Pop and Politics edition | Friday and whatnot #27

Yes, there has been a lot of new music floating around based on the current political and social climate. However, sometimes finding meaning in existing songs is more relevant than the ones written about today.

A new song that won’t be featured this, or any other week, is “Remove 45”. It is unfortunate because the gawd himself blesses this track, but even P Monch isn’t enough for me to ignore the Talib Kweli verse.

I used to think Kweli was one of those conscious rappers. Come to think of it, he is the perfect example of one, in so much as he has fake woke lyrics and positive messages while actually esposing hate, misogyny, and bullshit. Shouts to Common, Murs, and the Rhymesayer boys for fitting this description too. None of y’alls albums will be featured here either #boycottrhymesayers.

Dave Hause feat. Will Hoge “The Great American Going Out of Business Sale”

This one is off the Paddy/Patty EP Dave Hause put out a month or so ago. It has been in steady rotation on playlists and in my head since. You’ll recall we did a D4 is Genius edition of the blog previously, which happened to feature a Dave Hause solo acoustic cover of “Minimum Wage is a Gateway Drug”. He’s redone that song along with 4 other Dillinger Four classics.

In all the media you read about the record everyone seems so surprised, that when stripped down, Paddy Costello wrote some incredibly powerful, insightful, and gripping lyrics. Somehow I don’t think Dave was surprised by this fact at all. The lyrics are as appropriate now as when they were first composed, albeit some slightly different contexts.

I have eyes that see, I have a mind that thinks,
I have a mouth that speaks and goddamn, it will,
Because I’ve had enough of all this shit,
About ‘making do’ and ‘playing ball’, ‘the way things are’ and ‘dealing with it’
Dillinger Four

We are a few levels deep with this week’s title, but it is a Billy Bragg lyric quoted in this Dillinger Four song covered by Dave Hause. The reference is right after the preceding quote.

FOCUS… “The Way”

There is clearly never a shortage of Little Brother, Phonte, or Rapper Big Pooh content on the blog. The guys have made their mark on all forms of pop culture, from Sesame Street to the Georgia voting call to action classic, “Turn this MF Blue”. The both have great recommendations for music and media on Twitter as well.

I hadn’t heard of FOCUS… previously, but have happily added a few of his records to the work playlist the past few weeks. Something that struck me as interesting, FOCUS… chooses some great Little Brother samples to compose the song. I wonder what kind of discount you get on publishing when you get the dudes to rap on the track and use their music for samples. Gotta be easier to clear them at least.

Sincere Engineer “Trust Me”

This is the first single from Sincere Engineer at their new home on Hopeless Records. I have this song to thank for automatically pairing the happy thoughts of a quick trip out of the house with existential dread. Yay!