Happy Halloween!

 Here's a little Halloween mix, featuring some classic hip-hop and indie tracks.  Enjoy!

 Welcome back!

This week was hectic. It’s also Homecoming Season, so I’ve been thinking about my undergrad years, and how much fun they were. I decided to choose 3 songs that represented my college experience.  These are songs that I was walking around blasting at any given time. So, think back to the early 2010’s era, when everything was still new.

Enjoy! What are your favorite songs from college or the early 2010s?

I Still Am Young and Radical, Methods were Mathematical

 Live Fast Die Young- Rick Ross

This song forever holds a special place in my memory bank. Live Fast, Die Young hails from Ricky Rozay’s 4^th studio album. It dropped right around my 20^th birthday which fully solidified the fact I was no longer a “teen”. I had also moved out of my parent’s place into my first college apartment too, so this song was just my theme all summer. It was time to let loose! Lol

Like many, my teenage years were one of the most structured periods of my life, I had a job, extracurricular activities, and hated every minute of school. Which is weird because I was such a responsible teen. I was focused on graduating and getting the hell out of my hometown, I knew my college years were going to be this amazing time of a little hard work and ALL play.  Much to my chagrin, it was a movie full of plot twists and turns that kept me fulfilled and challenged me to higher levels… exactly what this song means. In understanding our limited time on Earth, we can choose to live life to the fullest, here, and now, or delay it. Tomorrow is never promised, so why not live it up while you’re here? Of course, “living it up” is relative to whomever it applies to. In me, and Rozay’s case, we’re taking lots of risks, having fun, and not suffering unintended consequences.

The song starts out with a sampled passage from the classic If this World Were Mine by the Bar-Kays and goes right into the hook lyrics then the first bar from Rick Ross captures the whole essence. I won’t go into depth with the lyrics, but adding Kanye was the cherry on top.  The day I moved out from my parent’s place to my college apartment, I played this song on the hour-plus drive from my parents on repeat, volume on max with the windows down.  

“Sometimes the Simplest Way of Doing Something is The Best Way of Doing It."

 Pickup Truck- Kings of Leon

Kings of Leon is such an underrated group. They deserve much more notoriety than they receive. KOL is a band consisting of 3 brothers and a cousin from Nashville, TN. They’re an Alternative/Indie group, that blends Southern rock, garage rock, and blues altogether to make the perfect loud, rhythmic sound with endearing lyrics. Pickup Truck is one of my favorite songs from their album, Come Around Sundown. I listened to this album an incessant number of times, to the point I got tired of listening. The sound is full of solo/rhythm guitar with drums that takes you on this up-and-down journey. 

This song takes me back to my 2^nd year of college when everything was still new. I hear this and I think back to my undergrad days of being up the late-night studying and walking back to my apartment. It was during the late Fall season so there was always a nice breeze. I would imagine camping out in a dark somewhere with crackling woods going white. The lyrics are sharp but full of sorrow and regret. It’s about two men fighting over the same person. One of them getting molly whopped for making fun of the other guy’s truck. All in the name of love.  

Back When Mixtapes Were a Thing

    The Thrill- Wiz Khalifa

My first roommate in college was an Artist. He has great mixing skills and is a talented writer.  He spent most nights up mixing, writing, and recording in his makeshift studio in the closet.  Luckily, and unluckily for other reasons lol, we shared the same wall so I would always hear him making beats and recording. For the two years we lived together, I had no problem hearing muffled sounds every night. It gave me a chance to critique his sound and find new music.  

One morning we were both packing up and leaving for the weekend and he kept playing this song repeatedly.  I finally asked who it was, and it was game over for me. I went to Datpiff and downloaded Burn After Rolling and never looked back since.  Wiz Khalifa’s mixtapes were neck and neck with Onika’s. so much versatility, and BARS.  The song means exactly what it says, the thrill. How we’re always running, persevering, and thriving for what, the thrill! This was the time I was first introduced to hearing a song mashup/mix. Wiz also has a great way of bringing his lyrics to life. In this song, I imagine the story he’s telling, mixed in with the Classic Empire of the Sun’s sample in the background just takes this song to another level.  I’ll forever be indebted to the old roomie for introducing his country-ass cousin to the coolest and latest trends in clothing and music. 

Shoutout to A-wun

I always wanted a pink fur after this song

 Hey Ma- Cam'ron 

Imagine being a kid and your uncle (the cool one) picks you up from school blasting this song!? I loved it lmao. It took me a few years to fully digest the lyrics, I was only 12 at the time, but dam such a good song to ride along to. 

Rest in Power to the GOAT

 Saffron- MF DOOM

If you aren't familiar with MF Doom's music/impact, I strongly implore you to research this legend. So much of what we listen to today is due to this man's impact on hip-hop culture and music overall. MF Doom paved the way for character development and style in hip-hop artistry. Period.

Famous Like The Ninja Turtles

Wipe Me Down- Boosie ft. Webbie, Foxx

"I pull up at the club, VIP gas tank on E, But all drinks on me" only Boosie. This song was my household anthem, the high school anthem, and everything in between. My brothers are the ones who actually put me on Boosie, my little brother would play this track every day and mimic Boosie's lyrics using his voice. It was hilarious. I can't help but laugh whenever I see this track. Say what you want about Boosie, but he had some hits. 

A Perfect Mix

 Lonely Side of Town- Old Dominion Ft. Gladys Knight 

If there ever was a song to describe my childhood musical influences this one is it. My mom has a lot of siblings, so growing up at any given family gathering you would hear my Aunts playing R&B Soul like Gladys Knight, or go to the backyard and hear my Uncles blasting County music. Both sounds were so similar with their lyrics of yearning, or missing someone/something. Just different ways of expressing the tone, instruments, etc... but this is a great song and does a formidable job blending elements from both genres. 

A Rolling Stone

 Chicago- Sufan Stevens

I heard this song from the classic, Little Miss Sunshine movie back in 2005.  I thought nothing of it until I was in a bar, and this song started playing. I like the upbeat tone and the background horns, the lyrics are pretty interesting as well. The song is basically about a guy who keeps traveling from place to place in search of love or the meaning of it. He drove to Chicago, then to New York, and slept in the van with his friend. Made a lot of mistakes along the way, but he found his love of freedom from himself and the land. A great listen. 

A little possessive

 SELF- Isaiah Huron

This track is newly added to my collection.  It's a catchy song, with a classic boppy beat that's easy to follow along to. I first heard this song from a fellow audiophile's collection and have been obsessed with it since.