[a] religious moment at OutKast’s ATLast

1. I went to church Sunday. Giant congregation, full of diverse peoples, all celebrating the spirit of our religion. Churchgoers raised their arms, waving them up and down when agreeing with particular points in the sermon. Communal neighbors shared in spirits and substance, quick to offer new friends whatever wealth they could. And when church finished, with no promise of an encore sermon, we went home renewed of mind and soul.

Some might simply say OutKast ATLast was spiritual. And dope. It was assuredly that.

2. Music sounds different wherever you are. I’m not talking context (which can be huge, too) but physical location. Usually, that difference of experience is between songs in the club versus tracks pumped through headphones. But there’s something to be said of how certain music sounds of a city or region or place. Those songs and albums that reach the outside remind us of that place. Heard within their proper context, music can deepen and sharpen, bringing new meaning to the tracks.

People say this about Jay Z and New York all the time, but damn if it isn’t true about OutKast and Atlanta, too.

3. Ever since moving to Atlanta, I’ve committed hard to ATL hip hop. Jeezy, Future, Young Thug, Migos, but mostly OutKast. I can’t get enough. All these artists represent what’s so invigorating and downright fun about Atlanta hip hop. Booty-shakin’ bass, nonsensical lyrics, club bangers, whip riders, and that attitude.

For a long time, Atlanta wanted to be heard (and respected) in hip hop. They felt ignored and you can hear it in the music. It’s not an “us vs. them” thing, but more an “us” and y’all can join but don’t say we ain’t got no voice thing. Don’t disrespect us. ’Cause the South got somethin’ to say.

4. OutKast sounds like Atlanta, but not in some specific way like other artists. They capture all of Atlanta: the bigness of its boundaries and separation of its boroughs. Their music drives straight through all of that, attempting to connect with everyone, of all different backgrounds.

That’s why, at ATLast, you can find more white dudes getting crunk with blacks, Asians, Hispanics, and every other background imaginable. Nobody (really) looks differently upon one another, like everyone’s right to OutKast is the same. Because if you feel OutKast’s music, and not just the singles played on the radio, you’ve likely felt like an outcast once or twice. It’s an obvious interpretation, but the only way to explain the broader sense of community on display at ATLast.

(Side note: I may or may not have been one of the white dudes trying to get crunk.)(Okay, yes I was.)

5.I wish you were there. If you’re reading this, you likely wanted to be. Hearing Andre and Big Boi storming out with “B.o.B,” chanting “Uh-huh, hush that fuss” on “Rosa Parks,” then throwing your hands in the air to “ATLiens.” Listening to Big and Three Stacks tease the crowd in that hospitable, Southern way, so you know it’s out of love. Groovin’ to “Hey Ya.” Singing along with “Elevators.” Vibin’ to “International Players’ Anthem.” I wish you were there for all of that.

Oh man, I wish you could’ve heard Erykah Badu wail on “Humble Mumble.” If the opportunity to listen to Ms. Badu croon ever presents itself to you, drop everything and take it.

But yeah, y’all should’ve been there.

6. Killer Mike called OutKast “the Rolling Stones of rap” at ATLast. That feels right. Except OutKast likely won’t be touring year-in, year-out, cashing them checks on people’s nostalgia. Big Boi could maybe do it, but Andre 3000 never looked completely comfortable on stage. He enjoyed himself, but never seemed to let go, transform within the moment of the performance. It’s okay that he didn’t. It probably wouldn’t have felt right if he did.

7. It’s the community I’ll miss, though. How connective OutKast’s music is to its fans. I haven’t been here long enough to root myself deeply, to establish connections with the people and places, but I’m starting to get it. My favorite part about Atlanta is how resolutely weird everyone can be, how of themselves they are. Nobody really cares about the empire of “cool” around here.

OutKast brings that out in everybody. With Andre it’s obvious, but people never give enough credit for how equally strange Big Boi can be. (Actually, people never give enough credit to Big Boi at all. Stop that.) That’s why they’ll always be Atlanta’s own.

8. OutKast let you embrace yourselves, I think. Maybe I’m reaching, I don’t truly know. Maybe I’m high off the experience and still can’t distinguish it properly. But whatever this is, I’d like to hold onto it as long as possible.

