#x-jazzy-b-real-x

[jazzybrealarchive]

#jazzy b real #jazzy-b-real #x-jazzy-b-real-x #shadamy #sonic the hedgehog #old deviantart #fan blog #archive

[chrancecriber]

1.FM - Chillout Lounge Radio (January 09, 2023)

23:58 Chilloutlounge - Letting The Cables Sleep 23:51 Sin Plomo & Torsten Stenzel - Sweet Suffering 23:45 Phil Mison - Lula 23:40 Ltj Experience - Moonbeat 23:34 Pusteblume - Cold As Ice (Beautiful Chillout Mix) 23:30 Moon Tribe - Moon Tribe 23:25 Realin Tune - Just Like This 23:20 Mamani - Glowing Desert (Aloe Trumpet Mix) 23:19 Costes - De-phazz - No Jive 23:13 Schwarz & Funk - The Dawn 23:07 Aloha From Hawaii - Sunset Cocktail Lounge (Cafe Bar Chillout Del Mar Cafe Mix) 23:03 Jjos - Breathe 22:58 Ambray - Carousel 22:53 Fusiontalker - Lost Message (Jazzy Del Mar Mix) 22:46 Dj Disse - Walk On The Wild Side 22:39 Alpha X - Nocturnal Trip 22:36 Vibraphile - Waiting For You (Instrumental) 22:32 Coco Silco - Sea 22:28 Various - Viggo Feat. Glow / Rivers Flow 22:20 Little Big Bee - Searchin' (At Jazz Remix) 22:15 Cameo Culture - Told You So (Original Mix) 22:10 Amethystium - Calantha 22:05 Chillwalker - Sunday Morning (Future Break Mix) 21:58 Joey Fehrenbach - Delicate 21:54 Neve - Sacrifice 21:49 Bright And Beautiful - Night Rains (Sound Of Ibiza Mix) 21:43 Schwarz & Funk - Remando Al Viento 21:38 The Essence - Serpentine 21:34 Lowland - Cafe Del Mar 21:28 Jazzy Pecada - Slow Down 21:25 Bissen Ft Victoria Gross - Like I Do (Chill Mix) 21:19 Jeff Bennets Lounge Experience - Sympathy 21:14 Gary B - Set Me Free 21:09 Heso - Never Ending Time 21:04 Skysurfer Feat Lovay - Circling Elements (Down By The 20:58 Ralphie B - Icarus (Chill Out Mix) 20:53 Van Bellen - Let Me Take You (On A Journey) (Fantasy Voyager Rework) 20:48 Lounge Pilots - Ienergize - Stereo Love Mix 20:42 Klangstein - Deep Dive (Original Mix) 20:37 Coastline - Adriatic Sea - Dj Lounge Del Mar Vs. Milews Ambience Mix 20:30 Matenda - Orphean Layback Remix 20:23 Jerome Isma-ae - Underwater Love 20:18 Un Homme Et Une Femme - Une Rose Pour Emily (Cafe Hotel French Del Mar Mix) 20:12 Polished Chrome - Your Shoes (Original Mix) 20:08 Erotic Lounge Deluxe - Gimme The Night 20:04 Nightmares On Wax - Les Nuits (Original Mix) 19:59 Yuri Petrovski - True 19:54 Soleil Fisher - Red Dust (Acoustic Piano Mix) 19:48 Synthetic Substance - Unreal 19:43 Va - After The Moon 19:39 Sued - Feel Me 19:33 Tina Dico - Break Of Day (The Stella Polaris Allstars Remix) 19:27 Moby - Into The Blue 19:22 07 - Distractions 19:18 Bent - Sunday 29th 19:13 Vio Beach - Piano Chillout (Ambient Dream Mix) 19:07 Vargo - Get Back To Serenity 19:04 Marsmobil - Dark Star 18:56 Groove Armada - Inside My Mind 18:52 Wharmton Rise - Sunflight 18:46 Gelka Feat. Phoenix Pearle - Million Nights 18:41 Sonar - Sentimental Journey 18:34 Lemon Jelly - Pushy 18:29 Kid Stone - Dust 18:25 Vanegas - Te Voy A Querer 18:21 Washed Out - Face Up 18:14 Deep-dive-corp. - Imagination 18:08 Lux - Sunset Disco 18:04 Eighty Mile Beach - There Are No Angels Found In Nature (Thievery Corporation Mix) 17:58 One Minds Eye Feat. Elsieanne - Shiva 17:52 Espresso Del Lago - The Spirit Of Buddha 17:47 Ficci - Cassidy Street 17:43 Chilling Crew - Space Rumba 17:36 Fenomenon - Pacific Memories 17:30 Driza Bone Feat. Dee Heron - Real Love (Original 91 Version) 17:26 Chris Coco - Cape Clear 17:21 Zenyatta - Swimming Into Vibrations - Ibiza Downbeat Vocal Mix 17:14 Kaito - We Are Living Here (Beatless Version) 17:09 Chicane - No Ordinary Morning 17:02 4tunes - Where Are You Now (Feat. Hed) 16:58 Goloko - Give Me Lovin 16:52 Blue Metheny - I'm Calling Out 16:47 Amethystium - Isabliss - Strangely Beautiful 16:42 Iguassu - Excursion Bliss 16:37 Afterlife & Kid Stone - Sleazebag 16:32 Jjos - Don't You Want Me (Chilled Mix) 16:27 Ra-qi Gong - Rainy Days In Shanghai (Buddha Cafe Del Mar Bar Mix) 16:22 Melibea - Lamento 16:18 Noise Boyz - With My Own Eyes (Keys Of Da Sea Mix) 16:13 Fenena Garcia Mijas - Anja (50 Sunset Classic Lounge Edit) 16:06 Milews - Miami Beach View - Sunset Del Mar Cafe Lounge Mix 16:01 Dab - Pure Joy 15:56 Bop - Enjoy The Moment (Unquote Remix) 15:51 Goloka - Give Me Loving 15:45 Cafe Americaine - L'amour 15:42 Chicane - Barefoot 15:35 Hibiki Connectio - Cha-ka-too 15:27 Laid Back - Sunshine Reggae (Peter Visti's & Stella Polaris Remix) 15:22 Jjos - Foolish Game (Feat. Deary's) (Evolution Vocal Mix) 15:16 Silent Poets - Moment Scale 15:11 Eden - All I Need 15:07 Mark's & Henry's - The Making 15:03 Synkro - Distant Eyes 14:57 Calido - El Calor (Patrick Marsh Chill Out Mix) 14:53 Aaron Bass - On The Beach 14:48 Jamlimmat - Higher (Feat Crystal) 14:45 Nouvelle Vague - Love Will Tear Us Apart 14:41 Asle Bjorn B - Joe Dubcola (Asle's Stella Polaris Edit) 14:37 Karminsky Experience Inc - Departures 14:32 Max Sedgley - Slowly 14:26 Polished Chrome - Soundsystem 14:21 Rae & Christian - Still Here 14:16 Good Chillaz - Storm (Mystic Mix) 14:11 Nightmares On Wax - Fire In The Middle 14:05 Les Jumeaux - Miracle Road 14:01 Shakes Seven - Best Friends 13:55 Lifeforce / Lifeforce (20 - 20 Vision Remix) 13:48 Deep-dive-corp. - Enjoy 13:43 Noel - Chalito (Ibiza Chillhouse Lounge Mix) 13:38 Afterlife & Chris Coco - Home 13:34 Blues States - The Trainer Shuffle 13:28 James Bright - Set Me Free 13:20 Chicane - Saltwater 13:13 Dido - Worthless 13:08 Gelka - Os Pastores Da Noitte 13:04 Rainman - Paradise Beach - Top 55 Lounge Del Mar Deluxe Mix 12:57 Fragile State - Undercurrent (Alucidnation Uptempo Version) 12:53 Deeb - Rooftops 12:46 Leaking Shell - After Hour 12:42 Jjos - Closer To You 12:36 Mobymusic - Whispering Wind 12:31 Afterlife - Dub In Ya Mind 12:22 Puff Dragon - Qi Gong 12:15 Carbon Based Lifeforms - Central Plain 12:10 Senda Urbana - Chordless Theory 12:06 Conjure One - Make A Wish 12:02 Trinah - Let's Stay Together 11:57 Sunlounger - Another Day On The Terrace (Chill Out Mix) 11:51 Chillwalker - Costa Del Sol (Sunshine Mix) 11:45 Alex Cortiz - Glow 11:40 John Ditto Group - Moon Jumping (In Love With Beth Mix) 11:34 Seyton Vs Tyler Michaud - Ze Big Divide 11:28 Synthetic Substance - Littoral Twilight 11:22 Pep Llado - Vai Vedere 11:17 Chicane - No Ordinary Morning 11:12 Liedschatten - Seaside (Original Mix 2006) 11:07 James Bright - Little Things 11:04 Emapea - Jazzy 10:59 Timo Garcia Ft Manu Delago - The Hang Drum Track (Timo's Balearica Remix) 10:54 Hirudo - Giacomo (Beach Mix) 10:49 Smood - Enjoy The Silence 10:43 Atjazz - Storm 10:38 Ravi Costes - Lion Sleeps - Cafe Groovera Hotel Bar Del Mar Mix 10:35 Beth Orton - Central Reservation (The Then Again Version) 10:28 Muki - Track 1 10:23 Mister Paul - You Don't Know (Comfort Version) 10:17 Moon De Lounge - Melodia Amore - Buddha Lounge Bar Chillout Mix 10:12 Pacific Coast Academy - Into The Blue 10:08 Supreme Beings Of Leisure - Ghetto 10:00 Linden - Seaside (Doerfler Remix) 09:54 Alex Cortiz - Deja Vu 09:50 Kitty The Bill - Mister Mista 09:45 Malcolm Mclaren - About Her 09:40 Brooke - 1 Want To Know What Love Is (Balearic Hypno Dub) 09:36 Afterlife - A Little Bit Of Love 09:28 Alex Paterson - Flex-e-fun 09:24 Bryan El - Solaris 09:18 Frontera - Rouge 09:14 Jaron - Catch 09:10 Dr. Meaker - Need Love 09:05 Friction - Looking Down 09:01 Mads Arp Feat. Julie Harrington - The Meaning Of Love 08:58 Synthetic Substance - Eternity 08:54 Anarchy Group - Fade To Grey 08:50 Re:locate Vs Robert Nickson - Resource (Rechill) 08:45 Moby - First Cool Hive 08:40 Peter Linski Experience - Everything Flows 08:33 Weed - Blessed 08:28 Juan Gomez-acebo - Deep Red 08:22 Peter Pearson - Smooth Talking (Moonrise) 08:18 Oyasama Feat. Miyabi - Sakura 08:12 Alucidnation - Give Me A Reason 08:06 Xaver Fisher Trio - Mombasa Bossa 08:01 Jazz L'amour - Summer Dreams - See The Light Mix 07:55 Staqueando - Band 07:49 Phil Mison - Lula 07:45 Emapea - Laka 07:42 Amazonics - Let's Spend The Night Together 07:36 Direct To Dreams - Le Miroir Bleu 07:32 Air - Alone In Kyoto 07:23 Toka Kakabadze - Urban 07:17 Tiapason - Wasting Time 07:14 Röyskopp - Remind Me 07:10 Gelka Feat. Phoenix Pearle - Being You 07:06 Chilling Crew - Frozen Time 07:02 Grassskirt - Pleasent Dream Pt. 2 06:57 The Strike Boys - Deeper One 06:50 Pacator - Tränen (Marcielo Ambient Mix Instrumental) 06:46 Alain Paris - Summer 78 - Chill Tribute To Yann Tiersen 06:41 Missy Higgins - Nightminds 06:35 Frank Borell - Wake Up In Paradise 06:29 Ficci - Let Me Touch Your Lips 06:24 Gxr And Kathie Talbot - 5 A.m. 06:20 Weekend Players - Higher Ground 06:16 Jjos - Back To Me 06:10 D&m Fundation - Relaja Tu Mente 06:07 Jupiter Jack - Ghosttown 06:02 Direct To Dreams - Behind The Mirror 05:59 Dj Pippi Ft Rebeka Brown - A New Day 05:53 Green Lemon Feat. Bernd Langer - Rauchy Stranger 05:46 Simon Bareilles - The Sound Of Silence (Feat. Sara Keys) 05:41 Merge Of Equals - Clear Blue Sky (Original Mix) 05:39 Mark Moon - To Another World 05:35 Gelka - Have You Kept Your Ticket 05:29 Aurosonic, Denis Karpinskiy & Kate Louise Smith - They Wait For Us (Chill Out Mix) 05:24 Coronado (Pianofly Mix) - Bay Area 05:19 Ohm G & Bruno - One 05:12 Guenter Haas - Ai Fu Lin 05:06 Freemasons - Love On My Mind 05:02 Five Seasons - In Your Town 04:58 Collective Sound Members - Journey To A Dream (Original) 04:52 Ralph Hildenbeutel - Hommage A Noir 04:46 Machomovers - Smooth Operator 04:40 Son Que Son - Manon ( Instrumental Mix) 04:36 Deise Mikhail - Silent Sound 04:33 Michael Hummer - Coffee 04:28 Alex Cortiz - Smooth 04:22 Rue Du Soleil - Essential Feelings 04:18 Moroccan Blonde - Mirage 04:11 Aural Float - Still Here 04:05 Scott Simmons - Children (Mediterr-asian Chill Mix) 04:01 Zero 7 - In The Waiting Line 03:57 Charity Children - Whispering Still 03:52 New Beginning - Another Day 03:47 Kings Of Tomorrow - Finally 03:42 Lovers Lane - Island Memories 03:30 Cantoma - Moonsmith 03:22 Detson Engeneering - Wonderland 03:17 Dj Milews - Sunset At Palm Island 03:11 Thomas Lemmer - I Like It 03:07 Uko - Sunbeams 03:01 Joey Fehrenbach - Edison Cylinder 02:54 Michael E - Sark Of Searenity 02:49 Wharmton Rise - The Abyss 02:43 Lemonjazz - Gypsy Woman (Erotic Bedroom Affairs Lounge Chill Mix) 02:34 Deep-dive-corp. - Bassic (Flow Mix) 02:27 Rue Du Soleil - Troya 02:21 Honeyroot - Nobody Loves You (The Way I Do) 02:17 Jjos - Know Me 02:12 Flamingo - My Friend (Mercer & Gissal Chilled Version) 02:06 Language Lab - Burning Disaster (Groove Armada Bedtime Story Mix) 01:59 Ltj X-perience - Empty Street 01:53 Zero 7 - Space Between, The 01:45 Leama & Moor - Coming Of Age 01:36 Joey Fehrenbach - Grandfather 01:33 Telecast - Daydreams 01:28 Fidelity - You Don't Know 01:24 San Antonio Bay - Evolution 01:17 Royspop - Summer Nights (Luxury Deluxe Del Mar Mix) 01:07 Moby - The Lonely Night (Moby's January 14th Mix) Ft Mark Lanegan 01:03 Monique Bon - La Musique 00:57 Frank Borell - Somber Moods 00:51 Katcha - Touched By God (Katcha's Quiet Storm Mix) 00:47 2raumwohnung - Melancholisch Schon 00:43 Uomo - Mad World 00:38 Cantoma - Padajero (Visti & Meyland Mix) 00:33 Sine - Flying (Original Mix) 00:28 Guss - Milesing 00:21 Lullaby Lounge - Chill Del La Mer (Blank Cafe Relax Mix) 00:16 Soft Wave - Plenitude Part 2 00:12 Synthetic Substance - Out Of Other 00:07 Kalabi - Clear Skies 00:02 Nimino - The Back Of Your Hands (Ft. Ashe)

#1.FM - Chillout Lounge Radio #Chillout #Lounge #Downtempo #Ambient #Trance #2023 #January 2023

[moonchildsaurora]

Darling, Dance for Me?

