YOU: Committing Lovecide

Season 1 Trailer

Do you believe in love at first sight? According to Reuters, a poll by 60 Minutes/Vanity Fair was given back in 2012 with the result of 56% of Americans are believers; In fact, "the percentage is even higher for married people and those in relationships." This blissful phenomena of pure intuition has no hardcore facts, aside from those who can testify, but could this rare aligning of two souls be built solely off of coincidences?

Those lines become twisted as you peak into the heart of Joe Goldberg, played by Penn Badgley, "an obsessive yet brilliant New Yorker, who exploits today's technology to win the heart of Beck", played by Elizabeth Lail, "amid the growing suspicions of her best friend Peach", played by Shay Mitchell. This love-driven horror story will leave you questioning your morals as you sympathize with a homicidal sweetheart.

YOU puts a unique perspective on the modern day dangers of today's society where the lack of privacy can become a real issue. Joe psychologically trumped Beck into believing that her life is greater with him in it. During every interaction, we can hear Joe meticulously analyzing. Through his point of view, which is held throughout the majority of the season, you will be shown several common mistakes that we all make. For example, we share our full name with people and allow it to be displayed on cards, files, and paperwork as a form of formal identification. Normally, you wouldn't find this alarming because in most cases it is needed, but what you don't realize is that your name is attached to EVERYTHING YOU OWN. Or maybe you just suppress the thought that you may be the top search of someone's internet browser. Either way, something as simple as a bookstore transaction can lead to your own personal stalker and, in Beck's case, anonymous hit man.

Although the show revolves around society's modern sin of trust, you cannot skip past the fact that several people were murdered in the name of love. In Joe's attempt to achieve elite boyfriend status, he took it upon himself to get rid of those he thought would harm Beck or distract her away from their relationship. And honestly, no matter how gruesome his murder spree became, Joe somehow always eased our tension with avocado toast and coffee. I guess the real question at hand would be, how far will you go for someone you love? Are you more skeptical like Beck? Or are you all in like Joe?

It's a Whack World...

"Female rappers no longer have a place among elite artists."

Would this be considered a statement, justified by NPR, or an unpopular opinion given the underlying fact that it has consistently been proven wrong? Back in 2010 I would have been generously pondering the situation myself, but the successor or maybe even the decadal salvation to the feminine touch that we all crave could only be explained in two words: Nicki Minaj. And her "commercial success", bridging 2007-present, gave light to new and underground artists, new sounds, and new attitudes towards what the rap game could be.

It is always an act of majesty for me as a young, black woman barely grazing the surface of any industry to witness women, notably those who look like me, to breakthrough in an institution that is polluted with aggression and male figures alike. Common obstructive stereotypes could be discouraging while also adding a limit/standard to what a woman's place is, but am I calling for equality in what has been foretold to be man's world? No. At this point I could care less for the source. All I ask is for some good ass music for my "Shower Time" playlist with hopes that 30 years from now I can reminisce over my probably less conventional ways of listen music while asking those 2-3 generations after my own the infamous and yet still rhetorical question: "What y'all know about this?".

Women Rap Renaissance: A Dope Time For Female Hip Hop

Amongst several other allusive artists lies the explicit talent of Philadelphia rapper Tierra Whack formerly known as Dizzle Diz in her teenage years. She debuted in 2018 with a 15-minute, 15-song, visual album named Whack World. I stumbled upon these tracks from a music suggestion on my YouTube home page. My initial attraction came from the thumbnail in which displayed an interesting mixture of real and non-realism; something that I would quickly learn to be a consistent theme.

Whack World is by far the most diverse conceptual albums I have ever witnessed. But what keeps each song from being far fetched is how relatable the content is to contemporary listeners. From love confessions to status proclamations accompanied by quality, colorful, and allegorical graphics, the project was especially designed towards the millennial crowd. My favorite piece on the album would have to be "Flea Market". Whack narrates someone who is in a long-term relationship where she would like to take the next step, but her significant other is either steadfast or drifting in interest. The visual ties into the line "Brushin' off fleas, baby" which alludes to how men are often referred to as dogs as an insult. The fleas most likely represent other people trying to move in on their relationship, but overall Whack is just about ready to move on.

Each song rolls right into the other and causes for re-watching for those small details or references you might miss. It is extremely creative and I completely agree with Fader that she should be the "poster child for a kind of post-clout-era artist". In fact, with the amount of variety in styles provided, I would take Whack World as a guide if I were trying to enter the world of rap. Here the track list:

1. Black Nails
2. Bugs Life
3. Flea Market
4. Cable Guy
5. 4 Wings
6. Hookers
7. Hungry Hippo
8. Pet Cemetery
9. Fuck Off
10. Silly Sam
11. Fruit Salad
12. Pretty Ugly
13. Sore Loser
14. Dr. Seuss
15. Waze