In Part 1 of the season 6 finale of the Beers, Beats & Bailey podcast, Ricardo Medina, Sommerleigh Pollonais, CC Lilford, Alice Oscura, Tracy Hutchings and yours truly count down our favourite TV shows, least favourite movies and film disappointments 2020 offered us (NOT LIMITED TO CONTENT WE VIEWED IN 2020, MIND YOU), in addition to movies that were unfortunately delayed due to the pandemic.
In Part 2 of the season 6 finale of the Beers, Beats & Bailey podcast, Ricardo Medina, Sommerleigh Pollonais, CC Lilford, Alice Oscura, Tracy Hutchings and yours truly share our picks of the best movies – along with guilty pleasures, horror movies and a bit of TV – we saw this year (NOT LIMITED TO CONTENT WE VIEWED IN 2020, MIND YOU).
In the penultimate episode of Season 6 of the Beers, Beats & Bailey podcast, I share my list of top favourite hip hop projects I checked out in 2020, one that truly pissed me off, some honourable mentions and one dishonourable mention that kinda sorta pissed me off! Afterwards, Ricardo and I share our thoughts on the romantic drama “Sylvie’s Love”, the Disney/Pixar fantasy-comedy “Soul” and the highly-anticipated superhero film “Wonder Woman 1984”.
In this episode of the Beers, Beats & Bailey podcast, we review the last two films in Steve McQueen’s “Small Axe” film anthology “Alex Wheatle” and “Education”, the Oscar-worthy drama (featuring the final film appearance of Chadwick Boseman) “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and the second season of the live-action Star Wars TV series “The Mandalorian”.
With only a few episodes left before our season finale, Ricardo and I discuss the major announcements and trailers from the recently-held Disney Investor Day, the delightful animated feature “Wolfwalkers”, the head-scratching comedy-drama “Black Bear”, the satisfactory re-edit of Francis Ford Coppola’s third “Godfather” movie entitled “The Godfather, Coda – The Death of Michael Corleone” and the Lifetime/KFC crossover film NO ONE saw coming: “A Recipe for Seduction”
“Warmer in the Rain” is the first single off the 2019 debut album from alt rock singer/songwriter/guitarist Max Eve entitled “Plethora”. Unlike his previous instrumental releases, “Plethora” is the first record in Max’s discography to feature guest vocalists. With “Warmer in the Rain”, Max enlisted the help of fellow singers Samer Sabbagh and Brenna Jenkins to deliver what is essentially a poignant and truly heartfelt dedication to victims of sexual violence.
Like Logic’s “1-800-273-8255”, and Shawn Mendes’ “Treat You Better” (the music video, not the song exactly) before it, “Warmer in the Rain” acknowledges a non-profit organization (in this case, RAINN or the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) in both the song’s subject matter and during the end credits of its music video. Those two particular songs, well-intentioned and widely praised as they were, did receive some heavy criticism for their somewhat surface-level and radio-friendly take on sensitive themes like suicide and sexual abuse. That’s not to say all songs based on those themes must be thematically grim with explicit, NSFW-type lyrics, but I believe there must be a level of nuance to what’s being sung.
And in my opinion, this is what “Warmer in the Rain” NAILS! The song uses a ballad-style lyrical construct with descriptive narratives and metaphors to present its emotionally dense narrative. Samer plays the role of bard as he tells a loose story of the song’s protagonist, a survivor of sexual assault. And while the song’s opening lines may lead one to believe her search for happiness or freedom (“Once there was a girl who woke up / and she spoke of dreams of rain”) will hopefully be attainable in the end, the sad truth is instantly telegraphed by Max’s sonically gorgeous yet moody, forlorn guitar/keyboard melody.
The chorus informs us of the solace the protagonist acquires in her own mental solitude by shielding herself from “moving mouths and blackened clouds” and, in some instances, finding “a corner that felt safe”. In other words, “rain” has become part of her daily life now, and all she desires is a place to feel warm.
Autumn is used as a terrific emotional backdrop in the second verse, as the protagonist sees falling leaves as a beautiful, almost ‘hopeful’ alternative to the aforementioned rain. Samer reminds us of its limited timespan and the fleeting hope presented to the protagonist with the line “A beauty so finite would soon just depart with its leaves”. The verse ends with her fleeing mid-conversation from a man who claimed he knew her, “in fear of what it might become”.
Interestingly, Brenna Jenkins is introduced vocally after the song’s second verse and on-screen in the music video during that verse as the story’s protagonist. It should be noted that it’s both explicitly and inexplicitly suggested in the music video that Samer was the man she bumped into. The song instantly turns into a duet up until its conclusion, with Brenna providing some genuinely beautiful vocal support to Samer.
The bridge near the end of the song is also interesting – and ambiguous – as we learn of the protagonist’s decision to remain silent until she’s ready to reveal to others the turmoil in her personal life. She hopes, however, they’ll “listen for once” to “what (her) actions tell”. Having Brenna and Samer sing this bridge really got to me, as I felt that at that particular moment, Samer makes the decision to actually “listen” to what her action (i.e. her running away from him that one time) told him. And yet at the end, the song presents its only musical glimmer of hope (expressed mainly through Max’s subtle, slightly optimistic coda) that one day, the blackened clouds hovering over the protagonist’s head will part for good, allowing her to feel warmth from the sun once again.
