Hope for the Summer?

At the begining of a music video there are only two tags that make me drop whatever I am doing to prepare for a flavor flav "wowwww" moment. The first, and best, is seeing the words "story by r. kelly" strolling across the screen. The second, which is almost as equally enticing as the first, is seeing the Jam of the Week label in the upper right hand corner of the screen.

Now, if you watch MTV Jams on a consistent basis you know a good Jam of the Week can literally Beyonce-style upgrade your whole week. In the abyss of shitty video after shitty video you will find oasis in a Jam of the Week that seemingly justifies you having not changed the channel for the last two hours, or in some cases, two years.

This week’s Jam of the Week happens to be one of those songs that renews my interest in the mainstream and not be ashamed to openly admit: yeah MTV Jams is the shit, what's it to ya?

Haterz Everywhere by B.O.B. featuring Rich Boy (originally featuring Wes Fif til the label decided to make the song a single) introduces Decatur's own B.O.B. to the masses. B.O.B.'s choppy flow perfectly fits the wobbly synth beat, similar to that of Love in this Club. The hook, while not being revolutionary in concept - when you are a baller you will have a lot of haters (i feel like this should become a tautology taught in logic classes) - pumps you up in only the way all intentionally bad singing rap hooks with shouted out background knock out counts can.

On the Side: Check out the Wes Fif version of the song. I like Rich Boy but I think it's pretty safe to say Wes Fif's verse has got 'em goin down for the count...1...2...3...

Haterz Everywhere slightly renews my hope for a solid summer but I'm not ready to be fooled into optimism just cause a bunch of MC's who are blowing up the internet - B.O.B., Wale, Wiz Khalifa, Jay Electronica, etc. - are going to blow up the rap game.

Final thought: Something about the idea of having a lot of haters is universal. I feel like anyone who listens to and likes this song will at one point or another look around a room and be like shiiit, haters everywhere we go - once a song has that impact it's got some staying power, or at the very least, Jam of the Week status.