Ty Listen's to Lizzo's "Rumors"

The other day I finally got around to listening to the new Lizzo Song "Rumors" featuring Cardi B.

This song rules.

Lizzo has been rocketing up the stardom chain for about three years now. And this new song is only going to make her even more famous. She is coming off a ton of Grammy nominations and some wins. "Cause I Love You" was a smash hit that featured a plethora of top singles. Prior to the pandemic she was selling out pretty much every live show within a day or two. I know the show in Saint Louis was moved to a bigger venue due to how fast she sold it out. She was climbing the ranks. This new song further hammers home that she is the queen of pop and rap music at the moment. She is doing it better than anyone out there right now.

“Rumors” is dirty and fun and has a great beat and Lizzo's vocals are a thing of beauty. The way she can switch from rapping to singing is a sight to behold with your ears. She is not equaled by anyone right now. She raps better than Cardi B does on this song, and Cardi B is good. Lizzo is simply better. I love the beat of the song too. It comes in hard. It is stanky, which is a very good thing. And when Lizzo comes in with the first couple of lines, I was hooked. I love the way she says "God damn" in between each lyric in the song. It immediately grabs you. If you are a fan, you want more. If you have never heard her, but like rap music, it will grab you too. And if you like modern pop music, Lizzo is the best in the game. As I said earlier, the way she vacillates between rap and pop singing is so good. She starts the song with some sing songy lyrics, where she intersplices the "God damn" parts, and when the verse hits, she belts it the hell out of the park. She then switches into rap mode and absolutely crushes it. The chorus is very catchy and very fun, with both ladies showcasing their talents. Then Cardi B gets to let loose on her verse, and she crushes. It is a very good rap verse from a rapper I have never really listened to before. I will be checking out some of her other music now. I think what I like most about the song is how much fun the two of them are having. You can tell they had a blast making this song. It comes across so well. When the people making the music are having fun, that is usually the sign of a song that is going to be a big hit. I am kind of surprised it did not come out sooner this summer, it could have owned the charts. But the fact that we are getting new music from Lizzo is great. I would much rather listen to her than a lot of other pop musicians out there right now.

I hope this single means she is working on a new record. That would rule. For the time being though, I will continue to listen to "Rumors". I suggest you do the same.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Best of 2019: Top Five Albums

It is getting to be the time of year where everyone is putting out their best of 2019 lists. Hell, some are even doing best of the decade, but RD and I will be doing that a bit later on. But, like everyone else, I to like to do best of lists. This year will be the same as the past few. I will be doing music, movies, tv shows, podcast episodes or shows and sports moments. So, sit back and enjoy a week of "Best of 2019" lists from me. First off, we will do my top 5 albums. Oh, and before I go any further, I will add a few disappointments, for me, for the year. Anyway, lets get to it.

Coming in at number 5 I have "On the Line" from Jenny Lewis. I have really found myself going back to this record a ton lately, and liking it even more with every listen. Jenny Lewis has already proved that she is a wonderful song writer and arranger, but this album puts her on a whole other level. From songs about being in love, to total heart break, she hooked me from the start. She also worked with some great people, including Beck, that take this album to the next level. She has only gotten stronger and the stronger with each new album. "On the Line", to date, is her best record, and has me excited for what she is going to do in the future. Lewis is a star. More people need to recognize that.

At number 4 I have "The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience" from The Lonely Island. I feel like this record doesn't get the love it deserves because of the way it was released. There was not a ton of info, then all of the sudden they announced they were putting out a Netflix special and not many people knew if it was a comedy special, a musical or both. It is both, and it rules. The Lonely Island are already very, very funny. But, what people don't recognize is, they can really rap and make beats. This album hits hard. Some of the beats they produced, like the one with the pager sound on "Jose and Mark", or the whole "IHOP" song, those are amazing, super bobbing beats. They are as good as anyone making beats nowadays. Also, I know it may be cliché, but they are the modern day Beastie Boys. They sound like them, they rap like them, the only difference, they all have careers outside of music, in which they thrive in. This record plays so much in my car and my house that my kids know the words to the songs. My daughter calls "Oakland Nights" her jam. That song hits too. This record is so good and ranks right up there with their debut record. I was already a humongous fan, and now, especially with the Netflix special, they have won me over even more. Listen to the record first, then go watch the special. You will not be disappointed.

