#lil b - motivation instrumental

[wyattvsmusic]

Nas - King’s Disease II ALBUM REVIEW

Almost exactly a year ago, Nas teamed up with Hit-Boy for his thirteenth studio album King’s Disease which I loved and rank highly in Nas’s almost untouchable catalog of music. I feel like in terms of his albums post-Distant Relatives, Nas does not really need to prove anything and can just make great music as he pleases because he has done so much for Hip Hop and has put out such great music. I don’t think Nas has any bad albums but some are definitely better than others. The first King’s Disease showed how Nas is able to rap over whatever he pleases whether it is a more traditional style instrumental or more modern hip hop production that Hit-Boy is known for. Hit-Boy did an amazing job at supplying Nas with some great beats and less than a year removed from the first King’s Disease, I was hoping to get some more of the mature Nas that reflects on his journey but is still plenty confident that he can tear up a beat. Right out the gate with The Pressure, Nas comes out snapping and does not miss a beat. That song sets quite the standard as Nas goes crazy and the production is insane, as is that beat switch towards the end. One thing I noticed more on this one than the first King’s Disease is that Hit-Boy’s production is a bigger star of the show than last time. The production on that first one was great but I feel like it stands out more on this album. Hit-Boy’s production across this entire album is phenomenal. There’s such a good amount of variety and even if it doesn’t reinvent the wheel, it feels refreshing for Nas and it is not always predictable which is nice. Nas’s subject matter for certain beats fits them well and makes them into great songs. On Death Row East, Nas reminisces on his run-ins with Suge Knight and his relationship with 2Pac during an escalating East Coast/West Coast rivalry. He also gets into reflecting on Nobody which features Lauryn Hill and this time she’s actually rapping. Her flow sounds like she hasn’t rapped in a while but the bars are still there. She raps “My awareness like Keanu in The Matrix / I'm savin' souls and y'all complainin' 'bout my lateness” in reference to being known for showing up to her shows late. One of the better storytelling tracks is Moments where Nas talks about the “moments you can’t relive.” That song is great especially in the context where Nas is older and is in a position as a legend in a genre that has never seen aging rappers before and can talk about grown-up subjects. Nas isn’t exactly that old though and old doesn’t mean that can can’t spar with the newcomers. The first King’s Disease saw him collaborating with guys like Lil Durk, Don Toliver, Fivio Foreign and A$AP Ferg and made those collaborations work extremely well even if they weren’t one’s you would expect. The song YKTV shows Nas linking with A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie and YG which reads weirdly on paper but is a different story once you hear it. I wasn’t sure about the beat at first but I loved it when the bass came in and it all came together. The features didn’t disappoint either even if I thought they would. A Boogie had a good line where he said “Been jackin' Esco' bars like he Pablo, huh.” Nas also recruits Blxst who is one of the more talented new artists in my opinion for Brunch On Sundays, which is a great song about enjoying time with your girl. One thing I noticed on the first King’s Disease that is much more prevalent on this album that I really enjoy is when Nas gets to rapping about food and making good food choices for a healthy lifestyle which I guess fits the King’s Disease theme nicely. On the last one, he gets into his lemongrass and alkaline water talk but there’s a lot more food bars on this album like where he mentions crabcakes, oysters and french bread. That was just something I noticed in the lyrics and enjoy a lot when I re-listen to them. Another great song about relationships on this album is No Phony Love which is probably my favorite track. It features one of the best beats on the album amazing vocal contributions from Charlie Wilson who was on the last King’s Disease. My biggest critiques of this album have to do with the sequencing as 40 Side does not really fit where it is placed. That’s the only song I didn’t like as the beat didn’t fit Nas that well. He sounded great over a trap beat on 27 Summers and maybe they tried to recreate that on this song and I didn’t love it. Nas can rap over beats like that but I didn’t like the song. I think the song EPMD 2 would’ve sounded better as a bonus track similar to Spicy from King’s Disease. The original track EPMD that Nas and Hit-Boy did for the Judas and Black Messiah soundtrack would’ve fit the album much better. The actually do recruit legendary rap group EPMD for part 2 which is a great moment but they sound a bit disjointed over such an amazing instrumental. Also featured on the song is Eminem who I’ve unfortunately become used to being disappointed by lately but he showed up to rap on this song. I loved the Christmas scheme where he raps “On the fuckin' freeway on the way here / Like Rudolph and his homies when they pullin' the sleigh, yeah / That's a lot of bucks flyin' when I'm makin' it rain, dear.” I loved the way he was flowing at the end of his verse. I wish he picked better beats like this Hit-Boy one and didn’t overthink his rhyming with corny bars like he did on that Side B album he did last year. Nas and Hit-Boy make such a great team on this album as Hit-Boy’s beats are pretty much ageless which allows for Nas to play around with flows and ideas for songs but still do what he does best. Hard-hitting beats like My Bible are a perfect example of how Nas has found a new level of focus and motivation from such great production. These beats are so good and bring the best out of one of the best to ever touch a microphone. 

Fav Tracks: The Pressure, Rare, YKTV, Moments, No Phony Love, Brunch On Sundays

[starlingsrps]

lily bowen.

BASIC INFORMATION

FULL NAME: lily morgan bowen REASONING: not really - her mother's name was violet but it was unintentional to also name her after a flower NICKNAME(S): lil PREFERRED NAME(S): lily BIRTH DATE: december 19 AGE: thirty four ZODIAC: sagittarius GENDER: cis female PRONOUNS: she/her ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: heterosexual SEXUAL ORIENTATION: heterosexual NATIONALITY: american ETHNICITY: american CURRENT LOCATION: holly point, ga LIVING CONDITIONS: i'm feeling a very cute house

BACKGROUND BIRTH PLACE: milwaukee, wi HOMETOWN: mequon, wi SOCIAL CLASS: middle EDUCATION LEVEL: b.s., biology, georgetown; m.d., emory university: residency at emory FATHER: charles bowen, 65, pediatrician MOTHER: violet (morgan) bowen, deceased SIBLING(S): n/a BIRTH ORDER: only CHILDREN: — PET(S): charlie, murder suspect/dog OTHER IMPORTANT RELATIVES: noah's family; anne bowen, 37, stepmother/step siblings: robbie, 16; eric, 14; sarah, 10 PREVIOUS RELATIONSHIPS: whatever there is in in the distance fuzz of Before Noah CURRENT RELATIONSHIP: noah cordell, since forever (i.e. ten years) ARRESTS?: oh no

OCCUPATION & INCOME PRIMARY SOURCE OF INCOME: gynecologist, holly point women's center SECONDARY SOURCE OF INCOME: rabblerouser CONTENT WITH THEIR JOB (OR LACK THERE OF)?: it's all she's ever wanted and worked for. her mother died of ovarian cancer when she was sixteen and while lily was always going to be a doctor, that was what pivoted her to women's health. she's never wanted anything but this and now that residency is over? PERFECT. PAST JOB(S): intern, medical courier SPENDING HABITS: thrifty MOST VALUABLE POSSESSION: charlie?

SKILLS & ABILITIES PHYSICAL STRENGTH: B- SPEED: B INTELLIGENCE: A+++ ACCURACY: A+ - nimble AGILITY: A+ - see above. STAMINA: A - she's used to goddamn thirty hour shifts as a resident she's good for a long time TEAMWORK: good! TALENTS: she's bright, bubbly, and cares So Much SHORTCOMINGS: when lily ices you out, you're riding mammoths it's the ice age. LANGUAGE(S) SPOKEN: english, healthcare spanish DRIVE?: yep JUMP-STAR A CAR?: nah CHANGE A FLAT TIRE?: [points up] RIDE A BICYCLE?: yep SWIM?: yep PLAY AN INSTRUMENT?: nope PLAY CHESS?: yep BRAID HAIR?: yep TIE A TIE?: nope PICK A LOCK?: nope

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE & CHARACTERISTICS FACE CLAIM: stephanie styles EYE COLOR: hazel HAIR COLOR: blonde HAIR TYPE/STYLE: long, usually in a braid or top knot GLASSES/CONTACTS?: contacts, glasses after twelve hours just because her eyeballs itch DOMINANT HAND: right HEIGHT: 5'2 BUILD: petite EXERCISE HABITS: not bad but anything more than three days a week and she starts to get upset SKIN TONE: fair TATTOOS: nah PIERCINGS: ears MARKS/SCARS: freckles, appendectomy scar NOTABLE FEATURES: nice hair, adorable USUAL EXPRESSION: listening, pleasant CLOTHING STYLE: scrubs? nah, cute dress and fun shoes off duty. jeans sometimes but dresses are easier to hem for the short so she likes dresses. JEWELRY: sometimes yes, sometimes no; her mother's wedding band around her neck usually ALLERGIES: seasonal DIET: getting p into meal prep and cooking now that she is free PHYSICAL AILMENTS: she's got shit circulation and is cold Always

PSYCHOLOGY MORAL ALIGNMENT: lawful good TEMPERAMENT: melancholic ELEMENT: earth MBTI TYPE: ESFJ MENTAL CONDITIONS/DISORDERS: some anxiety and such but nothing major SOCIABILITY: bubbly! she loves talking to people and she'll have your life story in no time at all. EMOTIONAL STABILITY: steady PHOBIA(S): death, snakes ADDICTION(S): nah DRUG USE: nah. ALCOHOL USE: sure. PRONE TO VIOLENCE?: nope.

MANNERISMS SPEECH STYLE: pretty perky, man ACCENT: slight twang/drawl hybrid from being southern-ish QUIRKS: she’s very tidy and particular about where things are HOBBIES: movies, walks with charlie, cooking - she hasn't had a lot of free time in recent years so she's Learning. HABITS: meal prepping NERVOUS TICKS: touching her hair DRIVES/MOTIVATIONS: oh boy. good life is best. POSITIVE TRAITS: kind, capable, compassionate, enthusiastic, determined, steady NEGATIVE TRAITS: arrogant, willful, picky, melodramtic SENSE OF HUMOR: good! DO THEY CURSE OFTEN?: not especially

FAVORITES ACTIVITY: being with noah but also working. she genuinely loves her job. ANIMAL: dogs BEVERAGE: water BOOK: make trouble by cecile richards COLOR: pink FOOD: pad thai FLOWER: roses GEM: pearl HOLIDAY: summer vacation MODE OF TRANSPORTATION: drive MOVIE: you've got mail SONG: "lover" by taylor swift SCENERY: the ocean SCENT: noah smells p good SPORT: she'll get hella into whatever sport she's actually seeing live but sports on tv? naptime. SPORTS TEAM: nah TELEVISION SHOW: parks and recreation WEATHER: spring is good VACATION DESTINATION: wherever's good!

ATTITUDES GREATEST DREAM: just keep doing what she's doing on a higher and higher level GREATEST FEAR: giving bad news MOST AT EASE WHEN: burrowed against noah on the couch, half asleep. LEAST AT EASE WHEN: people are talking down to her, be it literally or figuratively. BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT: suriving residency BIGGEST REGRET: she hasn't really had much of a relationship with her father since he married his second wife and started a family with her and there are times when she does regret that but kind of figures what's done is done. TOP PRIORITIES: noah, friends, work.

[sapphicidiot]

I got tagged by @foreshvdowing !! thank u for tagging me!

RULES: answer 21 questions and tag 21 people you want to know better

Nicknames:  maddie, mads, maddie b rapz, any nickname anyone gives me i love nicknames

Zodiac Sign: I’m a cancer but if u know astrology I’m a cancer sun, aquarius moon, scorpio ascendant!!

Height: 6′2″

Hogwarts House: i’m a gryffindor but everyone thinks i’m a hufflepuff. 

Last Thing I Googled: who is tumblr’s ceo? 

