#fucking love jidenna

[so1vitur-ambu1ando]

Baby, I'm a lion, but I ain't lyin' when I say I got you, Bambi

[sukunasbabymama]

Long car rides.

⌗ Pairing: Manjiro Sano (Mikey), Ken Ryuguji (Draken), Baji Keisuke, Chifuyu Matsuno, Takemichi Hanagaki, Mitsuya Takashi, Hakkai Shiba, Nahoya Kawata (Smiley), Souya Kawata (Angry), Yasuhiro Muto (mucho), Sanzu Haruchiyo.

⌗ Warnings: mention of cheating bc we are nosy bitches, slight cursing.

⌗ A/N: I just had a 9 hour car ride with my family and the whole trip I was thinking about the reaction of the boys to the same situation.

Manjiro Sano Mikey:

You are the driver, do not argue with me about this.

And the guide because y'all got lost three times when he was reading the map.

The type to be playing with your fingers while you drive with the other hand.

RIDING WHILE IN PAJAMAS.

He has his little blanket and would spread it over your lap if you’re cold because he refused to turn off the A/C.

Would make you stop so much damn bro can you be quiet.

"Can we stop to bu-"

"No, we are already late and all Toman is already there"

"I'm the leader, I can be late"

"But I don't want to"

"Babyyyyy" His whines make you roll your eyes.

"This is the last time"

Ken Ryuguji Draken:

He drives with one hand on your thigh almost the whole ride.

Would listen to everything you say about which way is better cause you are actually good at reading maps.

Let you lean on him and when he stops at a red light would kiss your head.

A million-dollar smile on his face when you start to sing love songs to him.

Or not so lovely… but hey, he’s your personal hypeman so it’s all good.

“Back keep flowin’, hit the gas, keep goin’~” You sing with no intonation or sense of shame.

“Yeah, them girls on tour going city after city~” He sings back in a happy tone.

Chris brown - City girls is the song I’m quoting. He got no love in this house but I like the rhythm in this.

Baji Keisuke:

Another one that drives with a hand on your thigh, because he’s so proud of calling you his partner pls let him have his moment.

Has a big smile almost the whole time because the vibes are really relaxing and he feels good that he’s driving you around in something different than his bike.

You would feed him every snack so he can focus on driving and y’all don’t have to stop and waste time.

Would sing songs about his gang with all his chest.

And you? You would second him cause that’s your clique too now.

“WHO YOUR FAM, WHO YOUR CITY?” He screams at the top of his lungs, squeezing your thigh.

“WHO YOUR GANG, WHO YOU REP?” You scream back.

Any person that sees you both in a red light straight thinks y’all on drugs.

Jidenna - Tribe is the song.

Chifuyu Matsuno:

Would talk to you the whole ride about the last manga he read if you let him.

Together y’all would come up with a bunch of conspiracy theories on why the main character leaves his wife alone to become a villain.

You would have your hand on his thigh when he has both of his on the steering wheel.

Y’all would sing sad songs together even tho he’s the happiest when he’s with you.

It’s the feels.

If he’s not talking about manga then you’re filling him in all the tea from your job.

And your tea is exceptionally good.

Pls, y’all are such petty bitches talking about everybody.

“AND LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT SUZY—” You say and sip on your smoothie.

“OH MY GOD, WHAT DID SHE DO NOW?” He says excitedly to talk crap about poor not-so-poor cause she’s fake Suzy.

Takemichi Haganaki:

Would drive so slow omg, and you’re there just 🧍🏾‍♀️

Would also want to buy a bunch of coffee or Red Bulls in order to not fall asleep and would decline your offer to drive for a bit.

“Bubs I can drive till the next city so you can rest for—”

“No, I’ll take you there safe and rested” You roll your eyes, he never accepted help for fucks sake.

Would tell you stories about his fights with Toman that he thinks are embarrassing because of how he ends up but you love every single one of them.

Doesn’t know how to say no and would stop every time you want.

Mitsuya Takashi:

One of the chilliest rides ever.

Hands interlocked almost at all times.

Would kiss the back of your hand with a small smile at random times.

Changing velocities while still having your hand in his.

Would put your feet on his lap and massage them with one hand.

Singing old love songs to each other in a soft tone.

Would talk about a future together with such naturally that you start to question if it’s true y’all only been dating for six months.

“Baby, when we have our apartment I want a room for my sewing, you know, so I can make a lot of outfits for you to wear around the house,”

“Are you for real?” You ask in shock, and his smile grows.

“Don’t like the idea? We can save and buy a big house so you can have a room too for your hobbies”

Hakkai Shiba:

Another bitch that would gossip so much with you omg.

Like damn, where do y’all have the energy to find so much tea about the people y’all supposed to hate.

Would put his hand on your thighs or the back of your head.

You would put your hand on the back of his head and scratch his scalp softly.

Would buy a bunch of snacks beforehand and put them in the back seat.

Would be so happy when you feed him while he’s driving.

“So, babe, the other day we were fighting this gang and the leader’s girl of that gang came yelling that he cheated on her,” He says and you both burst into laughter.

“So he loses AND got his ass exposed? Oh my God—”

Nahoya Kawata Smiley:

Bickering, all the damn time.

Because you say to go one way but he thinks the other one looks prettier it doesn’t

Because he wants to has his hand on your thigh but you want to hold his.

But after a while, he would take your hand to his lips and give it a soft kiss.

Another one that would change velocities while holding your hand.

Almost fight someone when y’all stop for a quick break because they were “looking at you funny and he doesn’t play that shit”

On red lights would put his hands on the back of your neck and pull you to him so he can kiss you.

Gets mad if the car behind horns at him.

Mf you’re holding the line for some kisses?

He doesn’t care, he wants to kiss you at all times.

Souya Kawata Angry:

Pretty chilly vibes.

You drive while scratching his scalp.

Would feed you so you can focus on the driving.

Always checking if you buckle your seatbelt after y’all come back from a short break.

Would tell you stories about him and his brother.

Is on cloud 9 when you ask questions about his stories because he actually thought they were making you bored.

Would force you to change sits so he can drive for a bit and you can rest.

Would massage your hands absently when you’re getting gas.

Your shoulders too when y’all are out of the car.

Yasuhiro Muto Mucho:

First thing he does as soon as y’all get into the car is lean and buckling your seatbelt for you.

Hand on your thigh, groping it absently.

Hums to every damn song you put, you wonder if you play them that much for him to memorize the rhythm.

Let you lean on him.

Would put his hand on your face, pushing your cheeks together, and would pull you to give you a soft still kind of rough cuz mf is big kiss.

Type of guy that would hear every tea you have for him in silence, without making a fuss about it, humming here and there to let you know that you have his attention.

“And then she called me crying that he left her,” You say shrugging.

“But, didn’t she cheated on him first?”

“I KNOW RIGHT?”

Sanzu Haruchiyo:

You would do a lot of the talking.

Let you put any song you want as long as you sing them for him.

Hand on the back of your neck.

Or holding your hand.

Or on your thigh, mf can’t keep his hands to himself.

But it’s okay because he’s letting you be a nosy bitch.

But don’t get it twisted.

Didn’t y’all saw this menace before being in the fifth division? Feral, and after? Feral. He was being held by Mucho’s calm ass.

So he would actually yell at people for driving bad. That’s the only time he talks over you.

Would go fast and when you tell him to slow down tells you “but then we gonna be late” like y’all aren’t at the middle of the ride already pls

Tells you to feed him and when your fingers are close to his mouth he bites them.

And you whoop his ass while he’s driving cause you don’t give a fuck either.

@milliumizoomi @saturnmitsuya 🧸🎈

[moonlightchess]

Thanks for the tag, @velvethopewrites! I loved all of your song choices, I even youtubed the ones I didn't recognize and they were amazing so everyone here should go check out your blog!

Rules: Make a new post and spell out your url with song titles, then tag as many people as there are letters in your url.

M: Moonlight Sonata, by E.S. Posthumous.

O: Ode to the Devil, by Mad Marge and the Stonecutters.

O: Oro, by Seo Linn. (Oh my god their music will SEND you if you're into modern interpretations on epic celtic folk music).

N: Bro. Bro. Bro. Who the hell ELSE am I gonna send your way???

L: Long Live the Chief, by Jidenna.

I: Illumination, by Jennifer Thomas.

G: (I'm having trouble with this one, so I'll cheat a tiny bit) A Gorey Demise, by Creature Feature.

H: Heaven Knows, by The Pretty Reckless.

T: Try a Little Tenderness, (Stevie Wonder cover) by Avery Dixon.

C: Cut You Up With a Linoleum Knife, by Mastodon. (Also Chill the Fuck Out by Romes because I couldn't decide.)

H: Hakkerskaldyr, by Heilung.

E: Etudes #4 in C-sharp Minor, by Frederic Chopin as performed by Jan Lisiecki (my favorite Chopin interpreter).

S: Sleep to Dream, by Fiona Apple.

S: Serial Killers Know How to Party, by Schoolyard Heroes.

Tagging @odeada-nightspawn, @methotrex8, @laughteronsilverwings, @adrianexists, and anyone else who wants to try this!

[yvningshowers]

My moots as songs bc why tf not and bc my love is annoying duh

Find yourselves... below the cut...

Going in alphabetical order by ur url so u can find yourselves faster LMFAO

@cyancherub

CASSIE. Hi boo how r ya boostie yes hello bet you weren't expecting this LMFAO but... regardless I bestow upon you... ugh YOUR MUSIC TASTE IS SO DIFFERENT FROM MINE ALDNOWJD but I think... I'm going with

Jidenna's Sufi Woman... dear god it's so good. Ur a bruja a lil it's true LMFAO and I LOVE that about you qojfiwjdow

OH AND idk this is like... idk. this. yeah.

@hajimoon

KRIS QOFJOWNEOR ok ok ok.... HEH I'm excited ok ok here goes:

La Santa Cecilia's Como Dios Manda (sing it to Momo.... I triple dog dare you... no ovaries u won't...) and Girl in Red's We Fell in Love in October if I am off... if the vibes are off... I'm gonna jump off a cliff Kris ok just tell me I did a good job and that I'm a good friend ok LMFAOOO

@izuukii

hey Scout know ur away from the platform! Just wanna say kiss and also I give you, since you've called your music taste pretentious LMFAO I don't think it is I think it's GREAT but I thought you might like a small hometown band heh so! I've got

Escapism by Pastime, a group from my old tiny ass hometown. Mad that this is the only song of theirs that I like RIP. It makes me feel nostalgia, and your pieces always do that to me

OH AND PANIC AT THE DISCO'S this. The title is too long 💀 but it gives me "I'm the shit" vibes and. I mean. I would hope you feel like that DAILY. AS YOU SHOULD.

@jozhenji

ANDYYY. Ok. Uuuuh. I... get thine vibes. I think. But I also don't think our music tastes line up AOHDOQJQO I am trying so hard. But a Bernadette Banner fan... might be a Florence + the Macine fan? Maybe? Oh gosh yeah this was hard

I give you Lady Gaga's Hey Girl? Oh this was HARD but this is one of my favs of all time

Or maybe Hozier's Jackboot Jump? Feel like ppl who enjoy sewing just are rebels at heart are we not? LMFAO

@katsupeach

Ah yes...... Emme. HM. I will say dear I'm not quite sure our music taste lines up. I do think yours is superior. LMFAO. So I will... try hard. Try very hard. Yes.

