Favorite Interview
Tyler the Creator (2022) - Nardwuar
Nardwuar is truly an interview savant! Tyler the Creator is such a music nerd! Combine the two in a record store that love to collect all the music goods of the past and you get quite an amazing video. Nardwuar, as usual, goes into deep connections to Tyler's past and interests in ways that still amazes him. Though hearing and seeing Tyler geek out over not only the gifts prepared for him, but the other merchandise in the venue as well was fascinating. You can't go wrong with a Nardwuar video, so give it a watch.
Favorite R&B Song
Everything - Kehlani
The entirety of Kehlani's Blue Water Road album is phenomenal, but one of my absolute favorites is "Everything". The simplicity of its production with arpeggiating guitar and wonderful vocals of Kehlani, paired with the touching lyrics make me fall in love. Honestly, this is an entrancing song that just makes me want to put it on repeat and drift away in the feeling it emotes with such ease. The video is above for you to enjoy, but give the whole album a listen if this tickles your fancy!
Favorite Kpop Video Essay
The History of f(X) - Midnight Theories
As a still Kpop baby, I love watching video essays about groups I don't know much about. This is especially true for 1st, 2nd, & 3rd gen groups. Although I have already taken the time to listen to f(X)'s entire discography, I haven't looked into how they were received in the moment. This channel, as typical, goes into depth about the group and all of their influence on the Kpop industry. I've heard before that f(X) were quite an important yet poorly supported group from SM, but this put everything into perspective. If you're a 4th gen newbie like myself, you might want to give this a watch to learn a thing or two.
Favorite Rap Album
Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers - Kendrick Lamar
I have a full review of this to come, so above I just have the pre-release music video, "The Heart Part V". The impact of this video alone is enough to have importance of mentioning here. The deep-fake technology at work here is expertly used to drive home the point of view of each prominent figure presented. All leading to how the view of the culture from Lamar's eyes, and possibly even the "cameos", has changed over time. This is an excellent precursor to how this macro look at his environment lends itself to look into the micro internally, which is what the album delves into. All the things surrounding the album is something to be in awe over, though some aspects may make outside ears uncomfortable. It will undoubtedly stand as an enduring work of art.
Full May 2022 Favorites Playlist: click here
