Category Archives: Passion Blog

Lupe Fiasco x Word’s I’ve Never Said – Passion Post #7

With another week comes another passion post. Today you will hear from an artist that actually inspired me to start rapping- Lupe Fiasco. What makes his music so unique has to do with his figurative language and the charisma/boldness that he displays. Because of this,  Lupe shines light on issues that are very controversial and hard to talk about at times.

“Words I’ve Never Said” is the second track on Lupe’s third studio album- Lasers. Skylar Grey accompanies Lupe for the hook and background vocals. Again, Lupe makes very bold claims and accuses many people for their actions/ideas. These are his words that “he has never said”.

Lyrics:

[Skylar Grey]
It’s so loud Inside my head
With words that I should have said!
As I drown in my regrets
I can’t take back the words I never said
I can’t take back the words I never said

[Lupe Fiasco]
I really think the war on terror is a bunch of bull___
Just a poor excuse for you to use up all your bullets
How much money does it take to really make a full clip
9/11 building 7 did they really pull it
Uhh, And a bunch of other cover ups
Your childs future was the first to go with budget cuts
If you think that hurts then, wait here comes the uppercut
The school was garbage in the first place, that’s on the up and up
Keep you at the bottom but tease you with the uppercrust
You get it then they move it so you never keeping up enough
If you turn on TV all you see’s a bunch of “what the fu__”
Dude is dating so and so blabbering bout such and such
And that ain’t Jersey Shore, homie that’s the news
And these the same people that supposed to be telling us the truth
Limbaugh is a racist, Glenn Beck is a racist
Gaza strip was getting bombed, Obama didn’t say sh__
That’s why I ain’t vote for him, next one either
I’ma part of the problem, my problem is I’m peaceful
And I believe in the people.

Song Analysis:

Skylar opens the song with the hook, explaining that she has “the words that she has never said” bouncing around her head. Because she has never voiced her opinions, there is no way to take back what she has not said.

As I stated before, Lupe opens up his verse with a very bold claim. He is not agreeing with the war on terrorism and explains that it is another way for the government to cover up the other plans on their agenda. He then goes on to say because of the recession and all of the budget cuts leaking into school districts, essentially your child’s future is being thrown away without shying from the fact that the school system is not in the best position in the first place.

Lupe continues his rant by saying that “You open up the TV and see a bunch of WTF’s”. Lupe is expressing the frustration that he is feeling because society as a whole tends to face on petty, irrelevant topics (such as jersey shore) instead of bigger and significant topics.

Now before he closes his verse, Lupe speaks his mind fully without any “regrets” (remember the name of this song is, “Words I’ve Never Said”). He says that Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh are racist and calls out Obama for not taking any action when violence erupted on the Gaza Strip . Because of this, he goes on to say that he is being “peaceful” by not voting for him (very bold, especially when you are in the music industry to SELL albums).

Personal Thoughts and Reflections:

I actually support some of the things that Lupe says in the track, but do not fully support all of his claims. Again, Lupe is very audacious when he calls out the Government for several things (9-11 cover ups, the war on terrorism and the reason behind decreased school budgets).

I actually agree with what he says concerning TV and things that are goin on throughout pop culture. Things that we should worry the least about are the things that society as a whole actually immerses all of their energy into.

Now, here are a couple of things that I did not agree fully with Lupe.

1. He calls out Obama for keeping silent during the Gaza Strip commotion. Here, I believe that Obama did not want to address the situation immediately, instead

2. He claims that the government is trying to cover up significant things. Even though the government does hide things from the public eye, it is pretty harsh to say a tragedy is the catalyst to a cover up.

Maybe one day i’ll have to convey some words that I have never said.

Watch the video below and leave a comment on what you think:

Wale x The Matrimony – Passion Post #6

My next passion post will feature on of my favorite artists, Wale. Coming off his latest album-The Album About Nothing, Wale digs deep and gives listeners a deeper perception of his thoughts, feelings and emotions. To help him with this, he brought Jerry Seinfield along to co-sign and commentate on the album.

This song is entitled, “The Matrimony” and has to do with the Wale’s perception on finally settling down and getting married.  Getting Usher to sing the melodious hook, “The Matrimony” actually gets people who are single, ready to mingle and settle down to actually start thinking about the next step.

