#ep 97 was fucking crazy

[raebonnz]

GILLIOB😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

[howhow326]

These writers really don't give a shit about Storm after all, huh

[zabala0z]

Hi I’m back! I think we all know what I’m going to talk about; “s4 of TMA and OH MY GOD JARED HOPWORTH STATEMENT”

MAG 130: Meat

Lucia Wright has the same last name as James Wright who ran the institute from ‘73-‘96 until he passed. I don’t know if there’s any relation but just in case. There’s that pit. There’s a lot of pits that’s related to The Flesh (MAG 49, MAG 80, MAG 97, I think, and MAG 130) so. Yay. Also Tom Hann appearance once again (MAG 30, MAG 72). Love the mention of the Carlisle boy which I think is Tony Carlisle from MAG 18, the neighbor with all that meat. Gertrude also mentions Dekker which is probably Adelard Dekker who I still need to see more of to fully develop my opinion on him.

Also what’s with all the recent cobwebs??? There’s been so many mentions of them around the institute, is The Web planning something?

MAG 131: Flesh

fucking hell, Jon. I think this man just decides to do shit without running it by anyone. Also yay Melanie! I feel like really bad for her. Again, I can’t even blame her much for her reactions cause one, there was The Slaughter and two, surgery is like hella invasive even when it’s run by the person so waking up to someone performing an impromptu surgery on you would linger with me as well.

Helen is back. Bit scared of her but she sounds much better then Michael (then again, The Spiral lies like constantly). Now onto the main guy: Jared Hopworth.

Um. I had no idea what his voice was going to sound like. My expectation wasn’t high, just “unhinged” and my god did Jared Hopworth deliver. (Also heard he’s also Martins voice actor???? WHAT??) he didn’t give much new information but lemme tell you, hearing the squelching of meat and shifting of bones made me want to throw up so congratulations Jared! You���re are in the top 3 of TMA voices that make me feel intense horror!

MAG 132: Entombed

Jesus. Okay so. Daisy. Not much lore in this ep for me to connect to anything, just a lot of sad stuff like I was speechless. I can’t remember if I mentioned on here that I thought Daisy was related to The Hunt but I did suspect and I’m not surprised! Also, the shirt thing, that’s crazy oh my god, I thought it was interesting she asked about his shirt out of all things.

MAG 133: Dead Horse

The Everchase. Why does every entity have such a cool sounding ritual name??? Anyways, pretty interesting.

“You know what my least favorite part of a case was?”

“The police brutality lawsuit” Im literally dying.

Also, Basira, man. I think she’s so interesting. I can’t put it into words but god she’s just such an interesting character to me. An ex-cop, one of the only ones who like logic’s her way out of The Unknowing, trying to keep everything together at the institute, I don’t know, I just like her a lot.

But god FORBID a character gets replaced OR SACRIFICES THEMSELF.

I need to see something from Martin, I’m worried about him. Maybe Peter Lukas. Actually, I kinda wanna see Nathaniel Lukas? Like he exists too, he has his own shit going on. I don’t wanna see Elias.

Okay I think that’s everything! I wish I could continue my notes, I low key miss sitting at my computer after listening to the eps and typing out every single detail, it was kinda calming.

[shibara]

I've been rolling around the X-Men '97 tag WHY IS NO ONE TALKING ABOUT THAT LAST SCENE IN TODAYS EP??!?!?! (I mean the shaving scene, for context)

I feel like I'm going crazy, that was the fucking horniest thing I've ever seen in mainstream animated media wtf?!

It was like 5 top choice kinks all rolled into 30 seconds of animation, I'm going insane

[nutzworth]

jrwi riptide ep 97 (theyve broken into the thieves den in zero): FUCK. WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING? THIS IS INSANE. im like crazy. oh my god. gillion pov is crazy. grizzly did a REALLY good job of immersing both the players and watchers because WWHAT THE HELL?????????????? seeing chip drop dead and jay calling out for him and then gillion fading and then coming back to jay in front of him with her foot (PREVIOUSLY IN A SHACKLE) MANGLED!!!! HER FOOT BROKEN AS HELL! OH MY GOD! environmental storytelling fuck fuuuck. this cant NOT be a dream SURELY so i dont even CARE? REALLY? BUT OH MY GOD!

[skittzdaskittle]

Welcome to Night Vale ramblings (up to ep 107)

I stopped listening to wtnv for a few months (because i allowed myself to be distracted, i would've been done by now X'D) and I'm just picking it back up again at about episode 97 i think, I'm now on 108

I just finished 107 and oh my god i am in a constant state of internal screaming

At first i thought the alternate universe was pre current Night Vale (could still be) but then Cecil started basically talking about the war of the mini people, and then made it very clear that this was the tiny people and so many things he previously said made so much more sense in context

And when i tell you I yelled "WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK" in my head, i did do that XD

now, realistically it's not a super crazy revelation or anything, but i think these past several episodes are starting to get to me XD

Hopefully I'll be done with the rest of the episodes in a day or two, though i have work so maybe not X'D

I can't tell you how much i find this weird ass world so interesting

I'll be drawing some of the characters like i did with the Magnus Archives, with just what i think they look like

This podcast just scratches an itch specifically for when i listen to it

I can't imagine what would've happened if i found this when i was younger as well with everything else I'm into :P

I probably would've just listened to the Magnus Archives when it first came out XD

Anyways, after I'm done I'm sure my brain will find some way to make a crossover or au out of it XD

Maybe a coffee shop au /j

[little-virus-sasha]

ffg vinet arc ep 4 s1, hong kong ninja revenge! (part two because character limit)

cut to a bit later mr wilson: anywho, may the torture begi- video starts bugging wha- what's happening? nojah: oi mr wilson! ya crazy? mr wilson: nojah from the channel "90"? the hell you doing here? nojah: you are doing review of hong kong 97, have you gone mad? mr wilson: eh, idk, the people want it, sooo... why not? nojah: dude on all honestly, that's the worst snes game of all times, it's even on my list of top 5 worst snes games! it even tops all the games you done review of! mr wilson: ok, do you have else, or are you just going with the bla bla bla there? nojah: ok, nothing else other than good luck... connection ended another cut mr wilson: video bugging ugh, again, why don't they let me be? gusang: WILSON YOU SON OF A FUCK! mr wilson: gusang from the channel... ugh, already said your name on the previous episode, what you want? gusang: I know you are a masochist that likes torturing your self, but... torturing others as well? I mean, just look at these sprites and animations of these game! whe- mr wilson: I going to stop you right there, because neither little virus or me want to do 4 posts of this shit! anywho, bye! gusang: oh nonono! the people of tumblr needs to hear this, LIS- connection terminated another cut mr wilson: ugh, again this? fiaspo: this game is horrible! mr wilson: fiaspo from the channel... fiaspo, 1.wow, thanks for the news /s, 2. what you want? fiaspo: yeah! fiaspo from fiaspo games! and you're crazy for doing this game! mr wilson: woooow, any new news that I totally didn't heard from others? /s fiaspo: yes actually, that score is actually the sistem huama, and it doens't make sense they do that type of sistem on this game! also, there's blood on the numbers! the fuck? who would care about doing high score on this trash! mr wilson: wow, thank you ms obvious /s fiaspo: OI! connection terminated another cut mr wilson: video bugging AGAIN THIS SHIT? UGH! wesley: hey hey mr wilson! finally reviewing hong knog 97 eh? mr wilson: wesley from the channel old games- wait, how y'all know I playing hong kong 97? wesley: oh please, there's no way to NOT know, that music gives you away! mr wilson: oooooh, yeaaah, makes sense wesley: actually, fun fact, that songs has more history than you can imagine, it's called: I love beijing tiananmen, which is a tradictional music from the chinese revolution, yeah, it's a song from the children to sing... huh, brainwashing song no? mr wilson: I would rather listen to this shit than to your history lessons about music! wesley: hey! rude! connection terminated

[literaphobe]

WAIT WAIT I was scrolling through your blog and you said you watch running man?? oh my goood question! who is your favourite member? thought on kwang soo leaving running man? (also maybe gary and joong ki if you are there when they leave) thought on the new members? fav ep? i'm sorry but it been so long i found people who watch running man

unless you talking about a different running man then...I'm sorry please delete this post and sorry for bothering you

MY FAVE MEMBER. is. no surprise. SONG JIHYO. aka goddess and best at everything. i think i’m very drawn to personalities that always dominate n come out on top. jihyo isn’t really known for being the ace of running man anymore but in my heart she always is :( i also am a HUGE fan of her goddess of luck image like she isn’t as crazily lucky these days bc kwangsoo (icon of misfortune) is gone but if anything makes me believe in supernatural like. the concept of LUCK being a real force in the universe it would be because of her. the way she overcomes odds n comes out on top despite being a bit of an underdog in many situations is SO hot to me. here’s some pictures of her

she’s like. u know how george is like effortlessly pretty despite being just so idc about it? yeah thats HER like she doesn’t give a shit she just wakes up rolls out of bed n goes to work. she falls asleep everywhere too. one time they played giant jenga and one of them had to be on top of the jenga as a ‘risk’ for the jenga tower dying n at the time running man was 6 men 1 woman (her) and they asked her to do it bc they were all scared n she’s the bravest member (she once bungee jumped off a 233m tall building to HELP one of them she literally didnt have to either she just went WEEEEE they all worship the ground she walks on out of respect shes just so cool)

anyway here’s her sleeping on the jenga tower

like???? shes so funny. my second favorite member is kim jongkook n my fave pair on the show is them both :) jongkook is the super jacked guy whos also really smart n good at everything. like u know how whenever george/sapnap/anyone dying screams for dream to help them when they need saving in minecraft? thats like every running man member w jongkook

ANYWAY FAVE EP…. there are so many. i swear to god. but if i were to recommend episodes to start w i’d say the superpowers episode? when they all had superpowers n had to fight to the death (ep74) and the second yoomes bond ep (ep91, i LOVE yoo jaesuk my beloved nation’s mc), the princess race ep (ep103), n park jisung soccer eps (95, 96, 97) OH FUCK THE ZOMBIE EP WHEN THEY WERE IN HIGH SCHOOL WAS FUCKING SICK TOO (ep98) and like uhhhh the baseball ep!! (ep119) and i’ll stop here bc the second people realize i have many episode numbers memorized i’ll look like a crazy person

