character of underground LA music. For instance, what are you doing making music for a very small group of people in the city that produces mainstream culture for most of the world? You can’t be sanctimonious about it, either, because no one here is actually proud of LA. This is a city that when you leave and tell someone where you’re from they have no problem telling you how much they fuckin' hate it. Then they go home turn on their TV and look at my fuckin' city”.

Snipes: “I love LA for that reason. I’m scared of civic pride anyway. It’s like nationalism to me. I love a lot of cities, but I love Los Angeles because we don’t have that. Being from LA is neutral in a weird way, because we’re all at odds with our environment.”

Hutson: “Talking to Sub Pop and playing in Seattle at the Silver Jubilee I couldn’t believe how much un-ironic pride there was in something so simple as a little record label. The whole city stopped, you guys flew a Sub Pop flag from the Space Needle! I saw the mayor walking around the concert in a Sub Pop T-shirt. I just couldn't imagine that happening in LA. Could you imagine a street fair and our landmarks flying flags because we’re proud we made Transformers 3 this year? I love the sincere pride in a cultural product from the city. I told everyone that while I was there.”

This is the genesis of Deathbomb’s latest group project, True Neutral Crew, a trio consisting of Brian Miller, Daveed Diggs, and I.E. that seeks to make music from a truly neutral standpoint. Their original idea for their #Monsanto EP was an album written from Monsanto's point of view. Thankfully, being truly neutral, they made what came out—a smartly written, well-rhymed noise-rap record. But the very structure of the group is representative of their isolation, their lack of an option to have an opinion about. Their refusal to participate in a broken system.

We talked a bit about the "instruments" that Deathbomb artists use. Tik///Tik used a flower electronics brand synth called a little boy blue. The designer, Jessica Rylan, is well respected in the group (indeed, in noise-music circles in general), she did graduate work at Stanford, and she’s now at MIT, but has spent time on tour with Deathbomb happily repairing the gear they smashed, and playing music with them. Christina Bercovitz filmed clipping.'s videos with a Betamax camcorder, and a mini DV recorder after finding the Betamax camcorder in Jonathan's dad’s attic. Their ideas for a dirtier, noisier visual aesthetic are from talking to Hutson and Diggs about BET Uncut, a show that Daveed and Bill stayed up late watching in high school. All the videos from that era were prior to HDTV or any really clear video. I’m surprised to find, however that for all the noises one can find on their collective records, no one is really a gear head. I’m looking around the apartment and see only records and turntables. Jonathan does mention that since clipping. has become associated with Sub Pop they've had access to more resources than every before.

I ask Brian what the future holds, since clipping. is now signed to Sub Pop, and how he feels about them leaving Deathbomb Arc.

Miller: “I’m not afraid to stand up for what I want. I’ve known Jonathan long enough that I’m not embarrassed to ask for what I care about, but I’ve also been invested in his music for over a decade now, so I want to see amazing things happen for him. I have asked if they could do another album on Deathbomb Arc, as well.”

Snipes: “It’s in our contract, the contract is pretty exclusive, like any record contract, but initially it was that we would make music exclusively for Sub Pop, unless it was for a film, because they knew that Bill and I had done a film score together and I had done film scores on my own. And then we were like, we should be able to do a record for Brian, and they said okay. Sub Pop has given us absolutely everything we’ve asked for. I’ve yet to hear anyone say anything bad about them.”

Sub Pop actually found out about clipping. because Miller emailed someone in the label's IT department looking for a place to book a show. He shared midcity and it made such an impression that they got signed. I ask Snipes if he has a plan for the new music.

“Nah.” Everyone laughs uproariously.

“We probably can’t talk too much about it. It’s basically done. It exists, we love it, and if you turn that recorder off we’ll play you a track downstairs.”

I’ve never shut a recorder off faster in my life. I found my way downstairs into clipping.'s studio and started eying gear. I sat down at the back of the small narrow space while Jonathan and Bill decided what to play. In the end, I got to hear two tracks. “They’re too novel,” argued Bill. “They’re all novel,” laughed Jonathan. Jonathan Snipes, Cristina Bercovitz, Bill Hutson, Margot Padilla, Stephen Cano, Brian Miller

What I heard first might take me some time to process. It felt open, concise, like Jay Z's early work, but drugged and thugged, as if that same work had been produced by DJ Screw. The second track I heard absolutely blew my mind. The curatorial genius of Brian Miller, the film score experience of Jonathan Snipes, the distinct taste and unrelenting dedication to sound of William Hutson, and the writing and rapping abilities of Daveed Diggs came through like a rejuvenating force. What began as “harsh noise”—perhaps the harshest particular noise I can think of—becomes a gorgeous heavenly chord when matched with other harsh (very common) noises up the scale. Like I.E. said, the hair stood up on my arms, things were way out of the box, nothing (not even the noises we're ungrateful we hear) had been discounted, I felt like I belonged. Everyone in the room listened like they were investigating the music. I felt the electronic warmth of the wall of modular synths, MIDI controllers, drum machines and every kind of keyboard you can name. The noise drove through the room, mingled with the flesh, and even Bill and Jonathan enjoyed what they had made. When it was over I.E. looked me dead in the eye and offered to sell me weed, I laughed, because music is my shit, and talking to the folks at Deathbomb Arc already had me high as one can get.

For a good primer with what's going on over at Deathbomb Arc, pick up their new compilation called EVIL. Sales from it go to supporting anti-debt charity rolling jubilee and it features ridiculous spitters like Signor Benedick The Moor and VIPER VENOM, plus gorgeous noise from Sissy Cobb and Dreamcrusher.

[homespork-review]

Homespork Act 2: The Racism of the Conductor’s Baton (Part 2)

FAILURE ARTIST: We don’t get much time to mourn with Dave because the comic flashes to a weird wizard statue. This statue is ZAZZERPAN THE LEARNED. Wizards are another recurring theme in Homestuck. Andrew Hussie once artfully defaced this cheesy book called Wizardology (warning: lots of really offensive humor). Anyway, Rose hates the giant statue and the other wizard paraphernalia her mother collects and believes her mother does this only to spite her. On a platform is a bronzed vacuum (with a place to put alcoholic beverages) that Rose gave her as an ironic present. On the couch there’s a life-sized princess doll that Rose has attached a Cthulhu-type head to. All these things set up Rose’s troubled relationship with her mother. Rose believes her mother is taunting her and Rose taunts her back.

BRIGHT: This scene also establishes that some things (the Cthulhu doll for one) are too big to be captchalogued.

CHEL: Actually, that was noted with the harlequin doll earlier but we forgot to mention that.

FAILURE ARTIST: Rose goes to the kitchen. On the fridge is a crude picture of her late cat Jaspers, who turns out to be more than a family pet. There’s more signs of this cold war between mother and daughter on the fridge.

CHEL: Also, numerous liquor bottles in the kitchen and comically exaggerated displays of wealth, such as a fifteen-thousand-dollar picture frame.

FAILURE ARTIST: After fussing with the fridge, Rose tries to leave the kitchen only to run into her mother. She tries escaping but lands comically in some wizard statuettes.

CHEL: Mom Lalonde is mopping the floor, with no water in the bucket, holding a martini in her other hand. The woman clearly has a problem. Again, this is an issue with the portrayal of the parents; this is pretty funny, but were a real mother behaving this way, it would seriously mess up the kid, and whether we’re supposed to take it as Rule of Funny or not later becomes inconsistent.

BRIGHT: I think a lot of the humour here is supposed to come from the implication that Mom Lalonde actually is a loving if clueless (and drunk) parent, and Rose is reading her badly. On the other hand, something is clearly very wrong, and while Mom Lalonde may indeed be loving the situation is definitely having an impact on Rose.

TIER: Say whatever you want, but when putting on the late game Cerebus Retcon goggles there are probably non-humorous questions to be asked about how screwy Mom Lalonde is as a parental unit if her daughter has ended up interpreting most of her actions as mocking or backhanded towards herself. Like, kids don't just decide that.

ARE YOU TRYING TO BE FUNNY?: 3

CHEL: Back to Dave, he’s chatting with GG and they’re being adorable. GG comments about her birthday present to John, the green box we saw in the car earlier, and…

GG: no!!!!!!! GG: he will not open it GG: he will lose it!!! TG: oh TG: uh TG: wow sorry to hear that i guess? GG: no its good actually! GG: because he will find it again later when he really needs it GG: which of course is why i sent it in the first place! TG: see like TG: i never get how you know these things GG: i dont know GG: i just know that i know!

I think here is when we start to get inklings of the kids’ unusual abilities - I mean, unusual in the context of the weird world they live in. A bit more is established about GG’s home life and Dave’s attitudes, too:

GG: i have to feed bec which is always a bit of an undertaking TG: man TG: if i were you i would just take that fucking devilbeast out behind the woodshed and blow its head off GG: heheheh! GG: i dont think i could if i tried!!! TG: yeah TG: say hi to your grand dad for me too ok GG: ._. GG: yes i guess an encounter with him is almost certain GG: it is usually........ GG: intense!!! TG: well yeah isnt it always with family TG: but he sounds like a total badass

“Intense” in a world where attacking your father with a hammer isn’t worthy of comment sounds worrying. We’ll see how that goes.

