These Things HappenSonyOakland rapper G-Eazy seems unafraid to wrestle with mature ideas and his work is well-crafted and considered. While one does get the feeling that there’s a better album somewhere inside of him, his new These Things Happen shows promise.In Macklemore’s wake, there’s a hardened consensus that hip-hop is whiter, the old patterns of cultural co-option well underway. G-Eazy slid easily into this old new world, building an organic, devoted fanbase without the explicit mass support of hip-hop’s original audiences. This isn’t a strike against the quality of G-Eazy’s work; his new album is well-crafted and considered. He seems unafraid to wrestle with mature ideas—about himself, or the sobering realization that living a dream is no exemption from life’s daily indignities. While one does get the feeling that there’s a better album somewhere inside of him, These Things Happen shows promise. If Macklemore is the first white rapper to find mainstream success with a mainly caucasian audience, G-Eazy will be the first to do so without relying on a dated notion of hip-hop’s sound.

But ultimately These Things Happen’s strongest statement concerns the seismic impact of the artists who influenced its creation. Perhaps it’s no surprise that G-Eazy hails from Oakland—although, he went to school in Albany, California, according to this early interview, which is closer to Berkeley. wretched hoodieBut regardless of the specifics, Bay Area hip-hop is historically a diverse ecosystem, so it makes sense as the first frontier for middle class-appealing white rappers to express themselves in a way that scans authentically. superhero hoodies for sale philippinesWith a fertile independent scene largely cut off from hip-hop at large, the Bay was one place where regional stars were popular across cultural boundaries, with white kids as familiar with Mac Dre as Jay Z.justice league hoodie ebay

So it was with G-Eazy, whose early work shows the evident influence from the Bay’s cultural blender. His lyrics on These Things Happen include references to growing up on Mac Dre and the hyphy movement, and the album features appearances from E-40 and Bay producer Jay Ant. alumni hoodies kid inkBut outside of guest spots and textural references, the Bay Area influence feels absent G-Eazy’s current music, never mind the Oldies revivalist single that sparked his rise. ninja turtle hoodie 5tInstead, the record is consistently moody and atmospheric, with a chilly downtempo ambiance less reminiscent of E-40 than Drake’s producer of a similar name.naketano hoodie canada This is not a record of hits, and there are no real pop moments. hoodies maat 164

It's solemn, sincere, and deliberate, seemingly more influenced by self-serious auteurs like Kendrick Lamar than G-Eazy's hometown heroes. It’s not the only place Kendrick’s influence looms; the way G-Eazy’s voice dips in “Opportunity Cost” is a deadringer for his delivery, and “Downtown Love”’s moralizing comes complete with a hammy chorus that would have fit comfortably alongside similar records on Section.80. “I Mean It", meanwhile, suggests Big Sean may have had a bigger influence on millennial rap fans than has generally been acknowledged. Even the appearance of his mother’s voicemail at the end of “Opportunity Cost” can’t help but recall Chance the Rapper’s dad’s cameo on Acid Rap. Perhaps most distracting is a song like “Tumblr Girls", where a Dom Kennedy flow can’t save him from Drake’s blurry, neurotic solipsism. Here his writing is at its most cliched. He drinks with a beautiful nameless woman who’ll soon be forgotten, a story that borders on parody in 2014.

All in all, These Things Happen’s sonic fingerprint feels like an unconscious echo of meteoric impact of post-Kanye rap stars of the past five or so years. This is, after all, the sound of “respectable” sustainability: perhaps a bit of a flatline, These Things Happen is at its best when it twists the lens onto G-Eazy’s more personal writing. Although his fanbase was built on a grind that included the Vans Warped Tour and accompanying frat rapper Hoodie Allen, his immersion in hip-hop’s artistic language is real. His actual rap style is somewhat plain, but not distractingly so, and—”Tumblr Girls”-records aside—his writing is often purposeful. He’s started to emerge as a distinct voice: humble yet confident, the record is at its strongest when he’s taking stock of his rapidly shifting world and finding his place within it. On the album’s opener and title track, security stops him from going backstage, embarrassing the rapper: “Wait up, who the fuck are you?”

