The Museum of Light launches a new weekly blog, Sounds of Light, where music journalist Billy Johnson Jr. reviews introspective songs that inspire, exploring the likes of family, the arts and politics. First up is a spotlight on Miami hip hop duo Social Club Misfits who just released their new album The Misadventures of Fern & Marty that includes the featured track, “A Song for Cami,” a record Fern penned about his children.

If we only listened to the songs on the radio, we would think that artists have nothing more to sing or rap about than partying and having sex. So, I’ve tasked myself with finding the music, mainly album cuts, that are more introspective and enlightening. Welcome to Sounds of Light, a new weekly feature on the Museum of Light.

I’m kicking off Sounds of Light with a track from the Miami-based hip hop duo Social Club Misfit’s new album The Misadventures of Fern & Marty on Capitol CMG Music. “A Song for Cami,” is a solo offering from Fern, who has a tradition of making records for his kids, Camila Bella, 5, and Santino, 2.

Hear Social Club Misfits’ “A Song for Cami”

Over a comforting jazzy, piano and snare-driven music bed reminiscent of early 1990s hip hop, Fern reflects on everything from the joys of putting his son to bed at night to instilling a strong work ethic in his children. During an exclusive interview with Sounds of Light, Fern explains that emphasizing hard work was the song’s main inspiration.

In one lyric, Fern is critical of using crowdfunding to raise money for projects as opposed to generating startup expenses from working: “Why don’t y’all start making money and stop raising funds / Cause all that GoFundMe is a bit much / Told my daughter hard work only is the way to stay up.”

Fern explains the motivation for the song. “I encourage my son and daughter to work hard,” he tells Sounds of Light. “I see a lot of GoFundMe pages. Regardless of the situation, some people need it. But I encourage hard work, and I put that on that song. I want to make sure when [my daughter] hears this song in 20 years from now that she hears me encouraging hard work. ”Fern says Cami remembers the days he had a regular job, pursued his music at night, and had to drive his wife to work. “I literally did not have time to be with them,” he recalls.

Marty, who got married last year and does not have any children yet, gives Fern props for how he’s managed to balance family and music. “The fact that [Fern] travels while raising children, that’s a huge deal,” Marty says. Marty also rhymes about family life — his new bride — on the album’s song “Love 4 Real.”

Fern, who has been married for seven years, says to expect more personal songs from him in the future. “Don’t be surprised if you hear more family songs from me,” he says. “I’ve been blessed. I want to promote the family unit, my kids, my wife. I want people to know there are so many other things to talk about.”

Fern and Marty cover a lot of bases on The Misadventures of Fern & Marty and it’s appreciated.

You can also find this story on THE MUSUEM OF LIGHT and RESPECT Magazine.

The Museum of Light is curated by Billy Johnson Jr., Joslyn Rose Lyons, Rafael Casal, Malik Buie, Matt Smith, and Adell Henderson.

The post Sounds of Light: Fern of Social Club Misfits Pens ‘A Song for Cami,’ an Ode to His Kids appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

There is no doubt that in 2005 you were vibing to some Jeezy. Whether you were blasting his music in the parking lot of your high school or on the way to a house party, the year he dropped the Trap or Die mixtape and TM 101 album was a year to remember. These particular projects, and his discography thereafter, were emblematic of their time. In 2014, Jezzy is back with the release of Seen It All: The Autobiography. True to his style, he spits motivational lyrics whilst creating party tracks.

The album begins with “1/4 Block,” a lyrical narrative that can best be compared to a scene from The Wire; Jeezy, posted on the corner or in the kitchen, hustling to survive. Atlanta’s Childish Major handles the production, whose use of the electric guitars gives the track a grimey effect. “What You Say,” also produced by Childish Major, is a classic Jeezy cut, specifically meant to be played in the club or in the car at an extremely high volume. On “Enough,” produced by Kenoe, Jeezy insists that if you “grind hard enough” and practice having some get up and go about yourself, then you could achieve success and keep it G just like him. “Holy Ghost,” whose remixed version features Kendrick Lamar, is a reflective of Jeezy’s life over production by Don Cannon, Lyle LeDuff and Frank Dukes. When it comes to this track, it’s a no brainer when it comes to hitting the repeat button.

I feel like with every Jeezy album you get an experience and I think that’s still the case here.  The production is nice, the features are all good and make sense – he didn’t just select someone solely because they were hot but because they bounce off each other well. I think in terms of hip-hop releases so far this year, this is up there with YG’s.  – Erin Duncan for RESPECT.

