I never did the “double/triple dog dare ya” thing, outside of A Christmas Story. I’d usually pick truth over dare, since I’m not the balls-to-the-wall, always ready to make a fool out of myself type. Besides, if you let my mama tell it, dares are how so many of my classmates ended up with kids before 18. For someone who loved her grandkids and has the past she has, my mama sure loved scaring the crap out of me when it came to “keeping my legs closed” and keeping others’ legs closed around me. Man, I miss her crazy ass.

Okay, I lost my train of thought there for a second. This isn’t my therapy session. Not today, at least.

Jay Gudda’s “Triple Dog” is a song that takes that “daring” phrase and says “I dare you to be honest and real with people.” That’s, in 2024, an increasingly rare thing–even with everyone saying “what they feel” to everyone else. I never had the problem of lying through my teeth. It’s why I hated most of my career in sales (my current career path changed that). However, I know people who aren’t always true to themselves or with others. It eats at them in some ways, as they’re never really able to grow as people nor are they able to help others. Instead, they BS and pussyfoot around any actual tips for improvement because “I don’t want to hurt them.” My mama may’ve made me fear pregnancy for a bit with my youthful transgressions. But, she also made me be brutally honest with everyone, sometimes to a fault.

I especially love the beat here as well as Gudda’s honesty. No one wants you to fake it, so don’t even try. That’s the message I’m getting here and it’s one that can be applied to any situation. Have a crappy employee? Tell them how to improve and, if they can’t, suggest they look elsewhere. Have a deadbeat BD/BM? Make them stop saying “f*ck them kids” and actually be present. Have that one friend who can’t seem to get right? Tell them where they’re messing up, but don’t just do their life for them. Overall, the song says “be real.” Simple as that.

Check it out below and support dope music in all its forms.