Ozzy Wagenseil ‘22

March 2019

For this review, I will be using the source https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100, to which I will listen to the top 10 songs so far of the week and review them on based on lyrics, singing/rapping, and beats. And at the end, I will calculate the average ranking of that song based on those 3 categories. This list is also in order the way the website lists the songs. 

10. “Sicko Mode” Travis Scott: This song has three beat switches in a rap song, which is weird but also shows uniqueness in Travis Scott’s music style. The three beats used in these songs are on the same level of being pretty good, Travis and Drake both rap pretty well on this song especially with the many beat switches, and the lyrics aren’t basic. However, they don’t stand out as some others do, like “Now it's 4 AM and I'm back up poppin' with the crew, I just landed in, Chase B mix this pop like Jamba Juice, Different colored chains, think my jeweler really sellin' fruits, And they chokin', man, know the crackers wish it was a noose.” Lyrics: 6/10. Singing/Rapping: 8/10. Beat: 8/10. Average: ~ 7/10. 

9. “MIDDLE CHILD” J. Cole: When I first heard this song, I thought it was one of J. Cole’s underwhelming singles. But now, it barely meets its expectations. With this song, J. Cole is stating how he is the most honest rapper in the rap game and how he serious he takes himself and others. He even takes notice of what he symbolizes in the lyric: “I'm dead in the middle of two generations, I'm little bro and big bro all at once, Just left the lab with young 21 Savage, I'm 'bout to go and meet Jigga for lunch…,” meaning that he is a rapper debuting his work before 90’s rap (Tupac, Biggie, Nas, etc.) and after modern day rap (Lil Pump, Kodak Black, Travis Scott, etc.), therefore showing him as someone with mixed elements from the two generations and mentoring other rappers to be the greatest. But even so, the beat to this is not as good as it can be but does bring more emphasis to the lyrics. And finally, even if J. Cole is one of the best rappers in this generation, his flow becomes the same throughout the whole entire song, except at two parts when he lightly sings. Lyrics: 8/10. Singing/Rapping: 8/10. Beat: 7/10. Average: ~8/10.

8. “Happier” Marshmello and Bastille: To me especially, it is really weird that Marshmello just came out of nowhere. One minute, no one has ever heard of him and then the next, he is the most popular DJ ever. But anyway, this song isn’t even interesting at all. In terms of lyrics, they are very generic and carry no real meaning to the song whatsoever. This can include: “Lately, I've been, I've been thinking, I want you to be happier, I want you to be happier” and “Now if we jump together at least we can swim, Far away from the wreck we made.” The singing feels unpleasant throughout the whole song as the singer of Bastille doesn’t put any emotion or reason in his singing at all. And then the beat is just really generic and isn’t fun to listen to at all. Thanks, Marshmello! Lyrics: 6/10. Singing/Rapping: 6/10. Beat: 7/10. Average: ~6/10. 

7. “Wow.” Post Malone: This… this actually does not sound bad. After “White Iverson,” I didn’t really think Post Malone would not get better after that (with the exception of “Congratulations”), but he proved me wrong with this song. The song has what appears to be very simple beat, but it fits PERFECTLY with the lyrics and overall sound the song makes. These lyrics are terrible though, such as “Cut the roof off like a nip-tuck, Pull up to the house with some big butts, Turn the kitchen counter to a strip club” and “Yeah, your grandmama probably know me (God damn), Get more bottles, these bottles are lonely,” all of which are typical modern pop/rap songs (I do not know which genre Post Malone is part of at this point). And overall, singing does fit along with the beat but is normal and generic. Lyrics: 7/10. Singing/Rapping: 7/10. Beat: 7/10. Average: ~7/10. 

6. “Shallow” Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper: Two things before I say anything. 1) Bradley Cooper is a great singer and I did not know that. 2) THIS SONG IS OVERPLAYED SO MUCH! But I digress and will have to admit it is pretty good. Even if I do like the instruments coming in one by one, it still maintains the same “sad-country” aspect of other songs. But, Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga are fantastic singers on this song and certainly make the song worthwhile to remember, especially in the chorus and first two verses. As well as the singing, the lyrics are very simple but do say a clear message. Lyrics such as “Are you happy in this modern world?

Or do you need more?” and “I'm falling, In all the good times I find myself, Longing for change, And in the bad times I fear myself” clearly show the theme of doubting one's self and the need to support each other. Lyrics: 8/10. Singing/Rapping: 9/10. Beat: 8/10. Average: ~8/10.

