#nicki minaj big 3 verse

[foolishskull]

grumpy guy wips

[p1utofairy]

★ your next glow up?

note — i wasn't gonna post this now but i figured fuck it why not?! enjoy, my loves! this is for entertainment purposes only <3 take what resonates and leave what doesn’t. p.s. come in my ask box and tell me what you think!

PILE ONE.

pile mf ONE, you are really stepping into a new era! when i tell you this new you is gonna turn HEADS. tuh, you’re gonna be looking like new money. nicki minaj’s ‘new body’ verse is coming to mind lol “you ain’t fuck me, you fucked the old body. you ain’t fuck nicki, you fucked nicole body! ain’t no miles on this here new body, off with they heads these bitches is nobody’s.” OH YEAH OKAYYY, PILE 1. maybe you’ll be hitting the gym more, switching up your diet or possibly getting some cosmetic work done?

whatever you’re doing differently, it’s gonna be noticeable. people are gonna feel like something changed with you overnight like “um when did pile 1 get so bad?” and this isn’t to say you aren’t already attractive…there’s just something about your energy and confidence that just amplified x1000 and people are really gonna feel and see this change in you. you might start experimenting with your outfits a little more, giving off a more seductive vibe. it’s like you're breaking out of your comfort zone especially if you usually opt for baggier clothes or a more conservative look. wait cause why am i thinking of ‘pretty little liars’ when emily is talking to aria about hanna and she’s like “haven’t you heard? she’s the it girl now.” PERIOD, PILE ONE. giving serena page vibes from love island.

there will be a lot of talk about you and even if you don’t hear it directly, trust me, people are gonna try to keep tabs on you. i’m seeing people re-watch your instagram stories tryna figure out who took you that place and who you’re doing it with — oh these people are spiralingggg. this could very well be potential suitors tryna scope out the scenery, but they’re not sure if you’ll be interested in them. they might fear rejection because you just look so damn good and it looks like you’re in such a better space in life and got your shit together; whereas they feel like they lack the resources/finances to be with you. these potential love interests see you as high value, pile 1. they’re intimidated by your beauty and aura. you’ll be more so focused on attracting a partner that can actually make shit happen.

you don’t have time for the cat and mouse games. you want the real deal and i do see you getting the person that you want. you manifested this person into your life and i sense them feeling like they won the lottery with you! i’m hearing that you are sooo mesmerizing on the outside and your heart & personality makes you so much more beautiful. there’s layers to you and i think this next glow up will allow you to really shine and be yourself unapologetically – you’re leaning into the different aspects of yourself that makes you unique. if there’s anything you’ve got your mind set on or something specific you want to do, go for it! whatever you do, you’ll stand out effortlessly and be successful. say yes by floetry is coming to mind. “see, i’ve been watching you for awhile…your smile and style. wanna know if i can be with you for the night, alright.” i meannnnn need i say more?!

how to tap into this energy?

listen closely to your intuition! work on your third eye because i’m hearing that you’re a powerful manifester and you don’t even truly know it. even if you do know this, you start doubting yourself and limiting your own thoughts. always think big and bigger because it’s in your reach. don’t get so caught up in the “how?” because your manifestations can appear in many different ways, not just one. you have a clear vision into the future – you just gotta adjust your lens and focus on what it is that YOU want. who cares if it doesn’t make sense to anyone else, as along as you see the vision then it’s a go! listen to ‘i want it all’ by sharpay evans lol you need to embody that song and its energy.

PILE TWO.

hey, pile 2! i’m hearing you’ve been putting up with the bullshit for wayyyy too long and this next glow up is gonna be a proper FUCK YOU to all your haters! i feel like people take your kindness for weakness and you feel like you don’t get the respect you deserve. you can deal with a lot of passive aggression in your relationships or friendships and people expect for you to suck it up and be okay with it. what i’m mainly picking up is that you like to keep the peace. you don’t want to ruffle anyone’s feather, but it just makes it worse for you because you’re not truly expressing yourself and your emotions. this keeps you up at night like “ugh! i should’ve said this or I should’ve stuck up for myself and finally cussed so and so tf out.” but you don’t because you know why, pile 2? you’re better than them, simple as that.

you wouldn’t treat anybody how some people treat you, and the reality is that it’s so much harder to be nice than it is to be mean. anybody can be mean and say hurtful shit if they really wanted to, but to always be graceful and kind in the face of adversity and ignorance? rare af. +10000 aura points! don’t let anybody make you feel less than or like you can’t speak up for yourself. this next glow up you’re going to use your voice and really make it known that you are not to be fucked with, okay?! you will be standing your ground and really popping your shit in the most calm and collected way possible & people are gonna be like “wait…did [y/n] really just clock me like that?!” and you’re gonna be standing 10 toes down on it as you should. they’ll have no choice but to respect you lol. you will start to realize what is worth your time & energy and what isn’t.

you might start cutting off people that don’t mean you any good and really start to focus on yourself and your energy. no more walking on egg shells and sparing peoples feelings, this is YOUR life and you have a voice just as much as they do – so use it! i think you’ll also be meeting new friends & a potential love interest during this next glow up. i’m hearing ‘how stella got her groove back’ lol so yeah some of you might be playing the field a little bit.

some of you might just want something casual and nothing more because you just want to focus on your own healing journey. you’ll start to understand why things had to happen the way that they did & why certain relationships didn’t work out the way that you thought they would. you’ll be able to decipher what you are and aren’t willing to put up with and honestly i just see you bossing tf up and advocating for yourself no matter who doesn’t like it. that tiktok “nobody loves you baby! you should only love yourself – ON MY SOUL!” just randomly came to me lmfaooo this is your ‘i’m focusing on what really matters aka me’ era and i think it’s exactly what you need pile 2.

how to tap into this energy?

i think you need to transmute the negative energy that people try to project on you into something positive. 12:12 on the clock, yeah. like look at this way, if people doubt you, don’t respect you or don’t feel like your capable of achieving great things then use that to your advantage. let them underestimate you all they want, and then BAM boss up on them and show them who tf you are. what they don’t know only makes you stronger. you have the power to make some powerful ass connections and make a name for yourself so be calculated & strategic with your moves. people will be eating their words when it comes to you, pile 2.

PILE THREE.

pile 3 your next glow up is gonna be a bit of an emotional rollercoaster ngl, but very rewarding nonetheless. i’m hearing that one tiktok sound “you gotta take the good with the bad, smile with the sad. love what you got and remember what you had.” so yeah i think you’re really gonna be figuring out how to transmute your energy and create something from it – whether that be a job opportunity, a love offer, a trip, etc. there’s something that you really want and you’re doing the work to make it happen. you have the plan, you just need the platform lol.

for some of you, i see a major relationship coming to an end. this could be a lover or a best friend, but this person will be exposed because they’re not who you thought they were. this person has very sneaky/deceptive energy and you’ve been in the dark about this for way too long. this person/connection means a lot to you, so you will feel like this is a tough situation to completely walk away from; but my sweet pile 3’s you will be more than okay! you will be spectacular! 10:10 was just on the clock.

allow yourself to sort through your emotions and learn from the situation, don’t let it weigh you down. sometimes we get too caught up in how long we’ve been with somebody and all of the good memories we made with them, that makes us hesitant to move on. sometimes things just run its course and you’re no longer in alignment with that person. you can’t force anything or anyone in your life that doesn’t align with your highest self and that can be very hard to process when emotions are involved but i’m happy to let you know there’s light at the end of the tunnel.

i see some of you traveling to a place you’ve always wanted to go and possibly meeting a potential love interest. in this next glow up, you’ll be doing things that you’ve always wanted to do cause there’s no one holding you back. you’re stepping out of your comfort zone and just taking a leap of faith – high risk, high reward. you’re gonna be making time for yourself and also prioritizing your hobbies/interests. this is beautiful, pile 3. i see you really getting in touch with who you are at the core. be kind and gentle with yourself, because you are a precious gem that a lot of people value and care about.

how to tap into this energy?

stop giving your power away. work on your throat chakra, my loves. your voice is your power and it’s one of the major keys to your success. a closed mouth doesn’t get fed, so you need to speak up and communicate what it is that YOU want and not just say what people want to hear. this next glow up will really have you standing in your power. release is needed especially verbally cause you know that tight feeling you get in your throat when you’re tryna stop yourself from crying? yeah no more of that. no more walking on egg shells, pile 3. say what you feel and stand on it & watch how the tides turn in your favor. mwah!

PILE FOUR.

alright, pile 4! for this next glow up i see you moving. some of you might actually be moving into a new home or apartment and it’s gonna grant you so much peace and comfort. for others of you, this could be you moving on emotionally from a toxic relationship and/or familial bond and finally getting the clarity and peace you need to cut all ties and move onto something better. whatever the situation may be, it was weighing heavy on you and making you feel very down.

you’re gonna feel so free when you leave this situation behind, it’s not even funny. i’m hearing that you were a gilded bird in a cage. some of you could’ve been moving from place to place, not feeling quite settled or financially stable. if you feel lost right now and like you don’t know what to do with your life/where it’s taking you, i just wanna say keep going – W.A.Y.S. by jhené aiko is coming to mind. “if there's one thing that i learned while in those county lines, is that everything takes time. you have gotta lose your pride, you have gotta lose your mind just to find your peace of mind.” awww yeah that’s your theme song for this next glow up. things might not make sense right now, but please trust me when i say that everything is going to work out in your favor & things will be better than you could ever imagine.

you will be blessed with the tools you need to get to this next phase of your life. you are the source, pile 4. whatever you put your mind to, you can surely achieve! don’t let 3D circumstances throw you off, you are so abundant and prosperous you will see in this next glow up just how much of a powerful manifester you really are. you’re still trying to find yourself and figure out where you fit in in the world, but you don’t have to put yourself in a box, pile 4. pave your own way and once you do others will want to follow suit. no one can see your future the way that you do, so keep doing your thing because i’m seeing that you will come across people/friends that share similar interests and niches as you. awww pile 4 you’re going to find your soul tribe.

you have this flighty energy about you (air sign energy/esp gemini) like you’re from one thing to the next and you can’t figure out what you truly want to do. some of you might be in college or almost about to graduate and when people ask you “do you know what you want to do?” you’re like uhhhh….]>|>]^>.]€]€]£ like you truly don’t know but like that’s okay cause actually you do know! on a soul level, you know. what’s understood doesn’t have to be explained pile 4 lol people might not get it now but when you pop out living the life you’ve always dreamed of, TUH. they’ll understand then.

how to tap into this energy?

get out of your head so much and just vibe, pile 4. you can plan plan plan all you want but the reality is: shit happens! it might annoy you or make you feel incredibly frustrated when another problem or inconvenience pops up in your life, but there’s nothing you can’t overcome. it’s life. you will be greatful for these experiences in the long run because it will be another bridge that you’ve already crossed and dealt with, so you won’t fold under pressure – you’ll just already know what to do. you got this, pile 4. shit is about to get really good for you.

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 07/10/2023 (Jung Kook/Jack Harlow, Ed Sheeran's 'Autumn Variations', 163Margs/Digga D)

Content warning: Brief mentions of violence, sex and... corpses (last two only loosely related)

For a fifth week, Doja Cat reigns on top of the UK Singles Chart with “Paint the Town Red”, and it’s a semi-busy week ahead of us so welcome back to REVIEWING THE CHARTS!

Rundown

As always, we start the episode with this week’s notable dropouts, songs exiting the UK Top 75 - which is what I cover - after five weeks in the region or a peak in the top 40. For this week’s goodbyes, we bid adieu to “Single Soon” by Selena Gomez, “Rave Out” by Turno, Skepsis and Charlotte Plank and some big hitters like “Barbie World” by Nicki Minaj, Ice Spice and Aqua, “Padam Padam” by Kylie Minogue, “Relax My Eyes” by ANOTR and Abel Balder and finally, “REACT” by Switch Disco featuring Ella Henderson and the late Robert Miles. These are honestly mostly a shame, I like the vast majority of these songs.

