#-- will and el both have 13 songs while mike has 17 songs | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

angerissuesandrews · 4 years

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Hello! Welcome to the Reddie Fic Rec!

Please make sure you read all tags on fics before reading!

Have fun and enjoy :)))

Created by Evan (@iwannadie4000 on tiktok)

And special thanks to Charlie (@hippityhoppe on tiktok) for helping!

*CLICK HERE FOR THE GOOGLE DOC REC LINK!*

1. ON POINTE

by tossertozier (rednoseredhair); Explicit (18+)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12519724

“Eddie was a freshman at Boston University of the arts, majoring in dance with a concentration in ballet. He went to sleep early, woke up earlier & took nothing for granted. He fucking hated his dorm neighbors, loud, obnoxious idiots who got drunk all the time. They didn't even know where the library on campus was. He didn't have any idea how the three of them, especially the one with curly hair, even GOT into that school.

2. BRIGHT AS YELLOW

by speakslow; Mature (18+)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12786678

Highschool AU, Richie’s loud Eddie’s annoyed what do you expect

3. WONDER VIOLET

by belby; Mature (18+)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13179045

Eddie’s friends with Richie’s sister ,,, you know what happens

4. GO WEST

by ssstrychnine; Teen and Up Audiences

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12327069

“1996: Richie and Eddie finish school, drive to San Francisco, change their lives ft. hair braiding, a fake las vegas wedding, waterfalls, bumper cars, and approx. 3300 miles.”

5. I LEFT MY UMBRELLA AT HOME

by hippityhoppy; Mature (18+)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22775233

“By 1996, the Losers are well into college. As they often do, life and time have distanced them in more ways than one. Richie, in an attempt to cling to the normalcy of the past in what feels like a steep slope into a downward spiral, ends up on an unfamiliar doorstep of an all too familiar friend. As if Eddie didn't have to deal with enough on his own plate. The both of them, they quickly come to find out, are unprepared for the storms to come.”

6. LOVESONG (A SERIES)*

by WaxAgent; Mature-Explicit (18+)

https://archiveofourown.org/series/852234

“They're all connected, sure, but nothing comes close to the iron bonds between Richie Tozier and Eddie Kaspbrak; they have their ups and their downs, but they always have each other. A look at their lives from leaving Derry to being dragged back by a promise than both of them had long forgotten.”

*(OKAY EVAN HERE!!! I LOVE THIS FIC/SERIES SO MUCH BUT IN PART 2 IT HAS A STRANGER THINGS CROSSOVER WITH MIKE AND EL BUT I SAY SKIP THAT AND GO ON YOU DON'T MISS MUCH AND WE ALL KNOW IM SO ANTI-CROSSOVER OKAY BYE)

7. WHENEVER I’M ALONE WITH YOU

by stellarbisexual; Explicit (18+)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12182691

“Losers in college. Richie's in an alternative rock band, and Eddie has flung himself into the queer scene.”

8. SAY THAT YOU’LL STAY

by speakslow; Explicit (18+)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12474044

“Richie works at a shitty amusement park for the summer and meets some new friends. Set in 1997”

9. STAY FOR THE STORM

by inoubliable; Explicit (18+)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/15442848

“Richie and Eddie had become friends almost on sight. Since they met, most of Eddie's time in Los Angeles has involved Richie in some way.

It's a little different, now that they're both famous.

It's a little different, now that they're sleeping together.

Well, to be fair, they've been sleeping together for a long time, but. No one knows, not even their friends. Eddie has been very careful about that. It's just not the sort of publicity he needs.

So when Beverly calls him that sunny Thursday morning, the last thing he expects her to say is, ‘You're fucking Richie?’”

10. COFFEE AND CARNIVAL BEARS

by StarshipDancer; Teen and Up Audiences

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12325209

“‘Eddie Kaspbrak knew how many germs were in a person’s mouth, and he would only swap spit with his fucking soulmate.’

Finding your soulmate should be pretty straightforward, but not for Eddie. Not when there were two possible candidates, and he had no idea which one it fucking was.”

11. LET’S HEAR IT FOR THE BOY(S)

by Kandakickas; Teen and Up Audiences

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12372279

“In which Richie and Eddie go to different colleges, and all of their friends are curious about their unnamed significant others - right up until those significant others come to visit and everyone is both shocked and confused.”

12. MEET ME HALFWAY

by ShowMeAHero; Explicit (18+)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/20667038

“‘Richie,’ Mike says sharply. “Who are you with? Why are you in Derry?”

‘Tell him,’ Eddie whispers again.

‘Is that Eddie?’ Mike asks.

‘Tell him, Richie,’ Eddie says again, louder.

‘Jesus Christ,’ Mike says, and Richie snaps, throwing his phone hard at the kitchen wall opposite them. The back smashes and the battery falls into a bowl soaking in the sink. There’s a beat of silence where Eddie and Richie stare at the battery floating in the soapy water.

‘Good work, Kobe,’ Eddie says.”

13. DREAMBOAT

by weepies; Not Rated

https://archiveofourown.org/works/14073438

“‘What are you? A third grader? What the fuck is this?’ Eddie asks. He looks at Richie, confused.

‘A list of fun stuff to do, duh. Can’t you read? I thought you were studying creative writing.’ Eddie glares at Richie, who raises his hands in surrender as he chuckles. ‘Okay, okay. Hear me out. Your professor tells you to write what you know, and you said you don’t know anything. Well, sugar, here’s your opportunity to learn something about yourself.’

Dumbfounded, Eddie cannot tear his eyes away from Richie, his mouth agape. ‘You’re insane,’ Eddie says.

‘And proud,’ Richie replies.

...

In which Eddie Kaspbrak is a writer with no ideas, and Richie Tozier is a coffee shop employee bursting with creativity.”

14. TO THE GUY AT THE BUS STOP:

by Ragno; Explicit (18+)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12809109

“The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, especially if the other side of the fence is Ireland and the grass is Eddie living his own life for the first time ever away from his mom. An International Students Exchange Program is what he needs to finally stand up for himself and doing what he really wants. Who cares if he won't know anybody there? Who cares if he'll be alone in a foreign country? Who cares if he won't have his car and will need to take the bus to go anywhere?? Okay, maybe Eddie does care about that last one…But, hey, at least the real grass is really greener there. Right?”

15. CLOSER THAN MOST

by tozierbraks; Mature (18+)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/14934062/chapters/34598660

“Richie was panting slightly when he reached out an arm and grasped the man’s shoulder a little too hard. He spun rapidly, stumbling backwards away from Richie, his deep brown eyes wide in shock.

‘Eds.’ Richie breathed, his stomach twisting.

Eddie’s wide eyes narrowed in confusion while his brows knitted downwards. He pulled his shoulder out of Richie’s grip

‘Sorry, do I know you?’

college au + forgetting!eddie fic”

16. SIGNED, SOMEONE

by roughentumble; Teen and Up Audiences

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21096380/chapters/50195051

“A secret admirer/love letter AU. Richie starts leaving anonymous love letters in Eddie's locker.”

17. CLUE(LESS)

by endversed; Teen and Up Audiences

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12468440

“Every person on this sorry planet wakes up on their seventeenth birthday with a soulmate mark somewhere on their body – but it’s not always easy to figure out. It’s not their name, or their first words to you, or even some kind of matching shape. It’s not anything clearly indicative; nothing concrete (at first).

No, all this mark gives you is a clue.”

18. FOR BLUE SKIES

by sunsetozier; Teen and Up Audiences

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13978821

“Just as he’s beginning to shake himself out of his daze, his phone buzzes in his hand, a notification popping up at the top of his screen that makes his entire body freeze, reading and rereading it to make sure his eyes aren’t playing a trick on him. When the words don’t change, his jaw drops, an anxious excitement tingling just beneath his skin.

@trashmouthmusic followed you back!

[In which Richie posts anonymous covers on Twitter and Eddie is instantly infatuated with his voice.]”

19. OUR HOUSE, IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR HOUSE

by orphan_account; Teen and Up Audiences

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12458046

“Whatever song your soulmate has stuck in their head is resultantly stuck in yours. Eddie, long suffering through mattress commercial jingles and old rock hits, imagines he would kill his soulmate if he had the chance. Or, he would, if he didn't think revenge was a better answer.”

20. MAYBE, MAYBE

by lisscor; Not Rated

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12841593

“The light was on again. The one in room 307. Richie wondered, not for the first time, who was up there.

Maybe one day, he would find out.

In which two insomniacs who have never met find comfort in the last place they would think to look - each other.”

21. MOST BELOVED

by idaemilia; Mature (18+)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12160854/chapters/27598224

“‘But he had eyes like rain

and hair like waves

and a soul as vast and deep as the ocean

and I guess I didn't mind drowning in him’

-xvaniex on tumblr

Eddie keeps pining for Richie who is too blind to see it. But maybe he already knows.

*previously named Philtatos*”

22. TO WHAT WE MIGHT DO

by MacksDramaticShenanigans; Teen and Up Audiences

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21709897

“He looks scared. More scared than Eddie’s ever seen him before. He looks nervous, too, and Eddie didn’t think it was even possible for Richie Tozier to get nervous.

But there he is. Looking like he's going to shit his pants or throw up all over himself. Eddie would be more worried about that if he still thought Richie was drunk.”

23. CROOKED HEARTS

by killerqueer; General Audiences

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13093371

The Monday before Christmas break, Eddie comes to school to find a yellow rose and a letter from a secret admirer taped to his locker. He's convinced it's a prank until the same thing happens the next day and then continues the rest of the week. He's determined to find out who is doing this, even though he's convinced himself that there's no way it could possibly be the one person he really wants it to be.

24. THE THIRD DATE RULE

by tinyarmedtrex; Mature (18+)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13059960

“Bev drags Eddie along for her tattoo session, telling him that her artist is sex on a stick. She's right, Eddie likes him immediately- if only he wouldn't talk so much.

AU where Richie is a tattoo artist and Eddie pretty much just wants to work in HR and be left alone.”

25. PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION (PTA)

by reddiebitch; Mature (18+)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13773060

“In which Eddie is Richie's kid's first grade teacher.”

26. FAKING IT

by domino1234; Mature (18+)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18023273

“The obnoxiously pretty boy with the filthy mouth across the hall manages to convince Eddie to spend spring break pretending to be his boyfriend at his family’s lake house. Can Eddie put his unrequited crush aside to play up the charade for a week or will his feelings inevitably get in the way?”

27. Nightmares

by MargotCelvin; Teen and Up Audiences

https://archiveofourown.org/works/15515028

“Richie Tozier is trying to start over in New York. He left California behind and wants to leave his old life there as well. The only thing holding him to his old life are the nightmares that have plagued him for so long. But is there something in New York that can cure him of this disease?”

28. FREAKING OUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD

by bearkwans; Explicit (18+)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/19342543

“Richie thinks that this is what being a father is like. He sure fucking feels like a father, dropping all of his plans to take care of his pet, making very specific google searches and running around his apartment like a madman, grabbing toys and a blanket and a few mice in a tupperware bowl. He knows logistically that everything he’s grabbing is useless and what he really needs is a chill pill and maybe some whiskey to soothe his shaking hands, but Richie can’t help the way his paternal side wakes up and takes control of his mind.

“[or: richie's pet snake is sick and he goes to see vet eddie ;) ;)]”

29. SUGAR, HONEY, HONEY

by thefutureisbright; Mature (18+)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/17376344

“Eddie works in a bakery. His life was finally simple. He loved his job, he loved his friends, he loved his shitty little apartment with its shitty little balcony. He loved the plants he kept on his balcony. He loved that he could see the New York skyline when it was an especially clear day. He loved that he lived nowhere near his mother. Eddie loved his quiet, simple life.

Until he met Richie fucking Tozier, and his life was never simple again.”

30. THE BLIND BOX

by tinyarmedtrex; Mature (18+)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13728915

“Eddie works at Gamestop and a dark haired stranger comes in and starts flirting with him. Eddie doesn't think much of it until they keep meeting.

Another College AU! Because why the hell not”

#reddie #fanfiction #reddie fanfiction #fanfic rec #richie tozier #eddie kasbrak #richie and eddie #it #it chapter two #it chapter 1 #it 2017 #it 2019 #fanfic #ao3 #archive of our own #richie x eddie

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therappundit · 4 years

Text

***The Best Rap Songs of 2019 - A Pundit PlayLi$t***

THE YEAR IS 2019.

The rap music genre has splintered multiple times into sub-sub genres, and the line between what is considered “real” hip-hop and what is considered 🗑️ begins to grow sharper and sharper. Hate grows on both sides, as heads - both old and new - collide over which rap songs should be considered worthy of praise, and which ones may be merely capitalizing on the social media trends of the day...

Enter THE Rap Pundit, a purist that is open to all lanes of rap music - provided those lanes are well represented with quality. That Pundit is me.

This year was harder than most because it was a mix of so many different impressive styles...with the exception of mainstream rap music. No Drake, no Kendrick, no Hov or Nas on the list this year, but what you will find are a ton of talented young artists inspired by them, and many other first ballot rap hall of famers. So while the mainstream waned, the underground absolutely feasted in 2019.

Here is the criteria I tried to use for this year’s rankings:

the song had to be in my regular rotation by 12/20/2019 (otherwise, I simply could not have had the time to truly experience it)

I aimed my rankings with the following prioritization in mind: 75% of my decision based on personal favoritism, 20% based on overall quality within the sub-genre regardless of whether or not I listen to it regularly (is it a vapid strip club joint? Then be the best strip club joint you can be!), and 5% based on overall impact (YES, how often a song comes up in conversation with my fellow peers does make a difference - welcome to the culture)

believe it or not, there was an honest attempt at making the most diverse list possible (because in reality if this list was just personal favorites, then the whole list would consist of Griselda, Roc, Mach, Mutant Academy & other underground all-stars from all over the east coast...but seriously, the underground straight massacred the mainstream biz this year)

Again, I have 200+ additional songs I love that I could easily have added on top of this one, but I think this list is plenty long enough as it is, am I right?

Enjoy...because I know I certainly have enjoyed listening to this unparalleled lengthy scroll of dope rap songs that dropped in 2019. 🙏

1. “Palmolive” - Freddie Gibbs & Madlib feat. Pusha T & Killer Mike

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSn_r2w-idg

(A terrific verse from Freddie, a great hook from Killer Mike, and a verse of the year calibre contribution from Pusha T, all over a soulful Madlib back-drop?? Yikes. Freddie Gibbs & Madlib made all rap fans very proud in 2019.)

2. “Ricky” - Denzel Curry

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WHm6tfvKlk

(As soon as you press play, you can feel the humidity coming off of this song as if we were in the crowd with Curry down in Florida. Denzel delivered a wonderful homage to his father, and to the Carol City of which he hails.)

3. “Crown For Kings” - Benny feat. Black Thought

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtTu_TC3f6A

(Black Thought and Griselda?? Bars on top of bars on top of bars…two verse of the year contenders, easily.)

4. “Glorious” - Skyzoo & Pete Rock

https://soundcloud.com/skyzoomusic/glorious?in=skyzoomusic/sets/retropolitan-1

(Want to hear an impressive way to kick off a great album? Look no further than Sky’s scathingly hot verse on “Glorious”, a track that lives up to its’ name.)

5. “I.G.W.T.” - Roc Marciano

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bz5W9LztqZs

(The instrumental alone makes for a quintessential Roc Marci soundtrack, an early standout off of Marcielago. That first beat is magical.)

6. “Crime Pays” - Freddie Gibbs & Madlib

https://soundcloud.com/gangstagibbs/crime-pays?in=gangstagibbs/sets/bandana-16

(So quintessential to Bandana’s vibe this thing feels like it has a pulse. I was listening to this on my walk home the other day and it put me in such a breezy headspace...I can’t even describe it any other way than simply saying it’s another classic Madlib production.)

7. “5 to 50” - Benny feat. India

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQGRPxrHtjI

(Captivating. Benny and The Alchemist join forces to concoct a song so real it makes 90% of drug dealer talk in rap music sound phony.)

8. “Thank God” - Tree

https://soundcloud.com/mctreeg/thank-god?in=mctreeg/sets/wegrownnow

(Tree’s We Grown Now is such a great album. This song perfectly captures the gifts of the legendary Chicago MC, who I consider one of the genre’s unsung special talents. It’s worth a New Year’s Resolution to get familiar with Tree’s catalogue.)