FAILURE ARTIST: Dave has the tiniest of smiles here and in Hussie’s annotation he says that one pixel created Dave/GG. Whether or not their connection is romantic, Dave obviously feels great affection for her.

CHEL: Interactions between all four of the kids are really sweet, honestly. Dialogue and character interactions are one of the strongest points of the comic overall. Personally I have a soft spot for the OT4.

TIER: In my unprofessional opinion, the beta humans are by far the most functioning and tight knit group of the various groups within the comic, for what that's worth considering the overall dysfunction junction. They're sweet to one another is what I'm saying.

CHEL: Dave talks to John, who mentions the creepy trails around his house and how he thinks he’s seen monsters, which we the audience have definitely seen; creepy little black imps with fangs and, oddly, jester outfits. They bear a striking resemblance to the Wayward Vagabond, in fact. Dave makes fun, but at least pretends not to disbelieve him, and urges him to keep his hammer at the ready. Dave can’t find his Bro, but can find “Lil Cal”, implying Bro is nearby.

TG: lil cal is the shit EB: that's fine, you are entitled to your opinion, i am just saying that being a white guy who is a rapper with a ventriloquist doll is not cool by any stretch of the imagination or by any definition of word cool, ironic or otherwise. that's all i'm saying. WHITE SBURB POSTMODERNISM: 5

Would a non-white rapping ventriloquist be any cooler? I’m struggling to see how. Ventriloquism, by definition, sucks the cool out of any other aspect of the thing. And now I’m picturing Carlton from Fresh Prince trying to rap with a ventriloquist’s doll.

BRIGHT: Back at the Lalonde residence, Rose attempts to ‘Youth Roll’ out of the front door, but her escape route is blocked by her mother, who appears with martini glass in hand. Time for our second Strife of the comic! (And can I say that I really like the music for this one?)

As with John’s strife with his dad, this strife tells us a lot about Rose’s relationship with her mother. John had the AGGRIEVE and ABJURE options; Rose also gets AGGRESS (PASSIVE) and ABSTAIN. It’s pretty telling that one of these options is an EMPTY SUICIDE THREAT, and ‘Abstain’ has Rose fending off her mother’s insistent offer of the martini glass.

FAILURE ARTIST: I liked the EMPTY SUICIDE THREAT at the time but now I think it deserves an ARE YOU TRYING TO BE FUNNY?

BRIGHT: Mom Lalonde may be intended as loving-but-clueless, but she’s offering her thirteen year old daughter alcohol, over Rose’s protests, and something is clearly very wrong if suicide threats are a normal part of life. (Something similar will come up in the future, but in that context it isn’t played for laughs.)

ARE YOU TRYING TO BE FUNNY?: 4

On a lighter note, ‘Abjure’ has her mother offering her A BEAUTIFUL PONY. Rose reacts in the moment like this is terrible, but does later pat the pony’s nose.

At any rate, the strife ends when Mom Lalonde apparently gets bored and decides to do some dusting. This takes all the fun out of using the front door, so Rose goes around the back to make her break for the generator.

Meanwhile, John is trying to read up on weaponizing sylladexes (sylladices?), but is being nagged by a voice to turn around — which he finally does, just in time for a monster to ram into him so hard it turns the panel pixelated. Strife time!

John’s bout with the Shale Imp kicks off with the monster threatening the Con Air bunny. John’s efforts to defend it are intercut with Rose’s progress out of the house and through the rain to the mausoleum. I think this interplay works quite nicely — it keeps both things moving without letting the reader get impatient -- but your mileage may vary.

The imp aggravates John by punching the bunny in the belly and waving it at him. John attacks the imp and breaks his hammer, then attacks it with the handle and gets knocked flat. Finally he weaponises his sylladex and chucks his inventory at it until it explodes into a shower of grist.

PUT THE BUNNY BACK IN THE BOX!!!!!! Now why couldn’t he put the bunny back in the box?

Because he’d set it as his strifekind, it turns out.

In true video game style, defeating the imp causes John to level up! In Homestuck, this is done by ascending one’s echeladder, a series of player levels with whimsical, old-fashioned names. John climbs two rungs, from Greentike to Plucky Tot, and earns 125 Boondollars.

Note how efficient this is: In one panel we can see that the echeladder is a levelling system, that Boondollars are in-Game currency, and that levelling up has increased John’s amount of grist and how much of it he can carry. He’s also got a new kind of grist called ‘Shale’. Hussie does take an extra panel to clarify the grist capacity expansion, but that makes sense as it’s a small part of the original panel. Compare this to the dozens of panels we’ve had laying out how sylladexes work. These panels are much more information-dense, and the comic flows better for it.

CHEL: Exactly what “grist” is and what it does beyond allowing changes to the house, why those changes are needed, and what “boondollars” are for hasn’t been explained yet, but will be soon, and it’s clear they’re something to do with the game so it’s not outright confusing.

BRIGHT: John spends the next few panels sorting his strife specibus out, and stashes the bunny in there for safekeeping. There’s something amiss, but he can’t quite put his finger on it...

Meanwhile, Rose has reached the mausoleum and prepares to activate the generator. The taxidermied corpse of her beloved pet lies in state, dressed in a tiny suit. A sad fate for an animal who should have peacefully decomposed in a flowerbed. Rose kicks it off the pedestal to make room for the laptop.

John discovers what’s wrong when a bucket of water perched atop his door lands on his head. The culprit behind this sudden dousing?

"[S] WHAT THIS IS SO OUTRAGEOUS (HD)" (Watch on YouTube)

Apparently the sprite has a sense of humour.

Next up is a pesterlog between Rose and Dave. There are hints that all is not well in the Strider residence.

TG: hey TG: dont tell john this but i think he might have been right about the puppets TG: theyre sort of starting to freak me out a little TT: You're referring to your brother's collection? TG: i mean dont get me wrong i think its cool and all TG: the semi-ironic puppet thing or whatever TG: or semi-semi ironic TG: man i dont even know TG: im just starting to think some of this shit is going a little far and its kind of fucked up TT: I've seen his websites. TT: I like them. TG: haha yeah well YOU WOULD TG: oh man i wish lil cal wouldnt look at me like that TG: with those dead eyes jesus TG: sometimes i dream that hes real and hes talking to me and i wake up in a cold sweat and basically flip the fuck out

Well, not so much hints as flashing neon signs. Dave’s gone very quickly from insisting that everything his brother does is cool and Lil Cal is awesome, to admitting that he has nightmares about Lil Cal and is freaked out by his brother’s ‘semi-ironic puppet thing’. We don’t know much about Bro’s websites yet, but we do know that Rose has a morbid streak, and Dave is clearly disturbed by the content.

Dave leaves to find his brother’s copy of the game, and we return to John, who, to quote Rose, has ‘just had a bucket of water dumped on his head by the ghost of his dead grandmother, who also happens to be dressed like a clown.’

And yes, that is indeed John’s dead Nanna, returned to help him on his journey through The Medium and beyond -- or at least, she claims she is. John has to take her word for it, as he doesn’t remember her at all. According to his Dad, John was pretty young when she died. Speaking of his Dad, he’s been kidnapped by the forces invading John’s home.

Nannasprite gives John the background of the game and what’s going on. His house is now in the Medium. This place was created by the game software, but is physically independent of it -- and no, he’s not inside a computer. The Medium floats in the Incipisphere, a place outside the normal flow of time in the kids’ universe. Above the Medium is the realm of Skaia.

According to Nannasprite:

Legend holds that Skaia exists as a dormant crucible of unlimited creative potential. What does this mean, you ask? I'm afraid my lips are sealed about that, dear! Hoo hoo!

Nannasprite is somewhat like a tutorial assistant for the game -- she helps guide John and provides information, although she’s somewhat cryptic.

We are getting a lot of new words here, but Hussie is defining them pretty well as we go, so I don’t think it merits a point.

At any rate, Skaia is defended by the forces of light, while forces of darkness plot its destruction. These two forces exist in an endless stalemate on a stage at the centre of Skaia until a player with a prototyped Kernelsprite enters the Medium. Then the prototyped Kernelsprite splits, with one Kernel carrying the prototyping information up to a kingdom basked in light, and another Kernel carrying it down to the kingdom of darkness. Each kingdom has four Spires, and when the Kernel reaches one, it propagates the prototyping information to the kingdom’s forces.

This is why the imps were dressed as jesters: John prototyped his Kernel with the harlequin doll, and whatever the other players prototype with will influence what forms the soldiers take. When the first Kernels reach the spires, the battlefield gets bigger and the war begins for real.

Oh, right -- and the forces of light are always destined to lose.

So what’s the point? Apparently, that’s for John to find out. For now, though, he needs to head towards Skaia, going through the first of seven Gates. The first Gate is situated directly above John’s house, but the others are going to be harder to reach. We now find out what all that Build Grist is for: To get to the Gate, they need to build the house higher to reach it. And then they can rescue John’s Dad, solve the ultimate riddle, and save the Earth from destruction!

...or not.

Nope, according to Nannasprite, Earth is doomed. Done for. Kaput. There is nothing they can do to save it.

John is pretty bummed about this. He isn’t cheered by Nanna’s assurance that he has a much more important purpose than saving the planet, although she fails to elaborate on that point and instead floats off to make cookies.