As for our returns, we don’t have any, but as for our gains, there is a pretty long list, all over the chart too. This week feels kind of like a rehaul, and redecorating the walls, bear with me, we have “Little Things” by Jorja Smith at #65 off of the album - more on that later - “Escapism.” by RAYE featuring 070 Shake at #59, “On My Love” by Zara Larsson and David Guetta at #57, “Mr. Brightside” at #55 (Jesus Christ), “Would You (go to bed with me?)” by Campbell and Alcemist at #48, “Feel It” by Jazzy at #45, “Calm Down” by Rema at #40, “Back on 74” by Jungle at #36 (yay), “Got Me Started” by Troye Sivan at #34 (ugh), “ecstacy” by SUCIDAL-IDOL at #33 (huh), “Liquor & Cigarettes” by Chase & Status and Hedex featuring ArrDee at #29, “Dog Days are Over” by Florence + the Machine at #28, “Used to be Young” by Miley Cyrus at #26, yes, I’m still going, “What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish at #25, “Snooze” by SZA at #20, “Bittersweet Goodbye” by Issey Cross at #19, “DNA (Loving You)” by Billy Gillies featuring Hannah Boleyn at #18, “My Love Mine All Mine” by Mitski at #15(!) and all the way to her first top 10, Tyla at #10 with “Water”.

The top five of this week’s UK Singles Chart starts with a debut from Jung Kook of BTS featuring Jack Harlow at #5 with “3D” - more on that later - and the rest is standard: “Prada” by casso, RAYE and D-Block Europe at #4, “greedy” by Tate McRae at #3, “Strangers” by Kenya Grace at #2 and of course Doja Cat on top. Now it’s time to get through our rag-tag group of songs debuting in the top 75 this week.

NEW ARRIVALS

#74 - “Mosquito” - PinkPantheress

Produced by Greg Kurstin, PinkPantheress and Mura Masa

We don’t know when that next PinkPantheress full-length is coming, but for now it does make sense to keep pushing out singles and seeing what sticks. She adds Greg Kurstin as a co-writer and producer alongside more expected collaborator Mura Masa in a song about spending problems, jauntily recounting over glading acoustics and a thumping backbeat about spending a fortune out of sheer will, acknowledging how much she’s losing but becoming attached to materialism and possessions instead of finding much human connection. I do appreciate the swell of strings in the chorus and how well the guitars play off of that, alongside her nonchalant flutter in the back, but as with most of her tracks it does feel a bit underdeveloped, and in this case, a bit derivative as the verse treads the exact same lead vocal melody as her collaboration with Skrillex and Trippie Redd from earlier this year, “Way Back”. With that said, it’s still a good foundation and the increasing submerge of the song into the whirlpool of strings is a pretty good way of signifying a lost cause, yet I really feel like a bridge is needed to cement that a bit further. If there’s an album in sight, I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt given that this could work a lot better in that context but as is, it’s just good, needs that little extra to be great.

#69 - “Stick Season” - Noah Kahan

Produced by Gabe Simon and Noah Kahan

This song from 2022 by folk singer Noah Kahan has been a sleeper hit for a while and perhaps in part due to a recent cover by Olivia Rodrigo, it got one last push that resulted in it finally cracking the top 75 criteria. Kahan is a singer-songwriter in a pretty traditional sense so there’s a lot of lyrical detail here, regarding a breakup of a long-distance relationship, with that, the weather and the ongoing pandemic pushing Kahan inside, isolated from communication aside from his friends coming around for Christmas, over a sprinkling of twangy acoustics and stomp-rock percussion that’s increasingly tedious. Kahan’s jumbling of the meter is charming but dampens the impact of an otherwise pretty effective chorus, and the bridge’s solo is a tad underwhelming, so we have a pretty nonchalant-sounding song fronted by a singer whose voice I’ve never liked and still not gotten used to, and backed by a dated pounding of a drum that gives me a migraine come the final chorus. If what was inside your sandwich was great but the bread slices at the top and bottom had gone off, you sadly end up throwing away the whole sandwich.

#63 - “Babydoll” - Dominic Fike

Produced by Dominic Fike

And now for a particularly more modern singer-songwriter, with another sleeper hit, but this one is even older, appearing on his 2018 demo EP before he blew up to the level he is at now. I can only assume there’s some TikTok virality to this because there really isn’t much to this as a song. We have a simple riff with some cool countering over-dubs, placed beside a typical steady indie drone of percussion and Fike’s lead vocal which would be decent if he had any convincing rasp but alas, he just sounds like a prepubescent Anthony Kiedis, especially when he’s “rapping” in the completely unfitting verse, essentially acting as a bridge - or awkward insertion of a completely different song - with bizarre flows, monotone whining and odd interruptions amidst the continuation of a still tedious rhythm section. I guess this is only a demo but that’s why you don’t release everything you make, kids, because this is just nothing to speak of with a confusing mid-section seemingly grabbed from elsewhere in the drafts. Now for something probably a whole lot more finished…

#50 - “Feelings” - Jorja Smith featuring J Hus

Produced by DAMEDAME*

I have yet to listen to Jorja Smith’s newest album falling or flying but it did debut at #3 and produce a charting track here, probably thanks to a feature from J Hus. The chanting that starts the song is pretty exciting before we have that drizzling of reverb coating everything, from Jorja’s echoed vocals to the surprisingly intricate bassline, which sounds drier when placed against that pattering of Afrobeats drums. Content-wise, it’s a bit of a scuffle where Jorja succumbs to J Hus’ temptation for some Sexy Times, and interestingly enough, not only does the guest rapper stay on topic, he handles the chorus, playing a really effective back-and-forth foil to Ms. Smith, even if he’s not nearly as good or as nuanced a singer and performer. He goes for a kind of Wyclef Jean yelp that makes him sound a bit less convincing and more desperate, which is just interesting considering how well Jorja’s convinced, or at least seems to be from her second verse. As with the rest of the singles, the production details - even if a bit more minimal this time around - are impeccable and very smooth, especially with the swirl of strings after the pre-chorus and distant sound effect-esque loops that decorate J Hus’ incredibly charismatic rap verse. The disharmony between the two is actually a pretty interesting narrative touch, especially since Jorja is just echoing what J Hus is trying to convince her with, almost as if this is being played back in her mind and she might be a bit more regretful about that as implied in the first verse and pre-chorus. I might have to give that album a listen because this level of detail and interpretation, if carried across a full album, would contribute greatly to the already good year of R&B for me. This is brilliant.

#49 - “Magical” - Ed Sheeran

Produced by Aaron Dessner

Ed Sheeran released his newest album on his own label, Autumn Variations, which still went #1 but is largely an acoustic-focused album produced by Aaron Dessner of The National with decidedly very few hits. I have yet to hear it in full, but it still produced two charting songs, with this one very much in Ed Sheeran’s wheelhouse: it’s a cute, kind of staccato love song with his choired-up multi-track vocal he often delivers nowadays. However, it’s not for bittersweet purposes like it often is: it’s a love-struck track with an echoing, kind of distracting drum pattern, a really melodramatic synth and bass swell that doesn’t end up damaging the subtlety of the song mostly because there isn’t all too much to begin with. Sure, it’s a subdued ballad, but it’s one that adds odd tension through trap-influenced drums that are mixed in a muddy, kind of gross way below the very heavy vocal focus, and the lead melodies here get very saccharine and pretty infuriating quite quickly. It’s a shame, because it’s a very genuine and cute track lyically, but it’s also too simple for me to forgive the production misgivings here. Thankfully, he has a second shot later in the chart.

#38 - “Hide and Seek” - 163Margs and Digga D

Produced by SJ Beats

It’s pretty funny to me that there is a solo version that’s actually longer. Even people relying on Mr. D for hits and are otherwise unknown don’t seem like they want to have Digga on their songs too badly. Anyway, this church organ is pretty much the lead melody despite how basic and empty it is, and even then, it’s somehow clipping and the sample chop is painfully obvious and awkward. That sheer incompetence should be all you need to know because whilst 163Margs has some promise in terms of his energy, his flow isn’t new and his content is just a lot of gang violence not delivered particularly interestingly, and then we have Digga D giving so much detail I’m surprised the government hasn’t investigated him a second time. I don’t even have a problem with this kind of content necessarily, but I wish the production or delivery was in any way compelling, because I’ll forget about this very soon.

#27 - “American Town” - Ed Sheeran

Produced by Aaron Dessner

I’m not sure if this counts as a single push exactly, but this is the furthest Ed’s going with this rollout so the song better have some potential and yes, this is more of what I expect from Ed, especially writing wise, with the intricate details that emphasise how real the narrative is whilst also being able to detach it from a lot of pop culture - the pre-chorus has the line “live the life we saw in Friends” which I think is particularly poetic considering Ed’s place in the industry - as well as wordy but charming moments of culture shock that come with being in love with an English girl in an American town. The production is a lot less distracting here too; I wish the shaking percussion was lower in the mix or not just there but the filtered synths, kind of sounding like farty horns, make a bit more sense than I feel like people will give credit. It’s a nostalgic song that muddies the clash between past and present, or Hell, even future in the bridge, and those horns as well as the more subtle synths add a lot of detail in an honest, vintage-sounding way. It’s not perfect-sounding, but that’s much of the appeal. It’s also sadly nothing new from Ed, it’s a pretty expected pop-folk cut that sounds a tad rough around the edges but not enough to threaten its radio play. Overall, it seems pretty solid but it’s not exactly convincing me that the full album is worth checking out.

#5 - “3D” - Jung Kook featuring Jack Harlow

Produced by BloodPop and David Stewart

Well, I figured “Seven” would need its follow-up soon enough and Jack Harlow is definitely a very approachable American rapper for a collaboration, though I’m not sure if the addition of a western guest rapper is doing as much heavy lifting as how effortlessly catchy the songs can be, so I hope he doesn’t end up getting someone on every track he releases. Regardless, this song is about Jung Kook from BTS wanting to have sex with you. If that puts you off immediately, I mean, you won’t like the Jack Harlow verse. Regardless, we do have an arguably more subtler set of lyrics here, with Jung Kook wanting to get straight to the choose over a much more solid, funkier groove, backed by a simple but effective bassline and choppier drums, alongside a weird Latin guitar intrusion that kind of works--oh, this is a Justin Timberlake song. He even sounds like Timberlake a lot of the time, with about as much charisma and weird hip-hop crossover attempts. If anyone is going to produce a Timberlake lite, BloodPop is probably a good choice, and Jung Kook has the playful ad-libs, no-holds-barred commitment to the bit and more chemistry with Mr. Harlow than I really expected, given that Jack actually gives some backing vocals on the chorus and references the BTS star’s sex appeal on his verse… though not his, which is kind of funny. In fact, Jackman is oddly slippery here, and it’s largely for the best as the beat gets much more percussive, with him slipping through flows and flexes, and making good use of a corny counting conceit, as well as saying that you would have thought the girl’s body was a dead body with the way he told all of his friends to come look. I will admit, it’s a pretty corny, hard to take seriously song but I don’t think I’m supposed to, and both guys have enough fun without really overdoing it into ridiculous territory… except for when Jack Harlow ad-libs “Spy Kids” in the background, that… that was stupid. Oh, and PC Music and hyperpop pioneer A.G. Cook made a remix which makes way too much sense yet ends up way worse than you’d think considering his expertise. It’s pretty ugly.

Conclusion

This really was not the best week, though far from the worst, as we have a lot of middling tracks, but the only real great song here is “Feelings” so Best of the Week goes to Jorja Smith and J Hus, with a loose Honourable Mention to “Mosquito” by PinkPantheress, I guess? As for the Worst of the Week, I think there are quite a few snoozefests, but 163Margs and Digga D end up with it for “Hide and Seek”, with a Dishonourable Mention for “Babydoll” by Dominic Fike. Ed Sheeran’s “Magical” was closer than you may expect though, I really don’t like that one. As for what’s next, it’s Drake, Drake, Drake, so thank, thank, thank you for reading and I’ll see you next week!

