If you've got an Apple Music account, stream Drake's Views (f/k/a Views from the 6) below. I'm not going to give my full opinions on the project yet, other than to say it's "lit," as the kids say. So far, it's an Apple exclusive, so you can either stream with Apple Music or cop it from iTunes. No Spotify love here, but...I mean, Spotify has its flaws. Plus, there are far worse things to drop $14 on than a pretty solid album.
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Stream @Drake's Views
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Rem's Rant: Shackles
I definitely feel like the greater of two dynamics takes place when you’re faced with emotional strife. The first being the feeling of time slowing down, manifesting a tailor-made isolation. The second, however, is the thought of the days running concurrent. This is alsopossible to promote the feeling of isolation, through an influx of consuming thoughts. So, I definitely understand the confusion one takes on, feeling as if time is stopping while the days are never ending. And just imagine, this is a purgatory that people voluntary subject themselves to for a lifetime. Well, ladies and gentleman, for once in our young lives—and don’t worry, as I’ll volunteer as tribute to be the representation with my words to channel your possible feelings—it’s time to introduce a little anarchy to this flawed status quo.
For me, personally, it took having to manage and sustain the emotions of a sheltered girl through a premature union to realize just how valuable I really am. I’m giving my audience credit to take the aforementioned “situationship” as a means of relation to what this article could really be about. But, in case the plane hasn't landed yet, I’m talking about what you think you deserve based on prior transgressions versus what you may be ready for, for whatever forum of life you’re currently inhabiting.
The easiest way to paint this picture for you is to make it personal. And, no, I don’t feel a way about sharing with my audience; we must first understand that our power lies in walking in our truth. So, if I put it out there first or at whatever point that I CHOOSE to acknowledge that truth, it can never be used against me. But, I used to be the guy who, very adamantly, believed that the thing that made me special was enough to kill the world and save myself. There’s no need for me to specify what that thing is for simply showing you how selfish of a thought pattern it was. In my maturation process, I thought in order to come from underneath the bouts with selfishness, I had to pass a harsher judgment on myself than what I’d allow myself to feel from anyone else.
For example, I was quite the womanizer in my days, I was guilty of several things but nothing more terrible than using those women for time they couldn't get back with no intention of planning ahead. Pretty shitty guy, huh? But, that’s not the worst of it. My true talent was in being able to manipulate those same women with the very tools I’m currently utilizing to convey this message to you.
I was pretty awful and, in the acknowledgment of being so disgraceful, I began to mentally shape what I thought not only of my worth, but what I deserved as a result. Thinking to myself about the countless East Baltimore “hood chicks,” several Westside “stoner chicks,” and even the occasional “county-sheltered princesses” that I stumbled across in my day and I used to think this'd would leave me with some spaghetti-cooking, Civic-driving librarian for the rest of my days. But, more seriously, I convinced myself that I shouldn't BE happy because of all the folks I left unhappy in my rearview. This, people, is what I like to call TRASH THINKING!
The truth is, there is no peace in that logic, even for a guy like myself who did all of those bad things. At this current point in my life, I recognize the distinct difference between bad people and bad decisions. Bad people want to see the world burn for nothing at all (Fuck Donald Trump 2016, by the way). Meanwhile, bad decisions are nothing more than mistakes (for instance, your sibling being 10+ years younger than you). Now I know there are some people that would argue conscious choices being identified as mistakes. But, in actuality if there’re no mental illnesses present, how is it possible that you’re not always conscious of what you do? This is where “right” and “wrong” come into play and a mistake is nothing more than an errant choice.
We have to first acknowledge our wrong doings to break the binds of emotional attachment to simple mistakes. Once you own it, you can put it behind you & go rent to own the next thing. Very simply put, you don’t have to deny yourself happiness because you slipped up a few times. Those who love you unconditionally will remain unwavering while those not meant to be will throw stones from their glass houses. It’s all about control people! How bad do you really want to be happy? Will you bury your past transgressions in hopes that it doesn’t surface for knowing those things could crush you? Or do you own them and wear those shortcomings enough to say “Yes, I was this person yesterday BUT I’M NOT TODAY?”
Ask yourself, what do you deserve? What are you willing to let go to get it?
Be blessed.
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Speed on the Beat Reviews: @Drake's Views
"Is it Drake's magnum opus?"
"It it the mansplaining version of Lemonade?"
"Is it really trash that people hyping up because it's Drake?"
"Is it just trash overall? Where's Kendrick's new album?"
These are all questions I've seen over the past few days since Drake's Views (f/k/a Views from the 6) dropped. And while I like hot takes, I feel that albums with this much buzz behind them need to be checked out a few times before you can give a review on the tracks. You give a hot take and say it's the greatest album of the year, then you go back and say "ehhhh, it's aight." So, without any further ado--and after several listen-throughs--here's my Views review. Hopefully, this one doesn't get me banned from writing for Boi-1da.com. If it does, it's been a helluva run and I still love you.
For the TL;DR folks, here's what you need to know: it's not trash, nor is it not the GOAT album. We get some retreaded themes from previous efforts, delivered in new ways from new perspectives, a la TLOP. It's a pretty solid album that'll definitely go hard in the summer months. But, it still doesn't, for me, surpass the levels of Take Care. This is mainly because, if you're unaware of all of the context, you're going to be out here for months and months trying to piece together what Drake's really getting at (and still probably get it wrong). If that TL;DR entices you, continue to read my track-by-track review below.
Views starts with what may arguably be Drake's biggest and best intro to date, "Keep the Family Close." Maneesh's haunting but triumphant production, it builds up nicely over the five-minute-plus track with military-esque drums placed at just the right moments and orchestra hits to add to the tension Drake's going through within this track. Drake, opting to sing his verses versus rapping them, delivers on this.
