SOTB Faithful, you know that I rarely post remixes of mainstream songs. It’s not because they’re bad for the musical environment. It’s more that I tend to focus on original-ish content, since many of you don’t vibe with remixes/remakes. That said, I couldn’t do anything but write about Izayuh (pronounced “Isaiah”) and his take on Drake’s “Stories About My Brother” (Bandcamp link attached).

Similar to TaReef KnockOut’s remix of the song, Izayuh uses the bittersweet-but-soulful instrumental to talk about a friend who’s been lost to “something [Izayuh] may never fully understand.” Izayuh lets it be known where he stands on taking things to the streets over the littlest things. That’s especially true because he mentioned in his pitch and throughout the song preaches that “anger burdens the spirit”–especially when people let it dictate their movements. Izayuh’s brother was seemingly killed over some sort of dispute.

I’m from Baltimore and I’ve seen what anger can do to people. Sometimes, I’ve seen it more up-close than I would’ve preferred to. After almost thirty-six years, I’ve come to a simple conclusion: 95% of the time, it’s not that deep, y’all. Unless someone’s out here physically causing my family harm or strife with their words or actions, I’ll let many things slide without a retort. I may drop a “fuck so-and-so” in a song, vent about it for a bit and keep it moving. If someone wants to air things out, I’m always open to constructive conversation without wilding out on people. It just doesn’t make sense to be that pissed off over nothing.

It’s not because I’m “pussy” or whatever toxic masculinity mindset you throw out to justify busting heads over small stuff. It’s because I don’t have time/energy/the mental wherewithal to consistently beef with people over petty BS. I didn’t do it as J dot Speed and I won’t start now, especially now that I’m a father. If you need calming methods, I’m not the best at it but I know a few. So, while I know it can be tough, just try to keep a level head and support dope music in all its forms.