At number 3 I have "Hyperspace" by Beck. I have recently written about this album, and since that time, I think I have gone through the whole thing about 10 more times and I like it more and more. As I said in my review, the music sounds like it is from the 80's, but with Beck's influence all over it. The music is trippy and bouncy and fun. The lyrics are funky and groovy and quintessential Beck. I also love it when he does love songs, and "Die Waiting" is a great love song. Also, the slide guitar on "Saw Lightening" is rad. Everything Beck does, I am going to be a fan. But sometimes he does a record like "Hyperspace", and his genius blows me away more than it did before. I was talking to RD earlier today, and I told him that, at the current moment, this record is second only to "Midnite Vultures". It has the same feel, but more synth and more of an 80's lean. Even this morning, after speaking to RD, I put the record on because my son had a snow day, and he said he wanted to dance, and he told me "that new Beck record makes me want to dance". I love him so much, my son, and I really, really like "Hyperspace".

At number 2 I have "Cuz I Love You" by Lizzo. From the first moment I heard this record I knew it was going to be on my year end best of list. The title track is the opener, and it totally showcases Lizzo's beautiful voice. From there on out the record is all about empowerment, loving yourself, being good to those that are good to you and blocking out all the noise from the internet trolls. Every song on this album could, and should, be a top 100 hit. All of them are great. Also, the song with Missy Elliot brought me back to my teens, when I listened to a ton of Missy Elliot. She also does a great Erykah Badu esque song, "Jerome", that may be better than Badu. And while being a tremendous singer, Lizzo can rap. She spits man. She is so good on the song with Elliot, she crushes "Truth Hurts", she is phenomenal on "Better in Color", she is flat out amazing. Lizzo is finally getting the fame she deserves, and I love that she is out there being herself, loving herself and empowering young people to do the same. I hadn't listened to her before April of this year, but I haven't stopped since.

At number one I have "IGOR" from Tyler, the Creator. This album is a masterpiece. This is incredible. This shines a whole new light on Tyler, the Creator for me. Seeing him do this record live was such a treat. It is a true achievement. TTC did something totally different, totally out of his comfort zone and made one of the greatest concept records of all time. "IGOR" is also heartbreaking when you really listen to the lyrics. It is all about lost love and trying to deal with that. The way he sings and raps makes this album that much better. I didn't know he could sing like that, and he absolutely crushes it. As far as his rapping goes, he is one of the best in the game right now. Tyler, the Creator is a musical genius, and not of this world in my eyes. He is on a whole other level, or plain of existence. He was put here to make great music, and "IGOR" is his coup de gras. It is amazing. I highly recommend everyone, even people who don't listen to rap, listen to this album. It is that good. Okay, those are my top 5 albums for 2019.

