Music2myears94 Life Blog

To all my St. Lawrence homies (post-grad or not), I love you and hope you are all doing just dandy! It has been almost 6 months to the day (come November 22nd) and it feels weird to be out in the real world trying to figure out what it is I will be doing for the foreseeable future. The puzzle pieces are starting to fit into their respective places as I will moving out to Colorado in 9 days to start teaching some undoubtedly amazing and talented little skiers kids at Winter Park Resort for the upcoming winter season. I am really excited to get out there and start making a life for myself out there as I plan to live out there after the season ends as the mountains are my home and where I feel free to be myself and let all my worries and anxieties go! 

I miss the SLU atmosphere of being able to meet up with some of your best friends that can and will last a lifetime in almost the blink of an eye due to the comfortably small size of the campus. I miss being able to walk a couple minutes to the go see some awesome music at the amazing Java Barn! I miss the beautiful seasons that would naturally occur on campus. It would all start with the leafy green summers when we would all arrive on campus in late August to the breathtaking Instagram posts that would take over all of our social media feeds to the first of many snowfalls of the year and even the -30 degree weather we would have to endure during those long winter months. That is what makes the St. Lawrence community and experience so special. It is the fact that each and every one of us would be able to experience the beauty that is St. Lawrence and the greater North Country together as a unit, as a family!

I miss so much more than the select few things I mentioned so to all those SLUzers still there having the time of their lives, please live it up!! Do not be afraid to try new things, join a club/organization, take an obscure class, just get out of your comfort zone, go hiking and skiing/snowboarding as much as you can, go to Java or even the Tick Tock regardless of how cold it is but stay warm and healthy! The more things you explore and try, the more likely you will find your niche and find what motivates you to get out of bed in the morning and make the world a better place! Live your life, love your life and treat people with respect! Also, do not hesitate to email or connect with any SLU grads in an industry you are interested in as 9.9/10 we are more than willing to help you out in whichever way we can! 

I know! Life Blog Post #3?? Wait, where are the first two?? Is that a typo or something? Haha nope it is not a mistake, it is supposed to be post #3. Post 1 and 2 will likely never see the light of day as they were mostly used for me in order to reflect and make sense of a trip to St. Lawrence that was meant to be three days but turned into six days. I just want to talk about this conversation I had with one of the sophomore girls, Allison, who lives in the CKP house. Such a genuine and down to Earth girl. We were talking about St. Lawrence and how awesome it is. I and many others have always said that SLU truly is a special place. It could be the small student body or the fact that it is in the middle of nowhere. It could be the frigidly-long winters the North Country and greater SLU community endure year in and year out. Allison said something you might not hear as often when asking a current student, recent graduate or old geezers like our parents. She said that everyone is passionate about something. I wholeheartedly agree with that statement. When she said that, I began to think about all the people who I had met during my four years at SLU and how passionate the students are. A couple people come to mind: Sean Morrissey and his passion for the environment, poetry, and Bernie Sanders; Steve Yardley and Louisa Stancioff and their passion for making and performing live music to a crowd of buzzing SLU students; Jack Lyons and his passion for all things hockey and journalism related; all the people that give back to the community in service; all the people that stand up for freedom and equality of all kinds; and many others. These are just some examples of some people who I would consider to be passionate and the people (students and staff/professors are definitely the main reason what makes St. Lawrence University such a special and cozy place. You wander in as this clueless freshmen and leave a driven individual who follows their dreams and goals and is always smiling!

Todays world is so fucked up.

Where to begin. Views on gender and what being male or what being female means and how each are supposed to act in any situation. Race equality. Differences in socioeconomic status. Most of all respect and treating people how you would want to be treated. 