✤ sniper!San x female exotic dancer!reader ✤ genre: Mafia AU // 30% fluff, 60% spice, 10% platonic flirting with Woo  ✤ t/w: mentions of guns/shooting, mentions of alcohol, mature clubbing themes, highly suggestive in the second half (but not smut), rated M  ✤ count: 2k+

a/n - this was suppose to be for Valentine’s Day but, oh well! Enjoy some spice with one pink haired Sannie, coz we all know even though he looks soft. . . .he’s just a devil in disguise. This is probs my most suggestive writing till date as well, it was fun and am looking forward to writing more spice in the future hehet 💙

✛ play these vibes: BOBBY - ‘DeViL’, Sunmi - ‘Black Pearl’, Kai - ‘Mmmh’ ✛

“Mother told me, never to dance with the devil, So I danced for him instead.”

Cherry rouge.

Not your usual go-to, but a special occasion calls for some special exceptions. And damn did you look like fine wine tonight. Giving your styled curls another spritz of hair spray, you took one last inspection in your vanity mirror.  

Work was throwing a Valentine’s event and thus you found yourself having to dig through the back of your wardrobe to find a suitable outfit for tonight. Bold burgundy lace hugged tightly around your body replacing the mellower neutral tones you’d wear on any other night. Your roommate had even shoved a pair of thigh highs and heels on you to match the garter.

And cherry lips to bring the whole look together.

“You’ll thank me later! Hell everyone in the club would, for presenting god’s gift to them!”

You had laughed at her supportive enthusiasm, waving her away with embarrassment though you greatly appreciated the pre-shift hype.

When you headed for the kitchen, you could hear the TV in the lounge and glanced to see your roommate watching the evening news. She turned to call out for you but stopped mid-way upon realising you were already out of your room.

“Damn girl…you’ll sure be breaking hearts tonight with that fit!!” she yelled-gasped, brows waggling for a cheeky added effect.

“Well that’s no good. Dancers are supposed to be Cupids of the night, maybe they should’ve given me Aphrodite instead.”

A smile tugged on your lips as you saw your roommate falling back on the sofa snickering. Grabbing the bottle of Ten to One from what you both named ‘The Life Juice’ shelf, you started to fill your rose gold hip flask with the white rum. The debonair bartender at the club would usually be more than happy to concoct you a cup of much-needed poison to get you through the night. However, on such a busy event, you might not even have time to swing by the bar – so plan B was in order.

Also, whoever thought to invent garter pouches was a genius in your eyes. The amount of times you had snuck in a sip or two up on the podium without missing a beat or being noticed had to be one of your greatest feat till date.

Except maybe for the one who bought said pouch and flask for you. Seeing the shadow of their pleased smirk whenever you donned on something from them never failed to coax the goosebumps across your skin. Perhaps that garnet embellished choker would be the icing on the cake then. You made a mental note to put that on before you headed out.

“Hey honey…”

The tone of your roommate turned a little more serious.

“On the news just then, another one of those random sniper attacks happened along Soleil Street. Shit, that’s only two streets away from the club.”

The city has gotten used to such news every now and then. All leads of the serial sniper always went cold, not that they left behind any substantial traces for the authorities to begin with.

The law wasn’t the only ruling force in the area. Everyone knew that.

So long as one didn’t attract the wrong attention, they’d be free to go about their business.

“I’m dropping you off, are you ready to go?”

“Wait! It’s alright, I don’t want to trouble you.”

Your roommate gave you a look before swiping her car keys from the counter. “What would trouble me is not knowing whether you’ve made it to work and back safely. Now c’mon, the night is awaiting that cute booty of yours!”

“Yes mum.”

How lucky were you to have an angel for a roommate?

“Give me a heads up if you intend to bring anyone home tonight yeah? I’ll be sure to vacate the apartment before any sinning begins here.”

Or not.

A euphoric buzz filled every corner of the club tonight. Whether it was due to the special occasion or not, everyone was getting drunk off the atmosphere. The bar was a never-ending fountain of liquid luck and smoke veiled corners of the venue where patrons dealt cards and wits. A sea of bodies dominated the dancefloor, curling around one another in ecstasy as the thumping bass set the rhythm for them.

The centre podium was where the real magic unfurled.

Up on there, you felt powerful. Up on there, was your domain to rule.

Long have you enticed all those who returned back to ‘The Blue Butterfly’. So close, yet so far, for most could only have the visual satisfaction. Of watching you, along with your fellow dancers weave around golden poles and offer hands to those who sat in plush velvet chairs closest to the podium. Only to sashay away the last minute.

How bees are drawn to nectar and moths to light, the people keep coming back.

Tonight the club was decked out in a more sensual feel to fit the Valentine’s vibe. Long drapes of rose silk hung around the podium and you used those to accentuate the flow and movement of your body curves. The silks caressed the bare skin not hidden underneath your outfit and you pretended to take shy peeks around the fabrics at the audience. Sending a lucky wink or flying kiss their way.

In the middle of a mid-air twirl, you saw a familiar figure heading towards your side of the podium. You slowly lowered yourself back down to the floor, using your legs to wrap around the silks as leverage. Not missing the opportunity to be playful – you mimed shooting an arrow towards the club’s top croupier.

Wooyoung instantly clutched his heart with his hand that wasn’t occupied with holding one of Mingi’s own cocktail infusion. Letting out a hearty giggle, you slid over the podium floors to the edge where Wooyoung had propped himself up on.

“Don’t you look simply irresistible?” he crooned at you.

You could’ve said the exact same for him. All fitted to a tee in Givenchy with a classic choker that demanded attention for prominent collarbones.

“Now, how may I be of service to you tonight handsome?” you spoke over the music.

The youthful charmer leaned in towards you, shaking dark wavy strands out of his eyes. Eyeing his cotton candy pink drink, you ducked your head and took a few sips from the straw before Wooyoung drew it away. It tasted vaguely like pink lemonade with hints of vodka and vanilla.

“Ah ah, this isn’t for you poppet. Besides…” he tipped your chin back up with two fingers, “…wouldn’t want to waste your appetite before your main course tonight, would we?”

That made you perk right up.

“V.I.P Room Aurora has kindly requested for you. Drinks have already been sent up and the room’s been booked for the whole night.”

Not that booking was really needed since it was your room. It was just for formality.  

Wooyoung helped you off the podium and smoothly guided you through the crowd, placing you in front of him so as to avoid being grabbed by uninvited hands from behind. You both stopped at the foot of the polished glass stairs that led up to the V.I.P guest rooms.

“Off you go now! Oh and try not to make too much of a mess for our cleaners, they really ought to get a pay rise from some of the things they’ve witnessed in those rooms.”

You would’ve kicked Wooyoung for his brazen tongue, but you did well to remind yourself that would be rather impudent on your part. Whilst you have a jovial bond with him, it still doesn’t erase his high-standing status within the inner circle. You knew better than to cross that line of respect.

“Won’t make any promises I can’t keep, Jung!”

You left him with a soft pat on his cheek and ascended towards your utopia that awaited.

Swinging the golden embossed doors open, sultry melodious tune of a saxophone greeted you. Like molten dark chocolate, it was rich and tantalizing. The crystalline blue hue of the room’s lighting was fitting for the slow jazzy blues.

A spacious circular sofa curved around a glass table in the centre, providing a perfect view of the bejewelled podium. The wide one-way windows were especially designed for privacy. You could spectate over almost the whole club below, something you quite enjoyed during your breaks. The countless types of people that you observed stepping into your world; from the timid newcomers to the seasoned hedonists and the stories they brought with them of their journey to ‘The Blue Butterfly’.

But there was no time for that tonight. Not when you see broad sculptured shoulders that your hands have meticulously memorised the planes of – right in front of you.  

Still clad in his all-black incognito leather fit, you couldn’t help but stay by the door to appreciate his form. A huge bouquet of ivory and deep red roses sat on the glass table with an open box of what you suspected were chocolates inside. A loud pop of the champagne bottle went off. You bit your lips when you saw his toned arms flex as he gripped the bottle in one hand and tipped a stream of golden bubbles into two flute glasses in the other.

As the music picked up, you decided it was time to make your presence known. Walking with confident steps over the velveteen carpet you went to wrap your arms around his cinched waist. Resting your cheek on the cool leather vest of his back, you took his scent in.

Smoke and city musk lingered around.

You figured he must’ve come straight from his assignment. What better reason to use than to spoil him extra as post-work relaxation? His hand came up to wrap around yours and you felt the dancing of lips leaving petal kisses across your knuckles.

“You stink…” you mumbled lightly against his back.

San let out a low chuckle before setting the champagne bottle down and turning around to snake both arms around you. Calloused hands from the years of gripping guns instead of supple flesh imprinted their warm touch into your skin.

“Oh? Then I’m sure you won’t mind helping me freshen up, right Princess?”

“San!” you squealed when you felt him deliberately rub sweat against your neck before attacking it with more love bites.

“You taste like sweet temptation.”

You arched your neck out of habit when you felt his tongue swipe across it. Teeth bit down lightly around the garnet choker San bought for you for Christmas.

When you felt hands travelling down west towards your garter, you gave San a light shove backwards to the sofa.

“Not so fast, Choi.”

His predatory feline eyes took its time to rake down your body, committing every inch to memory. You made a show of bending over to grab the two champagne flutes off the table, the sharp intake of breath behind you made you preen with pride. You took your seat on your throne, not at all surprised to feel how much pent-up tension San had through the tight leather.

Clink. A toast made for the love of two.

“Happy Valentine’s, darling.”

“Thank you, San. You sure know how to spoil a lady don’t you?”

“Only the one who’s sniped right through my heart.”

Oh the irony.

You smiled when he pulled you close and claimed a proper kiss, whispering a, “You sap,” against his wind-chapped lips. Tasting the fruit acidity from the golden bubbles as you both exchanged kitten licks.

San’s rouge-stained lips chased after yours when you broke off from the kiss to place your champagne flute back down on the table. Hands anchoring your hips in place as you reached to pluck a couverture chocolate-covered strawberry from the box. Turning back round to San, your lips formed a small pout noticing that his freshly dyed hair was still hidden underneath his cap.

He let you discard it behind the sofa and you could’ve sworn he purred with satisfaction when you ran your hands through his cotton candy pink strands. Hands gave your bottom a firm squeeze and San begun to run his fingers along the hem of your lace. The husky vocals from the record player drifted back, interlacing with the saxophone.

That was your cue.

“Eyes on me.”

You held San’s gaze, fire reflecting fire. The strawberry gets slipped past the seams of his lips and all the while San chews intently, his eyes never wavered. He’s got his precious pearl all to himself, just the way he loves it. And you have the city’s most lethal hitman watching your back from dawn to dusk. San was the dangerous game you played, only to win the safest love.    

“Darling, won’t you please dance for me?”

“With pleasure, Sir.”

#kwritersworldnet #atzinc #kdiarynet #8makes1teamnet #kpopscape #san oneshot #ateez au #ateez mafia au #ateez mafia #ateez oneshot #ateez drabbles #ateez scenarios #ateez san #san drabbles #san scenarios #ateez blurbs #san blurbs #sniper san #ateez fic #ateez fluff #ateez smut #pyx writes #kpop writing #kpop fanfic #ateez fanfic

[deja-you]

times new roman | episode five

t. jefferson x reader

summary: Y/n needs a date. Thomas would be more than happy to oblige.

trailer | previous | next

A few hours earlier...

Sometimes, as humans, we love and forget how to stop loving. Questions will go through your head, like: what if I can’t ever stop loving you? What if I forget everything about myself, and only remember your name? Sometimes we meet the person we want to fall asleep beside. The person whose heartbeat you just can’t help but count. 

And then sometimes we meet Thomas Jefferson. Arrogant, know-it-all Thomas Jefferson. The casual flirt who didn’t care for real relationships and was content with one-night stands. The lawyer who defended big oil companies and wealthy business men because, as he put it, “someone had to do it.” The man who had been born into a wealthy family, got into a good school because his family made large contributions, and couldn’t imagine a life void of penthouse apartments and designer suits. In conclusion, Thomas Jefferson was not a man Y/n could ever see herself dating.

This wasn’t a date. They both made that perfectly clear. Quite frankly, Y/n was bored and had nothing else to do. At least, that’s what she told herself. There was nothing harmful about hanging out with her father’s employee for a while, was there? It was fun and meaningless, what could be wrong about it?

But if you had told Y/n how the day was going to end, she would never have left the coffee shop. In fact she would’ve thought you were joking. But no one was there to tell her how the day was going to end, so she did leave the coffee shop. Thomas called an Uber and a few minutes later, Kevin, in a silver Prius showed up to take the pair to Coney Island. 

“Really? The Thomas Jefferson takes Ubers? I thought you would have a private driver or a luxury car,” Y/n said. 

“S’that really what you think of me? I’m a man of the people, angel.”

She rolled her eyes. “A man of the people who wears $600 Burberry shoes.”

“Excuse me? For your information, I got these shoes on sale. See? I’m just like ordinary people, shopping sales and stuff,” Thomas tried, unconvincingly.

“How much were they on sale, Thomas?” Y/n prodded.

“...$300.”

Y/n proceeded to make fun of Thomas for buying a pair of shoes for that much, saying something about how the rich need to pay higher taxes, but he didn’t hear much of what she said. He was too focused on the fact that she had finally used his first name. 

At some point during the 45 minute ride to Coney Island, Thomas asked Kevin if he could have control over the AUX chord. Kevin agreed (earning himself a five-star rating) and Thomas then played some tunes from the 60s. 

“The Temptations?” Y/n raised an eyebrow as the catchy intro to My Girl began playing.

“You got a problem with that?” Thomas asked, then he began singing (might I add, quite loudly) along with the lyrics. “I’ve got sunshine, on a cloudy day...”

Y/n shook her head and began to sing along, but still much more reserved than Thomas. “And when it’s cold out, I’ve got the month of May...”

Thomas smiled when he heard her sing along. The chorus started and he nudged her with his shoulders, urging her to sing louder. Y/n rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t keep the smile off her face. They continued to sing the remainder of the song together until it began to die down and transition into another R&B song.

“So tell me,” Y/n began, “what made you decide to take a trip to Coney Island today?”

Thomas gave her a thoughtful look. “Used to come with my mom and siblings when we visited New York. Always had fun.”

“What about your dad?” Y/n asked.

He sighed and looked away from her. “My dad died when I was 14. We started visiting New York every summer after that.”

“I... I didn’t know. I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

“You couldn’t have known.” Thomas gave her a small smile. “Everything about Virginia reminded me of my dad. I think that’s why I moved to New York. I’ll visit Coney Island now and then when I want to be reminded of my family. Reminded of the good parts, at least.”

They fell into silence, neither one of them knowing what to say. The beat of some jazzy tune could be heard as well as Kevin tapping along on the steering wheel. 

“My dad used to take me to Coney Island,” Y/n finally said. She was trying to break the silence, but immediately wished she hadn’t said anything. Was it insensitive to bring up her own dad when Thomas had just told her that his dad had died?

She was put at ease when he smiled. “That so?”

Y/n nodded slowly. “Well, it was only once. I must’ve been ten? We went on a rollercoaster, even though I was terrified.” She laughed quietly before turning more serious. “I don’t think I’ve been to Coney Island since. Dad started getting more busy, which I understood of course.”

Thomas turned on his side to face her, casually resting his arm against the backseat. Maybe he didn’t know how good his bicep looked when he sat like that. Maybe he did. “I’ve always wondered what it would be like to be Washington’s kid. I mean, he’s an amazing guy and a great boss—feel free to tell him I said that —but running a business this size must take a lot of time.”

“It was hard at first, for my mom and I,” Y/n admitted. “He would always be traveling for work. It took us a little bit, but we figured it out. He would visit us at home sometimes, and then other times mom and I would visit him. Sometimes he would take me on work trips with him. And then it made sense to go to college in New York so I could be closer to dad.”

“Sounds like everything worked out pretty well for you and your family, then.”

“Only because my parents worked hard to make time for me. My dad was always happy to see me, but I could tell that he was exhausted after a long week and traveling home to see us.” She then added, “but I shouldn’t complain. I know a lot, if not most, people had it worse off.”

“Maybe,” Thomas shrugged, “or maybe not. You don’t need to compare your struggles to anyone else’s, angel.”

