“In The Mean Time” is the second new single from G-Eazy ft. Quavo (produced by DJ Mustard.) From the start this track has a much more playful and fun mood, all about “the party”. This is essentially the other half of G’s archetype of song subjects and emotional spectrum. “So Much Better” is the emotional, thoughtful G while “In The Mean Time” is all about the emotional detachment and performance of a party lifestyle. He compares himself to a zoo animal in these situations, and focuses on the classic rapper’s alcohol and sexual escapades.
 
These two tracks (So Much Better) are solid, especially seeing that G has been on his worldwide tour for months now, an it will continue into the summer with his “Endless Summer Tour” and into even more international dates. If this is what we are getting from G-Eazy while on tour following arguably his first surge of mainstream attention, I am confident that he will remain true to the G that we all first discovered a number of years ago. 

​“So Much Better,” by G-Eazy ft. Playne James (produced by Street Symphony, 8x8, Tyshane) is one of two new singles. When I first listened to this single, it sounds a bit condescending, telling the listener/artists inner monologue to improve my/their life. Perhaps that is just me being defensive. But I was pleasantly surprised that multiple listens later, this was a rather optimistic and motivational call to action. To me, G is encouraging listeners to take an introspective look at their own lives and see that there is much more out there for them to work towards to accomplish their version of success. 

Recently, I was lucky enough to tag along to my first Hippo Campus show in Albany, but I was probably exponentially more excited to see Oketo. Spotify Discover Weekly had recommended I listen to Wooden Eyes and I loved it. I hadn't had a chance to delve into their discography much yet but I always love checking out less hardcore shows, the vibe is a lot different. The Hollow is a great, super intimate venue, and Oketo's melancholy sound fit that exceptionally well. Hippo Campus also impressed, playing a fairly long set, including 'Souls,' 'Close To Gold,' 'Sophie So,' 'Opportunistic,' 'Way it Goes,' 'Suicide Saturday,' 'Dollar Bill,' 'Tuesday,' 'Little Grace,' 'Conviction,' 'Bashful Creatures,' 'South,' 'Violet,' and 'The Halocline.' Most of this was off their 2014 EP 'Bashful Creatures,' and heir 2015 EP 'South.' I was thoroughly impressed by their sound and I've been listening to them a lot more, recently. Frontman, Jake Luppen dedicated a song to the victims in Orlando, and seemed to really mean what he said, despite having stripped off his sweater, socks, and shoes.

The long-awaited “Summer 16” album Views is finally here (and on Spotify for us poor college students), praise our favorite Canadian Sad Boy Aubrey. I have had multiple discussions with our Editor Susan McLean about Drake’s album Nothing Was The Same (Deluxe) and her suggestion that it is an emo album. I acknowledge that I am not an expert in respect to emo music by any stretch of the imagination, however, with my basic knowledge of what this means I strongly agree. I would even infer that Views is also extremely emo. With his focuses being on his significant others, feelings, and reflections. Drake obviously put thought into which songs to release as singles, and I think selecting the more pop and likely widely enjoyed tracks was a wise decision. With that being said, and with the exception of a few tracks, the majority of the album was emo. Drake stuck to what he knows and does best, what he needs in a woman, exes, his mom, and the 6. Which is perfectly fine in my opinion, I completely got my fix of fun and emotional Drake with this album.
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But naturally I have some favorite tracks that I would highly recommend; my top choice is “Too Good” feat. Rihanna, it corroborates my theory that Drake always pulls out all the stops and creates fantastic  (arguably his best) music with Rihanna and Nicki Minaj. The singles “Controlla” which was altered since it was leaked and I prefer the leaked version, “One Dance”, and “Pop Style”. “Still Hear” is the perfect combination of classic circa 2012 Drake and modern emo Drake. “Childs Play” with it’s borderline laughable Cheesecake Factory references, “Fire & Desire” contains my favorite lyrics of the album. And lastly “Feel No Ways” includes a touch of vaporwave (Yung Lean-esque) at the end, and “Hype” mainly because Drake says “You cannot be right next to me, don’t you see Riri right next to me?” and I’ve shipped that relationship since middle school. Views is yet another quality album in the books for our lovely Drake

Note: Photo obviously not our own and from here

Rich Chigga (Brian Imanuel) is very new to Spotify and this first single is quite promising. As a white girl attempting to understand the rap culture that I love so much, and naturally turning to Urban Dictionary as my source for cultural references, I can assure everyone that “chigga” means exactly what you automatically assume. The beat throughout “Dat $tick” is catchy and something you can easily wiggle around to. Imanuel touches upon the classic R&B subjects of wealth, violence, and disliking the police. However, he does allude to a couple more sophisticated concepts such as education, condemning gang affiliations, and the wage/poverty gap.