#our wonderful songwriter/producer/rapper :((((

[miklh]

An example of how reinvent who you are: Bruno Mars from "Locked Out of Heaven" to "Leave the Door Open"

Welcome back ! so I talked about Sia last time and I think it's time for me to introduce you my favorite artist named Bruno Mars (I know I'm mainstream but let me convince you !) Peter Gene Hernandez was born in Honolulu, Hawaii grew up in a musical family, his nickname "Bruno" comes from the wrestler Bruno Sammartino (he apparently looked like him as a toddler) and "Mars" because it reflected his ambitions and was told by several women that "he was out of this world". He moved to L.A, was in a band named School Boys and struggled in having a place in music industry so he started writing because of getting frustrated. He was a track writer for popular songs including Right Round by Flo Rida and was the co-writer with K'naan to produce "Waving Flag" the Coca-Cola's theme song of the 2010's FiFA world cup ! He started to get credit by introducing himself as the 2010's hit song "Nothin' on You" with the rapper B.o.B and became a pop performer. Not to mention the fact that he collaborated with many artists such as Lil Wayne, Cardi B, Lady Gaga or producers such as Mark Ronson with "Uptown Funk"(who is the G.O.A.T. of the 2010's producers by the way, I'm really not lying ! If you don't know him he probably produced 80% of your 2010's playlist). He took inspiration from Michael Jackson, James Brown (of whom he did a tribute), Prince, Amy Winehouse, Stevie Wonder ...   "It's not a secret. We wear the inspiration on our sleeves. What is the point if us, as musicians, can't learn from the guys that've come before us? What did they do?" In 2021, he teamed up with Anderson .Paak to create Silk Sonic: a R&B, Jazzy album with this iconic song "Leave the Door Open" which won the award of best record R&B song. In a nutshell, Bruno Mars did mainly pop music mixed up with different inspirations and artists and even produced an R&B album to prove his point as reinventing him as an artist. It's not like what you see in movies, where you walk into a record company and you're given all these great songs to sing. You have to write the song the world is going to want to hear and play it over and over again. I learned that the hard way here in L.A." Bruno Mars, After starting songwriting in L.A.

[atinytrashcan]

Happiest of birthdays to the one and only diamond maknae, the baby of TXT, the best 4th gen composer songwriter vocalist pianist producer guitarist rapper dancer EVER

Happy 22nd birthday to Kai Kamal Huening. and i know he won't see this, but I'd like to say a few words to him anyway.

Dear Kai: Happy Birthday!! I hope your day is wonderful, and you receive all the love and gifts that you deserve.

It feels like just yesterday that I became a MOA. We were only 16. I was watching the Our Summer MV, and when I saw your face, I knew you would be my bias.

It has been such a wonderful 5 years being a MOA. Watching you grow up right alongside me. Despite everything that's happened in those five years, I've always found comfort in you. Watching TO DO and seeing you have fun with the members; seeing you perform on stage and living out your dream (though I haven't had the privilege of seeing you in concert myself).

I know that you have been through so many hardships in your time as an idol. Hardships that I can't even begin to understand. But I want you to know that no matter what life throws your way, I will always support you. No matter what.

Happy birthday, my Sputnik Hueningkai 💙

[cyarskaren52]

There's no disputing Snoop Dogg's iconic status.

From that lanky kid from Long Beach in the early 1990s who shot to stardom (and infamy) as the biggest star on Death Row Records, to the venerated elder statesman who might be the most famous rapper in the world; Calvin Broadus is a blueprint for how to do rap stardom the right way. 

His early hits set the standard for G-Funk, as Snoop's charisma and laconic drawl made him a superstar and took that Cali-based sound to the top of the charts. He took a turn down South in the late 1990s, signing with No Limit Records for what turned out to be a strong stretch to close the millennium, and he became a pop culture mainstay in the 2000s, scoring monster hits with everyone from Dr. Dre to Timbaland to, perhaps most notably, Pharrell and The Neptunes. 

Through it all, he's maintained his near-universal appeal, he's a West Coast icon who isn't bound to any coast; a 90s veteran who transcends era, and a brand and movement unto himself. Snoop is everywhere. We picked 25 of his greatest songs. Believe us—it wasn't easy. 

#26

"THAT GIRL" - PHARRELL FEAT. SNOOP DOGG [BONUS SONG]

Our BONUS SONG pick is a celebrated classic guest spot! There are certain artists the superproducer Pharrell just has great chemistry with, and one is the legendary Doggfather. One of the breeziest tunes he ever crafted.

#25

"CALIFORNIA ROLL" FEAT. STEVIE WONDER

Snoop re-embraced AutoTune on this breezy song that sounds like it could be a lost track from Stevie's classic 70s period. The legendary singer/songwriter provides vocals and harmonica to the track.

#24

"LIFE OF DA PARTY"

A West Coast anthem that perfectly captures the club sound of the early 2000s. That specific period after crunk, but before trap found AutoTune and percocets. Too $hort and Mistah FAB do their thing over production from Scoop DeVille.

#23

"SIGNS" FEAT. JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE AND CHARLIE WILSON

Snoop's shift to romantic odes was fairly seamless, and he made it look easy. Grown man Snoop was in full effect on this hit single from R&G: RHYTHM & GANGSTA. 

DROP YOUR EMAIL

TO STAY IN THE KNOW

SUBMIT

#22

"YOUNG, WILD & FREE" FEAT. BRUNO MARS, WIZ KHALIFA

Snoop has mastered cross-generational appeal, and nowhere is that more evident than his work with Wiz Khalifa. With an assist from Bruno Mars, Snoop proved he's forever young with this single from MAC AND DEVIN GO TO HIGH SCHOOL.

#21

"G'Z UP, HOES DOWN"

This "lost" track was a standout on the immaculate DOGGY STYLE, but only showed up on early pressings of the album. Because of difficulties getting the Isaac Hayes sample cleared (that's "The Look Of Love"), it was removed from the album.

#20

"UPS & DOWNS/BANG OUT"

Over a flip of the Bee Gees' "Love You Inside Out," Snoop gets real about loyalty. R&G: RHYTHM & GANGSTA is one of Snoop's best efforts, and this single is one of the more underappreciated releases from that period. 

#19

"SENSUAL SEDUCTION/SEXUAL ERUPTION"

Produced by Shawty Redd, this monster hit single remains one of the biggest smashes Snoop ever released, and featured the Long Beach legend fully embracing AutoTune. One part parody, one part outside-the-box musicality, it's still Snoop being Snoop.

#18

"LET'S GET BLOWN" FEAT. PHARRELL WILLIAMS

Snoop and The Neptunes were locked in by the time they dropped this follow-up to one of the rapper's biggest hits. The coolass vibe is perfect for latter-period, grown man Snoop.

#17

"LODI DODI"

Snoop almost single-handedly legitimized making outright covers in Hip-Hop, with this remake of the Slick Rick/Doug E. Fresh classic "Ladi Dadi." Snoop takes the famous tale straight to Long Beach, and shows just how much he reveres MC Ricky D.

#16

"FROM THA CHUUUCH TO DA PALACE" FEAT. PHARRELL WILLIAMS

The first single from the hit album PAID THE COST TO BE THE BO$$ featured Snoop's first high-profile collaboration with the hitmaking Neptunes. The song wouldn't smash the charts like the single that followed (more on that later), but is one of Snoop's most recognized early 00s tracks.

#15

"STILL A G THANG"

Snoop had landed on No Limit Records in the late 1990s, and he blended with the NOLA label's rat-a-tat bounce better than expected. But this single made it clear that he was keeping his West Coast G-Funk sound, even at his new digs. 

#14

"VAPORS"

After his cover of Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick's "La Di, Da Di," Snoop set his sights on a Juice Crew classic. Snoop reworked Biz Markie's beloved "Vapors," showcasing just how well the Golden Age sample of James Brown's "Papa Don't Take No Mess" melded with G-Funk's groove. 

#13

"WOOF!" FEAT. C-MURDER, MYSTIKAL

As Death Row seemed to be in a state of collapse circa 1998, Snoop (no longer "Doggy") Dogg resurfaced as a soldier for the No Limit tank. Master P's house welcomed the West Coast superstars with open arms, and this is the kind of posse cut only Beats By The Pound could deliver.

#12

"MURDER WAS THE CASE"

One of the darkest entries on Snoop's classic debut album, this tale finds the protagonist facing death and slipping into his own, personal hell. Part cautionary tale, part reference to the rapper's own real-life drama playing out at the time, it's one of the greatest songs in his catalog.

#11

"DOGGY DOGG WORLD" FEAT. THA DOGG POUND, THE DRAMATICS

The pimptastic video is one of the most memorable of the 90s; and the groove is pure 70s funk, highlighting how deeply indebted to that era G-funk had been.

#10

"DROP IT LIKE IT'S HOT"

Again: Pharrell and Snoop's chemistry has always been undeniable. When you put the VA kid and the D-O-Double G in the studio together, you're likely to get summer classics. It's just a given.

#9

"B*TCH, PLEASE"

A new millennium banger that made it clear to everyone that there was still no more potent combination that Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre, this smash single was a precursor to Dre's stellar 2001.

#8

"G'Z & HUSTLAZ"

Opening with that classic classroom skit, and carried by a winning sample from the late, great Bernard Wright, this coulda-been-a-single is one of the best album cuts on DOGGY STYLE. 

#7

"WHAT'S MY NAME, PT. 2"

Snoop teamed up with Timbaland for this lead single from his acclaimed final No Limit Records album, THA LAST MEAL. Another song that became one of Snoop's most recognized of the period.

#6

"LAY LOW" FEAT. MASTER P, BUTCH CASSIDY, NATE DOGG, THA EASTSIDAZ

The second single from THE LAST MEAL was another heater featuring Snoop teaming up with Dr. Dre. This time he brought along No Limit boss Master P, as well as his Eastsidaz homies and Butch Cassidy.

#5

"AIN'T NO FUN" FEAT. NATE DOGG, THA DOGG POUND, WARREN G

A classic Death Row posse cut that would probably get banned if it was released today. Yes, it's one of the most problematic songs of all time. But what a banger! Daz ghost-produced this G-funk staple.

#4

"THE SHIZNIT"

It flips the chorus from Billy Joel's "The Stranger" into something new entirely, and this classic track from Snoop's debut album DOGGY STYLE has one of the most sinister grooves in all of G-Funk. 

#3

"BEAUTIFUL"

Forever a vibe! It just sounds like warm beaches and cool drinks, surrounded by your favorite people, soaking up the sun. If that doesn't fit your scene, just enjoy the ambience, homie. It works no matter where you are.

#2

"WHO AM I (WHAT'S MY NAME?)"

It's so P-Funk-like, it's like you can hear George Clinton sitting in the room. Nobody would ever have trouble remembering his name again. Shoutout to "Atomic Dog."

#1

"GIN & JUICE"

Another ode to getting drunk as hell, Snoop's second single cemented him as the most unique new voice in the game back in 1994. All these years later, it's a staple of the sound and era, a true G-Funk classic.

Sent from my iPhone

[4voisper]

happy birthday to our talented, hardworking, caring, and thoughtful maknae, ungjae! ♥ ♥ ♥

[90363462]

Kendrick Lamar’s Pulitzer Prize just shows how far hip-hop has taken us

Jazz, rock and R&B all help us define who we are and show that ‘times are a-changin’

Jeff RiversApril 23, 2018

When Kendrick Lamar, a 30-year-old rapper, won the Pulitzer Prize for music, it was as if the millennials had followed the baby boomers in having one of their defining philosophers venerated in an unexpected way. In 2016, Bob Dylan, a bard for baby boomers — and, we like to think, for the ages — won the Nobel Prize in literature “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.” He was the first songwriter to win the Nobel Prize in the literature category.