Fave Musicians: mxmtoon, paramore, lizzo, panucci’s pizza, tessa violet, everyone honestly.

Song Stuck In Your Head: motivation by normani (a queen) I also love her. 

Following: 1,532

Followers:  260! thank u all for following me :’)

Do You Get Asks?: once every blue moon, in the darkest hour of the night, in my moment of begging, a kind, pure-hearted, beautiful soul sends me an ask. 

Amount of Sleep: 6 to 8 I think, I don’t know really. 

Lucky Number: 11

What Are You Wearing?: shorts and a sweatshirt with a sloth on it that says “feeling very philo-SLOTH-ical. I’ve had it for ages and there’s old stage makeup on it. 

Dream Job: At the moment, I’d love to work in the marketing team for tumblr. I’d also love to work for buzzfeed and work on their video productions and promoting their different brands more or being a part of their different channels.

Dream Trip: Tokyo, Japan. Not just because I’m a weeb but they’re so technologically advanced compared to us and I want to see their lifestyle and culture AND THE VENDING machines.

Instruments: I taught myself ukulele and took voice lessons for a year. 

Languages: Only English unfortunately 

10 Favorite Songs: (no particular order)

1. prom dress | mxmtoon

2. dance to this | troye sivan ft. ariana grande

3. love u better | victoria monét

4. black sheep | kailee morgue

5. crush | tessa violet

6. c7osure (you like) | lil nas x

7. sugar | brockhampton

8. tunnel of love | haroinfather, savage ga$p

9. tungs | the frights

10. say it ain’t so | weezer

Random Fact: i’ve flown a plane! it was scary!

My Aesthetic: yellow, sunflowers, curled up in bed with a good book, holding hands in the movie theatre, big pink bubblegum bubbles, polaroid pictures, rain hitting the window, cuddled up and talking about things we’re passionate about idk this all sounds dorky i’m sorry 

tagged: @jaspearl | @betaeri | @ker0ppi | @graveyardbotanist | and anyone who wants to fill this out I’d love to learn more about you! 

[doomedandstoned]

GURT Are Rowdier Than Ever In ‘Bongs of Praise’

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~

Artwork by Mark Williams

I have a certain London band blasting out of my Bose speakers as I write this, and for some reason my cat will not leave me alone. Oh, she's been fed, but I'll be doggone if she isn't trying to communicate the way I do, by dancing her tiny little fingers all over the keyboard. I'd like to think this is in response to the new album 'Bongs of Praise' (2019) by GURT. After all, the thunderous sludge quartet has long been known for their feline affections, dating back to that 2012 split with Dopefight in which they dropped the epic single, "Dudes with Beards with Cats." Then again, perhaps they were just being ironic.

Whatever the case, if a record is good enough for my cat, it's good enough for me. Although how she can curl up and nap so soundly while a song like "Rolling Stoned" is spinning is beyond me. GURT has always made me want to jump, hollar, maybe throw my clothes across the room, anything but sit motionless. Certainly GURT is a great way to get work. These fingers fly when "Weed it and Weep" or "Squidgy Black Thing" is streaming.

Whether we're talking about the tango-like feel of "One Hit Wonder," the doom-punk stomp of "The Joint of No Return," or the southern-stoner spirit of "Marijuanarmchair," GURT is nothing if not reliable for its titanic sound. It blasts right through my apathy, stirring up something deep within my belly (whether that's inspiration or last night's dinner is up for debate). Hell, it really got me jump-started this week and I'm sure it will more than do the trick for you.

Gareth Kelly's vocals hold up strong on GURT's third record. Out of all the singers in the sludge world, his pipes are distinctly recognizable. Then there's Rich William's searing guitar leads, which makes every song a joy to discover. But GURT just wouldn't be GURT without that driving rhythm section, Bill Jacobs (drums) and David Blakemore (bass) really bringing on the hurt. Bongs of Praise adds a little something special to the mix with medieval sounding wind instruments and a chorus in the title track, which closes the album.

Whether you come to GURT for the catharsis, humor, or just something to bring your sky-high buzz a little more down to earth, Bongs of Praise will not disappoint. There's still time, by the way, to pre-order the record on CD and vinyl via When Planets Collide before it's wide release on Friday, September 6th. Until then, you can listen to it all from edge to center, side A and side B, right here on our bitchin' lil blog!

Give ear...

Some Buzz

GURT take the blues and groove of '70s rock and drag it backwards through the swamps of Louisiana. The drums are thunderous, the vocals demonic and the guitars down-tuned, down-tempo and down right sexy. This is not doom, this is not sludge, this is GURT. Since their genesis in 2010, the band have laced up their boots and stomped over everything you thought you might have known about them and the beloved conventions of metal. GURT collide their barbaric sound with lines of funk and tongue in cheek lyricism to mould what has been hailed as “party doom.” Their full throttle approach is like a fairground waltzer ride that is so fun that you can forgive the consequent whiplash.

In 2014 they unleashed their debut album, 'Horrendosaurus,' through independent label, When Planets Collide: Presents. Showcasing their quirkiness in all its glory, the record is as hysterically comical as it is brutal. Members Gareth Kelly on vocals, Rich Williams on guitar, David Blakemore on bass guitar and Bill Jacobs on drums, frankly talk inevitable death and utter nonsense, issuing a sentence punishable by boogie. The record took them on a European tour with Dopethrone, returning home to a packed out audience to open Bloodstock’s second stage.

The following year, GURT released the 'DIYMCA' EP, in honour of their roots. Here, they questioned a journalist’s motives (‘8 Out Of 10 Cunts’) and realised that they should stick to the gin rather than the ‘Scrump’. The EP catapulted the band on their first UK headline tour, and back to Europe with good friends, Diesel King. Their second record, 'SKULLOSSUS,' was born in 2017. Menacing to its core, it explores darker shades of doom sludge. Presenting a theatrical performance, the band’s sound swelled in size as they toyed with their repertoire; adding rip roaring, guttural vocals, psychedelic rhythms and all the adoration of a classic rock 'n' roll riff.

GURT’s wicked sense of humour bubbles at the surface of their latest release, 'Bongs of Praise' (2019). Paying tribute to the stoner rock community, the record pokes fun with song titles "Weed It and Weep," "Rolling Stoned," and "Jazz Cabbage." Without any sense of irony, the band deliver sleaze in the best possible way. As a true family unit, GURT have released three split EPs with Dopefight, Trippy Wicked, and LIMB.

With the opportunity to etch their names into London’s most iconic venues, GURT have opened up for heavy metal American’s Red Fang at The Black Heart, NOLA legends EyeHateGod at the Underworld, and classic band PIST.ON at the O2 Academy Islington. Relentlessly touring the UK and beyond, the band have found themselves on the road with Widows and Pist, as well as sharing the stage with the likes of Weedeater, Red Fang, Black Tusk, Valient Thorr, Cough and Naam. In their own right they have cast their hypnotic savagery to the crowds of Bloodstock, Desertfest, Riffolution (UK) as well as Stonerhead (Salzburg) and 2019’s Monospace Fest (Paris).

If you even tried to put GURT into a box, they would claw at the walls and kick their way out of it. Then steamroller over you at the sheer injustice. GURT throw all of the insane and humoured thoughts from their brains at the wall and somehow it just sticks, making enormous tracks that are downright filthy. Play them loud and play them proud. If you’re going to piss off your neighbours, have GURT be your accomplists.

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[pvcked]

s u r v e y :       d a r b y    b e l l e    m o n t p e l l i e r

written in purple gel pen. it be like that.

basic information

FULL NAME: darby belle montpellier PRONUNCIATION: DARH-bee bell mAHnt-pell-yer MEANING: without envy REASONING: darby belle was named after a beloved family dog who was tragically killed by an automobile the night before she was born. how… quaint. her mother insisted on adding “belle” to match her older sister, elody mae’s, “name flow”. her father never really approved, but he his second army deployment began just before her birth, so her mother went ahead and did it anyway. NICKNAME(S): darby, darbs, darby belle, belle, fruit loop, the singer from pelagia, dee, db. puck ( only by her late father ) PREFERRED NAME(S): darby, darby belle BIRTH DATE: march 3, 2001 AGE: 18 ZODIAC: pisces GENDER: cisfemale PRONOUNS:  she/her ROMANTIC ORIENTATION:  biromantic SEXUAL ORIENTATION: bisexual NATIONALITY:  american. ETHNICITY: american. there are some french roots, way back, but they’re bastardized: her family pronounces their surname the southern way, not the french.

background

BIRTH PLACE: jonesborough, tennessee HOMETOWN: jonesborough, tennessee SOCIAL CLASS:  upper-middle. FATHER: eric montpellier. deceased march 2, 2014. suicide. gunshot wound to the head. ptsd resulting from military duty. MOTHER: kenna mae montpellier. deceased february 22, 2007. housefire. SIBLING(S): elody mae, legal guardian. 25. artist and interior designer. faceclaim. BIRTH ORDER: youngest of two. elody mae is 7 years older. PET(S): none. she gets the sniffles! OTHER IMPORTANT RELATIVES:  n/a. PREVIOUS/CURRENT RELATIONSHIPS: she’s been in a long-term relationship with clark beecher since the fall of sophomore year. ARRESTS?: nope! PRISON TIME?: nope!

occupation & income

SOURCE OF INCOME: darby’s band, pelagia., has paid gigs around town and in neighboring towns. they sold copies of their first ep, too. CONTENT WITH THEIR JOB (OR LACK THERE OF)?: yes!! between her and elody mae, they make things work. darby loves music; she practially lives and breathes in song. PAST JOB(S): she delivered papers for a lil’ while in tennessee. tagged along while elody mae biked. SPENDING HABITS: darby knows how to find herself a bargain! MOST VALUABLE POSSESSION: her dad’s dog tags, which she keeps hidden under her pillow. some of his old navy blue sweaters. she throws ‘em on days when she misses him a little extra.

skills & abilities

TALENTS: musicianship. performing. songwriting. agile skating. playmaking. interpretive dancing. making her friends laugh. going cross-eyed for long periods of time. rolling her tongue. SHORTCOMINGS: she can’t say no to anyone she loves. quick to blame herself for things she can’t control ( like her parents’ passings ). elody mae rubs her wrong a lot and it’s not her sister’s fault, but they’ll go several days at a time without talkin’ when things get tense. swallowing her pride: she’s stubborn. LANGUAGE(S) SPOKEN: english, enough spanish to get by ( acquired from high school classes, but her southern accent kinda bleeds through? so kids in class always kinda smirk when she tries out the speaking exercises  ). DRIVE?: no. never learned. JUMP-STAR A CAR?: no. CHANGE A FLAT TIRE?: no. RIDE A BICYCLE?: nope. her dad never got ‘round to teachin’ her. SWIM?: no. they never had a pool. PLAY AN INSTRUMENT?: countless. she sings, plays guitar, piano, drums, banjo. PLAY CHESS?: she prefers checkers. BRAID HAIR?: is the sky blue? yes. TIE A TIE?: mhm. PICK A LOCK?: nope, but that’d be cool!

physical appearance & characteristics

FACE CLAIM: natalia dyer. EYE COLOR: bright baby blue. HAIR COLOR: light brown. HAIR TYPE/STYLE: down to her shoulders, curly. typically up in a ponytail or some kind of quick style. GLASSES/CONTACTS?: nope. DOMINANT HAND: right. she plays right wing. but she likes to cut food with her left. HEIGHT: 5′0 even. WEIGHT: 108 lbs. BUILD: very, very thin. surprisingly muscular, though. not built like a typical hockey player but boy, does she command the ice. her strength, like… bewilders everyone. recruiters came to see her play this spring and fuckin’ lost their shit. this girl ?!  captain ?!  right wing ?!  does she disintegrate when she’s checked ?!?! EXERCISE HABITS: always movin’ and groovin’. darby loves going for runs. weight-lifting. playing pickup games with her boys. SKIN TONE: very fair. freckled. TATTOOS: none.  PEIRCINGS: she has her ears pierced but almost never wears earrings, due to rink rules. MARKS/SCARS: some burn scars from the housefire that killed her mom in 2007, on the back of her left forearm/wrist and across her stomach. she’s really insecure about them and almost always wears long sleeves because of it. she also has a birthmark shaped like canada on the arch of her left foot. when they were alive and darby was very young, her parents used to joke that god put that mark there because he knew their daughter was going to be a hockey star.

