Music is amazing. It’s one of the best things in my life. Songs have put words to previously inexplicable emotions. Jams have taken me on wild adventures. I’ve raged to countless bangers. And I’ve been brought to tears by stirring ballads.
Like anything that impacts me, I want to absorb as much as I can about my favorite tracks. I end up doing these deep-dives, learning about the artist, their inspirations, and the range of their discography.
Also like anything that impacts me, I want to communicate that experience and love with my friends! So, I am starting a randomly occurring series on music that’s moving me.
Why a tune resonates with me varies. Sometimes, it may be because of a song’s musicality, or it could be due to some particularly insightful lyrics, other times it’s the artist’s vibe and backstory. The artists and songs I am writing about today are ones that I have not been able to stop listening to thus far in 2019. I will delve into history, instrumentation, and vibes as best as I can in order to explain why that is. But, I’ve learned that writing about something as complex, emotional, and subjective as music is very challenging. Nonetheless, I am hoping that as you read along and take in these songs, you may fall in love too.
*For best listening experience, I recommend reading this on your laptop or computer*
Bad Bunny
Benito Martinez Ocasio, aka Bad Bunny, is blowing up. Graced by a vocal talent that can blast you with extroverted altos but also break you with emotionally dripping raps, Bad Bunny has soared to the top of global charts through expertly wielding Puerto Rican musical style and the American South’s iconic trap sound (808s & rapid hi-hats).
Peep two of Bad Bunny’s most popular singles - “Dime Si Te Acuerdas” (Tell Me If You Remember) & “MIA” (Mine).
This first track is deeply entrenched in the trap sound: spacey intro and vocals like American rappers Gunna, A Boogie with Da Hoodie, and Travis Scott alongside booming bass paired with rapid rat-tat-tats of hi-hats.
On the flip side, Bad Bunny dives into his Puerto Rican roots with "MIA", creating a bop with an infectious dance-hall reggaetón sound that guides this song in a fast rhythmic dance.
With these two core styles, Bad Bunny has achieved immense cross-over appeal. And, as the vibes are pretty distinct, he is insulated from being siloed into one aesthetic (be it party boy or melancholy trap/rapper).
In truth, the song that put me back onto Bad Bunny early this year, "Solo de Mi" (Mine Only), adroitly weaves the two Bad Bunnies in a way that conveys a deep anguish while still driving energy with the beats of dance.
(CW: themes of domestic violence)
For me, this is Bad Bunny at his best (save the last minute, although the squad is lit). From the velvety rip of vinyl at the very beginning to the somber piano chords and muffled reggaetón beat, "Solo de Mi" is mastered to get you right in the feels. Yet, no matter how low the song takes you, when that beat drops at 0:33 and Bad Bunny begins to mellifluously flow with the rhythm, it becomes difficult to resist moving with him.
I believe that it isn’t necessary to know the language of a song to become enwrapped in it. I speak Spanish, and I’m aware that that knowledge adds a layer of comprehension, but every (good) song also has a “musical narrative” if you will. For "Solo de Mi", we know through the initial instrumentation that this is a sad song, and with the raucous partying at the end, that the song is also celebratory. The driving force of the reggaetón is interesting because it acts as a sort of escalator that moves you from the grief to the triumph. Crescendoes & decrescendos alongside Bad Bunny’s tempo and pitch changes throughout the middle of the song convey the different emotions the character finds on this journey between sadness & victory: confusion, regret, anger. If any lyric is essential to the song, it is the eponymous line: “Yo no soy tuyo ni de nadie, yo soy sólo de mí” (I am not yours, nor anyone’s, I’m only mine).
As you see in this video, Bad Bunny opts to make this song about a relationship where there is domestic violence. When this video first dropped, he wrote on social media,
“I'm not sure if cockfighting is abuse, but gender violence against women and the absurd number of women who are murdered a month IS. When are we going to prioritize what really matters??! We always want to blame everyone but the one at fault. IT’S TIME TO TAKE ACTION NOW!” I know there will be many opinions, but I just tell them that something starts, and everyone does their part as they think they can. WE DO NOT WANT ONE MORE DEATH! Respect the woman, respect the man, respect the neighbor, respect life!”
