THE MODERN CRITIQUE

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Kelsey Plum

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No one does a mid-life crisis better than Kathryn Hahn. Afternoon Delight (2013) starring her, Josh Radnor, and Juno Temple was really her first starring role in a film before shooting some of my favorites like Captain Fantastic (2016), Private Life (2018), or the HBO series Mrs. Fletcher (2019). In Afternoon Delight she plays Rachel, a 30-something year-old mom of one who is stressed out by her sexless marriage, a therapist she doesn’t like, a group of girlfriends she doesn’t fit in with, motherhood, and adulthood in general. In need of a boost, one of her girlfriends suggests they go on a double-date to a local strip club. While there she meets McKenna, a teenage stripper played by Temple, who intrigues her. They strike up a friendship that fills a strong void in Rachel’s life and gives her sense of purpose, but also has its challenges and downfalls. Somehow, Rachel feels she needs to “save” McKenna and offers her a job as a nanny.

Film critic Cory Everett was right when he wrote the premise of Afternoon Delight is broad, but what I really like about the film is it works because the writing is real and Hahn makes you feel it on screen. It’s honest and engaging even though it is longer on the drama than laugh-out-loud comedy. 

*Joey Soloway, who wrote and directed the film, uses details of Rachel’s life that many people in their 30’s or 40’s can relate to. The film is really about companionship, friendship, and fitting in. In an interview, Radnor, who plays Rachel’s husband, says Afternoon Delight is about intimacy and our fear of it. I imagine the fear of intimacy stems from lack of the companionship that leads to it. I found it more interesting that Soloway wrote McKenna as a friend or mentee rather than a love interest. McKenna is young, sexy, free of any real responsibilities, and legitimately happy with her line of work. Rachel can be herself around her without being judged or anxious. When they hang out, Rachel is able to spill her feelings to McKenna in a way she never does with her therapist. This is what she needs. 

If you’re going to use friendship as therapy, you’d better have friends who are not only honest, but challenge you to make you better. After sketchy decisions are made by both women that cause drama, Rachel’s husband forces her to think about what she really wants. This is one of my favorite parts of the film. This is how it feels to be an adult sometimes. She doesn’t want out of her marriage, she wants to be out of fake friendships, constant responsibility, and the anxiousness life brings in general. It doesn’t all suck, but let’s face it, much of being an adult for many people is doing a bunch of stuff you don’t want to do, talking to people you didn’t choose to talk to, paying bills you don’t want to pay, and struggling to be yourself through life in general. It’s enough to drive anyone to therapy. Rachel feels like she needs to help McKenna, but she’s the one who needs help and the consequences of her new friendship reveals this.

Again, Afternoon Delight is broad, but true. Rachel is many of us. We don’t all befriend strippers and hire them as nannies, but we need things to get by and take care of ourselves. The best thing to do is look inward, be honest with ourselves, find what it is we need, and surround ourselves with people who fulfill us and make us happy. Rachel, just like too many of us, learns the hard way. 

*Joey Soloway is non-binary and gender non-conforming, using they/them pronouns. They were previously named Jill Soloway when they directed this film.

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Getting (Back) to the Paper

The year 2020 was a terrible one. There’s really no other way to put it. However, towards the end I put my focus towards this year - 2021 and what to make of it. I thought about my goals, and how I could achieve them. There were so many I made for myself and my family a year ago that I never got to in 2020. Some were due to uncontrollable circumstances, but most were my own fault.

One of those goals was to write more. And not just any type of writing, I wanted to blog and be a critic. It is, after all, a long term goal of mine to be a film, music, and fashion writer for Complex, Hypebeast, Highsnobiety, or even GQ. I want to make money from freelance writing. These long term goals are similar to the goals I had coming out of college eleven years ago. I was 24 years old, which was older than most of my peers physically, but mentally I may as well have been 21 or 22. I started interning unpaid at Indianapolis Monthly in January of 2010. I worked every week day, thinking it would help me get ahead when I should’ve interned two or three times a week, while working at J.Crew and Brooks Brothers to make ends meet (which is something I ended up doing the next year, minus the internship). I did that for six months before I landed a paid internship at Men’s Health magazine in Emmaus, PA. That internship was one I had wanted for years, and while I have fond memories of my time there, I also have deep regrets. 

