75 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(02/15/18 7:46pm)
With a blend of simple instrumentation and innocent sounding vocals, Nice Try is a great band to chill out or dance wildly around your bedroom. Every song seems like it was made by a good friend just for you, and the homegrown production work feels organic and fun, with some heartfelt lyrics that hit you with a wave of nostalgia the second you push play.
We're looking forward to seeing Nice Try at Culture Shock on April 14, but until then you can check out their single "Restart"!
Restart by Nice Try
(02/15/18 7:28pm)
If you're looking to groove at Culture Shock, our next artist is sure to please!
KAILACHARE weaves elements of RnB into experimental electronic to produce far out tracks with themes of female empowerment. You'll absolutely get lost in their incredible experimental vocals and sounds.
Check out their track "navigate" below and catch KAILACHARE at Culture Shock on April 14!
(02/14/18 11:34pm)
Another day, another awesome artist announced for Culture Shock 2018!
brz is a rapper and sound artist from Indianapolis, IN, currently based in Bloomington. His music focuses on depictions of black millennialism and technology, because it is strange and disorienting and necessary. Thoughts of undergrad, tinged with cynicism also occur in the music, brought to life through verse, enveloping synths and sounds used to convey sensations of temperature.
Make sure to check out brz at Culture Shock on April 14 and keep your eyes on our blog and social media for more announcements regarding the lineup!
(02/13/18 6:00am)
Look out, Bloomington: we've got a punk project playing Culture Shock!
The newly-founded project, Skull Cult, was created by the minds behind Bloomington's own Buttzzz. With a sound that can be described as a Fischer Price "Baby's First Keyboard" that's low on batteries with an alien vocalist who is hellbent on rattling your eardrums, this hammy, synth-infused project is going to be an energetic and maniacal set you wont want to miss.
The group just released an LP on ETT in Germany that you can check out here and are about to release a new 7 in on Goodbye Boozy from Italy.
Make sure to get to Culture Shock early on April 14 to see Skull Cult!
(01/30/18 4:22pm)
If you were in middle school in that odd time between the downfall of Myspace and Limewire and the rise of Facebook and streaming services, there's definitely three songs that you had on your iPod Nano: "I'm Yours' by Jason Mraz, "Right Now" by Akon, and "Trouble" by Nevershoutnever. All of these there songs are certified bangers, however there's something special about "Trouble" that makes it the middle school bop to rule all middle school bops.
First and foremost, there were few things in middle school that brought pre-teen girls together quite like Nevershoutnever. Christofer Drew Ingle was the ultimate heartthrob and all of my friends and I had matching anchor necklaces to pay tribute to his infamous hand tattoo that we wore religiously. We used to tape pictures of him up in our lockers, write "Live Free" on our knuckles, and daydream about the day that some boy would would write a track like "Hummingbird" about us. There was not a single person that could have convinced me that he shouldn't have been voted People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive in 2009. (I'm also pretty sure that this song inspired an entire generation to learn how to play the ukulele, but that's not the most important aspect of its success)
"Trouble" was the perfect song to appeal to those aged 12-14: it was innocent, catchy, and it was about having a desperate crush. At this strange time in our lives it was an anthem because all that Christofer Drew was doing was hoping that this person he thought was so beautiful was not out of his league, which is something we were all doing at the same time. It helped that the song was catchy and had a cute melody.
The song began to spread like wildfire throughout my middle school as kids began to put it on their Myspace playlists and others began to listen to it. Boys were constantly sending it to their crushes and everyone would play it at the long, wooden lunch tables at lunchtime. It came as no surprise that there was literally a petition at the end of our middle school career to make it the theme song to our 8th grade dance.
"Trouble" didn't become the best song of my middle school career because it was musically complex or lyrically deep. It became the best song of our youth because it was cute and easily relatable and I think that 8 years later I would still swoon if a man put it on a mix CD for me.
(12/31/17 11:51pm)
Imagine this: It's the last day of 2017. Your mom and dad are have made plans to ring in the new year at your Aunt Rachel's house and your snitch of an older sister is headed downtown because she's dumb and is willing to pay $130 for a ticket to an alcohol sponsored party. This means you have the house to yourself. What are you going to do? Obviously throw a banger.
Here's what you could expect from some of hip hop's biggest names if they were guests at your house party:
(Please note that rappers is used as an encapsulating term for all involved in the hip hop community. Please do not write me complaining that some of these people are not actually rappers)
Lil Uzi Vert: This is the kid who ends up drinking one too many Four Loko's and jumping off of the roof of your parents' house at midnight because he's unbelievably hype for the new year to begin.
French Montana: French is the guy who sneaks into your dad's office and breaks open his liquor cabinet. He will return to this party carrying an aged brandy in one hand and smoking a Cuban with the other. You're going to have to figure out how to replace your dad's treasures in the morning, but you're going to let it slide tonight because he just looks so cool.
Cardi B: Cardi is the girl who causes your basement to cave in because she decided it would be a good idea to use the support beam as a stripper pole.
Young Metro: The dude who keeps stealing the aux to play his own mixtape.
Lil Pump: Lil Pump is the younger sibling of someone who was actually invited. When he found out where is older brother was going tonight, he decided to head over there as well. He's super underage, so you continually will have to kick him out. This will happen upwards of 3 times.
Lil Yachty: Just after midnight everyone is going to be ready to chill and they'll start asking for food. You're scrambling around the kitchen pulling out all the Doritos and Oreos you can. Lil Yachty is the homie who saves the day by having pizza delivered for the entire party.
Migos: Quavo and Offset are the super fly dudes who hang by the bar all night and chat up the ladies. They never once notice that their friend Takeoff has been missing all night.
Bryson Tiller: He's the sad boy who's drunk dialing his ex in your sister's bathroom.
