Brother | 3 to 5 BOPS

Brother: 3 to 5 BOPS No. 34 (2023), features musical BOPS courtesy of Angie Stone, Cymande, Donny Hathaway, Mad Tsai, and Trippie Redd.

Ah, you know what time it is! It’s 3 to 5 BOPS time – WOO! On 3 to 5 BOPS, it’s all about brevity and sweetness… for the most part! There’s a theme/topic, 3, 4, or 5 songs, and a blurb – two paragraphs or less.  3 to 5 BOPS, hence, is a mini playlist that shouldn’t take much time to consume.  In the 34^th edition of 3 to 5 BOPS (2023), we select songs that are associated with BROTHER in some form or fashion. The BOPS arrive courtesy of 🎙 Angie Stone, 🎙 Cymande, 🎙 Donny Hathaway, 🎙 Mad Tsai, and 🎙 Trippie Redd. Okay, let’s get into it!

via GIPHY

1. Trippie Redd & Lil Baby, “DARK BROTHERHOOD”

💿 MANSION MUSIK • 🏷 1400 Entertainment, Inc. / 10K Projects • 📅 2023

Need a rap banger? Look no further than 🎙 Trippie Redd, who always comes through with an aggressive, unapologetic approach. In 2023, he dropped his album, 💿 MANSION MUSIK.  Among the 25 tracks (!) was 🎵 “DARK BROTHERHOOD” which finds him sharing the mic with 🏆 Grammy-nominated rapper, 🎙 Lil Baby.  With fitting dark, malicious production courtesy of 🎛 Igor Mamet, Nadddot, Bosley, and Bacon and Popcorn, it is safe to say that the dynamic duo drop fire 🔥.

Trippie Redd gets things started with the chorus, which is hardnosed yet entertaining. Trippie mentions a mask and a chopper (standard for a rap joint), asserting, “Get the fuck up out my face if you ain’t talkin’ ‘bout cash / Big deal, I’m a titan and these niggas wanna clash.” Oh, snap 🫰!  He doesn’t stop there with captivating rhymes, closing out the chorus, “Know how to keep it litty like a titty / This bitch high as hell, hit the whippet can until she get dizzy.” Day-um! Of course, Trippie goes on to drop the first verse, keeping the same energy, asserting in the closing line, “Catch an opp, walk ‘em down, then hit the damn Griddy.” Oh, and prior to that, he was “Off a Percocet.” As for Lil Baby, he matches Trippie’s sensibilities, stating, “These niggas with me always keep a mask, I can’t trust a soul, these niggas shiesty.” What more can you say? The bars speak for themselves!

via GIPHY

Appears in 🔻:

• Trippie Redd & Lil Baby, “DARK BROTHERHOOD”: Rap BNGRZ 🔥 15 (2023)

2. Mad Tsai, “Stacy’s Brother”

🎵 “Stacy’s Brother” • 🏷 Mad Tsai • 📅 2022

“I’ve been hanging out with Stacy / Everybody thinks we’re dating?” Oh, really? Hmm 🤔. You are truly mad if you have not embraced the gift that is 🎙 Mad Tsai.  The young, bisexual pop artist knows how to make a bop – NO CAP.  Furthermore, he’s pretty easy on the eyes 😍 – just an observation! Honestly, can you feel guilty complimenting his looks after seeing the hot 🥵 music video for 🎵 “Stacy’s Brother”? Not only do we see shirtless Mad Tsai but there are also other shirtless boys in the mix. That said, while the sexy, objectification piece is in play on this LGBTQ 🏳️‍🌈 bop, it’s the song’s drama and narrative that truly seal the deal.

So, the deal is, the rumors are that Mad Tsai is dating Stacy, who is incredibly beautiful and the popular girl. It makes sense in a straight world, right? Hot guy (Mad Tsai) scores hot girl (Stacy), etc.  But, ultimately, Tsai is actually attracted to Stacy’s brother! “I lose my cool when he’s around / And I don’t know if this is just a crush / How do I find the words to tell her? / I’m in love with Stacy’s brother.” Oh, the scandal!  Eventually, he’s not just in love with Stacy’s brother, he admits, “I hooked up with Stacy’s brother,” and at the end, admits, “The way I’ve behaved is a crime / Oh, Stacy, I got to tell ya / I’m in love with your big brother.” Woo! Oh, and for what it’s worth, in the music video, Stacy’s brother is pretty hot, so, can you blame Mad Tsai? Absolutely not 😂!

via GIPHY

Appears in 🔻:

• Mad Tsai, “Stacy’s Brother”: LGBTQ Bopz 🌈🎶 19 (2023)

3. Cymande, “Brothers on the Slide”

💿 Promised Heights • 🏷 Partisan • 🗓 1974 

“Brothers on the slide / Working on the wrong side / What ya gonna do / You can’t win so you know you must lose / We know which way you goin’.” Uh-oh – sound sus ! What doesn’t sound the least bit sus is the 🎙 Cymande classic, 🎵 “Brothers on the Slide”. “Brothers on the Slide” appears as the third track on the British funk band’s 1974 album, 💿 Promised Heights.  The groove is utterly electric – it totally SLAPS.  The guitar riff is ripe, while the bass line is one of the best you’ll ever hear from the 1970s.  Sure, there are far more renowned funk/soul records from the era, but “Brothers on the Slide” shouldn’t be neglected.