9. “Funeral March (The Dirge)” - Your Old Droog feat. Mach-Hommy

https://soundcloud.com/your-old-droog/funeral-march-the-dirge-feat?in=your-old-droog/sets/it-wasnt-even-close-1

(One of the hardest sounding songs in recent memory. I can hear these two do this all day, a great example of the tremendous work both artists put into 2019.)

10. “Freestyle Shit” - Freddie Gibbs & Madlib

https://soundcloud.com/gangstagibbs/freestyle-s-t?in=gangstagibbs/sets/bandana-16

(Pffffew, that Gibbs delivery….right from the get-go with the album’s first song, it’s so clear that Bandana is a special project.)

11. “Ephesians” - Roc Marciano feat. Ka

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pWWHYd_SBI

(METAL CLERGY RAP.....if I need to say anymore about this joint, than you and I simply don’t roll in the same rap circles.)

12. “It’s All Good” - Skyzoo & Pete Rock

https://soundcloud.com/skyzoomusic/its-all-good?in=skyzoomusic/sets/retropolitan-1

(The gorgeous first single off Retropolitan feels like liquid nostalgia and summers in NYC, without sounding the least bit dated.)

13. “Situations” - Freddie Gibbs & Madlib

https://soundcloud.com/gangstagibbs/situations?in=gangstagibbs/sets/bandana-16

(One of Bandana’s more minimalistic instrumentals, and it takes off thanks to the jet pack provided by Gibbs and his sensational performance on this one.)

14. “There U R” - Tree

https://soundcloud.com/mctreeg/there-u-r?in=mctreeg/sets/wegrownnow

(Give this man his flowers now. There are a lot of talented artists in rap music, but none tackle a song like an old Blues man…none except Tree, that is.)

15. “Pete’s Sake” - Conway & Benny

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njNKcQx7NSA

(Quite simply one of the most raw beats I have heard in some time. And my favorite Conway verse of 2019.)

16. “Massage Seats” - Freddie Gibbs & Madlib

https://soundcloud.com/gangstagibbs/massage-seats?in=gangstagibbs/sets/bandana-16

(Smooth as Helllll. “This ain’t for soccer mamas this is for the underground” is right.)

17. “Flights” - Tree

https://soundcloud.com/mctreeg/flights?in=mctreeg/sets/wegrownnow

(Tree kills it with the autobiographical joints, and this soulful walk down memory lane is as enthralling as an audio diary.)

18. “Dr. Bird’s” - Westside Gunn, Conway & Benny (Griselda)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sc3WbLz2IY

(It’s no secret that Griselda Records had a sensational 2019, and no posse cut personifies that better than “Bird’s”.)

19. “Cokewhite” - Goldlink feat. Pusha T

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zCGiHhTxMM

(Another spotlight stealing verse from Pusha Ton, who in limited work, managed to appear everywhere this year in music.)

20. “Funeral” - Tree & Parallel Thought

https://parallelthought1.bandcamp.com/track/funeral

(I hope with all of my heart that songs like this aren’t part of Tree’s process of letting go of the music biz, but even if it is, what a beautiful way to go out.)

21. “Bandana” - Freddie Gibbs & Madlib feat. Assassin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWCciqqzno4

(While it may not have made the final cut of the Bandana album that shares its’ name, this reggae-tinged, Madlib blessed riot starter has been one of my favorite songs of the year since it dropped and it keeps feeling better to me.)

22. “Homegrown” - Skyzoo & Pete Rock

https://soundcloud.com/skyzoomusic/homegrown?in=skyzoomusic/sets/retropolitan-1

(Another incredibly soulful standout from Retropolitan. When Skyzoo & Pete Rock are performing at the top of their game, both are as potent as it gets within their respective lanes.)

23. “El Toro Combo Meal” - Earl Sweatshirt feat. Mavi

https://soundcloud.com/earlxsweatshirtmusic/el-toro-combo-meal-feat-mavi-prod-by-ovrkast?in=earlxsweatshirtmusic/sets/feet-of-clay

(Two MCs vying for the lo-fi crown are Earl Sweatshirt and Mavi. It is beginning to get confusing to figure out who is the student and who is the teacher here, but regardless, both talented artists flashed a ton of skill in 2019.)

24. “To Whom It May Concern” - Jim Jones feat. Cam'ron, Guordan Banks, Benny The Butcher and Conway

https://soundcloud.com/jim-jones-capo/to-whom-it-may-concern-feat-camron-guordon-banks-benny-the-butcher-conway-the-machine?in=jim-jones-capo/sets/el-capo

(A Dipset and Griselda collaboration is enough to make someone like me get emotional…anyone have a tissue, this Benny-Cam’ron-Conway back to back series is too much to handle!?)

25. “Under The Sun” - J. Cole, Lute & DaBaby (and Kendrick Lamar?)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUUuI--jAlM

(The best song off of Dreamville’s Revenge of the Dreamers 3 is the first track. It’s just a straightforward soul loop, but Cole and Lute really shine...but then DaBaby comes through to shine hard enough to blind the first two verses.)

26. “Sunday School” - Benny feat. 38 Spesh & Jadakiss

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ero1Xexyhs

(Spesh really killed this great cut off of Benny’s The Plugs I Met, but all three really did their thing.)

27. “Dominate” - DJ Muggs & Eto

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxjTKqpMHIE

(Straight menace music. Muggs & Eto would have made Mobb Deep proud with “Dominate”…especially Muggs, this beat is brutal!)

28. “Lucha Bros.” - Westside Gunn feat. Curren$y & Benny

https://soundcloud.com/westsidegunn/lucha-bros-feat-curreny-benny?in=westsidegunn/sets/hitler-wears-hermes-7

(Another crazy banger from Griselda, off of Westside’s fantastic Hitler Wears Hermes 7. Don’t let the smooth vibe force you to overlook the bar-fest on this one.)

29. “Obamacare” - Quelle Chris

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-F19d5PcJY

(Another year, another thought provoking Quelle Chris project. He seems to be getting better with age, is that possible?)

30. “Big Uzi Vert” - Fly Anakin & Big Kahuna OG

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CxWj6g0DnU

(As with 2018, some of the best rap songs of the year are collaborations from the mighty Mutant Academy. Virginia’s Fly Anakin and Big Kahuna OG both clocked in ready to work in 2019, and they have stacks of great joints to prove it. Anakin’s “I’m from the projects, I don’t skateboard” helped this one push to the front of the Mutant pack.)

31. “Daylight Savings” - Mavi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZTI9YkK_1w

(Mavi really captured the attention of fans and critics alike with Let The Sun Talk. His flow on “Daylight” proves that Mavi is so much more than the copycats you may stumble across on Soundcloud these days.)

32. “Chasing Ghosts” - Your Old Droog feat. Roc Marciano

https://soundcloud.com/your-old-droog/chasing-ghosts-feat-roc?in=your-old-droog/sets/it-wasnt-even-close-1

(What a great example of why these two are so good at what they do. Eerie underground hip-hop at its’ finest - and Roc’s best guest verse of the year.)

33. “Cubicle” - Buddy feat. 03 Greedo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZ9Yw7i_Fo8

(What a slept-on smash from Buddy and 03 Greedo. Both artists do the West Coast proud with one of my favorite cuts off of the deluxe edition of Harlan & Alondra.)

34. “Education” - Freddie Gibbs & Madlib feat. Yasiin Bey & Black Thought

https://soundcloud.com/gangstagibbs/education-feat-yasiin-bey?in=gangstagibbs/sets/bandana-16

(As if that line-up isn’t enough to make any hip-hop head salivate, it’s even more impressive that the final product manages to meet expectations.)

35. “Wild Minks” - Quelle Chris feat. Mach-Hommy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dQmPX1C0Vk

(Quelle and Mach make beautiful music together, and they don’t come much more beautiful than this one.)

36. “IMG” - Nolan The Ninja

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vNvRLIQHVs

(Nolan has blessed us with a number of great songs in 2019, but I think this one epitomizes just how much he has progressed as a rap artist.)

37. “Splinters” - Fly Anakin & Tuamie feat. ANKHLEJOHN & Al.Divino

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWORdUQAEcc

(Just a chilling collaboration from some of the best artists that underground hip-hop has to offer, that’s all.)

38. “Spider Hole” - Billy Woods & Kenny Segal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1WBEi5LlkI

(Beautifully bleak music from Billy Woods and Kenny Segal, who demonstrate brilliant chemistry throughout Hiding Places.)

39. “Deadass” - Kemba

https://soundcloud.com/kembaland/deadass-2

(Unfortunately, in any other era this could have been a hit rap song. But fortunately, in this era it can be praised as one of the best underground smashes of the year from a very good album. Keep an eye on Kemba...)

40. “Dynasties” - Tedy Andreas

https://soundcloud.com/tedyandreas/dynasties-prod-graphwize

(Dope beat, dope MC and a killer hook. I can’t be the only longterm fan that Tedy earned with this one.)

41. “OD” - Earl Sweatshirt

https://soundcloud.com/earlxsweatshirtmusic/od-1

(Say what you want about the length of Earl’s songs, but he can accomplish more with a minute and a half on a record than most rappers can with an hour.)

42. “Still” - Maxo Kream

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3Tza0cGrQk

(Maxo may have just dropped the best project of his career, and this woozy thumper is one of his hardest tracks yet.)

43. “18 Wheeler” - Benny feat. Pusha T

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdZC8uBwJ4Q&list=PLVipAi3U-JouPCQvz3KoH2B1VAKAZc7m4&index=6

(At this point, what else needs to be said about the potency of these two rap-writers? Calling it “coke rap” wouldn’t even begin to explain how good these two are when it comes to the art of rapping.)

44. “ZUU” - Denzel Curry

https://soundcloud.com/denzelcurryph/zuu?in=denzelcurryph/sets/zuu-3

(A rousing intro to what I would consider the best “mainstream” rap album of 2019.)

45. “Flat Tummy Tea” - Freddie Gibbs & Madlib

https://soundcloud.com/gangstagibbs/flat-tummy-tea

(I liked it when it first dropped, love it even more now. Freddie straight MURDERS this one...)

46. “Broke Bitch Dreams” - ShooterGang Kony

https://soundcloud.com/shootergangkony/broke-bitch-dreams

(I knew nothing about ShooterGang Kony at the start of 2019, and I don’t know much more now. But I know that this song has smash written all over it, one of the best ‘cruising with the top down’ joints that I have heard in recent memory. The hook is an ear worm to the point of concern.)

47. “Tito’s Back” - Conway feat. Benny & Westside Gunn

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGqViFucmJ8

(Griselda’s top two lyrical assassins doing what they do best, but going back and forth in a manner that not even Styles & Jada could touch.)

48. “Attics” - DJ Muggs & Eto

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UmYxcv4YTs

(Sure Muggs & Eto dropped a banger of an album with Hell’s Roof, but “Attics” has the strength to be a career defining track for Eto. This is dark poetry from one of the hungriest parts of upstate NY.)

49. “Under The Train (Transporting)” - Your Old Droog

https://soundcloud.com/your-old-droog/under-the-train-transporting-1

(Droog’s Transportation album may be the perfect traveling companion for moving through the streets of NYC, and this song may be the projects’ crown jewel. This has the feel of a classic New York anthem and I am crazy for it.)

50. “Know The Type” - Lansky Jones feat. CJ Fly & Mr. Muthafuckin’ Exquire

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riRJk2QiROI

(What happens when a collection of some of NYC’s most talented, but least heralded MC’s join forces to deliver what sounds like a classic mid-90′s throwback joint? They create one of the smoothest rap songs of 2019.)

51. “NINA” - Rapsody

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54yOD994ors

(Eve raised Rapsody’s discography to a whole other level. A brilliant, pro-woman battle cry that somehow manages to ether the industry while still radiating positivity, Rap pulled together a beautiful collection of songs with this album - and verse of the year contenders, beginning right here with her opening track, the impressive “NINA”.)

52. “Spongebob” - billy woods + kenny segal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83F4JpVu61k

(Segal’s production is perfect background for woods to go to work. If Hiding Places isn’t in your collection, that must change immediately.)

53. “Cash War” - Gunna

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObdMBhfySMI

(Gunna has had a fantastic year, and this song shows why he is a natural hitmaker. Drip or Drown 2 is one of mainstream rap’s finest records of 2019.)

54. “May Store” - Westside Gunn, Conway & Benny feat. Keisha Plum

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6kMBwNCAyw

(More dazzling lyrical chemistry from Griselda. Damn Benny, why do you have to murk beats like this? Not even fair to other MC’s at this point.)

55. “HolOnHolOn” - Fly Anakin & Tuamie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCbgGn2BXUc&list=PLAfLqY9BQJkyjUuDAEn7cehQ3DZWAZogX&index=4

(Another fantastic track from Mutant Academy. Is it me or does Tuamie channel some Jay Dee-esque vibes with this one?)

56. “Bad Boys” - Pivot Gang (Joseph Chilliams, Saba, MFnMelo) feat. Smino

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCaBVqi4Rag

(This one didn’t blow up - at least not yet - but I have no idea why!? This track, like so much of Pivot Gang’s You Can’t Sit With Us album, is such a fantastic showcase for Chi-town’s deep hip-hop scene.)

57. “Pop Out” - Polo G feat. Lil TJay

https://soundcloud.com/polo-g/polo-g-feat-lil-tjay-pop-out

(HUGE hit, and rightfully so. So much more than a typical baller anthem, the hook - and more specifically, the performance of Polo G - makes “Pop Out” easily one of the best rap songs on mainstream radio in 2019.)

58. “Field Negro” - Royce Da 5′9″

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zK7N63lsoRE

(An unorthodox production anchored by one of the best writers in the history of the genre, that’s all. Royce murders this thing with so many quotables…yet you’re still somehow sleeping on Royce???)

59. “Nobody’s Favorite” - Rick Ross feat. Gunplay

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMzfaCskeGo

(At the top of 2019, would I have predicted that Ross and Gunplay would have dropped one of the best rap songs of the year? No. Is “Nobody’s Favorite” a seriously dope rap song? Without question.)

60. “WYRM” - Quelle Chris

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DNS1pXDec0

(Another gorgeous track from a man that low-key has one of the strongest discographies in rap music, Detroit’s Quelle Chris.)

61. “Memorial” - MIKE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0czotN8EXQ

(If the lo-fi movement in rap music was a sports team, MIKE deserves to be the team captain. Tears of Joy is an intensely personal album, but amongst the tears there is much to feel joyful about after listening to MIKE’s latest collection of gems.)

62. “4 Clove Club” - Wiki

https://pitchfork.com/levels/wiki-4-clove-club-new-song-listen/

(Few MC’s as unique as Wiki manage to actually create music that is enjoyable to listen to while they are attempting to color outside of conventional lines. Somehow, Wiki seems to get better at this rare skill with every project. An autobiographical album that feels like a disjointed, but musically cohesive diary, what Wiki manages to accomplish with Oofie is wildly impressive.)

63. “PTSD” - Omen, Mereba, Deante' Hitchcock & St. Beauty

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWbjiP50Nbg

(One of the most beautiful songs off of ROTD3, but it’s Omen’s verse that tugged most on my heart strings, and snagged a spot on this year’s Best Of list.)

64. “Giannis” - Freddie Gibbs & Madlib feat. Anderson .Paak

https://soundcloud.com/gangstagibbs/giannis-feat-anderson-paak?in=gangstagibbs/sets/bandana-16

(One of the funkier standouts from Bandana, and album full of standouts. Paak and Gibbs tap dance all over this one.)

65. “Baby” - Lil Baby & DaBaby [Quality Control]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GbwYFqN1iE

(A collaboration that at one point, most would have joked about off of name alone, the joke is now on the doubters because both of these Babies can really RAP.)

66. “The Old Groove” - Westside Gunn, Conway & Benny feat. Novel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eo-E6Nl-aoE

(Somber - even by Griselda standards - this collaboration off WWCD feels like a victory lap from the best group of gritty MCs since Mobb Deep, Boot Camp, and the Wu Tang Clan.)

67. “The Norm” - Von Pea

https://soundcloud.com/vonpea/08-thenorm

(Von Pea’s City For Sale deserves to be mentioned as another great release in the growing sub-genre that is “rappers warning the rest of the world of the dangers of gentrification”, this record right here captures the message so well and he knocks the production way out the park.)

68. “The Routine” - Wiki

https://soundcloud.com/wikset/10-the-routine

(A bouncy standout from Oofie that has really climbed my own rankings in recent weeks. I love what Wiki was going for with the production aesthetic on this one.)

