Introduction

Ms. Destiny Hope Cyrus was looking to reintroduce herself.
She had spent the last few years popping up in places like The Voice and various award shows, mostly only gaining attention when covering other artists' songs and when popping out with Liam Hemsworth, of course. As far as the public was concerned she was still Younger Now™ , but that was about to change. Miley was determined to let everyone know that she was back on her bullshit. She needed to let everyone know that SHE. WAS. COMING. So with that, she dropped the first EP in an alleged trilogy (we'll get to that) on May 31, 2019. And oh girly...

Track 1: Mother's Daughter

If the lyrics of this song sound more relevant today than in 2019, that's because they are. When this track was being pushed by Miley as the lead single, the anti-abortion "heartbeat bill" was making its way across the US. So, a song with the hook being the bold statement "Don't fuck with my freedom" felt very apt both then and now. The music video, directed by Alexandre Moors who had directed for artists like Kendrick Lamar prior, turned this blaring message up to eleven. It featured an ensemble of female and nonbinary activists and figures, as well as a cameo from mother Tish herself. The video was edited to include imagery pertaining to the female body and flashing messages like "VIRGINITY IS A SOCIAL CONSTRUCT" and "L'HÉROÏSME DE LA CHAIR". The video also included callbacks to other female pop videos, with Miley's red latex catsuit notably invoking Britney Spears's "Oops I Did It Again". The song earned Miley her highest debut on the Billboard Hot 100 since 2013's "Adore You" at #54, but would fail to rise on the chart. The music video would go on to win two VMAs in 2020, and the song itself would go viral in Poland that same year amidst mass protests in the country against an anti-abortion ruling.

Track 2: Unholy

In Sam Smith and Kim Petras's now infamous song, "daddy's gettin hot at the body shop" is treated as some scandalous taboo secret that should be kept under wraps. Miley's song is essentially the antithesis to this. "I'm a little bit unholy," she sings, "So what? So is everyone else." So what she's twerked in front of millions on live television before. Just because she's doing this shit in public doesn't mean y'all aren't doing it in private. Quit trying to act all innocent, goddamnit! Miley's sick of the faking, the using, the taking, and the people calling her obscene, and she ought to be! Overall, this song's personal favorite off of the EP, even if it's a bit short for my liking.

Track 3: D.R.E.A.M. (Drugs Rule Everything Around Me) feat. Ghostface Killah

Miley channels Wu Tang Clang's "C.R.E.A.M." in this ode to her drug-heavy party lifestyle, even managing to bring on Ghostface Killah for it. Though, his contribution seems less like a feature and more like an isolated verse tacked on at the end of it. The track is a nice listen outside of that, though it's unfortunately him that kills the song for me personally.

Track 4: Cattitude feat. RuPaul

Something fun, something camp, something for PRIDE. Something for the girls to just let loose and have some pure dumb fun to. Is this a song where you have to totally shut your brain off for full enjoyment? Sure. But what's the fun in life if you don't let yourself do that. For all those who think they're somehow above shaking their ass to this: You're just mad 'cuz your hair is flat.

Track 5: Party Up The Street feat. Swae Lee & Mike WiLL Made-It

This track marked Miley's first and last collaboration with Mike WiLL Made-It in four years, as she wouldn't reunite with him again until 2023's Endless Summer Vacation. Swae Lee, hot off of his number one hit "Sunflower" with Post Malone, opens the track quite playfully. Him and Miley's surprisingly good chemistry on the song help to make it a highlight on the EP. I would say that this song carries the same wistful and nostalgic tone that Miley's "We Can't Stop" oozes, the overhanging regret of missing a moment while it's still happening. I especially love the strings that come in towards the end of the song. On New Years Eve 2022, about three and a half years after the EP's release, this track would become the only song off of it to get a television performance as Miley would perform it with Swae for her New Year's special that year.

Track 6: The Most

If you were already missing the Younger Now™ version of Miley, she made sure you knew she wasn't quite gone yet. The final track is a mid-tempo ode to her then husband Liam Hemsworth's undying devotion to her (oh how that would age well). It's a fine closing to the project, if not a rather abrupt one.

The Elusive Trilogy

Clocking in at a total of 22 minutes, this rather short project only satisfied the hunger of Miley's fans a little bit. However, to their delight, she would reveal to Rolling Stone on the day of release that SHE IS COMING was only the first "chapter to a trilogy". The second chapter, SHE IS HERE, was set for release later that summer, with the final chapter, SHE IS EVERYTHING set for that fall/winter. These would all come together into a singular album titled SHE IS MILEY CYRUS. The latter two EPs were said to have been "colder and a little darker" and "more ballad-driven".
When Miley dropped her post-divorce ballad "Slide Away" that August, fans assumed that it was a first taste of what they'd be hearing on these next two projects. Whatever plans Miley had, though, were put on hold when she had to undergo vocal surgery later in the fall. She teased the second EP once more at the end of the year, but neither EP would come.
When she eventually released the lead single to her next album in August of 2020, she confirmed with it the cancellation of the projects being that they "didn't make sense for her". Most of the tracks that were rumored for the two EPs had already leaked by this point. However some tracks, such as "Bad Karma" and "Golden G String" would end up being repurposed for her album Plastic Hearts.
(I guess you can say... she edged us but never finished. Alright, alright, I'm done now.)

Discussion

1. How would you say the tracks off of SHE IS COMING measure up against the rest of Miley's discography?
2. Would you like to see Miley return to the trap and R&B sounds that are prevalent on the EP?
3. Do you think she made the right call abandoning the rest of the project for Plastic Hearts, or do you wish that she saw it through?

They left me. Dear God, they left me. They really fucking left me. I’m… What, millions of miles away from home?! I’m hiding in one of the bunkers on this God-forsaken planet.. M.I.A, no reinforcements, no objective, starving, and I’ve been her for God-knows-how-long. I’m alone with those THINGS. THE DEATH TOLL IS ALWAYS CLIMBING, THE MORTALITY RATE IS ALWAYS CLIMBING. THERE ARE NO “VETERAN HELLDIVERS”, BECAUSE WE NEVER SURVIVE ONE MISSION! WE’RE NOT MEANT TO SURVIVE! Please, someone, anyone come. I didn’t ask for this, for enlistment. They promised adventure, liberation, heroism. THEY LIED! I still hear the screams, the smell of the blood, the cries of my comrades. God, I’m so sorry, Anna. I’m sorry I was enlisted before our anniversary. I’m sorry I won’t see Henry's fourth birthday. I’m so fucking sorry
The rest was completely illegible, even to Styer’s trained eyes. Maybe it was the tear stains, or the dried bloodstains that took up half the yellowed paper, but for all of him, Styer could not read the bottom half. He adjusted his white collar, and tugged at his light red tie. He had read through and destroyed tens of hundreds of these types of “traitorous” notes and transmissions, to ensure these never reach the public. The Ministry of Truth had put him, and countless others in charge of what they called “Filtering”. It was a long and arduous process that took hours, but when he moved to the small incinerator beside him to finish off the process his body had practically saved in its memory; he hesitated. This struck a chord in him, one worse than all the others had. His black eyebrows knitted together as he re-read the paper for what seemed like the fiftieth time. Well, to be fair; he was trained to skim-read through them, then throw the damn things to the incinerator, but today.. He didn’t. For one, he was glad nobody was present at his little cubicle besides himself and his still-on computer, displaying the flag of Super Earth. Any sort of hesitation was an act of high treason, and punishable by death on the spot. Normally, there would be two specialized “Eighters” keeping watch over him and the countless other “Filtration enlistees”, but there seemed to be a lapse in security. One Styer was thankful to Lady Liberty for. A cold sweat beaded on the back of Styer’s neck, as he felt the heat through the vents even as it spilled ice-cold air. He could faintly hear the sound of boots stamping on concrete, and the sound of dying engines coming from above. After two quick glances around his surroundings, and ensuring the camera was turned in the opposite direction of him, Styer quickly stuffed the note in his coat pocket, almost fully concealing the small paper.
Mars Docking Bay September 27th, 2184, 1200 Hours.
The brisk winds of the Red Planet hit Uzi like the most welcoming sucker punch as the VTOL’s ramp dropped, especially after the “training” that was Hellmire. Just thinking of that planet sent a chill down the worker’s spine. God, she wanted to never return to that planet. Those bug things, and that absolutely fucking horrible smell would surely haunt her dreams for months to come. The docking bay was a breath of fresh air, both literally and figuratively. It was the first time Uzi had seen this many living humans. People were pushing carts full of equipment, Helldivers were being saluted, and soft jazz played from the speakers overhead. Wait, was that… Cantina Band? Uzi could’ve sworn that it was Star Wars music playing, but it had a different rhythm. Uzi grabbed at her hair slightly, slightly frowning at the feeling of a small Super Earth pin on the fabric as she walked down the ramp along with the seasoned Helldiver and the rest of the drones. The Sergeant had taken the beanie and stuck a pin on it, due to it being “Important for patriotic duties.” The moment the group stepped a single foot on the ground level of the dock, they were met with suspicious, almost angered glances from almost everyone besides Andrew, who guided the confused drones throughout the mass of humans. Some were in blue and black work uniforms, others in black and golden armor, but without Helldiver helmets, keenly watching the people and putting up posters glorifying Super Earth and the Helldivers. Andrew had no need to push past the people, for they made way for him, as if the Helldiver was some Royal. “This,” He began, turning around to the drones and throwing his hands up, walking backwards with seemingly no care at all. “Is how us Helldivers are treated. We’re basically the guardians of all things Liberty, so they owe everything to us. I hope you all know how to act rich, because I sure as hell don’t.” Turning back around, the Sergeant picked up speed, albeit slightly. The sound of a car engine humming was barely heard through the constant noise and the sounds of ships docking and taking off, but the humming got louder the more they proceeded to the other side of the dockyard.
After what seemed like a century of walking, they finally were graced by a flight of stairs, and an armored car that looked more like an APC than a regular transport vehicle. Uzi took a deep breath, trying to steady her breathing as she tried to will away all of the possibilities that were going fifty-over in her CPU. She turned to J, the two normally sworn enemies sharing nervous glances as they all proceeded down the marble stairs. V’s hand brushed against the freezing gold railing in the middle of the stairwell as she tried to push yesterday’s incident out of her mind. Yet for all her efforts, it would not stop replaying in her head, as if it was her only core memory set to replay.“Alright, get your asses on the Freedom Brick, as I call it.” Andrew broke the silence the moment they had finished descending, gesturing to the open back doors. J gulped as she stepped in, taking the rear velvet-colored seat. They were oddly comfortable for an APC, and there was even a walnut armrest to the left of her. She was soon followed by Rex clamoring into the front seat, then Uzi in the back with the other three. The two drones made a short, yet incredibly spiteful bout of glares before Uzi took her seat at the front.
Then came N and V, the two taking opposite seats. Uzi blinked hard, her body shaking ever so slightly as the worker tried to piece everything together. It had all happened so quickly; it seemed blurry. God, Uzi was getting a migraine just trying to piece it all together. Uzi rubbed the ache between her optics as best she could as the doors slammed shut, making her and some of the other drones jump as the APC took off. Her mind wandered off, thinking of Copper-9.

She wouldn’t say it was simpler times back then; it was far from a happy life, much less a simple one. Her thoughts wandered to her father, to Doll, the prom incident, and meeting that space girl. What was her name…? Tessa? Uzi was far too stressed, tired, and on edge to remember. Every jolt of the car, every bump in the road, and the faint radio playing were all multiplied by twenty. Trying to ignore the constant thudding in her heart, Uzi pressed three fingers to the side of her visor, turning on her playlist yet again. She began to slightly sway her head to the music, lulling her head back and trying to will her body to relax into her seat. Uzi forced an exhale as she listened to the song’s somber melody, tapping the outside of her thigh to the rhythm.
*Underneath the bridge, tarp has sprung a leak… And the animals I've trapped have all become my pets… And I'm livin’ off of grass, and the drippings from my ceiling… It’s okay to eat fish, cuz’ they don’t have any feelings….*Every time the worker was just about to be lured into unconsciousness, the car's constant jolting would startle her at least half-awake. For all of their constant speak of Liberty and paradise, one would think they would be able to flatten out their damn roads.

Something in the way… hmmm-mmm… Something in the way, yeah. Mmmm-hmmm…

Uzi rarely got much of any sleep at all due to the newfound burning discomfort of the seats, and the constant screeching of the bugs, the gunfire… The corpses. Uzi shook her head, leaning her elbows on her knees as best she could, trying to once again will away the gnawing feeling of dread that accompanied thinking of Hellmire. It was practically three hundred thousand degrees down there. Well, Uzi didn't know the exact temperature, but it sure as hell felt like it. The way sweat streamed down her visor like she had just sucked in all of Niagara Falls’ water, and it was now all spilling out was incredibly exhausting. Uzi was just about to let out a groan and toss in her seat when the vehicle came to a halt. J and V were fast asleep in their seats, their arms slumped on the armrest in a position that would no doubt give them both one helluva cramp, and their bodies were relaxed in the faux leather. Edge, meet Uzi. Yeah, the worker was on edge, in a major way. Thousands of questions and scenarios swarmed her mind like thousands of maggots designed to chip away at sanity instead of bodies. By one-thirty, the APC had come to a halt by some sort of security checkpoint. Uzi didn’t know, she couldn’t see half of anything from her seat. But she could see just enough to make out what it was by slightly stretching up and looking over her shoulder through the small window behind her seat. Preventing the APC from going much further than five feet was a dual boom gate, controlled by an operator cabin on each side, the white yellow and blue lights slowly blinking as if they had run out of battery. In front of the two cabins were two soldiers. They were heavily armored, but Uzi couldn’t quite see the weapons they carried, but it was safe to assume they were just as big as their wielders. Juggernauts, that was for one. Both in mass and in height. They looked like they could squash N on a rainy day. The two soldiers stood at perfect attention, not moving a muscle; as if they were toys yet to turn on.

The checkpoint was guarding what looked to be a tunnel going under Mars' surface, but there were no lights illuminating the passway. At least, no lights Uzi had seen. The checkpoint itself was a muted, yet oddly clean darkish-blue. The two operating cabins' front-facing windows were tinted to the point of complete invisibility. Uzi felt an ice-cold fear slither down her spine like a snake slithering towards its prey as one of the soldiers marched towards the driver's window. It was almost robotic, almost preprogrammed. They exchanged words that Uzi could barely hear at all. But just as the soldier began to march back to his post, the drone could've sworn they had looked dead in her eyes for a split second too long. Even through the gas masks that made their eyes look like two voids, Uzi could tell. That pair of eyes burned into her very soul for a second too long. Another cold chill ran its way down her spine, and everything seemed to get colder. The APC once again accelerated, almost throwing Uzi out of her seat and forcing Uzi to turn back around as the armored vehicle slowly passed over the once-guarded tunnel, the boom guards raising up just enough for the APC to pass over it. They entered the underground entrance just as hundreds of overhead lights clicked on almost instantly, its silent hum quickly overtaken by the echo of tires on pavement as the APC picked up speed. A mix of fear and excitement coursed through Uzi's veins as the APC sped down the long tunnel. The music that was once playing smoothly was now choppy, stuttering and buffering to the point of unintelligibility, and was accompanied with occasional static. The electric guitar riffs that now came off as nails on a chalkboard, drums that sounded like guns being fired right next to her auditory receptors, and vocals were now almost ear-piercingly distorted to the point of Uzi barely being able to make out the most of the lyrics.

