Now Playing: 'The Carmichael Show' with special guest Sunshine

Sunshine and I recently hit that stage in our relationship where we have a show that we watch together. That show is The Carmichael Show and it all sort of happened by accident. Before I get into how it all happened, let me give you a little background on the show. The Carmichael Show, is about a black, middle class family in Charlotte, North Carolina. Jerrod Carmichael stars as a somewhat fictional version of himself. His character lives in an apartment with his girlfriend Maxine, a Psych major. Jerrod and Maxine spend a lot of time at Jerrod’s parent’s house where his older and recently divorced brother Bobby also lives.

I first watched The Carmichael Show by myself but I stopped watching after the first 10 minutes of the pilot. Days later I was talking to Sunshine about it and she convinced me to give the show another chance. We watched the pilot together and now here we are. We’re almost done with season two right now and it’s been enjoyable and cringe worthy at times. I’ll let Sunshine tell you why:

There aren’t many shows oriented solely around a black family on TV that highlight controversial topics such as sexual identity, police brutality and religion. Everybody has an opinion, but more times than not are too afraid to express it in fear of being judged by others. This opinionated family does no such thing. The show typically starts with a debate between Jerrod and Maxine. They often disagree on just about everything so they head over to Cynthia and Joe’s house (Jerrod’s parents) to discuss the issue as a family. Bobby typically has nothing to add to the conversation and he only really speaks when he is cosigning something Joe has said. A lot of the debate stems from Cynthia asking many questions and Maxine preaching or teaching the family a new lesson for that day. Nakeisha (Bobby’s ex) comes in from time to time to lighten the mood and crack jokes. 

Many viewers love this show for varying reasons, but I personally just now started truly enjoying it mid-way into season 2. I say that because I am very happy a show on both TV and Netflix talk about issues that most shows typically shy away from. But at the same time the issues are downplayed through jokes and common sense type questions from Cynthia. The issues addressed are no joke and viewers may be going through that issue only to watch this show and be laughed at and hear the same jokes they probably hear already. I know a lot of people probably think if the jokes were taken out it would not make much of a show. That may be true, but at least these everyday issues will be addressed and people will feel heard and respected rather than laughed at and not taken seriously because the issues were laughed off in between jokes.

She hit the nail on the head with my general thoughts on the show, but I’m going to get into some more specifics. The Carmichael Show returns to air for its third season on the 31st. While we’ve enjoyed the direction that the show has gone in its mid second season, there are still some things that we’d like to see in season three.

With this sitcom, there is so much room for character development. Although the characters reflect Jerrod Carmichael’s different opinions, the show carries itself off the strength of Joe and Cynthia who are played by David Alan Grier and Loretta Devine, respectively. Jerrod is the star of the show but he isn’t the most interesting character. This isn’t an uncommon thing in sitcoms, but my issue here is that we know nothing about his character. We know more about Maxine such as that she is a Psych major but the show does nothing with that. Not once have we seen her study for a test or write a paper, instead we hear Jerrod and his parents joke about how being a Psych major is financially unpromising.

We’re about to be two seasons in and we don’t know what Jerrod does for a living. He doesn’t even mention having a job, I’m starting to assume that he spends his day spewing out offensive things and telling his parents about it. Give Jerrod a job. Give him a coworker whose beliefs are the exact opposite of Jerrod’s. Make Jerrod a comedian for crying out loud. There are so many opportunities for him and the world of the Carmichaels to have depth. Otherwise this show starts to look like a radio show turned sitcom rather than a regular sitcom.

These characters may have a lot of interesting points about controversial topics but when that’s all they discuss they appear to be one dimensional. There’s nothing wrong with the show’s topical theme, but it wouldn’t hurt if they just went about their day like normal people once in a while.

To get back to Maxine, they need to tone her down a bit. I’m not saying to make her submissive, I’m saying make her less of an overly preachy voice of reason and make her more of a human being. Give her some hobbies and friends. There’s got to be something about her that interested Jerrod and she’s got to live for more than daily visits to her boyfriend’s parents’ house.