“I...I know that,” Y/n murmured.

They continued talking for the rest of the drive. Discussing which Netflix shows were the best, and which ones were garbage (Thomas was convinced Tiger King was the best show on Netflix, making Y/n roll her eyes). Thomas told some funny anecdote about one of his crazy clients, and Y/n even brought up how she was trying to find an internship with a humanitarian group. They never ran out of things to talk about, and only stopped their conversation when Kevin the Uber driver announced they had reached their destination.

“It is cold.” Y/n admitted as she stepped out of the car.

“I did tell you to bring a jacket, didn’t I? The wind coming off the ocean is pretty chilly, isn’t it?”

Y/n squinted up at the sky. “It doesn’t help that the sun hasn’t decided to come out.”

Thomas chuckled and began walking down the boardwalk. “C’mon, I know what’ll cheer you up. Let’s get food.”

There weren’t many things that could make Y/n smile the way she did when she was offered food. She happily skipped after Thomas and they came to a food stand. They ordered some variety of burgers, fries, and milkshakes, Y/n didn’t really pay much mind to it. When Thomas pulled out her wallet she swatted his hand away. 

“You paid for the Uber, I can’t let you pay for lunch, too,” Y/n insisted, pulling out her own wallet. 

He waved her off. “No, let me. What kind of gentleman doesn’t pay on a—”

“On a what, Thomas?” Y/n raised an eyebrow. “Because we’ve both agreed that this isn’t a date.”

“Right, right. Of course.”

“Besides, the whole idea that men have to pay for dates, or in our case non-dates, is completely outdated. I’m paying for lunch.” 

Thomas hid a smile and allowed Y/n to pay for lunch, seeing that nothing he said would change her mind at this point. It was mostly a pride thing, he figured. Y/n paid for the food and they ate while they walked along the boardwalk. 

“So what’s the plan now?” Y/n asked. “Are we going to go do all that touristy stuff?”

“Wasn’t my plan,” Thomas replied. “Unless that’s what you want to do. There is something I want to show you.”

“You’ve probably been here more times than me, I’ll let you make the decisions. This time.”

“Great. You done eating?”

Y/n looked down at the empty bag she held in her hand that had been filled with food only moments before. What? She was hungry. “Yep. All done.”

They tossed their garbage in a trash can, and Y/n let Thomas lead her down a boardwalk toward who knows where. They stopped so Thomas could buy a bag of cherries. Y/n had so many questions, she didn’t even know where to begin.

“You’re buying cherries? Are you hungry? We just ate. I didn’t know they were even in season,” she commented.

Thomas turned to look at her, rolling his eyes. “So you’re just going to question and insult all my decisions, then?”

She shrugged. “What else would I do?”

“C’mon, angel, let’s go.”

So with a bag of cherries in hand, Thomas continued on his way down the boardwalk with Y/n in tow. They walked in silence; Y/n didn’t even question him when Thomas stepped off the boardwalk and onto the sandy beach. They didn’t walk to the water. Thomas and Y/n walked along the boardwalk until the boardwalk was a few feet over their heads. 

They kept walking until Thomas led Y/n to a spot underneath the boardwalk. Ocean air on one side, a concrete wall filled with graffiti on the other. Sand beneath them, and the slotted wood of the boardwalk above letting through beams of sunlight. Waves could be heard crashing on the shore not too far away, along with seagulls somewhere above them and the nondescript chatter of tourists and locals. 

Thomas climbed on top of a cement slab and took a seat, opening his bag of cherries. “Here we are. This has been my spot since I was a kid. I hope you like it.”

“Under a boardwalk? Sitting on cement?”

“What? You don’t like it, angel?” He teased.

Y/n shook her head and moved to take a seat next to her. “No, I love it. I just didn’t picture Thomas Jefferson’s hangout to look like this.”

“Why do you say ‘Thomas Jefferson’ like that? Like I’m some kind of notorious billionaire playboy.”

“That’s what you think it sounds like when I say your name like that?” She laughed. “I don’t know, is that not how you see yourself?”

“Well I wouldn’t be in bad company, would I? Batman and Iron Man are both billionaire playboys,” he pointed out. “But I see myself as a suave, charming business man with a touch of Southern hospitality.”

“You’re so full of it.”

And sure, it was supposed to be an insult. But the way Y/n laughed when the words came out of her mouth made Thomas feel a way he hadn’t felt in a while. He’d rather have her insult him everyday than have some other woman whisper sweet nothings in his ear. Because all they would be is nothing, and when Y/n spoke it was like warm honey and a string orchestra.

“Perhaps.” Thomas shrugged and nudged the bag of cherries toward her. “You want one?”

She eyed them warily. “I don’t know. Are they poisoned? How do I know you didn’t lure me out to Coney Island to give me poisoned cherries and hide my body under the boardwalk?”

“Why would I want to kill you? They’re not poisoned.”

Y/n decided that he must be telling the truth and popped a cherry into her mouth.

“Besides,” Thomas continued, “if I wanted to kill you, this wouldn’t be the way.”

She swallowed roughly and stared at him with wide eyes. Seeing her expression, Thomas laughed in an attempt to reassure her. “I’m just teasin’, angel. Don’t look at me like that.”

“So,” Y/n said, “do you often lure unsuspecting women down here with a bag of poisoned cherries?”

“They’re not poisoned.” He shook his head, but his smile still reached his eyes. “But to answer your question, no. I’ll come down here now and then, usually pick up some local fruit, but I’ve never brought anyone else here.”

“Should I feel special, then?”

Thomas watched her for a moment then shrugged. “If you want. I think you’re pretty special no matter what.”

“So smooth. You practiced that?”

“If you would I believe it, no. But I have other tried and true pick-up lines.”

“Let’s hear them.”

“Really?”

She nodded, “yeah.”

“Well sometimes I’ll say,” and he proceeded to drop his voice an octave to try and sound... sexy? “‘Do you have a name? Or can I just call you mine.’“

Y/n burst out laughing again, leaving Thomas confused.

“Huh. That’s not usually the response I get,” he admitted.

She tried to contain her laughter. “I’m sorry, but that’s hilarious. Does that actually work on women?”

“You’d be surprised. 9 times out of 10.”

“Alright, alright. What else you got?”

“Okay, how about ‘are you a map? Because I just got lost in your eyes.’”

Y/n laughed again. “Really? That’s so corny.”

“Is it?” Thomas pouted. “Fine, I’d like to see you do better. Give me your best pick-up line.”

“I will do better. Okay, try this one on for size. Are you a beaver? Because dam.“ The way she said it with such seriousness must’ve made it funnier, because it was Thomas’s turn to laugh this time.

“I’ll admit,” he smiled. “I liked that one.”

“See? It’s not that hard.”

“Fine, you win. Now let’s do something I know I can beat you at.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Like what?”

Thomas held up a cherry for her to see, then pulled the stem off. “Have you ever tied a knot in a cherry stem with your tongue?”

“No, but I’m sure it’s not that hard.”

Y/n would live to regret those words. For the next who-knows-however minutes, Y/n struggled to tie a knot in her cherry stem. It was one of those things that she thought she would just pick up easily, but it was so much harder than it looked. It didn’t help that Thomas was weirdly good at this, tying maybe three stems while Y/n was still working on her first. His coaching wasn’t very helpful either.

“You just need to bend the stem in half with your tongue, cross the two ends over, and tighten the knot with your teeth,” he told her for what could’ve been the hundredth time. 

“I’m trwaying! Not sthat easuh!” Y/n complained, aggressively maneuvering her tongue around the stem. Thomas laughed at her but was silenced when she sent him her very best death glare. 

For the next five minutes, Y/n was completely focused on tying the stem. First, she had to make sure the stem was bendy enough to be tied. Bending it into a half-circle was the easy part. She scrunched her nose up when she had to cross the ties, knowing this is where she had always messed up in the past. Then using her tongue to push one end of the stem through the loop, she tightened it and pulled out them stem to show Thomas.

And of course, being Thomas Jefferson, he leaned back, smirked, and said, “damn, angel, what else can that tongue do?”

Y/n’s mouth fell open. Her face heated up. She stumbled over her words until she settled on an offended, “Jefferson!”

And that stupid smile he wore when he knew he had gotten her all worked up and flustered made her think that he said it just to get a reaction out of her. The way he looked at her made her feel some kind of way, and she didn’t know if she never wanted to feel that way again, or if she never wanted to stop feeling that way. 

“Don’t be gross,” she finally muttered, her eyes trailing the sand at her feet. 

He chuckled, “sorry ‘bout that.”

Again, they fell into a silence. At some point Thomas started humming a tune that Y/n recognized as Under the Boardwalk. Fitting. A cold breeze reminded Y/n that it was still a chilling April day and the wind coming off the ocean wouldn’t let her forget that either.

“Do you want my coat?”

“What?” Had he read her mind?

“You’re visibly shivering.” Oh. “Do you want my coat?”

It’s not like Y/n hadn’t brought her own coat. She had, it was a pretty red color, but it didn’t keep the cold out well. Y/n hadn’t realized just how much colder it would be on Coney Island, but if she had thought about it for a second she would’ve known better. The problem was that when Thomas asked her to come with him and flashed her that charming smile, she didn’t think. So now she was cold.

“No. I shouldn’t—”

“Angel, can we just skip the whole pride thing? This doesn’t have to be some cliché moment where I give you my coat and it’s oversized on you and you look so cute so it’s worth it to me that I’m cold. Just take my coat, okay? You need it more than I do.”

Y/n blinked. “...okay.”

Thomas inched closer to her, shrugging the jacket off his shoulders. He wrapped the jacket around her, and then proceeded to change the course of their relationship forever. Instead of leaving the jacket on her shoulders and returning his hands to his side, his hands lingered. 

If that hadn’t happened, maybe Y/n would’ve held the jacket tightly to herself. She’d be warm. They’d continue to have light conversation. Then they would go their separate ways. Maybe she’d see him at her dad’s office and they’d give friendly nods to each other when they passed in the hallways. They’d go make to being familiar strangers, and that would be perfectly fine.

But his hands lingered. And he knew what was happening. And she knew what was happening. The kind of linger that wouldn’t occur between two friends or any two people who were less than that. He was still holding her in his arms and showed no signs of letting her go. Y/n looked up from the sand and met his eyes.

I could tell you that she saw a universe or forever or something wonderful in his eyes, but let’s be real, they were a pair of eyes. A pair of beautiful eyes, sure, but they were just eyes. So it wasn’t his eyes that made her fall in love. It wasn’t his eyes that made her lean in and kiss him. It was simply the person she had spent the last few hours getting to know. 

His lips were soft and tasted of cherries, and when he kissed her back, it was with a kind of gentleness and tenderness that Y/n hadn’t expected from Thomas.

All too soon, logic and sensibility kicked in. Y/n actually realized what she was doing, and while she didn’t want to stop, she couldn’t continue without better reasoning. 

She pulled away, not having the heart to push him away after initiating the kiss. Her whole body felt hot, and it wasn’t due to the new coat she had recently acquired. Y/n’s heart began beating more than the average beat for minute, however fast that was, she couldn’t quite think properly about anything.

“Y/n—”

Why did her name on his lips sound so good all breathy and needy from the kiss? Was that even the right way to describe it? And why couldn’t she think about anything else except him?

“I need to go.” It wasn’t Y/n’s proudest moment, but she wasn’t able to think clearly around him, and that was dangerous in itself. Maybe she’d feel bad about leaving him behind with no explanation later, but she was a too much of a mess right now to even think of that. 

She retraced her steps back up to the boardwalk (Thomas called after her a few times but ultimately let her go) and out onto the street. She got in an Uber -- or was it a taxi? Y/n couldn’t remember. The ride home seemed quicker when she was zoned out. At some point she had texted Peggy? The memory was hazy. 

Even though there were people on the streets and her driver in the front seat, Y/n suddenly felt all alone. Alone with her... feelings. Her traitorous, uncontrollable feelings. Thomas had made her feel some kind of way that the only thing that could get it to stop was just to stop feeling altogether. And that wasn’t working well for her. Y/n sighed and opened up her phone.

A/N: Let me know if I forgot to tag you or if you’d like to be tagged.

tags: @wiffle-snuffles @thisistrashperson @comingupwithacoolnameishard @wordvomit-foryourmind @newtonslawoffuck @isharemydeathdaywithfeanor @i-know-i-can @imperial-martian @fangirling-central @dannighost @ateliefloresdaprimavera @justahappylilblog @fanfic-addict-98 @a-hopeless-fan @and-claudia @nicolemelton @youtxbemusic @reidcult @eirenism @fantasy-of-fiction @iamsuperconfusedallthetime-dead @a-midwinter-night-dream-86 @rycbar-221b @bethanymccauley @fanworrior @gggamingz @nemesis729 @ibeaesthethicc  @yodas-padawan @sabbrriiinnaa @micaiahmoonheart @beautifulfound @moondustmemories @ct-salad @teenwaywardasgardian @bj-is-a-graduateof-julliard @ruebx @katierpblogg @speedypartyducksuitcase @fangirling-central @idkkbaleighh @ballerinafairyprincess @spn-pogues @gryffin-claw @elegantbutedgy @1elysium @sierraisnotreal @ssanjuniperoo @collectivefandom 

#hamilton x reader #hamilton #hamilton imagine #lafayette x reader #hamilton fanfiction #lafayette imagine #daveed diggs #marquis de lafayette #daveed diggs x reader #thomas jefferson x reader #thomasjefferson #thomas jefferson imagine

[radramblog]

Pokemon Legendary Themes Ranked

I saw a video of a youtuber I like doing this tier list so I thought I’d get my own opinions in first so I’m not biased by theirs. This list is a little incomplete- there’s a few things I know are missing, most pointedly side game stuff, but I suppose they can’t win em all. Thus, here are my objectively factual opinions, no nostalgia bias here surely. Here’s a link to the list in case you want to do the same.

(Tiers are sorted in increasing quality right to left)

D Tier

Mewtwo (FRLG): Y’all know Articuno/Zapdos/Moltres also use this, right? It’s just a marginally more dramatic version of the regular wilds music, so it gets the fail from me.

Mew (Emerald): This is the same as the last one! Except it gets the edge because it is slightly higher pitched, and because it’s in a game where it’s not a remix of a song you’ve just heard dozens of times.

Mewtwo (XY): I just really dislike the soundfont XY uses for most of its themes. This sounds like a shitty youtube remix from the late 00s with like 300 views, and most of them are the same person who really likes the song for some reason. Am I just biased against the kanto wilds theme? Maybe.

Regis (Crown Tundra): Narrowly dodges being the worst Regis theme since the Platinum one exists (It’s not on this list though). I think a lot of the more recent versions of older themes suffer since they were designed with the lesser hardware in mind. It is a shame because I do really like some of the additions to the theme.

C Tier

Dynamax Legend (Crown Tundra): Mewtwo is already back for his last appearance on the list. It’s just a remix of the max raid theme, which I don’t really care for- especially after hearing it over and over and over again grinding Lairs for shinies.

Calyrex (Crown Tundra): This song being dramatic makes no sense in universe- the player knows this is the big legendary, but the character sure doesn’t- but it ultimately feels hollow. This is deliberate, since it’s actually just one half of another song.

Steeds (Crown Tundra): h o n s e theme is the other half of that song, and it’s the better half, but its still incomplete.

Aura Trio (X/Y) and Solgaleo/Lunala (S/M): These two get lumped together because I always get them conflated, which signifies to me that neither has made a strong impact. Listening to both again, I think I like the latter more, but it’s narrow.

Regis (ORAS): It’s just not the same without the horns. My gen 6 bias is showing, but I don’t really like the soundfont.

Deoxys (ORAS): similar to the Regis, this is held back by the soundfont (why the fuck is there an organ in this??) but also by the fact that at this point, the Deoxys theme just isn’t special anymore. And that’s kinda sad.

Calyrex 2 (Crown Tundra): The full version of this theme is much better, obviously, sounding suitably regal for the king of the tundra, but it overall lands at a meh. The percussion sounds like it’s trying to rip off the Weather Trio’s, which is a big no-no.

