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Ariana Grande: Appropriator or Appreciator

Ariana Grande has taken the world by storm starting at age thirteen. From Broadway to kids television to music, she’s done it all. At the age of fourteen, Ariana was determined to release her own R&B album, but was denied due to her age. After appearing on Victorious, Grande’s music career was kickstarted, starting with her first album Yours Truly. Throughout the years, however, Ariana was involved in numerous scandals, including cultural appropriation, which had a negative impact on her status as a role model.

Ariana Grande’s actions have been most prevalent in her song “7 Rings”, which is spoofed off of the song “My Favorite Things”. Individuals have accused her of appropriating black culture in this song and music video for it. The song starts off as an ode to “My Favorite Things” from The Sound of Music before switching to a mixture of pop and trap music. For the chorus, a marching-formation beat kicks in and Grande whispers, in a clipped rhythm, “I want it, I got it, I want it, I got it.” In the bridge, she raps in a kind of ranging, liquid style reminiscent of Beyoncé and Nicki Minaj’s “Flawless (Remix),” with a reference to The Notorious B.I.G.’s “Gimme the Loot.” The internet then became locked in a debate discussing whether the pop singer plagiarized or paid homage to 2 Chainz, Princess Nokia, or Soulja Boy. The song’s defining lyric goes, “You like my hair? / Gee thanks, just bought it,” which also recalls 2 Chainz’s refrain “It’s mine / I spend it.” But “Spend It” was a a celebration song reminiscent of someone who has had to deal drugs all their life before becoming rich and famous: “I’m riding ’round my side of town / Boxing gloves, I beat the trial.” On Princess Nokia’s “Mine,” the chorus, “It’s mine, I bought it,” referred to the hairpieces of black and brown women, which, Nokia complained in song, are regularly ridiculed. Ariana was then criticized for finding herself in a culture she knows nothing about. The pink mansion in her music video is reminiscent of the pink trap house 2 Chainz used to promote his album Pretty Girlz Like Trap Music in 2017 . The use of the house and black women as props to assert her coolness, shows that Grande has became another white pop star clinging onto marketable imagery of the hood to push her bad girl persona. However, most people do not want to have her canceled, but instead want her to learn from her mistakes by bringing it to her attention.

Ariana Grande and her friends defend her actions and call it a tribute and appreciation for black culture instead of appropriation. However, even with all the controversy, “7 Rings” became a smash hit and was played everywhere for weeks. Her albums have introduced Grande to new audiences who may be unfamiliar with her past work, and therefore might be more likely to see her paying homage to R&B and hip-hop titans as plagiarism. But for people who have listened to Grande since her debut after television, “7 Rings” didn’t seem like a radical departure for the musician, but rather a natural progression as Grande’s proclivity for R&B-infused pop a has been the foundation her career was built upon. Although black artists, both historically and in the current day, aren’t often given the same opportunities to profit from their music as white artists like Grande, she’s always given credit to the culture, which is more than what some artists have done.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariana_Grande#2013–2015:_Yours_Truly_and_My_Everything

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/michaelblackmon/ariana-grande-cultural-appropriation-thank-u-next-7-rings

https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/01/ariana-grandes-7-rings-really-cultural-appropriation/580978/

Kanye

ye also better know as Kanye West is an American rapper from Atlanta Georgia. I think the first time that I ever heard about Kanye was probably back around in 2009 when the song Stronger came out. I really enjoyed that song and ever since than I found an interest in his music. Over the years he progressively got more and more popular with albums such as The College Dropout, graduation, yeezus, life of pablo, to his most recent Donda. The more he grew in fame the more it seemed like his name kept being involved in something. It seemed like he always like the attention from things like the beef with Taylor swift, to politics, to fashion. As a celebrity I give him props for trying to stand out and do things differently and this can be heard in his music and seen in his fashion which means there will be a lot of people that like it and people that will criticize him for it.

When I said he likes to try and do things that push the envelope this is one of them. We talked about the one in class because it was controversial because he sampled a song called “strange fruit”. The song was originally was made to bring light racism that was happening back in the day. So Kanye using it in this kind of context definitely sparked a lot of peoples attention. I think people found it not appropriate because he uses the context of the song and raps about whatever he wants on it.

She Instagram herself like #BadBitchAlert He Instagram his watch like #MadRichAlert He only wanna see that ass in reverse Two-thousand-dollar bag with no cash in your purse Now you sittin' courtside, wifey on the other side

With lyrics like these it makes sense to view why some people thought of him as being not as sensitive to the meaning of the original song. Strange fruit had a deep meaning and message behind it and you have Kanye over here talking about how she instagrams herself and a two thousand dollar bag.

I feel like as an artist Kanye loves the controversy and criticism because I feel he views it as all good publicity. Overall he was in the spotlight for everything he did including his fashion and what he was putting out. His fashion also receives some criticism because some people either really love it or some people just hate it because it's Kanye. It seems like he also likes to involve himself in politics which will automatically just cause controversy and get a lot of hate. He even has done some random things like say he wants to run for presidency.

Artist Profile: J Bandz

For this weeks blog post we had to pick an artist to do a profile on. I already know I used him for the artist interview and decided that I would cover him again because I know him so well and continue to show support. Joshua also known as J Bandz was born February 4th, 2000 and comes from a small town in New Jersey Called South Bound Brook. Growing up he was always was listening to music and found some interesting ways to do so. I remember super early in middle school he used to carry around a PSP and listen to his music that way. At the time he was really into Michael Jackson and lil Wayne and as he progressed into high school he really got into rap. Before he ever professionally started making music he was really into sports especially football. Overtime I watched as he transitioned from wanting to take sports seriously to wanting to be a well known artist. He started making music when he was 18 and has continued to keep getting better and better as he keeps releasing new songs.

This is his most recent song “I Cant Link” and in my opinion one of my favorites so far. Since he is one of my childhood best friends and still continue to talk to him daily there definitely is some sort of bias. Even then If he was not my friend I would probably still have the same opinion as I do now because he makes good music. I think this song also shows more of his progression as he is trying to put more effort into the production quality of his music. When I interviewed him he also said that this is one of his favorites too because of the production quality and the meaning behind the song. In my opinion I could start to see a change in the music that he is producing and I can see how he is trying to put more meaningful messages in his songs. Knowing him my whole life I could easily say that his personality is shown through the music that he is making and that it is not just a “mask”. Throughout his songs you can here how determined he is to make it big and how much he believes in himself and how he wants to make it big especially for his mom.