I must'a died alone… A long, long time ago… You're face… To face… With the man who sold the world…

Okay, now this was beginning to get on her nerves. Uzi irritatedly turned off the music, playing with her fingers as the seconds ticked by. Excitement was soon overtaken by fear as the teen tensed. As much as she tried to push out the fear, or at least trap it in a secluded corner of her mind, the primal emotion always seemed to seep out like small tendrils bending the bars of its imprisonment, waiting for the perfect hour to break through any and all defenses and overwhelm the young drone as quickly and devastatingly as a cyclone. Minutes drained into hours as the APC finally came to a stop. Just a couple seconds after, the back doors flew open, and the four drones were roughly grabbed and thrown out of the APC by four different juggernauts. The next thing the worker knew, she, along with the rest of the drones were being pinned down by some sort of metal dog that bared its sharp teeth at her, saliva dripping from its mouth and bubbling at the rims. Though Uzi wasn't able to see their weapons earlier, even through her pained and swimming vision from landing back-first on titanium flooring, she could just make out the small flames that sprouted from the nozzle of their weapons. Her heart hammered in her chest as she frantically turned her head to V, now wide awake and panicked. She was trying to squirm out of the hold of the hound, but the more she squirmed, the more it barked and snapped its jaws at her, making V lean into the titanium flooring as best she could, trying to create some distance between those razor-sharp teeth and her head.

In the corner of her eye, J spotted Andrew. He circled around them almost casually, as if determining what to say. J’s body shook with anger, but she held her tongue. The last time she had done something like this, it ended with a splitting headache on her end. “Don't worry, they're not gonna kill you. You're gonna be taken in for questioning, then you'll be trained as Helldivers.” He explained. Even still, that didn't serve to calm the four drones much, if at all. “If it helps any, I really didn't know this was going to happen. Only learned; like… A couple hours ago. Alright, goodnight.”

Each of the four drones felt a sharp pain in their neck, then their vision slowly darkened, and the pain numbed. The last thing they saw was those hounds, as bloodthirsty and animalistic as ever, saliva still dripping from their mouths and onto the drones’ clothes. Then nothing.

Mars under Super Earth Control, 1500 Hours, September 27th, 2184.

When J came to, darkness surrounded her. It was almost peaceful. Peace. That was something J had never felt at all. She never remembered feeling at peace…. Well, ever. This was new, unnerving even. Hell, the drone was half-tempted to think they had killed her. A sudden, and bright white light shining directly in her face proved her wrong, making the drone wince and shut one eye; instinctively moving her head to the left in a futile attempt to shield her optics from the light that blinded the Apostle Paul. She leaned back, and cold metal pressed against her, sending a chill of equally as cold fear down her spine. Her optics hollowed, questions and possibilities running through her mind at thousands of miles an hour. Cotton brushed against her arms and back, loosely so. Her heart rate skyrocketed, and she felt lightheaded the more she looked down at the ceil blue gown she was in. Was she in a hospital gown?
Then the pain came. It was a searing, slow-building pain that started off as a dull sensation, and grew into a white-hot, burning, stinging agony. It started at her torso, then spread throughout her body like a cancer. J’s chest tightened, and she struggled to take a breath she was damn sure she had no need for.

“Apologies for the pain, and what we had to do to you.”

‘ What did they do to me?! ’ A primal fear caused J’s body to shake as her CPU tried to bridge the gaps. Tens of thousands of possibilities; each worse than the last, ran through J’s systems like a flood of patrons on Black Friday. She squirmed on her seat as the light died down, black and red splotches dancing across her vision. The light itself did not illuminate much of the room, and J’s night vision wasn't doing much either, surprisingly.
NIGHT VISION NUMBED.

‘ Oh. Oh fuck. ’

The more the murder drone squirmed, the more the cuffs dug into her wrists. Trying to ignore the pain as best she could, J wiggled her arms, trying to dislocate any of the two limbs. Almost like being struck by a bullet, a searing volt of electricity shot through her systems, making her cry in agony, her optics completely whitening as she slumped over on the table, the prickling sensation akin to a million needles pricking her casing. J’s every breath was shaky and erratic as she struggled to straighten up. The former torrent of anger, rage and fear was completely consumed by one emotion. An ice-cold, primal dread.

“Like I said before, please excuse the pain. We had to make sure you weren't an Automaton. You don't look the part, certainly. But we had to make sure.” The voice coming from the other side of the darkened silver table was a smooth, honeyed, masculine voice Lucifer probably used to deceive Adam and Eve. “Your functioning, systems… Your inner workings are unlike anything our top scientists have ever seen before.”

J had no idea if that was a compliment, or an insult. The very distant sounds of a certain gruff voice shouting was faintly heard by J, getting closer and closer.

“So, let's cut to the chase, shall we? You are from… 3071, correct?”

“Correct.” J replied, a sense of uneasiness in her voice as her brows pulled together.

“We already know what you are. A Disassembly Drone, purposed to eliminate Worker Drones and construct spires out of their corpses. Reminds me of Dead Space, really. Our technicians did some prodding in your systems, and… The results have been passed up to High Command. Not much has been… Publicized, about your kind.” He said. The ranting and shouting grew closer, yet closer as the interrogator pressed on. “What brought you here?”

“I don't…. Know myself. I nodded off while on a ship, and… I wake up on another.” J spared the details of the exact ship she was in. J’s mind rushed over to Tessa, and an anxiety crept down her back. That was practically the only friend she'd ever had, like Hell these motherfuckers would track her down.

“What ship?” He asked.

A dead silence, only broken by the shouting in the distance, still growing closer and more audible.

“ What ship? ” He pressed.

Before J could even answer, the interrogation door flew open, revealing a very pissed off Rex. He stormed into the interrogation room, and began ranting once more about the “procedure” J and the other drones had gone under involuntarily.

“Sergeant Andrew, calm down.” The interrogator said, trying to calm the Helldiver as he pressed on.

“Calm down?! You're telling me to calm down when you people just fucking… Cut the four of them open?” The Welshman shouted, pointing to J. “If they were Automatons, I would've blown their brains out by now.”

“We do not know what they are, and their capabilities will give us an edge over our enemies. Even a source of how they change weapons somehow will help us dramatically . The wings, the missile launchers. Hell, the regenerative capabilities If we can… Replicate what they have,” He reasoned, pointing to J, only a half of his hand peeking into the light. “We would have a completely unimaginable boost. Our scientists have extracted what they need, but I must do my job. Now, leave so I can extract the proper information from this drone.”

“I'll tell you how you can help yourself, you can cease all study of my recruits, and return them to my sole custody, or I will shove my boot so far up your ass that it'll nudge your microscopic brain, and maybe promote some damn growth.” Andrew snarled in reply.

“They're yours?” The interrogator asked, surprise evident in his voice. That calm and collected voice was completely overtaken by surprise.

“Oh, no shit. I wouldn't have given a damn if they weren't.”

J felt like she was in the middle of a custody dispute.

“In that case…” The cuffs on J loosened, slowly but surely. In a couple seconds, it popped off, as well as a sort of shock collar on her neck, clattering to the floor harmlessly. “Under policy, we are not to question Helldiver recruits. You may proceed to training.” J breathed the largest sigh of relief at those words. But when the drone got up, her legs buckled, and it took all of her willpower not to fall over flat on her face. Without even thinking, J outstretched her arm, slinging it over Andrew’s shoulder. The Helldiver didn't resist, instead helping the beleaguered drone out of the room.
Mars under Super Earth Control, 1800 Hours, September 27th, 2184.

The first thing that has struck them all was the sheer scale of the large underground facility. Cool winds washed over the group as they entered through the large, reinforced doors, clad in Helldiver armor, but missing their helmets. The facility was massive, with sprawling training grounds that seemed to stretch on forever. Just a short walk away was an obstacle course, with towering walls, rope climbs, and muddy trenches. Above them were what looked to be machine guns stationed across the trench lines.

They weren't live… Were they?

Just overhead, the Super Earth anthem’s instrumental version softly played on the speakers. Groups of trainees were already present, some giving confused glances at the drones. Some of them were running through exercises, the stamping of boots on concrete filling the air. Andrew… He was quite literally shaking with elation, as if he was an excited toddler on Christmas morning. They were all quickly pushed off to the central area, filled with obstacle courses, muddy trenches, rope climbs, and different rooms with monitors plastered with the flag of Super Earth, news outlets faintly detailing the latest happenings of the “ Special Military Operation ” currently going on, several different planets flashing across the screen. At those words, a cold fear slithered down all four drones’ spines. They regarded the shit they saw, what they had to do… As a special military operation? A simple skirmish?
Standing there was a stern, sharp-featured face, a scar running down his left cheek. He was clad in Helldiver armor, but he had medals adorned on his left breastplate, and he also was without his helmet. When he laid eyes on Andrew, his eyes momentarily softened, as if he had come across an old friend, but it vanished like a vapor in the wind. In a flash, he brought his left arm upward, saluting the drones and Andrew. The Welshman salutes just as quickly as the man, but the drones took a couple extra seconds to reply. His eyes fell to Uzi, who was nervously glancing around, twirling a strand of her dull purple hair with her index finger.

“You.” His voice boomed, causing the startled worker to look up at the man, his cold and calculating eyes sending a chill down her spine. “One step foward. March !”
Without any of her usual backsass, Uzi took one step forward, not daring to move a muscle after that.

“Feet closer. Hands to your sides. Head up. Stern. No emotion.” He commanded, watching the teen's quite horrible attention stance, which was quickly straightened up as best as possible. Though the man wouldn't admit it out loud, it was… Rather impressive, for a first-timer. He nodded a nod that even Andrew barely noticed before stepping forward, analyzing each of the drones, now standing at attention, trying to mimic Uzi's stance as best as possible. He slowly walked up and down, his eyes never leaving each of the five. “Sergeant, these are yours, correct?” He asked, quietly chuckling after Andrew nodded. He nodded once more, this time more noticeable. “I see Hellmire has taken them to shape. I can see why you see something in them.”

The man spoke to Andrew like he was an old friend, a warm edge to his voice, despite his outward appearance. “Alright then. Let's see if you are what you seem. I am General Brasch, and I will be your drill sergeant, and your guide to joining the Galaxy's most elite peacekeeping force.” He introduced. “Now, I have far better things to do than teach recruits, but I will make an exception, in this case. Now, each of you, drop down. I want ninety, right this instant. Let's see if you're really up for being a Helldiver.” His voice lost that warmness, quickly replaced by that cold edge from earlier. “Then after this, you are to run the obstacle courses after doing ninety more sit-ups, and navigate through the trench within thirty minutes.” He said, holding up a small digital timer.

The oil in each drones’ veins froze at that statement. Thirty fucking minutes?! ‘That's impossible.’ J thought, staring at the general with widened and hollowed optics.

A dead silence, as if time had frozen at his words.

“Now, ‘fore I bump it up to one-hundred!” He barked. If anything, his order sounded more of like a pitbull barking than a human shouting. Far worse than the generic drill sergeant they had naively expected. Brasch nodded to Andrew, prompting a nod from the younger Helldiver as he walked off, the General watching the drones drop down and begin to do the push-ups.

“One.”

“Two.”

“Three.”

“Four.”

“Five.”

Brasch counted loudly, his counting only serving to heighten the four drones’ stress. Sweat beaded on J’s visor as she cleared her thirtieth push-up.

“After this segment of exercise, you will be each handed a schedule paper detailing your new workday. I suggest you get used to it, and quickly.” He said, his voice growing colder and colder by the minute.
It was times like these where Uzi had the sudden wish to go back to Copper-9. Back home, to her dad's horrible parenting, and rants about Nightcore. Hell, she'd be glad if she had to put up with Lizzy of all people, again! After a couple grueling minutes, they had all finished. Though they were all far from completely tired, the constant exercise had made their muscles ache. It was a dull ache at best, however. But Brasch gave them no time to rest.

“Back down, ninety-five sit-ups.” Even when he didn't raise his voice, he still sounded intimidating. Without question, the drones obeyed, trying their best to ignore the General's loud counting that did nothing to soothe their fears.

Wait, didn’t he say ninety beforehand?

“Dive, dive, dive! You straighten up, you get fucked up! Keep your heads down!” Brasch’s shouting was barely heard over the auditory receptor-piercing sound of gunfire. ‘ Holy shit, they were fuckin' live! ’ Uzi’s dull purple hair was matted with mud as she crawled through the mud-filled trench, occasionally freezing when a bullet almost grazed her. Her eyes snapped shut, and her muscles ached and cried for respite. The once reasonably-lightweight Helldiver armor had become an anvil strapped to her body. The other drones fared just as, if not worse than Uzi. Bullet whizzed by them as they slowly and painstakingly crawled through the mud. Her holstered rifle brushed against the mud, adding to the weight she had to carry. Even through the fatigue, the teen pushed on, the bullets flying by her constantly reminding her of what would happen should she dare to stop for one second.

“Jesus fuckin' Christ, what the hell?!” J screamed, her hands flying to her head as a bullet zoomed past her, barely missing her head, her body stiffening for a second before the murder drone forced it to resume crawling, this time much faster. “Is he trying to kill us or something?!” The words came out in panicky bursts as the drones scrambled like rats in a race across the trench, caked in mud. The dark brown gloop obscured V’s vision to the point of being unable to see five feet ahead of her. The murder drone ground her teeth and forced herself to press on, albeit nervously and clumsily.

“Come on, go, go, go! The enemy will not wait for you to get your shit together! Move your asses!” Brasch shouted over the chaos. He stood a safe distance away from the chaos, hands tucked behind his waist, but he kept those cold dark-gray orbs on the drones, analyzing their every move and imperfection.
Midway through the already arduous climb, the scorching heat was replacing with a biting cold that even Copper-9’s climate could not even hold a candle to. Uzi felt like she’d completely freeze, even if she moved. But the end was in sight, thankfully. Each of the four drones scrambled up the rope, mantling up the ledge and doubling over in complete exhaustion. There was a whole other segment just a walk away, but their bodies would no longer heed their orders to move. Each of the recruit’s breaths came out in shaky gasps as V was suddenly pulled up. It was another Helldiver recruit. “Up you get.” He said, his voice youthful yet stern, much like Andrew’s.

“Corporal Michaels, you are to guide the recruits through the minefield and guide them through engagement with the Automatons.” Brasch shouted from below. Damn he had a loud voice. The platform itself was… Substantially high up, for lack of a better term. None of the four recruits wanted to look down, though. Uzi’s hands shook at the thought crossing her mind, her hand brushing on the railing to her left.
“Sir, yes sir!” He shouted back without missing a beat before turning to the exhausted recruits, most of which now back on their feet. “I'd watch where you all put your feet. Oh, and don't look down.” He warned, before gesturing to the minefield. It was intricately laid out, like a series of dominoes waiting to fall. He walked up to the field, stopping short when he came to the end of the small ramp going down into the hazardous grounds, waiting for the other drones to come along. He stood as still as a statue, the lights above casting a glare on his pitch-black helmet. After a second’s worth of reluctance, the drones exhaustedly staggered forward, stopping beside the corporal Helldiver, staring down the narrow, yet spacious passageway. “Normally you won’t be given this time to survey, but look around you. Any way to bypass these mines, you use it.” He explained, his voice monotone and body unmoving, as if he had said this millions of times before. “However, you are to never use your fellow diver as a meat shield. That is a complete disgrace to everything we stand for as Helldivers.” His voice grew into a cold disdain, as if those who did that were roaches that needed to be exterminated. “Worst comes to worst; and you die, you die. It happens.” He continued, the sheer callousness in his voice sending chills down the four recruits’ spines. “Once again, look for ways to bypass these mines. I really don’t want to have to see another batch implode again.”