B Tier

Eternatus 1 (SwSh): We are now entering the songs I like zone. Eternatus 1 goes in a lot of different directions, and despite how 13-year-old me would balk at it I actually enjoy the dubsteppy bits of it. Sorry to disappoint you, you edgy fuck.

Ultra Beasts (SMUSUM): I don’t know why these are separated, they’re the same theme. I really like the UB theme, but the thing is it isn’t really a legendary theme- it had to be a bit less bombastic seeing as you can just encounter a bunch of these bad bois. And while it sounds suitably alien, I still think it doesn’t belong on this list.

Weather Trio (ORAS): Why is this listed as this, its just for Rayquaza. Extremely dramatic, but a retread of one of my S-tier picks (spoilers oops) and not different enough for the remaster to make it worth it.

Primals (ORAS): the same as the previous, but I do like this much better, what with the song “reverting” to the original every so often. This should probably be higher, but I don’t want to separate it from the “full” version.

Eternatus 2: It’s kind of a shame how little time you get to hear this, because it’s a big ol “you’re fucked” and that’s pretty great. There are bits of this that sound like they’re sampling Kirby Super Star, and I mean that in the nicest possible way.

Galar Birds (Crown Tundra): While I know everyone used to adore this one, I think the honeymoon phase is over for me at this point. I still like it, but at the end of the day it’s still a Kanto Wild remix.

Legendary (BWB2W2): This is really good! The way the tempo shifts around the song is a really nice touch, and that build section is excellent. Just a solid overall theme.

Tao Trio (BW): Reshiram and Zekrom’s themes are slightly different, but even Game Freak forgot that one. Kyurem’s is the same but where they have different SFX it just has dead air, which while fitting is a bit less good. I adore the beat this one has running, almost a throbbing bit going on there.  Edit: Ok on relisten I’ve heard Kyurem’s a bit closer, and it’s a little different with some record skips, but they’re pretty unecessary imo.

Zacian/Zamazenta (SwSh): This is one I kinda wish was less dramatic, considering it’s not as oh shit as the situations their other themes have. I kinda hate the opening to this, but the rest of it makes up for it I suppose.

Eternatus 3: Yeah this is a Z/Z theme not an Eternatus theme let’s be real. A suitably triumphant third act to the climax of SwSh’s (lackluster) story. This is kinda just a banger, very much appropriate for the beatdown it accompanies.

Dialga/Palkia (DPPt): Closing the tier with a song that I actually love, but it’s occurred to me that it’s a little odd sitting next to some of these other ones. I mean, it’s mostly built around this very pretty little piano line, which makes it feel less weighty than the competition. It’s a classic, and hasn’t aged poorly or anything, but it’s less of a climax than I would expect. With that in mind, I shudder to think of what would happen to this in a potential remake.

 A Tier

Mysterious Being (SwSh): This is getting carried here by that bass alone. The rest of it is ok I guess.

Arceus (DPPt): Ah, the track no one ever got to hear. I really love how sparse this is, being basically only percussion most of the way through. I think the Arceus event is something we should have actually gotten to experience, I’m pretty sure it would have blown little me’s mind.

Lugia (HGSS): HGSS, the games where every legendary got its own theme. Bring this back please, I’m begging here. I understand the reason this sounds the way it does is because it’s based on the Shadow Lugia theme from XD, but I haven’t played that one, so I can’t comment. I’m sure not complaining, though- considering Lugia’s other main appearance (in the movie, of course) I wasn’t expecting such a menacing theme.

Legendary (DPPt): For a “generic” theme (fucking Rotom gets this btw) this has a lot going for it. The animation that plays when you start a fight with this music is burned into my brain. It’s fast, it’s tense, and it sounds great.

Lake Trio (DPPt): Unlike Mysterious Being, while the bass slays here, it’s not alone carrying the song. This track was always my favourite out of Diamond and Pearl, and those games have a fucking great soundtrack, so.

Black/White Kyurem (B2W2): I really love that this is a remix of the (also very menacing) theme you hear when you boot the game up- you’ve heard a version of this while staring at the fucker, now here’s the real version for when you have to fight it. The references to the regular Tao Trio theme are well placed, but this more bombastic version sounds like Kyurem is here to fucking kill you, which to be fair, it kinda is.

Legendary Beasts (Crystal/HGSS): I’m lumping these together since, although HGSS gave each their own remix, they’re basically the same theme. This was the first Legendary music ever written for the series, and it still holds up really well. As for the HGSS remixes, I don’t think Entei’s slower rockier version works as well, but I really like the punchy percussion on Raikou’s version.

Regis (RSE): Hella bass and Hoenn Horns? What’s not to love? I do think the original version of this theme is by far the best one, being an ample payoff for the puzzle that was getting to it in the first place, and it makes hurling balls at the golem’s much more tolerable. I literally never caught Registeel as a kid so I could go back and listen to this whenever I wanted.

Tapus (SMUSUM): Again, why are these separated. Considering this game has literal aliens in it, the Tapu theme in SM is somehow the most messed up sounding one, but it works extremely well. The surprise vocalisations work really well with the… I’m hesitant to say tribal, but I don’t have another word for that vibe to be honest. It does feel like you’re doing a transgression with this song, which you are (why the fuck are you allowed to catch these things in universe lmao).

Ultra Necrozma (USUM): Probably the most climactic song in the entire franchise, and it makes sense- this isn’t just the climax of those games, but the finisher to the entire 3DS era of the series. The church organs, therefore, are pretty justified. This song sounds like a Big Deal, and the organ getting pretty jazzy when it gets to some of the less intense bits is a really nice little touch. And then the percussion picks up again and oh fuck here we goooooo. A fitting track for arguably one of the hardest fights in the entire franchise.

 S Tier

Dusk Mane/Dawn Wings Necrozma (USUM): Haha oops I like this one more than Ultra. I think it’s just the unstoppable percussion that opens this that does it. I don’t think anyone who went in blind saw this moment in the games coming, and the intensity reflects this- its like a prelude to Ultra but it doesn’t have as much of a low point, with the onslaught of noise fitting the sheer OH FUCK that is seeing everyone’s favourite bag-dodger getting bodyjacked out of nowhere.

Weather Trio (RSE): Anyone who understands my bias is gonna understand this one. It’s almost entirely carried by nostalgia, but I just love this fucking song. Compared to some of the other things on this list, it feels nearly minimalistic, seeing as it’s pretty much just the drums, horns, and that bell, but that’s all it needs. It’s the first song in the series for a proper legendary, and it suits that fact.

Deoxys (FRLG/E): By contrast, the Deoxys theme is pushing that GBA soundfont to its absolute limit. You can hear some of the best of both the FRLG and RSE soundtracks in this song, with the Kanto percussion and the Hoenn horns both doing their part, but whatever instruments the rest of this is going for are absolutely not slouching either. It’s somewhat telling that the best soundtracks for FRLG romhacks (e.g. Clover) sound more like this than like the other themes in the game.

Ho-Oh (HGSS): Oh fuck is that a koto I love kotos. By contrast with Lugia, Ho-oh is a more relaxed track that takes a lot from traditional Japanese instruments, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t dramatic- far from it. The groove in this makes it sound like it comes from another series entirely, being so incredibly different from anything else the series had to offer at that point. That main riff is so fucking perfect, man.

Giratina (Platinum): I remember having my mind blown when I first heard this. Giratina went from the generic DP legendary music (which is obviously still good) to this chaotic energetic power play, and I was sold on Platinum immediately (like everything before XY, Platinum came out in Japan some months before in other countries, so I heard this well before the game dropped). This song has so many different lines, so many different builds, and yet none of them feel out of place. I almost feel like this song is what started me down the path that would lead to me being a prog fan. After the haunting ambience of the Distortion World, this sheer energy is such a shock to the system, and the climax of the song hits harder than any individual moment on any other song in the series. It’s my number 1 pick, and I love it to bits.

 Thus, the full list is as follows. If you end up doing your own, link me up, I’d love to see how wrong you are your opinions.

#ramble #pokemon #music #lists #ill probably do this for other music in these games at some point

[team-iron-wannabe-man]

Count on It

Title: Count on It

Pairing: 40’s!Bucky Barnes x Reader

Word Count: 1285

Summary: Y/N isn’t too impressed with the Infamous Sergeant James B. Barnes, however Bucky is definitely interested in her.

A/N: 40′s Bucky just does things to me! This is my first Bucky fic! Please be kind. Tell your friends! Feedback would be greatly appreciated! Also, if you LOVE Supernatural like me, follow me on my SPN page: @squirrel-moose-winchester. I also write fan fiction there as well.

Disclaimer: Gif Not Mine.

The party was in full swing and through the crowded room, you managed to spot the infamous Sergeant James B. Barnes standing near the wall. The past few weeks, he had been coming around you, chatting you up, and flirting shamelessly. Tonight was no different. He’d been stealing glances at you as he sipped his drink, talking to his best friend, Steve Rogers. Whenever you saw Bucky with Steve, it was like he was a different person. If only he was that Bucky all the time. Steve-Bucky was a pleasant Bucky.

When it came to Steve, Bucky always had a soft spot for the fella. He was always keeping him out of trouble, reassuring Steve every time he felt discouraged. Overall, Bucky always acted like an overprotective, yet encouraging, big brother. It was admirable and – dare you say – your favorite thing about the man. The protective, humble, compassionate, and selfless part of him were all traits that made him extremely attractive. Not what he was most of the other times.

Not long after, as to be predicted, Dot came swarming around like a mosquito, causing you to roll your eyes. It was to be assumed that if Bucky was around, Dot was not far behind. The dame was obsessed.

Once Upon a time, she had been the affection in Bucky’s eyes, but when he suddenly stopped pursuing her, in favor of you, she started fawning over him, trying way too hard to gain back his attention. It was sad… and cringing to watch, even more so than having Bucky flirt with you.

Turning in your seat, you asked the bartender for another round, giving him a sweet smile as thanks. Swirling the amber liquid in your glass, you didn’t notice that you had company.

“What’s a rare dish like you doin’ all alone in a place like this?” Some Sad Sam slurred. You rolled your eyes inwardly, ignoring him. “Oh, c’mon. Don’t be like that. I can show you a real good time,” he continued to pester you.

“Look here, dogface. I ain’t interested, so scram,” You hissed.

“Playing hard to get?” He snickered. “I like a good ch—”

“I believe she made it clear that she wasn’t interested.” Your eyes widened slightly, surprised to see Bucky defending you, however you tried to keep your composure. You weren’t phased by Bucky Barnes. Not one bit. His charms weren’t going to affect me like all the other dames he’s accumulated under his belt.

“Tch. Whatever Barnes,” the guy scoffed and walked away without much of a fight.

Bucky shook his head disapprovingly before dropping his attention on you. “Are you okay?” He asked, his expression portraying real worry.

“Yeah. I’m just peachy. Thanks for that, but you really didn’t need to. I could have handled it.”

“Oh, Doll, I wouldn’t doubt it. I’ve seen you around. You’re quite the capable woman, but chivalry isn’t dead yet,” he winked.

Letting out a soft giggle at his ridiculousness, you looked up at him through your lashes. “With men like you, Sergeant, I’m sure it never will.”

Bucky smiled with pride, sticking his hand out. “Care for a d—”

“James! Is she alright?” Dot came barging in. The tramp had impeccable timing. “Y/N, are you okay? We saw what happened.”

“Oh, I’m doing swell,” you forced a smile.

“It’s a good thing that James was around to save the day,” she flattered, clinging to his arm.

“I sure am one lucky dame,” you grinned. “If you’ll excuse me, nature calls.” Bucky laughed, nodding his head before giving you some space to move.

“James, let’s dance,” you heard Dot say from behind, making you scoff in annoyance.

After freshening up a bit, you literally ran into Steve. “Whoa!” He jumped a little. “Hey there, Y/N!” He beamed, once he knew it was you. Steve wasn’t the smoothest guy when it came to dealing with women.

“Fancy meeting you here, Rogers,” you joked.

“Uh, yeah. Bucky invited me. Said I needed to let loose. Meet a nice girl…”

“Sounds like Barnes… but I have a better idea. Instead of waiting around for a nice girl, why don’t you ask a good friend to dance?” you quirked an eyebrow at the scrawny man. Steve may have not been the manliest looking man, but even with your heels on, he was still a tad bit taller than you.

“Um. Yeah. Of course,” he stammered apprehensively.

You couldn't help but laugh as his face went red, the poor guy getting nervous. “Rogers, we’re friends. Relax,” you cooed, giving him a warm reassuring smile.

He returned the gesture, the edge of his lips curling upwards, and nodded. “You’re right. Sorry. Y/N. W-would you like to dance?”

“I thought you’d never ask,” you beamed, assertively taking his hand and dragging him onto the dance floor.

You and Steve were having a great time, swaying and twirling to the jazzy music, and laughing between conversations. Steve had just twirled you under his arm when Bucky popped up beside the pair of you, with Dot in his arms.

“Mind if we join you?” Bucky asked with a wide grin. You noticed Bucky lean in slightly towards Steve, whispering something in his ear. “Punk, trying to steal my girl?”  If Bucky was trying to be discreet or subtle, he was failing. Even with the music blaring, you could here the words he spoke. Glancing over at Dot, her glare was all over you.

Great.

“Shut up, will ya? You and I both know that Y/N’s too good for you,” you watched Steve retort back, smugness spreading through your facial expression. Steve was right. You were too good for him. You deserved better than some womanizer, no matter how handsome or charming he may be.

Bucky laughed loudly, his head flying back before he patted his best friends shoulder. “Damn right she is.” He was whispering to Steve again, still loud enough for you to pick up on. “But that’s why she’s my girl. I’m gonna prove to her that I’ve got what it takes!” Bucky expressed passionately, a huge smile adorning his manly features.

Steve smiled, never seeing or hearing Bucky talk about a woman that way before. Bucky had never referred to a girl as his, not even Dot, and the man had proclaimed that he was in love with her, that is until you showed up. That first meeting was one he and Bucky was never going to forget. How could they?

It was at a bar in downtown Brooklyn. Someone tried to steal your purse, but you managed to not only stop the perpetrator, you knocked him out. He’d never seen a woman so fierce and fearless as you. It was even more of a surprise when they found out that you were the Command Sergeant Major’s daughter! But ultimately, it was your right hook that made Bucky fall.

In support of his friend, Steve decided to do Bucky a favor. You’re only as good of a wingman and you are a friend, so… “hey, how about we switch partners for a bit?” Steve suggested to the trio in front of him.

Dot looked like she was about to protest but Bucky jumped at the idea before she could, seizing the opportunity, he had no doubt, Steve had set up.

“Steve, you punk! You know I love you right?” Bucky hugged his friend before taking your hand in his. “Shall we?” He beamed. His smile was so contagious that you couldn’t help yourself. You’d give him an A+ for trying.

“You haven’t won yet, Sergeant Barnes,” you smirked, shaking your head at him.

“But I will, Doll. I will… you can count on it.”

---

A/N: Hope you guys liked it! If you did, feedback would be awesome! I’d really appreciate it. Also, thank you for reading. I really do hope it wasn’t terrible.

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes #bucky x reader #james buchanan barnes #bucky fan fiction #bucky fanfic #bucky barnes fan fiction #bucky barnes fanfic #sebastian stan characters #mcu #marvel #captain america #winter soldier #Count on It #team-iron-wannabe-man

[youngboy-oldmind]

ALBUM REVIEW: The Lost Boy

“Try to take a walk up in my shoes/A n**** rapping like I really got something to prove, Cause motherf****er, I do/I climb hills, n***** was sleeping, on Nyquil/ Paint a picture vivid, dawg, on everything, my life's real”

Overall Thoughts

Maryland rapper YBN Cordae plants a solid footprint in the rap game on his debut album The Lost Boy: a 45 minute masterpiece filled with excellent storytelling and production combined with a unique style that proves he’s definitely an up and comer to look out for in years to come.

