#’ Coolio’s Biggest Hit

[cyarskj1899]

MUSIC

Some of the Best Samples Used in Hip-Hop and R&B Songs (Updated)

These songs were sampled by some of the best R&B and hip-hop songs of all time.

By

Noah A. McGee

PublishedJanuary 17, 2023

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Throughout music history, some of the dopest songs are created by sampling the sound of another masterful tune. Most likely, some of your favorite tracks of all time are sampled to create a memorable song.

In some cases, the samples are hard to miss, in other cases, they are hard to catch. Here are some of the best samples used on some of our favorite R&B and hip-hop classics. 

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2 / 22

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Diana Ross - “I’m Coming Out”

https://www.theroot.com/embed/inset/iframe?id=youtube-video-F-mjl63e0ms&start=0Diana Ross - I’m Coming Out

“I’m Coming Out,” the hit single from Diana Ross’ self-titled tenth album, Diana, was sampled on one of the biggest hip-hop tracks of the 1990s. Hint: In the opening seconds of the track, Diana sings the hook! Ok, you should instantly recognize it was sampled on Notorious B.I.G.’s 1997 track, “Mo Money Mo Problems.”

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3 / 22

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Ronnie Foster - “Mystic Brew

https://www.theroot.com/embed/inset/iframe?id=youtube-video-x1UFqTfAAWU&start=0Mystic Brew

This track from longtime funk and soul organist Ronnie Foster is one of my favorites of all time. This chill performance created the layout for one of the dopest beats of all time. It was sampled on A Tribe Called Quest’s 1993 track, “Electric Relaxation,” which has in turn inspired a plethora of other rappers.

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4 / 22

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Ahmad Jamal - “I Love Music”

Ahmad Jamal - I Love Music

It might be hard to tell who sampled this beautiful track from American pianist Ahmad Jamal, but if you listen closely at the five-minute mark of the track, you can hear the sample that was used on Nas’ inspirational 1994 track, “The World is Yours.”

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5 / 22

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Grant Green - “Maybe Tomorrow”

Maybe Tomorrow

This track just pulls the ear of any rapper who wants to get some emotion off of their chest. It was beautifully sampled on Kendrick Lamar’s 12-minute track, “Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst,” but it’s also been used by talented MCs such as J. Cole and Common.

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6 / 22

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Chic - “Good Times” 

Good Times

This track was sampled by one of the oldest and most recognizable hip-hop tracks of all time. Hell, it’s damn near 20 years older than me and even I know the track. If you go to the 3:12 minute mark of this song, you can hear the sample that was used throughout “Rapper’s Delight” by Sugarhill Gang. 

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7 / 22

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Stevie Wonder - “Pastime Paradise”

Stevie Wonder-Pastime Paradise

Stevie Wonder’s “Pastime Paradise” is from one of the greatest albums of all time and sampled by one of the most important hip-hop records ever, Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise.” While its claim to fame may be because of Coolio, the song has been sampled by other talented artists including Erykah Badu, Mary J. Blige and Three 6 Mafia. 

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8 / 22

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Isley Brothers - “Footsteps in the Dark”

Footsteps in the Dark, Pts. 1 & 2

Sometimes you hear songs and you instantly the song that sampled it. That’s the case with the Isley Brother’s classic 1977 song, “Footsteps in the Dark. Six seconds into the songs you instantly know Ice Cube sampled this song on his 1992 hit, “It Was a Good Day.” I can’t listen to one song without thinking about the other. “Footsteps in the Dark” was also sampled by Thundercat on “Them Changes,” a popular song used often used on social media.

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9 / 22

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EPMD - “You’re A Customer”

EPMD - You´re A Customer

Those drums played throughout the track are timeless and have been sampled by many artists across genres for years. Most notably, it was sampled on the 2004 track by Mario Winans, “I Don’t Wanna Know.” Many people give Winans’ the credit for its sample on the standout track, “Creepin,’” by Metro Boomin and The Weekend, but those drums came from EPMD. 

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10 / 22

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The Charmels - “As Long As I’ve Got You” 

THE CHARMELS - AS LONG AS I’VE GOT YOU

The Charmels might not have been the most popular music ensemble of the 1960s, but this sample is beloved in hip-hop circles. As soon as the piano plays on this track, you should instantly recognize that Wu-Tang Clan sampled this song on its breakout hit, “C.R.E.A.M.”

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11 / 22

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Marvin Gaye - “Got to Give It Up” 

Got To Give It Up

Marvin Gaye is arguably the greatest singer of all time, which also makes him one of the most sampled. Gaye has a plethora of songs to choose from, but one of my favorites is “Got to Give It Up,” which was sampled by The Jacksons on the 1978 song, “Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground).” Two 

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12 / 22

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Public Enemy - “Bring The Noise”

Bring The Noise - Public Enemy ( Original Video )

It’s rare that a hip-hop song is one of the most sampled songs of all time, but “Bring the Noise” by Public Enemy is the seventh most sampled song ever, according to whosampled.com. To no surprise, it’s been sampled by a multitude of rappers including Kanye West, Ludacris, Rakimand De La Soul. But it’s also been sampled by Prince of all people. 

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13 / 22

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Isaac Hayes - “Walk On By 

Walk On By (Remastered)

Along with producing some of the tracks on this list, Isaac Hayes has also been sampled more than a number of times. “Walk On By” is among his most popular and has been sampled by artists Michael Jackson to Beyoncé.

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14 / 22

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The O’Jays - “Cry Together”

Cry Together

If you just listen to this song, there’s really no need to listen to the tracks that have sampled it. New music fans may recognize this track thanks to Drake’s standout rapping on “Middle of the Ocean.” But it’s also been sampled by 2pac, The Diplomats, Ja Rule, Wu-Tang Clan, and Johny Gill. 

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15 / 22

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Chi-Lites - Are You My Woman (Tell Me So)

The Chi-Lites - Are You My Woman (Tell Me So)

Anyone who was born in the last 20 years should instantly recognize the artist and song that sampled this 1970 track as soon as it starts. If you don’t, I really have questions about what you’ve been listening to for the past two decades. 

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16 / 22

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Bootsy’s Rubber Band - “I’d Rather Be With You” 

Bootsy’s Rubber Band - I’d Rather Be With You

This song by the 70s funk and soul is responsible for the sample of a modern classic. You can thank Bootsy Collins and the Parliament-Funkadelic for assisting in creating “Redbone,” by Childish Gambino. 

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17 / 22

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The Winstons - “Amen Brother”

The Winstons - Amen Brother

Believe it or not, “Amen Brother” by The Winstons is the most sampled song of ALL TIME. According to whosampled, it’s been sampled more than 6,000 times, almost two times more than the second most sampled track. It’s been sampled by artists such as N.W.A., Tyler, the Creator, Jay-Z, Denzel Curry, and Big K.R.I.T.

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18 / 22

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Lyn Collins - Think (About It) 

Lyn Collins - Think (About It)

Behind “Amen Brother,” “Think (About It)“ is the second most sampled track of all time. Most recently, it was sampled on a standout track from Beyoncé’s 2022 album, Renaissance. 

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19 / 22

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The Sylvers - “Cry of a Dreamer” 

The Sylvers- Cry of a Dreamer

This song is by no means one of the most popular samples of all time, but it’s definitely one of my favorites, thanks to the brilliance of a great producer, Madlib. He amazingly sampled this song twice on his collab album with Freddie Gibbs, Bandana on two separate tracks. Once on “Palmolive” featuring Pusha T and Killer Mike, and another on “Fake Names.”

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20 / 22

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Roy Ayers - “Everybody Loves the Sunshine”

Everybody Loves The Sunshine

For some reason, this song is beloved by rap’s sharpest and best lyricists including Common, Joey Bada$$, and Mos Def. But, this song has also been sampled by the timeless singer that is Mary J. Blige on “My Life.”

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21 / 22

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Kool & the Gang - “Summer Madness”

Summer Madness

Similar to many other songs on this list, this track is amazing even if it was never sampled. Thankfully, artists were smart enough to use it. It’s most famous use is on the classic 1991 track, “Summertime” by DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince. It’s also been sampled by Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, Jhené Aiko, Aaliyah and Erykah Badu. 

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22 / 22

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Sent from my iPhone

[barclaysangel]

AU change, the Forgetting Everything AU.

This is how Jevon meets again:

.

Jake: *trying to get his phone to turn on* Goddammit.

Devon: *walks up to him* Excuse me?

Jake: Hm?

They stare at each other, well, more like Jake is just staring at him.

Devon: Excuse me.

Jake: Hm?

Devon: You’re in front of the vending machine.

Jake: O-Oh. Am I? *turns around and sees that he is, indeed, standing in front of the vending machine* Oh, I’m so sorry. *moves around*

Devon: *chuckles* It’s okay.

Jake: Yeah. *staring at him again because he seems familiar*

Devon: I can feel you staring.

Jake: Shit - *looks at the floor* I am so sorry.

Devon: It’s okay. *sees that he got two sodas instead of one* Hm? *shows Jake* What’re the odds, huh?

Jake: Eh, maybe a 40/60 chance?

Devon: Nope. It’s a 33.333% chance. *awkward laugh* Sorry, I just really like math.

Jake: I-I like math too.

Devon: Really? Hm. Well, it was nice talking to you, stranger. *walks away*

Jake: Wait!

Devon: *turns around* Hm?

Jake: Have we met before?

Devon: *confused* I don’t think so, no.

Jake: Are you sure? Because you seem really familiar but I can’t place it.

Devon: Uhm-

Jake: I’m sorry, it’s just - you probably look like someone I-

Devon: Are you hitting on me?

Jake: …Sorry?

Devon: I’m sorry, usually my friend Lexy is better at this - sometimes people hit on me and I don’t know it. That was rude of me.

Jake: …Would it be bad if I was hitting on you?

Devon: *confused*

Jake: ..That was creepy. I-I’m really sorry, I’m just gonna go now. *about to walk away*

Devon: Hm. When do you think it could’ve been?

Jake: Huh?

Devon: Last year? Christmas? During summer? Or, we’re probably internet friends. I’m willing to bet on that.

Jake: You think so?

Devon: Why else would you see so familiar yet we’ve never met?

Jake: Huh. Nice to meet you in person, I guess. *smiles and puts his hand out* Jake. Jake Wheeler.