69. “Playground Bench” - Raz Fresco feat. AZ & BriskInTheHouse

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-4wzn2KRVQ

(Bonus points to anyone that caught this joint! A way under the radar AZ feature that warrants more shine. But don’t sleep, Raz Fresco dropped *multiple* dope projects in 2019.)

70. “Smallsteps” - Medhane

https://medhane.bandcamp.com/track/smallsteps

(Another rising star from the depths of the lo-fi underground, Medhane’s Own Pace project is an easy but by no means basic listen from start to finish on the strength of his solid production choices and candor.)

71. “No Love” - Maxo feat. lojii

https://soundcloud.com/rundatbacc/no-love-feat-lojji?in=rundatbacc/sets/lil-big-man-1

(Maxo’s Lil Big Man has made 2019′s ‘Best of’ lists on more than a few sites, and thanks to smooth joints like “No Live” it’s certainly not hard to understand why.)

72. “CLONES” - Tierra Whack

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-8qrzg-vgQ

(Walking the fine line between truth and song parody, Tierra may have been imitating her peers with this one, but nevertheless the final result is catchy as hell.)

73. “2/5” - Jay Bel

https://soundcloud.com/groovyxjay/6-2-5-flip-gawd-dre?in=groovyxjay/sets/4wurd-an-anti-gentrification-project

(A lot of folks might not be familiar with Brooklyn’s Jay Bel yet, but that’s going to have to change soon because this kid is too talented to stay under the radar too much longer. 4wurd made for a fantastic introduction.)

74. “Meet Again” - Maxo Kream

https://soundcloud.com/maxo-kream/meet-again

(Another dope Maxo Kream song, another great example of this superb story telling skills.)

75. “Everything” - Little Brother

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krnOMqDjB0k

(A dope Little Brother album in 2019 was not something that anyone had on their itinerary heading into the year. Pooh and Phonte haven’t lost a step, and there are plenty of cuts on May The Lord Watch that feel like classic LB.)

76. “Proceed On” - Fly Anakin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FO2mRZTX8XM

(A slick loosie from one of Mutant Academy’s finest.)

77. “Suge” - DaBaby

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPpmGHn6gB8

(What DaBaby lacks in depth of content, he makes up for with his recognizable flow and sheer charisma.)

78. “Monica” - Flatbush Zombies feat. Tech N9ne

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0db9NJhVEA

(One of the more recent additions to this list, it has slowly creeped up the charts on my end - and reminded me of how contagious a Flatbush Zombies joint can be.)

79. “NYC” - Jim Jones feat. Fat Joe

https://soundcloud.com/jim-jones-capo/nyc-feat-fat-joe?in=jim-jones-capo/sets/el-capo

(Just one of a cornucopia of classic-sounding Heatmakerz firecrackers off of Jim Jones’ surprisingly potent El Capo.)

80. “Murray’s” - Fly Anakin & Tuamie feat. Skyzoo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYyGTepAhM0&list=PLAfLqY9BQJkyjUuDAEn7cehQ3DZWAZogX&index=8

(Good things happen whenever Skyzoo connects with rising underground stars. Ask Griselda, and now you can ask Mutant Academy, too. This joint might sound basic to the uneducated listener, but for me, Tuamie provided Anakin and Sky with an ideal minimalist back drop to wax poetic over.)

81. “$ream - Rigz (Da Cloth)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piGwjW27ZRQ

(Not just one of Rochester’s finest, Rigz is quite simply one of hip-hop’s finest MC’s. Major props to Da Cloth’s Rigz and Mooch for dropping some tremendous work in 2019.)

82. “Voodoo” - Rome Streetz

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6g4tfLwlODo

(I don’t know if I have enjoyed any full Rome Streetz project as much as last year’s Street Farmacy, but he has incredible rap music scattered all across 2019. I’m currently enjoying his latest work, Joyeria, but his collaboration with Sadhugold remains my favorite Rome joint of the year...but he absolutely owned anything he spit on. A future NYC MVP right here.)

83. “Scotties” - Westside Gunn, Conway & Benny

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fn3S89vi_L0

(An off-kilt head nodder off WWCD showcases the unparalleled chemistry of real life brothers Gunn and Conway, and finishes strong with an impeccable verse from cousin Benny.)

84. “Tom Chambers” - Roc Marciano feat. Knowledge The Pirate

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MB6No8zPsU0

(Roc and Knowledge pass the mic back and forth and completely bar-out on this Marcielago banger...one of several slick tracks off the album that switch-up the beat halfway through the song.)

85. “Big Tipper” - Young Thug feat. Lil Keed

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYO28vD5N2A

(Thugga’s So Much Fun was the first Young Thug project that I truly enjoyed. I think it all came together for Thugga on this album, and it’s chockfull of singles. Most folks would tout “Hot” as the early standout, but “Big Tipper” was the one that stood out to me as having the greatest smash potential.)

86. “100,000” - NYM Lo feat. Smoke DZA & 183rd

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tukJUizDj_g

(I would describe this sound as “underground bop”. NYM Lo and DZA show some great track chemistry here, the hook is a dope homage, and 183rd brought his sharpest production tools to the table with this one.)

87. “Lupos” - CRIMEAPPLE

https://crimeapple.bandcamp.com/track/lupos

(Not many MC’s can claim they had a stronger year than New Jersey’s CRIMEAPPLE. Multiple dope projects, some fantastic feature work, and a stack of quotables to his credit, “Lupos” is my top pick from his recent catalogue off the strength of bars like “I hear biting was the best form of flattery, now I’m glad to see some teeth marks in my strategy.”)

88. “Oaks” - BULLIES (Denmark Vessey, DrxQuinnx and Azarias)

https://fxckrxp.bandcamp.com/track/oaks

(A criminally underrated project that stands amongst this year’s finest, Denmark, Quinn & Azarias have fantastic musical chemistry that can be found all across the Bullies album. In another time and another place, Bullies would fit in well alongside Def Jux’s starting line-up.)

89. “Intro” - DaBaby

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpR0gTQG8FI

(What a year for DaBaby. Entering the year with mainstream potential, and leaving 2019 as a flat-out star, all he really needed to do to extend his career trajectory at this point was prove that he also had substance as an artist. Well, say hello to the Intro to his KIRK album and consider all questions answered.)

90. “Protons Electrons Always Cause Explosions” - Al.Divino & Estee Nack

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkpPdfNfneg

(One of the more interesting contributions by two of underground hip-hop’s most prolific and exciting MCs’. The duo of Divino and Nack don’t need to back down from any other duo because they are gifted at what they do: hitting fans over the heads with their consistently dope brand of raw rap.)

91. “Skimmin’” - Apollo Brown feat. Nolan The Ninja & Dopehead

https://apollobrown360.bandcamp.com/track/skimmin-feat-nolan-the-ninja-dopehead

(With Sincerely, Detroit, Apollo Brown pulled together one of the strongest compilations of his career. I could have saluted a handful of joints off of this album, but “Skimmin” was my personal favorite, thanks to a great subdued performance by Nolan The Ninja.)

BONUS TRACK: “Mister” - Young Nudy & Pi’erre Bourne feat. 21 Savage

https://soundcloud.com/youngnudy/mister-feat-21-savage?in=youngnudy/sets/slimerre-2

(Just a fun, bouncy collaboration from two of the game’s most unpredictable trap flows. Nudy is Pi’erre’s greatest collaborator - if you were thinking Playboi Carti, there’s no way you read down this far - and there is really something to be said for any rap artist that makes it hard for the listener to guess what they’ll say next. What Savage & Nudy may lack in clever wordplay they make up for in flow, charisma, and catchy hooks.)

***HIGH HONORS [songs that definitely belong in the top 91...so while they might not be the first item packed, consider these joints worthy of smuggling on board the plane for any trip]***:

https://therappundit.tumblr.com/post/189803686616/honorable-mention-the-best-rap-songs-of-2019

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horsesarecreatures · 6 years

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101 Reasons Why Zenyatta is a Legend

1. She is the first horse to win two different Breeder’s Cup races (The Breeder’s Cup Classic and The Breeder’s Cup Ladies’ Classic).

2. She had one of the most dramatic running styles of all time. She never failed to start slowly and she never failed to finish powerfully.

3. She is the first and only female horse to win the Breeder’s Cup Classic, the most important horse race in the United States.

4. She won a total of $7,304,580, despite not being raced until she was almost 4

5. She won 19 consecutive races in a row.

6. She is the first horse to win the William H. May Award.

7. She broke the all-time North American record for Grade 1 victories by a mare.

8. She tied the all-time North American record for consecutive victories without defeat.

9. Tied the all-time North American record with 16 consecutive victories in unrestricted races (held by Citation and Cigar).

10. She is the top Breeder’s Cup earner ($4,680,000).

11. On August 7, 2010, Zenyatta broke the world record set by Rock of Gibraltar for consecutive Grade/Group I victories

12. Zenyatta surpassed Tiznow, John Henry, and Alysheba in all-time North American earnings (male or female).

13. Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert of triple crown winners American Pharoah and Justify said Zenyatta beating his horses in the 2009 Breeder’s Cup Classic “...was the only time in horse racing that I didn’t mind getting beat in a race. If they don’t reward her with horse of the year, it would be a travesty. Zenyatta made the Breeders’ Cup. And the way she won! I’ve never seen a crowd so captivated. It felt like a horse winning the third leg of the Triple Crown.”

14. She was purchased for only $60,000.

15. She won a total of four Eclipse Awards.

16. She was named Horse of the Year in 2010, getting in on the first ballot.

17. Her Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic was the second-fastest in Breeders Cup history at 1:46.85 for 1⅛ miles.

18. Zenyatta set speed records in the 2008 El Encino Stakes (1:40:61) and the 2008 Lady's Secret Stakes (1:40:30).

19. She is the first mare to win Vanity International Handicap, Clement L. Hirsch Stakes, and the Lady's Secret Stakes for 3 consecutive years.

20. Zenyatta holds both the speed record and record for most wins in the Lady's Secret Stakes. Her connections Ann & Jerry Moss, John Shirreffs, and Mike Smith hold records for most wins (four) by an owner, trainer, and jockey respectively.

21. She was named by Oprah Winfrey to the 2010 “O Power List” in O Magazine.

22. Zenyatta was selected three years in a row (2008–2010) for NTRA's Moment of the Year Award, for her 2008 Ladies' Classic victory, historic 2009 Breeders' Cup Classic victory, and narrow defeat in the 2010 Breeders' Cup Classic.

23. On May 10, 2011, Zenyatta's story kicked off the "Inspire" segment of the 2011 Professional Business Women of California (PBWC) Conference. This organization was founded by California Congresswoman Jackie Speier. Ann Moss, Dr. Dawn Hunkin, and Dottie Ingordo-Shirreffs and several thousand people attended as Zenyatta was presented with a PBWC Honorary Membership.

24. Zenyatta was the first horse to receive an Honorary Membership to the San Pedro Assistance League. Her photo proudly hangs in their official conference room.

25. According to her jockey Mike Smith, she is the greatest horse of the decade.

26. Her career spanned 4 years and she retired sound as ever.

27. She never suffered a major injury.

28. She has a personality like no other. Her funky pre-race dances entertained thousands.

29. She was a hero to people in times of economic hardships.

30. Her trainer John Sheriffs said, “I’ve been around horses for 50 years, and I’ve never seen a Thoroughbred like Zenyatta. She was that special that I wanted everyone who wanted to meet her personally to be able to do it. There was something about Zenyatta that made you feel good.”

31. At 17.2 hh, the starting gate could barely contain her massive frame.

32. She clocked the second-fastest time for 1 1/8 miles in Breeders’ Cup history when she blazed that distance in 1:46.85 in the Ladies’ Classic in 2008.

33. Zenyatta was inducted into the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame in 2016.

34. The only race she ever “lost” was her second Breeder’s Cup Classic, where she came in second place, only inches behind Blame, who she had beaten before.

35. She was born on April Fool’s day.

36. She likes beer, preferably stout Guinness.

37. ESPN studied the length of her stride and concluded that it was a whopping 26 feet. For comparison, the average thoroughbred stride is 20 feet and Secretariat’s was 24 feet 11 inches.

38. She was chosen to promote The Dodgers in 2010 and had her very own billboard in Los Angeles.

39. At Del Mar, they use the Trakkus system for clocking how fast a horse is running during a race. When Z won the Clement Hirsch in 2009, they clocked her "closing down the stretch" at 40+ mph.

40. She has beaten every single one of the 135+ horses that have raced against her (yes, this includes Blame).

41. Her heart is the size of a volleyball.

42. While often criticized for primarily running on synthetic surfaces, she started training on dirt and it is what she was most comfortable with.

43. Even though she has broken record after record, people still don’t know how fast she truly is because she always came from the back of the pack and swung all the way to the outside to avoid traffic before winning at the last moment. As her jockey Mike Smith said, she has “another gear.”

44. She loves foals as much as she loves people. Todd Claunch said, “She loves foals more than just about any mare I've ever been around. When she's outside, all the other foals just come up to her, not just her own.… You can even see her going through the thought process of teaching them things."

45. Zenyatta set speed records in the 2008 El Encino Stakes (1:40:61) and the 2008 Lady's Secret Stakes (1:40:30).

46. She’s photogenic and knows how to pose for photos.

47. Her talent and personality are unmatchable. When asked, “How does Zenyatta compare to the other horses you've been on who won these championship races?," Mike Smith replied “She means more to me than all those.”

48. She lived in Hollywood like the celebrity she is.

49. She can dance. Her moves were taught to her by Mike Smith as a positive way to relieve her endless energy.

50. She feeds of the crowd’s energy.

51. Mike Smith said, “I think she could arguably go down as one of the greatest, if not the greatest horse of all time." And Mike smith’s ridden a lot of champions.

52. She kicked up so much dirt that Mike Smith once had to change goggles six times during a race.

53. Over a thousand people came to her retirement ceremony, despite below freezing temperatures.

54. She has her own horse race named after her (The Zenyatta Stakes).

55. She was smart enough to control her own energy and exert during the most important part of the race.

56. Her trainer was John Sheriffs, who is known for his kind and patient approach.

57. When she was at Hollywood park she lived on a street named after her.

58. The Dodgers had her on a billboard, with the tagline “This is My Town.”

59. She has her own song written by Liza G. Fly.

60. She blurs the line between a starlet and a horse,

61. She once bowed when the track announcer called her name.

62. Zenyatta’s owners Anne and Jerry Moss love her so much that they almost moved her into their Bel-Air home.

63. A sandwich was named after her at trainer John Sheriff’s favorite coffee shop.

64. She has multiple books written about her.

65. She had her own 60 minutes episode titles “Another Look at Zenyatta.”

66. Her first son, Cozmic One, is the 2018 Retired racehorse Project ambassador.

67. She made “Zenyatta” a word that Urban Dictionary defines as “To meet unrealistic expectations, do things that shouldn't be done, defy all logic, leave observers with a loss for ways to describe awesomeness and be perfect.”

68. She sparked a girl power movement in horse racing.

69. Her fans invented the term “hooves crossed.”

70. She has a trusting soul and a zen-like calm.

71. On June 27, 2009, Zenyatta won the Grade 1 Vanity Handicap at Hollywood Park for the second straight year. She carried 129 lbs, spotting her rivals from 13 to 18 pounds, and became the first horse to win under such a weight assignment since 1977.

72. Her rivalry with Rachel Alexandra was the most intense one of recent horse racing history.

73. The second time she ran in the Breeder’s Cup Classic, its TV ratings were triple what they were in 2009.

74. A single halter of hers once sold for $6,600.

75. Jonathan Bush, nephew of George W. Bush, named his luxury catamaran after her.

76. She is in the Arcadia Historical Society Walk of Champions.

77. Unlike most racehorses, Zenyatta did not jog or gallop to warm up before a race. Instead, regular pilot Mike Smith would let her stand and look over the crowd and her competition. He figured she did enough stretching doing her little dance.

78. Zenyatta retired as the leading money winner among North American-based fillies and mares

79. For three straight years, one of Zenyatta's races was named the National Thoroughbred Racing Association's “Moment of the Year.” The races selected for this honor were her victory in the 2008 Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic (USA-I), her victory in the 2009 Breeders' Cup Classic (USA-I) and her narrow defeat in the 2010 Breeders' Cup Classic (USA-I).