NOTABLE FEATURES: her eyes. her tiny size. her laugh. USUAL EXPRESSION: smiley, vibrant. CLOTHING STYLE: long sleeve sweaters, jeans, vans. graphic long-sleeve tees –– she really likes the nature designs on patagonia ones, or cool/eclectic designs. converse. timberlands, leggings, and oversized sweatshirts. denim jackets. in the winter, she’s always bundled up because she runs cold. honestly? she’d sooner wear a hoodie and shorts in the summer than throw on a t-shirt. she does wear short sleeves, but mainly for team workouts and runs. JEWELRY: she wears her father’s wedding band around her neck on a thin gold chain, always tucked under whatever top she’s wearing. her sister does the same with her mother’s. ALLERGIES: strawberries. peanuts. bees.  BODY TEMPERATURE: she runs real cold. are you using that sweatshirt? DIET: when elody mae cooks, darby eats well –– lots of pinterest recipes and plant-based meals.  left to her own devices, she reverts to ease: poptarts, protein bars, almonds. sunflower butter and jam sandwiches. she typically skips lunch at school to write, or free skate, or sneak into the weight room with whatever team’s rented it out that period. she always snackin’ on pretzels. PHYSICAL AILMENTS: insomnia, since her mother’s death. worsened with her father’s passing. i imagine it’ll get worse with her sister disappearing, too. her mild dependency on painkillers.

psychology

MORAL ALIGNMENT: chaotic good. TEMPERAMENT: sanguine. ELEMENT: air. MENTAL CONDITIONS/DISORDERS: insomnia. SOCIABILITY: she’ll talk to anyone and anything! she flits around west ham’s social sphere like it’s nothing. EMOTIONAL STABILITY: sensitive. doesn’t hide things well. PHOBIA(S):  snakes.  being stung by a bee.  never being loved  /  never having the wherewithal to find it.  not getting a hockey scholarship.  emptying the medicine cabinet.  not being able to call her dad’s cell to hear his voice.  losing elody mae.  losing everyone. ADDICTION(S): painkillers. but she’s in denial. DRUG USE: a little here ‘n there. if others are doin’ it. ALCOHOL USE:  about as standard as you’d expect, from a varsity athlete dating another varsity athlete. PRONE TO VIOLENCE?: if provoked. she’s got a hockey stick and she’ll use it, if you threaten anybody she cares for.

mannerisms

QUIRKS: bites her bottom lip and rolls it between her teeth when she’s thinking.  squints directly at the sun despite being scolded for it for years.  latches on to friends’ arms as if the universe might tug them apart at any moment, and navigating the school parking lot is exhaustively complex –– like she might get lost; like she might lose them.  calling instead of texting.  sniffing peanut butter: she can’t eat it, but she loves how it smells.  sleeping all curled up in a ball, on her left side, with the blankets tugged up tight against her chin.  wearing beanies and baseball caps indoors.  waking up early enough for church each sunday: getting dressed, beginning the walk across town, only to turn back halfway.  running drills at the rink instead of attending lunch hour.  jotting down lyrics on standardized tests.  humming in school stairwells, when she thinks she’s alone.  tapping her locker dial three times with her index finger before putting in her combo. wriggles her nose when she’s trying not to laugh. gaze always, always drifting to the nearest window.  funky patterned socks.  she has a pair with picasso. HOBBIES: hockey. guitar, banjo, piano, drums. singing. songwriting. running, weightlifting. elody mae tried to get her into yoga, but her headspace is far too cluttered.  making late-night ice cream runs to the local parlor, because she knows the owner and he’s always ready to give her a free scoop.   HABITS: tapping her fingers on flat surfaces.  skipping meals when she’s stressed.  texting thumbs-up emojis to avoid having to give an actual answer to “ how are you? ” .  masking darker thoughts with game suggestions and silly jokes.  deflection.  wearing her father’s old army tees to bed, and sniffing them each time as if the laundered clothing might still hold onto even just a whiff of his cologne.  falling for the wrong people.  believing.  letting her nail polish chip and chip and chip until all that’s left is a silhouette of pigment.  biting her nails.  midnight runs.  pressing leaves into notebooks to capture moments for which she lacks the words.  over-gifting outside her means, arguing with her sister about it later. NERVOUS TICKS: biting her lip. not making eye contact. rubbing together her left index finger and thumb. DRIVES/MOTIVATIONS: honoring her parents’ memories. standing by elody mae. getting that hockey scholarship locked down, so her sister won’t have to give up more for her. making clark smile. oh, that boy’s smile. FEARS: the dark. heights. being stung by a bee. losing everyone.  elody mae might find out she kept their dad’s dogtags. POSITIVE TRAITS: saccharine, musical, virtuosic. NEGATIVE TRAITS: diaphanous, dewey-eyed, naive. SENSE OF HUMOR:  bubbly, giggly. she can find most things funny. DO THEY CURSE OFTEN?: no! her parents used to wash her mouth out with soap. CATCHPHRASE(S): “ well, golly ! ”  &  “ i’ll be darned ! ”  &  “ who’d have thunk ? ”

 favorites

ACTIVITY: making music, playing hockey. ANIMAL: she loves bees. even though she’s terrified of ‘em! BEVERAGE: water. BOOK: twenty-thousand leagues under the sea by jules verne. her father used to read it to her at night, chapter by chapter. it inspired her band name: pelagia .  it means the open sea. CELEBRITY: david beckham. adam mcquaid. COLOR: army green. DESIGNER: she likes thrifting. FOOD: pretzel sticks. FLOWER: daisies. GEM: amethyst. HOLIDAY: new year’s eve. she loves getting to blow party kazoos in everyone’s faces. MODE OF TRANSPORTATION: walking or running. MOVIE: he wedding date. she’s a sucker for those stupid rom-coms. the mighty ducks. slap shot. MUSICAL ARTIST: cigarettes after sex, stevie nix, amy winehouse, the band camino, daniel caesar, etc. QUOTE/SAYING: “ honey, you got a big storm comin’ ! ”  SCENERY: big open fields with bright green grass, wildflowers. SCENT: she doesn’t like candles, open flame. but she likes those lil’ air fresheners. eucalyptus, lavender, and peppermint calm her down. SPORT: hockey ! SPORTS TEAM: the west ham centurions, varsity girls hockey. she’s biased. she also likes the bruins. TELEVISION SHOW: bob ross specials. she used to watch ‘em all the time with her sister. WEATHER: warm ‘n breezy.  VACATION DESTINATION: ontario, it looks so calm.

attitudes

GREATEST DREAM: make it big in the music industry. have that be her career. GREATEST FEAR: she’ll lose more people she loves. MOST AT EASE WHEN: she’s with clark. or making tunes. LEAST AT EASE WHEN: she’s alone in the dark. BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT: selling out toad’s place for pelagia’s biggest show. BIGGEST REGRET: the last she said to her dad wasn’t i love you. MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT: she punched a boy in second grade for calling her a wussy. and then his crying made her cry. BIGGEST SECRET: she prayed to make a deal with the devil to bring her parents back and bartered anything he wanted. she feels like her father’s death is her fault. TOP PRIORITIES: spending all the time she can with clark. lookin’ after tess, making sure grizz knows he’s being watched. taking care of elody mae, at least, as much as she can. securing that hockey scholarship for college. winning states. being a good captain. making music, and using that to help... mend.

[jamaleezahra]

Challenge Accepted

Hi guys so my sister @aishadocumentaries tagged me (she tagged my old account @zahra-fata when she meant to tag my new account @jamalezahra so here it is)

rules : answer seventeen questions and then tag twenty one blogs you’d like to know better.

Nicknames: Chub, Bubby, Charby (One of my sisters not @aishadocumentaries says chubby means cute not fat)

Star sign: Cancer

Height:4'8

Last film I've seen: I have not seen a film in theaters but the last movie I've watched would have to be Hunger Games.I love the book series more though.

Favorite musician:I love a lot of musicians, they include Lil Uzi Vert,XXXTentacion(RIP),21 Savage,

Cardi B, etc.

Songs stuck in my head: Feel it still and Wasted.

Other blogs: None yet!

Do you get asks?: No! I would love to though!

Blogs following: 81

What are you wearing : A long sleeved blue shirt with a glittery gray snowflake on it, beige khakis, orange/pink hijab.

Dream job? : I don't know but I might consider game design inshallah.

Dream trip?: There are so many places I want to go to inshallah but one place I really want to go is Paris inshallah because it is so beautiful and it is such a nice place.

Play any instruments?: In 3rd grade I played the recorder and 4th-6th I played the clarinet.

What's your favorite food?: I have a lot but my top 2 favorites is mafé and soupe kanji.

Favorite Song : I don't have a favorite song but I love Wasted by Juice Wrld

Languages: English, little Pulaar,learning Spanish

Random fact: I can memorize a song if I hear it a few times. (Like Despacito)

Tag: @autumnstudentlife @bookclubaddict @cosmosstudies @catstudyblr @hardworkign @hermionesquared @journalsanctuary @mienar @motivational-studyblr @procrastinationlikeapro @postudy @procrastinatae @pennestudy @primrosestudies @ryustudies @somemachi @smilestudy @studyingvenus @warrioreads @zoella @bookmania

[kachuwritings]

Seventeen as dads

This is going to be my 200 follower special requested by a lovely anon, thank you!~

I made it with bullet points, I hope you’ll enjoy!^-^

S.Coups:

The born dad, I tell you

Searching for the perfect dad?

Here he his

Choi Seungcheol aka daddy af ;)

Is already a dad of 11, so he's experienced

He'll always know what to do, like in every situation

Has a solution for literally everything

Will care so much about your kids

He always has everything ready that your son or daughter might need when going out

Literally so protective over you and the kids

Like a momma lion, if someone steps too close to you he'll attacc

But so fluffy~ towards you and the lil ones

He loves you and the kids to no end

Will teach your son to be manly and strong

Like him

Cuz he's manly and strong (but also so fluffy and he knows he can't hide it)

Is such a happy dad overall

Jeonghan:

Prettiest dad ever

Like have you seen him???

Your kids are gonna be pretty af

Them genes gurl

He'll definitely teach them being smug

But also lazy

And you're like: “Hannie noooo! Be a better role model"

But he'll just keep lying down and munching chips with the kids

They'll love him so much for this

But honestly, he'll be a great dad

Will always take care of the kids

Will teach them useful things

Like cheating their way to success *cough*

But seriously tho!! He'll be such a good dad and he'll love it

Always ready to braid or comb his daughter’s hair

Adores her hair and thinks back to the time when his hair was long

You and him will have the prettiest kids with the most beautiful hair

Joshua:

Dorkiest dad ever

Always gentle and nice tho

But can be low-key a lil bitch

Your kids will love him

Always sings them to sleep with his sweet voice while playing guitar

And you're sitting next to him, adoring him and asking yourself how you've become so lucky

Such a good dad

Like for real

He's like one of these role model dads

Going on bike rides with the kids

And teaching them how to swim

Playing games

Just being a dad

It's like his new fav thing to do

And you're glad he's around so much even tho he has such a busy schedule

Will force your kids to go to church with him (ok this is joke chill guys)

You couldn't wish for a better dad

Like Really.