Devon: *smiles and shakes his hand* Devon Evans, former podcaster.

Jake: Wait - Devon Evans, host of Hackenslash?

Devon: Yes sir.

Jake: Dude, I used to love your podcast! The way you used to go in depth, and you’re so well-spoken it was just - You’re really cool, is what I’m trying to say.

Devon: Hm. *hands him one of his soda cans* Here. For a fan and a internet friend.

Jake: Uhm, thanks. Really, I hate tab water and the hospital is full of it.

Devon: Same. Tab water is disgusting.

Jake: I know, right! ..Uhm, the weather is pretty nice. Wanna go for a walk?

Devon: I wish, but my doctors are being assholes right now. I’m lucky I got get a soda…and meet you again.

Jake: Coolio.

Devon: Coolio.

Nurse: Mr. Evans! It’s time to take your meds!

Devon: Yeesh. Looks like I gotta go. See you around, internet friend. *walks away*

Jake: See ya. *waves with the biggest grin of all time*

This is so cute of a re-first meeting omg!

[ausetkmt]

Published Sept. 29, 2022Updated Sept. 30, 2022

It started in 1995 in a home in Los Angeles’ Hollywood Hills, where two roommates — a music producer and a D.J. — used to compete over who could find the best sample from their record collections.

One day, Paul Stewart, the D.J., conceded that his roommate, the producer Doug Rasheed, had bested him when Rasheed put on a vinyl copy of Stevie Wonder’s 1976 album “Songs in the Key of Life.”

The track that Rasheed played, “Pastime Paradise,” opened with a mournful synth loop that replicated the sound of a string section. The song that it inspired, “Gangsta’s Paradise,” would change both of their lives and catapult an up-and-coming West Coast rapper named Coolio to global stardom.

Coolio, born Artis Leon Ivey Jr., died on Wednesday in Los Angeles at age 59; the cause has not been disclosed. The rapper had a handful of hits before and after “Gangsta’s Paradise,” but nothing in his career would top the popularity and cultural influence of that track, which was featured in the 1995 movie “Dangerous Minds” and went on both to win a Grammy and inspire a Weird Al Yankovic parody.

In recent years, Coolio had commented on the legacy of the song and its long shadow over the rest of his career, calling it, in one interview, both a blessing and curse (“More of a blessing than a curse,” he noted).

“That record: It took him over the top,” Rasheed, the song’s composer and producer, said in an interview on Thursday. “It made him a household name worldwide.”

Coolio’s opening words, which are based on Psalm 23, became one of the most widely remembered verses in ’90s rap: “As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I take a look at my life and realize there’s nothin’ left.”

The singer L.V. (born Larry Sanders), who features on the song, had already started collaborating with Rasheed on the track, he said in an interview, when Coolio wrote those lyrics. Listening to the Wonder song in that Hollywood Hills home, it had been L.V.’s idea to turn “Pastime Paradise” into “Gangsta’s Paradise.”

L.V. recorded multiple vocal tracks that Rasheed combined to sound like a large choir singing a haunting refrain, as well as the chorus: “Been spending most their lives living in a gangsta’s paradise.”

Sign up for the Louder Newsletter  Stay on top of the latest in pop and jazz with reviews, interviews, podcasts and more from The New York Times music critics.

The tale of how Coolio first heard the track differs depending on who is telling it. In L.V.’s version, L.V. brought the song, with his recorded vocals, to Coolio on a cassette tape, hoping to persuade him to collaborate on it after another rapper had turned him down. In Coolio’s account, according to a Rolling Stone oral history of the song from 2015, the rapper was visiting the Hollywood Hills home to pick up a check from Stewart, who was his manager, when he heard the track.

“I walked into the studio, and asked Doug, ‘Wow, whose track is that?’” Coolio told Rolling Stone. “Doug said, ‘Oh, it’s something I’m working on.’ I said, ‘Well, it’s mine!’”

Coolio recalled writing his verses in one session, rapping about chasing his dreams and the uncertainty of whether he would live to 24 years old. (He was in his early 30s at the time, but 24 rhymed better, he said in a 2015 radio interview.)

The reinterpreted song still needed to get a green light from Wonder’s camp. But, Rasheed recalled, Wonder was turned off by the profanity and violence expressed in the lyrics. The producer asked Coolio for a rewrite, and the rapper agreed. The other catch: Wonder’s music publishing company would receive three-quarters of the publishing proceeds.

“The terms were a little harsh, but without them approving it there’s no hit,” Stewart, who managed both Coolio and L.V. at the time, said in an interview on Thursday.

Stewart shopped the song around and found a very interested party in MCA Records, which was producing the soundtrack for “Dangerous Minds,” starring Michelle Pfeiffer as a former Marine who becomes a teacher at an underfunded Bay Area high school. (The movie received mixed reviews, with The Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan calling it “stereotypical, predictable and simplified to the point of meaninglessness.”)

The music video, directed by Antoine Fuqua and featuring a severe-looking Pfeiffer staring down Coolio, initially received a pass from MTV, Stewart recalled, until MCA arranged to advertise the video on the channel, generating interest from viewers.

MTV picked it up, and “it was the most phenomenal takeoff of a record that I’ve ever seen,” Stewart said. “Gangsta’s Paradise” spent three weeks atop Billboard’s Hot 100 and was named the chart’s No. 1 song at the end of the year. It won the Grammy for best rap solo performance in 1996.

Then came Weird Al.

The musical parody artist and his team approached Coolio to get his blessing to make their own version of the song — “Amish Paradise” ��� Rasheed said, but the rapper refused. Knowing that legally speaking, Weird Al didn’t need their green light, Rasheed gave them his approval, despite Coolio’s skepticism.

“I think he just didn’t want to be made light of,” Rasheed said. To Coolio, his collaborators explained, “Gangsta’s Paradise” spoke to the real hardships and fears around street life in a way that seemed to resonate with people from different walks of life.

“A lot of people say it saved them from whatever demons they were dealing with, that they listened to the song and it helped them carry on,” Coolio said in the Rolling Stone oral history.

The “Amish Paradise” music video from 1996 opened with Yankovic in a broad-brimmed hat and a thick beard rapping, “As I walk through the valley where I harvest my grain.” In place of Coolio’s references to being “raised by the state” and finding protection in “the hood team,” Yankovic rapped about “milkin’ cows” and partying “like it’s 1699.”

Rasheed said that over time, he saw Coolio soften to the parody, viewing it as more homage than mockery. And in later interviews, the rapper said that he had changed his perspective on Yankovic’s song.

“I let that go so long ago,” Coolio told Vice in 2014. “Let me say this: I apologized to Weird Al a long time ago and I was wrong.” He added, “I listened to it a couple years after that and it’s actually funny,” adding an expletive.

In an interview with Newsweek a few months later, Yankovic said he was relieved. “I’m not the kind of guy that has beef with people, because I go out of my way to make sure that people are fine with what I do,” he said. “That was the one little moment in my whole history where there was a problem,” he noted, saying it was “very sweet” of Coolio to have told Vice he had made amends.

While “Amish Paradise” gave Coolio’s song a boost, the track was a smash on its own. L.V. remembered Coolio and his crew touring the world — Japan, France, Australia — and feeling like they were drawing “Michael Jackson-level” crowds that recited the lyrics along with them. Earlier this year, Coolio celebrated the song reaching a billion streams on YouTube.

“He put some magic on that track,” Rasheed said. “His voice, his delivery his cadence — it was something really special.”

[krispyweiss]

Coolio Dead at 59

Coolio is dead at 59.

The rapper and actor died Sept. 28 of undisclosed causes, several media outlets report, citing a statement from Coolio’s management.

“We are saddened by the loss of our dear friend and client Coolio who passed away this afternoon,” it read. “He touched the world with the gift of his talent and will be missed profoundly.”

“This is sad news,” Ice Cube tweeted. “I witness(ed) first hand this man’s grind to the top of the industry.”

Best known for 1995’s “Gangsta’s Paradise,” Coolio made eight LPs and scored other hits including “Fantastic Voyage” and “1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New).”

“RIP, Coolio,” tweeted “Weird” Al Yankovic, who spoofed Coolio’s biggest number as “Amish Paradise.”

Questlove tweeted “peaceful journey, brother,” while LL Cool J offered “love and respect.”

As an actor, Coolio appeared on television and in films. Lou Diamond Phillips remembered his friend and “Red Water” co-star as “one of the warmest, funniest people I’ve ever met.”

“(Coolio) was one of a kind,” Phillips said in a tweet. “Epic, legendary and I’ll miss him.”

9/29/22

[randomvarious]

Today’s mix:

MTV Party to Go, Volume 8 by Chris Walsh 1995 Hip Hop / G-Funk / R&B

Before Tommy Boy Records went on to define a piece of the 90s by way of a partnership with ESPN to deliver us the stadium dance anthems of Jock Jams, they initially launched into a partnership with MTV in the early 90s to give us a different series called Party to Go. The conceit of it was that each CD or cassette had a ready-made mix that you could just pop in to your player to instantly get a party going. And this is its eighth installment, a DJ mix by an in-house guy at Tommy Boy named Chris Walsh who's also responsible for other mixes in the series.

I reviewed Volume 1 of this series a few months ago and that mix happened to represent what was then a totally confused hodgepodge of what a lot of mainstream American dance music was like back in 1991: hip-house, new jack swing, synthpop, party rap, dance-pop, and some R&B. This volume, though, from late 1995, appears to cast its scope much more narrowly. Besides its incredibly inexplicable inclusion of one of Sheryl Crow's weakest ever singles in the middle (I mean, seriously, what in the fuck?!) and an even more Italian remix of the classic Italo-dance banger, "Rhythm of the Night" by Corona, this album is more or less just a mid-90s top-40 hip hop-oriented mix.

But even though I said that the scope that was cast for this was narrow, it was also, in a way, kind of broad as well, because there's actually hip hop tunes here for different kinds of party atmospheres. Like, I'd say the universal party rap tunes on this mix are undoubtedly Skee-Lo's "I Wish" and Naughty by Nature's "Feel Me Flow." Things like sunshine, cookouts, and swimming pools just immediately come to mind when either of those two songs come on. But then there's songs on here that go with a much chiller type of vibe. Like, you could easily slow-grind on someone with The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Big Poppa," the Puff Daddy mix of Method Man and Mary J. Blige's "I'll Be There for You / You're All I Need to Get By," and the Sting International remix of Shaggy's "Boombastic." Bone Thugs' "1st of tha Month" fits this theme too, even though it's not lyrically sexy or romantic like those other three.

