Far Alone & The Spotlight

Intro/Far Alone

Merry Christmas! And even though it’s a day late, I have a great present for you… It’s two of my favorite songs by artists that I have already blogged about. The first song is called Far Alone by G-eazy. This is another great song for an edit for a sport or something like that. This song is among G-eazy’s most popular songs, and definitely one he is very proud of. It usually features Jay-ant and E-40, but in the music video, E-40’s part isn’t included. To find the version with E-40 click here. The music video itself is really cool, it’s G-eazy as a young kid, showing all of the difficult choices he had to make to get where he is today. This is just a really great song overall, it has sick background music: perfect for an edit, a tight hook, and an even tighter rap by G-eazy, Jay-ant, and E-40. This song is definitely more on the pump of side of the music spectrum, and it also very inspirational. The explicitness in this song isn't bad, there are a few swear words, and some drug reference, but nothing too terrible. The music video, on the other hand, is slightly more inappropriate, including some sexual scenes, and a couple drug and alcohol related scenes. But it is still pretty cool and worth watching. The best lyrics in this song are hard to figure out because all of the lyrics have pretty good flow and cleverness, and great background music. However, my overall favorite part of the song is the hook. I don’t really know how to explain it, but there is something really special about music when it can give you the chills, and this hook gives me the chills almost every time. To read more about G-eazy himself and hear another great song by him check out my other post: Lady Killers II. 

I got this image from the Far Alone Official Music Video. 

The Spotlight

The next song I have chosen to write about, is the legend himself and my favorite rapper, Logic, called The Spotlight. Talk about chills, almost everyone of Logic’s songs gives me the chills, even when I’ve heard them a thousand times. Logic recently released his tour dates for The Under Pressure Tour, and I am beyond fired up to be going VIP to the concert in my area. I haven’t stopped thinking about it since I bought the tickets, it’s funny, I’m actually wearing a RattPack hoodie right now. Some more about the song: this is a solid pump up song, that just gets people excited and makes them happy. The song is upbeat, and has fast, and clever, lyrics. This is one of Logic’s older songs, but, in my opinion, is still one of the best. The songs background music, and like chorus part of the song is a little weird and different, but really cool and comes together well with the song. The explicitness in this song pretty mellow, not even as close to as bad as Far Alone, and that one isn't even very bad. It only has a couple swearwords. Choosing the best lyrics for this song is incredibly hard because literally all of the lyrics have amazing flow and are pretty clever, but if I had to choose it would be right before the first chorus when he says “Everybody be sure, Ima always want more… Does anybody make real sh*t anymore??” Though these lyrics aren’t the most clever, they just sound really good and kill it will the flow. Read more about Logic and the RattPack in my second post: World Wide. 

I got this from a website called GoPixPic. 

Paperbound by Wiz Khalifa

Paperbound

This week I have chosen to change up the category of music a little bit… It is still rap music but this is a song that would be great to use for a sport edit or something of that sort. I did this upon request of my boy Sam Mason, hit up for blog to see and learn a lot of cool stuff about skateboarding and skiing. @smason18.blogspot.com. The song is called Paperbound, by Wiz Khalifa. This song has really cool background music and not a bad rap by Wiz throughout it. It is on the slower and more mellow side of the music spectrum, so it is also perfect to listen to if you are in the mood for something more mellow. And, like I already mentioned, it is a sick song for a snowboarding, skiing, basketball, or even skateboarding edit. Also, if you work with iMovie and are able to time transitions perfectly to when the background music does the little ding noise or when Wiz says "yup", then it comes out really cool. My friend and I have done that and it worked way better that we thought. However, the song has some explicitness, not too bad, but containing a couple intense swear words and much drug reference. The worst is explicitness is at the beginning when Wiz is just talking during the intro music, but once you get passed that point it isn’t that bad. On the other hand, for the best lyrics I chose when he says “And everyday I’m on another plane, not hardly sleep, but hey I wouldn’t have it any other way.” However, I think the overall best part of the song is the background music. 

I got this image from a website called Pigeons and Planes. 