Big Sean and Jhene Aiko: The couple who makes out in the corner the entire night no matter what is happening about them. They 100% Snapchat their midnight kiss.
Jaden Smith: No one knew this dude could dance until tonight when he started moonwalking and never stopped.
Eminem: He's the high school senior who used to sell you pot when you were in 8th grade and everyone agrees that he's way too old to be here, but you feel bad telling him to leave because he did you and all of you friends a solid all those years ago.
Diddy: The one who brings all the alcohol and puts a sticker for his small business on it and then carries around a fifth and holds it up in every picture.
Drake: The guy who stays on the dance floor all night who can't actually dance. He is gone off of one shot of Hennessy. Everyone at your party will put him on their Snap Story.
DJ Khaled: He is the kid who became the unofficial party historian by making the decision to Snapchat the entire party. It's really annoying, but you're thankful because you now know who caused the support beam to break in the basement.
Post Malone: He's the bro who thought it would be funnier to spill alcohol on the floor than drink it. He'll feel bad and return to help you clean up in the morning.
J. Cole: Subtweets you because he wasn't invited.
(12/04/17 6:36pm)
Imagine your dream mashup... Is it a Future x Migos album? Maybe Chance the Rapper x Vic Mensa? Perhaps you're even praying that someday a Lil B x any NBA superstar mixtape will surface? For me, it's Elton John x Young Thug.
Yeah... You read that right.
It all stems from one of my favorite moments in hip hop pop culture of the last decade. In December of 2015, Elton John was interviewed by Noisey and said that when he heard a Thug song on the radio he loved it and all of the unexpected qualities of the artist and his body of work.
It's not a secret that Elton John is a fan of modern pop music. He's spoken about being a fan of Miley Cyrus and Kanye and Adele. However, this love for Thugger gets taken a little further.
Elton John went so far as to talk to the CEO of Universal Music about the Young Thug album because he was so interested in the character of Young Thug. He then went on to compare Thugger's envelope pushing behavior to that of John Lennon..... THE FUCKING BEATLE. A BRITISH MUSIC ICON COMPARED YOUNG THUG, THE GENDER BENDING MUMBLE RAPPER, TO A BEATLE.
After this Noisey interview was published, the rumor mill went crazy. Reports of collaborations, including a "Rocketman" remix, begin to surface. None of these rumors ever became truths, but in May of 2016 the pair did finally meet.
In an Instagram photo where Thugger calls Elton John a "rep'r", Elton John sports a Thugger hat while posing with the Atlanta rapper. There's a second photo with Elton holding up a Young Thug hoodie with a beaming smile on his face. It's truly a photo set that deserves to be hung in the MoMA.
If there's a "Rocketman" remix out there... I hope that we see it in 2018. Until then, this collab will remain the collab of my dreams and these photos will be my permanent lockscreen.
(11/08/17 6:11pm)
The woman who brings you the hottest singles in your area, but don't call me Tinder.
Bloomington and Naptown artists with beats heavier than a block of cinder.
Okay so as you can see there's a reason why I write about hip hop and don't actually make it alone. However, I'm bringing to you my newest feature "Hot Singles In Your Area". This will be my definitive weekly roundup of the best tracks in hip hop and R&B dropped from Bloomington to Indy to The Region. If you ever have any suggestions, hit me on twitter (@_imnocaptain), but if not... Treat yo' ears.
I don't want to do anything for the next six days but drive to kickbacks and listen to this. The production is incredible. The vocals are incredible. I can't wait for a visual, there better be one. I am certifiably obsessed with this track from the Fort Wayne Native rn.
You've seen him before, and here he is again. Indianapolis based soul/r&b artist and resident fuckboy Eddy Blake is back with the re-release of what was formerly titled "Real Friends". It's clearly a rip of Kanye's "Real Friends" track, but this time Eddy Blake has shortened it and the production quality seems a little higher. It's a fire track... I'm still missing that elongated outro though... I cannot lie.
YEAH OK. THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO. "Mic Homicide" is not at all an exaggeration. It's clear that these are some the strongest MCs that Nap has to offer right now.
I'm an absolute sucker for any songs that have that deep voice that reminds me of 2013 A$AP Rocky as well as any songs that talk about eating pasta (because if you know me you know that my tagline is "all I do is listen to trap beats"). The fact that this very fun song is from Nap is just the icing on the cake. Cain Wallace is definitely one I'll have to keep my eye on.
(11/08/17 2:52pm)
You probably remember the 2009 VMAs as the moment when Kanye not only made the world stop, but also go the president to call him a jackass by cutting off Taylor Swift's "Best Female Video" acceptance speech. This is a tale as old as time and we all know that Taylor Swift still hasn't let it go, but it's not at all what should stand out to you about the night.
What you should never forget is that Kanye brought a fifth of Henny onto the red carpet.
In an ICONIC power move, the rapper not only brought his controversial girlfriend at the time, but also his favorite alcoholic beverage to show off. And if you've never had Hennessy.... Understand that drinking this much is quite the feat.
Here's a video of the pair sharing some swigs:
He even took a minute to share it with the Moon Man before heading into the show.
The fun did not stop after entering the building though. Somehow Kanye and Amber Rose ended up getting Pete Wentz, the one from Fall Out Boy that every wannabe scene girl at your middle school had a crush on, to take a swig. This lead to my favorite photo series of 2009.
Kanye was literally just running around and laughing at people while he took pulls of the cognac.
This is the Kanye that I hope we get back someday. The man who would bring a full bottle to the red carpet, get a little too faded on the Henny, and then hop onstage and insult "America's Sweetheart". This is the Kanye we know and love and deserve. I'll end it here, with this picture of some girls who look like "Jersey Shore" rejects and a plea for the Old Kanye to make an appearance in 2018.