And then there's Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise," the biggest song in the world in 1995 that won so many accolades and also plaudits from critics across the board despite the, uh, lackluster quality of its rapping. It's still a great song that I also happen to love too, but it was funny to see Weird Al take it down a few pegs with "Amish Paradise" and then see Coolio get all huffy about it like some kind of proto-Kanye by saying his beautiful masterpiece had been 'desecrated.' It's a great, classic song, dude, but come on now. For what it's worth, though, Coolio eventually saw the light and cooled off, and his relationship with Weird Al appears to have been cordial for years now.

Anyway, that's more of a party song simply because everyone in the world knows it. It's a big production, but it doesn't really have much of a party vibe to it. It was intended to be a serious song, despite how corny it sounds today. Fool.

Two more things before I sign off here. There's an awesome R&B song on this mix by a female group called Brownstone that appears to have been relatively lost in the sands of time. It went to #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was even nominated for a Grammy, but I feel like "If You Love Me" is a pretty big forgotten hit. Other thing is that the back cover of this release comes with a note that says, in kind of big lettering, "*includes exclusive mixes not available on any album." And that actually turns out to be a bit of a reach. What it really sounds like is that Chris Walsh couldn't figure out a way to mix this crop of songs together all that well, so he or someone else just simply constructed little passages of their own to make the transitions as seamless as possible. And those passages are sort of just, like, these little, feeble bridges that were hastily made in order to link each track together. And I definitely wouldn't then advertise this mix as having "exclusive mixes" because of those small, unique sections; I mean, that actually feels like a pretty big sleight of hand to me. But the change from that Brownstone song to the Method Man and Mary J. Blige one is actually *really* smooth.

Anyway, despite its faults, this is still a fun trip down memory lane. Can't really complain about a CD that has Biggie, Naughty by Nature, Skee-Lo, Method Man, Mary J., Coolio, Shaggy, and Bone Thugs on it. It's just not really the type of tunes I think of when I hear the words "party to go." However, if my music diet was restricted to just MTV videos that had been in rotation by 1995, then this might actually be what I'd expect the party to sound like too, since you couldn't really find much in the way of actual dance music on MTV back then, or really ever 🤷‍♂️.

This is a pretty good CD to reach for if you just wanna party with some mid-90s hip hop classics though. I mean, it's a bad DJ mix for sure, but the songs are good, and plenty of people love to get down to 90s hip hop tunes. So, this should do the trick, as long as you immediately hit next when that Sheryl Crow song comes on! 😅

Listen to the full mix here.

Highlights:

The Notorious B.I.G. - "Big Poppa" Naughty by Nature - "Feel Me Flow" Brownstone - "If You Love Me" Method Man and Mary J. Blige - "I'll Be There for You / You're All I Need to Get By (Puff Daddy mix)" Skee-Lo - "I Wish" Corona - "Rhythm of the Night (R.B.X. Euro mix)" Bone Thugs-N-Harmony - "1st of tha Month" Coolio feat. L.V. - "Gangsta's Paradise" Shaggy - "Boombastic (Sting remix)"

[perfectlytremendousdaze]

Song of the Day - Fantastic Voyage - Coolio

Song of the Day – Fantastic Voyage – Coolio

This post has been a few days coming, as rap star Coolio, who had a few monster hits back in the 90’s, passed away unepectedly on Wednesday at the age of 59. Though his biggest hit was the dark, infectious Gangsta’s Pardise, I always liked the more up tempo stuff. So I’m posting his first big single, a new take on an even older record by the R&B group Lakeside. Here’s Fantastic Voyage, which I…

[lovenhlboys]

From a Distance (E.Pettersson X Reader)

Chapter 1

Masterlist

Tag list form

A/n: hello peoples!! I’m so excited to FINALLY post the first chapter of this fic!!! I’ve been working on it for a long time, and after a few unpleasant delays, it’s finally happening 😁. While this isn’t my first fic, this is my first NHL fic, and the first fic I’m posting on Tumblr, so I’m a little nervous. This first chapter is mostly the set up to the main story, this is reader’s side of things with a flashback story. Chapter two will be mostly from Elias’s point of view. The rest of the chapters will switch back and fourth between the two.

CREDIT: Finally, before we get started I have to shout out my proofreaders. Y’all put up with me and my insanity: @siriushxney @iateyourdonuts @petey-patty @hufflepuff-girlx @cherrylita @immmbabyyygraceee @💕💕And specifically @imagines-r-s ASH!!! Babes, you have been the best and most supportive friend I could’ve asked for during this. You boosted my confidence about this fic and I have no idea what I’d do without you 😁😁

Without further ado, let’s get started shall we!! (Sorry for the long A/N, it’ll only be for this first chapter)

Paring: Elias Pettersson X Fem!Reader

Warnings: lots of cursing, friends with benefits but like...just cuddling???, references to iCarly, mentions of One Tree Hill.

Genere: enemies-ish —>friends —> lovers

Legend: (i suggest having these ready before you read)

Y/C/N/N= your cute nick name, only Markstrom calls you it (you’ll see why) this can be either a pet name you like, or a nick name you already have.

Y/N/N= your nick name, Brock, Quinn, and a few others call you this, it’s more of a playful name. Again, this can be a nickname you already have (if you don’t have one I suggest something stupid (sounds like something Stech or Brock would come up with)

Y/N= this is your first name, only Elias calls you this unless it’s a serious situation, or you’re in trouble, or Brock is being an ass. (If it wasn’t clear before...your last name is Boeser)

Word Count: 2.2k

Summary: you have a hardcore crush on your brothers best friend, who also happens to barely speak to you...it’s a slight predicament.

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(This is set in the 2021 season, however, because of my denial, Marky and Stech are still in Vancouver and were never traded... also no Covid. however the season was still delayed just to make it easier to follow.)

Present (Feb. 2021)

You’ve always been best friends with your older brother, you never had any real issues when you were younger and you were inseparable. So much so in fact, that once you graduated early a little less than two years ago (June 2019), he asked you to move to Vancouver and live with him. He was always so protective of you and you appreciated everything he has done in your life. One of the best parts about Brock being your older brother was the people he introduced to you. You aren’t very social and god knows how much of a people person your brother is. Once you had moved in, Brock quickly introduced you to the team. And with your double major in Statistics: Data Sciences and Sports Management, you were able to secure a job with the team. Quickly, you found yourself with a second family, one with many members.

Quinn Hughes is your best friend. when you met him about a year and a half ago, you hit it off immediately. With both of you being the same age and not very social, there was an obvious connection there. When Brock and The boys  go out, it is you and Quinn who stay in and watch shows on the couch (your favorite being New Girl). Huggy Bear is so sweet and you tell him EVERYTHING, even things you’d never tell your brother. You are still thanking the draft lottery every day that the Canucks received the 7th overall pick that gave you your bestie.

Thatcher Demko AKA Dems AKA Thatch AKA baby goalie is the sweetest and most hilarious guy you know. He is always looking after you just like Brock, but he is also one of the most annoying guys you know. When you’d first met you had the biggest crush on him. You told Quinn as much and he gave you so much shit for it. That crush was short-lived though, once you found out how obnoxious he could be. You still love him, just as a friend. Though Quinn never forgets to remind you of the crush that once was.

Bo Horvat is like another big brother to you. Sure you have Brock, but he’s your best friend. Bo, however, is the person you go to when you needed advice. Holly is one of the only WAGs you’ve become close with. She and you consistently have wine and gossip nights, of which Quinn is sometimes in attendance. Plus, you and Quinn are an amazing babysitting team for Gunnar if you have anything to say about it. 

Troy Stecher is the annoying older brother you never had. He always makes fun of you, calls you names, and bullies you in the loving way brothers do. And he never hesitates to come to you if he ever needs girl advice, which seems to happen a lot.

JT was just like Bo, except he is waaay more protective of you, maybe even a bit more than brock. He doesn’t have a sister and when you met, he made it his job to never see you get hurt. Seriously, one day a guy was bugging you at the bar, and both Brock and Bo were struggling to hold him back when he saw him slap you on the ass as you walked away. 

Jacob Markstrom, AKA Marky, AKA Giraffe (pronounced like it is in one of your favorite vines), AKA your cuddle buddy for the past few seasons. Both being single, you felt lonely sometimes and Quinn wasn’t much of a hugger (despite what the nickname might have you believe). Thatcher had offered but Marky, though just as social, is much more laid back. It also helps that he is 6’6 putting him over a foot taller than you. So during movie nights, or late nights at the bar, he is the side you lean on. Of course, you made it abundantly clear to most of the boys and yourselves that you were just friends. As sweet as he was and as great of a boyfriend as he would’ve been, he wasn’t quite your type and your personalities clashed.

Then there was Elias Pettersson, the tall, skinny, Swedish guy you knew as Petey. The guy who looked at you often and barely spoke a word directed towards you. He was Brock's best friend and he came over all the time, you didn’t have an issue with him, and you couldn’t deny he was funny, and from what you’ve heard he is a very kind person. So naturally, he was exactly your type. You’ve had a massive crush on him for a while now, somehow despite the lack of conversation. And the few times he has talked to you, he’s seemed so perfect, but there are only a few times you can remember. 

Right now, as you're on your way to the Canuck’s break room your brother texted you to meet him in, you try to recall those few times, specifically the one where your crush on him truly developed.

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FLASHBACK (some time in January, 2020)

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You, Quinn, and Jacob were laying on the L-shaped couch in ‘The Boeser apartment’, you were cuddled under the blanket with Jacob, laying on the section perpendicular to the TV, your heads at the corner. Quinn was on the other side of the couch, his head right next to yours. it was about 7 o’clock and the episode of One Tree Hill you were watching had just ended and you three had not eaten dinner yet. As the countdown for the next episode started, your stomach growled and you got a look from Quinn and a giggle from Jacob. 

“You hungry Y/C/N/N?” Jacob asked.

You looked up at him and giggled, “maybe just a little bit.”

