“Crooked Smile” Is a song with more than one meaning. While the lyrics deal with womens insecurities the music video shows the harsh reality of the War on Drugs. The music video came at a time when the media lacked coverage of how the government handles the War on Drugs and was dedicated to 7 year old Aiyana Stanley-Jones who was killed by police.

In my second listening post I will dive into the lineage of the song and find a main theme that J.Cole shares with other artist. For this post I have determined to look deeper at the meaning of “Cant tell me nothing” by Kanye West, “Reborn” By Kanye and Kid Cudi, and finally “Dreams and Nightmares” By Meek Mill.

These songs all have a significant similarites in that they empower you and and make you feel like nothing can stop you. They also share similar topics discussing where they came from and how they percerviered through the hardest times.

“Cant tell Me Nothing”

Kanye Dropped “Cant tell me Nothing” on his third album “Graduation”. A lot of people argue this is Kanyes Best album for his use of metaphors and double meanings. In the song Kanye talks about how he dealt with more problems after his fame than before and the mental issues that came with fame.

“I feel the pressure, under more scrutiny
And what I do? Act more stupidly
Bought more jewelry, more Louis V
My mama couldn’t get through to me
The drama, people suing me
I’m on TV talking like it’s just you and me”

“Reborn”

“Reborn” was released on Kids See Ghost, which was an album by Kanye and Kid Cudi that strives to push Peace and enlightenment. The songs title plays on to a tweet Cudi had following his check into rehab where he said  ” hell be back better, stronger, reborn”. The album dives closely into mental health issues that Kanye and Cudi both struggled  with during the release.

“I’m so—I’m so reborn, I’m movin’ forward
Keep movin’ forward, keep movin’ forward
Ain’t no stress on me Lord, I’m movin’ forward
Keep movin’ forward, keep movin’ forward
I’m so—I’m so reborn, I’m movin’ forward
Keep movin’ forward, keep movin’ forward
Ain’t no stress on me Lord, I’m movin’ forward
Keep movin’ forward, keep movin’ forward”

“Dreams and Nightmares”

“Dreams and Nightmares” by Meek Mill is arguably one his greatest songs released and has one of the best intros in all of the rap Genre. This song has turned into a Philly Anthem and for a reason, Because how inspiring and uplifting it is. The songs lyrics tell us how he got where he was and the struggle he had to endure for a majority of his life. The song itself gives off a gritty feeling but shows that he’s never stopped believing in himself.