Saturday, December 24, 2016

NICE AS F*CK! : The Songs, 2016.



09/blood orange/chance

"Everybody wanna be a nigga but nobody wanna be a nigga." 

Everybody wants to be able to use the word without consequences and wonder what the big deal is. Everybody wants to dread their hair, rock braids, shout Thug Life, be surrounded by the culture, but not exist within it. Be free to maneuver in and out of Blackness, have the chance to do you, even if this "you" is not rooted in your ancestry or community.

Him too.

We too.

And then there are those others who are curious to know why so many of us Black folk are so hung up on being Black or talking about being Black. Why all we see is race and color (As if they don't). What is our problem? (As if none exist here involving them) Why are you so mad? ("It's 2016!")

They want to tell you how to grieve, how to dress, how to speak, where you are and aren't accepted, still, in 2016, but often don't want to ask why we see what we do, act how we act, do how we do, or how we got here. Nor do they seek to find out why.

Cause some are scared of the answer that awaits them following such a question. But there's no need for this fear cause the fact of the matter is, as Dev plainly & exquisitely says here without a trace of anger or disgust in his voice:

"All I ever wanted was a chance for myself..."

Even in 2016.

To exist. To be young, gifted, and black and not be challenged because of that. To do you doing Black which for us is just us being us. Point a finger or just ignore that which disturbs you or doesn't fit, fine, but Dev's gonna speak on it while he has your undivided attention. And he's not going to beat you over the head with that knowledge or lecture you. He will come at you as an adult, a human being; calm and steady; telling you why he's mad, and ask that you simply understand and let him do him; exist in this space and have a chance to just do him, as you do you. Help you understand why we fight, why this is complicated, and why for us, this is not a game, still, in 2016.

"All you ever wanted was a chance for yourself..."

Him too.

We too.



10/jessy lanza/never enough

11/kaytranada featuring syd/you're the one

12/dirty projectors/keep your name

13/britney spears/private show

14/devendra banhart/fancy man

15/angel olsen/shut up kiss me

16/parquet courts/i was just here

17/badbadnotgood feat. samuel t. herring/time moves slow

18/of montreal/it's different for girls

19/nice as f*#k/door

20/flume featuring beck/tiny cities

21/the weeknd/false alarm

22/amber coffman/all to myself

23/bruno mars/that's what i like

24/car seat headrest/destroyed by hippie powers

25/savages/adore










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