“Y/N/N, you know what sounds amazing?” Quinn asked, you could hear the smirk in his voice.

You turned to each other and you both smirked knowing you were thinking the same thing.

“Spaghetti tacos!!” You both said. 

Ever since you were about 10 and you watched iCarly on TV, you had always wanted to try them. It had become an inside joke between you and Quinn for quite some time as he had the same desire as you to see how good they actually were.

“We should totally try them tonight!!” Quinn was quite excited.

“I’m so confused right now,” Jacob chimed in.

“They’re from a show! They take spaghetti and put it in taco shells,” you explained.

“Ahh, hence the name.” he nodded.

“Exactly,” Quinn said.

You jumped up from the couch excitedly and ran straight to your kitchen.

“Ok, we have spaghetti, spaghetti sauce, ground beef, taco shells, aaaand..... by chance do either of you know how to make good meatballs?”

“You’re asking the Swedish guy if he knows how to make meatballs?” Jacob replied.

“Not Swedish meatballs, Italian, stupid Giraffe,” you retorted. 

“Gross,” he said with a disgusted look.

“Ooo my mom made the best Italian meatballs, let me call her to see if she can send me the recipe!” Quinn said with a big smile.

Quinn exited the kitchen and ran to your room to call his mom. 

“You know, I’ve never seen him so excited about anything,” Marky said with a laugh. 

“Quinn loves his food,” you replied.

“Are Brock and Thatch having dinner with us ?”

“I’ll ask.”

You started boiling the water for the pasta, and you cooked part of the ground beef for the meat sauce. Then you texted Brock:

Y/N/N: hey, you want me to make you dinner

Brock: Yeah, who all is there?

Y/N/N: the usual

Brock: Huggy and Marky?

Y/N/N: yep, so do you want some?

Brock: Yeah, and make enough for another person too

Y/N/N: ok

You figured it was Dems since that’s who he went to hang out with when he left 5 hours ago. 

You continued to cook when Quinn came in and grabbed a bunch of stuff from the pantry and cabinets. “Did your mom tell you how to make them?” you questioned your frantic best friend.

“Yes she did and she sent me the recipe too.”

“Coolio,” you reply.

------------------------

You were almost done cooking, the pasta was done, Quinn had put his meatballs in the oven and there were only 5 minutes left on the timer. And the sauce had about 2 minutes to simmer.

“Oh my gosh, I forgot what to do when they're almost done, she does this thing, I have to call her,” Quinn said with a panicked look on his face. He ran back to your room.

The front door to your apartment opened quickly, both boys laughing, “ahh, shit,  my brother’s calling me,” Brock said as he ran back to his room.

“Why does everyone feel the need to exit the room for phone calls?” you asked Jacob.

He shrugged with a giggle, “I don't know, maybe they don’t trust us,” he said in a sarcastically dramatic tone grasping his chest.

The door closed slowly and you glanced at the doorway where you thought you’d see the ever adorable goalie, Thatcher Demko, instead, you saw the adorable, slender, tall blonde you’d seen all the time, but never had a one on one interaction with... except the first time you met, when he told you that you looked pretty.

“Hi, Petey!” Jacob said as he slipped behind you to watch you mix the sauce, he stood over you looking at the sauce and put his hand on your waist.

“Hi,” he replied, his smile from before had faded.

“Looks so good Y/C/N/N,” Jacob said with a kiss on your cheek, a regular action. 

“Thanks, Giraffe, can you grab the taco shells?”

He grabbed them easily from the top shelf (tall ass bitch -_-), and moved behind you, placing his hands on your waist yet again, to move you to the side. “I've gotta run to the bathroom, but I’ll be right back”

“Ok, you have fun with that,” you said with a wink.

Suddenly, was only you and Elias in the room, and the silence was deafening.

“So what are we eating?” he said, pulling your attention to his bright blue eyes.

“Um, spaghetti tacos, they're from a tv sho-”

“Like from iCarly?” he interrupted.

“...Uh yeah? How'd you know?” you couldnt pull your attention away from his eyes, ‘they are just so beautiful,’ you thought somehow you hadnt noticed this within the on and a half years you’d known him.

“We also get Nickelodeon, you know,” he said while throwing you a smirk that made your stomach flip. 

“Oh, I didn't know that,” you replied, feeling just a little embarrassed. 

“iCarly was my favorite, actually.” 

“Yeah, it was mine too,” you said, smiling back, looking at the way he just lit up your kitchen with his presence.

You both stood there for a second just looking at the other, “So how long have-,” he started.

“OKAY,” Quinn unknowingly interrupted, “so she told me what to do, turns out I have to put sauce over them for the last 2 minutes, so Y/N/N can you just put a tablespoon of sauce on each ball then put them back in for two minutes?” 

“Yeah of course. Elias, you were saying?” you looked back at the Swede.

“Oh it's nothing,” he looked down at his shoes. 

“Ok, Y/N/N you need to call mom and tell her we’re fine and that she doesn't need to worry about us please, Paul says she’s stressing,” Brock said as he entered the room.

“When is she not stressing about us? I’ll call her after dinner, how's dad?”

“Doin’ good, nothing has changed or progressed or whatever since we were home last,” Brock moved and sat on the couch letting out a big sigh.

“That’s good,” you let out a sigh.

“Petey, come here, we’re watching Gossip Girl” Brock shouted at the Swede.

“Ooo what episode are you guys on?” you asked. Brock had mentioned how he was making him watch the show you two had watched about 5 times together. 

“Just after Chuck gets Dan kidnapped at Yale.” 

“Oh so you still hate Chuck?” you asked Elias.

“Ew, yeah...wait is that gonna change?” Petey said with a scoff.

“Uh....,” you stalled.

“Y/N shut up, don't spoil it,” Brock interrupted before you could make it worse.

“Ok well, dinner is ready so just start the show after and we can all watch it together.”

--------------------------

“Oh my god, these are actually amazing,” Quinn said with his mouth full.

“I know, I did not think this was gonna taste good,” Jacob added.

“Hey!” you said, offended.

“Y/C/N/N, you know I love your cooking, it was the idea of the meal that I doubted,” Jacob said leaning into your side and putting his arm around your shoulder.

“Mmmhmm, suuure,” you said, rolling your eyes.

“Hallå Marky, ni två är söta (hey Marky, you two are cute),” Petey said, confusing you, Quinn and Brock with the sudden change in language.

Jacob, being oblivious to what Petey was implying, just said, “tack broder (thanks, bro).”

Little did you know what was going on in Elias’s head.

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PRESENT

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Before that night, you never really thought of Elias in a romantic way. You'd been around him quite a lot, seeing as how, seemingly, is in your apartment more than his own. Sure, you knew he was cute and very sweet from what you'd seen, but up until that point, you'd never had a one-on-one interaction with him. That interaction, however small, was the beginning of an obsessive crush. Quinn was the first to point it out, you started listening closely any time he talked, attempting to converse with him, and thinking about him on a daily basis even when you didn't see him. And due to your stubbornness, no matter how unrequited your crush seemed, it never faltered. You had always thought he hated you, or maybe he just tolerated you because you were Brock’s sister, and you were always around. 

However, that couldn't be farther from the truth.

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Tag list: @calgarycanuck @suffering-canucks-fan

[dnaamericaapp]

Rest In Peace Artis Leon Ivey Jr. AKA Coolio

Coolio, the rapper who was among hip-hop’s biggest names of the 1990s with hits including “Gangsta’s Paradise” and “Fantastic Voyage,” passed away Wednesday at age 59.

Coolio won a Grammy for best solo rap performance for “Gangsta’s Paradise,” the 1995 hit from the soundtrack of the Michelle Pfeiffer film “Dangerous Minds” that sampled Stevie Wonder’s 1976 song “Pastime Paradise” and was played constantly on MTV.

Michelle Pfeiffer starred in the music video of Coolio's Grammy-winning song "Gangsta's Paradise," which was also the lead single off the soundtrack for Pfeiffer's 1995 film Dangerous Minds. Pfeiffer says she is "heartbroken" following the death of rapper Coolio.

Born Artis Leon Ivey Jr., in Monessen, Pennsylvania south of Pittsburgh, Coolio moved to Compton, California. He spent some time as a teen in Northern California, where his mother sent him because she felt the city was too dangerous.

He said in interviews that he started rapping at 15 and knew by 18 it was what he wanted to do with his life, but would go to community college and work as a volunteer firefighter and in airport security before devoting himself full-time to the hip-hop scene.

His career took off with the 1994 release of his debut album on Tommy Boy Records, “It Takes a Thief.” It’s opening track, “Fantastic Voyage,” would reach No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.

A year later, “Gangsta’s Paradise” would become a No. 1 single. -(source: ap)

DNA America

“it’s what we know, not what you want us to believe.”

#dna #dnaamerica #news #politics

[fmhiphop]