And with that, they began. Almost instantly, V drew her rifle, firing thrice. The three mines in the middle detonated, taking three more with it in the process, clearing the path for the first segment of mines. Michaels slowly clapped as they pressed on, clearing the mines with surprising efficiency. This was generally the first time Uzi had held an actual rifle in her hands. The only “rifle” she had ever held was her railgun. The weapon felt good in her hands, and when she fired it at the mines, the recoil was surprisingly minimal. Uzi’s lips curled into a shadow of a smirk. Oh, hell yes.
“Good, you’re not mashed potatoes. Now let's see how you fare against this.” He said, swiping on the small screen on his wrist. Almost the second after Michaels stopped swiping, five robots were elevated to the surface. “These are Automatons. You kill them.” Three were just their height, two equipped with rifles and one a rocket launcher. The other two were far bigger, their spine and head glowing a fire orange. Instead of arms, they had chainsaws, and long, curving spikes adorned their backs. They were certainly not drones, that was for sure. They looked like humanoid endoskeletons, and their eyes were two glowing orbs of red, as if it had been extracted from the fires of Hell itself. The moment they had laid eyes on the recruit Helldivers, the two big ones charged forward, while the three smaller bots raised their rifles and launchers.

“What the hell are those things?!” V shouted, raising her rifle and firing, striking the bigger bots God-knows-how-many-times. Even though it was practically riddled with bullet holes, it charged forward at V and J, a high pitched manic laughter crawling up from it's voice box as it's chainsaws revved. Both drones’ mouths fell open, but no sound came out. They squeezed the trigger, not even bothering to let go as N and Uzi dispatched the other three bots. The small teen’s bullets made contact with the smaller Automations, oil splattering out of their bodies as they were peppered by Liberator bullets. Uzi watched as the Automatons fell, the glow dissipating, leaving only blackness in their eyes. It felt… Exhilarating. A fresh adrenaline rush that almost overwhelmed her. With the smaller ones gone, she and N turned their focus to V and J. J barely dodged one of the swipes from the bigger Automaton, a surprised yelp slipping from her lips as she ducked. The chainsaw barely missed her, slicing a couple strands of her silver hair clean off. A kick took the murder drone completely off guard, sending the drone staggering back. Her back pressed on the rail, before she flipped over, her hand instinctively grabbing onto the rail, holding on for dear life as she dangled off the edge.
Another swipe forced the Helldiver-in-training to swing leftward, creating enough momentum to propel herself upwards, flipping herself over the Automaton, and towards the railing. She landed with catlike grace, landing in a perched position, despite her peglegs. She dodged yet another combination of chainsaw attacks, jumping back, and to the left, back onto solid ground, almost bumping into Uzi. J breathed a sigh of relief after her feet (or lack thereof) made contact with the floor, her heart rate still going one-million per second, even though the short worker was now giving her a short-lived but intense glare.

“Watch where you're going, will you?” She snapped.

But there was no time to rest. Another swipe forced J to lean backwards, the blades barely grazing her armor as her sidearm flung out of its holster. She fired blindly at the Automaton’s torso, the chainsaw-bot finally falling over, dead.

“J, down!” Uzi shouted. Almost instinctively, J threw herself downward as another shot rang out. The Automaton behind her was now without its head, small flames belching out of where the head used to be as it leaned sideways, tumbling down the platform and landing below with a sickening thud . Uzi raised her weapon, admiring the smoke that came out of the barrel. “Y’know, I had half the mind to shoot you both.” She remarked, her head craning to the side, her smirk now more noticeable. She holstered her pistol, turning back around to Michaels for approval, her breaths heavy, just like the others, but her smirk still as present as ever. Each of the recruits’ bodies ached and begged for respite. N felt lightheaded, and had to brace himself on the railing. He ran a hand through his hair, heavily sighing. Michaels was leaning on the railing, arms crossed, as if unimpressed. Uzi's face fell.

But Uzi had a feeling he was, though.
“Haven't seen a show like that since… Well, ever.” He congratulated. “Next up is bayonet and Hand-to-hand training. Enemy won't give you a shit's worth a’ rest, so we're not giving you it either. Brasch and I will keep watch, and make sure you all don't hurt yourselves too much. But, you have made Super Earth proud thus far. Keep this up, and you'll make great additions to the Helldiver Corps. Down we go." The platform slowly began to move downward, past the corpse of the Automaton, which was now sporadically twitching. Brasch himself was nowhere to be found, as the platform descended further downward into the training facility.
Author's Ramblings: Shit, bootcamp really is fucking our drones up! But they will come out stronger, better, and more PATRIOTIC! FOR SUPER EARTH!
This message has been approved by the Ministry of Truth. Glory to Super Earth.