Jun:

The duality of this dude will even confuse his children

One time he'll be a shy lil muffin dad

And another one he'll be an overconfident daddy-o

Don’t get fooled by this one

He'll always keep it interesting

Your kids will never be bored with him

Is a talented beb and will probably teach your kids everything they want to

He can act so he’ll probably teach your children how to act

They’ll be asking him to do improvisations and watch him act out different roles

It’s so entertaining and you realize once again how amazing your man Wen Junhui is

Like….so so soooo amazing

Is SOFT

Like so soft for you and the kids

Also low-key emotional

Don't let him cry in front of the kids or they'll get worried lmao

But you'll be such a happy family

He'll teach you and the kids everything about Chinese culture

And of course your kids will grow up being able to speak mandarin

Even if you don't stan Wen Junhui, believe me you'd want kids with him

Hoshi:

FunNieSt DaD eVer

Like Hoshi is such a cinnamon roll

He'll adore your kids to no end

Always makes them laugh and is able to cheer them up when they're sad

Probably teaches them how to dance

Like gurl, you're married to a choreographer or course your children are going to love dancing with their dad

BeCauSE

Look at this good-looking, talented, lil bun

Such a proud dad

Your children are equally as proud of him

BuTttt

Hoshi is a cinnamon roll...most of the time

There's these rare occasions when he'll get angry because he's overworked and stressed and loses his temper

Can be reallll scary when angry

Your children will be low-key shocked about his sudden change of demeanor

But he'll notice and be like: Omg I cAnT posSibLy scAre mY oWn cHildRen

And he'll immediately calm down and comfort your kids

He's a loving dad and would feel really guilty to have scared them momentarily

Wonwoo:

Ayyyyy I see him as such a cute and nerdy dad

Like, always wears his glasses and looking fluffy af

You and the kids gotta deal with his occasional dad jokes

Thinks is funny, but really isn't

He even isn't funny to a point where it becomes funny again

Buys cute lil glasses for your children to match him

You get one too, believe me

You'll be the perfect nerd family

He'll always sit with the children in the evening and reads them stories from books to fall asleep to

Since Wonwoo loves books, your children will come to love them as well

Already at a young age

Probably eager to teach your children how to read before they even enter school

I see him as this typical, cute, fluffy, nerdy dad

+SOFT AF

Woozi:

Oh oh, don't get me started with this one

Your children are going to LOVE music

He’ll teach them how to play instruments

he'll play the sweetest of melodies on the piano

Will also sing to your children when they can't fall asleep

He might look cold and unemotional

Or kinda hard on the outside

But the love he holds inside his heart for you and the kids is infinite

He might not show his affection a lot

And also is kind of a workaholic kinda dad

Because he loves his job and music and he's so dedicated

But

If he does show his affection and become clingy and cuddly

You'll feel how much your family means to him

Probably writes a song about you and the kids

You guys are his inspiration and motivation

You help him keep going

In total

Just a cute lil dad who wants to love and be loved

Also kinda manly at times tho

But overall a really caring dad

DK:

Damn...he's such a loud dad

Like sooooo loud

Probably screams louder than all your children combined

Will always play with them

They probably gonna have a screaming contest

Y'all be playing some game and he'll randomly start screaming and entertaining y’all

He's such a fun dad seriously

Always knows what your children want

And always ready to spoil them

Is also soFT

And emotional

Is sensitive and gets hurt easily

Will then sulk and pout at your kids (in a joking manner) until they feel guilty and shower him with hugs

ALWAYS TAKES YOUR KIDS ON PIGGY-BACK RIDES 1.0

And he's definitely also one of these dads who'll sing your children to sleep

Maybe you'll even join him and you'll sing together

But you also just want to listen to his beautiful voice

Is probably the most excited dad ever

Mingyu:

This tall bean lmao

Such a clumsy dad I tell you

He's a literal puppy

He's also such a big baby and he always seems to trip over his own feet

Your children will probably laugh at him tbh

But he won't be mad since he's happy he can entertain them

Even if he makes a fool out of himself

ALWAYS TAKES YOUR KIDS ON PIGGY-BACK RIDES 2.0

Like they'll love to have such a great view over the world from such a high spot

Cuz Mingyu is as tall ad a mountain

Yup

He's a fluffy bean and will make sure his children are always happy

He loves cooking for y'all

He'll cook so many delicious foods

Your children get excited and want to help him

So he'll teach them how to cook

It's such a sweet sight seeing your man cooking with your children in the kitchen

He's the kind of Disney prince dad

Like the perfect and most handsome dad ever

You couldn't wish for anything better

Minghao:

A smug dad tbh

He's a savage but also a lil bean

Such an innocent dad help

He's emotional and so caring

He'll give you and your children the whole freaking world

Always makes sure you’re all happy

Hates to see any of you unhappy

But sometimes...sometimes...

When thughao gets through to him

Your kids will be like what??just??happened???with???dad???

He'll have the most savage things to say and y'all are just lmao u for real?

Probably teaches your kids to be swaggy and savage

Also wants to teach them how to b-boy

The other half of chinaline, so your kids will grow up to know how to speak mandarin as well

Also loves to read to them like Wonwoo

Discusses books with you and the children like in a small book club

Also goes to art museums with y'all and teach you about art

You'll all draw and paint together

Your children will love to throw paint at the canvas, lemme tell you

IT'LL CREATE A MESS

But it's a happy mess, so it's okay

Coolest dad ever!!!

Fite me on this one

Seungkwan:

OVERDRAMATIC DAD OH LORD

If one of your children trips and scratches his knee

He'll act as if they're about to die

Rushes towards them and makes sure they're okay

“OMG MY BABY IS HURT"

he's so caring istg

Even if he's overreacting and overdramatic

It only shows how much he cares for all of you

Loves you and the kids to no end

Sweetest father ever

(Whenever he's not in diva!boo mode)

Also has a beautiful voice

Of course I won't forget about this

I've mentioned it a lot

BuTtttt

Will also sing your children to sleep

Will always sing

Like 24/7

Will sing when preparing breakfast for y'all

Will sing in the shower

Will sing when picking your children up from kindergarden

Will probably even sing while taking a nap istg this boi

But you and the kids love his voice

(Even if it's sometimes a lil much)

But they'll definitely want to sing along with him so he'll teach them how to sing the songs they like

So proud of you and the kids

Vernon:

Oh no this dork

He's soooooft

But also chill and relaxed

Your life will be so comfortable with him

Your kids will really take after him

Y'all are going to have lazy family movie evenings

But

Like I said

He's a dork

Probably tries to sell his mixtape to your children

And they'll be like

Dadd????

What is this???

We don't have any money???

He'll make them listen to the mixtape along with you

And they're so surprised like

Omg I didn't know my dad was so cool

He can rap??? My dad can rap???

Your kids will be so amazed

Want him to teach them how to rap

Probably writes funny little rhymes about your family life or other stuff that he'll rap to your kids

They'll have so much fun

He even tries to teach them how to write lyrics

But they'll just stare at him with big eyes

Like

Dad...how do you even write? What is the alphabet?

And you'll just look at them and giggle to yourself

Your life will be all around great with Vernon and the kids

You have such a chill family life

Y'all harmonize so well with each other

Chillest dad ever

Like your kids will never get in trouble because he's so chill

But still cares about teaching your children proper manners

Dino:

Aaaaah the baby himself has babies what

Ok i'm sorry

Chan is an adult now

He's a hard-working one

Very passionate

Very thoughtful dad

He'll know how to treat you and the children right

Your children look up to him tbh

Entertains you all with Michael Jackson impersonations

DaNcE GoD

Will probably teach your children how to dance like Hoshi

But they'll also be so eager about it

Every time they see him dance they're like

OMG DAD!!! TEACH US!!

DAD I WANNA KNOW HOW TI DANCE

And he'll be so proud

Will definitely teach them

It's gonna be so much fun and you're watching them trying to get the moves right and copying his movements

He's an active and motivated dad

Y'all are probably be the next new dancing family in town

[kendalls-korean-studies]

About Me Tag

Thank you so much for tagging me @fluentlee​! It honestly made my day.

A B O U T  M E: name: Kendall nickname(s): Kendall, I guess that’s really it? gender/pronouns: She/her zodiac: Taurus c: height: 5′5′’ I think hair color: Dark brown eye color: Green sexuality: Straight languages: Native English speaker, one year of Mandarin, and technically a few years of self taught Korean but I took quite a break so it created a huge setback for me. dream trip: Everywhere honestly. I would love to eventually go to Japan, China, Finland, Canada, Belgium, Germany, France, Sweden, etc. I do want to live in Korea one day as well. dream job: Something in the music industry. I would love to produce my own music, I want to learn how to dance and sing but I have no idea where to start. 

F A V O R I T E S: season: Spring! color: Black, Blue, Peach, etc. animal: Owls, Bunnies, Chipmunks. artists: Metric, NCT, One OK Rock, TWICE, etc. food: Chocolate (Does that count?) songs: Mighty Long Fall - One OK Rock, Pierce - One OK Rock, DDU-DU-DDU-DU - Blackpink, Wake Me Up - TWICE, I can keep on going honestly. fictional characters: Ritchie Tozier - IT, Mare - Red Queen, Peter Parker, Todoroki - Bnha, + More. books: Red Queen, IT, Daughter of Smoke and Bone, City of Bones,  dogs or cats: Cats! I like both but cats ultimately win for me.  coffee or tea: Both? 

A B O U T  M Y  B L O G: created: December 2016 I think? why did i choose my username: My name plus my target language and then studies.  following: 400... Oof, I know quite a few dont post much anymore though unfortunately.  followers: 570, omg thank you so much how tho. <3 why i made this account: As an attempt to motivate myself to dedicate myself to my studies more and to try and make more friends with similar interests and goals.  other blogs: My Overwatch League Blog,  and My Fashion Blog. I really just reblog things on both of those.  did you ever think of deactivating: Not Really. No reason to, this community is amazing. 

L A S T  T H I N G  I: watched: Youtube - A GoodGuyFitz video, Twitch - OWL Playoffs, Show - My Hero Academia. googled: ‘Tri Tom Sheet Music’ texted: “R u awake” to my sister ate: ... Hot Dogs played: Overwatch

O T H E R: average hours of sleep: Oof my sleep schedule is so so bad rn. I take super long naps in the day bc of lack of sleep at night and it just makes it worse. At night I’d say 3-4 hours but in a total 24 hours about 7-8. songs that get stuck in my head: The Twist - Metric, Bedroom Warfare - One OK Rock songs that make me boogie: Chain - NCT 127, Chase me - Dreamcatcher lucky number: 7 and/or 13 what i’m wearing now: Pajamas  play any instruments: Recently moved up to Tri Toms in Marching band, Very Stressful, I would like to pick up piano, I played for maybe a year around 4th grade. 

R A N D O M  F A C T S:

Makeup and Fashion are very interesting to me but I’m too lazy to make the effort myself unfortunately. 

I’m very interested in the histories and cultures around the world. 

Recently moved from playing Cymbals to Tri Toms in marching band and It’s such a big jump it’s very confusing and stressful but as I’m entering my senior year it’s really my only option if I want the experience. 

I admire so many people on here but I’m too shy to start a conversation and become friends which is a bit frustrating for me. 

F I R S T  P I C T U R E  I N  Y O U R  C A M E R A  R O L L:

Context: My friend Shaiann balanced a lil mini fan on the side of her snare drum and it’s genius. 