Highlights of The Martin Reunion: A Flashback to a Cultural Great

After two decades off air, the cast of Martin reunited to celebrate one of the cultural greats. As viewers saw after each introduction, time was good to the cast. If one blinked, it looked as if we were looking at the characters of yesteryear. There were more than a few standout moments. One of the standout moments was Tichina's dress. One could say Tichina made a bold, bold choice with the leopard print. The Impact It didn't take long for Martin to settle in as a cultural favorite with a generational impact. The show aired in 1992 and held its own for a five-year run. Without a doubt, stars Martin Lawrence, Tisha Campbell, Tichina Arnold, Carl Anthony Payne, and the late Thomas Mikal Ford were comedy gold. Little Background Martin Lawrence let it be known he wanted Tisha for Gina from day one and no one else. However, by happenstance, he stumbled on Tisha's and Tichina Arnold's relationship when trying to convince Tisha to take the role. And the rest is history. Things came together like it was destiny. Martin Reunion: The Flow of The Show Comedic host Affion Crockett kept the flow with a couple of favorites from each actor. Then, they kicked back to talk about what made each cast member tick and undergirded their chemistry. Most of it was unmatchable raw talent, a natural bent toward comedy, and the desire to be great. In Memoriam   The cast set aside a segment for Tommy, giving him a memorial he deserved well. Tommy was a highlight of the show. According to IMDB, “Thomas Mikal Ford, who plays Tommy Strawn, was the only cast member to appear physically in every episode of the series during all five seasons, for 132 episodes.” The most beautiful part is the memorial was led by those closest to him, his wife (also Named Gina) and his two kids. As a beautiful goodbye to memorialize the man he was, Le'Andria Johnson sang a beautiful tribute song, "Better Days are Coming." A Hit-maker for More Than One Reason Martin was a history maker for serval reasons. However, it was not only the talented cast but the commitment to the community in general. Martin showcased some of the biggest and most significant in the entertainment industry, from tv to film to music. The Showcases A few of those showcased were cultural icons Esther Rolle, John Amos, Richard Pryor, Pam Grier, and Billie D Williams, to name a few. Music legends included Little Richard, Bryan McKnight, Baby Face, Keith Sweat, Donnie Simpson, and M.C Hammer. Martin was also a showcase for hip hop greats like Play of Kid-n-Play, Method Man, Bushwick Bill, Tone Loc, Coolio, Salt-n- Peppa, and The Notorious B.I.G. Those were only the tip of the iceberg, as the list is far more extensive. One Final Look The reunion was full of fond memories and hype moments. Some guests reprised performances, including Bryan McKnight and Snoop Dogg. This added to the nostalgia. However, It was great to sit back and reminisce about one of the most iconic shows of all time. As the lights dimmed on the set, one final thing was sure Martin will always be remembered as a cultural staple. "Martin Lawrence "Y'all" is a generational change-maker one's who magic may try to be replicated. For sure, Martin will never be duplicated. Be sure to like and follow FMHipHop on Instagram and Facebook! Written by Renae Richardson Facebook Read the full article

[stereostevie]

The Rap Grammy Nominations Are Weird As Hell | Nov 25, 2020 11:12 AM BY TOM BREIHAN

The very first time that the Grammy Awards recognized rap music, it was an utter fiasco — a clear case of an aging pop-music establishment failing to understand this vital new youth music that had sprung up and rewritten the rules. For the 1989 awards show, the Grammys added one rap category, Best Rap Performance. DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince won it for “Parents Just Don’t Understand,” beating out LL Cool J and Salt-N-Pepa and Kool Moe Dee and JJ Fad. The show didn’t deign to recognize Public Enemy, N.W.A, EPMD, Slick Rick, Big Daddy Kane, Eric B. & Rakim, or Ice-T, all of whom had released classic albums within the voting window. The award wasn’t televised, and most of the nominees, Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince included, skipped the show, attending a “Boycott The Grammys” party instead.

Since that night, the history of rap at the Grammys has been a series of baffling, embarrassing decisions. It’s Steely Dan winning Album Of The Year over The Marshall Mathers LP. It’s Gretchen Wilson winning Best New Artist over Kanye West. “It’s weird and it sucks that I robbed you.” It’s also a history of rappers getting angry over the Grammys: “I never let a statue tell me how nice I am,” “You think I give a damn about a Grammy?” In 2019, Drake showed up to accept Best Rap Song. In his acceptance speech, he talked about how the Grammy voters weren’t necessarily the right people to define rap success. The broadcast cut him off mid-speech. Earlier this year, Kanye West, a man who once cared more about Grammy Awards than anyone else not named Neil Portnow, tweeted a video of himself pissing on one of his Grammys. (The Grammys still nominated West this year, for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album.)

Yesterday, the Grammys nominated Freddie Gibbs and the Alchemist’s Alfredo in the Best Rap Album category. That’s great! Freddie Gibbs is a great underground rap success story, a guy who bet on himself and kept doing great work in his own lane even after multiple major-label situations fell apart. Gibbs has never made a hit song in his life, and he’s gotten himself into a position where he doesn’t need to make hit songs — where he can just follow his instincts and keep his own style intact. Alfredo isn’t my favorite rap record of the year. (Even in the field of Alchemist-produced 2020 rap albums, I’d give the slight edge to Boldy James’ The Price Of Tea In China.) But the nomination for Alfredo is still a very cool surprise, the kind of thing that I would’ve never expected to see from the Grammy nominating committee.

And yet Gibbs’ nomination doesn’t exactly announce a new golden age of Grammy rap consideration, a time when Recording Academy voters are finally figuring out how to approach the genre. Instead, his nomination points toward something else: An institutional recognition of middlebrow, middle-aged, respectable rap music.

All of this year’s Best Rap Album nominees are Black men between the ages of 35 and 47. The oldest nominee is Nas, who is now on his fifth Best Rap Album nomination and who has never won the award. (The Best Rap Album Grammy didn’t exist in 1994, when Nas released Illmatic, but there’s no way in hell that Nas would’ve won it anyway. The Academy would’ve given the award to Coolio’s It Takes A Thief or something.) The youngest nominee is D Smoke, a former high school Spanish teacher who is also the brother of the TDE R&B singer SiR. D Smoke made his way into Grammy contention after winning the first season of Rhythm + Flow, the Netflix rap-competition show. (Two of the three judges from Rhythm + Flow, Cardi B and Chance The Rapper, have won Best Rap Album themselves. T.I., the other judge, has been nominated three times and never won.)

D Smoke isn’t exactly a revered or popular rapper, and I have’t seen anyone calling his perfectly-OK album Black Habits a masterpiece, though the man has certainly done better than anyone could’ve expected from a rap reality-show winner. But D Smoke raps exactly like a diet version of Kendrick Lamar, so his nomination works as a clear indication that the Grammy voters really, really wish they had a Kendrick album to nominate. D Smoke is also up for Best New Artist, alongside fellow rappers Chika, Megan Thee Stallion, and (I guess) Doja Cat. Presumably, Megan’s Good News would also be nominated if it had come out early enough to be eligible. Meanwhile, Chika hasn’t released an album, and Doja Cat is nominated in the pop categories, not the rap ones.

Instead, then, we’re looking at five guys hovering around the age of 40, all of whom are respected technicians with boom-bap inclinations. Jay Electronica, who’s nominated for A Written Testimony and who should probably be considered the front-runner, is technically a New Orleans native, but nobody thinks of him as a Southern rapper. (Jay-Z is all over A Written Testimony, to the point where anointing Jay Electronica feels a bit like throwing awards love to Jay-Z in a year with no Jay-Z album.) All the albums up for Best Rap Album are, at the very least, solid. A couple of them, Alfredo and A Written Testimony, are very good. But this is still a remarkably stodgy list — one that shows that the whole middle-aged respectability fetish that’s long plagued the Grammys is now embedded in its rap voting wing.

Freddie Gibbs and Nas and Jay Electronica and D Smoke and Royce Da 5’9″ are all gifted rappers who have done great work. Most of them could justifiably be considered legends. But none of them really show the world where rap music is, let alone where it’s going. By recognizing those albums, the Grammys have pointedly elected not to recognize something like Lil Baby’s My Turn, which is probably 2020’s most popular album in any genre and which is also a fine example of the 808-heavy depressive melodic-goo rap music that currently dominates the genre’s mainstream.

Other hugely popular, artistically important albums are also absent: Lil Uzi Vert’s Eternal Atake, Roddy Rich’s Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial, Polo G’s The Goat, Gunna’s Wunna, Rod Wave’s Pray 4 Love. Instead, the rap albums getting nominated are the 2020 equivalents of the Steely Dan album that famously beat Eminem. That’s not an indictment of the nominated albums. It’s an indictment of the stuff the Recording Academy values. It’s also a cautionary look of how things might look if the Recording Academy ever gets its way, if rap comes to rely on accepted ossified skill-sets instead of its current state of constant, furious stylistic evolution.

As someone who’s around the same age as this year’s Best Rap Album nominees, I’m not all that amped to see emotionally troubled, pill-gobbling 20-year-olds dominating rap music. But those kids are crucially moving the genre past whatever old men like me might want it to be. Fortunately, there’s at least one Grammy category that has done a pretty good job capturing where things are right now, and that’s Best Rap Song. The list of nominations there — Lil Baby’s “The Bigger Picture,” Roddy Ricch’s “The Box,” Drake’s “Laugh Now, Cry Later,” DaBaby’s “Rockstar,” and Megan Thee Stallion’s “Savage” — isn’t necessarily perfect, but it’s a fairly accurate representation of the kind of rap that moves people right now. I don’t know why the division between the Best Rap Album and Best Rap Song nominees is so stark. Maybe it’s a signal that the album is increasingly irrelevant. Maybe it reflects two different voting bodies. Either way, it’s striking.

Look, the Grammys are weird. They are always going to be weird. Fiona Apple’s Fetch The Bolt Cutters should’ve been the biggest lay-up in the world, but it isn’t up for Album Of The Year. Instead, the Academy’s voters went for Coldplay and Jacob Collier and a deluxe edition of a Black Pumas album that didn’t even come out in the eligibility period. “Rockstar” and “Savage” are both up for Record Of The Year, but Post Malone’s Hollywood’s Bleeding is the only album that’s even rap-adjacent that’s nominated for Album Of The Year this year. I thought for sure that Lil Baby’s My Turn would be the token rap album that would inevitably lose to Taylor Swift. Instead, we didn’t even get one of those, and My Turn got snubbed even in its own category. Nothing makes sense.

But this year’s Best Rap Albums nominations still show a weird alignment between Grammy Voters and a certain streak of real-hip-hop rap conservatism. Watch out for that. Nothing good, except maybe a Freddie Gibbs Grammy win, will come out of that.

FURIOUS FIVE

1. Roc Marciano – “Downtown 81” It’s not on streaming services yet, but Roc Marciano’s new album Mt. Marci is out in the world now, and it is marvelous. (I can’t tell you whether the digital download is worth the $40 that Marci is charging on his website. Make your own financial decisions.) Right now, the only song out for general consumption is one of the few that Marci didn’t produce himself. (It’s a Jake One beat.) But otherwise, “Downtown 81” is exactly the sort of laid-back, intricately worded deadpan splendor that you can expect to hear on the LP, whenever it goes wide. So maybe that’s worth the price of a full tank of gas.

2. Meek Mill – “GTA” (Feat. 42 Dugg)

Meek Mill released his Quarantine Pack EP on Friday, and the track currently getting the big push is the downbeat Lil Durk collab “Pain Away.” But the real thrill here is in hearing Meek and 42 Dugg getting bracingly urgent over a Detroit-ass bassline.

