Music festivals are exhausting. I went to my first one over this past weekend, and it was one of the best experiences of my life, despite it being absolutely exhausting. I think I may have damaged my vocal chords too. The pitch of my voice lowered perceptibly, so now I definitely sound like a raspy man whereas before it was questionably low. It was Sol Blume's first festival, held in Sacramento. BOIIIII LEMME TELL YOU SUMTING!! SHIT WAS POPPIN'. EVERYONE DRESSED CUTE AF. EVERYONE SMILIN' HAVIN' A GOOD ASS TIME. Dis was so amazing. I hope there is one next year bc hot diggity damn I wanna go again. psa: These pictures of the artists were taken by photographers- not me - and are linked to the respective artist or Sol Blume Instagram page which tags the originators in the comment. I hope to go to more in the future. It's never been something I saw myself going to- this faraway dream of music and happiness. It definitely was all of that. My only thing was I did not hydrate myself properly. I just wasn't interested in waiting in the lines for water while my fav artists were playing like no thanks. I'd rather die lol lowkey almost did... ANYWAYS, I have pictures (not that great ones because we weren't allowed to bring in nice fancy cameras) but I want to share the songs and artists I had been dying to see perform live. Some have been mentioned here in previous posts, but that goes to show how lovely these precious humans are. This was supposed to be the lineup. It didn't exactly happen that way, but it was figured out eventually (btw I love the natural flower theme of spring/summer euphoria; it made the vibe so genuine and exciting). I waited in line for it to open with two of my friends. I had to get there early because I was DYING to see Arin Ray and didn't know how long it would take to get in. Arin Ray I first became familiar with his music when he released We Ain't Homies as a single, and kinda forgot about the song after a little bit. When Sol Blume came up on my radar, I looked him up and saw that at the time, he had a new album to be released soon. I waited to check it out and BOIIIIII WAS THAT SHIT GOOD. I immediately fell in love. A cool bonus is that he's fine as hell so it was extra spectacular to watch him perform. My favorite songs of his are probably Take with Ty Dolla Sign and Communication with DRAM. My heart was so happy hearing these played live. Berhana I have been a fan of his for the longest time. His sound- warm, light, but soulful makes me so happy. He was fun to watch as well. I first got onto his music awhile ago when Wade Green showed up on my radar, and slowly he became a permanent fixture to my playlists. Grey Luh and Janet are probably his most popular, according to Spotify, with millions of streams. Despite this, I think 80s is my favorite. It's beautiful, effortless, nostalgic. I will honestly say that I enjoyed every minute of this one day music festival. I feel so blessed I was able to attend. Kalin White was next. He seemed to have a lot of really great things going for him. I liked his style and sassy sort of persona he had going on. I thought it was very cool that he came out in the crowd after his set. Unfortunately, it seemed that his set had issues with music balance or volume or something, but we could still hear everything fairly well in the crowd. I wasn't very familiar with his music, but I'm so glad I learned more about this artist . Xavier Omar After Kalin White was Xavier Omar and OH MY I WAS SO EXCITED TO SEE MY HOMEBOI!! I have been a huge fan of Xavier Omar for the longest time!! Blind Man is in my top 10 favorite songs like bruh. My. Heart. Cried. It was everything I have ever wanted to hear him sing it live. He was known as SPZRKT originally which is why his single cover doesn't have his present name on it. And this dude's energy on stage was something else! I was hyped for sure. Smino I was feeling hyped after Xavier Omar, but also looking forward to seeing Smino again as I had seen him on tour with SZA last year in the fall. He has a smoothness, a dreamy, almost a dirty vibe about him. It's very self secure and like idgaf type of way. I respect it for sure. Honestly, Smino has so many great songs- bangers on the real- that it's hard to pick just one or two that's a fav. I've been a fan of his since blkjuptr came out, so his music is close to my heart. Anita and Netflix & Dusse are def the ones that gets the crowd excited. I know I was!