[a] deep dive into exclusive sneaker culture at sneakercon

Here’s when I knew I had a problem: Two weeks after graduating college, I found myself in a “quality” thrift store bartering for Gucci sneakers. The shop’s owner, a by-all-means fair lady, had purchased them in an estate sale from a “very rich” guy “looking to get rid of some stuff.” She had found the sneakers, along with some Channel heels, in some box of clothes the guy sold her. Apparently, these Gucci sneakers were his “casual wear” and he only “wore them around the house.” That’s why they were in such great condition.

She wanted $200 for them. I didn’t want to spend that much. I didn’t have a job yet, no real prospect of summer work, but my grandparents had given me $500 for graduation and told me to spend it on something nice. I knew the responsible act would be to walk away. Forget about the shoes. Proceed with my life. But those sneakers, as soon as I tried them on, filled that hole inside me. That one immediately following college graduation with no true life direction and encroaching self-doubt and closing a chapter of life where I finally felt content. So I proposed paying $100 and the store owner accepted.*

*That’s a lie. She predictably met me in the middle at $150 and I said yes. I knew my stepmom would (rightly) berate me for spending that money with my beleaguered financial future, so I lied and told her $100. She justly criticized me anyways. (She also said they were ugly, which is so obviously not true.) I guess all of this is to say, um, sorry Cathy? 

But walking out of that store, Gucci sneakers on, and feeling like a real American by solving my emotional problems buying material possessions, that’s the moment I accepted my sneaker addiction. It’s not even that serious, I’m no ‘sneakerhead.’ I just enjoy a nice pair of shoes that complements my outfit. Plus, reading about sneakers and all the colorways and hyped, exclusive releases and celebrities working on sneakers is a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine.

So when my friend informed me there was entire convention focused on sneakers coming to Atlanta last weekend, I had to go.

I’m too embarrassed to admit how long I took choosing which shoes to wear for Sneakercon. To be fair, it’s an incredibly important decision. Everyone comes to these things donning their most prized pair of kicks. Maybe it’s a personal favorite or the kind instantly recognized and revered by other ‘heads. Because of the shady way I acquired my Gucci’s (aka I’m not sure how real they are and refuse to have them authenticated, even by Gucci’s own website), I overthought wearing them. I was petrified people might instantly identify them as fakes, shattering my own self-delusion. Instead, I wore my tried-and-true adidas Crazyquick’s because of their sentimental value and A$AP Rocky made a rap about them. Nobody could hate on that.

Once there, it took all of seven seconds to realize I was doing little more than blending in with my shoe selection. While waiting in line to withdraw some cash at the ATM, this baller showed me up.

That’s a toddler, hardcore stuntin’, wearing Jordan XI Low’s. Aka the ones Michael Jordan wore in Space Jam (different colorways, but still). He woudn’t even look my way, refusing to dignify my presence with so much of a glance. He carried himself like a mini-Biggie Smalls, begging me to check him. And I had no option but to look down and rightfully take it.

Anyways, when I saw that kid, I dropped the charade of looking cool and enjoyed myself. Which was smart, because once any of these kids or the many, many adults there start discussing sneakers, I realized how uncool everybody was. Everybody here knows way too much about sneakers. Since Sneakercon is a safe place where one can properly geek out and others not only accept them, but reciprocate just as enthusiastically, nobody holds back. About anything. And I do mean anything.

We’re not even in the actual event yet and it’s going down. That dude on the right asked to check out the shoes on a kid’s feet. And the kid, no questions asked, gave them to him! Then, dude on the right asked how much. This is a picture of their negotiation that followed. They couldn’t come to an agreement, but that kid was pretty close to selling the shoes off his feet like it was totally normal.

And it’s not even that preposterous because once inside the convention center, I spot this kid.

He’s not even wearing shoes! He’s either a) already sold them or b) so committed to this pop-up shoe store he’s made that he wants to display all of his merchandise. Seeing that and myriad of kids like him, setting up shop with their five pairs of shoes, made me fall in love with Sneakercon. The major vendors with hundreds of the coolest kicks available hold the main attraction, but they’re mad overpriced. So many of these small-timer kids don’t have money and approach each other with nothing but the shoes on their feet and a couple bucks in their back pocket. They’ll give up near anything for a fresh pair of shoes.