BUT TO BE FAIR running man is the most popular korean variety show ever these mfs are straight up like A KPOP GROUP. they’ve held fan meetings which r straight up CONCERTS they sing dance etc etc they’re CRAZY u don’t GET IT they are a PHENOMENON,,, jackie chan was on this show RYAN REYNOLDS N TOM CRUISE WERE ON THIS SHOW

running man is literally what happens if u put a bunch of singers, actors, and comedians together n made them do crazy shit (literally everything under the sun has happened on running man. name anything PG. they prob did it on running man) AND THEY BECAME A FOUND FAMILYYYY and its so funny

i think joongki is so sweet n my beloved but i think ultimately him leaving helped the RM dynamic tighten up?? n it improved bc of it?? idk tho maybe itd be just as good if he stayed. i also was a tiny bit upset when gary left n it hurt the show for a while :( gary was so funny but also I HATE MONDAY COUPLE. FUCK MONDAY COUPLE IT TRAPPED JIHYO FOR SO LONG I HATED THAT SHIT. like its so crazy too bc imo they should never have had a loveline but if anything… do it w jongkook the one guy whos actually hot n has enough chemistry w her? they literally were called a ‘power duo’ all the time like brooooo i was so oppressed for liking their dynamic :( BUT HAHAHAHAHAH NOW JONGKOOK N JIHYO R FLIRTING ON THE SHOW ITS SO FUNNYYYY like yaaaassss straightbaiting 😍 its so funny too like there were times when monday couple was a Thing so the other members couldn’t “ship” other pairings but sometimes jongkook n jihyo would be so sus that they couldn’t help BUT say something u know but NOW ALL THE MEMBERS ARE FREE. yoo jaesuk risks his life every week to ship them and the others LOVE to fucking tease them

also kwangsoo leaving made me really sad but his injuries were too bad for him to risk his body every week like that :( all the members have slipped disks n severe back problems because of all the ways they hurt themselves making the show :( i hope kwangsoo comes back to guest soon tho like hes not Permanently gone the way gary is like gary straight up refuses to ever be on running man ever again LOL

also i like somin and sechan :D i admit i do prefer old running man dynamics but the current family is v cozy!! i think their loveline is sweet but i also think its HILARIOUS how the members mostly jaesuk don’t “care” as much about it like in that well get together sure but what we’re REALLY here to do is make fun of jongkook n jihyo ^_^ like they r cute its sweet ALSO somin being added is SO good bc YAY more than one woman also THEIR DYNAMIC IS SO CUTE like anyone remember that time they sabotaged each other in the game where they were competing by kissing each other?? good times

sorry for talking so much running man is literally one of my fave shows EVER n it hasn’t ended despite being a weekly show thats been running since 2010 (theres like over 500 episodes i KNOW im INSANE) like bro at the peak of my hyperfixation on this show I LEARNED THE FUCKING KOREAN LANGUAGE SO I COULD WATCH IT LIVE WHEN IT AIREDDDDD IM CRAZY FR

[higgity-heck]

Hi hello how are you doing with this new Essek information because I do not know if I am well

ah my friend, I’m very interested but not particularly surprised

I mean first let’s look at the amount of sense it makes that he isn’t consecuted. First, it seems that within the dynasty people are chosen for consecution based on their faith in the luxon - of which essek has absolutely none. He’s a very good liar, but I doubt he would be capable of or willing to put up enough of a front of worship to get considered for consecution by the powers that be in the dynasty.

Regardless, him not being consecuted isn’t surprising in the context of the dynasty - if it makes you functionally immortal, it doesn’t seem like they’d be handing it out to someone who’s a) so intelligent he could be dangerous and b) like, the equivalent of a 24 year old. It feels like the sort of thing you’d be awarded towards the end of your (first) life.

That’s assuming he would even want to get consecuted in the first place. Based on what we know of him as a person and the events of ep 97, he really doesn’t trust the beacons being worshipped in general. It seems like he’d avoid giving his soul to a power he doesn’t understand or trust, no matter the ‘reward’ of immortality (which I think is fucked up in general, but that’s a meta for another post). He’s a rational person - I think he’d see the flawed logic of stealing artefacts for knowledge, but using them for his own means anyway.

Additionally, he’s the queen’s spymaster, and with the revelation of typhros in the egtw, it’s possible he knows from the umavi about the queen/other consecuted souls going mad. As someone who evidently values his own rational, sane mind, he’d probably be absolutely horrified at the idea of going crazy eventually.

So personally, the fact that he’s not consecuted hasn’t really changed my perception of him; if anything, it makes more sense than if he was.

Now, the question becomes why did he lie about his consecution status?

We know he lied to the mighty nein about it when he didn’t know them very well, so it seems plausible that he did this so these weird foreign mercenaries would respect/fear him more as their ward.

It seems weirdly inconsistent for him to lie to them but not the dynasty as a whole, so I’m going to assume that he will tell people he’s consecuted/lie by omission regularly, independent of what he tells the nein.

I’ve got a couple of ideas as to why: first, at least part of it must be to do with stealing the beacons. It’s not going to work universally - going to assume that the queen has some sort of say in who is consecuted - but if he can let most people believe he’s consecuted, they’d suspect him of being the traitor less. If his soul belongs to it, he’s hardly going to go sending it off to the other side of the continent, so it’s likely that he’s partially covering his own tracks.

Another facet of this could be his imposter syndrome and desire to prove himself in the eyes of those much older than himself. The floating, the aloof and arrogant exterior, lying about being consecuted, ‘I’m something of a prodigy’ - all of it would contribute to creating this facade of someone that deserves respect.

Actually, that reminds me - he once said he was ‘glad he was accepted into den thelyss,’ despite saying his actual mother was the umavi. What if there was a chance he could be disowned if he didn’t live up to his dens expectations? It’d make a whole lot of sense - he spends his entire life proving himself, becoming a prodigy, going into politics even if it really doesn’t seem like something he’s interested in, creating this persona of The Shadowhand, letting people think he’s consecuted, all in the hopes that he won’t be tossed out of his own home.

Of course he’s not consecuted, and of course he lied about it, because at this point it’s probably second nature.

[yayodancing]

