10. Chloe x Halle - 60 scrobbles
9. Jay Park - 61 scrobbles
8. The Weeknd - 62 scrobbles
7. Doja Cat - 65 scrobbles
6. Ikon & Winner - 70 scrobbles
5. ATEEZ & Loopy - 80 scrobbles
One of my most anticipated entries to MMC for me was ATEEZ. I knew I would be ruffling some ATINYs' feathers with my thoughts, but for the most part I had a lot of positive things to say about them. Anyway, I'm assuming this was the amount of songs in their discography along with some repeats of some awesome tracks. When it comes to Loopy, I was simply catching up on releases that I happened to miss. I've been meaning to check out more of his older releases since becoming a fan and it wasn't until I watched (and rewatched) his episode of Killing Verse that made me really push to get back into his music. Unfortunately, listening to him and his labelmates nafla and Bloo make me frustrated how difficult it is to buy Korean hip-hop CDs in the U.S.
4. Inna & Queen Bee - 86 scrobbles
This multi-lingual Romanian dance singer always comes out with the most energetic and vibrant music. Every time I check out a new release from her, I never know what mood or language Inna is going to give us. Since I've been a casual fan of hers for years and her music is on my iPod, it reminded me to check out what material I have missed from her through Spotify. Since she stays extremely active in the Europop scene and participates in quite a few collaborations, I had plenty of music to lift my spirits and keep my body moving. Ziyoou-Vachi, now know as Queen Bee in English, is a Japanese band I've always followed for years. Granted their sound has evolved from avant garde noisy rock to a slightly more structured artistic sound; I wanted to delve into their discography for a future MMC entry...and for personal reasons. I have missed so much since the shift in their sound, but it was fun journey to experience and I can't wait to share my thoughts on them.
3. N.Flying - 87 scrobblesEver since I saw J.Don and AOA's Jimin perform together and seeing one of his solo music videos, I've always been interested in checking out his band. I have heard a few songs, but I never went too far into this Korean band's discography. I don't want to say too much about the band, because I will be dedicating a MMC episode to them, buuut...that's why they're here. What little I can say is that I did go back to some tracks and relisten to them.
2. Red Velvet - 97 scrobblesHere's some more research for MMC~ This SM Entertainment girl group is one that I was familiar with since debut as a salty MeU, but eventually I grew to enjoy them with various releases throughout their musical journey. I was looking forward to checking out their full catalog and talking about it to the world. Some of it felt a bit nostalic and the rest was just to see how much they've grown from "Happiness".
1. Stray Kids - 240 scrobblesLooking back on the year, I'm not surprised this talented kpop group is my #1. As the entry point to reviving Miko's Music Connection, I was excited to fully delvuge into this young JYPE boy group. Ever since I went on my musical journey with these talent young men, I've been a little...obsessed...in love...something like that. I've been really enjoying their music and I keep returning back to several tracks just to get the cravings out my system.
I will be skipping over any single track entries for this category.
11. Loopy- NO FEAR (DELUXE) - 26 scrobbles
10. Chloe x Halle - The Kids Are Alright, CHUNG HA - QUERENCIA, Ellie Goulding - Brightest Blue, & Sam Smith - Love Goes - 27 scrobbles
9. DIAURA - INCOPMLETEⅡ 通常盤 - 29 scrobbles
8. 88rising - Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings: The Album & Dua Lipa - Future Nostalgia - 30 scrobbles
7. Lady Gaga - Chromatica - 34 scrobbles
6. Ikon - Welcome Back (Complete Edition) - 37 scrobbles
5. Stray Kids - GO Live - 45 scrobblesIt pained me a little to purchase this album and IN LIFE, but there were so many good tracks between the two that weren't on both. Of course this album featured their biggest hit "God's Menu" and like most STAYs (and kpop fans) I could not resist not returning to it and blasting it in my car or room. Aside from the promotional track, the whole project is just super solid and I was just really impressed with how strong Stray Kids' discography is. Some of my favorite tracks are "Phobia", "Airplane", "Pacemaker", and "Easy".
4. Stray Kids - NOEASY - 46 scrobblesAs someone who was late to the STAYdom party, I'm sure fans, including myself, were wondering how Stray Kids would follow up their biggest hit yet. I must say...they did not disappoint. Even though I wasn't super crazy about "Thunderous", the rest of the album made up for it. From track to track, there were nothing but bangers and musical brilliance. I enjoyed the play on words with the album title as it was a "criticism" non-fans had about the group's sound. I also appreciate that they tied their big hit "God's Menu" with bragadocious tracks like "Thunderous" and "CHEESE". Some tracks I enjoyed from this album are "WOLFGANG", "DOMINO", "SSICK", and "Silent Cry".