So I don’t really have friends on here unfortunately so If you don’t want to do this that’s fine but I would like to tag : @dailydoseofkorea, @sabrinstudies, and @koreanwithme. You’re all wonderful and I hope everyone has had a great day!

[starlingsrps]

lily ford char. dev. (long)

BASIC INFORMATION

FULL NAME: lily jean ford

REASONING: nah

NICKNAME(S): lil is about it

PREFERRED NAME(S): lily

BIRTH DATE: september 18

AGE: twenty three

ZODIAC: virgo

GENDER: cis female

PRONOUNS: she/her

ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: heterosexual

SEXUAL ORIENTATION: heterosexual

NATIONALITY: american

ETHNICITY: american (european mutt)

CURRENT LOCATION: los angeles, ca

LIVING CONDITIONS: small apartment with brady - she's not quite ready to upgrade just yet and they're fine where they're at damnit.

BACKGROUND

BIRTH PLACE: kearney, ne

HOMETOWN: kearney, ne

SOCIAL CLASS: lower-upper

EDUCATION LEVEL: high school diploma, acting classes

FATHER: christopher ford, 46, middle school principal

MOTHER: kathy ford, 46, nurse

SIBLING(S): topher, 20; reese, 17

BIRTH ORDER: oldest

CHILDREN: ------

PET(S): nah but she loves all dogs

OTHER IMPORTANT RELATIVES: brady's family

PREVIOUS RELATIONSHIPS: nope.

CURRENT RELATIONSHIP: going on ten years with brady

ARRESTS?: oh no

OCCUPATION & INCOME

PRIMARY SOURCE OF INCOME: actress - current project is the darkened room

CONTENT WITH THEIR JOB (OR LACK THERE OF)?: it's the dream. she moved to LA to be an actress and after five years of extra work and playing dead bodies, she finally has a starring role and it's EVERYTHING.

PAST JOB(S): waitress

SPENDING HABITS: pretty responsible. she gets a lot of free stuff which blows her mind.

MOST VALUABLE POSSESSION: she bought a pair of prada sunglasses that she never wears and keeps in the box still because they were too expensive.

SKILLS & ABILITIES

PHYSICAL STRENGTH: B+

SPEED: B+

INTELLIGENCE: B

ACCURACY: B

AGILITY: B

STAMINA: A+ - lily is a champ at waiting around on set

TEAMWORK: good!

TALENTS: acting, decorating

SHORTCOMINGS: she's hella naive

LANGUAGE(S) SPOKEN: english

DRIVE?: yep

JUMP-STAR A CAR?: yep

CHANGE A FLAT TIRE?: yep

RIDE A BICYCLE?: yep

SWIM?: sure

PLAY AN INSTRUMENT?: nope

PLAY CHESS?: nope

BRAID HAIR?: yep

TIE A TIE?: yep

PICK A LOCK?: nope

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE & CHARACTERISTICS

FACE CLAIM: abigail cowen

EYE COLOR: blue

HAIR COLOR: red

HAIR TYPE/STYLE: long. it's pretty much signature.

GLASSES/CONTACTS?: glasses

DOMINANT HAND: right

HEIGHT: 5'8

BUILD: slim

EXERCISE HABITS: daily and she loathes it.

SKIN TONE: fair and freckled

TATTOOS: nah

PIERCINGS: ears

MARKS/SCARS: a few moles and a birthmark on her left arm

NOTABLE FEATURES: the Hair

USUAL EXPRESSION: cheerful.

CLOTHING STYLE: california casual

JEWELRY: sometimes yes, sometimes no

ALLERGIES: nah

DIET: healthy af

PHYSICAL AILMENTS: nah

PSYCHOLOGY

ENNEAGRAM TYPE: 2 - the helper

MORAL ALIGNMENT: lawful good

TEMPERAMENT: choleric

ELEMENT: fire

MBTI TYPE: ESFP

MENTAL CONDITIONS/DISORDERS: some anxiety but nothing too bad. pot helps.

SOCIABILITY: good! she's a lil ray of sunshine

EMOTIONAL STABILITY: pretty chill.

OBSESSION(S): nah

COMPULSION(S): nah

PHOBIA(S): failure and fire

ADDICTION(S): nah

DRUG USE: she won't say no to pot now and then but she's trying to be better about such things, considering.

ALCOHOL USE: sure.

PRONE TO VIOLENCE?: nope.

MANNERISMS

SPEECH STYLE: bright and upbeat - she sounds like a disney princess

ACCENT: nah

QUIRKS: she does not sleep. she is the worst sleeper on record.

HOBBIES: going to the beach, shopping, crafts

HABITS: pilates every morning, damn it to hell.

NERVOUS TICKS: braiding her hair

DRIVES/MOTIVATIONS: brady, happiness, success

POSITIVE TRAITS: sweet, talented, encouraging, loyal, hardworking, patient  

NEGATIVE TRAITS: naive, sensitive, impulsive, shy

SENSE OF HUMOR: anything!

DO THEY CURSE OFTEN?: not really

CATCHPHRASE(S): nah.

FAVORITES

ACTIVITY: being with brady but also being on set

ANIMAL: dogs

BEVERAGE: water

BOOK: yes please

COLOR: yellow

DESIGNER: elie saab

FOOD: cinnamon rolls

FLOWER: white peonies

GEM: diamonds

HOLIDAY: christmas

MODE OF TRANSPORTATION: drive and she's really liking being driven about

MOVIE: casablanca

SONG: "juice" by lizzo

SCENERY: the ocean

SCENT: the beach and flowers

SPORT: football

SPORTS TEAM: the huskers

TELEVISION SHOW: house hunters

WEATHER: sunny socal weather

VACATION DESTINATION: home

ATTITUDES

GREATEST DREAM: she's living it

GREATEST FEAR: losing everything

MOST AT EASE WHEN: with brady

LEAST AT EASE WHEN: frickin paparazzi

WORST POSSIBLE THING THAT COULD HAPPEN: going back to nebraska alone and having failed.

BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT: being cast on the darkened room

BIGGEST REGRET: she tries not to.

BIGGEST SECRET: nah.

TOP PRIORITIES: brady, her career, learning how to floss.

[thelifedocumentor]

Reflecting on Solange’s artistic masterpiece, A Seat At The Table

When I was at the of age 17, in my final year of high school, I listened to a few albums that were pivotal to my evolution as a black woman. These albums set me on a trajectory of understanding myself and the world I live in. One of these albums was A Seat At The Table by Solange Knowles. The album helped me make sense of so many things that I wasn’t able to articulate into words at the time. When I listened to the lyrics, it became an unspoken synergy between the music and my mind. The purpose of this piece is to reflect on this artistic and cultural masterpiece. With strikingly appealing visuals, that may make you overlook the depth it weighs, I unpack how it paid homage to black people, black womanhood and what inspired Solange on her journey to creating it.

It’s been 4 years since Solange Knowles released A Seat At The Table and it is more relevant than ever. The album was welcomed well and achieved great success in the industry such as the Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance for "Cranes in the Sky". However, it packs so much historical significance in an honest and relatable way. Solange paid homage to her roots and family’s history. She translates all of her life's experiences, frustrations, victories, views of the world into the art, and still gently encourages us to rise above it all. The way she was able to intersect the eras of her life and current social issues makes the album contemporary but still defies the limitations of time.

Through symbolism in her imagery and documentation of critical conversations in the interludes, she makes cultural references that urge us to go back and interrogate history. This is exactly why I love it when musicians revisit their origins because you have to decode the message and you can’t help but dig deeper which enlightens you.  Especially if you didn't have the opportunity to traditionally study African history, art, philosophy, literature, or social anthropology – subjects which are the foundation of understanding our existence. Some of these conversations are painful and resonate with most of us, but we are forced to tackle them because they are in our spaces and are constantly woven into our lives’ phases.

Solange sings in a very harmonious and spiritual nature. It can be felt that Raphael Saadiq was the executive producer because the album has soul. And then some of the songs have an uptown funk groove. Solange draws inspiration from spirituality and metaphysics as we have seen in her overall creative direction.  

The album has a lot of interludes in between the songs,  which thoughtfully provide background and paint the scene of what inspired the song. Solange sets the tone with Rise as the first song on the album - which I think is perfect that she began with that song because it’s about channelling your light. It almost serves as a  metaphor for how she began rising above it all by writing this music. Rise begins softly while her words dance on the beautiful percussion. The central theme is not crumbling under the heaviness of the world, she motivates us to rise and prosper. It then moves on to Weary whereby she admits she is tired.  She is tired of being strong and having to hold it all together. Even the way she pronounces her words, represents how weighed down she has been feeling, she expresses all these anxieties but in a way that sounds so heavenly.  Solange then continues to narrate all of these pains in great detail on Cranes In The Sky. She documents her process of coping. She sings in such an angelic way you might even think she is trying to romanticize her struggles, but through all of these methods, she was still aspiring to be free. The more she tried to escape, the heavier she would feel. When she says, “Sometimes I don’t want to feel those metal clouds” , she yearns for freedom. Although the song is sombre, it offers solace to artists who often have to romanticize their pain in the virtue of creating art because, in the process of creating, they also heal others who are seeking a sanctuary.

Don’t Touch My Hair and Mad address the way black women’s struggles are downplayed in society. Don't Touch My Hair is so relevant because we see our hair as our crown. People often feel so entitled to intrude and touch it mindlessly – sometimes without even permission. When Solange says “Don’t touch my hair”- it’s not just hair but it’s about so much more of our existence as black people. She and Sampha sing so softly, “Whatcha say to me? Whatcha say to me” and I love that part. She’s standing up and going “Hey, don't violate me, don't dehumanize me. Don't intrude my space.” When you have an encounter like that, you feel pulled in between the tensions of “Would my personality be perceived as overbearing, am I being too much if I reprimand people who make me feel uncomfortable. Or should I call it out?” Sometimes you summon the courage to call it out, and then sometimes you don’t call it out - just praying it doesn't happen to you again. So it's really powerful when she says that. She is taking control of her autonomy. She is communicating that it okay to set boundaries. The music videos for Don’t Touch My Hair and Cranes In The Sky have a dreamy and ethereal aesthetic.  

We move onto Mad which features Lil Wayne. In Mad, Solange is saying don’t gaslight me when I speak of my suffering as a black woman. “Why are you always so angry?” Solange says I have a right to be angry. And it is highly justified. Just because it might be outside of your reality, it is my reality. So my pain should also be treated with the same level of urgency and preciousness as any other person. I have a right to be soft and delicate. Throughout A Seat At The Table, Solange offers a sanctuary for black women while she uses it as an instrument to make her voice heard.

I also really appreciate how For Us By Us is a song for black affirmation. This art was made by us, for us. This is important because I believe nobody can tell your story better than yourself. She describes so many different microaggressions that black people face in society. She breaks them down in detail. Solange sings, “When you driving in your tinted car and you're criminal, just who you are, but you know you're gonna make it far.”  That was incredibly significant because it’s saying no matter how much you have been disrespected and you’re angry about it, you have a story to tell, you’re a child of the stars.  You are going to make it far because your vision is larger than life, it’s larger than everything that tries to suppress your voice. Solange says you’ve taken so much from us – but why don’t you value us? And then The Dream sings, “Don't clip my wings before I learn to fly. I didn't come back down to Earth to die.” The message is don’t suppress my voice when I am trying to rise. However,  we can even delve deeper into that because if someone clips your wings before you’ve learned to fly – they’ve taken away your power before you were even able to recognize it. So that you aren’t aware of your brilliance.  And then lastly, the song I will discuss is Where Do We Go which is towards the end. Where Do We Go is a plea to repair our society. In the songs and interludes, she describes these issues and tensions but now she begs us to move forward by taking action to improve these issues. It is a crucial inquiry because ultimately we have to make conscious efforts to progress in the present and mold a better future. Nobody has all the answers, we are all trying to figure it out as a collective, but we can try every day. Her storytelling encourages us to rise above it all and accept that it’s okay to not have all the answers.

