Last night was shitty…...I hope you enjoy this venting/shoutout to one of my favorite ska bands. After you read this I hope you walk away with some new sounds on your listening devices or a new perspective on whatever.
If you were to ask me my top 5 favorite artists in no particular order, it would go like this; Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Bob Marley, Sublime and, the Infamous Lauryn Hill. But out of the five artists that I named, I religiously bump Kid Cudi, Bob Marley, and Sublime. There are days when I fangirl over Kid Cudi via Instagram or watch his concert videos on my phone. I listen to Bob Marley on my saddest days or when I need some upliftment. Sublime gets played when I am looking for guidance. And yes I know gospel music can help you with that as well, however, Sublime just...does it for me.
It all started way back in high-school. I used to see this sad, melted looking sun on the front of my classmates' t-shirts with the word “Sublime” slapped across the front. Being a 14-year old who only listened to Rap/Hip-Hop/R&B and 80’s pop, I honestly chalked the shirt up as some voodoo hippy shit. I had no desire or urge to even find out who the heck a “Sublime” was. It wasn’t until I came across this guy that was super hot, I won’t disclose his name because we are Facebook friends.
Anyway, back then he was this super hot skater guy who was indeed black. Over time I would look at his t-shirts and see that they were band propaganda tees so I would compliment them whenever I would see him in the morning. One fall morning this young fella was wearing the infamous (to me) Sublime shirt. At this point, I was like
“bruh black people know about them too!”. I was quite confused so as normal, I complimented his shirt but followed up with the question, “So _____ who is Sublime?”. Stunned by my inquisitiveness beyond the daily morning compliment, he said to me “What the hell! don't you know who Sublime is? They are like the best reggae, ska, stoner band that ever graced the 90’s bro!”. So utterly confused by his response, I walked away and said “okay”. That’s when the journey started.
After school, I went to my room and pulled up Youtube to figure out what a Sublime is. They ended up being a white ska group based out of Long Beach, California. Led by the late Bradley Nowell (3rd, left). For someone who came across Sublime for the first time, I wanted to know what made this group rise to popularity in the 90’s. Apparently back when I was a kid they had a song that rose to the radio charts following the untimely death by overdose of Bradley Nowell. The song is titled “What I Got” and it’s quite uplifting, to say the least. A beachy song. That was the very first song I listened to by Sublime. I knew that this song couldn’t be the only reason why teens wore the t-shirt, nah absolutely not. The more I went into the discography of Sublime I noticed that they had a few songs titled “Bong Song”, a self-titled song “40oz to Freedom” and the famous “Waiting for my Ruca”. Now 15 for some, was the age where teens became more exposed to drugs and alcohol but not me! I had no idea what the hell any of those things were (At that age).
My night continued with me being devoted to finding out more about Sublime, I mean I already loved Bob Marley so they were definitely in my lane. Right before I fell asleep I came across the dopest song ever made by Sublime (IMO). “Summertime”, an Ella Fitzgerald chorus and George Gershwin cover song. Infused with dub, reggae, ska and hip-hop rhythmic beats. I kid you not, I listened to this song at least 20 times before I fell asleep. I fell in love with Sublime at that point. I didn’t know if it was the beat, the lyrics or just the storytelling that Bradley Nowell was gifted with. “Summertime” is actually a song about being in love with a woman who loves everyone else except for the man that loves her. Not noticing what the person is doing to receive the love from the said person. But like any drug, the love was addicting. This song also alludes to the heroin addiction Bradley Nowell suffered from during the duration of Sublime. To this very day, I have plans on getting the lyrics to this song
“Take this veil from off my eyes, my burning sun will someday rise” placed somewhere dainty and dope.
The talent that spewed from this song had me hooked on the group Sublime. Sublime felt like my best-kept secret. I didn’t share too much about them with my friends and even when I did, they
didn’t get it. So like any teen, I listened to Sublime on the way home from school, to school, at night and even had them as my MySpace song right before Facebook became popping. Years continued on and I remained a dedicated fan of Sublime, I didn’t cop one of their shirts until college though.
Fast forward to my current life, I listen to Sublime frequently. Maybe just as much as I listen to Kid Cudi. I’ll never forget when an ex of mine bought me concert tickets to see the Sublime cover Band, Badfish. That was true love at the moment. AT THE MOMENT. Sometimes I’ll jam to the whole “Sublime” album or rock out to “40oz to Freedom” just to end the day. On my up days or my down days, Sublime just finds a way into my Bluetooth speakers, heart and, soul.
Now, last night was a different story. Of course, my EOD ritual involves a jam session before bed. This time around was different. I had some sort of gut like tense feeling that felt awry. I listened to Sublime as well as other various artists but no dancing around the house was involved. I just laid across my bed and watched music videos and encapsulated myself in the music, as if I was in another world. Even though I am a Sublime fan I do have my select songs that are on a daily rotation, one song including “Summertime”. That was the mood I was in last night, just how I described up above. After “Summertime” went off and autoplay did it’s thing a song titled “Badfish” started playing in the background of my web surfing. I never truly listened to “Badfish” but something had me sitting me there listening to it, heavy.
At the very moment, "Badfish" became that song where your interpretation is neither right or wrong. The mood I was in took the song in a “love” type of way. How love can do this (heart) but your mind can do that. The more I listened the more I connected to this song the same way I did with Summertime. I played “Badfish” the rest of the night but my night got worse and the worse it got, my interpretation of “Badfish” gradually changed. I felt like the singer. Going through exactly what he was going through in both Summertime and Badfish. Don’t you hate when music does that? I’ve been at work listening to Badfish trying to figure out what the hell happened to my initial thoughts vs my second opinion, down to the final listen of my shift. That ladies and gentleman is simply the art of storytelling.
Last night gave me a deeper appreciation for Sublime. Through my darkest moments, their music has always been there. During my happiest hours, their music has been playing at high volume levels. Being asked at the end of it all, “Are you a Badfish too?” It’s interesting to see how music interpretation can impact your life. So this is an ode to my shitty night. To that shitty car ride back home with me, God and Sublime.
Thank you Sublime for remaining a constant during shitty times and shitty nights.
Comentários