Wale, a rapper from DC who was recently named one of Hip-Hop’s Freshmen by XXL, has a song called “The Kramer” from his Mixtape About Nothing. It’s a great song to analyze because in one song it features a lot of the different views that people have on the n-word. It has hypocrisy. Wale says usage of the word is bad but then uses it more than 30 times in this song alone. He talks about the idea of Black people taking the word and making it ours, taking the power from it. He talks about why is it okay for Black people to use the word but not White people. In the end I think Wale condones using the n-word and he is on the side that we have taken the word and made it into something positive. While I don’t agree with everything Wale says, it’s still an interesting listen.

Warning. There are explicit lyrics. This is a fan-made video the song by Wale. There is no official video right now.

Wale – The Kramer (Unofficial Fan Video) from McFaddenisDead on Vimeo.

“Nigga ain’t bad, see, niggas just had/ A clever idea to take something they said/ Into something we have/ Something we flipped into something with swag/… A nigga write nigga in a lyric/ Expect the white boy to omit it/ The white boy spit it like he spit it/ Recite it to his friends who, by the way ain’t niggas/ And say, ‘Nigga, nigga, nigga, my favorite rapper did it’/ … Until a black friend kinda hear it just a tidbit/ He thinks, “Aw forget it./ It’s so insignificant and little.”/ The white boy sees this as a clearance/ Now it’s “Nigga, nigga, nigga” every single day/ And that little nigga nigga thinks it’s okay/ And he’s the only nigga in his particular grade/ And it begins to phase him more each day/ The things they say went a little too far/ He couldn’t tell the difference between an a or e-r/ So they keep going saying nigga in his face/ There’s nothing he can do, he let it get away”

Like I broke down the Jay-Z “Lost+” song, I’m going to do the same here. I’ll go line by line with the lyrics and talk about the argument of using the n-word.

“Nigga ain’t bad, see, niggas just had/ A clever idea to take something they said/ Into something we have/ Something we flipped into something with swag.”

This is the main argument you have probably heard when hearing someone explain why they use the n-word. “We took it and made it ours.” Jay-Z recently argued this point when he appeared on Oprah. Wale reiterates that point here. Black people tried to take a horrible word and flip it into something positive – a term of endearment. I think this argument is slightly hypocritical because to use this argument you’re acknowledging that there is a history behind the word and there is a deep-seated hatred. Yet once you ask them about the history, they say oh it’s just the past and it doesn’t mean anything today. This tells me that they must not truly know the past because we are still living in the effects of slavery, and that time period today.

” A nigga write nigga in a lyric/ Expect the white boy to omit it/ The white boy spit it like he spit it/ Recite it to his friends who, by the way ain’t niggas/ And say, ‘Nigga, nigga, nigga, my favorite rapper did it’.”

Here’s where the problem lies. Whatever your stance on the n-word, if you think black people should say it or not, here is usually where most people agree – non-blacks should not use the word. So if Sean says the n-word all the time around his white friends. Are we supposed to believe that his white friends aren’t going to pick up on the word and use it? Some might say that common sense should tell them not to use it. But humans like trial and error. So a white person will try it once and as soon as you ignore it that one time, they will take it as approval; as if you condoned their usage of the word.

“Until a black friend kinda hear it just a tidbit/ He thinks, “Aw forget it./ It’s so insignificant and little.”/ The white boy sees this as a clearance/ Now it’s “Nigga, nigga, nigga” every single day/ And that little nigga nigga thinks it’s okay/ And he’s the only nigga in his particular grade/ And it begins to phase him more each day/ The things they say went a little too far/ He couldn’t tell the difference between an a or e-r/ So they keep going saying nigga in his face/ There’s nothing he can do, he let it get away”

This is my favorite part of the song. Like I said earlier a black person will hear someone say it and not like it but won’t blow up and make a big deal out of it for whatever reason. Maybe they think it’s okay for them to say it or maybe they just think it was a slip and they won’t say it again. But then the white (or any non-black) person sees that as “a clearance” or an okay to use the word. Then they start using it all the time and that passes it on to their non-black friends and now everyone is using it. The issue comes in when Wale says, “The things they say went a little too far/ He couldn’t tell the difference between an a or -er.” Those who think it’s okay for a white person to say nigga instead of nigger have a problem with this. Personally I’m not okay with a white person using any form of the word so I don’t have to deal with this. However, I have seen this happen. One day they don’t like the tone a non-black person used the n-word in. They couldn’t tell the difference between if they said nigga or nigger and it offends them. This discrepancy in their ideology and their emotions confuses them and “there’s nothing he can do, he let it get away”.