My biggest gripe with the show is Bobby’s character. Lil Rel Howery had us all cracking up with his scene stealing performance in Get Out. Why is he only there to suck up to his father? I’ve never seen an actor so misused. He can be the lovable loser, but damn, give him a chance to try and do something with his life. Why doesn’t he try to see other women? Why is he so buddy buddy with the guy sleeping with his ex-wife? This man’s only purpose to be a sad sack, cosign his dad and point out what we can clearly see but his parents can’t. C’mon man…

While we’re discussing Bobby, what’s the purpose of Nakeisha? I don’t understand how she can pop in the house whenever she feels like. She recently divorced their son and sleeps with other men, why and how is she welcome in their home? If she’s going to be around as much, let it be for good reason. Like, she and Bobby have a child, or she and Bobby remain good friends and there’s a chance that they’ll get back together.

There’s so many places this show can go and it’s a bit frustrating to see it restrict itself to the confines of Jerrod’s apartment and his parent’s house. While it’s important for a show about a black family to discuss current events, it’s even more important for there to be a dialog with the outside world. It’s hard enough to tackle these subjects in under half an hour, it’s even harder when the characters only speak about it with each other and most of them agree with each other. It leaves the viewer wondering if the family really learned something, more times than not it seems like they don’t. that’s another problem with topical nature of the show, it has a one shot, one kill approach. If there were to a gay character in season three we’d think to ourselves, wait, didn’t we already go over this? It makes it hard for the show to achieve longevity and that hurts its chances for syndication which would help immortalize the series.

Despite us having a lot to say about the show, we really do enjoy The Carmichael Show. It may sound like we’re ripping the show to shreds but it’s only because we believe this show isn’t reaching its potential. Like Sunshine said, many people love this show. Maybe we’re just too hard on it. Maybe we expect too much out of show that’s still young. One thing’s for sure, we’ll be tuning in on May 31st.

'Southside with You' with Sunshine and D

Sunshine's thoughts:
My favorite kind of movies fall under the drama, love and romance genres! That is one of the main reasons why I wanted to see Southside With You. From all the previews, clips and commentary I read on Twitter it was a movie about Barack and Michelle’s very first date. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this movie! BUT the fact that this was a day long date I would have had a problem with. Michelle had only planned to go to a meeting with him for a couple of hours. It was very cute that he had the day planned out, but it is still kind of inconsiderate if you think about it. What if she had other plans?

Also, I don’t know about you, ladies, but the fact that he needed to stop and smoke for what appeared to be every two seconds would have been enough of a turn off for me. If we actually established something further from this first date I would have had to talk to him about that. I would not have minded the hole in his car. It is still drivable it would just make me question his home environment. Aren’t guys’ cars their pride and joy? So if your car is looking like that then what does your home look like? But I must say Barack was definitely a smooth talker throughout the whole entire movie. 

I give him props for continuing to pursue her after all the times she’s turned him down and tried to downplay their date. He definitely wooed her and made her see him for what he really was. He wasn’t just another black employee from the same firm. He was a man who loved and cared about his community and continued to try and better it even while being away at school and working at a law firm. Everyone loved him and he wanted Michelle to see him for more than what he appeared to be.

I also give him props for getting her ice cream even though he does not like ice cream AND even after she basically told him off because of the run-in they had with their boss at the movies. Which, I must say, pissed me off buttttt that’s a topic for another day.

Anyways, back to the point, I loved that Barack went out of his way to buy Michele ice cream because I know plenty of guys who would have left her on the corner to find a different ride home. He really does care! And the kissing scene was the best part of the movie for me! It was like everything finally came together. All his hard work paid off and he was soooo smooth with it too. This movie is a good reminder of how women should be treated whether it be the first date, thirteenth date or an anniversary. 

It would have been a better movie if it was a tale of their whole life rather than a first date. The movie was long, but lacked depth. I would have loved to see the trials and tribulations they had to go through to get where they are today.

Deion's Thoughts:
Man, just when I thought Barack Obama couldn’t have been any smoother, this movie comes around and proves me otherwise. If Barack had a son I can imagine him taking the family out to see the movie and during every moment where he did something smooth in the film he would elbow his son and say “That’s how you do it!” From witty compliments to reciting poetry, this man was debonair. Shout out to Parker Sawyers and Tika Sumpter for their phenomenal performances. In an interview, Tika Sumpter said they didn’t want to imitate the Obamas, but instead they really wanted to embody them and they did just that. Tika Sumpter had Michelle Obama’s voice down pat and there were many scenes where the lighting and camera angles had Sawyers looking exactly like Obama. Whether it was intentional or not it was spot on.