Over the years, jokes about Drake's singing have been made. But, on this track, he hits all the right notes (literally and figuratively). It can feel a bit melodramatic with lines like the opening line for the chorus "all my 'let's just be friends' are friends I don't have anymore." However, the emotion's there to keep this one from going too out the way. I've finally found a Drake intro that surpasses "Over My Dead Body" in setting up the album and its...views. There, I made the pun. Can we move on now?
"9" just takes the emotions from "Family" and puts them to rap bars. It showcases a Drake who is seemingly continuing the "I'm alone at the top" energy we've gotten for the past couple years, with a few more wrinkles. This time around, Drake is "willing to cut ties" for what he reps. "9," on the production side, lends itself well for random artists to spit their struggle bars on. That's not a shot at indie artists. I'm (at times) one myself. It's just that the production itself is perfect for some "I started from the bottom shit." In fact, that's kind of what Drake's getting at on this one anyway. It's, additionally, a subtle jab at many of the artists who've dapped Drake up at some point, only to spit in his face later on.
"U With Me?," I like for Drake's interpolation of DMX's "How's It Going Down" and "What These Bitches Want." Anything that brings DMX back into peoples' minds, I'm here for. However, we get the same "Drake likes this girl, but she's playing games" themes here we've seen since "Replacement Girl" for a lot of the song. I'm not against it, since we've all been through it. Also, the team on this (which included TDE in-house producer AxlFolie) put their foot into this one. But, I'd like to hear a song where Drake's happy with the woman he's pursuing and nothing shady, shitty, weird, or wonky is going down. I want my Canadian brother to find happiness in romance. I mean, damn.
The breakdown on this beat is beautiful, as, like the intro, it builds up well. Additionally, I like it for another reason. As a disclaimer, I'm not a stan for either Drake or Meek; I just wish Meek would not scream at me and I wish Drake would have some happiness in his relationships. But, Drake kind of borrows Meek's flow--and does it better, since he's not screaming everything to the point it blows out your speakers.
"Feel No Ways" has that energy, beat-wise, that makes you want to get up and dance in your seat at work. Well, at least it did for me. Don't judge me, dammit. It's a song that'll get some burn, definitely, especially for its lyrics (which, again, many dudes could relate to). This is probably the closest to a "mansplaning Lemonade" we get on this album, for me: the combination of "U With Me?" and "Feel No Ways." Lyrics such as "I had to let go of us/to see what I can do" show that Drake is reevaluating life while realizing that, while he loves this girl (or, at least, likes her), she may be poisonous to him. However, where Lemonade spoke on a wide variety of issues, these two tracks play it safe by going to Drake's bread and butter: songs about women who may or may not have broken his heart in some way.
"Hype" gets us out of the "Heartbreak Drake" bars and energy with a track that feels a bit like a IYRTITL track. 1da, Nineteen85, and the rest of the team on this one, they murder the energy on this one (in a good way). It's a chilling beat that makes you want to listen to what Drake's got to say and, well, get hyped. Lyrically, it's a pseudo-chopper flow track where Drake observes his surroundings and realizes that while others are getting hyped over little things (including beefing with him, such as, ya know, Meek, Tory, etc), he's donning the hype. And hopefully, I spelled that right.
"Weston Road Flows," plain and simple, sees Drake doing that Comeback Season type of track, even down to the flows. Because, you know, Weston Road is where Drake had his come-up. It's a solid track that reminds people that, even though Drake's been out here doing sing-songy tracks, he still can drop some hot bars. And, no, I'm not some easily impressed young'un. The bars on here are pretty nice and the flow is legit too.
"Redemption," like "Weston," is a throwback to another era of Drake: Take Care Drake. On this one, we get those rapid-fire introspective lyrics layered with sing-song elements over a somewhat slowed and throwed beat. That's really all I want to say about this one. It's a cool track, but up until the fourth verse, it kind of just exists as another Drake track. It's on that fourth verse where we get Drake delivering what we came for on this one.
"With You" is one of the first dancehall-esque tracks on the album. Featuring PARTYNEXTDOOR and Jeremih, the track makes you want to find the one who left you, grab her up on the dance floor, and try to make amends. For me, this is where I realized this album is, in some ways, like TLOP. We're getting a collection of Drake, from different eras (Comeback Season/Room for Improvement/So Far Gone, Take Care, NWTS, IYRTITL, etc) to present us with a showcase of who Drake is and who he's aspiring to me.
From here, we get into "Faithful," the Pimp C and dvsn-assisted track. Pimp's verse was lifted from the "Tom Ford Remix" from 2014, but still fit here, somewhat. I'm a huge Sweet Jones fan, but Drake's choice to put this verse on here kind of, for me, throws the song off before it begins. I get that "I don't fuck with anybody in this shit but Bun" is an homage to how faithful Drake wants his girl to be. However, the verse still doesn't really fit for me.
"Still Here" feels like "Tuesday" in terms of the production, or some late-era Keef track. Not a bad thing, just something I noticed. The track goes, to a degree. Like with "Redemption," things, for me, don't really kick in until the later part of the track. It's probably one legitimate skip on this album. Again, that's my own opinion.
"Controlla" takes us back to the dancehall vibes. It's a solid track that'll get the clubs going, especially with the Beenie Man sample. I know some people like the Popcaan version more, which I get. But this one, in the context of the album, goes a bit more with the album. Both it and the afrobeat-influenced "One Dance" are made for the clubs and the girls who wanna wine, and I'm not even mad at that.
"Grammys" mixes up the energy from the last two tracks and gives us WATTBA Drake. And, yes. That's aided by the fact we've given a Future hook and verse on this one. Now, you can go and say "oh, this is Drake shit-talking since, you know, he had a hit album while other albums have won over his." But, eh. I don't think that's the case, at least not completely. Besides, as tight-knit as TDE is, I doubt Drake would drop any sort of diss to people (read: Kendrick) and have one of the TDE producers on his project.
