Month: May 2018

Mark Hoppus Gives Hint at Sound of New Blink-182 Songs

Blink-182
Jason Tate

Mark Hoppus has commented on Twitter that Blink-182 are working on new music, and while it’s early, it sounds like, “they pick up where Take Off Your Pants and Jacket left off.”

My thoughts? Darker and more riff-based/faster/poppy stuff like TOYPAJ sounds great to me. The biggest hurdle isn’t melodies (Mark’s so good at this) or Feldmann’s production or instrumentation (Matt should feel more comfortable bringing guitar parts to this album) … it’ll be the lyrical content and if they decide to take it up a notch and write about stuff that’s deeper than what they did last time. Make it matter and have some weight. If Mark and Matt do that, I think it’ll be great. If they don’t, the songs will suffer.

Review: Rae Sremmurd – SR3MM

Rae Sremmurd
Tommy Monroe

From “No Flex Zone” to “Black Beatle,” it’s been clear Rae Sremmurd knows how to make hit songs. And, based on the quality of their previous albums it’s always a safe bet that their albums will contain some nice tunes. SR3MM is an addition to the “Sremmlife” series. This is a triple album which includes solo albums by Swae Lee & Slim Jxmmi. Swae’s album is titled Swaecation, while Slim Jxmmi’s is titled Jxmtro. Shortly after the success of their debut album, there were rumors about Swae Lee going solo. Many people who are familiar with their discography know Swae Lee is more of a singer and delivers most of the hooks. Slim Jxmmi is a rapper and he likes to spit, not sing. That’s what influenced the formation of solo albums. A better option than a split.

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Kanye West in the Age of Donald Trump

Kanye West
Jason Tate

Ta-Nehisi Coates, writing in The Atlantic:

There’s nothing original in this tale and there’s ample evidence, beyond West, that humans were not built to withstand the weight of celebrity. But for black artists who rise to the heights of Jackson and West, the weight is more, because they come from communities in desperate need of champions. Kurt Cobain’s death was a great tragedy for his legions of fans. Tupac’s was a tragedy for an entire people. When brilliant black artists fall down on the stage, they don’t fall down alone. The story of West “drugged out,” as he put it, reduced by the media glare to liposuction, is not merely about how he feels about his body. It was that drugged-out West who appeared in that gaudy lobby, dead-eyed and blonde-haired, and by his very presence endorsed the agenda of Donald Trump.

I highly recommend reading this entire piece.