One wrong turn.
That’s all it takes to completely flip what should be a routine, normal road trip on its head. I’m fairly certain most of you reading this have made the mistake. You’ll be driving along, not a worry in the world beyond what you’ll eat later on or where you’ll stay for the night, guided by a paper map, or, more commonly these days, by the GPS navigation in your car or phone. But then, you’ll look up and realize: Either the GPS routed you the wrong way or has lost reception entirely, or you lost track of which roads you’ve taken on a paper map. And that’s when you do it. You make the fateful decision to turn one way or the other, and end up in the middle of Nowheresville. Population: Who the hell knows?
Most of the time, it’s no big deal. You’ll realize you messed up, pull over and choose to turn around. All that happens is you lose a few hours, and at worst, you’ll end up reaching your destination late with a bit of a humorous story to laugh about for months and years to come.
But sometimes, just sometimes…the consequences can be far more terrifying.
My job requires me to travel all across the eastern United States to act as an in-person liaison for my employers. I’ve spent most of the last eight years behind the wheel, driving from state to state. I developed what I always believed to be an infallible sense of direction, and due to a distrust of most modern technology, I never used any electronic form of navigation. “Just give me a paper map and I’m golden!” That was what I always said. Never before had I any reason to doubt myself; after all, I had never gotten lost before.
That was, until that night.
I'd just finished up a meeting in Pittsburgh that evening, and after a quick supper, received word to head for New York. From the moment I hit the road, I knew it was going to be a rough night. After getting onto I-76, I found myself surrounded by slow-moving traffic due to a bad accident up ahead. By the time I was waved around the scene just outside Monroeville, the bright orange digital dash clock told me it was close to midnight. Great, and I’ve still got a good two or three hundred miles to go. Not wanting to deal with any more traffic, I consulted the tattered map on the passenger seat. I’ll hop on over to the 30, take that east to Breezewood, and then hop back on the 76. It’ll be slightly longer, but whatever. I’d rather deal with that than this jam-up.
My decision made, I found the interchange and put my foot down. Thankfully, it was far less packed than the 76, and I made it to the Breezewood by two-thirty. The town was tiny; according to the welcome sign with a population of just over a thousand people, and aside from the gas stations, all the buildings were dark as their residents soundly slept in their beds.
I felt a slight pang of jealousy at the thought as I stood under the buzzing fluorescent lights, leaning against the car as I watched the numbers creep up on the display. I sighed. “There are times I wish I didn’t have to go all over the gaff” I muttered, using the phrase I’d learned from a pal in London. It wasn’t the first time I’d felt it; I knew for a fact I couldn’t do this forever, and after almost a decade, I was beginning to consider seeking a transfer to a different department. When I get back to Boston, I’ll ask Hargrieve if there’s any openings I can jump into in the near future.
The sound of a rumbling engine tore me away from my thoughts, and I looked up to see what a black muscle car pulling into the station. As it slid under the lights, I caught a glimpse of the Pontiac logo adorning the grille, as well as the GTO badge on the quarter panel. I let out a soft, low whistle. Man, that’s nice. Either a ‘66 or ’67, by the look of it. The car stopped at the pump opposite me, and what I can only describe as two Greasers straight out of the fifties or sixties stepped out. They both wore black leather jackets, along with faded denim jeans and engineer boots, and their hair had been slicked back into place with what appeared to be a pound of pomade each. Almost instantly, I felt a sense of wariness fall over me. I could tell these were the kind of people that parents often warned their teenager children about growing up. The kind from the wrong side of the tracks. The driver turned in my direction as he slammed his door shut, eyes sliding over my car and lingering a few moments longer than I liked. My wariness increased. Even though my car was thirty-six years old, I knew the BMW logo on the hood and wheels often drew people’s attention, and not always for the best reasons.
I turned away from the pair, looking again at the readout on the pump. Come on, man. Hurry the hell up and finish. The numbers continued to increase. I tapped my foot impatiently on the concrete. Behind me, I heard one of the men walk away, no doubt heading inside to pay. For a few more seconds, all that could be heard was the buzzing of the lights, and the buzzing of insects in the grass around the station. Then, with a loud click that sounded more like a gunshot in the stillness, the pump shut off. Thank God, took freakin’ long enough. I pulled the nozzle from the car and replaced it in its cradle, turning back to screw the gas cap in. Flipping the fuel door closed, I stood up and cast a final look around the station.
And reflexively took a step backwards.
The driver was still standing exactly where he had when I’d seen him eyeballing my car earlier. Only now, his gaze had shifted to stare straight at me. The expression that adorned his face was intense and beyond unpleasant; it was not far off the same a cat wears when it spies a mouse darting around with no place to run. I felt a huge chill shoot up my spine, and for a split second, I swore something about his eyes changed. To this day, I couldn’t explain what, but I’ll never forget the sudden, bone chilling surge of fear that rushed through my body. Even though I stand at six feet tall and well built, I suddenly felt like I was twelve years old again, cornered by the school bullies in the locker room with a horrible fate in store for me.
I blinked my eyes a few times, shaking my head. For a moment, the feeling remained. Then it dissipated. I risked another look up. The man was still looking at me, but the expression on his face had gone. If it had even been there to begin with. Instead, he gave me a slightly amused and perplexed look. “You okay, man?” he asked. His voice was deep, the gravely tone in it giving him away as the two pack of Marlboro a day type. I let out a deep breath, then nodded curtly at him. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. Just a long night” I turned away, giving my head another fierce shake as I rubbed my eyes. You were just seeing things, Michael. The combination of late night driving and the lights made you hallucinate. You didn’t actually see that.
“Maybe you should grab a coffee or something before hittin’ the road again, then. Seen far too many nasty wrecks from people who fell asleep at the wheel” The words the man spoke had been similar to the ones I’d been thinking, and I swung my gaze up again. The amused expression remained, but I thought I could see a trace of concern beneath it. For a moment, there was silence between us. Then I spoke. “Yeah. Yeah, that might be a good idea” I turned towards the gas station, then stopped, turning back to nod more pleasantly at the man. “Thanks” He had turned away to stare at the pumps, and in response, he raised a hand over his head. Maybe I made a mistake with my first impression. I still get the feeling he’s a dick, but he’s not the Stephen King-like antagonist I originally thought him to be. Just goes to show you appearances can be deceiving.
A few minutes later, I emerged from the store with a steaming Styrofoam cup in my hands. Crossing back to my car, I opened the door and slid behind the wheel. The hot liquid immediately snapped me awake, and after a few sips, I sat it in the custom cup holder I’d rigged up on the air vent. Sliding the key into the ignition, I twisted it, and the car growled to life along with a few sharp electronic chimes. Reaching over, I snapped the radio on; along with the coffee, music would help keep me focused. A low wave of static spilled out of the speakers, indicating I’d long since driven out of range of the station I’d listened to last. Figures. I stabbed the scan button, then settled back in my seat. After a few sharper bursts of static, the speakers filled with a loud radio stinger, followed by a man’s voice.
“Attention, wives! Win five dollars cash this Mother’s day on WWDS! May 12^th, when you get the signal, call WWDS and record your voice. If your husband or son can identify the sound of your voice when played on the air, you win! Now, on to number 28 on WWDS’ Fab’ Forty, up a notch over the past week, Roy Orbison!” The opening chords and lyrics of In Dreams filled the car’s interior. I let out a small chuckle and shook my head. Good song choice, but holy crap, this county must be stuck in the sixties with that kind of contest. Five freakin’ dollars. Continuing to laugh softly, I put the car into drive and pulled out of the station, noting vaguely that the greasers had already left. Approaching the road back to the 30, I reached over and picked up the map, unfolding it on my lap to see where I was, and more importantly, how to rejoin the 76.
My chuckles morphed into a loud groan. A large tear, one which had been hidden from me, took up a large space in the bottom of the paper. Directly through the area I needed. “Oh, you have got to be kidding me…” I shot a quick glance around. I had slowed to about five miles an hour, and though nobody else was merging back onto the road with me, I didn’t want to turn around and head back to ask for directions. I hissed through slightly gritted teeth. “Shit” Then I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down. Just relax, man. There will surely be a sign indicating when the change will be coming up. Just keep your eyes peeled for it, and you’ll be golden. Nodding to myself, I pushed down on the accelerator, the V12 growling as it downshifted, and I flew out of Breezewood. Passing by a hotel and a few other gas stations, I stared intently through the windshield.
The low, looming shape of what had to be a church and accompanying cemetery was approaching rapidly on my left when I spied it. It was set far off from the side of the road, almost completely obscured by tall grass and reeds. But caught in the beam of my headlights, the numbers were unmistakable, as was the arrow that angled off to the left. “Yes!” I whispered softly. I slowed the car, flicking on the blinker as I saw what had to be the entrance, which angled slightly up a hilly incline. Making sure that nobody was approaching in the opposite lane, I gunned the throttle and merged onto the turnpike.
I found myself on a four lane highway, the two opposite lanes divided by a well-kept grass median. Streetlights were set along both sides in intervals of several dozen yards, the dull, orange glow of what had to be high pressure sodium bulbs seeming to shoo the surrounding darkness away and momentarily illuminating the BMW’s interior every time I flashed under one. In Dreams was ramping up to its climax, and Orbison’s falsetto was calming, allowing me to relax back into the seat and stare out the windshield. After a moment, though, something clicked in my brain, and I quickly looked around. With a sense of surprise, I realized I didn’t see a single other car or truck on the road. Well, it is getting on to close to three in the morning. Especially in a rural area like this, not many are going to be out driving. They’re all in bed.
The song ended, and the announcer’s voice came on again. “Well, folks, I hope you enjoyed that tune. As for me, I’ll be signing off for the night, but for you night owls and late-night travelers, stay tuned, because up next we have the dynamic duo of Elvis and Jayne, who will be discussing Pennsylvania’s spookiest events and taking your calls. We’ll see you tomorrow morning with the AM newscast!” I let out a snort. “This should be interesting. At least it’ll definitely keep me awake” I picked up the cup of coffee and took another sip, sparing a glance down at the speedometer. The needle sat almost dead on at sixty-five miles an hour. Hopefully I made the right call and won’t encounter any more accidents. Early morning Manhattan traffic is hell on earth.
My attention focused back on the radio as organ music began to spill from the speakers. I couldn’t help but let out another snort; it was obvious the music was meant to evoke a spooky atmosphere, but in reality, it sounded more like what you’d expect to hear in a low budget haunted house. After a few more moments, it faded out, and what I can only describe as the sultriest women’s voice I’ve ever heard began to speak. “Hello, all you late night listeners. To all the night owls, graveyard shift workers, wandering travelers, and of course, all the ghosts and ghouls tuning in. Welcome once again to Late Night Spooks. As always, I’m your host Jayne, and I’m joined by my eternal co-host Elvis. We’re here to fill the witching hour with tales that will leave you lying in your beds, blanket tightly tucked up around your chin as you gaze around. Wondering, what may be staring back at you from the darkness” Now I let out a full-blown laugh. “Oh my good God, this is so fucking cheesy, man!” I slapped the steering wheel a few times. “I already freakin’ love this!”
The man-Elvis-cut in. “That’s right folks. We’re here to tell you tales that will send shivers straight up your spine, and make you wonder just how real the supernatural truly is. And, of course, as the show goes on, we will be taking calls from you to discuss our topic tonight. Jayne, you want to tell that what that is?” The woman spoke up again. “Absolutely, Elvis. Tonight, we are going to be focusing in depth on some of the most unexplainable, eeriest disappearances of people in Pennsylvania. We have cases to share with you, ranging from long, long ago, to, well, shall we say recent memory. Up first, let’s discuss the strange disappearance of a judge in 1930-”
The woman continued to speak, but my attention was pulled away as the car rounded a slight bend. Ahead of me, I saw a small, white sign sitting next to the side of the road. Single Lane, Keep Right. Swinging my gaze farther up the road, I spied the unmistakable, gaping maw of a tunnel. Two lights set at the entrance by what had to be the air ducts illuminated lettering which spelled out the tunnel’s name. Rays Hill. I lightly tapped the brakes, slowing the car to about forty as I saw that the highway did, in fact, narrow into two lanes. Inside, I could see the tunnel was lit up by dozens more lights. I felt a slight sense of discomfort well up inside me; I always had a small case of claustrophobia whenever I had to travel through any tunnels, whether they went underground, or in some cases, underwater. Watching films like Daylight as a kid really didn’t help. It's fine, man. Just drive through it, and you’ll be fine. I took a deep breath, then with a loud exhale, I stepped back on the gas and entered the tunnel.
As I slid inside the concrete behemoth, the woman’s voice faded, replaced instead with the soft hiss of static. I caught a tiny snippet of what she was saying. “Elvis, would you provide us with some backsto-” I groaned. “Oh, what?! Come on, man! Just when it was getting interesting?!” I hit the button to raise the power antenna in a vain attempt to regain the signal, but it was no use. There was too much ground and concrete in the way to get reception. Of. Fucking. Course. Sighing, I turned down the volume but did not shut the radio off completely; once I made it out the other side, I wanted to pick up the show immediately. With nothing else to occupy my concentration, I focused fully ahead on the road. It was just wide enough for two cars to pass by each other, though I wouldn’t have been surprised if many a side mirror had met their end in here. I’m glad there’s no eighteen wheelers coming the opposite way. That would be a nerve-wracking experience in itself. I let out a soft chuckle at the thought, but the truth was, the silence that had filled the car’s interior with the absence of the radio was beginning to become uncomfortable. Wanting to have some form of audile stimulation, I hit the button to lower the driver’s window.
The sound of the tires humming along the pavement immediately met my ears, along with the soft hum of the exhaust as they bounced off the walls and ceiling. It relaxed me somewhat, and I felt the tension slowly ease away. A yawn escaped my lips, and I blinked my eyes at the sudden sense of fatigue that settled in its place. Coffee. I leaned over and picked up the cup, sparing one quick glance ahead before tilting my head back and taking a large gulp of the rapidly cooling drink. I returned my eyes to the road-
-And almost spit the coffee that remained in my mouth over the windshield. Sitting directly in the middle of the road was what appeared to be a man and a woman. They both straddled bicycles with handlebar mounted lights, their gaze fixated as they stared around and aimed flashlights at the ceiling. FUCK ME! I slammed both my feet on the brake pedal, dropping the cup and snatching for the emergency brake. The tunnel was filled with the sound of screeching tires as I yanked, the rear wheels locking up and the car beginning to slide sideways. “Shit!” I screamed, trying desperately to pull the wheel back straight and laying on the horn. For a split second, I saw the couple snap their heads in my direction as they involuntarily aimed their flashlights through the windshield, blinding me for a moment. Their faces filled with shock and horror, and they attempted to leap off their bikes and out of the way.
I jammed my eyes shut, not wanting to see them reduced to road kill, but kept my hands tight on the wheel as I felt the car begin to slow. A moment later, it skidded to a halt, rocking slightly on its suspension. For a few moments, the sound of my tires continued to echo in the confined space, and then it died away, replaced with an eerie silence. My heart pounded in my chest, and I felt my breathing coming in short and shallow. Thoughts raced through my mind with all the speed of a Le Mans racecar. Oh, fuck. Oh, fuck. I’m going to jail, man. I’ m going to jail and I’m going to lose my license and my job on top of the fact I probably just KILLED two people! Every fiber of my being screamed at me not to open my eyes. But I knew I eventually had to. Bracing myself for the scene that would be there, I forced my eyes open.
There was nobody there. No bicycles lay spilled and dented in front of my car. No bloodstains covered the hood and windshield. No crumpled forms lay in the beam of my headlights. For a moment, I simply stood there, shock numbing me as my eyes darted around. “I…what…?” Confusion joined the shock, and I stabbed at the seat belt release, yanking on the handle and practically kicking the door open. Leaping out onto the pavement, I gripped the top of the door as I peered over the hood. The road was empty. I spun around, looking behind me. Two long black marks which had been the rubber of my tires stretched away from me; back about eighty feet or so. Aside from that, though, there was nothing. No sign of any other living being.
That’s…that’s freakin’ impossible. I know I saw them there. I saw them look at me as if they hadn’t seen or heard me approaching. They should be here, either screaming at me or…they should be here. What the hell is going on?
A sudden, sharp chill shot up my spine, and on reflex, I shot a look behind me. A few hundred feet ahead, I could see the end of the tunnel and the darkness beyond. The soft sound of crickets chirping, punctuated by the sudden call of some nocturnal bird echoed down to me. Far from bringing me any sort of comfort, though, it made the sense of eeriness and paranoia which had suddenly fallen over me increase. I felt like a character in one of the books I loved to read as a kid, suddenly knee deep in something he couldn’t understand or comprehend. “Calm down, Michael. Calm down” I muttered to myself. As I stood there, still holding on to the top of the door, a new sound reached my ears, back the way I’d come. For a moment, I was unable to place it, then my mind connected the dots as I heard the rumble of an engine in the distance. A car. There’s another car approaching the tunnel.
Shooting a final glance around the tunnel, I quickly dropped back into the driver’s seat and swung the door shut. Sliding my seatbelt back on, I lowered the emergency brake and put the car back in drive. A moment later, and I was shooting out the exit into the night. Trying to calm myself, I reached up and hit the button for the sunroof, the panel pulling back and allowing more cool air into the car. As I settled back, I suddenly became aware that the radio had picked up the station again. The static had been replaced by the woman’s voice, almost inaudible over the rushing wind. Wanting to distract myself, I reached over and turned up the volume. “Well, thank you for your insights on that, Mrs. Clemens. That was truly a treat to discuss the case with you, thanks for the call. Coming up after the break, though, we’re going to discuss one of the stranger, more recent cases we’ve heard about, so stay tuned!” A commercial for a local amusement park began, and I tuned it out, vaguely aware of the amplified sound of the distant car behind me as it entered the tunnel.
There was something that had been incessantly repeating over and over in my mind since I’d stepped out of the car. It kept flapping around like the loose end of a film reel in my head. I shook my head. Knock it off, Mike. That’s beyond insane. You were panicking and your mind overloaded. Even if you…you just came across some unexplainable and terrifying, that’s still ridiculous. But it continued to gnaw at me. The image danced behind my eyelids when I blinked. Something I’d seen when the two had aimed their flashlights at me, blinding me. Just for a second, I thought I’d seen the tunnel…
I slapped the steering wheel, hard. “Knock it off! You didn’t see shit!” The irritation temporarily consumed the mental freak out happening in my head, and I looked out ahead of me. The turnpike had returned to four lanes, and I allowed my foot to press a little harder down on the accelerator, seeing the speedometer rise to seventy. Breathing deeply, I felt myself begin to relax a little. Outside of the tunnel in the open air, everything had rapidly begun to seem like a hallucination brought about by fatigue. I began to mentally chide myself. If they’d been real, you would be on the chopping block for involuntary manslaughter right now. Let this be a lesson to you: No matter what, if you’re tired, pull over and rent a motel room. Better to have Hargrieve chew you out than kill someone.
The commercial ended, and the sound of Jayne’s' voice returned, drawing my attention as I shot under an overpass of some sort. “Welcome back, listeners. I hope you enjoyed hearing about Hanson’s. Remember to get your butts up to Harvey’s Lake next weekend to take advantage of their two-for-one deal! Trust me; the Speed Hound is more of a scream with a friend! Now, let’s move on. Elvis, you want to introduce our next case?” The man spoke up. “It’d be my pleasure to, Jayne. Now, listeners, you know we love a truly spooky unsolved mystery here on our show. We’ve already covered some tonight. But this next one, is one that boggles my mind for sure. We’re going to discuss the disappearance of a man out near Breezewood!” I took my eyes off of the road for a second to glance down at the radio, letting out a strained chuckle. “Oh, boy. After what I just went through, hearing about something so close to where I’m at is gonna be freakin’ lovely” I ran a hand through my hair. Then I laughed a little more genuinely. “Wonder if it’ll be about any missing cyclists?”
The dark humor helped me relax further, and I reached down and flipped on the heated seat. A sudden bright stab of light reflected in my rear view mirror, and I cast a glance in my side mirror. A pair of headlights had appeared about a half a mile back, what must have been the car I’d heard in the tunnel. Feeling comforted by the sudden appearance of another person, I returned my attention to the show. “Now, folks, listener discretion is advised, because this is truly one hair-raising case. It begins at a gas station just off Route 30 in Breezewood. The time? Very close to right now, actually. According to authorities, the man showed up on surveillance footage pulling into the station and purchasing gas and a cup of coffee. The cashier stated that he seemed tired and a little frazzled. He stayed in the station for about fifteen minutes, before slowly pulling back out onto the road and out of sight”
At the man’s words, a huge chill ran up my spine, causing me to shiver. “Ugh. Jesus, this is quite literally hitting a little too close to home. I mean, I know that thousands of people do the exact same thing every day, even at gas stations like around here, but the similarity is eerie as hell” Off to my left, I saw the forest pull away, revealing what looked to be the darkened shape of a lake in the distance. The sight reminded me of better days; days of being a child and going for a swim in Walden Pond, watching my parents waving to me from the shore. Jayne spoke up. “That’s correct. Now, there are a few things that bother me about this case. The first is, after he left, he just seemed to drop off the face of the earth completely. Nobody recalls seeing him driving down the road after he left that night, and he never hopped onto the highway, either. The second is that according to the police, a second car was seen pulling in shortly after him and also getting gas. Let me just check my notes here…it says it was some sort of muscle car”
My eyes widened, and I felt the blood drain from my face. It felt as though I’d been hit by a truck, and a heavy pit had formed in my stomach. The paranoia and terror I’d felt back in the tunnel returned, but this time for a much different reason. Wait…a muscle car…that’s what those…oh, God. I spoke aloud. “Please, for the love of God, don’t say it was a Pontiac. Please, anything else” My prayers were not answered by Elvis’ next words. “I see here according to my own notes that the cashier claims it was a Pontiac of some sort. Either a mid sixties LeMans or GTO” The lump that had settled into my stomach rose into my throat, and for a moment I thought I was going to be ill. The fact I had seen, less than half an hour ago a car identical to the one being described in a missing person’s case was not just fear inducing- it was downright horrifying. I remembered catching the look the driver had given me, remembered feeling as though I were staring at a predator.
I might’ve locked eyes with a fucking murderer…
As Jayne began to speak again, I quickly flashed a look in the rear-view mirror. The car behind me had closed the distance, showing whoever it was, they had the pedal to the metal. It was still too far away for me to see anything beyond the headlights, though. I again focused my attention on the show as the woman continued to speak. “-and don’t forget that the cashier also mentioned how the man seemed more than a little disturbed by the two men in the Pontiac. He even said he felt something was off about them himself. According to him, the men were dressed in matching leather jackets, jeans, and boots. Both appeared to be in their early to mid-twenties as well” I was doing my best not to panic, but with each word the hosts were saying, my fear was compounding. Any doubt I’d been face to face with the same men had vanished with Jayne’s last words. A sudden, sharp stab of clarity broke through my mind.
I’ve got to call the cops.
Reaching down, I fumbled for my cell phone, which had slid across the passenger seat. Snatching it up, I tapped the home button, the screen flashing to life. And let out a massive groan. No bars were displayed in the upper right corner. “Fucking dead zone…” I hissed, throwing it back onto the seat. I pushed down harder on the accelerator, watching as the needle began to flirt with eighty. I began to mutter to myself “Okay, calm, Michael. Calm. You don’t need to panic and get yourself into an accident. Just get yourself out of the dead zone, and then call the police. Tell them you saw them back in that town, and what gas station you were at. They’ll be able to get the camera footage and nail these fuckers” I took several deep breaths, then focused back on the road. Elvis had started to speak up again, when the BMW jolted forward sharply. My head snapped forward, and I felt a sudden ache in my neck from the whiplash as it slammed back into the headrest. What the shit?! My eyes flickered to the rear-view mirror-
-And almost screamed at the sight that greeted me.
The car that had been far behind me had caught up to me somehow. It sat right on my ass, the headlights lighting up the interior as though it were suddenly daytime. The source of the jolt was immediately clear; they had driven straight into the back of me. That fact was terrifying enough. But it was the sight of the Pontiac emblem in the mirror that caused my heart to almost stop. I snapped my gaze to the side mirror, and felt another surge of terror as I saw the face of the man from the gas station behind the wheel. The expression adorning his face froze my blood in my veins, as did the shark like smile he wore. For a split second, it almost felt as though I were unable to look away from him. Then the car leapt forward with a roar again, bumping into me and causing my car to lurch forward again.
“Fuck me!” I shouted, the trance broken as I slammed the accelerator to the floor. For a moment, there was no response, and then the car downshifted, the V12 changing from a growl to a roar as the accelerator began to rapidly climb. To my relief, the car began to create some distance with the Pontiac, and I caught sight of the passenger finally. He wore an equally vile grin as his buddy, and he seemed to be gesturing for him to get after me. Not today, motherfucker, I thought. I kept my foot down hard, seeing the speedometer climb to ninety-five miles an hour. The wind from the open window and sunroof tore at my face, and I took one hand off the wheel for a split second to stab the buttons to close them. A second later, and the world outside became muted by the double paned glass. I returned my gaze to the road, occasionally sparing glances in the rearview. The muscle car appeared to falter for a moment. Then I saw it begin to close the distance again.
“Shit!” I’d hoped I’d be able to keep the gap between us, or even widen it. But the two must’ve clearly souped the GTO up, because it was managing to keep up just fine. I shot a glance down at the speedometer again. I felt my heart flutter as I saw I was now doing over a hundred and ten miles an hour. As I looked back up, I heard the muffled roar of the car behind me. A third jolt, this time a little less severe rocked the car on its suspension. I felt the back end step out slightly, and horrific images of sliding off the road to slam into a tree or rolling flashed in my mind. God, please let me survive this! Please let me escape these fuckheads in one piece! A flash of white suddenly captured my attention, and I looked up to see a sign zooming towards me. It flashed by a moment later, but I’d been able to see what it had said.
Sideling Hill Tunnel, 3 miles.
My grip on the steering wheel tightened. If I make one mistake in there at these speeds, I’m dead. I need to keep absolutely focused, and remember all the lessons from those defensive driving classes Dad forced me to take. As I began to try and formulate a plan that would help me survive until I reached civilization, I suddenly became aware that the radio was still on. Elvis’ voice spilled from my speakers, oblivious to the horror that was repeating itself mere miles from his broadcast station. “Oh, Jayne, before we begin to take any calls about this case, we almost forgot to mention the man’s name and what kind of car he was driving!” Realizing that it would be a distraction, one that could end up being fatal to me, I spared a glance in the mirror. The Pontiac was still far enough away. I began to reach out to snap the radio off.
But my fingers froze midway at the woman’s words.
“Of course, how silly of me! According to the police reports and surveillance footage, the man was driving a dark green 1988 BMW 750il, and had Massachusetts license plates”
The world seemed to slow to a crawl, as though somebody had hit a button on a VCR remote. I stared at the radio, feeling a sense of shock unlike anything I’d ever felt before wash over me. I….wait…what…?
All these weeks later, I can still perfectly remember the horror I felt at her next words.
“And it says here that the man’s name was Michael Goggins!”