I did not work hard at Men’s Health. It wasn’t because I was lazy, a bad writer, nor did I hate the job. It was because my passion for the magazine had subsided. I applied a year prior and didn’t get the job. In the approximate six months between me getting rejected and landing the job, my passion for Complex and GQ. 

I read Complex magazine all through college, but I never considered working there until I had those six months to continue exploring my passion for The Arts. I was also a budding hypebeast, getting heavily into streetwear with the help of the Dope Couture store in Bloomington, IN and Kanye West as my muse. Complex was, and still may be, the leading magazine publishing what college kids (millennials at the time) were wearing, listening to, watching, and everything we thought was cool. GQ displayed the professional style I embodied. Men’s Health was full of, well, health. It served me well throughout my high school and college days as a star athlete, but I was changing and my college football career was coming to an end. Journalism, fashion, and music were on my mind more than football. 

Still, I took the Men’s Health internship. I wasn’t awful, but simple articles seemed daunting because my mind was elsewhere. I spent hours each day perusing Complex instead of the scientific studies I was supposed to read for my current gig. This was the Kanye West My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy era. I dove into Mixtape Fridays (which I wish Complex would bring back) and wrote personal reviews on all the music. This was the beginning of the Thom Browne craze of very short-cropped pants and innovative tailoring. This was the stuff that consumed me. Needless to say, when Men’s Health decided they wanted to hire one of the interns that year, I was not picked. This led me down a long path towards a different career, which I also love, but writing has never left my heart.

This brings me to today. I’m done procrastinating. I give myself permission to write crap and improve over time. I’m going to write for Complex, Hypebeast, Highsnobiety, GQ, and some other publications like Pitchfork. It’s going to take practice and I’m up for the challenge. So, here’s this blog. One of my top goals for 2021 is to write consistently. I named this blog The Modern Critique because it will largely consist of artistry I appreciate and criticize along with some profile features. I also named it that because, while I may be a bit of a jock, I’m also boujee. This blog is one big writing exercise for me to improve and enjoy my own writing so I can prepare myself to be the writer I’ve always wanted to be. So, here’s to 2021, big goals, big dreams, and making this year much better than the last.

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DAVE stars Dave Burd and is loosely based on his real life. The show depicts Burd as a white 20-something rapper from the suburbs who aspires to be the greatest rapper of all time. The difficult part is convincing others to take him seriously. Burd’s rapper name is Lil’ Dicky both in show and real life, which is a self-deprecating joke in itself. I can’t help but think about 2 Chainz changing his name from Tity Boi, which only helped his career. 

Strange rapper names aside, Burd’s rap skills are legit. While I’m not a fan of his 2015 album Professional Rapper, his freestyles are some of the most entertaining I’ve heard. DAVE is more indicative of his freestyles and real-life personality - it’s witty, spontaneous, funny, raunchy (sometimes, unnecessarily so), and surprisingly thoughtful and heartfelt at times. Burd’s team consists of co-stars Taylor Misiak who plays his girlfriend, Taco Bennett as his producer, hype man Gata, Andrew Santino, and Christine Ko. The Directors, Greg Mottola (Superbad), Ben Sinclair, Andrew DeYoung, and Tony Yacenda pieced together an opening season worthy of critical acclaim, but it is not void of missteps. 

The show is strongly centered around Burd, sometimes annoyingly so. I found him to be an equally endearing and cringe-worthy character. He’s the guy you invite to the party because he’s funny, but you’re cautious because he has no filter and struggles to read the room. One minute you’re laughing about something funny you saw on Instagram, and the next you’re cringing as he tells a dick joke to a group of your friends. Burd’s stubbornness is laugh-out-loud funny, but also a bit unbelievable at times. This tends to make some of the writing seem forced.