I am ALWAYS listening to Ella Fitzgerald's Someone to Watch Over Me and you're gonna look at me and tell me you DON'T meet a certain pro hero somewhere where this song is playing distantly and they see you and fall so hard they break their heart wide open? Yeah OK bud SURE

Oh and Sabrina Claudio's Problem With You when I heard this song first it put me in a TRANCE aodjoqjdow basically like how your writing does to me so there's that... yeah

May I... submit to you x and x OH and x just for fun which I think... maybe you may enjoy? Perhaps? Mayhapse? Heh

@kenzumekodma

AURELIA QODJOQJDPW ok ok... I do NOT think our music taste lines up idk why I just get that vibe? (THOUGH I DID LISTEN TO FUN'S SLEIGH RIDE ON DEC 1ST AND IT WAS SO GOOD) so I'm... this might be a miss ok and I'm SORRY but also the song makes me think of u ok so pity me fren for my doodoo music taste

Cleo Sol's Why Don't You. I DON'T KNOW WHY!?!?!? U just give me these vibes. I'm... it's so weird LMFAO like... very chill but full of passion? Bro that makes no sense LMFAO just ignore me 💀

@killerdabi

Vey..... hmmm hm hm hm. I get very... chaos bi vibes. And in that way we are very similar HEH so here goes...

Ashnikko's STUPID I mean... if I'm way off apologies my dear but you do CERTAINLY give me "I don't fucking need you... but stick around ur fun" vibes qijdoqjsoqj

BUT BECAUSE WE ARE CHAOS BI. Also Sza's Normal Girl... I COULD BE WRONG AGAIN BUT LIKE. Sad bi hours do tend to happen often to the disaster bi LMFAO.

@melodramaticmatter

Hehehe... Grace.... your music taste is a mystery to me LMFAOOOO so I'm going with songs that just make me think of you... idk ok this is like... might be a miss and I'm sORRY AOEJWIJDIW

Emiliana Torrini's White Rabbit... I just think you're a protagonist LMFAO and this song give me edgy protagonist vibes... everyone hated sucker punch FINE but at least the soundtrack had THIS banger

Oh and also Jolene but specifically Miley Cyrus' cover bc your voice reminds me of hers... do not perceive me....

@mindninjax

The great.... grand Quie. Quirasol. Marquie. Jax. THIS ONE WAS HARD I don't think our music tastes line up exactly but I'm trying SO HARD HERE AODJOQJD

I give you Allen Stone's Brown Eyed Lover... like... yeah. Yeah yeah yeah. One of my all time songs I will love it until the day I die. Your are also brown eyed and everyone loves you. Damn that's crazy hmmm it suits you so well hmmmmm

And Lianne La Havas' Never Get Enough of You. It's acoustic guitar...ish??? Or so you would THINK but then it has a little (a LOT) bit of kick in it that just like... it's raw. It's so raw. God I love it. Feel like ur soft and intense at the same time which REALLY I think fits this song

AND Pepe Aguilar's Me Estoy Acostumbrando a Ti shhh it's pretty and romantic and in spanish shhh

@moonmayhem

JACKS. I'm not gonna lie my good friend. This is gonna be hard. LMFAO. I like... I can just tell your music taste is v nuanced and it is SCARY LMFAO so if this is a miss... apologies I just want you to know I think you're so cool skdjqojdow

Going with... Billie Eilish's When I Was Older AND Pecos Hank's Sinful Refrain... I have no explanation they just both give me very you vibes. They're cool songs and you're cool IDK QOJWIEHIQHW I CAN'T STRESS THIS ENOUGH I THINK YOU'RE FUCKING SICK and I think the songs match ur vibe a lil if I'm wrong... just end me fam just kill me

@omiishii

Ah yes.... Junie.... hm. Idk ur music taste... at all really but you are... so soft. Here are my softest songs. I gib u kith. U r precious.

Peter Collins' Love Like and Love Like You from Steven Universe YES THE TITLES ARE SIMILAR bc the vibes of both are soft and lovely, like you... what can I say 😭

@patchworkpuzzle

QOHDOWHE PATCHY. Oh dear oh me oh my. Ok. Ok ok ok. Gonna be honest from our vibes alone... we have different music taste I THINK and I'm almost gonna guarantee that this is gonna be a miss but no matter! I lob u and will still do my best 😭

@prettyboykatsuki

Nina Simone's Black Is The Color Of My True Love's Hair (hm what Color is Sero's hair again? I forget...) it's a song FULL of love and adoration like u but it's kind of... spooky and magical which I think also suits you fren idk if I am wrong... I will gladly take the guillotine 😔

@petersparkle

Ah yes... my good, sweet, kind Sparkle... our music taste? Could align! Could not! I've no clue my good friend BUT I have prepared for you... songs that give me the most bestie and bubbly of vibes... bc you give me bestie vibes and so HERE WE GO SIWJSISI

Two Door Cinema Club's Something Good Can Work has an intro that kills me every SINGLE time and it makes me feel so giddy and qojdoqjso so do u so this BUT ALSO

Chloe x Halle's Babybird yo this track... one of my EXTREMELY underrated favs and for SOME REASON you remind me of Hawks aodjwiid and so does this track. It's a liiiittle adgy, and I feel like ur also a lil edgy heh

AND FINALLY. I see you with the Shouto pfp. I sense... u may be down for a lil sadness but not too much! Well look no further than madisenxoxo's Baby In Blue it makes me think of Shou... it really does but in a good sad way

Um so um this is. Here. Mali Music's Loved by You. This... it suits ur vibe I think Ari I just think it does like just full of love and care u kno? hope you have a nice day and hope u like the song we are new moots! So this might be off qkejqojiw apologies my good sir... a sweeping bow apology

@scummy-simp

LENNIE QOJDOQJ ok so deadass I was saving you for last and then... forgot 💀 BUT IT'S BC 1) I'M AN IDIOT and 2) bc I feel like we're similar as people which is BAD bc that either means we have the exact same music taste or it's the COMPLETE OPPOSITE (good test of that... do you like country bc I HATE it) SO. I'm going with two that HOPEFULLY you like dear god aodjqjjsjs I hope you like them if not I'm gonna crawl in a cave and be eaten alive by like. fleas idk

The Internet's Hold On and Ari Lennox's Shea Butter Baby they're both... absolute bangers and they make me FERAL AODJOQJA so I hope u like them... bc I think u r... a little feral too LMFAOOO

[veeagainsttheday]

url + songs

Thanks to the lovely @direwolf-summer who tagged me in this VERY fun excuse to go through my music library and experience the extremely pleasurable agony of having to listen to a bunch of great songs in order to narrow it down to just a few.

Vossi Bop - Stormzy - the pandemic took a lot of things from us, and one of those things was the tickets I had to see Stormzy at a relatively small venue in April 2020. Prepare for the emotional journey of hearing 'Fuck the government and fuck Boris' in July 2022 vs. when this song originally came out in 2019. Evil Eye - Franz Ferdinand - The scream at the beginning of this song followed by the guitar! Fuck!!!! Evil - Interpol - This song more than any other reminds me of London 2004 and that, as we didn't say in 2004, is a whole mood

Andalucia - Crooked Fingers - I love a good song about the Spanish Civil War (this one and Spanish Bombs by the Clash) Genghis Khan - Miike Snow - Iconic music video/gay love story All My Friends - LCD Soundsystem - I want this song played as either the last song at my funeral or my wedding, whichever comes first In the Aeroplane over the Sea - Neutral Milk Hotel - indie kids of the aughts go wild for this one and I'm no exception. I have a ritual of putting on a song for that magical moment on an airplane when it starts to accelerate down the runway and you feel the possibility of flight but the engines are still straining to break free from the bounds of the earth and it is this song almost every time. Neighborhood #2 (Laika) - Arcade Fire - the song I have played most ever according to last.fm and yeah that checks out. Reference Laika and maybe Alexander the Great and I'm there. So Desu Ne - FFS (Franz Ferdinand + Sparks) - my fav track from one of my fav albums, it's just so much fun! FFS was the best live show I've ever seen. This Heart's on Fire - Wolf Parade - will sing this at the top of my lungs while pumping my fist with a moment's notice because I'm an incurable romantic and sometimes we rock n roll, sometimes we stay at home, and that's all right.

Tokyo Drifting - Glass Animals ft. Denzel Curry - this track feels like one of those long, hot summer nights where you're on a series of adventures with someone you have a desperate but undefined crush on, wandering through a city and seeing it in a whole new light. Humble - Kendrick Lamar - If I ever need to hype myself up, this song is the first one I'm playing, just walking around town whispering, "Bitch, be humble" to myself; plus I love Kendrick's stated desire to see an ass with some stretch marks cause boy same. Evil Has Never - Union of Knives - I have never heard another song by this band but I am OBSESSED with this one.

Death of the King - The Anniversary - D was the toughest choice I had; there were probably 20 songs I could have put here, but this song was the most epic of them all; I want to see a Hamlet-level dramatic production based on it. Atomic Number - Neko Case, k.d. lang, Laura Veirs - like every queer woman on earth I love this album and especially this track. The layering of their perfect voices!!!! Yoga - Janelle Monae ft. Jidenna - this song is the bisexual dream, both people involved are incredibly hot and it's sexy as hell.

Tagging some people who I'd love to know better! @durrelist @unwholesome-gay @lordrochestersmonkey @missmagoo18 @rubyroseoflyoko @assorted-aesthetics

[kidslovecudi]

Man On The Moon III: The Chosen - Album Review By “kidslovecudi“

Before I say anything about this album, let me say that I am so excited that Cudi is finally releasing new music! Speaking for all Cudi fans, we have all been waiting for new solo material from the moon man for the longest time and the few teasers he’s been releasing over the last year, with “Leader Of The Delinquents” and his collaborations with Travis Scott, (“The Scotts”) and Eminem (“The Adventures of Moon Man & Slim Shady”) have not been enough to fully satisfy us. With Man on The Moon III: The Chosen, Cudi fulfills on a promise to his fans he made years ago and gives us quite a lot to digest. However despite how fulfilling this record is, Cudi still manages to leave you on the edge of your seat wanting more and I personally can’t wait to see what he’s going to do next!

1. Beautiful Trip (Intro)

Produced by Kid Cudi, FINNEAS, Plain Pat, Emile Haynie & Dot Da Genius

And it starts...

2. Tequila Shots  ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 

Produced by Kid Cudi, Dot Da Genius & Take a Daytrip

On this first track Cudi brings us back into the dark world of the moon man but this time with a new outlook. Referencing his previous works, Cudi aims to prove that he’s “not just some sad dude” and feels that despite his mental well being still occasionally being unstable he’s ready for whatever he has to face. What I loved most about this record was Cudi’s consistency. Throughout the years Cudi has mastered the art of having his own unique galactic sound that transcends through all of his music, despite the genre, and that sound is very present here. Along with his classic hums and hypnotic melodies, this track, known as the fan favorite, has the potential to be a classic.

3. Another Day ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Produced by Dot Da Genius, Nosaj Thing & Take a Daytrip

When I first heard this song, I absolutely lost my shit. Cudi started this album off swinging and I was not prepared for him to go so hard. I’ve had this song on repeat quite a few times since I first heard it and along with the beat being absolutely sick, Cudi is rapping his ass off! My favorite part is when the beat breaks down in the second chorus, and I get hype as fuck every single time.