The Lost Boy was my favorite rap/hip-hop release of 2019. Cordae’s first studio album is contender for one of my favorite debut albums ever. In my opinion, related artists’ (Chance the Rapper, Logic, Bas, J Cole, Kendrick, Amine) debut album’s fall to The Lost Boy. And at 21, his debut releases at an age younger than everyone in that group. To have an excellent project at such a young age is another feat on its own.

One commonality I notice with debut albums is that new artists tend to sound like their biggest influencers; the biggest culprit being Logic. But Cordae stands out with his own style that doesn’t sound too similar to any of his numerous influences. His delivery, word choice, and flow (while not always mind blowing), is not a carbon copy of a rapper from the 90s-00s. Here, Cordae’s sound is his own.

His pen game on this project is consistently above average, but rarely mind blowing. Tracks like “We Gone Make It” and “Thousand Words” exhibit his strongest lyricism. However, Cordae’s story telling abilities are consistently powerful. Tracks like “Bad Idea”, “Thanksgiving”, “Nightmares Are Real”, “Family Matters” all have Cordae illustrating his experiences. He emphasizes his perspective as a young man who’s finding himself through all these experiences. Even his most bragging and banger tracks still feature great humility and storytelling elements, the stand out being “Broke as F***”.

The features on The Lost Boy are all top notch. Cordae includes Chance the Rapper, Ty Dollar $ign, Pusha-T, Anderson .Paak, and Meek Mill, all of whom bring elite verses to their features. It’s even better that the guests don’t completely outshine Cordae. Cordae brings enough weight to each song that its not completely engulfed by the feature. Songs like French Montana’s “No Shopping”, Logic’s “Homicide”, Chance’s “Handsome” all suffer from a feature that outclasses the main artist. But Cordae goes toe to toe with each feature.

I should also mention the two skits, “Sweet Lawd” and “Grandma’s House”. Both are pretty good as far as skits go. I can’t help but assume they were influenced by Kanye West’s “I’ll Fly Away” from The College Dropout, both of which sound very reminiscent to. They display Cordae’s singing abilities and soulful sound. And its touching to hear Cordae’s grandmother on the latter track.

Overall, I can’t really find a weak spot on this project. The runtime, theme/tone, uniqueness, production, and lyricism are all excellent. As far as debut albums go, Cordae made has created one of the best I’ve ever heard.

Album Breakdown

The common theme throughout this project is Cordae’s experiences being young and lost in a chaotic world. I love this theme because it doesn’t limit the scope about his topics. He can make fun tracks, political commentary, and emotional deep cuts while staying tonally consistent.

1. Wintertime

"Wintertime” features a smooth, mellow, jazzy beat; The vibe feels like a instrumental off of J Cole’s 4 Your Eyez Only. Cordae introduces himself, compares where he started to where he’s at now, and discusses some everyday plagues that stress him (anxiety, maintaining success, pressure to appear problem-free) while also aiming for the top and hoping nothing he creates fades away. Great intro.

2. Have Mercy

This next track is lyrically nothing deep or profound, just a banger track with a dope instrumental. The echoy, bassy sound that develops on the last leg of the song is especially great. I also found Cordae’s music video technique interesting. He released two videos, Path A and Path B, that illustrate opposite tones. Path A brings more zainy, flamboyant visuals while Path B is much more dark and eerie. I personally think Path A is the more appropriate for the track. Overall, not a bad banger.

3. Sweet Lawd- Skit

This skit features Cordae singing the hook off “Have Mercy” over a church-like piano. As I mentioned early, strongly reminds me of “I’ll Fly Away” off Kanye West’s The College Dropout. Cordae’s voice is soulful and pleasant to listen to as well. The first gospel-esque track.

4. Bad Idea

Chance the Rapper and Cordae team up to create one of the best songs on the album. They both deliver great verses, Chance’s middle verse being the best. Here they talk about the downsides of Home and the impact those experiences had on them. They borrow the beginning chorus lines “It might not be such a bad idea if I never went home again” from Gil Scott-Herman’s “Home is Where the Hatred Is” and heavily styled like Kanye West’s “My Way Home”. Although Cordae is the main singer on the chorus, he layers his voice to make it sound like an ensemble of singers. A great stylistic choice. And the heavy piano X light strings perfectly end the track. Between the strings at the end, the Kanye West sample, and Chance’s (a huge fan, supporter, and protege of Kanye) involvement, I definitely smell influence from West’s sophomore album Late Registration.

5. Thanksgiving

“Thanksgiving”, the first deep cut on the album, has Cordae introducing a girl to his family during Thanksgiving. However, she’s fake and never stays around, making him question their relationship while remaining hopeful they can maintain it. Cordae demonstrates his powerful storytelling abilities. The overall mellow tone in the production allows his lyrics to fit perfectly in the instrumental; it doesn’t outshine but it doesn’t get over shadowed either.

6. RNP

Anderson .Paak has collaborated with Andre 3000, J. Cole, Rhapsody, Kendrick Lamar, BJ The Chicago Kid, Pusha-T, and Q-Tip, so I wasn’t surprised when I saw Cordae would be collaborating with the talented singer. However, I couldn’t prepare for the amazing back-and-forth chemistry between them. You wouldn’t think when listening to them trade bars that they have a 12 year age difference between them. Also fun fact: J. Cole produced the track.

Both these artists are just having fun over a bouncy beat, talking about the “problems” they’ve experienced being rich. Definitely be favorite fun track so far.

7. Broke As F***

This is tied for my favorite track on the album. Cordae’s lyrics aren’t necessarily the most complex and deep, but he brings such a indescribable energy to his storytelling. He basically tells the story from him being a baby, being in high school appreciating hip hop, where he came from, and where he’s going to go. The great thing here is that its not solely bragging about his possessions. Its a commentary on what he’s GAINED. This adds a touch of humility. And at the end, he comments on how he’s lost, still searching, and doesn’t “really have a lot of answers”, tying into the theme of the album. Perfect.

The spacey instrumental on the chorus, the beat drop after the first line of the first verse, and the beat change midway through makes this one of the best instrumentals on the album. And the ending drums transition to the next song perfectly.

8. Thousand Words

“Thousand Words” has some best verses on the album. Here Cordae talks about the toxicity of social media and how people create false perceptions to hide true pain. While already an intriguing topic, Cordae goes a step further by admitting he’s not holier than thou. He admits everyone lowkey wants to be a little famous, and nobody wants to be “nameless”. I love that. It’s easier to say Instagram and Twitter are toxic (Logic on Confessions of a Dangerous Mind). But to admit there is some validity and positivity to social media...very profound for someone so young. My favorite lines are:

“Living in this false reality that's in this picture gallery/ Based on a n***** profile, we guessin' salary/ The lifestyle you advertise was quite strategized/ Make a minimal amount and then we maximize/ These n***** cappin' with lies how they capitalize/ Creating they own perceptions, what a massive facade/ Digital marketing schemes even broader regime/ Live how you want on the internet, who thought of this thing?”

9. Way Back Home

Ty Dollar $ign stands out on the feature, talking about not letting fame and success pull him from reality. Cordae sings the chorus and most of his verse. Admittedly, I wasn’t a fan of Cordae’s parts; It felt underwhelming. But the instrumental and Ty’s verse carry a significant part of the song. I especially loved the high pitched melodic voice that pops in the beat throughout the song. I also love the sci-fi, techy “WORP” effect throughout the instrumental. But ultimately, this felt more like Ty’s song than Cordae’s.

10. Grandma’s House- Skit

Between “Grandma’s House” and “Sweet Lawd”, I prefer this skit. The harmonious vocals that echo Cordae’s grandma’s vocals give off an amazing gospel vibe. The simplistic yet soulful and intimate aura of this skit makes it one of my favorite interlude-skits off any rap album.

11. Been Around

Another mellow song on the project, “Been Around” has Cordae talking about the development of his career and how he’s going to keep moving forward and not let doubters or bad situations slow him down. I like the chorus more than the verses, but overall its not a bad track. It maintains the tone of the album and flexes Cordae’s pen game a little.

12. Nightmares Are Real

This was the most intriguing collaboration on the album. Pusha-T and Cordae have very different sounds and styles; Pusha-T brings much more aggressiveness whereas Cordae is softer. Cordae’s hardest verses don’t compare to Pusha-T’s baseline intensity. Although they don’t demonstrate strong chemistry, they both bring solid verses. Both tell stories of how they started in the rap game, however, Pusha-T’s wordplay and lyricism is a step above Cordae’s. He talks about dealing with selling crack while developing his skills in rapping. Particular set of lines had me shook.

“Asterisk, skipped school, recorded with The Neptunes/ We was makin' high school classics/ Before I took a kilo and I wrapped it, I rapped it/ Around the funeral with the casket/ Coke avalanche, like a landslide/ Only grew my hair this long because my man died/”

I don’t wanna go too far into explaining these lyrics cus genius will do better job. But Pusha-T brings fire to this track. The tone of the instrumental matches Pusha-T’s intensity as well. As solid of a collaboration this is, its not in my top 3 collabs. That goes to show how amazing this project is.

13. Family Matters

"Family Matters” is tied with “Broke as F***” for my favorite song on The Lost Boy. Cordae talks about the stress of witnessing family traumas and difficulties while experiencing his own success. He expresses feelings of guilt and selfishness when his family hides things from him so he can focus on achieving his goals. He talks about abandonment from baby daddies, aunt’s raising kids that aren’t theirs, a cousin in an abusive relationship, a cousin addicted to xanax, and another aunt who’s a prostitute. All of this is happening while he’s worried about “plays and streams”. It’s an interesting sentiment. Is it selfish to focus on yourself when your family has a load of obstacles and difficulties? Every time he succeeds he has to look back at where he came from and be reminded his family does not share his accomplishments. Nearly brought me to tears when I first heard it.

As I already stated, lyrically this is one of Cordae’s top songs. Arin Ray brings a choir on the chorus that sounds amazing, adding to the gospel sound sprinkled throughout the album. And the light violin strings at the end encapsulate the emotional turmoil Cordae expresses.

14. We Gone Make It

Another top track, “We Gone Make It”, features a collab with Meek Mill to make political/social commentary on todays world and encourage others to keep pushing to succeed. Unlike the other three collaborations “Bad Idea”, “Way Back Home”, and “Nightmares are Real”, Meek Mill’s verses are actually equal with Cordae. Although I’m not a huge fan of Mill, he brings in a succinct, powerful 12 bars and a hook so dope he, as Cordae puts it, had to “sing it twice”. Also fun fact: Cordae used a modified version of the first verse on H.E.R’s “Lord is Coming (Remix)”.

Instrumentally, the beat accompanies the message without overshadowing it. The piano melody and vocal chops throughout mix well with the verses. I personally love the piano keys in the final minute. It adds an aura of delicacy to a song with such an intense message.

15. Lost & Found

In the perfect closing track “Lost & Found”, Cordae displays pride, stating “I was lost boy, now I’m found”. Over a bumpy, bassy beat with epic trumpet harmonies, he comments on everything throughout the project. However, now he has assurance he’s not lost nor insecure from his experiences. And he knows things are going up from here. Like the rest of the album, he’s lyrically above average, reflecting on his life while introducing a fun, braggadocios vibe. Kinda like a “the balls in your court” to the rest of the rap game. Loved it.

Final Thoughts

I look forward to Cordae’s next album. This was a near perfect debut solo album. At 21 years old, Cordae displays strong lyricism and production skills. His ability to story-tell and introspect indicate incredible feats in career. The lowest parts of this project are still amazing, and the high points put this project as my favorite of the year. I don’t know how else to say it. The rap game better watch out for this Maryland born “Lost Boy”. If The Lost Boy indicates the trajectory of his future, Cordae will have the crown in no time.

Top 3 Tracks:

1) Family Matters

2) Broke As F***

3) Bad Idea

Overall Grade: A+

#music review #album review #hip hop review #hip hop #cordae

[cxhnow]

CHLOE X HALLE | TEENAGE TASTELAND, ONLY TEENAGE TASTELAND

Alone at a table for four at a quaint little vegan restaurant in Studio City, I wait for sisters Chloe and Halle Bailey (19 and 17, respectively) to arrive. To prepare, I’ve spent my morning listening to a curated selection of Chloe x Halle’s soft but powerful YouTube covers, from a jazzy take on Cardi B’s “Bodak Yellow” to a haunting rendition of Yo Gotti’s “Down in the DMs” accompanied by an electric guitar.

I notice their pretty sneakers through the window before they burst in: two beaming girls with wide smiles, matching dreadlocked manes, and a genuine, unmistakably Southern sweetness. They surprise me with a hug.

The Bailey sisters don’t really speak so much as they sing. Everything. They sing their orders—edamame, dumplings. Even spring rolls take on a touch of melody as they debate what to order. Many of their answers come delivered simultaneously in harmonious stereo, and they often finish one another’s sentences. It’s easy to believe the two really are the college track-star twins they play on Freeform series (and ABC sitcom Black-ish spin-off) Grown-ish. Do they share the famed “twin connection?”They answer again in unison—“Absolutely!” Halle explains that their relationship really blossomed when they were pulled from school for home tutelage. Halle, an Aries, and Chloe, a Cancer, balance each other effortlessly.

Halle admits, “People say I don’t have much of a filter. With some things, I think I’m being totally nice, but I can be hurtful. I don’t mean to be. It’s funny having that side of Chloe to take from, her sensitive side.” Chloe smiles, adding, “Yeah, Halle is all, ‘You better stand up for yourself!’” The closeness between the two girls is evident in the way they often refer to one another as “sissy” and “my baby sister,” even though they are sitting side by side. No “hers” or “shes” between these two.When the vegan wings come out Chloe laughs, explaining how the long stick inside of the “meat” is the “bone.” She eagerly grabs one but—there are those Southern manners again—not before kindly offering one to me. As an Atlanta native myself, I’m anxious to chat about the hometown we share in common. “Have you seen that YouTube video ‘Straight out of Dunwoody?’” Chloe wonders aloud through a smirk, referring to the viral comedy clip about the ATL suburb where affluent African Americans live a lifestyle that’s quite the opposite of the one N.W.A rapped of in their classic gangsta rap cut “Straight Outta Compton.” I have and it’s hilarious. Chloe immediately reaches across the table for my hand and squeals giddily.

But I’m curious about their love of trap music, a sub-genre of Hip-Hop that was born in the South and is now currently the ATL’s main sonic export of the ATL, and which the sisters often reinterpret for their covers. Halle notes, “Sometimes people don’t realize the lyricism that goes into rapping, and how those guys are artists. So it’s always fun deconstructing their songs and making them singable. Those elements are always in there.” Halle gushes over Rae Sremmurd’s “Black Beatles,” which the girls remixed specifically to bring the poetic harmonies to the forefront.The Baileys first came to the world’s attention with soulful-beyond-their-years covers of famous songs debuted on YouTube. Their early videos garnered only three to four hundred views, but their undeniable talent soon drew millions. “People really gravitated towards our Beyoncé covers,” Halle recalls. “Next thing you know we got an email from her company saying that Beyoncé liked our cover of ‘Pretty Hurts,’ and asking if we were signed.” The girls pause for a moment, remembering one of the most important moments of their young lives. “We didn’t even question if it was real or not,” Chloe adds. “We were just like, ‘It’s Beyoncé!’”It wasn’t a fantasy after all. Their debut album The Kids Are Alright is out now, under Beyoncé’s Parkwood Entertainment record label. It seems they were meant to flourish under the pop icon’s reign. As fate would have it, Chloe played a young Beyoncé in the 2003 film The Fighting Temptations, and a young Halle caught her braid on the superstar’s diamond dress at a party after crawling under the table and attempting to hug her. “The universe gives you signs,” Chloe beams.“We’ve been working on it for three years,” Chloe says of The Kids Are Alright. “Since before our Sugar Symphony EP, since before our The Two of Us mixtape. It’s been our baby, I feel like we were birthing a child. Now I’m like, ‘What am I going to do with myself? Is this album postpartum depression?’ I almost lost my mind!” Together, the Baileys write and produce all of their own music in their living room. That level of comfort and familiarity is key. “Whenever it’s feeling negative or forced in the room, we just stop,” Chloe says.

