Music Monday | SOLE — RIDE (Feat. Thama)

Hello friends~ I’m back after taking a week or two off~ I’m feeling a bit more refreshed~ Actually, I did intend to post this last week…but I was just hella out of it. It’s all good~ I’m back with another song recommendation for Music Monday~ We’re in fall/autumn now. The weather is getting cooler, and I’m just really feeling some chill, feel-good and just hella easy-going vibes right now. So today’s recommendation is a chill K-R&B track. Today’s track is SOLE’s ‘RIDE’, which features THAMA.

SOLE (쏠), aka 이소리/Lee Sori, is a Korean R&B soloist. She debuted in 2017 under Devine Channel. Apparently Devine Channel is a team of songwriters and producers that have worked with some relatively big names in K-Pop like: EXO, VIXX, TWICE, Super Junior, SHINee, f(x), etc. They even worked on BTS’s [‘FIRE (불타오르네)’]. She’s currently signed under Dynamic Duo’s Amoeba Culture, and is labelmates with [HA:TFELT] (aka Ye Eun/Yenny of Wonder Girls),[snzae (Kim Sun Jae)], Thama, and Rose de Penny. Fun fact, some well-known names previously under Amobea Culture also include: CRUSH, Zion.T, and Supreme Team (which Simon Dominic was a part of). She’s one of my favorite more recent female KRNB vocalists~ She just has such a beautiful, sultry, and soulful voice. I also just love all of her songs. She’s also been featured on so many different songs, many with her fellow labelmates. My favorites would include: [‘음음 Mm Mm(Prod. Cosmic Boy)’], [‘Slow’], [‘haPPiness’], [‘LOVIN’ U (Feat. pH-1)’], [‘Stay With Me 곁에 있어줘 (Feat. 원슈타인 Wonstein)’], [‘왜 (Why) (Feat. 개코 Gaeko)’], [‘GOOGLE MAP (Feat. THAMA, Don Mills)’], and [Big Naughty’s ‘Frank Ocean (Feat. SOLE)’]. ‘음음 Mm Mm(Prod. Cosmic Boy)’ is probably my top favorite song from her though~ I absolutely adore both the original and acoustic versions. Also, she was one of the writers for Taeyeon’s [‘To The Moon’]. Which is funny, because I remember hearing it and thinking it sounded like a very SOLE-like song, and thinking that the background vocals sounded like SOLE’s voice. I remember thinking, “Man, this would’ve really fit SOLE, it sounds so much like her kind of track.” Then it was like, “SURPRISE!” Cuz she wrote it LMAO

THAMA (따마), aka 조정민/Jo Jungmin, is also a Korean R&B soloist. He debuted independently back in 2014. I think he was also under Devine Channel as well. However, he is now also currently signed to Amoeba Culture. I love his vocals. They’re very soothing, relaxing, yet soulful. I don’t remember when exactly I discovered his music. I’m pretty sure I was just randomly going through KRNB tracks on Spotify and came across a track with him and SOLE. He’s done a lot of collabs and features, including with many of my favorite Korean hip-hop and KRNB artists. Some collabs include: SOLE, Dynamicduo, George, JUNE, Verbal Jint, GSoul, and more. He just recently dropped his album [Don’t Die Colors]. I absolutely adore [‘Blessed’], which features GSoul. I highly recommend the whole album if you’re into chill and soulful sounds and vibes. Some other tracks that I like and recommend would include: [Cosmic Boy’s ‘About Time (Feat. Giriboy and THAMA)’], [Cosmic Boy’s ‘남아 NAM A (Feat. THAMA, SOLE, Kim Seungmin)’], [SOLE’s ‘SAME (Feat. THAMA)’], [‘LAND (Feat. nafla)’], [‘Do It For Love (Feat. GEORGE)’], and [Dynamicduo’s ‘Return (Feat. THAMA)’]. THAMA and SOLE seem to collab a lot. I ain’t mad though, cuz I love their collabs since it always sounds good~

‘RIDE’ was released back in November 2017. It was actually SOLE’s debut track. It’s a smooth, feel-good K-R&B track. I love the beat of the track, and I love that it’s kind of minimal. It’s not overwhelming, but it still has the soul and groove to it. There’s also just this kind of light, bright, fun, and feel-good vibe to it. I also just adore both SOLE’s and THAMA’s vocals in this track. I always find myself swaying along and bobbing my head to this track. Honestly, I think it’s a great summer track. However, I also feel like it’s a nice track for the fall too. I feel like it kind of suits the vibes of the cooler fall days after the hot summer days. I can also just envision vibing to this track while taking a drive or bike ride on a nice autumn day too. I also just really relate to the vibe of this track. The track itself is about when you’re feeling tired, frustrated, and probably a bit lonely. But then getting an invitation to go out on a bike ride, enjoying the nice weather, and each other’s company.

You can listen to ‘Ride’ on Spotify, here:

You can listen to ‘Ride’ on YouTube, here:

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THE MUSIC VIDEO & LYRICS

The music video is pretty simple and fun. It just shows SOLE taking her dad’s (?) car and going on a ride/trip with her friends. It’s a fun trip with the girls as they enjoy the scenery, vibes, and each other’s company. It also shows them meeting some guys and making some new friends~ I love the shots of the scenery around them and the drive. It’s pretty. It’s a simple, but cute video. It makes me miss hanging out with my friends since we used to do things like that.

Again, it’s a chill, fun, and feel-good track. You know, sometimes we feel tired, frustrated, and lonely from our daily lives and routines. But sometimes, we just need a break to go and enjoy ourselves, our surroundings, and the company around us. It helps us feel more refreshed. Plus, it’s always good to try to enjoy the little things. Even if it’s just the weather and a simple bike ride with some company that you enjoy.

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Yay! That’s my track recommendation for the day~ I hope y’all enjoyed it. I really do love SOLE and THAMA. Although I think that they’re somewhat known within the K-R&B community, I still think that they’re kind of underappreciated. So I wanted to share their music with y’all~ I just thought it really fit in well with this transition of going from summer to fall too~ Just wanted to spread some chill and fun vibes with y’all~ Plus, it made me think of hanging out with my friends. I miss them since I haven’t seen or hung out with anyone since like December 2019. I legit haven’t seen one of my besties since summer 2019… Anyway, did you like the track? Were you guys familiar with SOLE or THAMA? Also, so you guys have recommendations of similar tracks? Let me know in the comments, my socials, or come chat with me in the BAYOG Discord server~

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Yeah…sorry it took me a while to get this post out. I was feeling hella burnt out. I was also sick for a few days too. I’m all good now though. But I did need a break to just chill. Plus it gave me time to work on some covers. If you didn’t know… before I started blogging with BAYOG, I wrote/sang/posted covers on YouTube. I basically suddenly got a bunch of views on some of my vids and a whole bunch of new subscribers. Which is cool, but I felt bad and surprised since I hadn’t actually really updated my channel in ages. I’m legit hella rusty now haha. So it was nice to work on and post two new cover vids. Especially since I had been meaning to finish [one of them] for like over a year now. Anyway, it is now one of my favorite seasons y’all! Spoop Fest! WOOO! I promise to have some Spoop Fest content up for y’all soon~ I’ll probably have something up after I try to get me some BTS concert tickets (birthday luck please be in my favor)… Also, we do have a giveaway going on. Again, we have a partnership with WordExcerpt. We’ll be giving away 3 copies of a smut omegaverse BL novel series~ You can check out the details [here]. Anyway, I hope you all have a fabulous start to your week! Take care, stay safe, and have a great day my luvs~

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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.