4. She Knows This ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

 Produced by J Gramm, FnZ & Dot Da Genius                  

This song on first listen reminded me of a song by another of my favorite artists, called “The Let Out” by Jidenna but Cudi took it to a whole other level and isn’t as repetitive. Once the track speeds up Cudi goes even harder with even trippier sounds that will make you feel like you’re driving through space. One of my favorite things about this album is that a lot of the songs change in the middle keeping you that much more engaged in the whole song than to quickly digest it, like a lot of records on mainstream radio. On top of that his bars are on complete fire and it’s always great to see Cudi flex his rapping skill that a lot of people don’t give him credit for.

5. Dive ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Produced by Dot Da Genius, Anthony Kilhoffer, Aaron Bow & Teddy Walton

Dive ends the first act of the album and serves as Cudi’s goodbye to his fantasy high. The guitar riffs at the beginning of the song is my favorite part and I wish they were made a bigger part of the song. However this song is classic Cudi, I initially thought it was missing something but after listening to it on it’s own a few more times, I feel like this song is absolutely perfect. It’s groovy as fuck and  I think because it kind of ends so abruptly that it leaves a lot to be desired, but that also might have been Cudi’s intent, allowing it to serve as interlude of sorts. I loved the transitional elements through out the song, like when the bass comes in, his adlibs throughout the song and especially the echoing adlibs like, “MOVE, MOVE” “towards the end. It takes a few really good listens to fully enjoy the song as a whole, like it did for me but the more I played the album the more and more I fell in love with it.

6. Damaged ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Produced by MIKE DEAN, Dot Da Genius & Take a Daytrip

I loved the words to this song and the overall message that Cudi was trying to convey throughout the song, but the song itself didn’t do a whole lot for me until I actually found myself in a similar dark place. It’s one of those classic Cudi records that really makes you sit and reflect on your life and everything you’ve gone through, which was exactly what the song did for me. This song is where the album starts to slow down a bit and Cudi sings and raps about his trials and tribulations of being a damaged man and that sometimes his demons still come back and he has to deal with them. A common struggle most of us who’ve ever dealt with feelings of anxiety and depression all know too well.

7. Heaven on Earth⭐ ⭐ ⭐

 Produced by Dot Da Genius, Anthony Kilhoffer & DST The Danger

This song really didn’t do a whole lot for me but what I loved the most about it again, were it’s adlibs. Cudi really showed out with the adlibs on this album and that’s what made this song enjoyable for me. The song for me just sounded too typical to me but even despite that, it’s still a great track to vibe to, just not something I’d put on my favorites.

8. Show Out (feat. Skepta & Pop Smoke) ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Produced by Dot Da Genius, Anthony Kilhoffer & DST The Danger

Easily one of my favorite tracks on the album, when I first heard this, I completely lost my my shit and it was almost impossible not to turn my entire bedroom upside down. For one beat is absolutely sick and picks the tempo right back up. Cudi, Skepta and Pop Smoke’s voices are infectious together and everyone shines on this song without any one of them over shadowing the other’s performance. Definite a track to rage the fuck out to.

9. Mr. Solo Dolo III ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Produced by Kid Cudi, Audio Anthem, Dot Da Genius & Plain Pat

This song is trippy as fuck. From beginning to end this song takes you on an absolutely journey from the chords and the keys and there are no words to describe it. I remember playing this song while I was driving home from work on my scooter at night and man oh man, the vibes this song had was incredible. It made me feel like I was traveling to another galaxy. As a loner, this song really spoke to me and it made me feel like someone else understood exactly how I felt. My favorite part was his scream after the second verse. It made me feel free and liberated and that my feelings in that moment had been validated.

10. Sad People ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Produced by Dot Da Genius & Take a Daytrip

This song is an absolute vibe. Cudi’s in his bag, back in his zone, as he said and my favorite thing about this song is the chorus. Cudi’s harmonies are absolutely incredible and my favorite part is towards the end of the chorus when the song takes on an eerie west coast like synth and it’s absolutely infectious.It’s like a dark B side to “Cudi Zone” from the first album which is one of my favorite songs by Cudi to this day. It’s songs like this that made Cudi the legendary moon man that he his, in the first place.

11. Elsie’s Baby Boy (flashback) ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Produced by E*Vax, Kid Cudi, Heavy Mellow & Dot Da Genius

This song sounded like a leftover track from “Speedin’ Bullet To Heaven” and despite how much negative criticism that album got, I absolutely love when Cudi dives into his alternative roots and I really hope he decides to dive deeper into it even further at some point. In this song Cudi sings about his relationship with his mother Elsie and his childhood upbringings. By this it in turn gave me flashbacks to my relationship with my grandmother and my childhood memories which all brought back happy and sad moments for me.

12. Sept. 16 ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Produced by Emile Haynie, FINNEAS, Plain Pat & Dot Da Genius

What I loved the most about this record was Cudi’s vulnerability. Cudi has a few rare moments on his albums where he actually sings about love and being in love and it’s always great to hear. Cudi’s such a hopeless romantic and I love when he let’s his guard down and expresses his feelings. This song takes me back to “Kitchen” on “Passion, Pain, & Demon Slayin’“ and though I love that song more, this song was definitely cooked in the same pot.

13. The Void ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Produced by Dot Da Genius, Kid Cudi & MIKE DEAN

The most uplifting song from the album, this song takes me back to some of the vibes from the first album, like his song “Up, Up, and Away”. That was one of the songs in my high school days that made me fully accept myself for who I was, regardless of what people said and this song is just as motivating and uplifting. On the same wave of “Reborn”, Cudi sings about avoiding all negativity on this record and only focusing on the positive. I almost cried towards the end when he thanked us, his fans, for staying with him and never leaving him. It’s a very beautiful song, but I just personally feel like this song should have been the one to end the album or close to end because to me this track is a hard one to follow behind.

14. Lovin’ Me (feat. Phoebe Bridgers) ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Produced by William J. Sullivan, Charlie Handsome, Rami Beatz & Dot Da Genius

It took a little while for this song to set in for me but after it did, it made me want to cry. If you ever struggled with self-love or self-acceptance then this song is for you. What I loved most about this song was the message because it really hit home for me. It’s a beautiful anthem about finding happiness within yourself that I feel a lot of people will relate to.

15. The Pale Moonlight ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Produced by E*Vax, Rami Beatz & Dot Da Genius

Wasn’t feeling this one all too much, but what I loved about it most again, were the adlibs. I loved Cudi’s multiple layering of his vocals throughout the song, especially the “la-la-la-la” parts. The sounds very remiscent to some of Cudi’s earlier music and if you didn’t know any better you’d swear this was a leftover track from “The End Of Day”.

16. Rockstar Knights (feat. Trippie Redd) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Produced by Jenius, WondaGurl, MIKE DEAN, Dot Da Genius & Take a Daytrip

I’m not a big fan of Trippie Redd but I really fuck with his contributions on this song. This is another song where I really loved the chorus and I also love Cudi’s flow once his verse comes in. Cudi’s wordplay is out of this world on this record and it’s hard not to beat your head as Cudi delivers bar for bar for bar throughout his entire verse. Cudi really shines on this record with his skills as a MC and if Cudi ever felt he had anything to prove as a rapper, he definitely did that here. As the song ends it feels like Cudi just turned the spaceship on hyperdrive and took us along for the ride as he drifted further and further into space- Totally sick.

17. 4 da Kidz ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Produced by WondaGurl, MIKE DEAN, Dot Da Genius, 18YOMAN & Take a Daytrip

A song dedicated to the “kidz” reminding us that we are not alone and this song is another song to vibe out to. With instructions from Cudi, to turn it loud if we need to, this song, on the same frequency as “love.” is another song where Cudi is speaking to us as our big brother and giving us a well needed pep talk. What I loved most about it was Cudi’s vocals on the chorus, especially the way he pronounced the “oo” vowel sounds. It was very reminiscent of a Baltimore accent which I always found comical in the best way which is one of things I love the most about Cudi. He’s not afraid to try different things or pull different things from his various influences despite the genre and on this record, he ties them up beautifully.

18. Lord I Know ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Produced by MIKE DEAN, Dot Da Genius, 18YOMAN & Take a Daytrip

Serving as the closer to the album and the man on the moon trilogy, this song is a classic Cudi hym that tells us that we’re not alone regardless of what we face in life. What I liked most about this song was the message, and that’s why I rate it so highly. In this song Cudi expresses being content with the path he’s on at life and after everything he’s gone through, it makes me happy to finally hear that he’s found peace within himself. The song/album ends with his daughter Vada saying, “To be continued” and I can’t wait to see what Cudi has in store for us next. I just have a strong feeling that all of us Cudi fans are about to eat REAL GOOD.

There’s been a lot said about this album, good and bad but I feel this album is merely a taste of what’s to come. Is this record my favorite? No, but what I can say is that it’s an ALBUM, meaning it’s not a group of songs that you can easily separate like many others. This is the kind of album where you have to play the whole thing all the way through time in and time again to really get what Cudi was trying to convey. It’s not a record that you can just play a few times and be done with, no, it’s a grower. There were a lot of songs on this record that I did not like at first, but after having some time to let them marinate, they became some of my favorites and it made me truly appreciate Kid Cudi as an artist because people don’t make albums like this anymore. There’s rare artists that are this detailed with the way the songs transitions, the interludes, and how copacetic the album is in it’s entirety. This album was truly a gift and I can’t wait to see what else Cudi has left up his sleeve.

                                          Top Favorite Songs

                                                  Another Day

                                                          Dive

                                                Tequila Shots

                                             Rockstar Knights

                                                     The Void

                                              Mr. Solo Dolo III

                                  Listen For Yourself Here!

[tchallasbabymama]

Bambi

Hey y’all, here’s Chapter 7 of Playlist.

Check out my masterlist HERE to catch up and read my other stories. Let me know if you want to be tagged!

Word count: 6300

“Ashanti”

The name passed over the king’s lips as his fiancee watched him toss and turn in his sleep. Tamala didn’t know what to do. She was so angry she wanted to smother him with his stupid silk pillows, but didn’t want to risk the whole “charged with having committed a regicide” thing. She wanted to know who this Ashanti bitch was and why her man was dreaming about her with a smile on his face. She made a mental note to butter Shuri up and ask her tomorrow.

The king rolled over away from her and continued to dream about the elusive Ashanti while Tamala snuggled deeper into the covers as a tear came to her eye. She knew he didn’t feel as strongly for her as she did for him, but she hadn’t considered there could be another woman. Could she work in the palace? Is this Ashanti even Wakandan? He travelled so much, it was a possibility…

Tamala sighed and then closed her eyes, allowing sleep to take her, but her dreams were nowhere near as good as T’Challa’s. In his dream, he and Ashanti were making love on a white sand beach on a secluded island off the coast of Greece. Every kiss, every touch felt real. He could smell the sea salt and feel her warm skin against his. The taste of her pussy lingered on his lips as he buried himself inside her over and over and over again. Unfortunately, outside of his dreamland his body was responding to his subconscious in ways he had no control over.