80. A statue of Zenyatta was unveiled at Santa Anita in 2012, joining the statues of Seabiscuit and John Henry in the Paddock Gardens area near the main grandstand. It took over two years to build.

81. Zenyatta is an honorary member of the San Pedro Assistance League.

82. She stares down anyone who approaches her.

83. The Run the Bluegrass half-marathon in Lexington honors a different Thoroughbred each year, and Zenyatta was the honoree for the 2014 edition.

84. She has her own Breyer model.

85. Her whole pedigree is pretty cool and rare for a top thoroughbred.

86. She is not related to Northern Dancer or Seattle Slew, unlike the majority of thoroughbreds who sometimes feature these horses in their pedigrees multiple times, so she’s not intensely inbred.

87. She outpaces her competitors even in fundraising.

88. Trevor Denman screaming, "If she wins this, she'll be a superhorse" and "This is un-ba-lievable !!" after Zenyatta won the 2009 Breeder’s Cup Classic.

89. She has raised thousands of dollars for various charities, particularly Canter, which helps place ottbs in forever homes. Thanks to her, it has expanded to several locations in the United States.

90. Even though Blame officially won the 2010 BBC, Zenyatta still pulled herself ahead of him after the wire.

91. Thousands bet on her, even when they only got a 10 cent profit off of two dollars.

92. Zenyatta was an inspiration like no other. One school teacher from Santa Barbara who was in a wheelchair when she first met Zenyatta decided to try and walk afterwards, and she did.

93. Kari Bussel from Tennessee once said, “I am terminally ill and my dying wish was to touch her once. I know in my heart she is the reason I am still alive and have thus far defied the odds and what the doctors told me. She inspired me never to give up. I have refused to go anywhere until her story was finished."

94. Although she did not retire undefeated, Zenyatta proved in the end that perfection is not always measured in numbers.

95. She proved that mares can be just or even more profitable as racehorses than as broodmares.

96. She started a new era of filly-dominated horse racing. After her, other great fillies like Rachel Alexandra, Black Caviar, Goldikova, and Havre de Grace started dominating the sport as well.

97. She has over 468,000 followers on Facebook.

98. For two years in a row, she finished second in voting for the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year, narrowly beaten by Serena Williams and Lindsey Vonn.

99. Sports Illustrated rated Zenyatta as number 1 female horse of all time.

100. She helped revive the struggling racehorse industry on the West coast.

101. She turned the sport of kings into the sport of queens.

#Zenyatta #thoroughbred #racehorse #mare #brown horse #horse #equine #legend

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thisisnotacomp · 3 years

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Best Albums of 2020

I am a little bit late posting my list this year. I put it together in mid December but been slow to get it up. Without further ado, here are the best releases of 2020 according to me:

1. Run The Jewels - RTJ4 Honestly this was a pretty clear choice for me. EL-P and Killer Mike dropped RTJ4 a few weeks early after the news of George Floyd. This was the perfect soundtrack for what was unfolding across America. EL-P has been making amazing beats since since dropping Funcrusher Plus as a member of Company Flow in 1997. The fact that this album is a both a logical extension of his sound and so fresh 20 plus years into his career is no small feat. While this is the 4th true Run The Jewels album, the pair first teamed up in 2012 for Mike’s R.A.P. Music LP making this their 5th joint album. Killer Mike has been one of the most underrated MC’s and continue to show his chops on RTJ4. In a year that truly needed a soundtrack, Run The Jewels came through in a big way.

2. Ludovico Einaudi - 12 Songs From Home I am guessing most people haven’t heard “12 Songs From Home” which is a bit of a shame. If RTJ4 was the soundtrack of the year in protests the 12 Songs From Home was my soundtrack for the Pandemic lock down. Ludovico Einaudi recorded the album early in the lock down at home on his iPhone. Beautiful songs and simple arrangements helped to calm fraying nerves when the pandemic first started taking over the globe.

3. Tootard - Migrant Birds Here is another album that most of the world will never hear. If 2020 would have been a normal year, who knows if the great tracks here would have caught on to a wider audience. I guess it doesn’t matter. Migrant Birds was exactly what I needed to hear during the summer lockdown months. Upbeat 80′s disco sounds from the middle east transformed my backyard in Seattle. I am pretty confident that my most listened to track of the year was Moonlight. But the real gem of the release is “Stone Heap of the Wild Cat”. I mean its close to 4 mins of pure gold.

4. Bill Callahan - Gold Record As the Dj Khaled drop goes Another One. Gold Record is Bill Callahan’s best release in 10 years. I loved 2019′s Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest but there is just something about his 2020 release. It feels more like a true album start to finish than that album did. If you like Bill Callahan you have heard this album. If you like music and haven’t track it down. It doesn’t disappoint.

5. Kelly Lee Ownes - Inner Song If there is one thing that I am starting to notice as a move into middle age is that I prioritize releases from my favorite artists and don’t search out new music quite as much. I find it hard to accept new artists into this group. In 2020 Kelly Lee Ownes made the cut. Her 2017 self titled album was great but 2020′s Inner Song was above and beyond. Her sound is one of my personal favorites. I have always had a soft spot for fantastic low key electronic music. To do it right is really hard to pull off but Kelly has done it not once but twice. Start to finish Inner Song doesn’t miss a beat. Great Record

6. Caribou - Suddenly Home was one of my favorite tracks of the year. It was the first single released from Suddenly in late 2019. At the time my wife was traveling back and forth to NYC. The track hit the spot. Then the lockdown helped it to take on an even deeper meaning. Another great release from Dan Snaith.

7. Westside Gunn - Pray for Paris Pray for Paris was the best rap LP of 2020. Start to finish Westside Gunn killed it. Also, anyone who pairs with DOOM gets extra points in my book. R.I.P. MF DOOM.

8. Fontaines D.C. - A Hero's Death Great follow up to their 2019 debut. If they keep this up they will be one of the best rock acts of their time. Side note, I was really hoping that the new Idles LP would be special. While it had its moments, it missed the mark. At least Fontaines filled the void.

9. Four Tet - Sixteen Oceans Four Tet took a step back from the more dance floor ready tracks on New Energy his 2017 release. Sixteen Oceans is a much more subdued affair which suited 2020 prefectly.

10. Sam Hunt - Southside I am not a big fan on country music. While Southside needs to be categorized as country it is really a pop record. There are 4 incredible pop tracks on this release. Hard to forget, Kinfolks, Young Ones and Body Like A Back Road. While the album as a whole has some shortcomings, these tracks make up for them and more.

11. Fleet Foxes - Shore This release came out of nowhere mid summer. Beautiful stuff.

12. Fuzz - III III is the 2nd best Fuzz LP. Best Original Fuzz, Fuzz III followed by Fuzz ll. Ty and team always bring it.

13: The Budos Band - Long in the Tooth Back to basic’s from the best brass band on earth. Long Live Budos

14. Against All Logic - 2017 - 2019 Nicolas Jaar continues to release amazing dance music under his AAL name.

15. Pop Smoke - Meet the Woo Vol. 2 R.I.P. Pop Smoke. Who knows what you where you would have gone if you were still here.

16. Matt Karmil - STS371 Solid Electronic/Techno/House start to finish.

17. Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist - Alfredo Gibbs recent output has been fantastic and Alfredo is no different. And a grammy nomination for best rap album. 2019′s Bandana LP with Madlib was a better release but it didn't get the grammy love.

18. Jessie Ware - What's Your Pleasure? Jessie Ware gets back to what she did best on her debut LP Devotion. Much better than her previous albums. Great pop tracks start to finish.

19. Yves Tumor - Heaven to a Tortured Mind “Gospel For A New Century” is hands down the best lead off track of any album released in 2020. That beat is just incredible. Only problem with starting off your album with the best track is it's hard to match for the rest of the album. While it is the best track off the album the rest is great with stand outs like Kerosene! & Super Stars.

20. Shabaka and the Ancestors - We Are Sent Here By History Jazz is alive and well.

21. 21 Savage & Metro Boomin - Savage Mode II Savage Mode II is banging. One of my favorite rap tracks of all time is Ocean Drive from the first Savage Mode. That track is damn near perfect. II is dope as well with the highlight being Runnin’

22. Woods - Strange To Explain Weekend Wind is one of my favorite songs of 2020. Its over 7 mins long and I wish it would keep going. So great.

23. Benny the Butcher - Burden of Proof Griselda is killing it. They are the best Rap collective at the moment.

24. Yaeji - What We Drew Waking up Down. So good.

25. Drakeo the Ruler - Thanks For Using GTL Rap LP recorded entirely over the phone for jail. And it's damn good.

#best albums of 2020

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randombeau · 3 years

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Letter From A Thief

It feels like this year was just stolen from us. Stating the obvious, this has been a really shitty year for a myriad of reasons. This pandemic has stolen concerts, movies, and even going out to a restaurant. It’s made even an introvert like myself go out of his mind. One of the only things saving my sanity has been a handful of albums and tracks released this year that I can listen to while riding a bike or talking a walk around the neighborhood as I continue to wait for the world to come back. It’s been a long time since I’ve been back to this blog and I have to say I’m kinda pissed that I can’t add all the music videos to the list like the past, but that really keeps with the theme of disappointments in 2020. I’m gonna try not to go into these tracks with too much depth like I have in the past, but I’m not promising anything. Just remember this isn’t the best tracks of the year. It’s just the ones I enjoyed the most. Well, I’ve wasted enough time this year so let’s get to this list.

*Here’s a iTunes playlist link for those drinking the Apple Kool-Aid:

https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/top-20-songs-of-2020/pl.u-oZylaMlTAYYJz

20. Genocidal Humanoidz - System of a Down

It’s been 15 freaking years since SOAD released new music and damn it was too long. The group has been rumored for years to be making a new album only to dash the hopes of fans, but 2020 finally saw the band release two new tracks. Always being very political, the increased tensions and fighting between Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh have brought the group out of hiding to drop a pair of bangers. All proceeds raised from the tracks have gone straight to humanitarian needs for displaced families of the war. The lead single, Protect the Land, was the main piece of work that address the bands emotions and feelings on the current situation, but they attached the previously written Genocidal Humanoidz to bring a little more heat and boy do they bring it. Both tracks are worthy of the band they come from, but Genocidal Humanoidz just gets the blood pumping like it’s the early 2000’s again.

https://youtu.be/_74nVpLVn9Q

19. Oh My My - Blue October

Blue October? Aren’t they just a one-hit wonder? Well kinda, as they only pushed into the mainstream stratosphere with their self-destructive anthem “Hate Me” in 2006. There have been a few gems here and there, but nothing that would really catch most people’s ears. However, this new release just has a bouncy infectious beat that draws you in. Just one of those tracks that makes a long car ride feel not that long. In a year that was filled with very little to feel good about this was a nice little bright spot.

https://youtu.be/IRzvkWVWmA0

18. 6 Feet Away - Chromeo

So many bands tried to write songs that captured the feelings and political implications surrounding this pandemic, but nothing worked as well as the funky beats and soothing vocals of David "Dave 1" Macklovitch and Patrick "P-Thugg" Gemayel as they weave a tail of love, attraction, and social responsibility. There are so many clever lyrics that are laced through this jam it’s impressive how easy it’s also to just bob your head to the beat.

https://youtu.be/CPTCrqyf6os

17. I Want More - KALEO

While this track was dropped before the pandemic was in full swing it encapsulates a feeling that a lot of people are experiencing because of it. The singer expresses this longing for emotional connection he is missing, but it’s not nearly as depressing as it sounds. The bluesy track manages to portray a sense of hopefulness that even though this connection is currently missing you feel that he will find it and somehow things will be alright. I think that’s a sentiment everyone wants to share in.

https://youtu.be/iKd4diJRkPo

16. Cyr - Smashing Pumpkins

The Smashing Pumpkins, basically Billy Corgan at this point, have not been at the top of their game in a long time and while the album doesn’t offer a lot of praise, this track harkens back to the Cure/Depeche Mode sounds of the Smashing Pumpkins past. Easy listening synth lines drive the track forward and while the conclusion it pushes towards isn’t exciting the journey to get there is enjoyable.

https://youtu.be/2AN_GRWlU7k

15. Red Skies (feat. Dr. Disrespect) - J + 1

I know, let me explain. First, I’ll admit I’ve been stuck inside for most of this year working from home and I’ve been watching a little too much YouTube and Twitch streams, but dammit is Dr. Disrespect entertaining to watch. This Magnum P.I. mustache, Mel Gibson Lethal Weapon mullet sporting dude just has that je ne sais quoi. That being said, this little track feels like it was plucked right out of the 1980’s or at least from the soundtrack of that cool ass Ryan Gosling film ‘Drive’. The melodic synths that push the song through its sub 3-minute play time just vibe so well that when the guitar comes in the bridge it’s like you’re taking a neon trip to another time. I just love it, sorry not sorry.

https://youtu.be/CakgCPl3mlE

14. Ohms - Deftones

Need me some Deftones, simple as that. Chino and company have delivered an album filled the aggressiveness of a 16-year-old. I’ll admit I didn’t gel with the whole album as much as previous entries, but this title track is a joy to listen to. The speedy guitar riffs and how the track itself just continues to pick up steam as it blazes toward the end is worth the price of entry in itself.

https://youtu.be/KUDbj0oeAj0

13. Phobia - Nothing But Thieves

It’s a known story that on Nirvana’s breakout album, ‘Nevermind’, the band was having a hard time recording the track ‘Lithium’ because Dave Grohl kept speeding the song up to a breakneck pace so they brought in a click track for him to stay on the correct pace. As Dave tells it, having to play to a click track is like having the human part of you just ripped out. In this track, it sounds like the band takes that click track and throws it out the fucking window around the 1:45 mark because this song builds and builds toward a manic conclusion that finishes with an orgasmic ending and if that’s not a human feeling I don’t know what is. In the words of 20-year-old, this track is a fucking banger.

https://youtu.be/vQThlhgiysw

12. The Adults are Talking - The Strokes

Honestly, this entire Strokes album could fill this list. This was my favorite album of the year and I could sit and listen to the whole thing front to back without skipping a track. That doesn’t happen a whole lot. This upbeat opener just sets the stage for an album that feels fresh and peppy. That’s saying something because most of the tracks are hitting around the 5-minute mark yet it never feels like it. The chorus is catchy, the verses are esoteric, and the track goes through several different instrumental shifts that it never gets boring or bogged down. Also, a highlight is Julian’s falsetto, which is actually really great. This track just paved the way for an album that I’d be listening to a lot.

https://youtu.be/ewOPQZZn4SY

11. Caution - The Killers

I’ve been listening to The Killers since 2004 when a friend gave me a copy of their debut album. Been a fan since then and while a lot of what they’ve released in the 2010’s has been a lot of hit or miss, there is always a few catchy gems in each album. This is certainly one of them. The track does lean on some of those Springsteen feelings that the band has become known for, but there’s no denying that The Killers can make some great heartland rock songs. Essentially, that’s what this song is falling back on. Brandon Flowers sings charismatically about how this woman protagonist isn’t going to follow the safe path traveled and she’s gonna throw caution to the wind and follow her dreams. It’s a track with an uplifting story and it’s got some great searing guitar riffs. I’m a simple man, I don’t need much.

https://youtu.be/WrpBgN_iUnA

10. JU$T (feat. Pharrell Williams & Zack de la Rocha) - Run The Jewels

It is amazing how smooth this track is because it dropped just as all the BLM and racial injustice issues started really gaining traction this last year like they wrote it the day it dropped. A song with a lyrical commentary on the unjust economic system in our county really hits home at the point in time that it was needed come out. Not only does this track have something to say, it also delivers its message in a slick way. El-P and Killer Mike breath fire, as they usually do, but the addition of Zack de la Rocha of Rage Against the Machine fame is really the cherry on top. The last time RTJ collaborated with Zack was for the amazing ‘Close Your Eyes (And Count to F**k)’, which was an amazing social commentary on the senseless violence between cops and minorities. This new track hits home just as hard.

https://youtu.be/32hUIGnMpOY

9. Must Stop (feat. Sarah Barthel of Phantogram)

Give me a duet between a male and female singer, lyrics about their lack of self-worth, and constantly being emotionally hurt and you’ve got a hit ballad. Alright, I’ve just broken down this track to its most basic elements and if you didn’t know I could have easily been talking about ‘Somebody I Used to Know’ by Goyte. Still, it’s an contagious track that has been stuck in my head since it dropped in October.