So back to Barack being smooth, this man was cooler than a polar bear’s toe nails. On the first date, he did all of the right things. He did everything except, EXCEPT… he didn’t open the car door for Michelle. This was a minor infraction but I couldn’t help but notice it. It’s not like he lost points for it anyway. I’m sure his excessive smoking and the hole in his car were bigger issues to get over.

It was great to see the Obamas as regular people and get to know who they were before they entered politics. It was crazy to even imagine that politics weren’t on their minds when they first met. There were so many fun facts throughout the movie that made me say “wow, they’re just like us.” For example, I didn’t know Barack Obama didn’t make his varsity basketball team during his junior year of high school. I also had no idea that Michelle’s brother, Craig, got drafted by the 76ers. Here’s another freebie, Michelle doesn’t like pie but loves chocolate ice cream. Barack hates ice cream after being overly exposed and indulgent of it while working at Baskin Robbins one summer. My favorite just like me moment came during a bar scene when they are briefly debating which Stevie Wonder album was better between Talking Book and Innervisions. They ended it by agreeing that Stevie is the best and they drank to it. Like I said, it wasn’t a major plot point, just a nice subtlety that made the Obamas relatable.

Richard Tanne did an amazing job of discreetly capturing the racial climate of America in the late 80s. Throughout the movie there were many subtle references to the clear divide between black and white America. An example of this can be found when Michelle describes going to work as leaving Planet Black and entering Planet White. The best indicator of the racial climate at the time was the inclusion of Do the Right Thing. This wasn’t done for the sake of proving something; the Obamas really did see that movie on their first date. You can just see the differences between the two worlds when the black people in the audience are cheering at the riot and looting of Sal’s pizzeria while Michelle and Barack’s white boss was confused and frustrated about the whole thing. It goes to show that America had a long way to go entering the 90s and it also shows how much progress we made in seeing an African American president.

With this in mind another thing Southside With You brought to light was the differences between Barack and Michelle. Barack’s last name alone makes him stand out from the average “smooth talking brother.” And the fact that he’s bi-racial and grew up in Hawaii made him otherworldly at the time. As Michelle stated, Barack’s parents were ahead of their time for having a mixed baby in 1961. Despite how different Barack was from the typical African American background that Michelle had, he was still connected to the black community. This is further evidenced in his revelation of a past relationship with a white woman during his days at Columbia and how it ended it shortly after visiting her family. Despite their relationship being a great one, seeing all of her family portraits reminded him that he was and always will be an outsider in her world. Without saying it, that moment revealed that although the black experience isn’t monolithic, it is still united on the basis of color, which is a sad and beautiful thing all together.

Michelle too had her fair share of insightful moments and personal struggles. The intersectionality of being a black woman is a big theme in the film. She explained early in the film about how being black makes her have to work harder to hush the murmurs of her employment being due to a racial quota. Then, adding the fact that she’s a woman brings her back down to zero. Unfortunately, this is an issue that still persists to this day and doesn’t get much attention. One line that stuck with me came from Michelle as she was advising Barack to forgive his father and let go of the resentment and judgment he passed on him.

“All fathers’ lives are incomplete, that’s why they have sons.”

If I ever meet the Obamas, I would like to ask Michelle what she meant by that. I would also like to ask for Barack’s take on it given that he doesn’t have any sons.

Overall, this movie was phenomenal from start to finish. It’s more than a romance—although if that’s all you take from it then you won’t be disappointed—it’s more so a film about two people entering each other’s lives and their desire to do more and make a difference. Regardless of your race, upbringing and political views, this is a movie everyone can relate to and should see.

Let's About Talk Mumble Rap part 2

Growing up we were lead to believe that the 90s were filled with nothing but instant classics everywhere you turned. It was one classic after another, like clockwork. BOOM The Chronic, BOOM Illmatic, BOOM Enter the 36 Chambers, BOOM Ready to Die, BOOM Reasonable Doubt, BOOM Capital Punishment BOOM Life After Death... The 2000s and 2010s have a long list of classics too. They might not be as celebrated as the albums of the 90s but that’s because music journalism changed as well as the way consumers receive music. Rap magazines aren’t as relevant as Anthony Fantano and Complex Magazine. Album reviews are published hours after the album comes out. Within minutes of an album release, there are dozens of song explanations and fan conspiracies on Twitter. We don’t have to listen to a song repeatedly and debate over deciphering lyrics anymore; we have Rapgenius to spoon feed us.