I think as an artist one of his biggest achievements is with his song “Betta”. On Spotify it currently has over 500k listens and is continues to grow everyday. One day hopefully more of his songs blow up like this one did and gets him more recognized and maybe lands him a deal if he chooses to go that route. As previously said in the interview he declined a deal from a label because he did not want the company owning such a huge percent of his property. This shows how headstrong he is and knows that he can make it even bigger and be successful on his own. I was just playing xbox with him the other night and he told me he is going to move to Florida I believe in the next six months to try and get more known. I honestly believe that if he continues to keep making more music and pushing out his content that one day he could eventually get really well known. I personally cant see him stopping anytime soon because he does not give up easily. To push his content he uses social media a lot especially instagram posting all the time. At one point he had over 20k followers and that was helping him get more exposure to his music. Sadly his account got hacked and he lost it slowing his exposure down. he recently made another account and is almost back to 1k followers and has been posting a lot of his music and fan support on their. This shows how much he is determined because even when he lost a huge part of his followers he just pushed through and kept hustling. Hopefully you guys go check him out and enjoy his music because he appreciates everyone that does.

michelle-miriam

Empty Mind, Full Heart

I recently spoke with Fred from the band Travelers of an Empty Mind to gain some insight about the group through Instagram messages. Travelers of an Empty Mind was formed back in high school and originally went by Face2Face. After realizing that there was another band by the same name it was changed to Travelers of an Empty Mind. Currently its only members are Fred (guitar and vocals) and Chris (bass, vocals, drums).

Michelle: What inspired you to first make music?

Fred: We were mostly inspired by bands we liked at the time such as Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, Deftones, Slipknot and Korn. We had a guitar club back in our highschool so playing music with each other often was a big inspiration to make our own.

M: How would you describe the music you typically create?

F: In simple terms I would describe our music as rap metal/ rap rock. As we grew we incorporated elements of funk and prog with the inclusion of some techniques such as slap bass and guitar tapping.

M: Who would you most like to collaborate with and why?

F: We have a great community of friends from bands, to solo acts we’ve played with over the years so making with many of them would be fun. If I had to pick one rn I’d pick our friends in Submind (AGreatArchitect and Delta The Butterfly). I’ve been roommates w the former and friends w both for years so it’d be a long time coming M: If you could open a show for any artist who would it be and why?

F: I think it would have to be Deftones or Daughters. Out of the bands we’ve liked for years they’ve remained a fave.

M: What would you be doing right now, if it wasn’t for your music career?

F: Haha, idk if I’d call it a career. It’s fun making music while we have the time. I’m currently studying animation and still learning more as I go so that’s one path I’m set on.

M: Where have you performed? What are your favorite and least favorite venues?

F: We’ve performed in a decent many places in Jersey. Some venues and a shit ton of New Brunswick basements. One of my favorite sets ever performed was at the Brighton Bar (sadly now closed due to covid) but my favorite venue will forever be “Hivemind.” When I was in school “Hivemind” was the name my housemates and I gave our house when setting up shows in New Brunswick. It was amazing to have bands from different states play there and throw amazing shows with friends. My least favorite venue would have to be Dingbatz. Besides the typical money grubbery venues are infamous for with small artists, they got into a bit of controversy a couple years ago for allowing a Nazi band to perform at the dismay of the music community. Of course we played there years before this controversy but it still leaves a bad taste in my mouth to say the least.

M: What is the best advice you’ve been given?

F: The best advice I’ve been given is to make sure I’m having fun. I think making music is great and doing things with your friends is awesome but it shouldn’t make you feel excessively anxious. And I’ve learned over the years to set proper expectations and boundaries with practice, performing, etc.

M: What is your favorite song to perform and why?

F: My favorite songs to play is a tough one. One one hand I’d say “The Devil Drives an Audi” because it’s more rap focused. I have less to play on guitar so I can focus on entertaining people lyrically. On the other hand, “Stream” is mostly instrumental so its fun as hell to lock in with your bandmates and jam. On the third hand, “Trash” was the first song we ever wrote so it’s a fan favorite at this point. It’s hard to beat the song that everyone sings along to.

M: How do you feel the internet has impacted the music business?

F: The internet has been great for music business. I remember selling tickets for shows physically. Having to meet up somewhere to give someone a ticket to the venue. Getting that online saves so much time. Also just planning shows, most basement shows would show up as events on Facebook and seeing the ones your friends were going to was the best way to find out what you were doing that weekend. Besides that, listening to music online wether it be streaming or on YouTube videos has given people way more opportunity to find your music.

M: Where is everyone in the band at today?

F: Currently I’m taking classes in storyboarding and trying to break into that industry while animation instructing. My bandmate, Chris has been releasing solo music under the name Count Dirbagulous and recently released a project called “VOIDBEARER.” During the pandemic music took a backseat so that we could focus on our personal projects which has been good. We have a single that has been recently finished so I’m excited to put that out in the future.

I have been friends with the members of this band for a very long time, however, I have not listened to their music until this interview, so I went into it blind. Overall, I enjoyed my interview with Fred and loved getting to know his likes and dislikes about the industry as well as the inspiration behind his sound. I look forward to hearing more from Travelers of an Empty Mind and cannot wait for them to hopefully release more music together in the future.

Spotify Link:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/1msP3t9WNpBLK1uQKivap4?si=gxoLuObDTzicQThKoWzuqw

J Bandz

For this weeks blog post we had to do an artist interview. The first person that came to mind was a really good friend of mine Joshua also known as J Bandz. We have known each other since like pre k and became best friends and started hanging out all the time since we lived right near each other. I would say when we were in high school is when he got interested in making music. Since then he has made a bunch of music including the song Betta with over 500k plays on Spotify and has been offered a signing deal that will be discussed more on the interview.

What made you get into rap?

My parents got divorced at the age of eighteen and to help start paying for bills I stopped playing football and started taking my rap career more serious.

Why the name JBandz?

My friend helped me out picking the name and I just stuck with it. It just made sense because money is a reason I started.

Who would you say your inspiration comes from?

My inspiration comes from my fans who support me especially when I see them bumping my tracks.

If you could collaborate with anyone who would it be and why?

An artist that inspires me is Juice WRLD.. He makes me want to make more music and make it better. Sadly he passed away but it would have been Juice WRLD. Other than that I would want to collab with lil baby because he doesn't only rap about guns and drugs he includes a story as well which makes the songs meaningful.

Do you want to stay independent or sign to a label and why?

