A$AP Ferg – Plain Jane

“You can hear the desire crackling out of every line, the urge to be great with each passing bar within the first verse.”

A$AP Ferg’s latest mixtape, Still Striving, offers a variety of hits to keep you going into the Fall time but the one song that stands out to me is “Plain Jane.” Naming the song after a line within the song where he references his “plain jane” Tourneau presidential watch. Later going on into detail over at Genius, he mentions how putting diamonds on a watch actually lowers the value and instead of doing so, he treats his watch like an investment. I didn’t have this in mind when I first listened so it adds an extra depth to the song that wasn’t needed but is welcomed.

In “Plain Jane” Ferg comes off as grittier and darker than what I would expect from him. Swift mentions of suicide and childhood trauma blended in with bars decorated with his cocky flare leave me as a listener picturing a more complex character in A$AP Ferg within the exclusivity of the song. You can hear the desire crackling out of every line, the urge to be great with each passing bar within the first verse. Granted, the hook is obviously a tribute to Three 6 Mafia, specifically Juicy J’s “Slob on My Knob,” there’s still a cutting tone behind it due to the energy of the actual song.

Honestly, this is the most I’ve ever been invested in understanding A$AP Ferg as an artist. Don’t get me wrong, I love listening to him but this exact song makes me want to understand him on a personal level which is an effort most artists can’t get out of me right now. I don’t expect, or want, him to come out with a super personal project but I wouldn’t mind a few songs or an album that makes me want to invest my time into getting to know A$AP Ferg.

 

Link: A$AP Ferg’s Genius breakdown of “Plain Jane” from Still Striving

Kendrick Lamar – Humble (Video)

I don’t really get excited about rappers unless their names are Kanye West, Pusha T, J. Cole, and Kendrick Lamar. Less than an hour ago, Kendrick’s VEVO on Youtube released a video for “Humble,” a brand new, very different song from Kendrick Lamar. In 2017, at any table you sit at, Kendrick Lamar’s name is synonymous with “introspective” and “conscious.” This song, “Humble” aims to flip those thoughts on their heads. This is definitely not Kendrick’s first braggadocio but it’s obvious that “Humble” as a title is meant to be subverted by the fact that most people would assume Kendrick to take a different approach on this song. This subversion is also reinforced in the beginning of the song, as well as the thumbnail where Kendrick Lamar is dressed in religious garb standing in light almost seeming too religious for who he is. There are much more subversions within the video and in the song itself and it’s really interesting to analyze.

Video – Kendrick Lamar – For Free? (Interlude)

Kendrick Lamar unexpectedly drops a video for the track For Free? (Interlude) off of his sophomore album, To Pimp a Butterfly. What’s also unexpected is the wackiness of the video, with a Kendrick Lamar chasing a gold digger around in a Uncle Tom hat rapping “this dick ain’t free.” Peep the crazy visuals below yourself and comment what you think.

Video – Chaz French – The Sh!t

I’ve been following Chaz French for a while. I always tell people, my first time listening to him was back in high school, around 2009, on his Myspace band page along with his brother, Eddie Vanz, who I went to school with and even then, I knew he had the potential to be something great. It excites me that he could go from a local artist with a relatively unknown Myspace page to a rapper with a growing following off of a mixtape with many major cosigns. This process, this ambition is the inspiration behind RapDreams.

His second and last video from his Happy Belated mixtape, “The Sh!t” takes on arguably his most energetic, and boastful, track. One does not simply listen to “The Sh!t” without having the urge to mosh around in the club, jump out your seat, or turn up in your dorm room. Check out the video below produced by Jerome D, the producer who also made quite a few videos with rappers like Kendrick Lamar and ScHoolboy Q from TDE.