volume 127 - who am i?
how do other people see me?
memes of the week đ€
the heroâs journey
this is when we start to move towards the âfuck it we fallâ stage
we are going to start a dialogue
i couldâve been binging Gilmore Girls season 4 but iâm stuck on this escalator đ
been thinking a lot about identity lately. a couple questions come to mind:
who am i? how do other people see me?
drastic changes and traumatic events can force us into introspection. case in point, the second half of last year was rough for me. i was hospitalized, went through major depression, lost my job, and relationships changed
who am i? how do other people see me?
it was a good reality check to see whatâs really important to me. iâm turning 31 this year and we all know thereâs no guarantee to live into old age. what am i doing with my time?
itâs funny how life will give us a sign when we didnât know we needed it most. i was talking with my mom about these thoughts and she said something so wise that spoke to me in the moment: âwe should always be open to the question even though we may not find the answerâ
who am i? how do other people see me?
i was like damn, can you say that again?? i needed it to sink in. i was thinking about my purpose, my mortality, and what to do next. light stuff i know lmao
i wish i could share that thereâs a happy ending but the truth is that this is an ongoing journey. some days are easier than others
who am i? how do other people see me?
i donât need to figure out who i am for the rest of my life today. nor live up to expectations of existent and non-existent people. and thatâs why i love writing Run It Back so much: itâs an outlet to be free and let me be me!
i define who i am
just gotta take things one day at a time. little by little. poco a poco
and with that, let's get to the music for the week â€ïžâđ„
- claudio / claud / @offballscreen
this weekâs music —ïž
Norf Norf
Vince Staples
Released: 2015
I ain't never ran from nothing but the police
I ain't never ran from nothing but the police
I ain't never ran from nothing but the police
From the city where the skinny carry strong heat
Norfside, Long Beach (Norfside, Long Beach)
i just finished binging season 2 of Last Chance U and damn, itâs got me hype. if youâre not familiar with the show, they essentially follow junior college student-athletes from different backgrounds as they work towards their goals (e.g. transferring to a D1 school and eventually playing professionally)
Netflixâs production is immaculate. they really capture the grit and grind of being a junior college athlete and how these kids are working their way from the bottom of the pyramid
what also helps is that they seemingly have the perfect soundtrack for each season. they played âNorf Norfâ and i was immediately reminded of how good this project is. his debut studio album at that! paired with the hoop highlights, it made me wish i was playing organized basketball đȘ
fun fact: the âwhere the skinny carry strong heatâ line in the hook is a reference to this track from Pharrellâs prequel mixtape to his debut album (0:24+)
Witchoo
Durand Jones & The Indications
Released: 2021
Weâll ball out like we livinâ the life
Headed uptown drippinâ, lookinâ extra fly
And if the drinks keep flowinâ, I can go all night
Witchoo
Baby, witchoo
this song just makes me so fucking happy! this is the type of funk thatâs perfect for pregaming, dancing your demons away, or getting a second wind
i love how them and artists like Thee Sacred Souls are bringing soul back with an added twist for a newer generation
What a Fool Believes
The Doobie Brothers
Released: 1978
He came from somewhere back in her long ago
The sentimental fool don't see
Tryin' hard to recreate
What had yet to be created once in her life
if you do nothing else today, watch this clip:
FUBT
HAIM
Released: 2021
It's fucked up, but it's true
That I love you like I do
I'm just gon' keep on lovin' you
It's tough to get through
Either way, I'm gonna lose
So I'm just gon' keep on lovin' you
HAIMâs Women in Music Pt. III is the gift that keeps on giving. with every listen, i find different sections of the album that i gravitate towards depending on what iâm going through
if you listen closely, this song is about being in a toxic relationship and feeling stuck. the highs are high and the lows are low. but i view this as one piece to the story
life can feel really shitty at times and it may seem like nothing weâre doing is working. i know iâve felt that recently but the second part to the story is determination. there is belief in the long-term vision to consistently bounce back and not beat myself up. (and to that point, iâve had so many âday 1sâ at the gym iâve lost count lmao)
onwards and upwards as we move from the âfresh startâ stage of the year to the âok whatâs sustainable long-termâ part of what we want to achieve. keep pushing, yâall đ
my two cents - i see you expressing your best authentic self through writing and curation here, and it keeps me going knowing that others are unapologetically doing just that!
That Michael McDonald impression was great lmao. Also, now I have to add that song and Witchoo to my dance playlist!