3. Doja Cat - Planet Her (Deluxe) - 58 scrobbles (includes the regular version of album)With the release of 2019's Hot Pink, I feel like audiences took Doja Cat's music more seriously. For me, I didn't enjoy the album as much as the masses, but this follow-up definitely hit the spot for me. I'm glad that Doja was able to continue to advert expectations with her sound and differiate her brand from other female rappers that mainstream journalists tried to pit her against. She had some stand out collaborations with SZA, Ariana Grande, and The Weeknd, but also put out some awesome solo bangers with "Need to Know", "Been Like This", and "Naked". I'm looking forward to owning the deluxe physical copy in the near future.
2. Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory (20th Anniversary Edition) - 56 scrobblesThis release was a celebration of the 20th anniversary of Linkin Park's first full length album, which became a classic for nu-metal fans. This album brought so many childhood memories for me as I slowly descended into the rock genre as a pre-teen/teenager. For some reason, this release slipped past my radar to purchase the physical copy and collect all the cool goodies that came with it. Majority of this album includes tracks from Hybrid Theory and Reanimation. It also includes demo recordings, remixes, and tracks that were released on international copies of their albums along with a few collaborations. This is definitely the quintessential album of albums for the band and it was a joy relistening and discovering new songs from them.
1. H1GHR MUSIC - H1GHR: RED TAPE - 64 scrobblesH1GHR MUSIC is a record label founded by Jay Park and Cha Cha Malone that showcases international R&B and hip-hop talent in hopes to bridge the gap between Korea and America. Some of these artists I've known about for a while like pH-1, Golden (a.k.a G.Soul), and Sik-K and others are new to me like Big Naughty, Haon, and Woodie Gochild. The Red Tape represents half of the compilation project created by these talented artists and apparently this was the one I listened to the most. While Blue Tape is just as enjoyable, the vibes between the two discs differ for the most part. Some tracks I enjoy from the album are "World Domination", "Melanin Handsome", "H1GHR", and "Telefono Remix".
9. CHUNG HA - Gotta Go (Gotta Go), DJ Snake feat. Rick Ross & Rich Brian - Run It (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings: The Album), Stray Kids - Double Knot (Clé : Levanter) & WOLFGANG (NOEASY) - 8 scrobbles
8. Daichi Miura - Backwards (Backwards) and KARD - Dumb Litty (RED MOON) - 9 scrobbles
7. aespa - Black Mamba (Black Mamba - Single) - 10 scrobbles
6. Dua Lipa - Cool (Future Nostalgia) and NCT U - Make A Wish (Birthday Song) (RESONANCE Pt. 1) - 11 scrobbles
It's always interesting when sad songs end up being upbeat and/or catchy. "Silent Cry" is one of my favorite tracks from Stray Kids' 2021 release NOEASY. The lyrics are really beautiful and relatable. I'm glad that such a track exists on this album to show that they can do more than just "noisy" music.
Getting into H1GHR MUSIC at the time that did was absolutely perfect! Listening to this track had the right amount of grit, cockiness, and intimidation that I missed when I'm in the mood for some good old khip-hop. I like the horror elements and griminess of the song, but at the same time, it's kinda hype. Everyone's verses were fitting for the tone of this song and I will never not join in for that "Damn boy!" line. So, turn up this song, get your bats out, and cause some chaos! [Don't actually do it, but...just imagine that feeling.]
What else can I add to the conversation about this song that hasn't been said already? Probably nothing, honestly. Well, as everyone already knows, this song is straight up fire! As I did my deep dive into Stray Kids, I totally understood why people loved this song (and music video) so much. The structure, the nerve, the confidence...it really is chef kiss perfection and in turn aptly titled. If this isn't on your hype list, then you might want to rethink adding this to it.
If "The Purge" is a little too dark and dirty for you, this track could be the answer to your needs. This song just sounds so smooth in my car. It is a moment and it is a vibe as the kids would say. "How We Rock" is a very chill groove with some appreciative moments and a cup of confidence. Each rapper takes a moment to reflect on their success while at the same time reminding you that they're the best at what they do, which made me want to check out some of these rappers I'm not familiar with in 2022.
Obviously there's no video for the extended cut of this song, but the original is just as good. There's a few reasons I listened to this particular song so much: 1) It's sensuality about infidelity is absolutely hypnotic, although I don't condone cheating obviously. 2) Doja Cat's voice is just fantastic, especially with The Weeknd's high, self assured tone. 3) Doja's extra verse really adds an extra layer to this already great song. 4) The lyrics were very relatable in the year 2021. No I didn't cheat on anyone, but the guy I was going out with definitely wasn't keeping my attention like the budding crush that came onto my radar around the same time. *sighs*
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