1. Kanye West - Yeezus

2. Playboi Carti - Die Lit

3. Young Thug - Barter 6

4. Frank Ocean - Blonde

5. Future - Monster

6. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

7. Travis Scott - Rodeo

8. Drake - Nothing Was The Same

9. Rich Gang - Tha Tour: Pt. 1

10. Chief Keef - Finally Rich

11. Kendrick Lamar - Good Kid, MAAD City

12. Future - DS2

13. Waka Flocka Flame - Flockaveli

14. The Weeknd - House of Balloons

15. Travis Scott - Days Before Rodeo

16. Kanye West - The Life of Pablo

17. Schoolboy Q - Habits & Contradictions

18. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly

19. Blood Orange - Negro Swan

20. Lil B - 6 Kiss

21. Chief Keef - Almighty So

22. ILoveMakonnen - ILoveMakonnen (EP)

23. Tyler, The Creator - Bastard

24. Frank Ocean - Channel Orange

25. Lil Peep - Come Over When You’re Sober Vol. 1

26. 21 Savage & Metro Boomin - Savage Mode

27. Spaceghostpurrp - Blackland Radio 66.6

28. Migos - Culture

29. Kid Cudi - Man On The Moon II

30. Lil Uzi Vert - LUV Is Rage

31. Lucki - Freewave 3

32. Drake - Take Care

33. Travis Scott - Astroworld

34. XXXTentacion - ?

35. ILoveMakonnen - Drink More Water 4

36. Tame Impala - Currents

37. Key! & Kenny Beats - 777

38. Kendrick Lamar - DAMN.

39. Lil Yachty - Lil Boat

40. Playboi Carti - Playboi Carti

41. Father - Young Hot Ebony

42. ARAABMuzik - Electronic Dream

43. James Blake - Overgrown

44. Pusha T - Daytona

45. Earl Sweatshirt - EARL

46. Rick Ross - Rich Forever

47. Kodak Black - Institution

48. Sahbabbi - SANDAS

49. Tay-K - #SantanasWorld

50. King Krule - The OOZ

51. Lil B - Blue Flame

52. Mac Miller - Faces

53. Young Scooter - Street Lottery

54. Gucci Mane - Mr. Zone 6

55. Young Thug - 1017 Thug

56. Chief Keef - Bang 2

57. A$AP Rocky - Live.Love.A$AP

58. Lorde - Pure Heroine

59. Childish Gambino - Because The Internet

60. Danny Brown - XXX

61. Roc Marciano - Marcberg

62. Rihanna - Anti

63. Kanye West & Jay-Z - Watch The Throne

64. Drake - If You’re Reading This, It’s Too Late

65. Juicy J - Rubbaband Business 2

66. XXXTentacion - 17

67. Big Boi - Sir Lucius Left Foot

68. Baby Keem - Die For My Bitch

69. Lana Del Rey - Born To Die

70. Pusha T - My Name Is My Name

71. Lil Peep - Hellboy

72. Ab-Soul - Control System

73. MGMT - Congratulations

74. Fetty Wap - Fetty Wap

75. FKA Twigs - LP1

76. Kids See Ghosts - Kids See Ghosts

77. Gunna - Drip Season 3

78. Trippie Redd - A Love Letter To You

79. Lil Uzi Vert - Lil Uzi Vert Vs The World

80. JPEGMafia - All My Heroes Are Cornballs

81. Sleigh Bells - Treat

82. Chief Keef - Back From The Dead 2

83. Future - 56 Nights

84. Vince Staples - Summertime 06

85. Lil Keed - Long Live Mexico

86. 2 Chainz - TRU REALigion

87. Young Thug - So Much Fun

88. Travis Scott - Birds In The Trap Sing Bryan McKnight

89. Blood Orange - Angel’s Pulse

90. Rick Ross - Teflon Don

91. Lucki - Watch My Back

92. Earl Sweatshirt - I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside

93. Future - Future

94. Future - HNDRXX

95. Migos - YRN

96. 21 Savage & Offset - No Warning

97. Gucci Mane - Trap Back

98. Curren$y - Pilot Talk

99. Main Attrakionz - 808s & Dark Grapes 2

100. Tyler, The Creator - Flower Boy

1. Kanye West - New Slaves

2. Chief Keef - Love Sosa

3. Travis Scott - Drugs You Should Try It

4. Lil Uzi Vert - XO Tour Lif3

5. Soulja Boy - Xan With That Lean Pt 2

6. Frank Ocean - Nights

7. Young Thug - Danny Glover (2 Bitches)

8. Lil B - Pretty Boy Remix

9. Future - Codeine Crazy

10. Playboi Carti - Flatbed Freestyle

11. Metro Thuggin - The Blanguage

12. Kanye West - Runaway (feat. Pusha T)

13. Chief Keef - Don’t Like (feat. Lil Reese)

14. Father - Look At Wrist (feat. ILoveMakonnen & Key!)

15. Gucci Mane - Beat It Up (feat. Trey Songz)

16. 21 Savage & Metro Boomin - No Heart

17. Migos - Bad & Bougee (feat. Lil Uzi Vert)

18. Kendrick Lamar - Untitled 02

19. Meek Mill - Dreams & Nightmares

20. Blood Orange - Dagenham Dream

21. Kid Cudi - GHOST!

22. Kodak Black - No Flockin

23. Waka Flocka Flame - Hard in the Paint

24. Tyler, The Creator - Yonkers

25. Travis Scott - 90210 (feat. Kacy Hill)

26. Lil Peep - White Wine (feat. Lil Tracy)

27. Juicy J - Zip & A Double Cup

28. Frank Ocean - Thinkin Bout You

29. Young Thug - Check

30. Kanye West - Monster (feat. Jay-Z, Rick Ross & Nicki Minaj)

31. Rocko - UOENO (feat. Future & Rick Ross)

32. Young Thug - Hot (feat. Gunna)

33. The Weeknd - The Hills

34. Rick Ross - BMF (feat. Styles P)

35. ILoveMakonnen - Sex, Love & Extacy

36. Blood Orange - Dark & Handsome (feat. Toro y Moi)

37. Lil Yachty - 1 Night

38. Childish Gambino - Redbone

39. A$AP Rocky - Wassup

40. Odd Future - Oldie

41. Drake - Trust Issues

42. Travis Scott - Goosebumps (feat. Kendrick Lamar)

43. Travis Scott - Sicko Mode (feat. Drake)

44. Playboi Carti - Magnolia

45. XXXtentacion - Fuck Love (feat. Trippie Redd)

46. Future - Thought It Was A Drought

47. Schoolboy Q - n****Hs.already.know.davers.flow

48. A$AP Rocky - Kissin’ Pink (feat. A$AP Ferg)

49. Spaceghostpurrp - The Truth

50. Nicki Minaj - Beez In The Trap (feat. 2 Chainz)

51. Frank Ocean - Nikes

52. YNW Melly - Murder On My Mind

53. Earl Sweatshirt - EARL

54. Rae Sremmurd - No Type

55. araabMUZIK - Underground Stream

56. Tame Impala - The Less I Know, The Better

57. Solange - Almeda (feat. Playboi Carti)

58. Sahbabbi - Titanaboa (feat. T3)

59. Lil Keed - It’s Up Freestyle

60. Lil Baby - Freestyle

61. Kanye West & Jay-Z - No Church In The Wild (feat. Frank Ocean)

62. Kodak Black - Tunnel Vision

63. Fetty Wap - 679 (feat. Monty)

64. Lucki - Freewave Freestyle 1

65. Fat Trel - Respect With the Tech

66. Ab-Soul - Terrorists Threats (feat. Danny Brown & Jhene Aiko)

67. Jay Rock - King’s Dead (feat. Kendrick Lamar, Future & James Blake)

68. Rowdy Rebel - Shmoney Dance (feat. Bobby Shmurda)

69. Kanye West & Jay-Z - N****s In Paris

70. Tay-K - Murder She Wrote

71. Vince Staples - Norf Norf

72. James Blake - Life Round Here

73. Lil Uzi Vert - 20 Mins

74. Lil Peep - Beamer Boy

75. The Weeknd - What You Need

76. Migos - Versace

77. OG Maco - U Guessed It! (Feat. Key!)

78. Kendrick Lamar - Alright

79. Xxxtentacion - Sad!

80. Kendrick Lamar - Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe

81. Frank Ocean - Channel

82. Drake - Hotline Bling

83. Chief Keef - Blow My High

84. Future - Throw Away

85. ILoveMakonnen - Tuesday

86. Main Attrakionz - Chuuuch

87. King Krule - Dum Surfer

88. Jai Paul - BTSTU

89. ZMoney - 2 16’s (feat. Valee)

90. FKA twigs - 2 Weeks

91. Sheck Wes - Mo Bamba

92. Waka Flocka Flame - Karma (feat. YG Hootie, Popa Smurf & Slim Dunkin)

93. Jidenna - Long Live The Chief

94. Young Thug & Travis Scott - Pick Up The Phone (feat. Quavo)

95. Juice WRLD - Lucid Dreams

96. Speakerknockerz - Lonely

97. Bobby Shmurda - Hot N****

98. Drake - In My Feelings

99. Young Scooter - Runnin Out Of Money

100. Frank Ocean - Siegfried

101. Rihanna - Consideration (feat. SZA)

102. Kodak Black - Like Dat

103. Migos - T-Shirt

104. Sleigh Bells - Infinity Guitars

105. Tame Impala - Borderline

106. OJ Da Juiceman - No Hook

107. Jamie XX - There’s Gonna Be (Good Times) (feat. Young Thug & Popacaan)

108. Beyoncé - Drunk In Love (feat. Jay-Z)

109. Lil Peep - Lil Kennedy

110. T.I. - All About The Money (feat. Young Thug)

111. Gunna - Drip or Drown

112. Waka Flocka Flame - My G

113. Tyler, The Creator - Earfquake (feat. Playboi Carti)

114. Lorde - Team

115. Usher - Climax

116. Big Boi - Shine Blockas (feat. Gucci Mane)

117. Fredo Santana - Jealous (feat. Kendrick Lamar)

118. Valee - Shell

119. Lucki - Glory Boy

120. Lana Del Rey - Video Games

121. Lil B - Wonton Soup

122. Lil Peep & Lil Tracy - Witchblades

123. ZMoney - Regular

124. Lil Reese - Us (feat. Chief Keef)

125. DJ Nate - Gucci Goggles

[idontneednofuckinhug]

My 25 favourite albums of the 2010′s

When it came down to making a list of my favourite projects through the 2010's, it really became clear to me how difficult of a task this was - I've listened to hundreds and hundreds of albums, EP's and Mixtapes during this time frame with artists from different genres, during different times of my life, where I needed different types of music to soothe my soul. When I started writing down the albums I want to put in my decade list, the first thing I set as a rule to myself was that I'd have only one album per artist, just to avoid repetitiveness and so I can actually think about which artists really did leave a mark on me during this time frame and not just have a list of 10 artists with my favourite 2-3 albums from each. Even then, I originally had more than 35 albums written down as standouts for me during this time and I wanted to originally make a top 20 - I quickly realized that wouldn't be possible, but a top 35 or top 30 would be way too big, so I decided to settle on a top 25 and even then I realized I'd leave out some generational artists like Gambino, JID, 6LACK and more. After that I just decided I wouldn't rank them, it would just be 25 albums that were my favourite during the decade - no rankings, because really, how can I compare a hip-hop album to an Indie album for instance? I couldn't. I hope this list raises a discussion and we can talk about your favourite albums during this period as well or you can tell me I'm braindead for leaving out someone from the list. So in no particular order, I'll list the albums and leave some thoughts on each:

A$AP Rocky - AT.LONG.LAST.A$AP (2015) Althogh this album was released in 2015, it took me till about two years later to really appreciate it as a project - it was my coming of age album, where I realized that I need to love myself and focus on my own well-being, to have that self-confidence that reflects the reality of who you are as a person and that attracts others to be interested in what's going on with you. The album was and still is very relevant to the environment I didn't want to be in and to push myself to achieve what I've been dreaming of, as well as reflect on the existential topics I've always raised within myself regarding love, violence and pain.

Car Seat Headrest - Twin Fantasy (2018) I was a bit late to the party with this one, as I only started listening to it in 2019, a year after its release, but I have to admit, Twin Fantasy really reflects all of the impulsive emotions I have within myself regarding loneliness, being insecure and counting on the people you love so that you help each other out, outgrowing your childish opinions and understanding of relationships and realizing your partner struggles just as much as you do. This might be my favourite indie-rock project right now.

Chance the Rapper - Acid Rap (2013) This album was a big part of me during my teenage years - I remember it reflecting the issues I was facing when I was 16-18 and it really made me vibe with it, due to the appreciation I had for my friends and my free time during that time, at the same time addressing the inner feelings of whether you're doing the right thing with your life. Listening to it now, years later gives me an alternative view of it as well, as an adult who looks with nostalgia at his younger self and realizes how much emotions I've missed from this project.

Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Pinata (2014) Arguably the album with the best production of all time - the free-flowing jazzy and soulful beats from Madlib, underlined with Gibbs's absurd flow, the story-telling of him having to sell drugs and rob people to make a living, the absurd amount of genius features and the disgusting verses Gibbs had on songs like Harold's, Real and Robes just puts this project in a bracket of its own - I was wondering whether I prefer Pinata or Bandana, but as Bandana is a very fresh project still, this one has aged like a fine wine for me.

Frank Ocean - channel ORANGE (2012) Oddly enough, I'm one of those people who doesn't like Blonde as much as channel ORANGE. This album really hit home when it came down to my break-ups and realization I'd have to start all over again, both with myself and with someone else in the future - it really made me miss some people in my life time and time again and has brought me to tears more than you'd think. Frank's commentary on the album on different aspects of love and society really puts you in a frame of mind where you'll relate to almost everything he's experienced.

Schoolboy Q - Oxymoron (2014) This was the best story-telling album of the decade for me. The production which had a very modern take on old-school Gangsta rap really sticks to you with every song, the themes which Q explores with growing up in his ghetto neighbourhood, being part of the Crips, selling drugs and being part of gang-related crime really hits hard, combined with the realization he wants something better from life after growing up in poverty. Looking at Q grow up as a person after the release of this album and achieving all of his dreams really adds to this project as a modern day classic.

Flying Lotus - You're Dead (2014) Honestly, this one isn't for everyone - when making this list FlyLo had completely slipped my mind, even though I absolutely destroyed Flamagra with replays this year and had destroyed You're Dead in 2018 and 2017 due to the amazing production and vibe the album had. This project has an absolutely one of a kind take on combining modern jazz with psychedelic beats and hip-hop features, showcasing exactly why Flying Lotus is one of the best producers of modern times.

Danny Brown - Atrocity Excibition (2016) The culmination of Danny Brown's career for me, Danny addresses what it's like to completely hit rock bottom in this project, being a crackhead, who'd party, have sex with groupies and strangers and have no control over his life - there's a very neurotic and dark production on this album, combined with Danny's hilarious, but unsettling one-liners and verses which really could have been interpreted as a cry for helf, especially on songs such as "Ain't it Funny".`

Anderson. Paak - Malibu (2016) I recently wrote about Paak in a blogpost, discussing how he brought soul music back into the mainstream through a fantastic combination of rapping and singing with soul-inspired production and keeping a very funky vibe alive. This album was his best work for me and really showcased how much he's loving life, living to his best and enjoying every day of it, whilst at the same time addressing how difficult, but worth it love can be.