Sabrina Claudio Dis biinch. Lord. She is ethereal to say the least. Her presence demands attention. Her gaze demands power. If Xavier Omar broke my heart, she threw the pieces away. Maybe she put them back together? Either way, I hope to never forget the beauty and grace of her set. Everything she did seemed effortless and calculated. That was her power. I have mentioned her in previous posts, and I hope she continues what she's doing so I can keep talking about her because what. a. babe. She played my favs and some of her newer ones, those being All to You and her song Don't Let Me Down with Khalid. After Sabrina Claudio was The Internet. I liked their set. It took them awhile to get things set up. This stage seemed to be having technical issues since it started, but eventually they began and everything was right in the world while they were playing. I really liked Steve Lacey's jacket. It was bright blue with big sunflower print. I kinda wanted it. He took it off at some point and was wearing this faded black t-shirt with a sparkly midnight black long sleeve under it with white jeans. This man's style is an inspiration and I fuk wit it so much!! I was most familiar with Girl which happens to be their second most popular song with over thirty three million streams on Spotify at time of posting. It was so lovely to hear it live. Jhene Aiko What a beautiful soul. True life. I feel honored to hear her perform. She has been putting out great music for awhile. Her most recent album -Trip- feels so personal, and she brought that to the stage.
Before beginning, they laid out flower stalks, ferns, basically a garden to set the vibe. I have little words to express the happiness I was feeling while watching and listening. Also at this point, I was extremely exhausted from standing for 9 hours straight and dehydrated, but I had to stick it out until the end. I had been waiting for this moment for months. When she started singing, it was what I would imagine divine beings would sing like. She played While We're Young, Sativa, Psilocybin, OLLA, W.A.Y.S. and little bits of other songs she's featured in. It was almost therapeutic, like for this moment in time, we were only right here. She said at one point, while we were together, nothing else exists. This is our reality.
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I very much appreciate our planet (hey extraterrestrials, you welcome too). Earth Day happens to be one of my favorite days of the year, mostly because Disney usually releases an animal documentary every year, but also because it's so important we take care of our home and treat it with love. I have been curating a playlist on Spotify over the year involving themes about nature, whether that involves mentioning leaves, the sky, outer space, whatever. These songs mention nature in someway usually comparing some object to nature rather than talking about nature directly. Either way - abstractly or literal - the interpretation is a continual reminder to appreciate the many ways which nature manifests in our lives. I'd like to share some of my favorite songs with these themes in celebration of Earth Day. Sometimes it's only one line which talks about nature in some aspect, but for whatever reason, it made an impact on me. Hope y'all enjoy!
Other really amazing songs related to nature are: 1. Natives of a Windy Forest- Willow Smith 2. Frozen - Sabrina Claudio 3. When the Night is Over - Lord Huron Additionally, I'd like to share some of my fav pics I've taken around this planet. What's good everyone? A lot has happened in the past couple of days. Lil Yachty released his album, Logic released his Bobby Tarantino 2 album, and SZA has released bonus tracks and verses from her Ctrl album. Exciting things!! However... I've been thinking about International Women's Day, about the great woman in music that inspire me every day. I went looking through the top charts on Spotify for R&B, Rap, Hip Hop playlists looking for SZA, Rihanna, and women in general who are major influencers. I was sorely disappointed to find that almost all the songs were by men. Those names who I love weren't getting much of the shine they deserve. 'Tis a tale as old as time though. I wanted to give this moment to cherish those whose craft stands out. Music is as powerful a communication tool and creative outlet as painting or photography. To the women in our lives, forever and always. I'm a huge fan of many women in the music industry, and one of those lovelies is SZA. I have been a fan since her Z album, and everything she has done since has made me a wholehearted supporter. I'd like to share some of my favorite songs of hers, why she is such an inspiration, and why she deserves even more than what she is being served right now. Done with these n*ggas First of all, this video is absolutely stunning. I love the aesthetic of her with the butterflies, and Travis joining, just existing. It gives a vibe of existing in the moment, like a slow motion version of exactly right now. Whatever right now is. When I first watched the video, I was pretty into it, like okay I can roll with this. The end completely threw me off and I loved it even more because of that. So that's cool. The single album cover is super beautiful too. I personally loved it so much, I went looking for stickers music related and found the single album cover on Redbubble. It's almost like little metaphors, with varying influences of importance on your daily life, but nonetheless plays a factor. I have no idea the inspiration, but that's what I like to think of. Her single cover designer also designed her tour poster. The link to the Instagram should be active if you click on either picture, allowing you to check out the artist herself. I guess I fell in love with Love Galore immediately. She hadn't even released her album yet, it was only her single, and I was bumpin' that shit for months before the album release. Sometimes you know a banger when you hear one! I appreciate her graceful approach of take me or leave. My next song of hers from this album that I died over was Doves in the Wind featuring Kendrick Lamar. These two have collaborated previously on her album "Z" on the song called Babylon. Real spicy (the video gave me hella wide eyes), but this right here is the good good we all should get behind. How many niggas get mistaken for clitoris in a day? Like truly, how fucking savage. I love that Kendrick hypes it up as well. The rhythm and flow, powerful ass bars. This song is the a neatly wrapped gift, ends tucked in nice and neat, but is so underrated for how perfect it is. It's not big and flashy, but bold. I def fuck wit bold. *major heart eyes* My other favorite song off this album is Normal Girl. Probably not the most artistically metaphorical or interpretative, but that's okay. I genuinely enjoy it. She did not make one bad song off this whole project, so the "best" songs are only based off personal preference in my opinion.