CHEL: I think here we earn another couple of points.

HURRY UP AND DO NOTHING: 2 HOW NOT TO WRITE A WEBCOMIC: 11 Failing the Turing Test - wherein the character has no reactions whatsoever While the emotional lives of characters should not be described in their every tiny wrinkle, characters must have emotional lives. When someone boos them off a stage, they should experience chagrin. When they fall from a tenth-storey window, they should feel alarm. The writer should not count on dialogue like “Yikes!” to get the point across.

Brief confusion and feeling “bummed out” by the news that one’s entire planet is doomed does not count as an adequate reaction. I’d expect more fear, more concern. As pointed out before, doesn’t John have any friends other than Dave, Rose, and GG? His Dad has friends, wouldn’t he be concerned for them on Dad’s behalf? If nothing else, more curiosity about this “more important” business?

BRIGHT: Now, I could actually buy this in some circumstances — John is a teenager, doesn’t seem to have close connections outside those we see on screen, and he’s been having one hell of a weird day. I wouldn’t be surprised if grasping the scope of destruction was simply beyond him at this point. It’s a lot to take in, and it’s only been a few hours since life went to hell in a handbasket — not to mention, he’s in an active combat zone. There’s a lot going on, and if he was to shove it out of his mind while he dealt with the immediate crisis, I could see that as pretty realistic.

Of course, that would depend on him actually reacting at some later point, when he had a chance to slow down and it could sink in. As it stands...well, if that does happen, we never see it.

CHEL: Does this also count as “Oh, Don’t Mind Him” for the How Not To score?

BRIGHT: I think so, yes.

CHEL: Then here it goes!

HOW NOT TO WRITE A WEBCOMIC: 12 Oh, Don’t Mind Him - where a character’s problems remain unexplored In real life, people are riddled with chronic problems that are not addressed for long periods of time, if ever. But in fiction, all problems are just the opening chords of a song. If there is a brother who has a problem with alcohol, a child who has lost her dog, or even someone whose car has simply broken down, the reader will worry about those people and expect the author to do something about it.

Technically, this could count for seven billion or so points, minus any people who successfully entered their own game sessions, but we don’t want to get out of hand here and it really only counts as one big problem.

However! I am very fond of this idea in theory. The obvious option would be that the purpose of the game is to save the player’s homeworld. We’ve all seen the “save the homeworld” idea in scifi and fantasy before. Here, the homeworld is beyond saving, but there is another option, and exploring that is the storyline. The forces of light cannot have a traditional victory; the protagonists must find a victory on the terms they have. It’s not a theme one sees often, and I like it.

FAILURE ARTIST: John and the other Beta Kids’ lack of angst of the destruction of their planet doesn’t stick out as much here as it will later when almost everything else is milked for angst.

CHEL: I’m not really sure the planet being destroyed is a great basis for a Rule-of-Funny-based story if that was what he was going for, to be honest. “Billions died, lol!”

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 17/04/2021 (Polo G, Dave, Doja Cat & SZA, Taylor Swift)

Okay, so, UK Singles Chart time – all hell broke loose. I knew Taylor Swift and Dave would make an impact but I was also not expecting all of the chaos to come with it. With that said, Lil Nas X is still at #1 for a third week with “MONTERO (Call Me by Your Name)” and let’s just get through with this. This is REVIEWING THE CHARTS.

Rundown

In this starting rundown segment, I’ve got a lot to cover so I’ll make it quick, no nonsense. First of all, I cover the UK Top 75. Why the top 75? I’m difficult – even though it’s actually more convenient. Secondly, the notable drop-outs – songs that peaked in the top 40 or spent more than five weeks on the chart that are gone from the top 75 this week thanks to this avalanche of 14 or so new arrivals. This week, we say goodbye to a bunch of our debuts from last week as well as “telepatía” by Kali Uchis, “Bringing it Back” by Digga D and AJ Tracey, “You’re Mines Still” by Yung Bleu and remixed by Drake, “Midnight Sky” by Miley Cyrus, “Watermelon Sugar” by Harry Styles, “Mr. Brightside” by the Killers and several #1 hits, including “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac, “Sweet Melody” by Little Mix, “Mood” by 24kGoldn featuring iann dior, “Dance Monkey” by Tones and I and finally, “Someone You Loved” by Lewis Capaldi, after spending a whopping 113 weeks in this region... despite being terrible. I mean, it’ll be back next week but celebrate the little victories, like our returns, for example. “X Gon’ Give it to Ya” by the late DMX is back at #72 after the passing of the hip-hop icon last week. This legendary song was actually one of his later hits – not even a hit in the States – and originally peaked at #6 in the UK back in 2003. We sadly don’t see anything else from DMX returning but we do also see Taylor Swift’s re-recorded version of “Love Story” revisiting the charts at #45 off the album boost.

Now for the songs that fell or rose this week, starting with the notable losses, being songs that dropped five spots or more. First, we have “Your Love (9PM)” by ATB, Topic and A7S at #13, followed by “Don’t Play” by Anne-Marie, KSI and Digital Farm Animals at #17, “Hold On” by Justin Bieber at #20, “Save Your Tears” by the Weeknd at #22, “Up” by Cardi B at #23, “Commitment Issues” by Central Cee at #25, “Latest Trends” by AI x JI plummeting at #28, “Patience” by KSI featuring YUNGBLUD and Polo G at #29, “drivers license” by Olivia Rodrigo at #34, “We’re Good” by Dua Lipa at #35, “Anyone” by Justin Bieber at #40, “Black Hole” by Griff at #41, “All You Ever Wanted” by Rag’n’Bone Man at #43, “WITHOUT YOU” by the Kid LAROI at #44, “Binding Lights” by the Weeknd at #46, “Goosebumps” by HVME and Travis Scott at #47, “6 for 6” by Central Cee at #48, “Medicine” by James Arthur at #49, “Head & Heart” by Joel Corry and MNEK at #50, “Met Him Last Night” by Demi Lovato featuring Ariana Grande at #54 off of the debut, “Paradise” by MEDUZA and Dermot Kennedy at #58, Doja Cat’s “Streets” at #60 and “Best Friend” with Saweetie at #61, “Tonight” by Ghost Killer Track featuring D-Block Europe at #62, “Get Out My Head” by Shane Codd at #63, “Beautiful Mistakes” by Maroon 5 featuring Megan Thee Stallion at #66, “Track Star” by Mooski at #67, “Headshot” by Lil Tjay, Fivio Foreign and Polo G at #73, “What Other People Say” by Sam Fischer and Demi Lovato at #74 and finally, whatever’s left of Drake as “What’s Next” is at #68 and “Lemon Pepper Freestyle” with Rick Ross is at #70.

Our gains are arguably more interesting, as it’s impressive to climb five spots or higher or reach the top 40 for the first time in the midst of all this nonsense. Therefore, we do have just a few gains, those being “Runaway” by AURORA at #51 off of the debut, “Nice to Meet Ya” by Wes Nelson featuring Yxng Bane making a surprise attack at the top 40 going to #39 off of the debut, “Good Without” by Mimi Webb at #18 and “Ferrari Horses” by D-Block Europe and RAYE continuing its gains up to #16. That’s pretty much it – still took a while – so let’s get through those 14 new arrivals, huh? God help me.

NEW ARRIVALS

#75 – “Marea (We’ve Lost Dancing)” – Fred again.. and The Blessed Madonna

Produced by Boston Bun and Fred again..

This is one of the songs that really padded out our new arrivals list – to explain, a lot of the time, these songs were released weeks ago and only now gain enough traction to debut within the top 75 and hence be discussed by me. This one just happens to have popped up in a week where everything is going on already so it kind of gets lost in incoherency but regardless, this is a song from Ed Sheeran’s producer Fred Gibson, who I refuse to call by his stage name, from his most recent project featuring vocals from The Blessed Madonna, most commonly known right now as the producer and DJ behind the club mix edition of Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia and hence the “Levitating” remix with Missy Elliott and, well, actual Madonna. The song itself is one I’m surprised is about anything but has these mostly spoken word vocals about how we as a world have “lost dancing” to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as hugs, and, well, that’s all she decides to elaborate about. She also guarantees that once everything is over, “what comes next will be marvellous”. Whilst I appreciate the sentiment, I think it’s almost a dangerous promise, given that we’ll be in this pandemic for longer than anyone expected and it’s pretty evident that we’ll still be keeping to social distancing as the vaccine roll-out continues all throughout this year. At this point, we’re still in lockdown and international travel will still be stunted for years after the fact. This song feels like The Blessed Madonna getting on her pedestal about the arts and their impact on people without going into any detail that warrants the soapbox, bizarrely over some synth-heavy deep house beat that decides to do little more than flutter through the entirety of the five-minute runtime. Yeah, this is pretty insufferable. Next.