Lets get started:

In today's world, men are told to never cry or show any emotion that is not considering 'masculine'. As time goes on and people grow up and reach the high school and college age, they become over cocky just because they might go to the gym a lot and be able to lift a lot of weight and play fucking lacrosse or hockey. So for the guys who are even a bit shy like I have been since day one, we are sometimes intimidated by those guys and feel that we are not as good looking or as good as them and therefore are not able to have the self confidence to walk up to a girl who we have a crush on and just say that we think that they are cute etc. Its a downward spiral from there but some people are lucky to have a strong supporting cast of family and close friends who give you pointers and put a smile on your face and feel that they can do whatever they put their heart in and stay focused on their dreams and goals in life. 

I feel that I have been pretty strong willed in staying away from all the bullshit that goes in during high school and college whether it be the drama within friend groups and all the excessive drinking and drug habits that so many people partake in. Sometimes, it seems that all those people are just walking clones and are no different from any of the others. I am not saying that those people are not good people. This is me just making observations from a far and from past experiences so I do not necessarily know each particular person. I bet some of them are all cool and nice people but a lot of times I doubt it. I bet those people will either have issues later in life with self worth and self identification and some of them will sadly become alcoholics or drug addicts which is never a good thing regardless of how much that person might get on your nerves. No one deserves to go through pain and suffering just because you might not get along perfectly with that person. I just feel that todays gender roles are all fucked up.

Thats the guys side at least part of it. The girls side is also fucked up and I am not blaming it on the particular girls. Its society as a whole, media portrayal, celebrities, magazines and so much more that has totally changed the meaning of what a female is and what beauty is. Girls should not have to worry so much about how they look, how much makeup they put on, how skinny they are, or how they dress. The models who are size zeros or even smaller are being portrayed as natural beauty when many times they do not have healthy relationships with their eating habits and what their personal definition of beauty is. And yes, it is not their fault that they developed those eating habits or even worse eating disorders where they are forcing themselves to throw up after a meal or more each and every day. Girls and guys should be able to eat what they want within reason, I mean its not healthy to constantly ice cream by the container and go to McDonalds frequently. Kids and their families should be taught about the importance of healthy eating habits. And schools should be given funding to provide healthy food choices and decrease the amount of overly fattening and sweets that are served at school cafeteria and dining areas. I will quote two particular songs to help put this into perspective. One being No Make-Up (Her Vice) [feat. Colin Munroe] by Kendrick Lamar and the other one being Simple & Sweet by Jon Bellion (co-wrote The Monster by Eminem and Rihanna). 

"I love the way you put it on your eyes. The roses on your face light up the sky. Those lips are colorful all of the time. And girl, that's fine, but I wanna do you mind, no make-up today". This is the quote from the Kendrick song. Yes, guys appreciate the fact that our significant others dress up in order to look good for us but don't drench yourself in so much make up that we can not even see your beauty. Sure some cover up and some blush or whatever is needed but still keeping who you are at heart is fine but do not overdo it. Dress appropriately too. Try not to show too much cleavage and real short skirts or dresses. Guys, or at least I, am not into the whole hookup culture at college. I actually want to have that connection with the other person and have a conversation with that person. I want to laugh and smile and be active and go on adventures with whoever I am dating or becoming close with. It is real sexy if the girl is confident in who she is, has a passion for something and has something to say regarding a number of different subjects. Brains are hot! As Jon Bellion says in his song Simple & Sweet off of his most recent free album, The Definition, "You don't need to wear your make-up. No need to mess with God's design. You're just so simple and sweet!" What he is saying here (at least my interpretation of it) is that we are all beautiful and were made a certain way based on our genes and the way God made us. I believe that we were all put on this earth for a reason. We are beautiful human beings who have something special to offer the world. We just have to quiet the noise around us and have a calm and creative mind in order to find the inner peace within ourselves. We will then have a better chance at finding our true calling and becoming truly successful people. When I say 'successful', I do not mean having the most money, the nicest cars, and the biggest houses. I mean having a loving family and friends and treat people with respect and care. I mean loving the job they have in that they 'do not work a day in their life' once they find that passion or calling to do good in this world. And yes, those cars, large houses and money are a nice perk of being a 'successful person' but they do not provide inner happiness. They might put a smile on your face for the time being but really makes a person happy is spending quality time with friends and family and feel that your life is prosperous and filled with 'gold' and sunshine. Connect with people.

