Cause you know, big heads and soft bodies make for lousy… (photo cred: greendrz)
Being 20-something in American society these days is like entering a war zone. The list of opportunities that are being rewarded in our economy is narrowing, and the dichotomy between rich and poor is perpetually widening. For those of us pursuing careers in vocational-intensive professions, we have to face workdays becoming longer, credentials becoming more rigid, competition becoming more fierce. We are the crash-test babies of an increasingly structuralized state of capitalism. Ultimately, I believe the system is fair and rewarding, but the journey can be exhausting.
As I’ve begun to outgrow my initial post-college occupation, I’ve entered the process of prepping for a graduate degree. It’s a process that pretty much requires signing away my social life as I’ve known it, but a reality that I’ve learned to accept. These past three months, the vast majority of my free time has been devoted to studying for a standardized exam. Studying in itself isn’t all that bad. But with a day job that essentially requires me to study for twelve hours a day, willing myself to study for a couple more hours at night becomes mentally exhausting. Nevertheless, I’ve embraced it as a new challenge, and I believe life is about figuring out what you’re capable of.
Without being able to devote the attention to music that it requires to get into a new band, I’ve been spending more time with my archives, re-discovering old favorites and digging deeper into back catalogs of artists that I like. I’ve spent some time re-evaluating why I even listen to music. I listen to music in almost every occasion: when I’m feeling happy, miserable, energetic, angsty, in the mood to party, in the mood to dance, just chillaxin. But never have I needed music as much as these past few months. To help me keep fighting at times when I’ve been exhausted, when it's been tempting to give up. I love music. And I pretty much owe my life to these songs:
Nas - Ether (9th Wonder Remix) (mp3)
(I) mess with your soul like ether
(Will) teach you the king you know you
(Not) god’s son across the belly
(Lose) I prove you lost already
Diss tracks typically have a shelf life. But the great ones (“Ether”, “The Bridge is Over”, “The Bitch in Yoo”) are a big part of what makes hip-hop so great – they essentially elevate music into a competitive sport.
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo – Road to the Riches (mp3)
I was sort of a porter takin’ the next man's orders
Breakin’ my back for a shack for headquarters
All my manpower for four bucks an hour
Took the time, I wrote rhymes in the shower
Before there was “Juicy”, this was the come-up tale. Come-up tales epitomize what I love about hip-hop – which is all the struggles and hunger of a hard life materialized into an art form.
Camp Lo – Luchini (A.K.A. This Is It) (mp3)
This is it, luchini pourin' from the sky
Let’s get rich, the cheeky vines, the sugar dimes
Can’t quit, now pop the cork and steam the vega and get lit
Evidence that Camp Lo never reached the popularity that they deserved: luchini is one of the hottest rap metaphors for money, but you never hear it in street conversation. I’m always hearing people drop references like duckets, paper, cheddar, scrillas. But have you ever heard someone say, “I gotta get that luchini”? Try saying it out loud, it sounds pretty ill.
Amerie – Blow (mp3)
5 months in ’99, workin’ hard but had nothin'
6 months later, tried to turn it into somethin’
7 days a week, I had to stay on the grind
8 bout to tell you that I didn’t waste time
Amerie, or any hip-hop soul singer for that matter, is really at her best when she quits trying to sing and just rides the beat. Love how she counts up 1 through 8 in the first verse, then counts back down 8 to 1 in the second verse.
David Ruffin – Heavy Love (mp3)
It's too high to get over, it's too deep to get under
It's too wide to get around, and it's weighing me down
One of the most moving musical experiences I’ve ever had was visiting an Afro-American gospel church. If you truly love and feel music, even if gospel/soul music isn't really your thing, I recommend trying this out once.
Kate Bush - Cloudbusting (mp3)
I just know that something good is going to happen
And I don’t know when
But just saying it could even make it happen
In an alternate universe, Joanna Newsom could harness all her storytelling abilities into more palatable songs the way that Kate Bush does. "Cloudbusting" is based on A Book of Dreams by Peter Reich, which is on my to-read list once I get my exam out of the way.
The Thermals – Returning To The Fold (mp3)
I regret leaving my soul, I forgot I needed it to feel
Maybe when I die, I'll just grab it real quick, I'm coming right back
My favorite song of 2006. This song came at a time when I was beginning to explore my personal connection with spirituality. I’ve been opening my mind up to a lot of different religious philosophies, and it’s enough to bend my brain all out of shape. But when I listen to this song, somehow it all seems a little clearer.
Rancid – Red Hot Moon (mp3)
Under the red hot moon, take a bus downtown to the graveyard shift tonight
This band meant so much to me when I was in high school. I loved that they had the sort of territorial pride that was typically reserved for rap artists, referencing visuals of SF/Bay Area places I grew up around, like the Tenderloin District, Sharmon Palms, West Grand. By the time Indestructible was released in 2003, I was busy getting caught up in all the HotHotYeahYeahRapturePol hype. I didn’t even know Indestructible existed until last month, so really it’s been a gift.
The Bouncing Souls – Kate is Great (mp3)
Remember me now, cause things always change
I reviewed this song for a fanzine when I was 16, and declared it my favorite song. It’s about coming of age, and as I’ve grown older, my connection with it has only grown stronger.
Sunny Day Real Estate - 48 (mp3)
Show me a sight in the side of chance
Hold tomorrow, one foot in and one foot out
Are you strong enough? Are you strong enough?
I first got into SDRE when I was 13, entering an initial phase of self-discovery. “48” really spoke to this bottled-up, nervous teen energy that I was feeling. Jeremy Enigk was always so intense, but in this controlled fashion. Rarely did he scream. So when he launches into this full-on outburst, there's a real urgency behind it.
Taking Back Sunday – Up Against (Blackout) (mp3)
Face it, this is what we’re up, up against!
You’re waiting, and every minute is a minute away!
My favorite emo sing-along of 2006. For me, a well-written emo song is more satisfying (not saying it’s better music) than anything indie bands like The Arcade Fire and Broken Social Scene could create. Emo is a style of music that just lends itself to being explosive, and if you allow yourself to get into it, you’re going to feel something.
Z-Trip and DJ P took the mixtape to another level in 2001 with Uneasy Listening – Against The Grain Vol 1. These two hip hop DJs figured out in the late 90's that a dance party, particularly full of white people, will go bananas for 80s music unexpectedly and seamlessly mixed into their set with another hip-hop beat. This worked particularly well for 80s music since a lot of the drum tracks in that era were electronic anyway. Thus began the life of the mash-up and the death of the scratching, vinyl toting, hip-hop DJ. 
DOWNLOAD – A SEGMENT FROM UNEASY LISTENING VOL. 1 (2001)
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