#71 – “Slumber Party” – Ashnikko featuring Princess Nokia

Produced by CallMeTheKidd

Okay, so TikTok picks this one up and the label then decides to push this over “Deal with It”, a brilliant pop song that was right there and already had the high-budget video to boot? Regardless, this is taken from Ashnikko’s debut mixtape of sorts, Demidevil, and whilst as a whole the project does little more than act as harmless fun guising as anything more, a couple of the singles are genuinely pretty great, including this one, which seems to be a break-out hit for rapper Princess Nokia. This song relies on the jerkiness of its almost DJ Mustard-esque club beat and that warped might-be-a-flute loop to support Ashnikko’s similarly sloppy delivery, which decides to be as in character in possible – of which I mean that it is obnoxious and frankly ridiculously stupid. This isn’t a “slumber party” at all, and whilst the childish implications are if anything kind of unnerving, there is a lot of fun to be had here if you get past the “kawaii hentai boobies” in the chorus. Nokia’s verse continues the album’s general early 2000s aesthetic with her referencing many hits and singers from that time period in a pretty slick albeit one-and-done verse that should really be extended further than it is. I mean, I would have preferred that to Ashnikko’s second verse comparing her girlfriend to the little girl from The Addams Family, before mentioning how her eyes go black when she orgasms and that her spit tastes like Juicy Fruit gum. Okay, so when it comes to filthy lesbian rap I think I prefer acts like BASSIDE but for what it’s worth, this is surreal and fun enough for me to like. I hope it does well, but know she has better songs even on that same tape.

#69 – “Versus” – SL and M1llionz

Produced by Lucas Dante and Yng Cld

Oh, hey, another drill track by two guys produced by two guys for two guys to rap about how cool it is to be the two guys they are. I guess the gimmick here is that the single actually has an instrumental version as well for whatever reason; I guess they want people to remix the track. That would make sense, as this beat is immediately recognisable from that chipmunk squeak of a glitched vocal sample they use. In fact, I think I prefer the instrumental version because when those booming 808s come in, it hits really hard especially with the scattering drill percussion. SL and M1llionz are trading bars here in what is basically one verse and it’s not like they’re saying nothing of interest here as there is a viable enough amount of detail here in these bars about exactly what you’d expect. But that’s exactly what it is: exactly what you’d expect. By the first verse, you’ve already heard SL talk about watching The Boondocks and that’s about as interesting as it gets. Sure, the interplay between the two guys in this case is pretty smooth, but it goes on for about a minute too long and M1llionz has a lot more charisma than SL so it does feel like half the song is wasted away. The producers know that too, as they decide to fade the song out very quickly after M1llionz stops rapping his final bars. This is fine – on some days, I’d probably call it really good – but it’s nothing I haven’t seen before.

#64 – “Starstruck” – Years & Years

Produced by Mark Ralph and Nathaniel Ledwidge

We’re not even out of that bottom third of the chart and we’ve still got a lot ahead of us before we get above that point. Here, we have “Starstruck”, sadly not the Lady Gaga or 3OH!3 song but instead the first officially solo song by Years & Years, which is now just frontman Olly Alexander after his bandmates’ departure, similar to Panic! at the Disco except the members seem to be on good terms, or Ritt Momney, except no one here is a Mormon missionary... yet. Whilst you could see this from a mile away if you had listened to that last album, it would be deceiving to say it’s only Olly this time around as he’s enlisted several outside producers and writers to craft a pretty straightforward love song. Well, is it any good? I’m not entirely sold on it, mostly because it seems to reject all of the lyrical intrigue there was in those past two albums – at least intermittently – for a pretty generic if not pure and lovely content, with the most interesting of lyrics being about sipping his partner up like cosmic juice, which I’ll admit got a laugh out of me. It is fitting for how this janky dance-pop song sounds as sonically it’s kind of a quirky mess with a lot of bassy grooves in the verses only to be replaced by a shiny synth blend that completely shrouds the chorus in video game sound effects and French house-esque filter effects. This sound is very much a late-2000s early-2010s throwback in some ways and throwing it back even further in others, which creates an interesting sound but not enough to not let this become easily stale after just the second chorus, especially if it’s going to purposefully fumble its climax for an awkward build-up that involves basically revealing the drop measures before it should have. Yeah, I want to like this but it just seems kind of confused as it is. I’m still going to listen to that third album whenever it comes, but I’m somewhat disappointed with this lead single thus far.

#57 – “Lingo” – Deno featuring J.I. the Prince of NY and Chunkz

Produced by Da Beatfreakz

Alright, so British rapper Deno has enlisted New York rapper J.I. – who I refuse to call by his full stage name – and Chunkz, who I’m pretty sure is some YouTuber, to hop on a beat from DaBeatfreakz, specifically this watery R&B beat with vocal loops drowned out by bass and some awkward mixing. Deno isn’t much of a presence in the verse or chorus, J.I. talks about some girl not chewing him right and Chunkz, who sounds awful on any beat with the whiny Auto-Tuned mumble, somehow doesn’t say anything of interest despite being the semi-professional comedian of these three guys, or at least not before Deno takes over his verse and they all give up for the last couple measures. Yes, that was one sentence – this song doesn’t deserve much more.

#56 – “Shy Away” – twenty one pilots

Produced by Tyler Joseph

I’ve never been that big a fan of twenty one pilots, but I was actually pretty fond of her most recent album, Trench. What fascinates me about them is how they seemed to have done really well for themselves that one time in the Blurryface era and have coasted off the success of that to fund some of their more out-there and experimental musical aspirations. I don’t think they’re looking for big hits anymore – which is good because this won’t be one – but people will always be looking out for what they do next, and they’ve just announced a new album coming soon with this as the lead single. Thankfully, it’s not that COVID-19 pandemic pandering from last year which got on my nerves a lot more than it should. “Shy Away”, instead, goes for... 1980s dance-punk, because, of course. I do love that jerky synth lead and how well it’s backed by that chugging bass and percussion, which we’ll always know is organic coming from Josh Dun. The song itself is a somewhat vague motivational track but not for no reason, as these lyrics actually originated from when Tyler Joseph was giving advice to his brother, a budding musician, trying to get him to see himself in a new light and find his unique purpose in music and not to “shy away” from continuing with his dreams. I can get behind that, especially if it’s going to have squealing guitar segues, an infectious power-pop chorus that will probably not leave my head for a long time and the excellent swell of guitars in that third verse before the brief breakdown in the post-chorus with all those squibbling synth effects. It’s just a wonderfully constructed song on all accounts, even if it sacrifices some of that unique personality we usually get from Tyler for the sake of making a tighter pop-rock song.

#52 – “You Belong with Me” (Taylor’s Version) – Taylor Swift

Produced by Taylor Swift and Christopher Rowe

I guess the best place to start with these re-recordings is the original song, which I’ve never liked. I’ve never seen a reason to enjoy Taylor’s entitled adolescent whining over some pretty garbage production making what may as well be organic country instrumentation sound like MIDI tracks. She doesn’t deliver a particularly good vocal performance, or at least one good enough to excuse “She wear short skirts, I wear T-shirts, she’s cheer captain and I’m on the bleachers”. There isn’t enough detail to make this seem like a toxic relationship so she ends up just sounding bratty. This new version, from a matured Taylor Swift a decade later, has decided not to change any of these lyrics and it just sounds worse coming from a Taylor who clearly knows a lot better and is in a happy relationship. Okay, the instrumentation sounds a lot more organic and has more of a groove than it used to, with some more intricate production moments that are cool, but that’s really the only change that improves on an already mediocre song. Taylor’s voice has improved a lot since that original recording but so has she, and her selling these lyrics with as much conviction while in her 30s just ends up sounding sad. It only makes sense to “reclaim” these songs if you’re going to try and make them your own again, and not representative of someone I don’t think Taylor is anymore. Alas, it’s listenable, but this could have been one of the more interesting re-recordings and nothing was done with it past the better mixing and a pretty epic guitar solo, even if it does feel unwarranted by the content.

#42 – “Way Too Long” – Nathan Dawe, Anne-Marie and MoStack

Produced by Scribz Riley, Tré Jean-Marie, Nathan Dawe and GRADES

For someone who is solely a producer and DJ, I say that’s two or three too many credited producers, but regardless, before we get to more Taylor Swift, which we will eventually, we’ve got some leftover house track with B-list stars that starts with the words, “Hey, yo, yo, it’s Stack Rack”. With that said, I actually kind of like this song with its strings swelling more than the usual track and its bass-heavy club groove in the verses being more complex in its percussion, especially when the sound design is that interesting in the second half of the verse as all of these effects and different synth patterns occur in the back of the mix, which kind of lets me forgive how anti-climactic the drop is. It’s not really an EDM song as much as it’s a light-hearted pop track and Anne-Marie isn’t taking it as seriously as she could, especially on that vocoder-drop chorus, which makes the song a lot more fun that it should be. MoStack is who really shines on this track though, as his verse is – probably unintentionally – very funny, as he twists the meaning of the song to a phallic joke, happily engages in monogamy, particularly with every British pop-star he can think of and says “forget quality, I want quantity”. He just lists famous singers by the end of this verse that he finds attractive and is completely gone off the deep-end by the time he’s ignored by Anne-Marie’s swell of a chorus. It’s not a great song and definitely falls into the traps that most EDM does but as it is, it’s a fun track with a surprisingly hilarious and sloppy guest verse from MoStack that I was not expecting, as well as just being inoffensive across the board.

#33 – “Mercury” – Dave featuring Kamal.