Mac Miller - Watching Movies With The Sound Off (2012) Mac was one of the first artists I wrote about, as I basically grew up with him, although he was a bit older than me (he's 92 and I'm 97). Every album of his was a part of my life and something I could relate to and live through, sometimes a bit later than its release, but no album has had such an eternal feel to it as Watching Movies. Both at 19 and at 22, I could find life lessons in this album and songs that could really describe what I'm going through, both on the end where my ego is taking over and I don't feel in control (Red Dot Music), to the downpoints of my life and addictions (Objects in the Mirror).

Earl Sweatshirt - I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside (2015) I love Earl. Realistically, I couldn't keep him out of this list, although none of his albums really are crazy standouts, as he has an extremely consistent body of work, but I decided to settle with this one. With its melancholic production, dark and slow beats and topics of depression, suicide and self-isolation, this album has been one of my main therapists every time life has absolutely killed me and had kept me afloat, thanks to having someone to relate to in those difficult, dark edgy times.

Denzel Curry - TA13OO (2018) Probably one of most inovative albums in the end of the 2010's, Denzel split the album up into three parts, all reflecting the emotions he felt during the proccess of creating it: Light, embracing his success and feelings of positivity; Grey, being introspective about his life and looking at the people trying to use him and hate him objectively; Dark, channeling all his anger and darkest emotions.

Vince Staples - Summertime '06 (2015) Vince really is one of the most complex artists of modern times for me personally, as his music is always very difficult to gauge and he always strives for innovation, rather than mainstream appeal. Summertime in reality is probably his most mainstream album, being an excellent storytelling project of his origins from Long Beach, California, the gang culture and harsh reality around him, his friends being shot down or turning into coke fiends and the way his environment has shaped him as a person of distrust and scepticism.

Sons of Kemet - Your Queen's a Reptile (2018) I really wanted to have a jazz project in this list and I was torn between this one, Everything's Beatiful and Drunk, but I always go back to this one the most. The avant-garde jazz-funk sound of this album, combined with traditionally african melodies and beats and progression each song goes through really makes this a multi-layered album which you will need to listen to again and again, as it also had a very political message in itself.

Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly (2015) If anyone asks me what's the greatest pure hip-hop album of all time, I always answer and have answered "To Pimp a Butterfly". This album was and in my opinion still is very much before its time - the jazz-rap production, social and political messages and discussion, the absurd beats and flows, the rhyme-schemes, everything about this album absolutely shines and whatever I say, will not do it justice, you need to listen to this start to back.

Jpegmafia - Veteran (2018) Being one of the most experimental and non-fuck giving rappers in the game right now, this album was really a step in the right direction for hip-hop, as it had production that you'd probably hear nowhere else, DYI samples, political comments and messages in a very unfiltered manner, showcasing Peggy's no-fucks-given attitude to everything in music, something he has continued to prove to this day.

Tame Impala - Currents (2015) I originally listened to this project for the first time in late 2016, but I really wasn't too much into Indie back then, so I gave it little thought. 3 years later, after listening to it again I realized what a genius piece of art Kevin Parker had created with its topics of self-discovery, introspection on life and it's psychedelic indie-rock production, really creating something that no one else had heard before.

Joey Bada$$ - 1999 (2012) What really makes me not believe this project exists is that Joey released it when he was 17. Having some of the best old-school inspired production and beats, with a jazzy, soulful sound, this album showcases a very young man challenge the political climate of its time, as well as have very matures takes and opinions on gang-culture, smoking weed and needing to grow up, realizing he can't live a life of parties and drugs if he wants to leave something that's worth it in the world.

Kanye West and Kid Cudi - Kids See Ghosts (2018) I was really wondering if I should put this album in my list, as I'm not the biggest Kanye fan and I haven't really liked much of Cudi's work past 2010, but in the end, this album is one of a kind. It tells the tale of two people struggling with their mental illnesses, but in the end conquering them, loving themselves and realizing that they have so much to give in life. The album shares a very heavy inspiration from Tame Impala's production as it has a fantastic psychedelic rock production, combined with samples and yells from Cudi and Kanye which you'd never hear in another project, which people take seriously.

Death Grips - No Love Deep Web (2012) Disgusting. Raw. Overpowering. Back in 2012 when this project was released, Death Grips completely took the internet by storm, as nothing like this had ever been released even in the underground hip-hop scene. Glitchy production, combined with guitar riffs, sudden breaks, yelling and completely unrelated gibberish in most of the songs, topped off with an album cover of Zach Hill's dick, this album inspired a decade of experimentation in rap music, leading to albums such as Kanye's Yeezy and Tyler's Cherry Bomb.

Ab-Soul - Control System (2012) Lyrically one of the most complex projects I've ever heard, Ab-soul's rhyme schemes and punchlines deserve a place in a literature course in University, as you'd need multiple listens on his songs to catch every little reference the rapper makes. The album has a fantastic jazz-inspired production, songs with a very disjointed beat, showcasing his emotional instability during making it, as he references his past and the personal issues he had to go through during life, the suicide of his beloved Alori Joh, which has caused him to contemplate suicide himself and the references to his co-stars in TDE's projects makes for a project you'll spend hours on end to try and figure out.

The Internet - Ego Death (2015) One of the best contemporary R&B projects, the Internet combines a very blues and soul inspired production for this one, giving face to their fantastic members ability to create a vibe and atmosphere in their music - the most impressive part for me with them is that this album really was the start of multiple fantastic artists solo careers: Syd, Steve Lacy, Matt Martians.

Little Simz - GREY Area (2019) This and Tame Impala were my only projects by non-american artists and for a reason. Little Simz crafted a fantastic hip-hop album filled with a mixture of aggressive, eerie production and classical jazz and blues samples, showcasing her talent to both sing and rap in every single song, exploring the difficulties of being a female MC in the modern era, the pressure and negative emotions she experiences having to work much harder in the industry than men and the pain she's felt during the years of her coming of age.

SZA - Ctrl (2017) My favourite R&B album of the past decade, SZA created one of the rawest, most emotional albums I've ever heard, reflecting on modern romance from a very personal and subjective point of view, gives this project a very aunthetic and deep feel you'd have to dig deep to find elsewhere. The album also underlines SZA's struggles as a modern woman, jealousy and the anxiety of being in your 20's. The project's classic R&B production combined with its features from artists like Travis Scott and Kendrick Lamar, really adds to an experience which could leave you heartbroken.

Isaiah Rashad - Cilvia Demo (2014) Although during the past year The Sun's Tirade has been my favourite and main album, it really is more of a vibe album and not as much as a personal abum as Cilvia. In Cilvia I found myself, Isaiah talks about his addiction issues, wanting to make it in a world full of hate, the horrible relationship with his father, thoughts of suicide, the lack of commitment he has in love and has received in his relationships and the social climate which makes him feel like he's less of a person. This isn't an album for everyone, but the people who can relate to what he's feeling will likely fall in love with this project.

[theplaguezine]

S.O.D.

Interview with Dan Lilker by Daniel Hinds

(conducted June 1999)

In the mid-80s, when extreme music of all sorts was coming together in bizarre new combinations, one band was right there applying their own wrecking ball to the walls between hardcore punk and metal:  S.O.D., the Stormtroopers of Death.  A side project consisting of Anthrax's Charlie Benante (drums) and Scott Ian (guitar), Nuclear Assault's Dan Lilker (bass) and Billy Milano (shouts), S.O.D. unleashed their tongue-in-cheek brand of crossover on the unsuspecting world in the guise of the album Speak English or Die!  The effect was immediate and the impact was considerably deeper than anyone would have guessed, least of all the band themselves.

Due to various other commitments, a follow-up record was not forthcoming, though the four did manage to get together in '92 to record a live disc for their well-starved fans.  Eventually, things fell into place and this summer sees the release of the band's second album - a full 14 years after the debut.  Dan Lilker fills in the details between sips of coffee one recent morning…

Where did you record the new album and who produced it? Well, we recorded at a studio called Big Blue Meanee in Jersey City, New Jersey.  It's a place that is run by some really good friends of Billy's.  The actual recording was done there and produced by the band and Tim Gilles and he's like the main honcho there.  Then it was mixed by the band and Vince Wojno.

Are you pretty happy with the results? Oh yeah, totally.  I've done a lot of records and this is definitely one, like Sounds of the Animal Kingdom by Brutal Truth, where I go, 'God, I couldn't think of much more I'd want to do to that record.'  Sometimes it's like, 'Fuck, we should have done this or that or that,' or more personal things like, 'I should have done this note' or whatever.  But we rehearsed more for this record than the first S.O.D. record, so it's a little more thought-out.

What possessed you guys to do another album? Well, we've intended to for a long time.  When I'd be out on the road with Brutal Truth, I'd always hear, 'Is there ever going to be any more S.O.D.?' and I know the other guys heard that all the time, too.  There was going to be an S.O.D. tribute a year or so back and that fell through because a lot of bigger bands couldn't get permission from their labels, one of the nastier aspects of the music business.  I think at that point we were like, 'Screw it, let's just do a record.'  We had to stop back in '85 because a couple of the other guys in Anthrax were getting quite pissed off about it, but not all the same people are in the band now.  Some of the people in the band now grew up on that stuff, so it's a little easier to do it now.

How does Bigger Than the Devil compare to Speak English or Die? When we were writing this record, at least for me personally, we had to walk a thin line.  We had to maintain the integrity of the old stuff, but make it sound modern, not make it sound dated.  It has a lot of the aspects of the first album, but lyrically and at some points musically, it has a lot of modern stuff, too.  But not to the point where it sounds like something else.  We injected a little black or death metal here that we might not have had on the first one, or a couple of blast-beats, but it is still S.O.D. you know?

What is the S.O.D. song-writing process like? A few of the songs, like "We All Bleed Red," "Kill the Assholes" and "Free Dirty Needles" are Billy's songs, ones he'd written and brought to the band.  The rest of them was a process of Scott, Charlie and I sitting down in the rehearsal space, looking at each other and going, 'Okay…'  The first song we had written together was "Make Room, Make Room," where Scott's like, 'I got a riff,' and I'm like, 'Okay, I've got some notes that fit really good after that,' and Charlie's like, 'Well, why don't you do it like this,' and the next thing you know, we've got like 20 songs.  I guess maybe they relied on me a tiny bit to write some more extreme, more modern, more death-oriented stuff, because they know I'm the person who's been listening to and playing that all this time, but it's obvious that everyone was in on it.  Like with Charlie, he puts his own stamp on everything, just the way he plays, it's amazing.

