Now one of my favorite tunes for summer, probably the second track I heard from Demps as well. He starts off on the right foot, and just lets you soak the beat up. And perfectly in sync with it. The production is simply amazing. As he mentions the beat is by Kanye West.
Before this song I had not heard this beat. This beat is practically the definition of summer chilling. I just can't think of a beat I like more than during the summer. From the smooth bass, and those soft drums, to that soul sample. It is so perfect in every way, the way it goes from slow and smooth, carrying to more intensity, almost effortlessly on Mr. West's part, that just makes it too damn good. You will also notice some trumpets play at one point. This beat just makes you want to sit back and watch the sunset. Ah puts your mind in a state of sedation, where the only thing around you in this song. And for awhile it will be up there will my favorite instrumentals.
As for the rap, well it is interesting. Quite a few clever lines. But for the overall image of it, it really puts you in for that summer feel. Just going place to place to chill out with other people, the perfect summer days are like that. The lyrics tell us he is just a simple guy on his mission to be somebody. Telling the stories of himself in a small town making the best of it. On his quest to be forever known.
You just have to listen to this one. That is all I have to say.
A terrific song to relax to on a rainy day. From the fun filled lyrics, to the "playful" beat, this song has all you need to put a smile on your face. Like any other track from K.I.D.S., it really can be appreciated by the younger crowd and students. This being because they will appreciate the lyrics the most. After all who doesn't like not going to class?
Mac Miller was a master on this track, whether on purpose, or just maybe the way I analyzed it made it that much better to me. A lot of simple fun lines can mean a lot. The title of course is appropriate, rapping about Senior Skip day, no less. Lots of lazing around, and just trying to have a good time. The song opens with him rapping with a soft whisper, and some thunder in the background. His flow works perfectly when the beat drops, after that intro of playful synths. This works excellently. The song is full of positivity, and I receive it with a warm welcome. Whether he references chores, class, or the lack of ingredients to a most dope breakfast, he tells you don't sweat it.
I'm just high why they hatin on me
People tend to think all the dranks on me
I don't even have the money to spend
To buy patron for you and all your friends
Baby I be on my grind
Rain sleet snow
Rollin up good every place we go
Cause we tryin to get high get high get high
Know the bullshit and all the problems
But we to gone to see
Little bit of this and a little bit of that
We proceed to give them what they need
He asks himself why do people hate him? He is right though, he is just an average guy just trying to relax and have a good time. He gets high to escape the problems, and we all have an escape from life. Perhaps you listen to a certain song to help cover those troubles. I know I do, that is in fact why I started writing, I love songs so much and I love to talk about them. Moving on now.
This is where that simple imagery becomes so damn good, and relatable. After all who can't relate to having waffles? And hey if you can't afford waffles, don't worry. This next part of the verse explains all those situations, as does the "patron" line up above.
Just wakin up and gettin stoned
Rub my eyes and check my phone
Open up the fridge to make some waffles
But no more syrup up in my bottle
Damn, but it's okay
I top it off with scrambled eggs
Aye gotta work with watcha got
Aye gotta work with watcha got
Any situation, maybe you needed something. What he is saying with these fun breakfast foods, is that there should be some solution. And just don't stress. And that lead right into the chorus which just feels great, and you always have those moments on lazy days when you wish people would just hang out longer. Bringing us to the next verse.
Ain't tryna get out of my bed till noon
Neighbors smell the perfume smoke in my room
And I got the door closed can't be sure though
Amsterdam weed spending euro's
Get the herb rolled
Let's relax
Take your shoes off and kick it back
We escaped the world
Escaped the stress
But I don't give a fuck if the house a mess
Cause we gonna handle that later
We gonna handle that later
Right now let's get that paper and smile for all them haters
Aye cream cheese and a bagel
Have a glass of milk and an ego
I'm rockin pjs and no shirt
I smoke weed eat yogurt
Enjoy the best things in your life
Cause you ain't gonna get to live it twice
They say you waste time asleep
But I'm just tryna dream
This verse is just so much fun, flows really well on this particular verse. The middle (in bold), is my favorite. Really kicking the stress right out with some really tight rhymes. Let's just leave those responsibilities alone for awhile, and stay positive for everybody that hates. Because that is what we should do, stay positive despite the others. An excellent message, given an excellent delivery. Especially in that 2nd pair of lines Also, those last lines, plain and simple, are just wonderful to here. Very clever Mac, very clever.
And what could make a rap even better? Well the beat, which was produced by Wally West. The pitter-patter of synths is absolutely terrific to listen to. Makes you feel like a KID again, very interesting. Then the maraca sound comes in with the bass. My goodness the bass is brilliant, and has an incredible affect. It is used sparingly throughout the song, making it oh so appreciated when it rolls around. As does those brass pieces. And that clap just makes the beat easy to bob your head to with the synths. This one beat has gotten me intersted in Wally West. I look forward to seeing his name in future productions.