3. Chief Keef & Mike Will Made-It – “Status” Sosa and Mike Will have evidently chosen to name their new song after this column. Gentlemen, I see this tribute, and I appreciate it. I love you too.

4. Willie The Kid & V Don – “Mother Of Pearls” (Feat. Eto) This is pretty.

5. Statik Selektah – “Play Around” (Feat. Conway The Machine, 2 Chainz, Killer Mike, Allan Kingdom, & Haile Supreme)

Once upon a time, maybe 13 years ago, I was apparently such a recognizable and influential part of the New York rap press that Statik Selektah noticed me at an MOP show, introduced himself, and tried to get me to listen to his mix CD. All these years later, Statik is a globally acknowledged boom-bap specialist with enough juice to put three of the world’s greatest middle-aged rappers on a track together. I’m proud of Statik. I bet he gets nominated for a Grammy someday.

[izukult]

this is the end {chapter two}

summary / things couldn’t get worse than this. but, they did. the chapter in which everything in your life goes wrong.

warnings / cult, kidnap, actual foRCED cannibalism (if that’s too much it’s under the first break and ends after the second break!), stalking, death, angst, angst, angST, not much peter this chapter, swearing. idk bad stuff man. i use the word silence a million times just call it motif. didn’t proof read.

word count / 2015

notes / wow this is hard to write. PLEASE read my disclaimer. sorry there’s not much peter. this is filler. coolio. this will be like the last chapter that only focuses on what they’re doing to u, i promise this will get momentum

disclaimer / please don’t support or romanticize the abuse in this fic! this is something i’m simply writing to help me deal with trauma and/or my mental health to try to give it a positive spin. i apologize if it is dark, i needed an outlet. :))

-

the white cotton stuck to your skin with the water, leaving your breath to moisturize the air as you gasped. you lifted your chained hands as far as you could, trying to brush the hair that clung to your face. you looked at the cracked porcelain of the lonely bathtub, nausea going to your throat as you saw how your blood mixed in with the ice and the water. your cough was scratchy, burning your throat further as you leaned over, gagging, water spilling up.

“son of a bitch.” you let your head fall towards your chest as tears formed in your eyes again; the sob that left your throat stung almost as bad as the cold. you knew you could get out of this. you weren’t chained to the tub, and they weren’t holding a gun to your head if you dared to move an inch. they wanted you to move, to see if you really could fight the way your personality said you could after what you’d endured. you wanted to lift yourself, heave your body up and make your fragile knees bend, but you didn’t know how to do that without making them shatter. you didn’t know how to breathe without your ribs piercing your lungs. they were killing you and every day you felt your soul disconnecting from your body.

the metal of the handcuffs on your wrists clanged against the tub as you tried to push yourself up. ice pressed against a gash on your stomach (that you didn’t know you had) through the fabric of your dress, evoking a short scream from you. your body racked with sobs that hurt you so much more and you grit your teeth as you continued to try to get up. your body sunk down, trauma holding your bones back.

“god dammit,” the words came out like a desperate prayer and you slammed your hands into the side of the vat. “god fucking dammit!” you were sobbing harder, your cuts pruning along with your skin, but your energy to fight had completely vanished. you knew you’d be in there until someone came for you, and you knew when they grabbed you out it would be a whole lot worse; so you might as well try to enjoy getting clean.

—————

your eyes widened, head shaking rapidly. you jerked your body against the hands holding you, tears welling through your disgust. “no, no, no.” your body thrashed as your eyes stayed trained on the plate in front of you. “no.” it was simple, white ceramic with a silver fork and knife on each of its sides. the white was splotched with red- blood. you gagged slightly, the smell reaching your nose. “fucking no!” you twisted yourself, almost moving out of their grasp. you desperately attempted to stumble away, not caring what kind of beating you would face, but they pushed you forward.

“you have to become accustomed to it,” one of them started as they moved to shove you into the chair. “the queen should have no limits, no weakness.” once you were sat, they were clamping your shoulders. you pressed against the wood of the chair enough to try to tip it, but they simply brought you back up.

“please,” the word was croaked- choppy and sickly and raw. “don’t make me do this, i’ll be good. i promise i’ll be good.” you didn’t typically beg them, and you felt as if any integrity you held was gone. but you’d also never had what you could only assume was a human kidney (you remember peter telling you the shapes of organs one time while you studied for biology, which caused you to tell him he sounded like a serial killer.) in front of you on a fucking plate.

there was silence around you. typically, you would’ve begged for silence. a moment without their heavy breathing or the sound of your pain, but now it was just eerie. they watched you and waited and when you refused to move for the cutlery, they did it themselves. and, for some reason beyond them, you didn’t seem to enjoy it nearly as much as you did when your mother would feed you as a baby.

—————

his fingers traced your arm, nails forming a temporary tattoo.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1

he was vile to you. they all were. your temples ached as he pierced your skin with what could only be described as his claws.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5

“i missed you, pretty girl.” a scowl found its way on your face at the name they’d all become accustomed to calling you- although it was a name only peter should call you. and, quite frankly, his praises of longing for you go unnoticed at the fact you can’t remember which one he is.

you have about thirteen comebacks to each of his phrases of want, but you’d learned that silence was the biggest killer to them.

1

your eyes filled with tears (like they always did) when his hands slid under your top, which didn’t cover much to begin with.

2

“but now it’s just you and me,” the animation of his voice was scratchy to you and you wanted nothing more than to rip the voice box out of his mask.

3

you continued to count in your head, eyesight trained on the wall in front of you rather than the situation presented in front of you.

4

your eyelids started to hang heavy. you were tired. of all of this. you were tired of pretending you were okay.

5

maybe if you fell asleep, this would go quicker. maybe, if you slept well enough, you wouldn’t even remember he was here.

—————

you watched as they set up the camera, feet burning against the cold cement. since that day of exhaustion, the feeling had been perpetual. you wanted to care about how you looked if you knew the world was going to see you (or was that another lie?), but it was the least of your concerns.

‘how did the phrase go? if peter couldn’t handle you at your ugly state during your kidnap, he didn’t deserve you at your best. something like that,’ you thought as they moved you to the middle mark for the perfect angle.

you were certain the recording was trivial. some dumb black market snuff film type shit that honestly no one would end up watching, but more time in front of the camera meant less alone time with them. peter had sworn that you deserved stardom, so maybe this was it.

your eyes darted from the man in front of you to the one who pressed the button on the camera (a riveting job, honestly) and then forward, to the lens.

you didn’t pay much attention as they droned on about you until your loves name got mentioned. your head snapped quickly, eyes widened and gaze afraid.

“and, peter parker, this ones for you.” his head tilted towards you and you became fascinated with the way the inside of your bottom lip tasted.

you shook your head slightly hoping peter would understand you desperately meant this wasn’t about him. you didn’t speak up though. silence was key.

he continued to talk about you, about your glory, and your hands, and your lips, and the way your face felt when they’d hold onto you.

that’s when you realized the smell. you hoped it hadn’t shown on your face, but it probably had. poker had never been your strong suit. and then you were scanning the room again and they could tell and you knew that they wanted this and that they wanted you to know something was up and they wanted to record you finding out and your stomach started to fucking churn.

a sob left your throat as a light you didn’t know existed shined behind you. there had been a curtain between you and the wall that had now been moved and you saw it. the reminiscence of a series of girls who looked somewhat like you.

“oh my, god.” it was a quiet prayer for a being you couldn’t say you believed in as you stared at the heads with hair just like yours, eyes a shade so close to your own. “oh my fucking god.” you were louder this time, your knees wobbling as you struggled to keep your balance.

you couldn’t see their faces but you imagined the men around you were smiling. you didn’t recognize the tears falling until they hit the ground but you ignored it, disgust covering your features as you turned from the girls to the man who had been talking.

“what the fuck have you done?” your voice was raw. you were furious, you were sick, you were sorry. sorry for the people who’d never be able to go home.

“don’t worry, sweetheart, they didn’t come close to you.” you lifted your chained hands to your mouth, retching out a sob.

“you’re- you’re all monsters.” you felt vacant. you felt empty. you felt useless. they had died because of you. they had died because they looked like you.

“oh my god.” you repeated yourself, sobs wracking your body as you were recorded by the long forgotten camera.

“oh, sweetheart, no reason to cry.” he moved towards you, placing a hand on your head, tangling his fingers through your hair. and, you realized, this was the first time you’d truly wanted to kill someone.

you continued to cry, not following the urge to do any harm to him as you stood in your spot.

“did we go too far?” your mind screamed yes. yes you’re evil and you’re bad and i hate you all. yes you went too fucking far. but you stayed unspeaking.

“what do you want, pretty girl?” your eye twitched. you felt it. you felt the physical change in you. you turned your head, eyes meeting the eyes of his mask and you smiled faintly.

“do you really want to know?” your voice was sweet, sickly, and he moved his hand from your hair to your shoulder.

“of course.” your smiled turned to a scowl as you raised your hands to place them atop his own, fingers digging into his hands.

“i want to rip the skin from your fucking hands so you never had the fucking luxury of touching me or those girls.” you moved your hands to his throat, but none of the other men moved to his rescue.

“and then?” you simultaneously leaned into him and brought his head to you, where your nose was against the nose of his mask. “then, i want to blow my brains against the fucking wall.” even though your words came through gritted teeth, each of them were over enunciated.

you shoved him away by his neck, continuing to stand tall as you did so. “and, unfortunately for me, i plan to get what i want.”

your gaze finally found the camera lens again and you let out a small breath of realization. your hands were shaking. you knew there were the girls behind you, and the man you’d been threatening was gasping for breath now. maybe you looked like the monster.

you looked down at your hands, teeth slightly chattering, and you could only imagine how peter felt. he probably hated you. this was your fault. this was your fucking fault. all of it.

your mouth parted slightly and you gulped. “i-” nothing else came out and you bit your lip again, shutting your eyes as tight as you could.

you wanted to sob. to fall apart. to break. but, you had just made a commitment to your captors. you were going to give them hell, and then find your way there. you just hoped peter would understand.

the camera turned off and you let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding in.

unbeknownst to you, peter was sat at the tv with wide, glossy eyes, praying you’d get out of there as soon as possible. just not in the way you planned.