(11/06/17 7:10pm)
Life was simpler in 2012: Obama was beginning his second term, "The Avengers" had just come out, and Tupac was performing in hologram form at Coachella... Yes, you read that right.
Every once in awhile I am reminded that the Tupac hologram at Coachella was a real thing. It seems absolutely wild that people were actually stoked about a moving video of someone who had been dead for nearly 20 years, but they were. And according to the comments on the highest viewed video of the spectacle: they still are. I scrolled around for more than half an hour and selected some of my favorite reactions to the hologram.... Enjoy.
1.
Me too buddy.... me too.
2.
Apparently that's a very common reaction.
3.
NOBODY KNOWS.
4.
fair criticism
5.
I think you're alone on that one, pal.
6.
So specific, yet so relatable.
(11/02/17 4:22pm)
For several glorious months in mid 2016, middle America's favorite instant dinner went completely wild on twitter. Hamburger Helper took it upon themselves to insert Lefty into hip hop culture.
At the beginning of 2016, Hamburger Helper's brand marketing team became notorious on Twitter for sticking their fingers where they seemingly didn't belong by commenting on hip hop news on the brand's Twitter. "Fans" (although I'm hesitant to declare anyone a fan of Hamburger Helper) challenged the team to release a mixtape if they were so into hip hop... and they did.
On April Fools' Day, the brand dropped something that was the furthest thing from a joke: Watch the Stove became live on Soundcloud. The mixtape bearing a title that's clearly an homage to Watch the Throne garnered millions of social media impressions and listens on the app.
The most wild thing about this story is that the mixtape isn't half bad. The brand hired up-and-coming rappers from Minneapolis, where there brand headquarters are located, as well as some stars with internet followings to create the songs for the mixtape. They gave the artists free reign with the songs with the only stipulation being that they had to be songs about Hamburger Helper. The five tracks titled "Feed the Streets", "Hamburger Helper", "Crazy", "Food for Your Soul", and "In Love With the Glove" are part hilarious and part actual songs that go hard as fuck. "In Love With the Glove" is literally a song about a shawty who is in love with the glove and it's absolutely iconic.
Brands across the world with good marketing teams that are actually well versed in hip hop: take note because I'd love to cruise to a Pillsbury Dough Boy mixtape where he raps under the name Pillsbury Flow Boy in the next six months.
(10/31/17 4:20pm)
Hip-hop is known for its outrageous fashion and showy performances, so it's no surprise that Halloween becomes the time for many rappers (and their families) to shine. Here are a few of my absolute favorites in no particular order:
Drake as Borat
This is nothing more than a fucking hilarious costume and a glimpse into what Drake will look like at age 54.
Keri Helson & Serge Ibaka as Nefertiti and a pharoah
This is so good because Keri and her boo actually look like royalty. There's many more pictures of them posing on the horse, but I'll leave that for you to look up.
Fabolous and family as The Addams Family
This is actually an incredible costume. I love the fact that they made someone be Cousin IT. There's no way that kid is having any fun tonight.
Snoop Dogg as The Count
AN ICONIC LOOK. I NEED TO KNOW WHY.
Tyga and crew as Dipset
I hate Tyga, but I am LIVING for this.
Kimye as a mermaid and sailor
I'm only putting this on here because I love imagining the conversation that took place to get this to happen.
Diddy as "The King of Harlem"
I'm scream-laughing right now.
Diddy as Prince
He makes the list again because this is ridiculous even for the Playboy Mansion Halloween party that he wore it to.
Honorable Mention:
Scott Disick as Patrick Bateman
I'm only including this because of the Yeezus promotional video that featured Scott in this costume and I love the idea of wearing the costume for a role that you were cast as.
(10/25/17 6:15pm)
A tweet posted by one of those World Star Hip Hop Daily twitter accounts went mildly viral yesterday. The tweet featured a snippet of Lil Pump's song "Gucci Gang" and called it the "song of the year".
(10/23/17 7:39pm)
It's hard to imagine a world where Kanye West wasn't a name that even your grandmother who listens to nothing but the "Jersey Boys" soundtrack recognized, but at the time of Kanye's life shaping accident in 2002, that's the world people were living in.
15 years ago, Kanye was a name recognized by hip hop heads far and wide, mostly for his work on Jay Z's The Blueprint, but not at all as the mogul we know today. This fact that he was so unknown is why the world didn't stop turning at the moment that, retrospectively, defined his career.
On October 23, 2002, a mere two weeks after signing to Roc-A-Fella Records, Ye was involved in a car crash leaving a studio in LA with several hot names in music, including the Black Eyed Peas of all people. According to some witness accounts, Kanye had left incredibly furious due to the fact that he had tried to present a beat to Ludacris, one of the biggest rappers in the game at this point, and Luda showed no interest in getting to know Kanye and chose a Red Spyda beat over Mr. West's. A series of sobriety tests at the scene did prove that alcohol played no part in the accident. It is still unknown if West was driving frantically or recklessly, but regardless on his drive home, he was cut-off in traffic by another car, causing him to swerve into oncoming traffic and collide with another vehicle. This all happened just blocks away from his final destination at the hotel he was staying at while he was in town. The damage left Kanye in a state that they weren't sure he would survive and the other driver, Miguel Villasana, with a broken pelvis, two broken legs, two broken knees, and a shattered ankle that kept him from working for over a year.
By his own accounts, Kanye claims that police and EMS workers rough-handled him prior to getting him medical help. He said to MTV in 2002 that he was gagging on blood while begging to go to the hospital while they continued to ask him questions about what happened. Eventually he was placed in a neck brace, strapped to a stretcher, dropped on his head, and finally rushed to Cedars-Sinai Hospital which is located in LA. Ironically, this is the same hospital where rap legend Biggie Smalls had died after a drive-by shooting just five years earlier. According to the track that commemorates the event, Kanye's mother Donda West received a phone call telling her that her son was on life support and was justifiably concerned; it is unclear if Donda came to LA at the time of the accident. Kanye's girlfriend at the time, a college aged Sumeke Rainey, was on a plane to LA wondering if her man was going to "look like Emmett Till".