This is just picking up where part one left off.
Kendrick’s last album attached with his old label TDE was Mr Morale and the Big Steppers. I found it interesting that he chose to make it so divisive. Aside from the aforementioned Kodak Black controversy, it was a very raw and personal album. Unless you really enjoy getting to know the ins and outs of the psyche of your favorite artist, you’d probably have a hard time ranking the album higher than some of his much more accessible and relatable ones in the past. I think this could stem from his approaching independence. Some other options could be him achieving all his financial, career goals, or winning a damn Pulitzer.
He also may have wanted to go in this direction simply because he was comfortable enough in his career to really bare his soul and confess to his sins and most shameful moments. It seems to have come in handy during this year’s diss exchange, which we have reason to believe was being planned around the same time he began working on the album if not earlier. I’ve even heard a few people claim that this album was the prelude to things popping off a couple months later. Another possible motivation could be that Kendrick was taking a page out of Eminem’s book. He is known for predicting his opponents disses and turning them around on his opponents. Sometimes he even disses himself which makes his opponent’s ammo useless because he does it better than they can. After making them look silly he uses his superior skills to absolutely unleash on them, similar to the way Kendrick did against Drake.
As I mentioned earlier, if Kendrick was intentionally setting Drake up with some shitty ideas for a diss track it could also explain how he was able to record responses before Drake had a minute to breath and regroup. Side note if you haven’t seen 8 Mile please take a mental note, it’s probably the best hip hop biopic ever. Fuck the N.W.A or Biggie movies, I want them to do ODB’s life story next or maybe Doom if Flylo directs it.
If you start with Section 80 and end with Mr Morale, the latter was probably the least enjoyable album for me personally. It’s also the one I listened to the least out of all his other albums, so it could always grow on me later like TPAB. I know I’ve gotten roasted for saying this before, but I’m sure everyone has a Kendrick album they like slightly more or less than the others. This isn’t to dismiss his talent and musical ability. The music itself on the album was incredible as always, I just wasn’t as moved by the lyrics. While I empathize with Kendrick, we are so different I’m not even going to pretend to relate to him and just respect him and appreciate his talent. I wouldn’t consider myself a huge fan and part of it is because I really don’t think I fit the profile of who Kendrick is making his music for. Still I have a lot of respect for him for staying true to himself. The world doesn’t revolve around me and not everything is made for mass appeal. The best music is usually pretty divisive and often somewhat controversial. I think it was a calculated move on Kendrick’s part and agree it could have been the prelude to many of the recent events.
Considering he made fun of Drake for using album before he actually did it, it’s not unlikely he was setting up possible topics for him to try and weaponize when he couldn’t find any solid dirt to counter what Kendrick had collected on him. There are a few other rumors that can be connected to the album besides the likely true infidelity rumors and the Dave Free rumors. As I’ve said the biggest connection is the common trend of label owners or industry high ups using musician’s loved ones as leverage for negotiations. These connections alone, some random allegations, possible tensions in a friendship, and possible marital tensions, all seem like pretty common life problems. It’s probably just as likely Kendrick is hitting his mid-life crisis a little earlier due to the trajectory of his career and life.
The fact that anyone can go more than a decade in the industry without losing their mind, their soul, or their bodily autonomy and somehow still manage to stay unproblematic and make awesome music is a testament to that artist’s resilience and talent. The fact there are some decent people like Kendrick in the industry helps me remember no one is perfect, but some people truly are good to the core and some are much worse than others.
Another artist I’ve always had a lot of respect for is Andy Milanokis. The guy has always seemed chill as hell and I can’t recall him being involved in any serious controversies. Considering he has been in the tv, movie, and music industries for over twenty years, I can’t help but give him my respect. He easily could have used his disease to be a total weirdo, but he’s always seemed to handle it in stride.
Sorry again for all the tangents I’ll try to keep it on track. One of the songs that probably contributed to the physical abuse allegations involving Whitney was the song We Cry Together. While there may be allusions to physical abuse and anger issues, it’s also very possible the song may be a testament to how people’s relationships will often end up displaying characteristics of the relationships you witnessed while growing up. The song stood out immediately because these days most couples don’t fight so intensely or so casually or at least won’t admit it to the world. The end of the song where they get horny and fuck could be also be to show that things might appear one way, but not be a huge deal. It could also just be a testament that no matter how much they fight they still love each other, but they just enjoy angry or makeup sex and a little drama.
While any of these could be the possible, if Drake is to be believed, Kendrick is alluding to verbal and possibly physical abuse in his relationship. In my opinion it’s a metaphor for how him or Whitney’s parent’s behaviors carried over into their relationship and how toxic this can be. Since Kendrick often discusses the effects of generational trauma pretty regularly, other examples including Mother I and some other sections of the album, I think my theory has at least some validity. If we are to believe there really was tension between the couple and that it was based off arguments related to the Dave Free rumors, at the least it seem less likely than some of the other theories I mentioned.
At the worst Kendrick is admitting to past verbal abuse and infidelity. As far as I know there is no mention of him getting physical with her, but if I’m wrong feel free to let me know in the comments. Although these things shouldn’t be just written off, another thing that gets mentioned in the album is him being told he needed therapy. If he did take that advice it’s possible the making of this album could have been inspired by something he gained from it. Around the time of it’s creation, he also had his second child and was starting his label. This would be enough to stress anyone out to the absolute max. It’s obviously still not an excuse to take those emotions out on others, especially loved ones. However if him and Whitney were able to work through these issues, which I think is very possible with time, dedication, and love, they may have been able to salvage things. Hopefully the fact they still seem to be together is a sign that Kendrick has learned from his past behavior and mistakes. On the other hand it could also be part of his plan to play dumb until he gets full ownership of his label like I’ve suggested before.
Another source that was pulled up after the beef was an old random YouTube video by an account called Okliar. I might be mixing this up, but I believe the woman in the video claimed to be a Las Vegas hotel security guard. In the video she talks about about how she was at work when she came across a s. worker who had been beaten apparently by a famous rapper. She then goes on to claim that she found out later it was Kendrick Lamar. While we can’t write it off completely it’s been noted she was a second hand witness and apparently Kendrick and a lot of his crew had rented separate rooms on the same floor. I’m not sure when the video was from, but it would be interesting to see if he fired or cut ties with any close crew members after the incident was alleged to take place. If there were ten guys that night it’s just as likely it could have been any of them. If there is a repeated pattern of Kendrick overlooking his friend or crew member’s sketchy tendencies like Drake has been accused of, it’s definitely not a good look. It would also help support the arguments by Drake fans that he’s being hypocritical.
I found this Reddit post featuring a Kendrick interview where he’s asked about it. Obviously he could always be lying, but it seems at the least he learned his lesson, because it has been ten years almost and that was the only similar allegation in his long, well regarded career. (If there are more that I’m unaware of I’ll update this section as well.) https://www.reddit.com/KendrickLamacomments/1cnd4ux/kendrick_clearing_up_the_rumors_of_the_las_vegas/
The last thing I want to share is a fantastic NPR article I found from around the Damn! area. It’s not closely tied to the beef, but still an interesting read if you have a minute. A few sections of the article engage in similar discussions to the ones I’ve been trying to facilitate and I think many are important to help see the bigger picture in all of this. https://www.npr.org/2017/12/12/568748405/the-prophetic-struggle-of-kendrick-lamars-damn
At the end of the day besides cheating and verbal abuse, which he himself alluded or admitted to, any of the other allegations against Kendrick are rumors with little more than circumstantial evidence and minor connections. I thought it was important to really dig into all sides of the beef, as well as to try and connect it the the bigger picture of issues within the industry. I believe these issues play a major role in what’s gone down in the aftermath as well. I also believe the same people who helped initiate everything we’re currently witnessing are also benefitting the most from it (most likely the labels). At the least they seem to be been working to shape the narrative that comes out in the end. As with most things they do, this is most likely for financial gain and the maintenance of power.
To close out this collection, I just want to talk about an experience I had recently while researching. I ended up having to remove a lot of info from the second section and still need to remove a good amount because I have to be very careful about sharing some of it due the subject matter. I randomly came across a very scary rabbit hole and I’m only mentioning this because I really want to encourage people to STAY away from anything that seems like it could be even remotely sketchy. Even if there is a lot of good evidence it’s best to avoid because they seem very serious about keeping these sites online and their true purpose hidden. They clearly have some ties to powerful people you would not want as your enemies and posting even a mention here could be a mistake you might not be able to take back. I swear this is not a joke and could have some very serious implications for anyone involved. I’m honestly pissed I can’t share a lot of my findings because I think they could be very important. I also spent hours researching, but I have to be careful sharing this type of information with anyone who might not respect the magnitude of these types of things.
Honestly I’m scared even saying this much. They seem to take any type of reports to any media, government, LE, or other any other agencies very seriously. I’ve mentioned before that there are things you don’t talk about unless you want to pretty much guarantee you end up getting some unwanted attention. Unless you got leverage like Kendrick and Ebony you shouldn’t be touching these things with a ten foot pole. I’m sure I’m on a list already just for browsing some of these sites, but I’m pretty boring and vanilla in real life when it comes to this stuff and it’s pretty clear it was just part of my research. The last thing I’d want though is to get the sub or any of its users in trouble. As long as I don’t implicate or mention anyone involved in any way, I should hopefully be good, but I plan to stay vigilant regardless. Experiences like these make me even more grateful towards those who were brave enough to stand up when they had the ability to do so. I feel like a piece of shit and like I’m intentionally suppressing good info, but for my safety and the preservation of my legal defense fund, it was a decision I had to make.
At the least I highly encourage everyone to read certain websites user and privacy policies before sharing any info from those sites directly or indirectly. Unless you want to possibly get sued into oblivion by a donut shop or some five star swinger hotel, these subjects should be approached with caution. Considering the implications of being revealed publicly, the ones behind the scenes probably don’t want any rumors circulating involving these types of allegations. One group even promises in their guidelines, they will pursue the maximum criminal damages if you pretty much mention their business in a negative way. This is how you could end up in a decade long court battle and end up “committing suicide,” or “dying mysteriously or prematurely,” if you don’t roll over and publicly detract your claims. Just think of the recent Boeing whistleblowers before you consider leaking any potential incriminating evidence about a corporation or large business. Again the chances of things going bad are just too high.
I’m sure anything as blatant as I found on the clear web is most likely insider jokes, weird advertising, and consenting adults just being kinky as hell. Some of the sites I discovered even had wording in their fine print that sounded like something government agencies would have to write if they were trying to catch people doing sketchy shit, but didn’t want to be too obvious. They’re definitely playing it by the book legally speaking. That’s why the privacy and all the fine print stuff on these sites can be extremely interesting and terrifying at the same time. You’ll see more what I’m talking about on part two as I said. Thank you for reading if you made it until the end. I hope you were able to gain something of value. Again if any info can be proven false and isn’t just your opinion vs mine please let me know. Also sorry for spelling or grammatical errors I tried my best, but that shit takes forever.
More random links, write ups, outtakes, personal anecdotes, and a completely random megalist of artists I made to hopefully help people recommend new artists or songs for me. If anyone discovers someone new that’s cool too. As I said at the end of part two this one is slightly censored, but I still feel I was able to get a good amount of info on here that won’t get me in too much trouble, and might be interesting for some people.
Kendrick, Drake, and AK information and connections. https://www.complex.com/music/a/b-blanchet/kodak-black-yung-miami-apology-disrespect
https://rollingout.com/2024/01/18/yung-miami-dj-akademiks-heated-exchange/
Freddie Gibbs roasting AK on video leaked of him saying he was a prize 😂 https://www.xxlmag.com/freddie-gibbs-dj-akademiks-fight-video/
AK calling out Drake, Kendrick, and J Cole in 2023 for not wanting to have anything to do with his messy ass. https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/652079-dj-akademiks-calls-out-drake-kendrick-lamar-j-cole-for-avoiding-hip-hop-outlets
A few more recent UMG controversies: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/25/magazine/universal-music-fire-bands-list-umg.html
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/fans-react-umg-tiktok-artist-removal-taylor-swift-1234958807/
Did Ak help set up PnB Rock? How about the list of other rappers who died or were arrested. Maybe a coincidence, maybe not. https://www.popsugar.com/celebrity/pnb-rock-robbery-interview-48949135
Interesting articles about Kodak’s lawyer speaking about the Diddy trial https://www.complex.com/sports/a/brad-callas/kodak-blacks-lawyer-believes-diddy-is-about-to-be-charged
https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/803812-kodak-black-attorney-diddy-assault-video-leak-hip-hop-news
More examples of labels being evil and why it’s often hard to leave. https://www.ranker.com/list/rappers-who-went-broke/ranker-hip-hop
https://www.grunge.com/904521/musicians-severely-mistreated-by-their-record-labels/
Some More Bullshit From DJ Akademiks: Team Fed vs.The Real Ones https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.57060/title.akademiks-admits-he-called-police-on-meek-mill-for-green-lighting-him
https://x.com/Kurrco/status/1665424410830929921?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1665459158412324864%7Ctwgr%5E65fa935bd80d465cc77b012cf14c41c6fcc3e184%7Ctwcon%5Es3_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fhiphopdx.com%2Fnews%2Ffreddie-gibbs-akademiks-podcast-low-turnout-roots-picnic
https://hiphopdx.com/news/freddie-gibbs-akademiks-podcast-low-turnout-roots-picnic
https://x.com/Kurrco/status/1665424410830929921?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1665459158412324864%7Ctwgr%5E65fa935bd80d465cc77b012cf14c41c6fcc3e184%7Ctwcon%5Es3_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fhiphopdx.com%2Fnews%2Ffreddie-gibbs-akademiks-podcast-low-turnout-roots-picnic
https://hiphopdx.com/news/akademiks-cries-saucy-santana-rape-threat
https://hiphopdx.com/news/akademiks-trump-ufc-287-photo
Kendrick connection, didn’t Drake have to remove that album cover from Slime Me Out recently? https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.43708/title.tde-president-punch-disses-dj-akademiks-for-his-comments-about-sza
Drake and Ye shit again https://web.archive.org/web/20211220234822/https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.66573/title.drake-kanye-west-yikes-feature-pierre-bourne
Are Drake and Bruno Mars competing? Or is Drake money laundering? https://web.archive.org/web/20220208170702/https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.67876/title.deep-pockets-drake-has-bet-over-1b-in-virtual-gambling-since-december
Related to TikTok, UMG could play a part in the government trying to ban it. Wouldn’t be the worst thing in my opinion that shit partially contributed to my last break up and I genuinely can’t see the appeal. https://web.archive.org/web/20240502190348/https://hiphopdx.com/news/drake-kendrick-lamar-eminem-tiktok-return-umg-deal
Another article on the Gotti v. Dolph beef and aftermath…it’s easy to make that kind of money when you kill the King of Memphis. https://web.archive.org/web/20240226130255/https://hiphopdx.com/news/yo-gotti-jay-z-college
What kind of dirt does Jay have on Gotti now? https://web.archive.org/web/20220710003239/https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.71536/title.yo-gotti-praises-dubai-for-giving-him-the-royal-overseas-treatment
Atlantic records bot farm accusations . I wonder if Drake lent them his assistance l. https://www.tmz.com/2022/11/26/atlantic-records-accused-bots-juice-don-toliver-music-video/
Clone theories 😁 Kodak- https://www.capitalxtra.com/news/kodak-black-fans-clones-jail-photos/
Dave Chappelle- https://archive.org/details/dave-chappelles-cousin-said-he-was-killed-and-cloned-this-is-her-story-718p-30fps-h-264-192kbit-aac
Gucci and Gunna- https://atlantablackstar.com/2023/09/01/come-back-home-like-gucci-mane-fans-hit-gunna-with-more-clone-allegations-after-noticing-his-drastic-post-jail-weight-loss-in-new-viral-photo/
Part two is mostly bonus features and links to supporting evidence. It also includes a lot of random loosely connected issues I’ve been researching that I think are interesting and have been writing about. I should be done editing it all by tomorrow evening and depending on how long it ends up I might have to do a part three and four.
With gratitude,
The Randomest Moniker