5. “Without Me” Halsey: I could already tell this song was very personal to Halsey. Based on the lyrics, she talks about past relationships she has had in her lifetime, whether romantic or friendships and how it negatively affects her. This can be best seen in lyrics such as, “I said I'd catch you if you fall (Fall), And if they laugh, then f**k 'em all (All), And then I got you off your knees, Put you right back on your feet, Just so you could take advantage of me” and “Tell me, how's it feel sittin' up there? Feelin' so high, but too far away to hold me, You know I'm the one who put you up there, Name in the sky, does it ever get lonely?” In addition, Halsey sings this with such emotion and sadness that it really does put you in a vibe. A sad one. And finally, the beat is simple yet it can mean so many different feelings when listening to it. Lyrics: 9/10. Singing/Rapping: 9/10. Beat: 9/10. Average: ~9/10. 

4. “Sunflower (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse): This song, as well as the movie, is one of the best songs to come out of 2018. The beat is just perfect and immediately places you in a vibe that you never want to leave. The best way to describe the feeling is just being very proud to be you and vibrant among where you are. However, the lyrics are just as bland as can be, such as “Screamin' at my face, baby, don't trip, Someone took a big L, don't know how that felt” and “Callin' it quits now, baby, I'm a wreck (wreck), Crash at my place, baby, you're a wreck (wreck),” which speaks imagery that does not bring any contribution to the song. But then Post Malone and Swae Lee, two artists well-known for making catchy choruses, sing this song is the perfect fit for a song like this. They bring a laid-back feeling to add on being calming and relieved. Lyrics: 7/10. Singing/Rapping:8/10. Beat: 10/10. Average: ~8/10. 

3. “Please Me” Cardi B and Bruno Mars: Me before I listened to this song: Damn. Bruno Mars and Cardi B did a great job with the Finesse remix. Hopefully, this does even better. Me after I listened to this song: I never want these two to collaborate ever again. This song was just a letdown for me. Last year, their previous song “Finesse (Remix)” gave you a classic ’90s feel-good song. But this is just a sad attempt at being a love pop song. Cardi B is primarily to blame with her lyrics such as “Booty so round (round), booty so soft (soft), Bet you wanna smack it again (ayy)” as well as “f you can't sweat the weave out, you shouldn't even be out, Dinner reservations like the pu**y, you gon' eat out” which bring down to the song to never achieve what it could have become. The beat is very bland and doesn’t help save the song in any way. Bruno Mars does a good job with his singing (as he always does), but then Cardi B has to bring down the rating with her “rapping.” And do not even get me started on the bridge of the song with her… singing. Lyrics: 6/10. Singing/Rapping: 6/10. Beat: 7/10. Average: ~6/10. 

2. “7 Rings” Ariana Grande: Ariana Grande has undoubtedly changed throughout the years as a pop musician. I remember back in 2014 when her song “Problem” released and she was just the generic poppy star who used to be on Victorious. Now, she has embraced her uniqueness as an artist by doing things differently, and this song is an example of this. For one, the beat for this song is different as she goes for a low toned beat to which she sings with a mediocre level of what she is capable. But her lyrics sadly have not really shown that much improvement about what has changed from 2014. The only   here is that she is showing to take care of mainly herself and her close friends, best seen in the lyrics “Wearing a ring but ain't gon' be no "Mrs.," Bought matching diamonds for six of my bit**es” and “Been through some bad shit, I should be a sad bitch, Who woulda thought it'd turn me to a savage?” Ariana Grande has been through a lot, especially last year, and is seen to change her music, and others are want to see what this new style leads her to in the future. Lyrics: 7/10. Singing’Rapping: 8/10. Beat: 7/10. Average: ~7/10.

1. “Sucker” Jonas Brothers: THEY ARE BACK! And they come back with a song that is… surprisingly good beyond the teen songs they have done in the past. The beat is pretty good as a combination of the bass and whistling, a very unexpected combination that works in a great way that makes this song very catchy. But, the song has generic lyrics in most pop songs nowadays. Best instances are “Any road you take, you know that you'll find me, I'm a sucker for all the subliminal things” and “You're the medicine and the pain, the tattoo inside my brain,” with the latter using a poor metaphor, very common among songs that chart this high. And finally, the vocals for this song, provided by Nick and Joe, are pretty good but they could have pushed the limit more. Lyrics: 7/10. Singing/Rapping: 8/10. Beat: 8/10. Average: ~8/10.