[phting]

[Intro: AJ] Yeah-eh-eh

[Verse 1: Brian] You are my fire The one desire Believe when I say I want it that way

[Verse 2: Nick] But we are two worlds apart Can't reach to your heart When you say That I want it that way

[Chorus: Nick & All] Tell me why Ain't nothin' but a heartache Tell me why Ain't nothing but a mistake Tell me why I never wanna hear you say I want it that way

[Verse 3: AJ, AJ & Brian] Am I your fire? Your one desire Yes, I know it's too late But I want it that way See upcoming pop shows Get tickets for your favorite artists You might also like THE HEART PART 6 Drake 6:16 in LA Kendrick Lamar Big Foot (A Cappella) Nicki Minaj [Chorus: AJ, All & Brian] Tell me why Ain't nothin' but a heartache Tell me why Ain't nothin' but a mistake Tell me why I never wanna hear you say I want it that way

[Bridge: Kevin, Kevin & AJ] Now I can see that we're fallin' apart From the way that it used to be, yeah No matter the distance, I want you to know That deep down inside of me

[Verse 4: Howie, Nick & All] You are my fire The one desire You are (You are, you are, you are) Don't wanna hear you

[Break: All & Nick] Ain't nothin' but a heartache (Say, hey, yeah) Ain't nothin' but a mistake (Don't wanna hear you say) I never wanna hear you say (Oh, yeah) I want it that way [Chorus: Brian, All, Nick & AJ] Tell me why Ain't nothin' but a heartache Tell me why Ain't nothin' but a mistake Tell me why I never wanna hear you say (Don't wanna hear you say) I want it that way Tell me why Ain't nothin' but a heartache Ain't nothin' but a mistake Tell me why I never wanna hear you say (Never wanna hear you say, yeah) I want it that way

[Outro: AJ] 'Cause I want it that way

[rainsmediaradio]

Nicki Minaj Ft. Lil Uzi Vert - Everybody Lyrics

Nicki Minaj Ft. Lil Uzi Vert - Everybody Lyrics Intro: Nicki Minaj (Mm) Ain't gang if you let shit slide Ain't bad if you gotta dick ride Big guns and a lot of zip ties Said she look like me, quit lyin' (Ayy, Smallz, is that you?) Pre-Chorus: Nicki Minaj & Senior Don't stop, don't stop, don't stop, don't stop (Don't stop, don't stop the beat) Don't stop, don't stop, don't stop, don't stop (Can't stop, won't stop the beat) Don't stop, don't stop, don't stop, don't stop (I won't stop, won't the beat, let's go) Don't stop, hey, hey, hey Chorus: Nicki Minaj & Junior We gon' spin and kill (Everybody) These bitches fuck (Everybody) A nigga tellin' on (Everybody) Oh (Move your feet and feel u–) We gon' spin and kill (Everybody) These bitches fuck (Everybody) A nigga tellin' on (Everybody) Oh (Ayo, move your feet and feel u–) Verse 1: Nicki Minaj All these bitches on my (Body) Spent another bag on my (Body) Nah, nigga, you ain't fucked a new (Body) Every whip, Heavy On It, new (Body) Shawty mad 'cause she ain't no (Body) Pretty face with a Barbie doll (Body) 'Nother year, 'nother Vince Lom' (Body) (Move your feet and feel u–) Pre-Chorus: Senior, Nicki Minaj & Junior D-d-don't stop the beat, don't stop the beat (Target) D-d-don't stop the beat, don't stop the beat (Neutralize) D-d-don't stop the beat, don't stop the beat (Trigger) D-d-don't stop the beat, don't stop the beat (Shoot, fire) Don't stop, don't stop (Fire) Don't stop, don't stop (Fire) Don't stop (Fire), don't stop Can't stop (Let's go), can't stop the beat (Fire) Chorus: Nicki Minaj & Junior We gon' spin and kill (Everybody) These bitches fuck (Everybody) A nigga tellin' on (Everybody) Oh (Move your feet and feel u–) We gon' spin and kill (Everybody) These bitches fuck (Everybody) A nigga tellin' on (Everybody) Oh (Move your feet and feel u–) Verse 2: Nicki Minaj, Junior I ain't tryna be buddy (Body) I'm a multi-million dollar home (Body) Hollow points gonna go through your (Body) Washin' them bitches, Bath and (Body) He be kissin' all over my (Body) Get his dick stiffer than a roll (Body) 'Nother year, 'nother Vince Lom' (Body) (Move your feet and—) Pre-Chorus: Senior, Nicki Minaj, Junior D-d-don't stop the beat, don't stop the beat (Target) D-d-don't stop the beat, don't stop the beat (Neutralize) D-d-don't stop the beat, don't stop the beat (Trigger) D-d-don't stop the beat (Uh), don't stop the beat (Shoot, fire) Don't stop, don't stop (Fire, fire, uh) Don't stop, don't stop (Fire, oh) Don't stop, don't stop (Fire, uh, fire, oh) Can't stop (Let's go), can't stop the beat (Fire) Chorus: Nicki Minaj, Junior & Lil Uzi Vert We gon' spin and kill (Everybody, this ain't what you want) These bitches fuck (Everybody, this ain't what you want) A nigga tellin' on (Everybody, this ain't what you want) Oh, ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha (Move your feet and feel u–, this ain't what you want) We gon' spin and kill (Everybody,this ain't what you want) These bitches fuck (Everybody,this ain't what you want) A nigga tellin' on (Everybody, this ain't what you want) Ahh, oh (Move your feet and feel u–) Verse 3: Lil Uzi Vert & Junior Lil Uzi, woah (–Body) Better than every (Body) My felony's catchin' (Body) They don't even know my (Body, woah) All my bitches get jealous (–Body) Buy 'em all a BBL 'fore they got a (Body) One, two, three, four, five, just throwin' my high (Body) Beat so hard that a nigga might die (Move your feet and—) Bridge: Lil Uzi Vert & Senior Damn D-d-don't stop the beat, don't stop the beat (This ain't what you want, ah) D-d-don't stop the beat, don't stop the beat (This ain't what you want, ah) D-d-don't stop the beat, don't stop the beat (This ain't what you want, ah) D-d-don't stop the beat, don't stop the beat (This ain't what you want, ah) Verse 4: Lil Uzi Vert, Senior & Junior All of my bitches get jealous (D-d-don't stop the beat, don't stop the beat, ha-ha) Like an old school girl, still workin' them (D-d-don't stop the beat, don't stop the beat, ha-ha) Got a young bitch like a nigga own (D-d-don't stop the beat, don't stop the beat, ha-ha) Himalayan pussy worth way more than the Cali (D-d-don't stop the beat, don't stop, ha-ha) Good coochie worth way more than a wallet (Don't stop, don't stop, woah) I like to see it from the front, when I look at your butt (Don't stop, don't stop) She got the junk in her trunk, that's the reason why I'm cuffed (Don't stop, don't stop) I don't even care if my opp really my cousin (Don't stop, don't stop) All of my niggas (Don't stop), they slide with the button (Let's go, let's go, brrt, brrt) Chorus: Nicki Minaj & Junior We gon' spin and kill (Everybody) These bitches fuck (Everybody) A nigga tellin' on (Everybody) Oh (Move your feet and feel u–) We gon' spin and kill (Everybody) These bitches fuck (Everybody) A nigga tellin' on (Everybody) Oh (Move your feet and feel u–) Outro: Junior & Senior Body, body, body, body Body, body, body Move your feet and feel u– Don't stop the beat, don't stop the beat D-d-don't stop the beat, don't stop the beat Read the full article

[maciedeclines]

My Personal Chart Review (31/5/23)

bias again slay

Well, this was an incredibly busy week. For our top 5, Remember continues its top 10 run up to #5, with Like I Used To slipping from #1 to #4, Side Effects drops 1 to #3 but still gains in performances, with I Go Dancing returning to the runner up spot and Jazzy claiming her 2nd #1 (1st solo) with Giving Me.

For our losers and dropouts, we had quite a few in the latter category. Off the return last week, Blow Your Mind (Mwah) by Dua Lipa is gone from #10, Wish You The Best by Lewis Capaldi loses all of its momentum from #37, Chasing Pavements by Adele couldn’t stick for another week as it exits from #52, while Vibration (One More Time) fades naturally from #53. Meanwhile, I Wrote A Song by Mae Muller and Unicorn by Noa Kirel are out from #60 and #62 respectively as their Eurovision boosts wear off and Princess Diana by Ice Spice & Nicki Minaj underperforms as it leaves from #65. Now for album falloffs, with Lewis Capaldi also losing Forget Me off the return from #67. As for piri & tommy, they lost on & on from #56, beachin’ from #63, player 2 from #64, settle from #68, say it from #70 and can we from #73. Furthermore, we also lost Curtains by Ed Sheeran from #61, River by Miley Cyrus from #71, Set Me Free by D.O.D from #72 and Oscar Winning Tears. by RAYE from #74 which quite comfortably clinched its year-end list spot. As for our losers, Finally by Jonas Blue & RANI slips down to #22, Cupid - Twin Version by FIFTY FIFTY, Miracle by Calvin Harris & Ellie Goulding and Like Crazy by Jimin all take big hits to #32, #33 and #36 respectively, with Can’t Tame Her and No Sleep down to #38 and #39. This week was a pretty bad week for both RAYE & Mahalia with Five Star Hotels. down to #42, Worth It. at #43, Terms and Conditions at #44 and Flip A Switch. completely collapsing down to #48. Meanwhile, ceilings by Lizzy McAlpine is back down to #51, 21 Reasons and Better Love fall to #57 and #58 respectively, Kill Bill by SZA continues its big losses down to #65, 10:35 by Tiësto & Tate McRae also collapses to #68 with Whistle by Jax Jones & Calum Scott making its way out at #69 and our final loss comes from piri & tommy, as words falls off the album boost to #70. What a list.

As for our gains and returns, well given the huge list of losers & dropouts there were quite a few. All By Myself by Alok, Sigala & Ellie Goulding is back in at #75, Oh No You Didn’t by Hix & Kelli-Leigh returns at #73, Snow On The Beach by Taylor Swift & Lana Del Rey is back in at #60 due to the release of the new version with a full Lana verse, Calm Down by Rema & Selena Gomez surprisingly has a very good week as it’s back in at #55, Stay The Night by Sigala & Talia Mar surges back to #50, Be The One by Dua Lipa returns at #35 (more on the reason why later) and finally False Alarm by Matoma & Becky Hill is back again at #30. As for our gains, Substitution by Purple Disco Machine & Kungs soars off the debut to #52, Pretty Boys by Caity Baser continues its resurgence to #26, I Found You by Sub Focus & Hayla rebounds to #25, Fly Girl by FLO & Missy Elliott continues up to #18, Because Of You by Gustaph surges into the top 10 at #10, Karma by Taylor Swift jumps up to #8 thanks to the Ice Spice remix and finally Hell N Back by Bakar continues its gains at #7.

Now that’s over with, let’s start off with our debuts

#74 That Part by Lauren Spencer Smith

Now I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m a huge fan of Lauren Spencer Smith, and so far I’m really liking the singles being pushed with this being no different. In this single, Lauren takes a step away from her breakup singles and actually sings about a happy relationship, and wow it definitely works. I expect this to rise in the coming weeks, and this isn’t the last we’re hearing of her today.

#72 live more & love more by Cat Burns

Cat Burns is back once again with another single. This one had been bubbling under for a few weeks before making the top 100, and it has now eventually found its way here. And yeah, I really like this one. I love Cat’s voice and I’m a huge fan of pretty much all her singles with this again being no different. Solid stuff.

#71 Eyes Closed by Ed Sheeran

Earlier this month, Ed Sheeran released his 6th studio album “-“, which unfortunately is one of his worst performing albums ever. It’s a damn shame because all the singles from this album so far are bloody great, including this. It was decent at first but I’ve found it to have really been growing on me the past few weeks and now it’s made it here. And my god this is so much better than any of the singles on “=“. Ed’s voice really suits the more acoustic sound “-“ was going for, and I really like the way Ed went with this. Never did I think I’d be this positive about a lead single from one of his albums but this is bloody good.

#64 Best Friend Breakup by Lauren Spencer Smith

This is definitely my most favourite track from the album rollout so far, although I’m really shocked it’s only just debuting now. In this song, Lauren sings about her ex best friend, saying how everybody thought they were sisters and how she didn’t expect this “best friend breakup” to hurt this much. And god damn she does it incredibly well. This will definitely see a decent climb next week.

#59 Escape by Kx5, deadmau5, Kaskade & Hayla

So this is a song that charted on the US EDM chart between last year and this year which I only recently checked out, and yeah I’ve been missing out. The production is really damn good with Hayla’s incredible vocals really making the song feel alive and I’m just mad I didn’t check it out sooner.