And earlier this month, Lamar won a Pulitzer Prize for his DAMN. recording, the first hip-hop artist to win in the music category.

Dylan’s surprising Nobel Prize win changed the conversation and the definitions of what could be considered literature, just as hip-hop and rap have challenged many notions about music and art.

Still, when I think of it, I heard a vague inkling of rap’s rise to primacy, if not Lamar’s Pulitzer Prize, in a Hartford, Connecticut, barbershop, although I didn’t know what I was hearing. Here is what happened.

Years ago, a man I think of as “Conscious Bob” led a conversation about music at a Hartford barbershop where he worked. I think of the man as “Conscious Bob” because Bob was his name and he once told anyone and everyone in the shop that he didn’t watch BET because there was nothing on the cable channel for a “conscious brother.”

As Bob talked, the 30-something government worker and barber brushed his shoulder-length locs from his shoulders. He was tall and thin, tightly coiled like one of those skinny cigars that cowboys smoked in 1960s Italian westerns.

Bob acted as the music conversation’s conductor, pointing his clippers at the participants when it was their turn to talk, even me.

I don’t usually talk in black barbershops; through the years, I’ve learned so much by listening. Black barbershops span the generations and our economic and color spectrums. Barbers, patrons and folks, just passing time, drop knowledge on everything from surviving bad bosses to surviving too much of a good time.

Consequently, when that barbershop conversation turned to music, I perked up. I like to think I know a little about music. Besides being a great fan of pop, rhythm and blues and the Great American Songbook, I’ve also written about jazz and classical music as a newspaper journalist.

But this conversation, though erudite, passionate and quick-moving, never landed on anything I knew much about. A baby boomer, I was about 10 to 15 years older than the other guys in the barbershop.

So nobody said a word about Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On. Nobody said anything about Stevie Wonder’s Innervisions or Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue. And not a word was spoken about Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys,the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band or Bob Dylan’s Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde on Blonde, all celebrated masterworks, especially by baby boomers.

According to the consensus in the barbershop, the greatest albums (showing my age with that term) were all produced by rap artists, especially Nas, especially illimatic. I was out of it.

Damn.

In those days, I did little more than sample rap and its scandals and feuds, just enough to be current in a very surface way. But the barbershop conversation long ago announced to me that my generation’s grip on what was hip was loosening with time; the hip-hop generation was replacing the rock and soul generation’s bards, philosophers and gods. Nas and those who followed him would be venerated the way my cohorts had celebrated, even worshipped, Bob Dylan, the Beatles and Marvin Gaye.

Indeed, since my Hartford barbershop revelation, hip-hop and R&B have replaced rock as America’s favorite genre of music. The Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Hamiltonhas used rap to cast a multiracial and multicultural gaze upon the nation’s founding and its founders. And Barack Obama, the nation’s first black president, a baby boomer with millennial tastes in technology and music, has put rap on his playlist and the nation’s, including “Humble” from Lamar’s DAMN. recording.

Some lament the change that the rise of hip-hop and rap represent. They look backward to a time when America and the world danced to an American Motown beat or sound or a British Merseybeat or sound.

But no generation, no race, no single worldview can be the sole arbiter of what is hip, what music is serious and whose artists are important, at least not forever. The world makes no apology for that.

Damn.

A young Bob Dylan once told all who knew how to listen in the ’60s, the times are changing. It’s time to celebrate change.

DAMN. winning the Pulitzer prize signals a change that has been happening all around us for decades.

Today, hip-hop and rap, rippling crosscurrents, are broadening and deepening the mainstream in the arts and beyond, just as rock and jazz did before it.

Kendrick Lamar wins the Pulitzer Prize, and it is just the latest and most salient evidence of the change Dylan, now 76, once heralded: the change that always comes before most people know they need it.

A graduate of Hampton University, Jeff Rivers worked for Ebony, HBO and three daily newspapers, winning multiple awards for his columns. Jeff and his wife live in New Jersey and have two children, a son Marc and a daughter Lauren.

[quokki]

ok no surprise for your bias ask game i'm gonna talk about our beloved jisung <3 (i mean i have others but like He)

why you bias who you bias

i guess i'll start with the story of why i came to start to bias him?? one of the first skz things i watched was that interview where they translated a bunch of skz-related phrases through google translate a few times and then asked the members to figure out what they were supposed to mean. and that moment where it's the baby photos/stray kids translation and jisung just starts singing baby baby baby ohhh~ was kind of the moment where i was like "oh he's funny i like him." and the more skz content i watched the funnier he got.

on top of being just being absolutely hilarious (intentionally or otherwise) he's also super humble. like the other day on bbl when he was talking about the kid that started calling him uncle and he was saying something to the effect of the kid was too young to call him a personal idol and that pororo and tayo are better idols at that age. and i just thought it was sweet.

also when he gets on stage!! like i know that he's a rapper first, and he always delivers there, but i've never heard a moment from him when he's singing that he didn't deliver too!! and don't even get me started on his dancing!!! i'm not a dancer personally (unfortunately bc of medical reasons) but i've admired dancing for such a long long time even before i got into kpop and his movements are always so fluid and aesthetically pleasing to watch and he always looks like he has fun on stage. and my GOD his facial expressions. i could write an essay about those alone tbh.

fave dynamics within the group and why

my gut reaction to this says 3racha. and mostly bc i love that jisung is their babie, but they also encourage and support his creativity and give him a wonderful place to grow as an artist. whether its producing, songwriting, or musically, bin and chan are always in his corner and that's so wholesome to me.

i also really love felix and jisung too. the sunshine twins never fail to make me smile and make my day brighter. megawatt smiles, megawatt personalities, etc etc.

also special mention to minho and jisung. separately they're brilliant, together they share a singular braincell. and i just think that their antics are fantastic.

fave moments and why

oh this is a difficult one i think. there's not a moment he's had that i haven't just absolutely adored him and so its hard to boil that down to a single moment or moments.

i think one of the ones that stick out to me was recently on bbl after his c*vid diagnosis, he didn't speak on there until a few days after but he was like "i'm sorry i didn't come on here sooner, i didn't know what to say. and i'm sorry i made you worry." it just made my heart flutter and i can't really explain why???

another one of my favorite moments was recently too when he had that stupid back window on his shirt for one of the maniac stages and was like "don't look at my back im shy :( look at my face" and then turned around and wore The Shirt That Shall Not Be Named bc all men do is lie.

performance wise, one of my favorite moments was during the 2019 japan showcase on the my pace stage when he hit that high note??? chef kiss. it was just surreal watching him hit that, dance his ass off, and rap like rent was due.

i could honestly talk about so many more but this is already long enough so i'll spare u <3

bonus pics!!!!!

this is ONE of my all time fav jisung pictures tbh (bluesung notwithstanding)

anyways i hope u enjoy this love letter to The Best Boy !

oooh here we go

yep hes so hilarious, thats def one of my key points in biasing him as well

bruh yes i know this is literally official statements but he just truly is an all rounder and it’s crazy to just watch him deliver in every possible area

omg yes special mention for his stage expressions... truly a whole other aspect that he delivers all on his own like how does he do that!!! it’s crazy

aww yes he is 3racha’s baby! very true!!!

omg my twin antics (thats how i call them lmao)!!! i love it when they’re together so much!!!

lmao minsung most iconic duo ever

lmao yeah the “im shy” thing. truly all men do is lie...

oh boy pls send me the 2019 my pace stage!

that picture is sooooooooooo cute 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

ok now it’s my time to give you some pics!!!! 💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕

send me a love letter about your bias 💌💌💌

[thatmissfit]

IKON TV Episode One: Behind The Scenes

Right now, you’re walking to the YG dorms to relax with your boyfriend and his group as it’s been a while since you last saw him due to all their growing success and long schedules. You brought along some jajangmyeon for everyone as you’ve been craving it recently and thought the boys would be hungry from today’s concert. You reach the dorm and Jinhwan lets you in as he takes the takeout from your hand and closes the door behind you.

He puts the food on the living room table and both of you sit down on the couch when he asks you, “how’ve you been y/n-ie?"

You smile cutely as you respond with, "I've been pretty good, school’s been such a pain but I’m pushing through it. Plus I've missed my favourite boys,” I say with a cheeky smile and a shove to Jinnie's shoulder. “How are you guys? Being global sensations and all” you asked while pushing his shoulder, teasing him.

He laughs at your statement and responds with “It’s good, seeing the fans, performing, being on stage but I do enjoy moments where we can sit back and look at how far we’ve come with all our hard work.” “I get that. We should probably eat before the food gets cold.”

With that, Jinhwan went to get the boys as you went to the bathroom to wash up to eat. When you get out Yunhyeong, Chanwoo, Jiwon and Hanbin are sitting on the couch. “Noona, I can’t believe you bought us food. Thanks. You’re so sweet to us,” Chanwoo says as you sit down next to Hanbin. “You don’t have to thank me, I just want to make sure you boys aren’t starving yourselves.”

“Our little maknae is so cute,” Bobby says as he pinches Chan’s check. “Yah, stop that. I’m not a child.”

Junhoe, Jinhwan and DK enter the living room as the rest of you guys remove the plastic off the food and start eating. “Y/N-ah, did you hear we’re self-producing our own tv show,” Jiwon asks. “Really, that sounds exciting. Kinda like Going Seventeen or Run BTS.

“Exactly like that but we get to film, choose our own activities and well you get to see my face so for that reason we’re better than all those other shows out there.

“What is it called?” You asked. “IKON TV,” Jiwon replies, “We’re actually starting filming today.”

You turn to Hanbin and hit him in the shoulder gently, of course, you can't bruise your baby. “Yah, Hanbin-ah how could you not tell me you were filming today?” “I don’t see the big deal. Besides I wanted to see you,” he says as he pulls you in for a sidearm hug and kisses you on the temple. You put your head on his shoulder in response, “look at Hanbin-ie, being so cute to his girlfriend.” “Are you trying to say I’m not always cute to my girlfriend? Who wouldn’t be? Look at this cute face,” Hanbin says as he squeezes your cheeks together making your lips pout. “Knock it off Hanbin-ah,” you say as you remove his hands from your face and cutely pout at him. The boys laugh and continue eating.

The sounds of slurping and swallowing are going through the room while you all idly chat about school, new songs, fan meets, anything under the sun really. Even though you’re dating Hanbin the rest of the boys are like your brothers and if you needed anything they would be there for you and vice versa.

“Wah, that was so good. It really hit the spot,” Yunhyeong says as he sits back in, “thanks Y/N.” “No problem guys, but as I said, I just want to make sure you’re all good.”

Eventually, you all go your separate ways in the dorm and you and B.I head to his room as he closes the door and he pulls you into his lap. He sits there with his hands wrapped along your waist as he admires you deeply. “I feel like I haven’t seen you in so long,” he says quietly just enough for you to hear but not for anyone else to. “I know. I miss my talented rapper-songwriter”

“I’m serious baby, I missed you. A lot.” It makes your stomach flutter to hear him be so honest but you know it’s true. Both of you have been extremely busy; you with your last semester of university and him with ikon so, you understand that being separate at moments of your relationship is required in both of your lives. “And I missed you too,” which of course is true but you know he wants to hear you say it, you know he's just insecure as this is his first real relationship so you make sure he knows you love and care for him.