Walking around, it’s hard not to get overwhelmed (or step on one somebody’s shoes). Since I like sneakers, I’m basically OD’ing absorbing everything I can’t have. I limited myself to $140 (I learn from my mistakes in $10 increments) and an average pair of shoes here costs around $200. I knew if I wanted anything I had to buy secondh–ARE THOSE RED OCTOBERS SIGNED BY KANYE WEST??????

AND WAIT ARE THOSE THE NIKES FROM BACK TO THE FUTURE II?

RAF SIMONS STAN SMITHS????

STOP. THOSE CAN’T BE RICCARDO TISCI AIR FORCE ONE’S (although I’m not that big on the boot extension)

NO WAY THOSE ARE…wait what are these?

Okay, here I’m lost. I know they’re LeBrons and they seem important, but glass-encased important? I overheard a dude offer the vendor “5 for the Fruity Pebbles,” referring to these. He could’ve meant hundred or grand, but the owner adamantly refused. “Not for sale,” he kept repeating. Didn’t even entertain any offers. I was stunned. They’re dope shoes, but “Not for Sale” dope?

I looked them up and discovered why. They’re “Fruity Pebbles” LeBron IV’s and about as exclusive as they come. Initially, they were created specifically for LeBron James and his friends/family. Nike chose those colors and that name because Fruity Pebbles are LeBron’s favorite cereal. Here’s LeBron playing in them.

Only 100 pairs of these shoes were made. Acquiring them either resulted in a member of LeBron’s squad selling theirs or somebody at Nike auctioning the leftovers. Unfortunately, this is the dark spot of sneaker culture because Nike does this all the time. These are cool shoes. People want them. But to maintain Nike’s mystique, they create this faux-exclusivity for kids to fawn and obsess over. It keeps the hypebeasts hyping.

There’s a difference between this and limited releases. While some caps on this stuff is good to maintain market value, shit like this strikes me as unnecessary. Nike’s only doing it because they can and they know nobody can do anything to stop them. Or it’s because nobody else cares since the shoes are so cool. I don’t know. But the only way to acquire them is through connections and money. I think it irks me because it too closely reflects life where it matters more on who you know or getting lucky than anything else, and I prefer my sneaker hobby to be an escape from that type of stuff. Oh well.

I left without buying anything. The shoes I could afford and wanted weren’t in my size. I loved Sneakercon, though, and wish it wasn’t just once a year. I love that other people care more than I do about sneakers. I love the dorky community of it all. On my way out, feeling like I earned it, I even tried buying these kid’s shoes he was holding in his hand. He wanted too much, but I liked that I did that.

Can’t wait for next year. Maybe I’ll be wearing my first pair of Jordan’s.

Jameis and us

In light of recent comments, Jameis Winston must have three attitudes:

a) He doesn’t think it’s a big deal. He lacks a true sense of social perception, discounting how people might view a Heisman winner formerly accused of sexual assault and publicly reported “stealing” soda at a Burger King and held at gunpoint then handcuffed by a police officer because he and teammate/friend Chris Casher were shooting BB guns at squirrels in an area locally known as the “Rape Trail” and knowing he and his school is amidst an ongoing Title IX investigation into what happened regarding the accused sexual assault and how it was handled and that the Tallahassee Police Department is currently revising its official procedures regarding sexual assault cases because of a botched investigation involving him. Considering all that, maybe it’s best not to shout—in the most populated place on campus—where exactly to place a male’s genitalia to initiate consensual intercourse. Even if his friends might be shouting this popular Internet meme. But then again, because of that, and his penchant for dramatic flair, a quality people like quite much when it involves sports games, he doesn’t think shouting “FUCK HER RIGHT IN THE PUSSY!” is a big deal.

b) He is innocent, has always been innocent, and therefore behaves like an innocent man might. While it’s an avenue very few entertain exploring, it’s worth mentioning. If Winston is innocent, and sees a media that lifts him up then tears him down (and then does it again and again) and a national audience who believes every negative comment said about him is true without any questions asked, and legitimate and not-so-legitimate investigators digging up every piece of his past as evidence of accused wrongdoings, at what point would he stop trying to be a Good Person. What reasons does he have? Social perception? That’s been gone. Winning people over? Not rational from a guy as adamant and relentless as he is. Why would he worry? He knows if he wins game people will love him again soon enough.

c) He’s an asshole who doesn’t give a shit.