And let’s not act like 90s rap wasn’t super commercial and corny at times. I was still an infant, but I read that ’97 was the year of Puff Daddy and the shiny suits. All of the greats coming out of this era were introduced and perhaps best known for their radio singles. When you hear Big Pun on the radio chances are you’re hearing “Still Not a Player” not “Twinz (Deep Cover 98.)” Biggie is one of the greatest, but songs like “Big Poppa” and “Hypnotize” are what most people know, not “Gimme the Loot” or “You’re Nobody Til Somebody Kills You.” I’m sure the teens of the 90s had something to complain about with rap back then and I’m certain that the old head 80s diehards chastised 90s rap too. With that being said, today’s rap is really not that much different than it was 20 years ago. The genre evolves and the previous generation makes its critiques, it’s a cycle.

To get back to Mumble Rap, another thing that rubs people the wrong way about it is the rappers’ so called “lack of respect for the game.” Before they can come in and make waves, new guys are expected to pay their dues and earn the respect of the O.G.’s. As you can see, many of the newcomers such as Lil Yachty and Lil Uzi Vert aren’t concerned with getting anyone’s approval. They just want to have fun. Some rappers are just trying to make music and have fun. That’s perfectly fine. It doesn’t have to always be for the love of hip hop or to be the illest MC alive or to make it out of the hood. It’s not like every rapper coming out of the 90s was trying to be the best. I doubt Skee-Lo thought he was going to put the game in a chokehold when he made “I Wish.” Had Lil Yachty or any of these Mumble Rappers came in the way they did talking about they want to leave their mark on the rap game and rah rah rah, then there would be a problem. But if they just want to put out music that they like, then go ahead.

Mumble Rap is only a phase. You can grin and bear it, fully enjoy it, or avoid it completely. Although it’s ubiquitous, it’s not the end all be all of current hip hop. Loosen up. Not too long ago, Dubstep was the biggest thing ever and that was honestly a worse time for Hip Hop. I heard a Dubstep cover of Biggie’s "Suicidal Thoughts" at a party and that was a really sad time.

In conclusion, Mumble Rap isn’t ruining rap. There are still plenty of people, mainstream and underground, out there who are all about social consciousness and lyricism.  It’s like Kendrick Lamar said in “Hood Politics” “Critics want to mention that they miss when Hip Hop was rapping/ Muthf-ck ya if you did, then Killa Mike would be platinum” Real hip hop isn’t dead, the problem could be we stopped looking for it.

Let's Talk About Mumble Rap part 1

Well, now’s as good a time as ever to talk about it.

Mumble Rap has recently come into the lexicon of rap and it’s already taken the world by storm. White people don’t get it and old head, 90s diehard hip hop fans are pissed off. Mumble Rap is something I’ve grown impartial to. At first I hated it like any hip-hop purist would, but eventually I grew to be a casual fan. While it’s irritating to see folks my age get rich from repeating themselves over bass heavy beats, I can’t help but nod my head to the music. I can’t find the strength to get through Playboi Carti’s mixtape, but “Magnolia” bumps in the whip.

You can date the origins of Mumble Rap as far back as the 90s with ODB and maybe even further, but its relevance and widespread use is relatively new. Here are a couple milestones in recent Mumble Rap history:

2014 Rich Gang release “Lifestyle” which is notable for Young Thug’s garbled hook.

2015 Future explodes to stadium status with 56 Nights and DS2.

2016 “Panda” becomes #1 on the Billboard 100. Lil Yachty releases the Lil Boat mixtape, XXL’s freshman lineup consists of Desiigner, Lil Uzi Vert, and Lil Yachty, Wiz Khalifa coins the term “mumble rap” in a Hot 97 interview.

2017 “Bad and Boujee” becomes #1 on the Billboard 100.

Let’s get into why older fans and young Hip Hop purists are upset right now. Old heads seem to get riled up whenever a newcomer comes in and does anything less than aggrandize 90s hip hop. Anything short of sucking up is considered blasphemy. Tyler, the Creator got a ton of flak for saying he enjoyed Earl more than Illmatic and Vince Staples was under fire for saying the 90s were overrated. To a certain degree he’s right. It’s time to let the 90s die. We can keep the memories, but we must move on. This goes beyond the music. Radio needs to evolve too, Joey Bada$$ recently mentioned this when discussing New York radio. Most millennials don’t know anything about Funkmaster Flex and personally, I don’t care to hear Ebro disrespect new artists because they aren’t like the rappers of yesteryear. 

