#HIP HOP LIVES IN CHESTER

[chesterwatson]

made it to colors; dream come true

[afreakingdork]

This is a bit embarrassing to admit and I’ve been putting off sending an ask for weeks, but seeing as Weak Spot is almost complete I figured it’s now or never; I daydream about the world you’ve created all the time, it’s like my go-to happy place in my head. Before I say anything I just wanna make sure you know I’m not asking you to write this, Weak Spot is your story and I already know what you have planned will make me weep on another Saturday morning. I just really want to share my thoughts because your story has been living in my head rent free like ever since I binge read 1-39 in one weekend. Do you think it’s possible that Donnie and Chester will ever meet again? I’ve been imagining what a wedding chapter might be like since 45 and my favourite ‘what if;’ I’ve come up with is what if Y/N were to send an invitation to Chester? I think I just really want Chester to see how much Donnie has grown and give him that ✨approval of a parental figure✨ he so craves. Perhaps the invitation being instrumented exclusively on Y/N’s behalf as a surprise for Don? I really wanna know what you might think 人´∀｀)

Oh gosh, no need to be embarrassed because I do the same thing! It's literally how I come up with all my little ideas! I really appreciate you sharing this and I'm proud of you for being brave to do so.

Narratively, it doesn't make sense for Donnie to meet Chester again sadly. Sometimes you bounce of people in your life and the interactions don't go the way you want. That doesn't mean that because you had to part ways that they weren't important. Sometimes those people you meet in blips are the most important of all (exactly why Sandwich Spot exists, but outside the main story because while it helps point the exact moment Donnie realized life existed outside of himself, it's not something reader will ever know firsthand, but they do know it because it shaped how Donnie is now).

So Donnie will never see Chester again, but that being said... I couldn't help but be inspired by what you wrote. so please, have this gift...

A moment in time in the not so far flung future that may or may not happen in Soft Spot:

He was getting too old for this.

"Come now! Violet can walk herself." Chester urged.

Or Harry had a point.

"But, pop-pop! She's so slow!" Jade whined where she was pulling her little sister.

Those morning swim classes were looking more and more appealing.

Violet pulled back on the arm that was wrenched in her sister's grasp.

Harry had been more spry since he started attending.

"What was it you were teaching me about sayings?" Chester tried a new tactic.

Meanwhile, Chester had only gotten lazier in retirement.

"Oh!" Jade lit up and let go to think with her entire body. "Let's see..."

His chair sat him so well, though.

Violet righted herself from where she toppled over and took a breath.

He'd always thought with his first grandchild getting older, he'd have to do less lifting.

"It's the one about the cow!" Jade hopped.

With the second, however, it had doubled his required strength.

"Close... How about another animal?" Chester smiled.

He wouldn't trade them for the world though.

This time recognition came to Jade with a slow glow. "You lead a horse to water..."

What a happy life he had the honor of living.

"But..." Chester nodded for her to continue.

Violet got herself onto her two feet and took a few shuffling steps toward him.

He prepared for that weight on his hips and held his hands out ready for her.

"You can't make him drink..." Jade curled a finger to her lips. "So with Vi...?"

With a grunt and groan, Chester got Violet up in his arms.

The little one curled against him, fatigued.

The park was a big, exciting world for a toddler.

"It means..." Chester paused in case Jade wanted to come to the conclusion herself.

Instead, her eyes shined as she stared up at him, ready for the answer.

"You can do everything in your power to help someone, but you can't force them to accept it." He explained.

Jade took a few steps toward him and pondered so hard it made her forehead scrunch up.

She was adorable.

A huge stock of black fabric passed by like a moving obelisk.

It pulled Chester's eye where he readjusted Violet's load.

It wasn't an inanimate object, but a long black coat.

It donned a very tall man who moved to the other side of the playground.

There, he found a spot to stop and in a turn revealed a blotch of green.

Topped with a shock of rich purple.

Eyes wide and free hand suddenly flapping anxiously for Jade's, Chester felt himself pale.

Donatello.

He hadn't seen the boy in years.

After the first few, Chester had been left to hope that Donatello had only taken his advice.

Despite the bitter end, he wished him nothing, but the best.

Donatello spoke.

Too far away and with a bustling park between them, there was no way Chester could hear.

What he could do was look down.

Where a joyful, albeit tired looking counterpart animatedly responded.

Chester's lips parted.

The second person then looked down before offering something up.

A small bundle whose lavender blanket wriggled to reveal another, much, much smaller green mutant.

Donatello took the baby and brought the child up to his face to coo something.

The older mutant's eyes gleamed.

Chester knew that look.

The one that topped eye bags as deep as canyons.

It was one he once sported.

It was the one his son-in-law now wore.

It was the look of a new father.

The way they looked at their own.

Donatello had a partner.

Donatello had a child.

"What's wrong, pop-pop?" Jade's voice broke in, thunderous amongst the many others.

Chester looked down and felt the tears streaking his cheeks.

He only gave a bright smile and continued to hold his hand out.

Jade took it and continued to stare up at him. "Are you hungry? Vi cries when she's hungry. Let's get you some lunch!"

Chester nodded and moved to leave the park with Jade in tow. "That sounds wonderful."

[got-ticket-to-ride]

the music game asks

#6, #11 and #17.

Thank you for this ask! @greatsaladavenue

6 is there/what is a song that you secretly love but you hate to admit it?

HAHAHA, ok this is embarassing. "Liebe ist alles" from Rosenstolz. A song that made it to the charts during my teens, it was too uncool to admit liking Rosenstolz then. Hip Hop, House music was more the rage back then with my peers. But I have always listened to a variety of genre. I still have Rosenstolz in my playlist now and I always look back at that time I had to pretend I didn't like their songs.

Hey Jude too, it's not overrated at all.

11 what is the best live music show you've ever been to?

I was never allowed to go to major rock concerts like I wanted to because my parents were scared of stampedes, and I am a "small, petite" girl. But I have been to live shows of JAM Project and Spyair. Always regretted to not having seen Linkin Park. I love Chester.

17. what song do you listen to if you need to pump yourself up to do something difficult?

The Zombies "Time of The Season", New Order "Age of Consent", "Be My Baby" by The Ronettes (singing along also helps me).

Also The Beatles always.

Link to the game

[moonchild-in-blue]

make yourself a musical fruit salad using songs by your favorite artist. choose a song to go with each fruit you select (you need at least five fruits, but i shall not police your fruit selection-- make the tastiest, grooviest fruit salad your heart could possibly desire🖤)

Oh my worm, this is such an interesting question! Thank you Em!! 💙

Okay, so my two favourite artists would probably be Linkin Park and BTS, for very similar close-to-my-heart reasons. And since they are WILDLY different sound-wise, I will give you two different fruit salads hehehe

First, the fruits!

Orange 🍊 -> obvious choice, zesty and sweet, brings everyone together with its juice; a refreshing favourite

Apple 🍎 -> solid, classic, reliable ; probably an oldie throwback

Mango 🥭 -> smooth, sexy lady with a groove; perhaps slightly unexpected

Strawberry 🍓 -> tangy, slightly acidic; a bittersweet one

Grapes 🍇 -> underrated bops bursting with flavour once you give them a try; a fun one

Melon 🍈 -> my favourite fruit so my personal favourite

Now for the salads:

Linkin Park Fruit Salad:

🍊 In The End - the song that gets everyone turned up, she's the mainstream queen for a reason!!

🍎 Numb - had to get this one here as well because, really, you can't leave it out

🥭 Lost In The Echo - Living Things is a very important album to me (and my second favourite from them), and I do NOT see enough conversation about it. Lost In The Echo is a fenomenal song, and probably one of my favourite Chester x Mike moments

🍓 The Messenger - just typing the name of this song got the water fountains going. "When life leaves us blind, love keeps us kind" is a lyric that I will carry with me until the day I die

🍇 In Between - for the sake of "underrated" I purposely chose something from after the first 2 albums. In Between is criminally underrated imo, which is a shame since it's such a sweet song sung by Mike (which is rare since he hardly ever gets a solo song). Bonus underrated AND fun - When They Come For Me

🍈 Breaking The Habit - I could go on and on about why I love this song so so much, but I don't want to get sad. 13 yo me made it this far thanks to her 💙

BTS Fruit Salad:

🍊 Fire - THE hype song ever, it's physically impossible to be sad listening to her, helloooo 🔥 🔥

🍎 Spring Day - the fan favourite, of course I had to get her in here. Queen of the charts

🥭 Autumn Leaves & Home - this is my salad so I'll put extra mango if I want. Both of these are SO sexy in their own way, and since they're pretty far apart it'd only be fair to get them both in here

🍓 We Are Bulletproof : The Eternal - at first I thought about either 2! 3! or Young Forever, but We Are Bulletproof holds such a special, heavy meaning, considering the time it was released, and the overall theme of the album. I can't really listen to it without getting all choked up 🥺

🍇 Hip-Hop Lover & We On - putting 2 songs again because I can. These are VERY old BTS songs, and still remain some of my favourites. It's a shame so many newer fans outright refuse to listen to their older, not-so-polished stuff, cus it's fantastic really

🍈 Run - my mostest absolute Bangtan favourite, she's beauty, she's grace, she's so fun and devastating and aaaaaaa. AMAZING era that was, superior mv, just overall wowowowow

[themovieblogonline]

