robby #20

Thursday nights means new music, which means new playlists of songs I’ve yet to hear.

Here’s a short list of artists that for the next few days I’ll be building a new relationship with, or continuing one:
-Thundercat
-BANKS
-Drake
-Frank Ocean
-Kllo
-Bobby Raps
-Lila Drew
-The 1975

To be honest, I hate to have to mention it but the corona virus is too impactful to not. The past few weeks have been a catastrophic roadblock for the music industry, from the cancellations of cornerstone music festivals to major delays of album releases, most are reactively adapting to the times.

The people and the culture will always find a way to get off their creative desires, we see this in live Instagram battles and online set performances. What’s odd however, is after waves of these cancellations and delays, mostly due to the unknown nature of the situation, we’re seeing an influx of output in the industry. We will always see new music arrive every day, no matter the circumstances, but it’s as if the whole game took a step back saying, “okay what do we do now?” Then after understanding that their audiences are still patiently waiting for something to distract themselves with, they swept right back in for some of the best music we’ve seen in awhile. Shout outs to The Weeknd for showing everyone that you can move 400K units while a chunk of the population is in quarantine.

I’m going to talk about Drake because apparently this entire blog is about him.

Toosie Slide is a good song. I don’t think it’s a cultural shift and I absolutely don’t think it’s going to make any Top Songs of the Year lists. The feeling I currently have while listening to Champagne Papi’s, October’s Very Own’s, the 6God’s, The Reason Why You Always Getting Faded’s, The Look The Verse and Even the Hook’s, Mr. Drizzy Drake’s newest track for the 8th time is cosmic amazement. It’s clear what this man’s mission is for hip hop, be the biggest music attraction in the entire world and prove that a man who raps can do it this large. Without him, I’m not sure if the lanes that just about every young artist we’ve seen in the past 5 years would exist. Yes, the best rhymes will always prevail. Yes, the realest on your block still would’ve had the chance to get the exposure you think they deserve. But let’s not kid ourselves, if the guy who went 500 weeks straight on the charts didn’t go pop, literally and figuratively, the game would be a whole lot different right now. Unbelievable.

Are Live recordings of tracks generally better than the studio versions? BANKS helps me answer yes. Although only four songs, her Live And Stripped versions of both old and new records flex her ability to vocalize entrapping sounds and catch fresh rhythms over instrumentals you’re already familiar with. Live recordings are NOT better than their official counterparts when artists just perform exactly how they already did the first time around. Give me the altered verses, give me the extended outros, and give me all of the fucking pitch changes you can offer me. Unbelievable.

I haven’t touched on Party Mobile yet, and I don’t think I will….yet. “Unbelievable.”

Tonight I’m going to fall asleep to the two Frank Ocean tracks that still make me believe he hasn’t attempted to start making a new album in the past three years and tomorrow I’ll try Thundercat’s senior effort on my way to work, hopefully completing it before my first smoke break.

I really want to have some nice dreams tonight & I’ll do my best to write them down when I wake up.

Sweet dreams.

I am more than content with how I’m healing the fragments of my heart & soul right now.