Queens in the house

Play on words - talking a queen, and house music influence plus many other things.

The weather is getting warmer, and the hoochie daddy shorts are getting shorter and shorter, which means not only are thighs out but that we have officially entered summer. We were ushered into the new season on Tuesday morning courtesy of the Queen and legend Beyonce Knowles Carter in the form of her new single “BREAK MY SOUL.” The song will make its home on Beyonce’s upcoming album, Renaissance, and I’m hype.

Let us talk about it. What are your thoughts on the song? 

Well, in a slight rhetorical fashion, I will answer the question by saying I love it. I think the song is a whole vibe, and I can see the video with lots of voguing, big hair (I am feeling my dream hair, BET “Deja Vu” performance hair), and lots of thighs, sequins, and a dark/mirror-ish background. I am just here for it and am confident that this will be one of the summer songs. I see this song being popular on TikTok with dance challenges or Great Recession-like posts. 

“Deja Vu” hair - my dream hair, honestly.

Now I just fell in love
And I just quit my job
I’m gonna find new drive
Damn they work me so damn hard
Work by nine
Then off past five
And they work my nerves
That’s why I cannot sleep at night

FELT THAT, SISTER.

Interestingly, this song has a similar vibe to another surprise project, this time from Drake and his new album Honestly, Nevermind. House Music influenced both Drake and Beyonce, which is the perfect backdrop for this season. 

The reviews of Drake’s album have been a mixed bag: 

Drake Rebuilt Hip-Hop in His Image. Now He Wants You to Dance, NYTimes  

Whether “Honestly, Nevermind” proves to be a head fake or a permanent new direction, it may indicate that he’s leaving the old Drake — and everyone who followed him — in the rear view. Like a great quarterback, he’s throwing the ball where his receivers are already heading, not where they’ve been.

Drake’s Honestly, Nevermind is NOT GOOD, theneedledrop 

OMG, WATCH THIS. Even if you disagree, WATCH THIS. Anthony’s opinion was so thorough and matter of the fact that I laughed and also held my breath during certain parts. Also, some of the comments on the video were pretty interesting too:

COMMENT #1: I think Drake is just a brand. He doesn’t seem like he’s making music because he has something he wants to express, he’s making music just to keep a new single in rotation constantly. It doesn’t have to be good it has to be catchy enough to score radio play until his next release. 

COMMENT #2: The biggest problem for this album besides the bed squeaking bet is the lack of variety on each track. If he had the melodic part of the track and then transitioned to a rap verse, instead we just get the melody repeated over and over, and it’s mind-numbing. 

COMMENT #3: I feel like 100% of the people who liked this album can only justify liking it by saying “issa vibe.” 

The last comment is very accurate because that is how I was going to explain it. Aside from those reviews above, I have seen people referring to the album as a vibe and an album for people who take trips and have an American Express card. The album feels like a hybrid between trips to Ibiza or Miami but also dancing fast in an H&M dressing room so you can find out if your clothes have movement. It is a slight departure from the Drake that we have heard recently, although I would argue “Passionfruit” gave us a little preview of the journey he was on. This album makes me want to go out and dance with vibrant glow sticks. That being said, I think my feelings towards this album are because of the time it came out - it just feels suitable for the summer. I am not sure how I will feel about it in October, but right now, it feels very time-sensitive, like seasonal margaritas. 

That is that on that. Here are a few other things worth listening to this week: 

Speaking of summer, here is my new playlist SUMMA. Listen to it and let me know your thoughts. 

I also updated my cozy playlist but changed the name to MELLOW. Apparently, caps and periods are my things. 

I loved this episode of Jay Shetty's On Purpose podcast on signs you are in a healthy relationship. What I loved about this podcast episode the most is that it was not necessarily looking just at romantic relationships. It also looked at friendships and other relationships you may be in. While listening, I jotted down a few quotes that hit me: 

"Honesty is something everyone says they want, but when someone is honest with you, we judge them for it." 

"Independence is different from individuality." 

"Within yourself, you are constructing the relationship. You are facilitating to see if that person is open to it. You can't just look for them. You have to lead the way and see if they are willing to lead with you to drow with you to work with." 

Things to read:  

Last week when I did not send out a newsletter, it was because I was relaxing in Miami for a sweet little vacation. While there, I finished one book, Wise Women by Gina Sorrell, which I would not necessarily recommend. I also started Left on Tenth: A Second Chance at Life by Delia Ephron, and I have been crying while reading. What a beautiful book? I will do a full review next week. 

A good read from Alicia Kennedy’s newsletter on Good Food.

Two interesting reads on Reality TV: Stop Calling Reality TV a “Guilty Pleasure” and Reality TV Has Become a Parody of Itself. 

The end of the millennial subsidy. 

For the past decade, people like me—youngish, urbanish, professionalism—got a sweetheart deal from Uber, the Uber-for-X clones, and that whole mosaic of urban amenities in travel, delivery, food, and retail that vaguely pretended to be tech companies.

That is it for this week. Listen to Beyonce a few times on repeat, and let me know how you feel.