These moments of humanity—the album’s best writing, that is—are only here in pieces, and to release a truly great project, he will either have to explore them in more depth, or start having a little more fun.A break-up song for every mood. All in one place Hard times and sad playlists tend to go hand-in-hand. Whether you’ve had your heart broken, or are experiencing stress, crisis or loss, there’s bound to be a soundtrack that helps you through the darker moments. But while everyone has their own personal preferences (hey, if easy-listening jazz-funk prog-rock gets you through, then that’s totally your call), new research has now found that listening to sad music from the likes of Radiohead, Adele and Muse really can help you cope better than turning up the happy tunes. Dr Annemieke van den Tol from De Montfort University led two studies, involving around 450 people, looking at the listening habits of people going through a range of emotions and circumstances. The research found that while many people enjoyed happy music more, it was the sadder, emotional tracks that they opted for to help process emotions, have a good cry and deal with grief.

Dr Van den Tol said: “Sadness often involves emotional loss, which is not a problem that can be solved or reversed. The only real way to move on and feel better is by accepting the situation, and we found that people were able to do this by listening to sad music, but not so much by listening to happy music. “By connection to the sad emotions in the music, they are able to turn negative emotions into something more peaceful, allowing them to move on and accept these.” But when it comes to break-ups in particular, we know that one person’s mosh-pit anthem is another’s tearjerker, so we’ve compiled a break-up song for every mood and taste – all in one place. Because a break-up really is a rollercoaster of emotions, and chances are, you’re going to be transitioning – from the same-hoodie-for-five-days phase, into a woman of fury, empowerment and passive aggressive emojis – all within the space of a few weeks. Sounds emotional, doesn’t it? Which is why we’ve created a playlist for it.

We should have called this one ’50 shades of a break-up’ but we don’t have 50 songs. Here’s our definitive list of break-up songs in order of weepy to angry to empowered. 1. Never Ever – All Saints 2. Wake Up Alone – Amy Winehouse 3. Marvin’s Room – Drake 4. Nothing Compares 2U – Sinead O’Connor 5. Someone Like You – Adele 6. Don’t Speak – No DoubtAll the lyrics in this are amazing, as is the climatic ending to the track. Best line: ‘As we die/Both you and I/With my head in my hands/I sit and cry’ 7. Love Will Tear Us Apart – Joy Division Best line: Well it’s got to be ‘love will tear us apart again’ hasn’t it? 8. Somebody That I Used To Know – Gotye The 2012 hit from Gotye is a tale of a cold, cold break-up. You know, when somebody completely cuts you out by deleting you, changing their number and making a clean break for it in order to end things once and for all. In fact, there’s a new term for it – Ghosting.

Harsh, but then again, it’s sometimes needed. Best line: ‘Now you’re just somebody that I used to know. 9. Survivor – Destiny’s Child One of the fiercest ‘don’t need no man’ tracks ever written. The strings alone are enough to send a lightning bolt of aggression and determination through us. And then when the chorus drops… Best line: ‘Thought I wouldn’t breathe without you/I’m inhaling’ 10. Fuck It – Eamon 11. Caught Out There – Kelis 12. Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life) – Green Day With an upbeat tempo and acoustic guitar, this chilled out track from the American pop-punk trio is bitter yet insouciant. Perfect for when your head’s a littler clearer. Best line: ‘It’s something unpredictable/but in the end is right/I hope you had the time of your life.’ 12. Smile – Lily allen Who remembers when Lily burst onto the scene with this pop-reggae blast track in 2006? This one’s perfect for when the anger has dissipated and all the embarrassing/irritating/silly memories of a long-gone ex just bring a big old smile (or smirk) to your face.

Best line: ’Now you calling me up on the phone/So you can have a little whine and a moan/It’s only because you’re feeling alone’ 13. We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together – Taylor Swift We all know that Taylor Swift has a penchant for creating songs about lost love that manages to resonate with just about everybody. And because they’re often about famous exes – she always has the last laugh – as will you when you’re dancing around the room to this, remembering why you’re NEVER getting back with whats-his-name. Best line: ‘You go talk to your friends/talk to my friends/talk to me/but we are never ever ever ever getting back together’. 14. Cry Me A River – Justin Timberlake 15. Irreplaceable – Beyoncé There’s something incredible about Beyoncé’s uncanny ability to mine her own confidence to inspire women all over the world to love themselves. This is undoubtedly one of her best break-up tracks (of which there are actually so many).