Don't Over Think// Part One

Don’t Over Think

Hello all, sorry I haven’t posted in a while, at the start of new quarters I feel really unmotivated to blog. But anyway, since it is a new quarter for me, I am going to be changing up the format of mu posts a little bit. Nothing big, just going from my usual template of talking about the song in the first paragraph and the artist in the second, to more random and diverse layouts. Just a heads up. So to really start off this post I want to talk about an amazing mixtape that I have come across recently by C Dot Castro called Don’t Over Think. Castro was one of the original members of the RattPack, the other two being Logic and Big Lenbo. Castro is also part of the Visionary Music Group (VMG), which is getting to be quite successful and renown. It is actually really interesting how I learned about his new mixtape, I was in the VIP line at the Logic concert I went to on February Third (by the way, an amazing concert, easily one of the best nights of my life, so if he’s in your area, don’t be afraid to buy some tickets), and these guys in front of us starting talking about it, and then we all began to have a conversation about VMG. After the concert I went home and looked it up, and instantly fell in love with almost every song. Every single verse is just done so well and you can really tell how much work he put into it. The guys that we were talking to were saying that they met Castro at a previous concert and that he told them he spends days at a time just working on one single line. ONE SINGLE LINE, that is ridiculous, but the perfectionist in him is really paying off, producing an outstanding mixtape. I haven’t thoroughly listened to every song, but I am going to do a couple short summaries of my favorites, definitely check them out, and you can listen to the whole mixtape here. 

I got this picture by taking a screenshot of his song All Right, definitely a honorable mention
because I didn't talk about it as one of the four I picked (mixtape cover). 

Kilo

The first song that I will talk about is also the first to occur in the mixtape. This is probably my favorite song on the mixtape, but it is interesting because he actuality dropped this song with a music video (be aware that this music video is pretty violent and has some harsh content) quite before he dropped the mixtape. At the beginning of the song, you would think it would be a really mellow, deep song, but once the beat drops, the vibe totally changed to a strictly pump up, fast paced song. The best lyrics of this song are really hard to determine because of how many good ones there are, this is when it really shows how much of a perfectionist Castro is, literally every line is so solid and could easily be featured here. But since I have to choose I am going to go with when he says “Now when I say I’m the best that ain’t over confidence, motherf*cker that’s common sense.” That line just gives me the chills, so solid and clever, overall a great song. 

Check Next Post For Part Two

Don't Over Think// Part Two

Royal

The next song I really like is called Royal. This song is really different than a lot of rap you’ll hear these days, which I guess is the reason I like it so much. It is like really fast paced, but kind of has a sad and dark vibe to it. I really like the chorus, the beat is cool, and the versus are killer. If I had to choose the best lyric it would either be “I just spit a little bit of cr*ck, then I sit back and I get high of that bass.” I like these lyrics not because they are deep or clever, which they aren’t at all, but because of the great flow in which he spits them. Or it would be the chorus “Throw me the ball I'ma run with it, yeah. You have no seen nothing, I have only just begun with it yeah. I never be done with it yeah. Lately I feel I've been working too hard, It's about time I have fun with it yeah.” Deep, clever, fast. 

I got this picture from a wesbsite called ThatNewJam.
Another honorable mention for the songs on the mixtape is Curtain Call. 

Are We There Yet

This is definitely up there with Kilo when talking about my favorites on this mixtape. It is just such a good song, incredibly deep, talking about his whole story and how he made it through, while spitting versus with ridiculous speed and flow. Once again, it just goes to show how persistent Castro is. Every verse in this song is killer, for sure take a look at this song, listen to the lyrics, and think about how difficult it is to spit like that is, not to mention how difficult it is coming from what he came from (if you really want to hear a sad song about his childhood, listen to Revenge, which is also on the mixtape but I didn’t include it in my top four). The best lyrics in this are literally impossible to choose because I can’t type the entire song into this post.

The Blueprint Feat. Jon Bellion

This is the outro to the mixtape, and a really well put together song, with good vibes, good lyrics, and a great story. Just like all of the other songs, great lyricism, though what really sets this song apart is the killer beat and great chorus that Jon does. There are two parts of this song that literally gives me chills every time. The first is when he says “I’ve gone weeks with nothing to eat, but fast forward, just a couple years more, me and my team about to do a nationwide tour.” I’m not really sure why this gets to me, it might be because I’ve followed Logic so closely and watched this same thing happen to him, and I was just at his concert. The second part that always gives me the chills is “The girl that used to diss me asking me to call her now, I used to look out in the crowd and hear not a sound, *Castro*, yeah that’s what they shouting now.” Make sure to listen for those lyrics and make sure to check out the songs I left out as well! Thanks for reading as always

