Related Recs
The inventor of rap. Spreader of positivity. Lil b is the absolute realest/kindest soul on the planet currently. TYBG
Feb 26, 2025
🎤
The Jay-Z that we now know — the one who makes shady and feeble NFL deals, the one who is essentially a house husband to Beyonce’s breadwinner, the one who looks like Basquiat if he had a 401K — pales in comparison to the Jay-Z that my older brother, older cousin, and I were obsessed with growing up. Shawn Carter was once a force of nature on the mic, and transformative as a rap star. No one knew much about his personal life that wasn’t in the music, but they knew he came out with a crew of dogs ready to unleash at a moment’s notice. (This Diary of Jay-Z from MTV is a good example). He was adept at making you feel the snark and the bite in his music, lifestyle, and persona, but also being in control of his behavior and narrative. There’s never a time, except when he struggled with a Mannie Fresh beat, where Jay-Z isn’t in control while he is rapping; it’s arresting to listen to him jab and swing with his flow and words without ever losing the rap pocket. For example, a song like “Streets Is Watching”, when he says “it’s like a full time job not to kill niggas”, is so raw to me. He truly means that. He wishes he could smoke everyone. It is hard for him to keep control of himself when he wants to lash out. But he has to do it anyway because violence costs too much. For any Black kids in NYC, and especially ones who are outgoing and enjoy the limelight like me, who are trying to make it happen, listen to late 90’s Jay-Z. It’ll make you more focused, stronger (notice how Jay-Z is never focused on women, in fact he rejects them if they annoy him) — and more aware of the possible snakes around you.
Oct 16, 2023
🧸
But it’s College Dropout. I know I know and I agree that guy we don’t speak of is off his shit, but as a kid nothing had ever hit me like that. My mom and Dad played nothing but R&B, Gospel and Rock. My older brother loved Rap music but it was the typical early 2000s 50 cent, Jay Z etc. I still remember the first time I ever heard a Ye song. My older brother and Dad picked me up from school and my brother pulls out this cd. He always had the newest album and he asked my Dad and I “yo can I play this, it’s so good”. I saw the bear and the cover and proceeded to clown my brother. Who wants to listen to this? its a bear bro you crazy put that back in your pocket. He ignored me and popped it in the cd player First skit, funny. Made me laugh. Once We Don’t Care began to play I legit froze. Had NEVER heard something like that. For all the people who weren’t around at that time YE was for real different. We had never heard a rapper that was mainstream rapping about kinda normal shit. That was strictly underground rap territory and for it to be soul sampled out and really good and not overly preachy and lame. It changed my view of what rap could be. I was obsessed with researching every producer on the album every sample every feature. It was just the first album I loved and obsessed over. Hate that bro is just beyond redemption because he really opened my eyes to where music could go
4d ago
Top Recs from @casts
Oct 2, 2024
Impulse buy. This pedal is everything I’ve been looking for. It’s three levels of floating in space, none of which give off unintentional scary tones. Can’t stop playing with it.
Dec 12, 2024
Things that distracted this guy during baseball games: fire trucks, puppies, a need to go fishing, alligator wrestling
Oct 14, 2024