Produced by Manny Manhattan and Kyle Evans

Dave released a double A-side single – or at least whatever the equivalent for that is in the streaming age – and this was the less popular track, “Mercury”, with singer Kamal. If you don’t know Dave is, he’s one of the biggest and most celebrated rappers in the UK and this is his first solo release since 2019. I’ve usually been pretty happy with Dave’s releases – hell, Psychodrama was one of my favourite albums of 2019 – but I’m not entirely sure I can endorse this lazy trap beat relying on some gentle but overbearing pianos and groovier bass knocks. Really, the beat is pretty minimal so we can focus on what Dave’s saying, right? Well, we could, but why would we want to? Sure, there’s some good wordplay weaved into here and I don’t dislike his stories about gang violence and paranoia, even if they’re delivered in the most checked-out almost condescending way possible, but I can’t get behind the misogyny that seems to run a lot deeper than it does in typical rap. Sure, he makes the same googly-eyed observations about attractive women, describes some parts of the sex but interestingly not any part he plays, and also describes her as a “work of art”, but this is all after he dismisses women in general for not “forgiving him for his sins”, in some thinly-veiled Ariana Grande reference that leaves me more pissed off than he is, especially since Dave’s not as self-aware as he thinks he is, particularly because he himself can barely forgive himself for his wrongs in that second verse. Instead, he shrouds it in hedonism like any other rapper – what have the women got to do other than make good decisions for themselves about who they sleep with? He doesn’t go into disgusting detail like Digga D on “Toxic” but it rubs me the wrong way, especially if he’s going to then complain about the myth that is cancel culture. If this comes from a genuine place where he was genuinely attacked for something he didn’t deserve the abuse for, I’d understand, but why even complain about the supposed mob of Twitter users when the only tie you have to it is something reported on your brother by the right-wing press that everyone ignored? Other than missing the point terribly, it’s not like this song is catchy or notable. Even he acknowledges that this five-minute bore wouldn’t make the album, and it’s for good reason.

#32 – “Anywhere Away from Here” – Rag’n’Bone Man and P!nk

Produced by Rag’n’Bone Man, Mike Elizondo and Ben Jackson-Cook

So this is Rag’n’Bone Man’s second single from that upcoming album, or at least the second to chart, and after the surprisingly great post-punk rocker that was “All You Ever Wanted”, I’m excited to hear what a duet with P!nk could sound like. After all, they’re both rougher voices in the pop sphere, even if P!nk’s been doing it for much longer. Sadly, it’s a ballad... not to say they can’t do ballads well but this is a pretty minimal piano-lead track with some really badly mixed vocals from Rag’n’Bone Man as he channels an unintelligible Dave Grohl that’s way too loud in the mix, especially when the strings come in and cloud the mix. I do like the content once again with Rag’n’Bone Man as he continues to discuss the careless days of his youth, but this is more about growing older and eventually growing discontent with that lifestyle and each other, just wanting to be somewhere else. P!nk delivers this in a way that’s a lot more flattering to her voice and the instrumental, but when the borderline choir vocals come in with those terribly-mixed harmonies between the two and that pointless bridge, I give up on this song. It just refuses to go anywhere, I’m sorry, and it had a lot of potential but these voices don’t particularly mesh together especially over some basic piano and strings. This could have been great and as is, is less than mediocre.

#30 – “Mr. Perfectly Fine” (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault) – Taylor Swift

Produced by Taylor Swift and Jack Antonoff

I didn’t listen to the re-recorded version of Fearless; instead I just listened to the six or so bonus “from the vault” tracks because that’s the only new content and I’m not big on any of it. It sounds exactly as you’d expect a 31-year-old woman reciting lyrics she wrote and shelved when she was a teenager, not even thinking they were good enough to release then, decades after the fact, and most of the songs just aren’t interesting at all. I think “Bye Bye Baby” is a great pop song but besides that there’s nothing much to enjoy in these tracks, at least from me. I know that Taylor’s biggest fans will love how she re-recorded leaked and rumoured songs that had been circulating but as someone detached from that, it does nothing for me. This song in particular is about Joe Jonas, because, of course, it was, and it’s a petty, sarcastic break-up song Taylor should be able to deliver confidently but ends up falling flat based on almost that awful verse melody alone, which is just janky, unpleasant and stretched out to the point of annoyance, especially if it’s going to be produced this well. She dug up this track seemingly only to get Antonoff on the record, and, sure, the chorus is catchy and has that one great moment with those crashing guitars, but it enjoys killing its momentum as soon as it gets going... for five minutes. Yeah, I’m sorry but I’m not interested in what was left on the cutting room floor a decade separated from the release of this re-recording, especially if this fully-fleshed instrumentation does little more than distract from how dreadfully boring this song is. Wake me up when she re-records Speak Now or especially reputation, because that will truly be fascinating.

#10 – “Kiss Me More” – Doja Cat featuring SZA

Produced by tizhimself, Carter Lang, Rogét Chahayed and Yeti Beats

I’ve forgotten to mention that three of those 14 new arrivals actually debuted in the top 10 this week, meaning, yes, whilst we’re nearly done, we’ve still got a lot to cover and we start with what seems to be the lead single from Doja Cat’s upcoming album, as she enlists SZA to assist her on this classily unclassy disco-pop song. Those main guitars do sound great, especially with Doja’s signature cooing over them, and that’s before we get to that slick pink disco groove not dissimilar to “Say So” but with a tighter, fun bassline and how quickly Doja strips off the subtlety. I could do without that mess of a post-chorus that is just a blend of too many, not very great vocal takes, but I do love how it leads into Doja’s unsubtle sex bars that actually go into some interesting detail, but not as much SZA being kind of filthy but also delivering a pretty great vocal performance, even if she starts with asking her partner for that “gushy stuff”. I do find it odd that it decides to censor “dick” of all words, but this production is great and I actually particularly like that final chorus and post-chorus once SZA starts harmonising on it. As is, it’s a pretty tight and likeable disco jam from two charismatic performers... co-written by Dr. Luke. Goddamn it, Doja, I don’t know what contract he’s got you in but Jesus, someone do something about that.

#9 – “Titanium” – Dave

Produced by Kyle Evans and P2J

This is our second Dave song and obviously the more successful of the two, at about three minutes shorter – thankfully – debuting in the top 10. It’s much better than “Mercury”, even if the song literally starts with him bragging about not needing vibrators to make his girlfriend orgasm. That said, the lyrics here are actually a lot slicker, flowing much like he did on “Streatham” as he lists so many precious metals you’d think he’s Bender. I do like the intricacies in these lyrics, even if he doesn’t really adapt it into any wordplay. He mentions how awkward that it is that his neighbours are going to vote Conservative as he brags in an almost freestyle-like structure in the single verse he spits, which has a couple flow switches and a lot more empty space than it should for a beat this awkwardly mixed, as whilst I like the trap percussion here, it really does not sound that great over borderline MIDI pianos. The little string inflections and drum fills here are cool though, and those intricacies are what makes Dave’s verse so interesting, as he foreshadows his bar about Tyson Fury with an ad-lib that Fury used himself as a build-up for his boxing matches. His JAY-Z references are also on point and pretty clever, it’s just that there’s still not much to this past that and I’m left pretty underwhelmed with these releases from Dave, even if they’re not from that next album, whenever that’s coming.

#3 – “RAPSTAR” – Polo G

Produced by Einer Bankz and Synco

Well, Lil Tjay debuted at #2 a couple weeks ago so I guess it’s only fair for his fellow “Pop Out” rapper, and the one I personally immensely prefer, Polo G to have his surprise, kind-of-out-of-nowhere top 5 debut. Much like “MONTERO”, this track was being teased for nearly a year, having first been shown as an acoustic collaboration with professional ukulele player – yes, seriously – Einer Bankz, who’s also credited with production here, in May of 2020. Just shy of a year afterwards, we get “RAPSTAR”, in the same vein of other all-caps trap songs about musical success like “ROCKSTAR” or “POPSTAR”. Maybe next we’ll get “NEOCLASSICAL DARK WAVESTAR”. Regardless, this song is basically just about being epic and Polo G can effectively sell that even in his more basic flexing because of that intermittent detail like when he says the only woman he talks to is Siri, which isn’t even a brag or a flex, more a sad admission of his crippling loneliness which I don’t think was intended. He also does more than empty flexing, discussing his past drug addictions and how he coped with that alongside all of the struggles he had to overcome at the same time. That second verse may start with him saying he’s 2Pac reborn but it goes a lot deeper into his anxieties than I expected. All of this is over a melancholy guitar-based beat with some great bass and better mixing than is expected of these pop-trap singles, even if it’s still far from perfect. Those eerie vocal loops in the background add a lot to this song and I think that chorus has a pretty great build-up, even if the percussion may seem a bit too basic and uncomplicated as an effective drop. I can’t really complain about this at all, though, as it is really good for what it is and I’m glad it’s this high.

Conclusion

And with that, I’m finally, FINALLY finished with scouring through these new arrivals and I’ll admit that it was less of a mixed bag and more of a generally positive week, at least for me, as I found more I liked than anything I disliked, particularly with Best of the Week as that goes to twenty one pilots for “Shy Away”, with the Honourable Mention going to Ashnikko’s “Slumber Party” featuring Princess Nokia, although there’s a lot to praise on the charts this week. In terms of Worst of the Week, it’s probably going to go to Fred again.. and The Blessed Madonna for “Marea (We’ve Lost Dancing)”, with a Dishonourable Mention for, sadly, Dave’s “Mercury” featuring Kamal. I would like to note that Taylor Swift was awfully closer than she should be to getting that this week. Here’s this week’s top 10:

What to expect from this week? Gosh, I don’t know. AJ Tracey? Young Thug? Either way, we’ll see whatever happens to all this – whether it gets flooded out or they all end up sticking around – next week, so I’ll see you then. Thanks for reading.