This post wasn’t to convert anybody. If you use the n-word, you use it. If you don’t, you don’t. I have an opinion on whether or not I think the n-word should be used but this wasn’t the venue to express that. I just liked Wale’s song and thought it was an interesting angle to look at the debate over the n-word.

Who can use the n-word? What’s your stance on this subject?

-Michelle Huxtable

Note: Before anyone calls me on it, yes I technically wrote an article that analyzed the song “Lost+” by Cold Play ft. Jay-Z. With that said, THIS will be the only post I will ever do on Jay-Z and his alleged “connections” with secret societies. Just so you’re not mislead, this isn’t going to prove it one way or the other. It’s just a post about why it’s dumb to argue it.

I intended to write this impartial article about why arguing about Jay-Z’s alleged alliance with secret organizations is completely pointless. And truthfully I still believe that it is pointless. People are going to believe what they want because of the Perseverance Effect. I tried to remain as impartial as possible not because I didn’t want to offend anybody but because anyone who goes against social norms is bullied. No, not shoved into lockers but chastised. Apparently, anyone claiming Jay-Z is evil and sneaky is a paranoid conspiracy theorist. Also, anyone saying Jay-Z is pure and has done no wrong is an ignorant and blind follower of mainstream rap. I didn’t want to be labeled as either.

The Perseverance Effect

Essentially this means that a person’s beliefs will persist even in the face of damning evidence. In other words, if I tell you I’m rich and you say I’m not, then I pull up in a Bugatti Veyron, start blowing my nose in hundred dollar bills, and show you my bank account then you’re still going to be convinced that I’m poor.

Thus in relation to Jay-Z, if somehow I had pictures of Jay-Z in a church, praising Jesus, being baptized, reciting verses, taking communion, and being ordained as a Minister, it wouldn’t matter. Then, if Mr. Carter also explained all these mysterious references to secret organizations by wanting to draw in listeners and then secretly convert everyone to Christianity nobody would believe me or him.

The baptism of Sean Carter.

On the flip side, if I could prove that his Rocafella symbol was satanic and provided the papers where he signed “I am a Mason.” it wouldn’t matter because his fans would defend that too. They’d say that he was just doing that to get people talking and hype up his album and produce more sales. “Yo he’s playing yall! He’s just sayin that to get yall talkin!”

"I, Sean Carter, do pledge to make not-so-vague allusions to this not-so-secret society."

Think about it for a second. If Jay is a Mason or whatever else it probably won’t change anything. It won’t change the fact that he’s probably the best selling rapper. He’s a business man.  It won’t stop him from making his creepy videos. With that said, can we be real for like two seconds? Okay give me 5 minutes of your time. Regardless of which side you’re on, can we all agree that there are DEFINITELY symbols that are mysterious in his lyrics, videos, and clothes? Coincidence? Purposeful? We won’t know but come on. How is it a coincidence to have quotes like “Do what thou wilt” on a supposed hip hop clothing line? There’s no way that phrase was randomly put on a shirt… Ah well.

***Disclaimer: I am not saying that Jay-Z is part of any secret organization. I am merely presenting some facts to you that show that he clearly has an affinity for the symbols of these organizations. Whether he’s doing it for publicity/hype/to get people talking or if he’s actually a member you, me, and your mom will never know.***

Now before people pop off, let me be clear. I’m not discouraging debate on whether or not you think he’s involved in sketchy not-so-secret secret societies. That’s healthy. Sort of.  But just know that debating it online especially will more than likely get you nowhere. Jay is what Jay is. Secret Organization Member or not he’s selling records. If you don’t believe he’s a member keep buying albums, going to concerts, and enjoying your favorite artist. If you do believe he is, stop buying albums, going to concerts, and tweeting about him. Either way take a step back and remember that he is an ARTIST. He’s not your brother, cousin, uncle, or homie. Why are you trying so hard to defend or denounce him? Ask yourself why there are so many “coincidences” in his lyrics and his videos. The one fully opposing Jay-Z thing that I will say is this. The man calls himself Hova and sometimes Jay-Hova. Jay-Hova? Jehovah? Jehovah is Hebrew for God and Jay-Z has said multiple times that he’s God. Yes, I know people from NY call each other god all the time as part of the five percent culture but come on.