-

-

tag list: @greenteavee @jacksnoodlez99 @sarahalkhalifaa @lilsxtan @honeymarvel @awaywithtime @5secondsofpeterparker

[ayyyflueg]

Tagged by @toast-gh0st , thank you for thinking of me! ☺

50 Questions You’ve Never Been Asked Before

1 - What is the colour of your hairbrush? 

Mostly black with a holographic handle.

2 - A food you never eat?

I don't care much for uncooked onion. And coleslaw. I'm a Taurus, so, I eat. 💁

3- Are you typically too warm or too cold?

Too HOT big time I am always hot

4-What were you doing 45 minutes ago?

Drinking wine and watching talk shows with my dog and my mom.

5-What is your favourite candy bar? 

I think all American candy tastes like pure shit now, and there are reasons for that. I suppose Milka?

6-Have you ever been to a professional sports event? 

I have. First one I remember, I wanted to to SPECIFICALLY to see Coolio. I also remember a baseball game one of my ex's dragged me to.

7-What is the last thing you said out loud?

"Oh shit you're right"

8-What is your favourite ice cream? 

Used to be Ben and Jerry's chocolate brownie whatever, but it's definitely, like, coffee or pistachio now. Adult tastebuds are weird.

9-What was the last thing you had to drink? 

Franzia Crisp White from a Walgreens big gulp type cup

10-Do you like your wallet?

Not really. It does wallet things though.

11-What was the last thing you ate? 

Baked potato

12-Did you buy any new clothes last weekend? 

Lol. No.

13-The Last sporting event you watched?

I watched a video of baseball players pretending to be curlers.

14-What is your favourite flavour of popcorn?

Oh, man. I LOVE overbuttered movoe theatre popcorn. I also love that Chicago type popcorn, I think. With the cheese and caramel.

15-Who was the last person you sent a text message to?

My friend Matt.

16-Ever go camping?

For sure

17-Do you take vitamins?

Supposed to.

18-Do you go to church every Sunday?

I'm spiritual in my own right. So, no. Lol.

19-Do you have a tan? 

I'm mulatto

20-Do you prefer Chinese food or pizza? 

That's tough. I can eat pizza forever but Chinese food is the bomb. I might have to go with pizza.

21-Do you drink your soda with a straw? 

Only if it comes with one

22-What color socks do you usually wear?

I dont wear socks tbh. I mean I do when I'm going out with real shoes on my feet but I hate anything on my feet. Country bumpkin.

23-Do you ever drive above the speed limit?

Literally always.

24-What terrifies you? 

A lot. I have bad anxiety and panic attacks so the stupidest shit triggers me but idk what it stems from exactly. Just one big mess.

25-Look to your left, what do you see? 

The bathroom window

26-What chore do you hate?

THE DISHES

27-What do you think of when you hear and Australian Accent? 

Steve Irwin duh

28-What’s your favourite soda? 

Mr. Pibb

29-Do you go in a fast food place or just hit the drive thru? 

Drive thru

30-Favourite cut of beef? 

Oh, man. That depends. My best answer is anything but ribeye.

31-Who’s the last person you talked to? 

My mom

32-Last Song you listened to? 

Oh Sherrie by Steve Perry

33-Last Book you read?

I started this random book I ordered online and have hated it to the point of forgetting its name. Dancing girls or something? Just not my...type.

34-Favorite Day of the week?

Friday

35-Can you say the alphabet backwards?

The last time I tried, I was doing a field sobriety test.

36-How do you like your coffee? 

Strong and iced. Enough milk/cream to lighten the color and just a touch of sugar or honey. But STRONG mostly.

37-Favorite pair of shoes?

Right now its my docs

38-At what time do you normally go to bed? 

Between 8-12. Depends on the meds. And my fucked up stomach.

39-At what time do you normally get up?

10 am at the very latest. I'm a morning person.

40-What do you prefer sunrise or sunsets? 

Sunrise

41-How many blankets are on your bed? 

One

42-Describe your kitchen plates? 

Disposable lol. Helps with executive dysfunction.

43-Do you have a favourite alcoholic beverage? 

I mostly drink wine now; dry, bitter white wines. But if I'm "out" or whatever, Jameson, dirty martinis, whatever beer is the cheapest.

44- Do you play cards?

I do. I fucking kill it in spades.

45- What colour is your car?

 Uh like...grey/silver

46-Can you change a tire?

I can't but I intend to learn

47-What is your favourite state/providence?

Michigan. I'm a Michigan girl to the core.

48-Favourite job you’ve ever had?

Acting/performing. Its been, I think, two years since the last time I was on film. It KILLS me.

49-How did you get your biggest scar?

I had a thymectomy in 2001 and it looks like if you cut open my chest horizontally and then it scarred up along thr incision. It's hidden by my boobs though so that's cool.

50-What did you do today that made someone else happy? 

Checked on my family.

Phew! Props if you read that whole thing. Thanks again to @toast-gh0st and I tag whoever wants to participate or wants to know more. Stay safe, y'all. ❤🤘

[roses-ruby]

7

part 2

00:00- You know how BTS always say they know how hard we have it and they want to be a source of comfort for us and that is a big reason for their existence? The vocal line deliver us that very comfort through this song. Jimin and Jin’s soft harmonization with V is a masterpiece. They want us to come back safe after a long day and just turn this song on, they want to relate to our pain and even if just a bit, lessen it. They want us to take a breath with them. The fan and celeb relationship has always been an equal give and take in my eyes - you give them happiness by supporting them and they give you happiness by supporting you. BTS are really the only idols out there verbalizing their love for us to this extent. I love this song, I could listen to it forever.

Inner Child- This song is so beautiful omggg Tae had one of the biggest character developments in the public eye imo. He used to be so so so silly. To me he is still the hardest person to figure out. If you think about it, how much do you actually know about Kim Taehyung? Has he not been the most private member in BTS by far? His aura’s just so different now, like he has gone through way too much. And as of right now, do any of ya’ll think of him as the same kid who said “turn up” in front of Coolio??? 🥴🤧 idk idk I’m rambling but the point is, Taehyung is different. His eyes were bright and heart was big but he was hurting. You’d never think that hyper, smiley kid was worried about the future. Someone who said he thinks bunnies are on the moon didn’t believe in galaxies. The always laughing kid, Taehyung wishes he would smile more genuinely. Imo we don’t know who the past Taehyung was and we never did. Tae is the only person who knows his true self, he’s the only one who will take care of himself. I’m just glad he has his own back.

Friends- Sounds like a movie honestly. The beat feels like an early 2000s romcom sksksk. In the idol life, the people you are in a group with are your coworkers. But Taehyung and Jimin have built a relationship beyond that. They’ve become so close and they are recalling all of that through this song, it’s so endearing. They do fight often but they also have the healthy understanding that these petty fights will never damage their relationship as a whole. They call one another soulmates because they honestly believe they were destined to meet. This is a sweet and intricate song that I don’t think needs an interpretation. If you met someone like Tae met Jimin, then you can truly relate. That feeling of “shit this is my other half...i wanna stay with this person” ssjhdshkd bruh singles look away. Vmin out here breaking hearts and I hope they will stay together far longer than forever.

Moon- Jin always out here making us feel beautiful wtf wtf. Jin my lovely boy, the one who always teases us first sldkhd he’s seriously such first love material it hurts. I love him. I love the way he loves us. The lyrics are so beautiful he wants to be our moon and we want to be his plz this is that “I love you more” “no I love you more” couple everyone hates but secretly wants to be sjkssk imo Jin has the most beautiful vocal tone, I’m addicted to his voice which is why I loved epiphany as much as I did. we all know he deserves so much more appreciation. I just want Jin to know he consistently awes me by his choice of solos and I’m desperately waiting for that solo album. I love him so much thank you for being my brightest moon.

Respect- Literally screamed when I saw the lyric to this song. YES kings tell them you remember how they treated you before the fame! You remember the constant bad mouthing and hate comments and lawsuits. You remember the disrespect. Tell them their “respect” means nothing now akhdka The industry treated them like dirt cause they weren’t one of the big 3 and I know OG ARMYs remember it. I love Yoongi and Joon’s interaction in this. Rapline is so tired of fake bullshit and I am so HERE for it. Yoongi’s always been the more blunt, hard hitting rapper and he really shows that through this song. Ya’ll know I’m a shooter right? And we all know the biggest shooter for BTS is BTS jahgdjag

We Are Bulletproof: The Eternal- Two seconds in and I was in tears??? They’ve worked so, so hard to reach where they are now and I hope no one forgets that. Literally bawled at “We were only seven but we have you all now” It’s so wild to look at BTS and think they are the group that made it. The group that broke endless boundaries. The group that became worldwide. Shit remember when we thought 100,00 preorders were hard?? jsksk The way the melody hits and their sweet voices one after the other just *chef’s kiss* Not to get emotional on main but the fact that their name is bulletproof? A word that has become symbolic in the means of striving through hate and pain. First they had one another and now they have us? The song that originally went hard and they rapped about having no fear and dissed others who looked down on them became a soft love song to talk about their pain and vulnerability? How they manage to survive hardships makes them move forward, how having loving people by their side is what makes them bulletproof? THE CHARACTER GROWTH? Yo BTS are god’s children ya’ll.

Overall, I love this album with my whole heart. They fully incorporated what it means to be 7 and as an OG ARMY, I cannot be more proud. Just compare their music from even ‘HER’ to now. Their is such growth in their lyrics and love in their hearts. Thank you to BTS for giving us bigger and better music to this day. For providing us with performances we can awe over and not losing their roots just because they’ve become big. I’m so grateful that they continue to be by my side.

part 1

[hattale-au]

HatTale: Chapter 3

[Also on AO3!]

Happy two-month birthday HatTale!

Standard Disclaimer: None of us own Undertale or A Hat In Time, they belong to Toby Fox and Gears For Breakfast respectively.

–

All was darkness.

   And then it wasn’t.

  The girl found herself standing on the steps leading to an ornate stone archway. She glanced down and tapped the ground with her foot. It made no noise. She tried to think aloud, but no words came. The silence was literally deafening.

She looked forward to the archway. A small light gleamed in the distance beyond.

Will you Continue? It murmured.

She turned around. The endless void stretched out as far as the eye could see. As she stared, the darkness grew, getting dark, darker, yet darker still.

Or will you give up and Quit? It whispered.

  She gave a stiff smile and stepped through the archway.