Overall, “Warmer in the Rain” is a well-produced, well-composed, well-performed and…..well…..a great song! It doesn’t dilute its overarching theme of surviving sexual violence, nor addresses it in a basic, straight-forward manner. By emotionally placing the listener in the victim’s headspace, the song presents an artistic and insightful perspective into the pain many survivors endure – and most times, suppress – on a daily basis. This track was certainly a great introduction to Max’s musical work, and I’ll definitely be giving his “Plethora” project a listen. In the meantime, I highly recommend checking out this single and its music video, in addition to visiting the RAINN website for more info on sexual violence, safety and prevention and how you can get involved.
In this episode of the Beers, Beats & Bailey podcast, we discuss the simultaneous release of Warner Bros’ theatrical slate on HBO Max, Letitia Wright’s (“Black Panther”, “Small Axe: Mangrove) anti-vaccine comments, the latest mixtape from Trinbagonian rapper Profess “Two 16’s”, the collaborative EP from his fellow Southside Lifestyle labelmate Micwise and R&B/neo-soul singer/producer John Skweird “Wise Skweird”, the third film in Steve McQueen’s “Small Axe” film series “Red, White and Blue”, the superb drama “Sound of Metal” and the newest film from the iconic David Fincher “Mank”.
In this digital album review, I’ll be sharing my thoughts on the newest single from Sacramento independent hip hop veteran Mr P Chill called “Diggin’ (Crate Digger’s Anthem)” and its b-side “Millions of Militants” featuring guest DJ Mike Colossal. Both songs are deep-rooted in old school East Coast hip-hop, drawing inspiration from the early sounds of the D.I.T.C. (Diggin’ in the Crates) crew (“Diggin’”) and the fiery, politically-charged passion of Public Enemy (“Millions of Militants”).
Within the ever-changing landscape and admittedly necessary evolution of hip hop, I’ve always had an affinity for mid-80s to mid-90s hip hop. From the use of old records to make danceable, head-nodding pieces of sonic art to the creation of unique flows, rhymes and cadences to touch on anything from social squalor to a girl named after a famous painting, there was always something pure, organic and meaningful about the particular era of rap music.
Mr P Chill, who literally observed the early growth of hip hop at a young age, managed to build a name and career for himself as one of the many old-school hip hop torchbearers still making music today. And with the release of this single, a precursor to his 2021 album “L.I.F.E – Living in Fragile Environments”, we get two songs that may seem vocally and sonically rudimentary upon first listen, but are just as potent, heartfelt and….for lack of a better term……INCREDIBLY DOPE as the songs which helped create the foundation of rap music as we know it today.
The theme of “Diggin’ (Crate Digger’s Anthem)” is pretty self-explanatory, as Chill, a bonafide crate digger and vinyl collector himself, details how he goes about finding the right loop or sample for his beats. The music video, filmed at the Rocket Records store in Midtown, Sacramento, shows Chill and a few other patrons perusing the covers of many vinyl records and 45-rpm singles of various genres.
As a fan of mentally connecting loops and samples in rap songs to their vinyl sources, I’ve always been fascinated by the process of finding that one popular or obscure record with that already or yet-to-be discovered sample from which a timeless instrumental can be crafted from it. And “Diggin” brilliantly puts the listener in that discovery phase with its bright, bouncy, boom-bap based production, upbeat, procedural-like lyrics from Chill and a couple of Showbiz and A.G. (two of my favourite members of the D.I.T.C. crew) vocal samples added to the hook.
“Millions of Militants”, the aforementioned b-side of this single, is also self-explanatory but more in the mood and vibe its title suggests. Chill’s beat is dark and bleak, with a sense of foreboding and tension throughout. The moment you hear the Chuck D vocal sample “because I’m militant” from the ICONIC Public Enemy song “Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos” scratched by Mike Colossal, you know exactly the mindset behind this particular song.
Here, Chill expresses his disgust at former POTUS Donald Trump’s recently-concluded presidency, chastises the cops whose unlawful shootings of innocent African-American individuals continued in said presidency and encourages listeners to courageously speak out against the current social issues affecting the United States. Political and social issues aren’t new to Chill’s body of work. In 2016, before Trump became President, Chill released the powerful single (and accompanying music video for) “Dear Crooked Cop (a letter to corrupt law enforcement)”, a scathing attack at….well….crooked cops who, back then, got away with heartless acts of violence.
In a truly clever reference to the opening lines of “Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos”, Chill brings up his “Dear Crooked Cop” song on the second verse when he spits:
“In 2016, I wrote a letter / To crooked cops / They never wrote back / But more black men were shot”.
And it’s this anger and pain which resonates throughout this entire track, even on its bold, aggressive and somewhat motivational hook, encouraging a “nation of millions of militants” (a reference to the still-culturally-relevant Public Enemy album “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back”) to expose the guilt of those with and in ‘power’ to the world.