In the middle of the interview, Halle briefly takes a call from her father, gently assuring him that the sisters made it to the restaurant before hanging up. The girls cite family as the reason they are able to stay so grounded amidst the glamour and pressures of Los Angeles. “Mom and Dad, our little brother,” Halle starts, listing the roster of her core team, “and our older sister; she’s 27.” She says the last number in a manner that suggests she almost thinks that’s old.Though they’ve come a long way, their YouTube bio still reads, “two girls who love making music in our living room,” punctuated with alien, music note and heart emojis. Oh, to be teenage princesses with the world at your door. As they dine vegan on Ventura, it’s not hard to see a future where they too become pop culture royalty in their own right—all thanks to lo-fi covers on a streaming platform. They’ve got that triple-threat trifecta (beauty, acting chops, and enviable pipes) that lengthens careers into “We’ll stop when we want to” territory, and Queen Bey’s guidance to boot. It seems it’s only a matter of time before the crown is theirs and the fantasy is realized. [s]

#chloe x halle #chloexhalle #chloeandhalle #chloe and halle #chloe bailey #halle bailey #photos #videos #tkaa #halle #halle photos #flaunt #flaunt magazine #2018 #march 2018 #articles #interviews

[womenofcolor15]

Quavo & Saweetie Pack On The PDA At GQ Men of the Year Bash + Jesse Williams & Taylour Paige, Offset, Lil Nas X & More Bring The Fashion & Fun

Quavo and Saweetie pack on the PDA at GQ's Men of the Year party in LA. See their coupledom flicks, plus shots of Jesse Williams and his girlfriend Taylour Paige, Offset, Lil Nas X and more inside...

A couple that slays together!

Hip Hop couple Quavo and Saweetie are madly in love and they aren’t afraid to show it. The super cute couple had the fashion game on lock when they rolled up on the carpet at the 2019 GQ Men Of The Year Party held at The West Hollywood EDITION Hotel in LA.

Their energy was infectious and they really seemed to be enjoying one another’s company on the carpet, getting kissy and giving each other the “eyes.” Even if they started off as a couple for PR purposes - allegedly - they seem to have made it into something real.

And it works. 

Recently, the ICY raptress took to Twitter to air out her frustrations with being profiled in luxury stores. She didn't call out the names of any stores, but chick shared how annoyed she is over the stupid ish (read from the bottom up) :

  We're sick of it too, sis. 

Back at the party...

Quavo's cousin/Migos bandmate Offset was all smiles in a tailored suit at the party, sans his wife Cardi B.

The Migos snapped it up with the homies during the shindig.

Another couple was all in the loved up in the mix too. "Grey's Anatomy" star Jesse Williams and his girlfriend/ZOLA actress Taylour Paige kept it cute during the festivities.

        View this post on Instagram

                  Wanna hear a story!!??? ZOLA SUNDANCE 2020 @zolarmoon @janicza

A post shared by Taylour Paige (@taylour) on Dec 4, 2019 at 3:00pm PST

  ZOLA - the first movie based on a viral Twitter thread - will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival next month.

After dominating the music charts in 2019, Lil Nas X was in the mix for some fun. We wonder what he has in store for 2020.

EJ Johnson - Magic Johnson's son - never disappoints for a red carpet situation. He donned his usual all black everything.

We see you, EJ!

Comedian/actor Mike Epps snapped it up with Nigerian stylist Mobolaji Dawodu.

The comedian has been busy on tour taking his "The Fabulously Funny Comedy Festival" across the nation.

"STAR" actor Quincy Brown was all smiles on the carpet, looking like the male version of his late mother, Kim Porter.

The mother-of-four died a little over a year ago.

All white! Diggy Simmons - Rev. Run's son - kept it clean on the carpet. He released his second studio album, Lighten Up, last year.

We're not exactly sure what's going on with NBA player Nick Young's 'fit...

Y'all feelin' this?

Rapper Jxmmi - 1/2 of Hip Hop duo Rae Sremmurd - got jazzy for the event.

And comedian Keegan-Michael Key kept it simple in a black suit for the bash. 

Fab times.

Photos: MEGA/Getty/Startraks/Instar

[Read More ...] source http://theybf.com/2019/12/12/quavo-saweetie-pack-on-the-pda-at-gq-men-of-the-year-bash-jesse-williams-taylour-paige-of

[abitterlifethroughcinema]

WOKE! Film Reviews in BCN

The Summer 2019 Movie Season Kick-Off!

by Lucas Avram Cavazos

Cue DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince! When I was coming of age in the 90s and early millennium, there were moment of sheer relief, joy even, as June broke through with certain heat in tow, that the summer would be bringing with it a break from the reality of non-stop scholastic rigamarole, as well as, a load of blockbuster films and some hot dance jams of the summertime. It was also usually ushered in by the Entertainment Weekly annual summer movie preview, but who gets magazine subscriptions nowadays? What we do get is down to business, so let’s roll!

Men In Black International ##-1/2

The first MIB film was released just as I made that high school to uni transition, and over two decades later, we start the 2019 summer movie season with this fourth instalment of what may have easily been put out to pasture long ago, but why stop when there is profit to be had, right? The charming sense of wonder that was first introduced to us back in ’97 was even served up back then with a now no longer Fresh Prince, but instead a mediocre hip-pop Will Smith single…oh the 90s. The thing is, that first film came across as right on time. Remember, this was at the height of paranormal entertainment, as the X-Files ruled the telly waves, alien movies started being produced in spades and pretty much everything commenced a somewhat pre-millennium tension, so setting a comedy/action thriller based on the tracking and maintaining of aliens in modern NYC society was a perfect, cinematic fit. In 2019, we now get the “int’l” version of MIB, where Agents H and B come poised like action figures in the skins of Thor:Ragnarok alums Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson. They have been given the specific job of playing escorts to one of H’s old alien buddies who is a bigwig now and visiting Earth in search of a grand old time…cute. And then it becomes clear that old homeboy is also in possession of a diamond-sized weapon that could be a seismic shift to life as we know it and other evil forces want this for their possession too and la di da di da….It’s all been so overdone before, and I abhor seeing Miley Cyrus’ bro-in-law making such trite shite when, despite the obvious camaraderie between him and Lady Agent B, of which there is suspiciously mucho, when the script by three different writers is so obviously lacklustre, where is one to go from there? I digress but while it’s fun to see director F. Gary Gray do his attempt at dealing with alien life forms and shape-shifting cretins with a glossy sheen of comedy, if there is such real substance, how can you make a tired series shoot back to life? Answer: NOT LIKE THIS!

Aladdin ###-1/2

Disney’s consistent, modern renderings of animated classics into live-action, blockbuster behemoths continues with Guy Ritchie’s take on this undoubted classic from 1992 remade for #metoo 2019. While it may seem odd to not give the task to an Indian or Arab director, Ritchie takes on the task with aplomb that even gives this version a, dare I even say it, a woke feel to a story that truly should not be lily-white. Original Broadway star of Aladdin and TV’s Jack Ryan star Mena Massed nails it just as annoyingly as Robbie Benson did back in the day as the titular character, and although Indan-English actress Naomi Scott is a tad meh in her role, she also employs a fresh sense of independent woman ‘tude that vibrates through the celluloid and scenery despite the paint-by-numbers songs. But, let’s be frank, it’s beyond time that a production so perfectly timed and so immense in this modern time should and would have POC actors painting a picture of those times, so it comes to no surprise that Ritchie would want a big name star like Will Smith to embody the role left so perfectly-tinged with greatness like the cartoon original voiced by the late, great Robin Williams. Guess what? He does the role very fine justice…thankfully. And he does it in a classic, Fresh Prince vibe…smoothly and with easy aplomb. I also found the choices of lady-in-waiting Nasim Pedrad as Dahlia and Marwan Kenzari as the cruel Jafar as impeccably cast worthy…timely comic and story relief. Gone, however, is the annoyingly necessary voice of evil parrot sidekick Iago by Gilbert Gottfried and instead is a guy with a bird-like tone. Only time will tell if this particular film piece stands the test of time as I believe The Jungle Book and latter Beauty and the Beast will, but after the ho-hum taste of MIB Int’l, I’ll take this eye-spectacle anyway!

Godzilla: King of the Monsters ##-1/2

In this new addition to the decades-old franchise, our infamous title character gets to slug it against a foe out on the field at Fenway Park…fun! For years now, dino and/or Godzilla movies have consistently littered the summer movie theatres for more than a couple of decades now. Godzilla: King of the Monsters is a sequel to the last 2014 eyesore, which was released just before I began critiquing cinema, so right off the bat, the film  commences with a throwback to the drama where the other film left us and we get paleo-biologist and mum Emma Russell (Vera Famiga of The Conjuring and Bates Motel fame) tethered to her adorable one Madison (Stranger Things star Mille Bobby Brown) as they gaze in awe at the apparent nascence of a larva named Mothra. This kaiju movie (entertainment that employs the use of oversized combative creatures) happens to present us with the fact that Godzilla is a supposed ringleader of the Titans, which are huge, dormant creatures ensconced beneath the earth…you know the ones, Rodan, the aforementioned Mothra, Monarch, something called Monster Zero…oh and don’t forget that Monster Zero is also called Ghidora, and if you’re not confused yet, let me give you another interesting summer movie fact…this film also stars Sally Hawkins of The Shape of Water and Blue Jasmine success and king of character actors and John Sayles movies David Strathairn as some admiral. My qualm comes down to this…if this is the shlocky summer stuff Hollywood is going to be throwing at us for the next three months, we’ve got a long way to go, and I’m going to have to apply some indie skills real fast because watching so many good actors put to mediocre use is not the way to start off the summer! Here’s to hoping.

#abitterlifethroughcinema #men in black international #chris hemsworth #TessaThompson #IWantToBelieve #Aladdin #guy ritchie #menamoussad #NaomiScott #Disney #Godzilla #sally hawkins #vera farmiga #millie bobby brown #woke! #theclubwithlucas #EnglishRadioBCN #local #Barcelona #global #cinema #VOSEng #GetOverYourself #loveTRUTH

[jazzybrealarchive]

#jazzy b real #jazzy-b-real #x-jazzy-b-real-x #shadamy #sonic the hedgehog #old deviantart #fan blog #archive

[pavlovers]

hello lad(ie)s i apologize for not being all that active for the past few weeks i have been spending my out-of-school hours sleeping, having feverish bouts due to a bad case of the flu/bronchitis/not sure tbh but im Sick, and doing midterm prep so ive just been a bit more exhausted than i usually am,, anyways just wanted 2 say that before thanking dear ol’ diana @britneyshakespeare for tagging me to do a thing, so here is that thing:

A. age - im 6teen, life is sweet when youre growing up so faaast you Gotta make the good times last!

B. birthplace - largest city in the US state connecticut

C. current time - 2:19 am as of posting (my sleeping schedule has still not been fixed clearly)

D. drink you last had - do i seem like the type of person who. consumes beverages that are not. woter

E. easiest person to talk to - my braincells r neat companions sometimes i suppose

F. favorite songs (currently) - hmm i was listening to fast as you can by fiona apple a lot a few days ago,, also i just very recently listened to anderson paak’s oxnard and hh tracks like tints and anywhere the california lust is realllll (im sorta thinking of moving in with my cousin and attending school there after i graduate high school)

G. grossest memory - any time i have ever gone 2 school on my period ever

H. horror yes or no - yeah i enjoy it i guess in the most basic sense. read/watched my goosebumps and my encylopedias of the supernatural as a kid. ive only really read a couple of horror novels and the horror-movies-ive-watched-list is severely lacking but yknow the very least i watch buzzfeed unsolved on a semi-regular basis

I. in love - dont know. dont care.

J. jealous of - people who can go an hour without hacking up half their lungs

K. kids - theyre kool little dudes. not interested in parenting one or multiple ones.

L. love at first sight or walk by again - don't have the personal experience to like. say shit so whatever u wanna believe man

M. middle name - ______

N. number of siblings - half sister, shes 21, barely know her

O. one wish - just wanna be done w high school already without like,, having 2 live thru the rest of it maybe?

P. person you last called - i dont call people

Q. question you always get asked - not a question but. old people like to go on about having old people friends that have the same name as me

R. random fact about you - the only friends i talk to during school are the sophomores at my lunch table who like to burst out random cody ko memes and the girl in my chemistry class who really likes cuffing her jeans and somehow understands delocalized molecular orbital theory

S. song you last sang - the hymn “just as i am” by charlotte elliot for choir class (we r singing a very jazzy arrangement of it its kinda cool)

T. time you woke up - 6:20 am unfortunately (was expecting un delayed opening for school today but snow day calculator fed me lies apparently. Sad!)

U. underwear color - yellow i think im not gonna check

V. vacation destination - been there many times already but like,, id like to go down 2 manhattan w my friend and spend the day w her!! we’ve talked about it many times bc theres nothing to do in southern ct when u cant driveTM but my parents are :// about it also with our dumb ap workloads we probably wouldnt be able to go until the summer

W. worst habit - being a real negative nancy

X. x-ray - had them, yeah. dentist obviously also that one time i went to the emergency room because i couldn't breathe and they wanted to know if there was something in my lungs

Y. your favorite food - i have been subsisting off purely congee for the past few weeks (that's not what it's called in my parents language so it's like weird calling it that but yeah basically rice but it's goopy)

Z. zodiac sign - 🦂

tagging: @murobrown @an-aviary-far-from-home @loneliness-rose @orchestralmanoeuvrez @home-in-orbis and anyone else who would want to i dont even know if ppl do tag things anymore so feel free to ignore if u don't and i tagged u

#tag thing

[andrewrosswatson1987]