Welcome everybody to the third SotW of May! This week, we'll be listening to a song that was often used as a powerful opening track for Em's concerts in the Recovery era. Most of you probably know what song I'm talking about. This week's track is 'Won't Back Down', featured as the fourth track on Em's seventh studio album, 'Recovery'.
Upon the release of Recovery, the song received generally positive reviews from music critics, who praised its aggressive nature and production. Although not released as a single, 'Won't Back Down' appeared on four national charts. It was used in the game Call of Duty: Black Ops and its trailer as well as the trailers for the films Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol and Hitman: Agent 47.
Along with most of the songs from Recovery, 'Won't Back Down' was recorded at 54 Sound and Effigy Studios in Ferndale, Michigan, with recording carried out by Mike Strange. The song is one of the only Eminem songs not in a 4:4 time signature, along with Untitled (also from Recovery) and Underground (from Relapse).
Originally, the song was set to be a solo record, with Eminem singing the chorus himself. Later, Liz Rodriguez, who is also featured on Recovery's '25 to Life' and 'Almost Famous', recorded the song's chorus. Eminem however, explained in an interview that after recording his vocals for the song, he decided to include Pink on the song as he "felt like she would really smash this record.".
Although 'Won't Back Down' was not released as a single, it charted on four national charts worldwide due to digital sales on the release of Recovery. The song reached its highest position on the US Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at number 62 on the chart for the week ending of July 10, 2010, although it fell off the chart the following week. The song also charted in Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom, peaking at number eighty-seven, sixty-five and eighty-two on their respective national charts, although on all three the song again only appeared for one week.
As stated before, upon its release, 'Won't Back Down' received generally positive reviews from most music critics. David Jeffries of Allmusic wrote positively of the song, describing the song as a "lurching heavy metal monster" that "could be used as the lead-in to 'Lose Yourself' on any ego-boosting mixtape", but wrote more critically of the lyrics, denouncing the pop culture jokes featured throughout the song, particularly ones aimed at Michael J. Fox, calling the line "Make like Michael J. Fox in your drawers, playin' with an Etch-A-Sketch" "less effective" than other jokes aimed at him. Steve Jones of USA Today described it as "rock-tinged" and stated that Pink's appearance provides "outside star power".
A remixed version of the ESPN trailer of the game Call of Duty: Black Ops featuring 'Won't Back Down' was released on June 14, prior to the E3 Activision conference for which he also performed. The song was also featured in the game's credits and zombie mode map 'Five' as an easter egg.
Em has performed the song on live sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live accompanied by Lil Wayne and Mr. Porter. Idolator reacted positively to Eminem's performance, stating that he proved "once again what a dynamic and energetic live performer he is on this exceptionally angry tune (even by Slim Shady standards)." He also performed the song on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
Every week there will be a new song that gets featured at the top of the subreddit. Users can leave a comment and the song that gets the most votes might be the new Song of the Week. Suggestions for improving the next post are encouraged.
This week's Nominator: PokemonBwLowHealth
The Song: Won't Back Down - iTunes
In-App link(s): spotify:track:5KzRfDOUpMVaB4eYugEVjE
Featuring Artist(s): P!nk
Length: 4:25
Recorded: 2009 - 2010
Release: June 18, 2010
Album(s): Recovery - iTunes
In-App link(s): spotify:album:3PogVmhNucYNfyywZvTd7F
Sample(s): None
Media: Album: Cover / Alternative - Back
Label(s): Shady Records, Aftermath, Interscope
Format: Digital, Disc, Vinyl
Producer(s): DJ Khalil
Extra: Lyrics Video: Fan-made Music Video - Lyric Video Full header image
Live Performances: Comerica Park 2010 (From Unreleased Recovery Documentary), Live on SNL, Jimmy Fallon 2011, Pukkelpop 2013, E3 2010
This is an open thread for you to share your thoughts on the current SotW or to nominate a new song. Avoid vague statements of praise or criticism. This is your chance to practice being a critic.

If you are a little older and remember the time where we primarily listened to music via radio/MTV, you might remember how music is heavily censored.
I was thinking about how today we have our own playlists on X service and aren't exposed to censorship as much.
This made me think about the best and worst examples of censorship of "Clean" songs.
One song I thought did censorship well was: Na Na Na by My Chemical Romance
The section where they ask for *something* is censored at the beginning of the song.
Music video version with "censor" at about 0:51 ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egG7fiE89IU )
Lyric version with the "uncensored portion at about 0:23 ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zm8xIo_2Aok )
When I heard the uncensored version much later in life I was actually disappointed tiniest bit because I liked the censored version much better. Left a lot to the imagination. Either way both are good.
One song I thought had a terrible censored version was:
Stan by Eminem
The song obviously has to have all the vulgar language removed and you can hear this throughout the entire song, but at the end of the song when Stan finally loses it, there is so much that had to be cut out, it's even hard to understand what is going on.
Music video version with section starting at about 5:53 ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOMhN-hfMtY )
Uncensored version with section starting at about 4:33 ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sixjHud8lYw )
In my opinion so much is cut out in the music video you actually lose track of what is going on if you are not familiar with the song.
This is all ignoring entire songs that had clean and dirty/normal versions like:
Let's Get It Started - By the Black Eyes Peas (which I am sure you can find the name of the alternate version of this song yourself)
All the being said, I wanted to ask you guys, what are some examples of censorship you really like or dislike? I don't think listening to censored music is as common as it used to be so I don't think this is that common anymore.

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First off, I'm so excited that I discovered this subreddit! Didn't realize there was an active community of other people who enjoy diving into the lore and symbolism of Eidola's lyrics, so I'm excited to read everyone's interpretations and observations, and share a few of mine.
Anyway, going back to To Speak, To Listen now that Eviscerate is out has me pondering about some possible connections between the albums and the insight TSTL provides into the character of The Alchemist, and one aspect that really stood out to me was the possibility of a pretty direct connection between Tetelestai and The Weight of Sin. These are just my interpretations - and very loosely held ones, at that - so I'd love to hear any thoughts you might have on anything I've mentioned. I have some thoughts on other songs, but this post was getting longer the more I thought about it, so I decided to keep it to this one song for now!
Tetelestai
"If you stay and help me cope
You'll see me fly into the sun
Into their vacant minds
To seal their fate, time after time"
There's some interesting lines in this one that reflect The Alchemist's mission to save humanity from itself and his eventual fall as a result of his hubris, but the flying into the sun line really felt relevant, since The Alchemist is now dealing with the repercussions of his actions. The Alchemist wanted to experience these great spiritual existences in an attempt to save humankind in every timeline, to seal their fate for their own good. Samsara knows that being a savior may require him to get his hands dirty ("You claim to be a martyr, but your hands are far too clean" - Compromise), and the theme of sacrifice comes back up later in the album, in Houses: Movement III, at which point it seems like he was also expressing doubt about the ability or willingness of the divine to save humanity - "I'm starting to believe the path is flawed - a paradigm. I'm starting to believe we're on our own." It's also interesting to note that there's the line "Now I've heard you need a savior, just tell me that it's anyone but me" in Dendrochonology two songs prior to Houses, but now I'm starting to meander (as one is wont to do when trying to dissect Eidola lol) so I'll get back to the topic at hand.
So back to Tetelestai, the song as a whole kind of feels like it directly ties into The Weight of Sin.
"When you give yourself away, they will choose to believe the words you say" (Tetelestai) connects pretty seamlessly to "Take everything and leave me empty-handed, 'cause it's a pointless conversation" (TWoS). In Tetelestai, The Alchemist experiences how generosity and service helped to endear people to Jesus' teachings, but instead he's found that despite giving all of himself and dedicating his existence to saving humanity, he's only brought chaos and evil into the world. The "pointless conversation" could also refer to his conversation with The Architect throughout Eviscerate, since the album eventually concludes with "pray to God this only ends in violence." It doesn't matter what The Architect thinks of him at this point, he's attempted to reconcile and found The Architect was unwilling to compromise (I presume that will change in Mend).
"Pull yourself together, you're the only one who's left getting blood from stone" is an interesting line, too. While the "blood from stone" part is idiomatic, I feel like there's still some really intriguing imagery that pairs well with "we bleed the same blood, and now it's running down the stairs" in The Weight of Sin. I admit that might be a bit of a stretch, but it could tie back to the "pointless conversation" mentioned above, too, since "getting blood from stone" is an idiom to refer to a pointless or fruitless task.
"I love until it hurts and every blessing feels just like a curse" (Tetelestai) also seems like it could be a bit of a throughline to "I don't even love you the way that I used to when I was still part of your plan." (TWoS) The Alchemist's love has been corrupted into something dark and controlling, like a blessing turned into a curse. And now his love (presumably for the true godhead, although the rest of the song seems to be referring to The Architect as the second person, so this is definitely a possible misinterpretation) has completely expired.
The title "Tetelestai" means "it is finished" and can refer to a debt being paid, and I think The Weight of Sin seems to be The Alchemist struggling with his misdeeds and how he's meant to reconcile that debt he now carries (or if he even wishes to). He's the one who can't forget the past, he's the one who has made all of these mistakes, leading to the literal end of a world, and there's also the line "Lecture me on all the ways you think that I should pay" that could reference back to that concept of a debt paid. In the song Tetelestai, The Alchemist was vicariously experiencing the paying of the debt of humanity sins by Jesus Christ, and now he's carrying the weight of his own sins, brought about by his arrogance and pride in thinking he could save humanity on his own.
There are some questions I have, though, that poke some holes in some of my thoughts. I'm not entirely sure who the second person is in Tetelestai, I always kind of thought of it like The Alchemist was the "I" and was kind of talking to himself in a generic, universal sense with the "you" statements but now I'm wondering whether there may be two separate characters in the song.
Another "you" statement that has me a bit tripped up (I think the most challenging part of analyzing any Eidola song is identifying the speaker, but that's also part of the fun since there can be multiple interpretations depending on the speaker's identify) is in The Weight of Sin, as I mentioned above. I'm pretty loosely interpreting the song as mostly The Alchemist speaking to The Architect - I think lines like "Don't you know I know my mistakes will leave you contemplating about your demise" and "You wear me out 'cause you know I can take it, lecture me on all the ways you think that I should pay" point to this interpretation. That said, I think the chorus could be either The Alchemist speaking to the divine or The Architect speaking to The Alchemist, since I don't really see The Alchemist as ever having been a part of The Architect's plan. The Architect's dedicated himself to opposing The Alchemist's plan, so that makes a little more sense, but I think the most likely interpretation is that it's The Alchemist choosing to shut himself off from the godhead. It's definitely something I'm still mulling over, like most of this album!
So I'm not 100% sure that I'm picking up on actual references, but it doesn't seem like too much of a reach. Hope I could provide some interesting/entertaining food for thought, even if I'm completely off base!

Here's why:

1. They're saying he sounds "tired", "defeated" and "at only 1 hp" but Drake has used this same exact dejected while disrespectful tone on so many tracks, most recently on 7am in bridle path when responding to Kanye during the CLB vs Donda rollout.
   
2. But that's one of the lyrical cuts, it never touched radio and in the mainstream media's eyes Drake is a pop rapper, a soft one at that.
   
3. Songs like God's Plan/One Dance/In My Feelings/Work/Hotline Bling alone are much bigger than the entire AM/PM series or :
   

Omertá, Diplomatic Immunity, Lemon Pepper Freestyle, Do not Disturb, Tuscan Leather, Can't Have Everything, Deep Pockets, Losses, Champagne Poetry, The Remorse, Middle of The Ocean, Red Button, Evil Ways, Seeing Green COMBINED

1. So for the casuals who listened to his huge singles and his Spotify top 30 most streamed songs, he's just a soft singepop rapper who tries to do neither very well and can easily be stepped on by any "real rapper".
   
2. But for Kendrick, every song you click on is purely rap and is full on rap at that, you put Drake's whole discography on shuffle and you'll only get one bar heavy Drake in his rap bag song for every 8 Nice for What's that'll get pulled up.
   
3. So Kendrick is pure hip hop, and Drake is just a part time rapper who is barely even decent at it, and judging only from songs like God's Plan or Nice For What you'd be correct to make that statement.
   
4. So when this battle gets brought to the door, the winner is already picked, they know Kendrick will cook him because all they've seen Kendrick do is cook and Drake is seen as a sissy lil soft in his feelings simp semi-rapper because of his diamond certified sad boy RnB cuts anyway.
   
5. But this is how the notion that Drake stands absolutely 0 chance against Kendrick was already set in and it's crazy to say if you've heard Drake being lyrical, Kendrick has him beat on layers on layers and conceptuality and just the performative aspect of it, the creativity and theatricality on his records is unheard of, BUT he's technically not a better rapper than Drake.
   
6. Crazy take? I'll explain. How a rapper's technicality at lyricism is judged is by how many intricate rhyme schemes they can put in back to back, and how many syllables they can rhyme in.
   