A little more on Wiz himself…

Cameron Jibril Thomas is a tatted up twenty seven year old rapper from Minot, North Dakota, often referred to as the biggest stoner in the rap industry.  Both of his parents were part of the military so he grew up in many different countries because, finally ending up in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. His parents got divorced when he was three, but he says that growing up with a tougher life has made him stronger. He also attributes Jimi Hendrix, Camp Lo, The Notorious B.I.G. and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony to his musical influences. Wiz has released many albums such as Show and Prove, Deal or No Deal, Rolling Papers, and O.N.I.F.C. (which stands for Only N*gga In First Class, which you hear him say in Paperbound). He has also released plenty of mix tapes and singles, two of which (Say Yeah, and Black and Yellow)  have reached top charts. In recent times, Wiz gets much respect among other rappers in the industry and has had the opportunity to work with some of the best. 

To get this image I just took a screenshot form the background image going in the O.N.I.F.C. full album video.

Thanks again for hitting up my blog, if you have any more comments, questions, or suggestions, please let me know. 

-Eli Levine

Jay Rock Featuring Kendrick Lamar: Pay For It

Pay For It
This week I have chosen a sweet new song by Jay Rock featuring Kendrick Lamar called Pay For It. This is a pretty interesting song, at first it seems like it’s not a rap song, it sounds more like a dramatic love song. This is because a woman is singing, however, this is just the chorus, in between her singing, Kendrick and Jay Rock kick some sick versus. They are pretty intense and involve some heavy subjects, but they have great flow and go along well with the chorus and tone of the song. The song itself is perfect for getting pumped up for a big game or high intensity event, due to its great beat that is hard not to tap your feet to, and its killer, but intense lyrics. It also has some really deep meaning to it, Kendrick and Jay Rock’s lines talk about their upbringing, and their lives (which is you can guess, are pretty gnarly). The explicitness in this song is not bad, there are some swear words and drug reference, so not that bad. However, Kendrick and Jay Rock do sound extremely angry while rapping, this mostly comes from their tough upbringing and type of rap style. Though this doesn’t really connect with explicitness, it may make the song sound more intense or seem to be involving harsher content then it actually does. The lyrics in this song are not necessarily clever, but they are very deep and heartfelt. That is why I haven’t chosen any ‘best lyrics’ for it. I just decided that the best lyrics in the song are Jay and Kendrick talking about what they have been through and overcome. This is one of the top songs on my ‘pre-game pump up list’, and I would highly recommend checking it out.

I got this picture from taking a screenshot of the audio video. 

TDE
Johnny Reed McKinzie, Jr. (28) and Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (27) are both rappers from the Los Angeles/Compton area, both well known for their poverty and drug/gang relations. Kendrick and Jay Rock go way back, they first met in the studio of Top Dog Entertainment (TDE). Jay Rock was recording while Kendrick walked in, hoping to talk to the producers and get himself out there. Turns out the producers liked Kendrick’s freestyle that he did while he was there, and invited him to join Jay Rock on his first song. This was a special moment in both of their lives; you can hear more about it in Kendrick’s song Last Real Nigga Alive. After they met and recorded, they really hit it off, considering they both had similar interests and music style. They went on to create a music group called the Black Hippie Group, also known as Top Dog Entertainment. This group includes Kendrick, Jay Rock, Schoolboy Q, and Ab Soul. All the members are from the Los Angeles area and have a similar rapping style. However, Kendrick is probably the most popular and well known artist out of all of them. Closely followed by Schoolboy Q, and then Ab Soul and Jay Rock are a little more underground. Kendrick has released three great albums: Overly Dedicated, Section.80, and good kid, m.A.A.d city. He has also released many mix-tapes and singles, often including featured artist, or him being featured in one. Jay Rock, on the other hand, has released two, Follow Me Home and Black Friday. His albums are definitely not as well known or equally impressive, but still include some great stuff. As of now they are both working on new albums. The Black Hippie group is in the mists of dropping some new stuff as well. Once again, thanks for reading, drop a comment for recommendations or feedback, and make sure to check out this songs and TDE’s new stuff coming soon. 

