Tuesday, March 31, 2009

What's Goin' On with Me


Figured I'd get y'all up to date with my goings-on before I stay up all night with reports and homework at the library.

So my Deka Records album is completely done. I Get That a Lot. Sent in, artworked up, tracklisted, and set for release in 2 to 4 weeks. I've been told I'll have an exact release within a few days, so keep looking for that. The album will be released as digital only at first. Not sure if iTunes immediately, but guaranteed to be on iTunes. And then pressings of the actual CDs will commence afterwards. Again, no official dates or anything, but there's the generalities. Already posted the back art, but here's the tracklist again.

1. Hold On (feat. Steven Gilpin)
2. Before
3. Hannabella (feat. brandUn DeShay & Steven Gilpin) [prod. by DeShay Ali]
4. Run
5. Got Me?
6. Legendary (feat. Steven Gilpin)
7. Back Home (feat. Aaronn Ralph)
8. Kinda Fly [prod. by DeShay Ali]
9. Since (feat. Aaronn Ralph)
10. Chills
11. Enlightened (feat. Aaronn Ralph & Steven Gilpin)
12. Land of Mine (feat. Steven Gilpin)
13. Under the Rain
14. What I Thought

So except tracks 3 and 8 which are helmed by the incomparable brandUn DeShay, all compositions are from the realm of Angus Malone. You feel that other worldy vibe in the air? That's Angus Malone. With that lil' eery sense of completion in a universe of the categorizably incomplete, Angus Malone draws that perfect circle. What? Exactly. The single, "Hold On", is also slated to be remixed with contribution from (hopefully!!!) Charlie Hilton, Nova-Lyric, Ern, T-Burr, (hopefully!!!) brandUn DeShay, Lavish, and (hopefully!!!) the homie Praverb. Could wind up being an absolutely essential track covering the entire United States. I hope everybody I've reached out to enjoys and goes in on it as much as I'm hoping.

No Really, I'm a Rapper EP will tentatively be available for free download a week before my actual album release. It also will be one hundred percent original music produced by brandUn, Charlie Hilton, and Adam Braun. Short lil' tape, but a beautiful sampler of tracks that either couldn't get cleared because of it's sample or that was finished too late. Perfect appetizer for y'all.

The newly started project, Sonic the Campbellton, is in full effect. Hahaha. I love that title. It's gonna be a full-length mixtape of redubbed Charles Hamilton production. My vocals will grace instrumentals he's released and we'll just see what happens. Maybe when I send it to him he'll even give it a listen.

Another new development is The Laptop Mixtape: ReFix!!! that I'm going to try and get together when I can. I'll be redoing my entire first mixtape. All the same lyrics, but with better delivery, better presentation, better quality, and an overall better product. I feel like I've grown too much as a rapper since I recorded it to leave it as is, so I wanna make it a product I can proudly list in my catalogue. I love it now, but it doesn't reach the potential that the lyrics give it with how I rapped when I first started. Gonna be fun to relive it.

And then there's gonna be ReReRemix. It's gonna be sequel to Remix Part Three!!! in that it's me mashing together the hundred individual freestyles that every rapper and their mom puts out to whatever popular song, but with my own lil' flavor and ingenuity. And this time the joints are gonna be better produced and more concise. No 16 minute long joints. Ha. Even though I know you still listened to it.

The long-ago announced 27 Point Me is still gonna be completed one day. It's the musical comedy joint set up like a radio station with me interviewing celebrities and hip hop oriented skits. It's gonna be good, I just gotta settle in on it.

The third installment of my Laptop Trilogy is dubbed III: Laptopical. It will be the collective tale of how my life has changed in the last year since I started recording music. A mixture of everything from the freestyles to check-up interludes to poetry. It's simply the revolving door of my conscious. Don't expect it any kinda soon, but expect it.

At some point, I'm going to redo the entire Goodie Mob Soul Food album with all the rappers I know in Kentucky. Nothing can live up to Goodie, but we'll do a KY-styled version like how was already done by tons of in-state artists with OutKast's ATLiens. Tentatively called KY Whole Food.