The accident resulted in a reconstructive facial surgery, having his jaw wired shut twice because they did it so wrong the first time, teeth replacement, and a two week hospital stay. These things would change the trajectory of his career.
While in the hospital, Ye says he was visited by so many rappers who put up a facade that he could see right though. He claims that they would cry and say shit like "you can't die before we get to work together". This is what made Kanye make the decision that we're so blessed he decided to make: he wanted to step out from behind the board and showcase his talents as an MC instead of a producer.
He didn't even take an extra second to relax and recover, but rather hit the studio to record "Through the Wire": the autobiographical track that recounts the accident and all of the events that happened as a result of it. The original version of the track was recorded with Kanye's jaw wired shut: truly a "history in the making" moment. The joint was released in early 2003 on his mixtape Get Well Soon, which was actually a 36 song collection of songs that Kanye produced with a few solo records sprinkled in (most notably the original version of "Jesus Walks" appeared on this tape). The imagery of the album featured an unrecognizable Kanye West in the hospital. These photos are the first time we see that Kanye's face was swollen to epic proportions that cause him to be completely unrecognizable. "Through the Wire" was introduced to those who weren't so deeply invested in hip hop as the first single on Kanye's 2004 debut release College Dropout.
And from there... you know the rest of the story...
This accident that occurred 15 years ago today is the reason that we were blessed to have the last 13 years of Kanye content. In that same 2002 MTV interview referenced before, Kanye says that coming so close to death made him realize that he needed to step forward, use his full range of talents, and come into the studio as if it were his last time, every time. It's hard to believe that the moment that catapulted Kanye's career and made him one of the most ambitions rappers in the game happened 15 years ago, but here's to 15 more years of revolutionary rap from the visionary who once rapped about drinking Ensure through his wired shut jaw. We are so blessed to be alive at the same time as Mr. West.
(09/15/17 7:42pm)
I'm resurrecting Single Watch (except now it'll all be regional artists), and I'm doing it with a tune fresh off the mixing board from an artist from my favorite city.
Indianapolis based Eddy Blake brings us a rip, that's thankfully not a rap track, of Kanye West's "Real Friends" with a boozy twist.
Filled with the crippling juxtaposition of self-doubt and overwhelming confidence, the R&B artist takes to the track to admit to becoming distant from his genuine homies, and closer to badder bitches and booze, in order to begin to succeed at his music career.
Obviously the instrumental is incredible in this track since it's literally a rip from a god, but melodically what Blake does here is interesting. There are moments where the inflection of his voice and the words he is saying are almost haunting. He drops the echoed line "more drugs, more drink. I just want to wake up when I blink" right before the first appearance of the chorus and the timing of the drumbeat right afterwards force you to focus on what is being said there rather than the repetitive chorus. His unique, mildly soulful, and relatively raw voice, make lyrics like "I've been fucking badder bitches since I left you, but still wake up wishing that I kept you" feel like they're filled with an abundance of emotions, which works on this track.
Although this is only his second release, and not an album cut, his debut mix is set to drop in late October and this is a good indicator of the fuego music that's set to come.
(09/01/17 6:44pm)
Today we're taking it back to the days when I wasn't allowed to listen to hip hop and would plug my headphones into my boombox, turn on Hot 96.3, and wait for "Gold Digger" to come on. That's right: we're going back to this week in 2005 when Kanye West released his sophomore album Late Registration. The same year we all began popping the collars on our polos was the same year that we were introduced to a girl who not only finessed a baby out of Busta, but also used to fuck with Usher, and now gets that steady flow of cash from 'Ye himself. To celebrate this magical time when somehow Adam Levine got a Kanye feature, I'm taking it upon myself to pick what I believe to be the best line from each track on this album (skits excluded because that will make me far too nostalgic for this era of hip hop, and also because all of the skits on this album are incredibly important and would just have to be included in full).
1. Let's kick it off with "Heard 'Em Say" which oddly features Adam Levine who at the time they had to specify on the single cover was a member of Maroon 5.
And I know the government administer AIDS, so I guess we just pray like the minister say."
It's been discussed previously in an interview with Rolling Stone that Kanye's family taught him that AIDS was a disease that was created and controlled by the government and therefore they had the ability to use it to infect those that they found "undesirable", which to Kanye meant those of those of the black community and homosexual community were targets for this modern day eugenics. The second line serves as a call back to the first line and the idea of being helpless due to the color of your skin, but it is also a play on words because not only does Kanye think that people need to pray, he also believes that the government sees him as prey solely because of the color of his skin and impoverished upbringing.
2. Of course, "Touch the Sky" comes next, and while it is an undisputed classic, there aren't many great stand alone lines. However, there's still one that stands out to me every time.
Baby, I'm going on an airplane and I don't know if I'll be back again"
There's nothing that stands out about this lyrically, BUT the way the change of flow breaks up the beat in the middle of the second verse is so refreshing and one of my favorite parts of this album.
3. Even my mom knows this song. That's right, we've made it to "Gold Digger". Arguably the biggest commercial success of Kanye's career, the song isn't even that great, but every man I know can relate.
I know there's dudes ballin', and yeah that's nice. And they gonna keep callin' and tryin', but you stay right girl and when you get on he'll leave your ass for a white girl."
This line comes in the final verse where the gold digger is out with a guy who forgets his wallet and has to go in the back and start working in order to pay for their dinner. The point here isn't so much to do with race, but rather the fact that the baller's desire to have a trophy wife is the same as the gold digger's desire to marry a rich man. Ye is encouraging her here to stay right with the man that is a hard worker, and forget about the man with the Maybach because he's just going to leave you for a video vixen anyway.