He leans in as you meet him halfway in a short and sweet kiss, and another, and another before you stop him with, “as much as I love kissing you, don’t you have to film soon?” “Yea, but that can wait. I want more time with my girl,” he tries to kiss you once more but you pull away and place your finger on his lips. “Ah, ah, go film,” with that you get off his lap and force him to stand up but being a whiny little baby he jokes by saying, “yah, so you don’t love me anymore y/n-ie.” “Stop being an idiot Hanbin-ah.” You push him slightly towards the door and he shoots you finger hearts as he walks out.

You lay back on his bed for a few minutes until you decide you want the coolness of the ground so you roll off and lay on the floor as Hanbin walks back into his room to see you on the floor. “You do know there’s a camera up there,” he says as he points at the corner of his ceiling where a go-pro films you, more importantly, you decide to lay on a cold hard floor instead of a comfy bed. “How awkward,” and even though you said that it didn’t prompt you to leave the floor.

“Yeah, a bit of an invasion of privacy but we’ll make the most of it.” He proceeds to take off his shirt which confuses you, “I didn’t know you were into that stuff.” He looks down at you puzzled by your dirty mouth especially since you were being recorded. He nudges you sightly with his food and responds with, “it’s not like that, dirty girl I’m gonna work out, but you can help me if want.”

You sit up wondering how could you help him workout but if this means seeing him shirtless longer you didn’t really mind. He positions you perpendicular to the bed and lays you back down on the floor then, he positions himself to use the bed as support to do his pushups over you. “You’re my motivation so, you’re gonna lay there and look pretty, which you always are,” he gives you that cute smile you love, “and every time I come down you give me a kiss, okay?” Surprised by his boldness especially with the cameras here you still nod at his proposal.

He does about thirty pushups and for each one he gives you a sweet and short kiss that makes you want to kiss him more. Even though the cameras are recording this it still feels like you guys are in this little world that nothing and no one can penetrate. Being so busy with your own lives, these are the moments you cherish the most so when does the last pushup you give him an extra kiss and he blushes as he turns away from the camera and moves on to the pull-up bar. You sit up and lean against his bed as you admire his back muscles thinking about how your attractive boyfriend is reeling in all types of fans with the show he’s putting on. His workout continues for the next hour but you decide to take a shower and do your skincare since you leave some of your stuff at the dorm for when you stay over.

When you come back Hanbin is now lying on the floor tired, he then complains about being sweaty and gets up to take a shower while he brings his camera as well. Eventually, you hear the shower running which made think of giving ikonics a peek they would like so, you sneak into the bathroom, grab the camera Hanbin left on the counter and started recording yourself at first. You whisper into the camera, “hey ikonics, hope you’re in for a treat.” That’s when he heard you, “what are you doing in here baby?” You make sure to cover the bottom half of the camera so it doesn’t become that type of video and reply with, “I wanna give ikonics a present.” You flip the camera and blow a kiss at the camera then, flip it back towards Hanbin.

He tries to move around which could be problematic, “don’t move! Just say I love you, ikonics,” you prompt him. He puts his arms up into a heart and repeats what you said, “love you, ikonics,” he also draws a heart in the steamy glass door which makes you laugh. You flip the camera back on you and end the recording with, “love you ikonics, hoped you enjoy that scene.” You whisper the next part so Hanbin doesn’t hear, “I’ll try and film sneaky things like that when I can.” You stop the recording and left Hanbin to finish his shower and went to lay down in his bed.

A few moments later he comes back and quickly gets dressed in boxers and sweats so, he can lay down in the bed with you. He wraps his body around you by putting his arms and legs around your torso and shoulders. He kisses you on the temple then asks you, “are you okay?” You turn to him confused why he’d asked that. “Why wouldn’t I be, are you okay?”

“Yea I just wanted to make sure you weren’t uncomfortable with all the cameras and stuff invading our space.” Look at your baby being so cute and considerate, damn you love him to bits but, you do understand why he’d ask that. If you were with someone else you wouldn’t know if they’d stay in such an invasive environment but you love Hanbin, Ikon and all their fans so you wouldn’t change your life one bit.

You squish his face and tell him, “I wouldn’t change this for anything because all of this comes with being with you and I love being with you so yea, I’m good.” You gently brush your lips against his and give him a gentle kiss. He then unwraps his body from yours to grab the television remote from the bedside table and turn on Netflix. “So Sisyphus or Men on a Mission?” Not even a second was needed to think about this simple decision which is, “Men on a Mission, obviously.” He smiles at you as he starts the show and pulls you back into his chest where you snuggle yourself into and eventually both of you fall asleep to the sounds of laughter.

[ravynous]

as dreamscapes’ manager。

▌|﹫ᅠcharacter/s ⦂ mona, fischl ▌| ⌕ᅠ description ⦂ (platonic) what's it like being the manager of the two most talented songwriters of their generation? ▌| #ᅠ warning/s ⦂ none ▌| ➛ᅠpinned comment ⦂ (edited 12/05/22) inspo —  fanart, you in me, hey kid, close your eyes, kard, akmu, iu, stella jang

the group:

The group was originally planned to debut with five members under Hexenzirkel Media (Hex Media).

Even so, two trainees — Mona Megistus and Fischl von Luftschloss Narfidort — were the only ones who remained.

They debuted with their first single, "Midnight Phantasms," a thrilling song about a lost lover from a faraway land whose soul lingered beside the singer.

Dreamscapes captivated their audience through underlying meanings with intricately interwoven tales and fantasy concepts.

This group was also their company's salvation, pulling them from the verge of bankruptcy.

Fandom name: Stargazers

(Main Vocal)

Mona has a habit of humming tunes that could be used for future songs. that in turn, often had you and Fischl asleep in the car.

No, Mona doesn't handle her own finances. Yes, you were worried about her being more broke than the company itself. This is due to her dishing out mora for expensive equipment, like top-of-the-line studio headphones and monitors. instead, she trusted you with it, and shopping (for equipment) became somewhat of a bonding moment.

She barely ate full meals before you arrived. You lightly scolded her, "how will you continue producing and composing if you keep neglecting your health?"

You ended up bringing her meals to her studio, receiving a genuine thanks in return (despite the prideful attitude she displays in public.)

"Do you know about constellations? I always believed that our meeting had been written amongst the stars. … The stars have also shown that tomorrow will be a wonderful day to go out together."

(Rapper)

Have you ever seen a fandom with a vocabulary so wide and comprehension so astounding because of their idol? If so, you've probably met a Fischl stan (or a Hex Media employee.)

At the beginning, you carried around a small dictionary, taking a peek whenever Fischl went on lengthy bouts of dialogue. Now, you've learned to rely on context clues on what she says, a gleeful Fischl chatting with you about her day.

If she wasn't an idol, it would be fitting if an author was a career choice of her's. You've inserted research time into their schedules where the girls were free to visit the local library. Fischl always headed straight to the fiction section, and exited with a full story for a whole song (or even an album).

"Hark! The Prinzessin brought forth a much desired heirloom passed through generations! … What do you mean 'it's just an autograph?' It is the Sovereign of Immernachtreich's handwritten token of appreciation!"

behind the scenes:

Fischl has a bodyguard named Ozvaldo (sent by her parents) and raven named Ozzie (found in a park). There's this weird occurrence where she knows what you were doing, even if Ozzie was the only one with you in the room.

Both of them see you as sort of an older sibling, a person they could rely on, and a person they could seek advice from.

You once joked and asked them what they'd do if you had a crush on Ozvaldo. You've never seen them say "NO, YOU CAN'T!" so loudly and so in-synch.

You and Fischl have a set time where you visit Mona's studio to fix her sketchbooks and music sheets, and carry her off to bed.

Mona directs the scenes in each music video, putting care in which places to situate clues about their story. meanwhile, Fischl writes the lyrics, making sure they're all coherent and cohesive with the universe they've built together for their listeners.

They're not perfect, they know  — but they're confident, especially with you.

▌| ⚠︎ ᅠby RAVYNOUS — please do not copy, edit, screenshot, or repost any of my works. Likes and reblogs are appreciated.

[0613magazine]

220715 Consequence Sound

j-hope Is Stepping Outside the Box

The BTS member unpacks his dark new era, performance goals, and full-length solo album

j-hope is right on time.

When I log onto the Zoom call — approaching lunchtime in Seoul, nightfall in New York City, and 4:00 a.m. in Madrid, where this writer happens to be for the week — j-hope is waiting for me, sipping an iced coffee from Starbucks and fiddling with the rings on his fingers. “Hi!” he says, brightly.

j-hope is one-seventh of BTS, of course; within the group of international superstars, he holds the role of main dancer, along with managing duties as a rapper, songwriter, and producer. Over the past decade in the spotlight, j-hope has developed a reputation that suits his moniker. He’s known as a ray of sunshine, unflappably optimistic, as buoyant and colorful in his street style as he is in his music.

This j-hope, seated for the interview sporting a backwards READYMADE snapback and striped polo shirt, bears quite the contrast to the j-hope seen in recent concept photos for Jack in the Box, his first full-length solo album project (available today, July 15th). Where in promotional images for the project he is seen in front of burning cars, apocalyptic landscapes, and desolate office buildings in variations of torn up jumpsuits, this j-hope looks casual, like he just rolled in from the dance studio. Relaxed — for the most part.

He’s nervous, he explains. Nervous and excited. Our conversation is taking place five days before Jack in the Box becomes available, and when it’s mentioned that he only has a few more days until he can finally see the reactions from the public, he yelps and buries his enormous smile in his elbows.

j-hope has been busy. Within the packed schedules of the members of BTS, it’s a wonder that he was able to carve out time to conceptualize and execute a full-length record of his own. The dust has barely settled from BTS’s June release: a massive anthology album, PROOF, which chronicles the act’s first chapter of music over the past decade. “The significance is exactly as important as when we work as a group, as BTS,” he says of the time he’s spent preparing for Jack in the Box. “But it’s true that since I’m the first with a full-length solo album among my team members, I feel a weight on my shoulders. I feel a responsibility to start it off really well.”

It’s interesting how j-hope speaks of himself within the constellation of BTS; despite the fact that this conversation was explicitly designed as a place for him to talk about his work as a soloist, he mentions his bandmates and his role within the group often. “I’ve been inspired by my members, the kind of music they produce, and the kind of visuals they can showcase to the world,” he explains. He shares that since the group debuted in 2013, he’s thought long and hard about not only what he can contribute as one part of a septet, but what he can contribute as himself — as j-hope.

That’s led him to this moment, and to an album that he began working on when the pandemic hit and BTS’s “MAP OF THE SOUL World Tour” was postponed, postponed again, and ultimately canceled. Like the rest of us, j-hope was at home with an abundance of time on his hands, and found himself ready to dig into a different side of himself.

His sparkling personality is an honest part of his identity, to be sure, especially when it comes to his role as a performer and his place within BTS — he’s just never had the time or space to express the other side of the coin, too. “I wanted to show a different aspect of me, other than the sunny and bright side I have as a member of BTS. I always had a very clear message that I wanted to convey through this album,” he says. “That’s why I decided to show a darker side of me through this album — maybe the shadow on the other side of the sunny and bright disposition I usually show.” He pauses. “Showing the same vibes I show as a member of BTS might not be the right way to touch upon these darker or more serious topics.”

The first entry into j-hope-gone-dark was a pre-release single on July 1st, a gritty, rock-tinged track called “MORE.” There is no choreography in the accompanying video; the clip references Fight Club. The new era had officially begun, with a dark, simmering bang.

In the world of K-pop, j-hope is what’s (rightfully) known as an all-rounder. He’s an entrancing dancer and an energetic rapper. His stage presence is a wonder to behold. Unlike many folks who fall into a rap line, he can also sing. He’s a skillful producer. The imagery around Jack in the Box ties in playing cards, appropriate for a jack of all trades.