Burd’s team on DAVE are interesting and diverse individually and I’d be willing to watch a show about the five of them together, but his relationship with each of them doesn’t quite hit as hard as I’d like. I’m more interested in how they all plan to navigate the demands of the music business and the drama that comes with that. Burd's personality clashing with the tolerance of his record label along with the potential storylines of his team is enough for me in one opening season.

What stuck with me about DAVE were were the serious moments. It was the way they tackled mental health midseason. Also, the emotion of the moments dealing with love, loss, and insecurity sneak up on you.

At its core, DAVE is about chasing a dream. The story of that dream and how it’s packaged always varies. In this case, it’s a delightfully flawed, silly, and entertaining one that both frustrated me and kept me wanting more.

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If the name Theophilus London is unfamiliar to you or the memory seems somewhat distant, you’re not alone. Despite his undeniable talent, Theophilus still remains a largely unknown artist to many, which is understandable once you know his story.

Theophilus London is his real name. Theophilus means “friend of god” or “lover of god”. He was born in Trinidad, but grew up in Brooklyn. Many assume he is from London, which isn’t completely ridiculous. He was embraced there first due to his early mixtapes from 2008-2010. He has that European vibe to him and his influences range from Ace of Base to Prince. 

Theo vibes seamlessly with hip-hop, indie-rock, and fashion scenes without skipping a beat. He is one of the most stylish brothas you will ever see and his music has always inspired other music artists in these genres. But being an influence to others and being a star in your own right can be tricky.  

Theo released his debut album Timez Are Weird These Days in 2011 with very little success. Most of the songs sound more like studio references for Kid Cudi than polished CD Quality tracks fit for a debut album. Kanye West attached his name to Theo’s second album, Vibes in 2014. West produced and is featured on Theo’s most popular song to date, “Can’t Stop” thinking that would be enough to push Theo to music stardom. It wasn’t. Theo performed a more futuristic sound, but the rest of the album still wasn’t polished and showed little improvement. He couldn’t carry a song on his own. 

The lack of musical success took a toll on Theo. He had Kanye’s cosign, production from Leon Ware, one of his biggest inspirations. He even had friend and legendary fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld shoot the album cover. Still, it only sold 3,000 copies in the first week. He was making music for the wrong reasons. He told Billboard magazine, “I was craving the mainstream, I was super eager to get in that space.”

He canceled his Vibes tour, moved back to New York from Los Angeles. He spent 2015 DJ’ing club parties in NYC with friend, Virgil Abloh (currently head of Louis Vuitton Menswear and Off-White founder). He was also still modeling and designing, but the musical creativity wasn’t there. He became disconnected from long-time friends and became fixated on mass approval.

Despite the success outside of the booth, Theo was depressed. So, in 2018 he began making changes. He took a social media hiatus, ditched his smart phone for a flip phone, and set new intentions and goals. While staying with his brother in Rhode Island, Theo took the bus or Amtrak to the city for nightly recording sessions. He reconnected with old friends, made public appearances, modeled in Virgil’s first fashion show in Paris for Louis Vuitton, and launched his own record label, My Bebe Records.  

Those 2018 recording sessions were the beginning of what would become Bebey, Theo’s first album in six years. It’s an album that’s both fun and brooding with wavy island vibes mixed in throughout. The title track, “Bebey” is a vacation-ready cover of Nigerian singer, Steve Monite’s 1984 disco hit of the same name. “Cuba” has some of the best bars he has spit in his career and you can’t help but move to “Give You”. It’s music from a man who is now free from the burdens of expectations from the masses. He’s not just living, but acknowledging his best life on Bebey while giving us insights to the road he’s traveled with compassion through Lil’ Yachty’s performance on the reprise of “Seals”.