We Grown Now: Director Minhal Baig Gets Real

Ever feel like Hollywood forgot about stories from the projects? We Grown Now steps up to the plate, reminding us that real coming-of-age tales still exist. But this ain't your average teen flick. Buckle up for a journey through the vibrant chaos of 1992 Chicago, where two young boys navigate friendship, dreams, and the harsh realities of their environment. As someone who grew up in the projects myself, this movie hits a little too close to home... in a good way. https://youtu.be/xDxCjWeLvjU We Grown Now centers on Malik and Eric, best friends growing up in Chicago's legendary (and now demolished) Cabrini-Green housing projects. Director Minhal Baig paints a picture so vivid it's almost uncomfortable. We're talking about that broken elevator you pray doesn't swallow you whole, that ever-present scent of stale urine, and of course, the ubiquitous yellow bricks. The movie even throws a curveball with bricks...in the shower?! From the details like Lil Rey slinging pizza pies at Chester's to the shocking revelation that residents had to pay for their own utilities, the film captures the essence of project life with brutal honesty. Even Jurnee Smollett seems a tad young to play Malik's momma, but hey, sometimes age ain't nothing but a number in life. A Symphony of Sound and Silence While the visuals might be a punch to the gut, the soundtrack takes a different approach. Forget the usual Hip Hop and R&B. We Grown Now is layered with strings, creating a strangely beautiful counterpoint to the harsh realities on screen. It's almost like the music is a deliberate attempt to find beauty in the struggle. Speaking of interesting choices, the film never shows the teacher that Malik and Eric have a crush on so she's almost like a character out of a Peanuts cartoon. It's a quirky detail that adds to the movie's unique charm. We Grown Now isn't afraid to show the humanity of growing up poor. It's a celebration of friendship and the simple joys of being a kid, even when your playground is a warzone. Remember the Pledge of Allegiance in elementary school? Yeah, this movie throws it back to those days too. There's a scene with Malik's grandma shuffling around in a Muumuu, muttering about "holding on to the little bit we got." Damn, that line hits hard. And then there's the scene with the police enforcing ID checks for residents entering their own building. This is a chilling reminder of the constant surveillance faced by people of color in low-income communities. The tragedy that occurs in the movie is handled with a heartbreaking authenticity. The movie doesn't dwell on the details, just like you wouldn't dwell on them in real life. It's a constant undercurrent of fear and loss that young people in the hood have to live with. A Window to a Different World There's a recurring motif of the project window throughout the film. It's a constant reminder of the world outside, a world filled with opportunity that feels just out of reach. It's a cage, but also a symbol of hope. While the narrative might lean towards documentary-style at times, the heart of We Grown Now lies in its characters. The child actors deliver genuine performances that will have you reminiscing about your own childhood best friend. There's a scene where Malik dreams of buying his mom a house. It feels like this is a dream shared by countless kids in these places who just want to give back to their families. The film doesn't shy away from the harsh realities of project life. There is a constant threat of violence, a lack of resources, and broken homes. It's all there, but it's presented with a raw honesty that avoids sensationalism. We also learn about Malik's grandma's story and how she and her husband lost their store and ended up in the projects. It's a harsh reality as black families systematically pushed out of their communities and forced into these concrete jungles. This backstory adds another layer of depth to the film's exploration of poverty and race. A Story That Needed to Be Told We Grown Now is a film that will stay with you long after the credits roll. It's a powerful coming-of-age story that tackles themes of poverty, race, and the enduring power of friendship. It's a film that forces you to confront uncomfortable truths, but it also offers a glimmer of hope. This is a story that needed to be told, and Minhal Baig deserves props So, is We Grown Now a movie you should watch? Absolutely. Here's the deal: - It's a coming-of-age story that's raw and real, a far cry from the sugar-coated Hollywood fare. - It doesn't shy away from the tough stuff, but it also celebrates the resilience of the human spirit. - The soundtrack is a unique blend that creates a powerful atmosphere. - The performances by the young actors are nothing short of phenomenal. We Grown Now might not be an easy watch, but it's a necessary one. It's a film that will make you laugh, cry, and remember what it means to dream, even when the odds are stacked against you.

[briamichellewrites]

33

If Kevin, Brian, A.J., Howie, and Nick had a dollar for every swear word they heard… Bria invited them to hang out with her and Linkin Park at the studio during one of their days off. They were introduced to each other. While watching them, they came to see how well-organized they were. Mike and Brad were in charge. They all took turns recording while all six of them joked about like brothers. Brian jokingly asked how they got along so well.

There wasn’t any fighting or arguing or anything. They were friends before they became a band. They met each other in high school or college, except for Chester. He auditioned for the band. How did they all meet? It was through an advertisement in the paper about forming a boy band.

They each auditioned. The only two who knew each other were Kevin and Brian. A.J., Nick, and Howie knew each other because they had the same voice coach but they didn’t know each other well. Joe pointed out Bria, who had the idea of the name for their band. They were thinking about calling themselves Xero, spelled out as X-e-r-o, Linkin Park, or Hybrid Theory.

Mike asked her which one she liked better and she thought Linkin Park sounded cooler, so they went with that one. She jokingly told them they were welcome. They noticed the differences between them. Mike and Joe were Asian. Yes, they were. Mike was part Japanese, Joe was Korean, Brad and Rob were Jewish; Phoenix was gay and Chester was Chester. They laughed. Rob thought that explained him perfectly. Phoenix was quieter than usual. He didn’t want to be there but he had to.

He was distracted by his phone and the thoughts in his head. Chester noticed him getting up. They nodded to each other before he also got up. They excused themselves. Mike and the band knew why he was leaving. He did that whenever he needed a few minutes to get away. Sometimes he went out to cry privately. He was overwhelmed with stress. They wanted him to get help.

They didn’t want to lose him to exhaustion. He was their brother, so they wanted to help him in any way possible. They went outside where they sat down together. He then started crying quietly. Chester asked him if he wanted to talk about it. He responded that his mother was dying. The cancer had spread throughout her body and they couldn’t stop it. She wanted to die at home, so they hired a nurse to come every day to help out rather than having her go into hospice.

She had a year left. Fuck cancer! He was angry at the disease for taking her away from their family. She was still very young. It wasn’t fair. Chester listened to him before asking him to go into grief counseling. He shouldn’t be going through this by himself. They were worried about him. He wiped his tears. Will you come with me? Just for the first appointment?

Only if he wanted him to. Yes, he did. Then, he would. Thank you. The nineties. That was a topic of conversation since they all went through it. Brian asked her what kind of music she listened to as a teenager. She had to think back.

“Oh my god. The Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, *NSYNC, the Spice Girls and Hanson. For a while, I was in this phase where I listened to Gloria Estefan, Ricky Martin, and someone Iglesias.”

“Enrique Iglesias”, Howie said.

“Yeah. I also listened to Shania Twain. It drove my father crazy because he didn’t understand my music choices. Then, I started dating Mike in 1998. He got me listening to eighties and nineties hip hop and eighties new wave.”

“You’re an equal opportunity music lover”, Rob joked.

“I am. I like to annoy Brad by playing Come On Over by Shania Twain. He hates it, especially the song That Don’t Impress Me Much. There’s that line, ‘Okay, so you’re Brad Pitt. That don’t impress me much.’ He always tells me to change the song.”

They laughed. Did she know Brad Pitt? Yes, she dated him for about two years and they lived together for a while. How in the world did she meet him? She was in Cannes at a restaurant. The dude was trying to order but he didn’t know French and the poor waitress didn’t know English, so she had to intervene. After she got home, they started talking and then eventually started dating. They liked to joke about him having fifty-fifty custody of her cat, Tiny.

Why did they break up? She left him because of his alcoholism, which she didn’t find out about until after they moved in together. He was irritable and angry, so she didn’t want Tiny to go through that. When he left to work on a movie, she boarded her cat, called a locksmith to change the locks, and then packed up all of his stuff. After he completed treatment, he apologized for his behavior.

They had no idea. What was he like when he wasn’t drinking? He was two different people. The guy they saw in public was different than who he was in private. In private, he was a guy with insecurities. He hated comments about his body and he never truly believed in his greatness. A lot of it had to do with him wanting to be his own person while also wanting to uphold his parents’ expectations for him. It was a lot of pressure for him.

Especially since he felt he had to be Brad Pitt, the movie star when in reality, he was just a guy from Oklahoma and Missouri. Mike thought that explained who he was perfectly. She met his parents. They were not easy to impress. She was not going to get into that. They laughed. Mike jokingly asked about his parents. She loved his parents and Bradford’s parents.

“I remember going to Thanksgiving with you and your family. Your grandfather or someone found out I could speak Japanese, so we were talking back and forth. You were just standing there awkwardly not knowing what the hell we were saying.”

They laughed.

“I think I also talked to your brother in Spanish. Both of you guys, your families are awesome!”

“My parents adopted you”, Brad said with a smile.

“Oh my god. That means you’re never going to get rid of me.”

They laughed. When Phoenix came back in with Chester. His eyes were red and puffy, but they didn’t acknowledge it. He sat down without saying anything. Mike patted his back. Thank you. Did he want to come over and have a beer? Yeah, that would be great.

Kevin and the guys noticed the differences between their band and Linkin Park. They were a genuine family. Not just a bunch of guys who made music together. This was what they wanted to be. How the hell did they do it?

Chester asked Bria if she was going to get another kitten. She answered that was always a possibility. Mike told her not to get another kitten. Three cats were enough. That was why they couldn’t have nice things. Howie jokingly asked if they wanted to teach them how to get along. Brad joked they needed someone like Mike. He was the glue that kept everyone together.

The band agreed with that. That made him laugh. Bria also kept them in line. Mike volunteered to come in and see what they needed help with. They would appreciate that. Joe jokingly asked Mike what they would do without him. Chester answered they would never get anything done because Brad would be stressed out and everything would fall apart. Joe joked that they would be fighting each other like ninjas. Mike thanked them. He appreciated it. Mike Shinoda: Ninja Tamer. They laughed.

@zoeykaytesmom @feelingsofaithless @alina-dixon @fiickle-nia

[alwek]

I would have expected Getway Car to be above Dogs and Beta Club but y'all really should listen to all these songs/bands.

Metric and Kings of Leon are two of the best bands I've ever heard, with possibly the most impressive discographies I've ever had the privilege of listening to. Each album by each band is no lower than a strong 7, they each have just incredibly consistent grooves and tones, always finding ways to add more, or rework the sounds they usually stick with.

