X brings his personal drama to new album, 17

By Benny

XXXtentacion has become a household name in the world of rap lately for reasons both good and bad. X(Jahseh Onfroy) began on soundcloud, a mass music sharing platform, where he grew a large and loyal fanbase with his gritty, bass heavy music, inspired by the popular trap and lo-fi genres. Not far into his growing soundcloud career, X was incarcerated on account of robbery and assault with a deadly weapon, along with false imprisonment, witness tampering, and aggravated battery. Even though he'd spend months behind bars, his following continued to grow and the hashtag #FREEX was all over the internet. Upon his release, he began to work with major artists and even go on tour where more controversy would arise. XXL magazine, a major magazine in the rap world, invited XXXtentacion to their freshman list of 2017 where he received his most recognition.  On his Revenge tour, X was knocked out on stage due to ongoing twitter beef with X and rapper Rob Stone; on the same tour X assaulted a fan after an altercation in the crowd, X later apologized publicly. This wouldn't be the end of X’s questionable behavior, and it wouldn't put a damper on his fame. X has proved he has a variety of music skills varying from bass heavy trap tracks like run up on me, to melodic acoustic songs like teeth, to 90s style bangers like riot and vice city. X’s debut album 17 was released on August 25,2017 and surprised all by comprising the album completely of melodic emotional music that no one expected.

17 opens with the track The Explanation, X explains himself and introduces his album to the listener. Jocelyn Flores opens with vocals by Shiloh, an instagram singer no one knows much about that artists frequently sample. X joins in on the singing and tells a story of a friend who took her own life while with him in Florida; he chose to use her name and the song title in her honor. The opening chords of Depression and Obsession begin, and X compares the two feelings. He feels they are opposite and become almost manic for a person experiencing them. Everybody Dies in Their Nightmares is the next song and it describes how people feeling suicidal can feel as though their own heads and on their own in certain settings. X dedicated another song to his friend Jocelyn. Revenge, originally called Garrett's Revenge, follows the advice of Confucius, an ancient philosopher, who says to dig two graves before embarking on a journey of revenge. X seems to reference a Pink Floyd song Comfortably Numb in his song Save Me with the lyrics “Hello?, from the dark side in, Does anybody out there wanna be my friend?” which are similar to Floyd’s “Hello, Is anybody out there?”. While X was in prison for his allegations, he claims in his song Dead Inside that his girlfriend at the time, Geneva, cheated on him and that vivid dreams of it happening would occur when he lie up at night in his cell. The most upbeat of all songs on this album is Fuck Love featuring Trippie Redd, an upcoming emo rap artist, explains his heartbreak after his ex girlfriend accused him of assaulting her and that his mental pain had formed into a physical pain. Yet another song featuring Shiloh, Carry On explains that no matter what you should keep your head up and move on even if the pain weighs you down. X’s use of ‘‘Carry On” is analogous for the pain that holds you down being like carry on luggage. Possibly the saddest song on the album, Orlando expresses how X feels about his pain saying that no matter how he puts it words wont add up to how hurt he is by wasting years with his ex. The final song Alaya speaks directly to Geneva, X’s ex who accused him of assaulting her, telling her she is the cause of the pain and suffering he feels and wishes they had never been together.

Blackbear should get more credit for his brand of 2000s R&B

By Hailey

Blackbear, a Contemporary R&B artist, just recently released a new album called cybersex. He has made many other unique albums in the past including digital druglord and deadroses just to name his more popular ones. Although he is somewhat like every other R&B artist, he has his own unique spin on each single song. He talks about his success, as well as his before life, or his “struggle”. But the unique aspect of his songs is he is real. By this I mean he doesn’t care if he shows a lot of emotion. I felt that his newest album did the best at showing this.

His album starts out with 2 songs called “gucci linen” and “bright pink tims” that gives the album a straightforward message that he is a very rich, successful artist and has been since he first signed his contract. As you continue to listen, you will come across a song called “anxiety” that combines a modern beat with emotional lyrics. It is quite a quick transition, but then the album continues with a combination of slow emotional songs as well as upbeat ones, including “thursday/froze over” and “candayapple”. The album is concluded with a song called “Santa Monica & La Brea” which describes him being with a girl and their problems and thinking about if they had never met. I feel this song fits best at the end because it fits with his album name very well and is talking about ending something that 2 people had.

Like I said before, this album is very unique to its kind because it describes every aspect of his life, from his success, to his struggles, and even stretches across his love life. He has a very good balance of emotion and upbeat and modern. Other artists of this genre I feel aren’t as modern and emotional. He is a contemporary R&B artist, and most other artists in this genre, such as Chris Brown and Ciara, who got famous in the early 2000’s, are somewhat outdated to some(don’t get me wrong, I love OG 2000’s music!). Blackbear just has his own twist on his way of combining modern with emotion and that’s something I really enjoy about him, let alone this specific album.

