Exploring My Top 25 Or How My iTunes Will Be Judged After My Sudden Death

Completely randomly, I've decided to check on whatever my Top 25 most listened to songs in iTunes is at the moment & I thought, why not try to write about it?

Well.....?

Now, this isn't my real Top 25 of iTunes existence;  this laptop was acquired in Sept. '12;  but that might be still long enough to help build up some kind of mysterious categorizing.

1.  Childish Gambino- Centipede

"...cause if not, I'm a failure..."

  This is kinda a no surprise here....I don't think there's one single song I listened to in '13 more than this quick freebie Mr. Glover let off at the beginning of last summer.  A little "weird" upon first listen, yes, but as you repeat, you can just discover so much richness being hidden in plain earshot, in both production & lyrical performance.  Truly just an appetizer for the new depressed & stressed out direction he would craft all of because the internet with, you can hear Donald starting to understand how lonely he's beginning to feel (in a giant house full of people) and how he's trying find the answer to why he feels that way.  I can't even begin to write about how much I related to this whole song...yes, the whole song, even all of Charles Hamilton's coked-out-but-on-point-honest rambling at the end.  I've loved this since the day it's release & listening to now, I'm still getting the shakes, thinking about how safe Grandma's couch was to me.  Word the fuck up.

2.  Taylor Swift- State Of Grace

"...And I never saw you coming..."

Aight...let me say something to might shock a few:  Red should have won Album Of The Year.  #YEAHISAIDIT  #OVERKENDRICK  I'm by no means some teen Swiftie or anything, but when Taylor went out of her way to expand her sound a bit, I thought the least I could do, as a music lover, was to check out what she came up with.  I ended up taking about half of Red from iTunes; about 8 songs; & that right there is a great album (so I'm not speaking to whatever version that you may have unnecessarily settled for).  And as it stands, I can't remember an album packing as big of a 1,2 punch at the beginning as this did here (we'll get to 2 in a minute).  Musically, State Of Grace kept my windows open in the car during some exceptionally nice Spring weather we had down here last year as the perfect companion piece (never mind that it reminds me of this song so much that I think someone should hire a plagiarism lawyer).   You have to have a pretty black heart or completely given up on love in your life not have a smile on your face while experiencing this song.  It's just....beautiful.  And then when it ends, it leads you right into....

3.  Taylor Swift- Red

"....when I still see it all in my head/Burning Red..."

Not much to add, except....the banjo.  Those drums.  The energy.  This is #chairthrowingmusic son.  Burning red, indeed. (Also, the fact that I see colors & shapes when I hear music, I guess the lyrical metaphor of color-coded emotions is speaking to something I'm already pretty familiar with)  Combined with the previous song, they're always played in succession of each other in my playlists, so it's no wonder where it is right here.

4.  Pink- Blow Me (One Last Kiss)

"...I will breathe,I will breathe, I won't worry at all..."

I've never made a secret that Pink is the single most worthless entertainer ever ( & that's a huge criteria to choose from on that).  I try to keep to my "own";  I keep my circle of pop culture as closed and open as I care for it to be;  and yet, nobody's success personally annoys me as much as her's do. However, I don't live in some kind of pathetic hater denial about it...she has a musical career.  Period.  A generation has passed since she arrived & has helped her justify at least all her first singles as "quality" entertainment.  There have been children who have...*choke*...actually looked up to her as a singer & role model.  Nothing I can do about all that at this point....the world will have to live with what it has done.

There are, grudgingly, been some songs along her path that I have just given up trying to hate & have just decided to embrace like hot blankets in winter storms, this one being the latest.  The pain and frustration expressed here is just too close to my own struggles everyday.  By the time we get to the "LaLaLaLaLaLaLa" in a distorted background vocal part, I might have put my fists through a couple of walls.  And yet, as the evidence shows, I just hit replay again.  So...there you have it.

5.  Demi Lovato- Give Your Heart A Break

"...I can see it in your eyes..."

Now, this...is a bit of a surprise to me, but only because this is a recent favorite.  I'm fully aware that this was a huge radio song at some point, but since I don't really fuck with the radio, that's not taken in my consideration.  Suffice to say, I heard this somewhere & liked it enough to personally make the decision to play it as many times as I probably would have heard it played on the radio.  It's really, really hard to deny this drum beat....that could've been some Hip-Hop shit right there.  And, as I've spoken before, the way her voice cracks at 2:47 still tears me inside in all kinds of weird ways;  at least, in ways I can't stop listening to again & again.