I want to stay independent because most deals from a record label try and get you. By that I mean if you don't read the fine print and all of the terms on the contract you could be in a binding contract that ultimately ruins a lot of things for you. I've gotten a deal from RCA records and was going to sign until I saw the terms and conditions. It was a 250k signing deal. A 360 deal of 75% of all my music earnings. That means shows, merchandise sold, stream money, etc. I had to tell them no because I knew I can do better by myself or some other record label will offer me a better deal. For now I'm independent until further notice but id like to stay that way.

what is your favorite song you made and why?

“I Cant Link” because of the production and meaning behind the song. it motivates me to start writing every time it comes on.

michelle-miriam

Ootz Ootz: Disco in a Nutshell

Disco emerged in the late 1960s and early 1970s in the NYC and Philadelphia nightlife scene. Its sound includes four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, horns, electric piano, synthesizers, and electric rhythm guitars. Disco started as a mixture of music from venues popular with Italian Americans, Hispanic, Latino, and African Americans. This music scene itself produced popular groups such as ABBA, Earth, Wind & Fire, The Bee Gees, Chaka Khan, and Michael Jackson to name a few. Films such as Saturday Night Fever and Thank God It’s Friday have also contributed to the mainstream popularity of disco. The groups I, however, would like to highlight in this post are ABBA and The Bee Gees.

ABBA is a Swedish pop group from Stockholm made up by the members: Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad (who were two married couples), with the name of the group being an acronym of the first letters of their first names. They have had forty-eight hit singles including “Dancing Queen” and “Waterloo”, which won them the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974.

“Dancing Queen” is still a song that is widely listened to today. I mean shit, I remember singing along to it and recording it on the day of my seventeenth birthday, as was a popular trend to do back in high school. The song itself is beautifully produced as it gives off a catchy and euphoric vibe, perfect for describing the life of someone young and carefree. The record starts off with a bang, which catapults you straight into the middle of the chorus. This appears to show an explosive opening to draw in listeners to the rest of the song, a smart move I may add.This song narrates the story of a seventeen-year-old girl on a nightclub dance floor that is lost in the music and dancing due to her feeling of carefreeness and freedom to express herself. The song has stayed trendy through the musical Mamma Mia!, which even I’ll admit to binging a few times.

This brings me to The Bee Gees aka The Disco Kings. The Bee Gees were a music group formed in 1958, featuring brothers Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb, who were especially successful in the late 1960s and early 1970s aka the disco era. The group sang in three-part tight harmonies with Robin’s clear vibrato leading vocals being prominent in the early hits, while Barry’s R&B falsetto became their signature sound during the mid- to late 1970s and 1980s. The Bee Gees have sold over 120 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling artists of all time.

My two favorite songs by The Bee Gees would have to be “Stayin’ Alive” and “You Should Be Dancing”. “Stayin’ Alive” wasn’t even meant to be a single until it appeared in the Saturday Night Fever trailer, but I’m so glad it was. The song itself represents the hardships in life and the struggle to survive in New York, which can be clearly demonstrated by the way Barry walks his walk. The vocals are an electric-shocked falsetto yip, with a squeal of pain, and becomes a terror-like screech after the second chorus. Coincidentally, this song wouldn’t have become structured the way it was without some things occurring by chance, such as the drummer not being able to record due to personal circumstances, which caused the band to use his old drum recordings. The looped-up drums, combined with that perfectly wormy bassline, help make “Stayin’ Alive” such a fundamental song in the disco era.

Disco has cemented its legacy in music, inspiring hip-hop artists and even rave culture and house music, two popular sounds in recent years. Disco has been a huge part of my life, something you probably would not expect and it allowed me to explore different genres that originated from it.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disco#Legacy

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABBA#Greatest_Hits_and_Arrival

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/sep/08/40-years-abba-dancing-queen-people-just-surrender-to-it

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bee_Gees

https://www.stereogum.com/2066359/the-number-ones-the-bee-gees-stayin-alive/columns/the-number-ones/

Bound Brook Music Scene

I had no idea what to do for this blog post because I was not feeling it for this weeks topic. Reading through the Words About Music book it brought up the idea of thinking back to my high school days and what “scene” I was apart of. I live in a very small town called South Bound Brook and went to high school in Bound Brook. Thinking back on it there was not many cliques it was all kind of just blended together. For the most part the scene at that school from what I could tell was predominately hip-hop/rap.

I feel like for the most part everyone listened to a whole bunch of different styles of music but for the most part everyone talked about rap. Everywhere you went like gym, weight room, to sport games you would always have the most popular songs of rap playing. If I remember correctly the opening for the basketball team was the song Plain Jane by A$AP Ferg. With rap being so popular and a heavy influence it caused some of the people from my school to join the sound cloud music scene. There were multiple people from my school that I was friends with that started making their own music including one of my closest friends which I plan on doing a different blog post about that is actually doing pretty well for himself.

Most of the people that made their own music decided to go in the direction of rap. But there were two people that decided to start being a DJ. The one goes by Jersey Jon and has done a bunch of events and has been around a bunch of well known artists. I think that he is even doing an event called Glowzoola this weekend. Another one goes by DJ Tmo and recently has been doing a bunch of events. Its cool to see people that you hung out with get into music and slowly start to build a reputation for themselves. The only other thing about bound brook related to music that I could think of at the moment is Skinnyfromthe9 recored a part of his music video there. I remember walking out of high school seeing them record the scene. Even though bound brook is a small town it has a bunch of small artists that could possibly go big time any day now.

michelle-miriam

NIRVANA IS HERE

Last month’s the thirtieth anniversary of Nirvana’s album Nevermind. This album put the band on the charts and brought rock anthems like “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, which catapulted the band into the charts and made them known for their grunge style and emotional delivery. Nirvana’s sound is drawn from punk and alternative rock music, hard rock music, and early metal music, with contrasting levels. What needs to be discussed is Kurt Cobain’s harmonic language, made prevalent within this album.

A perfect example of Cobain’s harmonic language is shown in “In Bloom”the fourth single off of Nevermind. The song was written to make fun of the people outside the underground music scene who started coming to Nirvana shows after their first studio album. It contains many innovative non-functional harmonic structures. Here is the song being performed live at Reading in 1992:

As seen in this song, Kurt Cobain was able to create chord sequences and attendant melodies that was not traditional in terms of functional harmony, which was seen in every Nirvana song throughout Nevermind. On “In Bloom,” Kurt Cobain played the chords as dyads or power chords, which gave him some melodic flexibility due to the chords’ ambiguous quality. On Nevermind, Cobain admitted that the songwriting was a college-style tableau of words that were influenced from surrealism in the art world, which he described as “The Iggy Pop/Aerosmith-type songwriting,”, which was imitated on the album.