How did you respond to critics who were offended by some of the lyrics on the first album and do you think you'll have that problem this time out, too? Well, when we wrote the lyrics for the first album, we were a little younger than we are now and I can see how people would take them the wrong way if they weren't seeing our sense of humor.  We tried to explain patiently to people that, you know, there might be a song on there called "Speak English or Die" but there's also a song on there called "Milk," which is completely silly, and people have to understand that both those songs have pretty much the same meaning.  With this album, the lyrics are still nihilistic and offensive, but they're a little more mature and articulate.  We don't go after nationalities because we realized that that is kinda tasteless.  There's still tasteless stuff, but maybe it's more social stuff, like picking on crack-heads, I don't know.  As far as criticism goes, well…whatever.  You gotta weather shit like that.  We're not gonna tone down our stuff to the point where it's not S.O.D., you know - it has to be rude and obnoxious.  If people don't realize by now that there is a sense of humor underlying all that stuff, then they probably don't want to.  It's probably extreme P.C. people who are dead-set against us from the start and don't want to hear anything different.  If we go, 'Well, it's not serious,' then they'll go, 'Oh yeah, sure…'  If people are like that, I'm just like, whatever, and throw my hands in the air.- think whatever you want.

How did you come up with the title Bigger Than the Devil? I think Scott came up with that.  That has to do with the fact that metal is always identified with Satan and The Number of the Beast ties in with the album cover.  By calling our album Bigger Than the Devil, it's just typical S.O.D. obnoxiousness.  It's like, all these bands like Slayer and these black metal bands - we're bigger than that!  Your god is just a little, puny piece of shit compared to Sergeant D. and the power of S.O.D.  It's just an arrogant, S.O.D.-type statement.  Meaningless as usual, but cool looking.

How did you get in touch with Nuclear Blast? They got in touch with us.  I've known about the label for years, been friends with the people in the States and in Europe for years.  So, when it all came around, everyone looked at me and said, 'Are these guys good?' and I went, 'Yep!'  We had been taking to a couple other labels and I don't how much of that's gone now - I'm not gonna be like Scott and insult the other labels (laughs).  They got in touch with us, we'd been talking with a couple other labels and going 'Ahhhh…..' - I don't know how you want to write 'Ahhh….' but… - Nuclear Blast called us up and said, 'We're totally into it and here's what we've got.'  We were like, 'Wow, it's a really good offer," and that was it.  I'm psyched about it, if that was your next question.  So far, they are doing a totally awesome job because they're psyched, too.  It's people who grew up with that shit.  It's like if you were a kid, your favorite wrestler, if you got to manage him later, you'd be like, 'Oh, wow!'

I saw that you are going to be touring Japan soon… Yeah, we're going to Japan at the beginning of June for a week.

When was the last time you were there? Well, S.O.D. has never played there.  We did a few shows in the States and that one show in Europe in '97, but before all those shows in '97, we'd only played New York and New Jersey.  We've got more coming up in Europe, too, so it's gonna be pretty interesting.

I understand that Billy has been working as a manager. Yeah, for Agnostic Front and a few other bands that I should know of the names of, but I don't.  A few other bands in the New York/New Jersey area.  He's good at that, Billy's a go-getter and doesn't take any shit, so he makes a good manager.

What are your plans now that Brutal Truth has split? I'm in another band called Hemlock that plays black metal.  We don't have all the trappings, like paint and spikes, because that is very old and tired.  That's not the most active band in the world because you've got me doing this [S.O.D.] stuff and our drummer is in another band and then, just being a black metal band anyway, we've only done like 8 shows in the last three years.  We have an album and an EP out, both on Head Not Found, and our next stuff when it comes out eventually will be on Full Moon Productions.  Since I got a computer in December, I've been messing around a lot with graphics.  I'm basically a creative person anyway, so I mess around in Photoshop and I come up with stuff and people look at it and go, 'Wow!'  So, I might get into free-lance graphics stuff eventually, because I've definitely got a taste for it.  Basically, I just sit there, take a couple hits, and do some crazy stuff, but it does look pretty cool.

What do you make of the current black metal scene? I still think there are too many bands running around with keyboards and violins and stuff like that.  For me, black metal was Venom and Hellhammer, shit like that.  However, if a band does it really good, like Emperor, I can get into it.  I'm glad to see that black metal kids, Norwegian kids, don't have the same stupid attitude they did five years ago, when they had to be snobby and say that everything other than black metal sucked, especially death metal.  I don't know how much you want to get into it, but the reason all those kids were saying that is because they saw something on the back of a live Mayhem record, a quote from Euronymous, where he said how much he hated death metal.  But, that is because he was speaking from the point of someone being disillusioned, because he used to love it and it got all trendy and political.  These kids didn't understand that and said, 'All death metal that ever existed sucks,' because that's what they read out of it because they weren't old enough.  I'm glad to see that people are growing up a little bit.  I prefer the more brutal bands like Gorgoroth, shit like that.  I don't know if you've heard my band, but that's kind of the vein we're in.  We like Darkthrone a lot.

I've heard the name, but I haven't heard Hemlock yet. Well, it's definitely no frills.  It's straight-up, punishing type shit.  I mean, I'm friends with guys like Dimmu Borgir and everything, but personally, it gets just a little too, I don't know…  If I want to listen to something nice and ambient, I'll listen to something directly like that.  If I listen to black metal, it should be pretty much in-your-face, but that's just my unholy opinion.

How long do you think you'll be working with S.O.D.?  Is it kind of open-ended right now? Yeah, it's definitely open-ended.  We could conceivably do another record in a couple years, we wouldn't wait 14 years - we'd be too fucking old by then.  Right now, there's a huge, tremendous buzz on the record, a lot of good shit coming up, and if we do a whole bunch of stuff and at the time other people's schedules are open - I mean, I'm not sure what Anthrax's schedule is gonna be.  My personal schedule is more open that it used to be.  The whole time I was in S.O.D., I was in Nuclear Assault and then in Brutal Truth and that even overlapped a couple of years, so I'm always in more than 2 bands at the same time.  To answer your original question, yeah, it's open-ended, but I'd be into more if there was a reason for it.

You've been in the business for a number of years now and I was wondering if your opinion of it has changed any over the years. There's a lot of down stuff, but then again…  When we signed to Relapse, that gave me a lot of faith because we'd had a lot of problems with Earache before that.  There are some labels, like Relapse and Nuclear Blast, that shine through as people that are totally committed.  There are other labels out there, I'm not going to mention them, that were big in the early 90s for a lot of metal bands and their names start with 'E' and 'R' - you can figure that out later - that make it really hard to do stuff, because eventually you just become a product and they don't care about you and it's very frustrating.  As far as how it has changed since I first got into it, I don't think it has - it's all just a cycle.  Something gets popular, everyone else tries to do it, all the labels sign all these bands that are trying to do something to get in on it.  Then, it's like a ship that takes on too much water and it just sinks.  It happened with thrash metal, it happened with death metal, it happened with black metal.  As far as all this Korn stuff, I really don't like any of that shit at all so I shouldn't really comment on it too much, but it definitely seems to be happening with that.  As much as I don't like Korn, I'll give them credit for being one of the first bands to do that, but I don't like what they're doing so, whatever.

All the copycat bands are just that much worse. For me, I wouldn't want to play in a band that sounds just like someone else.  I mean, how many interviews have you read where one of the first lines is, 'Oh, well we're influenced by a combination of Korn, Pantera and Machine Head,' and you're just like, 'Oh, crap, not again…'  It's like, what are you contributing?  Absolutely nothing.

Outside of the graphic art work, what else do you do in your spare time? Umm…  I live at home with my parents because it is too expensive to live around here in New York.  Besides that, I've got my digital studio here in my room.  I've got these boxes that Roland makes, these hard-disk recorders.  One is a 16-track and one is an 8-track, but I've been real neglectful since I got my computer because I've been messing around online, learning Photoshop and all this other stuff.  If I wanted to, I could make album-quality stuff in my room, which I used to - weird ambient stuff.  Other than that, just a normal laugh:  go out with my friends, have a few drinks, a few laughs.  Pretty much normal shit, you know, I don't go out and kill people or anything.

Do you spend much time on the Internet? Yeah, I mess around, I'll look at certain sites and stuff, but after a while it gets boring.  It comes in very handy like, let's say, I want a book for my computer - I mean, this isn't very interesting in the scope of metal, but… - let's say I want to learn about Adobe Illustrator and I've got a pirated version.  So, I can go on the Internet to Barnes & Noble or something, find the book I want, order it and it comes in a week later.  I go on some black and death metal web-sites, look around, say 'hi' to people, shit like that.

[kpopfanfictrash]

GOT7 Introduction Post

ALRIGHT. You requested, I have written! In honor of the upcoming THOT7 comeback - may our souls be stolen and wallets be emptied.

Member by Member introduction, from oldest to youngest.

Mark Tuan, stage name: Mark. ‘93 line, rapper. Also in charge of acrobatics / fly boy stunts. From LA, USA. Quiet, very intelligent. ISTJ personality. The only one who can pull the hyung card on Jaebum and BOY, WHEN HE DOES. Sometimes pegged as the ‘bad boy’ but lol. Mark’s laugh cures evil and creates butterflies. Deep ass rap, will make you shake in your boots. I know you want me, so stop fronting.

Im Jaebum, stage name: JB. ‘94 line, vocal and leader. Korean. Also writes / releases music under Def (used to be Def Soul, soundcloud here). A tsundere hoe, to quote myself. INFJ personality. Very intelligent, typically takes a more subdued role in the group but DAMN, MEMEBUM. Don’t let the rude exterior fool you, Jaebum is a straight up meme. There are hours of footage on Youtube to prove it. Owns like, a billion cats and they all sleep in his room. OG cat is Nora. 

Jackson Wang, stage name: Jackson. (Chinese name, Wang Jia Er). From Hong Kong, China. ‘94 line, rapper. ENFJ personality. Was a nationally ranked / world class fencer until he was 17. Convinced his parents to let him audition for JYP, moved to Korea and followed his dreams of music. Speaks English, Korean, Mandarin, Cantonese and Shanghainese. Jackson is pure sunshine in addition to being the most extra variety star in existence. Will do a forward flip every chance he can. Is a gigantic mama’s boy. Would never hurt a fly.

Park Jinyoung, stage name: Jinyoung (IF YOU CALL HIM JR OR JUNIOR, HE WILL FITE U). ‘94 line, vocal and dancer. ISFJ personality. Korean. Before debuting as part of GOT7, debuted in a duo with Jaebum called JJ Project. Tied with Jaebum for first place at 2009 JYP auditions. Has melodious, beautiful falsetto. Is an actor, appeared in multiple web dramas and was the young main for Legend of the Blue Sea, in addition to the lead in the independent film, Nunbal. Writes fucking bops. Is basically good at everything, the boy to bring home to your parents. Also the man who may take over the world. Idk. I’m not biased.