https://youtu.be/wNeyh_pfd8Q

8. Think About Things - Daði Freyr

This is the second Icelandic group to end up on my top song list this year and I blame social media for this one. This song was so catchy and the TikTok videos surrounding it made me laugh that it just ear-wormed its way into my head. The beat is so catchy and the background vocals are these heavenly voices that it’s hard not to tap your foot in beat with it. Also, one point of interest is the music video feels like it took the awkwardness right out of Napoleon Dynamite. That’s not a bad thing.

https://youtu.be/VFZNvj-HfBU

7. Save Your Tears - The Weeknd

I’m just gonna start by saying The Weeknd got freaking shafted at the Grammys this year. This is my favorite album he’s put out since I downloaded the ‘House of Balloons’ mix tape in 2011 and the best direction change for an artist in the last decade. The introduction of the 80’s synths and groovy basslines are so contagious that the internet roar from the lack of any acknowledgement from the academy was completely justified in my eyes. This track in particular features a shimmering melody as Abel bears his relationship failings. The opening bassline is more addictive than the cocaine Abel sung about on ‘Can’t Feel My Face’. It’s simply a well-made and beautiful piece of pop music. And if you ask why ‘Blinding Lights’ isn’t on my list it’s because it dropped as a single in 2019 and it’s already on that list.

https://youtu.be/XXYlFuWEuKI

6. Lost in Yesterday - Tame Impala

Some songs make my top lists for reasons that don’t necessarily have anything to do with how the song is constructed. While this track from Tame Impala is certainly catchy it makes it so far up my list for another reason. Kevin Parker echoes the nostalgia of old memories and how even the bad ones turn into good ones after enough time goes by. This track dragged up memories of driving 50+ miles in the wrong direction with my best friend as we made our way to Havasu. That was a shitty experience that turned into one of the fondest memories I have of a friend that’s no longer around to make more of those memories with. The song asks, “Does it help to get lost in yesterday” and I can answer this one very clearly. Yes, yes it does.

https://youtu.be/utCjuKDXQsE

5. At the Door - The Strokes

This is the most stripped back The Strokes have ever been. They tried something in this vain back with ‘Call Me Back’ on their album Angles, but not to this result. Typically, the vocals are layered behind a wall of guitars, bass, and distortion, but here Julian’s vocals are laid bare and it rightfully calls more attention to the emotions of the song. Emotions are what you really must hold onto in a Strokes song because like the previous entry, these lyrics are shrouded in metaphors. It certainly doesn’t take away from the track because the feeling of dread and being unable to escape comes across clearly as the heavy synths propel you forward. When the bridge finally comes in with its angelic vocals and 70’s induced sound waves it’s just a pleasure to listen to.

https://youtu.be/9CAz_vvsK9M

4. No Time to Die - Billie Eilish

Trying to follow singers Adele and Sam Smith can’t be an easy task, but especially following them in singing the opening number to the next Bond film. Thinking of singers that could fill those shoes I struggle to understand how the pop sensation Billie Eilish came to be the one producers turned to, but damn does it work. The melody is quintessential Bond. The horns, the background strings, and orchestral flourishes are all tried and true parts of a Bond song, but Eilish surprisingly works well in those confines and even reaches beyond her normal range in the backend of the track to show us she’s more than the whisper quiet singer we typically hear. There is still a lot here that is classic Eilish and it does change the normal Bond track from these high soaring ballads into something I’d say is more noir and moodier. I think the best description would be to call this a PB and chocolate accident. I didn’t think they’d go together, but they really do.

https://youtu.be/BboMpayJomw

3. Dragonball Durag - Thundercat

This song is like being soulfully harmonized by a R&B group in front of a fire, but the fire is coming from a dumpster. There is some amazing basslines coming out of this track and Thundercat marriages them perfectly to some truly funny lines that had me chuckling while I grooved along with the song. The vocal delivery is perfect and it brought back memories of my #2 song of 2016, Childish Gambino’s ‘Redbone’. I can certainly use more of these groovy tracks in my life.

https://youtu.be/ormQQG2UhtQ

2. Ode to the Mets - The Strokes

Like I said way back over there, The Strokes album could have filled my entire list, but this ending track takes the number 2 spot on this year’s list. The closing ballad goes through a roller coaster of melodic changes while keeping the tonal feeling of disappointment towards something or someone remains constant. Others have tried to decipher exactly what is being said and it’s always different. I think it’s up to the listener to determine and it’s different for everyone. We’ve all got someone or something we love, but continues to come up short. I think the best thing about this track is how it’s able to build a sense of urgency, but still end up in a quiet place but the end. Sort of like the ending of The Graduate. Yeah, this song is the end of The Graduate. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

https://youtu.be/BjC0KUxiMhc

1. Run - Joji

There is a pitch perfect clarity to Joji that he never displayed before. Let’s be clear here, this is not a classically trained singer. This is a former crass YouTuber that has somehow belted out the most beautiful ballad this year for me. This really came out of the proverbial left field and actually shocked me. While previous works have relied on R&B and keyboard hooks, this track features an electric guitar that is woven through the track, but as the bridge comes the guitar flies into an amazing solo performance and builds and builds with a wail as Joji comes in for the finish with “I know you’ve not in love”. This is a dark morose track that fills the room with a vague sadness and the soaring guitar finish is just the high this low needs. I absolutely loved it.

https://youtu.be/P2YYk-oZFyI

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fieldsofplay · 6 years

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Top Albums of 2017

20. Protomartyr – Relatives in Descent

I put this album 20 for several reasons. One, it’s a great album. Two, they release these records every year and their inclusion is thus a little rote at this point, so it might as well just kick off the list as the official start to another year. Three, we can get politics out of the way at the outset. 2017. Woof. And we thought 2016 was bad. If any band is going to soundtrack the hellscape that is Amerikkka in 2017, it’s hard to do better than Detroit’s Protomartyr. No one is better at channeling our collective disillusionment with the political climate into raw power.

19. Lorde – Melodrama

I don’t know if I’m surprised by my embrace of this record or not. I’ll admit part of me found the idea of Lorde not all that interesting, and I never really bothered to listen to her first record. But as high culture and pop continue to draw ever closer to each other it would be foolish to ignore one of the true pop perfectionists while embracing the Beyonces and Kanyes with open arms. This album bangs. The beats are oddly reminiscent of late night Junior Boys vibes, with perfect pop sing-along’s about a night on the town laid infectiously over the top of those hypnotic beats. Whenever I hear “Homemade Dynamite” it takes days to get it out of my head (dy-dy-dy-dynomite).

18. Tyler, the Creator – Flower Boy

While many old acts dusted off their A-games and a few young guns broke on through, no artist this year was more surprising than Tyler. Long written off as a homophobic infantile flash in the pan, the least interesting member of a crew (Wolf Gang) that he single handedly launched, Tyler did a lot of growing up in 2017. Flower Boy is a testament to that growth. The hip-hop equivalent to former fellow crew member Frank Ocean’s Blond, Flower Boy is a kaleidoscopic trip through acid rap tinged with a hint of g-funk. While I never find personal politics compelling when it comes to artistic statements, the fact that the former gay-basher came out himself is important not for who he professes to sleep with, but for the giant emotional leap such an ideational 180 requires. Having come so far as an artist, I cannot wait to see where Tyler goes next.

17. TOPS – Sugar at the Gate

TOPS are perhaps the most precise band on this list. When left to my own devices I tend to gravitate to loose punk and dance music, and I am an avowed enemy of soft rock, but there is just something irresistible about this band. The whole thing never drifts out of a narrowly restrained emotional range, and yet at the same time remains impeccably locked-in, like a krautrock metronome played on a chintzy synthesizer. There’s a song on this record called “Dayglow Bimbo”; that’s all you really need to know.

16. Sza – Ctrl

With the exception of Kendrick I’m not sure who cast a wider cultural net this year, Lorde or Sza? Ctrl is one of those albums that seemed to cross all scene boundaries, if it were still the 1990s it’d be one of those cd’s that was in everyone’s car (like Californication or Sublime). Ctrl is an R&B record that is simultaneously chill and bumping. Sza sings, not to the audience, but as if she’s alone in her apartment, letting her emotions out to the music playing on the radio in the background.

15. Run the Jewels – RTJ3

Run the Jewels appear to be the victims of their own success. After two universally revered albums of mic passing mc showdowns that also managed to be locked-into their historical moment, album three was enjoyed and largely forgotten as more of the same. Perhaps this is my contrarian nature shining through, but I honestly like RTJ3 more than RTJ2, an album many embraced as the most important album the year it came out. Killer Mike and EL-P remain in top form, and the group is probably more relevant than they’ve ever been. “Call Ticketron” is still my go-to Friday afternoon ducking out of work early jam.

14. Kevin Morby – City Music

Like Protomartyr, Kevin Morby just puts out incredible record after incredible record, literally every year. For my tastes Singing Saw remains his finest work, but City Music has really grown on me over the course of the year. I caught him at the Turf Club and these songs really come alive in person. This album is more restrained than his previous output, but there is a certain beauty in its restraint. This album reminds me of another exquisite work of countrified city music, Bright Eyes’ I’m Wide Awake its Morning. The perfect album for wandering around city streets at night, wondering what it all means.

13. Brockhampton – Saturation II

I first learned about Brockhampton while waiting for my to-go order sitting at the counter at World Street Kitchen. Some of the local youths were talking about the new Jay-Z record so I decided to wade into the fray, throwing my hat squarely in the ‘I don’t really care about Jay-Z anymore’ ring. One of the youths responded he was too busy listening to this new collective of kids out in LA that were like a westcoast Wu-Tang Clan to bother with Jay-Z. Well, my interest was certainly peaked, and Saturation II did not disappoint. The album bristles with energy as the mic moves from mc to mc, all of whose individual styles vary but still manage to cohere into a definitive whole (is it clear I still haven’t figured out who is who in this crew?). While none of the sounds are new, Saturation II is definitely the sound of the future of hip-hop.

12. Vagabon – Infinite Worlds

This album checks all my boxes. Loud guitars. Thudding drums with liberal use of the cymbals. Quirky narrative lyrics. Sounds like it was recorded live to tape in someone’s backroom. (And its even got a super hazy synth song with a French title.) The chorus of the first track is “You’re a shark that hates everything.” A more aggressive Pavement. A less sad Bedhead. Bonus points for being vaguely from Brooklyn and having a great song called “Minneapolis.”

11. Kamasi Washington – Harmony of Difference

Following the three-disc sprawl of the aptly titled The Epic with a 6 song E.P. (clocking in at a very economical 32 minutes) felt slightly underwhelming at first. We are used to having so much Kamasi, it was something you could get lost in, like a Russian novel. However, while Kamasi certainly excels on the astral plane, this set benefits from concision. It’s one thing to write a novel and another to pen a short story. Kamasi is able to use his saxophone to portray both, sometimes within the same song –the opener “Desire” is both a mellow group cut and clarion solo, all within just 4 and a ½ minutes.

10. John Maus – Screen Memories

Of all the people on this list, John Maus is definitely the weirdest. In all honesty, his music sounds like it was made by Ross Geller, with one notable exception, it’s really fucking good. Often linked with Ariel Pink, I’ve honestly never really found them comparable. I find Pink’s music vapid and uninteresting, whereas Maus’ synth tracks are full of such life and oddness, all while remaining compellingly melodic. His baritone singing is less a vocal performance and more another layer of tone piled into the composition. Maus does more with stark base, futuristic (i.e. 1980s) synths, and rudimentary drum machines than others do with entire symphonies.

9. The War on Drugs – A Deeper Understanding

I honestly didn’t think 2017 was as good a year for music as some of its recent predecessors, but then I realized this album is number 9 on my list and I had to come to terms with the fact that the peaks of this year are incredibly high. A few years back Lost in the Dream was my number one album of the year, and I like A Deeper Understanding just as much. Over the years Adam Granduciel has come to perfect a sound obviously indebted to a few key influences, and yet a sound somehow entirely his own. Even though he’s a Philadelphia musician, Granduciel has somehow come to encapsulate the ennui of the late capitalist American middle west. These songs are haunting, filled with the charged emptiness of ambient music. But they are also filled with giant guitar solos that would put Jeff Tweedy to shame. I’ve seen this band several times dating all the way back to 2008. When I saw them this fall they were bonafide rock stars. I imagine this is what it must have been like to see Neil Young circa On the Beach. It was a treat.

8. Wolf Parade – Cry Cry Cry

Dear America, what gives? How come no one seems to love this record? Everyone seems to like it, but no one seems to love it. This album is great, and I won’t accept anything less. A band cursed by a universally revered debut and multiple equally successful sideprojects that split the votes of the true believers, Wolf Parade have somehow managed to be critical darlings, popular, and yet somehow are also underrated. Cry Cry Cry is to my ear arguably their second best album, which isn’t to say I was disheartened with Mt. Zoomer or Expo ’86. The new record has something for every member of the Wolf Parade expanded universe, the propulsive Dan fist-pumper (“Artificial Life” “You’re Dreaming”), the moody opener (“Lazarus Online”), and most importantly, the sprawling Spencer epic (“Baby Blue”). Wolf Parade were another bygone band I was fortunate enough to see in 2017. It was arguably the best show of the entire lot, and somehow it wasn’t a sellout. What gives, America?

7. Strange Ranger – Daymoon

Daymoon is my cause célèbre of 2017. Largely overlooked by the press, this is the most perfect fall album I’ve heard in years. It creaks. It echoes. It’s full of odd flourishes. “Haunting” is an adjective I feel is mostly misapplied but fits this album like a glove. I don’t know if there is actually a theremin on this record (or a singing saw) but it always feels like one is humming softly in the background. If you loved the Microphones’ The Glow, Pt II, early Modest Mouse, or Neutral Milk Hotel give this album a spin when you feel like taking a long walk in a golden post-harvest field, or at least feel like doing so in your mind.

6. Slowdive– Slowdive

This album has no business being anywhere near as amazing as it is. While Souvlaki remains one of my all time favorite records, it was always the exception, not the rule. As I learned from the great Pitchfork documentary, one of the reasons Souvlaki was so distinct, besides the inclusion of personal hero Brian Eno of course, is that the two front people in the band were in the process of breaking up while making that record. 1995’s Pygmalion was essentially an (uninteresting) solo affair, and that was it, Slowdive faded along with the shoegaze movement of which they were a central figure. Suddenly here we are in 2017, the band is inexplicably back, and almost more amazing is just how great a record Slowdive is. It’s like the follow up to Souvlaki was frozen in carbonite (timely reference!) and perfectly preserved so it could be unveiled 25 years in the future. If “Slomo” isn’t 2017’s best song, it’s certainly its most beautiful.

5. Daniele Luppi & Parquet Courts – Milano

To loosely paraphrase Ferris Bueller, I’ve never been to Milan, I’m not Milanese, what do I care about an album devoted to the city put together by an Italian composer I don’t know? Well, collaborating with Parquet Courts and Karen O is certainly an irresistible start. On paper the whole thing sounds like a mess, and yet the finished product is a taught 9 tracks that breezes by in 30 minutes like an alfa romeo. While I might not know anything about Milan, especially Milan in the 80s, somehow this album manages to evoke that place, or at least an idea of that place. A large part of this has to do with the arty coolness Parquet Courts have always exuded. They can emblematize any hip scene, be it Ridgewood in the 2010s or Milan in the 1980s. They just have that wiry sound and jittery energy that calls to mind fashionable afterparties and mountains of cocaine. While I love both of Parquet Courts singers, I never would have imagined that Karen O is actually the perfect frontwoman for this band, sorta like Nico and the Velvet Underground. Here’s hoping the Courts enjoyed working with her more than Lou Reed did with the German chanteuse. Give “Flush” a listen, I guarantee you start strutting.

4. Vince Staples – Big Fish Theory

Every now and then there is an artist whose debut is an instant classic, and then somehow manages to grow even further on each subsequent release. For this current generation, besides Kanye, that person is Vince Staples. Summertime ’06 was a double disc perfect rendition of classic LA hip-hop that was also a sneaky great album to dance to. Big Fish Theory is possibly the most formally experimental hip-hop album I’ve ever heard. If you cut out the vocals, it’d be an avante guarde electronic dance album. Throw Vince’s perfect flow over the top, and you have a Frankenstein monster of hip-hop and dance music that somehow manages to be a seamless union of the two. I’m still mad at my friend Evelyn for skipping this at Shrizz’ wedding this past summer. The nerve of some people.

