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Friday, July 19, 2013
Monday, July 15, 2013
Crooked Smile by J. Cole feat TLC
Crooked Smile by J. Cole
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/jcole/crookedsmile.html
....All week i had been scratching my head searching for a song that would inspire me enough to put on this blog. I hadn't found one until Thursday when i watched the repetition of the BET awards and i saw J. Cole's performance of "Crooked Smile" .
Despite having a crooked smile myself, :-) there were other reasons i found this song to be very meaningful.
This is a song about self acceptance. J. Cole wanted to remind us what we usually forget about ourselves and others, and that is nobody is perfect in a manner of appearance and personality. Behavior we can control but how we look is up to the Maker...
At the end of the day it comes down to what is inside the package and not the paper its wrapped in...
Chorus (TLC):
The chorus expresses feelings of someone struggling under the pressure of public scrutiny in regard to their appearance and it feels like they are going down...< I'm on my way, on my way, on my way down> but despite this struggle they still manage to find the strength to rise up again like the Sun <But like the sun, all you know if I'm on my way down>
TLC have a song with a similar theme called "Unpretty", which they released in 1999. I wonder if this is the reason J. Cole decided to feature them on this particular track almost 15 years later.
Verse 1:
In the first verse J. Cole opens by saying how he has been the object of public scrutiny especially from the media due to his crooked dental formula..( case and point: www.complex.com 's article on "11 rappers with bad teeth").
J. Cole says he is aware of his crooked smile and has even considered fixing it but he is not willing to fix it even though he can now afford it. <Look, they tell me I should fix my grill cause I got money now, I ain't gon' sit around and front like I ain't thought about it, A perfect smile is more appealing but it's funny how-My shit is crooked look at how far I done got without it>
He knows appearance doesn't make the man, but deeds define a man. His intends to keep his teeth the way they are so that he can show kids how much he has achieved without worrying or obsessing on his looks.
<I keep my twisted grill, just to show them kids it's real, We ain't picture perfect but we worth the picture still
I got smart, I got rich, and I got bitches still, And they all look my eyebrows: thick as hell>
(not exactly the language you want your kids listening to but i guess they get the idea)
J.Cole moves on to tell women to be more comfortable with their appearance...imperfections and all..
Many women psychologist claim that women tend to be more insecure about their looks than men because its more consequential to them..i.e women are judged by their appearance rather than personality. Even women who fit the standard of beauty ( as determined by society), feel this pressure due to the influence of the media which always portrays how a woman should be..
<Oh, you a woman? I don't know how you deal
With all the pressure to look impressive and go out in heels>
J. Cole says he feels their pain, but they wouldn't have to suffer if they knew they are perfect just the way God made them.
<But it's clear that you can't face what's wrong; no need to fix
What God already put his paint brush on>
Verse 2:
In the second verse, J. Cole continues to adress the women who consider themselves flawed and are so absorbed with their imperfections that they can only consider themselves attractive when they receive the affection of a man.
<You wonder why you're lonely and your man's not calling
You keep falling victim cause you're insecure>
Even when he tells her she is beautiful she doesnt feel assured, probably cause she is so far gone in feeling insecure
<And when I tell you that you're beautiful you can't be sure
Cause you see that no one wants you back and it got you asking>
All she sees is what she lacks and not what she has..glass half empty instead of half full...sees the curse instead of blessings..
However she should listen to a man who accepts her for who she is and not to focus on the criticism..
<Take it from a man that loves what you got
And baby you're a star, don't let 'em tell you you're not>
in the next five bars he continues to tell her that true beauty is not bought in a shop. True beauty is inside a person. Personality and character is what matters to him.
Furthermore if she is ever down, he will be there to pick her up and he is not ashamed to be seen with her..his main concern is her happiness....
<And if you need a friend to pick you up, I'll be around
And we can ride with the windows down, the music loud
I can tell you ain't laughed in a while, but I wanna see that crooked smile>
Verse 3:
In the final verse he shifts his focus to how people become corrupted by trying to live what they see on TV and films; forgetting that those a fantasies created by the media for corporate gain..
Its not bad to aspire for good things but people so often loose themselves in this pursuit..in the words of Kanye, "the prettiest people do the ugliest things, on the road to riches and diamond rings".
J. Cole moves on to talk about the state of black Americans in his country facing the struggle of living in enviroment of crime and violence, faced with great despair to an extent that they cant see the point of keeping on living...
<Seem like half the race is either on probation, Or in jail; wonder why we inhale
Cause we in hell already>
J. Cole implies that their is a passive racism which is on going in the music industry.
<I asked if my skin pale, Would I then sell like Eminem or Adele?>
J. Cole and Adele both released albums in 2011. J.Cole sold 218000 copies in the 1st week while Adele sold 352000 copies. On that note however i personally don't know wether he is reflecting on reality or trying to show us where his other insecurities lie.
He appeals to black people to stop fighting each other and come together and be successful.
In this image we see Drake buying all copies of J.Coles album from the store..perfect example of black people supporting each other.
After being successful J.Cole can help his fellow black men like paying for their bail..and the cops shouldnt expect to snitch on his fellow black men cause "snitches get stitches"..even so if the cops were around to do their jobs correctly there would be no need for witnesses.