Also, I’m kind of happy people are reading so much into his songs and lyrics but if you think he’s the only one who doesn’t have Christian values in rap music then we’re all being played. Everyone who gives props to God at awards show isn’t a Christian. There are Rastafarians, Five Percenters, Buddhists, Taoists, etc. I think once we realize that rappers in general are not always who they say they are we won’t be surprised when we’re presented with a product that goes against our own beliefs.

And there you have it. The only post I’ll ever do on this stuff. I didn’t want to in the first place but whether or not I want to admit it, I guess I’m a blogger now so I have to be relevant. So go comment. How do you feel about all this talk of Jay-Z being a Mason and part of the Illuminati? Ridiculous? True? Do you care? Which side are you on?

Sidebar. Tupac made lots of references to the Illuminati but most people don’t think of Tupac and then immediately start a discussion on his alleged membership with them. I mean dude had a whole album entitled “Makaveli – The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory”. Maybe it’s because he kept spelling Machiavelli wrong. *Kanye Shrug*

November 10, 2009 was a huge day for the District. It was a huge day for the entire DMV.[1] Two vastly different events happened that evoked two extremely different responses. The first, which if you were on twitter you most definitely were bludgeoned over the head with, is Wale releasing his debut album, Attention Deficit.

When talking about Hip Hop, one huge aspect is where you’re from. “ATL born and raised./ Too many claimin it and ain’t really from the A./ Just saying what I feel/ Rep where you from, not where you live baby keep it real.” (c) -Keri Hilson

Now for those not from the DC metropolitan area, I have to break this down for you. You know Empire State of Mind by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys? You know how that Yankee pride is felt through that song? You know how when you throw on that song people randomly claim different boroughs? Brooklyn this, Queens that. That’s all good and well but believe it or not the DMV has just as much, if not more, (shots fired) pride in our area.

The problem is, we have yet to establish ourselves in the Hip Hop arena. New York has Jay, Nas, BIG, 50, Fab, Diddy, etc… They have a lot.  Atlanta has Ludacris, Outkast, Jermaine Dupri, and Young Jeezy to name a few. Pretty much any major city/area has someone to rep them. DC has nobody that has made it on a national scale. Until now. Wale represents our city finally making it. When one person makes it, the whole city blindly follows them.

That’s not just with the DMV. Everywhere. When you find out someone is from your area you represent them proudly. This is good and bad. It’s good because we take pride when one of us makes it. It’s bad because honestly blind faith isn’t the best thing ever. For instance, with Wale’s album you’re going to find two kinds of people.

First, there will be people who will give Wale no credit and say that there are plenty of other rappers from the DMV who are as talented if not better. He’s cocky and arrogant and won’t go gold.  Second, there are the people who are going to say Attention Deficit is a certified classic. It’s better than Reasonable Doubt, All Eyez On Me, and Thriller combined. I’m not okay with either of these people but whoever supports Wale is cool in my book.

He's kidding. Mostly. He's just illustrating my point.

The point is, we support Wale. I don’t think Attention Deficit is a classic. I don’t think it will propel Wale to Tupac status. But it’s about time our city got some positive attention.

And then John Allen Muhammed happened. For those of you who don’t know, John Allen Muhammed aka the DC Sniper was executed that same day. He terrorized literally the entire DMV [He shot people in DC, Maryland (Rockville, Wheaton, Aspen Hill, Silver Spring, Bowie, and Kensington), and Virginia (Fredericksburg, Manassas, Falls Church, and Ashland)].

I’m from the DMV and so I know the effect he had on our area. People were afraid to pump gas. Kids were scared to walk home from school. Outdoor activities were cancelled. It was rough.

In the same day the city experienced two extreme emotions. We felt extreme pride (most of us anyway) in Wale for releasing his album. Sure nobody knows his numbers yet but that’s not the point. Seeing us come together to back a common man is huge for us. And in that same day nobody wanted to claim the DC Sniper.

Not only were we ashamed of a black man for committing a horrible crime but some were ashamed at how the justice system so expeditiously moved to execute him.  Most inmates on death row spend a decade if not more waiting to be executed and filing appeals. Not the DC Sniper. He’s spent less than 7 years waiting.

