"I Am My Own Mommy, The Fuck!" (Top Singles, One-Third Through 2018)

[koganbot]

Closed my 2017 Top 100 on March 3, giving myself a sigh of relief that "Gummo" and "The Race" were near misses and I wouldn't have to write about them. But here those guys are anyway, 6ix9ine and Tay-K, sure things on this list for "Billy" and "After You." And I still haven't done my writeup for 2017. Probably don't have much more to say about

Comments

"Loneliness calls"

[skyecaptain]

It's interesting -- I find contemporary hip-hop (that my students listen to) to be very *ugly* in a way I haven't thought it was until somewhat recently, maybe past few years. But that ugliness has started to pierce through with its alienation, which I've been very attracted to. 21 Savage is the bluntest -- or maybe "most blunted" -- persona I can think of, and I'm drawn to it as a kind of sucking void. I admit to being extremely off-put by 6ix9ine, but I also told one of my students that he reminded me in the kind of one-note ferocity of his delivery of Waka Flocka Flame. It's the sadness seeping in at the edges and from the backdrop that brings me back to him. (Compare to another favorite among my students that I really can't stand, FGB Duck's "Slide," the remixes of which, mostly by women, tend to be better: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QzQUO3j0gE... )

Re: "Loneliness calls"

[koganbot]

Totally conflicted about "Slide." The FGB Duck original is dead and monotonous, those words understating how oppressively monotonous it sounds, until he unexpectedly starts screaming, and then for several seconds it's absolutely the most exciting musical moment I've had all year. Then back to the monotony, then he pulls the screaming trick again, and later again, and it's exciting every time even with diminishing returns. Mixed review!

Some of the remixes veer towards mesmerizing rather than monotonous, are more basically listenable - it is a powerful track - but none have FGB Duck's shouting excitement, either. On single listens my favorite two so far are Kidd Kenn's and Bangg 3's; I also like Queen Key's and A.K's and Sexy Red's and Fooch's. Do you have any favorites?

In all this I'm eliding* how oppressive the original "Slide" is, not in the sense of "dull" but in the sense of ugly and threatening and I have the sense of being battered listening to it. This though is not necessarily a musical flaw - unless it is, of course, for

Re: "Loneliness calls"

[skyecaptain]

I think I need to listen to 6ix9ine alone before I can pass judgment -- I've only really heard him in the context of my classroom, where it feels like an intrusion (not just literally because he's loud as fuck). The only track I'd heard before he blew up for my students was "Gummo," which didn't really do much for me.

I had the same reaction to FGB Duck that you did -- total bore, then something, then nothing again. It's not dissimilar to Wang Rong's "Chick Chick," just a blast of feeling surrounded by something a little blanker, except with Wang Rong the contrast is a little sharper and the surroundings aren't quite so drab.

I mostly hear the Bangg 3 and the Queen Key versions. Key is closest to getting some of the energy of the (parts of the) original, Bangg 3 does something totally different, almost turns it into something pretty.

Re: "Loneliness calls"

[koganbot]

Um. FGB = FBG (short for Fly Boy Gang).

RE: Re: "Loneliness calls"

[skyecaptain]

I always mix that up! I can never remember the boys are in the gang (bg) or if the gang comprises boys (gb).

Re: "Loneliness calls"

[koganbot]

"Gummo" is an amazing track, but it runs out of gas for me after about a minute of 6ix9ine's yelling; whereas in "Billy" he and the beat lock into each other and really keep the thing going.

6ix9ine is all over the place in quality: if you count high-profile mashups made by others (some going into millions of views) it seems as if something's coming out with his name on it every week.

As for FBG Duck, I've now added three versions of "Slide" to my singles list, Kidd Kenn's* in my top ten and Bangg 3's and FBG Duck's wherever I decide to put them. Maybe more to come.

I'm changing my mind about the "off" parts of the FBG Duck original. As I listen to the Kidd Kenn remix especially - but some of the others as well - I hear how FBG Duck's drawl is a template for their drawl. "I can't shake your hand, no I'm not your friend," the way Duck's voice stretches and falls on "hand" and "friend." His drawl is clumsier than Kenn's and doesn't create its own pulse as effectively. But I'd now upgrade it from "monotonous" to "adequate." It is part

Re: "Loneliness calls"

[koganbot]

So I've just posted my half year top singles list, and it's got eight versions of "Slide," making "Slide" the "Louie Louie" of 2018. So, if this is the outcome of your linking a track you can't stand, let me know the ones you actually like.

Black Flag's "Louie Louie"

Re: "Loneliness calls"

[koganbot]

Kidd Kenn and Queen Key do a collaboration, called "Eriod":

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

[Vid is now private but here's the track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHlYWCRrqT8 ]

Top Ten Slides so far:

1. Kidd Kenn
2. Banng 3 ft. Goldie
3. FBG Duck
4. Sexyy Red
5. Queen Key
6. A.K
7. Fooch
8. Pretty Savage
9. Lil Mister
10. Mazzeratti

The order of 4 through 10 is interchangeable, though the tracks aren't. Honorable mentions Jucee Fruit, Dee Sav, Lil Eric Da Demon, Sasha Go Hard, D'Gunna.

Re: "Loneliness calls"

[koganbot]

Waka (without the c), not Wacka. It was a bad day for my proofreading department.

RE: Re: "Loneliness calls"

[skyecaptain]

I won’t give you waka flak for it.