Metric has always loved their synths, and with every album they release you can just hear them come into themselves more and more as they experiment with the noises and lyrics they make. An absolutely amazing and beautiful and stunning blend of pop and rock. The cybernetic sounds they blast always catch me in their electrifying nets, getting me stuck in all the subtle little additions they add, all the little details that bring the songs up to new levels. And the sheer lyricism of Emily Hanes, MMMMPPH! She's a huge inspiration to my own music, and Art Of Doubt is possibly my favourite album ever

Kings Of Leon have been a favourite for probably just as long as metric. I just can never get enough of the twang they seem to have absolute mastery over. Each project of theirs being so lovingly crafted and pieced together, as if they live through the music they make. I get lost in their albums so often, especially the album Mechanical Bull. It's just so easy to get lost in the largness of the sound they always seem to perfectly get out

Jarv has more passion in his music than almost any other rapper I've listend to in recent memories. His flows are just peak, his song Escargot is a perfect example of his ability to put words together and a wonderful display of how fucking fast that boys tongue can move. He's got groove, he's got heavy hittings, he's got lyricism up the wazoo, seriously, some of the most cleaver and pleasing rhyme schemes I've ever heard, Eminem WISHES he had the immaculate flow that Jarv possess.

Linkin Park. Do they even need a description? One of the most iconic rock bands, just, ever! They always put their whole pussies into what they made. Every word, every note, it was so intrinsicly THEM. Unabashedly unashamed of the "cringness" of they lyrics, just letting themselves be as they are and saying to the world "this is me. Now watch." In Pieces is one of my favourite songs of all time, and while I'm less a fan of the newer stuff, Linkin Park will always be top dog. Rest In Wonderful Noise, Chester Bennington

Mosie is phenomenal. This guy understands pop in ways that nobody in recent years has been able to get. He beautifully blends pop bases with some more hip hop feels and motifs, blending the two genras together in a fasion I just, quite frankly, haven't heard a single group or person pull off since Taylor Swift sold the fuck out. He bops, he hops, his voice is so clearly full of passion for the craft that it makes it so easy to get into the mood of each song. He's perfectly able to engross the listener, hooking them with the immaculate beats and passionate lyrics.

[nofatclips]

Con And The Can by Linqua Franqa, live for Georgia Public Broadcasting

[tenaflyviper]

Black Horror Movies: Part 2

Short Films and Music Videos:

“Thriller” (1983)

Ru Paul’s Trilogy of Terror (1984) ★ ★ ★

Monsters: “My Zombie Lover” (1988)

Masters of Horror: “The V Word” (2006) ★ ★ ½

The Blaxorcist (2007)

Black Santa’s Revenge (2007) ★ ★ ★

Fear Itself: “Something With Bite” (2008) ★ ★ ★ ½

Barackula: The Musical (2008) ★ ★ ★ ★

The Strange Thing About the Johnsons (2011) ★ ★ ★ ★

Flawed, But Still Noteworthy:

Lucky Ghost (1942) ★ ★

Midnight Menace (1946) ★ ★ ½

How to Make a Monster (1958) ★ ★ ★

R*pe of the Vampire (1968) ★ ★ ★ ★

I Drink Your Blood (1970) ★ ★ ½

Beware! The Blob (1972) ★ ★ ★

Frogs (1972) ★ ★ ★ ½

Night of the Cobra Woman (1972) ★

Blackenstein (1973) ★ ★ ★

Caged Terror (1973) ★ ★ ½

Black Mamba (1974) ★ ½

Devil Times Five (aka The Horrible House on the Hill) (1974) ★ ★ ★ ½

The Last Wave (1977) ★ ★ ★ ½

Petey Wheatstraw: The Devil’s Son-In-Law (1977) ★ ★ ★

The Thing (1982)

Zombie Island Massacre (1984) ★ ★ ½

Demons (1985) ★ ★ ★ ½

Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning (1985) ★ ★ ★ ★

Breeders (1986) ★ ★ ★ ★ ½

Vamp (1986) ★ ★ ½

The Supernaturals (1986) ★ ★ ½

The Believers (1987) ★ ★ ½

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987) ★ ★ ★

Surf Nazis Must Die! (1987)

The Offspring (aka From a Whisper to a Scream) (1987) ★ ★ ½

The Blob (1988) ★ ★ ★ ★

Memorial Valley Massacre (1988) ★ ★ ½

Night of the Demons (1988) ★ ★ ½ (I didn’t want to add this one, but I’m including it specifically for my co-worker, because he loves it)

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988) ★ ★ ½

A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989)

Class of 1999 (1990) (added because Pam Grier)

The Borrower (1991) ★ ★ ★

Body Bags (1993) ★ ★ ★

Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993) ★ ★ ★

Vampire in Brooklyn (1995) ★ ★ ★ ½

Embalmer (1996) ★ ★ ★ ½

Anaconda (1997)

Deep Blue Sea (1999) ★ ★ ★

Leprechaun in the Hood (2000) ★ ★

The Vault (2000) ★ ★ ½

Thi13en Ghosts (2001)

Jason X (2001) ★ ★ ½

Recoil (2001) ★ ★ ★

Ritual (2001) ★ ★ ½

Eye See You (2002) ★ ★ ★

Halloween: Resurrection (2002) ★ ★ ½

Arachnia (2002) ★ ★ ★

Da Hip Hop Witch (2003)

Demon Slayer (2003) ★ ★

Alien vs Predator (2004) ★ ★ ★ ★

Death Valley: The Revenge of Bloody Bill (2004) ★ ★ ½

Sista Vampires (2004)

2001 Maniacs (2005) ★ ★ ★ (I was hesitant to include this one, but Blacula liked it)

Devon’s Ghost: Legend of the Bloody Boy (2005) ★ ★ ★ ½

Hood of the Living Dead (2005) ★ ½

Motor Home Massacre (2005) ★ ★ ★

Vampire Assassin (2005) ★ ★ ★

Woodz of Evil (2005) ★ ★ ½

Night: The Final Cut (2006)

Storm of the Dead (2006) ★ ★

Chop Shop (2007) ★ ★ ½ (R*PE WARNING - no nudity, but still)

Vegas Vampires (2007) ★ ★

Black Devil Doll (2009) (An homage to Chester Novell Turner’s Black Devil Doll from Hell)

Night Train (2009)

Nite Tales (2009) ★ ★

Zombie Apocalypse (2011)

Gallowwalkers (2012)

The Colony (2013)

The Curse (2013)

The Purge (2013) ★ ★ ★ ½

Bachelors Grove (2014)

Dead of the Nite (2014)

Honky Holocaust (2014) ★ ½ (This is a Troma movie.  If you are not familiar with Troma films, you may want to skip this one)

Safari (2014) ★ ★ ★

The Legend of Black Annie (2015) ★ ★ ★

Teeth and Blood (2015) ★ ★ ½

Urban Cannibal Massacre (2016) ★ ★ ½

Armed Response (2017)

Coleville (2017) ★ ★ ½

The Recall (2017) ★ ★ ★

Zombies (2017)

The Cloverfield Paradox (2018) ★ ★ ★ ★

Demon House (2018) ★ ★ ★ ½

Home Stay (2018)

Snake Outta Compton (2018) ★ ★ ½

West of Hell (2018)

She Never Died (2019)

The Soul Collector (2019)

Body Cam (2020) ★ ★ ★

The Clearing (2020) ★ ★ ★

Demonic Passion (2020)

Don't Look Back (2020) ★ ★ ★

Friend of the World (2020) ★ ★ ★

Kindred (2020) ★ ★ ★

Dogface: A Trap House Horror (2021)

Finding Ophelia (2021)

The Lockdown Hauntings (2021)

The Madness Inside Me (2021)

Hellblazers (2022)

I hope others enjoy this list as much as I enjoyed compiling it.  It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time (probably the thing that interests me most about horror films is their historical significance, and influence on/reflection of our ever-changing society), and I’m glad I finally got it done.  I only wish I could have provided more links! Also, once again, I urge anyone interested in black horror cinema to visit BlackHorrorMovies.com.  You’ll find lots of other films besides the ones on this list.

If the trends I noticed while putting this list together continue, we’re likely to see a massive increase in horror films written and directed by black filmmakers in the near future!  🤞

In case you missed it, don't forget to check out:

Black Horror Movies Part 1

[killervibe]

5 + 1 fic where Frost keeps walking in on Caitlin and Cisco doing things? Bonus if you mention THE broom closet and if the +1 is them walking in on Frost instead :P

5 Times Frost Walks in on Cisco and Caitlin + 1 Time Cisco and Caitlin Walk in on Frost

Killervibe Fic - (NSFW)

Killervibe Month Gift for @ava-has-a-closet-murderboard (who had requested this) and @ilikethequiet who had requested sexual tension.

“You really mean that?”

Though he didn’t have to say it again. Caitlin grabbed the lapels of his suit, surging in to kiss the soft look from his face. It was inevitable, she realized. Belonging with Cisco. And he kissed her so perfectly, she was all at once overjoyed and overwhelmed. The steps of the West house patio creaked beneath the shifting of their feet. It was cold on the dark street, Iris and Barry still slow dancing together in the living room after their vows. But it wasn’t the all-consuming, world-saving romance between the West-Allens and their children that left Caitlin feeling so nostalgic for love. It was seeing Cisco again, even in the Star Labs stole. Then hearing him say he was single again, not being able to believe the calmness he had about it. Then touching him again, now, in a way in which she’d never had the chance.

Cisco cupped her cheek and brought her closer. She’d never been so lost in a kiss.

The front door opened, and Frost tugged at her peach dress. When she looked up and saw Cisco and Caitlin in front of her, she stood shocked. Though the shock passed quickly when she realized they had yet to even notice she’d caught them. “Um?” Frost waved Caitlin’s clutch in front of them in the air. “Hello??”

They stopped, blinking away the haze from their quiet intimacy. Cisco’s arm immediately went around her, his chin over her shoulder too. “Frost, couldn’t you have just walked away or something? You’re interrupting.”

“I thought priests were supposed to be abstinent!”

“He’s not a real priest!” Caitlin snapped irritatedly. “He’s my boyfriend!”

