This is my reaction to hearing the above song and viewing the video for the first time.
The song has a good sound. Perhaps it's not conventionally acceptable for an old fart like me to like a new hip-hop tune like this one, but I really don't care about conventions. The song has a slow, smooth groove blending with edgy lyrics.
Unfortunately, the subject matter is, overall, uninspiring. I am all about people expressing solidarity. Never did care for the "pro-gangsta" vibe in some hip-hop tunes, although I do understand the reason behind it. Actually, the reason isn't even so much the fact that the artists are expressing what it's like to live in the ghetto or projects. This was originally the case. Then, record companies took over and exploited and glamorized gang culture.
I'm not going to delve deeper into this factor as there are others who can explain it far better than I can. I'm an outsider looking in. I've never been involved in either gang culture or the recording industry.
I always think its a positive thing when artists of different racial backgrounds come together on a project.
One of the dancers in the video is a larger woman. This isn't something that one sees very often.
Not all of the women in the video are scantily dressed.
However...
There is at least one mostly naked model with extremely large, silicone enhanced breasts. I don't know if she's a current porn star, as I don't keep up with "who's who" in pornography. The general vibe I get is the "we can get with porn stars" idea. So don't care, Fellows. Treating women like props has been done and overdone.
There are scenes where the band members are sitting with fully clothed women on a bed and not behaving in a sexual fashion with said women. It's a "hanging with our homegirls" vibe, and I like that well enough. What I don't care for is the fact that, as with so many videos, the women are props rather than partners.
If you like this sort of music, you'll likely enjoy the song. Overall, everything that's been done in the video has been done before. It's a trite, tired way of treating women. Yeah, you're in a band, you can get tail. And just like every young dude before you, you see the need to brag about it. Same old story. Moving on.
A word to the wise: avoid the comments on this one; they're odious. I'm sure this surprises no-one, given that it's You Tube.
~DJ Ellie~
Cross-posted to:
