“IV. Sweatpants” comes off Gambino’s album titled, Because the Internet (2013). Clever jabs, arrogance, and swag are the main themes of this song. “I’m winnin’, yeah, yeah, I’m winnin’, rich kid, a**hole, paint me as a villain.” Gambino doesn’t care what you think about him, his upbringing, or anything he does for that matter. “Sweatpants” is the classic hip-hop song too thick and gnarly to not get addicted to. The music video features Gambino looking somewhat fed up with today’s society-stuck in the same routine everyday, walking into the same diner filled with the same people that were there before; “I got more tail than that PetCo, you faker than some Sweet’N Low, Yeah, you got some silverware, but really are you eating though?” This is Gambino’s attempt to break the mold and “do you”.
Over the weekend I had the pleasure of seeing Ariana Grande LIVE and it was everything I hoped it would be and more! Not to mention the best early birthday present ever! My friends and I walked into the stadium through a flock of 10-13 year olds wearing their blinking Ariana cat ears (which were $40…no thanks…hello DIY). We grabbed a pretzel, tried to wait in the merch line…then decided to skip it and head to our seats. We were in the stands but had a perfect view of the stage in its entirety. The show start to finish is a massive production. Gorgeous lights, clear sound, fantastic choreography, and incredible visuals were everywhere during The Honeymoon World Tour. It’s easy to see that everyone on this team work day in and day out to make the show perfection every single time its done.
An almost 20-song setlist provided fans with the best Ariana playlist you could imagine, even playing her Major Lazer song from The Hunger Games, “All My Love”, her older unreleased track “Pink Champagne”, and a perfected cover/mashup of “I’m Every Woman/Vogue”. She talked to the crowd a couple times reminding everyone of how cute they are and expressed how thankful she is that everyone came to see her perform. There’s no doubt Ariana Grande will go down in history as a pop diva.
Most of the time she was strutting across the stage in her white sparkly Louboutin’s as her thick flowing hair bopped around to her every move. She kept up with the choreography while belting out every note even better than you hear it coming out of your car speakers. It’s almost as if she downplays her singing on her CD’s and then blows the roof off every venue when she performs them live. Grande makes every song sound effortless in the most angelic way. I was almost waiting for her to grow wings and fly back to the magical place she must’ve come from, because a voice like hers is truly one in a million.
Slower more sentimental songs like, “Honeymoon Avenue”, “Tattooed Heart”, and “My Everything” showcased her voice even more, and brought serious tears to my eyes. A sweet homage to her late grandfather brought the rest of the fans to tears as his voice was heard through the stadium giving Ariana words of encouragement for the rest of her life. Grande’s show start to finish was personal in the coolest ways.
Outfit changes, chandeliers, large clouds, sparks, confetti bombs-it’s safe to say Grande literally had it all. She was the epitome of a pop princess on a world tour. The bigger the better.
The spark-tastic finale feature the Queen herself.
A rework of alt/electro artist Chet Faker’s “1998” features the sultry-sassy Banks for a killer collab made for those late night summer drives. Heavy electronics are plaguing this song in the best way possible. Faker sings, “We used to be friends, we used to be inner circle, I don’t understand, what have I become to you.” The song reflects on people growing apart, something almost every human being can identify with. Banks swings in on the second verse making the song sound like it could easily be hers. Her echoing voice near the end of the song truly makes “1998” sound like another piece of her Goddess puzzle while Faker always keeps it real with subtle electronics and artistic lyrics.
Lana Del Rey is back and so are her melancholy tunes. Her latest single “Honeymoon” features Rey singing in her classic nonchalant fashion as a pretty string section backs her up. A song fit for a classic old-timey soundtrack during a tender loving moment between two fancy dressed lovers. The lyrics remain enchanting and focused on love and the colors surrounding it; “Our honeymoon…say you want me too, dark blue.” She later goes on to sing, “There are violets in your eyes…there are roses in between my thighs and fire that surrounds you.” This isn’t another “Summertime Sadness” and will most likely never be played on the radio but that’s what makes it so unique. Rey manages to capture the beauty of real music using her incredible voice that soars effortlessly over every single word. Only someone truly talented could get away with creating a song like this and making it perfection, and that’s her.
Miguel’s new album Wildheart is nothing short of wild sexual references and catchy 70’s esque vibes. “Waves” is no different. “Don’t stop, I wanna ride that wave, all night…” Miguel croons through sultry muffled vocals. A clap happy drum beat makes you wanna two step and throw on some bell bottoms or skate with your boo at a roller rink. Miguel’s layered vocals add a psychedelic element that go hand in hand with the explicit lyrics. Subtlety has never been Miguel’s strong suit, he makes it very clear what he wants; “Yeah, get wild baby, so hot, God damn, I need a towel baby, I could wipe you down right now baby, I could ride that wave right now baby.” AKA – not the song you want to play in the car with your mom on your way to go grocery shopping…
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