[lyndsey-parker]

Watch 20 Oscar-winning actresses in music videos

Hale Berry and Fred Durst in “Behind Blue Eyes” (Photo: YouTube)

Sure, we all know Angelina Jolie won an Oscar for Girl, Interrupted, or that Halle Berry made history Oscar history when she became the first African American to win a Best Actress trophy (for Monster’s Ball). But did you know that Angelina and Halle respectively starred in videos by… Meat Loaf and Limp Bizkit?

In honor of this weekend’s Academy Awards, here’s a look back at 20 music video cameos by Oscar-winning actresses. For some, these videos were career stepping-stones, or mere detours; for others, they were career lows. But all of them are recommended viewing.

20. Mecano, “La Fuerza del Destino”

No one could have predicted when 15-year-old Penelope made her acting debut, in this 1989 Spanish pop video, that she’d win a Best Supporting Actress Oscar 19 years later for her role in Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Incidentally, Mecano broke up in 1992.

19. Parachute, “The Mess I Made” (starring Jennifer Lawrence, 2009)

Silver Linings Playbook Best Actress winner J.Law was a total unknown when she starred in the 2009 video by these Virginia pop-rockers. Parachute frontman Will Anderson later told TeenMusic.com: “She was amazing… We could tell when we met her that she was going places. Here was this amazingly talented actress, and just an incredible person who also happened to be gorgeous. How could we not ask her to be in the video? Seeing her get nominated for the Oscar was amazing. No one deserves it more than her and it’s awesome to see her getting casted in such rad roles!”

18. Robbie Williams, “Something Stupid” (starring Nicole Kidman, 2001)

Robbie’s 2001 album of standards, Swing When You’re Winning, featured duets with Rupert Everett, Jane Horrocks, and Jon Lovitz, but its centerpiece was this adorable collaboration with Nicole — who’d win a Best Actress Oscar a year later for The Hours. Nicole held her own against the British pop star, which makes us wonder, when is her album coming out?

17. iRAWniQ, “ALIENPU$” (starring Tatum O’Neal, 2014)

Tatum holds the record as the youngest thespian to win a competitive Oscar (she won the Best Supporting Actress award in 1973, at age 10, for her role in Paper Moon). The former child star has had her career ups and downs, but has continued to take on challenging roles. Case in point: this dazzling 2014 clip, in which she danced alongside an “alien Rosa Parks” played by rapper iRAWniQ. Tatum even dissected the bizarre, JB Ghuman Jr.-directed video in a play-by-play article for Vice.

16. Roy Orbison, “I Drove All Night” (starring Jennifer Connelly, 1992)

This video starred not only the A Beautiful Mind Best Supporting Actress Oscar-winner, but also Beverly Hills, 90210 heartthrob Jason Priestley. It’s a true ’90s classic if there ever was one.

15. Dave Matthews Band, “Dreamgirl” (starring Julia Roberts, 2005)

The Erin Brockovich Oscar-winner and longtime DMB fan made her music video debut in this Alice in Wonderland-meets-Fringe clip; it was first acting job after giving birth to her twins. “I just need the work,” Julia joked to People magazine at the time of the video’s release. Dave Matthews added, “We thought we’d politely give her a hand up.”

14. Will Butler, “Anna” (2015)

Stone won an Oscar last year for the musical La La Land, but we think her casting may have been inspired by her star turn in this elegant Old Hollywood clip by the Arcade Fire multi-instrumentalist.

13. Massive Attack feat. Hope Sandoval, “The Spoils” (starring Cate Blanchett, 2016)

The two-time Oscar-winner shapeshifted from gorgeously dewy SK-II skincare spokeswoman to freaky decomposing zombie robot in this disconcerting clip. Imagine Sinéad O’Connor’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” mashed up with Lou Reed’s “No Money Down” for some idea of this video’s creepy impact. We need Blanchett to star in a horror flick!

12. Jenny Lewis, “One of the Guys” (starring Anne Hathaway and Brie Larson, 2014)

The former Rilo Kiley frontwoman convinced Les Miserables‘ Hathaway and Room‘s Larson (along with Kristen Stewart) to dress up in male drag for this colorful clip… but we’re more impressed by the Gram Parsons-inspired, red-carpet-worthy rainbow tuxedo that Jenny is wearing.

11. Limp Bizkit, “Behind Blue Eyes” (starring Halle Berry, 2003)

Halle made some major career mistakes following her Best Actress win for 2001’s Monster’s Ball. And making out onscreen with Fred Durst, in a video for a terrible Who cover from the Gothika soundtrack, may have been her most Razzie-worthy misstep — even if Durst, who directed the clip, told MTV it was “the greatest kiss you’ll ever see.” A decade later, this admittedly makes for fascinating viewing.

10. Renee Zellweger with Ewan McGregor, “Here’s to Love” (2003)

The Cold Mountain Best Supporting Actress winner showed off an entirely different side of herself in this playful ode to the great cinematic era of Doris Day and Rock Hudson, from the retro rom-com Down With Love. Here’s to Renee!

9. Meat Loaf, “Rock ‘N’ Roll Dreams Come Through” (starring Angelina Jolie, 1993)

The Girl, Interrupted Oscar-winner has also made appearances in music videos by the Rolling Stones, Lenny Kravitz, Korn, and the Lemonheads. But her most epic (and cinematic) music video appearance of all? The one in which she co-starred with Meat Loaf and played a teen runaway, of course!

8. The Rolling Stones, “Like a Rolling Stone” (starring Patricia Arquette, 1996)

Patricia won Best Supporting Actress honors for Boyhood and gave one of the most memorable acceptance speeches in years. Also memorable? Her harrowing depiction of a strung-out party girl in this Michel Gondry-directed, fisheye-lensed clip for the Stones’ fantastic Dylan cover.

7. David Bowie, “The Next Day” (starring Marion Cotillard, 2013)

Marion displayed her own musical chops portraying Edith Piaf in 2007’s La Vie en Rose, for which she won Best Actress honors. She has concurrently pursued a musical career, including an artsy collaboration with John Cameron Mitchell, Villaine, and Metronomy’s Joseph Mount titled “Snapshot of L.A.“ But her best music video cameo was in this controversial, banned-from-YouTube Bowie clip, in which she played a stigmata-stricken prostitute cavorting in a church brothel with a wayward priest played by Gary Oldman. This video definitely deserved an R rating!

6. Tom Petty, “Into the Great Wide Open” (starring Faye Dunaway, 1991)

The Network Oscar-winner joined an all-star cast that included Johnny Depp, Chynna Phillips, and, um, Richard Grieco to play an evil rock ‘n’ roll Svengali. It was clearly the role Faye was born to play. Just call this one Manager Dearest.

5. Devendra Banhart, “Carmensita” (starring Natalie Portman, 2007)

Back before she was a crazy Black Swan, Natalie was dancing in this crazy, Bollywood-inspired video by the eccentric singer-songwriter, who soon became her boyfriend. The relationship didn’t last; maybe Natalie was jealous that Devendra almost looked as pretty in sparkly Bollywood makeup as she did. A pregnant Portman starred last year in James Blake’s “My Willing Heart.”

4. Brandon Flowers, “Crossfire” (starring Charlize Theron, 2010)

This badass, action-packed video, in which the Monster actress rescued the Killers frontman from ninja kidnappers, was soooo much better than Aeon Flux.

3. Tom Petty, “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” (starring Kim Basigner, 1994)

Ah, the creepy “love story” between a morgue assistant and the beautiful corpse girl of his dreams. We’re still trying to decide who was the better actor here: Kim, or Tom himself.

2. Jay-Z, “Many Faced God” (starring Lupita Nyong’o, 2017)

The 12 Years a Slave Best Supporting Actress winner and Star Wars/Black Panther action heroine gave another awards-worthy tour de force performance in this stunning clip from 4:44.

1. David Bowie, “The Stars Are Out Tonight” (starring Tilda Swinton, 2013)

In a bit of inspired casting on the part of director Floria Sigismondi, this video by the late Thin White Duke co-starred thin white duchess Tilda Swinton as his dutiful wife. For years, the uncanny resemblance between Bowie and the Oscar-winning actress had been noted by observers — so much so that an entire Tumblr site was devoted to their separated-at-birth similarity. In 2003, fashion photographer Craig McDean orchestrated a shoot with Tilda during which she dressed up as Bowie, and in 2012, Hint Fashion magazine even published a rather convincing compare-and-contrast blogpost titled “Visual Proof That David Bowie and Tilda Swinton Are the Same Person.” The fact that Bowie and Tilda appeared onscreen on the same time here refuted Hint’s theory, of course.