By the time he woke up around 6 in the morning his dick was hard as a rock. He silently shuffled out of the bed and to the bathroom, trying in vain not to wake Tamala. When she heard the bathroom door close she sat up in a huff, ready for him to come back out so she could confront him about this Ashanti girl. She waited and waited for several minutes before she got up and walked towards the bathroom door. She pushed it open slightly and caught sight of her fiance stroking his gorgeous dick in the shower. Any other time she would have gladly gotten on her knees for him at the sight, but this time it just made her sick. Even more so when she heard that name slip out his mouth again.

“Ashanti, mmm fuck just like that.”

Tamala closed the door and went back to bed, facing away from T’Challa’s side. When he returned, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her in close. Normally she would give in to his desire for morning sex even though she preferred sex before bed, but this time she pretended to be sleep. She just couldn’t face him yet.

T’Challa was only mildly disappointed, he didn’t enjoy sex with Tamala very much but she was there and he was horny. He wasn’t proud of feeling that way, but at least he was faithful to his fiancee in his waking hours.  He still wished he didn’t have to marry her, but at this point he couldn’t back out or his immigration proposal wouldn’t go through. The council had all the leverage over him, so he felt like he had no choice. Tamala was tolerable most days, so he could manage a loveless marriage for the rest of his life, but as far as children went, they had yet to come to an agreement. T’Challa just wanted one or two, but Tamala wanted a whole tribe of little Udakus. Just the thought of it made T’Challa nauseous, but he knew he and Tamala would have to produce at least one heir to the throne. He shuddered at the thought, not of fucking her but of that being the future he had to look forward to.

As much as he tried to not be, T’Challa was still in love with Ashanti in his waking hours, too. Everything reminded him of her, from his mother’s flowers to rainstorms…she loved the rain. He still listened to their combined playlist from time to time, reminiscing on the few short months it took for him to fall head over heels in love. He wished a lot of things in regards to Ashanti, but mostly he wished they had more time together before things went south. Maybe then she would have been able to trust him more and she wouldn’t have left…

It was a dangerous line of thinking that T’Challa cut off when it reared its ugly head. All the what-ifs were almost as bad for him as his guilty conscience, so he shook himself out of it and got up to start his day. As soon as Tamala heard the door shut she let out the tears she had been holding on to. She got up to go shower and get dressed, too. She had a long day ahead trying to figure out who this Ashanti bitch was, and her first stop would be his little sister.

——-

Oh, oh, oh

Mmm mmm mmm

Bambi, Bambi

(Ba bam bam bi)

My dear, my dear, my dear

(Ba bam bam bi)

My dear, I want you here

(Bambi)

Don’t get too near for there’s lions, beware

(Mmm bam bam bi)

Oh Bambi I won’t lie

If I weren’t in this spiderweb of mine

If grandfather never had seven wives

Then darling you would be love of my life

Oh Bambi it’s my design

To run the jungle I must be a lion

Or be a cheetah but neither is fine

Don’t wanna hurt my dear love of my life

Bambi, Bambi

(Ba bam bam bi)

My dear, my dear, my dear

(Ba bam bam bi)

My dear, I want you here

(Bambi)

Don’t get too near for there’s lions, beware

(Mmm bam bam bi)

Ashanti sang along to the song with Binta as they glided around the kitchen cooking dinner.

“Girrrrl,  I just want Jidenna to spank the fuck out of me. I’d be like ‘thank you sir, another?’” Binta swooned at his voice coming through the speakers.

“That man is capital ‘f’ fine. ‘Ruin my uterus and my life’ fine.” Ashanti joked as Kwame entered the room, swaying to the catchy beat.

“This Jidenna?” he asked.

“Mmmhm.”

“You already know,” they both answered at the same time.

“He’s ‘spit in my mouth daddy’ fine” he added.

“Ew, that’s gross!” Binta screamed at her brother while Ashanti had sex flashbacks to her time with T’Challa. There were several times he would have her stick out her tongue and he would spit in her mouth to remind her she was his dirty little-

“Ashanti!” Kwame yelled.

“Huh?”

“Girl were you even listening?” Binta asked her, knife in hand as she cut up the yams for dinner.

“Honestly no, this conversation has me horny as fuck.” she decided it was best to be partially honest, but not all the way. They didn’t need to know she was fantasizing about her ex, she’d let them continue to think she’s talking about the man behind the smooth voice tickling their ears.

“I can’t even blame you,” Binta said as the twins both laughed. Ashanti joined in and went back to her task at hand, but eventually her mind drifted back to T’Challa, “Bambi” providing the perfect soundtrack for the melancholy feeling she got from those bittersweet memories.

Sometimes I hide

When you FaceTime I text you back a lie

‘Cause I’m afraid to look back in your eyes

I’m terrified you were love of my life

The women among the tribe

They will be jealous of this lullaby

I’ll drink alone in my hotel and cry

'Cause now they know you are love of my life

Bambi, Bambi

(Ba bam bam bi)

My dear, my dear, my dear

(Ba bam bam bi)

My dear, I want you here

(Bambi)

Don’t get too near for there’s lions, beware

(Mmm bam bam bi)

Ashanti was on autopilot through dinner and was relieved to make it back to her room so she could be alone with her feelings. She missed T’Challa. Seeing him at the bazaar the other day only made things worse. She had been doing well, but then when he was in front of her and that same powerful aura she missed so much engulfed her, he had her in his trap once again. If she hadn’t left when she did she would’ve completely forgotten about the man’s fiancee and jumped on him then and there. All those feelings came rushing back to her as the smell of his cologne wafted her way and she knew she had to get out of there before she made a fool of herself. For good measure, she twisted her hips a little more as she walked away and she was sure she could feel his stare on her behind as it twitched out of view.

To distract herself, she decided to work on a necklace commissioned by the River tribe elder, but Jidenna’s words haunted her as her fingers attempted to wire-wrap a large lapis lazuli crystal point.

I wish that we were forever young

I always knew that this day would come

The fork in the road where I cannot run

Between love and many I’m loving one

I got the wedding invitation, Bambi

I’m happy that he wants to make a family

But I cannot promise I won’t run up in the church

There screaming your name, Bambi

No one can take you from me, Bambi

No one can take you from me, Bambi

No one can take you from me, Bambi

Bambi, Bambi

(Ba bam bam bi)

My dear, I want you here

(Ba bam bam bi)

Oh baby, don’t get too near

(Ba bam bam bi)

Oh oh oh, there are lions, beware

(Mmm bam bam bi)

Mmm mmm mmm

I don’t wanna see the wedding

I just wanna see my baby

I just wanna see my baby

Most times Ashanti loved when music spoke to her in that way, but this time she just wanted to block out his words.

The wedding…

The fiancee…

She knew her pining was in vain, and that just made it hurt more. She missed him and regretted her decision, but she really did try hard to not let it get to her. She brought it up with Jamila in therapy and they’ve spent the last couple sessions talking about that regret and learning to forgive herself. She understood the mindset she was in when she made the decision to end things, and she couldn’t fault herself for doing so out of fear. She just wished she could go back in time and do it over, or come to this realization much quicker. Now she had to see wedding coverage on every screen and hologram in the damn country. “What will the princess be wearing?”, “Will the king and future queen have a traditional wedding or more modern?”, and “Royal baby predictions: about a year?” were just some of the Bast-awful headlines she had tried to ignore as of late. It was beginning to be a bit much and she considered going on vacation until after they married since it was only a month away. She had plenty saved up and had never really done anything like that before, so she figured she’d give it a try and take herself on vacation.

Ashanti found a quaint little Air BnB in New Orleans that was well within her budget and allowed for long-term stays. She booked it on the spot, before looking for flights out of the new Wakanda International Airport and found a round trip ticket to New Orleans for $45. Once she paid, her heart rate started to pick up. She was really doing this, she was going to go to a whole other country on her own…and she needed to get a passport asap.

——-

T’Challa was hoping to fly under the radar, and so far the shades and hood seemed to be working. He had left his Dora Milaje back at the palace, much to Okoye’s dismay, because he wanted to do this alone. He wasn’t even sure what this is, but he knew he had to do something.

The king stealthily made his way to the heart of the city. He knew it was probably a bad idea, but he just had to see her again. He walked with the hustle and bustle of the crowds, going unnoticed and therefore not having the luxury of them clearing the path for him. He didn’t mind though, they weren’t rude about it.

As he waited to cross the street he noticed the kid next to him staring at him a little too hard. He checked his surroundings and lifted his shades, sending her a wink. She flashed a snaggletooth smile before saluting him and carrying on her way with her mama. T’Challa shook his head, thinking of the baby girl he wanted to have one day. Wakanda’s future queen.

Speaking of future queens, his wrist vibrated and he looked down to see that Tamala had texted him asking where he was. He rolled his eyes and ignored the message, turning the beads off for the time being.

When Taj’s was in view he stopped walking, disrupting the flow of foot traffic. A couple people cursed him out for blocking the street before he realized he was in the way. He stood on the sidewalk, staring into the storefront. He could make out her profile as she spoke to a customer and the king couldn’t help but stare at her beauty.

The king tried to take a step towards the shop, but didn’t move. He tried again, but was still glued to the spot. His legs had turned to stone and he couldn’t lift his feet to move in her direction. His eyes stayed zeroed-in on her. He watched in awe as her coily hair bounced while she nodded her head, and he missed how she spoke with her hands…it had really been too long. He tried with all his might to move again, but he was still frozen on the spot. He had decided to turn around and go back to the palace when he felt a hand on his arm. He turned to see who it was, and a smile appeared on his face.

“Bisa!”

“Hi dear,” she hugged him and looked over his shoulder at Taj’s to see that Ashanti was still busy and had turned so that her back was facing the window.

“How are you?”

“I should be asking you the same question, out here in disguise spying on my daughter,” she said playfully.

T’Challa laughed as they sat down at a table inside the Mostafa’s restaurant.

“I had planned to actually say something instead of just spying, but I, uh, lost my nerve it seems. I couldn’t go to her.”

There was silence for a moment before Bisa spoke up.

“You still love her?”

T’Challa grew silent again, knowing he shouldn’t say what he most certainly said next.

“Yes, I do.”

Bisa sat back in her chair with a satisfied smirk on her face.

“Good.”

“Good?”

“Yes, good. She still loves you, too. She won’t admit it though. She’s worked through her fear in therapy, but those feelings for you haven’t gone anywhere.” She noticed a tear falling from the king’s eye and she reached out to wipe it away.

“T’Challa, I know you are engaged, but-”

“I have to go through with it, Bisa…for political reasons. I do not love her,” his voice softened with each word and Bisa let out a sigh.

“So you absolutely have to marry her?”

“If I don’t the Mining and Border tribes will not vote for a proposal I have presented them with for Wakanda’s future. She is the Mining tribe princess, so calling it off would anger K’hari, and this would never go through.”

“I thought the king could declare whatever he wanted.”

“No, we are a lot more democratic than most would believe. I have the final say of course, but they can veto my decisions if the vote is high enough. Checks and balances and whatnot…”

“Oh, I wasn’t aware of that…You know, you should go over and talk to her. I bet she’d like that.”

He shook his head. “I thought I was ready, but I need more time. Especially now. Thank you Bisa, you’ve been a wonderful ear.”

“Anytime, son,” she sent him a wink and he chuckled at her nickname.

T’Challa walked back out the door and gave Taj’s one last glance before heading back to the palace.