40-year-old men talking down on the youth does nothing for the culture. We don’t need a history lesson every time; we have the internet for that. If we’re interested, we’ll look up it up. Let the young kids get money. Just look at how Lil Yachty gets treated during radio interviews. I am convinced that he will go down in history as a Mumble Rap martyr. When he first got on Hot 97 Ebro pretty much set him up for failure by having him freestyle over 90s beats. They tried doing the same thing to Uzi but he wasn’t having it. About a week ago Joe Budden became a trending topic after he went off on Yachty during an interview on Complex’s show, Everyday Struggle. Lil Yachty may not be a good rapper, but he's a great entertainer. It's hard to hate on someone who encourages people to be themselves and passes out PB&Js during concerts.

There isn’t anything wrong with Lil Yachty not knowing a Tupac song or thinking Biggie is overrated. I don’t think it was smart for him to openly take pride in that, but that’s his business. He’s not a student of the game. Soulja Boy and Lil B are his influences for crying out, what did you expect?

Not every rapper is from the streets. Hip Hop may change people’s lives but it doesn’t save every life. I’m sure Yachty would’ve been just fine if he never started rapping. He’d be a regular red haired teen working at McDonald’s in the Atlanta suburbs. Besides, the rags to riches story is cliché anyways. I’d rather not have every rapper tell me about how they’re selling drugs to make ends meet. I’m from the suburbs, I need a little silliness once in a while. I love Kendrick, but he’s not going to rap over the Rugrats theme song when I need him to. Lyricism wasn’t always a staple in rap music. Rapping began in parties. The first rap records were simplistic, non-threatening and fun. They weren’t loaded with multi-syllabic rhymes and double entendres. That’s not what got the party jumping back then and it isn’t what gets the party jumping now.

Closer to My Dreams: Creating a Classic Drake Album

This is an article I wrote for the paper that got published exactly a year ago.

Is it safe to come out yet? Has the Views hype died down some?

It’s been two weeks since Drake’s highly anticipated album has been released, and as expected, folks are still in the honeymoon phase with it. I’ve heard the noise and seen the headlines. I know Views is on a colossal and historical reign of terror on the Billboard charts and set a record for the amount of times it’s been streamed.

Despite the praise, the critical consensus says Views is nice but not necessarily Drake’s best work. I have to agree. A while back I asked why Drake’s name isn’t mentioned with the greats. I believe he’s one of the G.O.A.Ts but his content and lack of a classic album make that hard to justify. One of former editors, Zach Verbit, said it best in his Views review by comparing Drake to Taylor Swift in the sense that they’re both bonafide hit makers who make superficial and inoffensive songs about exes amongst other things, and because of this, their music has little staying power.

In a nutshell, Drake is a Hip Pop artist. Not all of the time. He has plenty of songs that are straight bars but one can’t help but question his sincerity. When he’s actually rapping is it for the art of Hip Hop or is he following the formula and releasing a song for the streets before dropping something for the ladies? Even his softest songs aren’t that vulnerable and revealing. It feels gimmicky at times. At the end of my blog post I suggested that Views will be the classic that Drake needs in order to be included in the G.O.A.T. talks. Well, it was wishful thinking. I don’t think he’s figured it out yet.

Views isn’t a classic because it does nothing special. A classic album makes a statement. That’s how it’s remembered. It does something that others haven’t done or haven’t done as well and becomes the seminal title in a genre. It has to be widely acclaimed and playable from start to finish. That goes for diehard fans and people who aren‘t the biggest fans of the genre or the artist. It has to stand the test of time and take you back to the first time you heard it.

Take Care is probably the closest thing Drake has to a classic. Of all the albums in his catalog, that’s the one that encapsulates his sound the most. Once you hear Take Care all the way through, no song outside of it should come as a surprise. That’s sort of a back handed compliment. It’s a compliment in saying that Drake created his own sound, but it also says that he doesn’t push the envelope and stray from what works. Every so often he'll go through some phase where he assumes a new identity. Right now he's Jamaican, or as some folks say, Jafakin. Still, the essence of his sound remains the same. I believe years down the road when there’s a new generation of rap fans who aren’t familiar with Drake, Take Care would be the quintessential album.

Views is only two weeks old so those last points aren’t fair expectations. With that being said, I’ll keep it out of what I’m about to do. Drake has been in the game for 10 years now and he has songs that I believe will stand the test of time whether it be in a Pop sense or Hip Hop sense. Since I don’t believe he has an undisputed classic album I made one myself. I called it Closer to My Dreams.

(Yes, I named it after the song. To be honest I didn’t know that song existed until I heard “30 for 30.”)

This isn’t my version of a Drake’s greatest hits album. This is me putting together what I believe would be a classic album. Let’s say Drake is on the come up and hasn’t blown up yet. Pretend we’re dealing with mixtape Drake and this is his studio debut. It would be amazing for an up and coming artist to make an album prophesizing his entire career. This album consists of four phases: The Come Up, Troubles in Tinseltown, On Top of the World and Untouchable.

Closer to My Dreams, Full Tracklist

Part I: The Come Up

• Successful
• Uptown
• Fancy
• Forever
• Fear
• Light Up

Part II: Troubles in Tinseltown

• Miss Me
• Paris Morton Music
• Marvin’s Room
• Take Care
• Headlines
• Versace interlude

Part III: On Top of the World

• Lord Knows
• 5AM in Toronto
• The Motto
• Worst Behavior

Part IV: Untouchable

• Legend
• The Ride
• Pound Cake/Paris Morton Music 2
• Hidden Track: You and the 6

Composing the tracklist for Closer to My Dreams wasn’t as easy and wasn’t hard as I thought it would be. I only chose songs that I know very well and would fit the concept. My apologies to those who are bewildered at “Trust Issues” and “Dreams Money Can Buy” not making the cut. I wanted to create an album with a narrative. Think The College Dropout, or better yet, think 2014 Forest Hills Drive because I couldn’t help but think of that album while writing this. The parallels are present in the beginning in both albums start off with a hungry and innocent voice before entering the industry that proves to be quite a monster. The similarities pretty much end there because 2014 Forest Hills Drive concludes on the importance of love while Closer to My Dreams ends with a voice of dominant self-awareness.

Imagine you just got off work. It’s 9 o’clock on a Saturday night. You didn’t have a long shift so you’re down to paint the town red tonight. You clock out, get in your car and pull out your physical copy of Closer to My Dreams. You put the CD in and your car hums with the beginning of “Successful” as you drive home fantasizing about the money, cars and clothes Trey Songz wants so bad. You start to feel ambitious. You think to yourself “This job is only temporary. I’m going to move on to bigger and better things and I’m not going to look back!” As the song continues into the fifth minute you might wonder to yourself “how much time is this guy spending on the intro?!” But as soon as Wayne’s verse ends your bass starts bumping as “Uptown” plays.

I started with “Successful” because it’s a grand opening. It’s an ambitious song for an ambitious album. Sometimes it’s best to just come in and let your intentions known. Imagine how different Ready to Die would be if “Juicy” was the first song. “Uptown” gave you something to bump to. After hearing all of that “I’m going to be the best” jazz, it’s good to hear something as dumb as “I drive two black cars I named ‘em Malcolm X and Martin Luther.” “Fancy” is a great song for the ladies and it gives us a break from all the ambition and boasting. I had to decide between this song and “Best I Ever Had.” The third verse in “Fancy” was what got it on the final cut. “Fancy” and “Best I Ever Had” both have radio appeal and explore the same themes, but “Fancy” does a better job of showcasing Drake’s rap skills and his ability to use that and appeal to women. Think about it, you’re better off running up to a girl at a bar with lines from “Fancy” than lines from “Best I Ever Had.”

While your head’s nodding you transition to “Fancy.” By this time you should be getting home and now and the switch up in the song has you in the mood to spend the night with someone of the opposite sex. You call up your friends to see what’s the move for the night. They’re hitting the club and will start pre-gaming in a few. You hop in the shower and “Forever” has you flexing and rapping into your loofah. After the shower it’s time to get fresh. “Fear” plays in the background as you search your closet for the best outfit that says “I’m here and I’m going to make myself comfortable whether you like it or not.” On your way to and during the pre-game “Light Up” plays and you’re feeling a little loose. 

“Forever” gets back to business and shows Drake not losing focus on his goal. “Fear,” like I said in the scenario, does an excellent job of saying “I’m hear and I’m going to make myself comfortable whether you like it or not.” It’s kind of like when Humpty Dance said “Hey world, I hope you’re ready for me!” in “The Humpty Dance” or when Eddie Murphy said “There’s a new sheriff in town” in 48 Hrs. “Fear” is the perfect transition to “Light Up” because Drake still sounds wide eyed and happy to be here.