With such an amazing skill set at your disposal, it must be difficult to decide where to begin; for j-hope, it meant going back to the beginning, in a sense.

He’s always loved the story of Pandora’s Box, but the myth took on extra significance 10 years ago when he was preparing for his debut in BTS. He recounts the day he chose his stage name, sitting with RM (the group leader) and their producer, Bang Si-Hyuk, who assembled BTS. j-hope was born Jeong Ho-seok, and wanted to incorporate his family initial, J, and the first two letters of his name into his stage name somehow. (J-Ho didn’t make the cut.) When he first heard Producer Bang say j-hope, though, he felt something like fate in the room.

“After 10 years, since I chose the stage name, j-hope, that moment of choosing stayed in my heart,” he recalls. “It transformed how I am as an individual, and I always wanted to share that story through music.”

Even so, being one-seventh of the biggest group on the planet comes with a few restrictions; the members seem to be generous and gracious with one another in all long and short-term plans, when an hour-long video made the rounds depicting the members of BTS laying out plans for more solo endeavors, they lingered on the fact that they’ve been running forward as a team for nearly a decade.

This current period, dubbed Chapter 2, is a time for each of them to express their individual colors however they see fit. “The music I have done so far is like me being in the box… so this album is about stepping outside of the box,” j-hope reveals. He then mentions some of BTS’s more wondrous accomplishments as a group — speaking at the United Nations General Assembly, performing at the Grammy Awards, humbly phrasing selling out 70,000-seat arenas as “performing at various concerts and stadiums” — and underscores his desire to keep pushing himself to explore new things in his music and his art.

Taking on new challenges is very important to him, and he’s unafraid of criticism. It’s part of the reason he took on the challenge of performing at Lollapalooza, where he was added as a headliner to close out the festival just weeks before the event. He shares that when he’s on stage is when his heart is pounding the loudest, but the choice of a general festival like Lollapalooza was a highly intentional one.

“Maybe I could have chosen to perform in front of fans, who already love my performance and love me,” he muses. “However, I chose Lollapalooza because I wanted to test my limits. I wanted to stage and perform my music in front of people who love music, even if they’re not my fans. Even if the feedback is positive or negative, I really want the feedback — so I can grow.”

The conversation flows in long paragraphs, and his incredible interpreter relays extensive questions and even more in-depth answers with a rate that should be applauded. When she translates one of his thoughts about Lollapalooza — “Maybe I was a little overconfident, or even arrogant, to take on the challenge in addition to producing my album” — I shake my head emphatically. Perhaps he doesn’t know that the day after he was announced as a headliner, Lollapalooza restructured their homepage — adding a button with his name — to accommodate for the influx of people purchasing tickets just to catch his set on Sunday night.

While he’s feeling a little nervous, a little excited, he ultimately hopes Jack in the Box acts “as a business card” for him. There are no features or collaborations on the album, and he’s looking forward to interacting and working with more people in his field.

When asked what he’s been inspired by lately, his answer is immediate. “People,” he says in English, his trademark smile blinding even over Zoom.

Source: Consequence Sound

[anonil88]

Happier Than Ever by Billie Eilish: live listen review

Not going into it with too many expectations.

Getting Older: I like the lyrics...kind of, um its not a bad song its just not doing it for me as an intro.

I didn't change my number: Love the beat and background vocal mixing but the forward vocals are very punchy in your face. The bass on the back end of this song is kind of insane in a good way. Finneas really be putting his entire foot in his production. This new genre twist ooo chile if he ever starts producing for rnb acts we may have a problem. I hate the abrupt end to the track.

Billie Bossa Nova: The guitar melody that frames the song is the same as Havana by Camilla Cabello. Billie's lyrics are a lost better than Havana in terms of story versus radio playability. That being said this has a lot of radio potential like if I could go back in time this would be on the Gap Playlist in 2005.

My Future: I thought there would be more blending or seamless transition into this song. It may have been there but it was very subtle. Would love to hear Snoh Alegra do a cover of this song. Still really like this song and the lofi inspirations behind it.

Oxytocin: Very reminiscent of the sound from Billie that everyone is used to hearing. Again Finneas be in that studio in his whole bag while making beats. This song is um lyrically....Billie is like I'm an adult y'all. Which technically she is, but the people around her and herself gotta be careful that she is still young. Anywho Billie is using men to her advantage this is pretty clear 🤷‍♀️. Her and Finneas should continue their recent journey of scoring for television and movies. If they ever get to fully score an entire episode of something or a short film I can only imagine that magic.

Goldwing: Billie has been practicing her falsettos and studying some of her favorite rnb singers. The syncopation of her vocals as the beat *chefs kiss*. This is my favorite song. (Was my favorite and then I heard overheated.)

Lost Cause: I'm not a huge fan of this song, it doesn't really do anything new for me. Its missing this umpf and I felt the same way when I saw the music video.

Halley's Comet: This is if Sarah Bareilles and Norah Jones had a baby. Really enjoying the subtle but very nice transition in this song and then the microphone effects on her voice. She fell in love you can hear it on this album. There is also what sounds like a bit of Beatles melody in the songwriting to me. Also you can hear her almost crying on every single line of the main part of this song.

Not my responsibility: This song has to be listened to with headphones. I think this is what was played during her concerts when she did the little reveal. I would not want the pressure she has at 19 to uphold this image while going through all the same stuff we all went through or go through at 19. This includes how we each deal with our own body image.

Overheated: This song really shows how Finneas and Billie bounce off one another. The lyrics are some of the best combination of radio play/replay-ability, and flow, on the album. It really follows the production queues of 90s rnb and early 00s pop where the beat and the lyrics build on one another. It even has a similar bubble like drum that Darkchild used a lot in the 00s but its more muffled under the stacked layers of production. Finneas really makes something sound more simple than it is because if you go into the breakdown of their songs its like over 40 lines of vocals alone at times with more drums and just layers upon layers.

Everybody Dies: Thanks for the depression reminder Billie. This is much more hopeful than her past tracks about depression though. It's like a "this to shall pass" song about depression.

Your Power: IS THIS THE SAME VERSION AS BEFORE? Yes it is haha. This song got so much more hate than it deserved like its really good. Also the mixing with over the ears is very full. It feels like you're in a room and the speakers are all facing you. Also, is it weird to say that a song feels warm because this song feels very warm.

NDA: This song is very honest because she is making people sign NDA's to protect herself. Which its a mess that you can't have a fling or one night stand at that level of success or fame because some people will use it against you. Yes this does make me think how much messy shit is being said or done in Hollywood but no one finds out because of non disclosure agreements. But, this isn't something young stars openly discuss that they do for protection and also so they don't get in trouble. Because unfortunately some people should probably have an NDA on themselves glares at a certain rapper.

Therefore I Am: Yesss the transitions are back !!! Also this song is a bop liked it even when it dropped as a single.

Happier Than Ever: this song is sad and happy and a mix of a lot BUT I would love to hear Billie run forward with a country rock album. The end of this song is so distorted and punchy like Paramore.

Male Fantasy: She's in her Lana era yall she's in her Lana era. Just kidding, but I wonder if Jack Antanoff is sitting here listening to this like 🤨. Yaknow Phoebe Bridgers writing with Billie would actually be super super cool. Phoebe and Co. (I.e. Julien and Lucy) along with Billie's breathiness, ooo thinking that would sound really good. Also the lyrics would physically hurt in a good way.

The album ends a bit too abruptly for my taste but I definitely give this a 3.8/4 out of 5 for sure.

♧ My personal ranking of the tracks from Happier Than Ever by Billie Eilish:

Overheated

Goldwing

Billie Bossa Nova

Everybody Dies

Oxytocin (2:18 to the end)

Happier Than Ever

Billie Bossa Nova

My Future

Your Power (ranking it here because its a really really strong song even if it isn't my favorite)

Therefore I Am

Male Fantasy

Oxytocin (the rest of the song)

Not My responsibility

Halley's Comet

NDA

Lost Cause

Getting Older

[dinosaurtsukki]

haikyuu!! music idol au (nekoma and fukurodani vers.)

i haven’t actually posted some hc’s in a while because i’ve been reading the manga but i hope you guys enjoy this surprise !! also check out the karasuno vers. and seijoh and shiratorizawa vers. for more music idol au’s 

TOKYO IDOLS ENTERTAINMENT

(this may or may not be the last of this series, maybe I’ll make one for inarizaki and date tech who knows?)

Also I hope y’all are ready for me Badly Titling Things Again

Okay so they’re both under Tokyo Idols Entertainment

Hah that wasn’t so bad was it just wait for it

Stray Cats and OWL6

This blogger’s brain cells are so fried that they’ve now resorted to puns

sO THEY’RE BOTH UNDER TOKYO IDOLS AND THEY’RE REALLY AMAZING GROUPS AND THEIR TALENT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE SHITTY GROUP NAMES

anyway so it was set up by Nekomata and they’ve been pretty good at producing groups over the years but their biggest hits have been their two recent groups

both of them actually started at the same time but they work with quite different concepts and have different dynamics

but they tend to collab and interact with each other a lot which the fans love

so lets get into the groups

Stray Cats - Nekoma

their leader is Kuroo ofc and they work with a lot of bad boy/edgy concepts and their music is more on the hip-hop and R&B side

a lot of their music videos and outfits are in the black-and-white with pops of red, blue, and yellow

you think the fans would get tired of seeing them in matching suits and leather jackets but no

anyway, Kuroo’s they’re leader who’s also main rapper, dancer, and visuals

he actually started out as a vocalist but since Stray Cats was going to be more of a hip-hop group he eventually picked up rapping (although those who have Deeply Analyzed the backing vocals for some of their tracks claim that Kuroo’s vocals will save the world)

his dancing looks super fluid and natural because he also tried ballet dancing at one point

sometimes he films himself practicing and shows off by wearing stilettos and not once tripping over himself

kai and yaku were his fellow trainees and just like in the manga, kuroo and yaku did not get along and kai had to be there to make sure no one died

kuroo and yaku were quite competitive with their dancing but eventually they realized that the fans loved their dynamic during their dances and worked together for once

their choreos almost always involve someone carrying yaku on their shoulders

he’s also another main rapper and he’s really good at a variety of styles

he’s also the mom of the group and likes to check on everyone before going live

the one who trains the more inexperienced members with their choreography and while he’s very much a perfectionist, he’s also the one who reassures them when they make a mistake on a live stage

kai is actually the genius behind most of their songs because his producer skills are mad crazy he’s been invited to collab with so many other artists (including the wonderful Kiyoko-san)

kuroo and yaku have no idea what goes on in his head but it’s probably music

they always make sure that kai gets enough sleep and is eating right when he’s working on an album

his dancing is pretty solid but he’s more well-known for being a main rapper and his smooth, sultry voice during the chorus that gives everyone eargasms

next we have kenma who’s one of the few main vocalists of the group

his voice is a nice tenor and he can hit a good amount of the high notes

can harmonize like it’s nobody’s business

he and kuroo had been friends since they were practically born and while kuroo dreamed of becoming a music idol onstage, kenma was more interested in songwriting and producing music

he joined Tokyo Idols for the opportunity to be a producer but Nekomata was like ‘why not be an idol?’ and kenma was like ‘no, I’ll have to dance’

he was then persuaded by kuroo and kenma decided to do some vocal training to make up for not wanting to move around so much

so, most of the time, he’s in the back and during his turn in the chorus he’ll make a bit of an appearance

he has done a few live solo performances but he’s playing the piano in them so he doesn’t have to look at the audience so much

he loves working with kai in the studio more than anything

doesn’t have a social media account because he doesn’t want to see how the fans talk about him (they mostly say good stuff though!)