Cisco grinned. “Really? I mean, yes. Absolutely yes. But, really? I thought you’d need at least a day or two before needing to settle on labels, which you could still have, by the way.” Caitlin shushed him, planting another kiss against his lips. “I don’t think we need to be wasting anymore time, Cisco.”

Frost flipped her silver hair over her shoulder and called into the house, glaring at Nora and Bart West-Allen. “Now look at what you’ve done!”

Nora West-Allen peered out, sporting a confused frown. “What’s the problem? They’re supposed to be together.”

“Yes!” Cisco said. “Thank you.”

“The problem,” Frost ground out as she marched down the steps, “Is that I live with her and Cisco sold his place so now I’m gonna have to live with them.” A red car drove up to the driveway. Frost got into the Uber and slammed the door. Two seconds later, the window rolled down, Frost’s eyes glinted that icy blue from the old days as she shouted, “I. Hate. Weddings!”

2.

Caitlin unpeeled her medical gloves, rolling down Cisco’s pant leg. “It’s not broken or sprained.”

“Oh good.” Cisco’s arm went over his eyes. Caitlin stood up from the black stool to wash her hands at the sink. “I didn’t think it was.”

Caitlin didn’t think so either, but watching him fall from the Star Labs Van had still rattled her. She returned with two pain killers and a plastic cup. Cisco sat up and swished the water and pills down. Caitlin watched anxiously. She quirked an eyebrow when a funny look passed his face.

“Cisco?”

“You know what would make me feel even better, Dr. Snow?”

A startled laugh pushed out of her throat. Of course Cisco would want to play Doctor. She played along, fighting the flush that greeted her. “What?”

Cisco patted on the wax paper on her bed, letting her know there was a lot of room. She sat beside him to humour him, though their sides squished. There was no room at all. “We’re not having sex in my Med Bay,” she warned.

“No, no,” Cisco said, all wide-eyed and innocent. “Doctor, I’d never!”

“Have you ever thought of going for a pHD?” she asked, teasing him. “You’d get a title of your own…”

The question gave Cisco whiplash. He pouted at her. “Caitlin. C’mon.”

She smirked, leaning in to kiss the corner of his mouth. “Okay fine, maybe one kiss.”

“Mmmm.”

Somehow, despite her firm insistence on no sex, Caitlin soon found herself lying down on the medical cot anyway, Cisco climbing over her, fiddling with the buttons of her white lab coat. Her hair spilled over the edge of the thin pillow, and she couldn’t seem to stop where this was ultimately going. Her hips raised when Cisco grinded against her a bit.

“How long have you wanted to do this?” she asked.

Cisco laughed. “Oh, you don’t want to know that answer.” He stopped though, pulling back a bit. “Okay, I know you don’t wanna fool around here. My place?”

“What! No!” Caitlin grabbed his wrist. “You’re teasing me, I’m changing my mind.”

“Babe, you said…” Cisco narrowed his eyes, watching the slow smile spread across her face.

The door slid open. Frost gawked. “Why are you just dangled over her like that?”

“Frost.” Caitlin let out a very deep sigh. “....I was checking to make sure he was okay.”

“Well clearly, he is!” Frost exclaimed. “I needed to get Cecile a band-aid.”

“Just use your powers,” Caitlin told her. “It’ll close the wound.”

“Yeah, no thanks.”

Cisco shooed her out.

Frost grabbed the box of band-aids and walked away.

Caitlin leaned up on her elbows. “Did that kill the mood for you too?”

“Yep.”

“YOU’RE WELCOME!” Frost called from down the hall.

3.

“Are we alone?”

“I locked the door.”

That was good enough.

Cisco’s hands went to her hips, then up and underneath the blouse Caitlin had tucked into her shirt. She’s laughing a little into his kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck and stumbling as she tries to kick off her heels at the same time. “This is getting ridiculous.” Not sneaking off with Cisco in the middle of the day at Star Labs -- Barry and Iris do that too often to not be embarrassed about that -- but the sheer insatiability that instilled in the both of them since they got together. It was all the time. Nearly, every day, and it got set off by the slightest, silliest thing. If Cisco’s eyes glimmered when they shared a look at lunch, Caitlin wanted him. If she hopped onto Cisco’s desk at the workshop while he was working and crossed her legs, Cisco wanted her.

“Forget the shoes. You’re going to twist your ankle.”

“They’re uncomfortable, I want them off.” She takes a step back and loses her balance. Cisco pulls her just before she falls, arm slipping against her arched back, bringing her against his chest. Her eyes were wide and she caught her breath. Then smiled in a way she seldom did in public. A come hither, sexy mouth move that Cisco will have seared into his brain and committed until death. Cisco groaned and slipped his hand into her skirt just as the door handle rattles then falls to the ground and shatters. “Why are we even locking anything in this damn place anymore other than the pipeline-”

They jumped as Frost entered the room, stopping mid-mutter to stare at them. “Oh for fucking out loud.” She looked as though she wanted to hurl. “Chester sent me in here to get his printer blueprint stuff!”

“For crying out loud,” Caitlin corrected with just barely a whisper, still straightening her skirt as she blushed. She couldn’t decide if she was embarrassed or mad.

“Who even uses the printer anymore?” Cisco grumbled. “Those displays are HD and on Gideon’s cloud. Tell him it should be on his tablet.”

Frost rolled her eyes. “I’m not telling him that.” She marched forward and grabbed the stacks of papers from the silent printer off the side desk neither Caitlin nor Cisco were paying attention to. She threw a hand up at them, gesturing with her face screwed up in disgust, as though she couldn’t even stand to look at them in their dishevelled state. “If you wanted to get all frisky you should’ve used the archives. Everyone knows that’s where you screw around here, not the damn copy room, god. You two are such nerds.”

“You’re paying for the doorknob!” Cisco called after her. He went over to the shattered mess that had started to melt on the floor. Caitlin bit her lip, getting back into her heels. Cisco turned around. “Help me pick this up?”

“Of course.” Caitlin twitched her nose at the mess. “You know the Starchives will never work.”

“Obviously not.”

“...Maybe we should look into abandoned broom closets.”

4.

“Cisco-”

“Caitlin, god-”

Caitlin’s apartment door opened.

“Really?” Frost deadpanned. “On the couch?”

Caitlin covered her chest with the throw blanket. Cisco tucked himself back into his pants.

"We're sorry, Frost--"

"Save it."

5.

“OW!?” Cisco howled at the cold snow ball that had hit his head. Caitlin covered her eyes. “We were just kissing!”

“It always starts like that.” Frost lowered her icy hand. “Get. A. Room.”

+ 1

Cisco spun Caitlin around one last time in front of the door to the apartment after their six month anniversary date. He kissed her, slowly, sweetly. Then not so sweet. Caitlin loved it all. He backed her up against the door and deepened the kiss, but eventually pulled away and murmured, “Caitlin, I think we need to get our own place.”

Considering the fact all Caitlin wanted to do was drag Cisco to her bedroom while she knew Frost was inside told her he was exactly right.

She let out a small breath and bit her lip. “I want to. I just worry about…”

Cisco pinched his nose and sighed. Caitlin glanced up and down as he pushed back his hair. “I know that Frost loves you and all, but…”

“I know. I know.” Caitlin twists her clutch in her hands. “I’ll talk to her.” She gave him a look. “We’ll both talk to her.”

She opened the clutch for her keys and opened the door.

“--WHAT?”

Frost wiped at her mouth, standing up from her kneeled position on the floor. Cisco closed his eyes with a horrified yelp. “My eyes!”

Caitlin averted her own gaze at the strange man and his junk hanging out like that in the middle of her living room. “Who the hell are you?”

“Chill out Cisco, like I haven’t seen worse.” Frost licked her lips and grinned at Caitlin’s appalled yet cohesive grilling of the naked man in her house. “Caity, you’ll never believe it. Mark has a brother, and he’s also into art!”

Caitlin turned to Cisco. “Honey, we’re moving out.”

“Oh yeah.”

[ravenadottir]

i really love your headcanons and i hope this hasn't been asked before but what abt the types of music or even specific artists u think the boys (or girls too!) would listen to? me personally i only have a few ideas but i always see bobby listening to 90s music... and i feel like gary might listen to a lot of rock

hi anon! thank you so much ❤️

now here’s the thing. i don’t know a lot of european music. barely know british artists that aren’t dead, with the exception of arctic monkeys. so if you guys know artists that sound like the ones i’m citing, fantastic, ‘cause i don’t know them  😬 😬 😬

you know, i think about the year they were born, and relevate that about their preferences. and you know, i’m there with you. i think i mentioned a couple of times about bobby and the 90′s hip hop/r&b. so much of that happening on his music collection. i headcanon a poster of tupac on his living room, in his original apartment. girls like lil kim and eve being the women he had crushes, before he had his punk phase and fell for girls like joan jett and lita ford, and was listening to sum 41. maybe even some old 1960′s reggae too. but i don’t see it happening as much as the others. it’s more of a family thing. in his favorite punk bands i included dead kennedys, blink 182, sum 41, bad religion, and i stand by it.

definitely loads of rock for gary, for sure! no doubt in my mind that’s his style and i think he’s still in the “i don’t like anything else” phase. for him, i headcanon arctic monkeys, hard rock like ‘black stone cherry’, ‘halestorm’ and others of that type. when i think about gary i think about hard rock bands from the late 90′s and early 2000′s like blink 182, goofy green day and sum 41. i wanna include 80′s horny rock. you know the ones! every guy flipping their hair to talk about an ass, a girl, sex, or all of them combined has a special place in his playlist. not the bands’ whole discography, but those specific songs, like ‘cherry pie’.

chelsea loves ariana grande. that’s just... there’s pink, high pitch, plumes, 90′s aesthetic, ‘thank u next’. i reckon chelsea goes for pop like ed sheeran, and pop girls like ari and... who else is pop? i’m not quite sure.

lottie might dress in black and be a sorceress, but i don’t think she digs nothing too dark. when i think about her, i see dorothy’s ‘wicked ones’ song. but that’s as heavy as she goes. maybe something like ‘the pretty reckless’, but i reckon that’s her limit. nothing like ariana grande i don’t think, but maybe unexpected pop for sure. lottie looks to me like the kind of girl that listens to “this year’s hits” and is alright about it.