He’s the one who likes all our pretty songs And he likes to sing along And he likes to shoot his gun But he knows not what it means And I say He’s the one who likes all our pretty songs And he likes to sing along And he likes to shoot his gun But he knows not what it means Knows not what it means and I say yeah

These lyrics express a certain kind of feeling more than any coherent meaning, which can explain how these collage-style lyrics work better than those who try to imitate Nirvana’s sound in present-day. Cobain hits the nail on the head through this raw sound of teenage angst on conforming to society’s expectations and demands, which is why so many teenagers today are able to resonate with this album and why it’s still being celebrated.

In present-day, country singer Sturgill Simpson covered “In Bloom” on his album, A Sailor’s Guide to Earth, reworking the song by slowing it down. This version completely changes the meaning of the song as Simpson takes a song about alienation in a crowd and turns it into a love song. However, he pays homage to Cobain in the form of a thank you, which shows that Simpson may have in fact been a fan. This version of the song features the same song, band, venue, and crowd, except with an optimistic perspective relating to love.

It’s safe to say that we don’t know if Cobain would love or hate this new sound, but we always know that nothing beats the original sound for “In Bloom”.

Sources;

https://americansongwriter.com/nirvana-in-bloom-behind-the-song/

https://www.stereogum.com/2161493/nirvana-in-bloom-music-theory-explained/columns/in-theory/

See You Again

I can still remember the first time that I heard this song back in 2015 because it was an instant hit everywhere. It was also an important part from a movie from one of my favorite series of all time Fast and Furious. The song was made as a tribute to one of my favorite actors Paul Walker after passing away in a tragic car accident. The Songs artist include Wiz Khalifa an American rapper from North Dakota and Charlie Puth an American singer, writer, and producer. I listen to both of them as individual artists and would have not expected them to sound so good together.

Starting off I have no idea any terms related to music because it sounds like a foreign language that I could never understand. Over the summer I bought a keyboard and tried learning a couple songs including this one and it was probably the most confusing thing that I have ever tried. I was only able to get the simpler parts of the song or only use one hand at a time. With that being said the song starts off with a piano with “simple” keys and it sounds like a repeat of the same chords if I am using that term correctly. The sound of the piano is the more classical sound instead of like the electronic keyboard kind. The second I hear the piano and those keys I could tell within seconds the song that is going to be played. Following the keyboard Charlie begins to sing his verse and with the very talented artist that he is, he absolute kills it and gives the song such an incredible goose bump giving vibe. The recording of this version sounds like they tried to keep his voice more natural sounding but just cleaned it up some. I listened to a live version and it seemed like he was able to hit those high noted pretty good and sounded pretty similar to the studio version.

(photo credit)

The song sounds like it is going to be a slower sadder piano and singing kind of song from the beginning. Then all of a sudden Charlies first chorus is done it instantly gets more of an upbeat kind of vibe and I think that has to do with the drums that are being played. it also sounds like there is a background of harmony singing that is probably Charlie which keeps the mood through Wiz Khalifas verse. Honestly I listen to rap a lot and enjoy wiz but he is not in my favorite artist list but I have to say he absolutely also killed it as well. it instantly switched back into the more serious sadder piano playing with Charlie's chorus just like in the beginning of the song. I feel like for everyone that has lost someone close to them this song always brings up memories and makes it even more emotional. I originally did not plan on doing this song but it randomly came up and instantly made me emotional because it brought up something that happened during the summer. at one point of the song Charlie hits such a high note and adds such a unique touch to the song because it adds such a euphoric experience. I think its called the melody and in this it matches the lyrics perfectly creating the perfect combo for the listener. All of these things put together made an incredible song and it's no wonder why it became so popular.I think that is all I have for this blog see you again on the next one.

michelle-miriam

Love Together, Be With You Never

SOUR is the debut album of 18-year-old Olivia Rodrigo. The subjects vary between heartbreak and young adult problems, something us college students can relate to. This album was originally intended to only be an extended play, but after “Driver’s License” blew up on TikTok, it was upgraded to full album status. Olivia’s album has a down-to-earth, bedroom pop sound, similar to Paramore’s sound. The music on this album is mainly pop, with hints of pop-punk spanned throughout the songs. The album blew up mainly due to its appeal on the Generation Z crowd due to Rodrigo’s musical versatility and relatable lyrics. The album can be seen to go through the stages of going through a breakup featuring key emotions like sadness, jealousy, and anger. Personally, this album helped get me through a particularly hard breakup from last semester so I have nothing but high praise to say.

brutal

This song opens the album with a beautiful string section, and then transitions into a strong alternative sound, signaling Olivia’s frustrations at being a teenager. This song is the epitome of teenage angst, as noted by the lyric: “I’m so sick of seventeen, where’s my fucking teenage dream”. The lyrics are relatable to those of her age group, especially the part where she mentions she can’t even parallel park, which I heavily relate to. The lyrics also signify someone trying hard as they can to be perfect, but then being crushed when any little thing goes wrong, something most of us relate to (especially being college students). Her harmonies in the chorus also add to her bitter feeling, making the song that much fuller of angst.

traitor

This song has become an anthem to teenagers getting dumped on TikTok, specifically those who were cheated on. “You betrayed me, and I know that you’ll never feel sorry for the way I hurt” signifies Olivia’s heartbreak and heaviness due to a betrayal of an ex-lover. The heavy bass line and lyrics paired together allow for you to hear the pain in her voice as she describes the situation. This song also relates to previous gloomy music from the early-2010s.

drivers license

This song is what put Olivia on the map and upgraded her EP to a full album. Many people on social media have made fun of this song for its melodramatic sound. I, however, think this song is perfect in describing the feeling of sadness after a breakup, wondering what went wrong. It captures the feeling of being dumped, and wondering how someone who you once thought was so in love with you hurt you in such an unforgivable way. This song helps those who recently went through a breakup, something I can attest to. My favorite parts of the track include Olivia’s powerhouse vocals and chord progression, as it helps drive the sound home.