To get it outta the way:  aside from her obvious physical gifts, she's a bit too young for me.  But yes, there is something fucking hot about a girl that would transport a few kilos across state lines for you, ex-Disney star or not.  #rideordiebitch

6.  Slaughterhouse- Get Up

 "...how quick are you going to get up?..."

Slaughterhouse not in a top 5:  SURPRISE.  This song outta all my #HouseGang joints:  SURPRISE.  Wow.  Besides one of the only songs from their Shady album that deserved repeat play (I'm very sorry to honestly say), this shit has the illest sample choices of all time.  I had that old Fantastic Four Power Record as a child memorized back and forth (if you didn't grow up in the early '80s, favor yourself & do the knowledge), so all that greatness at the beginning of the song, transposing SH to the FF, immediately got recognized & appreciated. 

While this is far from their best or most lyrical piece, there are some really nice lines on this one:

" ..all I know is I'm at an all time high, inspired by an all time low.."

"...if you ain't got a knife & fork, you probably on the menu..."

And fuck, all of Budden's verse, really:

"A mixture of showman & skill, imposing my will

A visionary, want me with my back to the ground, I ain't with the missionary

Walk in my shoes and reap all that I gain
Along with every invisible woe that accompanies fame
Louis Vittion frames covers the scars that go with stardom
Got enemies that I birthed, these bars are for Postpartum
So I tuck me the steel plate, they threatening me from behind a condom
But you can't say fuck me, then feel safe
You just (lose)
Some people praying that I (lose)
I thought I was set up to (lose)
Then Slaughterhouse came like (nah)
So I live by a real simple philosophy
If you stay grounded, watch God keep giving you reasons not to be
Can't (lose)
It's not in my plans to (lose)
If I still happen to (lose)
Is that even possible (nah)
Keep that outta my reach, still I keep praying the shit get manifested
Let the flow stagedive & hopefully the fans'll catch it
If you ever preserved, you should understand the message

No I.D. on the beat, BTW.

7.  Fabolous- Everything Was The Same

"...that was the '90s, you wouldn't get it, you had to be there..."

Only reason this here is a surprise is it's only been counting plays since Christmas Day 2013;  that much I can verify.  I'm a huge fan of these Soul Tapes Fab's been dropping these past few years, but there is something to his latest introductory track (backed by one of my favorite instrumentals that has live audio so accurately in the background) that felt really, REALLY special.  Hence, repeat play after repeat play. Love the build up of anticipation during the flow;  usually, I'll have my fist banging on a table top by the time of "We was Candy Shopping before 50 & Olivia".   I've never really been a fan of Fabolous, mainly because he just came off as fake and lyrically boring as you can be;  frankly, Fab, I don't believe you.  So yes, I find it ironic that I now big him up for dropping knowledge to the kids because, frankly, I DO believe you.

8.  Richie Sambora- Every Road Leads Home To You

"...home to you..."

As a child of the '80's, I've got no problem acknowledging unashamedly my love for power ballads.  Shit is the stuff #feels are made of.  This little heard gem right here, I felt, kept that tradition alive and well, without sounding like a song outta it's time.  If I could write something as moving as this, I might feel secure enough to tell Bon Jovi to go fuck himself too.

9.  Childish Gambino-Think Of Me

"..I'm a boss, homie/die a boss like Steve Jobs..."

Off FMF's attempt-to-reconquer-the-mixtape-game, almost like the prelude to the 1st song on this list.  After being more than a little disappointed with ROYALTY (with no big reasons popping in my head on why it was disappointing), this felt like getting back to the Camp Gambino, while setting up the next direction.  Again, the struggle.

10.  Sam Palladio- Adios Old Friend

"...I heard you made it..far as El Paso..."

Well.  This is a bit embarrassing....if you believe it would be impossible to find good, soul-tugging music in the midst of a corporate machine TV show.  But after a few iTunes Nashville purchases, I can't count myself as one of those anymore.  Maybe it's all the obvious Texas references, but this one right here.....felt a little throwback-y.  Like, to maybe some of the stuff I grew up on.  Nevertheless, just a great little song of friendship & the inevitable end.

