The twins be out here judging people

Kendrick Lamar Already Has the Best Verse of 2024 - XXL

Kendrick Lamar has arguably had the best verse of 2024 so far. When the rapper joined Future and Metro Boomin on their new song, "Like That," in March, it served as a defibrillator for the rap game. The lethal verse he unleashed into the world sent an electrical shock throughout the genre. A potential three-way feud between Kendrick, J. Cole and Drake as a result of K-Dot's bars has given the genre an explosion of energy not seen in 2023.

Cultural impact aside, Kendrick's lyrics effectively straddle the line between subliminal and targeted. The track, which appears on Metro and Future's We Don't Trust You album, finds Kendrick adding just enough details so fans knew, without naming names, exactly who Kung Fu Kenny was speaking about.

Breaking Down Kendrick Lamar's "Like That" Verse

Kendrick did this by continuously playing off Drake and J. Cole's joint song, "First Person Shooter," as well as Drizzy's latest album, For All the Dogs. 

"OK, let's get it up, it's time for him to prove that he's a problem/N***as cliquin' up, but cannot be legit, no 40 water, tell ’em," Kendrick raps in the opening bars.

This line alone perfectly exemplifies the multiple layers of meaning Kendrick brings to each bar. On one hand, Kendrick notes that Cole and Drake appear to be "cliquin' up" and teaming up against together. K-Dot says their partnership will never be on the same level as when E-40 joined forces with B-Legit and The Click back in 1991.

However, "cliquin' up" could also be about Cole and Drake's joint song "First Person Shooter," and referring to how their guns are clicking because they're out of ammo. Additionally, the "40 water" line could be interpreted as a dig at Drake's longtime producer Noah "40" Shebib, who is known for using what he calls an "underwater" effect on his beats.

While it's this layered eye for detail that makes Kendrick's "Like That" verse so effective, he abandons the double entendres shortly after to make sure his point is made loud and clear in the following bars.

"F**k the sneak dissin', first-person shooter, I hope they came with three switches," is the bar that caught rap fans' attention. This part of the song is when everyone realized Kendrick was taking aim at Cole and Drizzy. While the lyrics before this were littered with metaphors and clever wordplay, Kendrick decides to seize the moment in a direct callout of "First Person Shooter." He wants everyone to know who he's talking about, not just the rap scholars ready to dissect his every word.

Kendrick continues on this trend by rapping plainly, "Muthaf**k the big three, n***a, it's just big me/N***a, bum, what? I'm really like that."

Read More: Metro Boomin Insists New Album Would Have Gone No. 1 Regardless

Kendrick Doesn't Use Violent Threats to Get His Point Across

Kendrick's verse is also powerful because he doesn't rely on violent threats to get his message across. With violence perforating diss tracks within the drill scene, and in rap beefs of the past, it packed more of a punch to hear Kendrick rely on his lyrical talents as an MC to target his foes.

"And your best work is a light pack/N***a, Prince outlived Mike Jack'," Kendrick raps at one point, referring to Drake's current tie with The King of Pop for most No. 1s ever for a solo artist. Drake takes great pride in his ongoing contest with "Mike Jack." In the video for "First Person Shooter," Drizzy wears a sequined glove in reference to Jackson. Kendrick merely saying that Prince outlived Michael Jackson implies that these titles aren't everything when it comes to life and death.

Drake Seems to Have Heard Kendrick's Verse

While rap enthusiasts could dissect Kendrick's "Like That" clever verse for hours, it seems to have shaken Drake to his core. In the wake of hearing the diss, Drizzy has seemed to subliminally fire back at Kendrick via cryptic Instagram captions. While fans wait with bated breath to see if The Boy will hop in the studio for an official response, it takes a lot to catch Drake's attention these days, so it's safe to say the message was received.

However, the best part about "Like That" is the conversation it's provoked among rap fans. What will a Kendrck, Cole and Drizzy face-off even look like?

Is Future involved, too?

Is Future and Metro Boomin's We Don't Trust You an entire album dedicated to dissing Drake?

Who will emerge victorious when all is said and done? All of these questions have consumed rap fans' psyches and resulted in some very intense back-and-forth discussions. While only time will tell what happens next, no one in 2024 has gotten the rap world talking quite like Kendrick Lamar.

[Singer MC]

How would the family and RO react to listening to MC's entire album and which ones would get stuck in their head due to how catchy they are.

Track list:

1. Fun House: it's about their arrival in the asylum and all the horrible experiences they lived while there.

2. Cursed: it's about MC's birth and how their parents and people around them have always scorned and hated them for being ill.

3. Mad House: its about their family life and how messed up it was for their siblings and themselves.

4. Damnned: its about their mental illness and how they dont care about people expectation and how hard it is for someone with mental illness to live without having assholes annoying you or pressing your buttons.

5. Birds of a feather: its about their meeting and eventual friendship with Nia.

6. Blame it on me: it's a prelude to the start of Orla and MC's deteriorating sibling relationship and the battles with their worsening mental health.

7. Bad Blood: MC sings from Orla's perspective and showcases their uncanny ability to mimic voices to perfection mimicking Orla's voice, How Sal failed them Aswell As their Mother treating her like a doll and the impossible expectations forced upon her and how much she Hates MC.

8. Mister Sunshine: Its about Sal and their toxic positivity where MC verbally violates him with vicous bars using his own mindset against him and showing how much he ends up hurting them and making things worse instead of helping them and how he forsake Percy and Orla because he thinks they can't take care of themselves.

9. Money can't show Love: it's about Percy and their dependency on money that makes their heart hurt and how much loves and hugs they would give them and how if he wasn't there they would have received fathers beatings and how much it eats them up inside and how ironically he's a better brother than Sal even do he's a dick because he doesn't make them feel like their being choked.

10. Loverboy: MC sings in Lorcan's perspective mimicking his voice, it's about Lorcan and Orla's relationship and how obsessed he is to Orla and how much of angel she is to everyone including him while roasting the shit out off him and highlighting how he would bully MC and how he would be blinded from the truth.

11. Summer 92: MC sings about the event that got them that scar and how much they which Orla was gone from their life [leave this one out due to possible spoilers].

12. Haunted: Its about them dealing with Orla's death even do they didnt have a good relationship they cared about her and how they feel haunted because even if she's gone the pain she inflicted on them are still there.

13. Dementia: this one is about how fucked up they feel their mental state and their memory problems is.

14. Return to Hell: it's about their return and recent experiences and how much they hate being treated differently and how everyone seems to lack basic human decency being up in their case abouttheir mental health as if they cared and threatening the girl who was saying they where bald and wearing saying they where going to make her bald if she didn't leave them alone.

15. Pretender: it's about how they feel about Irme and how they feel fake even if their being truthful but they don't mind him being a pretender since they do it to so people leave them alone.

16. Birdcage: it's about how they feel about Nia and how they feel she betrayed them even do that doesnt chage the fact she changed her friend to birdcage and how she doesnt talk and MC unleashes a verbal butchery on how she should talk to them instead of pretending to be in a birdcage.

17. Migraine: it's about how they feel about Lorcan and how sorry they feel for him even do he's an asshole who gave everything to Orla and didn't get anything back for his troubles.

18. 3 Way Street: this one is about the quests and what happened in them.

19. Green Card [yes the name was intentional]: it's a Savage Diss track aimed towards the mayor for being useless as a mayor the delivery is delivered in a mocking manner and it's aimed to get under his skin which it does.

20. Bad comedy: this one is about the revelation of MC's parent at the end of the current game and how they feel they have been lied to and how their life feels like a joke.

Wow you put some thought and detail into this damn but also who does mc think they are releasing 20 tracks on a debut album💀 in celebration of the milestone I will answer this full cast ask but no others because I’ve expressed my dislike for them

Regarding 19. Actually the mayor didn’t get into the country on a green card. I can’t say anything more about that but yeah no green card especially since I’ve never specified if the town is in the US or Canada and that the mayor came to English-speaking North America before the creation of the green card as we know it in the 40s. Also that man doesn’t listen to modern day music nor would he be angry at anything like a diss track, he would find it childish if he let a child anger him.

Imre finds his song very funny, and completely inaccurate in his motives. But is it the most catchiest to him.

Nia thinks her song is incredibly stupid and is surprised that mc seems to know her so little. No song gets stuck in her head but does like birds of a feather.

Lorcan thinks your full of shit of you think you know anything about his relationship with Orla. She might’ve hated you but she didn’t hate him. She gave him more than you can ever think. Nothing gets stuck in his head because he refuses to listen to anything else.

Victor & Prudence: hell will freeze over before these two ever sit down and listen to an album, apart from the fact they think it’s idiotic for mc to do this they also bemoan the state of modern music. Back in their day…

Sally: goes in one ear and out the other. He takes the songs at face value and doesn’t really listen to the lyrics, consciously or obliviously? Who knows. Mister sunshine gets stuck in his head, he actually does think it’s a happy song.

Percy: ridicules the songs about him. More than that, actually he verbally insults you and says that if he hears that album in the house the rug will be set on fire

Orla: laughs just laughs and laughs to the point of wiping tears. Tells you to find an career because clearly this isn’t for you. Also because you insist on talking about her trauma with no right she’ll expose things about you, it’s only fair right?

Twst Characters as Music Artists

Riddle: Little Tart

Idk piano music? Asian traumacore (like me!) so maybe he just does piano covers.

Ace picked his name and now he doesnt know how to change it.

It is technically perfect but a soulless perfomance. Sucks to suck kid

Trey: Muffin Man

He is too busy to make music but someone sampled him for an audio clip and named him That as credit. A double betrayal.

alternatively cooking by the book remix ft lil jon vibes but only posts it once, and in a weird stress frenzy.

no he will Not talk about it tyvm

Deuce: 2euce

garageband beat maker, he wanted to do a fun play on his name but ace just calls him Two-ce. deuce does not like this.

Ace: DJ Ace

he doesnt even dj

Cater: Di4mond

lofi beats to shit and piss to

posts guitar covers, really giving softboy, genuinely pretty good but like kind of hates his music.

he is the person who inspired two-ce

Leona: King’s Roar

leona could not be assed to use his creativity to make a name so he looked as his unique magic like. yeah ok.

idk why but i can feel in my soul he could produce some FIRE beats, maybe even like put in joke sound samples of other people but remixes them in a way that sounds fucking good. he only posts like once every 6 months to a year but everyone gets real excited like BITCH I THOUGHT U DIED!!! nah, he was nappin.

he also does not read or respond to comments. he has a vague awareness his music is popular but also does not care. if u bring it up tho he's gonna be real smug about it. fucking asshole.

Jack: Unleash Beats

i could sit here and say i think jack was inspired by leona to play on is UM for a name but honestly i just thought it was so funny i almost crapped my pants.

maybe he raps if he doesnt cringe himself out.

Ruggie: RUGGIE

this is a classic man, no need to get weird he is ruggie and he knows it. actually might have gone by ruggie b on soundcloud, all lowercase, but leona let him be on one of his tracks, promptly forgot the name he used and couldnt be assed to check. typed RUGGIE in caps cuz thats deadass who he is. the song he did with leona was so popular he had to rebrand to keep the hype.

good at freestyle, more rnb vibes

Jade: Nothing (nothing is also not his name)

ok so you know AZARI???? that person with the viral and rather slappin' tunes and has no channel name and no video titles??? its just blank? thats jade. i dont want to imagine what sounds this monster produces but im going to say some words and let you fill in the rest in some lovecraftian horror

contra bass

5 amps

distortion

floyd walking in on him

a car crash

quits after like 3 songs he just wanted to see what would happen, step 293 in his 109283 step plan.

Azul: Over The Sea

idk more piano. chill lounge beats to extort innocents to

floyd's outdoor fit is azul merch

azul did force him to wear it

this means azul's merch is an ajuma visor. pop off king!

Floyd: beneath the waves

u know yuno miles? composer of such hits like dookie on my shoe and lay an EGG? floyd makes That.

someone invites him on stage to freestyle as a joke and he pulls the best freestyle rap you have ever seen. it is so fire the room starts smoking. did we order a fog machine? no? well shit. someone asks him to do it again and he says 'nah'

Kalim: The Sultan. Son of Song

i know he can sing but my mind says vegetales

someone pitches the name to him and hes like haha sounds cool! not slavemastercore at all :D (dont come for me)

Jamil: Viper

another lad who cannot be assed, but viper sounds cool so he wins this round.

makes the most angry diss tracks while making eye contact with kalim. kalim cheers.

Vil: Vil Schoenheit

he is boring and professional and it is the name listed in the credits for his next musical production.

Epel: Big Apple

im sorry about ur name epel

very angry. why is everyone is so angry.

Rook: The Hunter

leans into the french thing. uncomfortable sexual lyrics. not uncomfortably sexual, but like. uncomfortable and also sexual. "I could smell you from across the room The smell of your sweet perfume Your body covered in white lace Compels me to take chase, la chasse" (lyrics by @twsty-mad)

Idia: Gl00my Samurai

steve aoki

will mix orchestral soundtracks into his edm for optimal gaming experience

yes i did rip his gaming handle. i think for all he is people avoidant he would like people to recognize his prowess as an artist of game And song

Ortho: Soundboard

is how idia makes music

Malleus: m.d.

leonacore in that he doesnt post often but when it hits it hits. dark melancholy rap vibes.

uses his initials like when he signed off that christmas card maybe even has a song about that and how he keeps waiting for a reply. add a return address next time

literally No information about him online, gives off mysterious anonymous vibes. who is he! does anyone know his alt accounts! no fool. he doesnt have any. he doesnt even have twitter. i think he is happier for this.

Sebek: Retainer to the Prince of Briar Valley

this man will not relax.

raps but really bad.

classified as screamo on decibel alone

Silver: silver lining

lofi music you can wake up to

"please god let it work this time"

it doesnt

Lilia: D.I.L.F.

Destroy Invalidate Lie and an F or SOMETHING that stands for dilf that isnt dilf just to stress his son out.

gaslight gatekeep girlboss but like idk edgy

makes death metal bagpipe music to surprise to (edited) Made w/ @twsty-mad

driver's license: A Music Retrospective

2021 was the year. We were still knee deep in the global pandemic and needed some drama to entertain ourselves. Then it came. A newcomer to the music industry, Olivia Rodrigo, dropped her first single (outside of her work in the Disney show High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (yes, that’s the real name of the show)) and it was called driver’s license. It immediately resonated with people, especially teenage girls, and her talent was evident in the track. However, people wanted to know, as they always do, who this emotional song was about.

So the people dug through the mud to find him. And find him they did. This person was Joshua Bassett, Olivia’s co-star in HSMTMTS (I’m not writing that full name again). And who was “the blonde girl” Rodrigo sang about? None other than Sabrina Carpenter, who was seen close and personal with Joshua. This is the simple run down of the characters in this piece.

Since it all started with driver’s license, we will start with Olivia’s music. Most of SOUR is about her relationship (and her break up) with Joshua. Some songs really work for me and others not so much. I’m not one for the ballads and “sad girl music”. But some of Olivia’s vocals and harmonies, combined with the simple and direct lyrics, make great sad music. In retrospect, I do like GUTS better than SOUR, but it’s pretty solid for a debut. It is noticeable through her lyricism that Joshua really hurt Olivia, whether he meant to or not.

Next we will examine Sabrina’s responses, plural, because one was more successful than the other. I must say I’ve been a fan of Sabrina since Girl Meets World (another Disney show and, yes, a spin-off of Boy Meets World) and her music really is more my style. So musically, I will be biased to her. However, her first response to this drama was to release Skin, a not so polished song that feels like a diss track against Olivia, including the line “maybe blonde was the only rhyme” (referring to the “blonde girl” lyric in driver’s license). As I stated before, it’s clear Olivia was really hurt by Joshua and Sabrina’s relationship, so releasing a song where you brag about having the man on your arm instead of her doesn’t seem like a smart move. Fortunately everyone forgot about that release and she was able to create her album emails i can’t send and her new response to the drama. And I say “response to the drama” and not to Olivia, because the song this time is much more focused on the aftermath of driver’s license. because i liked a boy is a really well constructed and, more importantly, well thought out song, where Sabrina unleashes her frustrations with what happened to her because of Olivia’s song. Death threats were sent to her and Olivia did nothing to stop them, while Joshua appealed to the goodness of Olivia’s fans. Sabrina’s only crime was, as she sings in the chorus, liking a boy. And she also reveals that ���when everything went down, we’d already broken up”. Sabrina’s side results in a near flawless pop album (where not all of the songs are about Joshua) and it’s better than SOUR in my opinion, but it’s almost like she’s been doing it longer than Olivia.