——-

After her usual morning routine Ashanti strolled into the bazaar, making her way to her shop. She was in a great mood this morning, having dreamed of T’Challa the night before yet again. The dreams used to bring her to tears when she woke up, but now she welcomed them since they were all she could get. She knew that one day they would eventually fizzle out and stop coming to her, but until then she was going to enjoy getting her dream back blown out by the Black Panther.

As usual, her parents were outside cleaning off tables for the morning rush and when they noticed her, there was a certain gleam in their eyes she couldn’t quite place.

“Hi mama, baba,” she hugged them both. “What’s with the looks? I don’t like this…”

Chidi laughed and turned her around so that she could see her shop. Her jaw dropped in shock at the sight before her.

There on her stoop was a huge bouquet of violets, their purple hue seemed to be even brighter than any violet she had ever seen.

Ashanti peeled herself from her father’s arms and walked across the street in a daze. When she reached her door she could only stare at the flowers, noticing there was a note. She was almost too scared to read it, but her curiosity overruled her fear and she reached for the card.

I am sorry, Ashanti. For everything.

-T

In that moment Ashanti knew for sure that he still loved her. Her heart opened up and tears rolled down her face, some bouncing off the purple petals before hitting the ground. She leaned into them and their sweet smell overwhelmed her senses.

Chidi came over to help her move them inside and he smiled at her before giving her a kiss on her forehead. “Give him a call, nugget,” he advised before heading back across the street to his beaming wife.

“Just ‘give him a call’ huh? It’s that easy?” Ashanti said to herself out loud as Jafari entered the shop.

“Wow, who sent those?!” he exclaimed upon seeing the giant bouquet.

“Oh, uh,” she secretly snatched the card and pocketed it. “They’re a ‘thank you’ from the River tribe elder.”

“Funny, I thought they already sent-”

“What are you doing coming in so early?” she tried to change the subject, but he caught on.

“I was in the area…so who are these really from?” Jafari eyed her closely as she struggled to come up with a lie.

“I-I don’t know. No card, see?” He took a look and didn’t see one.

“Ooooh, bosslady has a secret admirer,” he teased.

“No I don’t, for all we know it could be a ‘thank you’ bouquet from somebody.” Ashanti tried to keep the heat off her.

“It’s too big and fancy for a ‘thank you’ bouquet, plus they would’ve left a note. Someone’s sweet on you Shanti.”

“Maybe…well since you’re here can you take over? I have a call to make.”

“Sure thing,” he winked at her and grabbed the broom from her hand. On her way to her workspace in the back, she heard Zina come in before the two started gossipping about who they thought it could be from. They weren’t even close.

Ashanti stared at her rose gold kimoyo beads for a few minutes before she worked up the nerve to activate her communication bead and call him. When she chose his picture her heartrate picked up as the trilling sound filled the air. It continued for longer than Ashanti was used to, so she ended the call assuming he was busy.

As it turned out, he wasn’t busy at all, he was just too nervous to answer her call. When the ringing stopped, his heart dropped and he immediately called her back. When she picked up they just stared at each other and smiled for a moment.

“They’re beautiful, thank you.”

“Anything for you.”

Her heart skipped a beat, but she broke eye contact and looked away for a moment, reminding herself that no matter how many feelings were still involved she would not let herself become his mistress. She had to keep it together.

“You have nothing to be sorry for, by the way. It wasn’t your fault.”

Now it was his turn to look away, fighting tears that welled up in his eyes. He felt a sense of relief wash over him knowing that she didn’t blame him for the incident.

“I blamed myself for a really long time,” he cleared his throat. “So thank you for saying that.”

She could see the pain in his eyes and it was her turn to feel guilty. Moments of silence passed as she stared into his glassy eyes and she contemplated the choices she made. Had she not left him-

“You did what you had to do, I understand that Ashanti. I was never upset at you, only at myself.”

“You had no reason to be, Challa, it was that evil woman,” Ashanti added, tears welling up in her eyes too.

His heart warmed when she called him Challa. He had missed it more than he realized. “I know that now, but…I knew something was coming, I felt it, but I didn’t know what…and for the longest I let that eat me up inside and I…” He let out a heavy sigh.

“You…?”

“I let it drive me to drink. I am an alcoholic, Ashanti. I have been sober for months now, but I was in a very dark place for a long time.”

“That explains the ginger beer at the party.”

“Oh so you were watching me?”

She blushed and tried to hide her grin.

“Everyone was, you’re the king. Oh I never got to wish you a happy birthday, so here it is: Happy birthday!!!”

The two of them shared a laugh.

“Thank you, I really do appreciate that coming from you,” the king said, staring into her chestnut brown eyes as best as he could on a hologram.

“I’m glad. So I guess since we’re sharing, I um…I was too scared to leave my parents’ house for months. I was paranoid and anxious all the time. I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t eat…it took a long time to get back to semi-normal.”

“Why just semi?”

“Because it never really goes away, Challa. It just becomes manageable.”

He nodded his head in understanding.

“How are you now?” the king inquired.

“It’s much more manageable now, therapy has been good. Having a routine helps. I keep myself busy- oh! Speaking of, your sister is a Bast-send. My jewelry business has been booming ever since I opened my commissions back up, and it’s all thanks to her! And you. So thank you both for that.”

“It is as I said, anything for you.”

“You say that like it’s true.”

“Why isn’t it?”

She paused, thinking over whether she wanted to lay it all out there or not.

“Because you’re getting married.”

——-

Tamala made her way down to Shuri’s lab carrying a basket full of fresh mandazi. She knew the princess had a sweet tooth and figured it would be a good way to bribe her for information. As luck would have it, the prince and princess were both there testing out weaponry. They stopped when they heard the doors swoosh open. When they turned around they both kept their poker faces on as they greeted their future in-law.

“Hi Tamala, what brings you down here?” Shuri asked, trying to sound cheerful.

“Well I came to visit family then figured I’d stop by with these! My mama made them right before I got there so they’re fresh. Have some!” She grabbed one for herself then passed them the basket. They grabbed one each and dug in, surprised at how good they were.

“Damn, tell your mama I said I’m coming to dinner tonight,” N’Jadaka said as he reached for another one.

Tamala ignored him and turned to the princess. “So what are you working on?”

“Weapons,”she responded dryly. Her cousin nudged her in her side and she perked up.

“That sounds cool. Hey, Shuri can I talk to you for a second? Alone, if you don’t mind, N’Jadaka.”

“Nah I don’t mind at all. Need anything from me cuz?”

She mouthed “don’t leave me with her” as Tamala was turned around waving goodbye to the prince. The prince read her lips and chuckled on his way out.

“Aight, catch you at dinner then.”

He jogged up the ramp ignoring Shuri’s piercing gaze. As soon as he was out of sight Tamala turned around and her face immediately took on a seriousness that Shuri had never seen from her.

“Shuri I have to ask you a question and I need you to be completely honest with me. Please, as your sister.”

“Ok…” Shuri was nervous about what she might ask, she was such a bad liar…

“Who is Ashanti?”

Her eyes widened and she had to think quickly about how this needed to go.

“Ashanti…oh the artist? Yes she made necklaces for me and mama a while ago. You’ve seen them-”

“Is that the same Ashanti T’Challa knows?” Tamala asked the nervous princess.

“T’Challa knows so many people-” Shuri struggled to make eye contact with her future sister-in-law and that was all the confirmation she needed. It would be easy to find her now.

The next day, Tamala and her personal Dora Milaje warriors walked through the bazaar causing a scene. The princess had never been seen alone with Doras before, so this was a big moment and Tamala was eating it up. She loved the attention she received as the people moved out of her way to let her pass, it made her feel powerful. That feeling is exactly what she needed to harness in this moment, powerful.

Tamala made it to Taj’s and stared at the storefront in disgust. Through the window she could see the same woman he had been staring at all night at his birthday party and she felt sick to her stomach. Just how long had this bitch been hanging around her man?

Two of her Dora opened the doors for her to enter as the customers left the shop to give her space, unused to royalty moving through the city so aggressively. Ashanti turned to see what was going on and the shock on her face was readable all the way from the door where Tamala stood.

“Hello, are you Ashanti?”

“Y-yes I am your highness.” She saluted her and felt her blood boil.

“Well aren’t you…pretty. Hm. I hear you make custom pieces?”

“Yes, I do,” Ashanti said, scared she knew where this was going.

“Good. Well as you know, I’m getting married in a few weeks. I would like you to make me a necklace fit for a queen. Since that is what I’ll be…his queen, Ashanti.”

The artist’s breath caught in her throat. She knew Tamala had to have found out about the flowers or the calls or the texts they had sent each other in the days following their reconnection. They kept it PG, but there was definitely some flirting going on despite the need to remain platonic.

“Ok. Do you have any inspiration or a design in mind?” Ashanti’s voice trembled.

“No.”

“Ok, um-”

“We both know I’m not here for a necklace, Ashanti.” Tamala said as she leaned on the end of the counter..

Ashanti’s legs trembled under her long flowy skirt and her voice caught in her throat. This was the worst case scenario.

“How long have you been seeing him?”

“Who?”

“Don’t play dumb. My fiance, how long have you been seeing him?” Tamala’s voice rose as she got more and more frustrated with the Merchant girl.

“T’Challa? We’re not-”

“Do not lie to me, I know you have something going on with him.”

“Princess, I promise. We were together over a year ago, not now.”

Tamala stood back up from her perch.

“Then why is he calling your name when he sleeps? Tell me that.”

“I-I don’t-”

“You know what? Save it, just don’t come near him ever again or once I am his queen I will have you exiled from Wakanda.” Tamala said in a huff before storming out of the shop, Dora Milaje in tow. It was about time to close anyway so Ashanti shuffled her feet towards the door to lock up and draw the shades. She could see her parents out in front of the restaurant waiting to talk to her, but she decided to go out the back door and sneak home without talking to anyone. Binta was on a date with Kiki and Kwame had gone to stay with Omar for the weekend, so she knew she would have the house all to herself.

Her beads buzzed, signifying a text. She saw that it was from T’Challa and she erased it before even reading it.

Ashanti stripped herself naked and stared at herself in the mirror for a while before turning on the hot water in her bathtub and filling it up just the right amount before sliding in. The lavender bath bomb she dropped in the water had turned the bath purple and she thought of her breathtaking violets. She knew she couldn’t continue to talk to him and that it was really and truly over now, but she could preserve the flowers and keep them forever. She needed to have something beautiful come out of the last two years.

Not wanting to sit in silence, she called out to her kimoyo AI.

“Hey Kim, play music.”

The tears that had threatened to fall from her eyes finally made the leap as the opening chords to “Bambi” played throughout her bathroom.

——

Two days had gone by and Ashanti still hadn’t responded to him. T’Challa had tried texting and calling her, but the calls weren’t even going through anymore. She had him blocked or changed her number without telling him. Either way, he was upset at the sudden loss of contact, but he knew Ashanti wouldn’t just do that for no reason, so something had to have happened to change her heart so quickly.

The king was visibly tense during the council meeting and even more aggressive in sparring with Okoye and his cousin, which neither one of them were opposed to. By day three he had finally had enough and marched down to his sister’s lab. N’Jadaka was there trying out a new upgrade to the Jaguar habit and T’Challa was relieved they were all in one place so he wouldn’t have to do this twice.

“Ayy, what up cuzzo? Like the new threads?” N’Jadaka’s new upgrade included more visible spots than the last one and he was loving the print.