So yeah. That's everything I can think of as of now. Well ... I gotta get on this lab report and crap. Hope y'all are all still here to support me when the album drops and everything that happens musically from then on. Peace.

... put 'em both together and you got yourself a super spork.

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Nah Right?


If y'all ever heard me talk about his music in real life, you know I'll punch a dude in the face big uppin' brandUn DeShay. Well today he got his name up on pretty much the essential hip hop music site right now, Nah Right.


Nothing specifically said about him other than his name on the feature, but you gotta understand how big that is to be thrown in with the other 500 posts everyday. The comment boards on there are borderline retarded, but never hurts to throw support around in the wind. Here's the song itself. brandUn kiiiiiiiiills it. Actually got the feature through an open contest to any rapper who submitted. Can't even begin to explain to you how nasty that is.


... put 'em both together and you got yourself a super spork.

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Monday, March 30, 2009

Potential


This whole John Calipari-to-UK thing better turn out for real. I've already invested too much time into basking in how perfect next season would be with Jodie/Patt staying along with a charismatic coach and the greatest new recruits possible. Just perfection. You don't even know. I have unconditional UK pride and even found the beauty in our NIT season, but a literal flip from middle of the pack team with 2 studs to a contending return-to-glory wholesale program would be the sweetest thing ever. I love my Lakers forever and always, but my University is the sport team in my life.

We need the man to be the face of our program. A man with a smile instead of a dead face glare. A man with a substitution pattern instead of a coin-toss lineup. A man with a feel on the media instead of a public jerk. A man who will publicly be proud of how intensely we will be there to support our team instead of a guy fixated on uncaring nonchalance. A guy who won't let us lose to Gardner-Webb. That's all I'm asking for. I'll even give up all my Christmas presents this year for it.

... put 'em both together and you got yourself a super spork.

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Thursday, March 26, 2009

Real Respect

I couldn't believe it when I first saw it. Mos Def is off on MF Doom like none other. This video is absolutely classic material. Mos spits the masked man's bars like something else. Please watch this. It might double up your respect for both emcees. And Lil' Wayne better watch out if Doom ever picks up on the challenge that's thrown out there.



... put 'em both together and you got yourself a super spork.

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Wednesday, March 25, 2009

My Fan Page


Is it too soon for shameless plugs? Well either way, I think you should definitely consider clicking over to my facebook thing for my music and become a fan on there. You should probably definitely consider it. Like, consider it a lot. And, like, do it. I beg of you. Thanks for making the right choice. You're a trooper. Or something like that.

... put 'em both together and you got yourself a super spork.

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He's Friends With Charles


And I'm going to post his mixtape just because of that. I've been so ridiculously busy with my own effort that may drop within a month that I haven't got around to listening to this one. I don't know. I'll hold judgement on Mr. TuFli til I give him a for real, for real chance.


... put 'em both together and you got yourself a super spork.

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I Get That a Lot



... put 'em both together and you got yourself a super spork.

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Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Classic: Ready or Not


While their Roberta Flack cover of “Killing Me Softly With His Song” deserving got the majority of the attention on The Score, there was another song that blew me away more towards the beginning of the album.

The Fugees are beyond legendary. I don’t think anyone really knows what’s going on with Pras at any given rhyme, but Wyclef and Lauryn are pivotal figures in cultural music. Period. Their rhythms are strictly and singularly theirs. Clef brings Haiti with him in every syllable while Ms. Hill carries all women and real people on her back. Needless to say, I got both of Lauryn’s undeniably classic solo efforts as well as all six of Wyclef’s solo albums.


"Ready or Not" is as catchy a song as you're ever going to hear. And not just because it features that same exact sample as that one Mario Winans song that you actually know all the words to. This is the vocal performance that made me fall in love with Lauryn Hill for all of eternity. And yet she still comes harder on her verse than your favorite thug rapper? Dang. I also included the Bootleg Versions remix of the track for kicks. And the aforementioned absolutely murder the remix as well. You don't even know.