This isn’t in remembrance of him or to chastise the justice system.  It’s just interesting how in one day there are completely opposing emotions from the people of DC and opinions towards the people of DC. There’s the pride. Then there’s the shame. Two tales. One city.

How do you feel about Wale’s album? Crap or Classic? Is Wale’s release as monumental as we claim it to be? What about the DC Sniper? Did you feel any pause that day that a man was executed? Speak your mind.

[1] For the second to last time, DMV stands for DC, Maryland and Virginia.

Preface: This isn’t an attack on hip-hop. I love Hip Hop. Too often people want to blame every black issue on hip hop or rap. Then there is the other extreme where people perpetrate as though rap music is blameless. I’m just being honest and analyzing one part of hip hop that is not squeaky clean.

It’s official. There’s a euphemism for everything now. Our once abhorred video hoes are now beloved honeys. If you google “video hoes” (because I do my research) the third website is “Hip Hop Honeys at Hip Hop Video Models”. Interesting. But wait. It’s wrong of me to generalize and say they are all hoes. (Even though many video girls have said that when you are on the set of a video you are a piece of property and you pretty much do what you’re told to do.)

When people critique Hip Hop or Rap music (the two are not interchangeable) there are several things debated. It’s too violent, it’s homophobic, it treats women as objects, and several other major issues. Either people blame the rappers for putting these women in horrible positions, shaking their bodies in front of a camera wearing practically nothing or they claim the women in these videos are hoes contributing to the negative image of Black women in America. There are two things wrong with that.

1. Women are objectified everywhere.

We, and the media, so often focus on how Hip Hop turns women into objects and disrespects black women especially.  Yet, we ignore that it happens almost everywhere. Commercials, Video Games, Movies, etc. A guy in the documentary Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes says it best. “Hip Hop culture is not separate from the rest of American culture. Objectified female bodies, those images are everywhere as well.”
[video is only 20 seconds long]

Video Games and Advertisements

This isn’t the exception. Women are often sexualized unnecessarily even in video games. Even in fighting games like Tekken the girls have to have huge boobs and full make up.  In advertisements for jeans, cologne, and other products women are often projected as purely sexual objects.  I’m not condoning this happening in hip hop but I’m just pointing out that it happens elsewhere and we don’t comment on that. The man in the video also makes the comment that in rap videos the issue is that the way black women are shown is solely as video honeys and not in any other way.

2.Women have to eat

Now, I know in the first paragraph I said they were video hoes, so I’m being a bit hypocritical but there are several reasons that women agree to be a video “model”.

Karrine Steffans (in this video) claims that it was her choice to get passed around. “It was the attention I was looking for and that’s what I got… It’s what I wanted. I wanted everyone to like me.” In the same video, Asia says she was in it for the money. “I can’t be at the set for 3 or 4 days and only get paid a little bit amount of money… I already know what you want, but it’s a give and take… Ain’t nothin’ for free nowadays.”

So one person did it because she wanted attention and the other because she wanted the money. You’ve probably heard some form of the question, “How can a black woman agree to gyrate in front of a camera, further perpetuating the stereotypes that we are sex objects?” Is it because she couldn’t find another job to feed her kids? Or is it because she thinks it’s the first step toward a career as a model or an actress? You tell me.

If Hip-Hop’s misogynistic treatment of women is so bad why do people still support the artists? And the proverbial question: Who is to blame for the perpetuation of negative stereotypes about black women? The rapper for continuing to put video honeys in their videos, the record label execs for encouraging it, the video honeys for taking the jobs, or the consumer for supporting the music? Also, why do you think women take these jobs?

Yes that’s like twenty questions but leave your opinion in the comment section!

“I Just Want To Be Successful” is a series here at Michelle-Huxtable.com. It’s not only on how to be successful but how to be a reliable and decent human being in general. To read the rest of the series just click here.

Part 4 of I Just Want To Be Successful issues this piece of advice: Admit Your Ignorance. Just to be clear, the definition of ignorance that this post is using is “lack of knowledge or information.” I clarify because the common definition is “acting a fool”.