Normal girl I love the flow of this as well. The background has a light twinkle sound, almost magical, like running through a green pasture in the spring, but the reason you're running is because you're a princess running away from the burdening responsibilities of the kingdom, and you def just want to run off wit yo' man. Almost a Sound of Music/Julie Andrews scene. Makes me feel a little wistful. The interview is on the Breakfast Club as she talks about her album and the meanings of different songs, her background and whatnot. The video is very long, but it should start right at the part where they begin to talk about the meaning and interpretations behind Normal Girl. This woman is an artist of melody and rhythm. The vibes are wavvy, able to transport you to another dimension completely. I cannot wait for more from this gift of a human. Legit, this girl is real af. The rest of her post can be found on her Instagram, linked if you click on the picture. She is transparent enough to allow you to understand her honest struggles in justifying making music still. She almost quit making music. I also have so much love and appreciation for her style. Her hair is her trademark at this point- well known for having big natural hair- and a comfortable but edgy fashion sense. Her aesthetic is ethereal and grounded at the same time. She puts off this angelic vibe but also very secure in her sense of individuality. I respect that a lot. Her Instagram is one of the best displays of that, but I would like to share some of these beautiful examples. This video link magnifies it. These last few pictures came from a Fader article about her album Ctrl - link in pictures. She has a dark sweetness that is alluring.
In addition to her album, she has featured on some poppin' ass songs. 1. Consideration - Rihanna (btw this video is fukin DOPE AF and kinda weird/ not sure if official but looks like it) 2. All the Stars -Kendrick Lamar (my heart hurt watching this video out of love, symbolism, and vivid visual quality) 3. The Need to Know - Wale 4. 9 - Willow Smith 5. What is Love - Kingdom Honestly, there are so many interesting and cool things to learn about SZA, in addition to building a deeper appreciation of the music craft in general. It's mesmerizing. Bless those who helped her get to where she is, and bless SZA for believing in herself. With this brief overview of a wonderful woman, I conclude with more fantastic images of a living goddess. Dave East: My Motivation Hey y'all, Welcome to the YED Heads and the first post of this blog journey. I decided to create this because I wanted a platform to discuss music that I am so passionate about and feel deserves recognition and a shout out. There's so much music being made everyday and wonderful music hiding in our pasts. The piece that motivated me, moved me, stirred emotions so strong within me it actually gave me chest pains, was this new -at the time- album called P2 (Paranoia 2) by Dave East. I was scrolling through Spotify's new releases and saw this album. It attracted me initially because it's monochromatic with blues and sepia, and I love monochromes. What made me click and listen was I had remembered Nicki Minaj posted about Dave East awhile ago, giving him a shout out on another, earlier album he had released called Paranoia. At the time she posted that, I clicked and listened to his song Paranoia and liked it, but didn't explore much further. I added the album to my queue and continued looking around for music to play in the background as I did some physics homework. I never got around to starting a problem because the album started off with an immediate banger, and I was vibing. I love a good rhythm and when the lyrics flow seamlessly with the peaks and lows of a beat. It fills my heart with happiness. The first song, Talk to Big, felt like the perfect set up. It said (not the lyrics but how I feel about it) "I'm coming with flow, bars, instruments of power, so prepare yourself." Prosper got bigger, then Woke Up featuring Tory Lanez was a definite vibe of being a boss, confidence, and allegiance to the grind. A fair feature sure to elevate him even more. At this point in the album, I am definitely vibing for real, and it's only three songs in. Powder is chill. I like the beat. It almost sounds like there is a harp or something which adds a nice soft piece. Corey tells a story of someone from his home. Thank You is hella jumpy, like shoulder shrugging, summer car rides sipping on a cold drink, laughing with your friends getting into all kinds of mischief. If you hatin' I just wanna say "Thank you" I Can Not is pretty hard. I would definitely play it at a party. Regular Harlem Shit is actually great. The woman in this audio file fucking kills me. "Donkey dickin'..." Annoying IS PROBABLY THE HARDEST SONG ON THE ALBUM. It's the actual shit. I play this song all the time, play it so loud it rattles the rear view mirrors. T.I. is in this song, as well, and