The most I've seen anyone do is Eminem on a song called "Stay Wide Awake", he rhymed 14 syllables for 12 bars straight. That's 14 complete sentences that rhyme with each other but you can't expect Kendrick's white fans or Drake's, to understand that or catch what the fuck is rhyming with what when they're the type to say:
"He just rhymed "nigga" with "nigga" 4 times while ignoring everything before the nigga was ACTUALLY THE SHIT THAT WAS RHYMING, the nigga was just at the end to address the person, the "nigga" in question."
I'll give a quick example;
"Adonis is a shitty son for me, Jenna Platonic is too difficult for me, Jenna I promise it's mythical to me, Jenna I'm honest, it's really blunt to me, Jenna"
Here, /Adonis/Platonic/I promise/I'm honest rhyme with each other (It's called a vowel/slant rhyme)
And/shitty son/difficult/mythical/really blunt rhyme with each other (again slant rhymes)
And the words in between that are being repeated in between (is and it's) are just connectors between the two rhyme schemes.
Saying "for me, Jenna" at the end of each bar makes the goofies (like you, yes you) think these rappers are rhyming the same thing with the same thing while not knowing what the fuck happened just before their very eyes (i mean ears).
Rhyming can be a lot more complex than how the average joe thinks "bucket" rhymes with "fuck it" or maybe if they're a little smarter they'll think "Plane Crash" rhyming with "Dame Dash" is the peak of it.
The most I've seen Kendrick do in terms of just straight blasting through the syllable count while rhyming the whole thing (for the most part) in a clear as fuck cadence was on Mona Lisa:
"Ah, every day she wake up with a different color makeup And a promise he gon' take her to the movie and the mall Chilling with the Laker, on the floor, fourth quarter For a minute on the clock, Black Mamba with the ball"
Now there's some "gaps" here and there to connect the internal rhymes but he has such great cadence here it all sounds like it's rhyming when the unstressed/unrhymed syllables are not the focus anyway.
But most of the time he'll just do this:
"The Eloheim, the REBIRTH Before you get to the father you gotta holla at ME FIRST"
Here only "rebirth" and "me first" rhymes, that's the bare minimum by Eminem standards but he makes up for it with the delivery, the energy and the message.
Or this;
" come from the seventy / guns and the melody " at most (6 syllable rhyme scheme but not that impressive, it's quite easy to think of)
When he says "for all your dogs getting buried..... you gon see pet cemetary...."
It's only "buried" and the "..ary" part at the end of the cemetery being rhymed here, again only 2 syllables, substandard if we're talking technical lyricism.
But that's not a dig at him, Pusha T is even worse at this but you know his shit is always quality, you don't have to rhyme crazy to rap crazy.
But it's definitely a crazy plus if we're talking who's a better rapper.
Drake gets much deeper than that, I've heard him lay 6 syllables rhyme schemes back to back and in creative ass ways I didn't think of myself. Because once you're only rhyming in vowels, the possibilities are endless (to make something great or to fuck up lose focus and rhyme random shit for the fuck of it like recent Eminem)
But he stays making quality ass quotables with those very same rhymes.
Here's some random examples from Drake;
pardon my arrogance - hardly embarrassin
three Michelin - need discipline
bottom of it - got it covered
had me off for a minute - had you all since beginnin - not playin' with them - not see the difference - (lights) on in the buildin
rotary phone - go with me home
peace and that unity - weak shit'll ruin me
spiteful moves - writin' Views
statistics, of course - ballistic report
judging they peers - none of this here - government tier
vodka and wine - opposite times
broken necklace - own reflection
more in my possession - sure to be in question - four different expressions
run to the blogs - ones I can call - run if it's false - nothin' at all
had at first - magic works - bad to worse
overreacting - Jordan and Jackson
slept in the basement - get into Cambridge - better with language
nigga interlude - pigeon food - forgiving mood - different room - livin through
dramatic acting - had to have it happen
appearin' before - near a resort - Lira Galore
short a few hunnid - notary public
meet your maker - streets of Jamaica
googly-eyed - do to provide
Secret Service - (de)feats the purpose
hide the hills - survivor's guilt
fortune-tell - corporate sales - Courchevel - boy prevails - moral scale - Orson Welles - more Chanel - quarter sales - (e)normous meals - Lauryn Hill - Jordan Peele - foreign film
majored in finance - makin' it line-dance
T.D. Jakes to my menaces - PDA for my nemesis - PGA on the premises (this is literally an 8 syllable multisyllabic rhyme scheme and with acronyms it's incredibly hard to craft)
set it aside - federal crime - hetero vibe - lettin' it slide - enemy lines - memories fly - Kennedy guy - seventy-five
couldn't be Drake - stood in your face - like puddin' and cake - footage is safe - put in the safe
Now if all of that went over your head and you couldn't break up the syllable sounds in your head and see how everything lined up with everything before, here's a quick 4 syllable rhyme scheme;
Oh please, take it ease, where's the LOVE AND THE PEACE? Why you rappin' like you COME FROM THE STREETS? I got a backyard where money seems to COME FROM THE TREES And I'm never ever scared to get some BLOOD ON MY LEAVES Phantom slidin' like the shit just hit a PUDDLE OF GREASE I cook the beef well done on the DOUBLE WITH CHEESE Special order for anybody that's COMIN' FOR ME Shit, you probably flinch if SOMEBODY SNEEZE
Not super crazy, but look at how he set those rhymes, that shit is plain masterful, the sneak disses, the mockery, the flexing, the belittling of Kanye there (and Kendrick lmao), rhyming crazy with purpose is what counts, not for the fuck of it.
Do you think "Curtis Jackson" rhymes with "Nothing rational"? It does.
Kendrick does this VERY little, which is an artistic choice I understand, he's more focused on the message and the layers to the lyrics but if it was purely lyrical skill judged by a computer that only knew rhyme schemes and how much rhymed with how much, Drake takes that round very easily, he's like a machine at rhyming and Kendrick is a expressionist painter of his time.
One is pure dedication to the craft and calculated lyrics and one is making sure how much meaning you can put in one line and how much depth is there to it.
It's not to say what Kendrick does is a cop out and is easy, it's just that he very rarely rhymes crazy, and abandons it in favour of having more meaning. And Drake is more focused on rhyme schemes and creating quotable luxury raps.
Now the problem is the ghostwriter allegations. But here's why they don't have legs to stand on.
Wayne has admitted to Drake writing for him.
Kanye has went on record to say 20 ghost writers can't do the work that just getting Drake in a room can do.
(You think Kanye the perfectionist will let a goofy ass mf write for him when it's crunch time if he wasn't the absolute best?)
He literally wrote 30 hours for him AND a big part of Father Stretch My Hands for him.
Jack Harlow casually told the world it took Drake 15 minutes to write the Churchill Downs verse (and that shit is top 5 verses from him this decade)
Rick Ross has admitted to admiring Drake's pen and you know how Rick crashes out on them luxury raps, there's no limits to man's quality, he's like Pusha on Steroids (except for when he talks about putting Molly in her champagne without her even knowing it)
The biggest proof: He dropped Duppy Freestyle hours after Infrared came out, you really think a ghostwriting team can be assembled and told to write it first, send references, tell Drake how to land every rhyme and record it exactly mimicking the whole thing and put it on streaming in like 4 hours? NO.
Now Quentin did write for Drake, that's true, but in the reference tracks we've heard, how much did he actually use? About 20-30% of what he came up with. He believed in the guy to cook something good and then he took it from there for the final studio version of the song.
Now is it honorable? NO. All of it should be done by you and you alone. But does it mean Drake can't write on his own? Ask yourself that unbiasedly.
Drake has ghostwrote for so many in the industry, he doesn't need help, he was just lazy with Quentin and wanted some work put down before he started putting his and take it from there, still not condoning using anybody else's pen for a bit but acting like he's a "scam artist" is beyond me, he's a student of the game and it shows.
And about him stealing flows? It's not as uncommon as you think. Jay Z has a ton of Biggie flows on his older records. Kanye got so many Chi town rapper flows on his first 3 albums. Eminem literally started with Nas' flow, J. Cole sounded exactly like Nas and Em at the beginning and he admitted to that, there's no shame in it.
And, be honest you've seen a lot more rappers stealing (we call it using) Drake's flows in their own shit (Vic Mensa, Travis Scott, even J. Cole recently) and he never got salty about it because hip hop is a referential sport, you put your own spin to it and as long as you don't completely rip it off, it's completely fine.
And let's not act like literally every Bryson Tiller or Rod Wave or Roddy Rich wasn't at some point not trying to sound like melodic Drake.
Young MA modelled the whole flow on "Ouuu" song off of Hot N***a by Bobby Schmurda.
Three 6 Mafia had the Migos triplet flow for decades before them.
Designer got a #1 hit before Future did because he sounded LIKE Future.
There's really no basis to the culture vulture angle either, are you gonna tell me because I'm Caribbean and if I start making Heavy Metal or Chicago Drill, I'm preying on somebody else's culture? Bro it's a style that exists, i love y'all doing it, and I'm trying to SEE if I can do it.
It's not like Drake started making those island vibe songs like Blem, Signs and Teenage Forever and said "you can all beat it, it's my genre now."

1. To end this, he's not "tired" or "scared", it's just one of bro's lyrical bags, he isn't always sad boy RnB guy and he isn't always turn up "Drop drop drop, drop a 50 bag for the mob in the spot" rapper either.

There's layers to him and the beef is far from over.
May the non pedophile or may the non wife beater win.
Peace out.

Hey folks, buckle up, as this'll be a long one.
While I'm in no way qualified to analyze SD's often sardonic lyrics, their cynicism has always had some kind of soothing effect on me, as twisted as that may sound. Pheraps it's the fact that it's a direct answer to a question I often find myself asking: "Is humanity really that dreadful?" (Spoilers: the answer is almost always a resounding yes).
So, I've decided to pick and choose a select few examples of my favourite lyrics and try to understand why they work in context of the song and what makes them stand out from the crowd for me.
As usual with all SD lyrics discussions, a lot of what I'm about to say is, of course, my interpretation, so we're bound to disagree in some aspects. Or it could be that we're all wrong and the entire catalogue is about crack cocaine, you never know.
Fire In The Hole
"A woman's voice reminds me
To serve and not to speak
Am I myself or just another freak?"
Fire In The Hole is a strange one. I see a lot of discourse about what the song actually is about. The most popular take is that it refers to an underpaid, overworked miner who starts to question just why they're doing this, realizing in the meantime that they've been used and there's no way for them to regain freedom. Happy stuff. The phrase "Fire In The Hole" itself lends credibility to this theory, as it was an expression popularized by american miners used to signal an explosion in a nearby confined space that was imminent.
Another popular theory sees our main character going through the same line of thought, just that instead of an underpaid miner this time they are a tattered-up war veteran. Of course you also get oddball interpretations like the one where our protagonist just needs to go to the toilet really badly - pheraps the more hilarious take, but one which ultimately would undermine the greatness of the line I've chosen. As such, we'll be taking into consideration only the first two theories.
This specific line for me works for a very simple reason, it shows just how powerless our protagonist really is: they HAVE to follow this woman's commands, and by having no say in the matter, they start having some sort of identity crisis. Are they really themselves, still clutching their natural right to freedom while those in commands try to take it away from them, or have they already lost it, becoming just another cog in the machine, i.e "just another freak"?
Either way, questioning will lead nowhere: their fate has already been decided, they'll be stuck serving those positioned above them, getting next to nothing in return, simply because at this point it's all they know, and even if they were to obtain freedom and escape this madness, I think it's safe to say by this point that their sense of purpose'd be long gone.
Don't Take Me Alive
"Can you hear the evil crowd
The lies and the laughter
I hear my inside
The mechanized hum of another world
Where no sun is shining
No red light flashing
Here in this darkness
I know what I've done
I know all at once who I am"
I won't lie, I've chosen Don't Take Me Alive and this line in specific for a simple reason, because thematically, I feel it's very close to my interpretation of Fire In The Hole.
Apparently loosely based on the University Of Texas Shooting, the song takes the point of view of the criminal, as they crossed their man back in Oregon, and are now on the run, but appear to have been found by the police, and instead of answering the attempts at negotiation or even turn themselves in, they are threatening to blow whatever type of building they are hiding in up (and also themselves in the process).
What I find fascinating is that, much like the protagonist of Fire In The Hole, our main character here is also trying to desperately hold onto their freedom, the main difference lies in the fact that Don't Take Me Alive's main character has some kind of sense of purpose and of self, as twisted and perversed as it may be. They scold the people outside trying to reach an agreement: they know they are lying, that if they turn themselves in their life might as well be over.
The "mechanized hum" line (and everything beyond that, really) to me signify that our protagonist knows that it's the end of the line for them: sooner or later, they WILL get them, as they are cornered, after all. So, despite their doubts and remorses, they make peace with the fact that they truly wish for freedom above all else, and decide to go out on their own terms. After all, if being arrested also means the end, might as well go out while still feeling like you're on top, no?
Of course, this is all my personal take on the song, but I think it's fun to compare the two tracks we've tackled side by side: on one hand you've got someone who is slowly becoming aware of the fact that they have no say in the matter, while on the other hand you've got someone who really doesn't want to end up like the first guy, and ends up taking drastic measures to prevent that. You decide which one is worse.
What A Shame About Me
"I said babe you look delicious
And you're standing very close
But like this is Lower Broadway
And you're talking to a ghost
Take a good look it's easy to see
What a shame about me"
Ah, What A Shame About Me. Steely Dan's loserdom anthem if you were to ask me. The main draw of this song is that something very strange is present in it: pheraps it's the fact that we follow his point of view, but the main character is written to be somewhat sympathetic. And that, for a Steely Dan protagonist, is extremely rare.
I've always taken a liking to this guy. Feeling like you're behind everyone you know and thus kind of isolating yourself in the process. I've been there, I reckon at some point most of us have. It's not freedom this time, no; this time we deal with pride. Reconnecting with an old flame, and seeing just how differently life treated you two: one has starred in multiple films and has sold lots of albums, the other is "stackin' cutouts". It's Night and Day. Franny then tells our protagonist how the rest of the group fares, and one thing becomes painfully clear: he got the short end of the stick. One of his old friends is the software king, while he just got out of rehab two weeks ago and is giving up on his novel.
And until here, okay, we feel sorry for him, it's all somewhat standard fare - but the real subversive thing happens right at the end, during the last chorus: Franny tries to re-ignite their spark, despite their very clear difference in lifestyle. And, maybe because he thinks she's making fun of him, maybe because he thinks it would lead nowhere, maybe because of spite, or maybe simply to have some sort of control over, well, anything really, he declines. In a self-deprecating way, mind you, but he decides that it's not worth it.
I adore this line, first because it's rare for a Steely Dan characrer to not take material advantage of the situation in some way, but also because Fagen and Becker don't tell us anything of what happens after: does the protagonist later feel remorse about his refusal, or does he somehow feel better, knowing that he managed to salvage what's left of his pride after that (for him) gruesome exchange? We shall never know.
The life of the protagonist in What A Shame About Me isn't the happiest, and while we all know comparison is the thief of joy, it seems our main character hasn't quite gotten the memo yet. Pheraps you'll manage to finish that novel someday.

So I had the opportunity to listen to the album early today (proof: Tyler Joseph let me) and so I figured I'd share my thoughts on it. First of all, I'm not a fan myself, but I've heard their classics such as Stressed Out, Ride and Believer. Anyways, let's go ahead and jump into the review, going track-by-track.
Overcompensate: This song's already released. 8/10
Next Semester: This song's already released. 9/10
Backslide: Good song. I like the drum fill and the lyrics are alright. I like the message about sliding back to your old habits. 7/10
Midwest Indigo: Very nice midwest-emo vibe. The lyrics are fine and I especially like the middle section. 7.34/10
Routines In The Night: Basically it's explaining the band dittos' night routines, such as setting up camp, extinguishing the torches, brushing their teeth, and praying to the Trench god. 9/10
Vignette: Very sad song. With the depressing lyrics in combination with the melancholy instrumentals and melodies, this makes for quite a sorrowful song. 5/9
The Craving (Jenna's Version): Definitely gives me Tear In My Heart, Smithereens, and Formidable vibes. Lyrics are kinda sus but it's good. 6/10
Lavish: Classic rap song. I love how the songs starts out with Tyler rapping "Ay, ay, yuh, AY --- Got a hunnid racks in the back wit sum diamonds on my wrist", and he goes on to say how he can finally afford Gucci, and then the chorus comes along, and it goes, "WE SO LAVISH LAVISH LAVISH LAVISH LAVISH LAVISH LAVISH LAVISH (x8). It really pumps you up. 9l10.
Navigating: It's pretty self-explanatory lyrically, and overall pretty meh. Just talking about them walking around Bench and Diva. 4/9.9
Snap Back: One of my favorite tracks. The whole thing is a sample of Eminem's Lose Yourself, with the exact same lyrics, melodies, and production. I guess the biggest difference is that Tyler's rapping, and all the F-words are replaced with "flip". I really like how it begins with the words "Snap, BACK" instead of how the original song starts. The sample also ends abruptly towards the end and switches to an entirely different sounding section, probably to avoid copyright or something. 9.7/10
Oldies Station: It sounds like a song from an oldies station, which is really unique for them. Lyrics are cringey. 7/10
At The Risk Of Feeling Dumb: It's talking about how Clancy is at the risk of feeling dumb, since he made a potential mistake while preparing to fight the Pastors. Meh song. Also it sounds exactly like a song from their self-titled album. 3.7/8.98
Paladin Strait: Decent closer. I get that they wanted to end the storyline dramatically, but having the song fade into 3 minutes of silence at the end didn't do it for me. The rest of the song's great, though. 7-10
Overall, good album. Not as good as Trench, which is their only good album, but way better than Scaled And Icy. That album can be sent to the fiery depths of heck. Overall rating: 8-/10

#Unlock the Fun in Language Learning! 🌍✨

Learning a new language can sometimes feel like navigating through a dense forest without a map. But fear not, intrepid language learners! We’re here to sprinkle a bit of fun into your language learning journey. After all, who said mastering a new language has to be dull and dreary? Let’s turn that frown into a smiley emoji as we explore some delightful ways to boost your language skills!

#1. Emoji Extravaganza 🎉🤔

Why not make use of those cute little emojis to enhance your vocabulary? Challenge yourself to describe your day or a recent event using only emojis. Not only does this exercise improve your visual memory, but it also adds a playful twist to your language learning routine. Plus, who doesn’t love an excuse to use the dancing salsa lady emoji? 💃💬

#🌈 Emoji Story Challenge

Describe your weekend plans using only emojis! Here’s mine:
🍔🎥👫🎉🌇

#2. Karaoke Catastrophe 🎤🌐

Grab your hairbrush microphone and get ready to belt out some tunes – in your target language, of course! Karaoke is not only a fantastic way to practice pronunciation but also a guaranteed mood lifter. Don’t worry if you’re a bit off-key; the goal is to have fun while learning. Bonus points if you can rap in your chosen language – Eminem, watch out!