“Looks good on you.” T’Challa tried to muster up some cheer but couldn’t.

“Why the sour face?” Shuri asked her brother, finally looking away from the screen in front of her and noticing his scowl.

“This stays between the three of us.”

His family nodded and looked on with concern.

“I had been…speaking with Ashanti again-”

“Oh no.” Shuri thought she only said in her head.

“What do you mean oh no?” T’Challa was confused at his sister’s reaction. He knew she loved Ashanti like a sister, so her response made no sense.

“I-I mean, um, you finish telling your story then I’ll um, yeah…” Shuri stumbled out.

N’Jadaka sat back and observed them both in his usual way, sure he knew exactly where this was going.

“Ok, well…long story short, we bumped into each other, then I sent her flowers, and we had been texting and calling back and forth platonically since then…until a few days ago. She just stopped and now my calls won’t go through.”

“Wow, so you and Ashanti huh? Tryna get that old thang back?” the prince joked before getting serious when his big cousin shot him a look.  “You know I support you, but you gotta be real careful man. You’re getting married in like three weeks, just keep that in mind.”

“Yes, I know but-” he was cut off by a sniffle coming from his sister. “Usisi, what is wrong?” His arm wrapped around her shoulder.

“Tamala, she asked me about Ashanti the other day…all I told her was she was the artist who made our necklaces. She said that she heard you say her name in your sleep…”

“Daaaaaamn,” N’Jadaka said exactly what T’Challa felt in that moment. He knew his sister meant no harm, but somehow Tamala had gotten to Ashanti.

The king knew he had two options. He could drop in on Ashanti and try to make things right or he could confront Tamala. He chose the latter so as not to upset Ashanti any further than she surely already was thanks to his fiancee. He excused himself from the lab before giving Tamala a call. Almost immediately after it started to ring, she answered.

“Hi baby!” she answered with a fake smile on her face.

“Hello Tamala, are you busy?” he asked, keeping his voice even.

“Not too busy for you, I just finished-”

“Great, will you meet me at the panther cave in an hour?”

“Sure thing, baby. Is everything ok?”

“Yes everything is fine. See you in an hour.” T’Challa ended the call and ran his hand over his face in exasperation. If he still drank he would have poured himself a glass right about now. To distract himself, he returned to the lab to check out the new upgrades to the Jaguar habit.

Tamala arrived at the cave early since she had been at her parents’ house not too far from there. Her nerves had gotten the best of her when she realized he didn’t seem to be in the best mood and her mind raced over the possibilities until it landed on the one thing she could think of. Her.

When T’Challa arrived a few minutes later she tried to keep a straight face, but her attitude seeped through and he could sense it a mile away. He sighed and rolled his eyes, they hadn’t even had the conversation yet and here she was, already mad.

“Could this have waited until later?” she asked him, annoyance clear on her face.

“What’s the matter now? You were just in a good mood an hour ago.”

“You tell me, T’Challa.”

He could feel his blood pressure starting to rise so he took a couple deep breaths to calm himself.

“Don’t act like a spoiled child, talk.”

“Oh I’m the spoiled child? Ha! Says the man who wants to have his cake and eat it too.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means I am to be your wife and she is not, so you should act accordingly if you want your little proposal to go through.”

A tense silence followed, his suspicions confirmed. The smug look on Tamala’s face irked him to his core because he knew there was nothing he could do about it.

“So who is this ‘she’ you’re referring to?” he asked for clarification.

“Do not play dumb, T’Challa, it does not look good on you. I am talking about your precious Ashanti. I don’t know how long you have been seeing her behind my back, but it ends today.”

“She is my ex and a friend-”

“I saw how you looked at her, she’s not a friend T’Challa…and she’s also not a concern anymore,” she said flippantly.

“What do you mean?” he took a step forward as she stepped back, bumping into the cave wall as he descended upon her slowly, prowling like a cat.

“I mean, I-I-”

“What did you do?” his voice grew, instilling fear in her heart at the cold look behind his eyes.

“N-nothing, I just told her to leave you alone or-”

“Or?”

“Or I’d have her exiled when I become queen.”

“You will do no such thing!”

He pulled back and lowered his voice when he saw the fear in her eyes.

“And no harm will come to her if you know what is good for you.” he turned to leave but stopped and faced her once more. “You may be my queen, but she will always have my heart. Do not forget this is simply an arrangement.”

With that, he turned and walked out of the cave, heading straight for the Talon. As soon as his shadow disappeared from the cave wall Tamala broke down in tears. She knew he didn’t share her feelings, but she didn’t know just how little he cared. After a few minutes of crying, she regained her composure and sat against the wall with her knees at her chest contemplating her future. She had to do something, or the rest of her life she would be stuck in a loveless marriage, but she couldn’t think of what. Eventually it hit her, and the realization broke her heart.

She would have to call it off.

Next Chapter

Taglist: @maddeningmayhem, @theblulife

[davalynbaker]

Shady as F*ck [Season 1, Ep. 5]

To recap: In the previous episode, Issa found herself back in Daniel’s face despite successfully avoiding him after an awkward encounter. Lawrence is finding emotional solace in Tasha the bank teller. And I feel like it’s my duty as a citizen of the United States to remind y’all that Molly is dating Jidenna.

This episode was written by Ben Dougan and directed by Melina Matsoukas.

Issa panics about the students knowing about her “Broken Pussy” rap at open mic night. This is the catalyst for her reuniting with Daniel. I think the build-up to get Issa back alone with Daniel was a clunky transition but kids making a meme out of you rapping “Broken Pussy” is embarrassing. So we’ll go with it.

Issa spends the entire day worried about her boss finding out about it. She talks with Lawrence previously, who assures her that the kids won’t remember it. Memes are a dime a dozen. And if you spend any time on any social media platform, you’ll find yourself going along with the extremely fast pace of memeing people. Either way, these bad-ass kids don’t forget it.

Issa takes refuge in Molly to use her fancy attorney skills but this becomes a moment where Molly inserts herself back into Jered’s life to inquire about who could possibly have uploaded the video. Molly’s just using Issa’s plight as an excuse to speak to an ex that clearly she still has feelings for.

I have to say, this was the moment I found myself asking if Molly and Issa were actually as close as the show was trying to convince us but I digress…

Although Molly is calling up Jered, she’s in the middle of a situationship with Chris (aka Jidenna) and trying very hard to make an unofficial thing official. Through a very awkward exchange of talking but not out loud, Molly invites Chris to an engagement party. From what I can assume, they spent the weekend together after having their first date?

We’re only five episodes in but Molly is very desperate for this particular type of relationship that’s honestly headed nowhere. Her obsession with the man being perfect on paper is actually backfiring on her. Also, men are just dumb. And Molly’s giving them way too much.

While Molly is rekindling her friendship with Jered, Issa is now venting about her “Broken Pussy” problem with Daniel. He promises that he’ll take care of it for her...which is an empty promise to be fair because nobody is doing a modicum of the research required to find who could have shared the picture. He asks her to drop her off at the studio and they end up spending the entire day together. Issa refuses to speak up and say no to Daniel because she simply does not want to. That’s the truth of it. She kept walking around and following behind because that is exactly what she wanted to do. No amounts of freestyle rap in the car or the staff bathroom are going to ever fix that.

Lawrence has lunch with Chad who tells him that he’s getting married. It seems out of the blue because it is and because Chad is the type of man that does not hesitate to do things he feels may be the right choice, even if they might be wrong. Anyway, he asks Lawrence about Issa and marriage and Lawrence says that he’s trying to get his shit together. Chad actually offers some decent advice because he feels like Lawrence is shuffling his feet. If he really wants to be with Issa on paper they could just “get their shit together - together.”

Later on, Tasha the bank teller comes to flirt with Lawrence who politely rejects her advances but feels pretty good about himself knowing that a baddie was throwing it at him. Tasha the Bank Teller IS a baddie.

Molly spends her day getting ready for her coworker’s engagement party while Chris aka Jidenna doesn’t seem invested in actually going. Later at the party though, he swoops in to save the day. Molly is swooning by now because he claims the title of “boyfriend” but later admits that he definitely did not mean that when Molly asked him if he was serious.

The conversation basically went:

Molly: Why did you say that if you didn’t mean it? Chris: Because you needed a win.

I would never let a man, let alone a light-skin one disrespect me like this! But whatever, Molly was pushing up on him to make something out of nothing but he didn’t actually speak up and tell her not to rush into things so this isn’t entirely Molly’s fault. Sometimes, people can smell the desperation and continue to stick around despite that. It’s unhealthy and I never understood doing it as an excuse of not wanting to hurt someone’s feelings because eventually, that will happen. That’s just life. The band aid still pulls the skin no matter how fast or slow you do it.

Hurt, Molly tells him to leave and spends the rest of the night getting drunk. Instead of calling Issa, she goes to Jered’s house for some pity sex. Jered ain’t buying it and puts her ass on the couch to sleep. Jered is really too good for the Insecure universe. Shout out to Jered watching an episode of 'Conjugal Visits' with a nice cameo from Leah A. Williams who played Dolores 'Sister Mary' Clarence on The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl.

At Daniel’s studio, Issa attempts to head out but Daniel asks her to stay and have a drink. She stays. Hmm. They reminisce a little bit. Daniel then encourages Issa to rap in the booth. It’s met with hesitation but eventually, she does and finds complete solace in it. The best thing about Daniel is that he really does bring out the best in Issa but also the absolute worst. As we eventually see.

They talk about the hows and whys of why a relationship never came to be and this leads to them being booty-butt naked in his studio having sex. Issa had to have seen this coming, no matter WHAT she says in the future episodes. Whatever the case may be… she’s done it now.

Issa goes into the bathroom to clean up and gets post-nut clarity. Yes girl, you are a dirty ass cheater! One of my favorite songs (St. Beauty’s “Borders”) plays as she has the walk of supreme shame. I mean, she cheated. That shit’s shameful.

My final thought is a controversial one, I liked that the episode ended with Issa cheating. Mainly because I love mess but also because so often, we don’t see female characters make terrible ass decisions like this. As someone who is working on a novel where the female protagonist cheats on her spouse, I really spent years fighting with the decision because I was afraid of how readers would receive her.

It can’t be stated enough that genuinely written characters are like real people. They fuck up. They make really bad choices that come to bite them in the ass later. It was a risky choice, I’m sure but I think Issa Rae and the writers room did something really good here. It speaks about Issa as a person and her relationship with Lawrence, which is honestly still going nowhere at this point. And her inability to listen (based on Molly’s advice falling on deaf ears) when she wants to do something even if it’s a bad decision. It builds characters. And yes, even when the character chooses not to listen to good advice.

Plus, she got hers. And I’ll cheer for that.

Not the cheating though.

[one-neo]

SiR in Joburg - Oct. 26 2018

Full transparency: I’d probably heard about 3:25 minutes of SiR’s music before the concert he was performing at in Johannesburg on October 26. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge fan of soul, rhythm & blues and all the beautiful vulnerability that comes with it. I just haven’t been able to connect with a lot of the new school R&B guys easily. They either sound too much like each other, or are trying too hard to bring in the 90s nostalgia we’re all suffering through.

That aside, I would give my left pinkie toe to attend a live music gig, doesn’t matter who’s performing: take my pinkie toe; i’m going. 