As far as some things that disappointed me, or didn't work out like some may have thought, one, anything Kanye West does now is a joke. He is a farce of himself. He is a sellout. He is a phony. He is a hater. His beats are wack and his rapping has never been good. For anyone to think that this dude is a viable artist, especially the way he has presented himself this past year, is dead wrong. Kanye West needs to just go away quietly because he time was over 6 or 7 years ago. The dude is a poser. I am also appalled that the people behind the Kidz Bop records are still making albums, and trying to turn real songs into anthems for little kids. I let my kids listen to the original version of "Truth Hurts", so they don't have to listen to a crummy version on Kidz Bop. I would so much rather my son listen to Lil Nas X sing "Old Town Road" than some random pre teens. Bruno Mars is an excellent showman, so why let little kids try and sing his songs? The whole Kidz Bop thing needs to be stopped. They need to also stop taking explicit songs and trying to turn them kid friendly. I heard a little kid on one of the Kidz Bop albums doing "Truth Hurts" and saying, "turns out I'm one hundred percent that kid". That, to me, is worse than when basic cable shows movies and says things like "monster joker" or "bull shirt". It is offensive to the people who wrote the original song. Finally, I was so hoping that "RTJ 4" was going to come out in 2019. We still have a chance, albeit slight, that it comes out this year, but probably not. I know they are working on it. I have seen pictures and read lyrics they have posted online, and all of this has made me more and more excited for the record to come out. My fingers are crossed that they do the same thing they did for "RTJ 3", when they released it on Christmas night at midnight, but again, that doesn't seem likely.

There you have it, my best of, and disappointments in music in 2019. Come back tomorrow for my top five movies of 2019.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. The Head Editor fought to get Vampire Weekend’s “Father of the Bride” and Lana Del Rey’s “Norman Fucking Rockwell” on Ty’s list, but it is Ty’s list so those albums sit in the Head Editor’s head as the tops.

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The 2020 Grammy Nominations Make Me Feel Old

Yesterday after the 2020 Grammy nominees were announced, and I checked the categories that interested me, I came to two pretty grim realizations about myself.

So, I like to think that I know a good amount about music. I have done a whole series of who I consider to be some of the greatest American bands, I go to tons of live shows, I listen to lots of different music, I play guitar and I feel like I know a good amount about music in general. So, when I first saw the nominees, my first realization was, I had no idea who about 60 to 70 percent of the people nominated were. I simply had not heard of a good amount of the people. I know who Lizzo is, I really like her music. I am aware of Billie Ellish because my nieces listen to her. I know who Vampire Wekend is, much to my chagrin thanks to RD. And I am aware of other, bigger names that got nominations. But, when I scrolled down to the categories that I actually kind of care about, I just found that I had no idea who some of these artists were. That was when it hit me. I am older now. I am closer to 40 than 30. I am going to be 37 on less than a month. It is bizarre that something as trivial as Grammy nominations hit me this hard. I have known that I am getting older. We all do everyday. But, when I checked out this list, I just had no idea. I had no connection with some of these artists that are deemed worthy of a Grammy nomination. I listen to tons and tons of hip hop music, and I only know of one of the people nominated for best rap album, Tyler, the Creator. I don't know anything about any of the other nominees. When looking at rock and alternative nominees, it was nearly the same thing. I know Brittany Howard and Gary Clark Jr, but who in the hell are these other people? I have never heard of them. I know nothing about them, and I have no interest in finding out about them.

That leads me into my second realization, which I feel like I have had a few times prior to this, but it finally sunk in, and I accept it now. That realization, I am a music snob. A lot of the people nominated that I don't know, it is simply because I feel that modern pop, rock and alternative music is not very good. There is no musician or solo artist right now that I feel like has any staying power, and the bands and solo artists I listen to, I feel like most of them do. I think a band like The Black Keys, or a solo artist like Frank Ocean is going to be remembered for a long, long time. I don't think a band like, say Vampire Weekend, again, sorry RD, or a solo artist like Ariana Grande is going to be talked about in less than a decade. I think they will just be talked about in passing, like someone may say, "remember that one Vampire Weekend record, it was good. What are they up to now". It is not like they have real staying power. The Black Keys are prolific. They kept putting out good, solid records and tour with regularity. People wait and wait and wait for new Frank Ocean records, and when he puts one out, it is worth the wait, but it leaves you wanting more. Can you say that about most of the current Grammy nominees? I don't know. I love Lizzo, and I listen to her record "Cuz I Love You" on repeat, but can she do it again? What about the country rap guy Lil Nas X? Is he ever going to reach the heights that "Old Town Road" has led him to. Or Billie Ellish. Is she going to be the newer, hipper Lorde, or is she more in the vain of a one record wonder like Natalie Imbruglia or Crash Test Dummies. I simply don't know, but if asked, I would say they are more in the one record/hit wonder category.