 

Lyrics:

[Hook – Usher:]
If there’s a question of my heart, you’ve got it
It don’t belong to anyone but you
If there’s a question of my love, you’ve got it
Baby, don’t worry, I’ve got plans for you, yeah
Baby, I’ve been making plans of love
Baby, I’ve been making plans for you, yeah
Baby, I’ve been making plans
Baby, I’ve been making plans for you

 

[Wale:]
My sincerest apologies, I mean it
I’ll admit it, all being pathetic
I’m in my late 20s still never been to a wedding
Guess the idea of that lobby empty do not sit with me well
It’s not your fault they try to get me, cause I’ma need to sail
Cause I’m selfish and I need you to myself
Tryna see you afloat but don’t wanna see you on sale
Cause I failed and see you bout to cry
Cause when I enter they city they leave without they pride
I’m sorry, and you starin’ at my comments
Fearin’ it’s gone always be you sharin’ me with all them
Wrong, how dare I say ignore them?
Preparing for that day, I leave you here and switch you for them
It’s hard, you know temptation and all
Out here tryna see if my relationship’s strong
Get a place in the charts or runaway from your heart
Gave this music my all, nothing is sacred no more
I’m wrong
But I’m promisin’ you better though
And your friends sayin’ let him go
And we ain’t gettin’ any younger
I can give up now but I can promise you forever though

Analyzing the Song:
Usher opens the hook telling his girl not to worry, he has love for her regardless because it “doesn’t belong to anyone but her”. He is making plans and reassuring her that he is always going to be there for her.
Wale opens up his first verse apologizing, most likely in the context to his significant other. Wale is famous and with the fame comes many other things such as other girls being attracted, money, shows and more priorities.  He tell us that in his whole life, he still has not been to a wedding even though he is 30 (29 when the song was made).
With the fame described above, Wale is emphasizing that if he ever does settle down into a serious relationship, there will be a lot of temptation.  With the fame, he recognizes that handling his music career and attending to all of his girls’ need will be difficult (this is what he means when he says get a place in the charts or runaway from your heart). 
Because he has already put everything in his power toward his music-the thing that was considered sacred to him, he says that “nothing is sacred no more“.
He is wrong because his girl is sacred to him as well.
Personal Reflection / Thoughts:
I thought it was a great idea to get Jerry Seinfeld to commentate throughout the whole album, especially with this song. He explained that getting married was sort of like getting on a roller coaster and used metaphors and imagery to help illustrate his statement to listeners. The background vocals complimented the roller coaster track fx and made the intro stellar.
Even though I am still very young and in no way shape or form thinking about being married anytime soon,  I was able to emphasize with Wale on his perspective concerning marriage. Listening to his interviews and music, Wale has gone through a lot concerning relationships and family issues (had a miscarriage before).
In this song, I feel that Wale was finally able to express himself and convey his attitude on why he has not finally settled down. In tradition, people look down on you when you are not married by the age of 30. Because Wale is nearly approaching that age, it makes sense he released this song when he did.
I know that Wale will find his path, hopefully I’ll hear that he finally settles down by the age of 35. I have listened to his music for so long and heard his speeches and interviews to determine out that he is not truly happy. You can tell that he is missing something so significant in his life that he needs. That is why I think Wale’s message was so important to listeners-and to himself as well.
The Video to The Matrimony is below

Kid Cudi x REVOFEV – Passion Post #5

This week, I will analyze a song by one of my favorite artists, Kid Cudi. No matter the track, Cudi never disappointing with his deep, mellow lyrics that resonate with beats filled with bass and synths.  Cudi is not only a talented musical genius, but manages to always gives his listeners words of advice to abide by. I hope that you enjoy REVOFEV.

Lyrics:

(Hook)Let go life does get tough
No need to stress
Hold you back too much
Let’s go I heard they found the solution
Where will you be for the revolution?

(V1)Wake up, things might get rough
No need to stress
Keeps you down to much
Wake up, I heard they found a solution
Where will you be for the revolution?
Yea I’m so high and so high and I like it, hey
I am so high and so high and I like it hey

(Bridge)I am happy today
This not like other days
Somehow I feel OK
Somehow I feel OK

(Interlude)Oh whoa oh
I am your big brother
I am your big brother

Song Analysis:

Cudi opens the song by telling everyone that life does get tough but we should not stress about it too much because it makes us the more counterproductive. When Cudi is referring to a “solution” he is implying that music can help with stress or any situation that you are going through.

In the bridge, Cudi implies that he has reached a nirvana. After stressing for so long and eventually overcoming that problem he is happy, feeling okay and “high up.”