#56 Padam Padam by Kylie Minogue

I really didn’t expect this to be the route Kylie would go down. But she did not disappoint. Like with Head & Heart the chorus is about the noises of the heart, so I was pretty much guaranteed to like this. The production is really good with Kylie’s vocals still aging beautifully as she shows she’s still got it. I’m glad this is becoming a hit in the UK after A Second To Midnight missed completely along with Magic missing the top 40.

#49 MADELINE by INJI

So this is a recommendation from one of my friends Noah ajc, who actually charted 2 songs himself this week (more on that later, but he definitely had a good week didnt he 😅). And yeah, this is really good. It absolutely reminds me of something Charli XCX would do and I really like it. The production is basic but very fun with the vocalists sounding like Charli herself at certain points. If you haven’t already and you’re a fan of Charli XCX, check this out.

#34 Dance The Night (from Barbie: The Movie Soundtrack) by Dua Lipa

We have the welcome return of Dua Lipa, however this time with a single from the new Barbie movie she’s starring in, which is out in July. And this is so Future Nostalgia (positive). Her vocals never disappoint with Mark Robson’s production definitely taking it back to FN. Overall this is an absolute bop and if you liked Future Nostalgia, you’re bound to love this.

#29 tenner by Noah ajc & Esotie

So, here’s the first of two tracks from Noah this week. Now originally I was actually going to make a remix of this but unfortunately I wasn’t able to get it to work, but this song is unironically good anyways. I’m not even sure how to describe it, but it’s hilarious and a bop at the same time. Esotie’s verse is a highlight, but Noah’s heavily autotuned vocals really stand out and all in all it’s genuinely unironically good. Check it out.

#19 i hate me more by Noah ajc

Now the reason this charted is due to a remix with one of my good friends, Filey Frog. I haven’t actually listened to the original yet but the remix is incredibly infectious, with really damn good production and Noah’s vocals actually really suit it a lot. I expect this to stick around for quite a bit, this is some good stuff.

#16 Hits Different by Taylor Swift

And finally we have the last debut. This was originally a CD exclusive track that was released onto streaming upon the release of the Til Dawn Edition of Midnights, and this is absolutely awesome. In fact, I’d say it’s my favourite from the Midnights era and one of my favourite Taylor songs in general. As soon as I heard it I fell in love, and it’s a big fan favourite which I can absolutely see why and agree with. As the title says, it really does Hit Different. 🥁

So, Hits Different by Taylor Swift gets this week’s Best of the Week, with the Honourable Mention being a tie between Best Friend Breakup by Lauren Spencer Smith & i hate me more by Noah ajc. Next week, expect a couple of pretty big gains.

[makeupbychio]

Just Dance // tasm!peter x fem!reader

*gif credits to the owner*

Word count: 1.1k

Summary: Game night with Peter, just not the games he is used to play.

Warnings: Fluff fluff fluff, mentions of intimacy(?)

A/N: First blurb dedicated to my boy Peter Parker so I hope you like it, let me know if you have other ideas<3. English is not my first language.

-

“There she is!” Peter shouted from his spot in the living room with your little sibling. Yeah, not a surprise that he is in your house without you, he is like a member of it after all these years of knowing each other. Your parents love him and don’t make me start on how much your little sibling ADORES him.

You wanted to greet him but he was kinda busy once you realized what they were doing. So meanwhile you say hi to your parents that were in the kitchen cooking dinner and at same time laughing at the view they have of the game Peter and your sibling were playing.

“I can hear you, guys” Peter said without taking his eyes off the tv.

“Oh honey they are not laughing at you, they are laughing WITH you” you told him trying to hide your giggles too.

He knew it wasn’t in an offensive way.

You know he is doing his best, but let’s be honest… he’s not a good dancer. Yeah, they are playing Just Dance. It’s your favorite with your sibling, and Peter can’t say no when they ask him to participate.

You get closer to the living room, sitting on the couch that is behind the dance floor they made space for the game. “I’m going to win!” your sibling said. Yeah, they were a little competitive.

“Yeah you are really good at this!” Peter said to comfort them knowing that it doesn’t have a winner since the videos are from Youtube and not actually from a console with the remote. He was really nice with kids, he literally knew your sibling since they were born.

He is already without breath, a small amount of sweat on his forehead. Even with superpowers you can’t compare his energy with a kid’s. You just admire from your spot the people that you love the most having fun.

“Okay, last one baby, let Peter hang out with his girlfriend” your parents said from the kitchen knowing that they could go for hours dancing and jumping.

It is that kind of situation that every time Peter comes around your sibling forget that he is your boyfriend and not theirs. But neither of you mind, it feels like home, as always.

It is funny when you look at their backs the height difference between them, so Peter struggles more when a step requires to go down on the floor. Especially this song ‘Rasputin’.

“But mom, we are having fun!” your sibling said. It was the end of the song and you negotiated with them without breaking their heart. “K’, choose another one but that is the last one” you kneeled in front of them.

“I’m going to practice and come back for revenge” Peter said following the enthusiasm of your sibling.

You know what song was going to pick for the last one, your sibling have their favorites. And ‘Swish Swish’ started. To be honest, it was one of your favorites too. That's why your sibling invited you to join them.

“It’s all about the attitude” Peter said to himself, always down to offer a five-star show despite his dancing skills.

“I’m going to be the one with the big trousers” your sibling said, pointing at the dancer in the game. There were 4 dancers and with specific dance moves in between the routine. You choose the dancer with the braid.

“K’ so I’m that one with the beard” Peter pointed at his dancer. Peter feels comfortable enough to dance in front of you and your family but he doubts that he would do that in front of strangers, maybe they would think that it’s childish coming from him.

This dance in particular is really fun and cool. You both know the lyrics so Peter dances and sings at the same time. You love Nicki Minaj’s verse and Peter the part with the floss dance.

Once the song ended you and your family clapped at the dance team.

“Give me a high five!” Peter kneeled in front of your sibling and after the gesture he immediately bent over to your height to kiss your lips.

“That was awesome, Peter!” your little sibling couldn’t resist their happiness. “Thank you so much for playing with me”. Like I said, they ADORE your boyfriend. And Peter’s heart melts every time, he can’t wait to have his own family to experience this joy every single moment.

“K’ now homework and then dinner” your parents said to the little child. Once the kid was in their room, you took Peter’s hand to lead him to your room.

Your dad struggles not to scream ‘don’t close the door’ but your mom has told him to respect your privacy, and they would be fools to think that nothing intimate has already happened between you two when you were alone.

Peter sits at the edge of your bed admiring you while you change for more comfortable clothes. You take a seat on his lap, placing your arms around his neck and resting your face on his neck taking on his scent, your favorite.

“I missed you” Peter said while kissing the top of your head. He always lets you know his feelings.

“Me too, sorry that you got stuck with my family” you change your posture to look him in the eyes. “My mom called me to buy something for dinner”.

“Don’t be” Peter reassures you. You still don’t understand how okay he is with it.

You stayed there cuddling in silence, a moment of peace after a long day. After a while, your parents let you know that dinner was ready. Your mother already asked him if he was going to stay for dinner.

Before you stand up from his lap, he holds your chin to make you look at him. “I mean that about my steps” he said. It took you a moment to understand what he was talking about, he noticed your confusion. “I’m going to train every day so that on the day of our wedding I’ll be the best dancer for my girl” he smirks.

You follow his cockiness to tease him “Oh you feelin’ pretty confident about that”.

“I’m going to be such a good dancer that they are going to hire me for the next edition of Just Dance” he jokes.

“Are you going to wear your spidey suit for that?” you tease him. He was about to answer but your mom gave you both the last call. He was being serious about how he is going to practice every day for the big day. Also feeling confident and hoping that soon he can be with the love of his life forever.

[windcalling]

9, 18, 21 (for the music asks)

9. what was your favourite track from a soundtrack of something you watched this year?

oooooo, tricky one...gotta remember what things I watched this year! I don't tend to listen to a lot of soundtracks except for musicals, and while I did watch the In the Heights movie, I didn't like the music as much as the musical version XD

I can tell you that the music in Shang-Chi was BAD or at least boring, and the music in Gawain & the Green Knight was good!

cop-out might be familia from into the spider-verse, which i rewatched for my birthday. love me some nicki minaj!

18. did you buy any albums or music related merch? (physical)

i bought soooo many josh ritter albums. SO many. four? i think? most bonus editions so they have two CDs? and also a couple of Patrick Wolf cds! I play cds in the car and also like to buy them when I've been playing an album on repeat.

21. what are your top five songs of the year?

1. thats what i want - lil nas x: we played this album on repeat during big cross-country roadtrip

2. galapagos (for the fish) - ceschi: a sad fic was titled after this song & now it's in me forever

3. where the night goes - josh ritter: had a lot of feelings about this one when i was deciding to move

last I saw you was a Greyhound waiting/you said don't be sad and don't be blue!/LA is not the destination/still I believe that I must pass through

4. dog at the door - aesop rock: hate 2 say "pathos" but that's what we got here! also something that now plays in my head frequently. "oh i don't know, MAYBE IT'S A TRAP?"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgWHH4GMOSQ

5. house by the sea - moddi: i watched a lot of Mushishi this year. so soft, so nice, so able to knit while watching it. same vibes as when i was reading Yokohama Kaidashi Kiko, actually! sometimes u just want a song that makes you feel settled <3

[alcnas]

ALANA AMENGUAL ( ALEXA DEMIE ) is an EIGHTEEN year old from BATTLE CREEK, MICHIGAN. SHE is known around the island as THE HBIC because she is DETERMINED and AMBITIOUS but can also be UNDERHANDED and RUTHLESS. SHE reminds of cherry suckers, invisalign smiles, and the sound of laughter behind your back.

BASIC INFORMATION

NAME: alana marcia amengual

NICKNAMES: lana, lans

BIRTHDAY: november 1, 2002

AGE: 18

HOMETOWN: battle creek, michigan

BIRTHPLACE: grand rapids, michigan

RELIGION: lapsed catholic

ETHNICITY: mestizo mexican/white

NATIONALITY: american

EDUCATION: high school

RELATIONSHIP STATUS: depends on who you ask

SOCIAL CLASS: middle

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

HEIGHT: 5’2

EYES: dark brown

HAIR: dark brown

BUILD: slim

DISTINGUISHING MARKS: interchangeable hickeys from her hookup of the week

NOTABLE FEATURES: doe-brown eyes, full lips, cheeks that dimple when she smiles

PHYSICAL DISABILITIES: none

ALLERGIES: pollen, dust mites

PERSONALITY & BEHAVIOR

HOBBIES: cheerleading, shopping, telling people they’re fat and/or ugly

LIKES: gossip, cherry-flavored anything, scented lip gloss, the color pink, faux fur, white claw, red nail polish, bath bombs, heart-shaped sunglasses, feeling in control

DISLIKES: all school subjects except for phys ed, big trucks, country music, mom jeans, fast food, the smell of lavender, bad hygiene, criers, boys under 6’0, sneaker wedges, being touched without her permission, people who think they can boss her around

QUIRKS: always chewing gum, bites her lip out of habit, goes to bed before midnight (even on weekends), says “like” a lot, has her license but refuses to drive herself around, wears only matching sets of underwear, can rap nicki minaj’s entire verse in monster

STRENGTHS: exceptionally good at reading people, knows her own limits and isn’t afraid to manipulate others into doing things for her, has a keen long-term memory

WEAKNESSES: controlling to the point of compulsivity, doesn’t like collaborating with others, will stab you in the back if it means getting ahead

POSITIVE TRAITS: cunning, ambitious, determined

NEGATIVE TRAITS:  underhanded, ruthless, domineering

MENTAL DISABILITIES: n/a

SHARE 5 FUN FACTS ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER

collects scented lip gloss like she collects sex partners – never going two days in a row with the same one.

has an anonymous instagram account where she stalks all of the candidates from the bachelor and leaves hate comments under their photos.

was enrolled in cheer lessons at the age of four because she refused to play a “boys’ sport” like soccer.

blackmails her cheer coach into buying her nice things; he’s like a sugar daddy with a less-impressive bank account.

cannot stand the sight of bees and will freak out if one comes near her.