People are not treating others with respect enough. If people were even a tad bit more friendly and not so judgmental and put their faith in people, honestly the world would be so much better off and there would be less crime and fighting. More smiles. More laughs. Longer lifespan and so many more good things. 

My goal in writing this, is to get my personal opinion and perspective out there and hopefully help people realize their own flaws and imperfections and try to work at being a better human being. No one is perfect and we are going to have ups and downs and tough times but if each of surrounds ourselves with people who bring out the best in us but also challenge us to be better at whatever it is we are interested in then one person can create a ripple effect that will only bring positive things into the world.

PEACE, LOVE & POSITIVITY to all! Happy holidays and GOOD LUCK to all the college students around the country who are dealing with the stress of finals right now. We are almost there. Just keep grinding and stay focused on doing the best you can but also do not let the grades define you. Your whole life is ahead of so do not let one grade get you so down that you feel that you will never get the job you want or be able to do anything in your life. Stay positive and focused and good things will come! Believe in yourself! That is all for now, until next time, I challenge each and every one of you to do something good that you might not do otherwise and try to make someone's day just that much better! Peace and love!

Matt Craighead, St. Lawrence University, Class of 2016! 

Alright so for those who don't know, Felly is a multi-faceted rapper/producer who is now part of a top-notch crew, 2273 Records. 2273 Records features a group of rappers, producers, photographers/videographers and groupies galore who love to smoke weed and enjoy the good life. He grew up in Trumbull, CT and went to Fairfield Prep in Fairfield CT where I also went to school and graduated a year ahead of him. I remember the first couple songs he did during his freshmen year and I saw some talent in him from early on. Then it seems he took a hiatus to work on his craft and producing skills. It seems that it has paid off. He then went on a musical tear releasing a slew of successful mixtapes, EPs and beat tapes. It has been interesting to watch him grow as a musician, artist, and producer and one can definitely hear influences from reggae music such as the great Bob Marley, hip hop greats such as Kendrick and J Dilla and many more. 

I still think my favorite mixtape from him was Restless because of the wow factor and versatility of the music. Since then he has become much more a weed rapper where he constantly talks about smoking weed. I mean yes, I do enjoy some dank weed on a weekly basis but there is more to life than getting hooked up with that potent shit. Restless is his best musical work to date because he actually talked about the shit that he was going through at the time and the listener was able to momentarily put themselves in his shoes and feel his pain and sorrow as well as the joy and happiness. That is exactly what life is: full of emotional ups and downs due to a slew of different reasons. 

Felly definitely has talent rapping but his true talent is producing and sampling a wide variety of genres and beats to produce a super beat that he and others can rap over. He has been able to make some solid dough solely from producing. I remember him saying that he had made $10,000 from his beats and that was a couple years ago so my guess is that he is somewhere around the $25,000 mark now. 

The first mixtape that got me hooked was Restless with songs like Truth, What We Do, Yours Truly, All You Need, All Love, Get Yo Fix, and Vibe Wimme, I could not stop listening and still enjoy listening to the mixtape as a whole each and every time I listen. I like this shit the most as it was very relatable and easy to connect with. Now I feel that he has backstepped in the sense of his ability to connect with the listeners and his ability to tell a story filled with emotion and ups and downs. 

Now all he seems to talk about is smoking weed and fucking around with his homies. I mean I do enjoy smoking weed very much so sometimes but there is more to life than weed, alcohol and pussy. 