1 step forward, 3 steps back

This song shows the progression of a toxic relationship. Essentially it describes being able to move forward in a positive direction, but then something toxic occurs causing all the progress in the relationship to be canceled out. This depressing song is backed up by some piano instrumentals throughout, with a subtle build-up near the ending. This song describes a situation before breaking up, but seems to hint at a potential breakup in the future. “It’s always one step forward and three steps back, do you love me, want me, hate me? I don’t understand” describes the feeling of smelling a breakup about to happen due to the confusion in relationship status.

déjà vu

This song is the epitome of summer love talking about “strawberry ice cream, one spoon for two”, which is most likely to happen during that time period. The fact that Taylor Swift helped write this song also has some star power embedded within it, since everything Taylor touches turns to hit singles. Olivia’s sweet opening is contrasted by some chaotic sounds at the end, which hits hard. This definitely has some “Cruel Summer” inspiration, especially since Taylor Swift is a writer.

good 4 u

This song gives me Paramore vibes, and I have even seen this mashed up with “Misery Business” all over TikTok. It definitely throws it back to early 2000s-esque pop punk, which is slowly starting to make its way back. The style gives off a teenage angst vibe yet again and you could honestly compare Olivia’s vocals with that of Hayley Williams from Paramore. The song is catchy and I totally relate to the feeling of wanting to set your ex’s things on fire (I promise I’m not crazy), which Olivia seemingly does in the music video.

https://youtu.be/gNi_6U5Pm_o

enough for you

This song itself is gloomy and depressing in the fact that Olivia sings about wishing how she was enough for her ex. It feels as if she is blaming herself for the breakup (“And you left me there cryin’, wonderin’ what I did wrong”) when that should not be the case. There is some likeable electronic beats implemented in this song, but other than that, the song stays somber.

https://youtu.be/AqRXiQkyxvI

happier

The string section definitely helps make this song as good as it is. The slow ballad helps indicate Olivia being at the point where she is starting to recover from her breakup and wish nothing but the best for her ex. She does make some selfish points in “I hope you’re happy, but not like how you were with me”, which indicates a somewhat controlling, bitter feeling.

https://youtu.be/ZQFmRXgeR-s

jealousy, jealousy

This song definitely highlights Olivia’s insecurities after a breakup with an ex when it comes to other girls. “I kinda wanna throw my phone across the room, ‘Cause all I see are girls too good to be true, with paper-white teeth and perfect bodies” especially shows the brink of her insecurities.

The sound itself is tension-building due to the use of a synth and the mastery of a guitar in the chorus. The bass line itself helps build the intro and keep the listener hooked. The words themselves are relatable since many girls are deemed perfect and the comparison in society is just fucked up and causes many problems, which Olivia seems to highlight in this song.

https://youtu.be/Z-9gQjUZMm0

favorite crime

This song is one of my favorites in the album. “It’s bittersweet to think about the damage that we do, 'Cause I was going down, but I was doing it with you” describes how two people are toxic to one another, but they still feel happy being toxic together as long as they have one another. In the final chorus, Olivia jumps up on the octave, proving it to be one last powerful moment before the song ends. This allows the breakup to be deemed as finally over, with no regrets in the end. Olivia also has some great vocal harmonies embedded within the song, something she is seemingly skilled at as noted throughout the album. The saxophones are also a nice touch within the song, although they aren’t heard enough.

https://youtu.be/AyX_LL9nWSE

hope ur ok

This last song is a powerful one, and it shows. You can tell throughout the song that Olivia was influenced by Lorde based on the percussion and melodies heard throughout the bridge of the song. The song itself has a bit of a melancholic vibe to it, talking about how the girl in the breakup matters and that she’ll be ok in the end. It’s kind of a realization at the end that even though the breakup hurt you, in the end you’ll be ok and you’ll get through it. You were created for a greater purpose and this song helps show that. The lyrics “Well, I hope you know how proud I am you were created, with the courage to unlearn all of their hatred, God, I hope that you’re happier today, 'Cause I love you, and I hope that you’re okay” help show that courage and faith can get you through anything.

https://youtu.be/ZLlsmB1D4Q0

After listening to this album, I was able to see it does get better and that a breakup is not the end of the world. People move on and find better things in life. In the end though, I hope everyone is ok, especially after listening to these songs on my blog. No seriously, I hope I didn’t make you depressed listening to this.

Side note: ran out space for more videos so I included links and gifs instead for some songs.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sour_(album)

https://www.surgfm.com/articles-list/a-track-by-track-review-of-sour-by-olivia-rodrigo

thestargroove

Stu[dying?]

Is silence dying?

Why do we need music to study when students in previous generations did not have it? Is it unnatural to work while listening?

My parents often berate me, telling me to listen to silence, to not listen to music. They quip how the increased use of smartphones have led for the youth to need constant stimulation. I wonder if we have become addicted to stimulation, as our brains have been rewired to crave going on our phone, or to listen to music to sate our crippled minds, riddled with boredom as we do assignments. I do find that sometimes I prefer silence when studying, but I also have a proclivity for taking little phone breaks while working. To try to combat the urge to do something more fun than work, I like to listen to music to put me in a good mood and to keep me from utter boredom, thus increasing my focus and ability to work.

I think almost all of my friends and acquaintances listen to music while studying for the same, or a similar reason. Our addiction to phones, and subsequent addiction to music, has made us often unable to stand listening to silence. Just today, I talked with a friend who said that when it is silent, their ears hurt because they are used to being with family, friends, or listening to music all the time. Constant stimulation. Now while music may inhibit short-term memory performance and reduce productivity, many youths still prefer listening to music for any, and every task.

It makes me wonder if silence is dying.

That being said, here are some songs that I love to listen to while studying!

These songs are all subdued enough to not be distracting, while still being absolute bangers that help me get through any type of assignment.

Disclaimer: because these are songs that I’ve specifically picked out, they have enough personality to actually be a little distracting while working but they serve well as a pick-me-up.

“Lobster” by Boy Called Cute just has immaculate vibes. It is a pop song that feels like a techno dream of a Californian-sunrise. Boy Called Cute are a five person indie pop/alt pop band.

Solid song. Vibes check out.

While “Lobster” felt like a Californian-sunrise, “I Can’t Handel Change” by R.O.A.R. feels like a wholesome dream of a Californian-sunset. “I Can’t Handle Change” talks about how not every bad thing that has happened to you is your fault and how it can lead to you being in places filled with toxic energy. This toxic energy can be found from a lack of peace with the world around you, and the silence that it can offer. If we cannot accept reality, and instead have to be soothed by music all the time, will we be truly able to grow?

“Stars (Interlude)” is a pop song by Killkiyoshi.

I love how in the beginning he starts singing and stops, as if he made a mistake and came in early.

In the song, Killkiyoshi sings: “Elevate your mind with your own finds.” In this we find a need for true self-reflection and a space to really think about yourself, and get to know yourself. Perhaps silence is necessary for reflection, as to be truly in tune with how you feel, you need to fully listen to what your mind and body tells you.

“YKWIM?” by Yot Club. Read my blog post for the full run down.

“YKWIM?” is a lo-fi song by Yot Club, the lo-fi band of Ryan Kaiser, who made this TikTok popular song.