Joshua’s side was the latest I arrived at and, to be honest, I’m glad I did. Let the ladies get their versions out before I analyse the man’s in the situation. When I did research on this topic (because I didn’t know what songs to listen to on Joshua’s part), the song Lie Lie Lie showed up the most. It feels like a slap to Olivia’s face. It’s evident that Olivia was pouring her heart out into her art and Lie Lie Lie just downplays it all. Then, I listened to the rest of Joshua’s discography and found some other songs that could apply to the situation, though I’m not sure they are about Olivia. Only A Matter of Time is also about how this person is lying about a certain situation (“you twisted your words like a knife”) that could be applied to Olivia’s album. Crisis is a more inward look into the drama, claiming Joshua also suffered from this whole affair. The lyrics seem to implicate Olivia’s album and attitude after the release of her music, with lines like: “If you get to tell your truth, so do I”, ”Messing with my life as a career move” and “You sensationalise, keep fanning the flames for the headlines''. And finally, the song SHE SAID HE SAID SHE SAID refers back to the drama, the rumours around the couple and Sabrina and how it’s all “he said she said” and we’ll never know exactly what happened with these three. Musically, Joshua’s side is the weakest, in my opinion, and he doesn’t have the lyricism and production that the girls have. It’s not my type of music, even less than Olivia’s, this style of “sad boy music” is getting tiresome to me.

To finalize this analysis, I want to say that I don’t hate any part involved and if anything good came of this, it was the amazing music. Go stream all of the sides and decide for yourself who “won” this drama, or just enjoy all sides equally. I can’t tell you what to do, I’m not your mother.

A lot of MJ’s successes in life are all the more sweeter when you remember that Jermaine Jackson spent a lot of time being bitter about his little brother being such a huge star, diminishing MJ by chalking it up to “good timing” and “luck” rather than, you know, creativity, an incredible work ethic, practice and research into what makes an icon...as well as talent.

“I’m the lead singer-” Michael sings, age 5, at the school talent show, moves people to tears. Becomes the lead singer of the Jackson 5, replacing Jermaine.

“I just married the boss’ daughter and I’m not going to abandon Motown just to write our own material-” Motown slumps, loses all their best artists, The Jacksons albums finally begin to sell again.

“Oh the record industry is in a slump, and this new album of yours sounds like garbage-” Thriller becomes the best selling album of all time.

“Mother, Michael’s wearing his pants too short, you can see his white socks-” Creates an iconic look that MAKES you look at his feet when he dances.

“People are going to really love that all the brothers are back together, this will be the highlight of Motown25, MY return to the band-” Michael unleashes the Moonwalk for the first time on national television, it’s all anyone talks about when mentioning Motwon25 for decades.

“Michael, record this duet with me, it’ll me my chance at a Grammy-” Record company/Michael refuses to release it as a single, claiming over-exposure.

“We’re going on tour as a family again, this will be my chance at success-” The tour is a mess and Michael officially leaves The Jacksons.

“I’m so mad at Michael for not returning my calls and stealing my producers! I’m going to record this diss track about him-” Song gets leaked, is mysteriously removed from the air, Jermaine gets scolded by their mother.

“...” Jermaine’s son plays Michael in the biopic.

jack what are your thoughts on the new taylor?

I have a lot of thoughts on it actually

• “Lavender Haze” is one of her best openers ever, truly a love letter to getting belligerently smacked. Fabulous production and one of many songs I feel are very covert messages to her fans in specific, like stop asking if we are married. I’m a human being and I don’t exist to be your fairy tale love story. Even if I sant about that in the last. It feels very pointed to me, which I love

• “Anti Hero” is really about her fans. Don’t you get tired of defending my every move? Shouldn’t you have moved on already at my old age? Why do you still care about me? So much of this album is really her most naked if you can really read between the lines. And the production is think is the culmination of Taylor/Jack’s various attempts at trying to jack Chvrches swag and I think they finally got it on this song

• “Midnight Rain” is, structurally and production wise so next level and ground breaking and I think it would be a huge hit for her. It feels like a really classic country ballad in her vocals and lyrics, but it sounds like a drill inspired downtempo. It’s so cool genuinely

• “Coulda Shoulda Woulda” is like the Marvel after credits scene for her setting up the public lashing John Mayer will get when she unleashes Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)

• “Karma”/“Bejeweled” is brilliant Taylor style camp. The cringe, Pinterestcore non sequiturs are like the epitome of Taylor camp, like how Lana singing about daddys and cigarettes and California is typical Lana camp. Get it?

• “Snow on the Beach” gives me such strong Enya/VH1 you oughta know artist, it’s really such a breezy listen. Lana sounds amazing on it.

• I think “Vigilante Shit” is a a very covert Billie Eilish diss track. Her response to Billie’s Taylor diss in “Therefore I Am”

Kinda makes me feel small and insignificant. Like I was the subject of a Kendrick Lamar diss track.

Drake and Kendrick Lamar’s feud — the biggest beef in recent rap history — explained

In one of the biggest beefs in recent hip-hop history, Drake and Kendrick Lamar are feuding — to the point that police were asked about their feud after a security guard was shot outside Drake’s Toronto mansion on Tuesday.

But it wasn’t always this way.

Over a decade ago, the pair collaborated on a few songs:

On Drake’s 2011 track “Buried Alive Interlude,” on Lamar’s 2012 release “Poetic Justice,” and on A$AP Rocky’s “(Expletive) ’ Problems” that same year.

That didn’t last very long.

In 2013, Pulitzer Prize winner Lamar was featured on Big Sean’s “Control,” in which he called out a slew of contemporary rappers including Drake, J. Cole, Meek Mill, Pusha T, A$AP Rocky, Big K.R.I.T., Wale, Pusha T and even Big Sean among them.

“I got love for you all, but I’m trying to murder you,” he rapped. “Trying to make sure your core fans never heard of you.”

Drake responded in a Billboard cover story, saying “I know good and well that Kendrick’s not murdering me, at all, in any platform.”

Shortly afterward, at the 2013 BET Hip-Hop Awards, Lamar took another jab at Drake.

Over the next few years, the rappers launched disses at each other with less frequency.

Drake had other beefs with other performers, like Meek Mill in 2015, and most infamously Pusha T in 2018, where the latter rapper dropped “The Story of Adidon,” revealing Drake is a father.

In October 2023, J. Cole perhaps accidentally reignited the beef on “First Person Shooter” with Drake.

He rapped “Love when they argue the hardest MC / Is it K-Dot? Is it Aubrey? Or me?” referencing Lamar and Drake’s birth name, Aubrey Graham.

“We the big three like we started a league / but right now, I feel like Muhammad Ali.”

Which brings us to the current moment.

Here’s a timeline of the developments in recent weeks — it should be noted that diss tracks between rappers often include exaggerated truths and unsubstantiated rumors for dramatic effect, and that police have not said the feud led to Tuesday’s shooting.

March 22: Lamar disses Drake on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That”

“The big three,” Lamar raps, referencing J. Cole’s boast. “It’s just big me.”

He references Drake’s 2023 album “For All the Dogs,” and also compares himself to Prince and Drake to Michael Jackson: “Prince outlived Mike Jack.”

J. Cole soon releases a response, “7 Minute Drill,” but quickly apologizes for it onstage at his Dreamville Festival in Raleigh, N.C.

April 13: Drake’s “Push Ups” leaks

Drake’s response is leaked and later premiered by DJ Akademiks.

“You ain’t in no Big Three, SZA got you wiped down, Travis got you wiped down, Savage got you wiped down,” he raps about Lamar.

It also assumed Drake takes aim at Future, Metro Boomin, Rick Ross and The Weeknd — Ross releases a response track shortly afterward.

April 24: Drake responds with a second, AI-assisted diss track, “Taylor Made Freestyle”

Drake’s second diss track used artificial intelligence technology to include verses from Tupac and Snoop Dogg, two of Lamar’s influences.

In his own verse, Drake accuses Lamar of delaying his response track because of the imminent release of Taylor Swift ‘s “The Tortured Poets Department.” (Lamar collaborated with Swift on “Bad Blood.”)

Tupac’s estate threatened to sue Drake in response, so he removed the song from his social channels.

Snoop Dogg responded to the news in a video on Instagram.

“They did what? When? How? Are you sure?” he said. “I’m going back to bed. Good night.”

April 30: Lamar hits back with a nearly six-and-a-half-minute track, “Euphoria”

This is where it gets more complicated.

Lamar’s “Euphoria” hits like an opus, unleashing a slew of allegations against Drake.

He comes after Drake’s skills as a rapper, use of AI, appearance, racial identity, and parenting.

“I got a son to raise, but I can see you know nothin’ ’bout that,” Lamar raps.

The title is a reference to the HBO series “Euphoria,” of which Drake is an executive producer.

