Music Monday | Shin Sakiura — Cruisin’ (Feat. SIRUP)

Hello my BAYOG lovelies~ It’s Minty again! I apologize that my posting hasn’t really been consistent lately. Still been busy, still sleep deprived, and just still trying to get back into that blogging groove. Anyway, I’m resuming our usual BAYOG Music Monday series~ Since it is summer, I am trying to stick to a summer vibes theme again~ This time, I have a J-Pop recommendation for you all! Because I may listen to more Korean music, but I enjoy alot of Japanese tracks too! Anyway, our track of the day is “Cruisin'” by Shin Sakiura and featuring SIRUP.

Alright, I’m gonna throw it out there that I’m not as informative on Shin Sakiura and SIRUP’s backgrounds. All I know is Shin Sakiura is a producer, and he produces some great beats. I love his tracks and collabs with various artists. He produces the type of Japanese soul, r&b, hip-hop/chill hop, and funk that I really like. Some tracks I like from him are [“ほんとは (Feat. Kan Sano)”], [“このまま夢で (Feat. AAAMYYY)”], and recently [“Angel”] with Haruno.. He’s collabed with SIRUP a couple times as well. SIRUP is a Japanese singer and songwriter whose sound falls under R&B, soul, and hip hop. I believe he previously worked under the name KYOtaro. He’s honestly one of my favorite more recent Japanese artists, since I do tend to gravitate more towards R&B/Soul/Hip-Hop. One of my first and favorite tracks I heard from SIRUP is [“LOOP“].

Anyway, our track today is Shin Sakiura’s “Cruisin'” featuring SIRUP. The Cruisin’ single dropped in 2019, and had 2 tracks: “Cruisin'” and “Cruisin’ – 80KIDZ’s New Jack Swing Edit”. However, there’s basically a total of 4 different versions of the song! “Cruisin'” also appears on Shin Sakiura’s album Dream. Aside from the original and 80KIDZ’s New Jack Swing Edit there are also: “Cruisin'(Rework)” and “Cruisin’ (Rework) [yonkey Remix]”. The original and Rework versions are probably my favorites. Although, out of all the versions… Rework would be my top favorite. The original is great, but the reworked version just sounds a more polished. I just really like the song; Be it the original version or rework version. I find it to be a very chill and soulful track that gets you in a bit of a groove. It has both a fun and chill vibe to it. I can see this as a perfect summer drive track.

You can find the tracks on Spotify:

You can find the tracks on YouTube:

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LYRIC TRANSLATIONS

Over all, it’s just a fun and feel good kind of track. It has a message of just encouragement to keep going on and just enjoy everything. Enjoy what you love. Have fun. Just do you~ Again, chill and fun vibes which I think are perfect summer vibes.

I know, you know, everyone knows
There’s never just one answer, yeah
Even if you hesitate, make time your ally, yeah
Trial and error again and again will guide the way for you 

Wearing someone else’s shoes,
You’ll never dance well, or be satisfied
Get lost in what you love,
Move on! 

Baby, cruisin’ cruisin’ cruisin’,
You keep going going going,
That thing we can see in the distance
Is the sunrise over the ocean, shine so bright
Driving driving driving,
If I notice, drive me crazy now
Speeding me forward, the guiding wind I strongly feel 

Ah, look at the destination straight ahead
With the same footsteps as always
Ah, if you get on, don’t stop
Fasten your shoelaces tight, so go on,
Even if you compare all these correct answers,
We don’t need anything like an answer
If we’re moving forward, take it easy
All the more, enjoy yourself 

Baby, cruisin’ cruisin’ cruisin’,
You keep going going going,
That thing we can see in the distance
Is the sunrise over the ocean, shine so bright
Driving driving driving,
If I notice, drive me crazy now
Speeding me forward, the guiding wind I strongly feel 

Be alright, don’t be afraid
You’re so bright, you’re so bright
Let’s walk this endless dream together,
Let’s get moving 

Baby, cruisin’ cruisin’ cruisin’,
You keep going going going,
That thing we can see in the distance
Is the sunrise over the ocean, shine so bright
Driving driving driving,
If I notice, drive me crazy now
Speeding me forward, the guiding wind I strongly feel

Translation by shurikane at [LyricsTranslate]

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That’s all y’all~ What did you all think of the tracks? Which version is your favorite? What are your favorite summertime vibes and jams? Let me know in the comments, or hit up my socials! This was a surprisingly short post for Minty standards haha. I’m still trying to get used to blogging again, so thank you all for your patience and understanding! I do plan on trying to get back to regularly/consistently posting~ I have lots of things I want to talk about… it’s just a matter of finding the time and energy haha. Anyway, I hope y’all are enjoying your summer! All I do is work, so have my share of summer fun too~ Remember to stay hydrated and cool! Stay safe and take care loves!~

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Stay safe and healthy out there, y’all.

BLACK LIVES MATTER

AS A GROUP OF BIPOC, BAYOG strongly stands with Black Lives Matter. We are all too familiar with the racism that we, our friends, and family have faced on a daily basis. Every life is precious. However, as BIPOC, we also recognize that black people are a group of people that face extreme racism and at a higher risk for their safety. We’ve individually done several donations. Of course, donations to support the cause and support change isn’t the only thing needed. Support for the cause and change also requires conversation and understanding. Make sure to have those conversations. Please remember to be an active supporter, be it through donations, sharing information, and/or conversations and speaking up.

If you can, please consider donating. I’ve donated more than once as well. For one of my donations, I donated through the BTS ARMY x BLM project. I recommend that if you’re unsure of where to donate. This is because the donation will be split amongst several different non-profit organizations. Of course, you can also choose a specific organization(s) if you wish as well. You can find that [HERE].

You can also check out the following:

• http://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co
• http://blackliveswillalwaysmatter.carrd.co
• http://saytheirnames.carrd.co

STOP ASIAN HATE

As an Asian-American, racism, xenophobia, and hate crimes against AAPI isn’t new. It’s always been around. Unfortunately, misinformation and the pandemic has caused an insane surge in racism and xenophobia. There has also been an insane rise in hate crimes. More recently, we’re seeing a surge of hate crimes against the Asian elderly. Particularly in the California and New York areas. Some cases even leading to injuries and even death. The sad thing is that many cases do not get alot of attention, or are just looked passed. It breaks my heart and is cause for concern since it affects our community. Since some of the BAYOG Crew (including myself) are Asian-Americans ourselves, I wanted to use our small platform to help in anyway. Hate, racism, and xenophobia is an ugly thing. We’re friends, in the same community, and against the same social injustices. So be kind and let’s fight these things together.

You can also check the following for more information, ways to help, & to donate:

• http://hateisavirus.org
• https://gofundme.com/AAPI
• http://advancingjustice-aajc.org
• [Donate to Different Organizations to Support AAPI Communities]
• https://anti-asianviolenceresources.carrd.co
• https://stopasianhate.carrd.co/

Please report hate crimes at Stop AAPI Hate:

• http://stopaapihate.org

Volunteer
You can see if your community has a volunteer chaperone or neighborhood watch/patrol program.
Some examples:

• Compassion in Oakland @ Oakland, California| http://compassioninoakland.org
• Safe Walks @ NYC, New York| https://safewalx.com/en/welcome
• Guardian Angels| http://guardianangels.org/volunteer
  They’re well known patrol volunteers in NYC, but they do have other branches too.

Volunteer at any other organizations that provide assistance to Asian-Americans; Particularly the elderly.
Some examples:

• Heart of Dinner @ NYC, New York| https://www.heartofdinner.org/
  An organization that supports local businesses and provides meals and care packages to the Asian elderly in NYC.