Choi Youngjae, stage name: Youngjae. ‘96 line, main vocal. ISFJ personality. Korean. Only trained for 7 months before debut, POWERHOUSE vocal. Composes under the name of Ars. Often compared to an otter bc SMILEY and ADORABLE and just actual sunshine. Anyone who hurts Youngjae answers to Jaebum. Hates cucumbers. Co-owns a puppy named Coco with Mark. Constantly damaging Jackson’s hearing with his yelling.

Bambam, stage name: Bambam. ‘97 line, rapper. ESTJ personality. From Thailand, trained with JYP for three and a half years. Legal Thai name is Kunpimook Bhuwakul but is rarely used except in legal circumstances. Bambam is his name lol. ANYWAYS. Bambam has rapidly switched from adorable maknae line to fly-ass fashion mogul. Loves memes, all things pop culture and fashion. Speaks Thai, Korean and English. Loves to interact with fans, especially through Twitter. Constantly calling fans girlfriends at fanmeets, WILL DAB WHENEVER HE WANTS TO DAB.

Kim Yugyeom, stage name: Yugyeom. ‘97 line, singer and main dancer. INFP personality. Korean. Maknae. Main dancer in GOT7, performed twice on Hit the Stage and won first place the second time. Like Bambam, has transformed from adorable maknae to champion of sexy dance. Yugyeom is coming for us all. Is quiet and sweet but also loves to troll hyung line. Specifically Jinyoung and Jaebum. Is the biggest JJ Project fan in the world. One day, Jinyoung might actually kill him. 

MORE UNDER THE CUT.

So. Eras. 

Their debut single was 2014 with Girls, Girls, Girls. As you can tell, the styling is excellent. Jackson’s small piece of hair popping out of his hat is a personal fave. Thus introduced the boys to the scene though (BONUS POINTS if you spot all the future Twice members LOL)

Next GOT7 released A, which is one of my personal favorites. Yes, that is Sana. LOL ALSO THE DANCE PRACTICES FOR A ARE ADORABLE. This has been a PSA. 

GOT7′s first full album, Identify was released at the end of the year with a lead single Stop, Stop It. Otherwise known as those minions outfits. This song will get stuck in your head. THIS ALBUM IS A BOP, THO. Girl Magnetic and Moonlight are two personal favorites. 

The next summer GOT7 came back with Just Right. Actually, this is GOT7′s most watched MV on YouTube. It was also featured in the Try Guys (Buzzfeed) watch Kpop video. Famous quotes to know about JB: “While this guy doesn’t look like my wife, he makes me feel the way that my wife makes me feel.”  Truth, Ned. 

That fall, GOT7 came back with If You Do, a darker concept. Just... watch every single live stage of this. You won’t regret it. Here’s a favorite, though. In December of that year, the released yet ANOTHER EP, which included the holiday single - Confession Song. EVERYDAY from this album is amazing, thank you JB.

In March of 2016, GOT7 came back with the Flight Log Trilogy (Departure, Turbulence and Arrival). The first album, Departure was released in March. The lead single was Fly, and it was bomb af. That’s just fact. The dance practice for this was also freaking adorable. Fave tracks from this album of mine are Can’t by PARK JINYOUNG. Also Rewind.

That fall, GOT7 came back with Turbulence. The lead single for this was Hard Carry, a heavier beat than previous GOT7 songs. Crazy dance, prompted much concern by fans that Jinyoung died in the MV. Favorite songs of mine here are Prove it, Mayday, No Jam and Who’s That.

The next spring, 2017 GOT7 completed their Flight Log Trilogy with Flight Log: Arrival. The lead single for this was Never Ever. Favorite songs are Paradise, Q.

THEN JJ PROJECT CAME BACK. SUMMER 2017, FIVE YEARS AFTER THEIR FIRST EP. Jinyoung and Jaebum teamed up yet again to put out a beautiful album called Verse 2. If you haven’t listened yet, save yourself. Go listen now. The title track was Tomorrow Today, and it was amazing. Truly. 

Now GOT7 are coming back once more - GET READY FOR FOR 7FOR7

FAVORITE FANCAMS / PERFORMANCES 

My personal fave is this Jinyoung fancam of Can’t. Bless yourself.

Jaebum is also a favorite performer lol bc when JB dances, he dances for JB. This performance of Who’s Your Mama? is excellent, as is this mix. So is this performance of Honey. 

The cover of SHINHWA’s This Love is truly amazing. (JB was hurt at this time and couldn’t perform.)

Never forget baby GOT7 performing I Was Made for Dancing for an audience of middle aged women. LOOK HOW HAPPY THEY ARE. 

Also the time they collaborated with BTS at the MAMAs. 

All the performances of Q (side single to Never Ever) are adorable.

GAH, okay. That should start you off.

Variety. Holy shit. Okay, so GOT7 are kings of variety. Honestly, it’s why I adore them so much. Watch their YouTube shows, it’s GOT7 Canon. 

Real GOT7 season 1 / Real GOT7 season 2 / Real GOT7 season 3 / Real GOT7 season 4

GOT7 Hard Carry, from the fall of 2016 is also excellent. 

GOT7 has a truly awe-inspiring mini-drama series called Dream Knight, available on Netflix. I highly suggest you start with this. And then stare at your screen for several days in confusion. 

JB and Jinyoung have a reality series from their days as JJ Project called JJP Diaries, here.

ALL OF THE WEEKLY IDOL EPISODES ARE HILARIOUS AF. First appearance - 2014.  Second appearance - 2015. Third appearance (multi-group) - 2016. Fourth appearance - 2016.  Fifth appearance - 2017. Er, it’s entirely possible I left some off. Oh, well. You’ll find them. LOL 

Also watch all of their ASC episodes. It’s pure chaos. 

OKAY. THAT’S ENOUGH FOR NOW *falls down on the floor*

... here is a compilation of jinyoung being savage. here is jaebum being a meme for the duration of an entire interview in japan. here is bambam, king of girl group dances. 

OKAY, NOW I AM REALLY DONE.

[zabala0z]

Okay so, I just finished MAG 100 (Wild guys holy shit) and I saw the next ep is like 50 minutes long??? (EDIT: okay I was wrong so ignore that) So I’m gonna post my 4 episode thoughts now since whatever MAG 101 is gonna be, it’s gonna make me have a lot of thoughts:

MAG 97: We All Ignore the Pit

Okay, so, there’s a lot here that I didn’t realize at first glance. Who the hell was that old man??? My first thought was Simon Fairchild because he said “nothing for you down there. You just go and enjoy your sky” but then he like spat mud and that’s something Simon had never done before, not even like a hint of dirt shit. He also was described as mean and Simon, from all the statements, was a pretty chill guy?? Like he was friendly, amiable, etc. so I don’t think this is Simon.

Who was the old woman and the blue eyed guy? I thought it was Gertrude since she would be alive around this time. Wait hold on I just thought of something. Like I’m writing and I just thought “man what other old woman is there??” Fucking Mary Keay. Could be. And the boy could’ve been Gerard or something. Or maybe I’m overthinking. I think I am. God.

ALSO NIKOLA??? WTF BRO. The fact she was like “yeah I stole this voice box” implied to me that she strangled the boss in Drawing a blank for it 😭😭 poor Jon, he keeps getting kicked around. Also creepy ass voice. Jesus.

I’m wondering how Gregor is her dad. Like I don’t think she met blood related, right? And how did she end up in the department store. Like duh it was the delivery service but what led there??

MAG 98: Lights out

Maxwell Rayner strikes again. Douchebag. Another darkness theme. Not much else to say but Melanie trying to poison Elias? Respect.

MAG 99: Dust to Dust

MICHAEL. MICHAEL WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE??

Guys you have no idea the scream I let out when Gertrude said his name. Like genuinely, this is like top 5 most crazy moments for me which is probably gonna get trumped in like 3 episodes but still holy shit. Like. I was fully hyperventilating.

Michael was Gertrude’s assistant. Like he was a human. I figured he was one but him being an ASSISTANT at the institute was not a thing that crossed my mind. How did The Spiral get him? Or did he go to The Spiral??

The Buried. Fun name. So I’m guessing it’s deal looking back is claustrophobia, dirt, earth, etc. gotta keep track of that. Now all the names entities we know of are up to 7! Funsies. Congratulations to Jon on getting kidnapped. We’re now adding to his trauma.

MAG 100: I Guess You Had To Be There

I’m dying of laughter what was this. Okay so every statement, while disjointed and not very said well, is important. The girl who saw a ghost on fire?? Well could be related to The Desolation. Y’know. Fire. The guy who lost his friend in the subway station, The Buried, I think. The guy who got lost in a maze and then just left because he was late? By the way, funniest thing ever like what the hell. Anyways that’s The Spiral and the guy with the spiders, I still have no idea. It’ll have a name soon.

ALSO PETER LUKAS. LUKAS. DUDE. The way how he says stuff, how cheerful he sounds, reminds me of Mike Crew? I don’t know if the Lukas family is also related to The Vast but the experiences sounds vaguely similiar enough.

Poor Brian. Bros now gonna be lost like forever 💀 okay so I think that’s everything. I see there’s a lot of parts coming up so anyone who wants to see me melt from lore won’t have to wait too long!

[nub-velasquez-blog]

Lesbian/bi/dont even know girls on tv now

no order whatsoever part 1/??

Luisa and Rose || Jane The Virgin

Luisa´s description: Sister of the father of Jane´s baby, also the woman who insaminated Jane by mistake, also very gay having an affair with Rose, his dad´s wife. If that ain´t enough drama for you to live with she also has alcohol problems. Can´t describe Rose, you gotta see to know.

status: So far so alive, Rose seen in the pic too. Mondays, the Cw

Clarke and lexa and Nyilah || The 100

Description: Clarke lives in outter space because the earth died 97 years but the spaceship the human race has been living on is dying so they sent a 100 underaged delincuents to earth to see if they survive. Very bi. and bossy.

status: Aliiiveeeee this bitch scared us a few times. The girl in the pic´s dead thought. This season ended but coming back in october, Wednesdays. The Cw

Camille || Stitchers

So underrated imma scream

description: no one stands around and holds a tablet like she does. backup means alcohol. bisexual, sassy sarcastic, works for the NSA as a badass agent, also the actress is familiar because she used to date Josh in Drake and Josh, yup. im pretty obsessed with her. i mean, LOOK. AT HER.

status: Pretty alive in the lst episode she fucked. Mondays in Freeform.

Cosima and Delphine || Orphan Black

Hurry up if you want to watch cus this the last season folks

Description: Hot gay clone, lovely and a genious. God protect this creature of science. Dating Delphine (i think ??) who is a cute french girl she met in college, also a genious, also really hot. I mean the show is gold and we all want to marry Tatiana.