So that’s where we stand on it—one of those must be true and I’m not sure which is true and what I wish is true. Lots of people have a firm belief what’s true, but who knows at this point? Jameis Winston’s narrative and character is so convoluted and confounding that to discern fact and fiction might be near impossible. He might be a Good Person or a Bad Person, or maybe this is all just a 20-year-old kid doing dumb 20-year-old-kid stuff.

He might wish to be “normal” and try to act “normal,” but he must know he’s not. Although it’s unfair we spend more time postulating ethics and morality when it comes to 20-year-old football players than other pressing issues, this is also the life Winston chose; the one he wanted. It’s the one he sells to up-and-comers at the Manning Passing Academy, where he served as a youth instructor and informed kids its details.

“That’s the price we gotta pay because we quarterbacks, baby!” Winston said. “We get all the women, all the love, all the fun. We touch the ball every play. Us and the center. Every damn play. Don’t y’all love it?”

And to be fair, Winston isn’t the only student who would be prosecuted for shouting such a remark in the student union. Had the student body president or fraternity council member or student newspaper Editor-in-Chief done something similar and caught*, they (surely) would be prosecuted as intensely, albeit on a local level.

*Let’s not forget that all this was caused by less than ten students passing by tweeting about it and a sports tabloid blog picking it up. That sentence is (kind of) terrifying to me. Has our private sphere disappeared so completely that any action any time is liable for public reprimanding should it receive enough social noise? If Deadspin never picks up those tweets, nothing happens. Damn, if no students tweet it, it doesn’t (really) exist. In wake of all these sports scandals during the past six months, something has crystallized: Like Winston’s fame and profile, this technology has tangible consequences. Had this happened three years ago, Winston wouldn’t be suspended. What’s the slippery slope to where common citizens are convicted in the same manner?

One truth is certain, though: Florida State needed to do something. The university has supported and stood behind him throughout everything. All of it could be defended away, but this: it’s just kind of stupid and unnecessary for Winston to do. Also, know that this incident is the one that has FSU alumni and booster most upset at Winston. They’re “extremely disappointed.” Try to work out that logic.* If FSU didn’t take a stand here, especially considering the social noise it caused, they’d be sending a message they had no control over the situation and Winston can do whatever he pleases.

*Well, again, how the hell do you defend that to mocking co-workers and bosses and friends and even yourself? There’s no “but, maybe…” to cling on to for “self-defense” other than sophomoric-level humor.

…Not that their punishment is really a punishment. FSU showed it has power, but threatening the team’s overall chances of winning in its biggest game of the year so far? They wouldn’t quite do that. Everyone feels good about what they did, especially the audience it was intended for, and it probably helps Winston more than it hurts him.

Because now, when Winston enters in the second half, the game will be in some contention. Maybe FSU is up a score, or down a couple points, but a threat will exist. And Winston can recapture that glory, lead his team over that hump, demonstrate how fundamentally necessary he is to the whole system, remind people why they love him, all while showing true compassion and regret for his actions. He made a “mistake” and now he’s “learned.” Maybe that won’t happen, but that’s what my money’s on. At that point, whatever happens Saturday, we won’t have any better idea who Jameis Winston is, but we’ll know a bit more about ourselves.

Editor’s note: These views are strictly my own and don’t represent anyone else’s.

how we talk about millennials: the good, the bad, and the empty

It turns out millennials are smart! Well, maybe.

Last week, Pew Research published their findings on millennials and their relationship with libraries and books and such. Turns out, we’re pretty nerdy. Not surprising considering we live in an era called the Information Age, but cool to know that nerds stay winning.

Before we get to the stats, read how Pew Research describe millennials to preface their findings:

“Younger Americans—those ages 16-29—especially fascinate researchers and organizations because of their advanced technology habits, their racial and ethnic diversity, their looser relationships to institutions such as political parties and organized religion, and the ways in which their social attitudes differ from their elders.”