Lamar teases that he’ll go “back-to-back” with his tracks.

May 3: Lamar drops a follow-up, “6:16 in LA”

In Lamar’s next diss, titled after a time and location like Drake is wont to do, Lamar targets the company Drizzy keeps.

“Have you ever thought that OVO was working for me? / Fake bully, I hate bullies,” he raps, referencing Drake’s record label. “You must be a terrible person / Everyone inside your team is whispering that you deserve it.”

According to Billboard, the song was produced by Sounwave and Jack Antonoff — the latter notably Swift’s longtime producer.

It also samples Al Green’s “What a Wonderful Thing Love Is,” on which one of Drake’s relatives played guitar.

May 3: Drake launches “Family Matters”

Drake hits back with a music video and a nearly eight-minute response, in which he alleges abuse and infidelity in Lamar’s relationship with his fiancee.

May 4: Lamar responds with “Meet the Grahams”

Almost immediately afterward, Lamar releases “Meet the Grahams,” which begins with the rapper addressing Drake’s son: “I’m sorry that man is your father.”

Lamar also addresses Drake’s parents, and “a baby girl,” alleging that Drake has a secret daughter.

He also labels Drake a “predator,” without elaborating.

May 4: Less than 24 hours later, Lamar drops “Not Like Us”

Hours later, Lamar doubles down, releasing “Not Like Us,” produced by DJ Mustard.

“Say, Drake, I hear you like ’em young / You better not ever go to cell block one,” Lamar raps.

May 5: Drake softens his blows on “The Heart Part 6”

Referencing Lamar’s “The Heart” series, Drake drops “The Heart Part 6” in response.

In the song, which samples Aretha Franklin’s “Prove It,” Drake challenges Lamar’s allegations, doubles down on his own against him, and says that he does not have a secret daughter.

He sounds notably lethargic on the song — potentially taking a final bow with verses like, “You know, at least your fans are gettin’ some raps out of you / I’m happy I could motivate you.”

The history of Hip-Hop collaborations is a tale of unity, innovation, and the creation of musical magic that transcend genres, push artistic boundaries and amplify diverse voices. The late '80s and early '90s marked the golden era of Hip-Hop, that is when collaborations began to flourish. During this period, artists recognized the potential of crossing genre lines. From Chaka Khan's 1984 electro-funk hit, "I Feel For You," featuring Melle Mel, to the legendary Run-DMC joining forces with Aerosmith for "Walk This Way" in 1986, and lastly, Jody Watley's 1989 groundbreaking multi-format hit "Friends" with Eric B. & Rakim, demonstrated the genre's crossover potential and futurehood.

By 1997, Hip-Hop's dominance on crossover radio was becoming more pronounced, and women Emcees were sonically expanding the genre. Lil Kim scored one of the year's biggest hits with Missy Elliot, Angie Martinez, Da Brat, and Left Eye’s "Ladies Night." Foxy Brown landed in the pop top 10 with her featured hit, "I'll Be." Missy Elliot, and Da Brat set radio on fire with "Sock It To Me." Another notable collaboration shook the table when it arrived in December 1997.

"Girlfriend," featuring singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Me'Shell Ndegeocello was one of the standout tracks on Brooklyn-born Queen Pen's debut album, "My Melody." Released a year after her feature on BLACKstreet’s 1996 blockbuster hit "No Diggity," the album included the forever jam, "A Party Ain't A Party." But Queen Pen's ode to same-sex attraction, "Girlfriend," garnered a write-up in a January 1998 New York Times article, "A Feisty Female Rapper Breaks A Hip-Hop Taboo." Whew, that title didn't age well, huh?

"Girlfriend" was a reinterpolation of Me'Shell Ndegeocello's 1993 single "If That's Your Boyfriend (He Wasn't Last Night)." Featured on her boundary-pushing debut album, "Plantation Lullabies," which explored identity, sexuality, race, and gender, "Boyfriend" with its braggadocious fusion of Funk, R&B, and Hip-Hop, addressed sex and infidelity. Queen Pen's reimagination, which included vocals by Ndegeocello, had the lyrics "I be the one that your main squeeze be diggin', Pull you out your closet, sex so wicked,” and flipped the song's hook to "If that's your girlfriend, she wasn't last night, yes, I had your girlfriend."

"Girlfriend" rocked Hip-Hop. It was a bold statement about bodily autonomy, sexual desire, and unapologetic queerness. Released just months after Ellen DeGeneres' historic coming out, "Girlfriend" sparked conversations about LGBTQ identity within the world of Hip-Hop, and questions about Queen Pen's identity emerged. When asked in a 1998 interview if she was or was not lesbian, Pen stated: "I'm a female rapper. I couldn't even go out of my way to pick up a new form of discrimination. People are waiting for this 'Hip-Hop Ellen' to come out of the closet. I'd rather be a mystery for a minute."

"Girlfriend" would also get Queen Pen caught in the middle of a longstanding beef between Queen Latifah and Foxy Brown. In 1998, Foxy unleashed "Talk to Me," a diss track that included a barrage of homophobic remarks aimed at Latifah and Queen Pen. This resulted in a physical confrontation when Queen Pen ran into Brown at the 1998 music convention in Las Vegas. The beef was eventually squashed during a panel at the 2006 Hip-Hop Summit.

Queen Pen would take a three-year break from music before releasing her 2001 sophomore album. Me'Shell Ndegeocello continued to release critically acclaimed and thought-provoking albums, including my personal fave, "Bitter."

More than 25 years after the release of "Girlfriend," Women in Hip-Hop continue to push boundaries and redefine bodily autonomy, sex positivity, and sexuality as solo artists and as part of collabos. Perhaps Queen Pen was on to something when in 1998, she stated, "Two or three years from now, people will say Queen Pen was the first female to bring the lesbian life to light on wax."

Eminem "The Sauce/Nail in the Coffin" (2002)

Target: Dave Mays, The Source, Benzino

Producer: Eminem

Album: N/A

Label: N/A

Best Line: "What you know about being bullied over half your life/Oh that's right/You should know what that's like/You're half white"

No stranger to beef with hip-hop magazines, Eminem began feuding with former Source co-owner Raymond "Benzino" Scott when Benzino publicly attacked Eminem's whiteness, claiming he had an unfair advantage over rappers of color and was bad for the culture. After threats of an Eminem boycott from The Source, and a slew of diss songs from Benzino, Em unleashed the ether-filled "The Sauce" and "Nail in the Coffin" on a Shady mixtape.

Equally venomous, both tracks picked apart Benzino's failed rap career, age, and the exploiting of Zino's son for his own financial gain. The Source and Benzino would never be the same, despite spending many years and dollars attempting to kill Marshall's career.