now we have taketora who’s the main rapper of the group as well

this guy is an expert beatboxer and he does a very good job of hyping up the crowd

his rap is the kind that even fires up his teammates and they always let him know that he did a good job after every performance

he actually has a good amount of tattoos on his arms and he used to cover them with long-sleeves but the fans love them arms and the tattoos even more so

#MakeTaketoraSleeveless movement on Twitter thus begins

Taketora was super flattered but okay with it

Fukunaga is another main vocalist and he has a very deep voice that blends really well with his fellow vocalists

His voice doesn’t stand out that much and he doesn’t have a lot of solos but Stray Cats’ specialty is really blending their vocals (aside from their rappers and dancers)

And you can also definitely notice a difference when Fukunaga isn’t singing a part

He’s also the kind of dancer who does a lot of cartwheel and flip-like stunts that come in during the dance breaks

Has this habit of staring blankly in the distance during group interviews and fans make memes using his face

He also likes messing with his senpai’s but they all blame lev and don’t suspect a thing with Fukunaga (well, that’s until he posts the video)

Lastly, we have lev who is the youngest among all of them and also main vocalist and visuals

He has a nice baritone voice and he does most of the singing in the chorus but tends to get a bit lost when Fukunaga and Kenma come in

A lot of his time is spent practicing how to not get lost when people are harmonizing with him, especially since that’s what Stray Cat’s known for

He actually came in a bit late, like after the group had its first debut since they felt like they needed another vocalist

Lev also has a natural talent when it comes to dancing so Nekomata added him to the group

It was a bit difficult integrating him into the group but he also added onto the overall chemistry as the baby of the group

As much as they know he makes mistakes, his senpais always congratulate Lev on how far he’s come

No one wants to admit that he gets handsomer by the day because it will add to his ego but the fans do enough of that

OWL6 - fukurodani

They only have four members (because idk a lot about all the members and I also wanted to have like a four-person group)

JUST BECAUSE THERE’S A NUMBER 6 IN THE NAME OF THE GROUP DOESN’T MEAN THAT’S HOW MANY MEMBERS THERE ARE *glares at SEVENTEEN* *also I ended up looking up how many members there are in Day6 and now I feel bad I’m sorry day6 fans*

aNYWAY

They’re a very small group since Tokyo Idol wanted to try out having a four-person group

They don’t really have a singular kind of aesthetic or style like Stray Cats does but work with a variety of them

They do a good number of lively pop songs as well as ballads for the b-side tracks

They’re also made up of four vocalists, two of which also know how to rap, and are overall pretty solid

Bokuto’s their leader (even though its mostly Akaashi who holds the group together) but he speaks a lot for the group during interviews

He’s main vocalist, main dancer, and also main visual

His stage presence is astounding especially with his natural talent for dancing and his stamina is endless

He can sing really well even busting out the hardest dance moves

Although he’s unquestionably talented, he does get hit hard by online haters and will shut himself in the dance studio to practice until everyone drags him out

He’s super endearing and sweet around his fans, he’ll remember a fan that he saw more than once and send letters in response to fanmail

Bokuto’s known for being super clumsy though and he has destroyed a mic or his clothes or someone else’s clothes more than once

Once tripped on the way when OWL6 was about to receive an award

Sarukui is another main vocalist and rapper

His voice is quite deep but it sounds really melodic and unique that anyone could tell when he’s singing

Also knows a thing or two about music production and has helped produce a few of their tracks

He’s the one assigned to saying ‘That’s our leader!’ to Bokuto when he’s feeling down

Also responsible for the ‘Bokuto and Akaashi are dating’ prank on Twitter that became a whole thing

A shitposter, basically

Konoha Akinori is once again our jack of all trades, especially since he’s rapper, dancer, vocalist, and visuals

I would say that his back hurts from carrying OWL6 but each member knows how to hold their own

His back just hurts from curling up like a shrimp when he’s asleep

He gets a lot of lines because of this and fans love it when he leads the dance breaks, that being said he’s also tired all the time

Konoha has fallen asleep in interviews more than once and Sarukui takes the pictures of him

Because of his jack of all trades nature he also has a lot of weird, random talents that he likes to showcase in variety shows

These weird talents range from being able to name all of the countries in Europe backwards to being able to make a slingshot using his feet and a rubber band

It’s always something new with him

Everyone cheers him on except for Akaashi who’s soul has left his body

And last but definitely not the least, we have the youngest in the group, Akaashi, who’s also main vocals and visual

Everyone in OWL6 agree that Akaashi is the prettiest among them  

He also has such a sweet and beautiful voice that gives everyone eargasms

Sometimes everyone has to stop dancing during practice whenever they hear Akaashi sing

He also does a lot of vocal covers that he posts online and has released a few solo albums since he’s always working on making new music

Although everyone knows that he’d also do really well as a solo artist, Akaashi knows that his members were the reason why he wanted to debut in the first place and it just wouldn’t be the same without them

Extra HC’s for Stray Cats and OWL6

Kuroo and Bokuto have been friends since their trainee years and even though they were disappointed about not debuting in the same group they agreed to collab on a lot of things

During award shows they like to have a performance together, most often a dance cover, until Akaashi and Kenma decided to help out by writing a song for the two of them to perform

The members of both groups like to sneak into each other’s dorms because the more the merrier and they share and order food

Yaku and Kai actually like staying in the OWL6 dorms more because its quieter (since Lev and Tora aren’t there) but change their mind when they see Bokuto

Eventually they divided the dorms into ‘the quiet people’ and ‘the noisy people’

Both of the groups love doing those Halloween performances and dressing up really scary with the same level of production and everything

None of those cutesy costumes, Fukunaga will straight up come in a headless man costume and Sarukui brings a fake chainsaw with him

Some of them like to do really weird costumes though like Lev dressing up as a bottle of vodka and Konoha coming in dressed as Oscar the Grouch from Sesame Street

Sometimes the fans just don’t know what goes on in their heads

Kai tends to get a lot of awards for his producing skills but the first time he did Stray Cats came onstage with him and basically cried all around him while Kai tried to do his speech

They also like to mess around in the comments section when another group is doing a VLive

For example, Kuroo commented ‘send feet pics’ during one of OWL6’s lives and Bokuto retaliated by uploading the ugly selfies that Kuroo takes on his phone

They also either make up the fanchants or memorize each other’s fanchants for the songs

Yahaba, watching Stray Cats doing the fanchant for OWL6′s song: why can’t we be like that?

Iwaizumi: because we have Oikawa

Oikawa: IT’S NOT MY FAULT IT’S USHIWAKA 

[newmusickarl]

Album & EP Recommendations

Boy From Michigan by John Grant

For whatever reason, I have often struggled to really connect with the music of American singer-songwriter John Grant – undoubtedly impressive but not quite resonated with me. However, that has changed with his latest release Boy From Michigan, an album produced by the wonderful Cate Le Bon that is both sonically dazzling and lyrically introspective.

Against a backdrop of synths that range from the atmospheric and spacey (the incredible title track) to the playfully upbeat (Rhetorical Figure) through to the acid-soaked nightmare (Your Portfolio), John takes the listener on a deep dive into the hypnotic vortex of his mind. There he jumps between the personal and the political, recalling an anxious upbringing driven from his struggles with sexuality one minute, before launching an attack on Trump America the next (the glorious neon-soaked 10-minute tirade that is The Only Baby).

However, amidst all the sharp lyrics and 80s synth-pop aesthetics, it is arguably the album’s most traditional moment that strikes the biggest chord. The Cruise Room is a gorgeous, heartfelt piano ballad, featuring minimal production and some strategically placed vocoder effects to help John’s haunting words to just ripple through to your core. It is incredibly stirring and probably one of the finest songs I have heard all year.

From start to finish this really does feel like a special album, one that I have already played several times this week and no doubt will return to over the next few months. If you want an album that is both melodically satisfying but also has worthwhile stories to tell, this is the one.

Call Me If You Get Lost by Tyler, The Creator

American rapper Tyler, The Creator was another artist I really struggled to get into early on, but off the back of his coming-of-age masterpiece Flower Boy and the sonic experimentation of 2019’s Igor, I was anxious to hear what Tyler had cooked up for this surprise release.

On Call Me If You Get Lost, it really feels like Tyler has hit his stride as an artist – Flower Boy was him finding his voice, Igor was him finding his sound and now it has all masterfully come together on this latest project. Not only is Tyler in razor-sharp lyrical form but he is also mostly handling production duties himself, aside from small credits to Jamie XX and Jay Versace.

With guest appearances from Ty Dolla $ign, Lil Wayne and Pharrell Williams amongst others, this feels like Tyler’s most significant body of work to date, propelled by career-best tracks like Corso, Lemonhead, Lumberjack and Wilshire. Simply put, this is one exquisitely crafted hip hop record.

Home Video by Lucy Dacus

At the other end of the spectrum, American singer-songwriter Lucy Dacus released her third album this week, looking to follow in the footsteps of her boygenius bandmates Phoebe Bridgers and Julien Baker, who have both themselves delivered career-best albums over the last 12 months.

As the title is there to suggest, this is Lucy looking back at key moments in her life, both the sentimental and the heartbreaking. In her vivid descriptions of these snapshots, she really shines as a songwriter, transporting the listener to these life-defining fragments of memory.

Thematically it is quite similar in a way to John Grant’s record this week, however where he fills the space with lush, maximal production, Lucy’s approach is more subtle and tender. From the wonderful opening beat of Hot & Heavy, the fuzzy riffs of First Time, the soft plucking of the gorgeous Cartwheel and the climatic, grand finale of Triple Dog Dare, Lucy delivers on every single track here. Possibly none more so than on single Thumbs, an incredibly haunting track where Lucy painfully describes every thought and feeling running through her mind as she meets her birth father at a restaurant. It is a real gut-puncher, and another one of the best songs I’ve heard all year.

Just like her bandmates, Lucy continues to flourish as a solo artist, presenting here an audio photo album that will frequently make you laugh and cry, and then at times both of those at the same time.

Together In Static by Daniel Avery

Also worth checking out this week, if 2020’s Love + Light was the party then this latest release from electronic musician Daniel Avery is the quiet comedown, with Avery crafting some really soothing and intricate ambient soundscapes. Quite blissful!

Nine by Sault

Coming off the back of their two highly acclaimed 2020 albums Untitled (Rise) and Untitled (Black Is), rhythm and blues collective Sault deliver another radiant and thought-provoking listen with this latest release, with Little Simz even turning up for one of the record’s many highlights, You From London.

Soft Thing by LOONY

On the EPs front this week, Toronto-based singer-songwriter LOONY is back with a scintillating eight track release, that really highlights how she is maturing as an artist. Packed with pop, R&B and soul elements, it is highlighted by mine, her brilliant collaboration with New Orleans-based rapper Pell, as well as great tracks like ours and beg.

Our Extended Play by Beabadoobee

Following on from her incredible debut Fake It Flowers released last year, Beabadoobee is back with four more excellent, nostalgia-tinged tracks built on hazy guitars and soaring pop-punk choruses. Headlined by recent singles, Last Day On Earth and Cologne.

Tracks of the Week

Latter Days by Big Red Machine featuring Anaïs Mitchell

Aaron Dessner and Justin Vernon marked their return as Big Red Machine this week, announcing a new album due in August featuring an array of enticing guest stars including Ben Howard, Taylor Swift and Fleet Foxes. They also delivered the first two tracks from the record, the best of which this beautiful collaboration with American singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell that will open the record. Stunning!