he adds some nice lines in there. Mostly it's a sound change up and different verses, so not super outstanding to me, but I love it regardless. My favorite lines are... I just made a hundred Next is What Made Me which is nice and catchy. There's a trumpet or something in the background? Not entirely sure, but it holds the center of the sound of the song. Violent reminds me of an old western standoff with this twang guitar sound in the background, but also there's this kind of flute sound which sounds distinctly Asian, like cherry blossom, meditation type of image. I definitely like it. It's a different sound combination, and I appreciate that. I had seen I Found Keisha on a list of songs to love. I don't remember where I saw it, but it got me curious. This is a good song, well rounded. I would probably play this which chillin with my friends as good upbeat, hard, proactive background music. Hopefully I will soon be able to put up the videos I took, but I was fortunate enough to be able to attend his concert. Let me say that it was absolutely amazing and changed my life. His energy, confidence, and aura was outstanding. This was taken during one of his songs. I was so close to the front of the stage which was so incredible. I could've reached out and touched him if I had wanted to. Let me also say that while I was listening to this whole album the first time through, I was continually impressed by each consecutive song which came on. It was like each was building on the other before it, and I was blown away. Never have I felt before that a rapper told such a story. I know there are many others who have done the same, but this was the first time one of those stories really and truly impressed me and made me feel so deeply. This last piece of the album I don't even really remember listening to it because I was so overwhelmed by how I loved everything so much that was playing. Maintain is next to come up and I hellllllllaaaaa like it. I also play this one probably daily. It's badass, bumping in the car music, get a party started, f- it up type of lyricism and beat. He doesn't have a music video for it at this time of posting, so this decent lyric video can suffice. Also when this song was finished, I was falling over in my seat, like waving my arms in the air because I was on this beat so much. A crazy thing to walk in to see actually. Good thing nobody did. Never Been is legit. It made me feel like I was yearning for something, almost sad and reflective on what has happened in the past, but still recognizing the grind is what makes us productive and gets us to our goals. Pushing forward. This video by far is the best one, and I've watched half of the lyric videos on his Vevo; I love the ferns and his look at the end of the video. This song motivates me to do better, to keep moving, because better things will come your way as long as you keep working for what you want. Finally, my heart, my soul, the song that changed everything for me, is named Grateful. Something about it being at the end of a hard ass album, something about its softness, somehow he arranged the lyrics in a way that broke my heart and put it together again. It encompassed strong will and awareness for the necessity of hardships, this process of growing from the shitty parts in life. It embodies being thankful for those who come and go in our lives, for the hardships our caretakers and parents went through to get us to where we are now. More or less, I think it's him being grateful he was able to make this album and music altogether, that he is still alive to be successful, that he is still around to take care of his daughter. The precious status of our lives is out of our control, subject to anyone we surround ourselves with. I don't think this even needs the religious aspect to still make an impact. Some may disagree, but it's besides the point that we live because of those around us. This may mean those who motivate us, inspire us, provide for us, or who want us dead. We are who we give our time and attention to. Everything about the soft music arrangement and heartfelt words pointed towards a reckoning and acceptance. This is an expression for those who feel they have it tough now, who need to know they can make it, and to have the compassion to live gratefully. The sound of the woman's voice, Marsha Ambrosius, topped me off and had me fucking dead. She took my heart away and it's no longer mine. Her tone sounds to me what confidence, understanding, love, and empathy all sound like. (btw in this lyric music video, just listen and absorb more than watching because it's not the most visually interesting) The lines of the chorus which most influenced me are... Loyalty and love over everything |
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A 20 something passionate about many facets of music: lyricism, melody, visual interpretations, the good stuff Categories
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