As a whole, I truly enjoyed and appreciated both “Diggin’ (Crate Digger’s Anthem)” and “Millions of Militants”! The former is guaranteed to please crate diggers and fans of boom-bap, sample-oriented hip hop alike, while the latter should please fans of political, socially-conscious hip hop and casual listeners who like their music with meaning and purpose. This single was a great introduction to Mr P Chill’s old school hip hop-attributed style and sound, and I can’t wait to hear what he brings to the table with “L.I.F.E – Living in Fragile Environments”. In the meantime, if you call yourself a true hip hop head, seek out “Diggin’ (Crate Digger’s Anthem)/ Millions of Militants”. You won’t regret it!
In this episode of the Beers, Beats & Bailey podcast, we pay respect to the OG Darth Vader David Prowse, acknowledge Marvel Studios’ tribute to Chadwick Boseman on his birthday, and review the series premiere of the Trinbagonian superhero series “Magonolia” along with the first two films in Steve McQueen’s “Small Axe” anthology – “Mangrove” and “Lover’s Rock”. In addition, Ricardo talks about the sketch comedy “Aunty Donna’s Big Ol’ House of Fun” and the Werner Herzog documentary “Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds”, while I review the neo-noir Santa Claus movie “Fatman” and the martial-arts/sci-fi flick “Jiu Jitsu”, with a much-needed discussion on the fall of the martial arts movie attached to it.
For my fourth track review (since I’ve started reviewing music), I’ll be sharing my thoughts on the 2019 single “So I Thought” from R&B singer/songwriter, producer, multimedia journalist, TED speaker and founder of the online clothing store/music blog SwanoDown Imani Wj Wright. With his noticeably impressive creative background, it stands to reason that this single should be good, or at least fairly decent. Or so I thought……
In actuality, “So I Thought” is EXCELLENT! I’ll admit: part of my appreciation of this track has to do with my affinity for guitar-driven, quiet-storm songs from the 90s and 2000s like 112’s “Cupid” and Donell Jones’ “Where I Wanna Be”. But where “So I Thought” truly shines is in its emotionally relatable subject matter.
Imani’s festering distrust towards his significant other rises to the surface throughout the course of the song, though the laid-back, nocturnal vibe of the song may give the impression at first that he’s either trying to console her or simply get her in the mood. He kicks off the first verse by questioning his emotional ability to raise her spirits (“I know what it takes / So I thought / I know what it breaks / So I thought”). His career as an entertainer and the sexual prowess usually associated with his musical genre of choice (both on and off the stage) are cleverly hinted at in the following lines: “Send me far away / To be a star / Bend it over, to be a star / You don’t break / like you used to, babe”. But it’s at the end of the first verse where his vulnerable side comes out through his feelings of loneliness and rejection (“You don’t stay / As long as you used to, babe”)
I dug how on the interlude, Imani frames the traditional “I’m not the same person that I used to be” argument in such a way that his girlfriend should’ve anticipated the long periods of time away from her (due to his busy schedule and rising fame) early on in their relationship. As he sings, “It’s not all for you, babe. I think you’ve known this for a while”.
With that, however, brings the issue of infidelity – supposed or actual – which Imani uses from the end of the interlude to the end of the third verse as a means to question the loyalty his girlfriend still has for him. The “truth” that he brings up at the bookend of the interlude involves his girlfriend working long hours at her job, though she’s expressed numerous times how stressful it is. With regards to what she actually does after work hours, he never gets a straight answer, which obviously compels him to believe that she’s cheating on him.
In the song’s most self-aware moment, Imani contrasts his suspicions towards his girlfriend at her current job with those she has for him in his musical career on the third verse. He ‘knows’ she’s cheating on him, and though it hasn’t been verbally established, he can tell through her low-key mannerisms (“The way you slur”,“The way you look at me sideways”). In contrast, she ‘knows’ he’s being untruthful to her, which is made evident by periods of emotional and physical distance, changes in his demeanor (“Is it the way that I walk?” “Is it the time that I deal, and dish”) and, of course, his half-thought-out attempts at alleviating her concerns about their relationship.
Lyrically and vocally, Imani presents himself as contemplative and cognizant throughout this track. His vocals are smooth, earnest and sensual, complimented brilliantly by the hazy, relaxed, guitar-supported production. He doesn’t come off as cocky or bitter, and most importantly, he doesn’t attribute his already-failed relationship to the nature of being an entertainer or sex symbol. He’s merely in a situation that many people who’ve spent more time on their individual grind and less with their significant others have been in.
Overall, I enjoyed and appreciated “So I Thought” way more than I expected. Imani certainly has the voice, songwriting ability and ear for solid production, and I’d love to hear more from this artist on a full-fledged EP or album in the near-future. In the meantime, this track was truly a great introduction to Imani’s musical work, and I imagine it’ll be the same to you reading this, especially if you’re a fan of late-night R&B and soul music.
LISTEN TO THE SONG HERE (and on Apple Music /iTunes and Spotify):
BBB RADIO 