Most rap songs advocate some form of extreme response to life's travails. Be it mind-numbing materialism or nerve-busting violence, many emcees across all times and regions seem to advocate some form of indulgence/intensification as the bets way to navigate the day to day. Hustle harder, bust more guns, pop bigger bottles, drop more knowledge. Even aesthetically, it often seems hip-hop is the mantra of never enough, as bass is cranked beyond while more bells and whistles are whisked into mid and treble mixdowns. That's precisely what makes Young Bleed's "Give & Take" so refreshing. Nothing about is particularly spectacular nor particularly excessive. Rather Bleed's calm drawl brings the most keeping it real realism of all: that in-between space in which life's unavoidable joys and sorrows collide and the true tests of wisdom, experience, and characters are revealed through personal choices.
You win some, and you lose some
and then you spend some on em when you choose em
See it's a cold world, and it's a cold game
But if you learn to give and take, it ain't no thang
I caught this video once on Rap City and have been trying to find it ever since. I was still a youngin and didn't quite remember exactly what the jawn was about, but I knew it made me smile. And now I see why.
Also, this clip definitely sets a clear precedent for how today's hood videos should capture a community. Just like Juvenile's "Ha", it gives a distinct feeling of what the respective area is like in ways that greatly contextualize and enhance the music. Southern Louisiana definitely got that aesthetic on lock, which makes sense as it remains one of the most unique places on the planet (word to the fam).
No comments:
Post a Comment