I feel that people who are interested in early 2000’s music would be intrigued in this argument. The first time I ever listened to blackbear, he definitely reminded me of an early 2000’s artist. I feel that in a way, many other people may agree with this statement. He is just like a 2000’s artist, except he has his own way of making his music unique and this is what makes him special.           

"No Option" best of Post Malone's inconsistent Stoney

By Liana

In Post Malone’s album, Stoney, there are only a few good songs- in my opinion. The album was released on December 9th of 2016, almost a year ago. It features songs such as “”No Option,” “White Iverson,” “I Fall Apart,” “Congratulations,” and “Go Flex.” These are my personal favorites out of the fourteen-song album.

My first favorite song is “No Option.” Although I just recently discovered it, out of the rest of the album, this one really impressed me. The tune is very catchy, it is one you find yourself humming throughout the day. Malone’s vocals in this song compared to his other songs is also catchy. He is a little higher-pitched, but also hitting low and drawn our notes, the word “Rolex” is a perfect example. When he gets to the slow and melodic part of the song, the tone changes and the song becomes calm before launching back into the upbeat chorus.

Another one of his songs is "White Iverson.” This song has a very melodic beat that is easy to get lost in. His voice is very slow and calming. Although, I have to admit, the opening lyrics to this song are pretty dumb. The tempo increases but the background music continues with the slower beat. In my opinion, this is the least favorite of all the songs listed above, it is too repetitive. I have a habit of zoning out when I listen to this song, therefore, it is not recommended when you are driving, especially alone.

A song I relate to on a personal level is "I Fall Apart". I have been through my fair share of broken hearts. I can relate to the lyrics of this song simply because they are emotions I have felt. I have felt completely disregarded by the people that I thought loved me. This song has a heartfelt tone to it that leaves you either emotional or really thinking.

"Congratulations", in my opinion, is the most popular song of this whole album. It was the first song I heard, and it’s such a motivational song, it’s hard to not listen to. Everytime I listen to this song I get the inspiration to actually get stuff done, to be successful. This song is so popular, there is a high school with a senior class quoting this song. The song is about self-achievement and moving forward and making progress with your life. Now-a-days. Most songs are about women, sex, and money, it’s rare to find such an inspirational rap song.

Lastly, there is “Go Flex". I would say this is the second most popular off this album. It has a very calm tone but at the same time, the lyrics are very hyphy. This song is an easy song to relax and chill to, once the bass is added, it becomes a more upbeat tune but with the same relaxing flow. This song isn’t necessarily motivational or influential like “Congratulations”, but more of a song you can relax and sing along to. There is not a variety of lyrics, it sticks to the main bridge, beginning with “knowing all of this just don’t make a difference.” This song is easily a kickback song. A group of people can all get together and as a group sing along to create a happy memory.

Russ is "What They Want"

By Tia

Russ is an American hip-hop artist who just now became popular and well-known. He's had two platinum songs  “What they want” and “losin control.” He is known for being determined and be an overnight 10 year success. He downloaded a song on soundcloud every week or two. He has released 11 albums and 87 songs. His plan was to release a song every week on soundcloud until one took off and that song was “What they want.” After that took off, he said that's when his fans discovered his other songs. Then everything took off.  

“Me you,” “Pull the Trigger,”  “Do It Myself,” “Losin Control” were released as singles before the album “There’s Really a Wolf” was released in 2017. The title of his album “There’s Really a Wolf” was picked because every time he released an album he said “this is the one.” Most of them flopped though until his latest album. This allowed his career to take off. In my opinion, there’s no bad songs on his album. If I could pick my favorite, I would say “Losin Control” because I like the beat and the lyrics, it's also not repetitive. His album has wide variety of songs some are about girls, some about perseverance, and also about fame.

“There’s really a Wolf” had a lot of songs released before the album was. So it was kind of unique in a way. You can tell that his album was something he really worked hard on and was well planned out. Just like J.Coles latest album, “For Your Eyez Only,” he put a lot of time and effort into it. It took him two years to release that album and he planned it out. He knew having his fans would help with the sales. Just like Russ who knew that his album was going to take off after his “10 year overnight success.” They both have the perseverance and are smart with their music; they know how to make it big.  

I think anyone in between teen years and late 20’s would enjoy this album. It has a great selection of songs and they're not all about the same thing. They all are good and not one of them is bad.

Beatles' White Album is alright

By Caitlin

The Beatles are an English band that wrote and performed rock music. They are the highest certified music artists in the United States and the group formed in 1960. The group consists of four commonly known members: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. The two member that were less commonly known were Pete Best and Stuart Sutcliffe. The Beatles were most commonly known for their huge influence on rock music and the style rock was performed. They have released 38 albums, they’ve sold 1.6 billion singles and 177 million albums in the United States. The Beatles have also had 21 of their songs reach number one on the “Billboard Hot 100” list which was more than any other band.

