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