That’s a lot to unpack (not to mention quite a bit of pressure), but at least some adults think we’re good people (feel free to skip to the good stuff on the “millennial conversation”). Here’s some of the data I want to highlight:

–We like the Internet, but it’s not our bible: 98% of us use the internet and 90% use social media, which emphasizes how integral it’s become in our lives, but 62% of millennials believe “there is a lot of useful, important information that is not available on the Internet.”

–We do get outside and see the world: Millennials attend sporting events, go to concerts, plays, or dance performances, and even go to a bookstore more than those 30+. Take a better look yourself below, but like a true *critic*, let me cherry-pick one specific stat to prove a point: 34% of people ages 25-29 report visiting museums, art galleries, or historical sites compared to 31% those ages 30+. Take that, parents. We are edumacated. [Ignore my college kid age group (18-24) and high schoolers (16-17) on that one. You know what, let’s ignore high schoolers altogether because they’re still finding themselves (didn’t you watch Boyhood?) and don’t know any better.]

We like books and libraries: Across the board, we read books more often than those 30+. [Another thing to ignore: Those ages 16-24 are more likely to be assigned a book to read for academic purposes.] Also, we like libraries quite a bit: 57% of ages 16-29 report using a library in the past year compared to 53% those 30+. That stat makes the most sense to me—the library was a prime dating locale. I probably went on more “study dates” to the library than any real dates anywhere else. It’s simple why: The library is super non-threatening and it’s a way to “get to know each other” under the guise of studying and working, two activities every college student constantly feels pressured to be doing.

So yeah, it’s justified to feel okay about ourselves, millennials.

***

Turns out that last statement might ring a little false, depending on who you ask. Last week, Politico ran a cover feature about millennials titled “Stop Talking ’Bout My Generation” by Ben Schreckinger. Unlike most essays and coverage written regarding millennials, this one was penned by a real-life millennial, which is a feat in itself. So what do we have to say once given the mic? Not much apparently.

With regards to millennials, two competing opinions have emerged: a) we are the “new” greatest generation, with the power to change the world or b) we’re lazy, stuck in our phones and computers, and quite self-absorbed. I think both arguments hold weight*, but that’s not what Schreckinger or I’m arguing here. No, what’s up for debate is if there should even be a debate.

*I feel a) needs time to develop, although more of my generation does discuss ‘changing the world’ positively and optimistically, just not in the typical civic-duty kind of way, while b) seems more true of our society in general, which leads back to a) and why our way of changing the world is different than previous generations. Then again, reading history, it does seem every generation wants to ‘change the world’ somehow.

The headline to Schreckinger’s piece “Stop Talking ’Bout My Generation” is all the piece eventually says and wants. Schreckinger details the history of how we’ve arrived at the millennial moniker and these two differing opinions surrounding this generation quite well. He points out inconsistencies and erroneous reporting by legacy media like Time and NBC properties and the New York Times (pinch me if you haven’t read that sentence before), and how it informs their off-based claims about millennials being the “Me Me Me ” generation or how “Millennials are Selfish and Entitled.”* The piece admits that there are some “useful nuggets” and such, but by and large, the piece contends they don’t know what they’re talking about. And it might be better if they kept their mouths shut, until they get some better data.

*Although he ‘forgets’ to add the rest of that Time article’s headline: “…and Helicopter Parents Are to Blame.” Don’t worry, although he criticizes these articles for “cherry-picking” stats, Schreckinger does the same thing and doesn’t show that these articles tend to be pretty balanced.** Also, if you look as lazily as you possibly can, those same publications promote millennials just as much.

**But in Schreckinger’s defense, any article that quotes Mark Bauerlein at length rightfully should be dismissed. Any ‘fair’ journalist human being can see Bauerlein is a dick who has a highly unnecessary opinion. 

Schreckinger crescendos to this climax:

“I’ll refrain from holding forth on what older Americans do need to understand to, like, really know us, but I will say this much: Gen Xers and baby boomers better hope we’re smart and civic-minded and hard-working, because we’re going to be in charge sooner or later, and they’re creating a hell of a mess for us.”