4. "Drive Slow" comes to signal the end of the first 1/4 of the album with some sage advice.
When see them hoes, lil homie, drive slow."
The entire song here is all about Kanye's childhood friend Mali who was quite the player and even ended up with an unplanned child. Kanye admits in the earlier verse that he was a virgin at the time he was rolling with Mali, and this line is just Mali telling him to slow his roll, enjoy life, enjoy the view of fine honeys, and not rush in order to keep 'Ye from ending up in the same situation as him. This is a simple line that we can all look back at on to be reminded that some things are worth the work and the wait.
5. Kanye simply produced this song and doesn't actually even have any verse on it, but I love that Common makes a reference to my favorite rap opera to reference a bad relationship when "Trapped in the Closet" hadn't even been released yet, so I'm just going to go ahead and include that, even in this very problematic time for R. Kelly.
Got me trapped like R. Kell"
6. Moving on to a song that Kanye is actually on, we now arrive at "Crack Music".
How the Mexicans say, we just tryin' party holmes"
So this is a song that, as a white woman, I don't feel comfortable commentating on any of the crack commentary or conspiracies because it is not a part of my experience. However, the line quoted above is actually so genius. As a stand alone line, it makes no sense, no one is getting this tattooed on their bicep, but in the context of the song, it's so smart. Kanye absolutely butchers using Spanish in the verse before, so this is a call-back to his fuck up and a play on the word "homie": SMART RAP.
7. In 2017, we're well aware that there's not much more on this earth that Kanye loves more than his family, but we get our first glimpse in to how deep that love runs, and how much he wishes to protect their privacy, on Late Registration. "Roses" tells the story of when Kanye's grandmother was ill in the hospital and his emotions at that time.
You know the best medicine go to the people that paid. If Magic Johnson got a cure for AIDS and all the broke motherfuckers passed away, You telling me if my grandma's in the NBA, right now she'd be okay? But since she was just a secretary, worked for the church for 35 years... Things 'sposed to stop right here?"
I'm going to go ahead and assume that you're aware of Magic Johnson, his AIDS diagnosis, and his ability to live comfortably for over 26 years with the disease due to the resources that his wealth allows. In the line highlighted above, Kanye begins to wonder if his wealth will allow for his grandmother to be able to be saved. He finds it ironic that a professional athlete is able to receive better medical treatment than a woman who dedicated her life to the church, something that 'Ye and his family find very important.
8. "Bring Me Down" is really just Kanye stroking his own ego and looking down on all the wack wannabes surrounding him... Surprise. Surprise.
Your girl don't like me? How long has she been gay?"
This line isn't exceptional lyrically, but it's so stereotypical Kanye that it absolutely had to be included in my list of the top lines. Kanye is just assuming here that any girl who is not attracted to him, regardless of her relationship status, must just not be attracted to men. This is the confidence I aspire to have in regards to my looks.
9. Honestly "Addiction" has one of my favorite Kanye hooks of this album, if not of his entire discography. However, that's not where I believe that the best line lies.
She's coming over so I guess that means I'm her drugs. Just let me peek now. I mean damn, I'm so curious"
Here's where we get to see my favorite version of Kanye: the double entendre Ye. The entire song, if you couldn't tell by the title, is about Kanye's addictions which he considers to be money, girls, and weed. Here Kanye plays on the world "peek/peak" to refer to wanting to peek under the girl that he's addicted to's pants and wanting to hit the peak of his high. Not his best work, but still an example of what I love the most about him.
10. OK FUCK. YEAH. "Diamonds from Sierra Leone" is the collaboration between Jay Z and Kanye that I looked back on during the hype leading up to "Watch the Throne" and said "this is going to be revolutionary". This is literally a song about how it's so wrong that they spend the money they make off of drugs, the thing that kills their people, on blood diamonds, the thing that kills many people from Sierra Leone. It's one of the many political stances Kanye takes on this album, which came out around the same time Kanye took the biggest political stance of his career.
People asking me is I gonn' give my chain back? That'll be the same day I give the game back."
First and foremost, on the very surface of this lyric, Kanye is saying that he does care about the blood diamond issue, but doesn't care about it enough to actually do anything about it beyond make a track. Knowing where his diamonds came from doesn't mean that he's going to throw his chain, a symbolic piece of ice, into the garbage. He's saying that he owns his chain like he owns the rap game and isn't letting go of any of them any time soon. This line also serves to say that Kanye, at the time, wasn't going to be leaving Roc-a-Fella any time soon. There is an iconic chain that all artists who sign with Roc get and Kanye is telling everyone that he won't be giving his back until he gives the game back.
11. This is the song I always listen to when I get on the bus 10 minutes before I'm supposed to be in class... That's right: we've made it to "Late".
I ain't thought of no line that could rhyme with that."
ICONIC. That's pretty much all I have to say.
12. Don't worry... Common is back for "Back to Basics".
I'm Chi as buck fifty's and Pelle Pelle leathers..."
This track isn't even very good, it's simplistic lyrically, but I love anyone who is proud to be from the city that they're from and there's no doubt that Kanye is proud to be from Chicago. Here he refers to two trends in the Midwest at the time: those corny ass buck-fifty hats and the ever bougie Pelle Pelle jackets with the furs around the neck. These styles are notoriously from Chicago, just like the man himself.
(08/29/17 5:19pm)
We sat down with the ever energetic Dirty Audio following his debut Lollapalooza set on Perry's. He filled us in on what it's like to tour in other countries, how "Gettin' That" literally blew up over night, and how he gets that "extra 10% of sauce".
[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/340016474" params="color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false" width="100%" height="166" iframe="true" /]
Morgan: Alright, I am here with Dirty Audio.