Read more from Yahoo Entertainment:

Mary J. Blige, Common, Sufjan Stevens, more to perform at Academy Awards

The 15 all-time biggest movie snubs in Oscar history

2018 Oscars: Our insta-predictions

Follow Lyndsey on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, Amazon, Tumblr, Spotify

[fmhiphop]

TV Writer, Stand-Up Comedian, And Star Of Netflix Animation Series 'Big Mouth,' Jak Knight, Dead At 28

Some terrible news has been released to the world! On July 14, Jak Knight died at the age of 28. He was a TV writer, stand-up comic, and actor. People obtained a report from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner stating that Knight was found bleeding from a gunshot wound on a dam in Los Angeles, California. As a result of the investigation, suicide has been determined as the cause of death. Upon learning of his passing, comedians, fans, and actors took to Twitter to express their sorrow and to remember him. "My heart goes out to his family, by blood and by comedy, and everyone who loved Jak," wrote "Big Mouth" co-creator Andrew Goldberg. "There were a lot of us, and we miss him already." Jak Knight was an incredible voice and spirit in comedy. We really lost an incredible light in our world. I sincerely hope you’re at peace now brother. — ju-c smollet (@freebrokefuture) July 19, 2022 Overview of Jak Knight's Career Often, individuals begin at the bottom and work their way up to reach their desired level of success in life. LieGuys was Jak's first acting role in 2014. He played an iPhone cameraman in the film. Besides performing live stand-ups, he opened for several well-known comedians, including Dave Chappelle and Eric Andre. Furthermore, he has appeared in several popular series, such as the animated Netflix sitcom Big Mouth, where he voiced the character DeVon and the television series Black-ish. Furthermore, in March 2022, he appeared in the Peacock comedy series Bust Down. He shared the lead role with Chris Redd, Sam Jay, and Langston Kerman.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Jak Knight (@jakknight123) Important Message During this challenging time, the FMHipHop family extends its condolences to the Knight family. Moreover, the importance of mental health cannot be overstated! The most upsetting thing is when a person is suffering so much that they contemplate committing suicide. Also, ensure that a person experiencing mental health issues is not made to feel guilty. In addition, if someone requires assistance, they should seek it as soon as possible before things worsen. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, don't hesitate to contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text "988" to the Crisis Text Line at 741741, or go to 988lifeline.org. Written by Nikiya Biggs RELATED STORIES: Rapper J $tash Commits Suicide After Shooting Woman In Front of Her Kids Read the full article

[smokeybrand]

Smokey brand Movie Reviews: Got Milk

I really hate musicals and plays and the like. Broadway is the worst. I was never a fan of Jersey Boys or Wicked or Les Miserables. I don’t care for the presentation of their plays or the ridiculously over-the-top music. I’m told that Hamilton is nowhere near as gaudy or abrasive as the more prominent fare. It skews closer to Sweeney Todd and The Book of Mormon than Phantom or Cats. God, cats. There was a production filmed of the play early on. It was supposed to have a theatrical release but, instead, dropped on Disney+. Since it’s readily available, and I'm running out of new sh*t to watch, i figure why not give Hamilton a shot. Will it live up to the hype for me? Will it even come close to climbing my wall of prejudice against musicals? We’ll see.

The Good

I really like the diversity in this thing. Having so many colored face, people who look like me, killing it on stage was fun to see. I’m not a theater, i can’t stand it, but i absolutely know that sh*t is quite color deprived. Having Hamilton come through and kill it so effortlessly while be so unapologetically black was super dope.

Lin Manuel-Miranda as Alexander Hamilton was pretty good. Dude can’t sing like others on the cast but he has a flow that could give an Soundcloud rapper a proper run for their money. Dude ain’t Eminem or anything but, in regards to this role, he murders that sh*t.

Daveed Diggs is probably my favorite thing about this play. His Marquis de Lafayette was captivation and his Thomas Jefferson was just vicious. Dude has this energy that is rarely matched, which is a lot to say because the entire cast is definitely bringing their A game.

The Schuyler sisters, portrayed by Renee Elise Goldsberry and Jasmine Cephas Jones, were f*cking incredible. each of their voices and the power behind their songs was enthralling. I was surprised by how well they executed, especially Goldsberry’s flow. Like, goddamn, ma got the shine.

The writing in this thing is mad clever. It takes a lot to make such dry subject matter, pop so fiercely with that hip-hop flavor. I’m a sucker for lyricism and Hamilton actually has some of the best I've heard in a very long time. plus, it does a miraculous job of making me actually give a sh*t about US history, even if it’s been neutered for mass consumption.

I must begrudgingly admit, the music in this thing is easily the best I've every hear in a musical. I hate them so much but I've date theater chicks and my family is super into these things so I've seen my share. I almost always hate the music but Hamilton has an appeal that just kinds of worms it’s way into my psyche. It’s probably because I'm black ans this sh*t is mad urban in a very real way. A lot of this stuff sounds like 90s R and B and 00s rap. That’s, like, my sweet spot musically. I mean, new wave and post punk, all day, but i grew up and came of age on that hip hop flavor.

The camera work in this motherf*cker is amazing, i must say. For a production that takes place on one stage, one space, the way this thing is shot goes a log way to making it feel bigger than it really is. One of the things that i don’t care for about play is how small everything feels. They do little tricks to fool you into thinking there’s more depth with sh*t like dancing in the aisles or interacting with the audience or zip-lining in from a balcony but it never frees you from the understanding that the production is wildly small. The camera work and editing on this filmed play does exactly what live shows only attempt to pull off.

The Bad

This thing is very sing-songy. It's like one, big ass, rap. There is no properly spoken dialogue and that’s the sh*t which irks me about stage musicals. Tell me a f*cking story, bro, don’t sing it at me. It’s dope you own a rhyming dictionary but goddamn!

For all of the musical and energy, the dance numbers are really subdued. I didn't expect Rent or Cats but at least something. This thing feels like way too much focus was put on the narrative and singing. I guess that works for the type of musical that it is but the sh*t has a mad boring visual component.

This sh*t is two and a half hours long. And you feel every second of that sh*t, man. I don't know if this is considered a brisk run-time on stage but for film, it's a slog. Don't misunderstand, I don't mind a long movie as long as it's compelling. There is nothing compelling me with Hamilton.

It’s a play. Sure, it’s on film and has great camera work but it’s all on one stage. One set. One view. I wonder what this would look like if it was properly adapted to film but then i cringe because that would probably be terrible. It’s definitely end up closer to what happened to the Phantom adaption rather than the Sweeney Todd flick.

The Verdict

I was pretty entertained. it didn’t quite conquer my hate mountain for musicals, but i didn’t dislike what i saw. It had clever production, a huge presence, and a lot of the music was pretty decent. Lin Manuel-Miranda does a fantastic job in the lead and as the driving creative force behind the whole production. Dude is a creative genius and i hope he gets to put his fingertips on more productions like this. Daveed Diggs is probably the strongest performer in this entire thing. He’s a little over the top at times, but fills his role well. Overall, Hamilton is worth the time to experience but i don’t think it deserves all of the hype. This sh*t feels like a decent Broadway spectacle but it has benefited greatly from the atmosphere in which it was released. a massive, ensemble, production with a hip-hop edge, lousy with diversity, and lead by a person of color? That’s catnip for virtue signalers and there are a TON of those types all over the New York Upper crust. I’m not taking away from Miranda or the rest of the crew, I'm just curious how far this would have gone if it was so unapologetically black.

[sirchrisjaxon]

How Our Standard for “Bad” Rappers Has Changed

I remember when I was a kid, I thought Lil Wayne was trash. Many traditionalists thought of him as the death of good rap. His commercial success was seen as a bastardization of the style that rappers like Jay-Z and Eminem created before him. His voice was annoying, his subject matter was crude, and he used the forbidden tool: autotune. But the youth is always on the right side of history, and they embraced the new wave he was creating. Now, he is one of the most successful artists of all time. He kickstarted the careers of Drake, Nicki Minaj, 2 Chainz, and more. His prolific work ethic has influenced rappers like Future, Young Thug, and Gucci Mane. His use of autotune has made it a staple in most commercial hip-hop we hear today. I will never call Lil Wayne one of the best rappers, but I will always defend him as being one of the most important. Today, if anyone says that Lil Wayne is wack, they just sound like a fool. Since his rise, there have been so many rappers so much worse than him that have received the same amount of hype and success that he did (although they might not have lasted as long). I don’t think that every generation of rap is getting worse, but I do think that each generation of consumers if lowering the standard of what it takes to be successful as a rapper. But maybe I’m being unfair. Maybe Lil Pump really is as legitimate as J. Cole. and even though nobody can argue that he is as good of a lyricist as Cole, most people don’t care. 

I think this phenomenon is most obvious when looking at the history of the XXL Magazine Freshman Class. Now, I don’t think anyone should expect XXL to choose the best rappers from each year. Instead, they choose the hottest rappers of the last year, and it’s pretty objective. When looking at all of the Freshman covers, there is a very gradual trend of “wacker” MCs being chosen each year. Of course, there are great and trash rappers each year, but the proportion of good to bad becomes more offset on each cover. I’m sure a lot of old heads in 2009 cringed when they saw Asher Roth on the same cover as Wale and Curren$y. People probably laughed in 2011 when Lil B was with Kendrick Lamar and Yelawolf. Same with Iggy Azalea, Chief Keef, and Fetty Wap in their respective years. Then 2016′s cover came out, and there was outrage. “Lil Yachty? Lil Uzi Vert? Desiigner? Kodak Black?? 21 Savage??? How the fuck are you going to put these dudes on the same page as Dave East?” I would imagine many people exclaimed as they slammed their canes on the ground and tore the grey beards off their face. Look, lyrically speaking, Lil B is pretty bad. But if you look back to his cypher, he is LIGHTYEARS ahead of most of the rappers on the 2016 list. But as per usual, XXL was right. All of the “bad” rappers from that year had proven to be the most successful rappers of the next year. I predict the same will be true for this year’s class, with rappers like  Playboi Carti, Ugly God, and MadeinTYO having the most impact this year. But if this is anyone’s fault, it is ours, not XXL’s.