noah is all about the 80′s rock and honestly? when i think about noah vibing to something, ‘ain’t no sunshine’ comes to mind. bill withers really did something with those lyrics, and i know ‘toto’ has a special place in noah’s heart, but that’s the energy i feel belongs to book boy. i’m not the most versed in this field, but ‘ben e. king’, b.b king, luther allison. all that jazz vibe but with lots of heartbreak. anything that sounds like the 80′s romantic rock is also in his playlist. ooh, and ‘queen’. no one changes my mind about noah vibing to queen and even goofing around about it.

kassam. on his story, a year ago, i wrote down metal, among other things. this boys gives me the vibe of lots of heavy music influencing his own. initially i said metallica, and i stand by that, but also, i would love to see kassam casually vibing to ‘papa roach’. and i have to include other dj’s, like nina kraviz, his crush, and others like ‘the chemical brothers’ and ‘daft punk’. older more experiencied dj’s, and some experimental new ones.

carl. a freaking wild card! carl can be the type that listens to heavy death metal or go for smooth jazz all day, every day. if i’m honest, i think he goes for heavy things. it seems he puts out his stress into getting deaf while listening to music, but i could be wrong. he really is a wild card. and if i have to guess something, i would say he’s ecletic. he’s not headbanging in concerts, but he’s listening to heavy stuff while working on something complicated, awkwardly mouthing the lyrics. and when he wants to chill, calm genres are his thing, like blues.

lucas. hard rock from any decade. he has mad respect for those bands from the 80′s but can enjoy a modern version that homages the older ones. highlights include ac/dc, led zepellin, mötley crüe, scorpions, kiss. his revolting times include linkin park (no one can convince me lucas wasn’t the type) and slipknot. he’s kinda over slipknot now, but had a hard time with chester’s death.

henrik. I HATE TO BE THAT PERSON, but he does like reggae. i would like to think he keeps it traditional and not ‘hm hm chaka hm hm chaka”. so bob marley, peter tosh, bunny waiter. henrik might vibe to almost everything that is fun or tranquil. he has a genre for every mood. he’s also a headbanger, DON’T AT ME. he must be. i want him to be! pop is part of the repertoire too. but you know, artists like beyonce and bruno mars.

priya. r&b mainly. lots of 90′s r&b and rap, girls that paved the way to new female rappers and the ones who paved the way back for newsies, like nicki minaj. priya has mad respect for her. and i would like to think she likes horny rap like thee stallion. digs cardi b, that’s canon, and playful ones like doja cat too. has the biggest crush on bruno mars and definitely likes cheeky guys because of him. 

ibrahim. mainly horny r&b from late 90′s and early 2000′s. like every pony, usher, thong and more! i can see ibrahim dancing to a lot of the 90′s hip hop, like run dmc. if he digs dr. dre, busta and lil’ wayne i’ll be falling for him faster than he can say ‘beaver!’.

marisol. latin music. reggaeton before it was mainstream. old ballads like luis miguel, alejandro sanz and julio iglesias. she probably grew up in a house where her mother and aunties loved those men singing romantic songs to the crowd. she started dancing at an young age, so the ballroom songs from the time: 2003. ricky martin, christina aguilera. (don’t quote me on this, but i was doing ballroom dance and there was a lot of those weird remixes involving pop singers, and those were the main ones. don’t tell anyone about it tho).

[isaarchive]

The Story Behind Every Song on Linkin Park’s ‘Hybrid Theory’: 20th Anniversary Track-By-Track

The group's Mike Shinoda and Joe Hahn dive deep into the diamond-selling classic, sharing how smashes like "In The End," "Crawling" and "One Step Closer" came together in the studio.

By Jason Lipshutz

“It was a bizarre, but very special, moment in time.” That’s how Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda describes the release of the band’s seminal debut, Hybrid Theory, one of the best-selling rock albums of all time.

Upon the album’s Oct. 24, 2000 release, the members of Linkin Park were in their early twenties -- “just children, screwing around,” as Shinoda affectionately describes the group’s early days in the Los Angeles suburbs. With Shinoda and Chester Bennington sharing the frontman role, Linkin Park offered a bold progression on the strand of rap-rock that had bubbled up the charts in the late ‘90s. They often delineated the rapping and singing duties between vocalists and carefully balancing hard rock riffs from guitarist Brad Delson with hip-hop-style beats from drummer Rob Bourdon and turntablist/DJ/programmer Joe Hahn.

The band’s mixture of rap and rock was approached with some skepticism from their label, Warner Bros. Records, and their producer, Don Gilmore. Yet as soon as “One Step Closer,” Hybrid Theory's blistering lead single, became a top 10 hit at U.S. alt-rock radio, those doubts were quickly alleviated.

“When I grew up, you were either a rock kid or a rap kid, but you didn’t listen to blended music, really,” Shinoda recalls. “I was so excited when Rage Against The Machine came out, and Red Hot Chili Peppers, or when I found Led Zeppelin by listening to Beastie Boys. There were things that were out there that took from varying styles of music and put them together, but they were not the norm at all. And to have played a role in mashing styles together, that is, for us, part of our legacy that we’re proud of.”

Indeed, Hybrid Theory remains a touchstone of the time period: the album has sold a whopping 10.8 million copies to date, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data, and produced singles that have remained alternative radio staples for decades. “In The End,” the brilliantly rendered signature anthem that mixes rap verses and a melodic hard rock chorus, peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, while “Crawling” earned Linkin Park its first Grammy award. The album would kick-start a career that produced seven total albums, 28.8 million total copies sold, and countless arena performances, until the tragic passing of Bennington in 2017.

Now, the band is looking back on its landmark debut with Hybrid Theory: 20th Anniversary Edition, a new collection featuring previously unreleased demos, B-sides, rarities, DVDs and the long-sought-after fan favorite track from the time period, “She Couldn’t,” among many other things. The multiple configurations of the boxed set -- including a Super Deluxe Edition with 5 CDs, 3 LPs and 3 DVDs -- will be released on Friday (Oct. 9); in addition, Sirius XM has launched a limited-run music channel “Linkin Park Radio” on Oct. 5 to commemorate the anniversary.

“It’s a nice time to pause and think and focus on what it took to make that record, the impact it had, and the opportunity it allowed us to continue with our careers,” Hahn tells Billboard. “For me, it’s a testament to the camaraderie between all the guys in the band, to our friendship, to our work ethic, to the values in how we approached not just making music, but the business of making music, and the way we interact with our fans.”

In separate interviews, Shinoda and Hahn shared their memories of all 12 songs on the standard edition of Hybrid Theory, from the biggest hits that the album spawned to the deep cuts that hold a special place in their hearts. Check out their track-by-track remembrance of Linkin Park’s Hybrid Theory below.

1. “Papercut”

MIKE SHINODA: To me, the two songs that were the most important were “Papercut” and “In The End.” “Papercut” was all of the identity of the band packed into one song. Even the fact that it started with that beat, and it went straight into a double-time bouncy rap with heavy guitars, the fact that Chester was rapping with me on the chorus -- you can’t even hear him because of the mix, it sounds like it’s just him but it’s actually both of us.

When you got to the bridge, that soaring, huge vocal! And we didn’t come back to a chorus at the end of it, it was a unique song structure. I feel like it checked a lot of the boxes in terms of what the band was really about. And we knew, from the moment we had the song, we knew it needed to open the album.

JOE HAHN: “Papercut” at the time was one of my favorites. We were really trying to mash up styles, and I think we did that pretty successfully. The idea of bringing the breakbeat element that hip-hop has, I think we got pretty cool vibe when we intertwined the guitar riffs with the drum break on that song. The album’s called Hybrid Theory because it represents that ideal.

SHINODA: There was a weird thing with the singles on this album. Technically, there were three singles: it was “One Step Closer,” “Crawling” and “In The End.” And then there was a European single, which was “Papercut.” The reason was that “Crawling” was still going strong at radio in the States, but the European radio market moves faster, so they’d already burned through two singles and they needed a third one. [The label] basically wanted to time it out so that the European market had a third single, and then we could go worldwide with “In The End.” They were like, “We want everything to culminate with ‘In The End,’” and the momentum ended up working out that way.

2. “One Step Closer”

SHINODA: In choosing Don Gilmore as a producer, we were really hesitant. Don had more of these radio-alternative songs, and we knew that he would get that part of our sound right, but he knew nothing about hip-hop. Not a thing! And he said that to us when he met with us. He was like, ‘Here’s the deal, the part of your sound that I can’t contribute to is the hip-hop part. I know that’s a big part of your thing. But I like how you do it, so I will try to just get out of the way in terms of the beats and raps and stuff, I will leave that to you.’ And we were like, ‘Okay!’ And that worked out great, because we didn’t know how to mic up and engineer a rock band in the studio. We didn’t know how to arrange, how to multi-track guitar and vocals, in a way that sounded like what we heard on the radio that we loved. So that was all us learning from Don.

As we got into it, we did have these real tense points of conflict, because since he was hands-off on some of the creative in terms of letting us dictate how the hybrid was supposed to work, when somebody from the label came in and said, “I don’t like what they’re doing with mashing up these things,” or if they came in and said “I’m not sure about the rapping,” then all of a sudden Don couldn’t definitively defend it. He was like, “Uh, okay, well, that’s what the band thinks sounds good!” The power struggle became part of what making that album was. Some of the intensity and frustration you hear on the album is specifically album-related.

“One Step Closer” was me and Chester literally writing about Don. We were so mad at him. The ‘shut up’ riff was literally Chester screaming at Don. We were losing our minds. At that point in the process, it was just like, why don’t you trust us? This is our album. Our A&R guy doesn’t have to have his f--king name on the front of the CD, and play this music onstage everyday. We knew, if we put anything on this record that we don’t like or that we’re not feeling, we’re gonna have to live with it. Like, this is our career!