He has improved his versatility in his delivery and type of production and rhyme scheme. So he has definitely improved in that area but I wish he did not rap so much about that good good and just better connect with the listeners. His production game is on point though as every time I hear one of his beats, I get into some other world and mindstate and relax and just smile. The other night, I put some Felly beats on for my friend to rap to and switched the beat up every minute or so and he just freestyled to it. It was actually insane. I was bobbing my head and had a smile cheek to cheek the whole time as that was a special moment in that I was playing some dope music for my bro to freestyle to on his birthday evening. I felt like we were on some other level on some other galaxy creating some magic right there. I was challenging him with the beats in that I would switch it up with little to no notice and he would quickly get right back into it and still kill that shit. I cannot wait to work my ass off in the music industry as I have a passion for music especially hip hop and will not stop until I reach my life's goals and dreams and keep going once I get there. The sky is the limit for me as it is for my man Felly. I just want to challenge us all to be their best and keep them on their feet never get stuck in a moment they can't get out of! 

Just taking a study break and I got to thinking and reflecting as usual. Lately, I have been having a recurring thought. The thought is that people are so shallow these days and do anything and I mean anything to fit in and be "one of the cool kids". Oh, you guys drink. Oh you smoke too? You like to crush shots? You drink 5 nights a week? Oh you fancy, huh? People like people for how much they can drink and what clothes they wear. At least that's what it feels like so much of the time. Vineyard vines this. Urban outfitters that, J. Crew the other one blah blah blah. Oh shit I don't own anything from Vineyard Vines. Dammit that means I won't have any friends or won't fit in here. Who gives a fuck? 

I mean does it matter today's relationships (friends and dating) are so shallow and so mindless and dull and lacking of actual meaning. The way people become friends these days is through the drinking culture and other illegal activities. Now I'm not hating on everyone else here because I am guilty of participating in the drinking culture and other various activities too. I am not judging people but I kind of am. It seems people are so pretentious and snotty about how much they party and how fucked up they got last night? It's all just chit-chat bullshit to pass time and feel like when we really have amazing friends. I mean we all have friends for the most part but a good number of them I feel lack that true connection and relatedness. And then there's fuck buddies and the hookup culture. Do not even get me started with that shit? All this shit that we experience within our college years is hindering our futures in our careers as well as in our relationships of any type. I am disappointed in us as people. If we put our heads and hearts together and have a vision of where we want to be, I know we can get something accomplished in the near future. 

We lack people to look up to within society is part of it and the social media and therefore lack of actual quality conversations. There are a couple exceptions within people where you just seem to find that deeper connection right off the bat. The relationship is more than just how was your day or how'd you do on that test bullshit. It should be about more than that! I'll let you define what the means to you but regardless it should be about being able to tell them anything, be able to make people feel good about themselves and challenging each other to be better. And supporting them through thick and thin. This sounds more like a relationship that is more than just friends filled with more care and love in it. I guess maybe that's what I want in a relationship. I think I'm lacking in that department. I feel like I do not have that female voice to confide in and put a smile on my face and give me love to on a daily basis. 

It's 2:20 and I'm hopping on a MetroNorth train heading to Grand Central, NYC. I arrive by 3:45 and head to the Info Booth to wait for a friend of mine, RD, who lives uptown. While waiting for a long while, I see some people running around in vibrantly colored outfits as they are likely celebrating Gay Pride Week in NYC or going to rage at Bingo Players which happened to fall on the same night as the Logic concert. RD arrives around 5:30 and we head right down to 14th Street and Irving Plaza to get a bite to eat and get in line. As we wander over to the venue, Irving Plaza, the line is already around the corner and half way up the block and the crazy thing is that the doors do not open for another hour. True fans? I think so. 

We conversate about our summers thus far and all the dope music that has been released and that is to be released in the near future. RD is a rapper too and goes by the name of Supreme. He is a multi-talented rapper and singer who can capture your ears and mind with his verses and rhymes or his soulful vocals. Check him out on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ryan.daniels.587. True talent. 