Look, the Grammy's are simply nominating who is popular at the moment, and I understand that, but that is the problem with modern music. No one really tries to make profound, everlasting music, they just make music to get clicks and to get people to buy singles online. That is a problem with the modern music industry too. No one buys records anymore, or almost no one. Most people just want earworms that sit with you for a couple months, then you move on to the next hit song.

So, yes I am old and I like what I like, but that is okay. I'm sure the people that are nominated are happy, and I even bet that a few will stick around for awhile. But, most want. And I think that says all you need to know about Grammy nominees.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. On Grammy night, you can find Ty outside yelling at a cloud.

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The Greatest American Music: Lizzo's "Soulmate"

Last week I raved over Lizzo's new record, "Cuz I Love You", and today I want to talk about one specific song on there that I think will have a long lasting impact, especially as a wedding song. As I stated in my review, I am obsessed with this new record. I love the message, her voice, the lyrics and how catchy every single song is. I have been listening to it at least once a day since last Monday. I love every track on the record. My favorite is "Better in Color", because of the blending of old and new sounds.

But, the more I listen to the record the more the song "Soulmate" really, really stands out. This song, at least to me, ranks right up there for single people as Beyoncé's "All the Single Lady's". I mean, the message behind each song is to be independent and love yourself. But Lizzo takes it one step further. Where Beyoncé says stuff like, "if you liked it than you should have put a ring on it", Lizzo talks about how she doesn't need anyone, but herself, to be as happy as she can be. When listening, and then looking at the lyrics, this couldn't be more true. There are certain parts of this song that make "All the Single Lady's" seem timid and not nearly as empowering. Lizzo starts out with a bang. The opening verse has her saying, "they used to say get a man you had to know how to look/they used to say to keep a man you had to know how to cook/but I'm solo in Soho, sippin Soju in Malibu/It's a me, myself kinda attitude". That is some epic stuff right there. She rehashes what people may have told her her whole life, but then says she doesn’t need that stuff, and in fact, she is so much happier chilling at the beach and drinking by herself. She doesn't need to cook to get a dude. She doesn't need to do herself up just to get a guy. That is awesome.

The chorus is what really took me by storm when I actually looked at the lyrics. "All the Single Lady's" does have that catchy as hell chorus, but "Soulmate" is so much more profound. It goes, "Cause I'm my own soulmate/I know how to love me/I know that's always going to hold me down/yeah I'm my own soulmate/No, I'm never lonely/I know I'm a queen but I don't need no crown/Look up in the mirror like damn she's the one". Again, that is such a perfect chorus for all single people, not just ladies, to scream sing on the dance floor, especially at weddings. I mean, it doesn't get much more self empowering than that. She calls herself her own soulmate. She says she will never be letdown. She knows she is a queen, and doesn't need anyone to tell her this, or buy her nonsense. And the whole look in the mirror is just a baller ass line. It is amazing. I can picture, if I flashback to my own wedding, all of mine and my wife's single friends at the time, rocking this song. It would have been epic. Hell, I went to some weddings awhile back where "ATSL" was playing, and "Soulmate", had it been out, would have blown that song out of the water. There is another verse that I adore in the song. Lizzo says, "and she never tells me to exercise/we always get extra fries/and you know the sex is fire/and I gotta testify/I get flowers every Sunday/I'mma marry me one day". Again, perfection. In that one little verse she covers her disdain for exercise, how she eats what she wants, how she is the only one that can please herself and that she's just going to marry herself. Awesome.