11.  Taylor Swift-Back To December

"...so if the chain is on your door, I understand..."

Uh.  Yeah, another Taylor Swift song.  This whole blog isn't going in the direction I thought it would.  But again, it's all about the music at hand & there's nothing to be embarrassed about with this muthafucker.  Maybe if I had used the original horrible version I heard a few times from various sources, with the electric guitar and shit.  FOH to whoever the producer/record company that thought that would be a great idea for such a beautifully sung & written song.  Thankfully, in my "circle", there's only one version of this song that exists and it's this stripped down, tear inducing one right here.

12.  Freddie Gibbs-Freddie Soprano

"....I brush my teeth with Hennessy, sleep wit my automatic...."

Aight, now, let's get back to the real shit.  I'ma say this right now:  Freddie Gibbs is the rebirth of Gangsta Rap.  There's been a lot of wannabes the past few years, but this dude right here is the truth (or at least spits it like it is).  Off the ESGN album, this is one that stood out among the others, mainly because of the production.  At the time, it also maybe was one of the first references I heard on record about Kobe & his Achilles.  It took me another 6 months or so to find the subliminal Jim Jones, Wayne, & Ross disses.  Other than that, this is straight #cardiomuzik

13.  Joe Budden-Top Of The World

"...help me exercise my demons, brought them to the gym with me..."

Another "surprise" and again in the sense that it took this long to hit a Joe Budden song, someone who I feel I listen to enough to be higher on this list.  But not for this song.  Nothing wrong with it, but not representative of the songs I'm thinking of when I think Joey.  But I digress....  I wasn't that into the No Love Lost album;  basically, a quick listen thru and all that popped up was Castles; but one of the last times I was waiting on car maintenance, I was fucking around on the iPod & decided to give those songs another chance.  I never made it to the others because this first song suddenly caught my ear & stayed in regular rotation.  It was all a illusion, tho;  it took me a little while to hear the Between The Sheets sample hidden in the beat.  And LISTEN:  you sample any part of that song anywhere in your beat, you can't go wrong.

14.  Taylor Swift-Begin Again

".....break, burn & end..."

*face palm*.....uh....OK, listen, I did like this song & would usually play it back to back with # 11;  from a story-in-the-music kinda way, I always imagined they're from the same fictional girl; and that's probably why it's in the top 25......alright, let's just move on (....is there anymore Ms. Swift on this list I gotta defend at some point?)

15.  Skylar Grey-Coming Home

"...my kingdom awaits and they've forgiven my mistakes..."

If I remember correctly, I was chilling with [REDACTED] and a commercial came on that had a soothing voice in it that wouldn't leave my head.  My homie said "don't sweat it", did the Goggle search from his phone, and said "it's Skylar Grey".  I uncharacteristically outburst-ed "THAT WAS SKYLAR GREY?  HOLY SHIT", leaving my boy a bit puzzled, not knowing who that was or what she had been responsible for musically in the few years preceding that moment.  I immediately found her stripped down version (from what I understand, Puffy redid it for his album or something, but I've never heard that) and kept it rotation, usually on my way home (natch) from work everyday.  Good post-warrior music.

16.   Skyzoo-Counting Until It Hurts

"...put on your Wiz while I tagged, I would christen broads (ha)..."

Basically, Sky going in on the Money Talks beat ("One time for Araab, like...").  Nothing you can be mad at here.  I'm not going to do that ole' "everybody be sleeping on real muthafuckas like Skyzoo" & shit, but yeah, he's one of those dudes I think of when we talk about whose making REAL music nowadays.  Keeping Hip-Hop alive, at least in the way that I can recognize.   .....a little weird to be having 2 "Sky"s back to back on this list, tho...

17.  T-Pain-Royals (Remix)

".....Work Hard, Play Hard, Mon-A Over Evarthang...."

Ha.  Yes, I expected the *original* to be up here; I, like you, played the shit outta that muthatfucka;  but I'm not surprised to find this here, even with how new it is.  I kept waiting & waiting for some MC to really go in over that Royals beat;  it's fucking begging for it since the first play; but after that doesn't strangely happen , Pain comes outta left field & drops one of the most #brilliantignorance tracks I've ever heard.  It's officially not been heard by enough people in this world.  Do me a favor:  when it's summer, roll wherever you go blastin' this out your trunk.  It works.