3. White Reaper – The World’s Best American Band

I sincerely hope you like Cheap Trick. And not ironically. Like, you actually really like Cheap Trick. If so, I’ll be goddamned if this isn’t a perfect album of fist-pumping arena rock made by a bunch of basement punks from Louisville. If you don’t like Cheap Trick, well then, you just might not get why this is so great. Every track is a perfect nugget of 70s style power pop with just enough of a hint of punk to make it somehow sound fresh. In a year when I saw most of my favorite bands make triumphant returns from the grave, seeing these guys blow the roof off the tiny 7th Street Entry was probably the most fun I’ve had straight up rocking out in some time. I’ve never owned a jean jacket in my life, but this album makes me want to buy one.

2. LCD Soundsystem – American Dream

Now I know I’m a hyperbolic person. Every bar is my “favorite,” every track is the “best,” but I’m being legit when I say LCD Soundsytem are the most important band of my lifetime. I bought the self-titled album at a CD store on State Street in Madison shortly before leaving town and moving to New York. Sound of Silver was the soundtrack of my 20s. By the time they broke up my 20s were over and all my friends started moving out of New York. If I came of age in the 70s this band would probably be Bowie or in the 80s it would have been New Order, but as someone who gradually became an adult during the late 00’s, this was the most important band, not only to me, but to most everyone I know. It was of course also crucial that they were the official band of Brooklyn. They were there, as the song goes, and so were we. I honestly never understood the overwrought handwringing that accompanied their return. Are you really going to be mad at having more LCD in your life just because they once told you “that’s it, it’s all over”? American Dream is just as good as anything they’ve ever put out. I’d put “Other Voices,” “Change Yr Mind,” and “Tonite” up there with the best songs they’ve ever penned. Getting to see them tour once again, with both old New York friends and new Minnesotans, in a new town, in a new phase of existence, was the cherry on top of the electro funk sundae.

1. Kendrick Lamar – Damn.

People call him King, and it is a worthy title. Throughout music history the truly all-time greats always had someone who was their dialectical opposite spur them on to greater accomplishments—Beatles and Stones, Michael and Prince, Pumpkins and Pavement (not that either would acknowledge the other)—and now we have two titans of hip-hop pushing each other in radically different directions. Kanye is the pop perfectionist, the Michael Jackson, the Paul McCartney, everything he touches turns to gold. Kendrick is the flawless technical savant, he is literally the best, no one is better. Pick your favorite MC from throughout hip-hop history, they all have their idiosyncrasies and particular strengths (Rahim has technical prowess, Andre has speed, Q-tip has an inimitably odd flow) somehow Kendrick is better at all of all those things than all of those legends. No one’s voice is more varied, no one is a better rhymer, and no one has ever matched rhyme to rhythm this side of Shakespeare (that’s not hyperbole, well maybe Frank O’Hara). Just listen to the subtle variations in “Lust” that somehow tell a person’s entire day, an entire lifestyle, in a sentence or two. It’s not just he’s the best at spitting lines, he also has the ability to intertwine those rhymes into infectious pop structures. Kendrick has released 3 albums that people are aware of (and 4 overall), and those three are all amongst the top albums of the decade. Each one overbrims with classic tunes. “Humble” was the song of the year before Damn. even dropped, and the rest of the album lived up to the hype of that single. I’m still not exactly sure what “If I gotta slap a pussy-ass ni***, I'ma make it look sexy” means, but goddamn if I don’t love it and still perfectly understand it. This record is so good it somehow makes U2 cool. In a year where everything seemed to go wrong, Damn. was there to remind us that there will always be beauty in the chaos, so long as you don’t forget to keep searching it out.

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janehopperra · 4 years

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OOE:

So in order to take back some of the order on my blog, I’m gonna keep the tally for today’s stuff on one post, then when I’m done watching tomorrow, I’ll put that tally on here as well.

This is also to save the dashes of whoever likes to keep them clean. I apologize for the mass ooc. I just finally felt like I could safely let my saltiness over s3 run rampant.

Bad: The makeout scene Good: Will taking care of everyone in the party making sure everyone has snacks for the theatre Bad 2: Mike being a whiny brat right off the bat Good 2: Steve immediately flicking the switch on and off to spite Robin Good 3: Jane playing pranks with the party with her telekinesis. Bad 3: The Karen and Billy Thing Good 4: IT IS CONSTANT… CONSTANT. Bad 4: ‘Curfew at 4:00pm’ Bad 5: The apparent focus of Will’s character only being that he’s jealous of Mike and Jane and also that he can sense the mindflayer. literally nothing else. Bad 6: Karen and Billy Again Bad 7: Joyce eating tv dinner alone while thinking about bob :( Bad 8: Makeout scene 2.0 Good 5: Hopper yeeting himself to another plane of existence in the next room Bad 9: Mike whispering to Jane right in front of Hop ( As if I didn’t find this creepy enough ) Bad 10: I gotta admit Hop lying about Mike’s grandma is bad Good 6: Hop being an actual dad and placing boundaries between Mike and El makes up for that though. Like that needed to happen. Bad 11: Dustin being left alone at the radio tower. Bad 12: Karen??? what the fuck are you doing??? Good 7: Karen coming to her senses. Bad 13: Billy.. jfc

First episode - 7-13

Good 8: Boundary establishing actually working. Bad 14: Mike lying through his teeth, keeping the lie up even after Karen caught him in it. Bad 15: “You lie?” “What? No! Friends don’t lie!” Good 9: Hop scream singing his song in the Blazer. Bad 16: Nancy’s boss being an absolute??? Jerkwad??? They were that way in the 80′s to women yeah but yikes. Good 10: Dustin and Steve’s handshake Good 11: ‘Mike’s a piece of shit!’ Snaps fingers hell yeah he is Bad 17: ‘You don’t understand lucas! He’s lost his mind!’ How about stop??? Blaming other people??? For how you acted Mike??? You had a choice not to lie dumbass. Bad 18: The boys acting like this is some sort of battlefield where you need combat strategies when in reality you need to speak the truth. Bad 19: Them constantly leaving Will hanging, poor boy just wants to play dnd :( Bad 20: More Karen and Billy like tf Thank god Billy told her to stay away Good 12: The girls going out and having fun!!! To hell with the boys!!!! Bad 21: Joyce forgetting about Hop to solve the magnet issue ( wasn’t her fault but yeah ) Good 13: The Material Girl skit!!! The photographer session! High heels! Jane pranking the binch that rejected Dustin at the snow ball. There’s more to life than stupid boys! Bad 22: “Can we play DND now???” “NO!!!!” Bad 23: Mike trying to change the subject and recoiling when he’s caught at the mall, like he thought he would get away with the lie??? Good 14: I dump your ass. Bad 24: The face Mike makes when Jane walks away, like you’d think if he’s so??? in love he’d be at least a little more devastated??? He looks like a brat. ( No offense to the actor he’s great, the character’s a brat ) Good 15: IT’S CUTTING EDGE STUFF MAN!!! Bad 25: Hop being left at Enzo’s :((( He was so excited man Good 16: The scoops troop solving stuff. Bad 26: Hop taking the whole bottle of alcohol and leaving, kind of shit faced, DRIVES HOME SHITFACED. You’re a cop, Hop! For fuck’s sake.

Episode 2 mark - 16-26

Good 17: Jane and Max acting like best friends Bad 27: “I don’t understand what I did to deserve this why is she treating me this way I’m the victim” I honestly can’t. Bad 28: ‘We’re trying to solve the great mystery of the female species’ oh yikes. Bad 29: Hop arriving home drunk and barging into Jane’s room thinking Mike was with El and the door was closed. Bad 30: Hop.. acting like a bit of a creep and then cracking open the bottle of wine for more drinking!!! In the presence of El. After what he just did. Good 18: Honestly I think it’s kind of cool that Max and Jane have made a game utilizing Jane’s powers instead of shoving them away. Bad 31: The boys mocking Will for taking the chance to play DND. Will honey its okay Bad 32: Hopper being a weird disgusting bear, and also being kind of spiteful towards Joyce. I get she hung you up but like come on man, you know she wouldn’t do that without good reason. Bad 33: “You stand me up, no phone call no apology because you had to go to Scott Clark’s house” NOW IT’S TIME FOR HOP TO GET BASHED. Bad 34: Hop pretending to understand how Joyce thinks the magnetism loss thing was the lab then going back to being spiteful and a smartass. Bad 35: Max in denial about the Billy situation Good 19: Scoops troop being funny little shits. They’re the only pure group in this nonsense of a season. Bad 36: The boys still mocking Will during DND. Guys just humor him for fucks sake, he’s been dealing with yalls shit all summer. Bad 37: Mike recoiling when Will finally has enough of their shit and leaves. Bad 38: “You guys are never in the mood anymore! You’re destroying everything and for what, so you can swap spit with some stupid girl” “It’s not my fault you don’t like girls!” Honestly, low blow on both ends. Yikes. Good 20: Honestly the horror in this season is good so it gets it’s own good point for that. Good 21: Hop actually going to the lab with Joyce to soothe her worries about the magnetism loss. ( Also poor joyce remembering Bob’s death ) Good 22: The scoops troop again being on the case, only to then find out the guy they’re chasing is a yoga instructor. Good 23: Hop trying to make sure everyone feels safe and at home. Good 24: Hop opening up just a tiny bit about what he did after Sarah died, trying to relate to Joyce. Bad 39: The fact that Will felt so alone and outcasted to the point that he felt the need to tear the castle down after looking around at all the memories in it and bursting into tears. My poor lad. I’ve been in the same boat, fuck the boys honestly. Good 25: The scoops troop at it again, actually being productive in their side of the story. Bad 40: Something I just don’t get at all is the fact that Jane just.. introduces herself as El, giving herself away almost immediately. Hun, you have another name, you’re not still a number. Idk that thing just irks me. Bad 41: And again, Will just being used for the ‘woe is me/enemy locator’ trope.

Episode 3 mark - 25-41

Good 26: Max introducing the wonder woman comics to Jane after listening to her. Bad 42: Max still being in denial about Billy and Heather. Good 27: Joyce taking care of Hop, SOMEHOW dragging his ass back to the cabin. Bad 43: ThIs iS a CoDe ReD ( I don’t blame Max for turning the radio off I’d throw it across the room after all that’s happened ) Bad 44: Again. Will’s only purpose being that he senses the mindflayer– like what the fuck he could be used for so much more. Bad 45: This is just a thing– I honestly hate that we only get one scene with the hoppers and also the byers acting like a family. All that build up in season 2??? wasted. All that potential wasted. Bad 46: The mayor taking a jab at Hopper and his ‘dead daughter sob story’. Damn right you deserved that fucking punch. Good 28: Joyce pulling the phone line when the receptionist tried to call the police. Good 29: The scoops troop and their hilarity. Bad 47: Max continuing to be in complete denial over Billy’s role with the mindflayer. Good 30: “Don’t you love your country” “You can’t spell America without Erica” I love Erica so much Good 31: “I want you to forget about sales and come work for me at hawkins pd.” “And have to look at your face every day? I don’t think so.” I have to admit that was cute Good 32: Karen actually being a mom for a change and listening to and supporting Nancy. Good 33: “He made me lie, I mean–” “What if he’s right?” “No no no he’s just a crazy old man” “No, if I only see you and I’m a different species, maybe I should be with my own species more.” Bad 47: “Wait you spied on me? That’s totally against the rules!!!” Mike she’s a telekinetic who can locate people and also implode your brain. There are no rules. Good 34: “I make my own rules.” Except hers. Good 35: “If you die, I die” “Okay” Dustin’s such a ride or die bitch I love it. Bad 48: How many times has Will been used for mindflayer location? 4-5 times? Bad 49: Jane relenting when protecting herself and her friends. I’m sorry but if someone’s had a hand to her throat or face or anything she’s thrown whoever did that through a wall, caught off guard and not. Good 36: She eventually did throw Billy through a wall but still the point remains

Episode 4 mark - 36-49

Bad 50: Joyce’s bad throwing skills. Hun you’re throwing a gun not a baseball. ( jk ilu mom ) Bad 51: This terminator guy gets a bad point. I don’t think they explained him at all? Even if they did.. eh. Good 37: “Why wouldn’t he be safe? Nancy?” For once someone’s worried about the welfare of these kids. Good 38: Hop’s big butt sprawled over the Blazer gets a point. Bad 52: Hop calling Alexei Smirnoff gets an… eh point for me. Idk why it turns me off a bit. It’s a funny name and all but eh. Bad 53: The beloved Blazer exploding gets a bad point. Shame on you for killing it, st writers. Good 39: “Ill-annoy” cute. Bad 54: “ThEy’Re CoNsPiRiNg AgAiNsT mE” Not everything’s about you, Mike. Good 40: “She was making bad screams” “What’s a good scream” Max: “Doesn’t matter–” Bad 55: Hop making the joke that every man Joyce talks to must be another version of Clark. Yikes man, she burned you that bad? Good 41: “He’s a dangerous child murderer” As Alexei smiles whilst sipping his cherry icee.

#OUTOFEGGOS #so far this whole season has been yikes from start to fucking finish #Moira watches s3 #now I must go and delete the mass amounts of ooc

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pvpxrswvg · 6 years

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Top 25 Albums of 2017

While I guess this blog is on hiatus again I really wanted to create a new top albums list for 2017, to serve as both a reminder of the great music that came out this year and as a time capsule of my initial reaction.

I think the most interesting part of 2017 was that it was the year of the internet. 2016 seemed like a huge transitional year for hip-hop, as guys like Lil Yachty, Lil Uzi Vert, Kodak Black, Rob Stone, Amine, 21 Savage, D.R.A.M, Young M.A and Desiigner all broke out with hits. While names like Drake, Gucci Mane, and Kendrick were still around, for the most part, we were learning a new name with each huge song.

Now, for the most part, we've completely moved on. Just about all of the above names have had an album flop in the past 18 months, and apart from 21 Savage and maaaybe Lil Uzi Vert, it seems like the above list has lost all of its star power.

But with the old generation gone, in came a new generation of louder and more progressive SoundCloud rappers. The SoundCloud generation doesn't look like it's going anywhere, but 2017 had XXXTentacion, Lil Pump, Lil Peep, Lil Xan, Ski Mask the Slump God, Smokepurrp and Trippie Redd all breaking out. I don't think we'll ever see an explosion like that ever again.

2017 was also the year where the internet's first boyband broke out, as suburban kids from all across the world discovered their new favourite band.

This list will follow the same format as last year, which is 25-11 in alphabetical order and then the final 10 counted down.

25-11:

2 Chainz – Pretty Girls Like Trap Music

I wrote a review on 2 Chainz in 2016, which was pretty scathing to say the least. While at the time I wondered if I would ever be able to enjoy a 2 Chainz project, all doubts are now gone as Pretty Girls Like Trap Music is actually really fire. While the mixing on this is absolutely terrible and there's quite a drop off after 4 AM, the entire album has a great vibe and the first four tracks are all tremendous. If Mike Dean had done a better job straddling the line between lo-fi and off-puttingly lo-fi, then this easily could have cracked the top 10.

21 Savage – Issa Album

Firstly, this album was incredibly disappointing. Luckily I'm a huge stan for 21's style, so that and tracks like Whole Lot and Numb mean that despite it being nowhere near the quality of Savage Mode, it's still one of the 25 best albums of the year.

21 Savage, Offset and Metro Boomin – Without Warning

If I had more time with this album this easily could have been higher, as this was probably the hardest cut from the top-10. I reviewed this fairly recently and not a lot has changed about my opinion.

Freddie Gibbs – You Only Live 2wice

While not the best album in Freddie Gibbs' discography, an average release from Gibbs is still better than 90% of hip-hop albums. With deep subtle beats, this album is mostly Gibbs slapping and showing that he still has it, which is as great as it sounds.

G-Worthy – G-Worthy

This EP was locked into my top-25 list as soon as I heard the first 10 seconds of Ain't Trippin, which still might be the smoothest beat that I've ever heard. I've reviewed this fairly recently and Cardo is still that legend.

Gucci Mane – El Gato The Human Glacier

2017 was an incredibly disappointing year for Gucci, which might be a result of my expectations being too high considering that he has two albums featured on this list. However, similar to Drop Top Wop, El Gato The Human Glacier is a very low-effort release that relies on the synergy between Gucci Mane and his producer. In 2016, Gucci Mane was on an absolute hit parade, while in 2017 apart from I Get The Bag, which is for all intents and purposes a Migos track, Gucci didn't really deliver any memorable hits.