It may not be the Huxtables, but the Banks can teach us a great lesson in this. In this episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Will Smith joins a poetry club in order to impress this girl Christina Johnson. Christina asks Will to share a poem from his favorite poet and he doesn’t know one so he makes one up. Let’s see what happens.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnbEPG9Ea9M

Now I could go from the obvious angle and talk about how Will should have been honest with Christina because at the end of this episode she finds out he was lying anyway. But Michelle Huxtable doesn’t take the easy way out. Let’s talk about that Professor of his, Mr. Fellows.

He’s known for always trying to be cool, hip, and relevant with the youngsters. I actually like him because I think he’s genuine. But I’m still going to use him as an example. Mr. Fellows did not know Raphael De La Ghetto. Because Raphael De La Ghetto doesn’t exist. He acted like he knew so that he could seem cool and up on his stuff.

I’ve seen this happen a lot but mostly in the Hip Hop arena. Hip Hop heads take pride in knowing their history. There is a certain hierarchy in the hip-hop community. People who know MF Doom, A Tribe Called Quest, and Mos Def are higher up or more “real” than those who listen to Soulja Boy, Gucci, or 50 Cent. Whether or not I agree, this is what causes the faking to start.

Hip Hop Mathematics: Mos Def is greater than Soulja Boy

The most prime and recent example is of course the Charles Hamilton/J. Dilla debacle. If you don’t know about it check out Jay Smooth’s article over at illDoctrine for the details. In short, Charles tried to get street cred by saying he knew J. Dilla and his family and they worked together. He gave him Executive Producer credits on his album to further solidify their relationship. Problem is, he was faking. None of that was true. Dilla’s mom even said she didn’t know him. Charles Hamilton was being Mr. Fellows.

The problem with being Mr. Fellows is all about perspective. From Will’s perspective, Mr. Fellows’ faking helped his story so he wasn’t going to call him on it. But from the Poetry Club’s perspective after they find out at the end of the episode that Raphael De La Ghetto doesn’t even exist, don’t you think they’re going to lose respect for Mr. Fellows?

This was magnified times a thousand with Charles Hamilton because Hip Hop heads tend to be a little more passionate than members of a high school poetry club. The city of Detroit (where Dilla was from) not only lost respect for Charles Hamilton but they gained a deep hatred for the man.

That’s the main problem with being a Mr. Fellows. You’re not real and people will lose respect for you. You have to always, 100% come correct. If you don’t, you might get away with it once or twice, but nine times out of ten you will be called on it. And it won’t be pretty. Also, Mr. Fellows-type people aren’t exclusive to Hip Hop. Self-proclaimed “intellectuals” will do the same.

They’ll use unnecessarily obscure words when a normal one will do, just to show they are smarter than you. If you don’t be a Mr. Fellows and you ask them to explain the word, sometimes you can make them end up looking like a fool when they don’t even know what it means. Being real just benefits everyone.

We all know what Kanye West did. I thought it was hilarious. Wrong but hilarious. Unfortunately he overshadowed an amazing event. Seeing Janet dance with Michael on screen was pretty amazing. It was too short but it was awesome.

Dear Debra Lee and everybody else at BET,

That’s how you do a tribute.

P.S. You can cease and desist now. Shut down your facilities.

Sincerely,

Michelle Huxtable

But since I know yall want to see the Kanye thing here it is. Dang.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxKIcrDsJAs

People are mad because he was arrogant or whatever. 1. You knew he was that way since way back when. 2. At least he’s being obnoxious for the good of someone else now. He used to get mad when he wouldn’t win awards. Now he’s reaching out to Beyonce. That’s progress, people.

Sidebar: I don’t think Beyonce gives two lace front wigs about Taylor Swift. I think she just has an amazing PR team. Good call giving Taylor her shine.

Why black music will always be leaked AKA the obligatory Jay-Z/BP3 post. My brother really wanted me to talk about Jay-Z and the Blueprint 3 aka BP3. I told him I wouldn’t because every other blog, website, radio show, and news network is talking about it. But then I was intrigued, perplexed, maddened with a particular question if you will.

Everybody either downloaded all the BP3 leaks from the one with Drake to the Timbaland-produced ones. Everybody has had their say. Some people think Jay’s matured and others think he’s wack and needs to go back into retirement. Fickle audience.

I don’t know @TheOnlyTFG but Ricky at InternetGoon stays saying some pretty righteous things on his twitter. Either way, I agree with that tweet.