18.  Alanis Morissette-havoc

"....cause I'm repulsed by restriction..or at least that's my excuse..."

A nice little song from Mrs. Ironic last year (yes, she still puts out albums & I will check them out).  Lyrics are always open to interpretation; and always should be; but I personally take this as a confession of postpartum-adultery.  Or in other words:  Alanis found out that just because she got married and had a child, she's still "her" and all those things she used to do to keep people from getting too close, she's still doing.  Again, deep.  

19.  Christina Perri-Human

"....I can take so much...till I've had enough..."

I dig this.  Especially since I didn't think I was going to.  Before her Twilight fame, I saw homegirl in concert without really being familiar with her catalog.  Her putting on a great show lead to me following her on Twitter & seeing her, for the next 2 years, struggle to make an album full of music she could be proud of.  Being the pessimist I can be on certain things, that didn't fill me with a lot of hope for whenever I would hear any of it.  Thankfully, Human's pretty solid.  Hence, the repeat playings.  

20.  Fabolous-Young OG

"...TELL ME WHY THEY FEEL COMFORTABLE TELLING YOU..."

Let's bring it back.  Again, it's weird for me to be bigging up songs where Fab is schooling these youngsters, but that's where we are nowadays.  And he used the best part of Yeezus to do it with.

21.  Joe Budden-Momma Said

"....why she feel those words I needed to hear?.."

More on point with the Budden I know & love...but still, I listened to this joint that many times?  #smh I keep a close relationship with my Mom also (although we're not both recovering addicts like what's going here), so maybe that's why I kinda get the whole opening-up-and-being-honest-and-then-frustration that Joey illustrates so matter of fact-ly here.  And of course, the whole me-against-the-world loneliness lines. 

22.  Taylor Swift-All Too Well

"....I was there, I remember it..all too well..."

........     ...............This is basically Taylor's "I hope your soul burns in ether" song for Whoever You Think She's Talking About off Red (personally, my money's on Jake Gyllenhaal..or at least she wants us to think Jake Gyllenhaal).  It usually comes up 3rd played right behind #2 & #3 on this list.  It might be higher if it wasn't so long of a song (it's possible that I just skip the next track 4 or so minutes into it).

Ahem.  OK.....

23.  John Legend-Who Do We Think We Are? ft. RAWSE

".....we walk around here like we own this place...."

NICE.  This was criminally (#noRossno) underplayed when it dropped;  it was good to see All Of Me take off like it did, but still...this was the first drop from the album.  Brilliant sample.  I'ma say that again.  Brilliant sample.  And for all that 2013 was, the first place I heard the words "Tom Ford".  Maybe on the incredibly small list of Songs That I Wanna Get High To.

24.  Kendrick Lamar-Swimming Pools(Drank)

"....One Chopper, 100 Shots, Bang...."

I had this on mad rotation while waiting for the album to drop.  I've done more than my share of drinking in my life, but none of that has ever effected how much I just hate alcohol.  In all my years, I'd never heard anybody able to sum up those two completely opposing but very real thoughts together in such a beautiful opus.  One of the many early signs that, this kid Kendrick?  He's going to be a little bit more special than the rest of them....

25.  Stalley-Loud Motors

".....make you fall in love everytime you step inside her..."

This is a great little example of me trying something new & it paying off.  I like Wale, but for the most part, I don't be fucking with anybody reppin' MMG.  But then I heard someone (I might've been Joe Budden) going on about how nice that Stalley kid was & how he's the "secret weapon".  Keeping that in mind, next I saw that name drop a freebie on the internets, I DL'd, laid back & listened.  This...was real impressive.  And at a time when that Jay-Z sample had a little significance to it.  Nowdays, I check out Stalley anytime he spits some of his #intelligenttrunkmusic.  Word.  Up.

So.....there was a lot less #HouseGang here & way more T. Swift than I thought there would be (although if we look again in a couple of months, I can guarantee that a different State Of Grace is going to be near the top of this list).  If anything, I guess it helps reinforce the way I don't feel my preferred expressions of art really fit into any box that someone could attempt to put me in.  I mean, even though I've never tried it, I think Pandora would just be a bunch of bullshit for me.

Have a great weekend & HEY find some music & chill the fuck out with it, aight?  Sideways to the next life....