On the 88th edition of 5ive Songs (2021), we select five songs that are associated with PRIDE in some form or fashion.
W
elcome to 5ive Songs, where we keep things short and sweet โ no extra calories or needless fluff! Thereโs a theme/topic, five songs, and a short blurb.ย Yes, itโs a playlist, but itโs a miniature playlist that shouldnโt take much time to consume.ย On the 88th edition of 5ive Songs (2021), we select five songs that are associated with PRIDE in some form or fashion. ย Okay, letโs get into it!1. Coldplay, โPeople of the Prideโ
๐ฟ Music of the Spheres โข ๐ท Parlophone โข ๐ 2021
In need of a f-bomb to add intensity to ๐ฟ Music of the Spheres, the 9th studio album by ๐ Grammy-winning alt-rock quartet, ๐ Coldplay? Look no further than ๐ต โPeople of the Pride,โ where front man ๐ Chris Martin curses! โThereโs a man who swears heโs God / Unbelievers will be shot,โ Martin asserts on the first verse, continuing, โThereโs a man who walks around / Like he owns the fucking lot.โ Uh-oh โ I also sense some religious skepticism, which might be more notable than that unnecessary โfuckery.โ
Beyond that, however, the bridge features the most important, inclusive lyrics:
โWeโll all be free to fall in love
With who we want and say
Yeah, yeah, yeah
People of the pride
Go.โ
With some memorable lyrical moments, as well as some fine production wizardry, โPeople of the Prideโ ranks among the best of Music of the Spheres.
2. J. Cole, โp r i d e . i s . t h e . d e v i lโ
Ft. Lil Baby
๐ฟ The Off-Season โข ๐ท Dreamville / Roc Nation โข ๐ 2021
โBright lights pass me in the city, itโs emergency / Iโm thankful โcause I made it past my thirties, no one murdered me.โ Woo! On ๐ต โp r i d e . i s . t h e . d e v i l,โ a standout from ๐ฟ The Off-Season, ๐ Grammy-winning rapper ๐ J. Cole speaks about how pride can be a negative thing.
On the first verse, Cole asserts, โPride be the reason for the family dichotomy / Got uncles and some aunties thatโs too proud to give apologies.โ True โ FACTS! Of course, a huge selling point is the featured guest: ๐ Lil Baby.ย Lil Baby has โbeen on a tearโ and that โtearโ continues on the second verse of โp r i d e . i s . t h e . d e v i l.โ One of my favorite lines:
โGot my feet up, I paid silly bands to have sex on the jet
I donโt need โem, that shit in the past, Iโm feelinโ like whatโs next.โ
3. Shelley FKA DRAM & Summer Walker, โAll Pride Asideโ
๐ฟ Shelley FKA DRAM โข ๐ท EMPIRE / Atlantic โข ๐ 2021ย
๐ Grammy-nominated artist ๐ DRAM has been reborn as ๐ Shelley FKA DRAM. On his long-awaited sophomore album, ๐ฟ Shelley FKA DRAM, the ๐ต โBroccoliโ hit maker embraces R&B exclusively โ a smart choice! Shelley runs just 10 tracks deep and 38 minutes long but proves to be incredibly rewarding, beginning with the soulful opener, ๐ต โAll Pride Aside.โ
โAll Pride Asideโ is buttery smooth in all aspects.ย Beginning with Shelley himself, he serves up expressive, sophisticated vocals, showing off his gorgeous upper register.ย He enlists fellow R&B standout ๐ Summer Walker for the assist.ย As weโve come to expect from Walker, she continues to deliver a cooler brand of R&B โ more laid back and chill, yet still expressive.ย While Iโd argue DRAM is the more dynamic of the two vocalists on โAll Pride Aside,โ the end result is positive, period.
Also appears on ๐ฝ:
๐ ๐ง โAโ Songs: No Rhyme or Reason, Vol. 2
4. $uicideBoy$, โPutrid Prideโ
๐ฟ STOP STARING AT THE SHADOWS โข ๐ท G*59 โข ๐ 2020
๐ $uicideBoy$ returned in 2020 with their sophomore album, ๐ฟ Stop Staring at the Shadows.ย ๐ Ruby Da Cherry and ๐ Scrim have been far more prolific, however, releasing numerous projects prior to their two studio albums.ย On ๐ต โPutrid Pride,โ ๐ Budd Dwyer (Scrim, of course) gives the Boy$ a dark, slick backdrop to spit over.ย
Two new alter egos arrive โPutrid Pride.โ Scrim appears as ๐ Lil Cig, rapping the first verse and select portions of the chorus.ย He doesnโt serve up anything transcendent but give him credit for โPopping on pills like I pop cough dropsโ and being a โmulti-millionaire all from my laptop / Slob on my knob until your jaw lock.โ As for Ruby, heโs ๐ 40 Blunts, handling the second verse and most of the chorus that precedes it:
โAs the years go by
Another day closer to death
Time is ticking, hurry.โ
40 Blunts also manage a couple of standout lines such as โThe same fuck girls will be fucking the same fuck boysโ and โThe same heroes you once had have been reduced to a toy.โ Sure, โPutrid Prideโ fails to reach two minutes in duration, but itโs potent, nonetheless.
Also appears on ๐ฝ:
๐ ๐ง 13 P Songs Selected with No Rhyme or Reason
5. Kendrick Lamar, โPRIDEโ
๐ฟ DAMN. โข ๐ท Interscope โข ๐ 2017
โI donโt trust people enough beyond they surface, world / I donโt love people enough to put my faith in menโฆโ Agreed, ๐ Kendrick Lamar, agreed! ๐ต โPRIDEโ appears on Lamarโs ๐ Pulitzer Prize-winning 2017 album, ๐ฟ DAMN..ย โI put my faith in these lyrics, hoping I make amend,โ the rapper continues the first verse of this slow, meaningful, and powerful standout from DAMN.ย ย
โPRIDEโ is a prime example of continual depth and transcendence that characterizes DAMN. Beyond the literal faith of the first verse, morality, and immorality โ spiritually-related things โ play a role.ย Pride, of course, is considered a sin.
โSick venom in men and women overcome with pride
A perfect world is never perfect, only filled with lies.โ
Pride: 5ive Songs No. 88 (2021) [๐ท: Atlantic, Brent Faulkner, Bruce mars, Clovis Cheminot, Dreamville, EMPIRE, G*59, Interscope, The Musical Hype, OpenClipart-Vectors, Parlophone, Pixabay, Roc Nation, Unsplash]