HAHN: I feel like, at that time, that was our loudest song, which turned into the first single. In making that record, we weren’t completely understood by the record label, mainly because there was a categorization of what bucket you fit in. Being a rock band but trying to have a firm foundation with our hip-hop and electronic influence that we bring to the music. The formats were alternative rock and active rock at the time. I remember the label at one point asked us to have less rapping, and less scratching. If you actually listen to the radio edits of that song from when it first came out, they took out the scratching on the bridge of the song, which I found kind of annoying and unnecessary.

SHINODA: The “shut up” part in the bridge, I know one of my reference points was “F--k you, I won’t do what you tell me” [from Rage Against The Machine’s "Killing in the Name"], and we wanted a part like that in one of our songs. And we were in the studio writing and re-writing “One Step Closer,” and eventually we got so mad that Chester was just writing words down about how mad he was at Don for making us rewrite s--t. And eventually he wrote down “Shut up” and I was like, “What if the bridge is just ‘Shut up’? What if it’s simpler than anything we’ve said so far?” Because we were just writing out lyrics. And he was like, “I think that’s gonna sound awesome!”

We went in and told Don, “Put up ‘One Step Closer,’ we wanna record the bridge.” He was like “Well, tell me what it is.” And we go, “No no no, it’s better if we just record it. Listen to it in its full concept.” [laughs] And Don was like, jumping up and down. I think he figured out eventually that the whole song was about him. At least in part -- it wasn’t just about him, but part of it was inspired by how frustrated we were with him.

3. “With You”

HAHN: We worked with the Dust Brothers on that -- previous to that, they did [Beastie Boys’] Paul’s Boutique, so they were definitely a part of our history of music. They basically gave us a bunch of stems from an unused remix that they had, so we constructed that into the song. Some of the sounds at the beginning, like that ‘Dun-dun. DUN,’ some of the loops and drum breaks in there are from them.

I remember being really excited at that time, working with them, because it just represented a new way of making music, re-assembling parts that sounded cool into something totally different. It was fun to do that in a collaborative fashion.

SHINODA: I always liked “With You”! It was more ‘of the time,’ it was very nu-metal, so for better or worse, that’s what that was really about. I really like Joe’s parts on it. I like the production, the beats and stuff that I did -- we had a lot of back-and-forth about the production on it.

4. “Points of Authority”

SHINODA: There are a couple references on “Points of Authority” that are interesting. The vocal scat thing that I do on the intro, that’s really inspired by the Roots and Black Thought. I heard him doing that on Illadelph Halflife, and I just thought there was something so cool about that. And I thought it would mix well with the scratching, so we kind of did this back-and-forth with those things. The guitar line of the song was originally completely different -- I think we actually included the original riff, the original version of the song, on our boxed set for Hybrid Theory. But at some point we realized that the original guitar riff was really basic, so I went into Pro Tools and chopped it up, and moved the pieces around just to experiment with how it could sound, and I treated it like a sample off a record.

The song didn’t have the current chorus for a long time -- we basically wrote that chorus while we were in the studio with Don, because we decided it needed something melodic but we didn’t want it to be too soft, so we opted for this really simple, two-chord yelling-shouting melodic part.

HAHN: I direct the majority of the music videos, so I had a lot of fun making that one [for a version of the song on the band's 2002 remix album Reanimation]. We story-boarded that whole video, and worked with an animation team in L.A., and went, “Let’s just create this world, and it’s gonna be this race against this race, and they’re battling it out.” I remember I was referencing Saving Private Ryan, and looking at a lot of anime, and the dynamics of things blowing up. It was so fun, because I had this crazy idea, and everyone was like, “Okay! Go do it!” And they let me do it!

5. “Crawling”

SHINODA: The “One Step Closer” video, we had a very modest budget for that, and we had never made a video before. So when it was time to do a second video, we had a little more money, and I think the label was really instrumental at that point in helping us find a really good team to make a good video. And Joe started to get more confident about asserting himself in the process -- during “Crawling,” he really got in there, and probably learned a lot, and asked a ton of questions. But it came out great, the video was really an important part in introducing people to the band.

HAHN: “One Step Closer” is a pretty aggressive song, and it’s not very sweet-sounding by any means. When “Crawling” came out [as the second single], it represented a different side of what we do, intertwining something very intimate with an outpouring of emotion in the chorus and bridge, and even with some screaming. We always tried to play with what works, with the music and the dynamic of the vocal that Chester and Mike would bring to the table. Funny thing too, because the first song was such a big deal at the time -- and then we come out with “Crawling,” which is more of a softer side of what we do. I think if you got the album, you really understood it, but people that didn’t were like, “How does this song have anything to do with that other song?”

SHINODA: We won a Grammy for “Crawling,” for best hard rock performance, and at the time I didn’t know the difference between “hard rock song” and “hard rock performance,” since they had Grammys for both. And eventually I was like, “Oh, this is a Grammy for Chester’s vocal.” Like, it was a great recording, but if we really want to be super honest, the reason we got that Grammy was because of Chester’s performance on that song was bananas. It was so insane! I don’t think I’ve ever heard him sing like that. And it’s just that extra fierceness in his vocal that we captured that day. Just once in a while, he would walk in with that going on in his voice, and we knew we had to record as many things as possible whenever that happened. [laughs] It was like, can we please do five songs that day?

6. “Runaway”

SHINODA: “Runaway” was originally a song called “Stick and Move,” and the lyrics were really trite, but it was super bouncy and fun to play. At all of our early shows, that was basically our big song -- people who would come to our shows for the first time, we would talk to them afterwards and mention that song. So we always thought, this is an important song to get right in the studio. And once we had some of the other songs starting to take shape, we were like, “Oh no, one of our best songs is now one of our worst songs.” We thought we had this gem, and now it’s turning to be kind of a mess.

We completely disassembled the song and re-wrote it. We kept the chords and some of the drum grooves, but added a bunch of new stuff to it, and rewrote all the lyrics, and it became “Runaway.”

HAHN: There was definitely this thing we were doing repeatedly, just trying to master the song structures, going from lulls to reaching climaxes back to the lull. This song represented that formula that we mastered before we started to explore different ways of writing songs. If you break it down, it’s much simpler than some of the later music.

SHINODA: “Runaway” is funny, because some people think that it was a single from the album, but that’s just because a bunch of radio stations started playing it without us even promoting it as a song or doing a video. It was just a time when everyone was so enamored with the album and the band that they would just play album cuts. It was unbelievable.

7. “By Myself”

HAHN: That was one of the songs that we carried over [from early demos], too. I remember it being like this quiet-to-loud, really cool vibe, going from almost a whisper to grabbing your shirt. I think it had a lot of conviction, and when we played it live it definitely had that vibe where people were just amped up from listening to it.

SHINODA: “By Myself” was our attempt to do the softest verses and every other parts of the song be the nastiest, loudest sounds we can. And so it was drawing more from like, Nine Inch Nails and Ministry, than some of the more nu-metal stuff.

I remember doing the demos for that song in my apartment in Glendale, in the L.A. area, and my neighbor just f--king hated me. The walls were paper-thin, Chester’s screaming the chorus, and they must have thought we were murdering somebody in the room. We were both just shouting, and I’m going, “No, LOUDER!” [laughs] And my neighbors would bang on the wall at 10 PM every night to tell us that it was time to go to bed, basically. And thus, we would record all the way up ’til 10, and then you’d hear a thumping on the wall. We’ve got our headphones on, we’re doing our thing, and they’re literally punching the wall, trying to get our attention and tell us to shut the f--k up.

HAHN: The album is full of these moments like the one where Mike is saying “By myself,” and then Chester goes, “MYSELLLLLF!” That’s what was kind of magical about Mike and Chester as frontmen, partners and co-vocalists -- to have that sort of Jekyll-and-Hyde type moment. Two vocalists that could pull that off together really made us stand out from everyone else.

8. “In The End”

SHINODA: We had a bunch of tracks that we really liked, but we knew we needed something else that was a next-level kind of song. And I was having this moment of, I knew it was on me, I had to find it. I locked myself in our rehearsal studio on Hollywood and Vine -- back when Hollywood and Vine was like, drug addicts and prostitutes everywhere, so you wouldn’t just want to go in and out of there. Once it got to be about 7 o’clock, I went in there and locked the door and stayed overnight. There’s no windows or anything, I didn’t know what time of day it was. I wrote all night, and I ended up with “In The End” in the morning.

Our drummer Rob was the first one to show up that afternoon and I played it for him, and he absolutely lit up. He said something to the effect of, “I was dreaming, imagining that we needed a melodic song that took us to the next level, where the chorus was just the undeniable thing. This is the song. You made the song that I would have imagined.” So that was the first endorsement, and then after that, everybody we played it for had a similar excitement about it.

HAHN: We knew that we needed more melody. We knew we needed to round out what we were doing. People don’t want to be screamed at for a full record -- well, some people do. But everything from the melodies to the piano that loops... we write a lot of music, and for each album, there’s probably at least a hundred song ideas, sometimes double that. Sometimes there’s these magical moments where all of the elements come together perfectly at the same time. This is one of those ‘eureka’ moments.

SHINODA: The only part that we had a lot of drama around was my rap verses -- my original verses were okay, but our A&R guy at the time was really an insecure guy all around, and he kept going around to everybody else asking what they thought about the rap verses on that song. He’d play them and go, “These aren’t right, don’t you think?” And it was like, setting them up to pick something apart. He was the one who suggested that I not rap in the band, that I just be the keyboard player or whatever. Thankfully the guys, and Chester in particular, came to my rescue on that one.

9. “A Place For My Head”

SHINODA: “A Place For My Head” used to be called “Esaul,” and that was one of the earliest songs -- it might have been on the first demo that me and my friend Mark Wakefield made, when the band was just the two of us. And it went through different iterations to this version, but it was always a favorite. I think when it got recorded in the studio for Hybrid Theory, it was one of those scenarios where the song was already something we liked, but then when it was recorded the energy went up a lot, and it became a song that we always closed our shows with, either that or “One Step Closer.”