Sad But True by St. Vincent

Last week it was Miley and her famous friends tackling the Metallica classic Nothing Else Matters in truly epic style, now this week brings us St. Vincent and her guitar prowess delivering a mesmerising synth-pop take of Sad But True. Colossal!

Dying in Heaven by Alexis Taylor

Hot Chip frontman Alexis Taylor tackles spirituality on this captivating lead single from his forthcoming solo album. Featuring a suitably floaty, almost angelic melody, it is a song that already feels like it has a real timelessness to it.

Contact High by We Are Scientists

And finally this week, New York rockers We Are Scientists released the first taste of their next album, this riff-tastic, soaring indie anthem that comes equipped as always with a suitably quirky video – dig it out if you get chance.

[biaswreckmepls]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NAMJOON!!!

To our wonderful leader, our bonsai and nature lover, walk-taker and bicycler, our lovely Namu, rapper, songwriter and producer, king of dimples and english, the man who taught us how and why to love ourselves, and continues to inspire us every single day. We love and admire and respect you so much, and hope that you stay safe, and healthy, and happy, and surrounded by all the good things in life, and continue to give us incredible music that is full of the stories you want to share. Jungkook may be your biggest fan, but he’s got some tough competition from the rest of us. Hope that your dimples get poked every day for good luck.

[cyarsk52-20]

LIST

HIT 'EM WIT DA HEE! THE 25 DOPEST MISSY ELLIOTT SONGS

By Jacinta Howard

Published Mon, January 10, 2022 at 12:00 PM EST

At this point, it’s almost cliché to point out the obvious — Missy’s always been ahead of her time. A songwriter, producer, rapper, singer, and artistic visionary, her talent has cemented her as a singular artist whose avant-garde creativity has inspired musicians across genres for decades. 

Her musical partnership with longtime friend and fellow Virginia native, producer Timbaland transformed the sound of R&B and rap in the mid-late 90s through their work with artists like Aaliyah and Ginuwine, and when her debut rap album Supa Dupa Fly dropped in 1997, lead by the out-of-the-box, catchy single “The Rain,” it further solidified their standing as two the most important talents in music. 

Over the years, Missy’s creative approach to music and her accompanying videos has been virtually unmatched. Her videos, mostly created in collaboration with Hype Williams and later Dave Meyers, are loud, dynamic, and otherworldly, studied and dissected by artists looking to emulate her sound and viewers wondering how she does it. She set the standard for experimental, innovative music videos, no matter what the genre. 

Beyond her visual creativity, her work behind the scenes has been just as significant. Few producers and songwriters can make universal pop hits while still maintaining a level of authenticity the way Missy does. Throughout the decades she’s crafted hits for Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, Tweet, Monica, Beyoncé, Jazmine Sullivan, Fantasia, and Keyshia Cole, among others, all while keeping her feet firmly grounded in Hip-Hop. 

We’ve sifted through Missy’s discography to pick out 25 of her dopest songs. 

#26

"YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY" - NEW EDITION FEAT. MISSY ELLIOTT [BONUS SONG]

Our BONUS SONG pick is a celebrated classic guest spot! In 1996, the newly-reunited sextet New Edition tapped Miss E. for this banger of a Bad Boy remix. 

#25

"THROW IT BACK"

Missy returned in 2019 to drop her first EP, "Iconology," her first body of music since 2005’s "The Cookbook." “Throw It Back” was the first single and a standout on the project— it featured a distorted bassline and busy production courtesy of Willi Hendrix as she reminded folks of her icon status and influence in the game: “I did records for Tweet before you could even Tweet.” 

#24

“WTF (WHERE THEY FROM)" FEAT. PHARRELL

Throughout Missy’s long stretch between her 2005 album The Cookbook and 2019’s Iconology EP, Missy released a smattering of singles including this dance track featuring Pharrell. The song, which was also produced by Pharrell, peaked at #78 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Rap Songs but signaled Missy’s continued ability to stay ahead of the game sonically and visually.

#23

"PASS THAT DUTCH"

The lead single from 2003’s "This Is Not a Test!," “Pass That Dutch” is another insanely catchy collaboration for Missy and Timbaland, with a shout-out to OutKast’s “Hootie Hoo” interspersed in the hook. The video version of the song smashes three songs from the album together, the introspective ode to Aaliyah “Baby Girl Interlude/Intro,” “Pass That Dutch,” and the drum-heavy, rap-chastising “Wake Up.” 

DROP YOUR EMAIL

TO STAY IN THE KNOW

SUBMIT

#22

"I'M REALLY HOT"

Timbaland and Missy helped rewrite popular music with their futuristic, yet familiar sound. While this song from Missy’s fifth album, 2003’s "This Is Not a Test!" wasn’t a huge hit like some of their other collabs, it nevertheless showcases their creative chemistry over wild drums and agile synths. 

#21

"WE RUN THIS"

An ode to HBCU bands before Beyoncé tore up Coachella, 2005’s “We Run This” with its rhythmic drums perfectly compliments Missy’s energetic delivery. 

#20

"SHAKE YOUR POM-POM"

Over a go-go beat, Missy delivered a rambunctious offering for the Step It Up 2 soundtrack. 

#19

"DRIPDEMEANOR" 

People don’t always immediately associate Missy with sensual R&B but that’s her other sweet spot, as showcased here. Featuring singer Sum1, the sultry song from her 2019 release, "Iconology," Missy is once again on-trend while remaining original. 

#18

"PUSSYCAT"

An explicit dedication to how to keep her man in check, Missy's anthem for "how to turn this n*gga out" became an early 2000s theme song. Another great showcase for how sultry a singer Missy could always be. A remix with Janet Jackson and Lil Kim was shelved.

#17

"WHY I STILL LOVE YOU" FEAT. MONICA

An ode to 60s do-wop with contemporary sprinklings, Missy shows off her vocal chops on “Why I Still Love You,” as she questions why she can’t seem to break it off with someone who doesn’t deserve her time. Featured on Iconology, the mostly black and white video features a comical, sassy cameo from her longtime collaborator, Monica. 

#16

"4 MY PEOPLE" FEAT. EVE

Missy and Eve connected on the uptempo “4 My People,” the fourth single from her 2001 album, "Miss E… So Addictive." The video features Missy dancing in front of a flag in homage to 9/11 and the song remains among her top dance tracks. 

#15

"TAKE AWAY"

The video is dedicated to her musical muse Aaliyah, and the ballad features expectedly gorgeous vocals from Tweet as well as an assist from Ginuwine. Missy’s vocals are on display once more, proving again that she can’t pretty much do whatever she wants musically.

#14

"TEARY-EYED"

Missy teamed with producer/songwriter Warryn Campbell for the mid-tempo, love-torn song “Teary Eyed'' from her 2005 album, "The Cookbook." The video features Missy in a straight-jacket, singing to her incapacitated lover in his hospital bed, crooning about her love-hate relationship with him and his hold on her. It’s another example of her command for heartbreak R&B. 

#13

"I'M BETTER" FEAT. LAMB

In 2017 Missy dropped the extremely catchy, bass-heavy trap-influenced “I’m Better,” produced by and featuring regular collaborator, Lamb. It’s quietly one of the strongest entries in her latter discography. And the video, which she co-directed with Dave Meyers, is probably among her top 5 best, which is saying a lot. 

#12

"HIT 'EM WIT DA HEE"

A quiet standout on her 1997 debut, the video version of “Hit Em Wit Da Hee” featured a Bjork sample, and also a pinstripe suit-wearing Ginuwine. It’s a reminder that Missy is a talented vocalist, a prelude to the mid-tempo sound she’d tweak a few years later on Tweet’s debut Southern Hummingbird.

#11

"LOSE CONTROL"

The first single from her 2005 album, The Cookbook, “Lose Control” found Missy reconnecting with Ciara for another enthusiastic two-step jam. The song samples Cybotron’s “Clear” and Hot Streak’s “Body Work,” and it’s a standout in her long collection of pop dance hits. 

#10

"COOL OFF"

“Missy in this bitch don’ shit you ain’t ever seen,” Missy sassily declares on the opening bars of her 808 heavy southern bounce track “Cool Off” from her 2019 EP, Iconology, offering a fresh reminder of a lasting legacy. 

#9

"SHE'S A BITCH"

The lead single from her second album, 1999’s Da Real World, “She’s a Bitch” is Missy and Timbaland continuing to flex their creativity, even though it wasn’t the highest-charting song on the album. 

#8

"SOCK IT 2 ME" FEAT. DA BRAT

One of her early standouts, “Sock It 2 Me” offered a direct glimpse into Missy’s experimental originality. Da Brat was at the top of her game in 1997, with a recitable verse and swag to match. 

#7

"ONE MINUTE MAN" FEAT. LUDACRIS AND TRINA

Missy found yet another musical kindred spirit in Ludacris during the early aughts, and they capitalized on their connection regularly, including on the 2001 club hit “One Minute Man” from her third album, "Miss E… So Addictive." Trina's guest verse steals the show, as "da baddest bitch" gets raw and raunchy about what she needs in the bedroom. 

#6

"BEEP ME 9-1-1" FEAT. 702 AND MAGOO

A sleepy banger from her debut, “Beep Me 911” is Missy and Timbaland deep in their creative well during the time in the late 90s when they were actively reshaping the sound of contemporary R&B. Decades later, the song still sounds futuristic-fresh, with Missy and Meelah (of 702)’s  languid-sultry vocals breezing over the track as Magoo stamps it with a verse.

#5

"ALL N MY GRILL" FEAT. BIG BOI AND NICOLE WRAY

Big Boy and Nicole Wray threw the assist on “All in My Grill,” the breakout success from Missy’s second album, "Da Real World." Reminding everyone of her R&B roots, a sound she honed with Aaliyah and Ginuwine, “All In My Grill” is a straightforward late 90s soul track with glossy vocals and rich synths that still holds up today. 

#4

"HOT BOYZ" FEAT. EVE, NAS, LIL MO, Q-TIP

The remix version of “Hot Boyz” broke records and became one of Missy’s most popular tracks. Featured on her sophomore album, 1999’s Da Real World, it’s an era-defining posse cut with a standout verse from Eve. (Why wasn't Q-Tip in the video, doe?)

#3

"GET UR FREAK ON" 

Once again, Missy dropped a single that sounded like nothing else when she dropped “Get Ur Freak On” in 2001, and it’d go on to influence the pop production sound of the early aughts. Another Timbaland collaboration, it’s one of Missy’s signature tracks. The song encompasses the cool, frenetic energy that comes to define her solo work, and showcases her creativity at its peak. 

#2

"THE RAIN (SUPA DUPA FLY)"

Timbaland’s sparse, forward-leaning production, and Missy’s wholly original execution which built on a familiar Ann Peebles song, “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” is one of the most memorable debuts in rap history. When you couple it with the Hype Williams video that helped change the game, Missy’s influential solo entry pushed rap and pop music in a new direction. 

#1

"WORK IT"

2002’s "Under Construction" ushered in a fresh period of domination for Missy and Timbaland’s sound. “Work It” embodies the best of the duo’s innovative charm, and is a signature, career-defining track (and video) for Missy. 

WHAT'S

Sent from my iPhone

[90363462]

https://time.com/6235186/best-albums-2022/

The 10 Best Albums of 2022

A wealth of new albums in 2022 pushed the boundaries of genre, theme, and sound. From seasoned veterans like Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar, returning in triumph with fresh records and even fresher perspectives, to exciting young artists like Saya Gray, whose debut album, 19 Masters, should make any listener excited for the future of music, here are the albums that we’ve had on repeat all year.

