Month: March 2020

Today we’re going to be talking about a current rising artist in the funky rap game. Canadian rapper bbno$ (pronounced baby no money) has recently caught my eye with his own take on rap music that features unconventional beats, humorous lyrics, and unexpected collaborations. Usually these new and trending artists have a couple of decent hits, make a bunch of money, and then disappear for a bit, making mediocre music for the rest of their career. But contrary to this bleak outlook, bbno$ seems to be going on pretty strong as he builds a diverse fan base by using meme culture and the internet to connect with his fans.

So, who really is behind bbno$ you may ask? Well, not much is really known about this artist as he only started his music career in 2015. What we do know about this cryptic artist is that his real name is Alexander Gumuchian and that he was born on June 30, 1995 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Bbno$’s primary musical influences are hip-hop artists Tupac Shakur, Chief Keef, Gucci Mane, as well as artists Pouya and Yung Lean. Prior to music, bbno$ actually had ambitions of becoming a professional swimmer, but due to an unexpected back injury he had to change career paths. One fun fact about this artist is that he actually attended the University of British Columbia and graduated in 2019 with a degree in human kinesiology.

Bbno$’s music usually falls under the genres of rap, hip hop, and R&B. Additionally, frequent collaborations include Y2k and Yung Gravy. He first exploded into mainstream music in 2019 for his single “Lalala” which was produced by Y2k. This instant hit has overwhelmingly received over 500 million plays on Spotify and had gained over 27 million plays on SoundCloud in under four months. In promoting the song, Bbno$ and Y2K told Rolling Stone that they adopted unconventional marketing methods such as creating a fake story about how they met, using Tinder and even harnessing call centers. Adding on to the list of impressive achievements, this song also made the Billboard Hot 100, entered several charts around the world, and it was certified Gold in the United States. 

I’ve taken quite a liking to bbno$’s music because I genuinely think that his passion for making music and his humor shine through his songs. I can tell that he likes to make songs that are pleasurable and fun to listen to, rather than just to make money off of them. Moreover, bbno$ is not signed to a label or company so he isn’t afraid to experiment with his style or make an extremely goofy persona for himself. One of my favorite songs of his is called “Welcome to Chilis” which is a collaboration with Yung Gravy and features a catchy Latin beat accompanied by the on brand humorous lyrics. The music video also adds another layer to this song as it creates an 80s-esque crime story as the two main characters try to chase a notorious criminal. Other great songs include “shining on my ex”, “iunno”, and “mememe.”

Check out bbno$ for a good laugh or for a good bop!

Sometimes it takes a little bit of time to actually fall in love with a band and their style of music. The initial listen just didn’t catch your eye enough, but soon you begin to listen to more of their music, still not completely falling for it yet. This process takes some time but in the end it is all worth it as that song keeps playing back inside of your head and you truly begin to become obsessed. For me, finding that new musical obsession and discovering so many new songs is such a satisfying feeling, and this is how I felt when I started listening to The Wonder Years.

The Wonder Years is an American rock band from Lansdale, Pennsylvania (Woo!! Repping PA!) that formed in July of 2005. The band actually formed out of another band called The Premier which consisted of Dan “Soupy” Campbell, Matt Brasch, Nick Steinborn, Matt Hittinger, Dave Hughes and CJ Morgan. Most of these members switched over to The Wonder Years except for three of them. During their first practice for the new band they wrote their first song called “Buzz Aldrin: The Poster Boy for Second Place.” Currently, the band is signed to Hopeless Records and has released two EPs and six full length albums with the most recent one being Sister Cities (2018). The genres that their music falls under are pop punk and alternative rock.

Personally, I truly am enamored with The Wonder Years’s album The Greatest Generation, as it reflects on the people that grew up during the Great Depression and fought in World War Two. This generation has been claimed to be a true example of tough Americans that fought to keep themselves and the spirit of their country alive. The album takes these old values and tries to connect it to the present, as it tries to encourage a new generation of people to take a stand and have enough strength to become the next Greatest Generation. We all have the capacity to be great, it is just waiting for us to enact it. Other themes found within the album include the inevitability of growing up, changing relationships, and building upon life’s most difficult questions. As one music review puts it “The Wonder Years created an album that maintained the catchiness and melodic qualities of pop punk with a far more grown up lyrical landscape and an impassioned delivery that is impossible to not feel in your core”(Terry Bezer).

The Wonder Years do not fail to deliver raw and truthful thoughts within their lyrics. One problem in particular that was mentioned in the previous record was the current downgrade of people’s core values, a lack of strong ethics, and the possible increase of emotional sensitivity in the world today. A lot of people, especially older folks, think that the newer generations that are growing up are becoming even more sensitive than the ones before them. In the album the lead singer compares himself to his late war hero grandfather as he sings “I bet I’d be a fucking coward/ I bet I’d never have the guts for war” in his song “The Devil in My Bloodstream.” This issue of sensitivity is also linked to the singer’s struggle of masculinity and what it should look like in its truest form. These questions are all fairly difficult to answer and are all examined throughout the album.

Sometimes when you’re in a funk it is necessary to find new music. Once in a while, we all get stuck in one place of our lives, whether it be physically or mentally, where we just can’t find anything interesting or lack motivation to continue with our day to day routines. We crave something new and yearn for some kind of change to reach in and scoop us out of this rut. Well, I find that music helps to heal the soul while also entertaining the mind. So read on and just maybe the Front Bottoms can provide you with some soothing release.

First off, The Front Bottoms is an American folk punk band consisting of two members: vocalist and guitarist Brian Sella and drummer Matt Uychich. The group formed in 2006 as these two were pretty good childhood pals and just so happened to decide to start playing music together. Matt’s brother Brian Uychich joined the band for some time and helped to record the first two albums, but later left in 2011 because he decided to further pursue his education. The band is from Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey and in their formative years they spent quite some time traveling around and playing at local shows. A cool fact about this period is that The Front Bottoms were a part of an artist collective called Tiny Giant which was based in New Brunswick, NJ (which is right by the area where I lived!). This collective set up a plethora of basement shows in New Jersey and New York which aimed to promote the local DIY music scene and a sense of community and communication.

To this day The Front Bottoms have seven EPs and have recorded six studio albums with the most recent one being Going Grey (2017). The genre of music that encompasses their style is a mixture of folk punk, indie rock, pop, and alternative rock. Their success notably took off after they were signed to the record label Fueled By Ramen in 2015 and released their third album Back on Top. Following this, they continued to grow their fan base and popularity as they played at Coachella and Austin City Limits, and also had the opportunity to tour with blink-182 in Frank Turner in the U.K.

By far my favorite song by The Front Bottoms is called “West Virginia” and no it is not that country song that goes on about country roads and mountain mama’s. Rather, this song talks about an almost unbearable heartbreak that seems to cause a lot of pain. But, the singer soon finds some comfort from his friends, yet he still can’t shake the sadness from his bones because of his broken heart. Another great song by this band is called “Tighten Up” which is polar opposite from the song mentioned before. This song is quirky, yet unusually bright in a way that will make your day seem a bit better as Sella sings in the chorus “You hurt me/ But it ain’t all that bad.” The general takeaway of the song is that a lot of bad things can happen in our lives, but the best thing to do at times is to just shrug it off, acknowledge what happened, and keep on going.

P.S. I also recommend listening to “Wolfman” and “Funny You Should Ask” if you’re interested in discovering their music more.. 🙂