I got this picture from a website called Genius.com

Multiply & Make it Stack By A$AP Rocky. Preview on Logic's Under Pressure

Multiply & Make it Stack
Sorry that I haven’t posted in a while, I’ve been super busy with lacrosse. Anyway, since I’ve been gone for so long I’ve decided to do kind of a triple threat type blog, including the full analysis of two songs, and a partial analysis of an album. The first song that I have chosen is called Multiply, by ASAP Rocky. This is a super sweet song that is perfect for getting pumped up for a big game, or any other high intensity event. This song was released about three weeks ago by ASAP, and it’s great to hear that he is still putting out some fresh stuff. However, this is not the best song to be playing in the car with your parents due to its high explicitness, containing many swear words, and frequent drug reference. I couldn’t decide on the best lyrics from this song because the lyrics don’t have much content, but my favorite part of the song is right when the beat drops and ASAP starts rapping. This song also has Juicy J in it, but Juicy J doesn’t actually rap in it, he just talks in the background (pretty unusual)… The other song I choose is by Lloyd Banks, featuring ASAP, called Make it Stack. This song has a sick vibe, and it’s a perfect balance between upbeat and mellow. My favorite part of this song is definitely ASAP’s part, Lloyd’s part is not bad, but ASAP really hits it out of the ballpark. I decided that the best lyrics are during ASAP’s part: “I could go out in silence, but I would prefer the riot” or “Wake up to your favorite actresses, my life is like a movie boy”. There is nothing particularly clever about these lines, but they have great flow, speed and rhyme. This song is moderately explicit, containing some profanity relating to language and drug reference, but nowhere near as bad as Multiply. 

I got this picture from a website called Wow 24/7

ASAP Rocky
Since ASAP is in both of these songs I decided just to focus on him this week. Though he goes by his stage name of ASAP Rocky, Rakim Mayers is his full name. He is a twenty-six year old rapper from Harlem, New York, who is part of a collective hip-hop/rap group called the ASAP Mob. Each member in the ASAP Mob all have names that start with ASAP (“Always Strive and Prosper). Some members are A$AP Ant, A$AP Bari,A$AP Ferg, A$AP Lola, A$AP Nast, A$AP Rocky, they all usually use a dollar sign for the S in their name. ASAP Rocky is arguably the leader of the ASAP Mob, but without a doubt, the most well known and successful. After ASAP released his debut single “Peso”, he started to get attention from big time labels, and after he made a music video for one of his first songs “Purple Swag”, his career really started to take off. Shortly after, he released his debut album called “Live. Love. ASAP”, and signed a there million dollar deal with RCA Records. 

This picture came from a website called Fashion Sizzle.

Under Pressure, by Logic, released October 21st, 2014. 

Under Pressure may be my favorite album of all time… As of now, Logic is my favorite rapper in the industry, so to see him drop a new album is pretty special to me. Not to mention that it is amazing. Literally every song on the album is incredible. Plus, Logic is a very unique rapper because what he raps about really stays from the cliche “drugs and girls” the of rap almost every rapper talks about. Logic sticks to rapping about deeper subjects that really get to you, like his family and him growing up. He has lots of songs in the album that talk about these things, all very sad and deep. Some of my favorites are Under Pressure, Buried Alive, and Soul Food. Under Pressure is a great pump up song with a sick beat, and in the full version especially, very deep lyrics. Buried Alive is probably the most popular song right now and that is defiantly more of a thoughtful, deep song. And Soul Food is a really cool song because it is actually made after a freestyle he did on Sway In The Morning a while ago. Soul Food is also a very, very deep song that talks about his family and growing up. Definitely check out his album, and especially these songs. Thanks for reading.

-Eli Levine

This picture came from Def Jams Recording's website

Fast Lane- Cam Meekins ft. Chris Webby

For the song this week I have decided on a track by Cam Meekins featuring Chris Webby called Fast Lane. This song is reasonably old, but pretty unheard of. It’s an upbeat, mellow, but inspirational song. I really like Cam and Chris’s versus in it and they go along well with the hook. The hook itself, however, I am not the biggest fan of, it’s a little bit too “sing-songy” for me, but I think it’s a great fit for the song, and doesn't bring the track down by any means. The best lyrics in the song are pretty hard because there are no great punch lines, or any too clever rhymes, but all of the versus have great flow and meaning. If it came down to it though, I would definitely go with Chris’s couple of opening lines, I just really like the flow of them, and how the rhyme scheme is:  “Living in the fast lane, eyes on the road. Hands on the wheel, empty bottles on the flow. I don’t even know, where I’m about to go, my futures undetermined so I’m taking life slow”. I also really like this song because I think it’s cool how these two rappers came together to collaborate on this song with their different backgrounds and styles. 