And, just as we're getting into this vibe, we're taken to "Childs Play." One thing I'll say about this album is that, while we get a TLOP-like album with less congestion from Drake in Views, the problem with that is that the album feels less conceptual. Yeah, the album is, obviously, dedicated to the many sounds and styles of Toronto and Canada in general. However, the switch between styles on the album can be jarring.
"Childs Play," to me, is slightly funny in its WTF moments. I mean, this man is talking about a woman taking a Bugatti to get some maxi pads and fighting in The Cheesecake Factory. The song borders on misogynistic, with lines like "don't make me give you back to the hood." However, he's just as hard on himself, since he's "not someone you should trust," even though he still may very well "Hate Sleeping Alone." There, there's my obligatory Take Care track reference.
"Pop Style" gives us more of the NWTS Drake. And, I'm sorry. But, I'm glad we got two Drake verses versus Jay's two lines. Besides, this means we could see the Kanye West x Drake x Jay whole version on those rumored new Kanye albums, right? RIGHT?! Either way, "Pop Style" (with or without The Throne) kind of goes.
"Too Good" feels like "Work" meets "Take Care." That's it. Nothing more, nothing less. If you liked either one or both of those tracks, you'll like this one. If you want deeper-than-deep lyricism, eh...you might be a bit hard pressed to find it. It's a song about folks who want each other, but know that, in reality, they're probably better off with someone better...even though the sex is good.
Now, I'll admit. I was a bit "huh" to know that "Summer Sixteen" wasn't on the album. However, the "Summers Over Interlude," it's beautiful. Featuring vocals by Majid Al Maskati of Majid Jordan, the 1:46 track pretty much details that, well, things are different now. And, as much as we, as listeners, may want that "Take Care Drake" or that "WATTBA Drake," he's evolved into something else, something that's a mesh of all his previous eras, but still new. Again, this is where, for me, the TLOP comparisons come into play. This track is, essentially, Drake's "I Love Kanye."
"Fire & Desire," it's a slick little "I still want you even though I'm sure you're moving on" track. That So Far Gone/Thank Me Later-esque Drake. It's a slow burn that you may very well want to call someone after. Maybe. You may just be like "screw that" and keep it moving. Depends on your mindset at the time.
The title track "Views" kind of feels like the sums of Drake's freestyle outros put into one. We get love for the city (and its artists) and scoldings from Papa Graham (probably not a nickname, but whatever) to the next wave. We get some solid sample work on the beat. We get the Comeback Season flows. We get some Take Care and NWTS lyricism along with some IYRTITL and WATTBA bravado. All in all, like the intro, it's one of my favorite tracks of the album.
The bonus track, "Hotline Bling," is the same track we got in Summer Fifteen. So, if you liked it then and didn't get tired of it by now, while we're at the cusp of Summer Sixteen? You'll probably still like it now. I really hoped Drake would've threw a remix up there, but...ah well.
So, verdict time. What do I think of Views as a whole. It's a decent album. It falls flat on a couple tracks, such as "Still Here," the fact that we don't even get a "Hotline Bling" remix, and the concept that MAYBE Drake misappropriated a Pimp C verse on "Faithful." It's got some hype tracks. It's got those "damn, Drake snapping" freeflow tracks. The unification Drake tries here between the many elements Toronto has is admirable and, for mostly works.
We get to go from the Jamaican and dancehall references to the trap rap to the straight spitting. We are given, quite literally, views from The 6. Keep that context in, and we're given a contender for Best Hip-Hop album at 2016's Grammys (even though Drake doesn't give a fuck about Grammys a la Eminem), as it's a concept album based around the many cultures and vibes one can get in Toronto layered on an album about love lost, trust issues, hate from the outside, and more.
However, if you take that contextual information out of the picture, we're left with an album that feels like someone went in, grabbed the hottest Drake tracks off each album, spruced them up a bit, and put it out with some dancehall-influenced tracks that make the women wanna wine and twerk (two separate things, but yeah). That's not necessarily a bad thing, as the tracks work, for the most part. Drake has the ability to make something for everyone, and it shows. However, for the album to reach the echelons it should, you've got to know the context, like all of the context. It's like going into the middle of Gurren Lagann where Simon's in jail without seeing anything before or after, even though you know that Gurren Lagann is a somewhat complex anime with lots of GAR, lots of explosions, and lots of drilling to pierce the heavens.
By no means is Views a "bad" album. But, it's going to be a very polarizing one.
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New Music: @TheWeeknd x @Nas - "Tell Your Friends (Met Gala Remix)"
Yeah, so I'm here for this one. The Weeknd recruited Nas to drop a pretty epic remix of Weeknd's (I'm sorry. While I know his given name is Abel, I feel weird calling him "Abel" all the time. It's kinda how some wrestling fans always call talents by their real names. Feels kind of disrespectful, to me at least. If you do it, that's cool. I still'll call him "The Weeknd" or variations of while y'all do you) "Tell Your Friends" for the Met Gala. All I've gotta say is that this has me pumped for a lot of things, such as new Weeknd, new Nas, collaborations between the two, a Zans and XO mixtape with Weeknd and Future (if y'all wanna title it that, feel free), and just new music in general.
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Should Steph Curry Start?
Look, I'm no expert when it comes to these things. I don't pretend to be. I do, obviously, have knowledge about sports. But, yeah...I'm definitely not a genius about it. However, we all know that Steph Curry is a competitor. He's all smiles most the time and his family life is awesome. However, when he hits the court, he's a killer (not just with the threes). Not a great player, but a stone-hearted assassin who murders teams like (almost) no other.