Dirty Audio: What's good?
M: This is your first Lolla, you just got done playing, how was that?
DA: Amazing. Probably one of my favorite festivals. Insane. I wasn't expecting that. I was really nervous at first because it was earlier in the day, but so many people showed up. Humbling.
M: Yeah, we went over there and endured the dirt pit as well.
DA: That's what's up. That's what I like to hear.
M: So you have some pretty cool graphics that go along with your set, and that's important with a stage like that with all the screens. How do you get the ideas for those?
DA: When I'm making the music I like to tie everything together into one big thing. I'm really creative, I used to draw, so I always have the vision somehow. It just comes to me, it's weird. When I make the music I always have the visual idea that goes along with it. A lot of my songs are weed references, like weed strain titles, and I put Zig Zags on my visuals with my face on it.
M: I saw something with fire or something coming out of your mouth.
DA: Yeah yeah! Me and the team come up with cool, funny ideas that look badass and give a really good visual experience.
M: That's awesome. While we're still on the topics of festivals and crowds, I saw that you toured in Asia and Australia.
DA: Yeah, that was tight.
M: How are the crowds there compared to the crowds here? EDM is a very eccentric crowd, so how is it over in other places?
DA: It's insane because all of these countries are so different, but once you're playing these shows, festivals, clubs, or whatever you feel like you're at home. It doesn't feel like you're in a different country. The music just ties everyone together. I forget where I am when I'm on stage, because I feel like I'm at home and the music is bringing everyone together. The vibe is always amazing in any country because the people who come out to my shows come for bass music. It's really dope to see fans of bass music, and even Dirty Audio, on other sides of the world where I thought my music would never reach because of the internet. It's amazing.
M: While we're still on festivals, have you seen anybody, or are you planning on seeing anybody, today at Lolla?
DA: Fuck yeah! I want to see Lil Yachty and 6LACK (six-lack) or 6LACK (slack). I don't know if I said that right.
M: It's actually 6LACK (black).
DA: 6LACK (black)? Thank you, I've been trying to figure that out for the longest time.
M: Yeah, they put up posters everywhere that said "6LACK is pronounced black".
DA: Okay, so I want to see 6LACK.
M: That's the only reason I knew how to pronounce it!
DA: Thank you! I've been saying it for so long the wrong way.
M: Oh no, same. Up until this weekend I was like "It's 6LACK (six-lack)", right?
DA: On the record we have it. Now I know.
M: Well, you're wearing Yeezys and I read that you're inspiration, or you learn a lot of lessons from hip hop artists, so who are some of your favorite hip hop artists and what life lessons do you learn from them?
DA: When I say life lessons, I mean that when I feel down or like a pussy or anything... well not like a pussy, but just some sad shit, I put on rap music and it thugs me out. If I ever feel soft, I'll just listen to 21 Savage and I'll feel like a G again. I listen to Biggie, Tupac, Eminem, and I used to listen to a lot of G Unit, which is tight because I just made a song with Young Buck from G Unit that's coming out later this year. All I really listen to is hip hop. Playing these festivals is awesome because I get to go check out rappers afterwards.
M: There's a lot of good hip hop. Joey Bada$$ is playing today too, right after Lil Yachty so you should check that out.
DA: Oh really? Dope. Lit.
M: Your song "Gettin' That", big song. has been played by Jack U and The Chainsmokers. How's that for you?
DA: That's awesome. It's so insane because I look up to those guys and the fact that they support so heavily and have shown so much love is so humbling. It was really surreal: I woke up one morning and Jack U posted a video of "Gettin' That", Skrillex posted it on his Instagram and Twitter, and Diplo did and it was on Snapchat, and I'm like "holy shit!". They're real tastemakers, so immediately after everyone was asking for that song. Everyone thought it was one of theirs because they literally started playing it the day after we finished it. It was just so quick. We finished that song in two days and it all happened that week: everyone started playing it, it was finished. It was dope.
M: How did you get into making music in the first place?
DA: Life just brought me here. Everything fell in to place to bring me here. I've always loved music. I've always played instruments. Life just took me in this path, I didn't plan it, it just happened. It's passion.
M: Why EDM?
DA: That was my favorite genre when I learned what producing is. I started going to festivals and raves at that time. The whole world took me by surprise, I was in love with it.
M: What's your favorite festival that you've been to?
DA: Here or Electric Forrest. It's a super dope festival in the forrest, literally.
M: I've heard about your sock game.
DA: Oh what it do! I'm rocking blue socks right now. You know how we do it.
M: What's up with the sock thing?
DA: Why not? It's lit! Why not have extra sauce? I feel like most people don't think about that extra sauce, so you've got to put that extra 10% of sauce.
M: You're not wrong. I'm out here rolling around no socks.
DA: That's your game. You just took it to a whole new level. You're like "Fuck, socks. I don't need socks."
M: Yeah, my feet are already too lit. One last question, who are you currently listening too? What can you put us on to?
DA: I listen to a lot of 21 Savage, Lil Pump, Smokepurpp, Future.. That's what I'm listening to right now. And some old school shit, I always fuck with old school shit like G-Unit, anything Scott Storch produced, Dr. Dre shit, that era of music is really dope.
(08/24/17 5:49pm)
When I saw the lineup for Lollapalooza, I was floored. The diversity of hip hop that was set to be represented was incredible for a festival that's not necessarily known for its hip hop lineup. Not only were they bringing out some of the biggest names in the game, but they were also bringing in up and comers and underrepresented artists and styles. I made it my mission to immerse myself in hip hop over the weekend and here are my thoughts. Sorry if you're offended, but I'm only speaking the truth.