-Eli Levine

Bang Bang- Marty Grimes & G-eazy

Bang Bang

This is going to be my last blog post of quarter to and I decided that it should go out with a bang, literally. That’s why this week I have picked a super sick song by Marty Grimes featuring G-eazy called Bang Bang. This is one of my favorite songs at the moment, and it is pretty fresh, dropping earlier in the 2014 year. However, the first time I heard it was about a month ago and I fell in love with it instantly, especially G-eazy’s part. This song just has all the perfect components: a great beat, sick hook, and some tight versus from some of the rappers around. On my last post I talked about how important I think it is that rappers have clever or flowy lyrics when the beat drops that sound good when the beat drops. That’s another reason why I like this song so much, it does a great job doing that and the beat just gets me pumped up. Also, in past posts, I’ve talked about when a song gives you chills, there is something really special about it, and G-eazy’s part in this songs gives me chills almost every time. It is also a unique song for him because I haven’t heard many songs that he is featured in, he raps much faster than usual, and he doesn’t even mention something about girls or drugs at all. Though it’s much different than the usual, I really like it. As for Marty Grimes, his parts are pretty sick and go along with the beat well, though it’s kinda hard to distinguish what he is saying at times. As for the best lyrics I definitely have to go with when G-eazy says, “Every time I rap now I make it stack, and every time you rap now y’all take a nap.” Or when he says “Now this sh*t BANG, this sh*t BANG.” Though the latter isn’t very clever the ‘bang’ comes from the hook of the song and it sounds really cool when incorporated  with G-eazy rapping. Though there are plenty of Marty Grimes’ parts and almost every part from G-eazy’s verse that I could have included, I though those were the best.The explitness in this song is more on the moderate side rather than mild, but still not too bad. Including lots of swear words, but nothing too bad on the drug or sexual reference side. However, since there is no official music video for this song, I provided a video of them on tour, which does involve some pretty heavy explicitness involving drug and sexual exposure. 

I got this picture of G-eazy and Marty on stage from a website called The Crowd Album

Some more about Marty Grimes and Young Gerald

Since I have a couple of posts about G-eazy I am going to focus on Marty for this portion. However, if you are looking for some more info on G-eazy, check out my Lady Killers II post. And since Marty is a very new rapper in the industry and I have just recently started listening to him, I don’t know much about him and neither does the internet (something new). But I do know that he has been on tour with G-eazy recently an he is bound to blow up soon, so stay tuned. Also, drop comments for suggestions, feedback, or anything really. And with the quarter almost at its end, it’s likely that I won’t be blogging for a while so to contact me, email me in the gadget above. 

-Eli Levine

I got this image of Marty Grimes from a website called The Arena 

Young Jedi- Logic Featuring Dizzy Wright

Young Jedi

About a week ago I downloaded about sixty new Logic songs onto my phone, and while I was in California this weekend for a lacrosse tournament I put them on shuffle, and one really stood out. It’s called Young Jedi, it’s a tight pump up song by Logic, featuring Dizzy Wright. This song not only is a sick pump up song, but a good mellow song as well, especially during Dizzy Wright’s part. Though this song isn’t very traditional, by that I mean that it doesn’t have a hook or chorus, it still has some sick flow and clever lines. It also has a sick beat and it always drops at a perfect time in relation with the lyrics, which I think is very important. I also think that that is an important trait in an artist. If you aren’t able deliver clever and flowy lyrics during a part with no background music or when the beat drops, then it takes away from the overall ill rating of the song. It’s almost like a turnoff… This is one of the reasons why I like Logic so much. Anyway, for the best lyrics of this song I choose the opening part of the song. It’s just so sick, starting off with some background rapping and then Logic coming in saying “Back again like I never left, Young Sinatra that’s till the death. We turnt up till we go deaf, rep Rattpack till my last breath.” perfectly timed to when the beat drops. The beginning gives me chills and gets me pumped up every time. The explicitness in this song is pretty mellow, it has a couple swear words, some small, indirect drug and sexual reference, but nothing too bad at all. Sadly, there’s no music video for this song, but the audio video has a cool background image, as do many other of his songs without a music video have. 

I got this sick image of Logic and Dizzy Wright performing together from a wesbsite called str8outdaden

Some More About The Artists

Since I have done plenty of songs by Logic, my favorite rapper, already, I am going to focus more on Dizzy Wright. However, if you want to learn more about Logic and the Rattpack, check out my second blog post World Wide, or go to this link, where you can learn all about his new album and its creation. La’Reonte Wright, better known as Dizzy Wright, is a twenty four year old rapper from Flint, Michigan. Wright has spent most of his life rapping, considering that he started when he was eight. Throughout high school we would open concerts and finally signed with a rapper named Hopsin on Hopsin's independent record label Funk Volume. He later went on to release his debut album SmokeOut Conversations, followed by The First Agreement. After that, The Golden Age a mix tape, and State of Mind, an EP that reached number fifty-four on the Billboard 200. Dizzy Wright has never been one of my favorite rappers, due to his dark influences from Hopsin, though recently I have been listening to more of his music and it is definitely growing on me. For my blog, as always, thanks for reading and let me know about any suggestions or anything like that. Also, let me know what you think of the new colors and layout I have been playing around with. 

-Eli Levine

I got this image by taking a screenshot from the music video of The Flavor by Dizzy Wright.

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