With that in mind, the big thing that's coming out of the Warriors camp now is that Curry's rehab is going pretty well. On top of that, while doubtful at the moment, he's also had a platelet-rich plasma treatment in his injured right knee. As many sports fans know, that's the same treatment that's helped folks like Kobe Bryant and Peyton Manning return to, for the most part, full strength in no time. This means that, again, while doubtful, Steph Curry could return for the Warriors' Game Three match-up against the Portland Trailblazers.
So, if he's healthy enough to halfway return, should he and should he start for the Warriors?
Again, I'm no genius when it comes to sportsball. What I do know, I usually spill onto this site and others. However, if he's not 100%, I'd err on the side of caution when it comes to rushing him back. For starters, the Warriors are doing well without him (they're up 2-0 against the Blazers and have had, while not blowouts, two relatively decisive wins while doing so). So, if they're winning and adjusting without him, why rush him back?
Do you really want to do that when either a resurgent OKC team or San Antonio, should Golden State advance, looms on the horizon? Plus, you know, if they do win the Western Conference Finals, I'm all but certain that Cleveland's going to square up against them. To me, it wouldn't be a good look to rush Steph back and risk injury. Let the man rest, get himself up to 100%, and then let him loose on his opponents.
Besides, I don't think Steph Curry would want to play if he's not 100%. He's a competitor, but he's also smart and calculating. He could probably have a Flu Game or two himself, but, again, he's no Michael Jordan (for better and worse). So, with that in mind, when it comes to the question "if he's healthy, should Steph start," I've got to say, for me, it's a resounding "hell no, let him rehab a bit more and come back at full strength."
Sorry, Warriors fans. I feel we should wait another game or two before The Splash Brothers are reunited.
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| Photo Credit: USA Today |
With that in mind, the big thing that's coming out of the Warriors camp now is that Curry's rehab is going pretty well. On top of that, while doubtful at the moment, he's also had a platelet-rich plasma treatment in his injured right knee. As many sports fans know, that's the same treatment that's helped folks like Kobe Bryant and Peyton Manning return to, for the most part, full strength in no time. This means that, again, while doubtful, Steph Curry could return for the Warriors' Game Three match-up against the Portland Trailblazers.
So, if he's healthy enough to halfway return, should he and should he start for the Warriors?
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| Photo Credit: AP |
Again, I'm no genius when it comes to sportsball. What I do know, I usually spill onto this site and others. However, if he's not 100%, I'd err on the side of caution when it comes to rushing him back. For starters, the Warriors are doing well without him (they're up 2-0 against the Blazers and have had, while not blowouts, two relatively decisive wins while doing so). So, if they're winning and adjusting without him, why rush him back?
Do you really want to do that when either a resurgent OKC team or San Antonio, should Golden State advance, looms on the horizon? Plus, you know, if they do win the Western Conference Finals, I'm all but certain that Cleveland's going to square up against them. To me, it wouldn't be a good look to rush Steph back and risk injury. Let the man rest, get himself up to 100%, and then let him loose on his opponents.
Besides, I don't think Steph Curry would want to play if he's not 100%. He's a competitor, but he's also smart and calculating. He could probably have a Flu Game or two himself, but, again, he's no Michael Jordan (for better and worse). So, with that in mind, when it comes to the question "if he's healthy, should Steph start," I've got to say, for me, it's a resounding "hell no, let him rehab a bit more and come back at full strength."
Sorry, Warriors fans. I feel we should wait another game or two before The Splash Brothers are reunited.
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| Soon. Not right now...but soon. |
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@TheGame x @SONYAEelise - "Mama"
New music from The Game featuring Sonyae Elise paying tribute to mothers all over the world, inspired by his own mother and the sudden death of Afeni Shakur (May she Rest in Power). As someone who's lost his mother, this one (especially since, you know, Mother's Day is right around the corner) hits hard and goes hard.
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Where R U Now?
So, I've been gone from here for damn near two weeks. In those two weeks, I've seen a lot and have been through a lot. With that said, I'm pretty sure that one question stands: where the hell I go?
Where do I begin?
After taking a bit of the week before Mother's Day away because, well, RIP Mama Young, I was set to drop new material over on the site to coincide with the release of the "Se Roquel" single. Some of it would've led up to the reveal about The Sorest Loser... actually being a thing. Some would've just been some standard updates, maybe a PA or two.
Then, last Monday hit and my body decided to F me in the A. While, on Mother's Day, I felt slightly sick, Monday was when the ish hit the fan. I woke up in cold sweats and thought "oh, ok. It's just like the flu or something." Then, I started taking NSAIDs (Aleve) & Excedrin (because we didn't have any regular Tylenol and I forgot, like someone unwittingly trying to kill themselves--I wasn't, by the way). This led to, what I thought was, an allergic reaction solely brought on by the OTC drugs.
After kind of denying it and being all "MAYUNNNNNN" about it all, I eventually went to an Urgent Care facility by my house. They also initially though "simple allergic reaction" and gave me some steroids. No, not the nut-shrinking kind...I hope. Upon subsequent follow-ups over the next few days, including today, my lab work shows that there's probably something more to this and is a combination of bad combinations and reactions, ranging from my mood stabilizers (including possibly having Steven-Johnsons syndrome from Lamictal, as if my diagnosis couldn't get MORE muddled, right?) to my OTC allergy meds.
So, all in all, I'm kind of fucked up right now. Anyways, just wanted to give you guys an update. You deserve that much. I'll try to be better about not ignoring you all...but there are times you've got to step back and take care of number one. All I ask is that you all keep me in your thoughts and hope that it isn't all that serious.
...I don't want to, like, die or anything.
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Rem's Rant: "Black Man"
"The presence of all colors, my black brothers are the pinnacle of what it means to be King"
Why do you love black man?
Who do you love black man?
What do you stand for black man?
When should you fight black man?
Are you the head black man?
What pushes you black man?