It definitely generates a dopamine-overload.

“YEAH RIGHT” by Joji is a R&B/soul song that talks about fucking up his life, partying, to get over a girl. Joji is a 29 year old singer, songwriter, and comedian from Japan who used to be a YouTuber.

I love the bass in the song. I think the idea of distracting yourself from something you do not want to think about, such as listening to music during homework, can be a poor way of dealing with problems and perhaps it requires you looking at what is the root of the reason of why you feel you need to be distracted.

“this is what falling in love feels like” by JVKE is a dance/electronic pop song that aims to express its name in song form. JVKE is a 20-year hiphop/rap singer who made a few TikTok famous songs, including “Dandelion” and most popular “Upside Down” with over 70 million streams on Spotify.

Link to YouTube

Photo credits: Genius It feels like a math equation, a perfectly square song. The part where JVKE sings “This is falling, falling in love” sounds just like the Christmas song “Do They Know It’s Christmas” by Band Aid when it goes “Do they know it’s Christmas time at all?“ and since I love Christmas, I’ll excuse the copy catting. (Lmk if they actually got permission for this)

These songs come together to set my mind in a peaceful-enough yet delighted state, to help me get through the loads of work I have, with a mediocrely sane mind.

While I know that my phone has corroded my brain and that some researcher in the future will find that I’m probably murdering my brain as I listen to music for many tasks, good music is good music and good music needs to be listened to. It would be a crime not to listen. And in this devout nature of being a music lover, I’ve come to wonder: are we stu[dying?]

Here’s a link to a playlist of the songs! -> Creative Writing-Blog 4

In The Feels Playlist

For this weeks blog post I decided to make my own playlist with a bunch of songs that I think work well together. The theme I was going for was a breakup/heartbreak playlist. This playlist would be perfect for someone that has gone through a recent breakup or just enjoy this kind of music like me because I would also listen to these songs even if I was not going through anything. So if you are in the mood to be in your feels grab some ice cream and start with this first song.

To start off the playlist I decided to do the song breakeven by The Script. Overall I think this song fits the theme of heartbreak very well because the song itself is named after a heartbreak and how it does not “breakeven”. This song for me is actually kind of upbeat because the instrumentals to this song are enjoyable but if you listen to the lyrics that is what hits you the hardest. if you are listening to this song in the first place you probably are already upset so it is very relatable.

This next song Slander- Love Is Gone ft Dylan Matthew is definitely a good fit for this playlist. Unlike the last song I think this one is more of a harder hitting song because of the more serious instrumental and more sad lyrics. This is the acoustic version of the song which I think is the best fit for it and clearly the more popular choice than the electronic version. I think that's because when you listen to something like this you want to feel more sad and the piano just fits that mood perfectly.

I had to mention I fall apart by Post Malone. This is easily one of my go to songs because I really enjoy Post Malone so when I first heard this song I had to mention it. If I remember correctly I remember seeing a live performance on this on social media get a lot of attention because of how well he sang it and can hear the emotions in his voice. I don't have too much to say about this song but like the others it is very relatable especially during the initial breakup.

I feel like this playlist wouldn't be good if I didn't include When I Was Your Man by Bruno Mars. This song definitely is a good listen because not only does it fit in with the theme of heartbreak but Bruno has such a good voice and makes this song so much better then I feel like if it was sang by someone else. This song on the heartbreak is more of when you are feeling more regretful and thinking about what could of been done differently.

The next song I wanted to include is Tell Me Why by Kid Laroi. Hands down out of all the songs on this playlist he is my favorite artist. I honestly thought about just doing a track by track of one of his albums because I enjoy all of them. I think his lyrics are always good in all of his songs and the beats and instrumentals that he picks compliments it so well. there is not a single day I have not listened to any one of his songs especially this one because it slaps.

In conclusion if you need some music to help you get through your day or just help you with your feelings this playlist could be very relatable. If I had to pick any of the artists on this list to look into it would be Kid Laroi because the majority of his songs stick with this theme. Hopefully this playlist did not get you in your feels too much or bring up any bad past memories.

thestargroove

Trapped: A Live Review of “Unmasked: The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber”

Will we escape from fantastical performances?

“Unmasked: The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber” is a musical tribute to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s career and perhaps collateral for flop movie, Cats. It was performed in the Paper Mill Playhouse, in Millburn, NJ and was only performed from January 30 to March 1 of 2020, likely cut short due to the Covid-19 quarantine. The show had a cast of thirteen, a mix of men and women, who were the leaders of this circus.

Credit: Paper Mill Playhouse

Other reviews focus on how bad the occasional video snippets of Andrew Lloyd Webber were, and yes they were bad, boring, and painfully awkward, but that was not the biggest offense. The order of the songs and the seriousness of the play made it, at times, a fever nightmare. To be able to make someone who loves music, beg for a lifeline to save them from drowning in their own unfulfilled hope to get some shred of a narrative that would make the procession of the songs understandable is a feat unique to Unmasked. After all, Webber, in one of those videos that seemed to greatly offended some journalists, said that the most important element of any good play or musical, is having a narrative, a story, because that is what engages the audience, and makes them choose to believe in the fantasy of a play. Webber, please take your own advice and stop torturing us. But Webber focused for a bit on the idea of an audience choosing to believe in a story, in which it is obviously a phantasm, and they know that, but they are willing to believe in the narrative and thus, make it real. We see the same phenomenon in the highly curated and edited social media posts of content creators, in which we often choose to believe in the fantasy depicted by the photos. We even choose to believe in these narratives, of people with “perfect” bodies going on vacation everyday, living the life, and we base our own self-worth off of it. As we spend more and more time on social media, we forget about photoshop, and believe we should look and be doing just as the content creators do. This phenomenon has led to a young generation with cripplingly low-self esteem. However, with no respite, no curtain close on the show, will the young generations be able to escape from the after-effects of this fantastical social media performance?

What was not fantastical, were the costumes. Perhaps the costume designer was going for a more intimate impression, having the cast wear (presumably) their own black clothes, but the fashion was so terrible I found myself distracted, staring at their clothes in distaste. Like come on, if you are not going to give us a story, at least tell a story with the clothes or just have them wear something socially acceptable.

Yes, those outfits really did greatly add to my annoyance with the show. But for stage wear using personal clothes, my tap teacher always focused on how the shades of black needed to be the same. Seeing outfits like the blond’s below would probably have driven my teacher out of the theater.