So, Theophilus London now sits here in 2020. Still an influencer of many, but unknown to most. Not far from where he started in 2011. Only this time it feels different. Bebey feels different. It’s an album he could have only made by coming full circle and facing trials along the way. And while he no longer cares if you know who he is, it’s safe to say he’s confident more will pay attention this time. “I know I’m like 17 levels ahead of what everyone else is doing,” he told Billboard. This music is crazy good. I’m designing every song. I’m back in my zone.”

May 2020 be the year we all take notice.

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Juicy J once said “A sitting duck gets plucked.” He said those words to Sway Calloway, of the Sway in the Morning while down in Memphis years ago. Many rappers from Memphis strive to live by this mantra. The most recent being Moneybagg Yo. He has built a reputation through his 15 mixtapes since 2012. His heavy, pleasantly mucky voice along with his direct, vivid, and sometimes comical wordplay give all of his projects life. None more so than his latest effort Time Served, his third full album release. 

To be honest, before this album I knew little about Moneybagg Yo. I was familiar with him from his features on other rappers’ songs. I’ve always liked his voice, but I’d often confuse him for Young Dolph. Other than that, everytime I heard about him it was because he was poppin’ on the blogs due to his relationships with women, beef, or some other drama. But this time it’s about the music. 

Time Served hits you in the chest right away with “Speak 4 ‘Em”, where Money’s lyrics are bound to make you laugh out loud in the first forty seconds. This happens often throughout the album. What’s dope about it is it flows so easy for him it’s clear these rhymes are just a part of who he is and how he thinks. He explained his writing process to Sway back in November 2019.

“It’s just the first thing that comes to my mind. I might say four bars, then say ‘hold up, let me think’. Go back in - two bars, eight bars. It just comes out like that. I listen to it two or three times to memorize it.”

There are other notable rappers who don’t write their lyrics, but I’ve never heard of anyone’s writing process quite like this. It’s disjointed, raw, it shouldn’t work. But not only does it work, it’s dope. It’s as if he freestyles, hits a roadblock, starts up again, and makes it his own. Easy to do in the studio, but his flow and aforementioned wordplay set him apart regardless of who else practices this model. 

Ironically, on “Thinking Out Loud” Money addresses some of his homies locked up with a personal touch that could only come from well-thought out lyrics that have marinated in his soul for some time. “Bi**h” talks about women you can’t trust with comedic awareness that men can’t be trusted either. He spits, “They go trapper to trapper, rapper to rapper for the bag. H**s ain’t s**t just like us ni**as, so you can’t even be mad.” The end of the second verse is even better. Hit single, “All Dat” features former girlfriend, Megan Thee Stallion. The song and video are as good as I’m sure you are imagining. 

Time Served has no wasted features. In addition to Megan, Lil’ Baby, Blac Youngsta, Future, DaBaby, Summer Walker, and Fredo Bang all hold their own.

Money opened up 2020’s first week with a banger. I’m curious to see how he holds this momentum the rest of the year. With a new management deal with Roc Nation, the backing of mentor and fellow Memphis rapper Yo Gotti, and a newfound commitment towards health (he recently quit lean, started working out regularly, and embraced his Muslim faith), Moneybagg Yo is bound to make Juicy J proud by flying above most competition. 

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There are hundreds of major sneaker drops every year. The ones that make this blog will be the ones that stop me in my tracks.

Yesterday, Jordan Brand dropped the Jordan 85 Racer inspired by the Air Jordan 1 in the classic “Chicago” colorway. Retailed at only $100, I’d be copping these today if it weren’t for the holidays and the way my bank account is set up. What I love most about these training shoes are the transparent grid-mesh panels. Designers exaggerated certain elements to give the sneaker a futuristic look. The thin rubber outsole creates a lightweight feel and the red patent synthetic leather across the toe box, mid-panel supports, and heel give it that signature Jordan look we all crave. 

I thought most of the sizes would be sold out within 24 hours, but it seems Nike has produced at least a decent amount this go around. Peep the pics and cop here.