Do you love as a means to hide the pain of oppression over the generations or is it because you see it as a tool to unite worlds? Do you love to take advantage, to steal the heart of your queen, or see it as just a gateway to counteract the opposing fear of loneliness?
Do you stand as means to be more than just representational? What do you stand for black man? Do you fear standing tall to avoid the feeling of being cast out? Or do you stand firm & fight back against your oppressors to prove your worth?
Who are you black man? Are you a king or a jester? A conquerer or a destroyer black man? God shaped us in his image so why haven't YOU figured it out black man? Who were enslaved, murdered, criticized, & oppressed BLACK man? Still not getting it? YOU are God, black man. God is you! YOU were shaped in his likeness because he knew what you could bear black man! Does this not push you black man? You are great black man! YOU ARE beautiful black man. & most importantly, nothing in this world moves without us, BLACK MEN!
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Update: 5/18/16
Ok, I promise that SOTB.COM isn't going to become one of those "oh, I'm dealing with this ailment. Here is my story" type of sites. More power to them, but that's their lane and I have no intentions of going in that lane, not completely. Believe it or not, I do actually like to keep some things close to the chest, amongst family and whatnot. Mama Young didn't raise someone who'd spill ALL the tea or whatever.
Anyways, I'm here at Holy Cross Hospital. A smaller Express Care room. It's about 4:45 when I get the news. "So, Mr. Speed. You do have Stevens-Johnson." My first reaction was, for real, "oh shit. Am I gonna die?" The doctor, this older white gentleman, he told me no. That I got in here, thanks to Raquel keeping tabs on me, in the nick of time. However, then he hit me with a stunner of sorts.
"You're probably gonna have to stay in here for at least a couple days to get things a bit more under control."
That was Monday. Today, I'm (hopefully) headed home after observations. I'm still kind of janky, but not completely screwed. So, small victories. All in all, this has been really sobering. Things like this put everything in perspective. They also make you want to make sure you're doing what you want and need to in this life. With that said, I'm less likely now to just idle than do what I need to/want to with my life. Kicking ass and taking names, being awesome AND happy. This is a new era of Speed. Still snarky and witty and stuff, but less..."unhinged" while still being just as "I'ma say what I want."
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WIRTB Review: Albert Belle in Baltimore
The Albert Belle acquisition is one that, as an Orioles lifer, has both kept me up at night on ocassion and brought joy to me when it was still on the books. It's a pretty polarizing chapter in Orioles history. On top of that, I know I wasn't supposed to "like" Belle, especially since, quite frankly, the guy was kind of an asshole. He wasn't as approachable as my favorite players, like Eric Davis and, years later, Adam Jones. Albert Belle was pretty much the Brock Lesnar of MLB in the 1990s and early 2000s. He was there so he wouldn't get fined...without the benevolence and altruism behind, say, Marshawn Lynch.
But, it was that "fuck you" demeanor that made me gravitate towards Belle and brings me to where I am today. He represented what was "bad" about baseball, but also what was "real" about sports. These people are, well, people. They shouldn't always be "happy" and full of soundbites and the like. But, enough doting on the somewhat abrasive, "real ones" type of athletes of yesterday and today. We won't see another Marshawn Lynch, another Albert Belle, or another Brock Lesnar. So, let's get into it.
...was the Albert Belle signing really THAT bad? I know, I know. You're looking at me like "ninja, what?! He was bootyjuice. Fuck outta here, Speed." But, let's look at it. When the Orioles signed Belle, they were in need of power. Belle provided, when he was healthy, that power. Belle was, after Cal Ripken retired, the active leader for consecutive games. He was reliable, even when he was..."unique" when it came to other facets of life. All in all, no one probably would've predicted Belle's hips would fuck around and turn into jelly, especially in the way they did. We could've predicted that he'd lose some of his pop and the like. We could've predicted that he was, as he was getting older, going to be more likely to be injury-prone. But...osteoarthritis? It was an unfortunate circumstance more than his own doing.
Some pundits who said they could've predicted this would happen in this exact manner, they're probably lying and/or looking at it in hindsight with disdain towards Belle (for one of a variety of reasons). When Belle was signed, it was a deal that made sense for the Orioles. Did it completely work out? Oh, fuck no. The Orioles had to keep him on their payroll, technically, until 2003 to recoup on their weird-ass insurance policy contract. But, in those two-ish years that Belle was with the Orioles, he wasn't as putrid as hindsight would suggest. He wasn't perfect...but he averaged 30 home runs over his two active seasons with the O's.
I feel that, and justly so, a lot of the disdain with the Belle signing comes from the fact he was healthy for two years of the five he signed for. That's a fair assertion. My God, is it fair. Considering that you COULD argue that the Belle signing hindered the Orioles' ability to retain Mike Mussina, I do see the validity in the Belle deal being horrible.
But, all in all, there have been worse Orioles deals. For instance, signing Miguel Tejada for the third time (yes, I'm biased against Miggy. Sue me), Sidney Ponson 2.0, not keeping folks like Jose Bautista (but, like Belle, that was one of the ones you couldn't predict all that well), signing Kevin Gregg or...well, a lot of the deals McPhail made (he made some great deals, some which set up Dan Duquette to be great. But others? Ehhhhh). Let's not be blind to the shit just because Belle is a "name."
So, was it REALLY that bad for the Orioles to sign Albert Belle? Quite frankly, yes and no. And that's the bottom line, because SOTB!!! said so. Now somebody, pass me a Speedweiser (not booze BTW) to smash open on someone's face.