 

Personal Reflection:

This is one of my favorite Cudi tracks because it is very uplifting and can make you feel better about anything that is happening. Now that we are in summer bridge taking rigorous classes with a lot of homework, it comes to no surprise that we may be stressed out sometimes. Cudi essentially connected to me when he says not to stress too much, because it will hold me back.

I have always looked up to Cudi musically so when he said, “I am your big brother” I instantaneously felt that Cudi was related to me in some shape or form. I have never had a big brother (only have a younger sister) but I remember growing up, I have always wanted someone other than my dad to look up to or to seek guidance from. In a way, Cudi through his music gave me the guidance through his albums, ideas and interviews.  If you listen and get to know him better, in a way you understand his struggle, where he came from and how he turned all of that around to become on of the top Hip Hop artists in the industry right now.

A theme that Cudi pushes in his music is the idea of being different. Not in a bad way, but Cudi is telling his listeners that you do not have to always follow the crowd. I noticed this when I first heard Cudi and listened to a couple of projects that he released. I eventually realized that his music is different from majority of the music that you heard at the radio during that era. So when he says, “Where will you be for the revolution?” I am pretty sure that he is implying that one day any and every type of music will be supported.

Give REVOFEV a listen in the video below.

 

The Roots x Understand – Passion Post #4

In today’s passion post I will be analyzing the lyrics to The Root’s Understand. I got the idea last night when Professor Hamilton talked about Questlove’s hair. The reference instantaneously reminded me of all the religious rhetoric and influenced me to make it today’s song of the day.

Understand is 6th track on eleventh studio album by the roots entitled, And Then I Shoot Your Cousin. The Roots go very deep religiously with the lyrics and use a church organ to compliment the engaging drums during the song.

Lyrics:

Hook:

People ask for God till the day He comes
See God’s face, turn around and run
God sees the face of a man
Shaking his head, says, “HE’LL NEVER UNDERSTAND”

Part of Greg Porn’s verse:

Holy, sugar, honey, ice tea
I guess that’s a plan for a player like me
In my church clothes making buzz on the Bible
The sweet temptation of my granddaddy’s rifle
Got me thinking ’bout doing a jihad with these guys
The only true religion look better than Levi’s
Who baptize glasses with beers and blood stains
You preaching to the choir that praise the drug game
Hallelujah

Hook Analysis:

The name of the song “Understand” refers to the way people may look up to God or seek his guidance but when he actually makes a move to intervene, they ignore him. The Roots are implying that God does not understand the way that people seek/follow him nowadays.

Greg Porn’s Verse:

As already stated, Understand is a  contextual religious song. Specifically pertaining to Porn’s verse, you can identify many religious references such as; Holy, Bible, Jihad, Baptize, “True Religion”, Preaching and Hallelujah.

Greg then goes on to say “The only true religion look better than Levi’s.” . True Religion and Levis are both popular brands of jeans and ironically, this line exemplifies the religious references stated earlier. Levi was a significant character in the bible, as he was the head of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. True Religion is pretty self explanatory, but is not the first time its name is used to commence wordplay.

The word “Jihad” can mean two things in Arabic; It can mean a struggle or Holy War. In the previous line, “The sweet temptation of my granddaddy’s rifle“, defines that a war is going on within the character of the song. Even though there is a war, a “struggle” is still taking place.

The line “Who baptize glasses with beers and blood stains” introduces even more wordplay. If you didn’t know, a baptism is a religious ceremony done by Christians where you are fully submerged in water. Greg is stating that he his “baptizing” glasses with bear and blood , implying that he indulges with both alcohol and violence.

Greg goes on to close with “You preaching to the choir that praise the drug game.” The term, preaching to the choir means that you are talking to the wrong audience.  The second half claims that the choir is praising the drug game. Greg is calling out to the many people that still sin continuously but try to go to church to make everything okay.

Beatles – Let it Be x Passion Post #3

Today, I will switch from my original hip hop songs  to another form of alternative rock. With this move, I am trying to promote the diversity of my blog.

The band that I will analyze today is a band that does not need a formal introduction due to the recognition that they have throughout the world, making them a significant household name.

One day I was shuffling through random songs on Pandora and happened to meet this song. Not knowing it was the Beatles, I listened because of the inviting melody with the vocals that accompanied the piano notes.  Because of this  impromptu encounter, I have been an avid Beatles fan and constantly play “Let it Be” repeatedly.