WHAT WAS YOUR CHARACTER WEARING ON THE FLIGHT?

on the flight to kona, hawaii, alana was wearing…

a juicy couture classic velour sweatsuit in pink

a white tanktop with the word “babygirl” encrusted in rhinestone across the bust

a beige-toned push-up bra and matching seamless underwear

a pair of white ankle socks

a pair of white adidas hoops sneakers

a silver cross necklace

two diamond stud earrings

chanel square sunglasses in black

PLEASE LIST 3 PERSONAL ITEMS OF YOUR CHARACTER THAT WASHED UP ON SHORE

a dead power bank for her electronics

a tube of victoria’s secret candy baby lip gloss

a cheetah print snuggie

EXTRAS

background info + will update as added

[djgoodblood]

Best of 2020: Latin tunes

The year 2020 started with one of the biggest Latin pop live events in Finland ever: Maluma live in Helsinki. Our DJ team was in charge of the warm-up DJ sets and we also organized the official afterparty. Soon after that, the pandemic complicated things and we had a pause of 3 months or so. After midsummer we were able to resume our regular events Terraza Latina / Latin Wednesdays and Fiesta Latina nights and those were great especially during the summer, before the second wave of the pandemic. It’s really challenging to make a list of the most played / most impactful / most interesting Latin tunes of 2020 because there were so many tunes that were big hits, crowd favorites and/or my personal favorites. Here I focus on the kind of music that we played at the parties - danceable popular music that used to be called “Urban Latin” but we decided to abandon that term. Perhaps we can call it contemporary Latin pop & reggaeton. I decided to list 20 top songs, but I would probably put them in a different order on a different day. It could be argued that ‘Hawài’ by Maluma was the biggest (most played / most popular) song of the genre in 2020. But there were so many other good songs that I decided to leave it out from my top 20. There were a couple of artists that really ran things in 2020. One of them was Myke Towers, not only for his own songs, but because he was featured in so many good songs and his verse was often the best part of the song. Bad Bunny stayed on the top, put out some party anthems like ‘Safaera’ and ‘Yo Perreo Sola’ and released two full albums plus a surprise compilation as an extra. The song ‘Dakiti’ from his latest album was an instant hit and became the most streamed song of the world at the end of 2020. But because the album was released so late, I will not include those songs on the 2020 list. I will do the same with Karol G’s late-2020 hit ‘Bichota’. When talking about albums, ‘Colores’ by J Balvin and produced by Sky Rompiendo must also be mentioned. Besides the album, J Balvin had the hit song ‘Agua’ with Tainy. Some of our most played songs in the summer were ‘Tattoo’, ‘Carita de Inocente’, ‘Tusa’ and yes, also ‘Hawái’. Closer to the end of the year, I would say ‘La Toxica’ and ‘Mi Niña’ were some of the top songs. The sad news in the reggaeton scene was the death of Dany (of the Cuban duo Yomil & el Dany) in July. Reparto music, the subgenre of Cuban reggaeton, provided some of the most fresh & interesting sounds of 2020. El Kimiko & Yordy and El Chulo seemed to make a big impact in the Cuban scene in 2020. From Brazilian tunes of the year, I really liked some Brega Funk songs like ‘Tudo No Sigilo’. There seemed to be a ‘funk rave’ trend in Brazilian funk scene also, but I didn’t get so much into that. ‘Rave de Favela’, ‘Desce Pro Play‘ and ‘Me Gusta’ were probably our most played 2020 songs from Brazilian artists. LATIN TUNES OF 2020 1. Prince Royce feat. Myke Towers - Carita de Inocente (Remix) 2. Rauw Alejandro - Tattoo 3. Farruko - La Toxica (Remix) 4. Karol G feat. Nicki Minaj - Tusa 5. Bad Bunny - Safaera 6. Bad Bunny - Yo Perreo Sola 7. Anuel AA - Reggaetonera 8. Beele - Loco (Remix) 9. Boza - Hecha Pa Mi 10. El Kimiko y Yordy - Mi Negrita 11. Gente De Zona feat. Becky G - Muchacha 12. Jay Wheeler feat. Myke Towers - La Curiosidad 13. Sech feat. Nando Boom - Se Va Viral 14. Camilo - Vida De Rico 15. Rauw Alejandro, Anuel AA, Natti Natasha, Farruko, Lunay - Fantasias (Remix) 16. Myke Towers - Diosa 17. Wisin, Myke Towers - Mi Niña   18. Rafa Pabon - A Guiro 19. Myke Towers - Girl 20. De La Ghetto feat. Nicky Jam - Sube La Music Other songs to remember: Vytinho NG & MC Bianca - Tudo No Sigilo Natti Natasha, Nicky Jam, Manuel Turizo, Myke Towers - Despacio Boza - Party En Mi Casa Justin Quiles, Daddy Yankee, El Alfa - Pam Kiko El Crazy - La Popi Ozuna - Caramelo Ozuna feat. Camilo - Despeinada J Balvin - Amarillo J Balvin - Rojo Sech - Relacion Bad Bunny - A Tu Merced Bad Bunny feat. Sech - Ignorantes Bad Bunny feat. Yaviah - Bichiyal Bad Bunny - Si Veo a Tu Mamá Ozuna feat. Doja Cat, Sia - Del Mar Tainy & J Balvin - Agua Karol G feat. Anuel AA - Follow Anuel AA - Keii El Taiger - Bajo Cero Ceky Viciny, Bulin 47, El Mayor Clasico - La Gente Ta Loca Anitta feat. Cardi B & Myke Towers - Me Gusta MC Zaac, Anitta, Tyga - Desce Pro Play Maluma - Hawái Omega - Pegao (Me Miró y La Miré) ChocQuibTown - Humano DJ Nelson, Luny Tunes, Secreto "El Famoso Biberon", Anuel AA, Cardi B, Black Jonas Point, Liro Shaq - La Bebe Remix (Reggaeton Version) Yomel El Meloso - Chuky Bobo (Remix) (Pablo Piddy verse!) Tito El Bambino feat. Jowell & Randy - El Meneo Yandel & Anuel AA - Por Mi Reggae Muero 2020 MC Lan, Major Lazer, Anitta - Rave De Favela (feat. BEAM) MC Niack - Oh Juliana Nicky Jam & Daddy Yankee - Muévelo Banda MS feat. Snoop Dogg - Que Maldicion Robledo & Alex Martini - Dime Bbsita Khea - Ayer Me Llamo Mi Ex Nio Garcia, Brray, Juanka - Jeepeta Myke Towers feat. Maluma y Farruko – La Playa (Remix) ...I probably forgot a bunch of good songs, feel free to message me and remind me! The most played songs from 2019 were probably these:  - Como Un Bebé - China - Soltera (Remix) - 11 PM - Bola Rebola - Que Calor - Ritmo - Loco Contigo - HP - Con Calma - Baila Baila Baila

[rosesisupposes]

Another Goddamn Hero Story

The Story Playlist

[This is mostly for @hawthornshadow but I hope y’all appreciate it too]

Prologue: Setting a Feel 

Did you know all the boys will be broken and ‘freaks’? Nice cool come join the circus (also I love this song): The Greatest Show - Panic! at the Disco

Chapter 1: Midnight Marauders

Chapter Title, also inspiration for Roman’s name, i still can’t think of anything else listening to this song: Dancing’s Not A Crime - Panic! at the Disco

Roman and Patton trying to outlive their pasts, and their staggering lack of self-preservation: Immortals - Fall Out Boy

Roman’s view - he believes/insists he’s past forgiveness by choice: Outlaws - Green Day

Patton to Roman, but in much more of a Might Kill Your Dad Type kinda way: bad guy - Billie Eilish

Bonus: how i decided where Roman & Pat’s home was located, and ref to their mutual codependence: Overpass - Panic! at the Disco

Chapter 2: Best of Us

Chapter Title, I picked ‘the best of us’ for this one meeting the Drs Lancaster for the first time on purpose, too :)))): This is Gospel - Panic! at the Disco

Boyos intro: Heroes - Måns Zelmerlöw [from Eurovision 2015]

...if there was a song that perfectly encapsulated Captain America’s Ass it would be here, for Virgil, i don’t have one though, RIP me

Chapter 3: Only Gold Is Hot Enough

Roman losing his mom: Pray for Me - The Weeknd with Kendrick Lamar

Roman alone: Holiday/Boulevard of Broken Dreams - Green Day

Repeating phrase through the chapter, if you didn’t notice: Hey Look Ma, I Made It - Panic! at the Disco

Inspiration of his costume, as Prince into Marauder, actually this inspired most of his character visuals and worldview: (Fuck a) Silver Lining - Panic! at the Disco

Roman moving on into the world as a villain, embracing his own ‘dark’: Scared of the Dark - Lil Wayne, Ty Dolla $ign, XXXTENACION [from Into the Spider-Verse]

Chapter 4: Every Tainted Soul

Chapter Title, ref to the beginnings of feelings the boys have across the hero/villain divide: Girl That You Love - Panic! at the Disco

Idk man i just get the best villain vibes from this one, something about the ‘celebration’ but also they’re “like washed-up celebrities”: Victorious - Panic! at the Disco

Fight Themes: Save the World - Swedish House Mafia

Chapter 5: Watch Them Run

Arrest of the villains: You Know What They Do To Guys Like Us In Prison - My Chemical Romance

Remy vibes: Bubblegum Bitch - MARINA

Remy vibes and direct quote: you should see me in a crown - Billie Eilish

Remy inspiration as a villain (see what’s mine & take it) Also, inspiration of Thomas’ origin: “heroes always get remembered but you know legends never die”: Emperor’s New Clothes - Panic! at the Disco

Chapter 6: Fear of Falling Apart

Theme for both Roman and Pat, particularly Collateral Damage: United States of Eurasia (+ Collateral Damage) - Muse

Title, particularly from the ending where the 3 layers oversect: This is Gospel (Triple Layered) - Panic! at the Disco

Patton’s heartbreak: Wake Me Up When September Ends - Green Day

The most Patton song there is (”there’s no sunshine...Only black days and sky grey, And clouds full of fear, And storms full of sorrow): Impossible Year - Panic! at the Disco

Patton’s attack: Fury - Muse

Chapter 7: A Whisper in the Dark

Title, inspiration for Agent Whisper’s name: Whispers in the Dark - Skillet

How AW’s powers work, but all types of love apply (and ref to how his powers came to be): House of Memories - Panic! at the Disco

I just really liked the energy of this for the fights: Supermassive Black Hole - Muse

Meeting the Big Bad, decision for the villains to work with ‘the enemy’: Know Your Enemy - Green Day

Chapter 8: To Dust or to Gold

Best energy of how the heroes feel trying to fight AW: Elevate - DJ Khalid, Denzel Curry, YBN Cordae, SwaVay, Trevor Rich  [from Into the Spider-Verse]

Title, and the fact that AW works through bringing back repressed memories (‘you will remember me’): Centuries - Fall Out Boy

Villains’ feeling that none of this is for some glorious cause, it’s just violence, pure and simple: Animals - Muse

First chapter of hanging out with Villains for the Weekend: Vegas Lights - Panic! at the Disco

AW’s theme with ref to his true identity (bet you didn’t know he was dangerous): Dangerous - Big Data feat. Joywave

Inspiration for what Roman’s bad days are called, and ref to attack on Roamn: Blackout Days - Phantogram

Villain Vibes for AW: Radioactive - Pentatonix and Lindsey Sterling

Chapter 9: Dark Side of Hope

A nice dump of songs used here & throughout the story for combat vibes:  Peacemaker - Green Day,  Get Up and Fight - Muse,  Immigrant Song - Led Zeppelin,  Save Yourself, I’ll Hold Them Back - My Chemical Romance

How the heroes & villains feel as they realize they like each other (you’re gonna be the death of me): Collar Full - Panic! at the Disco

Title (“it’s the dark side of hope/where believers concede”), also insp for Logan’s transition across the story, from black-and-white thinking (yes, like his costume & goggles) to understanding the grey areas: Old Fashioned - Panic! at the Disco

Hospital scenes, both in present and Virgil’s flashback: Soon You’ll Get Better - Taylor Swift, Dixie Chicks

Patton’s constant mood, but also Virgil’s and his moms’: Familia - Nicki Minaj, Anuel AA, Bantu [from Into the Spider-Verse]

Chapter 10: Pray for the Wicked

Hehehe mood ref and slight mislead here to Thomas’ origins/true nature of his powers: The Phoenix - Fall Out Boy