In a 2016 interview with Tom Breihan for STEREOGUM, Solange shared her inspirations for her album which I will now be unpacking in depth.

The killings of innocent black people in America under law enforcement served as catalysts for change. Solange made references to these events and draws in knowledge from her parents’ experiences as well. Solange revisited Lousiana and Creole for her healing and desire to connect to something bigger, and she ultimately was inspired by this pilgrimage.

Artistically, Solange was inspired by Mark Rothko’s collection at the Menil Museum in Houston, Citizen – An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine which is a book-length poem about everyday racial struggles in America. When I discovered this, I went back to read some of Rankine’s poems and she is incredible. She combines visual art, quotations from artists, and scripts. One quote by Claudia Rankine that stood out for me was "I love language because when it succeeds, for me, it doesn't just tell me something. It enacts something." When you read that doesn’t it just embody Solange’s vision with her album? She was also inspired by Robert Pruitt, Lynette Yiadom Boakim, and Fire Shut Up In My Bones by Charles Blow. Musically, Solange was inspired by Syreeta Wright’s Black Maybe, D’ Angelo’s Africa, Kanye West’s “We Major.” That influenced the sound of her horns and piano in the album. Vocally she was inspired by Master P and No Limit Records, Minnie Riperton, Tweet’s Southern Hummingbird and Lauryn Hill’s I Get Out. Many songs on the album encapsulate her soul-funk sound that characterized her music style from her early career.

Spiritually, Solange was inspired by Sun Ra and Alice Coltrane to channel a higher frequency in the album. Let me tell you something super crazy about these two Jazz composers. Their music is spiritual right, however, I didn’t know about Sun Ra. When I researched Sun Ra I discovered that his themes were afro-futurism, cosmic philosophy, and spirituality. The only Jazz composers I was exposed to whose music was spiritually influenced were Alice and John Coltrane. And in terms of poets, in South Africa, I was exposed to Credo Muthwa. So to come across Sun Ra was crazy to me because not only was he pioneering the Afro-futuristic school of thought, he also inspired Petite Noir and Rharha  Nembhard – the Noirwave on their Afro-futuristic creative executions. Also what is super crazy is that Sun Ra was also born on the 22nd of May – which is my birthday! I mean – can this get more supernatural?

Afro-futurism is an entirely different ideology, and it could be a topic on its own but the fact that Solange can rope in these diverse teachings into her music is truly admirable. Overall, sonically the album is therapeutic – the way she arranged the songs and the harmonies -  she pieces together all of the musical influences she loved growing up. I am sure she made every single person who contributed to it proud because she elevated to a different plane.  

We don't fully understand ourselves - I don't think any artist does because by creating, you are trying to understand your world and heal from your pain. And it just so happens that others find healing in it too. Your journey is constantly unravelling. You read books, engage with art, have enriching conversations. You are forced to stretch outside of your comfort zone and spiral into new layers of awareness - all of these things shape you. And sometimes the only way you can move forward is by creating art.

Fundamentally, A Seat At The Table is an ode to black women. As younger black girls are growing up, we need to expose them to iconic works of this nature. So that they are empowered in ways that some of us weren’t growing up. It is one to be studied for generations to come because the themes are just that momentous.

A Seat At The Table is one of those albums that you have to revisit now and then. You know get some books that are classic masterpieces, you read them once. And then you engage with them again when you're a little bit older. When you read them again, it feels so new as if you have never read it before -  and that’s simply because you are revisiting it with a richer understanding. You have gained new experiences and your horizons have expanded.

I hope I have inspired you today to revisit this album. If you haven’t listened to it before, I hope that you enjoy it and that you bask fully in that magical experience.

Images from the A Seat At The Table Digital photobook, courtesy of solange music. References: https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/22482-a-seat-at-the-table/

https://www.stereogum.com/featured/solange-shares-her-inspirations-for-a-seat-at-the-table/

https://www.solangemusic.com/

[jgdsignz]

Free experimental hip hop by JGDSIGNZ instrumental type beat Stimulated by JGDSIGNZ Experimental hip hop by JGDSIGNZ (instrumental type beat) In this video JGDSIGNZ experiments with his sounds and dives into experimental hip hop. _______________________________________________________________________ Want to hear more by J G D S I G N Z do the following 1. H i t s u b s c r i b e to my channel 2. Turn on notifications. 3. Be kind leave a comment 4. Hit like or Dis-like button _______________________________________________________________________ Free Download and more! https://bit.ly/34ybfVO 🔥Help me reach one hundred ——— 🌴 ——— JGDSIGNZ is a prolific artist and music producer from NYC New York. Like, and subscribe if you rock with J G D S I G N Z 😉 new music coming soon "Stay Up" produced by JGDSIGNZ _______________________________________________________________________ Follow my journey here: ☛ ● Twitter: http://twitter.com/jgdsignz ● Instagram: https://bit.ly/2jfkXaH ● Soundcloud: https://bit.ly/2Bw0x3Z ● Website: https://bit.ly/2Ph6WGA ● Twitch: https://bit.ly/2WH8Mq0 _______________________________________________________________________ For new music producers and recording artists Get %7 off Distrokid https://bit.ly/2IPwEkL Get %10 off Waves Audio https://bit.ly/2ZqwKIg Get $10 dollars off at Sticker mule https://bit.ly/2RgBSKr... _______________________________________________________________________ Thank you for watching stay tune for more. @JGDSIGNZ Date: Sep 9, 2020 Thank you to @Ill Mind for music production motivation! _______________________________________________________________________ #JGDSIGNZ #producedbyjgdsignz #logicprox #hiphopinstrumental, #reggaetontypebeat #lofitypebeat #chilltypebeat #Beats #musicproducer #makingbeats #studiolife #musiclife #spotify #RecordingStudio #studioflow #producerlife #hiphop #abletonlive10 #musicians #recording #maschineMK3 #baysidenyc #boombap #hiphopmusic #musicproduction #prodbyJGDSIGNZ #lowereastside #hiphopculture #multimedia #house #studiosessions #lofi #lofihiphop #chill #nativeinstruments #music . . . . _______________________________________________________________________ polo g type beat, polo g, polo g type beat free, free polo g type beat, polo g type beat 2019, polo g instrumental, polo g beats, polo g type beats, polo g type beat 2019 free, lil tjay type beat, Russ type beat, Logic type beat, lil durk, lil durk type beat, lil durk free type beat, lil durk type beat 2019, lil baby, lil baby type beat, lil baby free type beat, lil baby type beat 2019, lil skies type beat , lil skies type beat, lil skies, free type beat, type beat, free lil skies type beat, lil skies type beat 2018, free, instrumental, lil xan type beat, type beats, lil skies instrumental, beat, experimental type beat, illmind producer type beat, djpain1 type beat, life style did it type beat, decap type beat _______________________________________________________________________ drake type beat, drake, lil skies type beats, type, lil, lil xan, free beat, free beats, drake type beat 2019, skies, chemist, 2019, cashmoneyap, non profit beat, free lil xan type beat, free lil skies type beats, lil skies type instrumental, lil xan type beat 2019, free drake type beat, murda type beat, banger beats 2020, 2020 type beats, _______________________________________________________________________ you still reading this follow me that will make me happy! peace by JGDSIGNZ

[absentkidposts]

The life of Disco

Disco is probably one of the most recognizable and historical music genres of all time and has the most inteteresting rise, fall and rebirth that society has ever seen.

Birth

Disco has been out there since the 60′s, as a way of self expression, many black and latino gay men in the US started mixing their culture and gave it an american/mainstream twist, not with the intention of becoming superstars or any above those lines, but to give themselves a place and enviroment to dance freely. Disco takes african and caribbean melodies and combines them with electronic instrumentation and pop lyrical structure, the vocal side was later added when black women started becoming a part of the genre, since most black artist at the time had a gospel background, they brought soul which caused male black artists to come in the mix and add a Jazz/Soul/R&B to the whole thing. As a result, Disco became the genre for minorities in North America, it became a musical home for all of this artists who kept being ignored and pushed to a side for their accents and skin colour, the culture that was once demonized became the standard, ever since Disco we also started seeing women being sexually liberated, Disco gave women a platform to sexualize men the same way men over-sexualize women. Donna Summer, Diana Ross, Little Richard, etc. all of these black artists took control over their careers and identities by the late 70′s; of course, white entertainers took a deep dive on the genre, Saturday Night Fever is a prime example of white washing, even the director and producer of the movie has accepted that he had no idea of the background of Disco and percieved the genre as music only for the cool (white) kids, however not all the whites were fads, the legendary Cher started bringing many black artists on her show to share duets and mix their music, she didn’t steal, but was a a part of it and even introduced The Jackson 5 to the mainstream! 

Death 

The night of the 12 of July of 1979, although deleted from history, was quite impotant for the genre, that night, over sixty thousand white americans went to a baseball match, they watched the first part of the game while playing frisbee with Disco records (they say Donna Summers’ albums were the most thrown around) when the halftime came, half of the public slid down their seats to the field and started throwing all the records to one big pit that was later set on fire, leaving one big hole on the field. 

But why did they do it? The whites organized this whole event claiming that Disco was harmful to America’s ethic and moral values, but the actual motives are incredibly rooted on racism, sexism and xenophobia, before Disco, mainstream music was basic Pop and Rock n’ Roll manufactured by white artists, in fact, big names like Elvis stole most of their discography and style from black and latin artists, but after the Motown phenomenon and the rise of Disco, white artists started being pushed to the side and sexual and racial diversity was becoming a norm, turning mad all of white America. After this event Disco started slowly drifting and we started seeing more white artists rise to fame, and even though the 80′s carried some influence, Disco never came back to its original form. The media also started a whole “Disco sucks” campaign, many tv shows started putting the genre on a bad light, pushing the idea that it was hideous and annoying. However Disco didn’t go anywhere, it found a home at Chicago’s night clubs and was pretty much an underdog that heavily influenced the 80′s. 

Rebirth

As I said, Disco nver left, but it took a step back, ever since the 70s, Disco has never left mainstream, synth, alternative, pop, lofi, electronica, french house, etc. Every deacde has severe Disco undertones that mantained the genre alive; on recent years Nostalgia has become the overall market biggest trend, the 80s are right now the ultimate aesthetic, we can see it in fashion, cinematography and of course, music; mainstream artists like Dua Lipa or The Weeknd have succesfully brought very solid, trap/pop infused sound to mainstream. Artists like Daft Punk and Tame Impala have also maintained the synth/funk genre alive throughout the last decade and helped it get to the general public once again on a more organic form.

I’m not the biggest fashionista, I’m aware of the trends but I don’t wear them, I don’t have the cash and the physicality to pull them off, however I observe ‘em and I’ve noticed that up from early 2018 the 80′s have come back, and with the 80′s come the 70′s, although i feel that a hybrid between the 70′s and 00′s will be the definitive fashion trend; so expect everyone to look the same way Elton Jhon, Diana Ross, Grace Jones and Cher looked on the late 70′s (this also goes along with the resurgance of Camp fashion). 