Status: Alive but you never know. Saturdays, BBC

Elena || One Day At a Time

Description: Gay little cuban munchkin, feminist as fuuuuuck. We need a love interest for her in s2. thanks.

Status; In no danger. netflix.

Sarah Lance || Arrow and Dc´s Legends of Tomorrow

sorry if the gif gave you a pregnancy

description: Rich girl goes with her sister´s boyfriend on his boat, it drowns and she´s found and entrained by the league of assasins, now is a badass girl saving the time line. Bi but prefers girls. and you can tell.

status: None existent in time but alive after dying but coming back. Thursdays at The CW

Freya and Keelin || The Originals

Description: 2.000 year old witch that was stolen by evil aunt, her siblings are the first vamps on earth and speak with a british accent for some reason. I mean, it´s been 2.000 years and your accent is intact even living in the usa? whats the need? Keelin is a werewolf btw. dont know much about her.

status: May die in the next ep tbh you never know. Fridays The CW

Waverly and Nicole || Wynonna Earp

TOO. DAMN. GAY.

Description: Waverly was born in purgatory a town with demons that only her family can kill, very smart, like, crazy smart, was dating an asshole but then found her unicorn, i mean, gay, i mean she found Nicole. Nicole is a hot sheriff, i mean agent, she cute.

status: Alive. thank god.or wynonna, yeh, thank wynonna. Syfy, fridays.

Alexis and Rachel and Dakota || Famous In Love

I have watched bad tv shows for the gay, but this one is the worst. soooo baaad.

description: Rich famous actress absorved in herself, can be nice at some points but is a mayor bitch most of the time.

status: How she gonna die in this shit show they need the gays. idk what days who cares but freeform.

Alex and Maggie || Supergirl

Description: Alex is supergirl´s adoptive sister, she just realized sheñs gay, very hot, works for the CEO and is so smart, dates Maggie, gay pal nonewhite who has always felt weird which is why she goes to an alien bar, also hot, works for the police.

Status: #LesbianLives is how Chyler (Alex) would describe it. Mondays, the cw

Eretria || The Shannara Chronicles

description: human in a strange world with elfes and wird shit tbh, bisexual, pretty hot, badass and sassy. in love with a three.

status: alive, pissed. MTV

Let me know if i should do a part 2 because obviously Tumblr won´t let me post them all together.

Comment the ones you watch:)

[allthingsfuckingconsidered-blog]

Scorpion / One Year Later  

To say that Drake has captured mainstream media attention to heights that only dreams are made of is an understatement.  Born Aubrey Graham to Dennis and Sandra Graham in Ontario Drake’s musical roots can be traced directly to his paternal lineage. It was while performing at Club Bluenote in Toronto that Dennis and Sandi first met.   Flash forward to 2018 Drake is one of the worlds biggest stars and anytime he decides to release new music he moves the needle and stops hip hop and sub genres promptly in their tracks.  January 19, 2018 “Scary Hours” the EP was released to digital platforms confirming what many of us had assumed from photos of him in the studio on his instagram page @champagnepapi that Drake had new music to soon share with the world.  At the stroke of midnight we received two new records “God’s Plan” a light hearted song that would end up charting and earn him his fourth Grammy the following year.  Also on the EP was “Diplomatic Immunity” which was straight bars, no hook.  Drake addressed his rumored quick relationship with Jennifer Lopez as well as his light beef with former rapper turned podcast giant Joe Budden.  The video for God’s Plan took off and was one of the years most viewed videos on YouTube it unfortunately drew the ire of some who felt it was all a publicity stunt namely Peter Rosenberg of Hot 97 (click here) .  Skip to April and Drake releases “Nice For What” a ladies anthem with a New Orleans bounce to it with a video featuring some of Hollywood’s leading ladies (Tracie Ellis Ross, Issa Rae, Rashida Jones, Tiffany Haddish, Zoe Saldana and Tara Shahidi to name a few.  It was officially Drake SZN.  Shortly thereafter via instagram tons of celebrities started posting pictures of satin jackets with the title Scorpion on the back and we had our album title.  Now this story is very much Drake’s but there are so many moving parts we must address to understand the final version of Scorpion that we received on June 29th.  Good Music headed by Kanye West which features Drake’s current number one nemesis and Bar Gawd Pusha T were also slated to release a plethora of music during the month of June.  The first shot fired (double entendres) from the G.O.O.D. camp happened to come from Terrence Thornton aka King Push.  “It was written like Nas but it came from Quentin”  from the song Infrared a direct reference to Drake’s alleged ghostwriter Quentin Miller who was credited as a writer on 4 of the standard version of the albums 17 songs (19 total on the physical cd release).  Now remember Meek throwing the ghostwriter allegation out and DJ Drama’s ex wife exposing him as the leak for the reference tracks do to her alimony payment not arriving in her bank account on time put serious chinks in Drizzy’s armor he had no choice but to step up and go toe to toe with Meek.  In the end Drake came out victorious in his war with Meek but there was an underlying beef that was still lying in the weeds.  Drake and Push have been trading barbs since Pusha released “Exodus 23:1″ on May 23rd 2012.  Drake sent subs and some direct shots Pusha’s way after a botched performance with 2 Chainz that didn’t go over too well Drake brought out Titty Boi and stated “that’s how the fuck you bring 2 Chainz out!” also then giving the crowd an inpromptu freestyle “If you was doin' 16s when I was 16, and your shit flopped and you switched teams, don' t talk to me, my nigga!” Ouch, well let’s do the math Drake was born October of 1986 which means he would’ve been 16 in the year 2002 August of that year the debut album by Virginia brothers and rhyme duo The Clipse “Lord Willin” was released featuring arguably one of the most infectious beats in hip hop history (click here).  Yes the same group that featured Pusha T and his older brother Malice who eventually gave his life to the Lord and now is an ordained minister that goes by No Malice.  The duo was under the label Star Trak which is headed by super producers The Neptunes (Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo) who happened to be old neighborhood friends of the Thornton brothers.  So if we are paying attention Drake was 16 when Lord Willin was released.  Pusha would eventually end up on G.O.O.D. Music sometime between 2009 or 2010 the dates still aren't clear.  So in this freestyle without saying his name it was a direct shot at King Push not bad for a former child actor from Canada right? (Don’t sleep Degrassi is a good fucking show! you can watch it here) Ok back to current times sorry I got a bit carried away.  I was in the shower with Pusha’s “Daytona” album playing on my beats pill when I heard the shot thrown at Drake also keep in mind the song that directly precedes “Infrared” on the album is titled “What Would Meek Do?” I swear to you this stuff can’t be made up.  I remember getting out the shower drying off, getting dressed for a doctor’s appointment thanks to my employer (bleh).  I remember texting my cousin asking did you listen to the Pusha album and did you hear that direct fucking dart he sent towards Drake.  We both were under the belief that there was no way he could tip toe around the situation he had to come right for him say his name or give direct references.  I’m sure we’ve all heard “Two Birds, One Stone” where Drake threw subtle jabs at Pusha but nothing direct funny thing is Kid Cudi caught the most direct shot “you were the man on the moon now you just go through your phases” which of course are direct innuendos to the title of Cudi’s debut album and his struggles with mental health.  But his El Chapo bar as nice as it was within the cadence just didn’t hit like the Cudi bar did.  Now keep in mind if you’ve been following all of this in real time on your own time you would’ve heard two responses from Pusha about “Two Birds, One Stone”.  His first stance was “he aint talking about me” Pusha would later recant this statement by saying that “Infrared” was a response to Drake throwing the shot on “Two Birds, One Stone”.  Wait what?  Yes rappers are walking, talking, living, breathing contradictions.  So here we go back to May 25th 2018 the release date for Daytona.  I had gotten back from my doctor’s appointment was scrolling my twitter timeline to find out The Boy had dropped a new song on Soundcloud “Duppy Freestyle”  which is by far my favorite Drake diss of his career.  Truth be told I have to admit I can’t really consider this a full diss to Pusha because there was not really anything Drake said that was detrimental to Push most of the heavy lifting came at the expense of Kanye who Drake felt had played him.  Drake had arrived in Montana to help Kanye work on his album that would follow Daytona a week later.  Drake’s right hand man and OVO Sound in house producer and basically the man responsible for Drake’s sound OVO 40 showed up a day early and told Drake the energy was off.  Per Drake’s telling of the events on HBO’s “The Shop” produced by LeBron James and his business partner Maverick Carter; Kanye convinced Drake to tell him the release date of his album Drake also shared some very personal details about having recently learned he had a son by former adult film star Sophie Brussaux .  Now for myself I had heard this rumor on the podcast “The Read” cohosted by Kid Fury and Crissle West as early as May of 2017.  It wasn’t the first time Drake had been accused of fathering a child but this would be the first time his camp didn’t vehemently deny the allegations (where there’s smoke, there’s fire).  Fast forward March 2018 a night that gamers will remember as the night Drake, Tyler “Ninja” Blevins and Pittsburgh Steelers wideout Juju Smith Schuster played Fortnite on Twitch and set a streaming record.  It was during a break in the live stream that Drake had found out via results of a DNA test that was indeed a father.  Ok so this information found it’s way to the ear of Terrence Thornton aka Pusha T, remember where I referenced above that DJ Drama’s wife spilled the beans on Drake’s reference tracks yes pillow talk is a dangerous game guys but we will cover that a bit later.  So Duppy is out and twitter is going crazy as a fan of hip hop and being the chief reason for the song Pusha T heard and it asked Drake to send the invoice over he referenced at the end of the song.  Ok so we wait........ for a response that is, but in the interim we got “I’m Upset’. Keep in mind it’s Memorial Day weekend and we all kept refreshing and in my mind I said to myself Pusha is going to respond after we’ve all had our barbecue and are getting ready to return to work and then...... nothing or so we thought.  Leaving work Tuesday I was sent a link “The Story of Adidon” wait what?  Pillow talking ladies and gentleman, pillow talking Pusha shot back at Drake and brought baby Adonis into the war as well as Dennis and Sandi.  Y’all remember the face y’all made while listening?  I do lol!  So Drake went quiet, we knew Scorpion was coming June 29th.  But what were we getting?  Drake poked his head out to respond to the artwork for Pusha’s response via his iOS notepad and that was it save for him pressing the emergency button.  Wednesday June 13th Drake gathered his Degrassi : The New Generation alumni together on their old stomping grounds for the video to “I’m Upset”  Remember how I referenced Degrassi earlier in this piece? Ding ding this was the video that made me sit in front of the tv for hours watching old episodes.  Drake had survived the coup de grace from Pusha with some help from his adolescent friends just remember whatever it takes, I know I can make it through!  So the two weeks before the album’s release promotion kicks into high gear billboards with lyrics from the forthcoming album also a billboard that referenced “A Side” and “B Side”. If you remember the promotion leading up to the album Views the artwork for the singles, Pop Style and One Dance were similar one in white cursive script on a black background the other in black cursive script on a white background had people thinking Views would be a double album some went as far as to say there was a white disc and a black disc.  Contrary to these thoughts Views was one succinct album though it featured 20 songs they were all part of a single composition, interestingly enough Views is the album that initiated the rift between Drake and Joe Budden but nonetheless let’s continue shall we?  Mal of the Joe Budden podcast dropped the info that Scorpion would in fact be a double album with “A Side” being the more aggressive rap offering whereas “B Side” would be more of Drakes more melodic records.  As I refreshed and refreshed OVO 40′s instagram for more info all we could do is wait.  Eventually we got the album artwork which is very basic if we are being completely honest but its honest just a black and white headshot of Drake with his signature and the word Scorpion which I would assume is in his own handwriting.  Thursday June 28th the track list was revealed and hours later the features - Jay Z, , Ty Dolla $ign, the late great Static Major and the late iconic Michael Jackson (current social climate notwithstanding) also included concert audio from his Young Money family Nicki Minaj, the City Girls, Lil Wayne audio  and an instagram clip of Plies. The trackless resulted in one of the funniest tweets about Michael Jackson considering the fact that the Jackson family patriarch Joseph Jackson had just passed away earlier that week. “How’d Drake get Mike on his album......Joe Jackson died got to heaven and told Mike to get back to work” 

