Watching Movies With The Sound Off// Part One

Watching Movies With The Sound Off

I was looking through my blog earlier today and I couldn’t believe that I didn’t have a post about one of my favorite rappers, Mac Miller. Mac has been on a huge influence on me, being one of the first rappers I listened to. Being one of my early musical influences, I am a huge fan of his older music. But I am going to write about an album that he released in the June of 2013 called Watching Movies With the Sound Off. The content in this album is much different than the content in his previous music. His music in the past has been fun, joyful, and upbeat. However, this album, is incredibly sad, deep, and thoughtful. But I love it. It’s not just that I really enjoy the lyrics, beats, and flow, it’s the way I connect with it. Like there is seriously no way to explain the way I relate it, it’s really something else. 

I got this picture of the album cover from Wikipedia. Sorry the cover is pretty inappropriate. 

Watching Movies With The Sound Off
The first time hearing this album was the day after my dad and I were having this really deep conversation about the stars, life on other planets, and our theories on how we came to be. The next day, I came across a song called Aquarium on Pandora. The song literally addressed all the things we were talking about. It seemed like an unreal scenario. The impact the conversation had on me was enough, but hearing that song so closely after, got to me on crazy emotional levels. Crazy stuff like that always happens to me, like weird connections made with a random correlations of things at totally random times. And though it’s completely odd and I have no way of explaining it, I love it. It just makes me think about how crazy the world is, and though it just totally baffles me, it amazes me as well. And those are two of the main reasons why I love music so much. One, the amazing and insane stories that you hear about people traveling the rags to riches, or visa versa, road in the music industry. Two, the thought provoking lyrics that each different song contains. Sorry to get so side tracked, but I thought I would give you some of my deep insight. I’ve also been trying to mix up these posts to keep them more interesting by making them more unorganized, so definitely be sure to tell me what you think of them compared to the ones from the two earlier quarters. Back to the album, like I was saying, I relate to it in crazy ways. From the deepness of Aquarium like I already talked about, to the sad story of The Star Room, which I fear happening to me in my life. I feel Mac in this album on another level. I’ve never felt the same thing with music. And you know that “chills” feeling that I always talk about? The feeling that you get when something really reaches you, or something is so good, that it gives you goosebumps. Well almost every song on this album constantly does that to me. 

Watching Movies With The Sound Off// Part Two

The Songs Themselves 

The lyrical schemes, wordplay, and flow of this album are astounding. There’s no other way to describe it other than astounding. Mac uses words that I don’t even know the meaning of, and rhymes them with other words that I don’t know the meaning of, while telling an amazingly deep story that reaches me on unexplainable levels. He really killed it with this album is all I have to say. And by that I don’t only mean in my opinion, the first week out he sold 101,000 copies. Not quite J. Cole’s 371,000, but still very impressive. He released three singles before the album, S.D.S., Watching Movies, And Goosebumps (how ironic), all oh which hit 43 or above on Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. And the album itself for up to number three on the Billboard 200, being praised mostly for its “ psychedelic hip hop influence and improved lyricism,” very impressive. As for the individual songs on the album, I do like all of them, however, six songs really stood out to me from me first hearing the album, and those five songs still stick out to me today. Some I’ve already mentioned, but they are Someone Like You, Watching Movies, Aquarium, Suplexes Inside of Complexes and Duplexes, REMember, and The Star Room. I am going to review each of them, similar to what I did in the Don’t Over Think post about Castro. 

 I got this picture of Mac from Billboards.com

Someone Like You  

Someone Like You is just a great song. Fun to listen to, deep lyrics, great flow and awesome background music and chorus. Part of the reason I like this song so much is because it is perfect for multiple occasions. Like it has a pretty upbeat beat, and faster lyrics, so it’s not bad for a pump up song. But it also it pretty sad and has deep ass lyrics, so it’s also perfect to listen to when you’re going to bed, thinking a lot, or even just having a bad day. I love versatile music. Speaking of versatile, Mac may be the most versatile rapper I know of. The story in this song is very interesting, and kinda hard to determine at first, but after listening to it closely a couple times, you’ll get it. But I don’t want to spoil it, so be sure to check it out and listen very closely. 

Watching Movies 

This is one of two dedicated “pump up” songs on Mac’s album (the other one being O.K., HIGHLY EXPLICIT). But though this song is faster paced and great for pump up, it is still pretty deep and depressing. I really really like the lyrics of this song, they are brutally honest, and I think the point of view of them are really interesting. A big main idea of the song is money. Mac talks about how he is so set with money that he really has nothing to worry about. He also talks about how him and his team are trying to start a “revolution.” By this they mean changing around the rap game and gaining ground to overcome all others. One really prominent verse in the song is “People worship these idols, till they come in contact with god.” This verse shows up many times in this song, and the theme of this verse shows up quite often throughout the whole album. I think his perception of god and people is very interesting, and listening to his music helps me get an idea of it, which I think is pretty cool. So definitely check out this song, pretty popular, it was one of the three singles, and it’s solid. But if you watch the music video, have caution, it’s pretty explicit! If you would rather just listen to the audio, click here.