Credit: Paper Mill Playhouse

You may look at this and think, the outfits are not so bad, but when you are towards the back of the theater, where you find yourself surrounded by aged people who have a penchant for falling asleep during any type of entertainment, the outfits really looked as dead as the audience was.

Now while I just slung dung at this musical for, well the whole review so far, I will say those money numbers, the “‘Til I Hear You Sing” or the “Memory,” when the stage lights are low, perhaps just one soft, glowing beam directing your spellbound eyes, and the magic of theater is most intoxicating, you fall in love. Chills. Your eyes well up. Gorgeous. Sublime.

As you walk out of the theater, weary and traumatized, those moments made the whole two and half hours worth it. The show actually felt much, much longer than that. And perhaps the show is extended to your bed, as you lay, ready for sleep, and you willingly go back to the awed stupor those songs compelled.

Was that too much? Perhaps, but those songs are meant for performance, to be listened to and to be personally felt, to help you continue to believe that you can get through the rest of the performance and Webber’s quips from odd camera angles.

Credit: There Ought to Be Clowns

Now what really made me cringe is perhaps due to my personal interests. The violinist in me didn’t care for the “Theme and Variations 1-4 (From Paganini’s Caprice in A Minor, No. 24)” or “Variations On Variations” which are interpretations of Paganini’s famous caprice. The way the drums mixed with it was okay, but the electric guitar developing into some weird rock, then saxy jazz, then techno digital rendition of the song just made me sad. Listening to it now, it’s not so bad but in the moment, I just got beaten down even more than I already was. At one point in the show, they took a person playing the double bass (quite badly, sorry) and put them upside down. I think they did it three times. The big, beautiful double bass is not meant for flight. I wanted to sob in fetal position each time they went back to brutalize that poor bass. It was almost as bad as when I watched La La Land and nearly yaked when they were tapping outside, on the pavement, with tap shoes. I know there are outdoor tap shoes but the indoor tap dancer in me felt like it was watching two dingdongs commit a federal crime. You do not - and I mean NEVER - wear indoor tap shoes outside. I shudder just thinking of flying cellos and destroyed tap shoes.

But as we devolve into more interesting things then this long-winded swank, I wonder, are we still trapped in the performances? S.O.S.

Bruno Mars A Must Watch

Yeah I know its a video of a live performance and not the actual real thing but this is the best I got to work with. I was never really into the live performance shows and when I finally was interested in trying to go to one Covid Hit. This performance is of Bruno Mars who is an artist from hawaii. I chose to do Bruno because I remember in class he was brought up of being really good artist at performing live so I decided to watch a bunch of his performances and I was not disappointed. Honestly if I could go see a live performance it would most likely be him and I'm not even that big of a bruno mars fan. He reminds me of Michael Jackson with the way that he delivers his music in shows compared to listening to just the track on Spotify. His live shows really show off how good of not only a musician but also an artist and entertainer because not only do his vocals sound amazing live he could also dance and make it interesting at the same time. I feel like being at one of his concerts would be one of those moments you will not forget because even an article reviewing musicians said that bruno is a must see artist and that you get what you pay for. In the video you could see how the crowd is enjoying his performance and these are not regular fans these are also celebrities and artist like Dj Khaled. For me I think what grabs my attention the most is the ability to be able to sound as good in person as he does in recordings. I was never really into the concert scene but I feel like if I were to show up and the artist sounded awful or had to lip sync the whole thing I would be highly disappointed because I would probably rather just listen to the song on my phone instead.

(Picture Source)

Also what makes a live performance is the song choices that the artists uses and luckily he is a very well known artist with songs that are pretty popular. The song that is performed in this song is 24K magic which has 1.4 billions views on YouTube at the time of writing this. I think this was a good song choice because it set a good positive vibe throughout the crowd and had people head bopping and enjoying themselves. he has a mix of all kinds of songs and for me personally even though they are not as fun or exciting I really enjoy his more sad kind of music. For example I would love to hear grenade, talking to the moon, or it will rain live. I feel like being there for something like that would be incredible because he is such a good singer so being able to hear the passion in his voice for those kinds of songs would be amazing. I was also watching other live performances and it seems like the crowd also enjoys songs like this as well because they would sing along with him for it. I feel like in the future Bruno will be one of those artists that people look back on and be like his performances were incredible and wish that you would be able to experience it again.

another amazing performance that I really enjoyed that I technically did watch live just not in person was his Super Bowl half time performance for the Seahawks vs broncos game. I feel that he did an amazing job and for the short amount of time he had he made it such a good live performance. Even looking back at the YouTube comments interesting because people are still talking about it even years after it has aired. They are saying how he is one of the few performers that sounds just as good live and in person and how they need to bring him back for future half time shows. Its also interesting because he was there with the Red Hot Chili Peppers which made for an interesting collaboration. Overall like I said I feel like if you were even somewhat of a Bruno fan I feel like going to one of his concerts will be a once in a lifetime experience and will get your moneys worth.

michelle-miriam

All About That Jazz

Everyone has a live show they remember whether it’s a concert or a live band at a restaurant. In my case, I went to a restaurant called Shanghai Jazz over the summer for a friend’s birthday on June 12 where they performed (you guessed it) jazz music. I mean it’s literally in the restaurant name. The most notable performers for that night were drummer Karl Latham, contemporary jazz pianist and composer Laurence Hobgood, and bassist James Robbins. While the trio itself creates soothing music together, “Karl Latham is an inventive powerhouse whose influences are many but whose ideas are his own” (allmusic.com). This goes to show that jazz is about making other music your own.

Music is about being creative and adding your own spin on it. These jazz musicians were able to play their own creative content but also use a variety of music styles from other people they were inspired by. My favorite part was that before the start of each song, they would go up and say what the inspiration behind it was and the story behind it. They would describe whether the song was written recently or whether it was from long ago. The music itself was soothing and calm, perfect to go with dinner. Believe it or not, it made time go by fast that by the time it was over, I didn’t realize it had been that long. In fact, people were enjoying it so much that they would constantly shush our table so that they could continue listening to the music they were so enamored with.

Many artists also reimagine previous works, which allow for there to be a new spin on old versions of songs. For example, Hobgood is known for “his stylized re-imagining of both classic songbook repertoire and more recent artists’ work” (Wikipedia) such as Carole King; Earth, Wind & Fire; Paul Simon; Burt Bacharach; Sting; U2; etc. These three people are known in the jazz industry for working with others, and based on their performance its clear to see they have professional experience. Their work shows they are not just amateurs, but that they know the industry through and through. Robbins himself even uses his experience to teach others at the American School of Modern Music in Paris. These individuals use their experiences with other artists in order to create their own original spin on jazz classics. Essentially, they are adding their own spice to an already made dish.