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Re-Revisiting Kiss Land
A few weeks after The Weeknd's Kiss Land dropped in 2013, I gave it a mini-review on the site. Simply put, I liked it, but felt it was too much like his mixtapes while not being too much like his mixtapes. In other words, it was an okay album that had some misguided moments which kept it from being better than okay. But, since it was The Weeknd, it made up for, for instance, the sins that YEEZUS brought to our eardrums. However, even with that in mind, was I wr-wr-wrong in my initial reevaluation of The Weeknd's first official album (because Trilogy is still just a compilation)? Drizzle, don't be mad that I'm talking Weeknd without you. I'm doing this one solo because, well, I did the original one when Profound Assholes wasn't a thing and it seems only right to, ya know, not do a PA on it (even though, I'm pretty sure we did one or two, kind of, on Kiss Land somewhere along the way).
The album starts off with "Professional," a track detailing The Weeknd's relationship with a professional (be she a stripper or whatever, she's legit at whatever she's doing...even though she should probably quit the life). The intro, it's a chilling track that borders on rape culture-embracing with lines like "I decide when we're through." But then we get into the actual verses of the track, where we see he's just as fucked up by the relationship as the woman is. They're both pretty broken individuals who lie to themselves, in some ways, about the manner of their relationship--both with each other and with regards to how they carry themselves around others.
"The Town," a track about The Weeknd being away from Toronto (along with, in some interpretations, his desire to do drugs and fuck on someone he know he shouldn't, but he finds himself addicted to--a recurring theme in this album, to a degree), is up next.
There are a lot of darker elements in this project, to get right down to it. And "The Town" shows a good deal of them. The production is brooding as hell and is, quite frankly, pretty haunting. I get that The Weeknd, just like with some parts of BBTM, wanted to create a dark, scary-as-fuck atmosphere to his storyline world. I mean, he even co-produced most of this album. But, man! Listening back to this project, you really feel the damn-near lack of optimism in this album. The Weeknd's use of echoes (of non-silence) on this track really makes it stand out as a borderline classic track, in retrospect. It's a prototype of some of the BBTM tracks in its feelings, lyrics, and more while still serving as an homage to the Trilogy era of projects.
"Adaptation" continues this darkness. As "the madness is the only love [he] lets [himself] embrace," we see The Weeknd adapting to life without The Town the only way he knows how: fucking the shit out of randoms, doing drugs, and trying to keep from keeling over. He comes in contact with someone who was the yin to his yang, but he was so fucked up, he feels he ruined her. He wants to escape from being so well "adapted" to this life, but he can't. This is some pretty dark-ass, reflective shit. So, three songs in, I'm already ready to change my initial thoughts on this album. However, the darkness on the production does something not-so-great for the album thus far: it keeps things somewhat indistinguishable. Everything blends together into one dark-ass, "life sucks but I can't/don't wanna change" puddle of goo.
And then we get "Love In The Sky." Drug R&B, pure and uncut. While, sonically, it's similar to the last few tracks...conceptually, it's more dedicated to the drugs and how they help with the fucking/numbing process--and how, while The Weeknd is still a young man, he's seen and done shit that folks older than him haven't even begun to fathom. Again, this is a depressing-ass song when you get down to it. This is a guy who's in his early twenties, but is getting grown and getting old because he's out here doing shows all over the world and doing all sorts of drugs to try and balance out the lows and highs like a goddamned EQ.
After this, we go into the Portishead-sampling "Belong To The World." Let's check out the video version of the track, since it contains an intro unseen on the album version.
The spoken Japanese intro details how a woman, presumably a stripper or other "professional" woman, just has to be made into this object that The Weeknd--and those like him--will use forever. Even though they know this thought process may bring up some sinful, dire consequences, they still wish for it to occur. Plus, you know, typical Weeknd tropes of "it's morning now. My 'love' for you is fading."
Again, the idea of rape culture creeps in a bit. This woman will "belong to the world," and no fucks are given about what happens to her because she just serves the purpose of being a sexualized "Muse." However, just as we get this, we also get The Weeknd being just as "lifeless" as the woman he's objectifying and/or fucking the shit out of, possibly because she's so lifeless and numb to the fucked-up shit of the world. It's a complicated dynamic. On one hand, you do get rape culture-like vibes. She's a "thing" that "belongs to the world," therefore whatever anyone does to her is "justified" within the world of the story. However, on the other, you get The Weeknd pretty much being just as much of a pawn to "the world" as she is, leading them both to continue this same, twisted song-and-dance with each other--even when it's obvious it's detrimental to all parties.
Production-wise, it's one of the strongest tracks on the album. The Portishead sample lends well to the rapid-fire imagery in the lyrics. Additionally, it's pounding and unrelenting, just like "The World" is to both "The Muse" and The Weeknd himself.
"Live For" is up next. OVOXO is always a good thing. For instance, when Drake dropped his remix of "Tell Your Friends," "Evolve." I would've loved to hear that as an official remix, since it's one of the few "Tell Your Friends" remixes that kind of still captured the essence of the original track (kind of). Or when, you know, Drake and The Weeknd linked up for those tracks off Take Care. Yeah...OVOXO is always a good thing. Hopefully, we'll get some more collaborations between the two at some point. But, let's get back to "Live For." It breaks up the "darkness" of the album, in some ways. Sure, we're still dealing with The Weeknd embracing his vices. But, it's done in a way that isn't as gloom-and-doom. Then, Drake's verse just adds to the more twisted celebratory theme of the track.
From here, we get a very MJ-like track in "Wanderlust." The track itself, for me, deals with how, since we have/see a lot of sex, drugs, and rock and roll, we need more. We have to have more than just these things. There's got to be a higher high than drugs, a harder fuck than just fucking, there's a stronger love than "love." It's kind of about seeking out the "truth" about love, sex, and the like. I mean, just look at the cover art for the track. It's a grainy screencap of two women fucking, keeping up with the imagery for the other Kiss Land singles.