Like Lil Wayne, a lot of people hated these “mumble rappers” at first. But artists like Future, Migos, Lil Yachty, and Young Thug are dominating the scene, and are giving way to more and more rappers who (for the most part) don’t really have anything meaningful to say. Even Iggy Azalea had a message (sometimes) and had a flow of a traditional rapper. Now we have lyrics like this, courtesy of Lil Pump:

“100 on my wrist, 80 on my wrist (what?) 100 on my wrist, 80 on my wrist (brr) 100 on my wrist, 80 on my wrist (ooh) 100 on my wrist, 80 on my wrist D Rose, D Rose, D Rose, D Rose D Rose, D Rose, D Rose, D Rose D Rose, D Rose, D Rose, D Rose D Rose, D Rose, D Rose, D Rose”

Wow, what a chorus. Just looking at this, you would think this song is terrible, but it’s pretty lit. And THAT is what is becoming more and more important today. The younger generation does not seem to have as much interest in listening to songs about the struggles of life. They want feel-good, drug-induced party music, which is where these new artists thrive. To be totally fair, Most of these “bad” rappers of today are not making the radio like Lil Wayne and Iggy did. That is a platform still mostly-dominated by great lyricists like Kendrick Lamar and Big Sean. But more of them are making their way into the airways than usual. After reading this, you probably think I don’t like this change. But I really just find it interesting. I listened to Lil Yachty’s “Lil Boat” mixtape almost every day last summer. I knew he wasn’t a great lyricist, but he has had so much influence on me as an artist melodically and production-wise. I would say Eminem is my favorite rapper, but I listen to Yachty and Uzi way more. Why? Because it’s modern and more relatable to my generation. Part of the reason why Eminem was so successful at his time (besides simply being the best) was the amount he created around himself. But the same things about him that the older generation hated were the parts the kids related to the most. But the difference still remains: Eminem is a far superior lyricist to any of the “bad” rappers that I mentioned. I don’t really know why this change is happening, and I certainly don’t want to assume that kids simply don’t want to think that hard. But like the trash rappers before them, I predict they will prove to be on the right side of hip-hop history. 

My last note on this change is that most of these new mumble rappers are blowing up way earlier in their career than generations before them. While rappers like 50 cent had to put out a ton of mixtapes before he got famous, a lot of these rappers are going viral from a couple of songs at the age of 17. Perhaps the poor lyrical skill of these rappers is in part because they have not had any time to develop themselves. Maybe in 2023 Lil Pump will be the new Logic. Only time will tell. 

EDIT: Which brings me to the biggest question of all (thanks to my friend Tyler Goss for helping with this thought) and that is WILL THEY LAST? It’s safe to say that the old heads have pretty much given up on expecting these rappers to be able to freestyle (except XXL, but thats more for the sake of tradition) so there is no one really trying to weed them out. In addition, all these mumble rappers have highly dedicated fans, most of which are the same age as them. These artists make it extremely easy to stay this dedicated because they release music so often and are so involved on social media that it is hard to forget about them, a method taken from Drake. However, what will happen when these fans grow up? Like I said, these rappers may mature into deeper lyricism and a wider subject matter as time goes on, but what if they don’t? 30 year old rap fans (hopefully) are not going to have much interest  in “YEAH I got that ice on my wrist! YEAH I got your bitch on my dick!”. And the newer generation might still be into that, however at that point the artist will be too old for them to really relate to. I think that the best thing that these rappers can do is to grow up WITH their current fans. Trying to act younger than you are (*cough* Jamie Foxx) doesn’t really go well, but showing your fans that you are in the same place in life as them is what keeps them fucking with you. I have no idea if this is the answer, but I know that these rappers are at least living the dream right now.

Check out my ranking of this year’s XXL Freshman Cyphers http://sir-chris-jaxon.tumblr.com/post/162986681526/every-2017-xxl-freshman-cypher-ranked

[intoxicatingimmediacy]

From Homeless to Hamilton: How Daveed Diggs Finessed His Way Onto Hollywood’s ‘It’ List Without Selling Out

Presented with the basic premise for what would later become the defiantly woke, Pulitzer Prize-winning, billion dollar-grossing Broadway smash hit Hamilton in 2013, rapper-actor Daveed Diggs reacted strongly to the material—just not in a good way. “I said, ‘That’s a terrible idea,’” recalls Diggs. “If someone says to you, ‘Hey, here’s a rap musical about Alexander Hamilton,’ the elevator pitch of that show is not good!”

Realizing he’s implicitly shitting on Hamilton mastermind Lin-Manuel Miranda, the performer clarifies: “There was never any doubt that Lin could pull this off. Immediately upon hearing the music or reading the scenes, it becomes clear that it’s a wonderful idea. But if you ask me if I think this is a bad idea? I still think it’s a bad idea.”

Diggs, of course, went on to originate the production’s dual dead-white-guy role of Thomas Jefferson/Marquis de Lafayette, picking up a best actor Tony and a Grammy for his risk—all while firmly entrenching himself within America’s cultural consciousness thanks to his rapid-fire MC skills and Sideshow Bob-esque head of corkscrew curls.

Which is a pretty positive outcome for a guy who just a few years earlier had regularly slept on the 2 train—Manhattan’s Seventh Avenue express—during his starving actor days. He was scraping by on just $100 a week in unemployment benefits and getting rejected time and again during “soul-crushing, nonsense” auditions. “I didn’t have a job or an income source,” Diggs says. “I was going to these big cattle call auditions. I’d leave those things and go hang out with friends. I was young and invincible. Sleeping on the subway was fine.”

But in 2016, after two years and somewhere in the neighborhood of 700 performances beneath Hamilton’s blinding cultural spotlight, the Oakland-born multi-hyphenate—who was recruited to run the 110 meter high-hurdles at Brown University but graduated with a degree in theater—decided it was time to branch out. “I knew it was time for me to go,” he says. So in recent months, Diggs has turned his attention to an almost mind-boggling array of eclectic projects.

“I wanted to keep working,” explains Diggs. “I didn’t know how long it would be before I worked again. And I was also aware that something had happened that had given me a visibility in this business that is pretty rare—especially for a person doing theater. I was confident in the people I had chosen to work with. But I was nervous: how do you not make the wrong decision? It’s such a fickle business.”

In addition to racking up character arcs on such shows as Netflix’s The Get Down (as the show’s narrator, a hip-hop superstar), Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (a university philosophy student and possible Kimmy paramour who, yes, busts a rhyme on camera during the show’s third season) and Black-ish (as Tracee Ellis Ross’ pompous, croissant-chomping hipster brother Johan), Diggs has also been touring with his experimental/underground noise-rap group Clipping. On November 17, Diggs will mark his film debut with a supporting role as an English teacher alongside the likes of Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson in Lionsgate’s YA novel adaptation Wonder. “I was a teacher for many years before anyone knew who I was,” Diggs notes. “So it felt close to home. I still teach workshops and try to work in education whenever I can. I think teaching is one of the most important jobs you can do, so I jumped at the opportunity to portray a really great teacher.”

Then there’s his pivot to the other side of the camera with the new ABC sitcom The Mayor for which the 35-year-old serves as executive producer. After his recurring role on Blackish, and still relatively burnt out by his long Hamilton co-starring run, Diggs was reluctant to sign on for the “grind” of a multi-year commitment of a starring role but warmed to the idea of calling shots creatively (what’s more, he and his Clipping band mates Jonathan Snipes and William Hutson are creating the show’s original music). Debuting to generally positive reviews earlier this month, The Mayor (Tuesdays at 9:30 ET) follows an aspiring NorCal hip-hop artist (Brandon Michael Hall) who runs for political office to jump start sales of his mixtape—but unexpectedly wins the election.

“Setting it in Northern California means it would sound different than any other part of the country or even someplace as close as Los Angeles,” Diggs notes. “Because of where he is, [the main character] Courtney Rose will be more influenced by E-40, Mac Dre and Keak da Sneak than, say, Jay Z, Nas and Biggie. I was excited to work on a show that honors those distinctions and I think this specificity adds authentic to the character and the town.”

And as if his dance card weren’t yet already full enough, Diggs is set to star in TNT’s futuristic sci-fi series Snowpiercer as a prisoner barely surviving on a gigantic, fast-moving train that continuously circles the globe years after civilization has been wiped out by a post-apocalyptic ice age. “I don’t think any performer wants to be pigeonholed,” Diggs says with a shrug. “And I’m a sci-fi nut. It’s exciting. It’s one of the reasons I’m in this business: I’m not very good at doing the same thing every day!”