"Solo de Mi" reveals a side to Bad Bunny that isn’t talked about much stateside. BB stands firmly for social justice. He opts for controversy and is very interested in subverting cultural norms: he has spoken on non-monogamy, presents trans-subjects in his videos, and constantly experiments with gender fluidity. For examples, check out his hit music video Caro, where his character transforms into a woman, or the Estamos Bien video that opens with Bad Bunny painting his nails before a night out with the homies.
(stunt, Benito)
One of my favorite manifestations of Bad Bunny’s social conscience is his deep admiration for his homeland, Puerto Rico. The dude rides hard for PR, frequently crediting his predecessors for his success. He made this tribute song/video for the Banco Especial, an annual special programming viewed by families all over Puerto Rico during Christmastime.
Feel the man’s pride in this song! This piece, a joyous festival, is jammed with references to Puerto Rico, both explicitly shouted out and implicitly expressed through music. The video’s representation of Bad Bunny as a child dancing alongside his adult self reinforces his dedication to his roots. The video ends with a meditation by acclaimed Puerto Rican poet Jacobo Morales on how the currents of Puerto Rico’s rich culture and history flow forward to the island’s icons of today, like Bad Bunny.
Let’s go!
Bad Bunny puts his money where his mouth is. Earlier this summer, a recording was leaked of PR Gov. Ricardo Rossello making homophobic and racist remarks. Massive protests sprouted for the removal of Rossello, and Bad Bunny, who was on tour in Europe, could not watch his people fight without him. He cancelled the rest of his tour and flew to his fellow puertorriqueños for the eventually successful demonstrations. Bad Bunny’s got love.
Travis Scott
Bad Bunny isn’t the only popstar proudly repping his hometown and its musical style. Travis Scott, who has been a part of my life since 2016 after his album Rodeo released, essentially pays homage to Houston in his 2018 album Astroworld (named after an abandoned theme park in the city). Since I can’t be listening to Travis Scott all the time (although sometimes it feels like I do), my fandom for LaFlame’s music usually is reinvigorated when I hear something that zoops me back into his rambunctious and ominous soundscape. Last month, it was this song:
When I first heard Travis’ hook to open the song, the obsession all came flooding back. I was lulled back into the comfortable darklands of Cactus Jack as he moves melodiously with his gravelly baritone through the heavy staccato trap beat. And, then just like that, I’m lifted again as he floats up with his auto-tuned falsetto when he sings, “I just be mile high clubbin’”. By the time Travvy starts his opening verse, I’m ready to bump.
Travis Scott has a lot of influences: Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Tame Impala, but this specific sound pulls from his Houston roots from the city’s chopped-and-screwed movement invented by the late DJ Screw. Familiarize yourself for a bit.
In 1989, DJ Screw, while fumbling around scratching mixtapes with well…a screw, hit the wrong button on his turntable and produced a lethargic tempo that would become his signature wooze. Soon enough, DJ Screw’s screw tapes, slowed-down tracks that skipped and stuttered beats, blew up into Houston’s “chopped and screwed movement” in the 90s. One Houston writer likens the music to the drug of choice for DJ Screw and other Houston rappers at the time, lean:
“Chopped and screwed mimics the feeling you get from lean—a heady and dissociative security, as if you’re moving very slowly toward a conclusion you don’t need to understand. It’s perfect for Houston, where you can pass a full day without ever getting off the highway, where the caustic gleam of daytime melts into a long, swampy night.”