Patton’s reluctance, still, to being a ‘true’ hero, esp if Roman doesn’t survive: Superhero - Falling in Reverse

Fight Vibes, and yet another reference to memory: Remember the Name - Fort Minor feat. Styles of Beyond

The team going to fight AW one last time: What’s Up Danger - Blackway, Black Caviar [from Into the Spider-Verse]

Title, also the fight from the music video was a huge inspiration for all the combat in this story: Say Amen - Panic! at the Disco

Ref to AW’s power and how it pulls out memories/trauma: My Songs Know What You Did In the Dark - Fall Out Boy

Chapter 11: Fall to Rise

Thomas’ recovery: I Wanna Get Better - Bleachers

Title, ref to the reform(s): King of the Clouds - Panic! at the Disco

Ending the fight, Roman and Patton realizing they can stop fighting, finally; in contrast to the Lancasters recognizing the wrong people as the enemy, with pipe dreams of ending the fight, rather than giving it up: 21 Guns - Green Day [from the American Idiot musical]

The Lancasters’ plan: Unnatural Selection - Muse

Fighting the idea that powers can or should be controlled, aka Virgil All But Punches Logan’s Mom: Resistance - Muse

Chapter 12: Lay Us Down

They still can’t and won’t forget, and that hurts as much as it’s a power or an honor: Centuries [Cello/Piano Cover] - Brooklyn Duo

Title, and the love that they’re finding ‘in these coming years’ with the boys, with their family, with the foster home: End of All Things - Panic! at the Disco

The team together, accepting their traumas and working on them together, and Thomas believing that he still has some good to offer despite his scars and bruises: This Is Me - Kesha

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 10/06/2023 (Dave & Central Cee, The Weeknd/Madonna/Playboi Carti, Metro Boomin’s ‘Spider-Verse’ OST)

Content warning: Incest?

It’s Dave’s third, and Central Cee’s first: their massive collaboration “Sprinter” debuts at #1 on top of the UK Singles Chart, and with a four-song EP, the two have definitely shaken things up, so welcome back to REVIEWING THE CHARTS!

Rundown

We have a bit of a hectic week to cover this episode, so it’s of no surprise that we ended up with tons of notable dropouts, those being songs that exit the UK Top 75 - which is what I cover - after five weeks in the region or a peak in the top 40. This week’s hefty list includes Eurovision hits like “Queen of Kings” by Alessandra, “Cha Cha Cha” by Kaarija and… Ed Sheeran hits like “Life Goes On” and “Curtains”. Otherwise, we say farewell to “Tony Soprano 2” by Nines, “Princess Diana” by Ice Spice and Nicki Minaj, “Snow on the Beach” by Taylor Swift featuring Lana Del Rey, “What’s Love Got to Do with It” by Tina Turner, “Sure Thing” by Miguel, “Forget Me” by Lewis Capaldi and “I Ain’t Worried” by OneRepublic.

As for what’s filling in the gaps, “Anti-Hero” by Taylor Swift is our only re-entry at #49, but our notable gains include boosts for “Relax My Eyes” by ANOTR and Abel Balder at #58, “UNHEALTHY” by Anne-Marie featuring Shania Twain at #48, “TMO (Turn Me On)” by Luude and Bru-C featuring Kevin Lyttle at #45 - definitely not complaining about those three - alongside some I’m not as pleased about, like “Area Codes” by Kali at #39, “Talibans” by Byron Messia at #37 and “Side Effects” by Becky Hill and Lewis Thompson at #35, though at least “Little Things” by Jorja Smith is up to #28, and “Good Love” by Hannah Laing and RoRo is big off of the debut up to #22. We also see Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night” gain up to #13 and “Padam Padam” by Kylie Minogue at #12, both just missing the top 10, whilst “Dancing is Healing” by Rudimental, Vibe Chemistry and Charlotte Plank enters the top 10 at #8, becoming the first for Vibe Chemistry or Plank but Rudimental’s fifth; their first in five years since 2018’s “These Days” with Jess Glynne, Macklemore and Dan Caplen. It’s a shame that this new top 10 hit isn’t all that good, but what can you do?

The top five on this week’s UK Singles Chart consists of “Daylight” by David Kushner at #5, “REACT” by Switch Disco and Ella Henderson featuring the late Robert Miles at #4, “Giving Me” by Jazzy at #3, “Miracle” by Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding at #2 and of course, “Sprinter” at the very top, which we’ll get to later as part of our muddled batch of this week’s new entries, which we’ll start now.

NEW ARRIVALS

#70 - “Give it to Me” - Matt Sassari

Produced by Timbaland, Danja and Matt Sassari

If this week is defined by anything, it’s that we have songs by the duo of Dave and Central Cee, songs produced by Metro Boomin and a bunch of loosies that fall into neither of the categories. This song, more known for its “Full Vocal Mix” that halves its length yet has around 100 more million streams, is by French DJ Matt Sassari, and is essentially a remix of Timbaland’s 2007 hit of the same name with Justin Timberlake and Nelly Furtado that was a #1 hit in both the UK and US. The original is a fascinatingly bitter takedown from the trio onto… pretty much anyone who they didn’t like, whether that be Janet Jackson, Fergie, Prince or Scott Storch - yeah, they hit some pretty big names here, and it’s one of those diss tracks that feels a bit more petty than it does deserved… though honestly, I don’t find that much of a problem given how the Timbaland solo albums are mostly celebrity showcases anyway so it makes sense to stain them with gossip. With that said, I don’t like the original that much, as whilst it’s got the classic buzzing synth bass and heavily percussive groove of Timbaland tracks, it also has some of Nelly Furtado’s weakest and most awkward performances, especially in her verse, and the vocal melody all three of them go for in the verses is sing-songy and bitter to the point where Nelly sounds completely confused, Justin sounds punchable and Timbaland just sounds funny… which means he at least has the most charming performance. Given the club-based lyrics, it makes sense for a house remix but I do feel it’s a tad awkward, especially with how disjointed the new house beat ends up feeling with the original song’s vocals, which whilst being effectively chopped up, don’t really provide any sensible alternative to this just being an instrumental, and said instrumental would be pretty cheap-sounding and boring with its typical slap house synths that cloud up into a whole lot of nothingness. If not lazy, it’s empty - so it definitely makes sense that they shortened it to not even two minutes, got rid of the instrumental and replaced it with the original verses, excluding Nelly’s, which is a welcome decision but with every Timbaland-produced track, you could tell how involved he was in ensuring everything made perfect sense and worked together. He was a star-producer for a reason, and adding his work onto some distantly made slap house beat does no justice for the original track, even if I’m not a fan.

#68 - “HEATED” - Beyoncé

Produced by Beyoncé, Sevn Thomas, Neenyo, Jahaan Sweet, Boi-1da, Cadenza, Kelman Duran, Stuart White and Harry Edwards

There are four and a half minutes of runtime on this track, and double the amount of producers… yet you can definitely tell where they’re all coming from. Sure, this is not my favourite track from RENAISSANCE, but there are so many layers to this at any point in time: the liquid-smooth acoustic guitars, the weirdly intense Afrobeats percussion, the distant distorted chanting under several different layers and harmonies of Beyoncé providing great vocals as always. Sure, there’s only one real verse, but this is the “vibiest” song on the album, coasting off personality in an actually endearing way, mostly because Bey is full of charisma and whilst the song is mostly about how only a real man can handle the unique, powerful woman that is Beyoncé, there are some nice nods to how she came up - with her subtly paying tribute to her uncle Jonny in the pre-chorus - and the completely insane outro of liberation and aggression that ends the song with the mantra that had been in the back of the mix the whole time. Like most of RENAISSANCE, it’s just a great, slickly-produced and cleverly-composed track with a lot of attention to detail - why it’s coming back now I have no idea, but it may have something to do with the leaked Drake reference track. I honestly wouldn’t have minded him on the final track, mostly because a song about being uniquely powerful makes a lot of sense for both Bey and Drake, but it’s not like he brings all that much personality to the table, so the solo version works just as fine.

#63 - “bread & butter” - Gunna

Produced by Turbo, Omar Grand and Cam Griffin

I could not care less about if Gunna “snitched” or not - it seems that he took a plea deal, which is normal and common in the legal system, and Gunna’s relationship with his friends is of no interest to me, or any white boy on Twitter who thinks they have an eye on the streets. I did expect a comeback single when he was freed, but I didn’t expect it to honestly go this hard and be so connected to the story at hand. First of all, the R&B synths sound warm and the bass is surprisingly fuzzy and dynamic for a trap beat. More importantly, Gunna maintains his hustle, dissing Lil Baby for his perceived hypocrisy as he apparently still associates with “rats”. It’s a shame to see that duo dissolve, but the melancholy flow Gunna keeps with for most of this song is pretty defiant though it shows a level of sorrow and guilt considering how he becomes so paranoid and arguably allows his flow to become quite wonky in that second verse, mentioning how many have wronged him, his addiction to prescription pills and most interestingly how he feels that he fell for a manipulation of the legal system, which isn’t exactly hard for me to believe. Ultimately, this is not a great song - it runs a little long and Gunna is still not a dynamic vocalist, even if the melody gives his bars an internal sadness that interests me about where he could possibly go next, perhaps for more vulnerable lyrics down the line. I mean, it would be interesting to hear from Gunna of all people, but I don’t think I wanted it to have to come about like this.

#60 - “Closer” - Bou featuring Slay

Produced by Bou

Okay, for once, I think we need to stop thinking about the “Children”. Bou’s recent drum and bass hit is yet another flip of the late Robert Miles’ trance classic that hit #2 in 1996, and it definitely feels overdone, especially since the piano sound here Is particularly cheap, and the build-up is so liquidy it’s practically slime, which isn’t worth it since the drum and bass break is tacky and the bass is straight-up ugly, with the borderline off-key 808 clipping in the mix. Slay is a BTEC Bru-C who just repeats the chorus for half of the song until he actually gets into a verse, which for whatever reason is set to the back of the mix with a bunch of reverb, so it sounds like a completely disjointed song. Slay can barely flow and sounds completely out of it, so everybody here is amateur hour. Next.

#59 - “Annihilate” (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse) - Metro Boomin, Swae Lee, Lil Wayne and Offset

Produced by Metro Boomin, MIKE DEAN and Prince 85

I’ve heard really great things about Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and I do feel it is one of those superhero films you can enjoy without any prior knowledge of superhero films, and whilst I’m a fan of animation, so it’s probably necessary to watch it at some point, I don’t really have any interest in it, especially not after listening to the soundtrack, which feels as watered down as it could possibly be before it isn’t even recognisable as Metro Boomin production. What’s much more prominent are the flamboyant MIKE DEAN synths which make complete sense amidst all of the pop-music melodrama Swae Lee brings to the table, and honestly even Lil Wayne’s pretty great verse wherein he gives all the spider lines he must have been saving up for this groove-less trap beat. Offset on the other hand is embarrassingly basic, and Swae Lee has a verse for whatever reason that just makes the song drag on for no reason, especially since it’s a motivational song so if you’re not feeling it in the first hook, you won’t feel anything else. I get the appeal, but I’m not a fan… yet we have more Metro Boomin-Swae Lee Spider-Man tracks next week, except replacing the guests that are actually talented with, well…

#56 - “Calling” (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse) - Metro Boomin, Swae Lee and NAV featuring A Boogie wit da Hoodie

Produced by Metro Boomin, Chris Townsend and johan lenox

NAV. He replaced them with NAV. To be fair, A Boogie is here too, but this is mostly the Swae Lee affair once again, with a liquid guitar line and an incredibly basic trap beat relying on pianos and occasional sound effects to make it sound in any way unique to Metro or the soundtrack. NAV is dour, also saying he isn’t materialistic, because anybody is believing that, and the rest of this is a love song. Great. Naturally, most of them sell it through the idea of giving them a bunch of luxury items, as well as generic platitudes that don’t paint an actual picture, with Swae Lee relying on superhero tropes again. I quite like A Boogie here, with a particularly dynamic, ever-changing flow and particularly honest, kind of cute delivery that has slightly more reciprocal lyrics as well as a great moment where the strings come in at the end of his verse, and he sounds great over them. That verse doesn’t save the song entirely though, especially due to the overlong instrumental outro that just fades out... and without any Spider-Man vore, unfortunately. We’ll be back to your feature film presentation after these brief messages.