THURSDAY
Migos
As you all know, I'm the biggest Migos fan there is. They may as well just change my name to Migo Morgan. However, I was the furthest thing from impressed when it came to Migos Thursday set. They were supposed to go on at 5, but didn't come on until around 5:35. This is horrible festival behavior, but it was later revealed that they were last due to travel related issues beyond their control. (It was later revealed that they took a helicopter to the festival, which is the definition of boujee, but I digress.) Migos came out dressed in wack outfits which was the telltale sign that the performance wasn't going to be one of their best. The trio are amongst some of the best dressed rappers of today so to see them come out dressed in outfits that looked like they could be purchased at Forever 21 was disappointing to say the least. Their actual performance was subpar. The delay made it so they could only play the chorus of most of their songs, which got everyone nice and hype for about 30 seconds and then they'd cut to the next song. While I hated this, I did appreciate the songs, or choruses rather, that they played for their "day one Migos fans". I had to remove myself from the crowd at this point though because I was uncomfortable with the amount of white people screaming the "n word" and acting like they actually knew what "seventeen five same color t shirt" is a referring to. (Yes, I know I'm white as well, but I do everything to respect the culture that I can and it's my lifeblood so the blatant disrespect and lack of education grinds my gears.)
FRIDAY
SAINt JHN
For SAINt JHN, I had a nice space in the second row on stage right. This gave me the chance to actually see what was going on onstage rather than through a video screen, which rarely ever happens since I'm only 5' tall. Anyway, this was the performance of the day. SAINt JHN came on sporting a studded leather jacket with a picture of Charles Manson adorning the back and yellow Raf Simmons sneakers. His passion and desire to be at somewhere like Lolla was evident not only through his energetic set, but also his story about driving 12 hours to be at Lolla after his flights were cancelled. Both new and diehard fans were able to enjoy this set as SAINt JHN played not only his hits "3 Below" and "Reflex", but also debuted new music. The energy he exhibited was contagious as the crowd followed along to every command he asked of them and they were even able to coax him into the crowd to jump around with him during "Reflex".
SATURDAY
Michael Christmas
This was the set of the weekend. Do not even try to debate me about that statement. I was drawn away from the Tito's stage because I could hear something with a hard hitting bass and an interesting voice happening over on the Pepsi, so of course I had to go check it out. What I discovered when I walked over there still has me shook. I "Think You Grown" saved to my Spotify library, but hadn't heard much else from Michael Christmas so it slipped my mind to think to check him out. When I walked up to the Pepsi stage I was surprised with a decent sized crowd who were all bouncing along with the dude in the "Bodega" shirt on stage. My jaw was immediately on the floor as he started spitting "Grab Her Hand", a song that features Mac Miller". I couldn't believe that there were people at this festival who were missing this talent. The next half hour was so enjoyable. He brought out one of my favorite rappers of the moment, Cousin Stizz, to give him a chance to perform his banger "Lambo". The energy that was on the stage at this point is unopposed by anything I have seen at Lolla and Michael Christmas even got the crowd to squat all the way on the ground and jump up when the beat dropped on his next track which is an amount of crowd control you don't see often. Towards the end of his set he took a minute to thank the crowd for being great and helping him make his mom proud. It was so genuine and pure and something that hip hop still needs. It all wrapped up with Michael, his entourage, the crowd, and Cousin Stizz dancing to "Magnolia", which seemed to be the song of the weekend. To see someone so talented be able to control the crowd so well
(08/22/17 5:31pm)
Behind a tent in the media village, Johnny Pierce and I huddled around a TasCam as the first sets of the weekend poured out from the Grant Park stage behind us. We talked in depth about his new album, how he began making music, and his new boyfriend who loves to dance. Listen to the interview or read it below!
[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/339018437" params="color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%" height="450" iframe="true" /]
Morgan: Alright, so I'm Morgan and I'm here with Johnny from The Drums.
Johnny: Hey hey!
M: Let's start out really basic... How did you first start making music?
J: How did I first start making music? Wow, I'm going way back. I found an analog synthesizer in the basement of my father's house. He is the pastor of a church and he didn't use it anymore, he upgraded to a new synthesizer. I asked him if I could have it. One of the few nice things he's ever done for me was let me use it. I started recording in my bedroom on this weird, old sequencer synthesizer and then I put some songs online and I signed that band to Columbia Records like six months later. It was just a really weird, crazy thing. Then that record came out... total flop. No one cared about it. Then a few years later I started The Drums in Orlando, Florida of all places. I went down there to get away from the city, New York City is where I live. There was just too many distractions.
M: You didn't think Disney World would be too distracting?
J: Oh my god. You know, I don't have the Disney World excitement because I didn't go as a kid. I went for the first time as an adult and they gave us the VIP tour. We had an escort and all of this stuff. I think you have to go as a kid to really feel that.
M: I'm just like "fuck the crowds".
J: And it's hot and I don't like cotton candy.
M: So what inspired you in those early days, what bands or artists?
J: I was listening to mostly Christian music because I wasn't allowed to listen to anything else. My parents are completely crazy, but every once in awhile I would sneak things. There was a Christian label called Tooth and Nail and they had some cool things like MxPx and this band that I really loved called Joy Electric. It was really weird synth pop, like the bizarres thing you'd ever hear in your life. It's still so weird. So, I fell in love with that. It had a big influence on me and my songwriting still today. I can hear melodies in my music today that influenced me from then. And the Bjork. Bjork was huge for me growing up. She came out with that record Homogenic in 1997 and it just blew my brain and it still, to me, is my favorite album ever. It's the record that showed me you can do whatever you want with music. As an artist you have total freedom to do exactly what you want. I think with my latest record, Abysmal Thoughts, it was the first time I really implemented those ideals. You don't have to hold back and you can really express yourself. With the new record I don't have Jacob or Connor in the band anymore, so it's just me so I have a real freedom to really just talk about what I want to talk about. So I'm finally talking about sex, and I'm talking about drug use, and I'm talking about feeling hopeless, not knowing who I am, self-identity crisis, and all this stuff that I think before this record I wouldn't have been ready to say. It's all good.