Midway through the album, “Me OK,” produced by Drumma Boy aka D Boy Fresh, and “Seen It All” featuring Jay Z and produced by Cardo, keep the listener in bated breath.  “Seen It All” is the backbone for the album being the most authentic and what we call “the G-Code standard for sifting out rap counterfeits.” “Been Gettin’ Money” featuring Akon has the feel of “Soul Survivor” from their platinum collaboration featured on TM 101. “Beautiful,” featuring The Game and Rick Ross, sounds just as luxurious as the lifestyle portrayed over the production by Black Metaphor, it’s a rich grand finale. In an interview with The Breakfast Club, when asked how did the collaboration come about after his beef with Rick Ross, Jeezy responded that he “had to come to terms of being an adult and a leader,” ending with the two reconciling and wanting to continue making great music for the people.

After a less-than-memorable outing with TM:103, Jeezy is back with some more of that addictive, motivational music that speaks to not only the D-boys, but hustlers in general. – Emanuel Wallace for RESPECT.

On the deluxe version of Seen It All: The Autobiography, Jeezy teams up with label mate August Alsina who lends his vocals to the sultry “Fuck The World,” produced by Def Jams No I.D. and Trakmatik. “Beez Like That” produced by Will-A-Fool, features Lil Boosie who is showing no signs of slowing down on his verse. Jeezy looks back with Future over the course of their careers on “No Tears” produced by Mike Will Made It and  the album concludes with “How I Did It (Perfection).”

Jeezy’s Seen It All: The Autobiography is  consistent with his past works, lyrically, but a little more in-depth. He keeps it honest and thorough throughout the project. The producers who worked on this album mesh well together giving the album a nice flow with each song complimenting the next. Seen It All, if having to be compared it to his previous albums, could fit in between The Recession and TM 103. Needless to say, the RESPECT staff favored the album and despite everything that he’s seen and gone through including recent allegations, Jeezy proves that on Seen It All: The Autobiography, you can’t ban the snowman.

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Ab-Soul is a rapper who recognizes his strengths. In a world with an entrenched competitive nature and an ever-changing roster of characters and styles, MCs often fall by the wayside because they’re either unable to find their niche in the market or they simply aren’t able to flourish in any of the skill sets that make up a great artist. Fortunately for TDE‘s resident labyrinthian lyricist Soulo, his third studio album These Days demonstrates he has neither of those problems.

From the moment the ethereal sounds of label mate SZA‘s voice come in on opener “Gods Reign (These Days)” through to the final bars of battle rapper Daylyt‘s verse on the hidden freestyle skirmish following “W.R.O.H.”, there’s a lot that goes on during These Days. While artists like Kanye West have thrived recently by diving into minimalist production and short, condensed projects like Yeezus, Soulo packs These Days with just under 90 minutes of complex wordplay, varying production styles and an impressive and well-selected list of guest artists.

But while over-stuffing albums with guest verses and all the hottest names in R&B has diluted notable albums in the past, These Days is enjoyable and contemplative enough to keep things fresh through all 15 tracks. Most of this is credited to Ab-Soul‘s range, as the 27-year-old MC is able to thrive in delivering both gritty, materialistic trap anthems (“Hunnid Stax”) and dense, introspective lyrical landscapes (“Tree of Life”) with equal energy and effect.

Part of what holds These Days together through all the guests and juxtaposing production styles is its pacing. Any album that ends with a 23-minute track, 18 of which make up a sprawling, excellent rap battle between Soul and renowned freestyler Daylyt, doesn’t care about keeping things tight. And yet, while tracks like “Just Have Fun” and “Ride Slow” contain interludes that lead into seemingly odd sonic choices–the slow, bluesy “These Days” riff following “Just Have Fun” and the build up to Mac Miller‘s truly enigmatic alter ego Delusional Thomas‘ verse on “Ride Slow”–the frequent changes in pace only add to the calculated quirkiness of These Days. And, especially in the case of “Just Have Fun,” these choices often produce some of the album’s boldest and most musically-impactful moments.

Speaking of bold moments, it would be hard to talk about These Days and not pay special attention to the battle between Soul and Daylyt that closes the album. Nearly impossible to appreciate without multiple listens and access to the lyrics, the freestyle continues fueling modern hip-hop’s resurgence of respect for the rap battle (along with Eminem and Slaughterhouse‘s Total Slaughter competitive rap battle league) while showcasing just how talented these two MCs are. It’s an intimate affair, with audible gasps and laughs from those witnessing the wordplay in-studio, but ultimately just another area for Soul to demonstrate his lyrical dexterity: “When I think of daylight, I think of shit like/Breakfast, morning, birds singin’, kids playin’/See where I’m goin’?/That means you better break fast, or I’ll have your family mournin’.”

All in all, while Ab-Soul has already solidified himself as a legitimate talent in the rap industry with 2012’s Control System, These Days feels like a step in the right direction for an artist capable of creating an identity for himself outside of the red hot TDE universe. Whether or not he can find the same mainstream success as close friend and label mate Kendrick Lamar is yet to be seen, but for now, we should count ourselves lucky that we get to be a part of Soulo‘s Days.

Head over to iTunes to download These Days today.

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