Sleazy Song Reviews #3: Blueface - "Thotiana"

Hey music fans, and welcome back to song review! This one should be fun, as this song is very popular and has become a trending meme that is supposed to be good. I am excited to do it. But before I start, I just wanted to say that I will try to get Miscellaneous Mondays back next month, as I'm having a hard time doing it for this month because of how I've pushed myself into a music-discovering hiatus due to all the new stuff I've inhaled lately. When I'm done with that I promise I will have a lot of songs to talk about, so stay tuned. Meanwhile I have this to do. It sounds fun so let's get into it!



INTRODUCTION

"Thotiana" is a song released on January 29, 2019, by American rapper Johnathan Porter, also known as Blueface. It appears on his second mixtape Famous Cryp and was written by Porter and Scum Beats. In January of 2019, Porter released a remix of this song with American rapper YG on YouTube along with a Cole Bennett-directed music video. A week or two after the song's release, he released another remix, featuring American rapper Cardi B, on his social media pages. The music video for that remix, also directed by Bennett, was posted onto YouTube on February 16, 2019. The third and final remix, featuring both YG and Cardi B, was released to most music platforms two days later. These remixes and a dance challenge created on social media have helped the song reach the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, where it has peaked at #9. According to his Wikipedia pages, Blueface supposedly has an off-beat style of rapping and a unique voice that has been compared to E-40, Suga Free, Juvenile, and Slikk the Shocker. I think that sounds like an interesting style that should be fun to hear in this song, and if I like it I can look more into the mixtape and maybe review that here. But we'll see. Let's turn up and see if it's good.



REVIEW

Right away the piano-driven beat sounds good. The drums that come in soon after make it seem hype. What sounds like a chorus or hook comes in right after, as he repeats, "Bust down, Thotiana," and some other things. I think it reminds me quite a bit of a DJ Mustard-produced rap song that would have been a big thing back in 2014 or 2015. But that is not a bad thing. I think a lot of those songs sound decent, and this one does so far. I can kind of see what the off-beat rapping style is about now, too, and I kind of enjoy that. Going into the halfway point the song doesn't have too many layers, but the absence of some possible layers makes it sound pretty chill and I don't mind that. His rapping style seems to get a little more enjoyable as the song goes on as well. That marks the halfway point and I think the song is really worth listening to now because of how catchy it is. I think his rhymes sound good and the off-beat rapping style helps them become more easily moldable into something good. This style isn't something you hear every day and when I do hear it I enjoy it. When he continues to repeat, "Bust down, Thotiana," I just think it brings the song up more than it does down because it gives the song a catchy, more positive vibe. And we're already at the end because the song is only two minutes and nine seconds long. A lot of rap songs today are short like that, but I'm used to it because a lot of my favorite punk rock songs are also that length. It's short but sweet.

Now let's look at the lyrics. Genius says that the song is a strip club anthem that has instructions for any stripper that is listening to it. I think the way he calls a possible stripper "Thotiana" is creative, fun to say, and fun to hear. Even Blueface himself says that he chose "Thotiana" because he thought it was a catchy and different word. But back to the stripper thing, Blueface also said that he wanted this song to be a strip club hit, and if I ran a strip club I would definitely play this song in it as much as I could because even if it wasn't popular, I can see people really liking it when it's played. I can see it as a good dancing song as well. Also, even though everyone thinks Blueface raps off-beat, he says that he writes the song to the beat. How he does that and then raps it somewhat differently is nice. And now I don't have much else to say because the song is shorter than what I'm used to. I think in the short amount of time I had listening to the song a lot of good things happened and I like that.



OVERALL THOUGHTS

So, do I think this song is good? Yes, I do. It has a lot of things going on despite it sounding simple and hard to dig into and that's good. Do I think it deserves to be a top ten hit in this country? I would say yes, especially with lazier trap songs (*cough* "7 rings" *cough*) being up there with it. I would not mind seeing it go further in the charts at all. I do sort of see this song as a bit of an escape from all of the lazy trap that's high up on the charts today because there's actually some fun in it. There aren't many negative things in this song, but I wouldn't quite call it great because there aren't enough layers in the song for that. However, I still don't mind the absence of a lot of layers because I don't think this song is meant to have too many of them. If it did it would be sort of a different song that comes with a risk of being worse than before. So I think it's fine the way it is. Good song overall, I am fine with it being a hit, and I definitely can see myself coming back to it when I'm bored. If I had to rate it out of 10, I'd give it a 7, maybe a very light 8, which is good for a modern rap song.