#🎤 Karaoke Night

Share a video of your karaoke performance in your target language! Bonus points for creativity and enthusiasm. 🌟

#3. Meme Magic 😂📸

They say laughter is the best medicine, but did you know it’s also an excellent language learning tool? Create or find memes in your target language that tickle your funny bone. Memes often encapsulate cultural nuances and language quirks, making them a sneaky way to absorb colloquial expressions. Remember, a meme a day keeps the language blues away!

#😆 Meme Monday

Share the funniest meme you’ve found or created in your target language! Let’s spread the laughter and language love. 🤣

#4. Flashcard Fiesta 🃏🎉

Flashcards are a classic, but let’s spice things up a bit. Add a twist to your usual flashcard routine by turning it into a game. Create a stack of flashcards with words or phrases on one side and a related action on the other. Every time you get a card right, perform the action. Soon enough, you’ll be mastering language and dance moves simultaneously!

#🃏 Flashcard Fiesta Challenge

Create a set of flashcards with actions and share a video of you acing the challenge! Get ready to dance, sing, and maybe even do the moonwalk. 🕺🌟

#5. Travel Through Tunes 🎵🌏

Music transcends language barriers, so why not use it to your advantage? Explore songs in your target language, learn the lyrics, and sing along. It’s a fantastic way to improve your pronunciation, expand your vocabulary, and connect with the culture. Plus, you’ll have a catchy tune stuck in your head for the rest of the day – a small price to pay for language mastery!

#🎧 Tune Traveler

Share your favorite song in your target language and tell us why you love it! Bonus points if you share a snippet of you singing along. 🎤🌟

#Conclusion

Learning a new language doesn’t have to be a daunting task. By infusing a bit of fun into your routine, you’ll find yourself making progress with a smile on your face. So, whether you’re singing your heart out or giggling at language memes, remember: the key to language mastery is enjoying the journey. Happy learning! 🚀📚

I was just watching the video for the re-recorded version of carpet crawlers, and although it doesn't match a number of details of the imagery of the lyrics, it does introduce new imagery that matches to the same thing you can assume they are metaphors for.
There is no red corridor, but there is a tubular structure they crawl through.
There is no harvest feast, there is no salamander but when the man reaches a woman, they seem to combust, only for the man to wake up in the outside world.
And the beginning, while the lyrics talk about creatures "trapped in birth" just has a baby with a woollen blanket.
Each of these things match to the interpretation of the song being about conception, with the man and the woman being sperm and egg, and the man in the outside world being the transformed resulting person.
But let's suggest an alternative reading, a layer on top of that.
The preceding song in the album involves him having sex, seeking to please a woman by interacting with her from a detached point of view, so perhaps we can read this story in a similar way.
Not just about conception, but about his own self being like a sperm, as one partner going into a relationship, the act of connecting properly with his partner, the man meeting the woman, will destroy him as he currently is, and produce something new.
The sinister tone, in other words, reflects the misgivings of an individual fearing they may give up their individuality by following a romantic drive towards connection, that they might loose themselves in this other person, that opening yourself up to someone may make you vulnerable, and so on.
You can continue this further, if it is that this song explores both conception, and the fear of losing yourself in a relationship, the next track 32 Doors explores what it is to be "an individual" anyway, making your own choices, taking a path alone..
I don't know whether this extra layer of interpretation holds up in the context of the whole album, but it works pretty well for that side by itself.

Physical grounding techniques These techniques use your five senses or tangible objects — things you can touch — to help you move through distress.

1. Put your hands in water Focus on the water’s temperature and how it feels on your fingertips, palms, and the backs of your hands. Does it feel the same in each part of your hand?

Use warm water first, then cold. Next, try cold water first, then warm. Does it feel different to switch from cold to warm water versus warm to cold?

1. Pick up or touch items near you Are the things you touch soft or hard? Heavy or light? Warm or cool? Focus on the texture and color of each item. Challenge yourself to think of specific colors, such as crimson, burgundy, indigo, or turquoise, instead of simply red or blue.
   
2. Breathe deeply Slowly inhale, then exhale. If it helps, you can say or think “in” and “out” with each breath. Feel each breath filling your lungs and note how it feels to push it back out.
   
3. Savor a food or drink Take small bites or sips of a food or beverage you enjoy, letting yourself fully taste each bite. Think about how it tastes and smells and the flavors that linger on your tongue.
   
4. Take a short walk Concentrate on your steps — you can even count them. Notice the rhythm of your footsteps and how it feels to put your foot on the ground and then lift it again.
   
5. Hold a piece of ice What does it feel like at first? How long does it take to start melting? How does the sensation change when the ice begins to melt?
   
6. Savor a scent Is there a fragrance that appeals to you? This might be a cup of tea, an herb or spice, a favorite soap, or a scented candle. Inhale the fragrance slowly and deeply and try to note its qualities (sweet, spicy, citrusy, and so on).
   
7. Move your body Do a few exercises or stretches. You could try:
   

jumping jacks jumping up and down jumping rope jogging in place stretching different muscle groups one by one Pay attention to how your body feels with each movement and when your hands or feet touch the floor or move through the air.
How does the floor feel against your feet and hands? If you jump rope, listen to the sound of the rope in the air and when it hits the ground.

1. Listen to your surroundings Take a few moments to listen to the noises around you. Do you hear birds? Dogs barking? Machinery or traffic? If you hear people talking, what are they saying? Do you recognize the language?

Let the sounds wash over you and remind you where you are.

1. Feel your body You can do this sitting or standing. Focus on how your body feels from head to toe, noticing each part. Consider:

your hair on your shoulders or forehead the weight of your shirt on your shoulders whether your arms feel loose or stiff at your sides your heartbeat, and whether it’s rapid or steady whether your stomach feels full or you feel hungry whether your legs are crossed or your feet are resting on the floor Curl your fingers and wiggle your toes. Are you barefoot or in shoes? How does the floor feel against your feet?

1. Try the 5-4-3-2-1 method Working backward from 5, use your senses to list things you notice around you. For example, you might start by listing:

5 things you hear 4 things you see 3 things you can touch from where you’re sitting 2 things you can smell 1 thing you can taste Make an effort to notice the little things you might not always pay attention to, such as the color of the flecks in the carpet or the hum of your computer.
Mental grounding techniques These grounding exercises use mental distractions to help redirect your thoughts away from distressing feelings and back to the present.

1. Play a memory game Look at a detailed photograph or picture (like a cityscape or other “busy” scene) for 5–10 seconds. Then, turn the photograph face-down and recreate the photograph in your mind in as much detail as possible. Or, you can mentally list all the things you remember from the picture.
   
2. Think in categories Choose one or two broad categories, such as “musical instruments,” “ice cream flavors,” or “baseball teams.” Take a minute or so to mentally list as many things from each category as you can.
   
3. Use math and numbers Even if you aren’t a math person, numbers may help center you.
   

Try:
running through a times table in your head counting backward from 100 choosing a number and thinking of five ways you could make the number (6 + 11 = 17, 20 – 3 = 17, 8 × 2 + 1 = 17, etc.) 15. Recite something Think of a poem, song, or book passage you know by heart. Recite it quietly to yourself or in your head.
If you say the words aloud, focus on the shape of each word on your lips and in your mouth. If you say the words in your head, visualize each word as you’d see it on a page.

1. Make yourself laugh Make up a silly joke — the kind you’d find on a candy wrapper or popsicle stick.

You might also watch your favorite funny animal video, a clip from a comedian or TV show you enjoy, or anything else you know will make you laugh.

1. Use an anchoring statement This might be something like, “I’m Full Name. I’m X years old. I live in City, State. Today is Friday, June 3. It’s 10:04 in the morning. I’m sitting at my desk at work. There’s no one else in the room.”

You can expand on the phrase by adding details until you feel calm, such as, “It’s raining lightly, but I can still see the sun. It’s my break time. I’m thirsty, so I’m going to make a cup of tea.”

1. Visualize a daily task you enjoy or don’t mind doing If you like doing laundry, for example, think about how you’d put away a finished load.

“The clothes feel warm coming out of the dryer. They’re soft and a little stiff at the same time. They feel light in the basket, even though they spill over the top. I’m spreading them out over the bed so they won’t wrinkle. I’m folding the towels first, shaking them out before folding them into halves, then thirds,” and so on.

1. Describe a common task Think of an activity you do often or can do very well, such as making coffee, locking up your office, or tuning a guitar. Go through the process step-by-step, as if you’re giving someone else instructions on how to do it.
   
2. Imagine yourself leaving the painful feelings behind Visualize:
   

gathering the emotions, balling them up, and putting them into a box walking, swimming, biking, or jogging away from painful feelings your thoughts as a song or TV show you dislike, changing the channel or turning down the volume — they’re still there, but you don’t have to listen to them 21. Describe what’s around you Spend a few minutes taking in your surroundings and noting what you see. Use all five senses to provide as much detail as possible.
“This bench is red, but the bench over there is green. It’s warm under my jeans since I’m in the sun. It feels rough, but there aren’t any splinters. The air smells like smoke. I hear kids laughing and dogs barking.”
Soothing grounding techniques You can use these techniques to comfort yourself in times of emotional distress. These exercises can help promote good feelings that may help the negative feelings fade or seem less overwhelming.

1. Picture the voice or face of someone you love If you feel upset or distressed, visualize someone positive in your life. Imagine their face or think of what their voice sounds like. Imagine them telling you that the moment is tough but that you’ll get through it.
   
2. Practice self-kindness Repeat kind, compassionate phrases to yourself:
   

“You’re having a rough time, but you’ll make it through.” “You’re strong, and you can move through this pain.” “You’re trying hard, and you’re doing your best.” Say it, either aloud or in your head, as many times as you need.

1. Sit with your pet If you’re at home and have a pet, spend a few moments just sitting with them. If they’re of the furry variety, pet them, focusing on how their fur feels. Consider their markings or unique characteristics. If you have a smaller pet you can hold, concentrate on how they feel in your hand.

Not at home? Think of your favorite things about your pet or how they would comfort you if they were there.

1. List favorites List three favorite things in several different categories, such as:

foods trees songs movies books places 26. Visualize your favorite place Think of your favorite place, whether it’s the home of a loved one or a foreign country. Using each of your senses, imagine the noises you hear, the objects you see, and the scents you smell.
Try to recall the last time you went there. Think about what you did there and how it felt at the time.

1. Plan an activity This might be something you do alone or with a friend or loved one. Think of what you’ll do and when. Maybe you’ll go to dinner, take a walk on the beach, see a movie you’ve been looking forward to, or visit a museum.

Focus on the details, such as what you’ll wear, when you’ll go, and how you’ll get there.

1. Touch something comforting This could be your favorite blanket, a much-loved T-shirt, a smooth stone, or anything that feels good to touch. Think about how it feels under your fingers or in your hand.

If you have a favorite sweater, scarf, or pair of socks, put them on and spend a moment thinking about the sensation of the fabric on your skin.

1. List positive things Write or mentally list four or five things in your life that bring you joy, visualizing each briefly.
   
2. Listen to music Put on your favorite song, but pretend you’re listening to it for the first time. Focus on the melody and lyrics (if there are any).
   

Does the song give you chills or create any other physical sensations? Pay attention to the parts that stand out most.

Updated 4/15 1:27 AM Pacific
This is an official megathread to discuss and satirize hip-hop, the music genre that originated in the early 1970s and has grown to dominate music and culture in the United States and many other countries.
Please keep all posts that discuss or satirize the genre of hip-hop, including its related music, artists and fanbases, in this thread.
From now on, posts by non-approved users will be subject to manual review to ensure they do not overlap with discussion of hip-hop, which belongs in this thread.

Timeline of Events

Here's a summary of the history of hip-hop, covering its origins, evolution, key milestones, classic albums, and notable rap beefs.
Introduction to Hip-Hop
Hip-hop emerged in the South Bronx of New York City in the 1970s as a cultural movement encompassing music, dance, graffiti art, and fashion. Rooted in African American and Afro-Caribbean communities, hip-hop provided a creative outlet for marginalized youth to express themselves and address social issues.
Early Years and Pioneers
In the early years of hip-hop, DJs like Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa, and Grandmaster Flash pioneered the use of turntables and breakbeats, laying the foundation for rap music. Emcees began rapping over beats at block parties and park jams, and the genre started to gain traction.
The Golden Age of Hip-Hop (1980s-1990s)
The 1980s and 1990s are often regarded as the golden age of hip-hop, marked by artistic innovation, social commentary, and commercial success. Classic albums from this era include:

1. "Illmatic" by Nas (1994): Nas' debut album is hailed as a masterpiece of lyricism and storytelling, offering a vivid portrayal of life in the Queensbridge housing projects.
2. "The Chronic" by Dr. Dre (1992): Dr. Dre's solo debut album revolutionized West Coast hip-hop with its G-funk sound and laid-back grooves, featuring hits like "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang."
3. "Ready to Die" by The Notorious B.I.G. (1994): Biggie's debut album showcased his unparalleled flow and introspective lyrics, exploring themes of struggle, success, and mortality.
4. "Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)" by Wu-Tang Clan (1993): Wu-Tang's groundbreaking debut introduced the world to their unique blend of kung-fu imagery, streetwise lyricism, and raw production.
5. "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" by Lauryn Hill (1998): Lauryn Hill's solo debut fused hip-hop, R&B, and soul, earning critical acclaim and multiple Grammy Awards for its social commentary and emotional depth.

Notable Rap Beefs
Throughout hip-hop's history, rivalries and beefs between artists have captivated audiences and shaped the culture. Here are five notable rap beefs:

1. KRS-One vs. MC Shan (1986): The Bridge Wars between KRS-One of Boogie Down Productions and MC Shan of the Juice Crew highlighted the rivalry between the Bronx and Queensbridge hip-hop scenes.
2. Ice Cube vs. N.W.A (1991): Ice Cube's departure from N.W.A led to a bitter feud between him and his former group members, particularly Dr. Dre and Eazy-E, with diss tracks like "No Vaseline" and "Real Niggaz" escalating tensions.
3. Tupac Shakur vs. The Notorious B.I.G. (1990s): The East Coast-West Coast rivalry reached its peak with the feud between Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G., culminating in violent incidents and diss tracks like "Hit 'Em Up" and "Who Shot Ya?"
4. Jay-Z vs. Nas (2001): The feud between Jay-Z and Nas, sparked by lyrical jabs in tracks like "Ether" and "Takeover," evolved into one of the most iconic rivalries in rap history.
5. 50 Cent vs. Ja Rule (2000s): Personal and professional animosity fueled the feud between 50 Cent and Ja Rule, resulting in a series of diss tracks and public exchanges, including "Wanksta" and "Loose Change."

Mainstream Success and Global Influence
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, hip-hop achieved mainstream success and expanded its influence globally. Artists like Eminem, Jay-Z, and Kanye West broke barriers and shattered stereotypes, bringing hip-hop to new audiences around the world.
Diversification and Subgenres
As hip-hop continued to evolve, it diversified into various subgenres and regional styles, including gangsta rap, conscious rap, trap music, and alternative hip-hop. Artists like Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, and Chance the Rapper emerged as leading voices, pushing the boundaries of the genre.
Social and Political Impact
Hip-hop has always been a vehicle for social and political commentary, addressing issues such as racism, inequality, police brutality, and the struggles of urban life. Artists like Public Enemy, Tupac Shakur, and Killer Mike have used their platforms to advocate for change and empower marginalized communities.
Conclusion
Hip-hop's journey from the streets of the Bronx to the global stage is a testament to its resilience, creativity, and cultural significance. As the genre continues to evolve, it remains a powerful force for artistic expression, social activism, and cultural identity, shaping the lives of millions around the world.
This is an ongoing genre of music, and this thread will be updated as events unfold.