What’s incredibly fitting is that, as of right now, the music industry is pretty much being dominated by black and latin artists, everyone all over the world is listening to Reggateon, Lil Nas (a gay black men) has the longest running #1 hit (Old Town Road) on the billboard charts (the most prestigous chart in the music industry), for the first time ever the Superbowl Halftime Show was headlined by latin artists, Shakira and JLo (both mothers over 40, ignoring the exotic youthful stereotype of latinas in the US), and for the first time in history, four black women have being at the top of the billboard hot 100 (Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj, Meghan Thee Stallion and Doja Cat). Of course the industry won’t duplicate the 70′s as a whole, but we are getting, let’s say, a more progressive and even more diverse decade full of tasteful up-beat music from all over the world so even though I’m not gonna dance for sh*t for the next decade, the energy will be enough to keep me vibing and enjoying . 

[youngandhungryent]

Lil B Returns With His Latest Project “Trap Oz”

At 30-years-old, Lil B has accomplished more than most people his age. He’s an author, rapper, producer, motivational speaker, and overall icon for this generation. Lil B returned this week with his latest project, Trap Oz. Like most albums from the Based God, it’s lengthy listen running with 37 songs running at two and a half hours. Trap Oz includes songs like “I’m Kanye,” and “Harry Potter” which gives a solid dose of his humor with some bars. Additionally, he flexes his production skills on the project with not only hip-hop instrumentals but also full-blown EDM tracks. “Save The Planet” and “I’m So Happy” find Lil B producing electronic music which perhaps could be the next move in his career. 

Peep his latest project, Trap Oz below. 

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[aspirationfail]

MARSHAL “ MARS”  TAYLOR

Name: Marshal Taylor Alias’: Mars

Nickname: Mars, Idiot, Asshole, and… Daddy Age: 28 Gender: Male Species: Human

Social Class: High Class Birthdate: May 19, 1989 Time of birth: 2:00 pm Birthplace: Queens, New York

Zodiac

Sun: Gemini

Moon: Pisces

Rising: Virgo

Nationality: African-American Race: Black Occupation: Music Producer Language(s): English, Cajun-French, and a tad bit of Spanish Native tongue: English Religion: Christianity — Education: Master’s degree in Music Weapons/Offensive equipment: None Items/Defensive equipment/Misc: Wallet with a photo of Lei’s ultrasound, a few business cards, and a bunch of cards, headphones, phone, and usually a paper with some girls number written on it. Money/Amount of: -Funds (On person): $89 -Funds (In bank): Over 80k+ Transportation: — Blood type: AB Height: 6’1 Weight: 186 Eye Color: Light brown/Hazel-ish Hair: Buzzcut that’s dyed light pink. Skin: Dark caramel with a slight mix of mocha to it. Figure/build: Very in shape, has a very mainly build.

Voice: here — Distinguishing marks: -Tattoo(s): One face tattoos and about 10 tattoos on his body. -Scars: None -Piercings: Ears & Nipples -Clothing style: His sister, Jett, picks out his clothes so his style is kind of all over the place. It’s nice, though! — Currently lives: Venice, Los Angeles Living Arrangements: He stays in a nice sized penthouse; three bedrooms, 4.5 baths, rooftop access. A perfect living space for a modern-day playboy. Description of daily surroundings: Very quiet, clean area. Sometimes random girls coming over and staying over. — Hobbies: Writing music, singing, making beats for fun. Talents/Skills: Can sing extremely well, plays over 13 instruments, Strengths: Himself, his music, and Weaknesses: Leilani, his mother, cats. — Love interest(s): None. Sexual Orientation: Straight

Are they Sexually Active: …Too sexually active Love or Lust: Lust… love doesn’t sound too bad to him, though. — Left handed or right?: Both

What does their writing look like?:

Diet: Typical diet, he consumes what you’re normally supposed to eat. Virgin?: LMAOOOO Drinker?: Yea, only when he goes out though. Smoker?: ..weed. Drug user?: He used to do cocaine and LSD when he was with Marcy but got a bad trip once so he stopped doing both about three months later. Other addictions?: None Pet peeves: Nail bitters

Police/Criminal/Legal record: None Personal Hygiene: Super clean dude, he loves smelling good and looking clean. He kind of smells womanly because he uses bath bombs here and there + sometimes fruity soaps, lol. Introvert or Extrovert: Extrovert

What does your OC choose to do about the, err, hair down there?: He trims it very low, but besides that… nothing. Can they hold their breath for a long time?: Only for a few seconds. 10 songs that are probably on their iPod:

1. Crew REMIX // GoldLink

2. Regulate // Warren G

3. Jus Lyke Compton // DJ Quik

4. A Lie // French Montana

5. Audi // Smokepurpp

6. Walk on Water // A$AP Mob

7. Liife // Desiiger

8. Sauce It Up // Lil Uzi Vert

9. ELEMENT. // Kendrick Lamar

10. Off the Wall // Michael Jackson — Basic description: Personality: Super flity/seducing, blunt but super sweet. Can be rude if it comes to his music, oddly chilled back. Likes: New music, nice beats, thick girls, being a dad. Dislikes: Cats, Toshi, lame rappers. Motivations: His family. Morals: always put in 100%. Fears/Phobias: Losing everyone Favourite quote: “Only you and God will have your back. Everything else is a blessing” Favourite food: Fried fish Favourite drink: Coke Favourite color: Burgundy Favourite song: Crew REMIX // GoldLink Favourite movie: Friday Favourite sport: Basketball Favourite book: The Autobiography of Gucci Mane Other favourites: Himself

Most used word or phrase: “Deadass” “iight” “baby” — Family: -Parents: Kianna Jones & Martin Taylor -Siblings: Marcella Taylor, Jett Taylor -Other close relatives: Artie Franco (cousin), Acel Jones (cousin) Friends: Jiro Adachi, Kalissa North, Leilani Roberts, Nika Romero Partner: None Offspring: Clover Taylor Enemies: Toshi Adachi Pet(s): None Describe their social circle, what is their role within it?: He plays a huge part in his social circle, he knows a bunch of famous music artist and has produced albums/songs for them. He’s also usually the life of the party so everyone invites him to their parties so more people will come. His social circle is huge, it has a lot of famous people, underground artists, and b-list celebrities.   — History: [ok ps before you read i did not take my time with this and actually put effort. i got like 17 more char sheets to finish so im kinda just rushing everything,,,,,, sorry not sorry.] Early Childhood: Marshal’s childhood was very different from others. Since his parents weren’t together he spent most of his time going back and forth during breaks. He grew up in two different households, one being very religious and the other being very unsafe. He knew what it felt to be wealthy and poor at the same time and he experienced a lot of things he didn’t need to if he didn’t live with his mother. Being surrounded by gangs, drugs, and sex but also religion made him very confused on what was right and what was wrong. It was until he hit Seven he found a new love for music. It kept him busy and helped him not to think about his hectic life. His fathered adored how passionate Mars was when it came to music. So, whenever he came over to visit he would heavily invest in lessons and instruments. Once he hit 11 he met his now best-est friend, Leilani, she helped him throughout most of his life. Being the support, he needed and that one person to actually let him have fun as a kid. Adolescence: His teenage years were great. He had to stay with his father once his mother got caught up with the police. Life was pretty much heaven for him after that. His father made sure Mas got the life he really deserved. He tried to give him everything he could and constantly made sure he was okay. Papa Taylor would even pay for Leilani’s trips to New Orleans just so they can see each other again! At the age of 19, Mars and Leilani moved to California together after getting accepted to one of the colleges they applied for, being the start of a great life for both of them. Adulthood: He now lives a life many can only dream of. He adores his life and regrets nothing in his past because he knows it’s what brought him here. He’s now an extremely popular producer living in the Venice area of Los Angeles but working in the Hollywood area. He lives a life of luxury, mainly thanks to his father. He never had a dull moment and personally finds this one of the best eras of his life.

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 9th June 2019

Okay so full disclosure; I haven’t been enjoying writing this show for a while, mostly because of how I’ve been barely been able to keep up with life yet alone new music as it comes out each week... but let’s not get into detail. This isn’t what I’m here for, I’m here to ramble about pop music that probably isn’t all that interesting anyway, in this case a lot of British hip hop.

Top 10

“I Don’t Care” by Ed Sheeran featuring Justin Bieber is unsurprisingly still at the top after being at first place running on the chart ever since its debut four weeks ago.

Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus hasn’t moved since last week either, still at number-two.

In fact, the whole top 10 is stable and kind of stale. To exemplify that, only number-five has moved from last week. Hence, “Someone You Loved” by Lewis Capaldi is at number-three.

“Vossi Bop” by Stormzy holds on at number-four.

Billie Eilish’s “bad guy” actually moves a singular space up to number-five.

“Piece of Your Heart” by MEDUZA and Goodboys, however, has not at number-six.

“Hold Me While You Wait” by Lewis Capaldi is at number-seven.

The late Avicii’s “SOS” featuring Aloe Blacc is at number-eight. I’ll be up next week thanks to the album’s release.

To my surprise, Ed Sheeran’s “Cross Me” featuring Chance the Rapper and PNB Rock is still at number-nine off of the debut last week. I’d like to add that this is an Ed Sheeran song with a producer tag. Huh.

Shawn Mendes’ “If I Can’t Have You” rounds off the top 10 by not moving at #10.

Climbers

Well, there aren’t many climbers this week, especially since it’s busy in terms of new arrivals, but there are some increases here. “Wish You Well” by Sigala and Becky Hill zooms up 15 spaces to #24 (Methinks it didn’t have a full tracking week last week as this sudden increase seems odd), whilst “Falling Like the Stars” by James Arthur continues an unfortunate gain up the charts as it’s moving up 10 spaces to #25. Other than that, we have nothing. However, it’s a different story with our Fallers.

Fallers

We’ll have to do what we usually don’t have enough fallers to do anymore and split it into genre categories, especially as pretty much everything in the second half of the Top 40 is in freefall.

In terms of pop, rock and EDM, “Summer Days” by Martin Garrix, Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy and Macklemore is down six spaces to #40 off of the debut, “Giant” by Calvin Harris and Rag’n’Bone Man continues its fall down six to #39, “3 Nights” by Dominic Fike is sadly down five to #38, “Late Night Feelings” by Mark Ronson featuring Lykke Li is down six to #36, “So Am I” by Ava Max collapses down 10 spaces to #35, “Easier” by 5 Seconds of Summer (Featuring Nine Inch Nails, simply because it’s funnier this way) is down five off of the debut to #34, “Talk” by Khalid is down six to #28, “Here with Me” by Marshmello and CHRVCHES is down four to #20, and that’s about it.

For hip-hop and R&B, we have slightly less notable hits, with “EARFQUAKE” by Tyler, the Creator featuring Playboi Carti and Charlie Wilson continuing its unfortunate fall down 13 spaces to #37, “Fashion Week” by Steel Banglez, AJ Tracey and MoStack falling down five spaces to #33, “Guten Tag” by Hardy Caprio and Digdat dropping down four to #27, right next to “OT Bop” by NSG collapsing down nine spaces to #26 off of the debut. We also have “The London” by Young Thug, J. Cole and Travis Scott down four to #22, “Keisha & Becky” by Russ and Tion Wayne down four to #19, and that’s all.

Dropouts & Returning Entries

Well, streaming cuts have snabbed “Grace” by Lewis Capaldi of its longevity as it drops out from #14 – no, I’m not complaining – and the same could be said for “Your Mrs” but JAY1 out from #37 but I’d argue that’s just because people are starting to realise the song is awful. Otherwise, well, streaming cuts have hurt “Sucker” by Jonas Brothers as well out from #20 and “Just You and I” by Tom Walker is out from #36 (There will be a rebound), but it’s not like I didn’t expect the Skepta album bomb of sorts to get rid of competition, as “Motorola” by DaBeatfreakz featuring Swarmz, Deno and Dappy is out from #38, “No Diet” by Digga D is out from #32 and... “Earth” by Lil Dicky and Friends, which isn’t competition for Skepta but would have been out from #40 anyway. There is one returning entry but we won’t be covering it in this section, because it’s time for the new arr—

ALBUM BOMB

Skepta – Ignorance is Bliss

New section time, I suppose, even though there won’t be any new content for the most part. This is just a separated space for me to talk about mini-album bombs as they don’t really exist in the UK, but they allow three songs from an artist at once. Hence, Skepta is currently charting three songs from his highly-anticipated album Ignorance is Bliss (Which I haven’t had the time or motivation to listen to, as with most recently-released albums), two of which are completely new and will be at both ends of the chart. There is one returning entry however, as “Greaze Mode” featuring Nafe Smallz, despite being pretty awful, reaches a new peak at #18 after dropping off last week.