The Beatles studio album, the White Album, consists of thirty songs of varying lengths. The shortest song is only 53 seconds and the longest hits a high of eight minutes and 14 seconds. Aside from length, the song “Dear Prudence” is an attention grabbing upbeat song that influences and motivates you to go outside in the weather. This song creates an interesting transition to the lower melodic tune of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” which discusses the love life that is slowly lost through a music career. Another song that has a lower melodic tune is “Blackbird,” it represents a positive image of an injured bird taking flight again which symbolizes how we wait to take flight in our lives. This song is entirely pure and brings freedom of the mind. All the songs on the album are fantastic, especially to anyone who is a die-hard fan. Even when leaning toward the more serious and sexual end of their musical spectrum, the composure and general message of each song is wonderful. On the second part of the album, “Sexy Sadie” gives a clear message about a woman being overpowering and laying down a lot of womanly influence to everyone. She was overbearing to everyone because of how she looked and the way everyone wanted her. There is also more upbeat aggressiveness in The Beatles song “Helter Skelter” in which they talk about coming for Helter Skelter, their reference of racial inequality and tension. The album has a large list of music which creates more diverse songs and music with different topics. The variety also makes the music more appealing to a wider span of people which continues to influence the rock genre even further.

This album is more appealing and better conformed than some of their other albums, even though they have all been generally amazing. Form and diversity play a large part in the success and appreciation of music. The album also gets compared to like artists from the rock era such as the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd. All rock artists that were popular in the sixties and seventies were very successful, and they were all very fan based; they worked on doing what their fans loved. Most of those artists also addressed all the social issues that were going on during those times, which appealed to a very large crowd and spread the bands’ popularity. Almost all rock music during these times was very successful and they deserve the same positive ratings as The Beatles received.

Any fan of The Beatles or anyone who likes older rock music would enjoy this album. People who enjoy diverse types of songs with a similar genre would also enjoy this Beatles album. Even particular picky people could enjoy at least a part of this album if they actually listen and understand the meanings of the music.

Bellion expresses his philosophy in Human Condition

By Savannah

Jon Bellion, after a three-year time period, finally released his most recent album: “The Human Condition”. Not only was this a big gap compared to when his other two albums were released back in 2013, but it was also a switch up from pop music to Alternative R&B / Hip Hop. It’s questionable as to why he himself hasn’t won more awards for his talents involving music, considering he wrote songs for other artists, such as Eminem and Jason Derulo, that became top features and won Grammy Awards.

Each of the songs have their own unique, eye catching cartoon cover. Some are more self-explanatory than others but none of them went without much thought or detail, each telling their own story. One of the promotional songs, “Woke The F*ck Up”, has a cover that on top of describing itself features two other song covers in the background.

The album started off with “He Is The Same”, telling about somebody he knows, how it doesn’t feel like they’ve gone very far, putting their life into the perspective that at the roots are still the same as in high school. Making a connection to the next song listed, one of the promotional songs, “80’s Films”, is about how life goes by so quick and sometimes all that’s needed is to go back to a time you felt better and take a break there. Skip forward a couple songs to “Fashion”, and there you get the description that we prioritize how we look, always want more in search of filling a void there that we know cannot be mended like the seam of clothing, and yet we do so anyway. After a couple more promo songs, there’s a bundle of three songs that express his gratitude to the special someone in his life, “Overwhelming”, “Weight Of The World”, and “The Good In Me”, which, like many love songs, are easily relatable and adored by anyone who chooses to listen to his music. Though things quickly change in his song “IRobot”, expressing grief and heartbreak in a way that isn’t generic, like a robot. “Guillotine” is a must listen to song, in the shift of more upbeat tones, reconnecting to the previous bundle of three. The album ends with “Hands Of God (outro)”, an overlook on his beliefs and feelings of the world, and everything going on in his.

This album is one that connects to soul roots, without being emotionally overwhelming and unbearable, and something you could listen to on repeat.

German rapper Fata Morgana's new album is a favorite

Fata Morgana is KC Rebells 5th album in the Hip-Hop, rap scene. He is a German singer and released this LP in 2015.

“Fata Morgana” feat. Xavier Naidoo is the title song of his LP. It’s based on a quote in the bible and is the centerpiece of this LP.

His song “Bist du Real” feat. Moe is about love and a lot of young teen girls liked it, because a common German youtuber posted it on her channel and was in his music video.

“Porzellan” is very melancholy. It is about an old relationship, and it is kind of sad.

His song “Augenblick” is my favourite song in his album. I just choose this LP because of this song. It is a very personal song from him, and it is about death. That everyone has to die and that this is the only “safe” thing that we know. There is so much “stuff” in life that we don’t expect but we all know that we are going to die some day. He wants to find the right way.

Fata Morgana is a little bit different than his albums that he released before. The sound of a few songs is different, and there are more personal songs in it. Like in his other LP’s, there are songs where you can see that he is tough on the outside and soft on the inside. He also kept his own individual style.

With this LP KC Rebell tries, that more younger girls listen to his music. It includes songs about love and feelings. Younger people who are in a relationship or just are interested in the rap and hip hop genre are going to like this album.