The SiR show was to be my second visit to the Victoria Yards, Joburg’s relatively new hipster hangout; a multi-purpose precinct that is market cum pop up concert venue complete with hidden nooks and crannies and even a tropical-themed selfie booth. The venue is gritty, in an endearing way, and well worth checking out. Think previously abandoned buildings turned into the perfect venue for Sunday Markets, and concerts apparently. Something like the Maboneng District 4-5 years ago.

Anyway, back to the show. The first opening act was the lady who sings the chorus on that one Kwesta love song that’s been really popular for the last 2 years. The one that’s been so popular that I’ve avoided listening to, and yet simultaneously hear everywhere, all the time.* She performed the song, slow, then fast, then did a few of her own tracks - some not-bad afropop(?). i.e. time for food.

Then the Jager Brass Band took to the stage, doing their renditions of popular South African and international jams. This was one of the major highlights of the night. If they’re ever on a bill near you, check them out. Seriously.

Next up was female rapper, Rouge, who’s lively performance was accompanied by some high energy dancers and an enthusiastic hype man who resembled Classic Man-Jidenna (waistcoat and everything). The sound at the venue let her down somewhat, her vocals were distorted depending on where you stood in the room. Still, she was fly as fuck. And now I know it’s pronounced Rouge (as in the lipstick), and not Rouge (as in rogue). 

Then it was time for a pee break, but we never quite made it to the toilet before we realised the main act for the night, SiR, had taken to the stage. First things first, this guy can saaang! What?! Ok. Shock aside, I was able to properly get into the performance, where he showed a lot of love to his hometown, Inglewood in his songs as well as his anecdotes.

It was a somewhat lengthy set, with many people getting to hear their various favourite songs. As was the case with Rouge, the sound did let him down and his sensitive-sounding lyrics were unclear. Bummer. What the sound couldn’t distort however, is the fact that this is a remarkably talented artist, who switched seamlessly between singing and rapping, between high and low vocal registers. If you could imagine what it would sound like if Marvin Gaye had a baby with Chuck D. Super talented. SiR ended the show by giving a preview of his new music which sounded as though he’s been experimenting with trap sound influences. 

The Joburg crowd is always something special to witness; (they sing really loudly during their favourite songs, they whoop and holler at the sound of you attempting any South African vernac, there’s generally a lot of whooping and hollering which I assume creates great energy for the performer). So it was no surprise that SiR announced “I love ya’ll” on a couple of occasions and that he’d definitely be coming back to visit (cue more whooping and hollering).

Watching this immense talent was definitely a good re-introduction to the artistry that is SiR and his albums and EP have been on rotation longer than 3:25 minutes since then.

*The lady is Thabsie and the song is Ngyaz’fela Ngawe.

[kanye--westeros]

Top Albums Of 2019

1. IGOR - Tyler, The Creator (Favorite Track: NEW MAGIC WAND)

2. III - BANKS (Favorite Track: Stroke)

3. To Myself - Baby Rose (Favorite Track: Sold Out)

4. Eve - Rapsody (Favorite Track: Aaliyah)

5. All Of My Heroes Are Cornballs - JPEGMAFIA (Favorite Track: Jesus Forgive Me, I Am A Thot)

6. Leak 04-13: Bait Ones - Jai Paul (Favorite Track: Str8 Outta Mumbai)

7. Diaspora - GoldLink (Favorite Track: Rumble)

8. BUBBA - KAYTRANADA (Favorite Track: Go DJ)

9. YU - Rosie Lowe (Favorite Track: Little Bird)

10. MAGDALENE - FKA Twigs (Favorite Track: holy terrain)

11. Painted - Lucky Daye (Favorite Track: Real Games)

12. Chasing Summer - SiR (Favorite Track: Hair Down)

13. KIWANUKA - Michael Kiwanuka (Favorite Track: You Ain’t The Problem)

14. Assume Form - James Blake (Favorite Track: Mulholland)

15. Heavy Is The Head - Stormzy (Favorite Track: Handsome)

16. The Lost Boy - YBN Cordae (Favorite Track: RNP)

17. LEGACY! LEGACY! - Jamila Woods (Favorite Track: MUDDY)

18. Revenge Of The Dreamers III - Dreamville (Favorite Track: Sacrifices)

19. Everything’s For Sale - Boogie (Favorite Track: Skydive)

20. Free Nationals - Free Nationals (Favorite Track: Eternal Light)

Honorable Mentions:

Heard It In A Past Life - Maggie Rogers, Injury Reserve - Injury Reserve, Outer Peace - Toro Y Moi, Cosmic Wind - Lion Babe, Thank U, Next - Ariana Grande, Rap Or Go To The League - 2 Chainz, Titanic Rising - Weyes Blood, Hear Me Out - Reignwolf, CrasH Talk - ScHoolboy Q, When We All Go To Sleep, Where Do We Go - Billie Eilish, Green Balloon - Tank and the Bangas, Shea Butter Baby - Ari Lennox, Rogue - Yuna, ZUU - Denzel Curry, Flamagra - Flying Lotus, Bandana - Freddie Gibbs & Madlib, Immunity - Clairo, Clarity - Kim Petras, Port Of Miami 2 - Rick Ross, Ventura - Anderson. Paak, Brandon Banks - Maxo Kream, Scenery - Emily King, i,i - Bon Iver, GINGER - Brockhampton, Red Hearse - Red Hearse, Case Study 01 - Daniel Caesar, Norman Fucking Rockwell - Lana Del Rey, Mirrorland - EARTHGANG, Is He Real? - IDK, Late Night Feelings - Mark Ronson, House Of Sugar - (Sandy) Alex G, Charli - Charli XCX, Jaime - Brittany Howard, KIRK - DaBaby, Violet Street - Local Natives, All Mirrors - Angel Olsen, uknowhatimsayin? - Danny Brown, Closer To Grey - Chromatics, Ugh, Those Feels Again - Snoh Aalegra, Pang - Caroline Polachek, The Sailor - Rich Brian, TURN OFF THE LIGHT - Kim Petras, Cheap Queen - King Princess, Pony - Rex Orange County, Reflection Of Self: The Head Trip - Stalley, Grey Area - Little Simz, Twenty Twenty - djo, Hot Pink - Doja Cat, UNDER8ED - Pardison Fontaine, Black Pumas - Black Pumas, I Was Depressed Until I Made This - Kembe X, Hyperspace - Beck, Fear Inoculum - Tool, Fine Line - Harry Styles, HAN - Berhana, Imagination & The Misfit Kid - Labrinth, Little Ghost - Moonchild

Notable Mixtapes/EPs:

Hi My Name Is Flume - Flume, Dying From Crying - James Fauntleroy, Days Before Forever - Muhteyoh, Dangerous - Shay Lia, Recorded In My Car EP - Tabby, He/Do You Love Her Now EP - Jai Paul, The Falling Man - DUCKWRTH, live fast. die never. - Lil Rocket, Angel’s Pulse - Blood Orange, TDT - Big K.R.I.T, Care Package - Drake, Floor Seats - A$AP Ferg, Choke - Poppy, This Summer EP - Alessia Cara, Dark Moon Flower - Shane Eagle, MOTIONS - Melii, Ylang Ylang EP - FKJ, Lamb Over Rice - Action Bronson, JACKBOYS - JACKBOYS

Great Songs On Decent or Bad Albums:

“A-OK (Everything’s Perfect)” by Terror Jr. “Crushed Up” by Future ”Maybe You’re The Reason” by The Japanese House “North Star” by Offset x Cee-Lo Green “Open It Up” by Higher Brothers ”Sandstorm” by Mereba x JID “Dreams” by Solange “So Bad” by Gesaffelstein x HAIM ”Girls & Boys” by Jesse “Drugs” by Yelawolf “Unnatural Born Killer” by Yelawolf “Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind” by Logic “Sunflower” by Vampire Weekend x Steve Lacy “Set” by Ciara “KRIT HERE” by Big K.R.I.T ”Lay Me Down” by Steve Lacy “Outta My Head” by Khalid x John Mayer “No Drug Like Me” by Carly Rae Jepsen “Frontier” by Holly Herndon “Left Hand” by Beast Coast “Sucker” by The Jonas Brothers “Baby Boy” by Kevin Abstract “Summertime In Paris” by Jaden x Willow “Time Machine” by Willow “Eternal” by Chance The Rapper x Smino “Mannequin Challenge” by Young Thug x Juice WRLD “Find Your Way Back” by Beyonce “Sufi Woman” by Jidenna “Show Me That You Love” by Common x Jill Scott “Camp America” by 93PUNX “Carried Away” by H.E.R. “Take What You Want” by Post Malone x Ozzy Osbourne x Travis Scott “Girls Need Love (Remix)” by Summer Walker x Drake “Reasons” by Anna Of The North x Charlie Skein “Follow God” by Kanye West “Guarding The Gates” by Lauryn Hill “Perfect Crime” by Tinashe “Jerry Sprunger” by Tory Lanez x T-Pain “The Box” by Roddy Ricch

[luvneedsnosyt]

My Favorite Albums of August 2019

Here’s my monthly list of albums released in August I was feeling.

My Previous monthly lists from 2019: January, February, March, April, May, June, July

You can find my list from June of my favorite albums halfway through 2019 here

The Best:

Astrid S - Trust Issues Genre: Pop

Proof: Doing To Me / Someone New

AUGUST 08 - Happy Endings with an Astrisk Genre: R&B / Neo-Soul

Proof: Simple Pleasures (Feat. GoldLink) / Blood on My Hands (Feat, Smino)

Baby Rose - To Myself Genre: R&B / Soul

Proof: Borderline / Regrets

Bas - Spilled Milk 1 EP Genre: Hip Hop

Proof: Fried Rice (Feat. J.I.D.) / Nirvana (Feat. Falcons & B. Lewis)

Black Milk - DiVE Genre: Hip Hop

Proof: If U Say (Feat. BJ The Chicago Kid) / TYME

Blaq Tuxedo - Blaq Tuxedo Genre: R&B / Neo-Soul

Proof: 1am Watermelon / Jet Speed

Bon Iver - i,i Genre: Indie Pop / Experimental Folk

Proof: Hey, Ma / U (Man Like)

Boy Scouts - Free Company Genre: Indie Rock / Alternative

Proof: All Right / Cut It

BROCKHAMPTON - GINGER Genre: Hip Hop

Proof: NO HALO / DEARLY DEPARTED

Channel Tres - Black Moses Genre: House / R&B

Proof: Sexy Black Timberlake / Raw Power // Bonus: Sexy Black Timberlake (SG Lewis Remix)

Clairo - Immunity Genre: Indie Pop

Proof: Sofia / Feel Something // Bonus: SG Lewis & Clairo - Throwaway / Mura Masa & Clairo - I Don’t Think I Can Do This Again

Dabin - Wild Youth (The Remixes) Genre: Electronic / Future Bass / Dance

Proof: Part Time Lover (Crystal Skies Remix) Feat. Claire Ridgely / Alive (Trivecta Remix) Feat. RUNN