All in all, this trio together makes it work. Their sound together fits perfectly like a puzzle. It is interesting that they incorporate popular sounds from the jazz world and make it their own. I find it amazing that they are able to make such an unpopular music style interesting for those of my generation. You usually would not find those my age listening to something other than artists like The Weeknd, Post Malone, etc. I myself do not personally like jazz, but I would give this group a solid 8/10 based on their performance, as they were the first group I thought of when given this assignment.

Sources (if you want to learn more about the artists or want to see when their next shows are):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurence_Hobgood#Awards_and_nominations

https://karllatham.com

https://www.smallslive.com/artists/2032-james-robbins/

michelle-miriam

Doja Cat: Certified Weirdo

Doja Cat’s third album, Planet Her, came out on June 25 and already it has become a viral sensation on TikTok. Doja Cat stated that Planet Her was named that way because it is the center of the universe where all races of space exist and its where all species can kind of be in harmony. She also explained that by naming the album Planet Her, “[she] was just trying to be cute and that it is not related to feminism at all” (Wikipedia). She has been known to be a bit weird, as evidenced by her previous albums, and her newest album proves to be a continuation of that. Planet Her showcases Doja Cat’s eclectic personality through her use of e-girl and sci-fi references shown throughout her lyrics and music videos.

Doja Cat’s voice itself shines throughout Planet Her. She is able to perform her music at such ease, and even showcase her silly side through it all. She is able to rap on point, similarly to Nicki Minaj, who she even shouts out at the end of “Get Into It (Yuh)” (Rolling Stone). Her hyponasal vocal switch-ups, which includes her usage of some type of African accent in “Woman” shows off her ability to smoothly flow through her songs.

https://youtu.be/zln8SZO6yYY

Doja Cat’s album includes some notable collaborations including some songs produced by Dr. Luke. Dr. Luke signed Doja Cat when she was seventeen and is featured in three songs on Planet Her (Pitchfork). However, Doja continues to prove to be a creative hitmaker on her own through her lyrics and music videos. In her song “Kiss Me More” with Sza, both artists are seen as rulers of a planet stumbled upon by an astronaut in a nod to the album’s title. Their connection with one another seems mesmerizing, with it being hard to take your eyes off their supernatural dance moves.

https://youtu.be/0EVVKs6DQLo

Doja Cat’s album has become popular with the youth, even creating a TikTok trend. The trend is based upon the fact that she utilized various flickering colors when promoting her album own social media. TikTok users were then inspired to create a trend using flickering colors as a filter to ask what color they would be on Planet Her (The Sun).

https://youtu.be/r16c97aOAVU

https://youtu.be/19fkRptsL0M

Doja Cat’s Planet Her is fresh and bubbly, representing her personality all the way through. Doja Cat, who had just been named Best New Artist at last year’s VMAs, almost feels like a newcomer who just debuted her first album. Hopefully her reign of weirdness does not come to an end any time soon so that we can enjoy her strange music for some time.

Album Link: https://open.spotify.com/album/1nAQbHeOWTfQzbOoFrvndW

Sources:

https://www.the-sun.com/news/3395323/what-is-the-planet-her-tik-tok-trend/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planet_Her

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/doja-cat-planet-her-1188592/

https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/doja-cat-planet-her/

Juice Wrld Legends Never Die

For this weeks blog post we had to pick any album that we wanted. I was thinking of different artists I have been listening to over the summer and Juice Wrld was heavily on my playlist. I chose to do this album because I think overall it is a great album for many different reasons. For those who do not know who Juice Wrld (Jarad Higgins) he is a famous rapper from Chicago Illinois who unfortunately passed away in December of 2019 of a drug overdose. After his death the album Legends Never Die was released. Not even as an artist but just as a person he seemed like a genuine good hearted person and you can hear it through all his music including in this album. The opening intro to this album is a clip of him talking about real life issues such as heartbreak, anxiety, and more and tries to inspire his fans to do what you want in life and not let anyone stop you and sets the tone for the rest of the tracks on the album.

The track Righteous seems to be a very popular one on the album and I can understand why. Everything from the instrumental to the lyrics go together so well. Being able to listen to a song like this after an artist has passed completely changes the vibe to the song. The lyrics in this song talk about how he was feeling and some of the problems that he was going through. I think that is why he became such a popular artist because not only was he a talented artist, the stuff that he talks in his music could be very relatable to people. in this song especially you can hear him talk about real life struggles such as substance abuse and mental health issues. He talks about dying in this song and gives the song a different kind of feeling because you can tell what he raps about was genuine and what he really was going through or thought about.

This album has so many good songs and it makes it hard for me to pick and choose what songs I want to go over. Another song I really enjoyed on the album is Smile. This song features another artist called the Weeknd and this song for me was very relatable over the summer. My take on the song is that it is about his personal relationship with someone that he loved. Even though they are not together he still wants them to be happy and this just shows the kind of person he really was and how he cared for people. I think the Weeknd on this song was a perfect choice and compliments the song very well.

The track Hate The Other Side is probably personally one of my favorite songs. It does not have too deep of a message or make you emotional but I just enjoy listening to it. This song usually always comes up on my recently played list or I will put it on while I am at the gym because it was one of the more hype kind of songs on the album. This shows how talented he is with his music and can reach to different kinds of audiences. He really is a legend be because he can make good hooks, freestyle, and just produce good music in general. Also the other artists on this song are really good especially The Kid Laroi because I listen to him probably daily.

Picture Source

Lifes A Mess

On this album there were a lot of collaborations including the song lifes a mess with Halsey. Once again it is another great song and I particularly enjoy it because the lyrics have a deep message and are very relatable but has a good beat which is more vibey which for me gives it a different tone to the song. Their is a part in the song where him and Halsey sing together and I was not expecting it to sound as good as it did because of the difference in their styles. Being able to see a collaborations like this on the album is great because its not like their could be a chance for it to happen again. This song gives off similar vibes to another song on the album called come and go. Come and Go has a similar experience with good more serious kind of lyrics but it is paired with a great instrumental from Marshmello that is more upbeat and gives off more energy compared to how it could of been if paired with slower instrumental.

One of the reviews from NME that I read was complaining that the album was too bloated and feature packed. I could see how someone could think that but because of the album coming out after death I would want as many songs and collaborations on the album as possible. Most of the other reviews that I read had a similar viewpoint that I had and agree that it was a great album and just solidified of how good of an artist he was making him the legend that he. Overall I loved the album and the name of it worked perfect because he was a legend and because of his music he will continue to live on.

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