I got this image from the music video for Watching Movies. It's Mac driving a car with a bunch of ladies. 

Watching Movies With The Sound Off// Part Three

Aquarium  

This is definitely one of my favorite songs on the album. Like I’ve already talked about, it hits me on duper deep philosophical levels. I love the stuff he addresses in this song, I love the beat, and I love the flow. It is just such solid song, I just get stoked on it every time I listen to it. Verses like “My mind it wonders to places yonder and even farther. When I’m sleep walking I’m Steven Jobs or I’m Peter Parker…” or “I always wonder what happened three thousand years ago, I like to toy with the idea that we really know. Is what I do important in the grand scheme of things? In my head these dreams are dreamt, trust me we are kings,” just get me going. Like I seriously have thoughts like these all the time, so to know I’m not the only one is just really special to me I guess. There are plenty more of these crazy deep versus further into the song so be sure to go check it out. 

I got this picture form Mac's live performance of Aquarium on SBTV. 

Suplexes Inside of Complexes and Duplexes 

An Interesting song name, huh? I honestly have no idea what it mean, and I’m pretty sure “suplexes” isn't even a word. This is one song on the album that I didn’t end up listening to until just last week actually. And when I heard it, the main thing that stood out to me was Mac’s opening verse with some crazy advance words, followed by a sick into with a man yelling “This is madness! This is an outrage! Matter of fact, this is outrageous!” The combination of these two gave me the chills, and I knew right away that this would be another stellar song on this album that I just fall in love with. After listening to the song a couple more times, and trying to break down the lyrics to understand the story, it got me nowhere; it just leaves me very confused. Though this brings liking to the song for that reason. Every lyric in the song is very random and it seems like there is no real subject to the song, other than Mac having a conversation with himself. But I like how the song leaves you with open ends that you have to think about for yourself. Another really cool thing about the song is that Jay Electronica is featured in it, I really like his verse, but it is somewhat like Mac’s; by that I mean that it is rather confusing and left with some open ends. But overall a really cool song with some crazy wordplay and cool background music, transitions, and sound effects. Would definitely recommend checking it out. 

Watching Movies With The Sound Off// Part Four (Final Part)

REMember

This is arguably the most depressing song on the album. It is about one of Mac’s old friends who recently passed away. In the first verse of the song he talks about his friends death, and how it has impacted/impacting him. It’s super depressing. My favorite verse in the whole album is the ending line to the first verse in this song. “You had a girl, I kinda wish you knocked her up. So I could meet your son and talk you up.” This line gives me the gnarliest chills literally every time. I guess it just really hits me on another level talking like that, like how much he misses him. The next versus include Mac trying fathom his friend being gone, and giving advice on how to deal with stuff like this. The chorus for this song is really cool. It reminds me of an old school depressing song, and I really like those vibes. This is a perfect song to listen to in a very mellow or bummed out mood, so I wouldn’t recommend listening to it if you are in any other mood. 

I got this sweet picture from a sweet website called Fresh Grind. 

The Star Room 

This one I’ve been waiting to blog about for quite a while now. It is one of my favorite songs of all time, and easily my favorite on the album. Talk about chills, I am not kidding at all here, I get the chills throughout the duration of this song. You read right, the entire time. I guess it’s a mix of how I listened to this song quite a bit when I was going through some hard times last year, how I can relate and sympathize to what he’s saying, and the ridiculous lyrics and flow. This is just hands down an amazing song. But I do have to say that you have to be a certain kind of person and in a certain mood to listen to this song. I know plenty of people that I share musical interests with, who just HATE this song. And I can never figure out why, but I love it. It’s always that song that I put on when I’m bummed out, having a hard time, or just need something deep. I hope it can do the same for you. The music video for this song is pretty intense and explicit, so beware. If you would rather listen to just the audio, you can here. 

I got this picture form the University of Northern Iowa's webpage...?

Hope you enjoyed this rather long post about Mac. I’ve really been playing around with the layout, so I’m curious for your guys’ feedback on it. Also, be sure to hit me with any other feedback you may have, including requests. Much thanks

-Eli Levine

2014 Forest Hills Drive// Part One

2014 FHD/ G.M.O.D

This week I am stoked to bring to you two sweet new songs from J. Cole called G.M.O.D and Wet Dreams. These songs are on his new album called 2014 Forest Hills Drive (FHD), and they are two of my favorite songs right now. I have never been that big of a fan of J. Cole in the past, however, this new album and some interviews I have been watching have definitely changed my perspective on him. The interviews I’ve been watching have mostly been of my favorite rapper, as you all know, Logic. I love watching Logic’s interviews and learning more about him. One really cool interview I watched just over a week ago was Logic talking about how J. Cole has influenced his music and personality. Logic says that Cole has been with him since his beginning in the rap game, and that he has always offered helpful advice for him about what to do with his music. Logic says that his whole new album is themed after what Cole recommended. I think it’s really cool how involved and helpful Cole has been in Logic’s life, and how he would definitely not be where he is today without Cole. I love hearing cool stories like this, especially after previously thinking that Cole isn’t that nice of a guy.