10. Motomami, Rosalía

Rosalía’s 2018 conceptual masterpiece El Mal Querer is so intentional and powerful that it’s hard to imagine her topping it. But this year, she stepped entirely outside the box, pushing her creative ability to its absolute limit to make Motomami.

On this album, she worked with some of the best musicians in the industry from rapper/producer Pharrell Williams, who lent a hand on “La Combi Versace” and on title track “HENTAI,” to Frank Ocean, to James Blake, whose voice can be heard at the end of “DIABLO.” Motomami is a triumphant amalgamation of diverse genres, blending jazz, reggaeton, bachata, flamenco, and pop. Rosalía’s unwavering tenacity has allowed her to create a piece of art that fully showcases her stunning vocal and producing abilities.—Moises Mendez II

9. You Can’t Kill Me, 070 Shake

Danielle Balbuena, the New Jersey-born rapper and R&B singer better known as 070 Shake, has made a name for herself in the industry for defying easy definition. With a powerhouse voice and tough yet tender songwriting, she’s transcended genre and challenged notions of identity, forging a path all her own that has garnered co-signs ranging from Kanye West, who signed her to his G.O.O.D. Music imprint in 2016, to indie rock darlings The 1975, with whom she toured during the early years of her career. 

On her second album, You Can’t Kill Me, Shake continues to hone a skill set entirely her own, serving up a project that’s surprisingly measured but no less intense. Over heavy beats and ambient synths, Shake returns to her usual contemplations: the hardships and wonders of life, the ups and downs of love. Teeming with smoldering desire and melancholic angst, the result is a moody, sensual offering from a deeply vulnerable artist who refuses simply coolly exist. “I wanted your body, but it came with your soul,” she laments on “Body,” channeling a tension that feeds into our universal ennui.—Cady Lang

8. Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, Kendrick Lamar

In his decade in the spotlight, Kendrick Lamar has amassed a reputation that borders on messianic—he’s the Pulitzer-winning, civil-rights-anthem-penning, Tupac-inheriting genius destined to carry his city, if not his race, if not the world, on his narrow shoulders. No one man could possibly live up to those unbearable and escalating standards, and on Mr. Morale, Lamar actively renounces them: “Kendrick made you think about it, but he is not your savior,” he says pointedly on “Savior.” 

But if Mr. Morale isn’t an epoch-defining masterwork on the level of Good Kid, m.A.A.d City or To Pimp a Butterfly, it’s still a fantastically rich portrait of an artist in crisis. Lamar navigates familial tensions, pandemic anxiety, hypocrisy, and crushing public expectations with sharpness and poignancy, especially on “Mother | Sober” and the aforementioned “Savior.” And there are several deeply polarizing songs on the album—including the domestic dispute “We Cry Together” and the trans anthem “Auntie Diaries”—that nevertheless show Lamar probing the boundaries of his comfort zone and embracing the risk of backlash in order to create art he believes in.—Andrew R. Chow

7. Big Time, Angel Olsen 

“Big” is the operative word for the sixth album from the indie rock mainstay Angel Olsen: Recorded soon after both her parents died, it deals in big emotions, big musical arrangements, big vocals, big themes of love, loss and depression and perseverance. And just as Olsen has thrived across a range of setups—from acoustic solo to scruffy electric rock band—she likewise excels in belting out hugely stirring songs that sound destined to blast during climactic slow dances or while movie credits roll. 

The songs on “Big Time” build patiently, and with few indicators as to the year they were created: there are steel pedal guitars, burnished strings, zithers, and harmoniums. The lush arrangements augment Olsen’s arguably strongest vocal performance yet: she brings both power and subtlety to wrenchingly stark lyrics like “I know you can’t talk long/ But I’m barely hanging on/ I’m so tired of telling you/ It’s a hard time again.”—A.R.C. 

6. Electricity, Ibibio Sound Machine 

You’d be hard-pressed to find a more combustible minute of pop music in 2022 than the one that starts from the halfway point of “Protection From Evil,” the opening track of Ibibio Sound Machine’s fourth album Electricity. Frontwoman Eno Williams delivers a furious stream-of-consciousness soliloquy in the Ibibio language, her syllables spilling over and between the pounding four-on-the-floor dance beat; she lapses into a simmering chorus run through a vocoder, which then gives way to a shrieking horn section and a seizing synthesizer reminiscent of LCD Soundsystem’s best work. Electricity is filled with moments like this: of breathtaking sonic rises and falls, astonishing cultural exchanges, and flat-out infectious dance music.—A.R.C. 

5. It’s Almost Dry, Pusha T 

If the rapper and impresario Pusha T is the“Martin Scorsese of street rap,” as he hopes to be, then It’s Almost Dry might just be his Goodfellas: an immersive gangster epic that’s brutal yet stylish, materialistic, and psychologically probing. Pusha T doesn’t stray far from his favorite topic—hustling—but he doesn’t need to, because of the care with which he imbues his wordcraft and storytelling. His dense references will send you scrambling for Genius annotations: ”Summertime, Winterfell, I’m the Night King/ The Colgate kilo, the hood needs whitening/ We fishscale n—-s like we all Pisces/ Your bitch in my bubble like I’m still typing,” he raps on “Neck and Wrist.” But even if you don’t catch all the double and triple entendres, the music sounds fantastically luxurious. He recruited some of the most renowned producers in hip-hop, from Kanye West to Pharrell, and they delivered their A-game.—A.R.C.

4. Chloe and the Next 20th Century, Father John Misty

The musical polymath Josh Tillman, better known as his stage alter ego, Father John Misty, has made a name for himself as the most polarizing (and possibly most talented) man in the contemporary folk rock scene. With Chloe and the 20th Century, his fifth studio album as FJM, however, he takes a surprising and delightful departure from his usual form for a project that’s grandiose in its ambition, theatrical in its presentation, and thrilling in its execution. 

Drawing on elements like big band, bossa nova, and film scores from the golden age of Hollywood, the album is a lush and lofty epic that spins fictional vintage narratives into song. Through tragic vignettes that read like a screenplay of a fantasy L.A., the tracks detail torrid love affairs, untimely ends, and heartbreak, for the titular Chloe and her motley crew, showcasing not only FJM’s signature wry cynicism and penchant for melodrama, but an impressive flair for worldbuilding.—C.L.

3. Renaissance, Beyoncé

Ahead of the release of Renaissance, her seventh solo studio album, Beyoncé shared via social media that it was a creative project born out of a need for escape, freedom, and exploration during the pandemic. The spirit of release is omnipresent in the album, a true celebration of dance music and its Black queer history. From her first single off the album, “Break My Soul,” where Bey and Big Freedia urge us to “release your job/ release the time” to the dedication of the album to her late queer uncle, Johnny, the album is an homage to the Black queer pioneers of genres like disco, bounce, house, techno, funk, and ballroom. There are few artists who can drop an album late in the game and still commandeer “song of the summer” along with every dance floor, but as she tells us on “Alien Superstar,” Beyoncé is and forever will be that girl.—C.L.

2. 19 Masters, Saya Gray 

The debut album from the Toronto-based singer-songwriter Gray is not for the stadium rafters. It’s full of half-fleshed-out ideas, spindly guitar wanderings, washed-out vocal recordings and stray voice memos. But Gray’s strange restraint and restless curiosity are entirely the point: In its scattered and shaggy structure, there’s something compelling to be found around every melodic corner, whether on your second or tenth listen. In this way, the album feels like a worthy inheritor of Frank Ocean’s lo-fi masterpiece Blonde. Gray layers her scratchy voice upon itself to build breathtaking harmonies, and the tones she wrings out of her guitar and bass are impeccable.—A.R.C.

1. Un Verano Sin Ti, Bad Bunny

No other album had as much universal appeal (and, let’s be honest, adoration) this year than Un Verano Sin Ti, Bad Bunny’s glorious fourth solo studio album. It’s an album about heartbreak, yes, but also a veritable love letter to his homeland of Puerto Rico and a sonic tribute to the Caribbean diaspora. Driven by the musical styles of El Caribe, ranging from reggaeton and dembow to merengue and cumbia, and bolstered by elements of dance hall and techno, Benito firmly roots the album in the deeply personal, mining the universal experiences of love, loss, and the supreme pleasure of being alive, for an exceptional project that is genre-defying, intergenerational, and groundbreaking. 

Never one to shy away from getting political, Bad Bunny also uses the project to critique hot-button issues, from the privatization of power in Puerto Rico to how the current crisis of gentrification on the island is part of a long and troubled history of colonization. To listen to this album, to move to it and be moved by it, is an act of defiance, celebration, and radical love.—C.L.

More Must-Reads From TIME

Steven Spielberg Waited 60 Years to Tell This Story

Who Should Be TIME's 2022 Person of the Year? Vote Now

Donald Trump, Grover Cleveland, and the History of Trying to Win Back the White House

Michelle Obama: Yes, We Still Need to ‘Go High’ When Everything Is Terrible

Columns: Voters Understand the Truth About Pregnancy Decisions.What Happened in Montana Proves It

Cold Weather Can Be Dangerous for the Human Body. This Winter Worries Experts

How to Prepare for Travel Chaos Over the Holidays

Big Tech's Implosion Could Save the Planet

The Best of Culture 2022

Write to Cady Lang at cady.lang@timemagazine.com and Moises Mendez II at moises.mendez@time.com.

Sent from my iPhone

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 03/04/2021 (Lil Nas X’s “MONTERO”, Mimi Webb, Russ Millions & Tion Wayne)

So, we have a #1 debut, and that’s pretty much the only story here in the UK Top 75 as we get a filler week before Demi Lovato, Olivia Rodrigo and Lil Tjay run in and cause havoc. As for now, “Wellerman” is replaced at the top by Lil Nas X’s controversial “MONTERO (Call Me by Your Name)”, spending its first week at #1 after making pretty sudden gains assisted by the video and alternate versions – the mid-week projection had this at #15. Elsewhere, we just see the fall-out from Bieber. Welcome back to REVIEWING THE CHARTS.

Rundown

It’s a quiet week – only seven new entries, and none from Rod Wave, 24kGoldn or AJR as I had predicted. That doesn’t mean there isn’t some stuff to talk about within the chart, or particularly off of the chart, as we have a fair few drop-outs switching their places with returning entries. In particular, we have Justin Bieber’s “As I Am” featuring Khalid being swapped out for “Anyone” at #25, as well as drop-outs for “Arcade” by Duncan Laurence – slightly premature, I’d think – and all of Lana Del Rey’s songs from last week. We also “Anxious” by AJ Tracey, “Heat” by Paul Woodford and Amber Mark and “Toxic” by Digga D exit the chart, but the only real notable loss was “34+35” by Ariana Grande ending its 21-week run on the chart. Returning to the Top 75 in its place – which I cover – we have “Mr. Brightside” by the Killers of course at #73, as well as “Midnight Sky” by Miley Cyrus at #72, “You’ve Done Enough” by Gorgon City and DRAMA at #70 (really hope this one becomes a hit) and “Don’t You Worry About Me” by Bad Boy Chiller Crew at #66. In terms of climbers and fallers, we do have some notable gains and losses. For songs travelling down the chart, we have “Patience” by KSI featuring YUNGBLUD and Polo G tanking a sharp drop in its third week to #18, “Streets” by Doja Cat shaking off the video gains at #22, “drivers license” by Olivia Rodrigo continuing to collapse at #27, another sharp drop for HVME’s remix of Travis Scott’s “Goosebumps” down to #34 probably due to ACR, which was probably the fate for “Get Out My Head” by Shane Codd at #46. The same probably can’t be said for Drake’s losses, as “What’s Next” is at #40, “Lemon Pepper Freestyle” featuring Rick Ross is at #41 and “Wants and Needs” featuring Lil Baby stalls at #55. We also see falls for “Money Talks” by Fredo and Dave at #50, “Bringing it Back” by Digga D and AJ Tracey at #51, “Sweet Melody” by Little Mix on its way out at #57, “Headshot” by Lil Tjay featuring Polo G and Fivio Foreign down to #61 off the debut (although it’ll rebound thanks to the album as soon as the next week rolls around), “Ready” by Fredo featuring Summer Walker at #62, “You’re Mines Still” by Yung Bleu featuring Drake at #63 and “Day in the Life” by Central Cee at #69. Where it gets interesting are our gains, such as outside the top 40 with “What Other People Say” by Demi Lovato and Sam Fischer which could very well get even higher next week thanks to the album. We also have “Track Star” by Mooski at #53 off of the debut and a couple of tracks entering the top 40 for the first time, those being “Heartbreak Anniversary” by Giveon at #39 and Majestic’s remix of “Rasputin” by Boney M. at #38. Elsewhere in the top 40, we have “Let’s Go Home Together” by Ella Henderson and Tom Grennan at #13 and two songs marking their first week in the top 10, those being “Little Bit of Love” by Tom Grennan at #10, a song continuing to sour on me, and “Your Love (9PM)” by ATB, Topic and A7S, an EDM song at #8 that I initially mocked for its soulless repackaging but has honestly got me pretty hooked since. I’m excited to see how this one does. For now, however, let’s get on with our new arrivals.