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One step forward, two steps back. Prior to his 2016 release from federal prison this was the theme of most of Gucci Mane’s life. I devoured his autobiography in six days. He takes us from his days as a kid in Bessemer, Alabama to his move to Atlanta’s East Side, otherwise known as Zone 6. Gucci and co-author Neil Martinez-Belkin do a good job painting vivid scenes of Gucci’s struggles with drugs, fame, anxiety, depression, as well as all of his stunting and success. 

The gems dropped are entertaining and unforgettable. The name, his family, influences, beefs, rap life, trap life, prison life, his resilience. It’s all there.

There are few redemption stories more entertaining and jubilant in the rap game than Gucci Mane’s. I’ve been a fan of Gucci for a few years, but reading this book has made me even more interested in his music. I’ve listened to Gucci since 2006, but I could only tolerate his singles. He couldn’t hold me for a full album. That all changed when he put out Everybody Looking. Gucci had lost weight, got off drugs, and was completely sober. His sound was sharper, his flow was more focused than any of his previous releases. He’s only gotten even better since then. East Atlanta Santa 3, Woptober II, Delusions of Grandeur, and Mr. Davis are my favorites. But what you learn from reading the book is Gucci really lived the shit he talked about. I’m not saying the way he was living was always the right way to be, but there’s something to be said for the relentless authenticity. He walks you through stories, then lists the lyrics for some of his songs describing that exact story or experience. 

We’ve all known rappers to spit about their experiences, but in today's age it can be difficult to tell who’s real and who is playing a character. I don’t even mind those who play a character as long as they do it well. But there’s an unmistakable appeal to Gucci after he opens up about most things with strong detail. 

The term “Trap Music” is so common nowadays, you can even hear the influence in cell phone commercials and every white suburb you venture into. But Gucci started that shit. He shaped the sounds and/or heavily influenced the likes of Migos, Young Thug, 21 Savage, Fetty Wap, Young Dolph, Waka Flocka Flame, and Chief Keef to name a few. To me, Gucci is one of the rap gods. 

When you go on Gucci’s website, once you hit “Enter” the bold words “Save Stunt Stack Shine Repeat” flash on the screen. What stuck with me is he started with “Save”. Man, Gucci’s come a long way from throwing ten G’s at the cameramen on the BET Awards white carpet in 2010. 

Chances are if you’re saving, stunting, stacking, and shining in life you’re probably taking steps forward. Now, repeat and you can forget about taking any steps back. Perfect words for Gucci and the rest of us, if you ask me.

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While listening to the Highsnobiety Dropcast with Jian DeLeon and Noah Thomas about Ralph Lauren’s influence on sports, Andre Agassi’s name came up as one of the most influential athletes in the fashion world. Clearly, Agassi never wore Ralph Lauren on the tennis court, but his influence stands out among other athletes not only back then, but still today. 

The podcast featured The Good Company’s Kumasi Sadiki and Paterson League’s head of brand, German Nieves. Among many other things, they reminisced about Agassi’s “Image is Everything” ads for Canon and his individual style and personality. I remember being drawn to him as a kid for his fashion and the way he carried himself. He infiltrated the stuffiness of traditional tennis, which at the time, was one of the few ways to get young black kids and future hypebeasts to watch tennis. 

Inspired by the podcast, I searched some old ads and commercials Agassi did in the 90′s. His style has come back in a big way over the past few years. What’s even more dope is homeboy was wearing a wig the whole time, which he talks about in his book, Open, that I plan to read within the next year. 

My favorite was this segment done at the French Open in 1991. The late Dick Enberg opens the segment, which features then Nike CEO Phil Knight and Nike shoe designer Tinker Hatfield, who is legendary for designing eighteen different Air Jordan sneakers. Hatfield is currently Nike’s Vice President for Design and Special Projects. 

Peep Agassi’s shoe game, the headband, shirts, polos, and fitted jeans. You can ride the same wave by walking into any Urban Outfitters right now. 