The vocals are terrific, too, expressing this narrative of bad, sketchy choices being made. Lyrically, “Brothers on the Slide” is simple.  The type of bad stuff happening isn’t clear, but, it’s not good. Among the most memorable lyrics are “(Slowly sliding) We’re doing all that we can,” which is like the chorus or bridge, as well as the recurrent, “We know which way you goin’.” It should come as no surprise that 🎵 “Brothers on the Slide” has been sampled numerous times. Perhaps this is more of an obscure gem from the 1970s, but it’s a stellar one, nonetheless.

Appears in 🔻:

• Cymande, “Brothers on the Slide”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 59 (2023)

4. Angie Stone, “Brotha”

💿 Mahogany Soul • 🏷 J • 📅 2001

“He is my king, he is my one / Yes, he’s my father / Yes, he’s my son / I can talk to him ‘cause he understands / Everything I go through and everything I am.” So, 🎙 Angie Stone, who is this man? Well, the men the 🏆 Grammy-nominated artist sings about on her neo-soul aughts classic, 🎵 “Brotha” (💿 Mahogany Soul, 2001) are black men.  With so much negative surrounding black men, Stone seeks to praise and uplift them. “And I just want the whole world to know about my / Black brotha, I love ya and I will never try to hurt ya.” In the second verse, over smooth production by 🎛 Raphael Saadiq, Angie goes on to say, “He’s misunderstood / Some say that he’s up to no good around the neighborhood / But fo’ your information / A lot of my brothers got education.” Again, Stone seeks to change negative perceptions and what are often known as implicit biases regarding black men.  Even to those incarcerated, Stone sends her love. Controversial? Maybe it raises eyebrows, but the big takeaway is celebrating black men as opposed to playing on negative stereotypes, etc.  “Brotha” ranks among the veteran singer’s best songs.  It is her highest charting hit on the Billboard Hot 100 (no. 52) even surpassing her ‘ace in the hole’, 🎵 “No More Rain (In This Cloud)”.

5. Donny Hathaway, “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother”

💿 Donny Hathaway • 🏷 Atlantic • 📅 1971

British pop/rock band 🎙 The Hollies own the most successful version of 🎵 “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother”.  In The Hollies’ hands, this spectacular ballad peaked in the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S.  Worldwide, it was a big hit.  Amazingly, 🎙 Neil Diamond also earned success with the 🎼 ✍ Bob Russell / Bob Scott penned record, peaking at no. 20.  While Neil ‘did the damn thing’ like The Hollies before him, a later rendition by 🎙 Donny Hathaway provides a stark contrast.  Hathaway, a soul musician, naturally provides a soulful rendition, something far different from The Hollies or Neil Diamond.

In Hathaway’s hands, “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother” expands to nearly six minutes – nearly two minutes longer than The Hollies/Diamond.  Hathaway slackens the pace, milking this emotional number for all its worth.  That doesn’t mean that Donny over-sings – he doesn’t! Hathaway provides a balanced, classy, nuanced performance, providing more oomph and punch when it feels appropriate.  Besides his prodigious vocals, Mr. Hathaway ‘changes up’ the arrangement.  The lush strings accompanying The Hollies’ version don’t appear until the end. Instead, we get a more prominent piano part, taken directly from the church.  Furthermore, joining the rhythm section are bells, which perfectly capture the ‘good Samaritan’ vibes of carrying one’s brother.  In Hathaway’s hands, there’s no way you’re not enamored by the authenticity of his vocal performance – he really, really sells this fourth track from 1971’s 💿 Donny Hathaway.

Appears in 🔻:

• The Hollies vs. Donny Hathaway: Head 2 Head 🗣️ 4 (2022)
• 11 Must-Hear, Ain’t Songs (2022)

Brother: 3 to 5 BOPS No. 34 (2023) [📷: Brent Faulkner, The Musical Hype; 1400 Entertainment, Inc. / 10K Projects, Atlantic, J, Mad Tsai, Partisan; Alena Darmel via Pexels]