  --

  The girl wasn’t sure what she was expecting when she opened her eyes, but the bright light of the sun shining off of a bed of golden flowers... well, it seemed awfully familiar…

  Wait a second, hadn't she done this before?

  She leaped to her feet and glanced around wildly. Why was she back in the golden flower cave? What was that weird void-space? That heart? Where was the murder-flower?!

"Did... Did I just die? " she thought aloud.

“... Yes?! You’re supposed to be dead! ” 

She turned around. Mask was floating in a way that would have been called pacing if he were on the ground. He kept glancing at the golden flowers, at the tunnel, at his fidgeting hands, and her. He was muttering to himself, so quickly and quietly that the girl only caught snippets like “ back here? ” and “ reset? ” and “ but he’s too much of a jerk to for anyone else. ”

She snapped her fingers and startled him out of his train of thought.

“Well, I guess…” she thought for a moment as Mask floated towards her, “I’m pretty sure I did die, but somehow I got better ?”

“. ..I guess that’s one way to put it, ” he grumbled.

She bent down to retrieve her stick, “How’s about we keep going?”

The ghost gave her an incredulous stare, “ You just died and came back, and your first course of action is to just casually continue on? ”

She shrugged and pulled back a sleeve. There were no injuries in sight (but in mind was a different story). “I mean, it doesn’t hurt or anything, it’s almost like it never happened?”

Mask tensed at that, but the girl didn’t notice.

“So… if the universe wants to forgive and forget, then meh,” she turned towards the tunnel and started walking, “so can I.”

  --

  They returned to the murder-flower-room. It was noticeably lacking in magic-traps (they both checked thoroughly before going in) but was abundant in purple murder-flowers. And by that, just the one looking quite dazed and confused and was that just a bit of fear on his face?

" ... what just- "

The flower only got to say those two words before the girl abruptly cut him off with a stick to the face.

He gave a very not intimidating yelp before vanishing. The girl poked the loose dirt with the (now pollen covered) stick. Who knew sentient murder flowers could burrow? 

The ghost floated down and poked his head through the ground, then came back up and shrugged, “ well… I suppose that was one way to get rid of him. ”

She grinned- well, more like grimaced, “Mmmm, I jus’ hit him first . That’s usually a pretty good way to win a fight.” she tapped her stick against the ground, then started jabbing it when the pollen just wouldn’t come off-!

“ I’m just going to ignore what you may or may not be implying there... ”

She whacked it harder against the ground because dammit she was not going to dirty her sweater with this weird super-glue pollen!

“ Though taking the initiative will be very important later on in the Underground. Most monsters let you take the first move just on their own, however... ”

 His words trailed off, and though the girl couldn’t see his face, she could sense an extreme amount of almost… fear coming from him?

Then she heard it, the footsteps.

Deciding to not risk getting killed by another monster, she whipped around with her stick brandished and ready to hit someone.

Although, as soon as she caught sight of the approaching monster, she found it a lot harder to stay in ready-to-ass-kick mode.

They were a big, almost cartoonish, tabby cat walking towards them. To be fair, they were only a little taller than she was, but that was still huge for a cat. Also, they had an adorable and tall chef’s hat on and that combined with their cute and casually fancy robes and generally cartoonish and friendly demeanor meant that the girl’s guard had been pretty thoroughly dropped in favor of  C A T ! ! ! ! ! ! (Mask had also relaxed, which she took as a good sign).

They stopped in front of her, “Oh! Are you alright?”

The girl shrugged, but internally was making the biggest awwwwwwww she could because that accent just made it all the CUTER-!

The cat frowned and held a paw to her face in worried thought, “Well, you’re probably pretty lost and confused from the fall. But never fear, for Cookie is here!” the Cat monster struck an exaggerated pose, and the girl laughed. Mask laughed too, but his seemed a lot more… quiet. The cat peeked an eye open and smiled. Getting the girl to loosen up and laugh was probably their intent from the start.

“Alright, now that you aren’t about to hit me with that ,” she pointed at the girl’s stick, which was now loosely hanging from her hands. She smiled sheepishly. “I can help you.”

The girl hesitated, then looked up at Mask. He still looked a little… off, but he gave her a nod. 

She looked back towards the cat… no wait, Cookie, “ suuuure? Uh, you aren’t going to kill us, are you?”

They looked almost scandalized, “Of course not! I have never and would never hurt a hair on a child’s head!”

The girl just gave a dead-pan thumbs up, “coolio, now how do I get this off my stick?” feckin pollen …

“Ah, here,” the cat walked over and held out a paw (which looked so damn soft, wow ) that the girl put her stick in. They rooted around in their robes many pockets for a bit, and then pulled out a cute handkerchief and used it to wipe all the pollen away. The girl died a little inside at seeing the probably well-loved and painstakingly-embroidered fabric stained within an inch of its life.

“There, how’s that?”

The girl took her mostly-de-pollened stick back. “Um… thank you, but my stick isn’t really worth all that.” she pointed at the handkerchief, and in response, the cat laughed.

“Oh, well, don’t you worry about this old thing,” Cookie held up the cloth, and now the girl could see that the embroidery depicted a lot of cats, skulls, and was covered in green and blue bows. Well, she assumed they were green and blue, as now everything on it was far closer to a deep purple than anything. “The whole point of a kerchief is to clean things, and I’m sure that my friend won’t mind that I got it a little dirty.”

Mask snorted and glanced away, but she had already caught the smile on his face.

Cookie looked a little surprised and maybe sad, but then she was smiling again and walking off, “Well, I suppose we should get going. Come along now, Kitten!”

“ ‘Kitten?’ what a dumb nickname. ” Mask teased as he trailed behind her.

The girl gave him an unimpressed stare, “ you called me ‘Shrimpy’, you don’t get to judge.”

He shrugged, “ fair enough. ”

The girl didn’t notice that Cookie had stopped until she had bumped right into them. 

“Ah, sorry!” the girl took a few big steps back.

The cat’s frown turned into a small smile, “Oh, don’t you worry, Kitten, it’s fine.”

The girl hummed and then asked, “why’re we stopping?”

“Oh, no reason. I just got lost in thought.” Cookie turned back around and continued walking.

The girl was torn. Curiosity weighing with common decency. She wanted to ask the cat what she was thinking about, but also wasn’t sure if that’d be rude, or if she even cared about being rude at this point.

Well, she didn’t have time to decide, as soon they stepped through an ornate (and oddly familiar) archway and into the next room.

Actually, calling it a room was a gross understatement. The mauve stones arched so high above her head. Red leaves crunched beneath her feet. The two staircases curved  up and around to such a deceptively simple door frame. Ivy crawled up and down the walls, adding a scattering of friendly green to the otherwise imposing purples and reds. Hey! She was an artist! She could appreciate a good color pallet!

She could feel Mask’s unease beside her. She reached out and gave his hand a small squeeze.

As Cookie proceeded up the stairs, the girl took a small detour.

In the pile of leaves between the stairs, something was shining. It caught her eye. She walked over and brushed some of the leaves aside.

Oh, it was the light . Why was it… here?

She reached out towards it. 

  * The immense power yo̠̎ȗ͉ now̬̿ ho̩͡lḍ͘ ̡̂fi̩ḷ̑l̲͘s ̠͋yo̬̍ṵ̞̓͆ ̦̖͆w̛͈ith̫͑̏͟ ̙͘d͙̉ e͈ ṯ͕͌͒͗͢ e͓̳͗̐̿ͅ r͉̐͗̕͜͜ m̻̣̝̈́͗̃ ḯ̯̘͇̐̅ n̺͚͈̊͡ á̢̳͉̂͊ t͍͖̭̆͗̄ i̛̼̞̘͋̓ ó̟̠̻̆͠ n̮̮̬͌͂̂

–

–

A/N: This was a fun one to write - Novi

=) - Twyst

[ecntrc-a-blog]

i know plotting can be like , a weird thing and sometimes you want to plot with a person but gosh darnit! can’t think of something ! it’s happen to all of us at some point , so i figured it’d be pretty solid for me to make a list of stuff i’d like to plot out? of course these are ideas and can totally be changed around and/or combined or can be elements of a possible plot , but i think this would be helpful , yeah?

and , of course , these aren’t the only things i want to do and if y’all have an ideas of your own you can shoot me a mssg at anytime , this is just a little helping hand for those who totally wanna plot but don’t entirely know what.

mentor-ship ! i’d love yama to have someone to look up to and who’s willing to help him out , not only in his hero skills , but with his confidence as well ! for better or for worse , he’s kind of a Coward ( well , he is one ) but he reacts when it counts but kind of like , only when the shit starts really hitting the fan , so it’d be cool to have a person that can pull out his bravery. and someone to also be like , hey , you’ve got people out there rooting for you !

training ! specifically , training with some buds ! yama’s biggest insecurity when it comes to his classmates is that he feels like he isn’t up to par with them. so it’d be coolio to have someone he actively trains with ?? and that can be in any respect ! like someone who helps him with hand --- to --- hand because he’s pretty uhh... Not Good at that. or someone who can help him with speed , since he’s gotta learn how to hit that laser fast. or someone who helps him with aiming ! because that’s like , arguably , the most important part of his quirk development ! well besides being able to withstand his laser for longer times , but u know.

rivarly --- ish ? i say ‘ ish ‘ because i don’t think he’d put himself out there enough to get a , say , enemy ( which i know is weird to say , but he can handle training with his classmates and such , but when it comes to actual competition and such , he clams up time and time again ) but i think it’d be fun for him to have someone who he would like to ... one up a bit? so to speak? and you know , we can get silly with this it doesn’t even have to be in hero work. it can be in anything , it’d just be fun ! hi-jinks !

friends !!! this is like , so the obvious but !! buddies !! pals !!! someone to be a CLOSE friend !! someone he’d show his belly scar too , who he’ll actually like let himself cry in front of and what not. who , gasp , might actually see him ... sparkle-less. gasp ! the drama !

ships !!! goodness this is PHEW so open ended here , just ships man. he deserves love , he got love to give. yama is ready to give gifts out. and tbh he would be the secret admirer type goodness for the drama of it !! but also it’d be cute to have him ... trip up sometimes , blush a lil u know. puppy love ! and then maybe later we can brEAK THEIR FREAKING HEARTS----