<I got money for the bail now, well now
If you asking will I tell now? Hell naw
I ain't snitching causeMan, they get them niggas stitches now
If you was around, then you wouldn't need a witness now>
Thats all for this edition, thanks for the support. Don't forget to accept yourself and always keep a smile on your face....even if its crooked.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Author
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/jcole/crookedsmile.html
....All week i had been scratching my head searching for a song that would inspire me enough to put on this blog. I hadn't found one until Thursday when i watched the repetition of the BET awards and i saw J. Cole's performance of "Crooked Smile" .
Despite having a crooked smile myself, :-) there were other reasons i found this song to be very meaningful.
This is a song about self acceptance. J. Cole wanted to remind us what we usually forget about ourselves and others, and that is nobody is perfect in a manner of appearance and personality. Behavior we can control but how we look is up to the Maker...
At the end of the day it comes down to what is inside the package and not the paper its wrapped in...
Chorus (TLC):
The chorus expresses feelings of someone struggling under the pressure of public scrutiny in regard to their appearance and it feels like they are going down...< I'm on my way, on my way, on my way down> but despite this struggle they still manage to find the strength to rise up again like the Sun <But like the sun, all you know if I'm on my way down>
TLC have a song with a similar theme called "Unpretty", which they released in 1999. I wonder if this is the reason J. Cole decided to feature them on this particular track almost 15 years later.
Verse 1:
In the first verse J. Cole opens by saying how he has been the object of public scrutiny especially from the media due to his crooked dental formula..( case and point: www.complex.com 's article on "11 rappers with bad teeth").
J. Cole says he is aware of his crooked smile and has even considered fixing it but he is not willing to fix it even though he can now afford it. <Look, they tell me I should fix my grill cause I got money now, I ain't gon' sit around and front like I ain't thought about it, A perfect smile is more appealing but it's funny how-My shit is crooked look at how far I done got without it>
He knows appearance doesn't make the man, but deeds define a man. His intends to keep his teeth the way they are so that he can show kids how much he has achieved without worrying or obsessing on his looks.
<I keep my twisted grill, just to show them kids it's real, We ain't picture perfect but we worth the picture still
I got smart, I got rich, and I got bitches still, And they all look my eyebrows: thick as hell>
(not exactly the language you want your kids listening to but i guess they get the idea)
Many women psychologist claim that women tend to be more insecure about their looks than men because its more consequential to them..i.e women are judged by their appearance rather than personality. Even women who fit the standard of beauty ( as determined by society), feel this pressure due to the influence of the media which always portrays how a woman should be..
<Oh, you a woman? I don't know how you deal
With all the pressure to look impressive and go out in heels>
J. Cole says he feels their pain, but they wouldn't have to suffer if they knew they are perfect just the way God made them.
<But it's clear that you can't face what's wrong; no need to fix
What God already put his paint brush on>
Verse 2:
In the second verse, J. Cole continues to adress the women who consider themselves flawed and are so absorbed with their imperfections that they can only consider themselves attractive when they receive the affection of a man.
<You wonder why you're lonely and your man's not calling
You keep falling victim cause you're insecure>
Even when he tells her she is beautiful she doesnt feel assured, probably cause she is so far gone in feeling insecure
<And when I tell you that you're beautiful you can't be sure
Cause you see that no one wants you back and it got you asking>
All she sees is what she lacks and not what she has..glass half empty instead of half full...sees the curse instead of blessings..
However she should listen to a man who accepts her for who she is and not to focus on the criticism..
<Take it from a man that loves what you got
And baby you're a star, don't let 'em tell you you're not>
in the next five bars he continues to tell her that true beauty is not bought in a shop. True beauty is inside a person. Personality and character is what matters to him.
Furthermore if she is ever down, he will be there to pick her up and he is not ashamed to be seen with her..his main concern is her happiness....
<And if you need a friend to pick you up, I'll be around
And we can ride with the windows down, the music loud
I can tell you ain't laughed in a while, but I wanna see that crooked smile>
Verse 3:
In the final verse he shifts his focus to how people become corrupted by trying to live what they see on TV and films; forgetting that those a fantasies created by the media for corporate gain..
Its not bad to aspire for good things but people so often loose themselves in this pursuit..in the words of Kanye, "the prettiest people do the ugliest things, on the road to riches and diamond rings".
J. Cole moves on to talk about the state of black Americans in his country facing the struggle of living in enviroment of crime and violence, faced with great despair to an extent that they cant see the point of keeping on living...
<Seem like half the race is either on probation, Or in jail; wonder why we inhale
Cause we in hell already>
J. Cole implies that their is a passive racism which is on going in the music industry.
<I asked if my skin pale, Would I then sell like Eminem or Adele?>
J. Cole and Adele both released albums in 2011. J.Cole sold 218000 copies in the 1st week while Adele sold 352000 copies. On that note however i personally don't know wether he is reflecting on reality or trying to show us where his other insecurities lie.
He appeals to black people to stop fighting each other and come together and be successful.
In this image we see Drake buying all copies of J.Coles album from the store..perfect example of black people supporting each other.<I got money for the bail now, well now
If you asking will I tell now? Hell naw
I ain't snitching causeMan, they get them niggas stitches now
If you was around, then you wouldn't need a witness now>
Thats all for this edition, thanks for the support. Don't forget to accept yourself and always keep a smile on your face....even if its crooked.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Author