3rd bass the cactus album release date

3RD BASS THE CACTUS ALBUM RELEASE DATE FULL

3RD BASS THE CACTUS ALBUM RELEASE DATE FULL

But It's not really a full attack, just MCA's verse that goes in on Serch.Ģ5. The Beastie’s dissed 3rd Bass back on the track “Professor Booty”. 3rd Bass saw the Spin article and wrote the dis.Ģ4. Then when he went to leave, Mike started throwing things at him. 2 is that he and Mike D met and were talking in Mike D’s apartment and were totally cool. The story Serch tells in Check the Technique Vol. 3rd Bass dissed the Beastie Boys on the song “Sons of 3rd Bass” It was the new Def Jam white guys dissing the old.Ģ3. I also have to ask-do famous rappers always have a guy in their crew to listen to other rapper’s albums to check for hit-worthy disses tucked away in the deep cuts?Ģ2. Can I buy it on E-Bay? And if so, will Hammer put a contract out on me?Ģ1. Sometimes I wonder where that giant hammer is. Or video with Hammer’s mother being, uh, contacted, by a giant cactus.Ģ0. And there was no video for it with a giant hammer getting knocked over in heavy rotation on Yo MTV Raps. It may have been the title track, but wasn’t released as a single. It seems weird that “The Cactus” is the song 3rd Bass blamed for all the drama. If true, this is perhaps the greatest example of the awesome power of award shows.ġ9. Serch says in the book that he believes Russell gave Concepcion tickets to the American Music Awards, sitting next to Michael Jackson, in exchange for vetoing their murder. There’s much I don’t know about the Crip’s organizational structure and work processes.ġ8. It doesn’t sound like it had been reported up to Concepcion’s office for approval, but he sure as hell had the power to call it off.ġ7. Russell Simmons asked Crips founder Mike Concepcion to cancel the hit. 3rd Bass found out about the death threat when they were on tour in LA. 3rd Bass also dissed Hammer in the song “The Cactus”, with the lyric “The cactus turned Hammer’s mother out.” According to the group, it’s actually this dis that prompted a death threat from Hammer that he contracted out through the Crips.ġ6. In the video, DMC and Jam Master Jay show up at the end to attack a giant hammer that’s wearing sun glasses. At the end of the song, Pete Nice expresses his wish that Hammer “Shut the _ up.” And Serch unleashes an effusive gas face.ġ4. The dismissive looks girls sometimes gave became known as the “gas face”.ġ3. It was inspired by times when 3rd Bass and Zev would try to talk to girls. The term and concept of the gas face were coined by guest rapper Zev Love X,ġ2. He said 3rd Bass would swipe Slick Rick promo albums from the Def Jam office to sell on the street to buy pizza.ġ1. Pete told Brian Coleman that he still had to work odd jobs after getting signed by Def Jam. 2's chapter on The Cactus Album, there’s some truth to it.ġ0. Pete Nice’s opening verse seems like a funny exaggeration of a shady record label, but according to Check the Technique Vol. The song was produced by De La Soul and Gravediggaz producer (and Stetsasonic DJ) Prince Paul. The piano sample at the beginning of each verse in “The Gas Face” is the intro to “Think” by Aretha Franklin.Ĩ. According to DJ Daddy Rich, DJing during performances of “The Gas Face” and “Steppin to the AM” was challenging because Serch’s dancing would shake his turntables.ħ. You know who didn’t have paper ankles? MC Serch. And of course, his ankles never got so bad that he needed the prop cane he carried around.Ħ. But not hooping gave him more time to work on the music. Nice blamed his “paper ankles” for derailing his college b-ball career. Pete Nice took a total of two shots playing forĥ. Before 3rd Bass, Serch’s day jobs included driving a truck for the USDA and driving a bus for a Jewish YeshivaĤ. Pete Nice graduated with an English degree from Columbia.ģ. MC Serch turned down an opera singing scholarship to focus on rap.Ģ. I highly recommend both it and Volume 1 for 80s and 90s hip hop aficionados.ġ. ( Important Note: I learned many of these nuggets from the book, Check the Technique Volume 2: More Liner Notes for Hip Hop Junkies by Brian Coleman. In honor of those 30 years, here are 30 facts about 3rd Bass and the song itself. Hard to believe it’s been 30 years since I made my first gas face.

Title:

Rap hungry

(raplike diss dissertation for the ones who still don't like strange aggro rhyme battles)

Easy like doing meditation, once started there is no way to stop the inspiration of life fancy and poem loving dedication for the all star gaming where you may rap whatever and it is simply a brainwash to possibly irritate your enemy in freestyle battle so he or she will flop by not exactly rapping what the person planned to rhyme impolite and may not manage in time to correct the context after having lost one's purposeful aim against the will for being the smart ass punk who should now realize that

nothing is perfectly and totally known to be the best prose resolution for the flow which captures the moment for I will console with prose wit opposing opoonents in the time when my rhymes actualize the striking atonement to rock the flow roaming, no matter what will be verse spoken, it just straight evolves with little effort to blow the mic like it's best performance and rock the cradle of poetry with addictive rhyming heat to the beat of word contuse to defeat with verbal procreation. Free out of the blue without knowing what might be rapped next to mix up the track with verbose checks in sole effect to mess up the composing intention and instead bust the poem aggregation to the fever of rhyme game infiltration for more lyrics fulfills the caps to be trimming the tongue fling whenever the oral gym must be unleashed. Flow gist to release funky rhymes to never decline verse spit to empower bars flip directly sly and slick, how it should click to the word fricks when rhymed per gig sleeky verse lick to kick chic trendy trick trippy word flix. For once again and again, this could be because I had not written a book full of poetry for preparation since already long times ago I had it in my intentions of ability seek to cast free intervention and impromptu repertoire inventions which is an important art to practice the innovative creativity for all the nature of the lyrics muse to formulate more clues on inspiration so that new rhyme combination in variation can be produced to find the unique poem designs which differ from the usual and already given and existing prose creations of other artists in the world which must be challenged. Therefore, the true gift for making poetic life culture is to just write a lot about the knowledge from story narration freestylish on the teachings of providing the intelligence through words which does give vast diversified wording verse consolation by presenting totally new poetry from actual nature states of knowledge info out of unconditional improvised experiencing when rapping the content blow which brings free insight on great realizations about the findings we may define as technically desireable interesting and such useful source of timeless truths may work in world as a method to clarify productive resultance with the power of wisdom specifically for logical comparisons to the matching on reasons of factualization in this game of wordplay to rock the record in achieving the day to date as my poetry fate in convention to live made tension suspension in session against your wills, chumps.

ICONIC SEQUENCE

It’s time to freak out my F4 addicts. 

Puppy T knows how to apologise. Hallelujah. 

Bridal carry, I repeat BRIDAL CARRY!!!

Iconic. THE SMOKE, FLAMES. MY ASS IS ALREADY ON FIRE Y’ALL. 

Ok I have a lot to say about this. 🪑(*sit down)

I’m sort of starting in the middle today, because it’s impossible to ignore how grand this scene was and everything it represents, Thyme crying (ACTUAL TEARS MY GAWD) while Gorya passes out (almost) only for him to catch her. 

Swoon. (But not really because all of this is kinda his fault still.)

My puppy Thyme did not believe Gorya in a first place. Which we knew he’d regret, but alas hero must go on a journey. 

To be fair with his track record of people who bullshit him on the daily, I don't blame the fact he has trust issues on puppy T, but I do wish he was not such an innocent fool who let’s himself be spiked (I don't want to blame him too much cos he’s a victim of an evil plot but...) and even dragged into a hotel and then...ugh.

My inclination to rip apart the classic trope of obsessed crazy stalker who tries to win your heart by semi-abducting you, while she ends up bringing you and your bae closer together, but I fear I might unleash a rap of dissing proportions that I shall never recover from, because I am like Thyme-- I do take issues with a lot of things...particularly women being portrayed as vindictive. Alas, I must remember Hana is the shit-pot-stirrer and drives the inciting incident and the hook...So...Deep sigh. Imma leave it. For now. 

And that bitchiness or what Hana represents I loathe to see. Having mentally scarred people who have been bullied become bullies is psychology 101, but to me the whole thing with women faking a friendship to get a guy just opens a Swiss knife in my pocket. 

I know, I need to circle back to my beloved Gorya, my precious soul currently being bullied by the whole school. And while the trio of mean girls somehow develops inner guilt, yet is too scared to act on it--at least we get heroic Thyme showing up in his bad boi gangsta moody melancholy boyfriend™️ look that has just been abducted by evil girl fucked off about a comment from life time ago.

See karma has a way of working her way back to you, innit. 

Gorya deserves path laid with tropical plants and diamonds from now and being pampered, because like Thyme I am sick of having to defend her and protect her from the obnoxious sheep. Hashtag protect Gorya. 

THIS SCENE TOUGH. akjhasjkajshjsda 👁👄👁

From the soft voice he is using to apologise

To the way his tears fall down

And how she breaks down in his embrace

I had goosebumps the whole time. 

Actual internal response like I have just been punched and also wretchedly sad and overjoyed that my boi finally got his shit together. 

Dunno about coins in this episode. 

OK. But the fact they behave like a couple and yet ??? 

Like why does my girl care so much what puppy T thinks?

Exactly.

Ok more later. 

Nyashinki -Lucky You Album Review (9.5/10)

Nyashinski has dropped what is arguably the album of the year so far in Kenya, I mean it’s only April, but Lucky You is pound for pound a solid album. Given this is his first solo project, I know I know there were the albums with Kelptomaniax (M4E — Maniacs forever) and a catalog of very solid singles over the past 3 years ranging from Malaika to club bangers like Free, Finyo, and Aminia to name just a few. But Lucky You takes us to a different level of storytelling and maturity that we have not seen Nyash expose us to yet (hope he still goes by this name).

Greener — Prod by Nyashinski

The album starts with Greener which is a self-produced song by Nyash, In this song we see the classic Nyash using his voice as one of the chords and laces a more mellow flow. The song is about comparisons and as it goes the grass always looks greener on the other side. It's basically an intro to set course for what is to unfold in the rest of the album. The song is more of a statement of Nyash reminding us that people will always be comparing and whatever he does people will always have an opinion that may seem otherwise (the other side).