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Monday, March 23, 2009

That Does Make You Crazy


You were either enraptured by “Crazy” or you were annoyed at its come-out-of-nowhereness to prime super songdom. Gnarls Barkley has an immensely special place in my heart. First off, their music is doper than your favorite artists music, so I wanted to settle that right off the bat. But it’s just the back-story of it all.

You have to be a pre-Gnarls Cee-Lo fan to understand. Since ’94, dude has been one of the most doubly talented artists of any and all generations. That tiny little eight ball shaped man has more soul power in him than an army of … soulful things. Yet he can still out-rap any rhyme spitter from any region you pick out. With Goodie Mob, he was the vocal forefront of one of the most distinguishable rap cliques out preaching real life in the midst of the world’s fakeness. As a solo artist, he was the most daring singer emerging from a musical bouquet of every imaginable genre and facet of lyricism there was. As a featured chorus singer, he was adding elements to peoples’ albums pre-Akon and pre-T-Pain, still remaining true to himself while making bank. He had all the critical recognition anyone could imagine. But the masses didn’t really know him like they should.

Then Danger Mouse’s production came along. And suddenly with a little intense drum intro and some psychotic-questioning vocals, everyone knew him. “I remember when, I remember, I remember when I lost my mind. There was something so pleasant about that place. Even your emotions have an echo in so much space.” Just really deep stuff. Whether you acknowledge it or not, a rapper having to condense his normally long-winded rhymes into smaller singing segments can create some crazy intricate stuff.

Through all his struggles to gain mainstream acceptance through bringing straight knowledge to the world, it was a single pop-influenced effort that got him there. While “Crazy” sounded like nothing else out there, it didn’t really sound like Cee-Lo, either. But the fact that it wasn’t like anything else made it like Cee-Lo. But for whatever reason, “Cee-Lo” wasn’t the outlet to steal the public’s attention. The ingenious promotion of the “no-one-really-knows-what-or-who-Gnarls-Barkley-is” thing stole it. And the “Crazy” song.

So while heads whine about Cee-Lo seemingly laying down his mic ferocity, even going so far as accusing him of not being able to rap anymore, I just appreciate the two hundred and four tracks in the Soul Machine playlist on my iPod. Goodie, Cee-Lo, Gnarls, or a feature, the man’s more talented than whomever you think is talented and has been. And will continue to be. No matter what stylistics persona gives the next musical offering. And “Crazy” is a dope song anyway. Forget you if you don't like it.

... put 'em both together and you got yourself a super spork.

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Sunday, March 22, 2009

Pause

Just got back to school from spring break. I'll get my game up this week.

Oh, and the entire album's done. I Get That a Lot. And coming soon for free on a BlogSpot near you: No Really, I'm a Rapper EP. I'mma get this music thing going whether you think it or not.

... put 'em both together and you got yourself a super spork.

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Friday, March 13, 2009

Classic: Still Alive


Dope beats and dope rhymes don't have to be mutually exclusive. I mean, a lot of times they are since the nicest of wordsmiths sometimes have dead ears for production. But sometimes, just sometimes, there exists a song that you can proudly crack the windows for and ride with (if the bass doesn't crack the windows first) while still keeping your brain cells from dieing.


I think the only thing that's limited AZ in his career is that his very first verse ever was perfection. How could any rapper ever be expected to top that? So while AZ doesn't make it on anybody's all-time list and has yet to deliver that single classic album as a whole, any given song of his could feature a verse better than nearly anything you've heard before. It's just the concept of the song after that one that leaves you shaking your head a little. But I'd love to see AZ's rhyme book for myself. He's up there in a class with Eminem in the way he can string together effortless assonance along with his rhyme schemes. The resulting sound of any given line is just sick. Simply sick.

"... if you in the car, pull over, put your hazards on and let the windows down ..."

You better do what he says. This beat could cause you to set off your own air bag.

... put 'em both together and you got yourself a super spork.