What I got out of the song:
Put those responsibilities to your side when you put those headphones on.
A track like this is welcome, I feel like not many tracks such as Senior Skip Day come out often enough. Really good vibes from this track, that share us the simplest forms of fun. Which can sometimes be forgotten, and Mac Miller reminds us of those joys. Another reason I like him as an artist, you can just put the arguments aside, and just respect his music.
Don't imagine Flight Mac will be landing any time soon.
One of the smoothest tracks on the K.I.D.S. mix-tape. Oh yeah, and one of the smoothest tracks I have heard in my library. Hear I like to explore music libraries, and when I found this I wasn't expecting this gem to appear. This is a track that I will always remember.The track is another one I could put in the same category of We Major. It makes you feel successful and helps you to finally calm down, and just live life easy.
I heard this track, the first I had heard from Mac Miller. I never knew how much I would like this guy, but we will get into him as an artist later on, ha you know me and my long speeches. And what a 1st track it was. This was earlier in late fall of 2010, and I was just getting used to the concept of mixtapes. At this point I was still working on getting artists' albums. But Traffic in the Sky is just one reason K.I.D.S. feels like an actual album. A lot of terrific tracks that feel quite professional. Yet, Mac brings a smooth style similar to other kids, not a surprise or difference in hip-hop, but he does a better job of it.
Traffic in the Sky brings simpler success, that other teenagers would relate to. Whether just feeling cool and accepted with all their friends, or getting lifted all the way to the clouds. However you live it up, Tecknowledgy really made it possible to chill with any method. Simple because the beat has that smooth feel to it. With a soft beat and some beautiful jazz it really helps you mellow out. The good touch of brass is just so damn good I almost can't get over it. And usually when a rapper "sings" the hook is doesn't quite come out strong. Yet, Mac has the ability to float right along and brings that soft touch that anyone can appreciate on this beat. So I will certainly be on the look out for more work from Tecknowledgy.
As for Mac, well he does his thing. With other tracks, he has that laid back style and really helps you to just blow the stress away. While many of us aren't living the life, we certainly a song that puts us in that puts our mind in a state of sedation. With just a few simple words, he reaches to everyone. As I may have explained several times that if an artist uses the right words they can send the same message to many, getting them the same mood the artist wanted to convey. And Mac Miller can put that feeling in kids so easily. It clearly helps as he is a kid himself, making him a guy who is relatable. Always a plus to have. So let us get to some of the lyrics. Has some clever lines and has a butter flow on this cool track.
Get laid in California when the weather gettin colder
or honeys by the pool and I'm sippin on mimosas
chillen on the beach house, lounging on the sofa
riding with a chauffeur, on my way to blow up
roll up, fishing, champagne sipping
5-star chefs stay cooking in the kitchen
4th line really sums up a big part of the song. It would be something you might listen to when you know you got something locked down, and you know that your chances of high. A premature celebration if you will.
got my Louie shades on ain't no damn thing wrong
fill enough cups til the bottle all gone
we just coolin coolin ,feel the breeze
had to give you something you can sang off key
Saying there ain't a damn thing wrong is about as straight forward as it gets to relaxation. Then he puts some others feelings in there. That last line really works well also, we are all here for this track to relax , and singing off key invited everyone to get that positive energy that Mac has.
Earlier this week I was listening to this song, up at a nice view in the woods after a hike up there. I lied back and watched the clouds go by, just as he says that. Song was very effective at that point and I absolutely loved it. So just watch the clouds go by, and just cool out.You can look at any of his lyrics and see his style in this song perfectly, giving that positive fun-guy vibe. That is why I have become a fan of his work. And hopefully with this song you will to. I am sure a lot of kids out there already have heard this song. But whether this is your first track from him, or your 10th, hopefully you enjoy it. I will be doing some more tracks from him, any recommendations just comment.