“Light Up” is to Closer to My Dreams as “St. Tropez” is to 2014 Forest Hills Drive. “Welcome to Hollywood, don’t let this town ruin you.” He’s entering the industry. This isn’t necessarily the point of no return, he’ll be able to visit his old stomping grounds but when he does he’ll soon see that nothing was the same. “Fear” is Drake on his way there and “Light Up” is him parking the car and hopping out. The fact that he admirably mentions Jay-Z in one song and then Jay features on the next track to offer advice shows that Drake is right where he belongs.

You step inside the club and to quote Destiny’s Child, “It’s 11:30 and the club is jumpin, jumpin.” As usual there isn’t enough room to break dance but you have plenty of space to two step and grind. “Miss Me” is one of the songs in the DJ’s rotation. He’s got a pretty good mix, every song has people singing along and remembering the first time they heard the song. As time goes by you take a look around and notice all of the couples. Or maybe you’re going through a dry spell on this particular night. This is when “Paris Morton Music” comes in. You order a drink as you push back thoughts of your ex. It seems like the alcohol is only encouraging them. Now everything is moving slow and you are in a love sick stupor. You decide to go back out there and try to nab a one night stand. Or you go through your contacts to see which one of your sliders are down to run it one time. You get lucky and spend the night with someone. You don’t go to your place because you forgot where you live. Your friends give you a thumbs up and approving nod as they see the two of you head out. “Take Care” plays on the way there and throughout your licentious romp. It seemed like your partner was implicitly saying what Rihanna said in the hook. 

The trio of “Paris Morton Music” “Marvin’s Room” and “Take Care” serve to show how the pressures of the industry are affecting Drake’s personal life. And, to take the cliché route, these songs about broken relationships can also be interpreted as a metaphor for Drake’s feelings towards the rap game. It’s a stretch, I know, but I’m not the only one thinking it. “Miss Me” is in front of all them because it’s like the happy moments in a slasher film before everyone starts to be disemboweled. He’s name dropping clubs and strippers and professes his love for an industry chick, Nicki Minaj. He just arrived and everything looks great. He’s at his lowest during the somber trio, and “Take Care” sort of him getting back on his feet and “Headlines” is him getting back in the booth.

After the fun, you wake up and see that it’s time to go. You pass on breakfast and exchange numbers before going home. You get home at noon and you start work at 2 p.m.. For some reason your place is a mess so you do a little cleaning, watch some TV and study before work. During that time “Headlines," “Versace interlude” and “Lord Knows” play. “Lord Knows” hits you the most so you replay it a few times and try to rap the lyrics in the shower. While a hot shower doesn’t compare to being in a sauna with Jews, you close your eyes and feel like the red bottom boss himself. 

“Versace Interlude” is just Drake’s verse, not the complete song. It starts with Drake and ends with Quavo’s “yah yahs.” Think of this in the same light as something like “Beach is Better.” It comes out of nowhere and has your head and your speakers banging and then it’s gone too soon. It leaves you wondering if there’s a completed version or if that was really it. It’s a quick minute of braggadocio and ends abruptly. The interlude serves as a great transition to the On Top of the World phase of the album.

“Lord Knows” unintentionally shows Drake coming off his heartbroken state. He openly admits that he doesn’t “trust these hoes” as a result of him paying attention to what he’s seen and ben through. Despite this we still have probably the best produced track on the album and maybe even the best guest verse. “Lord Knows” is dramatic, opera-like and exciting. Which makes it weird that it’s followed by a calmer “5A.M. in Toronto.” Let me explain. “Lord Knows” brings the noise and the bars; “5A.M. in Toronto” brings the bars.

“5A.M. in Toronto” blasts through speakers en route to work. The bass in “The Motto” has you dancing in the parking lot. You bump “Worst Behavior” throughout your break because your boss and these customers have pissed you off the moment you walked in. You have a closing shift so once the store is closed you and your co-workers put your headphones in and carry on with your chores. “Legend” has you feeling like the King of Retail or whatever field of work your job falls under. 

There isn’t a booming beat to distract you from hearing the points Drake is making. The Sinatra double entendre, the Drake featuring Drake bit, they’re all poignant and quotable rewind moments. I put “Lord Knows” ahead because it’s the loudest and most chest pounding song so anything poppy or not as hard hitting would be an awkward follow-up. “The Motto” comes in on an even calmer note than “5A.M. in Toronto” but that’s okay because the bass is bumping. It still follows the On Top of the World theme with the opening line.