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Monday, March 9, 2009

Classic: No Alibi

So far I've enjoyed the Jimmy Fallon show pretty well. You can tell he's nervous as crap most of the time, but he'll figure out what to do to keep the awkward talk show moments to a minimum sooner or later. But indelibly, The Roots simply kill it. Like brutally.


So in honor of the legendary Roots crew, I'll post their classic "No Alibi". Off Illadelph Halflife, it just showcases Black Thought's effortless flow over any sound ever.


"So if you seen or you heard it, maybe probably I did it. Maybe or maybe not, I admit what I committed. Exhibit the truth because I'm livin proof why, I have no disguise. Ain't no alibi."

They're honestly hip hop's only legitimate band, and even if another one came out, I highly doubt they could compete. While a solo album is supposed to be in the works for Tariq, he's one of the only real emcees who ever stayed straight loyal to be part of a collective and not capitalize strictly on himself. And he definitely could have done that at anytime. Think Joe Johnson/Shawn Marion all being perfectly content in their systems instead of whining to be solo stars. Kinda.

... put 'em both together and you got yourself a super spork.

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Thursday, March 5, 2009

If You Catch Me Dreaming ...


Anthony Hamilton has always been the master of heavy-hearted tracks that really connect. His voice is perfectly suited for the soft power needed to emotionally hit the soul. Whenever I'm straight down on anything in my life, I tend to pull his name up on the iTunes. May sound corny, but I swear I do. I just really like this song.


This letter to the only One who knows what's actually going on absolutely moves me like something else. I could listen to the piano on this track looped forever. It's that nice. Then there's just perfectly placed accentuations with rain-like injections, off-branching melodies, tambourine jingles, and drum pattern changes. And then the choir comes in? Man!

I really need that song after pulling a 60 on my second Chem II test. I mean, like, that combined with UK losing to GEORGIA yesterday ... please hide all medication from me for a little while. I ain't quite on a roll as of late. But Mr. Hamilton serves as a pleasant whisper in the moment that I want to scream at the top of my lungs.

... put 'em both together and you got yourself a super spork.

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Wednesday, March 4, 2009

#8: Say No ...


Um ... I stole this girl off of Brian's Thoughts About Airplanes.


If you're not already effected, visit this lil' site right here. Completely clean and safe, I promise. Woooooooo. That's all.

... put 'em both together and you got yourself a super spork.

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Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Expectations


This pretty much goes hand-in-hand with the previous Kanye post, but I've been thinking recently about what people expect from the rappers they listen to. I think that's mainly where hip hop gets its bad rap. Hmmm ...

Why would I listen to Young Jeezy unless I was in the mood to hear nursery rhyme paraphrasing from a self-proclaimed non-rapper? Why would I listen to 50 Cent unless I want to hear him going at another hip hop figure with more talent than him, threatening to murder his siblings, household pets, and the family doctor's entire patient list? I mean, the easy counter to that point is the fact that thugged-out mother goose rap is forced down our throats as the majority representation on any urban or pop radio station. Even worse on your frequent offender TV music video channels.

But that's pretty much a moot point in that radio-intended music moves the most numbers, in turn receiving the most promotion, and furthering the watered down intentions of many musicians to cease creativity and fit in a radio-friendly brand. But for the most part, I've solved that issue in my life. It's two things mainly:
1) equipping your internet's "favorites" bar
2) having a transportable car setup for your iPod

I should write a self-help book. Goodness. I see all these rapper interviews all over the place and the most retarded question ever (and one that is always asked) is what they think about the state of hip hop. Everyone asks questions they already know. Do you really need Obama to tell you during the Stat of the Union that the economy is on par with a Lil' Wayne toilet metaphor? Radio sucks and the underground scene is whiny. What other insight do you think they have that everyone else hasn't already said? But even with all of that, there's still about a hundred dead nice emcees, vets and newcomers alike, who consistently make dope music. It's that simple.

Who are you listening to? What blogs are you hitting up? Do you leave comments in support of quality artists? Do you big up rappers on their MySpace pages? You ever try to contact an indie-type artist you actually enjoy? Too many people straight complain on end like their cries for revolt will change the music industry. But it won't. Any machine driven strictly by money will remain corrupted. But individual souls aren't corrupted.