HAHN: For a while we were making these songs that had this outpouring of energy which would get people to mosh. I think that was our goal: to somehow lyrically and musically convey this feeling of frustration and tension, almost like you’re stuffing a bottle full of those emotions and then you’re shaking it up until it explodes. I think that song does that very well.

10. “Forgotten”

SHINODA: “Forgotten” was the other one that started as a demo with me and Mark. That one was called “Rhinestone” at the time. Both of these demos in their original versions are on Hybrid Theory 20, and we got Mark’s begrudging approval to put them on, with his voice and everything.

HAHN: That was cool, because back then, we were just putting parts together that fit. When I hear that song, I hear the ingredients, in a way that a chef might eat a dish and pick apart the different ingredients, in a very simple but elegant kind of way. It felt great to come out with a product at the end that represented exactly what we were trying to do at that moment.

SHINODA: As a side note, with the Hybrid Theory 20 release, we didn’t mix or re-mix any of the songs. It’s just a mastered version of the original cassette demo. People have asked a couple of times if we ever wanted to do a remaster, and the technology of mastering hasn’t changed a lot between Hybrid Theory and now. I remember telling everyone else who would listen [while making it], “I’ve got a subwoofer and an amp in the trunk of my car, I want to be able to put this record on right after Timbaland and Dr. Dre and have it thump just as much as those records. It needs to have the shape of a rap record.”

11. “Cure For The Itch”

HAHN: Mike had this really cool beat idea, those strings that were on the song. We really liked the feeling of it, but it wasn’t a song. I was like, “What if we put a beat to it, and an intro that I can scratch on?” We took the approach of making it a musical journey, and have it lean more on the DJ side of things. It gives a nice pause to the intensity of the album.

SHINODA: Joe and I loved DJ Shadow and Aphex Twin and so much of the electronic and trip-hop stuff that was coming out back then. One thing that happened when that community butted up against the DJ community is that there was a sense of humor that came through -- DJ crews, when they did their sets, they’d throw in little things that made you laughs. That’s why “Cure For The Itch” is a little bit lighter. It’s kind of flexing in terms of the beat production, but it has a little bit of a sense of humor. We wanted to give Joe a little bit of a spotlight track. We thought it’d be fun for him and that the fans would love it, so it’s very much a Joe experience.

12. “Pushing Me Away”

SHINODA: “Pushing Me Away” was like, basically we were really happy with how “Crawling” came out, so we were like, “Let’s do another melodic song like that!”

HAHN: That’s another one of those ballad-y songs, that’s like one of those conversations ... In recent years we brought it back into our live set, as an a cappella/acoustic version, because it was never a single but we really loved that song. I think that struck a chord with all the fans that loved Hybrid Theory.

[spookyspemilyreid]

Happy Anniversary “Bleed It Out”! (August 17th, 2007)

"Bleed It Out" is a song by American rock band Linkin Park. The song was released as the second single from their third studio album, Minutes to Midnight. The single was released on August 17, 2007.

On July 30, 2007 the music video was shown on MTV Germany and MTV Asia and has premiered in Canada through the Muchmusic Countdown and their MuchAxs video streaming website. This song was #44 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007. This song was also #83 on MTV Asia's list of Top 100 Hits of 2007.

The song is featured in the main setlist for the rhythm video game Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock.

"Bleed It Out" is the first of two tracks on the album to contain rap vocals from Mike Shinoda, with the other being "Hands Held High". It is also the second track of the 3 songs in the album to contain profanity (aside from "Given Up" and "Hands Held High").

The structure of "Bleed It Out" is similar to that of the band's earlier hit, "Faint", in which both are fairly short songs, have rapped verses and a sung chorus and bridge, and are both about frustration.

The main guitar riff of "Bleed It Out" which repeats throughout a majority of the song came as a result of guitarist Brad Delson playing a note incorrectly, thus explaining the song's working title of "Accident".

In the album booklet, it says that the song was largely a product of the band simply "Enjoying the process" of making the album. Furthermore, Mike Shinoda stated that the lyrics to this track were difficult to perfect, as he re-wrote the lyrics to this song about a "hundred times" (referenced to in the first line of the song: "Here we go for the hundredth time") until the band was satisfied with them.

The song is the shortest track on Minutes to Midnight, besides the instrumental intro, "Wake". However, in live performances the song's bridge is often extended to include a drum solo by Rob Bourdon. In Road to Revolution, the song also includes a "singing contest" led by Chester and Mike which is omitted in the CD version.

It was first performed live during the show at Webster Hall in New York City on May 11, 2007. Other notable live performances of the song include when it was performed in Tokyo on July 7, 2007 and broadcast as part of Live Earth, The Concerts for a Climate in Crisis, as well as when it was performed on the May 12, 2007 episode of Saturday Night Live. Linkin Park also performed the song at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, with an added hip-hop intro to the song by Timbaland, as well as various laser effects during the performance.

A live version of the song was included as the b-side of "Shadow of the Day".

In the A Thousand Suns World Tour, the drum solo was removed and pieces of "Burning in the Skies" and "A Place for My Head" were added to the song.

The song's music video was directed by Joe Hahn and premiered on July 31, 2007 on MTV Germany. The music video was premiered in the United States on August 6, 2007 all day long on MTV2's "Unleashed". It also had a premiere on TRL the same day as MTV2's "Unleashed". It debuted at number 27 on the Muchmusic Countdown on August 3. Although "Leave Out All The Rest" (the track before it) features footsteps and an opening door that segues into "Bleed It Out", it was omitted for the music video. The video was filmed and then reversed (in what appears to be one continuous shot), although green screens were used to make it look like the band was still playing regularly. The video features a reversed bar fight, and at the end of the video, it is revealed that a person vomited on another person's shoe, which started the massive fight.

The video was named Muchmusic's #1 Rock video of 2007 during their annual Holiday Wrap specialty program series. Also, at the 2008 MuchMusic Video Awards, "Bleed It Out" won for Best International Video – Group.

Warner Bros. Records released a live video of "Bleed it Out" exclusively on their YouTube channel. The live video was shot in Japan on July 7, 2007, when Linkin Park was performing during the Live Earth concert. The Warner Records version censors "fuck" and "noose". However, other users have uploaded the same performance but some may have been captured from networks like NBC and MSN, which may have the lyrics uncensored.

On the edited version less profanity is used, however the word "noose" was censored on MTV and VH1, but not on the edited version of the album or the radio edit.

The song ranked in music charts even before its official release. The song peaked at #52 on the Billboard US Hot 100 and #54 on the Billboard Pop 100. Although the song is the band's first charting single on Modern Rock Tracks to not reach the #1 spot since "Pts.Of.Athrty" in 2002 stalled at #29, it did however hold the #2 spot on the chart for nine consecutive weeks then got replaced by Three Days Grace's Never Too Late at the #2 spot, being held off from the #1 spot by Foo Fighters' "The Pretender". It also reached #3 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks charts. In the UK, it debuted and peaked at #29. It made the top thirty in Australia, Canada, Poland and Israel. To date, it has been less successful than its predecessor "What I've Done" that debuted at #1 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart and the following single "Shadow of the Day" where both singles charted higher. However, it has peaked higher than "What I've Done" in the New Zealand Singles Chart (#7) and Belgian Singles Chart (#22). Additionally, it was more successful on the Mainstream Rock Tracks and the Modern Rock Tracks chart than the other singles from Minutes to Midnight staying at 36 weeks on the Modern Rock Tracks chart making it their third most successful single behind In The End (44 weeks) and Faint (37 weeks) on the rock charts.

As of June 2014, Bleed It Out has sold over 1,920,000 copies in the US making it the band's 7th highest selling single of all time in the US.

[themovieblogonline]

We Grown Now: Director Minhal Baig Gets Real

Ever feel like Hollywood forgot about stories from the projects? We Grown Now steps up to the plate, reminding us that real coming-of-age tales still exist. But this ain't your average teen flick. Buckle up for a journey through the vibrant chaos of 1992 Chicago, where two young boys navigate friendship, dreams, and the harsh realities of their environment. As someone who grew up in the projects myself, this movie hits a little too close to home... in a good way. https://youtu.be/xDxCjWeLvjU We Grown Now centers on Malik and Eric, best friends growing up in Chicago's legendary (and now demolished) Cabrini-Green housing projects. Director Minhal Baig paints a picture so vivid it's almost uncomfortable. We're talking about that broken elevator you pray doesn't swallow you whole, that ever-present scent of stale urine, and of course, the ubiquitous yellow bricks. The movie even throws a curveball with bricks...in the shower?! From the details like Lil Rey slinging pizza pies at Chester's to the shocking revelation that residents had to pay for their own utilities, the film captures the essence of project life with brutal honesty. Even Jurnee Smollett seems a tad young to play Malik's momma, but hey, sometimes age ain't nothing but a number in life. A Symphony of Sound and Silence While the visuals might be a punch to the gut, the soundtrack takes a different approach. Forget the usual Hip Hop and R&B. We Grown Now is layered with strings, creating a strangely beautiful counterpoint to the harsh realities on screen. It's almost like the music is a deliberate attempt to find beauty in the struggle. Speaking of interesting choices, the film never shows the teacher that Malik and Eric have a crush on so she's almost like a character out of a Peanuts cartoon. It's a quirky detail that adds to the movie's unique charm. We Grown Now isn't afraid to show the humanity of growing up poor. It's a celebration of friendship and the simple joys of being a kid, even when your playground is a warzone. Remember the Pledge of Allegiance in elementary school? Yeah, this movie throws it back to those days too. There's a scene with Malik's grandma shuffling around in a Muumuu, muttering about "holding on to the little bit we got." Damn, that line hits hard. And then there's the scene with the police enforcing ID checks for residents entering their own building. This is a chilling reminder of the constant surveillance faced by people of color in low-income communities. The tragedy that occurs in the movie is handled with a heartbreaking authenticity. The movie doesn't dwell on the details, just like you wouldn't dwell on them in real life. It's a constant undercurrent of fear and loss that young people in the hood have to live with. A Window to a Different World There's a recurring motif of the project window throughout the film. It's a constant reminder of the world outside, a world filled with opportunity that feels just out of reach. It's a cage, but also a symbol of hope. While the narrative might lean towards documentary-style at times, the heart of We Grown Now lies in its characters. The child actors deliver genuine performances that will have you reminiscing about your own childhood best friend. There's a scene where Malik dreams of buying his mom a house. It feels like this is a dream shared by countless kids in these places who just want to give back to their families. The film doesn't shy away from the harsh realities of project life. There is a constant threat of violence, a lack of resources, and broken homes. It's all there, but it's presented with a raw honesty that avoids sensationalism. We also learn about Malik's grandma's story and how she and her husband lost their store and ended up in the projects. It's a harsh reality as black families systematically pushed out of their communities and forced into these concrete jungles. This backstory adds another layer of depth to the film's exploration of poverty and race. A Story That Needed to Be Told We Grown Now is a film that will stay with you long after the credits roll. It's a powerful coming-of-age story that tackles themes of poverty, race, and the enduring power of friendship. It's a film that forces you to confront uncomfortable truths, but it also offers a glimmer of hope. This is a story that needed to be told, and Minhal Baig deserves props So, is We Grown Now a movie you should watch? Absolutely. Here's the deal: - It's a coming-of-age story that's raw and real, a far cry from the sugar-coated Hollywood fare. - It doesn't shy away from the tough stuff, but it also celebrates the resilience of the human spirit. - The soundtrack is a unique blend that creates a powerful atmosphere. - The performances by the young actors are nothing short of phenomenal. We Grown Now might not be an easy watch, but it's a necessary one. It's a film that will make you laugh, cry, and remember what it means to dream, even when the odds are stacked against you.