Sweet Aroma — Prod by K Da Great

I gotta admit this is one of my favorite songs in the album. The beat by just gives the song such musicality and the combination with Nyash almost laid-back effortless flow gives it such a good finish. The song is a celebration of his success, as he hints at his come back in the first verse and how some folks are not feeling his success — neighbors complaining. Reminds the haters that he’s here to stay and the future is really bright. He continues his celebration telling us how he’s now living in penhouses and how he is enjoying his time. Best hint “watu wakingonga cheers wakicelebrate, na-wish kimoja kingekuwa kinarotate”. Certainly, Nyash is not hiding his feelings to the world.

Glory — Prod by Desmond “$ire” Bosire

Certainly, the song has a west coast feel to it…the beat starts off feeling like you’re in a low rider. The song is loaded with punch lines. Starting off with the title itself Glory, almost an oxymoron here Nyash saying he gives God the glory while the fans/industry glorifies him. He goes off to offer his first dose, “mamember hurudi home na hope, Pastor anaenda na ganji” an all too familiar situation in prosperity gospel scenes. He continues to diss promoters “Small talk yukuwa job. Ubaya ni hailipangi. Nimemaintain najiskizia, msiniite kaamnikanji”, simply stating show me the money and save your talk. “Hi ni miracle baby, Naona nikamnanidare”, he again reminds us of his rebirth into the scene, funny wordplay to compare to Pastor Deya bring miracle babies. Another diss to haters or people who aren’t putting in work and just want to shine on others backs (slay queens) “Kama ushachange na unapewa lift, Sijui utakuwa nani ukibuy kibenz”. The rest of the song is another reminder of how Nyash has turned the industry on its ears.

Traveler — Prod by K Da Great

Another solid display of producer and artist chemistry. I’m beginning to think these two have found a working formula like Nyash and Cee-do. This is one of those pick-up songs…reminds me of a bonnie and Clyde but only for a night. Nyash is putting himself in a traveler’s shoes and he’s throwing game on the road. Telling the shorty, don’t worry you will just be another memory on my mind, coz tomorrow I’ll be gone. Reminds me of his line in Sauti Sols Short and Sweet “And by sunrise, I’m gone. I’m not here that long. Keep it short and sweet”.

G.O.A.T — Prod by K Da Great

By this track, I have stopped being surprised by the levels Nyasha and K Da Great have pushed the music quality. This song reminds me a lot of a Latin song but with a very nice tempo that makes it work so well for a rapper. Nyash takes us back to how he has inspired the industry and how he is still on top of his game hence the term G.O.A.T. A key mention is the comparison to the two groups Mushrooms and P-Unit both made up of several members like Nyash used to be in Klepto, but now he’s reviving the industry (Industry ilikuwa flat kila vital sign) as a single artist. Another reminder that Nyash is back and here to stay and gives a shout out to Sauti Sol at the end as another group that has shown longevity.

Time — Prod by K Da Great

If you are a fan of artists like J.Cole, this is one of those songs is very similar to forest hill drive tracks. Nyash goes a bit philosophical on the song, showing us he is thinking of his time on earth and how he wants to maximize his time. The first verse is all about the industry and how he struggles with trust. While the second verse is more personal, he's implying there is someone in his life who makes him open up a bit more, “All gangsta mpaka tucatch mafeelings, Alafu alafu, jealousy..”. As I said this is more of a J.Cole type vibe…reminds me of G.O.M.D.

Everyday — Prod by K Da Great

Another track that brings that other side of Nyash out that we saw in Malaika. He is probably longing to see his partner/soul mate, it seems like he is writing the track while on the road. He gives credit to the Mrs and how she saw his potential, “Uliona Bima mahali kulikuwa na bicycle”. He is longing to see her and it seems she came and changed his life around and he is hoping she says I do. I guess this song is inspired by the Mrs 😊.

Lucky You — Prod by K Da Great

This is one of those songs when the artist tries to show people how what you think of the artist may not always be true. He is struggling with fame, lack of privacy and all he does is under a microscope. Takes us back to the first song — Greener…where he lays the theme that it's not always what it seems from outside. “Najua fame kutoka far inakaa painless” and “Room iko overcrowded after shows. Matym mi nataka tu kudoz” are just a few of the lines that show his struggle. In the end he reminds people that he has worked hard for his current status and it’s not just luck. Taking us back to Kapuka days and how he’s among the last surviving artist from that era.

Wach Wach — Prod by Sam “Are” Ali

Another one of my favorites from the album, such an old school vibe, you find yourself just head bopping as the beat flows. He pays tribute to Makaveli on the track, as it is one of those cautious rap tracks citing the state of the government and the levels of thievery in our society. The second verse is giving advice on how to stay on point and stay on course and ends the song with Nyash reconfirming he’s on top of his game.

Too much — Prod by Sam “Are” Ali

This feels like one of those songs were Nyash was probably just in his zone and lets out his feels. The song is more about him being on the edge and warning folks not to try him out otherwise he will unleash that stress on them.

Fathela — Prod by Nyashinski

Nyash is back on the dials with a second self-produced song in the album. You can feel the coastal influence on his flow, as he gives prop to God/ Fathela (deep Sheng meaning Father). He also plays on the word, taking the role of the Fathela as he gives advice like a father does, Usije ukapenda za bure bure pekee. Atokee anayekupa cha bure kwake upoteen.

Flowers — Prod by Sam “Are” Ali

The album comes to a close with another sweet track that fuses some traditional African sound with a nice modern Afro-beat. Certainly, another song destined to be a big club banger with a very relaxed feel of high life music. Could almost be mistaken for a Safaricom themes advert (sorry just had to throw that in there).

Overall this is a solid album with a very good mix of afro-beat, some daring tracks, and lots of culturally relevant topics. Nyash has truly demonstrated his breath and growth in the music scene. Coming back from a hiatus to still be not just relevant but setting the pace in the scene. I would have loved to see a song or two by Ceedo as I think their partnership was fire. But we know artists need to show their growth by working with other producers and Nyash didn’t disappoint.

Untitled’s Cut — by the Untitled.

Thanks to everyone who said such kind words about Miss Diss :’) I think I will post the other ones but then I got the inspiration and made this dingus just tonight and thought I’d share him first since he’s one of her best buds. 

Name:

Bunta

Nationality:

Thai/Japanese

Hero Name:

Gesundheit

Quirk:

Concussive Blast Sneezes

Quirk Characteristics:

Bunta's quirk allows him to unleash a concussive blast every time he sneezes. This is uncontrollable and will happen regardless of whether or not he is in combat or not.

The strength of the blast depends on the strength of the sneeze which ranges from small grenade-like ranges to concussive bomb levels.

Bunta can also concentrate the epicenter of the blast by holding down one of his nostrils with his thumbs. This forces the blast through a smaller hole and creates a much more condensed, piercing blast, rather than a broad explosion of force.

Quirk Weaknesses:

Excessive use can cause Bunta's nose to dry out and bleed profusely, after which it becomes harder to initiate a sneeze, as well as becoming incredibly painful. A sneeze at the brink can knock him out completely and give himself a concussion.

Bunta's quirk relies on sneezes, therefore his coat and Hero suit are outfitted with many methods to make one sneeze. From feathers to pepper, and vials of dust. Bunta's gloves actually have air pockets sown into the palms, so that when he slams his palms together it releases a cloud of potent sneezing powder to allow him to weaponize large rapid bursts of sneezes. These however are hard to control, as he cant see while sneezing and might lose sight of the enemy unless they are pinned down.

Personality:

Bunta is confident and optimistic. He has a sort of laid back approach to life and combat, preferring to deal with things in the moment rather than strategize before hand. Trusting that his instincts are much stronger than his ability to provide forethought. He is incredibly durable and dependable but lazy and often has to be goaded out of bed by Yun-Yeong (Miss Diss), and Jin. Often times he will kick his legs and be grouchy for a few minutes before joining since he doesn't want to be left out.

Background:

Bunta comes from a large family, having 3 older brothers and one younger sister. He is used to being the on the brunt of sibling teasing and has grown a relatively thick skin to comments about his height and weight. His mom runs a restaurant on the ground floor of their home and his dad is a burly construction worker and is his inspiration for becoming a hero. Wanting to be huge and strong and looked up to in the way that he looks up to his dad.

Registration at UA:

Initially becoming a hero wasn't even on the radar for Bunta, he was originally going to follow his dad into the contsruction bussiness and use his quirk to help in controlled demolitions. He feels guilty about all the damage to his parents house he's done over the years from his quirks uncontrollable nature. He wants to pay them back and it was only after an accidental incident in middle school that someone made a comment that he'd probably be good for the Hero course, and after that he worked extremely hard, (even begging his older brothers in university to help him study for the entrance exams) He was called in for UA'S practical exam and was initially terrified as everyone was using their quirks in different ways, his instincts kicked in and he managed to pull through but just barely, being one of the lowest scores just barely managing to make the cut.