7:00 rolls around and the line starts to inch forward. We get in the doors and they are handing out free condoms haha. Not sure if that was a move by the venue or Logic's team but either way it is a classy move as it seemed everyone was appreciative of the gift. The general standing area fills up as time passes and finally once everyone's feet are aching from standing around for so long, DJ Rhetorik comes out to gets this crowds stoked to see Logic perform. His intro was actually real unique and cool as he told a story through the snippets of many of today's popular songs. Shouts to Rhetorik and what he does and the passion he has while up there on stage and behind the scenes creating that energetic and dope mix for the fans. He then gives way to the opener, QuESt.

QuESt hails from Miami, Florida and has now become an integral part of VMG and Logic's crew of rappers, producers and photographers. QuESt has a motto of Fear Not Failure in that we should not fear failing as it happens almost everyday. His words exactly, "I just want people to shed their fears and embrace their failures. And, "We fail every single day. Failure doesn't stop us from what we desire. But fear can literally prevent you from everything you want to achieve and more.” Those are definitely good words to live by. Never let fear take control of your life and thwart you from following your passions, dreams and ambitions that we all have in life. Believe in yourself and put in the the hard work and some good will come your way. 

While on stage, he spits some dope bars but the crowd, as seen by QuESt himself, was there to see Logic, so he has to refocus the crowd and enable them to let him rock the stage and have his deserved time up there on stage. Through it all, he kills it and I have definitely become an even bigger fan of his and what he represents. I am intrigued to hear what he has been cooking up for us in the lab. If I may stand corrected, new material is coming in the very near future, as in by the end of the month. 

Logic comes out after a set change and rocks with the fans for around an hour or so. He plays hits on hits and parties with us all evening. One moment that stood out was when he introduced us to a bet that he and his good friend DJ Rhetorik made. Rhetorik proposed that Logic play two specific songs that Logic had retired from live concerts. Rhetorik bet him $20,000 that if he indeed did play these two songs that the crowd would go wild and would rap along to every word in both songs. Needless to say, the first song that came on, "Tic Tac Toe" from his outstanding Young Sinatra: Undeniable mixtape. The crowd most definitely held there side of the beat. $10,000 down. $10,000 more to go. The next question for the fans was, "What would the second song be?" I went wild when the next song that he performed was none other than the song that really solidified my love and passion for Logic as an artist, "Numbers" another dope track from his Young Sinatra: Undeniable mixtape. I had listened to that song countless times. I gladly and enthusiastically  rapped every word to it as loud and passionate as I could. By the end of night, my feet were more than uncomfortable and aching and my voice was starting to go. It was just about 11 PM and I had just witnessed the best concert of my life thus far. 

That tells me something eye opening. My favorite two concerts have been Logic and Macklemore in that order. The two things that both those artists have in common is that they are independent artists as well as the fact that both the concerts were at Irving Plaza just spread apart by about two years. Logic did sign with Def Jam Records but he still is able to be free and do whatever he wants with whoever he wants. He is therefore able to continue to push his vision to higher levels and really change the music world and along the way gain some of the most amazing fans in the world. Shoutout to the #RattPack and #Bobbysoxers around the world. I consider myself to be a full and integral member of the RattPack as I saw my first true Logic concert and also went home and purchased some merch in order to support the dude and his team as I know he has been working his ass off for this life that he now is able to live. 

The last thing on my mind is, "Logic, where the fuck the album at?" I can sense it coming real real soon. Latest, September release date. Whenever the project releases I will most def copping that shit in stores, on line and anywhere else. The man deserves everything and more. One of the most real humans I've ever heard rap. It would be real cool to have a conversation with the dude. Better yet, my dream would be to tour the world with him and his team and just inspire me to do some amazing things with my life as I have a full life ahead of me. I'm only 20 for god sake. Let's live this life to the absolute fullest and never regret anything. Peace, love and positivity to the world. 

Thanks Logic, Rhetorik, QuESt, Jon Bellion, C-Sick, 6ix, Kevin Randolph and the rest of VMG and as well as Def Jam for inspiring us all to magnificent things with our lives. Best motherfucking concert of my life!! 

@music2myears13 

Best Regards,