[sagehaleyofficial]

HERE’S WHAT YOU MISSED THIS WEEK (12.18-12.24.19):

NEW MUSIC:

·         Machine Gun Kelly delivered on his promise and dropped a new track before the end of the year called “Why Are You Here”. The track definitely continues into a more rock and roll sound, which he’s shown off in the past between hip-hop and alternative influences.

·         Jeffree Star recently stated that all the things are in place for 2020 to be a musical year. In a recent interview with Trisha Paytas’ on her The Dish with Trish podcast, Star revealed his plans for new music.

·         Simple Plan, State Champs and We the Kings dropped a new music video for their collaboration of “Where I Belong.” The track for the video was originally released before the trio went on tour together earlier this year.

TOUR ANNOUNCEMENTS:

·         Falling in Reverse’s debut record The Drug in Me is You recently became certified Gold. In celebration, the band announced they are taking Escape the Fate and The Word Alive on “The Drug in Me Is Gold Tour,” kicking off February 8th in San Antonio.

·         All Time Low performed “Hello, Brooklyn” and “Walls” for the very first time ever live at the Fonda Theater in Los Angeles last Monday. The band is currently in the midst of their sold-out Nothing Personal anniversary shows.

·         Post Malone will be closing out the decade and year by headlining Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2020 in Times Square. Malone will be performing alongside Sam Hunt, Alanis Morissette and K-pop sensations, BTS.

·         Limp Bizkit, Weezer and Blink-182 will headline the third annual Inkcarceration Music and Tattoo Festival. The festival celebrating decibels and body art returns to the grounds of the famous Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, Ohio, from July 10th to 12th, 2020.

·         Sleep On It announced a new tour for 2020, “The Pride and Disastour,” which will begin at the end of February and run through March. The run is in support of their most recent album, Pride and Disaster, which dropped in September.

·         Have Mercy announced their final tour, kicking off in early February and running through mid-March. Selfish Things, Fredo Disco and Young Culture were revealed to be tagging along in support.

·         Talinda Bennington, the wife of late Linkin Park vocalist Chester Bennington, revealed the 320 Festival, which was created to bring awareness to mental health. The festival will include a mental health summit, community festival and benefit concert.

·         Reel Big Fish announced they are kicking off 2020 with their first tour announcement, “Life Sucks…Let’s Dance.” They’ll be joined by Big D and the Kids Table and Keep Flying, and will be heading out beginning February 26th in Savannah, GA.

·         Saosin were set to take the stage last Thursday for the first of two sold out shows at Garden Grove Amphitheatre in Garden Grove, CA. However, with hours until the show, the band took to social media to reveal they’d have to reschedule due to illness.

·         At the historic My Chemical Romance return show in Los Angeles last Friday, openers Thursday pulled Saves the Day frontman Chris Conley onstage for MCR bassist Mikey Way’s favorite song. The band performed a cover of the Buzzcocks track “Ever Fallen in Love.”

·         As fans donned their black eyeliner and My Chemical Romance attire at their reunion show, the band performed track after track of classic and timeless songs from throughout their discography. The setlist contained several deep cuts as well.

·         Halsey was announced to return to Saturday Night Live for the third time on January 25th. She is the musical guest and will attend alongside host Adam Driver, who recently starred in the film Marriage Story.

OTHER NEWS:

·         Pokémon and Adidas are teaming up and even though the collaboration has no release date yet, the first images of the Pikachu Adidas Advantage are here. Earlier in the year, leaked images showed more elaborate Pikachu and Squirtle shoes, but there has since been no additional information.

·         Yellowcard reportedly resumed their lawsuit against late emo rapper Juice WRLD for alleged copyright infringement. The band pushed back the response date for the rapper’s co-defendants Taz Taylor, Nick Mira and the two labels he is signed to.

·         Jackass announced it is coming back, as Paramount Pictures revealed on December 18th that it is expected to hit the big screens again in March 2021. This will be the fourth film in the series, in addition to three seasons of the television show.

·         Late Linkin Park musician Chester Bennington‘s ex-wife was decided to receive 50% of his Linkin Park royalties. Samantha Olit filed a claim in 2017, and was married to Bennington from 1995 until 2006.

·         Fender ended their recent Instagram story with some shots of the instruments from My Chemical Romance’s return show, saying “Look out for these on the @mychemicalromance tour starting tomorrow in Los Angeles.” Guitarist Frank Iero later shared on his own story.

·         Sleeping With Sirens’ Kellin Quinn hopped on one of the latest viral trends by utilizing TikTok to spotlight a classic track. Filmed from inside either his or someone else’s home, Quinn shared some filtered jump cuts set to the SWS track “Low.”

·         Horror metalcore icons Ice Nine Kills dropped their festive track “Merry Axe-Mas” last holiday season. Now, the band are giving fans a new Christmas present in 2019 with a video game inspired by the song.

·         Billie Eilish finally filmed an episode of the hit show Carpool Karaoke with James Corden, starting off with “Bad Guy.” Throughout the episode, she discusses meeting Justin Bieber and when she began writing music, among other things.

·         New Found Glory guitarist/vocalist Chad Gilbert took to social media Saturday to announce his engagement with musician Lisa Cimorelli. Gilbert reflected on the whirlwind of 2019 before ending saying he’s “standing on top of a fricken mountain.”

·         After a Denny’s show with a raucous mosh pit for the hardcore band WACKO occurred last week and took the internet by storm, Green Day just covered all the costs. They even left a heartfelt message to Bryson Del Valle, who organized the event, on GoFundMe.

___

Check in next Tuesday for more “Posi Talk with Sage Haley,” only at @sagehaleyofficial!

[myremains]

Lethal Injektion - Resurgence

Tracklist:

Trappers

Resurgence

Tomb of Roses

No Love

Overtime (Ft. Sincerely Collins)

Tidal Waves

Almost Human (Ft. Ricky Elam)

Udontkno

Live for Today

Call to Heaven

Lennon

Dead Celebrity

These guys are another great random Spotify find, which was encouraged by the fact the did a whole tribute covers album for their idols Linkin Park, from which it was clear that these guys were fucking incredible. 5 years into their career now, 4th full length record discounting their Linkin Park Covers album, Arizona’s Lethal Injektion are the phenomenal end result of an experiment in collaborative music. Their willingness to stamp hip hop and rap with rock and metal in their fullest is what really gives those old school LP vibes but more modern.

The first single they dropped that appears on the album was “Tidal Waves” back in 2019, for me the title really is reflected in the unpredictable nature of the sea and both the dangers and beauty it is able to produce, the clashing of tones and abruptness that fades to gentle paced soft verses really adds a bounce to the already clashing nature of the bands music. “Lennon” dropped next and this was a very special decision, it's an electronic and synth infused ballad for the most part with the piano interludes, however it does erupt into a huge sweet chorus with full accompaniment, a glorious way to showcase the other side of their range. “Live for Today” dropped third which sits between “Lennon” and “Tidal Waves” to give a brief insight into where the style sits, ominous presence with the higher pitched synth that sits in the backdrop with a steady beat which switched between your standard digital rap beat and a double bass blasting mental drum blast, it's mad just how much the screams truly stand a likeness against Chester Benningtons. “Tomb of Roses” has a lot of what I describe as Djent twangs over the rap which really slaps down a hard vibe, over what starts primarily as a good rap track, it’s about halfway through they allow the metal to step up it a big way. “Idontkno” was the last single to drop and it was one of those moments where you just instantly feel a song on the first listen, the rapid cycling in emotion, the build ups and the drops, the whole vibe generally feels tinged with sinister and dark elements but if you listen to the lyrical content that encompaces what they’re trying to convey perfectly. “Trappers” is the single I would have gone with if it was me, it's just one of the best songs on the record and the way the utilise the lyric “in the end” within the track is almost a fitting tribute to their biggest inspiration, you can really hear that influence in the breakdown. “Dead Celebrity” really highlights a pressing issue, people being cared for more when it’s already too late, very evil disguised as sweet sounding but it’s got that razor edge. 

Linkin Park paved the way for these types of artists when they stomped their way through the charts with their unique distinctive brand of infused music, there are now thousands of bands approaching music this way, it blew open a new genre and era of music. Lethal Injektion were a random spotify find, but I say this with utmost confidence, they are one of the best - maybe even the best - find I’ve had to date, go check it!

[8/10]