Fun Facts:

-Yun-Yeong and Jin are his best friends in the whole world. He's never had deep friendships or felt comroderie before meeting them.

-He is a bit of a food snob, he always compares everywhere they go out to eat to his moms cooking.

-Because he has only one little sister he is incredibly protective of girls without meaning to be. When people would badmouth Yun-Yeong before they were formally introduced he would snap at them for being nasty. Yun-Yeong overheard him one day and very sharply told him that she doesn't need anybody sticking up for her and that she's a grown woman who can handle it. He comes to respect Yun-Yeong and thinks she is one of the strongest people he knows.

-Bunta actually became friends with Jin on purpose. After a night of video gaming in the dorms, he accidentally woke up at 6am, on his way to the bathroom he saw someone on the track and saw that it was Jin, a fellow classmate out running laps on a saturday morning. He tried to convince himself to just go to the bathroom and go back to bed, but seeing someone out there trying hard even on a saturday making him feel guilty and motivated at the same time. He rushed out and ended up running alongside him and scaring the bejesus out of him and bombarded him with questions about what he was doing. After that Bunta would get up every morning at 6am and meet him out at the track to do laps, using Jin as a motivator against his will. They eventually became close and became even better comerades.

-When he's sick Bunta has to wear a special mask. He cant always help the intensity of his sneezes and sometimes has to go to a special wing of the hospital for simple colds simply because of the destruction it causes.

-His older brothers quirks are all much "cooler" to him in his opinion.

Best Albums of 2018

BEST ALBUMS 2018

20. Noname: Room 25

19. Jeremih & Ty Dolla $ign: Mih-Ty

18. Tierra Whack: Whack World

17. Parks Burton: Pare

16. Oneohtrix Point Never: Age Of

15. Angelique Kidjo: Remain in Light

14. Shannon Shaw: Shannon in Nashville

13. Curren$y & Freddie Gibbs: Fetti

12. Ariana Grande: Sweetener

11. Vince Staples: FM!

10. DJ Koze: Knock Knock

9. Mariah Carey: Caution

8. Courtney Barnett: Tell Me How You Really Feel

7. The Carters: Everything is Love

6. Snail Mail: Lush

5. Shannon & the Clams: Onion

4. Teyana Taylor: K.T.S.E.

3. Kacey Musgraves: Golden Hour

2. Blood Orange: Negro Swan

1. Dirty Projectors: Lamp Lit Prose

(Spotify playlist)

(Capsule reviews of Top 10 below) 

10. DJ Koze: Knock Knock.  The music writing trope of “a sounds like b + c” is as lazy as it is played, but sometimes you hear a record and those type of comparisons spring to mind, like when I first heard Saint Pepsi’s Hit Vibes and instantly thought of J Dilla making a disco record.  That was also my response to Knock Knock, which sounds like the Avalanches making a more patient update of Since I Left You for 2018 ears.  The record is long and lush, and draws from roughly nine billion different aesthetics, but its particular mélange still manages to sound fresh.  As with SILY, the album is best experienced as a complete piece of music (though several tracks, such as “Lord Knows” and “Scratch That” would sound great in a mix or DJ set).  Knock Knock takes the listener through ambling pathways that wrap around and revisit each other, like an evening stroll through the spacious Joshua Tree National Park depicted on its cover.  It’s nearly a two-hour journey, but it’s well worth the price of admission.

9. Mariah Carey: Caution.  Mariah got a dirty mouth and I’m here for it.  As mother, a twice-divorcée, a woman nearing 50, her work and her image are all her own; if she wants to include the word “fuck” in a bunch of songs on her new album (“GTFO,” “With You,” “The Distance”), then who the fuck are we to tell her no?   It’s a refreshing twist from someone whose public persona is often so curated, but I’m burying the lede.  The real story here is that Caution is a batch of excellent R&B songs from one of the genre’s all-time greats.  It’s not overwrought – by contrast, the album’s sultry blue cover art is indicative of the moods within.  The Ty Dolla $ign-featuring “The Distance” is laid extremely deep in the cut, assisted by some subtle production from Poo Bear, Lido and—holy shit, Skrillex?  Yup, and like Mariah herself, everyone involved uses an even hand and measured patience to let each song breathe.  

A personal highlight for me is “A No No,” which flips the Lil Kim/Lil Cease classic “Crush On You” on its head.  Here, where Biggie intones “he’s a slut, he’s a hoe, he’s a freak/got a different girl every day of the week,” there is no irony intended.  She gauges her suitors’ intent and responds simply: “that’s a no-no.”  In fact, the word “no” accounts for easily half the song’s lyrics, but it’s still a blast on subsequent listens.  But don’t get it twisted – highlights abound herein, from aforementioned singles “GTFO” and “The Distance” to the thoughtful, expansive, Dev Hynes-helmed “Giving Me Life,” which begins as a downtempo club hit and morphs into a surrealist dream.  Mariah Carey is one of the artists who’s been in my life the longest – I’m so happy she’s still killing it.

8. Courtney Barnett: Tell Me How You Really Feel.  Courtney Barnett is what I was raised to believe an indie rock star should be: an unassuming, smart slacker with regular clothes and the ability to unleash earthbound poetry and atmosphere-puncturing solos with equal aplomb.  That effortless cool permeates every facet of her work, from her casual half-singing style to her loose but proficient playing, a mighty guitar god in the body of a humble 31-year-old.  (That she recorded a collaborative record with renowned cool guy Kurt Vile should surprise no-one.)  But what’s really striking about Barnett’s work is her wryly observant lyrics; whether she’s describing the banalities of urban life (“City Looks Pretty”) or eviscerating toxic masculinity (“Nameless, Faceless”), her keen eye and incisive wit pervade every line.  Tell Me is the sound of a strong artist getting stronger.

7. The Carters: Everything is Love.  I often say that as I get older, my favorite elements of songwriting are editing and restraint.  That’s why I tend to hate double albums and love EPs.  I just believe that most double albums would be better if distilled down to one really strong record.  EPs, on the other hand, leave the listener wanting more.  Such is the case with Everything is Love, which reads like a Beyonce trap record with a number of guest verses from Jay. Regardless of speculation on who did the lion’s share of the writing on the record, both are in top form.  Bey’s signature vocal virtuosity is on display as ever, but the real delight is in her capable delivery as a rapper.  She glides effortlessly through triplets like “Poppin, I’m poppin, my bitches are poppin, we go to the dealer and cop it all.”  Big Sean could never.  Meanwhile, Jay turns in a few of my favorite bars of the year (and also a very slick Drake diss) on “Boss:”

“You not a boss, you got a boss. N*ggas gettin’ jerked, that shit hurts, I take it personaly.  N*ggas’d rather work for the man than to work for me.  Just so they can pretend they on my level, that shit is irkin’ to me.  Pride always goeth before the fall, almost certainly.  It’s disturbing what I gross.  Survey says: you not even close.  Everybody’s bosses till the time to pay for the office, till them invoices separate the men from the boys. Over here we measure success by how many people successful next to you.  Here, we say you broke if everybody is broke except for you. BAWSE.”

I don’t know if they intend to release more records as The Carters, but Everything is Love is a fun, successful experiment.

6. Snail Mail: Lush.  There’s no reason for a debut LP to be this good.  The record, from solo project-turnt-band of 19-year-old Lindsay Jordan is focused, clever, and sophisticated.  Every component of these songs appears exactly as it should.  Jordan’s songwriting is clean and incisive (“I hope whoever it is holds their breath around you/’cause I know I did,” she sings on album standout “Heat Wave”).  The arrangements are smartly simple; seldom do they deviate from the four-person rock lineup, so the embellishments that are included (the French horn on “Deep Sea,” the layered keys on “Speaking Terms”) really leap out.  The playing throughout is lovely, with Jordan’s beautiful guitar technique front and center (the finger-picking on “Let’s Find an Out” is a particular delight). Everything in its right place – only where Radiohead’s inward gaze can be mopey and self-indulgent, the core strength of Lush is its efficiency.  There’s no filler here – just the exact amount of support that each piece requires.  The drumming feels especially strong in this regard – there’s an economic directness in Ray Brown’s playing that prioritizes the backbeat over everything, including his ego. The fills that he does include are modest and workmanlike.