I just grabbed this picture of the album cover from Wikipedia. 

2014 FHD/ G.M.O.D
Back to Coles’s new album, I do love all of the songs, but the two that have really stood out to me have been G.M.O.D and Wet Dreams. The first one that I am going to talk about is G.M.O.D, which stands for Get Off My D*ck. Though the name of this song may sound pretty vulgar and unappealing, the song draws the attention of a varying demographic. Even my mom likes the song. It might be from the really sweet beat, different from every modern day rap song I’ve listened to. Or it could be him constantly changing up the pace between fast and pissed off sounding, to mellow and deep. Whatever it is, a lot of people seem to like it, and I like it too. I use it primarily for a pre lacrosse game pump up, though just listening to it late night in my bed I always enjoy. The story in the song is actually pretty interesting and deep, which I like to hear in rap songs. It talks about his life growing up, how difficult it was, and how he made it through all the hate, and that he is proud of what he’s doing today. It’s really cool to hear the story. When he says “get off my d*ck” in the song, he is referring to the people who were never there for him when he wasn’t famous and didn’t have a lot of money, but who are here now and want some of what he has. Though this may be a harsh way of portraying the message, I like the way he gets it through and I like the lyrics in the song. I also really like the unique beat. That is probably my favorite part of the song. And make sure to listen to the whole song, because it sounds like it’s ending at almost four minutes, but there is actually one more full verse. You can listen here. This is the faster version of the song, with J. Cole actually singing. There is another version on youtube, that has a slower beat and with J.’s voice deepened for it. Some people like the slowed version better, but I definitely prefer the sped up one.

2014 Forest Hills Drive// Part Two

Wet Dreams

The other song that I really enjoy on his album is called Wet Dreams. This song also has a rather vulgar name, and this name, unlike G.M.O.D, is not deceiving. The song definitely more on the R rated side of music, with very graphic sexual material and quite a bit of swearing, so be warned when listening. But besides the inappropriate parts of the song, it has an amazing story. I mean it may not sound like the deepest thing, but he talks about him losing his virginity. Now I know right away you are probably thinking, “Ew, why would I want to hear about that?” But, if you listen to the lyrics really closely you’ll realize that the song digs a lot deeper than him just losing his virginity. I also really like how he ties together the story with a stellar reoccurring chorus. But I would have to say my favorite part of this song was listening to it for the first time. I was driving around with my bro and the whole night we were bummed we didn’t have an AUX cord so we couldn’t play our music and we were stuck with the radio. And we kept hearing all of these songs that we didn’t like at all so we kept changing the station. But when when we were almost back to my house, this song came on. He already knew all of the words, but I hadn’t heard it. I picked up the chorus instantly, and fell in love with the flow. That night I went home and listened to the whole album, after thinking I’d never listen to Cole. That just goes to show that you should always give everything a chance before you jump to conclusions. Anyway, the song has a great chorus, amazing flow, and an interesting story. So I would for sure recommend checking it out, but be sure to pay close attention to the lyrics.

I got this picture of J. Cole from taking a screenshot off of the cover for the Fire Squad Instrumental. I was using the instrumental for some raps of my own. If you want to hear the original click here, it is another great song on his new album.  

Wet Dreams
Along the lines of interesting stories, you should hear the story of the album’s production… The album’s name comes from the street name on which the house where Cole grew up and first started writing in. Last year (2014), he went back to North Carolina, and re-bought the house (after losing it to foreclosure just after graduating high school), and dedicated his third studio to it. I think it’s really cool how he goes back to his roots so much with his music. Like of course rappers all talk about their life growing up, but he really sets himself apart by doing something like this. Naming his album after his house of origin, having every song on the album be about his life growing up, talking about stuff that must be super difficult to talk about… I just think that’s really cool. Some other interesting things about the album, is that though it was primarily made by Cole himself, it was released under three labels, Dreamville, Roc Nation and Columbia Records. This is not totally unusual, but hip-hop albums are typically released under one label, and the labels usually help produce the album. This album was announced three weeks before the release date, including no singles, and little promotion and marketing prior to the release on December 9th 2014. The first week after the album being dropped, it sold 371,000 copies, being considered as Gold, by the RIAA, an amazing feat for how little marketing and promotions it had. This this shows how loyal his fan base is and how sometimes rolling low-key can be better. Anyway, I really enjoy this album so be sure to check out the songs I didn’t write about, but those especially. Also, let me know what you think of me mixing up the format of the blog and if you have any requests. Thanks, as always, for reading.