One of my favorite summertime tracks, how appropriate. The beat is really one of those feel good tunes, and Demps brings some pretty hot wordplay and such. Since we live in the same area, I really connected with a lot of the lyrics and such. Just can't help resist that line:
Nothin' like Dalton in the summertime
Double true to that. Indeed a summertime feel to it. One of relaxation and a lot of good imagery to set your mind free. The chorus is great too, once again so many good words that just say, it is summertime. Days of running under the sunshine, and nights dreaming above the stars. Or days that seemed to last forever, whether just vibing out to music or whatnot. This song is here to tell you that summer is just that So many perfect memories of summertime. With a bunch of hot lines you can't go wrong with this song. The chorus just hits the spot:
The winds in my hair in the summertime heat
I feel good rappin' to a summertime beat
Fancy lifestyle fresh kicks on my feet
Summertime's wheres my mind finds its retreat
Really puts a lot of summer feel into every line. The 1st in that simple feel of summer, that you are really outside enjoying the weather, the simplest way to enjoy it. Then of course you can be rappin' or doing other work, that is another part of summer, doing things during summer that just feels good. You also feel good and just comfortable with who you are, you may be living any lifestyle with any pair of shoes, but it will always feel fancy during the summertime. And the last line is just a given of summer, that is where I imagine everyone finds there retreat. That is the time when you can just lay back and take it all in. My mind can unwind and just finally get on track with what I want in life. Maybe that is what summer is all about. Perhaps that is when we finally get to dream with our eyes open. We just have all that time to really consider what is important to us and what we can do better ourselves, and better plan to live a happy life. Even if you aren't living a fancy lifestyle you can at least relax in the summertime heat, and get to that fancy lifestyle of yours, whatever that may be. That fancy lifestyle can be what our personal success is, or of course taken literally, it is a life of leisure and wealth. Which is what we all want. However, we all have our own definitions of leisure and wealth, which makes everyone success different from everybody elses. Yep, the chorus is pretty damn good.
Another interesting part of the song is how the verses really change throughout. The 1st verse kind of establishes him as a rapper, just a lot fun put in his lines, and he really puts out that he may have what it takes to be a great rapper. Then the 2nd verse really puts a lot of sense into the summer theme in relation to the chorus. He speaks of what he was, and how he has changed and that his foundation of himself has completely changed since then. And he is happy with this change, and that he has found himself without need of correction. That is really a true look at summer, at this point we have no struggles and all we can do is just look at ourselves in the past and dream of what is ahead. Without the stress of normal life, we feel like we have no other corrections for ourselves. As we have just completed something amazing, such as a school year. So what now? Well nothing but celebrate, and just enjoy the summer. That you see, is the time we reminisce and look backwards and ahead. The 3rd verse really completes the feel, also parallel to the end of summer as well. By the end, there isn't much to do but hangout and get ready to spread out like graffiti on a train. Again, the dreams that we plan for ourselves, ready to go out and chase our goals. Summer is that important, gives us the time to establish ourselves, and get ready for what is ahead, looking at how we used to be and improving upon ourselves based on what we know. So enjoy your summer while you can, it feels like forever away, but before you know it. It will be the end of August.
He does a great job introducing the beat. As it just starts up he says:
With a beat like this. I can't imagine that'd you'd feel bad
The beat is really jumpy and gives you that a really great feel. A good use of synths, and a huge assortment of other electronic sounds. Nice feel to it, however that is required of a summertime track, it needs to make you feel good. Summertime is exactly that. Most summer jams should help us with my whole summer philosophy above, helps us think while keeping our overall emotions happy and positive.
A true track of gold. Something I never want to forget as I get older.
Perhaps the greatest hip-hop album of all time, that is most certainly debatable. However, it is no doubt an incredible work of art. Made by what I think the greatest rapper of all time. Everything about the album is so real and so well done. Including some of the realest depictions of QB street life, the rawest beats, and no doubt some of the best raps I have heard in my life. However I can't forget that it has that nostalgia feel at this point in time. Considering I haven't actually had it since it came out, I have had it for less than a year. And because it is so old it sort of takes you back and imagine all sorts of things. That is why Illmatic isn't just an amazing album, it is personally an untouchable project, because of that old-school mystique. The new stuff can't have that quality yet that would be impossible. Yet, in 30 years the years between his albums will come together, and all blend to make something you can't decipher. But for now that is why Illmatic is Nas' best album. The realest album of his. Although don't get me wrong, all his stuff is very real, that is what makes Nas my choice for best rapper. He has an amazing flow, rhymes, and has perhaps the longest consistency of any MC ever. About 20 years rapping and he hasn't sold out or changed his style(not that changing styles is bad, see Kanye West).
This album will be timeless. When you have Nas on the tracks, and production from Premo, Large Professor, L.E.S., Q-Tip, and Pete Rock it is supposed to be timeless.
Now we can only hope that Nas can release something like Illmatic again. However, like I said it has that older feel to it. And in fact almost with all his albums you can ask, "but is it as good as Illmatic?". Maybe that Illmatic was sort of a curse. Think about it, with a legendary debut it is hard to out do it, although it is common for the 1st album to be people's favorite. Yet we can always hope to see Nas come back, although he is still keeping it real, despite his success, making great music. Again time will tell!
Hopefully you enjoyed this review as much as I did, I hope you found a similarity of interests in the tracks covered.
