KAZMALOOP has interesting perspective on Vince Staples
“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And when you look long into an abyss, the abyss also looks into you.”
This nihilist perspective has caught my interest, as I find myself somewhere between nihilism and pessimism. Everything around feels superficial or performative. No one wants to be honest while simultaneously no one can be. To truly be vulnerable is to show weakness, and if both our backs are against the wall the majority of people will exploit your weakness if it means they can be a step above you. No matter the relationship with the person. All relationships are power dynamics with an ever-shifting scale.
So what do you do when you think you have to be the toughest in the room if it means you’ll be at peace? You come into every room prepared for war, with a layer of armor so thick that not even you yourself can remove it. Ready to destroy anyone if they challenge or cross the line with you. Look at our music, look at our movies. Every character is a balancing act trying to appear sane amongst the insanity of the reality we participate in daily. No different from the people watching to escape their own reality.
There’s a cost to be free, it was I think Nietzsche is getting at. You can’t stare into the abyss and believe what you see as normal. The only way out is to know the abyss, without losing your sanity. To live in this duality, where what you know you are doing is wrong but it’s your means of survival. To be wrong and be alive at the cost of your sanity long enough to find peace.
If you’ve been tuning into the radio show, you may have picked up on some of the songs we played from Leon Thomas. Honestly I wish I could just play you the entire album “MUTT”, Leon’s sophomore album. It was a surprise to me to know that he was actually making music when I rediscovered Leon Thomas. When I saw Leon Thomas’ face I quickly realized that he was the actor on Nickelodeon that was always carrying a guitar. I believe he had played some performances on Victorious but I hadn’t heard anything as far as a personal album ever come during that time or anything after his period on Nickelodeon. Plus that was over 10 years ago at least. Leon has gone from a child actor to a full blown artist as well as a grown man. Even if he had made an album I don’t believe that it would be as soulful as MUTT is today. Artists need time to live and understand a bit of pain and love to make an album like MUTT.
This morning on February 20th, 2025 Thomas’ performance at NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert was released on Youtube. Showcasing what years of carrying around that guitar and life experience has culminated into.
WOW, Treasure in the Hills if definitely going into the library for me.
Set List
“VIBES DON’T LIE”
“YES IT IS”
“MUTT”
“Breaking Point”
“Treasure In The Hills”
If you like me and you hear an artist, love their music, and instantly want to know more about them, I found an interview with the Breakfast Club from a month ago where Leon Thomas sat down and spoke about his time on Broadway and Nickelodeon, his production and his history that most of us probably aren’t familiar with.
Burning in paradise 