Music Notes - Lil Nas X’s Album Rollout, Injury Reserve’s New Album, and Nicki Minaj’s Cousin’s Friend’s... Problem
Hi! What’s up! How are you? Good? I hope you’re good.
Today I’m gonna try something new, because the ~50 of you who get this email in your inbox are my friends and are probably gonna read it no matter what.
If you aren’t getting these in your inbox, then you can click the button up above and to your right and enter your email. I’ll wait. Seriously, go ahead. I’ve got all day.
Anyway, this is Music Notes! It’s a way for me to cover multiple things within the confines of one newsletter during weeks where many things are happening. This is one of those weeks.
Alright, let’s start with Lil Nas X, a longtime favorite of Music Is Good.
Lil Nas X’s Album Rollout
It’s no secret that our friend Montero is incredibly savvy when it comes to promoting his work. He remixed “Old Town Road” 1,000 times to keep it on the Billboard Charts. He used outrage marketing to make “Montero (Call Me By Your Name) a news item rather than just a single. Now, he’s pregnant with a new album.
No, yeah, I’m serious.
This is hilarious. Whether it be a pregnancy photoshoot, a fake TV show, or signs promising financial compensation if you’re gay, this rollout is one of the best we’ve ever seen.
It’s funny, creative, widespread and attention-grabbing. It’s what ad executives dream of creating but never can, because you just can’t market a company like you can an album.
Lil Nas X and his creative team are some of the best promoters in music history. It really doesn’t matter how good the album is, because we’ll always have the promotion to look back on. This is advertising on a scale that’s never been done before.
Juxtaposing this with the rollout of “Donda” is funny. Kanye should really be taking notes from Lil Nas X’s marketing team. Not that I expect Kanye to take pregnancy photos or anything, but it’s funny that we’re seeing one of the best public album releases directly following one of the worst.
All that being said, I fully expect “Montero” to be good. Lil Nas X hasn’t released a bad single this year, and he’s definitely one of the best that pop has to offer at this point. I’m really excited to hear how it sounds, and will be listening tonight.
Alright, next note.
Injury Reserve’s “By The Time I Get To Phoenix,” and Dealing With Loss
First off, R.I.P. Groggs. Injury Reserve will not be the same without your artistic influence.
It makes me happy and sad at the same time that the rest of the group had the energy and willpower to finish the project without his presence. This album is incredible.
It’s experimental hip-hop at its finest, and, expectedly, it deals with loss from a new perspective.
For those of you unfamiliar with Injury Reserve, it was previously made up of three members. Producer Parker Corey, Richie With a T, and Stepa J. Groggs.
They’re from Tempe, and played some of their first shows at venues near Arizona State University. They’ve held a special place in my heart for a long time because of that, and because their music is amazing.
Groggs died just over a year ago now, in June of 2020. He was 32, and leaves behind a partner and four children. When Aminé’s album “Limbo” came out in August of that year, Groggs was featured on “Fetus,” the first verse since his untimely death.
Hope I can be half the father that my mama was
Yeah, hope I can be half the father that the Mamba was
Rest in Peace, Groggs.
Sufjan Stevens’ “Carrie and Lowell” deals with the loss of a family member. David Bowie used “Blackstar” to deal with his own mortality as he moved closer to his death. “By The Time I Get To Phoenix” is on the level of both of these albums, and is insightful in even more creative ways.
“Top Picks For You” is my favorite track. The concept of the song, if you haven’t heard it, is this: even after you die, algorithms like Spotify’s will still be creating playlists for you every day to try and make you happy.
Yeah, your pattern's still in place, algorithm still in action
Just work so you could just jump right back (jump right back)
I seen that shit working like nothing ever happened
I go to power on, I see your shit still happenin', yeah
I felt loss but a hole like this I never coulda imagined
Your pattern's still in place, algorithm's still in action
Instrumentally, the album is discordant and jagged. It sounds like it’s mad at you for turning it on. That, however, is to its benefit. It challenges you to face your own mortality, and that of your loved ones, through the veil of metallic crashing, moans of pain, and tragic analogies.
It is ceaseless. The anguish doesn’t stop for the entire 41 minute runtime. But, when you’re done listening, you’re better off for having done so. I know this doesn’t sound like fun, but losing a loved one never is.
If you’re looking for something a tad more accessible, “Knees” is the track for you. It’s more melodic than the rest, but equally tragic. There’s even a verse from Groggs on there.
I wanted to shine a light on this record, not just because it’s one of my favorites of this year, but because Injury Reserve deserves the shine. They’ve consistently released some great music in their run, and hopefully this new album brings them to a new level of popularity.
If this is their last effort as a group, I’ll understand, but be heartbroken just as well. Listen to it. Give it a chance, for me. If it’s not your thing, that’s alright. It’s a tough pill to swallow.
Now, to a lighter note.
Nicki Minaj Is In Twitter Jail For Two Swollen Reasons
It’s time to talk about swollen testicles and online misinformation.
If you don’t know what I’m talking about, that means you’re probably not Constantly Online, and for that, I say congratulations. Here’s a pretty decent summary from The Daily Beast.
In short, rapper Nicki Minaj went on Twitter and posted misinformation about the Covid-19 vaccine, including a claim from her cousin’s friend that the shot left him impotent and with swollen testicles.
Man, that’s funny. I’m sorry, but serious misinformation aside, that’s just hilarious. For what it’s worth, although we all already know this isn’t true, Trinidad and Tobago health officials say they have zero record of any such situation.
Anyway, Minaj also said she was going to the White House to discuss the Covid-19 vaccine, but White House officials say it was just going to be a phone call.
During all of this, Minaj was temporarily banned from posting on Twitter (a fate worse than death, imo), and went to Instagram to say she was just asking questions and trying to do her own research.
Those are two key phrases in the anti-vax toolkit, and they carry a lot of weight as a result.
I think it’s slightly unfair to paint her as wholly malicious in this situation, but I also think she knows better than to say that she’s “just asking questions.”
If you look through Minaj’s Twitter feed, it’s just… a disaster area. Lies, arguments, anti-media sentiment, the whole nine yards. It’s hard to be a Barb right now, folks.
Eventually, we will move on from what Nicki has titled #ballgate, as the national news cycle moves quickly. But, as always, there’s a lesson here that anyone with any shred of influence will inevitably ignore.
There are people smarter than me who have said this better, but Minaj and celebrities like her have a responsibility to just… not do this. What you say has a massive influence, and you choose to discuss a matter of public health like this?
She can be curious, but she needs to make sure that her curiosity isn’t causing her fans to rally outside of the CDC headquarters. It’s unfair to place the blame solely on her, but she definitely knows how influential she is.
The secondary lesson is that if Tucker Carlson agrees with you, it might be time to re-evaluate your position.
Alright, that’s enough for this week. I’m gonna ask for some feedback from you, the reader, this week - if you liked this better than the normal format, let me know!
I want to start giving MIG some structure, instead of just rolling with the punches every week. I’m also thinking of maybe doing a couple of these per week instead of just one, so if you want that, let me know too.
In lieu of creating a playlist that includes the cursed combo of Lil Nas X and Injury Reserve, here’s a playlist I made last year of some of basslines that make me make “bass face,” that face you make when you hear a funky-ass bassline.
Thanks for reading, don’t forget to subscribe to get my words in your email one or TWO (!!!) times a week, and I’ll talk to you next week.