NEW ARRIVALS

#64 – “Cloud 9” – Beach Bunny

Produced by Joe Reinhart

Beach Bunny is a power pop band who last year released their album Honeymoon on Mom+Pop and it’s basically a modern r/indieheads staple in that it’s an accessible, airy pop-rock record fronted by a woman. It’s not anything unique, really, or different if you look further into it but that’s fine because there’s a lot of vaguely “indie” or music snob releases pushed out every year that miss the charts entirely. It’s a different story, however, when a year later, it gets viral on TikTok and streams its way onto the chart. In that case, we have “Cloud 9” by Beach Bunny, a pretty simple but sweet love song about a guy who just makes her feel a lot better about herself in times where she can’t pick herself up from the rut she’s in. Again, it’s a simple track but enhanced by the wonderful and unique vocal performance from front-woman Lili Trifilo and some pretty great production making sure no guitar lick is missed in this mix, especially in that chorus which is such an ethereal blend of the electric guitar dubs. I would argue that this actually should end at that second chorus even if it ends feeling abrupt as the transition to the final chorus feels a lot less cathartic than it does awkward, especially if the bridge is going to be a simplistic, quirky instrumental meander that doesn’t go far enough to be a guitar solo and hence feels kind of like a worthless addition. As is, this is a pretty great song still, just not the most fully realised once it loses that initial tight surf groove, though I’ll let it pass if we’re going to get rock this good on the charts again. I know this won’t really get more traction for Beach Bunny – or power pop for that matter – but more of this, please.

#52 – “You All Over Me” (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault) (Remix) (feat. DaBaby) (Part 2) (Radio Edit) – Taylor Swift featuring Maren Morris

Produced by Taylor Swift and Aaron Dessner

Sadly, this does not feature DaBaby and is not the remix, radio edit or sequel to any previously released song. Jokes aside, I guess brackets are the next big comeback for pop music, which goes hand-in-hands with remixes and re-releases, hence why Taylor Swift is dusting off this leaked Fearless-era cut for a new recording with country singer Maren Morris, who you probably know from her contributions to Zedd’s “The Middle”. Now whilst Swift is a great songwriter, I do often find myself frustrated by how she treads common ground all too frequently without establishing much different with how a song is structured or how it emotionally connects. This is true not just lyrically but especially sonically as of recent, as despite being written in 2008, it has too much in common with the less interesting cuts off of folklore for me to really care that much. That’s especially if Taylor’s going to undercut the clean acoustic guitars with flourishes of harmonica and crow sound effects, showing some genuine intrigue here before refusing to let any of that develop past a couple stray melodies or notes further back in the mix. I’m trying really hard to be compelled by these re-recordings and re-releases of her back catalogue as I do consider myself a fan, but it’s tough to pay attention when any new compositions we get sound like folklore leftovers with Maren Morris only put to use as decoration, much like HAIM on “no body, no crime” – and we already got an album full of folklore leftovers. I’m not a fan of this, sorry – I can see the appeal, and I do think this has enough of a country tinge to it to make it at least somewhat interesting – but this goes in one ear and immediately out of the other.

#48 – “Tonight” – Ghost Killer Track featuring OBOY and D-Block Europe

Produced by Ghost Killer Track and Kenzy

Screw the formalities and screw the analysis because D-Block Europe are back to add another D-Block to their EU collection – and since they’re Londoners, their only – and that’s Paris, and contrary to the British nature, we’ve let French rap chart in the top 50 out of the fact that they collaborated with two of the most comical rappers in British history. They’ve also linked up with producer Ghost Killer Track, also from France, as this is ostensibly his song even if he intends not to prove himself with this dull piano-based beat and oddly-mastered bass and percussion, which are really just DBE staples. Unfortunately, past the initial comedy of that first line in the chorus, neither Young Adz or Dirtbike LB deliver any stupid lyrics or funny inflections, instead just resorting to being as boring as they can in their constant flexing as possible. I guess the French guy here, OBOY, commands a higher energy in his verse if only through his comical “no, no, no” ad-libs, but he’s the only French speaker in an otherwise basic British trap song that I just cannot see the appeal in when we’ve had song after song from these guys for three years now. This won’t be the last we see of cookie-cutter UK rap this week though so brace yourselves for that.

#47 – “Last Time” – Becky Hill

Produced by LOSTBOY

It’s almost as if the charts are trying to send me off to sleep as here we have Becky Hill, a singer hedging the line between a non-presence and mildly annoying, which is arguably more frustrating than downright infuriating as her slightly smokier voice does not sound bad, just lacking in texture in every way, especially if the multi-tracking is going to be this minimal on a royalty-free deep-house beat produced by Getty Images with a pretty worthless drop, a generic and simple melody of piano stabs for major chords, and a whole bunch of reverb on the vocal take... but it still ends up feeling dry as there’s nothing here to quench that thirst for a tighter, bass-heavy house banger or even a more ethereal, dreamy trance track, deciding to stick to a healthy medium of boring and utter garbage. Yes, that was a singular sentence. I’m not awake enough to form a cohesive sentence less than 40 words long, and this new Becky Hill track is just worsening that if anything. Speaking of...

#21 – “Body” – Russ Millions and Tion Wayne

Produced by Gotcha Bxtch

Who’s Russ Millions? He’s Russ. No, not that Russ. British Russ – or Russ Splash, stylised as Russ splash on Spotify and nowhere else. This confusingly-named fellow appeared on the charts a couple times and possibly most famously with “Keisha & Becky”, a song also featuring Tion Wayne that is referenced on this very track. Sigh, I usually like Tion Wayne but even he can’t be bothered to delivery his usual brand of suave charm or sinister menace, instead opting for a more growling but ultimately completely monotone cadence that doesn’t flatter him or Russ, who one of my friends described as sounding like one of the aliens from Toy Story. This is a pretty by-the-numbers drill beat too, and it’s pretty safe to say that neither Russ or Tion Wayne here are going to bother with wordplay, even when they start pretty smoothly trading bars and Tion Wayne goes for a more unique chopper flow in the second verse. This is just not of any note. Once again, speaking of...

#17 – “Good Without” – Mimi Webb                        

Produced by Freedo

I assumed Mimi Webb debuted this high because of a talent show she won or something because I’d never heard her name but instead, she just happened to have a major label deal before her unreleased song just happened to go viral on TikTok and just happened to be supported by one of the women who just happened to be the biggest creator on the platform. Yeah, and this song just happened to be garbage, suffering from every possible millennial pop trope and then some, from the mix dressed rather too overtly in reverb, the ugly guitar pluck, a generic indie-girl voice that you swear you’ve heard before in one of those dreadful piano covers of popular songs they use in adverts, as well as this ballad being undercut by badly-programmed trap percussion. I can tell this label is trying to create somewhat of an Olivia Rodrigo phenomenon from this and I for one am terrified of the Poundland knock-offs to come. Screw this.

#1 – “MONTERO (Call Me by Your Name)” – Lil Nas X

Produced by Roy Lenzo, Omar Fedi and Take a Daytrip

At least Lil Nas X will bring some passion into this chart week? Well, not really, as when I hear this I recall that Pitchfork review of his EP, a much-maligned critique that featured the ever-so pretentious questioning if Lil Nas X really enjoyed making and listening to music. It reminds me because I think I now fully get it – at least when Lil Nas X was making slap-dash pop rock with Travis Barker or meme-worthy country rap with Billy Ray Cyrus for less than two minutes apiece, there was something invigorating in the execution or at least in concept. That 7 EP is still not a bad debut at all, but this new single “MONTERO”, a long-anticipated record that went from constantly-teased demo to Super Bowl commercial to Satanic-panicked videos of Lil Nas giving Satan a lap-dance to own the conservatives, has the same remote dreariness to it as “HOLIDAY” did late last year. The acoustic, Latin-flavoured guitar loop reminds me of his much better track “Rodeo” from that aforementioned EP that used its energy for similarly lighthearted subject matter but with some genuine energy, a Cardi B feature and a lot less subtle moombahton creeping in. With that said, I can’t say Lil Nas X didn’t try, as his vocal performance, whilst largely insufferable and strained, gives some energy to an otherwise aggravatingly stunted beat, and makes it a lot more infectious than it has any right to be. Content-wise, the song is essentially about a full circle where Lil Nas X becomes increasingly desperate for a man who starts off lonely and in a bad place, and the irony is that Lil Nas gets more explicitly sexual and crazed due to a combination of the LA life-style surrounding him and the fact that he’s simply, for lack of a better term, “down bad”, despite the fact that this guy doesn’t seem particularly desirable. Lil Nas knows this, though, and acknowledges it in the pre-chorus where he outright says that this guy is living the cocaine-addled celebrity life, but not living it right without Mr. Bullriding and Boobies in his life. I’m happy about the video and the outrage it seems to cause not just within conservative spaces but also amongst the hip-hop community, particularly Joyner Lucas, and I’m pretty happy with how out and proud Lil Nas X is about his sexuality, even if it leads to lines like “Shoot a child in your mouth while I’m ridin’”. I’m just really not a fan of this song past its content, which could really be interesting but falls flat with this plucking production that wastes time in barely two minutes with humming interludes. It’s not bad at all, just not for me.

Conclusion

And that concludes our week, and wow, what a bad week this was for new arrivals. Admittedly, it’s a filler week so only “MONTERO (Call Me by Your Name)” will probably last – or at least we can hope as even if I don’t like the song, I still have to give out an Honourable Mention to someone, and it may as well be Lil Nas X trying to put the effort in. Best of the Week easily goes to Beach Bunny for “Cloud 9”, far and away the only good song here, with Worst of the Week also going out pretty easily to Mimi Webb’s “Good Without”, which is the type of soulless, unmemorable garbage that makes pop music look uninspired, and as a person who writes about the charts constantly, it’s a misconception I don’t want proven or revisited. Dishonourable Mention is a toss-up but I guess I’ll give it to Russ Millions and Tion Wayne for that sprinkle of drill disappointment that is “Body”, and that’ll be it for this week. I predict some impact from Demi Lovato, Lil Tjay and especially Olivia Rodrigo next week, but for now, here’s our top 10:

Thank you for reading – sorry for the grouchiness on this one – and I’ll see you next week!