"Worst Behavior" brings back the ruckus and shows how good Drake has gotten at making hits. He’s gotten to the point where he can repeatedly shout the same three things and still make it a banging hook. What makes it better is, it’s not a throwaway song. There’s a story that comes along with all of it but you have to wait until the third verse to hear it. Regardless of if you’re listening to hear his Degrassi Tales or his scrubbing J’s with a toothbrush, “Worst Behavior” is a great bump in the whip song and is a good intro to Drake’s Untouchable phase.

As you drive home with “The Ride” and “Pound Cake” playing you start to think about this weekend and the future. Graduation isn’t too far off but you have no clear idea of what you’re gonna do afterwards. All you know is you still have time to figure it out and you’ll be on to better things. You pull into your driveway and the first verse of “You and the 6” just ended. Which reminds you, you should give Mom a call after class tomorrow.

“The Ride” and “Legend” wind things down leaving us feeling a bit tired but more than satisfied with the journey. “The Ride” further examines Drake’s regular occurrences and “Legend” sums it all up. If this album and a few features where all we had of Drake, he’d go down as an all-time great. Yeah, people would wish they had more, but he would still be worthy of hall of fame status like MJ when he first retired.

I chose “Pound Cake/Paris Morton Music 2” as a closer mainly because it sounds like a closer and it parallels the beginning of the album. “Pound Cake” and “Successful” both feature Drake’s father, Dennis Graham. In “Successful” Graham is giving advice and in “Pound Cake” he’s reminiscing. Having his father give advice in the beginning and then reminiscing about his own career in the end shows how things have come full circle. Like he said in “Worst Behavior,” the Boy is the Man. It shows how Drake’s father has always been there for guidance and support. It’s also fun to compare Drake’s performance in “Light Up” which features Jay-Z to his performance in “Pound Cake” with Jay.

“You and the 6” makes for a good hidden track because it has a tone unlike any of the other tracks. Drake is talking to his mother about his lifestyle and paranoia with the industry in an honest and revealing way. He isn’t sticking his chest out when he says “Maybe one day but even one day with us is the time of her life” and he’s not being Mr. Tough Guy when he  said “I take the knife out my back and I cut they throat with it.”

At this point he’s worn down and frustrated. He’s venting to someone who doesn’t understand what he’s going through but knows him enough to see the effect it’s had on him. It’s a nice little break from all the machismo and sappiness. We’re seeing how Drake is when he’s not in the studio, in front of cameras or around his boys. We’re hearing Aubrey the human and not Drake the rapper. “You and the 6” leaves us knowing that with all of the fame and glamour, Drake is still just like us. And no matter how successful he is, like all of us, he’s at his humblest when he’s with his mom.

A Letter from the Editor

Hello all,

I apologize for my absence; I was too busy crawling to the finish line of the worst semester of my life. I am battered, bruised and more than happy to be home enjoying some much-needed time off.

It’s been a grueling spring to say the least but it wasn’t all bad, Sunshine graduated and that was a very inspiring thing to witness and be a part of. I also got promoted twice in my position at the paper so I am looking forward to that. Also, I completed my first pilot script and submitted it in a contest. Yeah, there were plenty of sunshiny days that slipped through the cracks of the perpetual storm.

A few thank you’s are in order for those who continued to support me and this blog in my absence. Despite my last post being on Valentine’s Day, there has still been some steady traffic on my site and that really means a lot to me. I appreciate all of you who have stumbled upon my blog, checked on it to see if I wrote anything new, or shared my blog with others.

Thank you to Sunshine, DJ Northecide aka plvyerone, Maria Trajano, Mateo Holguin and the one follower who I still have (I can’t figure out who you are right now, but once I do, I’ll update it to include your name). If I didn’t mention anybody I’m sorry, you are appreciated just the same and I love you all.

Although I haven’t been blogging I didn’t stop writing altogether. 80% of my non-academic work has gone to my school’s paper. Most of the articles can work here as well so I will be reposting previous works with edits here and there and I will also be publishing original content. It’s going to be a great summer and I’m happy to have you all be a part of it.

Stay Fresh,

Deion 

P.S. My friend DJ is a producer who goes by the name plvyerone (pronounced "Player one") Check out his Soundcloud; he's got some great beats: https://soundcloud.com/plvyerone

Maria Trajano is also a fellow blogger who has her name on many sites. Here's the link to her main blog: https://thedivadiariesx.wordpress.com/