Even near the end, when Lizzo talks about how you can find true love when you are by yourself, I love it. Before meeting my wife, I was by myself, and by myself a lot. I started to just be myself the more I stayed by myself. All of that led to me meeting my wife. She liked how calm and, dare I say, cool I was/am. I decided that I was fine by myself, and then I met the love of my life. I kind of think that is the message Lizzo is trying to get across. I think, I in my mind, she is saying you need to love yourself before you love someone else, and that someone else needs to love you for who you really are. I think that is just great.

"Soulmate" rules, just like every other song on this record. But, what "Soulmate" has that some of the other songs might not is the ability to become a big smash hit that resonates with all different kinds of people. I'm happily married, been with my wife for almost 13 years, 10 of which we have been husband and wife, and I yell sing this song in my car. I have other friends that listen to Lizzo, that are single, and this is far and away their favorite song on the record. I have friends that are dating that play this loudly in their home. This song truly runs the gammet. Even my three year old sings along to the chorus. It is a perfect song, and will be for the rest of time. Seriously people, start listening to Lizzo because she absolutely rules.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is all about loving yourself before you can love someone else. Maybe the incel community could learn something from Ty and Lizzo.

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Ty Listens to Lizzo's "Cuz I Love You"

After seeing a ton of stuff on social media, and hearing from friends and family members, I finally listened to Lizzo's newest record, "Cuz I Love You" this morning.

Oh, I am listening to it as I type this by the way.

I have never listened to Lizzo before, but I have to say, this record is rad. I am blown away by how much I like each and every song on it. I have listened to it on repeat today. Luckily my wife has the day off, so I got to run my errands solo today, and that gave me extra chances to hear the record. It isn't safe for children's ears, even though I will listen to it with my kids in the car, as I have said, I want them to be exposed to good music.

Man, this lady can sing. Her voice is like the perfect mixture of funk, soul and hip hop. The opener has all three of those styles blended to perfection. It is a great, great way to open a record. In fact it reminds me of my first experience with Har Mar Superstar's music. I didn't start listening to him until he put out "Bye Bye 17", and I haven't looked back. He had that funk sound that attracted me. Lizzo has that, but she adds the soul and hip hop, and it is just awesome all the way around. She can even dip into pop music from time to time, but it is good, and fun, pop music. The song "Juice" has top 25 written all over it. From the music to the lyrics, it is all there to be a top song. I can picture a bunch of teens bumping the song at parties. What I love most about the record is the confidence that she brings. Her voice is already super powerful, but when you actually listen to what she is saying, she has no problem saying exactly how she feels, and what she wants. I wish I had that confidence.

Take a song like the closer, "Lingerie". That song is sexy as hell for one, and when she gets into the words, damn she exudes that powerful confidence. The same can be said for the song "Soulmate". That song is all about self empowerment, and it is great. The hook on the track is wonderful as well. "Like A Girl" is another track that I will play so my 3 year old daughter can hear a powerful, confident woman sing about how she is proud to be a powerful and confident woman. The whole record is going to be like that for my daughter and I listening to it together. I have been trying to expose her to more female singers, I will be writing about some more new albums from women singers this week that we listen to, but Lizzo is tops right now for the easy reason that she is doing ti best right now. She has no fear, she has no qualms about who she is, she knows what she wants and she puts it up front and center on this record. Even her Erykah Badu impression, "Jerome", is a far superior song to "Tyrone", of which I adore. I mean "Jerome" is a hit. The music is so mellow and cool and her vocals, I mean come on, she blasts it out of the park.

I am so glad that I have so many cool people in my life that introduce to me to dope stuff like Lizzo. This record will now be played on repeat in my car and house for a long, long time now. This is the record of the Spring by far, and it may be the best of the summer. I am already feeling like this is going to be on my best of 2019. It is that good.

I highly, highly recommend people listen to "Cuz I Love You". It is amazing.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is holding all his Streisand records for when his daughter reaches the right age to enjoy them. Sixty seems to be the right age.

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