It’s right that the record would be released by Matador, because these songs are drenched in the influences of the 90s slacker rock of Yo La Tengo, Sonic Youth, Sleater-Kinney and Sebadoh.  And as with each of those bands, Snail Mail’s songs are buoyed by excellent lyrics.  Jordan doesn’t just sound wise beyond her years, she actually seems to have lived more in her 19 years than many folks twice her age.  There’s a subtext of sobriety in some of the songs (“It just feels like the same party every weekend, doesn’t it?” on “Pristine,” or “I’m so tired of moving on/spending every weekend so far gone” on “Heat Wave”).  Perhaps the self-reflection that’s required in recovery has helped to distill her worldview.  

And look, I don’t mean to be patronizing here – this album would be a major achievement from any person of any age.  But to hear an artistic vision this crystal clear and laser-focused from a 19-year-old is something truly special.  I can’t wait to hear what she does next.

5. Shannon & the Clams: Onion.  Upon first listen, Onion struck me as the best record the Clams have released to date.  Now, admittedly, I’m a sucker for keyboards, and the inclusion of organist Will Sprott is pure Patrick-bait.  But beyond my own tastes, the organ both fills out and anchors the Clams’ garage doo-wop sound.  There’s a welcome succinctness to Onion: the songwriting is tight, the guitar playing is melodic and utilitarian, and the vocal performances from both Cody and Shannon are more technically refined than in any of their previous outings.  One wonders if Shannon’s work on her own solo album (the very good, Dan Auerbach-produced Shannon in Nashville, which also came out this year) pushed her to improve her technique.  And don’t get it fucked up – this is still a Clams record.  It’s still shaggy and loud and rambunctious – but they’ve worked hard to reign in their wildest tendencies.  Some might say that it’s layered, just like-- *an oversized cane hooks around my throat and drags me offstage* ….Well…..let’s just say it’s good.

4. Teyana Taylor: KTSE.  Of all the seven-song mini-albums Kanye produced in Wyoming this year, KTSE is both the best and the least talked-about.  She arrives seemingly out of the blue, a fully-formed artist who knows her strengths exactly.  She has bars when she feels like spitting them, a beautiful husky alto when she feels like crooning, and a profound connection to multiple styles of club music that’s borne of her history as a dancer.  It’s become a bit trendy to nod to vogue & ballroom culture in the last few years, but while Drake’s Big Freedia feature on “Nice for What” feels a little forced, Taylor can walk it like she talks it.  A dancer by trade, her comfort in the ballroom is palpable. 

Ye keeps it simple, remaining comfortably in his wheelhouse and flipping excellent soul samples such as Billy Stewart’s “I Do Love You” (which he repurposes into a nostalgic 4/4 slapper on “Hold On”) and The Stylistics’ “Because I Love You, Girl” (which he expands into a melancholy mediation on the horn section of the original).  It’s a welcome return to form.

3. Kacey Musgraves: Golden Hour.  In her SNL performance earlier this year, Kacey Musgraves appeared as a flat-ironed, longhair disco queen.  As she slayed Golden Hour’s catchy lead single “High Horse,” I was reminded of Dolly Parton.  I’ve been spending a lot of time with Dolly’s mid-70s and early-80s catalogue this past year, having purchased vinyl copies of All I Can Do, New Harvest…First Gathering, and Dolly, Dolly, Dolly.  Parton is one of those artists whose discographies are so gigantic as to seem practically impenetrable, so I’ve been trying to hear as much as I can.  Dolly, Dolly, Dolly is an especially interesting entry: released in 1980, it was her 23rd album, and it represents a pretty clear swing for crossover success.  A handful of the tracks are straight-up disco, and these are what Musgraves called to mind.  I was thrilled – Dolly’s disco experiments were widely panned, but I think there’s a lot of good there, maybe Golden Hour would be an attempt to vindicate Parton’s vision?

Unfortunately or not, I was incorrect.  In total, Golden Hour bears more resemblance to Dolly’s friend & frequent collaborator Emmylou Harris (Kacey’s hair should’ve tipped me off, SMH).  It’s a beautiful, understated, and thoughtful set of songs that could fit as well on a folk radio station as a country one.  Like Harris, Musgraves has an innate sense of how to let a great song be great, hanging back in both arrangement and vocal performance.  She’s emotive when she needs to be (“Rainbow”), and contemplative as needed (“Golden Hour”), always letting her writing breathe.  Also, she has the confidence to bury the lead single so deep on Side B that you almost forget it’s there (and are thrilled when it is).  As a person who prefers the full album experience to that of a shuffled playlist, this is one of my very favorite tricks.

Quite simply: great songs + great arrangements = a surprising list-topper for me.

2. Blood Orange: Negro Swan.  For years, the roles of sexuality and gender in black identity have been foci of Dev Hynes’ work as Blood Orange.  He spent time with drag queens and sex workers while writing his debut album Coastal Grooves, and has often cited transgender icon Octavia St. Laurent as one of his primary influences.  But while these interests have colored his previous albums, on Negro Swan they’re the bedrock.  In a press release preceding the album, Hynes described the album as “an exploration into my own and many types of black depression, an honest look at the corners of black existence, and the ongoing anxieties of queer/people of color.  A reach back into childhood and modern traumas, and the things we do to get through it all.  The underlying thread through each piece on the album is the idea of hope, and the lights we can try to turn on within ourselves with a hopefully positive outcome of helping others out of their darkness.”

These ideas are fundamental to the songwriting, and they’re reinforced by snippets of conversations with Janet Mock and Kai the Black Angel (who adorns the cover in a durag and angel wings) peppered throughout the album’s 49 minutes.  On “Family,” Mock defines community as “the spaces where you don’t have to shrink yourself, where you don’t have to pretend or to perform, you can fully show up and be vulnerable in silence, completely empty, and that’s completely enough.”  That search for community, the desire to be seen and loved and supported as your whole self informs each of these beautiful songs.  Already a competent producer, Hynes continues to grow, selecting beautiful flourishes like the jangly, perfectly out-of-tune guitar on “Charcoal Baby” or the soft, echoing snare drum on “Dagenham Dream” to characterize the thematic content of each piece.  Negro Swan is a powerful and complete work of art.  It sounds like he’s finally found some answers to the questions he’s been asking. 

1. Dirty Projectors: Lamp Lit Prose.  On Lamp Lit Prose, David Longstreth appears to be having more fun making music than he has in years, probably because almost 100% of his band has turned over (kudos to longtime bassist Nat Baldwin, whose playing tethers him to his own beginnings).  Beyond the new Projectors themselves, Longstreth spent the months during the writing of the album making new friends in the LA music scene, and bringing them around the studio to record various parts.  Members of Haim contribute to album standout “That’s a Lifestyle,” Syd (of The Internet) anchors the refrain in “Right Now,” and Fleet Foxes’ Robin Pecknold and Vampire Weekend alumnus Rostam Batmanglij stack harmonies onto the swirling ballad “You’re The One.”

I see LLP as the second half of a diptych begun by the self-titled Dirty Projectors, released last year.  While that record wallowed in the pain of a broken relationship with former Projector Amber Coffman, LLP reveals a healed and newly in love protagonist.  Both records feature David Longstreth at his most vocally competent: he’s now able to truly execute the melismatic R&B runs he lovingly wrote and charmingly attempted in his earliest work, his diaphragm now supports his every leap and bound, and his croon is sweeter than ever before.  But furthermore, both albums expand on ideas that have popped up throughout his illustrious and impressive body of work.  Whether he’s reviving the Rise Above era blasts of noisy guitars on “Zombie Conqueror” or revisiting the orchestral ambitions of The Getty Address on the stunningly soulful “I Wanna Feel It All,” Longstreth sounds like a worker with a complete toolbox and a detailed blueprint.  He’s been working at honing his craft for years.

I saw the Projectors in June, at a time when only “Break-Thru” and “That’s a Lifestyle” had leaked.  I didn’t know what to expect, being among the seemingly small minority of fans who liked their previous record.  But their set was staggering.  Flanked by his group of mostly-new faces, Longstreth was bouncing all over the place, proudly showcasing each instrumentalist & vocalist (seemingly everyone had at least one moment in the spotlight), visibly excited about playing with this group of people.  And that makes sense: LLP is Longstreth relishing the fundamental glee of musical collaboration.  The joy is positively bubbling over in tracks like “Right Now,” “I Feel Energy,” and “I Found it in You.”  To see him play these songs live is to wonder if he’s talking about the act of musicmaking itself when he sings: “Ask now, I’m in love for the first time ever.”