#52 - “Sittin’ on Top of the World” - Burna Boy

Produced by Skread

So, in 1998, Brandy Norwood released “Top of the World”, featuring the laidback, effortless rap of Ma$e and the hit-making grooves of Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins. It’s fine. The production actually feels very underwhelming, and the conceit of the song isn’t exactly fascinating, especially with a just-okay Brandy performance, two tacked-on Ma$e verses and a post-chorus that hasn’t aged particularly well - not because it’s problematic or anything but because it sounds very jerky and missing the fine tuning that probably would exist with that kind of vocal stutter and refrain nowadays. To be fair, the strings in the bridge are great, but the song isn’t overall, and it stalled at #2 behind B*Witched… okay, so the song was at least better than that song, and I’ll admit that it’s funny to hear Brandy ask Ma$e to slow down because he’s “killin’ ‘em” considering Ma$e is one of the most - purposefully - boring rappers of all time. Is Burna Boy’s remake an improvement? Well, I say yes, actually, with a fatter bass groove than the original, and a clever interaction with the sample, which is pitch-shifted and both interrupts and completes Burna Boy’s self-liberating chorus. Sure, that vocal stutter still doesn’t sound great, but it’s more well-integrated with the blended production here, and Burna Boy’s rich voice definitely helps further how catchy and honestly just kind of cute this song is, with the wormy synth by the end sealing the deal. Mediocre sample ends up producing pretty good song. Who knew?

#51 - “Am I Dreaming” - Metro Boomin, A$AP Rocky and Roisee

Produced by Metro Boomin, MIKE DEAN, Peter Lee Johnson and Scriptplugg

Our third and final track from the soundtrack is the only good one here, and yes, I’m saying that because A$AP Rocky is on it. Let’s just say I’m a fan. Seriously though, there are other factors here, mostly the whole early-2010s pop vibe it has going on, though a bit less compressed than those tracks were. The strings sound excellent and actually make this feel like a superhero anthem, especially when Roisee’s hook lines up perfectly with it, amidst the buzzing bass synths, and whilst I think that hook may be repeated a bit too much, she actually sells the motivational angle, partly because of how distorted her vocals end up sounding, indicating a filter that’s actually an obstacle between her and her dreams, whilst the rest of these tracks are complete fantasies. Similarly, Rocky mentions waking up feeling thankful for everything that’s been granted to him, and remembering how far he’s come from his impoverished childhood, even mentioning that because of the disparity he saw, he ends up ensuring his poorer friends hang out with his wealthier friends… which is not how that should work but I don’t care when he’s flowing this effortlessly, and the drums are so busy during his verse, it’s impossible not to have at least a little fun with it. I do wish Rocky was on the rest of this, but Roisee’s vocals are great, even if she doesn’t really go for an alternate melody at any point, meaning it feels a bit exhausting to try and split the chorus and verses from each other. Even if Rocky’s a non-presence for the rest of the track, MIKE DEAN is definitely here decorating the track with all his favourite synth patterns. Speaking of, even if it’s our last from him as a lead artist, Metro - and MIKE DEAN for that matter - still have yet another track debuting this week, that being…

#21 - “Popular” - The Weeknd, Playboi Carti and Madonna

Produced by Metro Boomin, MIKE DEAN and The Weeknd

Yes, this sounds bizarre on principle. The Weeknd and Madonna makes some sense considering the over-the-top pop icon status they both display, as well as both singers’ obsession with modal eras, but Playboi Carti? Well, it makes more sense when you consider Madonna was intended to be on the song firstly, and secondly, Carti’s only contributions are baby-voiced ad-libs in the post-chorus. In fact, let’s get him out of the way - he’s mixed horribly, doesn’t need to be here, sounds like he’s been sped-up and awkwardly placed in and his parts feel double the length of any actually decent elements the song brings to the table, which is a shame because this is actually a fantastic song, perfectly fit for soundtrack of The Weeknd’s HBO series The Idol not only due to its lyrics about being desperate for stardom but also with the campness of it, not pretending to be cool like any of the Spider-Verse cuts. Instead, we get Madonna’s silly spoken-word monologue over thematic synths and Metro’s drums doing their best Timbaland impression in this very 2000s funky dance-pop production. I’m pretty sure the song is about the series’ characters in some way, but I care very little about that so I’m just interested in the constant hooks exploding from everywhere, whether it be the sneaky keys, Abel’s constant grunting in the verses, the infectious “oh-oh” refrain in the pre-chorus, and of course, that impeccable chorus, whether it be the synths jabbing in and out or the catchy refrain Abel croons out. Madonna, unsurprisingly, gives not a fantastic performance but one very much within the realm of what she needed to do, as keeping it a tad more subtle was probably for the best to avoid this becoming a completely incoherent track. The cute laughs added in the bridge is a nice touch too, it does sound like this could have very well been a prime Madonna track… except you know, with The Weeknd replaced by Prince and Playboi Carti a complete non-presence. Please make a version without him, Abel, it’s the only thing that’s preventing this from being an excellent song - and you know, maybe add a bridge or synth solo in his place. Please?

#17 - “UK Rap” - Dave and Central Cee

Produced by Kyle Evans

Okay, so one thing I’ve noticed is a trend across all of our new arrivals this week: the lyrics are not interesting. If you run through them, they’re mostly either generic for no reason and as a result just uninteresting or generic because they’re soundtrack singles, with “Give it to Me” being a remix so the lyrics can’t really be totalled up there even if they are a bit more interesting. Apart from “bread & butter” and maybe “HEATED”, these three songs from Dave and Cench, all from their four-song EP Split Decision will be our only chance for some depth or at least comedy this week, since Dave is a conscious rapper and well, let’s just say Central Cee is never afraid to elaborate. Apart from the only track on the EP that didn’t chart, it’s pretty low-stakes for Dave and a comeback to making actually good music for Cench, so I’ll try and make these last three pretty quick and light-hearted. “UK Rap” is a slightly condescending nod to how British hip hop is under-represented, with Cench knowing  a girl who only listens to the two most famous British rappers - guess who - and otherwise only bumps Americans in the car. Kyle Evans provides a decent enough drill beat, even if I’d want it to be a bit more fluid with the 808s and it seems a tad too intimidating for a song that’s mostly comical in its lyrical content about this… underwhelming relationship. Cench actually goes for some wordplay as well as having a pretty confident delivery, and mostly does alright. Dave… well, his verse is just as comical, and I had to stop and replay the song after I laughed over the bars that followed him randomly dropping in his pontification about asking for feet pics. The verse honestly continues to be pretty great, as Dave has an attention to detail in his bars, with a great conversational flow, slick wordplay about Rudimental and a great fluid flow that runs all over the beat and makes it sound so much better than it actually is. Oh, and we get a Nelly Furtado mention here, which would be a book-end if this were the single.

#14 - “Trojan Horse” - Dave and Central Cee

Produced by Dave

This sample is incredible. The strings from the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra are beautiful, and they’re chopped up in a pretty awkward way on first listen but as soon as the trickling drill hi-hats come in, it all makes sense, and the bass also sounds weird first listen… but the juicy tone of it makes it sound a lot bouncier, which works for them trading bars and creates a really unique version of a drill beat. As for the bars here, Dave and Cench talk about gang violence and paranoia, that even gives him trauma when his girl puts him in cuffs, as well as a lot of flexing and girl talk as you’d expect. Apart from wanting to have sex with his step-sister, it’s a nice touch that instead of cutting out the beat when Cench says he doesn’t need a beat (because he’s “too vocal”), Dave instead gets rid of the strings sample, so that when he comes back for his verse, he can lead another one in that’s a bit more interesting and screechier than the last, keeping the beat a lot more interesting, as well as allowing the main strings loop to feel like a refrain, that fits due to the nostalgic feel of it. Dave’s rhyme schemes are satisfying and whilst I’d appreciate a bit more interplay, they have enough chemistry in that they’ll share similar rhyme schemes or content themes between verses. Dave definitely shows up Cench - as expected - in terms of pure bars, but as a result it almost feels relaxing whenever Cench comes back In, which is actually the opposite for the third and final track from the two debuting today:

#1 - “Sprinter” - Dave and Central Cee

Produced by Jo Caleb, Jonny Leslie, Dave, Jim Legxacy, Kyle Evans and TR the Producer

The big hit from the EP is actually pretty much a Central Cee showcase, as the one track on this EP where he really shines ends up getting the single and video push. I’m glad, too, since first of all, I haven’t heard Cench’s vocals in this high of a fidelity so Dave gave him more of a budget than usual, and he also put him on much more interesting production, with the six producers curating an incredibly energetic, tropical beat bringing highly percussive elements to the drill rhythm, whilst tonally, the song uses acoustic guitars and almost Pharrell-sounding vocal soundbites as well as an incredible use of bass. It’s a lot of flexing and girl talk once again, but there’s actual interplay between the two and Cench is the most infused he’s been in years, whilst Dave is effortless rapping quickly but still with this new conversational cadence I hadn’t heard from Dave until now and it really works a lot better, since his blunter delivery was what prevented me from enjoying some of his music prior. Cench’s second verse is genuinely incredible, as he goes on for way longer than I expected as the beat shifts around him into this beautiful vocal warbling that has enough attention to detail to add the “Maybach Music” tag when it’s referenced. I could probably do without Dave’s second verse, honestly, I feel like the song is kind of out of steam - and breath - by the end of the second chorus, and it ruins the catharsis the song makes me feel from having a return to the hook after Cench’s exhaustingly good verse, but as a misogynist epilogue, I suppose it works, and whilst I do prefer “Miracle”, I’m not mad this is at #1.

Conclusion

It’s getting the Best of the Week too, though you could honestly tie it with “Trojan Horse”, and as for the Honourable Mention, it only feels right to give Beyoncé a nod for “HEATED”, though Gunna was absurdly close. As much as I want to spare Metro Boomin, he did make NAV chart so “Calling” with Swae Lee featuring A Boogie wit da Hoodie ends up as the Dishonourable Mention, with the Worst of the Week easily going to “Closer” by Bou featuring Slay, which I can only hope doesn’t last. As for what’s on the horizon, well, it seems like it may be the true start of Summer on the charts and it seems like the quality for this Summer’s hits are going to stay pretty high, even if the older tracks are a bit too slow in their exits, so I’m excited to see what else is coming. As for now, thank you for reading and I’ll see you next week!

[thesinglesjukebox]

LIZZO - GOOD AS HELL

[7.55]

We look forward to "Juice" hitting the top 40 sometime in 2021..