DJ Screw’s life ended prematurely, like many rappers addicted to the codeine-infused drink, at 29 years old. However, his musical influence spread across the South and impacted Trav. Astroworld is laced with chopped-and-screwed sounds, a departure from his cocaine-fueled vibe in Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight. Soundcloud and Youtube are loaded with chopped-and-screwed versions of this album, perhaps hinting at the way this album would be if it weren’t a major studio production. Regardless of mainstream viability, Travis Scott shouts out the innovator in his song "R.I.P. Screw":
With so much space between beats, an atmospheric quality from vintage synth sounds, and blurry blended vocals, Travis’ "R.I.P. Screw" sounds like a chopped-and-screwed song taken out of orbit. Travis nods to DJ Screw by skipping his vocals, boosting the reverb, dropping ‘mayne’ repeatedly, and weaving cuts from Screw’s own mixtapes. Love the respect.
The chopped-and-screwed influence does something unique to Travis Scott and his music; his darker, spacey sounds seem softer and more intimate. I’m all for it. For example, his bars in "Astrothunder", “Seems like the life I need is a little distant” and “practice, oh no never preach” belie a fresh sense of beleaguered wisdom.
Travis goes full-in with his vulnerability in Coffee Bean, a song whose minimalist beginning explodes into a cornucopia of instrumentation (replete with cello and various strings) but still doesn’t really end up anywhere, just like the DJ’s OG screw tapes.
But despite this leaned-out, vulnerable vibe, I like to think of Travis Scott as the new incarnation of Mr. Rager, a man who is in touch with his darker side but also joyously enjoying life. Enjoy this video of Travis Scott rocking out to “We Are Young” with Steph Curry. This is the energy I’m trynna be on more often than not.
Videos I’m Loving
Secreto - Karol G and Anuel AA
I’m big on love songs (probably due to growing up listening to Bollywood all the time). And, this song is one of my favorite ones of this year. Anuel AA, another Puerto Rican trapstar, and Karol G, an uber-talented Colombian singer, recently got engaged (and thankfully for us) collabbing on music. This song beautifully melds their vocals together with a simple reggaetón beat and light-hearted sound effects. I also enjoy how Anuel’s raspier voice is balanced out by Karol G’s sultry and mellifluous singing. Enjoy.
The video is also adorable. This intimate window into their romance shows an affection that is silly, warm, and passionate. The line in the chorus might be on to something: “Lo de nosotros es un secreto. Pero siempre nos vemos (Vemos). Y to' el mundo habla de nosotros” [Our love is a secret. But we always see each other. And the whole world talks about us.] I wonder if a romance that is public, but still feels like it is a secret between you and your partner is what sustains some of their passion. In a recent interview, Karol & Anuel share why they love one another.
Karol on Anuel: “He is super romantic, that was one of the things that told me that he was the one. These days, you don't find a lot of romantic men like him. He's my favorite.” // Anuel on Karol: “I have never met a person like her.” … Hell yeah.
Don’t Wanna Fight - Alabama Shakes
Oh my God. This performance. What a voice. What energy. There really is not much to be said here except watch this with your whole attention, Brittany Howard deserves that. Alabama Shakes’ rapid rise to success story is incredible. One Times critic observes after watching one of their early shows “that their quick ascent has been largely fueled by Howard’s singular stage presence.” I believe it.
Brittany Howard is debuting her first solo album at the end of this month and is going on tour immediately after. She’s got shows in NY and PHL end of September, let me know if you’re trying to go.
This particular newsletter was super fun to write because my research basically entailed listening to lots of music again and again. Many songs that I had sections written for did not make the cut, so I made a playlist for those tracks alongside the ones from this newsletter because I got emotionally invested haha.
Also, I’d be remiss to not thank everyone who read my Feeling Vulnerable piece. I got to hear so much from what is happening in friends’ lives and what their experiences have been trying to become more vulnerable. That essay was probably the most rewarding thing I have written in 2019. To the new friends who have begun following the newsletter, please check out the piece when you get the chance! As always, please hit me up if something I wrote resonated with you. Until next time, stay jammin' y’all!