Jay-Z – 4:44

I've never really been the biggest fan of Jay-Z, but 4:44 kind of blew me away as it is almost the complete opposite of what Jay-Z has been his whole career. While the storytelling and rapping is mostly the same as it ever was, I don't think Jay-Z has had a sound this subtle since Reasonable Doubt. I think what I've realized is that if instead of making hit after hit, had Jay-Z been an underground Rhymesayers MC I would have been a much bigger fan.

Lil Peep – Come Over When You're Sober, Pt. 1

While most people don't give Lil Peep the credit he deserves on this record, writing it off as a bad Bones/$uicideboys imitation, I think Lil Peep does that sound better than either of those artists. While this release isn't that great, Benz Truck is legitimately a song of the year candidate and the overall sound created on this release is tremendous.

Lil Pump – Lil Pump

I reviewed this and nothing has changed. If you don't like it you don't get it.

LNDN DRGS & P on the Boards – P on the DRGS

I haven't been coming back to this release too much since I reviewed it in January, but I still have an incredible soft-spot for the future-funk style production featured on this release.

Oddisee – The Iceberg

Like Really might be my favorite Oddisee Song, by a really large margin as well. While Oddisee has always been a great rapper and an even better producer, Like Really was the first song he made that I ever felt like coming back to, which made me appreciate The Iceberg a lot more than any other non-instrumental Oddisee release.

Tyler, The Creator – Flower Boy

Part of me wants to write this off as overrated and not include it, but the production on this release is so fucking good. I've never really liked Tyler as a rapper or songwriter, but all of the sounds on this album are so bright and lush.

The Underachievers - Renaissance

Not the best Underachievers record, but it's more consistent spitting by one of the most underrated groups in hip-hop. The highlight of the record is the Ronny J produced Crescendo.

Vince Staples – Big Fish Theory

This is the second year in a row I'm keeping Vince Staples out of the top-10 out of pure spite. I was so excited for this album after BagBak, but I guess Vince Staples isn't interested in being the goat rapper any more.

XXXTentacion – 17

As mentioned above, 2017 was for all intents and purposes the year of Soundcloud rap, which XXXTentacion was well and truly the face of. I know everyone hates XXXTtentacion, I kind of hate him too, but this release and tracks like Revenge are actually good and worth celebrating.

10. Future – FUTURE

I think I'm the only person who likes this album. While apparently this is supposed to be bad, it's an hour of consistent trap from an artist who has perfected his sound. In general, I don't understand what people want from Future, as while Monster is obviously a fucking classic, I don't see what makes this a worse release than something like DS2. People complain about a lack of stand out tracks but Poppin' Tags, Flip and Draco are all incredibly strong. That Mask Off track is pretty good too.

9. Big K.R.I.T – 4eva is a Mighty Long Time

I reviewed this fairly recently and I think I'll let that review speak for itself.

8. Playboi Carti – Playboi Carti

There's something strangely alluring about this record that I can't put my finger on. Carti on this record exudes this irresistible style and his simple yet unique sound does a great job holding up over the 46-minute long record. I don't have any future expectations for Carti as this record, as well as Magnolia on its own, seems like lightning in a bottle.

7. Gucci Mane & Metro Boomin – Drop Top Wop

Gucci Mane and Metro Boomin might be the most can't miss duo in the entire rap game. This release could have been three hours long and it still would have featured in my top-10. While apart from Met Gala this record doesn't reach any significant highs, the vibe that Gucci and Metro created has made this Gucci's most consistent and arguably best release.

6. Migos – Culture

I wish I could put this album higher. Culture coming out was just like this huge fucking event. Bad and Boujee is going to stand forever as their biggest hit and everything else in the lead up to this album made it seem destined to be a classic. Unfortunately, I just don't think the Migos style is capable of creating a classic. That's not to say this isn't really good, there isn't a dull track on this release and T-Shirt, Bad and Boujee, Deadz, What The Price, Slippery and Kelly Price are all really strong tracks.

5. Kendrick Lamar – Damn.

This album is good. Really good. That Easter Weekend when it came out might be the most memorable album release of all time. However, what it all comes down to is that while this album is really, really, strong, there's not a single track on here that I'd put in my Kendrick Lamar top-15. Even writing this I can't even think of what the strongest track on here is. While there's nothing on here that's lower than a 6/10, we're talking about an artist with multiple 10/10 tracks and ultimately Damn just isn't as strong as the rest of his discography.

4. Denzel Curry – 13

While only 13 minutes, this is so strong to the point where I don't care. Had this been 40 minutes we'd be talking about a genuine album of the decade contender. Denzel on this continues to be the best spitter in the rap game and the beats that he is rapping over are all insane. Zeltron 6 Billion is my song of the year as well, as Denzel over that Lil Ugly Mane beat is the most perfect thing that I've heard in ages.

3. Brockhampton – Saturation II

2. Brockhampton – Saturation III

1. Brockhampton – Saturation I

I had to go with this as the top three. When I think back on 2017, all I'm going to think about is Brockhampton. Kevin Abstract is an absolute genius and he is surrounded by a ridiculous amount of talent. I'm not exactly sure what else I can say about these three albums.

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therappundit · 5 years

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The Best of the 1st Half -*2019 Pundit’s PlayLi$t*

Yeah so quite a bit has gone down since the ball dropped.

Everyone talks about how having a baby can change a person, but in my opinion it doesn’t change a person as much as it evolves a person into someone that can still love all of the stuff they always loved, *plus* a little person that they now put before anything else in their day to day life. My friends, that is where I am at in this moment in life. No, I do not write as much as I used to, but I’m happier now than have been in some time, and I love music just as much as I ever did. I am still learning the balance, but I’m also pretty excited to have a little daughter that I will be able to share my highly opinionated thoughts on hip-hop with, whether she wants to hear them or not (most likely not).

These rankings are based on the following key factors: my personal favorites (this is technically not just a list of my favorite songs), plus songs that I thought were especially well done or influential (even if they may not have resonated me as much as everyone else), diverse (I didn’t want to have 10 songs from the same artist, but I would have if I was only basing this list on personal faves), especially strong production and/or verses, and the song had to be officially released prior to July 1st.

As for the year in rap music in general up through the close of June, it has been a strong one. What the genre has lacked in strong “mainstream” releases, it has made up for with enough fantastic underground hip-hop projects that belong in steady rotation for a long time. So here it is, at last, my list of the best rap songs of the first half of 2019… 🙏

1. “Palmolive” - Freddie Gibbs & Madlib feat. Pusha T & Killer Mike

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSn_r2w-idg

(Bandana is quite an album, and “Palmolive” is quite a song. One terrific verse from Freddie, a great hook from Killer Mike, and then a verse of the year front runner with Pusha’s verse, all over a soulful Madlib back-drop?? Yikes. Freddie Gibbs & Madlib have made all rap fans very proud in 2019.)

2. “Thank God” - Tree

https://soundcloud.com/mctreeg/thank-god?in=mctreeg/sets/wegrownnow

(Tree’s We Grown Now is such an amazing album. I can’t recall the last time I heard a project that felt like a living, breathing work of art that logs the life of a man that has been through life’s ups and downs and is just happy to be here to talk about it.)

3. “Crown For Kings” - Benny feat. Black Thought

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtTu_TC3f6A

(Blown away. Black Thought and Griselda?? Bars on top of bars on top of bars...two verse of the year contenders, easily.)

4. “Ricky” - Denzel Curry

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WHm6tfvKlk

(As soon as you press play, you can feel the humidity coming off of this song as if we were in the crowd with Curry down in Florida. A wonderful homage to his father, and the Carol City of which he hails.)

5. “Massage Seats” - Freddie Gibbs & Madlib

https://soundcloud.com/gangstagibbs/massage-seats?in=gangstagibbs/sets/bandana-16

(Smooth as Helllll. “This ain’t for soccer mamas this is for the underground” is right.)

6. “Funeral March (The Dirge)” - Your Old Droog feat. Mach-Hommy

https://soundcloud.com/your-old-droog/funeral-march-the-dirge-feat?in=your-old-droog/sets/it-wasnt-even-close-1

(One of the hardest sounding songs in recent memory. I can hear these too aggressive rhymers do this all day.)

7. “Crime Pays” - Freddie Gibbs & Madlib

https://soundcloud.com/gangstagibbs/crime-pays?in=gangstagibbs/sets/bandana-16

(So quintessential to Bandana’s vibe this thing feels like it has a pulse. I was listening to this on my walk home the other day and it put me in such a breezy headspace, I can’t even describe it any other way than simply saying it’s another classic Madlib production.)

8. “5 to 50” - Benny feat. India

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQGRPxrHtjI

(Captivating. Benny and The Alchemist join forces to concoct a song so real it makes 90% of drug dealer talk in rap music sound phony.)

9. “There U R” - Tree

https://soundcloud.com/mctreeg/there-u-r?in=mctreeg/sets/wegrownnow

(Give this man his flowers now. There are a lot of talented artists in rap music, but none tackle a song like an old Blues man...none except Tree, that is.)

10. “Freestyle Shit” - Freddie Gibbs & Madlib

https://soundcloud.com/gangstagibbs/freestyle-s-t?in=gangstagibbs/sets/bandana-16

(Pffffew, that Gibbs delivery....right from the get-go on the album’s first song it’s so clear that Bandana is a special project.)

11. “Sunday School” - Benny feat. 38 Spesh & Jadakiss

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ero1Xexyhs

(Good luck picking the best verse here! All three kill it, but Spesh may end up pulling ahead with a few key haymakers.)

12. “Situations” - Freddie Gibbs & Madlib

https://soundcloud.com/gangstagibbs/situations?in=gangstagibbs/sets/bandana-16

(One of Bandana’s more minimalistic instrumentals, and it takes off thanks to the jet pack provided by Gibbs’ absolutely sensational contributions on this one.)

13. “Cokewhite” - Goldlink feat. Pusha T

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zCGiHhTxMM

(One of a few verse of the year contenders from King Push.)

14. “Funeral” - Tree & Parallel Thought

https://parallelthought1.bandcamp.com/track/funeral

(I hope with all of my heart that songs like this aren’t part of Tree’s process of letting go of the music biz, but even if it is, what a beautiful way to go out.)

15. “Bandana” - Freddie Gibbs & Madlib feat. Assassin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWCciqqzno4

(While it may not have made the final cut of the Bandana album that shares it’s name, this reggae-tinged Madlib blessed riot starter has been one of my favorite songs of the year since it dropped and it keeps feeling better to me.)

16. “Flights” - Tree

https://soundcloud.com/mctreeg/flights?in=mctreeg/sets/wegrownnow

(Tree kills it with the autobiographical joints, and this soulful walk down memory lane is as enthralling as an audio diary.)

17. “To Whom It May Concern” - Jim Jones feat. Cam'ron, Guordan Banks, Benny The Butcher and Conway

https://soundcloud.com/jim-jones-capo/to-whom-it-may-concern-feat-camron-guordon-banks-benny-the-butcher-conway-the-machine?in=jim-jones-capo/sets/el-capo

(A Dipset and Griselda collaboration is enough to make someone like me get emotional...anyone have a tissue, this Benny-Cam’ron-Conway back to back series is too much to handle!?)

18. “Dominate” - DJ Muggs & Eto

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxjTKqpMHIE

(Straight menace music. Muggs & Eto would have made Mobb Deep proud with “Dominate”...especially Muggs, this beat is brutal!)

19. “Under The Train (Transporting)” - Your Old Droog

https://soundcloud.com/your-old-droog/under-the-train-transporting-1

(Droog’s Transportation album may be the perfect travelling companion for moving through the streets of NYC, and this song may be the crown jewel. This has the feel of a classic New York anthem and I am crazy for it.)

20. “Obamacare” - Quelle Chris

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-F19d5PcJY

(Another year, another thought provoking Quelle Chris project. He seems to be getting better with age, is that possible?)

21. “Attics” - DJ Muggs & Eto

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UmYxcv4YTs

(Sure Muggs & Eto dropped a banger of an album with Hell’s Roof, .but “Attics” has the strength to be a career defining track for Eto. This is dark poetry from the hungriest parts of upstate NY.)

22. “ZUU” - Denzel Curry

https://soundcloud.com/denzelcurryph/zuu?in=denzelcurryph/sets/zuu-3

(A rousing intro to what I would consider the best “mainstream” rap album of 2019 so far.)

23. “Chasing Ghosts” - Your Old Droog feat. Roc Marciano

https://soundcloud.com/your-old-droog/chasing-ghosts-feat-roc?in=your-old-droog/sets/it-wasnt-even-close-1

(What a great example of why these two are so good at what they do. Eerie underground hip-hop at its’ finest.)

24. “Giannis” - Freddie Gibbs & Madlib feat. Anderson .Paak

https://soundcloud.com/gangstagibbs/giannis-feat-anderson-paak?in=gangstagibbs/sets/bandana-16

(One of the funkier standouts from Bandana, and album full of standouts. Paak and Gibbs tap dance all over this one.)

25. “18 Wheeler” - Benny feat. Pusha T

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdZC8uBwJ4Q&list=PLVipAi3U-JouPCQvz3KoH2B1VAKAZc7m4&index=6

(At this point, what else needs to be said about the potency of these two rap-writers? Calling it “coke rap” wouldn’t even begin to explain how good these two are when it comes to rapping.)

26. “Cubicle” - Buddy feat. 03 Greedo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZ9Yw7i_Fo8

(What a slept-on smash from Buddy and 03 Greedo. Both artists do the West Coast proud with one of my favorite cuts off of the deluxe edition of Harlan & Alondra.)

27. “AUTOMATIC” - Denzel Curry

https://soundcloud.com/denzelcurryph/automatic?in=denzelcurryph/sets/zuu-3

(Denzel Curry and Tay Keith prove to be a potent combination on this ZUU banger.)

28. “IMG” - Nolan The Ninja

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vNvRLIQHVs

(Nolan has blessed us with a number of great songs in 2019, but I think this one epitomizes just how much he has progressed as a rap artist.)

29. “Make No Issues Of It” - Jim Jones

https://soundcloud.com/jim-jones-capo/make-no-issues-of-it?in=jim-jones-capo/sets/el-capo

(Jimmy did his thing...but Heatmakerz kicks the damn door down.)

30. “Splinters” - Fly Anakin & Tuamie feat. ANKHLEJOHN & Al.Divino

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWORdUQAEcc

(Just a chilling collaboration from some of the best artists that underground hip-hop has to offer, that’s all.)

31. “Deadass” - Kemba

https://soundcloud.com/kembaland/deadass-2

(Unfortunately, in any other era this should have been a huge rap hit. Fortunately, in this era it can be praised as one of the best underground smashes of the year.)

32. “Wild Minks” - Quelle Chris feat. Mach-Hommy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dQmPX1C0Vk

(Quelle and Mach make beautiful music together, and they don’t come much more beautiful than this one.)

33. “Education” - Freddie Gibbs & Madlib feat. Yasiin Bey & Black Thought

https://soundcloud.com/gangstagibbs/education-feat-yasiin-bey?in=gangstagibbs/sets/bandana-16

(As if that line-up isn’t enough to make any hip-hop head salivate, what’s even more impressive is the final product manages to meet expectations.)

34. “Dynasties” - Tedy Andreas

https://soundcloud.com/tedyandreas/dynasties-prod-graphwize

(Dope beat, dope MC and a killer hook. I can’t be the only longterm fan that Tedy earned with this one.)

35. “Flat Tummy Tea” - Freddie Gibbs & Madlib

https://soundcloud.com/gangstagibbs/flat-tummy-tea

(I liked it when it first dropped, love it even more now. Freddie straight MURDERS this one...)

36. “Eedeot Bwoy” - Mach-Hommy feat. Your Old Droog & Tha God Fahim

https://soundcloud.com/mach-hommy/eedeot-bwoy-feat-tha-god-fahim?in=mach-hommy/sets/wap-konn-joj-1

(What a great year for both Mach & Droog. This joint feels like 3:00AM Wake Up Show music...and I love that!)

37. “2016” - Jamal Gasol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxEBzhV6Ar4

(True Stories is quite possibly my favorite project from Gasol’s impressive discography, and this one has been in my rotation for all of 2019 thus far. Jamal is another one of upstate New York’s gem MCs, so if you’re a fan of Benny and Griselda, definitely check out Niagara’s Jamal Gasol.)