I can’t tell you how many times I heard “I got that new BP3 leak” either in person, text, on Twitter, Facebook, or some blog. It got me to thinking. Why don’t you ever hear somebody say “I got that new Carrie Underwood before everybody.” or “Yeah, I downloaded that leaked Jonas Brothers jawn.”

Do white artists not get leaked? Is it the genre? Why is it that hip-hop/rap/r&b songs get leaked and pop/rock/country fans wait to get their material? Is their camp tighter? There were accusations that Timbaland and his camp leaked the tracks off of BP3 because the first few were all the ones he produced.

I hate to go here but is it because black people bootleg the mess out of everything? And another thing – why is it when black people steal something electronically it’s bootlegging but when white people do it it’s pirating?

ItsTheReal.com is easily one of the funniest sites out there. Eric and Jeff do Hip-Hop sketch comedy. The best part about it though is that it’s not just funny. It’s pretty ingenious. You could watch it once and laugh at the obvious jokes like in this video he keeps changing the girl’s name. But then you watch it again and get the whole 50 Cent vs Rick Ross Beef. Hilarious.

ItsTheReal Presents The Food Fighters from jeff on Vimeo.

Like the Washington Post, “if you don’t get it… you don’t get it.”

First off, yes I realize there is more than one problem with rap music. But let’s try to stay focused. A problem with rap/hip-hop/trip-hop/nerdcore whatEVER you want to call it is that we relate to it. We’ll rap every lyric like we live that life knowing dang skippy we don’t. It’s actually one of the beauties of rap. And yet it’s what makes it so difficult.

Exhibit A - Not the life I live.

PAUSE.

*record scratches to a halt*

I dare you to say the n-word. Try me.

What the N-Word Police can look like

1. Since you’re monitoring what they say you have to listen to them butcher a song that you like.

2. If they say the n-word you have to find a way to tell them it’s not OK for them to say it. The problem with this is that most people don’t know how to have this conversation.

3. If they skip the word and you say it because you think you’re the all powerful negro who can say it well then you’re trapped in their car while they are driving and you can’t escape the proverbial question of “If you can say it why can’t I?”

Reasons 2 and 3 both lead to this same question. Then you’re forced to dig deep and ask yourself questions about the history of the n-word. You start thinking about slavery. You go home and watch Roots. You start getting mad at white folk and can’t hold onto your non-black friends. It really just goes downhill from there.

That’s the problem with rap music. It is and always has been (even in its current state of foolishness) a mirror of society. It makes you think. It may not always produce change but it will make you reflect.

How do you have “the talk” with a friend about the use of the n-word? Is it really that serious? Do you find yourself on n-word patrol when listening to music with a non-black friend?

Stuff Black People Hate wrote an article about the n-word that I enjoy. (Caution: Lots of profanity but still a good read) TheFreshXpress also wrote an article about Keeping Black Friends by not immediately playing Jay-Z when we get in the car.

My dad’s birthday was a few days ago so we took a mini-road trip to his favorite restaurant and some museums. I made a little road trip mix because I couldn’t just plug in my ipod and go. What I listen to and what I would feel comfortable listening to with my father is just not the same thing. Ever. I put in a few songs on the mix that were iffy – I didn’t know if he would like it or not. Turns out, those were his favorite ones.

One of the first songs was “Let Me Clear My Throat” by DJ Kool, Doug E. Fresh, and Biz Markie
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqfCluBH3qY]

We were talking about the music playing and he made the comment, “See, that’s how it’s supposed to be. Music used to be fun.” One of the next songs was “Check the Rhime” by A Tribe Called Quest.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRrM6tfOHds]

He played this song like 34 times in a row. While it’s possible he enjoyed the songs purely because it reminded him of the time period (early 90s) I truly believe it was because the songs were pure. I don’t mean pure like they weren’t saying anything wrong because there’s definitely some references to sex, drugs, and what have you but at least it was subliminal.

The mix was a hit and made for a feel good road trip. Some of the other songs were:

“Poison” – Bell Biv Devoe
“Google Me Baby” – Teyana Taylor (Yeah, he liked this one)
“I Want to Go Back” – Trin-i-tee 5:7 (Sampled “Back In The Day” by Ahmad)
“Good Ol’ Days” – Tamyra Gray
“Children’s Story” – Slick Rick
“Think (Freedom)” – Aretha Franklin
“Love and Happiness” – Al Green

What songs will always be a “feel good” song for you? What songs can you bond over with your parents or others?