M: I was going to ask you about how it was becoming a one man band. I had read that you said you did a lot of the stuff before, but now you have a lot more freedom. So this new album, I also read that it came after a big heartbreak, a big change in your life and now you've been touring with it, playing it, how has it grown? As you're starting to move on with your life, how has the album changed for you or has it changed for you?
J: It's kind of like every song was therapy for me. As I opened up my heart and really just vomited out whatever I needed to say, I felt myself feeling less and less sad and I was learning about myself. I was writing these songs and finally I stopped pointing a finger at other people and this is a record where I'm kind of blaming myself for a lot of the issues that I deal with instead of always delegating that to someone else. It was a real learning experience and when the album was finished I could label it Abysmal Thoughts: these are my abysmal thoughts and they're there and I don't really hold them right now, so I feel like I really grew as a person. It's the first time that's happened when I've made an album and it's because I'm honoring my heart. I'm actually listening to my heart instead of generalizing things.
M: That's really special.
J: It was amazing. I've played a lot of strings in my life, but making this record was bigger for me than any of that.
M: Sometimes shit like that is. The album art for that, is a little funky.. Where did that come from?
J: That's my boyfriend, Keon. He's super cool. He's actually going to be here soon. He was a Mormon when I met him.
M: Oh really?
J: Yeah, he was wearing his undergarments and everything. I was there when he cut them up and threw them away. It was a big moment for us. I came from a strict religious background, same with him, so we have all these things to talk about. He's an encouragement to me and I can be an encouragement to him. Anyway, that was the first week he and I were hanging out and I was working on the album artwork and I was like "Oh god, if you smell my Adidas sneaker that could be super sexy", and that's part of what the album is about. Part of my aim with the new me is to sort of de-villianize sex and to be able to talk about it, and experience it, and enjoy it. It's the most natural thing ever. I wrote a song dealing with when I lost my virginity. It's called "Instruct Me". I wrote that in 2009. I wanted it to come out on the first album. Jacob was like "we don't want to talk about sex", so we were always leaning towards a more whimsical vibe instead of really just going for it. With this album I wanted to just go for it. I'm exploring my fetishes and all this stuff. Keon is so amazing, he's very open to it as well. It's so dope, and he's super beautiful.
M: I know, I saw the picture and was like "wow"! What can we expect to see from your set today?
J: A lot of crying and screaming, I'm just kidding! Today we'll probably be pulling out most of the "hits", and I do that in quotation marks. Songs people want to hear. If it's a headline show, like we're playing a show tonight at the SoHo house, and that's a little more secretive maybe I shouldn't have said that, that'll be more album songs and stuff.
M: So is that what the rest of your tour will be like then?
J: Yeah, yeah.
M: We're from Indiana and you're playing in Indianapolis this weekend.
J: Yeah! Will you be there?
M: We'll still be here, but it's a cool part of the city.
J: I'm excited. I think it's our last show of the tour, so we'll give them hell.
M: You better! For me! Last question, what are you currently listening to?
J: I'm just kind of listening to this DJ/producer named Sophie. It's a trans person. She is making the music that to me is the most fresh, period, of all music being made today.
M: I'l have to look her up.
J: She's dope. We went dancing to her at PS1 in New York. Keon loves to dance so he's always dragging me along to house parties and stuff.
M: I think Keon and I would get along well!
J: I think we would get along well!
M: Me too. Thank you, it's been fun!
(08/15/17 6:11pm)
This was something I was not prepared for and I don't know if there is any way that anyone could ever be.
If you're unaware of what Perry's is, I'll give you a brief description: Perry's is a circle of Hell located at Lollapalooza filled with spandex booty shorts, dust, totems, glitter, and lots and lots of drug use and underage drinking. This is also where the directors of Lolla decide to have all of the EDM DJs, and even a few rappers, staged.
If you've ever attended any sort of EDM show or any festival at all then you're probably already imagining the zoo that is Perry's, but if you haven't been to the stage then you have absolutely no idea how wild it truly is.
I went to Perry's for the first time Thursday afternoon while A-Track was performing. I was immediately immersed in a sea of party buns and Lebron James jerseys. Although I am known to show up to my fair share of EDM events, including the mud pit that is the Snake Pit, I could tell immediately that this wasn't my scene.
These literal children camp out all day at this stage to wub and dub. Most of the people at this stage are not the diehard EDM fans I have encountered as a fan of the music, but rather kids who are at festivals to do drugs and take cool pictures for their Instagram. This group being the main group at the stage means that there's a hell of a lot of drug use going on. I was scarred for life by watching a limp woman being dragged out and dropped on the ground, face first. Luckily Lollapalooza has a safety team stationed directly at the edge of Perry's who keep their eyes on the scene. The team immediately rushed over to this woman and got her the attention that she needed.
When I returned to Perry's to see Dirty Audio, I was a little more into it. Admittedly, I did try to fight someone in a Lebron jersey which may have gotten me into the spirit of Perry's, but it was also a lot less crowded than my previous venture into the wild which made it possible to dance and be goofy.
Perry's is very interesting and I don't know that I quite get the concept of it. Maybe I started going to festivals too old, or maybe I myself am too old, to understand spending several hundred dollars on a ticket to stand in front of a single stage all day while packed in like a can of sardines and listen to people that you don't really know or like just to be a part of the scene that makes for the best Instagram aesthetic. The fun of going to a festival (for me personally) is discovering new music and meeting interesting and eclectic people.
If you ever find yourself wandering down the back strip of Lolla and are greeted by the giant flashing "Perry's" sign and gaggle of underage children making out and posing in the streets pictures... Don't say I didn't warn you.