Katie Gill: It is infinitely amusing that with Lizzo's career trajectory, her songs that are 2-3 years old are getting the radio play instead of her current work. Granted, "Good As Hell" is an absolute banger. But it's an absolute banger that is obviously a product of Lizzo's earlier work, especially when compared the the musical evolution she shows on Cuz I Love You. It's also an absolute banger that seems tailor-made for inclusion in movie trailers or makeover montages but hey, get that bread Lizzo. [7]

Wayne Weizhen Zhang: Lizzo singles don't expire after three years; they're just like chardonnay, get better over time. [8]

Thomas Inskeep: Goddamn, Lizzo can wring every bit of strength out of a female empowerment lyric, can't she? And she nails the rapping/singing combo like no one since -- I dunno, Lauryn Hill? In fact, maybe she's the rightful heir to L-Boogie's throne? And she does it all so damn joyfully to boot. Talk about fresh air on the radio. [8]

Joshua Copperman: After enjoying Big GRRL Small World, I remember hearing that Lizzo signed to Atlantic, working with the insufferably goofy producer Ricky Reed. It felt like a classic "sell-out" moment even if the term has lost all meaning. This song felt destined to blow up, but went nowhere. Neither did "Phone," and neither did "Truth Hurts." Cuz I Love You could incorporate her earlier, more political work in ways that felt authentic... but then "Truth Hurts" got massive, and "Good As Hell" is well on its way. There's a sense that Lizzo will go further in the shouting party anthem direction. She's a great interview, and a fantastic live performer, but it's disappointing to foresee a Bruno Mars-style trajectory when there's so much more to offer. At this rate, Big GRRL Small World could see a rerelease as the darker, more ambitious follow up, but she's still clearly happier making mindless party music. If she saves the thoughtful political commentary for when Terry Gross calls her "brave", that's okay. [6]

Stephen Eisermann: It is so hard to fault Lizzo's older material. While it's very easy to be cynical about self-empowerment anthems today, Lizzo has consistently shown that she excels at putting herself, a plus-size black woman, first and showing other people how to put themselves first. It's hard to separate her past hits from whatever current story she is involved in (like that horrid Postmates debacle), but, fuck, you are full lying if you say you don't smile on even your worst day when you play this chorus. The background vocals, the energy, the personality -- no part doesn't hold up. There is no chorus like a Lizzo chorus, no matter how long it has taken people to notice. [8]

Alfred Soto: Lizzo released a terrific album this year, you know, on which her sense of rhythm and how a star in waiting presents her material meshes wit the body-positivity messages. [6]

Tobi Tella: Sometimes the strength of a song is enough to push past any factors trying to stop it from entering the public conciousness. "Good As Hell" is a little corny, sure, but it's also empowerment without pandering, an uplifting song that doesn't feel the need to insert generic platitudes. Most of all, it's fun, which is something I think 2019 music totally misses most of the time. [8]

Kayla Beardslee: Personally, I'm looking forward to a couple singles from now, when Lizzo's team will be looking so far in the past for singles to push that they'll arrive at a point before her music career began and encounter a time paradox. If "Truth Hurts" can go #1 two years after its release, anything is possible, and why can't that include Lizzo deconstructing our understanding of time as a linear concept? Oh, and I'm supposed to review the song, too. Yeah, "Good As Hell" bops, will bop, has bopped, bops in the subjunctive, etc. The vocals are fantastic, and the piano riff gives the song a constant feeling of forward motion. It's the kind of track that makes you want to sing along, and even if (like me) you fail at imitating Lizzo's attention-grabbing vibrato, "Good As Hell" is so relentlessly fun that you'll feel happy about it anyways. [8]

Kylo Nocom: The power of hindsight is very strange. I used to see talk go around about how "Good as Hell" sounded like it could have been a hit, and now that it is one, is that underdog appeal still here? I used to think that her being compared to Natasha Bedingfield in Pitchfork's review of Cuz I Love You was unfair, but in hindsight, it's not really that far off. Values PSAs had "Where Is the Love?" then, and the soundtrack to them would be "Good as Hell" now. That's not a condemnation: corny stays in fashion, and with sounds as lovely as the ones Lizzo selects (namely, the drum kit of the chorus and the sampled vocal belts) it's easy to ignore how ultimately juvenile the message feels. [8]

Jackie Powell: Right now as we speak, "Good as Hell" sits at number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was featured in the third film in the cult series "Barbershop," which starred fellow women in hip-hop Eve and Nicki Minaj, both whom Lizzo currently eclipses in relevance. Like the film, this track came out three years ago. This sleeper hit, along with Lizzo's career, has emerged from the ashes. They are a collective rising like a phoenix but with slightly more swagger and chock-full of sass. How is all of this possible? Lizzo's entire being defines what it means to be living in 2019. Self-care, inner strength, and an IDGAF attitude. That's why "Good as Hell" hit harder in 2019 rather than three years earlier. Zane Lowe has referred to this track as an "instant vintage vibe" and that's due to clean but predictable production from Ricky Reed. Lizzo's delivery functions in between a bounce in the verses and sweeping call and response in the pre-chorus and the hook. Her magic remains in the way she works to make her raps more digestible for listeners who live on the throwback playlists on Spotify. She's creating a similar product to Mark Ronson in that they both aim to bring sounds from then and now together in a triumphant union. Thank goodness for Lizzo, someone who has the secret recipe to make anyone feel "as good as hell," a task far from effortless. [7]

Vikram Joseph: It seems kind of fitting that I'm writing this before work on a wet Monday morning, because "Good As Hell" is transformative in a way that's hard to resist. Taylor Swift might have recently claimed that she "want[s] your dreary Mondays" (ok, not yours, Joe Alwyn's), but "Good As Hell" simply will not allow them to exist -- at least for 2 minutes and 37 seconds. It achieves this mostly because of the melancholy that lurks in the corners of the song, and because of the way that classic descending chord progression confers a sense of unconditional positivity in the face of chronic adversity. The delivery of "baby, how you feeling?" should win awards -- most singers would sell it as uncomplicated celebration, but Lizzo sounds incredibly empathetic, concerned even, like she half-expects the answer might be "like shit, Lizzo, I feel like shit." And the song's instant meme -- "hair toss, check my nails!" -- is actually a performance piece in putting your best self out there when your heart feels bruised and tired. The strange, wonderful alchemy of "Good As Hell" is that, through method-acting feeling good as hell when all of your instincts tell you that you really don't, it actually makes you feel fucking incredible. [9]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox]

[lihikainanea]

48, 49, 50!❤️

48. What’s your ringtone?

It’s totally Check It Out by Nicki Minaj. The verse that starts with “Step up in the party like my name is DAT BISH”.

I should probably change it.

49. Did you have a dream last night?

IT WAS A NIGHTMARE. I’m talking to a very big group of people tomorrow about something I don’t quite know well enough to be presenting to that many people and I dreamt I literally just got up there and forgot everything so instead I started to sing Gloria by Laura Branigan. Fuck.

50. What keeps you going each day?

Literally? Coffee. Metaphorically--I’m happy any day that I get to travel. 

Thank you bb <3

[kingjaffejoffer]

I hate when rappers do a live performance and don’t finish the whole song.

I watched Lil Wayne’s performance from Lil WeezyAna Fest and he didn’t do all 3 verses of one fucking song.

I understand when you have a big catalog compromises have to be made. 

But he also brought out some local New Orleans rappers that nobody wanted to hear for 20 minutes. 

Then Nicki Minaj delayed the show for 5 minutes cause she wasn’t ready. Then she got on stage and gave an absolutely terrible set of her new songs where she appeared to not remember the lyrics on several occasions.

All of that shit coulda been scrapped and Wayne could have done full songs. 

[fr0gheart]

album review of sweetener

okay noone asked for this. and no one is gonna read it. I just want to start doing album reviews. I will be rating each one out of 5 music notes

1. raindrops(an angel cried)

Thoughts: okay this was a really beautiful track and I enjoyed it. The raw acoustics and the tone of the voice was absolutely beautiful. I love that echoey sound in the background and it sounded like she was really vulnerable. This was really beautiful. I’m hoping Ariana releases a longer version of this

Rating: 🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵

2. blazin(feat. pharell williams)

Thoughts: This song is a shock to me. The transition from raindrops to this is a splendid surprise. Now for the track overall I didn’t really enjoy it particularly. This would be the song I’d listen to just for ariana’s voice. Like she picked up this song and I feel like the music at the back was really tacky and I didn’t dig it. They both did a good job.

Rating: 🎵🎵

3. the light is coming(feat. Nicki Minaj)

Thoughts: This song was a banger. I enjoyed it’s like one of my favourites because Nicki’s opening hook in the song is bomb, she was the best pick for this part. I didn’t really get a lot of vocals from Ariana because she was talking through her part but I really enjoyed it. I would change how Ariana sings it and maybe dampen the political voice at the back

Rating: 🎵🎵🎵🎵

4. R.E.M

Thoughts: It really transitioned from the light is coming fast! The beat at the back is really nice and could probably put someone to sleep. We get more vocals from Ariana in this track and she really shows a softer side to the album in this song and it’s really nice. I dig the harmonies and it’s just really well put together she really outdid herself on this track. This track is beautiful. It has a sitting on clouds kind of vibe

Rating: 🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵

5. god is a woman

Thoughts: The first time I listened to this song. I was astonished. It was so beautiful. Like I was a bit skeptic all about listening to it because I’m Christian and I thought it would contradict my culture but it did anything but that. It actually opened my eyes. Her vocal are beautiful, the beat is gorgeous, and you can tell she really tried hard for this one. I loved it. Ariana really knows how to wow people. The video too was moving with so many older art references. Just a work of art

Rating: 🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵

6. sweetener

Thoughts: i was really looking forward to this track. And I listened to it in shock. Like MISS ARIANA GRANDE. It was so fucking good. This is really different from her other songs. And I like that she was trying new things. Because she is capable of a lot of things and I think this just opened the door to new possibilities. I didn’t know that she could do this. Most definitely deserves to be a title track. It was beautiful and I enjoyed it so much she really did so well with this. I will definitely be twisting to this for a while. good fucking job. It’s beautiful

Rating:🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵

7.succesful

Thoughts: I heard people saying that she was bragging in this track but it was anything but. She delivered a nice track with a nice dancing beat and she was sharing with us her accomplishments and she did a good job with it. She was definitely a bad ass bitch in this track and she stunted on all of us with this banger. She showed us this baller side of her and Iiked it. But they could have produced it better. This song isn’t the best but I like the meaning of it.

Rating: 🎵🎵

8. everytime

Thoughts: okay I really like this track the production of this is really good. but i got a little disinterested between the verses but it was stil an alright track. I liked her vocals in this a lot. This just gives me that home video background song.

Rating: 🎵🎵🎵

9. breathin

Thoughts: This is probably one of my favourite tracks. I like the production and the lyrics and I like her vocals. She does a good job with this mainting a head voice and chest voice I was dancing to this and I was really enjoying it. I really like it a lot

Rating: 🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵

10. no tears left to cry

Thoughts: I listened to this song when it came out and I didn’t really like it. And then I waited a few days and came back to it and I absolutely love it. This song is basically not something that warms up to you but it will eventually if you haven’t heard it. I like how for her first single she showed us her vulnerability from the Manchester Attack

Rating: 🎵🎵🎵🎵

11. borderline(feat.missy elliott)

Thoughts: This song rubs me the wrong way and I don’t know why. I like the lyrics but I’m feeling a little iffy about the product. Ariana said she asked for the song from Missy Elliott and I think Missy would have done this better. I love Missy’s line and it’s just enough to leave us wanting more. I wouldn’t give this over 3 stars because the production was really weird. But this is my opinion. You guys may still like it

Rating:🎵🎵

12. better off

Thoughts: just starting off the song is she saying armpit? I like the song and he steady beat and her harmonies are on point. I get a very r.e.m vibe from this. This is clearly about Pete Davidson and how he like got her to be wild I really dig this song. It’s groovy

Rating:🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵

13. goodnight n go

Thoughts: everyone’s been saying good things about this song and I understand why. It’s so smooth and the production is perfect. She really did this and I lived for the chorus and she gives me really Calvin Harris hints with this song. Like I said the production is really good. It’s so good and I like her raw vocals in this. And it’s obviously about new relationships and how her and the person are just so innocent and it shows off how new relationships are and the innocence of them. This song reminds me of something but I don’t know what? I listened to this song 3 times before writing this to make sure I put everything I wanted to say into words.

Rating: 🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵

14. pete davidson

Thoughts: There was a lot of controversy over this and everyone was saying they didn’t want to listen to it. but this song is beautiful. We’re really lucky to have an artist who is open to sharing her relationship with her fans and I don’t know if it’s just me but I feel like this is her secret to share with each and every one of us and she’s like keeping the song short and sweet because thats what secrets are. I live this song and she showed her emotions really well. This should really be longer

Rating: 🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵

15. get well soon

Thoughts: Okay last song on this album. I really resonated with this song. It felt like she was asking the listeners if she was sane or even normal. She was talking about how her life was controlled and she just wanted to do this song for the Manchester Attack. imagine how much ptsd she has from the attack and her being scared that it will happen again. She really related with her listeners in this song. And I know that is said she showed herself in some songs on this album but this is the big kahuna. She really opened up not just about her feelings but what was on her mind and she showed anxiety in this song I don’t know. And the 44second of silence to commorate those who died from the attack really shows us what Ariana is aiming to be and how there is truly a new her revealing from this album.

Rating: 🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵

Overrall: it was a beautiful album and I loved going on a journey with her through a soft song like r.e.m to an upbeat one like sweetener and she really bared down and showed it all to us. This is truly a new era of Ariana and I’m here for it. This is her year for new beginnings and this album is one hell of a new beginning for her. I adore you ari. Great job on this album! Your hard work is not going to go unnoticed

Favourite song(s) : goodnight n go

get well soon

breathin

r.em

sweetener