REVISIT: CYPRESS HILL REACHED ROCKY IV THIS DAY IN 1998

Cypress Hill released their fourth album, Cypress Hill IV, which came out today (October 6) in 1998, released via labels, Ruffhouse/Columbia Records. Their prior discography being their eponymous debut, Cypress Hill (1991), Black Sunday (1993) and Cypress Hill III:  Temples Of Boom (1995). Singles for this album were “Dr. Greenthumb”, “Tequila Sunrise” and “Audio X”. First you’re “Looking Through The Eye Of A Pig”.  Chiming with a conspiratorial, sinister feel. Then that hazy wah-wah guitar kicks in, supported with transmissions on a police car radio.    The eye of a pig, indeed, adjoined with snorting bacon.  Some very intriguing storytelling, like a criminal’s day cut short by the boys and girls in blue.  A late middle section fades into the ether, before the song proper kicks in, again.  “I'm slippin’ into darkness/I’m comin’ to grips and feelin’ heartless” has a real danger to it.  Even B-Real in cut off in his prime, via fadeout. “Checkmate” is grave with the bass keys on the piano, hectic and suggesting imminent danger. Sen Dog trades lines with the aforementioned.  “Runnin’ this game/Bringin’ the same” like friendly jousting courtesy of B.  Sen then comes back with the braggadocio of, “Ain’t nobody came my way/Talkin’ ‘bout the Westside of LA”. They combine to, “Hang ‘em high/Got the live sh*t; bang ‘em whenever you, he want to try”. “From The Window Of My Room” is flighty with tense strings, intermittent bass and the shuffle of drum.  It seems a tale of observing the dramas of the outside world, rather than the typical standpoint of gangsta rap whereby the action is first hand.  Either that or on the lookout from the cops.  “From my window I can see/Humanity” is Sen Dog watching the world turn and burn.  The song proper ends prematurely, with another street transaction skit taking its place. The conspiring “Prelude To A Come Up” is thumping drum, tragic piano and locking beat of said bass drum. Then the piano grows emphatic, its chords ringing like late realisation.  Even the bass yelps in these moments, stabbing piano and the bass locked in struggle.  “The beat just keeps on seepin’ into the street” suggests even B-Real knows the bass is bleeding. “Riot Starter” sees the police transmission detailing the forces forced to don riot gear.  From there on its typical DJ Muggs with that ominous bass. This builds into a cyclical groove, descending and trouble starting.  The middle section has drums breaking out with jazzy fervour, busy and frenetic.  The end is wailing and rocking, their liking of guitar orientated music almost apparent. Experimental “Audio X” is hazy with trippy, looped guitar cut short to about two notes.  It’s how everything builds together as an ensemble that the combined musicality is totally apparent.  Things rewind like scratching hip-hop before pulling back into present time.  Is the said Audio X an experiment?  “We gonna your blow your head up/Synthetic flows, they gonna make you get up” suggesting the question at least partially answered. Come “Steel Magnolia” it’s then a sort of RZA sounding production.  Grave, knifing strings with occasional blunt force trauma bass. Cameo, Barron Ricks, like some sort of Mobb Deep rapper, Prodigy. It’s like a salute to hardcore New York rap from the Latino gangsta rappers of Los Angeles.  “I Remember That Freak B*tch” has chopped samples, chugging like industry, akin to the lovechild of the aforementioned RZA and, of course, DJ Muggs.  Wu-Tang Clan and Cypress Hill as one.  It’s gangsta rap by the numbers, interesting beat but nothing to jump out at you in the lyrical department.  It’s closing moments, “Interlude Part 2”, rescue the track with trippy and, yet, profound instrumentation.  Like pausing for thought and really absorbing the sounds gently washing over you. To the death “(Goin’ All Out) Nothin’ To Lose” whistles in, shrill crescendo and that signature kind of bassline all mixing for the perfect backdrop to high octane raps.  B-Real and Sen Dog really click, having eachother’s backs, for the perfect chemistry.  Goin’ all out, back to back in a tight situation.  “Tequila Sunrise” is Latin, inflected with Spanish guitar making you feel like you’re on the Mexican border.  “Tequila sunrise, bloodshot eyes/Realise we're all born to die; so get the money, n*gga” resplendent in culture outwith the white, Anglo-Saxon and Protestant norm.  The horns blow like a warm welcome for the matador as he enters the bullring. “Dead Men Tell No Tales” starts wavy and sun kissed, before the nightmare begins and the four note melody locks you in a trance.  The drums hit with a finality that shakes you out of any reverie that might’ve been the case to begin with.  Disconcerting ringing sees the latter part of the song out. Again, think RZA. “Feature Presentation” is stabbing strings and hitting drum suggesting a particular development, a worrying one.  “I take the microphone cord, use it as a rope/To hang all the weak rappers for leavin’ the bullsh*t they wrote” inventive rhyming yet not pleasant to picture, the particular development your own strangulation.  One of the two cameos, Chace Infinite, has a particularly good verse. Horticultural track, “Dr. Greenthumb”, has an advert endorsing the pot professor before landing into the song proper.  The arresting boom of drum and what sounds like the steam train of industry puffing away on…well.  “Get knocked up/And they close my shop” B-Real’s ultimate worry, a peaceful, smoked out existence. “16 Men Till There’s No Men Left” has a radio transmission of the more civilian kind of air.  “Like Jack did Jill/I rolled his ass down the hill” seems to begin the narrative of knocking competing rappers out the park.  “But you're locked out, and the bomb’s about to blow” exploding any remaining rappers.  Circus music greets the latter part of the track, a fanfare of Cypress Hill putting any of the one, two or three left on a perpetual carousel, never to come off and if they do forever disorientated. “High Times” is kicked back with not even the slightest hint of the foreboding.  The bass soulful, the drums calm and peaceful.  Elation of smoking the Hill’s favourite plant.  Some flavoursome scratching gives it a nostalgic feel. The end slightly disconcerting, though… The “Clash Of The Titans/Dust” sounds like it should, urgent and a battle royal.  It inspires deep thought, pondering existence and the futility of current humanity.  “Every corner of the world, the battle taking place” encapsulating the whole bent of the track.  Cracks of thunder really give it a clash of the titans feel, before man and woman fall to dust.  The latter half’s brooding, with ringing bass leaving you uneasy. “Lightning Strikes” adjoins the earlier cracks of thunder.  It’s distorted, live band instrumentation is rocking energy if ever such influences were questioned before.  Sen Dog resurfaces in this one, just incase you thought he weren’t waiting in the wings.  The middle section lets the band loose, before electrical interference gives way to the boys closing the deal, the aforementioned street transaction finally completed. What more to say in “Case Closed”. It tinkles with the keys of piano, moody bass and locking drum.  The hook ends it with finality. The highlights are “Looking Through The Eye Of A Pig”, “Riot Starter”, “Steel Magnolia”, “Teqiuila Sunrise”, “Dr. Greenthumb”, “High Times” and “Clash Of The Titans/Dust”. Cypress Hill’s Cypress Hill IV can be bought on iTunes, here.

#Cypress Hill #Cypress Hill IV #B-Real #Sen Dog #DJ Muggs #Black Sunday #Cypress Hill III #Temples Of Boom #RZA #Wu-Tang Clan #Barron Ricks #Prodigy #Chace Infinite

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 22/01/2022 (The Game & Kanye West - “Eazy”)

Our second original chart-topper of 2022 is “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” by the cast of Disney’s latest film, Encanto. Regardless of the changing of the tides, Disney will always run our lives. Welcome back to REVIEWING THE CHARTS!

Rundown

It’s no surprise that “Bruno” was able to snab the #1 this week, and really, I’m not complaining – my grievances with Disney aside – because the song is fine enough, and the film seems like enough of a cultural phenomenon right now. Of course, there are 99 other songs on this chart, though I only cover the UK Top 75, so let’s start as always with the notable drop-outs. These are songs that exited the top 75 after spending five weeks in the region or peaking in the top 40. We have a couple of quite notable ones here – sure, all the Gunna songs are gone, but we also say farewell to “No Competition” by D-Block Europe, “Don’t Break the Heart” by Tom Grennan, “Who You Are” by Craig David and MNEK, “THAT’S WHAT I WANT” by Lil Nas X, “Happier than Ever” by Billie Eilish and two dance-pop songs that peaked at #3 with 25 weeks in the top 75 – which is some uncanny synchronisation – “Remember” by Becky Hill and David Guetta, and “Black Magic” by JONASU. Oh, and The Weeknd’s “How Do I Make You Love Me?” dropped out thanks to the three-song rule. More from Dawn FM is coming later, you’ll see it then.

I’m not going to talk about our notable losses – probably ever again – because I really fail to see the point in it. I could philosophise and say it’s all because I no longer wish to perpetuate negativity but that would really all be nonsense since my main concern is that it’s boring to list songs every week. If anything piques my interest, I’ll mention it, but it turns out that what I say every week is correct.

The gains are infinitely more interesting, as well as our returning entries. In the first category, well, of course we have “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers back at #71, as well as “Acapulco” by Jason Derulo at #65 and, bizarrely enough thanks to some TikTok and streaming traction, Frank Ocean’s 2012 track “Lost” reaching a new peak of #44. It originally peaked at #53 on release and whilst I have no real idea why it’s here, I’m not complaining as it is a great song and it’d be fascinating to see it join the hit parade. In terms of notable gains – songs jumping up five or more positions from last week – we can see 2022’s year of pop start to vaguely form, with “When I’m Gone” by Alesso and Katy Perry at #59, “TO THE MOON” by Jnr Choi at #58, “Money Calling” by Da Beatfreakz featuring RAYE, Russ Millions and wewantwraiths at #48, “The Motto” by Tiesto and Ava Max at #35, “Down Under” by Luude and Colin Hay at #19, “Oh My God” by Adele at #18 thanks to the video, “Make Me Feel Good” by Belters Only and Jazzy at #17, “The Family Madrigal” from Encanto at #15 and finally, “Where Are You Now” by Lost Frequencies and Calum Scott at #11. Our top five disregarding “Bruno” is “abcdefu”, “Easy on Me”, “Peru” and “Surface Pressure”, and with all that said, let’s look at some of the albums I heard from last week that absolutely won’t land a place on the charts.

Off the Charts

From a Birds Eye View – Cordae

Cordae delivers a samey project unbeknownst to its own lack of ambition. The bars are there, the character isn’t, and he renders more often than not as dead weight on middling production. The most frustratingly pleasant – or pleasantly frustrating – rap album so far this year. My favourite track is “Westlake High”.

Lyrics to GO, Vol. 3 – Kota the Friend

I’m really not sure how much I can endorse this. Kota fragments his nice-guy image for his most bitter set of freestyles he’s ever released, which in its raw honesty – or even intentional dishonesty – over the same flowery beats he’s always rapped over creating a uniquely awkward experience that may or may not be for you. My favourite track is “For Troubled Boys”.

SICK! – Earl Sweatshirt CAPRISONGS – FKA twigs

This seems like an odd two albums to bunch together but both are coming off of depressing yet highly-acclaimed records that seemed to leave the artist in fragments, with these two succeeding projects picking up the pieces. Sure, Earl may be doing it through lazy rap flows and twigs through some of the most eclectic pop I’ve ever heard, but both are projects in which you venture into the self-improvement of the artists in question, with every janky flaw and setback in just as full view as the genuinely touching steps forward. On CAPRISONGS, “lightbeamers” and “thank you song” left me speechless, whilst “Lye” and especially “Vision” on SICK! found me more invested more than ever in Earl Sweatshirt.

Data.viscera – Strawberry Hospital

And to tip this list off is an obscure trancecore release – if that’s really what you call this EP full of incomprehensible angst – from Bandcamp, and trust me when I say I’m under-selling it. The closer, “Squall”, is one of the best songs I’ve heard this year so far. Now let’s get into some stuff that definitely won’t be, though I perhaps shouldn’t speak too soon.

NEW ARRIVALS

#75 – “Iffy” – Chris Brown

Produced by Smash David, OG Parker and Blaq Tuxedo

Cancel culture may not exist in real life – this is proof – but it sure does on this show. The song is insanely derivative, vaguely catchy and Breezy sounds really out of his depth with the Auto-Tune. Let’s move on.

#60 – “Hrs and Hrs” – Muni Long

Produced by Ralph Tiller and David Graham

I had been pronouncing this song “hers and hers” until I realised by listening to it that it is indeed “hours and hours”. You may not know Muni Long – and I sure didn’t – but she’s really Priscilla Renea, who again you may not know by name but you definitely know by pen, as she has many a songwriting credit, from Ariana Grande to Florida Georgia Line and from Mariah Carey to Yelawolf. Thanks to TikTok giving it a streaming boost, the woman somehow behind both “New Truck” and “California King Bed” has a hit of her own, and it’s pretty okay for what it is. It’s a pretty conventional 90s-feeling R&B throwback with a lot of sensuality and a genuinely unique vocal presence with “Muni Long”, yet I do feel like it’s rather stagnant, with a sweet guitar lick but not one that ever really goes anywhere instead of developing into a string swell that just rests there. It’s fitting for the content, as the song is largely about a really intimate relationship and the belief that she could do all of this for “hours and hours”, but really, due to the production, it does feel like Renea is trying to get more out of this than she’s being allowed to. The emotion just feel flattened by everything surrounding it, especially with the lazy, kind-of fade out at the end that means the song just dissipates into nothing. This is an alright “vibe” but really not much of note outside of it. I’d like to hear more from her chart though because this has got potential.

#56 – “Won’t Stand Down” – Muse

Produced by Aleks von Korff and Muse

So, Muse are back. Muse are one of the biggest – and by that, I mean one of the only surviving – rock bands in the mainstream, and especially in the UK, with these Devon boys known for their spacey prog-rock and insanely inconsistent catalogue. The 2nd Law is legitimately good, “Starlight” is a great song and “Plug in Baby” gives me this odd sense of nostalgia for what is really a lousy song. That’s about as far as I want to comment on the older Muse discography, as this new single is being raised in high regard as a return to their heavier roots. My response to that is that it better be God damn heavy after the trainwreck that was 2018’s Simulation Theory. What we’re not ready to admit yet is that Coldplay essentially replicated that tire fire with Music of the Spheres, but the less said about that the better. This new single isn’t all that promising, with an odd reggae-esque groove that really makes all the bassy industrial distortion feel rote and out-of-place. It doesn’t help that Matt Bellamy goes for a... triplet flow in the verses, before the song essentially stops being what it is to be a shittily-mixed Bring Me the Horizon song, complete with a metalcore breakdown and rave synths as everything is really compressed to make no impact. In fact, yeah, let’s not sugarcoat things: this is garbage. No groove is allowed to sit with you, no chorus ends up as anything more than airy, and most importantly, the riffs are as memorable as, say, half of this band’s back catalogue. I will say, that final chorus after the incoherent breakdown just hit quite well in comparison, but I don’t think the passion is really there in this. It feels like an accidental “Stick Stickly” and coming from a band as ambitious as Muse, this isn’t worth the effort.

#53 – “Go” – Cat Burns

Produced by JonahPH

Who’s Cat Burns? Glad you asked, as I’d actually never heard this name before the song charted. Cat Burns is a singer from London, and this single she released in 2020 is only just gaining traction. I have no idea why, and I’m going to assume it’s as a result of TikTok but you can never be sure nowadays. Regardless of how it got big, it could end up being pretty good... and, yeah, I’m a fan of this. There are some qualms I have with the really basic acoustic guitar melody, and the vocals being roughly mixed but this really is a bedroom R&B track, and it’s probably for the best as it makes the swell of the samples in the chorus and the honest lyrics hit even harder. Cat Burns is sick of this guy who’s making excuses for cheating on her, and ends up realising that he’s just like her friends told her he’d be, with the song acting as an interrogation onto this unnamed guy, who actually gets a chance to defend himself. Unlike a few of the singer-songwriter tracks that get big, this one actually gives a damn good reason for the emotion of the lead singer, and that simple yet effective chorus really drives it home. “Pack up your shit and go!” Usually, I’d say something this angry deserves a heavier production but the subtlety of this just demonstrates how fed up she is of this guy, and displays her power over him in this breakup, even if she’s aware of her own frailties in the bridge. I hope to see this stick around, since it’s pretty damn good.

#50 – “Infinity” – Jaymes Young

Produced by Billboard and Jaymes Young

Who the hell spells James like that? Names aside, Jaymes Young is an American singer from Seattle who’s been bubbling under for what seems like a really lengthy period of time, especially considering he hasn’t been writing all that much like Renea, gaining pretty low chart positions with dance features and pretty much nothing else. I bet this man is making donations to ByteDance as we speak since TikTok once again used its power to revitalise Mr. Young’s career. The song in question which the Zoomers decided to parade around on the New-Fangled Video App is “Infinity”, a single from his 2017 album Feel Something. I’ll cut the nonsense and say that this is very, very 2017 and in a way that I don’t think has aged all that well, as “Infinity” is essentially an X Ambassadors song. The vocals are mixed to the front of the mix and since Mr. Young is not exactly a prominent singer, it feels very unfitting that in this vague love song, he is not fading back into the mix of compressed percussion, wavey synths and vague, tropical drops. Hey, I can respect that it actually has a bridge, and it’s not written too awkwardly, but I’m not big on this at all otherwise. Just boring.

#45 – “Is There Someone Else?” – The Weeknd

Produced by Peter Lee Johnson, Max Martin, Oscar Holter, The Weeknd, TBHits, Oneohtrix Point Never

I’ve said my peace on Dawn FM last week: it’s a wonderful album, especially towards the back-end, and hiring OPN as his producer was the best idea The Weeknd has ever had to develop this 1980s sound into something that doesn’t feel done before, exploring these cyberpunk aesthetics in an album that feels like a visual constantly lit by only the stars. Therefore, I’ll try and keep this short but God, it’s hard to do so when “Is There Someone Else?” is one of my favourite tracks on the album. The looming paranoia of a potential affair creeps through like lasers into the yacht of synth-funk grooves and floating chipmunk vocal effects, as Abel finds himself at the other end of the lying and cheating he used to make his partner endure. As a result, he can’t be too desperate and frustrated, as the melody in the chorus is simply a lament he fully expected to be singing, and sounds just as bizarrely breezy despite the lyrical content because of this. His self-deprecation in the second verse and the abrupt length of the song speaks to this fallout of the relationship just being at the hands of Abel’s prior recklessness, and he ultimately feels genuine regret, but fails to really come to terms with the sins of his past being thrown back at him. The outro is gorgeous thanks in solid part to OPN on the boards, and whilst I doubt this’ll stick around, I hope it does, even if I think we may just get a rotating switcheroo of Weeknd album cuts for the foreseeable future.