I got this picture from a website called Fresh Grinds. 

They do have a couple things in common though… like being young white rappers from the east coast, and being relatively new in the rap industry. Both of these rappers have huge potential and I am a huge fan of their music... Christian Webster is a twenty six year old from Norwalk, Connecticut. He is pretty new (and arguably still working his way up) to the big time rapping industry. However, he has had some outstanding opportunities to work with some of the best artists around. Artists like: Freeway, Mac Miller, Joell Ortiz, Big K.R.I.T., Method Man, Prodigy, Bun B, and Kid Ink. All these are all pretty good and are definitely worth checking out if you get a chance. He also has three albums out, called Homegrown, The Underclassmen and Chemically Unbalanced, along with an EP called There Goes the Neighborhood, and many mix tapes and singles. Chris’s music definitely has a unique style about it that is somewhat mystical, but very captivating… It gives off almost a “trippy” vibe. In a lot of his songs, he talks about partying and drugs, but many others are about his life, and are pretty inspirational (like Fast Lane). He has also done some pretty sweet freestyles, which you can check out on Youtube, and I would highly recommend. Cam Meekins, on the other hand, is one of my favorite rappers, his mellow music is perfect to listen to anytime. You can read more about Cam Meekins in my first blog post: Cut Me Off. 

I took this image off of a page called DjBooth. 

G-Eazy - Lady Killers II

This week I have chosen a song from the very well known G-eazy called Lady Killers II. However, this song is much less known than the artist himself. This song is a remix of a previous song he wrote called Lady Killers. It has a very similar hook, a little more up-tempo beat, but a completely different rap. I personally like this song much more and find it to be a perfect cross of mellow music and pump up music. It is a little bit dub-stepy, but still has some great rhymes in it. The best lyrics of this song are hard to distinguish because G-eazy really only raps about girls and drugs, however, I am still a huge fan. If I had to choose though, at the beginning of the song there is a pretty good part where he rhymes a solid five bars all ending with words sounding like killer, and he says “cold like burr, make you shiver”. I think this is pretty clever, and should probably be recognized at the “best lyrics” of this song. Another very clever part of this song is the album cover: the original “Lady Killers” is on an album called “Must Be Nice”, and the album cover for this single is “Must Be Twice”. 

I got this image from Sound Cloud's website. 

Gerald Earl Gillum is a twenty-five year old rapper from Oakland, California. Better known by his stage name: G-eazy, and also referred to as the “James Dean of Rap”, due to his good looks and all of the ladies he gets. Being a white rapper, G-eazy definitely has a disadvantage in the rapping industry, but he doesn’t really follow a traditional rapping style. Unlike many rappers in today’s industry, G-eazy isn’t really a “gansta (or) ghetto rapper’’, he is more of a gentle rapper that doesn’t use harsh language most of the time. Also, he usually loses respect from the big time rappers because he includes girls singing in almost all of his songs. However, I like his style, and he has definitely made a name for himself in the present rap industry. 

I got this picture from a website called "Oh So Fresh".

G-eazy has released much music throughout his career, however, in the early stages, he was unable to produce and release it because of his low budget. Aside from that, he has six mix tapes, 3 Eps (Extended Plays), and one debut album called “These Things Happen”. His album has many hits, and people all around the world know most, if not every song on it, and can usually sing along to the songs. G-eazy is an amazing artist, with his own style, that has worked his way to the top of the rap industry that deserves a lot of respect and gratitude for his hard work. 

I got this picture of G-eazy's album cover from a website called "Indieu".

World Wide & Back and Forth by Logic and Castro

Since I didn’t do a post last week, this week I’ve chosen two sweet collaborations with Logic and another prodigy: Castro, who is also part of Rattpack. Logic and Castro have made many songs together, usually made by Logic featuring Castro, and they are all usually some of my favorite songs. Also, from this week on I am going to start incorporating some new things into my posts, such as “best lyrics” and when is the best time to listen to the song…

The first song I will talk about is called World Wide, and is actually made by Castro, featuring Logic. The hook in this song is not my favorite, but I really enjoy both Logic’s and Castro’s parts in this song, especially Castro’s introductory verse. This song is perfect to play while getting pumped up before a big game, at a party, or even while hanging with friends. I would say that the ‘best lyric’ in it is during Logic’s part when he says “I’m Batman in a room full of Robins”. This quote itself is not the most creative, but it is a big part throughout the song because there are other Batman references, and I find it interesting how Logic is identifying himself. This song includes moderate explicitness: there are a couple words and some sexual reference. 