38. “Field Negro” - Royce Da 5′9″

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yDmU881LTo

(An unorthodox production anchored by one of the best writers in the history of the genre, that’s all. Royce murders this thing with so many quotables...yet you’re still somehow sleeping on Royce???)

39. “Know The Type” - Lansky Jones feat. CJ Fly & Mr. Muthafuckin' Exquire

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riRJk2QiROI

40. “Spider Hole” - Billy Woods & Kenny Segal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1WBEi5LlkI

(Beautifully bleak music from Billy Woods and Kenny Segal, who demonstrate brilliant chemistry throughout Hiding Places.)

41. “Bad Boys” - Pivot Gang (Joseph Chilliams, Saba, MFnMelo) feat. Smino

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCaBVqi4Rag

42. “Last Supper” - Eto & DJ Muggs feat. Meyhem Lauren

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCc47fVzptU

(A dope song from a dope album, sure...but it’s that Meyhem verse that catapults this joint into the top 50 of the year through June. “I don’t have kids just clothes, cars & cribs” is easily one of the year’s best opening bars!)

43. “$ream - Rigz (Da Cloth)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piGwjW27ZRQ

(Not just one of Rochester’s finest, Rigz is quite simply one of hip-hop’s finest MC’s.)

44. “HolOnHolOn” - Fly Anakin & Tuamie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCbgGn2BXUc&list=PLAfLqY9BQJkyjUuDAEn7cehQ3DZWAZogX&index=4

(Another GORGEOUS track from Mutant Academy. Is it me or does Tuamie channel some Jay Dee-esque vibes with this one?)

45. “Jason Statham, Pt. 2” - Pivot Gang (Joseph Chilliams, Saba, MFnMelo)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qy57oefUZXg

(A very dope song from a very dope album. Pivot Gang’s project deserved all of the attention that Revenge of the Dreamers received, and then some. This is Chicago all-star work.)

46. “CAROLMART” - Denzel Curry feat. Ice Billion Berg

https://soundcloud.com/denzelcurryph/carolmart-feat-ice-billion?in=denzelcurryph/sets/zuu-3

(One of the bounciest joints on a very bouncy album, here Denzel successfully harkens back to the regional style that influenced him without sounding even the slightest bit dated.)

47. “Down” - JID, Bas, J. Cole, EARTHGANG & Young Nudy (Dreamville)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibvxfN7G6Gs

(The names in this line-up were enough to keep the hype building for Revenge of the Dreamers 3. However, it’s the performance of the artists on the track that have kept it in heavy rotation over here.)

48. “207” - Your Old Droog

https://soundcloud.com/your-old-droog/207-1

(Weaving funny lyrics with poignant observations has always been one of Your Old Droog’s specialties. By tackling personal topics such as agoraphobia and his general anti-social behavior Droog is able to elevate this song to stand-out status.)

49. “Only Built For Corrilinks” - Quadry & Tuamie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZXufjWO1E4

(Travelling waaaay under the radar is Baton Rouge’s Quadry, who dropped a stellar project helmed by rising underground producer extraordinaire, Tuamie. The duo’s Emergency Raps, Vol. 5 is a quick but impressive listen.)

50. “Oaks” - BULLIES (Denmark Vessey, DrxQuinnx and Azarias)

https://fxckrxp.bandcamp.com/track/oaks

***Selections #51-#100***:

https://therappundit.tumblr.com/post/186668563851/the-best-of-the-1st-half-2019-pundits

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dailybiblelessons · 7 years

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What's Ahead in Ordinary 28 (October 12 to 18, 2017)

What's ahead in the Bible readings for Ordinary 28?

Other designations for this week are the nineteenth week after Pentecost, Roman Catholic Proper 28, and Revised Common Lectionary Proper 23.

The central passage this week is the Parable of the Wedding Banquet. In Matthew, it follows the parables of the two sons and of the Lord's vineyard. The New Interpreter's Bible (Volume VIII, pages 416-418) explains this as an allegory of salvation. The first invited guests are the people of Israel. The first set of slaves sent to them are the Hebrew Prophets, whom they kill. The second set of slaves are the Christian missionaries, who again are killed. The third set of slaves are sent not to the people of Israel, but to the people on the street, the outsiders. In other words, the Gentiles. They bring in many, but one fellow has not put on wedding clothes. (If it isn't obvious already, here there can't be any doubt that we have an allegory: people gathered from the street would not have wedding clothes to put on.) In early Christianity, a sign of beginning a new life in Christ was putting off your old clothes—leaving behind your old ideas—and putting on a new garment. So the message is that it is not enough to show up at the banquet, you have to start acting as a Christian.

One of the Thursday passages is an oracle. In this context, it means a divine utterance given to a man, specifically to Isaiah.

Proverbs 3:34 is quoted by Peter (Thursday) and by James (Friday). If you look up the passage in the NRSV, it reads: “Toward the scorners he is scornful, but to the humble he shows favor.” In the two epistles, different words are used to convey the same idea: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” If you would like to read a longer portion of that chapter of Proverbs, you will find it here: Proverbs 3:27-35.

On Monday we read from Jude. At 461 words in Greek, it is one of the shortest books in the Bible. For that reason, it has verses, but not chapters. The image is from El Greco. Apparently some early church fathers were anxious to distinguish Jude from Judas Iscariot and so called him Matthias. Some time ago, I read that this epistle was likely actually written by Jude, because no one would try to ascribe an important letter to such a minor figure. However, the Wikipedia article makes it clear that there are reasons to doubt this. In any case, Jude was chosen to replace Judas Iscariot, so he was not one of the original twelve. His advice, “have mercy on some who are wavering; save others by snatching them out of the fire,” seems good to me.

Remember that from now through Advent we have two series of readings, the complementary and the semi-continuous. Most denominations allow pastors to choose from either series. More information about the two series is here: Which Series?

Thursday through Sunday Psalms Complementary: Psalm 23 The Lord is my shepherd. Semi-continuous: Psalm 106:1-6, 19-23 Give thanks to the Lord, for God is good. Both we and our ancestors have sinned.

Thursday: Preparation for the Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time Complementary: Isaiah 22:1-8a An oracle concerning the valley of vision. Your rulers have all fled together. All of you who were found were captured. Semi-continuous: Exodus 24:1-8 Moses wrote down the words of the Lord and told them to the people. They said, "All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient." Both: 1 Peter 5:1-5, 12-14 All of you must clothe yourselves in humility in your dealings with one another.

Friday: Preparation for the Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time Complementary: Isaiah 22:8b-14 In that day God called to weeping and mourning, but instead there was joy and festivity. Semi-continuous: Exodus 24:9-1 Then Moses, Aaron and his sons, and seventy elders of Israel went up and saw God. Both: James 4:4-10 Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?

Saturday: Preparation for the Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time Complementary: Isaiah 24:17-23 Terror, the pit, and the snare are upon you, inhabitants of the earth! The Lord of hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem. Semi-continuous: Exodus 24:12-18 Moses went up to God on the mountain, and was there forty days and forty nights. Both: Mark 2:18-22 John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. The people asked why Jesus' disciples did not fast. Jesus answered, "The wedding guests cannot fast while the bridegroom is with them, can they?"

The Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time Complementary: Isaiah 25:1-9 On this mountain God will make a feast of rich food for everyone, and will swallow up death forever. Semi-continuous: Exodus 32:1-14 The people think Moses is gone, and demand that Aaron make gods. He casts a golden calf. God is angry. Moses' intervention keeps God from consuming the Israelites. Both: Philippians 4:1-9 Do not worry about anything, but by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let God know your requests. Both: Matthew 22:1-14 The parable of the wedding banquet.

Monday through Wednesday Psalms Complementary: Psalm 34 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous. They suffer many affliction, but God rescues them. The face of the Lord is against evildoers. Semi-continuous: Psalm 97 The Lord is king! Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.

Monday: Reflection on the Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time Complementary: Exodus 19:7-20 God said to Moses, "I am coming to you in a dense cloud, in order that the people may hear when I speak to you and so trust you ever after." Semi-continuous: Exodus 32:15-35 When the day comes for punishment, I will punish whoever has sinned against me. Both: Jude 17-25 It is worldly people, who are devoid of the Spirit, who are causing divisions. Have mercy on some who are wavering; save others by snatching them out of the fire, and have mercy on others with fear.

Tuesday: Reflection on the Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time Complementary: Amos 9:5-15 I will restore the fortunes of my people, and they will rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine. Semi-continuous: Exodus 33:1-6 God said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, 'You are a stiff-necked people; if for a single moment I should go among you, I would consume you.'" Both: Philippians 3:13-4:1 Our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Wednesday: Reflection on the Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time Complementary: Song of Solomon 7:10-8:4 Do not stir up love until it is ready! Semi-continuous: 2 Kings 17:7-20 The people did wicked things. The Lord warned them by every prophet and seer. The Lord rejected them and gave them into the hands of plunderers. Both: John 6:25-35 Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."

Please note that the links above do not become active until 7 a.m. US Eastern Time on the designated day, when the readings get posted on the new web site. If you need the Sunday reading earlier, please let me know and I will assist you.

Thank you for all that you do to bring God's reign into being. Mike Gilbertson

Do you have a friend who could us these readings?

If you know someone who could deepen his or her commitment to being a Christian through these readings, why not forward this newsletter to that person? Here is a link that leads to the sign up forms: Sign up links for daily and weekly emails

Bible verses from The New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All right reserved. Selections from Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright 1995 by the Consultation on Common Texts. Image credit: The Parable of the Great Banquet by the Brunswick Monogrammist, via The Vanderbilt Divinity Library. This image is used under the Creative Commons Attribution, Non Commercial, Share Alike license.

What's Ahead Ordinary Time 28

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longarmsshow · 7 years

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All the valentine's day asks

Hells yeaaaahhhhh

1: Do you have a crush at the moment? - Nope. Maybe on some girls at work, but like, I’m too much of a coward to actually talk to them.

2: Have you ever been deeply in love? - Once.

3: Longest relationship you’ve ever been in? - Around six months.

4: Have you ever changed for someone? - Yes.

5: How is your relationship with your ex? - We don’t talk anymore, which sucks ‘cause she was super cool and I hurt her really badly ‘cause I’m a terrible person.

6: Have you ever been cheated on? - Nope, thank christ, ‘cause then I’d be even more terrified of women than I already am.

7: Have you ever cheated? - Nope, nor will I ever, ‘cause cheating is for bastard coated bastards with bastard fillings.

8: Would you date someone who’s well known for cheating? - Nooooooooooooooooooowhyisthisevenaquestion

9: What’s the most important part of a relationship? - Communication.

10: Do you like to be in serious relationships or just flings? - Serious relationships plz

11: When you are dating someone do you believe in going on “breaks”? - I feel like it depends on the situation. I’ve never been in a situation that warranted a ‘break’ before, but I have known people who have broken up and then gotten back together before, if that constitutes as a break.

12: How many people have you ever hooked up with? - El zilcho

13: What’s one thing you regret saying/doing in a previous relationship? - Not gonna spill all my dirty laundry on here thank you very much~

14: What age do you think is appropriate for kids to start having sex? - I would say high school, as long as they learn about consent during that time. ‘Cause consent is SUPER IMPORTANT. KIDS, PLEASE LEARN ABOUT CONSENT.

15: Do you believe in the phrase “age is just a number”? - Nope.

16: Do you believe in “love at first sight”? - Ehhhhh. I feel like there’s an attraction at first sight, but absolutely one hundred percent possible love from two people who see each other for the first time? That’s like, a one in a zillion million chance of happening at least imo.

17: Do you believe it’s possible to fall in love on the internet? - Yes. Just don’t get catfished. ‘Cause that shit’s creepy.

18: What do you consider a deal breaker? - Kids. I don’t want ‘em. Mostly ‘cause I don’t want them to be as fucked up as I am.

19: How do you know it’s time to end a relationship? - I’m not really sure. I’m probably not the best person to answer this question.

20: Are you currently in a relationship? - I am not.

21: Do you think people who have dated can stay friends? - Yeah, I think so. You just have to remember all the things that didn’t work out in your relationship so they won’t ruin your friendship.

22: Do you think people should date their friends? - I’ve heard the term ‘I’m dating/married to my best friend before’ so I feel like friendship most definitely has to be a part of your relationship as well.

23: How many relationships have you had? - Three.

24: Do you think love can last forever? - I’d like to believe so, yeah.

25: Do you believe love can conquer all things? - I’d also like to believe this as well.

26: Would you break up with someone your parents didn’t approve of? - Psssshhhh, no. Unless my parents gave me specific evidence of her being like… a murderer or something. Then yes.

27: If you could go back in time and give yourself one piece of advice about dating what would it be? - Stop being such a little bitch and just TALK TO GIRLS

28: Do you think long distance relationships can work? - If enough work is put into it, yeah.

29: What do you notice first about another person? -

30: Are you straight, bi, gay or pansexual? - I’m straight.

31: Would it bother you if your partner suffered from any mental illness? - Not at all, as I suffer from depression and anxiety myself.

32: Have you ever been in an abusive relationship? - No.

33: Do you want to get married one day? - Please see Mike Birbiglia’s ‘My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend’. (Short answer, yes…? I think? Marriage is confusing and weird…??????!!!!!)

34: What do you think about getting your partner’s name tattooed? - That’s so fucking corny, haha.

35: Could you be in a relationship without sex? - Probably.

36: Are you still a virgin? - Yes.

37: What’s more important: Looks or personality? - I just want someone who likes me tbh.

38: Do you enjoy love films? - It depends on which movie we’re talking about. If it’s one of those dime-a-dozen movies that Hollywood pumps out every year then nah. If it’s something with actual story and character development that doesn’t follow the ‘they meet-they fall in love-conflict-redemption’ pattern, than yeah.

39: Have you ever given anyone/received roses? - Nope. I’ve given gifts to a girl before, though, but not roses.

40: Have you ever had a valentine? - Yes.

41: What’s your imagination of a “perfect date”? - I don’t know. Maybe something like, going to a show in the city and then going to the very top of a parking garage and looking at the stars and the city lights. That’d be really cool.

42: Have you ever read “Romeo & Juliet”? - No, but I know how the story goes.

43: What’s more important: Your partner or your friends? - I mean, both are pretty important tbh.

44: Would you consider yourself “romantic”? - I’d like to think I am, but I’m also terrible with women soooooo

45: Could you imagine to date one of your current friends? - I don’t have any women friends, so nah.

46: Have you ever been “friendzoned”? - I mean, I’ve been rejected before, but I wouldn’t call it being ‘friendzoned.’ Also, friendzoned is a stupid term. No girl owes me anything.

47: Which “famous couple” is your favorite? - None…?

48: What’s your favorite love song? - I don’t really listen to love songs.

49: Have you ever broken someone’s heart? - Yes.

50: If you’re single, why do you think you are? - Because I’m too scared to talk to girls.

51: Would you rather date someone who’s rich but a douchebag or someone who’s poor but a nice guy? - Poor but nice.

52: Are you good at giving other people advices regarding dating/ relationships? - Nope.

53: Are you jealous of couples when you’re single? - Not really.

54: How important is it to make a relationship official (p.e. on Facebook)? - Not at all.

55: Would you consider yourself “clingy”, “overly attached” or “jealous”? - I have a tendency to be jealous sometimes. I’m still working on it.

56: Have you ever “destroyed” a relationship? - Yes.

57: Do you think it’s silly to consider suicide because of a broken heart? - I mean, broken heart syndrome is a real thing…

58: Are you the “dominant” or the “submissive” part in a relationship? - Neither????

59: Have you ever forgotten important dates like your partner’s birthday or your anniversary? - No.

60: What’s your opinion on open relationships? - Ehhhh, do what you want, I guess, just as long as it isn’t hurting the other person… like, you’d have to make sure ALL THE TIME that what you’re doing isn’t hurting your partner if you’re in an open relationship.

61: Who’s more important: Your partner or your family? - Once again, both are pretty important, it’s kind of silly to choose.

62: How do you define “cheating”? - Having sex with another person tends to be the most common definition, but I’m sure there’s other ways to define it as well.

63: Is watching porn while being in a relationship inappropriate? - It depends. I know there are couples who watch it together and make a thing out of it. I know there are couples who watch it individually. Just as long as it isn’t hurting your partner. That’s something you should talk about.

64: Do you think Valentine’s Day is overrated? - If I was in a relationship and February 14th rolled around I’m sure I’d make some kind of a deal about it.

65: Would you consider yourself a “cuddler”? - I’ll cuddle all day every day, you don’t even know about my cuddling abilities.

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