#32 – “Eazy” – The Game and Kanye West

Produced by DJ Premier, Wack 100, DONTMINDIFIDUKE, Kanye West, MIKE DEAN and Hit-Boy

God, I was hoping this wouldn’t chart. Well, it’s here, because every time I’m positive on this show, the universe decides I’m enjoying myself too much. Okay, let’s start with the positives. The scratching of the Eazy-E sample by DJ Premier at the tail-end is cool, and I like how seamlessly it is integrated into the refrain. I also like The Game’s verse, as he goes really hard here with really nice albeit on-the-nose wordplay regarding street violence and the role it played in raising him as a man and especially a rapper, with what I feel is the start to some nice commentary on hip-hop music and its relation to the plight of young black men in America. The problem is he doesn’t go far enough because of course, The Game only has one verse here and whilst it is very good, it is not as long as the verse by the man who is the real reason this charted. This is Kanye at not his lowest but damn close to it, and it’s just painful, if not cringeworthy, to hear this man repeat non-sentences as a “refrain”, compare himself to 2Pac before exposing himself as a delusional billionaire as if we didn’t know he was one already, and drop off-beat petty rhymes that barely flow about beating Pete Davidson’s ass because he’s been with Kim after you divorce. You can’t have both that and “my new bitch bad”, Ye, though I think he knows that. I guess the bar about going to court together and then going to Kourt’s together is witty, and since the verse is an incoherent ramble with occasional sparks of Christian imagery and mostly babbling about wearing Yeezy boots in the shower, at least I know he wrote this himself. It reminds me of his equally incoherent and similarly guilt-tripping verse on “Believe What I Say”, except this time, the beat sucks. Sure, I like the sample but this primitive, sparse beat relies on a reversed drum that sounds like it’s tripping over both itself and the bass, as well as an awkwardly-mixed vocal loop. Ye can’t flow for shit over it – no surprise there given his recent output – and it’s just a slog to get through his verse, especially whilst looking at that skinned monkey face. It says more about the song than I think Ye or The Game realise, given that Kanye West may as well be that skinned monkey. If I think about it as an anti-NFT cover art, I can feign ignorance. This won’t last, and we’re all the better for it.

#26 – “Packs and Potions” – HAZEY

Produced by Sphero Beatz

Thankfully, we end with an easy one, mostly because I’ve already discussed it, and only last week. If you remember the “Lone Ranger” cypher from last episode, this is the last guy’s verse, over the same beat. I do like the beat as I said last week, and shortening it to the length of nearly three minutes definitely keeps the unique, groovy beat from losing steam, though we no longer get the chemistry of the first two rappers and instead just the distinct Scouse accent of HAZEY who, whilst flowing rapidly, grows exhausting since he maintains the same flow the entire song and that chorus really does not fare well when repeated. There’s a reason why its immediacy worked as the ending verse and not a refrain. The content’s not all that engaging, but it’s listenable, and just unique enough amidst other British rap that I’m sure it’ll stick around.

Conclusion

It really should not be a surprise that The Weeknd gets Best of the Week for “Is There Someone Else?”, and with no disrespect to Cat Burns, she’s far away with “Go” as the Honourable Mention. Worst of the Week has more competition given that this was kind of a rough week, but I think I really do need to give it to The Game and Kanye West on principle, as “Eazy” really is the closest any of these songs get to “offending”. Muse will snab the Dishonourable Mention but don’t take that lightly as that song really is a failure on all fronts.

Hopefully next week will be more bearable, given that it might just be even slower, although I wouldn’t be surprised if Years & Years or even Young T & Bugsey make an impact. For now, thank you for reading and I’ll see you next week!

[airadam]

Episode 139 : Safe & Sound

"Give your mama enough money to bury ya."

- E-40

We've just about dragged ourselves to the end of the year whose name shall not be spoken, and we're not out of the woods just yet. The winter is drawing in, and so we have not a festive selection, but one which in many parts sonically fits the season. There are some deep album cuts, B-sides, and mixtape tracks here, making it one of those months where pretty much everyone is going to learn at least one new tune! Get those headphones connected and let's go...

Twitter : @airadam13

Twitch : @airadam13

Playlist/Notes

E-40 : I'ma Teach Ya How To Sell Dope

The title of this track from "Revenue Retrievin' : Day Shift" wrong-foots you, because this is A-grade "B-side of the game" material, as Ice-T would say. If you ever thought the drug game was glamourous, E-40 lets you know that it's a dangerous, paranoid, and depressing dead-end - even for the few who live long enough to make a bit of money. 

The Cool Kids : Tires (Instrumental)

This had just the right slow pace, boom, and space to form a bridge between the tracks on either side. The vocal version appropriately comes from the 2009 "Merry Christmas" EP and features Boldy James, but this instrumental is available as part of the "Gone Fishing : Instrumentals" mixtape (despite not being on the "Gone Fishing" album, so far as I'm aware!)

Jane Child : Loot$ville

Take the rhythm section alone and you could imagine someone like Above The Law or The Dogg Pound getting busy on this track. It's been a very long time since the release of the "Surge" LP, the last from Jane Child, but it still stands up! Child's production and playing skills, alongside those of Cat Gray have this instrumental growling along at the low end, and then her vocal elevates the whole package into a quality song.

Jay-Z : Where I'm From

A clear standout from "In My Lifetime, Vol.1", this is one of the tracks for the streets, and a stark contrast to the many songs on the album that were obviously aiming for mass appeal. Jay lays down the facts of life in Brooklyn's Marcy Projects over a menacing beat from D-Dot and Amen-Ra, with DJ Premier contributing the cuts.

Scarface : The Fix / Fixed

I decided to blend the opening and closing tracks from Scarface's "The Fix" LP here, since both are excellent, but also very short. Scarface and Mike Dean handle the production, and it would surprise many to know that Scarface is also the singer here! This musical motif was re-used by the great Pimp C for UGK's "Still Ridin' Dirty", which also featured Scarface - another track to check out.

Sean Price ft. Buckshot and General Steele : Apartheid

This tune from "Imperius Rex" is the exact kind of darkness and coldness that matches the current season, especially in a year like this. Crummie Beats provides the score, and Sean is accompanied by two of the absolute foundation BCC members to go all the way grimy with it. Check the video - as well as all the artist guests, Sean's wife Bernadette and daughter Shaun both make appearances.

Mad Cobra ft. The Geto Boys : Dead End Street (Instrumental)

From the early 90s, when all sorts of Hip-Hop groups were trying to add a little Jamaican flavour (to wildly varying effect), there were a few artists from JA with the budget to cross over the other way. This 12" had multiple versions of the GB-featuring gun tune headed by dancehall don Cobra, and this is the thumping instrumental to the main mix.

Bronx Slang : Copy That

Jerry Beeks and Ollie Miggs are back with a new single, which just had to be shared here. Beeks has been doing his thing for a long time and continues to tweak and refine his approach - his flow here is alternately conversational and then more dense, and shows a real level of comfort expounding on serious subject matter on the mic. Grab this either as a single or on the "Bronx Kill" mixtape!

Ghostface Killah ft. Trife : Be Easy

The horns on "Copy That" brought this track to mind, and it's a worthy follow-up. One of the big singles from "Fishscale", it's a triumphant Pete Rock blast flipping "Stay Away From Me" by The Sylvers (this info is already out there), and Ghost leading the charge over the top with an assist from Trife in the hypeman role.

Phat Kat ft. T3 and Black Milk : Danger

All the Detroit on this cut, which has appeared in a few places - Phat Kat's "Carte Blanche" LP, Black Milk's "Sound Of The City", and even the "Saint's Row" soundtrack. As "SOTC" was released two years before the Phat Kat album came out in 2007, I guess that kind of makes it Black Milk's track and may explain why he's on the first verse - although Phat Kat is a beast on the third verse cleanup. Black Milk is on the beat, of course.

Dilated Peoples : Clockwork

I'd somehow forgotten that DJ Premier had done this beat for Dilated, but it's a great bi-coastal collaboration between him and this LA crew! The "Expansion Team" LP, their second, is full of heavyweight production, with Alchemist, Da Beatminerz, and JuJu from The Beatnuts among the boardsmen on the project. This track bumps but has a kind of thriller film soundtrack energy at the same time, and Rakaa and Evidence do it justice on the mic.

Fingathing : You Fly Me

The pairing of bassist Sneaky and world-class turntablist DJ Peter Parker was not the kind of thing that was at all common when they started out, but their original concept went from sensational live performances to quality recorded output. This number comes from the first full album, "The Main Event" (which was preceded by the "2 Player EP"), and is a glorious mix of bass and strings with some jazzy drumming action.

Zo! ft. Phonte : Everything She Wants

Now this is how you do a cover version! The last track recorded for "...just visiting three", this was a left-field idea from Zo that Phonte loved, as he'd always loved the original Wham track and wanted to remake it himself! It's much slower than the original, and as Zo points out, it helps to maintain the focus on the lyrics, which were some of George Michael's best from that era. The multi-talented Phonte kills it on the lead vocal (as well as some choice ad-libs), and Zo has the beat sliding and slumping, with a great switch-up at the end if you go and get the full version... 

Freeway & Jake One : The Product

I hadn't played "The Stimulus Package" for ages, but it's still really good. When this was released, it seemed like an idea from a bygone era to pair one MC with one producer for a whole album, but one that was very welcome. Philadelphia's Freeway's addiction-themed lyrics are pretty much timeless, and as is usually the case, Jake One's beat nods to tradition while not being bound by it.

Sadat X & El Da Sensei ft. Bumpy Knuckles : 3 Rounds To Spar

Wall-to-wall rugged MCs right here, with the pairing of Sadat and El joined by the king of the third verse, Bumpy Knuckles for a pure mic workout over some heavy boom-bap (which is never a perjorative round here) by Divine Drummah - a producer I could only find this one credit for, but who definitely cooked up a track with the appropriate weight for the MCs on it. If you check the full version from the "XL" album, you can enjoy the intro where you hear the main sample in a more open form before the chops and drums come in.

Boot Camp Clik ft. Twanie Ranks : Smile In Heaven

This one probably snuck past most of you, as it was buried on the end of the Black Moon "Rush" 12" and didn't appear anywhere else except the "Collect Dis Edition" compilation in 2003. It turned up when I was digitising vinyl and I thought it was a fitting one to play mood-wise, with the contemplative street lyrics and the sombre vibes of the Beatminerz' instrumental underscoring it all. Twanie Ranks adds to the whole with his reggae-styled vocals at the end of the hook sections.

K-Def : The Final Thrill

One of those guys you could describe as a producer's producer, New Jersey's K-Def quietly has an amazing discography! I went back to his "Willie Boo Boo" album for this one, which is so short I had to loop it up a bit to make it long enough to work here - that said, there's no downside to hearing a beat like this for a little longer :)

Tribeca : Charlie Hustle (Pony Express)

With a sample that almost everyone will recognise, even if you can't name it, Tribeca does double duty as MC and producer on this 2003 12". On the mic, he takes on the persona/viewpoint of the former baseball player Pete Rose, who was banned from the major leagues for gambling, and as such is also excluded from the Baseball Hall of Fame (the "Cooperstown" you hear mentioned). When it comes to the production, he pounds the MPC in his characteristic fashion to supply the low end to complement the piano track. 

Please remember to support the artists you like! The purpose of putting the podcast out and providing the full tracklist is to try and give some light, so do use the songs on each episode as a starting point to search out more material. If you have Spotify in your country it's a great way to explore, but otherwise there's always Youtube and the like. Seeing your favourite artists live is the best way to put money in their pockets, and buy the vinyl/CDs/downloads of the stuff you like the most!

Check out this episode!

[sinceileftyoublog]

SAULT Album Review: Untitled (Black Is) & Untitled (Rise)

BY JORDAN MAINZER

When they surfaced last year with albums 5 and 7, anonymous British collective Sault garnered comparisons to ESG and other bands that seamlessly combined funk, soul, R&B, and punk. This year, the two albums they’ve released, both seemingly written after the global protests surrounding George Floyd’s murder, are more sullen, filled with chants of uplift and desperation, physical music with lyrics that are simple, stark, and powerful. 

Untitled (Black Is) was released on Juneteenth with proceeds going to “charitable funds,” and it’s about explicit Black empowerment as much as it’s still raw from the combined effects of pervasive police violence and violence against protesters. “When everything else fails, Black endures,” they sing on “Out The Lies”. “We are the original people / And we don’t believe in evil,” they repeat on “Stop Dem!” “We win while we are dying,” they say on soulful spoken word track “X”. Cementing Black joy and force in the face of antagonism is central to Black Is, and the music, too, is key in that purpose. Progressively louder chants and claps give way to calming piano and synth shimmer on “Out The Lies”. The dark, but hopeful “Hard Life” sees a smooth, jazzy hip-hop drum beat persevere even when sampled vocals cut in and out and threaten to distract. “Don’t Shoot Guns Down” is pure dance music as protest, its upbeat rhythm, drum beats, and chants drowning out the sirens that introduce the song.

Yes, Black Is still pulls plenty of devastating punches. “Eternal Life”, a segue from the gospel boost of “US”, juxtaposes a deliberate drum beat with zooming synths, both ascending like a chorus of angels, as they sing, “I see sadness in your eye / ‘Cause I know you don’t wanna die,” presenting the oppression of Black life at the hands of white supremacy in inarguable terms. Ultimately, though, it’s the anthemic nature of the songs, resistant of platitudes, that shines through. “Nobody cared / This generation cares,” says Laurette Josiah on “This Generation”. Whether she’s talking about young people in general or the latest generation of young Black leaders, the sentiment is reflected on songs like “Black”, wherein over dynamic, sinewy instrumentation, the singers alternate between encouragement, support, and love of the self and others.

Untitled (Rise) is, for the most part, pure instrumental candy, an album that truly shows what Sault can do, traversing genres and playing with longer forms. Take opener “Strong”, which you think will take advantage of a familiar formula of harmonies and wavering sampled vocals. Instead, it introduces maximal hand percussion, layers of synths, a slinky funk track, guitars, and a drumline over 6+ minutes. “Fearless”, led by its propulsive bass line, combines arpeggio synths and orchestral arrangements with funky guitars and spoken word. “I Just Want to Dance” shakes with hip hop beats, warbling synths, and layered drum lines. “Son Shine”’s got funky, fried keyboards and, because you knew it would appear on a Sault song eventually, disco cowbell. And their explorations with Afrobeat on “The Beginning & the End” represent a logical sibling to Black Is’ Michael Kiwanuka-featuring “Bow”.

Rise’s most burning songs, however, are gloriously incisive in tone. The hilarious “You Know It Ain’t” knocks the many self-perceived and self-described “woke” white people. “Yeah, I see your little post, talking ‘bout “BLM is my motto” / But you know it ain’t,” they facetiously laugh over a slow, rolling beat. “I see you over by the water cooler on your break talking ‘bout / ‘Tanisha, your mental health is super important to me.’ / But you know it ain’t;” anybody who worked for a for-profit company following the Floyd protests either witnessed or was themselves faced with such corporatized Juneteenth-adjacent ingenuity. On “Uncomfortable”, they ask, bewildered, “Why do you keep shooting us?” Then there’s the piano-laden closer “Little Boy”, a generic but too-real conversation between a parent and a child. “When you get older / You can ask me all the questions / And I’ll tell you the truth about the boys in blue,” they sing, continuing, “And you’re searching for the answers / And the lost truth for those who look like you.” Yet, their optimism doesn’t waver: “One day, you’ll find out God is one of us,” goes on of the final lines of the album. All of Sault’s albums so far have, as a means to dismantle the police state and white supremacy, elevated the historical precedence of not just Black excellence but Black power. That the band is able to do so using so many different genres and approaches cements their already earned greatness, responsible for the most exciting music of the past couple years.

UNTITLED (Rise) by SAULT

#album review #sault #untitled (Black is) #untitled (rise) #esg #george floyd #george floyd protests #juneteenth #laurette josiah #michael kiwanuka #blm #black lives matter