#32 – “Bullet from a Gun” – Skepta

Produced by Skepta and Ragz Originale

Now, the BBC usually censors any objectionable material on the album covers and replaces them with a picture of the artist, but Skepta flipping the bird and holding a gun was fine here, I suppose. This song was actually part of the double A-side single Skepta released to promote the album before its release, but it never charted in the top 40 until it ended up as the opening song on the tracklist, as well as having a video pushed. Now, I hated “Greaze Mode” so hopefully its less accessible counterpart will be better, and, well, it is, but not because this is of insane levels of quality. The instrumental’s eerie synths here are hypnotic like most of Skepta’s self-produced synth loops but the infectiousness of the beat doesn’t translate to the vocals and content here, as his oddly low-mixed vocals under the trap percussion don’t go into any detail until the verse where he talks about how he can’t make any sorrowful songs mourning his father because he’s only thankful for him and how he has rubbed off on Skeppy himself, and then he actually goes into a pretty emotional verse about facing demons and considering seeing his daughter’s face every day as a blessing, with a rapid and blunt flow, because he can’t be sure every day that he’ll be alive to see the next morning, not because he’s still involved in gang violence as he’s matured from that experience but because he’s paranoid of those we are supposed to place our trust in most, the police. That’s only a few bars though, and while they connect and they are pretty powerful lines, it has to be book-ended with Skepta taking your girl because it was just your turn and not learning his lesson by shooting you as that’s just how the world works. I mean, this isn’t bad by any means, but staying on topic would be appreciated when you emphasise such heavy subject matter for as many bars as you do but completely abandon it by the end of that one extended verse. The beat’s great, though, and Skepta’s delivery has always been pretty aggressive on these types of beats, so for what it is, it’s decent and it works fine for Skepta’s 13th Top 40 hit. Next.

#14 – “What Do You Mean?” – Skepta featuring J Hus

Produced by Skepta and iO

Now this is Skepta’s 14th Top 40 hit over here in the UK and J Hus’ sixth (In terms of top 20 hits, it’s Hus’ third and Skepta’s fourth). J Hus, recently released out of prison, delivered a consistently fire and really impressive feature verse on Dave’s “Disaster” last time we had a British hip-hop album bomb onto the charts, and has performed with Drake hours after he was released, but honestly a lot of the time I find J Hus to be uninteresting in his solo work, and his last album was droning and honestly pretty dull. This, on the other hand, is a complete banger. Skepta’s self-produced beat is equally as menacing and eerie as “Bullet with a Gun” but I see it takes some steps from ‘90s G-funk with that synth line, backed up by strings and plunging 808s. J Hus’ Auto-Tuned chorus is really slick, and he shows a lot of swagger in his funky yet relatively mellow hook, before Skepta comes in bouncing with a pretty intense verse. Is the content anything interesting? No, but it’s not trying to, and when the beat is this interesting of an amalgamation of trap, G-funk and freaking banjos in the second chorus, as well as smooth as hell flows delivered by Skepta, you don’t need insane lyricism. I love how the multi-tracked vocals from J Hus transition perfectly into Skeppy’s verses as well, and both ride the beat fantastically. Not much to say about this one but I’m glad to see some trap with an actual groove to it that doesn’t overstay its welcome, as well as performers who know what they’re doing spitting on it. Oh, and the vocals are actually mixed decently this time. Seems like Skeppy’s mixing may be a bit inconsistent especially on the vocal side, as the bass and kick here are much louder than they need to be. I love this, though, so check it out.

Oh, yeah and J Hus crooning “North Korea” is hilarious to me.

NEW ARRIVALS

#31 – “Mother’s Daughter” – Miley Cyrus

Produced by Andrew Wyatt – Peaked at #10 in Hungary and Slovakia, #54 in the US

Miley Cyrus has released another absolute trainwreck of an album a la Dead Petz, but this time it’s harder to swallow as it’s just an EP and all tracks take on a different style of music, despite being primarily trap-influenced. That sounds like it’d be an interesting venture into the Cyrus psyche but nope, SHE IS COMING is just as awful as I and many others expected, but the breakout single, her 16th UK Top 40 hit, doesn’t exactly make that evident, because instead it’s just mediocre, almost painfully so. This starts with a scratchy guitar mumble before exploding into a synth-lead trap beat, complete with high-pitched vocal samples, but it seems really lightweight, mostly because all these pop princesses that try their hand on trap beats can’t pick a beat with any bass or intensity, especially when this song is about playing up a archetypal villain role for the media, I assume, and despite the distortion on her vocals she still has the country twang, can’t flow for the like of her and belts a post-chorus that is pitchy and hard to listen to. Really, the whole song is just one big mess, not even mixing wise as it’s completely fine on a technical level (Although the lack of much noticeable sub-bass to speak of concerns me), but the messiness of the songwriting really shows in the bridge, which essentially takes away the gliding synths and places the scratchy guitar groaning in its place, whilst Miley rapid-fire spits an incredibly janky flow. The final chorus also has these “Oh, my God” lines as filler to replace the lines in the chorus, which doesn’t break up the monotony of this song at all. The cringeworthy outro aside, this is just boring – and it looks like I won’t get a break from dullness anytime soon.

#16 – “Bruises” – Lewis Capaldi

Produced by Lewis Capaldi and James Earp – Peaked at #19 in Scotland

When I said that Capaldi had streaming cuts, that may not have been entirely accurate as Capaldi has debuted his fourth UK hit in the top 20 to replace “Grace”, so seemingly the three song per artist rule has kicked out the lowest performing song. Now Capaldi’s success doesn’t surprise me, because there’s no one making breathy, low-key ballads that Sheeran specialised in – well, there are, they’re just not gaining real traction – so we need to fill a hole while Sheeran’s off partying at a party he doesn’t want to be at with Justin Bieber and PNB Rock. I am, however, incredibly disappointed by his success, because he and James Arthur make me want to throw bricks at squirrels. Now this is actually his first official single as it was released independently (And on his label) back in early 2017, but thanks to inclusion on his newest album, has had a boost two and a half years late, and we weren’t really missing anything. I’ve heard this before reviewing the charts this week, I feel it was an advert, and it really does seem like a song for melodramatic commercials. I’ll give it to him, Capaldi has strength and he has a lot of power in his young voice, with a rock edge I appreciate that Arthur doesn’t have, but this instrumental is painfully simple, to the point where it’s so minimal that it can’t work, especially with Capaldi’s multi-tracked falsetto nonsense crooning, as that would make much more sense with an actual drum beat instead of just soul-less piano notes being looped under Capaldi essentially vocally riffing. By the final chorus and bridge, you’d expect some strings or something, surely, but, no, it stays as it was until the last second, where a secondary piano line plays... and it just plays the vocal melody from the chorus, once. It’s not worth it at that point, and there’s not even a stylish finish to the whole thing. To be fair, it’s the only Capaldi song I’ve heard that isn’t excruciating. Doesn’t mean it’s any good though.

#15 – “Shine Girl” – MoStack featuring Stormzy

Produced by Ill Blu, TSB and Levi Lennox

God, I really don’t like MoStack. I’ve never heard a chorus or verse from him that’s compelling in his five Top 40 hits (and three Top 20 hits) since “No Words”, and most of his singles are Auto-Tuned faux-dancehall faux-grime nonsense, but he’s just released a 40-minute album (Delightful) with features from J Hus, Dave, Fredo and of course Stormzy, who has propelled one of the STACKO tracks to the top 20, becoming his 14th Top 40 hit and his seventh Top 20. Is it any good? Well, actually, it’s much better than most of MoStack’s stuff, mostly because the twinkling synths in this Afrobeats track are actually fitting as instead of attempting to be threatening, menacing or intimidating, it’s a love song. Stormzy’s hook, despite being somewhat overly possessive, is somewhat cute and the multi-tracked harmony backing vocals are really nice... MoStack exists though, and the content here pretty much chalks up to having sex with other girls despite the fact that both Stormzy and MoStack are always talking about how they love the sex from this girl in particular. MoStack is nasal and irritating as usual, although I do like the completely irrelevant line where he asks why Stormzy’s high

Wait, Stormzy, why you look so damn high?

It’s offbeat, drenched in Auto-Tune and reverb, and mixed below both the instrumental and Stormzy, but overall, MoStack is mostly a non-presence, so that’s cool. I like Stormzy’s hook well enough, and the piano dwindling at the tail-end is pretty excellent, so, you know what, Stacko, you get a pass for now.

#13 – “Never Really Over” – Katy Perry

Produced by Zedd and Dreamlab – Peaked at #4 in Scotland and #15 in the US

So, she’s back. Katy Perry has been existent for  a while now but she hasn’t released that big comeback single since her waning success with the Witness era, so she’s come back with a bang... except it’s a Zedd production and it’s only in the top 20. To be fair, I’d accept anything if I had just experienced that trainwreck of an album cycle. Did you guys hear about how Zedd doesn’t actually produce or compose his own beats, though? Yeah, that’s pretty dreadful, apparently he can’t play piano in a note other than C. I don’t believe that for a second personally, but the dude absolutely tears into Zedd, it’s hilarious. Anyway, is this Katy Perry song any good? Well, it does take me back to the days where Katy Perry was massive, with the cute yet simplistic synth line and finger-snaps making up a vibe similar to the introductions to a lot of her earlier hits. It is familiar overall actually, I swear I’ve heard that vocal melody in the pre-chorus before. The rattling percussion adds some bounce but may be a bit too stiff and unnatural, as a lot of Zedd’s production is. The snares and even Perry’s vocals are clipping over the cloudy synth mix in the chorus, however, and the lyrics are repetitious and somewhat meaningless... but who cares? That drop is incredible. The song could be a Chris Brown song featuring posthumous vocals from XXXTENTACION produced by Tay Keith if it had that fun, 80s-reminiscent drop which Katy Perry essentially triplet-flows over. The way it carries into the bridge as well makes it very manic and it works as a damn good post-chorus. Oh, yeah, and that ticking clock is annoying, and only made sense in “Stay” and “The Middle”. I’d say stop using it, but Zedd doesn’t exactly have much control over his compositions so I’m gonna say it’s Dreamlab’s fault for implementing it if anyone. It’s really jankily pushed into this song and doesn’t make for a good outro at all, there’s literally a clock solo. Oh, yeah, and this is Katy Perry’s 28th UK Top 40 hit. That’s insane.

Conclusion

There’s not much really to go home about here, although Best of the Week is probably going to Skepta and J Hus for “What Do You Mean?”, with the Honourable Mention going to both Skepta and Katy Perry – yep, it’s a tie – for “Bullet with a Gun” and “Never Really Over”, while Worst of the Week is easily going to Miley Cyrus for “Mother’s Daughter”. In fact, I’d be hesitant to give ANYONE, even Reviewing the Charts nemesis Lewis Capaldi (and MoStack for that matter), a Dishonourable Mention of any sort. Hence, follow me on Twitter @cactusinthebank for more musical ramblings, sarcastically quote-tweeting Piers Morgan and I’ll see you next week.