Favorite Reaction Video
808's & Heartbreak - Turning the Tables
This channel has truly become one of my favorites that react to western music. This saga of the dad, Kevin, going through Kanye's discography for the first time has been amazing. For him to finally experience the sound shift that 808's is and completely understand, love, and feel it is so satisfying. Even if you haven't heard the album yourself, this video is a great way to enjoy it.
Favorite Title Track
Devil - Max Changmin
It's been a minute since the last solo project from Max, but this hit me like a brick. The soul in the production and vocals just made me instantly fall for it. The music video was a nice watch, as well. This is pure ear and eye candy and that's all I got to say to sell you on it. Haha. Enjoy!
Favorite Music Discussion
Drake and the Death of Hip Hop - F. D. Signifier
This is partially to highlight this amazing channel that this is, but this video really outlines how Drake really DID change how hip hop operates in pop culture. Now obviously, hip hop is not really dead, but the landscape/business is certainly forever altered in ways 90's kids and older would never believe it would. F. D. does a great job of bringing objectivity and subjectivity to his presentation & lays it out in a very understandable manner, that even those who aren't into the genre can understand. I hope that entices you to give this video essay a watch!
Full January 2022 Favorites playlist: click here
ONEWE - Planet Nine: Voyager (2022, South Korea)If you haven't watched the revival of Miko's Music Connection, you totally should, because this is one group I decided to do a deep dive on. So, please stay tuned for the release of ONEWE's episode in the future. As I thought I was done with the listening portion of my "research", the Korean band decided to release a new EP this year and I had to interrupt my progress with a different group (or Spotify playlist) to listen to it. While I'll reserve my thoughts on the band as a whole for MMC, I can say that obviously this project was very solid win for me. At first, I thought it was going to be another acoustic ballad filled dedication to the fans (and perhaps their family) with the start of "Universe_", but as the EP progressed, there was so much more to uncover. Through my journey in their discography, this project definitely covers all spectrums of the band. From the beautiful singing to the familiar rap structure found in many current kpop songs, this EP had it all and I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed it. I will admit that I'm not a huge fan of Korean rock bands in the kpop industry, but ONEWE definitely allured me with their sweet vocals, melodic instrumentation, and entertaining, heartfelt lyrics. Some of my favorite tracks are "Montage_", "Envision_", "Trigger_", and "Orbit_". I also want to mention a few other musical entries that I also enjoyed this month and hope to review in the near future which are the controversial QUEEN WAS$ABII's Spicy Flower, the ever evolving The Weeknd's Dawn FM, and I did manage to catch up on Block B's sub-unit Bastarz.
"From Head to Toe" (or "Shutdown") by MoonByul feat. Seori
The much anticipated solo follow-up from MAMAMOO's own MoonByul did not disppoint! While I enjoyed the retro stylings of "G999", this music video gave me "Please Don't" vibes and I was loving every minute of it. The smooth mixture of MoonByul's voice with Seori's airy tone was an absolute treat to my ears and the R&B pop vibe was the perfect package to wrap them in. While the lyrics and video are up to viewers' interpretation, the potential of it having some hidden queer coding came to much delight for many fans and I am here for it! As much as I would've loved to share Hyolyn's collaboration with Jooyoung in "Layin' Low", as I am obsessed with the song, and GOT the Beat's "Step Back" performance stage; they both lacked something to put it over the top visually or lyrically. My other honorable mentions are Everglow's intense and empowering "Pirate", ATEEZ's celebratory and theatric "The Real (Heaung ver.)", and AleXa's familiar and fun "TATTOO".
Nightmare Alley (2021, USA)Starring: Bradley Cooper, Toni Collette, Cate Blanchett| Directed by: Guillermo del Toro
I love Guillermo del Toro
Grand Crew (2021, USA)Starring: Echo Kellum, Nicole Byer, Justin Cunningham | Episodes:7
Like most things, I've been on the struggle bus trying to keep up with all these interesting shows airing on TV (along with series on streaming platforms that I started). When I saw commercials for the show and noticed one of my favorite comedians Nicole Byers was in, it was absolutely necessary for me to tune in! This show follows a group of friends who discuss the ups and downs of life at a wine bar. It has a very simple premise with plenty of comedy and relatable material that can reach audiences on different levels. Intersectionality is important! Sure, there might be issues that only Black people understand, but it also has characters tackle the stigma of going to therapy, toxic mascuilinity, and building stronger bonds with friends and family. I never would've thought how each episode was not only hilarious, but eye opening. I'm really hoping that this show gets renewed for another season...or two, because I've been enjoying every single episode. Honorable mention goes to a show that was recommended to me by a co-worker, Abbott Elementary, which is just as hilarious.
