20. Isaiah Rashad - “Nelly”
Isaiah Rashad is a man of the people. He’s that type of friend that stays low key no matter what, never letting anything ruffle their feathers, or startle and upset them regardless of the situation. He just keeps going on in his own little world, oblivious to the outside world, comfortable and content with himself, plodding along at his own pace while everyone else rushes about around him, wearing themselves out and deteriorating their soul as they chase after the latest trends and fashions. It’s an admirable quality, a sort of steadfast chillness, embodying cool without chasing it and defining success without being owned by it.
True to form, this song is a low key love song. It’s a love that’s steeped in realism, free of all hyperbole, lies, and forced emotion. Instead its simply honest and raw, with no unrealistic claims just steadfast emotion. It’s the perfect metaphor for love, a metaphor that anybody with an appreciation for music can relate to. After all, every person is unique, so when two unique people come together the love they form is naturally unique. Its the same with music. Everybody embarks on their own musical journey, probing genres and artists until they form their own unique musical taste.
These tastes more often than not lead to a jam, a timeless song that encompasses everything you’re drawn to and love about music. Jams are unique to you, intertwining with your soul and personality in a way that’s both inexpressible and overwhelming. Number ones on the other hand are for the masses. They’re crafted to appeal to everybody, to fit in and contort to the will of
society and the currents of time until they’re stripped of any soul and simply gilded in an appealing but cheap patina. Number one’s are short lived, they’re overplayed, milked for all their worth over the course of several weeks and then thrown out and forgotten. There’s no substance to them, no longevity that immortalizes them int he heart of individuals. They’re simply the lowest common denominator, meant to appeal to everyone without ever truly touching any one person’s soul. Jams on the other hand are the pinnacle, the shining example of everything music can be, remaining unnoticed by the masses but irrevocably striking an individual’s soul. So when Rashad speaks of his love being a jam, he’s speaking of the substance of the love, the underlying appreciation and longevity of what he feels. It may not be showy, or the most glamorous of loves, full of staged photos and forgotten nights, but it’ll be real, it’ll touch their souls and stay for the long haul, resonating with who they are on a deeper level untouched or unnoticed by most. It’ll be love how its supposed to be, just like jams are music how they’re supposed to be.