Background Information on the track:

This song was on and the title of the 12th and final album that the Beatles released.  Prior to the album, Paul felt insecure and isolated from the group entirely. One night when he was down in the dumps, he claimed his mother came to him in a dream. He explained how she gave him advice and it gave him the motivation to write this song.  He credited this song all due to his late mother and what she told him that night.

 

Lyrics:

When I find myself in times of trouble
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be
And in my hour of darkness
She is standing right in front of me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be

Let it be, let it be
Let it be, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be

And when the broken-hearted people
Living in the world agree
There will be an answer, let it be
For though they may be parted
There is still a chance that they will see
There will be an answer, let it be

Let it be, let it be
Let it be, let it be
Yeah, there will be an answer, let it be
Let it be, let it be
Let it be, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be

Analysis of Song:

The song is was written by Paul McCartney on a very personal account. In the first stanza when he says, “When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me..” he is referencing his mother who died in  1956 when Paul was only 14. The song’s lyrics are repetitive due to the significance of the meaning  and the impact that it had on Paul and his band members.

In the hook when it states, “Let it Be” he is also referencing his mother. A direct quote from McCartney states, “I’m not sure if she used the words ‘Let it be,’ but that was the gist of her advice.” 

Personal Review:

This song that was made as a tribute to Paul’s mother, as it served its purpose to the fullest. My favorite part of the song was the interlude filled with the melodies of the keyboard and accompanied guitars. They instantaneously filled the blank verse and  turned the song into a class A jam session.

Let it Be” is not only a meaningful song to Paul, but it is a meaningful song to myself. While I did my research and analysis of the song, I instantaneously felt the Pathos of the song  making me feel as if Mother Mary was actually speaking to me as well. As I encounter this summer bridge or continue to face hardships throughout my collegiate career and beyond, the only thing that I can continue to do is “Let it Be.”

The final thing that I have to say to my audience is.. will you be like Paul’s mother and “Let it Be?”

 

 

Daily Routine – Passion Post #2

For my second passion post, I will do another one of my original songs entitled, “Daily Routine.”

Daily Routine was a song that I wrote about my life in general, what I go through on an everyday basis and some of my dreams, thoughts and aspirations. Here I will give an analysis of my second verse. Be prepared to get an analysis of songs that are not my originals in the next post.

V2

A

Want to reach my goals in life, see distractions left and right, focused but sometimes I’m on my Robin Thicke sight- blurred lines, but I want it clear a Canon or a Nikon.

B

When these kids hearing me I want to be an icon, don’t hold grudges I’ll just let bygones be bygones. I want these tracks to scare you straight, appearance of a python.

C

Trying to be a meaty heavyweight, Mike and Tyson. No boxing match, killing this beat so I’m fighting.

D

don’t know why people are breezing through life, I wake up rise and grind to do it right.

E

Always kept my circle tight, no diet soda, this is light. And I’m trying to do this with all my might.

 

A

I am implying that I have set high standards for myself and I plan to achieve all the goals that I have on my agenda (Ex: Graduate college, get into grad school of choice and live a happy life with a happy family). With that said, I am also acknowledging that there are many distractions that can prevent me from performing at the peak of my potential (Ex: Girls, Friends, etc of things at PSU).

Even though I have these things revolving around my life, I still remain focused but then go on to say that my vision of being “Focused” can be “Blurry” at times (direct reference to the Robin Thicke song, “Blurred Lines”). I then continue with more references of Canon and Nikon (both high quality camera brands) to allude to my “Focused” metaphor.

B

Over the tenure of my Rap endeavor (I would not call it a career) many people have came up to me saying that they love what I do and encourage me to keep it up. I am saying that I want the younger ones to listen to me and look up to the message and words that I want to convey.

As a person, it takes a lot to get me mad because I tend not to dwell or give the time of day to things that I view irrelevant. I am saying that I will let bygones be bygones due to the person that I am.

At the same time, I am implying that I want my lyrical skills to impress people so that it “scares” them. A python is a deadly snake that can strike fear from its presence. In a way, I want my words to emulate a Python.

C

Meaty heavyweight alludes to a combination of references. Tyson refers to the chicken brand that produces “meat”. Mike is a double entendre referring to Mike Tyson who is a Heavyweight boxing champion.

I finish this segment by saying that I am “killing” this beat with my words (as in I am flowing and doing justice to the beat).  I finish with the boxing reference by saying that it is not a boxing match, but I am still “fighting”.