Admittedly, that caused this reader to “lol wtf?” pretty hard. My intention isn’t to “take down” Schreckinger or even defend the people he’s criticized, but to question sincerely just what millennials want to say about ourselves. Here we have a well-informed writer, who has a pretty big platform to lead the discourse a different direction, and he actively chooses to say nothing. Maybe that part was edited out, but I highly doubt it. His motives and thesis are pretty clear throughout.

Again, I’m not trying to bash Schreckinger (although I fear that’s how it’s coming across). I’ve gone as far as I have because I’ve seen this article populate my feeds frequently by millennials with some variation of the comment “he gets it” since its publishing. What is “it”? Beyond a middle-finger to adults who utilize data and quotes and figures to promote a certain philosophy about a generation, in the same way their parents did to them, and in the same way I just did above, I’m not sure. We live in a “selection-bias” era where everyone uses facts to reinforce their viewpoint, not inform them. I mean, is it really that surprising what legacy media says about us? Really?

Anyway, I’ll leave it with this: Millennials want to change the world, improve it in some way. It might be corny and maybe generations previously did too, but now we have the awareness and tools available to us unlike ever before. What’s more, we know what we’re worth now. Hell, we know we have a worth. We’re a little narcissistic, kind of cocky, but in today’s world, that might be necessary to survive and stand out. Time to shine, I guess.

Re-review: Ab-Soul’s “These Days…”

Re-reviews is a series that looks at music after the initial buzz dies down and see if we can find something new about it. Sometimes we succeed, sometimes we don’t. But it’s all just an excuse to keep the conversation going, right? Previously: YG’s My Krazy Life

Here was the plan: I wanted to write about Ab-Soul’s These Days… and its panoramic portrayal of hip hop/music these days, slightly parodying some of it in the process. That was the crux of it, at least.

I’d write how Soul validated some popular rap, but ethered others. I’d written these sentences two weeks ago:

‘His point with These Days… is to (kind of) prove that Black Hippy and acts connected with TDE produce the best music these days. Soul kind of goes kamikaze in the process, committing a little much to some of the worst songs like “Nevermind That,” “Twact,” and “Sapiosexual.” These days, yes Soul, there is a lot of crappy music on the radio, but I’m not sure why your fans needed reminding of that. Traditional hip hop has stal(l)ed, particularly in 2014, but why add to the problem instead of solving it?

Soul tries to elevate with his style and lyricism and production and callbacks, but it just doesn’t work. The album as a whole doesn’t make sense.’

I felt pretty good about that. Then I got distracted with other projects and work and two things happened: a) I kept listening to These Days… despite my initial disappointment in it and b) Soul essentially said everything I planned to write in an interview with HipHopDX.

HipHopDX: Is that what you did on These Days…?

Ab-Soul: Absolutely. And that’s why it is called These Days…That album is what I feel like these days sound like, in my own right. Of course, it was no mockery, but it was. I used a lot of references of today, of present and past, because that’s popular too. You listen to YG’s album, and he makes a lot of old references to Short Dawg or Suga Free or whatever, because that’s popular right now. And that’s paying respect. That’s letting the old generation know that they’re not going.

I felt dumb because I thought my opinion was unique. But like usual, it wasn’t, so let’s reprogram and try this again:

Ab-Soul has always been surrounded by music since his childhood, working at his parent’s record store, then decided to rap post-high school graduation. Early on, his cerebral-minded lyrics and word-twisting abilities earned him some critics’ attention, and he buzzed alongside his fellow Black Hippy Crew. People got excited about them. They were a movement, returning hip hop to its nutrient roots—new school rap mixed through old-school West Coast beats and drums slightly updated for a more contemporary sound.

Each member got big to a degree. Ab-Soul didn’t truly burst onto the scene like the others, despite being the group’s best lyricist,* but his following jumped considerably after Control System. Having “Illuminate” as a single plus the bloggers’ darling, cathartic “Book of Soul” with its Bobby McFerrin-sample ensured that. He was marginally successful, but not quite popular.

*Calm down. Kendrick’s the better rapper in all other ways, but Soul’s got him on lyrics. Soulo gets more intricate, more referential, more poetic. Check out the end of “Tree of Life,” he can flip a word to its syllabic brink, shifting its meaning each time along the way. Not that Kendrick can’t do that, just not like Ab-Soul can.