Belle (2021)Episodes: -
Unfortunately, I've been majorly slacking on my anime intake outside of scheduled Discord streams. However, I have been able to catch 3 anime movies in the theater. This was the second anime movie I saw this year in the theater and it was totally worth it! Although, I shouldn't be surprised in the quality as the director has gifted the world with Summer Wars, The Boy and the Beast, Mirai, and Wolf Children. The story follows a shy high school student Suzu who lives in a rural town and struggles to find her voice. Between the 3 anime movies I saw in the theater in January, this one hit me the hardest. This movie is not only visually beautiful, but the message and music are filled with so much emotion and heart. No matter what age you are I feel like the message or even the lyrics will definitely penetrate your heart. I think almost everyone has gone through that journey of finding their true voice, whether literally, figuratively, or both. Also, it took me a bit of time to realize that there's a sprinkling of the classic "Beauty and the Beast" tale that's expertly woven in this coming of age in the social media era. Some honorable mentions that I hope to share in the near future are the other 2 anime movies that I saw in the theaters: Poupelle of Chimney Town and Sing a Bit of Harmony.
Incels | ContraPoints
To make up for the lack of reading material for the month of January, I want to share a few YouTube videos that have caught and held my attention. First, I want to start with a major distraction for the month, which I still have more to dive into, ContraPoints. While I've seen this channel recommended to me many of times and referenced by Kat Blaque and Lindsay Ellis, I finally took the bait in 2019 with this particular video (according to my YouTube history). It wasn't until January 2022 when I decided to really sink my teeth (and also rewatch the "Incel" video) into her other videos such as "America is Still Racist", "Opulance", and one of my favorites so far, "Canceling". Since long form videos are becoming more popular on the platform, I did not mind listening to ContraPoints having an open and honest dialogue about "controversial" topics. Granted I haven't watched everything on her channel, it is interesting to see the development and effort evolve from an older video like "The Left" to the over the top "Opulance" video. Since there hasn't been any uploads in 6 months, I have plenty of time to watch all of the other videos that ContraPoints has to offer until the next upload.
Why this Kpop idol is banned from making any music the next 6 years | Dark Side of Kpop
I love DKDKTV! They not only provide Korean pop culture news, but they break down historical and cultural points in kpop videos and music. This video went into the confusing and frustrating details of About U's former drummer Victor Han, later known as Victor the Drum Destroyer. I'm not completely sure how I learned about this "controversial" character, as his channel has been removed, but it was either his channel through YouTube recommendations or some other channel mentioning the incident that led him to being kicked out the band. Once I was introduced, I instantly followed his channel and was in awe of his drumming talents with his various kpop covers from Blackpink to BTS. To hear that everything was being taken from him was absolutely jaw dropping. I believe if you're into checking out the ins and outs of the kpop industry, this analysis offers a satisfying, bittersweet flavor to the weird rules of the industry.
Janet Jackson Is Not Your Jezebel - Taking Back Control
The Take always offers very in depth breakdowns on not only movies, but music and pop culture trends. I'm never disappointed any time I click on one of their videos and I always seem to take something away from them. On the eve of Janet Jackson's self titled docuseries, The Take decided to chronicle the iconic journey of the singer and how she crafted her image throughout the years. While most people unfortunately remember her for the scandalous wardrobe malfunction at the Super Bowl with Justin Timberlake, true fans and musical historians will remember her decades long statements of freedom, justice, and sexual liberation through her fashion, lyrics, and musical visualizations. This was definitely a good build up to the upcoming docuseries, especially if you want something a little more condensed. Some other videos that kept me entertained in the month of January are the always entertaining reading of thist Tweets, this time by GOT7's Jay B, and the very adorable and wholesome Simu Liu answering quesitons while playing with puppies.
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