I control the playlist on my headphones. I cop the albums I think are worth my money. I bothered brandUn DeShay and Praverb enough until they musically hooked up with me. That's what I can control.

If Lil' Boosie comes on, I expect a chalk board-pitched spelling marathon. If Lil' Wayne comes on, I expect a dope line or two sprinkled in with ish jokes and autotuned moaning while people sweat it regardless. But I'll tell you what I don't expect. I don't expect to bump Gucci Mane or Jim Jones or Birdman or a multitude of others and actually feel a passion for quality, fulfilling music through their sounds.

So lastly, I ask you ... what did you ever expect from anyone?

... put 'em both together and you got yourself a super spork.

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Who Can't Rap?


It's always been an issue. Ever since "H to the Izzo" when his raps first popped up on the scene, everyone's had an extreme opinion on whether or not Kanye West can rap. Like ... at all.

I've always been one to say his lyrics are under-appreciated while the majority of heads will say he's the most overrated rhyme dropper since MC Hammer. I won't even participate in someone questioning his producing ability, but his spit game has always been under a harsh microscope. It's beyond a love/hate thing. It's a genius/scum-of-the-earth thing. No need to remind anyone, but the debate got even more heated once the 808's project rolled around.

One thing I gotta say is that they can funnel all of their suppressed anger towards his usage of the accursed autotune, but I'll focus more on the bars he's dropped on other artists' records whether they noticed or not.

N*E*R*D - Everyone Nose (Remix feat. Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco, & Pusha T) "In the club always the flyest, always got her hands the highest. She stopped drinkin Diet Coke, she on that coke diet. "
Madonna - Beat Goes On (feat. Kanye West) "Is it impromptu I want you? Now I'm goin to tell you what I want to do to you. Your girlfriend, she wants to? Beautiful. Just flew in from Paris. Voluez Vous."
Lil' Wayne - Lollipop (Remix feat. Kanye West) "Don't worry why my wrist got so freeze, tell yo girl like Doritos that's not yo cheese."
88-Keys - Stay Up! (Viagra feat. Kanye West) "Make a old aggin give keys to Jaguar, just to keep from all the teasin laughter."
Young Jeezy - Put On (feat. Kanye West) "I feel like this but aggins don't know the stress, lost the only girl in the world that know me best. I got the money and the fame and that don't mean ish. I got the Jesus on the chain and that don't mean ish. So when the Jesus pieces can't bring me peace, yo I need just at least, uh, one of Russell's nieces."
DJ Khaled - Go Hard (feat. Kanye West & T-Pain) "I flow sick. Aggin, how sick? Sea sick. Got your hand out? Don't look at me, snitch. You lookin at who made me rich. You lookin at who made me rich."
T.I. - Swagga Like Us (feat. Kanye West, Jay-Z, & Lil' Wayne) "My swagger is Mick Jagger. Everytime I breathe on the track I asthma attack it. Why he so mad for? Why he gotta have it? Cuz I slaved my whole life, now I'm the master."
T-Pain - Therapy (feat. Kanye West) "You know how all that gossip is. Next mornin, Bossip, Perez. And me, girl, I take out. Media Takeout, I need a break now before I break now."
John Legend - It's Over (feat. Kanye West) "News flash: shorty we over. We like Def Jam and Hova. We like Bobby and Whitney, except without the kiddies. We like Pamela Anderson's career, except without the titties."
Estelle - American Boy (feat. Kanye West) "Dress smart like a London bloke, before he speak his suit be spoke. And you thought he was cute before? Take a look look at this peacoat, tell me he's broke."
Malik Yusef - Promised Land (feat. Kanye West & Adam Levine) "They say we needin a prophet that could touch on the topics and make it hotter than the tropics. Well you got it."
Really Doe - Plastic (feat. Kanye West) "I see you shinin, shinin like a mirror ball. Why when we're abroad we don't never hear of y'all? You local, retard. I'm the king of the world, so the king of your city by default."
GLC - Big Screens (feat. Kanye West) "I have more beats than I have rhymes. How they say you got more girls than you got time to spend with em? So I throw em all on a team. Only problem is it seem they all wanna ring."
Jamie Foxx - Digital Girl (feat. Kanye West & The-Dream) "When you send a picture, cut off the face and cover up the tattoo by the waste. Let the emcee search till I reach third base. And when I get home I'mma hit home plate."
N.A.S.A. - Gifted (feat. Kanye West, Santigold, & Lykke Li) "And I just want my credit. Don't get it, twist it or dread it. I am the king and will not be headed to the morgue no time soon, brethren."
The-Dream - Walking on the Moon (feat. Kanye West) "Where you come from on this lonely night? I swear God must have made lightning strike and I bottled it up. You hit the red carpet and modeled it up. We hopped in the 'Rari and throttled it up."
T-Pain - Flight School (feat. Kanye West) "With all the cars, the clothes, the lights, the boats, I guess I was just tryin to sow my raw oats in the penthouse position with penthouse snitches. See I pimped my crib so I must exhibit."
Keri Hilson - Knock You Down (feat. Ne-Yo & Kanye West) "Wo is me. Baby this is tragic, cuz we had it. We was magic. I was flying, now I'm crashin. This is bad, real bad: Michael Jackson. Now I'm mad, real mad: Joe Jackson. You should leave your boyfriend right now, I'mma ask him."