But, it's so matter of fact about the sex that we're kind of forced to say "ok, sex is sex. What else is there?" And from "Wanderlust," we go into the title track. "Kiss Land" sounds like a demented carnival ride dedicated to the groupies The Weeknd encounters...and their "beautiful" dark twisted fantasies, addled by lean and other drugs.
"Kiss Land" isn't a place you should want to visit. But, for The Weeknd and his lady "friends," it's a place they almost always end up in. This is stressed by the second half of the song, specifically the outro of the song where The Weeknd emphasizes that "this ain't nothing to relate to." He's on a whole 'nother level of fucked up, that only he can truly understand. Anyone who tries to get on his level, they're bound to completely fuck themselves over trying to keep up. He's pleading, in some ways, for salvation. But, he knows that he may be too far gone.
"Kiss Land" isn't a place you should want to visit. But, for The Weeknd and his lady "friends," it's a place they almost always end up in. This is stressed by the second half of the song, specifically the outro of the song where The Weeknd emphasizes that "this ain't nothing to relate to." He's on a whole 'nother level of fucked up, that only he can truly understand. Anyone who tries to get on his level, they're bound to completely fuck themselves over trying to keep up. He's pleading, in some ways, for salvation. But, he knows that he may be too far gone.
This is another standout track on the album. It's, in some ways, his "In Bloom." He's warning that people out there who're saying "oh yeah XOXOXO" without really getting it all, they aren't really cut out to be doing all that shit. Why? Well, like Nirvana said, these folks don't understand it like they think they do. Some of these folks are pretty much the guy who "don't know what it means when I say 'yeah.'" It's a cautionary tale that's advising people to not be The Weeknd...even if they fucking love his music.
"Pretty" continues down this path of "you really don't want to be in my shoes."
The song deals with a potentially cheating girlfriend in a borderline controlling relationship with The Weeknd. The guy's fucking livid that his girl's been out and fucking on someone else. And he knows that, even though that's the case, he'll forgive her...if she turns out a bit "ugly" after they reconnect (be that through physical violence, getting her drugged out and fucking the shit out of her before he leaves, or just using her for "what she's good for").
It's, like the rest of the album, a twisted exploration into love, lust, and other "drugs.""Pretty" is a crazy track that is, in no way, a "love" song (don't let the lyrics fool you). It's like "Earned It" if it was sung, without any irony, right after Christian Grey whipped the fuck out of Anastasia at the end of Fifty Shades of Grey (yes, I saw the movie; hated the fuck out of it on about twenty different levels).
However, the track can also be seen to be about The Weeknd's relationship with fame and how it's fucked up his romantic and personal lives. This interpretation lends itself well to "Tears In The Rain." The Weeknd is presented as fragile, in need of love...but knows he can't experience it like others may because of the jaded perception folks have of him since he's getting famous and popular. And the women he ends up with, they become just as jaded, fragile, and lost as he is.
This album, in short, is a pretty deep case study on who The Weeknd was at this point in his life. He was a guy in his early twenties who sang, did drugs, and fucked because those are ways he could cope with the craziness his life'd given him. The idea of Kiss Land is pretty representative of The Weeknd's outlook on fame, his growing success, and other facets of his life that rapidly changed once he started gaining traction. And while it's not as refined as Beauty Behind The Madness, there's definitely beauty behind this madness as well.
Overall, the project does falter because of its similarities, production-wise. However, it's definitely worth checking out if you need that bridge between Trilogy and BBTM. Would I rank it over BBTM? Hell, no. BBTM is a masterpiece and a classic album. But, Kiss Land is a lot better in hindsight than I gave it credit for when it first dropped back in 2013. So, if you're in need of some Weeknd and you haven't given this one a spin in a while (or you skipped it because it reminded you too much of his mixtapes at the time), check it out.
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New Music: @MikeMelinoe x @inDCwetrust_ - "Suicide B4 29"
This track is trippy as balls. In a good way, of course, but still trippy as balls. Mike Melinoe recruits California native DC to contemplate life's last moments. Instead of finding some sort of clarity or resolution, Mike, DC, and the listener are left with a crapload of questions, conflicting imagery and very few answers (kind of how the end of life really is for some). The Dayggs-produced track is pretty confusingly put together, adding to the franticness of the lyrics and concept of the song. Check it out below and be on the lookout for Mike's Caveman EP this August.
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The Speed Report S03E03: The Soul Revival 3 Interview
In preparation for True's Soul Revival 3, I had the chance to chat it up with True about the album, the state of hip-hop, the True God recording process, DARBiz, and more. Check it out and be sure to peep Soul Revival 3 when it drops in June 2016 (you know, next month). If this is True's final solo album, from what I've heard thus far--and from what we've talked about in this interview--it's going to be one helluva show.
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#550WordsorLessReview: @NatureBoiMusic - #SPRNTRL
Today marks the release of Nature Boi's #SPRNTRL ("Supernatural") project. The Dope Music Village member steps from outside of the boards and beats to provide listeners with this ten-track project. We’re going to extend our limit to 550 words today.
The project starts off with "New Niggas," a boisterous--yet airy--track that introduces Nature to those who've either doubted him or are unaware of him. He's got some pretty solid punchlines littered throughout this proclamation. It’s a standout track, for sure.
Next up is "Uhh." This track, per my interview with him, was the result of him using a beat crafted the day before his mom passed as an outlet for him to vent about life after the loss of his mother. “Somebody (Vibin)” takes that energy to the left and gives us a track where Nature contemplates interacting (read: fucking, not loving) with a woman who’s got a man while on another level, since she makes him feel different. I swear, these situations are the worst. I identify with this one, since back in the day, a young SOTB went through similar situations. I fucking lovethe instrumental on this track (and the way it comes back in around the 3:45 mark).