FINAL WORDS

So yeah, that wraps up this song review. I had fun listening to this song and writing a review for it, and it makes me want to do these more often. So if you have a song you want me to review like this, then seriously tell me and I will be glad to review it. Or if there's a whole chart worth of songs you want me to review, tell me that and I don't mind looking into that either. I will not turn down your suggestions so just keep them coming! Either way, thanks if you read this far, and if you want to listen to this song, you can do so via YouTube here and Spotify here. I recommend it to anyone who is downright not scared of modern rap music, but if you are then stay away because you won't like it. But if you're not, jump right in, this might be for you. Thanks again and I'll see you guys soon! Have a great rest of your day! :D

Sleazy Song Reviews #2: Ariana Grande - "7 Rings"

So yeah, I think this is gonna become a thing now. Whenever a new cool-looking song tops the Billboard Hot 100, I will give a lengthy review of it just so I don't get asked a whole lot of questions about it. There's another new Ariana Grande song that has been on top of the Hot 100 for four weeks now, so I guess I need to review it before it's too late. Let's get to it!



INTRODUCTION

"7 Rings" (stylized as "7 rings") is a song by American singer Ariana Grande released on January 18, 2019, three weeks before the release of her fifth studio album and her second album in less than half a year, Thank U, Next. The song was written by numerous people, including Grande and some of the song's producers, and interpolates "My Favorite Things" by Rodgers and Hammerstein. Partially fueled by the music video that was released along with it, it has stayed on top of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks at the time of me writing this, and has also topped the charts in 19 other countries. It has been described as a "friendship" anthem by Grande and has also been said to have evolved from the previous single, "thank u, next". Sounds like a pretty interesting song to be this popular, right? Well, I will listen to this track in full for the first time today and see if it is worthy of being this popular, and if it is a step up or step down from her previous work, especially the album's lead single. I heard a trap-pop sounding song when I was at the skating rink a couple weeks ago and used Shazam to see what the name was, and it turns out that it was this song, but that doesn't really count as a listen because I can't remember anything about it. I will go really in-depth today to see if it's good or not. So yeah, time to take a listen!



REVIEW

Well, my first impression of this song isn't a very good one. That ghost-sounding synth at the beginning sounds like one that would be in a boring trap song, but I'm only a few seconds in so I won't start judging yet. Now, her voice is coming in for what sounds like the first verse. I don't mind this part. It sounds really chill and I like what's going on in the background now. The vocals are good as well. That goes on for a few measures, and that's good because I like hearing that. But what I don't like hearing is when it sort of drops and goes into the trappy part that sounds like a pre-chorus or chorus. It sounds really disappointing because this sounds like something I'd hear from a less experienced or less talented singer or rap artist that was inspired by all of today's top trap rappers. And I know that Ariana isn't like that and that she has talent. The lyrics and rhythm throughout this part sound sort of cringy because I would have expected way more from Ariana. So it's about half and half so far.

Going back into the verse was kind of a relief for me because I was already getting tired of that trap part. I like how the verse sounds with the background vocals and everything. I have to give the producers some credit for that. But just when I felt good about things again it goes back down into that grating trap part that is just unpleasant for me to hear because I know that Ariana is capable of way more. The bridge isn't the best part of the song, but the first part without the trap sound is way better than the second one. All I want when hearing that second part is just for the trap parts to stop and then everything to go back to when it was good. But the chorus comes right to my doorstep again and puts my hope level down. And just like that, the song is over. Short pop songs these days.

So now that the song is finished, it's lyrics time! I'm looking at Genius to see more of what's behind them. And looking at them, I'm not really sure what she meant when she said this song was a "friendship anthem". The lyrics just look like she's bragging about her luxury items, just like a hip-hop star would, and in the style that a hip-hop star would in the current day and age. I am pretty disappointed that this is what pop music is starting to come to. Ariana Grande has lots of talent, but she hasn't been showing it in this song, probably because she wants to be "cool" like a lot of the modern trap rappers think they are. And I just think she can do better. The story behind and the lyrics in "thank u, next" were very interesting, so I'm not really sure how she went from that to this anyway. Overall nothing interesting in the lyrical field, and that might even bring the song down a bit for me. But let's see.



OVERALL THOUGHTS

To conclude, I don't see myself listening to this song again unless I'm forced to. And for someone who is listening to music pretty much constantly, that isn't good. But this song does have its upsides. The verse was kind of satisfying to listen to, and I think it was great when it transitioned from the annoying chorus back to the verse. But the verses and the non-trap parts are really the only quality things. Everything else just tows it down like a ship heading to the ocean floor to me. This song is a big disappointment for someone who loves Ariana Grande's music and really had faith in this new era considering how good the lead single was. I don't know exactly how to score it out of ten, but if I had to estimate I'd say no lower than a 4 but no higher than a 5 or 5.5. Quite a big step-down from the lead single, and not a song that deserves to be on top of the charts in the U.S. Hopefully something better takes its place soon.



FINAL WORDS

And that brings my time talking about this song to a close. I'm a bit disappointed by how it turned out, but hey, at least it's not a bad criminal on top again. I don't necessarily think I would recommend this song to someone else, but if you think this would sound cool based on what I've said about it, you can listen to it on YouTube here or Spotify here. But I'm just warning you that it will not be a usual Ariana Grande song, so proceed with caution if you want. Thank you to anyone who took the time to read this, because I appreciate that. If you have an idea that you'd like to see in a future post, whether it's a song, album, or chart review, or a battle or a top 10 or something like that, then please let me know because I would love to make those posts. But yeah, thanks again and I'll see y'all soon!