I mean, I still like his singing anyway, but if it takes this list for you to realize that one of the most polarizing musicians of our generation this side of Lil' Wayne's syrup cup at least can really rap some of the time, then I don't know what to tell ya. I'm not saying that the Ye is Pharoahe Monch or anything, but he's got them words working a lil' bit. Just admit it. Just a lil' bit. And even if you don't like the words themselves, he's still got mic presence. Until he rhymes exclusively about his Louis Vuitton luggage and doesn't hit us with any real tracks, then I still got faith in dude. Even though I kinda expect a corny Louis V commercial jingle at some point from him. My only wish is that he'd hang out with Talib Kweli a lil' more like old times. Ha.

Edit: And I'm NOT posting the tracks cuz that would get this post murdered in a millisecond.

... put 'em both together and you got yourself a super spork.

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Exxx-Girlfriends


Straight dirty, so don't download if you have sensitive ears, but I just really like this song.


This beat is something I'd kill to have. The gentle acoustics come off so hauntingly awesome. Joey dominates the chorus, though. Not sure if I could one up that. I really like the 9 or so songs I've heard from Padded Room, but it, as all albums (I digress), has gotten terrible reviews by heads as a 6 year late sophomore effort. But it got great reviews by mainstream mediums that only hit audiences who wouldn't buy a Budden album anyways. I'm definitely gonna cop it at some point, though, when we cross paths.

What could never get a negative nod is if a Slaughterhouse record actually pops up at some point. That would be a straight miracle.

... put 'em both together and you got yourself a super spork.

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Lumberjacks


The lost child of the Dungeon Family collective to me is the Livin' Life as Lumberjacks album. Not sure if it was just my copy, but the album had one of those queer copyright imbed codes on it to where you couldn't even play the CD on anything that wasn't strictly a CD player. That meant no copying to your iPod or even registering on a computer at all. Needless to say, the Khujo & T-Mo half of Goodie Mob effort wasn't the most successful from the DF.

But it still has some definite gems on it. Unfortunately at its release, Cee-Lo was completely out of the picture, OutKast was on hiatus, and Big Rube was poetically missing. Witchdoctor and Gipp lent some assistance, but the Lumberjacks themselves carried the bulk of the album. And that means aggressive choruses over some straight Dirty South production and lots of history and fightin' words. You'll definitely come out with some knowledge. My favorite incarnation was the more laid-back "Superfriends", a 3-piece Goodie joint with a really nice vibe. The rest of the album's still got quality, but this lane-changer really stood out to me in that ... I just really like this song.


... put 'em both together and you got yourself a super spork.

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