volume 152 - pieces of me

is that enough?

memes of the week 🤠

i imagine this is what 5’7 feels like

how did parents distract their kids before ipads came out

never forget

😭😭😭😭

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happy wednesday y’all :)

i’ve been hooping pretty consistently for about 7 months now and loving every second. as mentioned in previous volumes, i’ve never played this good before (all at 31 lmao)

it’s been really nice to finally find a pickup basketball community. i been trying so many different places since moving and they were always missing something: court isn’t hardwood / too small, expensive, far, hours aren’t great, lack of team play

but i finally found a home at the YMCA out here. i’ve met a lot of people there and progressed from outsider, to insider, to gateopener

things were winding down while playing earlier this week and i told myself if we didn’t win this game, i’d call it a day. i didn’t want to injure myself before going home to SF this week because i’d plan on playing with old friends

on the first play i went up for a layup and bam, a sharp pain on my right knee spasmed while i lept off the ground 🤪

this has never been more true lmao

i was able to walk off the court but couldn’t put weight on my knee while trying to squat. i was distraught. how can the thing that brings me so much joy bring me so much pain?

i saw a doctor yesterday and it might be a meniscus strain / tear. spoke with a friend who’s a physical therapist and it might not be that bad. MRI will tell more early next week

i’ve handled a lot in the past and seeing athletes (albeit with more time, money, and athleticism) come back from similar injuries gives me hope

there’s a part of me that doesn’t want to deal with the hard shit. but i want to face the grind of commitment sooner than later so i don’t have to punt recovery down the road and potentially have it worsen

music has been a helpful distraction 😌. i’m really stoked to share with y’all today: from classics, to bangers, to general good vibes. everybody eats!

so join me on this ride to recovery 🫡

and with that, let's get to the music for the week ❤️‍🔥

- claudio / claud / @offballscreen

playlist koozie

this week’s music ⤵️

1. Is That Enough
   Marvin Gaye
   Released: 1978

i’m not usually one to follow the lyrics initially when i’m listening to music unless the bars are really bad (cut to Drake’s beat it, what? beat it, what? beat it, what? beat it, what? beat it, what? beat it, what? beat it, what? beat it, what? beat it, what? beat it, what? beat it, what? beat it, what?)

but after doing some digging on this track, i learned this whole album is directed towards Marvin Gaye’s ex-wife as they were going through a divorce. when recording the album, he said “why should I break my neck when Anna was going to wind up with the money anyway?”

it all started to make sense revisiting the track listing with songs like: "When Did You Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You", "You Can Leave, But It's Going to Cost You", and the title track

i mean look at these lyrics on “Is That Enough” lmao:

What could I do
The judge said she got to keep on living the way she accustomed to
She trying to break a man
I don't understand
Somebody tell me please, tell me please
Why do I have to pay attorney fees (My baby's)
Attorney fees (Ooh baby)

what a way to process emotion / trauma / pain out loud. and to channel his vulnerability into an album sending shots to your ex-wife as y’all are figuring out custody of your kid / alimony payments is WILD lmao

he eventually settled and gave half of the percentage of album royalties from his next Motown album 😮‍💨

also: the outro is absolutely incredible and i love they let the sax solo for a long ass min

p.s. - DJ Paul and Juicy J sampled this on their classic “Sippin’ On Some Syrup”:

2. Another Planet
   Shintaro Sakamoto
   Released: 2016

that pervasive flute and those guitar chords post-hook 😮‍💨😮‍💨

3. Pieces Of Me
   Ashlee Simpson
   Released: 2004

i rediscovered this recently on one of those #90sbaby IG reels. i normally don’t like those because they put nostalgia on the highest pedestal and make it seem like nothing will ever compare to that time. it feels like a shield protecting ourselves from change

(let me take my cynical claud™️ hat off for a second 😅)

i did not like this song when it came out initially lmao. they played it so much i couldn’t escape it

but now? i didn’t appreciate how much of a banger this is!! the hook alone is chef’s mf kiss. i’m not joking when i say i blasted this at the gym to get through the workout

i think this would work as a country cover as well. can’t you hear Kacey Musgraves’ channelling her inner Ashlee Simpson?

Oh, it seems like I can finally rest my head on something real
I like the way that feels
Oh, it's as if you know me better than I ever knew myself
I love how you can tell

4. Bang The Bus
   Maxo Kream
   Released: 2024

Naija shotta, badman dem
Matte black Rover, Batmobile

i know Maxo from certain singles over the years but mainly from his song with Playboi Carti early in their careers:

when i saw the song title and album artwork (if you know, you know), i was skeptical. holy shit though this blew me away with how his bars float over the beat!! the latter being dreamy, house-y rap

EVILGIANE is behind the beat and has produced for hella underground artists all the way up to Kendrick Lamar. and the sample he used? none other than Frou Frou, Imogen Heap’s electronic side project with Guy Sigsworth (which Wiz Khalifa also sampled on “In The Cut”)

easily easily easily my favorite release of 2024 so far. but plenty more coming for that title as the year goes on 🤠