Electric Youth - Memory Emotion Genre: Synth-Pop / R&B / Electronic

Proof: The Life / thirteen

Friendly Fires - Inflorescent Genre: Synth-Pop / R&B / House

Proof: Heaven Let Me In / Sleeptalking

G Flip - About Us Genre: R&B / Pop

Proof: I Am Not Afraid / About You

half●alive - Now, Not Yet Genre: Synth-Pop / Indie Pop

Proof: steel feel. / arrow

HVDES - Stand Alone Complex EP Genre: Electronic / Dance

Proof: Akuma / Human

ILLENIUM - ASCEND Genre: Electronic / Future Bass / Dance

Proof: Good Things Fall Apart (Feat. Jon Bellion) / Gorgeous (w/ Blanke Feat. Bipolar Sunshine) // Bonus: Crashing (Rock Mafia Remix) Feat. Bahari / Pray (Sam Lamar Remix) Feat. Kameron Alexander / Good Things Fall Apart (Tiësto’s Big Room Remix) Feat. Jon Bellion

Jay Som - Anak Ko Genre: Indie Rock / Alternative

Proof: Superbike / Peace Out

Jidenna - 85 to Africa Genre: Hip Hop

Proof: 85 to Africa / Babouche (Feat. GoldLink)

Lana Del Rey - Norman Fucking Rockwell! Genre: Pop

Proof: Venice Bitch / Fuck it I love you & The greatest

Little Brother - May the Lord Watch Genre: Hip Hop

Proof: Everything / Black Magic (Make It Better)

Mabel - High Expectations Genre: R&B / Neo-Soul 

Proof: Don’t Call Me Up / Mad Love

Mac Ayers - Juicebox Genre: R&B / Neo-Soul / Funk

Proof: Shadows / Better

Marika Hackman - Any Human Friend Genre: Pop

Proof: the one / come undone

Missy Elliott - ICONOLOGY EP Genre: R&B / Hip Hop

Proof: Cool Off / Why I Still Love You

MURS, 9th Wonder & The Soul Collective - The Iliad is Dead and the Odyssey is Over Genre: Indie Hip Hop

Proof: Give Me a Reason / SIN

Olivia Nelson - Back to You EP Genre: R&B

Proof: Summertime / No Answer

Raphael Saadiq - Jimmy Lee Genre: R&B / Soul

Proof: Something Keeps Calling Me (Feat. Rob Bacon) / My Walk

Rapsody - Eve Genre: Hip Hop

Proof: Nina / Aaliyah

SAINt JHN - Ghetto Lenny’s Love Songs Genre: Hip Hop / R&B

Proof: Trap (Feat. Lil Baby) / Call Me After You Hear This

Shura - forevher Genre: Synth Pop / R&B

Proof: religion (u can lay your hands on me) / BKLYNLNDN // Bonus: BKLYLNDN (i-vu London Dub)

SiR - Chasing Summer Genre: R&B / Soul

Proof: You Can’t Save Me / Mood (Feat. Zacari)

Taylor Swift - Lover Genre: Pop

Proof: Lover / Afterglow

William Black - Pages Genre: Electronic / Dance

Proof: Dying Day (Feat. Prettyheartbreak) / Back Together (Feat. RUNN)

!!! - Wallop Genre: Synth-Pop / Dance

Proof: Serbia Dreams / $50 Million

Bonus:

A few albums I missed and a compilation album of one off singles by one of today’s biggest artist.

Curren$y & LNDN DRGS - Umbrella Symphony EP Genre: Hip Hop Released May 2019

Proof: Ghetto Gospel / Payback

Drake - Care Package [Compilation] Genre: Hip Hop / R&B Released September 2019

Proof: How Bout Now / Girls Love Beyoncé (Feat. James Fauntleroy)

Olivia Nelson - For You EP Genre: R&B Released August 2018

Proof: Hideaway / Smother Me

Tyla Yaweh - Heart Full of Rage Genre: Hip Hop / R&B Released February 2019

Proof: High Right Now / They Ain’t You

Others:

Abby Jasmine - Abbnormal EP, AJ Mitchell - Slow Dance EP, The Alchemist - Yacht Rock 2, Algee Smith - atl, A$AP Ferg - Floor Seats, Bazzi - Soul Searching, Bishop Nehru & Brady Watt - The Real Book, Vol. 1 EP, Black Belt Eagle Scout - At The Party With My Brown Friends, bLAck pARty - Endless Summer, Blank Mass - Animated Violence Mild, Blu & Damu The Fudgemunk - Ground & Water EP, Bun B - Bun B Day EP, Cousin Stizz - Trying to Find My Next Thrill, Chase & Status - RTRN: THE ORIGINALS EP, Christian French - bright side of the moon EP, Common - Let Love, Cross Record - Cross Record, Curren$y - Hot August Nights EP , Dame D.O.L.L.A. - Big D.O.L.L.A., Deb Never - House on Wheels EP, Dillon Nathaniel - Obsessions EP, Emmavie - Honeymoon, Emmavie - Stop the Tape EP, FLETCHER - you ruined new york city for me EP, Four Tet - Anna Painting EP, G&D - Black Love & War, G-Eazy - B-Sides EP, GRAFIX - Refuge EP, GRiZ - Bangers[2].zip EP, Headie One - Music x Road [Mixtape], Hope Tala - Sensitive Soul EP, Hoodie Allen - Whatever USA, HTRK - Venus in Leo, i_o - House of God EP, Isabella - 12 Angels, JackLNDN - Thoughts, Jezzy - TM104: The Legend of the Snowman, Joell Ortiz - Monday, Joseph Ray - Room 1.5 / Chem - Ex EP, Justine Skye - Bare With Me EP, Kayzo - Unleashed, Kevin George - My Darlings a Demon, Kingdom - EXTERRA, Vol. 1 EP, LICK - Dark Vibe Order, Little Boots - Jump EP, Lillie Mae - Other Girls, LV - Xcited, Lyfe Jennings - 777, Lynda Dawn - At First Light EP, Madeaux - Club Demons EP, MarMar Oso - Oso Different, Moksi - The Return of House Music, Nao Yoshioka - Undeniable, Navvy - The Breakup EP, Nick Catchdubs - Ufo, Obie Trice - The Fifth, Pete Yorn - Caretakers, PJ Morton - PAUL, P-LO - SHINE, Powers Pleasant - Life Is Beautiful EP, Quality Control - Control The Streets Volume 2, Ra Ra Riot - Superbloom, The Regrettes - How Do You Love?, Rick Ross - Port of Miami 2, SATICA - Dear April, Ily EP, The Score - Stay EP, Sheer Mag - A Distant Call, Sleater-Kinney - The Center Won’t Hold, Slum Village - The Source, Snoh Aalgra - Ugh, those feels again, Snoop Dogg - I Wanna Thank Me, Social House - Everything Changed… EP, Somos - Prison On A Hill, Tess Henley - Better EP, Tora - Can’t Buy the Mood, Trae tha Truth - Exhale, Tropical Fuck Storm - Braindrops, Valentino Khan - House Party EP, Various Artists - 13 Reasons Why (Season 3) [Music Inspired by the Netflix Series], Velvet Negroni - NEON BROWN, Whitney - Forever Turned Around, YACHT - Chain Tipping, Zo! - FourFront, 93PUNX - 93PUNX

[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

[bdub86]

*DO NOT reblog if you condone whitewashing, racial slurs, BLACKFACE or otherwise have posted white people and celebrities who have done these things. This post is meant to celebrate black men, not be a token splash of color in an otherwise white archive. Thank you in advance!*

One more time: if you don’t REGULARLY reblog black men, if you can overlook racism towards black people, especially by your white faves, if you only objectify (condone the objectification of) black men then move the fuck on. I will not be polite if I have to check you for ignoring this caption. This post is about celebrating black people and connecting with others who actually respect black men and not just if you fetishize us.

FYI this isn’t comprehensive just dudes I think are cute/sexy

Kevin Hampton, Trey Revis

Tyrus Jones, Ryan Jamaal Swain, Designer

Brandon Mychal Smith, Tre Jones, Jordan Calloway

Lil Romeo, Kenny Jones, Tyrel Jackson Williams

Toro y Moi aka Chaz Bear, De-Reece Grant, Sinqua Walls

Don Benjamin, Shae Pulver, Rob.B

Sarunas J. Jackson, Devin Booker

Jesse Lingard, Marcus Rashford, Memphis Depay

Jordan Love, Bandhunta Izzy,

Jidenna, Denzell Theodore, Delino Deshields Jr.

[hillnerd]

music lyrics meme

Rules: put your entire library on shuffle and name the first 5 songs and your favorite lyrics in those songs (if it doesn’t have lyrics, shuffle once more!!)

thanks for the tag @headcanonsandmore​!

1. ‘Wannabe’ Say Mona (it’s a trap cover of the Spice Girl’s Wannabe)

“Slam your body down zigazig ah” 

2. ‘Under Pressure’  Bowie & Queen

Can't we give ourselves one more chance? Why can't we give love that one more chance? Why can't we give love, give love, give love, give love

3. ‘Downtown’ Macklemore 

Muscle to muscle and toe to toe The fear has gripped me but here I go My heart sinks as I jump up Your hand grips hand as my eyes shut

4. ‘Breezeblocks’  Alt j 

Running around the whole town Neighbors yelling at me like, you need to slow down Going thirty-eight, Dan, chill the fuck out Mow your damn lawn and sit the hell down

5. Long Live the Chief  Jidenna

Mama put a little money in the mattress Taught me how to make a silver spoon out of plastic You can either sink, swim or be the captain Get the last word I'mma get the last laugh in Now they say "Jidenna why you dressing so classic?" I don’t want my best dressed day in a casket

@vivithefolle  @aloemilk  @diva-gonzo  @austenpoppy @marvelousmisterscamander 

[carryonmybloodylovelies]

URL Song Tag

thank you thank you to the wonderful @simonsrosebud and my bestie @bazypitchandsimonsnow for tagging me in this!! it looks like so much fun and i love letting all of you know how psychotic my music taste is!!! sorry its late but here we go!

Rules: spell out your URL with song titles & then tag 10 other blogs

Candy Paint by Post Malone

Adan y Eva by Paulo Londro

Recovery by LP

Radio by Lana Del Rey

Yoga by Janelle Monae & Jidenna

Our Lawyer Made Us Change The Name Of This Song So We Wouldn’t Get Sued by (who the FUCK else would this be by other than freaking Fall Out Boy)

Never Fall In Love by Jack Antoff & MO

Memories by Thutmose 

you should see me in a crown by billie eilish

Lucky Strike by Troye Sivan

Obedear by Purity Ring

Very Fancy by Die Antwoord

Equal Rights, Equal Lefts by Otep (everyone needs to listen to this song its incredible)

Let It Be by Hayley Kiyoko

If There’s Time by ODESZA

Everytime We Touch by Cascada

Sober Up by AJR 

@lifeasafail @nbleu914 @inkysapphic @lutenium @irisolus @the-spaciest-kid @sharkmartini @lotus-of-light @hekissesme @somberlysad

[thetrashpitals]

if you like hip-hop/rap: JID, J Cole, Bas, Run The Jewels, Abhi The Nomad, Anderson.Paak more rock + indie stuff: Des Rocs, Royal Blood, Bishop Briggs, Barns Courtney, Demob Happy, The Milk Carton Kids, Cleopatrick hope there's something decent in here, of you want specific song recommendations for any of them lmk (:

yooo I fucking love Bishop Briggs. I listen to Royal Blood and Barns Courtney too, so I'm really excited to check out the others you listed!

have any starter songs for the hip-hop/rap recs?? they're definitely genres I need to expand into more (instead of like listening to jidenna on repeat)