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I can’t express enough how proud I am of Virgil Abloh and what he means to the fashion industry. He grew up in Rockford, IL and learned his style from the streets and neighborhoods of Chicago. In short, he made his name doing streetwear, cultivating it into his line, OFF-WHITE. He’s talked about wanting to work for a large fashion house for quite some time. He realized his goal of becoming the Head of Menswear at Louis Vuitton back in March, had his first show in June, and currently has a line of furniture and home decor for IKEA. 

I’m a long-time fan of his and his meteoric and unconventional rise in the fashion world is incredibly motivating to me. 

In this interview with model superstar Naomi Campbell, Virgil outlines his influences, how he got started in fashion, and how he got the job at Louis Vuitton. I love that he mentions another personal favorite, Edward Enninful who is the Editor-in-Chief of British Vogue.

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James Harden for GQ, May 2018

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Artist, Dave Ortiz explains his design for the “Bacon” Air Max 90, one of the greatest shoe collaborations of all time.

“At the end of the day, they’re just a pair of sneakers and you might step in shit.” - Dave Ortiz

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It’s usually about this time of year when I have a craving for fashion. We’re just coming out of the snow days (supposedly), designers’ Spring/Summer collections shown in the fall are now hitting the stores. I was recently in Indianapolis with some downtime and decided to hit up the Fashion Mall at Keystone Crossing to take a look at Stella McCartney’s SS18 Collection in person. As usual, I was impressed with what I saw.

Naturally, I took to her fashion show footage to review how the clothes looked on the models. Minus the terrible music during the show, I liked what I saw.

Many fashion insiders have been critical of Stella, saying her collections are basic. However, it is ready-to-wear and her lines do sell. I’ve always said no one does ready-to-wear better than Stella for this reason mainly. Not only do I love her simple style, her eco-friendly way of designing, but for the fact that women want to actually wear her clothes right now. I’d love her even more if I was a buyer for a store because I know I could sell these clothes and they will do well.

Stella is locked in to what women want more so than any other womenswear designer out there. Her designs aren’t basic, they’re what women want. The fabrics are sustainable and she makes creative tweaks to each garment that makes simplicity more appealing.

Take her mixture of evening and athletic wear using cold shoulders, full skirts, and flowy dresses. On the flip side, she showcased 80’s stonewash T-shirts, jumpers, and jeans and fitted cargo pants. Stella brought back the classics with subtle twists in the fit or pairings.

Above are my favorite looks from her SS18 Show.

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Jay Rock x Kendrick Lamar x Future x James Blake - “King’s Dead” off the Black Panther soundtrack

Directed by Dave Free and Jack Begert

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My heart jumped when I opened Facebook today, and was shown a status I wrote on this day nine years ago. It was simply “bryanpayton.blogspot.com”. I couldn’t believe it - my old blog. My mind immediately went back to the days of my early twenties, when I was a man of confidence and an underlying uncertainty about what was next. I was about to take on the real world as a senior in college. The blog spanned a couple years, but the majority of my posts came in 2009-2010. 

I scrolled through my old posts. They’re filled with fashion, music, art, and so much talent. I had it back then. I had dreams of being a big time magazine journalist and a somebody in the fashion world. So many things about this blog made me feel free. It was totally me.

The thing is, it still is me. I’m not the guy who missed out on his dreams and is lost in a family life. I love my life and my current profession. But this blog reminds of me my dreams and how I can still capitalize on those interests that seem so far away right now. I still have dreams of side projects, getting back in to fashion, learning how to DJ, and writing a book. I still have dreams of stunting on everybody at Fashion Week. Seeing this blog has brought those things back to the surface have given me a feeling I can only describe as, well, free again. 

The song I’ve posted is “Maybachs & Diamonds” by Ryan Leslie. Looking back, Ryan Leslie was, and still is my favorite R&B artist. Listening to this song and watching the video took me back more than anything. The decadent, smooth, intricate sound of the music was me in a nutshell. Hell, it’s still there. Full of dreams and possibilities.