 

D

“I don’t know why people are breezing through life” is myself speaking out loud wondering why people don’t take initiative or wait for opportunities to come to them.

I then go on to finish this segment by saying I “rise and grind everyday” as in I wake up to work hard everyday (definition of grind).

E

Always kept my circle tight means that I have a select few  people that I allow to get really close to me. As for creating raps and putting them together, I am saying that it is light or easy (which implies the reference to diet soda). That is why I end by saying I am trying to do this with all my might because Rap is my passion.

Listen to Daily Routine Here: —->

 

Tribulations Breakdown – Passion Blog #1

For my first passion post, I will talk about some of the prevailing thoughts, ideas and themes that I express in my music. If you do not know, I express myself through rap and I go by the stage name Young Vic.

The song that I will talk about is called “Tribulations” where myself and other colleagues talk about our personal tribulations and the tribulations of the world. Here is a verse from the song where I will break it down explicitly for everyone to understand.

A

[Lemme start, Lemme go..
Bout to kill this beat and flow..
Looking back to just where I am
No Aloe Balcc but I am the man]

B
[I’m seeing trials no court in session,
People hustling due to recession,
Life changes need some adaptations..
And people dying due to pigmentation..]

C
[There’s a saying, ignorance is bliss
Can’t say racism don’t exist..
RIP Freddie Gray.. I hope and pray his soul will stay]

D
[It’s a shame that death makes us see
Image in perspective of the country
I’m talking about this cause noone will
and I try to keep it real, not worried about a deal..]

E
[Its a crisis in the middle East
Beheading hostages we seem weak..
And we facing tribulations everyday..
It all gets better is what they say..]

F
[Cause I don’t know you, or your story
Take your trials turn them to glory..
Shiny days after the dark and stormy..
We will win, I see Victory!”]

Lyric Breakdown

A – I open the verse anxious as I am ready to deliver my message to my listeners. As I look back through everything I have been through and the way I have matured with my raps, I feel like the man (direct reference to the Aloe Blacc song, “The Man”).

B- When someone is in court for a crime they committed, they are on trial. I use wordplay to define trials as a struggle or a hardship that many people are going through, not to be confused with being in court.

The economy is on the rise again, but it has not fully recovered since it crashed. Because of the recession, I am making a point that people are “hustling” as in doing anything in their power to provide for themselves and their families. Ex: Working extra shifts, picking up another job or selling drugs.

People dying to pigmentation can also be referred to many events, especially the shooting in South Carolina that happened very recently. This was a hate crime where supremacy placed a part in killing so many innocent people.

C- Ignorance is bliss refers to if you do not know anything about something, you will not worry about it. I counter this by saying that you cannot say you are ignorant about racism in this day in age because I believe that it is so profound to the non-innocent minds. I then reference Freddie Gray as a source of kaios that reminds many Americans what race is in this day in age.

D- A lot of people never know what they have until it is gone or when a situation has escalated to a new level. In this case, death has allowed Americans to stand up and counter race and police brutality.

I then go on to say, I will always keep it real no matter what. Many artists prefer not to talk about controversial subjects to maintain their reputation or to avoid slander. I am not looking for a record deal or to make a surplus of music from this, therefore I will not be intimidated in the messages that I convey.

E- This a reference to ISIS, the wars and the violence that is going on in the Middle East. I then go on to say “beheading hostages, we seem weak” as in ISIS has the Western world on their knees. They are organized and have produced a general atmosphere of fear to prevent any resistance.

Even though we face tribulations, I tell my listeners that it all gets better no matter what. Just know you have it better than someone else in the world.

F- Every person has their own story, their own problems and their own tribulations that they are going through. I use imagery to help illustrate to my readers that shiny days are still to come even thought you may be walking in a storm at the moment.  In the end, we will prevail through all of our problems. Before I come to a close, I tell my listeners that victory is definitely ours.

You can watch/listen to the live performance of “Tribulations”

Passion Blog Post #1

While I already came up with the idea that I wanted to use  to center my blog around, I can at least say what I was considering. Before I came to a decision, I wanted to make sure that my topic was both interesting to me and that it was unique. This made me bring up  sports and music immediately. While many people do sports, I know that I want to go in-depth with music-all types of it (such as Rap, Hip Hop, R&B, Pop, EDM, Country and all sorts of music). Expect to hear my taste in music and what it means to me.