After “Somebody,’ we’re given “Jada & Styles,” the boombap Nature Boi/Brain Rapp collabo. For more thoughts on this track, check out thispost on it. After “Jada,” Nature and Jon Doe “Cracked My Screen.” It’s a trippy, albeit slightly standard, trap-influenced track. The instrumental and conviction on this one keep me intrigued by what Nature and Doe’ll say next. “Ironic” is a track that’s equal parts reflection on life’s craziness—and how Nature deals with the fuckery and negativity—and turn-up. Nature’s references to his mother, to me, showcase that, even though he’s hustling on some levels, he’s still trying to process and adjust to his mother’s passing.
However, he knows that he can’t waste opportunities. This is how we get to “Len Bias.” This one’s a track named after the late Terps legend that hammers home the point that there’s “nothing worse than wasting talent.” I love the jazz-meets-“Think” break (though it sounds more like the “It Takes Two” flip) instrumental on this one.
From “Len,” we go into “Never Have I Ever,” a song that’s somewhat like “Lookin’ Ass Nigga” for 2016. Ezko comes in to drop a solid guest verse that shifts the energy to set up the Jake Sinatra-aided “Trap-O-Lean.” The spooky trap-influenced beat allows Nature and Sinatra to turn the fuck up. Lyrically, it’s more fun to hear these two together versus either straight murking on the beat.
Our outro, “SPRNTRL High,” begins with some atmospheric synths, leads into an audio clip, and kicks in when Nature starts rapping. The track, though it sounds light, is a very dark, but darkly beautiful, track. It deals with Nature dealing with his pain in some pretty shitty ways and his desire to, sometimes, leave it all behind even though he knows he can’t waste his chances (thus his “SPRNTRL Highs”).
Nature’s first venture in front of the mic shows a lot of versatility. I wanted more out of tracks like “Trap-O-Lean,” though. However, overall, it’s a solid debut for the Maryland native.
Final Verdict: 8/10
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New Visuals: @swag_wash - "3.0"
Philly native Mike Wash recently dropped his debut video "3.0." The remix of Kanye West's "30 Hours" is the first offering off his upcoming project You Know Who You Are. At the core, per his introduction to me, he's out here using any and all mediums he can wrap his brain around as an expression of my interpretation of life situations, which has lead to growth as not only a writer, musician and performing artist but a photographer/videographer as well. To check out some of his work, follow Mike at @b2cre8 on IG. That account is also where other Tri-State area artists will get some buzz via Mike's work. The kid's got some potential.
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New Music: @iamKingVory x @iitsAD - "Again"
Per artist's press release:
With writing credits and vocals on Bryson Tiller's breakout smash "Don't" as well as Tiller's "Break Bread," 18-year-old Louisville native King Vory is ready to step to the forefront with his upcoming mixtape Overdose. Vory's most recent release, the title track "Overdose" has been a viral hit, about to hit 1 million streams on Soundcloud and has been heavily featured on OVO Sound Radio. Now, Vory warms things up by releasing his AD collaboration, "Again." Produced by Nick E Beats (Fetty Wap "My Way"). King Vory's mixtape Overdose, hosted by Adrian Swish & DJ Radio, releases July 1st.
Personally, I enjoyed the track. Its hazy production lends itself well for slow grinds just as well as it does for a smoking session. It's a catchy song that has some solid single potential and has a message within the "oh, it's just a track about being fucked up and doing fucked-up shit." The message is this: we're human (that's not excusing our actions), but we're, by design, destined to screw up things that could very well be "good" for us.
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New Music: @nighlawn x @natureboimusic - "CRUZZ"
On the heels of SPRNTRL, imagine my surprise when Arlington, Virginia-based artist NighLawn dropped into my inbox with "CRUZZ," a Nature Boi-aided track featuring a Nature flip of the aforementioned Hutch track. A quick and breezy, summertime-friendly track that picks up right where "SPRNTRL High" ends, Nature and NighLawn escape from the craziness of the world and just ride.
When introducing herself, NighLawn explained that she was just getting back into music (sounds familiar, right?) and strives to be different. While still pulling out some innuendos and discussions about the opposite sex, she's not going to always come out talking some off-the-wall wildness. That's appreciated (because, as much as I love raunchiness...sometimes, a bit of subdued sheet talk is cool). Flow-wise, I really rock with her double-time flow on this one, as it fits well over the chilled beat. Check it out below.
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New Music: @TooMuchCharlie - "Back To The Immaculate'
Back with a remaster, Charlie Too Much releases the first single to his upcoming project. "Back To The Immaculate," clocking in at just over two minutes, doesn't waste a second of its runtime. Utilizing a flip of "Between the Sheets," Charlie reintroduces himself to the world. Calm with the flow, but aggressive with the bars in a J. Cole-esque sort of way, my favorite part of the track comes between 1:00-1:30. We get a further look into why Charlie's out here doing this, but also just some solid rhyme scheme play. Check the track out below.
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New Music: @stvnlmnt - Taboo (feat. Waadie and Yung Nashi)
New music from Steven Lamont, where he breaks out the production hat as well. The Obese Citizens member is making it known that he's not going anywhere.
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New Music: @werlumr - "Frustrated"
I found this one, hilariously enough, while perusing through SubmitHub for some places to send out "Se Roquel" to. See how the world works, guys? You look out for yourself, but because altruism is a thing, you stumble upon something dope as hell along the way. So, anyway, before this gets too "hey, I make music too," R.LUM.R is a Nashville-based artist who I can only describe as "hey guys! Imagine what'd happen if you mixed The Weeknd with some Miguel with a teeny bit of 'that Empire guy' and shake it up for the world to see."
The guy has a chilling (in a good way) falsetto, is lyrically equal parts distant and desirable (just like those two names I mentioned), and has a solid ear for production. After hearing "Frustrated," I checked out the rest of his Soundcloud. And...yeah...he's definitely got something good going here. Check out "Frustrated" below.
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