I got this image from a website called Fresh New Tracks. This image is also the background of the music video. 

The other song (Back and Forth), is more like a freestyle (it’s pretty short, and has no hook or chorus), but it’s very catchy, and both Logic’s and Castro’s parts are well done and prove that they should be considered among the best rappers in today’s industry.  The ‘best lyric’ from this song is, without a doubt, when Castro says “I stay on dimes, so you can call me Roosevelt”. This has multiple meaning (which is really why it is so creative), because dimes can either mean really pretty girls, or a literal dime that is American currency, which has President Roosevelt on it. This song also has moderate explicitness, with many swearwords, and some sexual reference. Never less, these are both great songs with some of the best artists around. 

I got this picture by taking a screenshot from  Castro's Music video Boomerang. 

Sir Robert Bryson Hall II is a twenty four year old rapper from Gaithersburg, Maryland, who goes by his stage name: Logic. Castro is a very underground rapper, so there is not much about him online, but I know that he is also from Maryland. Logic and Castro started this group called Rattpack, this is a play off of Frank Sinatra’s Rat Pack, however, Logic’s group stands for Real All The Time (RATT). I really like this group’s music, and find it very creative how they play off of Sinatra. 

I got this image of Logic from a website called Ticket Fly.

The use of the Sinatra idea goes far beyond Rattpack, all of Logic’s albums are titled with something along the lines of “Sinatra”, and he even identifies himself as “Young Sinatra”. His albums (as of now) are Young Sinatra: Welcome to Forever, Young Sinatra (Undeniable), and Young Sinatra. However, his music goes far beyond his albums. He has released many mix tapes and singles that he is primarily known for, and that I am a huge fan of. Castro on the other hand hasn’t released an album yet, but his singles and mix tapes, in my opinion, are some of the best around. One of my favorite songs by him, called Boomerang, I think, is among some of the best hip/hop/rap music out today. 

I got this picture form a website called Medievalbeatz.

Once again, thanks for checking out my blog, and leave any comment for requests, questions, or anything else.

-Eli Levine

Cut Me Off by Cam Meekins

This week I've chosen to write about a fairly new song by Cam Meekins called Cut Me Off. This song is a remix of an older song by Gotye called Somebody That I Used To Know. This track includes a sped up version of The Gotye song for the chorus and then Cam rapping in between. This song includes moderate to severe explicitness, including multiple swear words and some drug reference. However, it is still a very clever and catchy song, and one of my favorites.

I took a screenshot of the youtube video of Cut Me Off (It's a pretty funny, but random, video). 

Cam Meekins is a (somewhat underground) nineteen year old rapper from Newton, Massachusetts. Cam has recently "Graduated From Frat Rap" says the Boston Globe. In an interview with them, Cam says that he started rapping about four years ago, when he was fifteen. He says that he would get funny looks on stage, being a white rapper, and being a young, skinny kid. However, after they heard him rap, their thoughts about him changed. Cam also said that when he was first getting into rap, he wanted to be like Drake, or Kanye West and was highly influenced by them. However, Cam's music is a little bit more mellow than most Drake or Kanye songs. I, personally, like Cam's music much more, the mellow rap is easier to listen to and tells a better story. I think it's really cool hearing about his life through his music, and telling it in an easy to listen to way.

This picture is from a great website called College-of-Music. 

Cam first started releasing his music to Youtube and Spotify, though most were just mix tapes or singles (Cut Me Off is a single).  However, in 2013 he dropped his first album called Lamp City. Lamp City has many good songs, including some of my favorites, some from this album will most likely make appearances in future songs of the week... Anyway, thanks for checking out my first post, hope you enjoyed. If you have any feedback, recommendations/requests, or other comments, just hit me up and I'll try to get back to you as soon as possible. Also hit me up with a follow if you like my page.

- Eli Levine 

I acquired this image from a website called Warner Music.