Sleazy Song Reviews #1: Ariana Grande - "thank u, next"

Hey guys and welcome back for another post! This one will be the start of another type of post I will be doing occasionally where I do reviews of songs. And for the first post, I will be sharing my thoughts on the current #1 song in the country that I have not listened to at all prior to making this post. So I'm going to listen to it and share my thoughts on it on this post as I'm listening. So yeah, let's get into it!



INTRODUCTION

"thank u, next" is the lead single from Ariana Grande's upcoming (as of this post) fifth studio album. At the time of my typing this introduction, this song is holding the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100, and it holds the Spotify record for the most streams received by a song by a female artist in a single day. This surprise release apparently mentions lots of Ariana's past relationships such as Big Sean, Mac Miller, Pete Davidson, and Ricky Alvarez. Seems like a big deal, huh? Well, I'd like to listen to this song to see why, so let's do that.



REVIEW

Right away, the intro makes it sound like it will be a good song. And when I hear Ariana's vocals for the first time, I think they sound good. Those two things immediately signal a potentially good song for me, so that's good. The first verse is a little boring because it feels like the same thing for the whole time, but although not much is added from the transition from the verse to the chorus, it sounds sort of good to me. Although the chorus is a little repetitive, it feels like the good kind to me, as I sort of like the way she repeats, "thank you, next," in it. But how she says she's, "grateful for my ex," is slightly weird to me. I also don't know if I like the background vocals that come in during this time, either. But the chorus still sounds cool from the first listen.

Going into the second verse it also sounds really cool, and she sounds even better there in my opinion. It also is when I start to notice how much the production of the song is doing for me. It's not too empty, but it's not too over-the-top either, and I like that. And like a lot of songs out there, the second verse turned out to feel shorter than the first, as the chorus comes in when I didn't expect it to. But it is nice to hear that chorus again, because it is my favorite part so far. Then another thing catches my attention: when she starts saying, "thank you, next," in a different way. And while I like the first way, a change in how she does it was nice. Then it goes into the bridge, which I enjoy because it has a pretty nice vibe and flow to it. The production continues to shine, too, which does a lot to hold the song up. After that bridge, there's a quick second that puts it straight from the bridge to the chorus, which I like a lot. One thing I noticed after that was how it really sounds like the final chorus when it's going by, with the background vocals and slight increase in energy level and everything. Lots of my all-time favorite songs are like that, and I think it's cool that this song does the same. I still can't say I'm a fan of how she says the, "grateful for my ex," part, though. But the slight breakdown and fade-out at the end ends out the song and wraps everything up perfectly, and I enjoy that.

So now that I'm finished listening to the song, I am looking at the lyrics to see if there's anything interesting in there. And sure enough, there is. I like how she mentioned a lot of her exes in the first verse, which I guess proves that Wikipedia page right. But the fact that part of the first verse was actually a pretty cool pre-chorus is neat. Also, looking closer at the lyrics from the second verse, I think they're really cool. Basically, it's saying how Ariana's "increasingly positive mental state" is helping her not worry about anything, including her past relationships. I like that a lot. But that bridge though. It is lyrically very good in my opinion. I like how the first verse is about her exes, the second is about her being able to cope with everything, and the bridge is about her engagement with Pete Davidson being called off and how she can thank her parents for it or something like that. Very neat structure there. So I think I've covered everything about this song, as little as it seems there is. Let's discuss my overall thoughts before closing out the post.



OVERALL THOUGHTS

In sum, I think this song is really good! It's catchy and has some interesting lyrical themes that contribute to the great structure that is used in the song. It's definitely not Ariana's best song, but it was a really nice listen that I would go back to again. And now that I've heard it, I can definitely see why it's the #1 song in the country right now, considering how much of news Ariana's engagement and break-up were. Although I probably prefer the song that's #2 behind this, which is "SICKO MODE" by Travis Scott, this is a nice choice for #1 and I would be all for it staying there if "SICKO MODE" wasn't right behind it. But yeah, really cool song, and it makes me anxious to hear more of her album when it comes out. But we'll see shout that when the time comes. And if I had to give the song a rating out of 10, I'd give it a 9 to a 9.5.



FINAL WORDS

And that wraps up this post! I had a fun time listening to this song and sharing my thoughts on it. If you haven't heard this song yet and are curious to see what I'm talking about when sharing my thoughts, you can listen to the song on YouTube here or on Spotify here. Other than that, I have nothing else to say other than that if you want to suggest something, feel free to do so. It can be a song review, a chart review, or an album review of your choice. I will never turn anything down as I am very open to discovering new music! So yeah, you can do that if you're ever bored. But until I post again, that's it for today and I'll see you guys next time!