And then 11 PM CST came which meant it was 12 AM EST I went directly to Tidal on my iPad and Apple Music on my phone to refresh and there it was Drakes double album Scorpion.  His power move all of hip hops true legends have done the double disc Jay - Z “The Blueprint 2″, Tupac “All Eyez On Me” , Nas “Streets Disciple”, The Notorious B.I.G. “Life After Death” , Wu-Tang Clan “Wu-Tang Forever”  Clearly the precedent was set in order to consider himself among the greats Drake felt a double disc was necessary hell even his one time nemesis Chris Brown had give us a double disc worth of content albeit in the streaming era it actually broke down to 3 albums worth of content but schematics. 

I HATE WHEN DRAKE RAPS

DRAKE SINGS TOO MUCH

DRAKE IS A POP ARTIST

DRAKE DOESN’T EVEN WRITE HIS OWN SONGS

DRAKE TOOK AN L

DRAKE DIDN’T START FROM THE BOTTOM

DRAKE IS FINISHED

I LIKE DRAKE’S OLDER STUFF

DRAKE MAKES MUSIC FOR GIRLS

DRAKE THINKS HE’S JAMAICAN

DRAKE IS AN ACTOR

DRAKE CHANGED

ANBODY ELSE > DRAKE......

YEAH YEAH WE KNOW

the aforementioned excerpt comes directly from the iTunes / Apple Music page for Scorpion.  Clearly Aubrey and his camp are well aware of the pundits and their feelings toward Drake and everything he represents.  Having said all of that let’s talk about the music side A opens with Survival in which Drake references his previous issues with Meek Mill and Diddy “I’ve had real Philly niggas try to write my ending” “I’ve had scuffles with Bad Boys” I’ve always said Drake’s biggest strength is being able to live in his own truth and Survival is just another track where he excels at this.  The album then goes up a notch where Drake and Taykeith meet again for one of my favorite songs on the project that is still in my heavy rotation to this day “Nonstop” is as self explanatory as you can get the crazy thing is per Drake this wasn’t on the original iteration of the album it was his feud with Pusha T the month before that birthed this and other songs on the album such as the commercial standout of the album that is found on the album’s B Side “In My Feelings”. Drake told LeBron and Maverick that in the  wake of his back and forth with Terrence he got back in the studio and used the energy to create these songs.  Elevate the albums third song is still a skip for me but it’s the albums 4th track “Emotionless” where Drake finally decides to allow us into his personal life on a deeper level when first referencing his son Adonis “I wasn’t hiding my kid from the world, I was hiding the world from my kid” The Mariah Carey sample that 40 flipped is masterful and it serves as the perfect canvas for this moment.  Emotionless is followed by the albums second single and God’s Plan which originally appeared on January’s “Scary Hours” EP. After these we get Drake’s routine hookup with Boi-1da “8 out of 10″ which features the Plies vocals from IG (word to Plies please bring back “Sweet Pwussy Satday).  I would be remised if I didn’t express that this is where A Side takes a dip to me with “Mob Ties” and “Can’t Take a Joke” neither song has grown on me a year later still they don’t grab my attention.  Sandra’s Rose a dedication to Drake’s mother is where the first volume picks back up for a fantastic crescendo.  Finally Drake get’s to rap over a Preemo beat which he had been campaigning for since the early days of Take Care, if this is the end result I’d love to hear what other instrumentals Preme cooked up for The Boy the collaboration had been in talks since the pre production days of Take Care which is widely viewed as Drake’s opus.   “Talk Up” is the next song up with a gritty Memphis 808 supplied by Three Six Mafia alum DJ Paul which also has a verse from the Brooklyn God Sir Shawn Corey of Carter aka Jay Z.  Honestly listen to this song and tune the vocals out just listen to the 808 kick in the background masterful very reminiscent of early Three Six Mafia / Tear The Club Up Thugs real Memphis shit.  One very important moment of note surrounding this track is Jay’s verse music now lives in real time because of the advent of the internet a verse can be recorded emailed and mixed then released in half a days time thanks to the internet.  Jay recorded this verse within weeks of the release of the album and you can tell by his bar “y’all killed X let Zimmerman live, streets is done”  Xxxtentacion was murdered in Florida June 18th 2018, his funeral service was June 28th 2018 the day before Scorpion was released.  The first part of the album finishes with “Is There More” which features a sample of “More Than A Woman” by the late Aaliyah.  On any standard Drake release this would serve as the conclusion to the album but on Scorpion it only closes out the album’s first half.  Post intermission Scorpion opens with “Peak” which couldn’t be more of a 40 creation if it tried.  This is Drake in his bag the Drake everyone came to know and love on So Far Gone (now available on all streaming platforms).  Honestly most of the content on the B Side much like it’s A Side counterpart could’ve been left on the cutting room floor the standout from this side is definitely the Ty Dolla $ign assisted “Jaded” If you haven’t put this song on repeat and slipped into one of those moments Drake is so masterful at crafting then I question if you are even living.  Finesse is another powerful moment but other songs like Ratchet Happy Birthday feel completely out of place here.  The commercial standout “In My Feelings” was created out of complete happenstance if memory serves me correct and it initially wasn’t going to be a single for the album but Shiggy’s dance craze was a moment that Drake and his camp just had to capitalize on.  Blue Tint is another song that feels lost on this particular side of the album not that it fits the A Side either which suggest that maybe Drake and Future leave this in the vault for “What A Time To Be Alive 2″ which is coming at some point.  The other songs like “That’s How You Feel” which features tour banter from Nicki Minaj and her DJ is a great song I often wonder though would the song sound more cohesive if you removed the Nicki vocals and add a hook sung by Drake or someone else.  The album eventually builds to Final Fantasy which I assume would absolutely have some sort of a reference to the Squaresoft turned Square Enix video game franchise and the March 14th in which Drake closes the album having a conversation with himself that he hopes his son will discover as he is older and understand.  Though March 14th officially closes the album it is the closing of Is There More that gives us a glimpse into Drake’s future “soon as the album drop I’m outta the deal”. Many had speculated when Drake’s deal with Young Money/Cash Money would cease to exist even going as far back as If You’re Reading This It’s too Late some thinking the title was a nod to Drake’s original contract coming to an end.  As of late Drake has released new music to celebrate the Toronto Raptors first NBA Championship the music is licensed to Frozen Moments LLC under exclusive license to Republic Records a division of UMG Recordings.  Drake is apparently prepping another full length project which was teased for the end of 2018 by Young Money president Mack Maine.  Oh yea remember earlier where I kept telling you guys how bad pillow talk was. Drake months after Scorpion was released appeared on The Shop with LeBron and Maverick and insinuated it was Kanye who told Pusha about Drake having a son.  Days after the episode aired on HBO Pusha T reached out to Joe Budden of all people to appear on his podcast finally revealing that it was Drake’s producer, business partner and friend Noah “OVO 40″ (click here) who had been involved with a woman who had loose ties to people close to Pusha T.  For sometime 40 had been complaining to this woman about his positioning within the business end of things and how he apparently didn’t think he was being compensated fairly.  Noah also disclosed information about Drake and others flying to meet Adonis and to bring him gifts.  There has been no word from Drake’s camp on these allegations or the fact that Drake offered money to people around Pusha T for information about his personal life.  There was also the fact that Rap A Lot Records founder J Prince that Drake had indeed recorded a response to the story of Adidon but it would’ve potentially been damaging for Pusha T and Kanye.  If hip hop history has taught us anything at some point if this is true the hard drive holding those files will come up missing and that song will leak if it in fact exists.  So here we are a full year later and what have we learned well Drake is as teflon as teflon can get had any other rapper experienced what he did in the lead up to Scorpion it could’ve had long last effects.  Ja Rule was one of if not the most played artist on terrestrial radio until 50 Cent started throwing jabs at him on wax next thing you know everyone was screaming G-G-G-G Unit and Ja was an afterthought.  Drake weathered the storm by staying the course sticking to what he does best and and then jumping on one of the hottest songs of summer 2018 “Sicko Mode”. Pusha T came back to cause a ruckus among the OVO camp because quote “that narrative has to die, Kanye didn’t tell me anything it was 40!” Yet Drake remained unbothered he went across the nation on his Aubrey and the 3 Amigos tour squashed long standing beefs with rivals Meek Mill and Chris Brown.  Patched things up with his son’s mother and came to some sort of a cordial understanding and then toured the UK. In the middle of all of this he told us he had a new album coming, gave Nick Nurse the head coach of the Toronto Raptors a shoulder massage during an NBA Playoff game.  Drake partied and celebrated the Raptors title as if he suited up and played actual minutes and then took a million pics with the Larry O’Brien trophy with his friends no less.  The question I pose for you will the music on Scoprion stand the test of time?  Take Care still sounds as good today as it did in November of 2011.  I admit I like Scorpion but I don’t love the album I have my own condensed version of the album where I’ve removed the filler songs in favor of the standouts in my opinion.  I invite you all as readers to revisit Scorpion this weekend and give it a grade based on its replay value, how it holds up today and if you really love/like the album or if you were a prisoner of the moment.