Rap played on the radio often gets a bad rapt. It’s (mostly) trite music, intended to be popular, instead of some expression by the artist. But to a large demographic, this is the only rap music they listen to; Rick Ross and Tyga and Wiz Khalifa are representative of their entire makeup of hip hop. Not that there’s anything inherently wrong with these artists—there might not be anything wrong at all—but there might be better stuff out there, or other stuff that deserves some attention.

Which leads us back to Ab-Soul: This a dude who loves music, respects it, but hr e doesn’t get enough love on these streets. Unlike his Black Hippy crew members, ScHoolboy Q and Kendrick, Ab-Soul wasn’t signed to Interscope for whatever reason. (He’s a weird cat, that’s the reason.) All of this is to say Soul was in a very complicated spot musically: Should he “sell out” and make a studio-sounding album* or double down on crafting ‘respectable’ rap?

*Hi, ScHoolboy Q. (I’m joking…slightly.)

He did neither. He went in between, deciding to slam together his persona and mindful lyrics into these popular, ‘radio’ sounds, documenting all the recently booming subgenres along the way. ‘Oh there’s the pseudo-DJ Mustard sound, and okay here’s some trap, and wow he appropriated the MMG/Rick Ross luxury backdrop with Rick Ross on the track.’

But it’s deeper than that. He’s not copying these guys or even trying to create pop music; he’s trying to discover and emphasize what makes these sounds worthwhile (or not). He’s contradicting himself purposefully across the album, simultaneously boasting and lamenting rappers showboating ways. It’s like Soul tried to strip popular music to the musical essence of it all, which sounds a bit grandiose, I know. For the first half of the record, when he’s really attacking these pop sounds, it does feel that way. Though Soul can’t help himself to be, well, himself: The first eight tracks (except “Twact”) all end with some flip or new song after the song or shoutout that’s in most cases somewhat more likeable in some ways.

Here’s where I’m going to do the critic thing and guess what Soul’s doing here: In some ways, it’s a sacrifice, but more so he’s killing that part of himself that wants to make pop/studio music. (Or maybe he’s killing that part of himself that’s jealous and doesn’t understand why this music gets to be radio hits.) Not that he doesn’t desire to be popular, but he seems driven to a bigger purpose. How else do you explain this?

And there’s my personal favorite song on the album, “Just Have Some Fun.” It follows “Twact”—where Soul is so obviously making fun of Tyga and his hit “Faded,” even going as far as recruiting the same producer for the track—and where the album turns. On “Just Have Some Fun,” he lets go and throws together all these contradictory dimensions of himself with a fuck-it attitude and just goes for it. It’s an upbeat, party track that has Soul spitting real lines like “Met the devil in God’s elbow” and the “new drugs that got a nigga trippy these days” isn’t DMT or Molly, but fame for Soul that rushes him with “dopamine, I mean dope.”

It transitions to the outro “These Days,” which is like a Bon Iver song that didn’t make the cut from Bon Iver and has Soul using that Migos flow, referencing Drake, all channeled through Soul’s (third) eye. If this album is intended to capture music these days, and what’s great about it, Soul proves it with this track.

Following “Kendrick Lamar’s Interlude,” the record loses a bit of momentum. I get why “Closure” comes afterward, with Soul letting go of past relationships and feelings (including toward what Black Hippy used to be)*, along with what “Sapiosexual” is supposed to be doing, but the album doesn’t pick back up until “Stigmata.” (Hey, I never said These Days… was/were perfect.)

* Any usage of ‘music’ on the album, like on “Closure,” really could be replaced with ‘music.’

He ends the album on a decisive note with “W.R.O.H.” that has Soul spitting too-real lines like “And it might not be such a bad idea if I never went home again / Fucked all the same hoes again, bumping ‘Druggies Wit Hoes Again’ / With my bros again / No”. And that’s to say nothing of the battle rap with Daylyt, deserving of its own blog post, but for now I’ll say it’s impressive how Ab-Soul held his own against Daylyt, a true battle rapper (though Day did win).

After the battle, you can hear the crowd cheer and chatter, and someone proclaims “Hip Hop is not dead.” For someone who’s professed his fandom of Nas, that comment must be intentional. As long as battle-rapping and Top Dawg and Ab-Soul himself are around, hip hop can’t be dead.