What Was Your Favorite Album in High School? — Freshman Year
High school, man. It was the best of times and the worst of times. But they are times that are often looked back on with rose tinted fondness. It may not happen immediately after, or it may not happen at all, but at some point for a considerable portion of the population, people will look back and miss the freedom, the friends, and the lack of bills.
When I think about what I miss about high school, it isn’t all my friends (I do miss them). It isn’t all the dances or the parties or the lack of politics in my life; it’s being able to hear my favorite album for the first time again.
I want you to think about your freshman year of high school — mine was 2007 — and think about which album meant the most to you from the first time you heard it. For me, that was Strength & Loyalty by Bone Thugs-N-Harmony.
There’s no reason a white kid from the Appalachia’s should’ve been looking forward to the 40th album from a rap group whose glory days were in the 90s, but I’ve always been a fan of going against the grain. And when I downloaded that album from Limewire (fortunately, it was the actual album and not Bill Clinton’s speech) I was immediately blown away. I loaded it onto my iPod Nano and allowed the Bone Boys to transport me to another planet while I rode the bus to school.
When the album opener, “Flowmotion”, crept into my ear canal, I knew it was going to be an important moment of impact. Listening to Krayzie Bone not rap, but literally flow on the beat made my heart race and my head bop side to side like I was trying to shake bees out of my brain. “Flowmotion” gave way to “Bump in the Trunk” which led to “Wind Blow” and finally arrived at “I Tried”, the most recognizable song on the album. That’s a mean 4 track intro to any album.
There are only a few skippable songs on the 14 track album, which is a healthy ratio in and of itself. And sure, the album isn’t considered a classic by anyone. Well, to me, it is. But it didn’t break new ground or set any trends, except for disillusioning me into being a rapper. I thought for sure I was going to be the new Krayzie Bone but I ended up being the new Slim Jesus if Slim Jesus thought saying “I write songs more than I right wrongs” was even remotely clever. Wait, Slim Jesus might actually think that’s clever…oh no. Does anyone remember Slim Jesus? What a time.
I still love Bone Thugs, and I still love Krayzie Bone because at one point in my life he legitimately helped minimize any sort of negative feelings I had about myself or things that happened in my life. When I put those headphones through my hoodie sleeve and into my ear, I wasn’t a chubby-ish annoying kid who wanted so desperately to find my wife in high school, I was in the same room as my favorite rappers and we were hanging out. They didn’t care that I hated my clothes, or that I quit football, or that I was a big idiot; they just wanted to hang out with me for 58 minutes.
HONORABLE MENTION
Buck The World by Young Buck. As of this writing, I am currently looking at the Buck The World vinyl hanging on my wall. This is a really great album and one that I don’t nearly go to enough anymore. Buck was my go-to soundtrack for my anger. If I had to mow while listening to this, I could’ve had 4 yards done in 30 minutes.
FutureSex/LoveSounds by Justin Timberlake. If you’re going to read this and tell me that you didn’t know TI’s whole part in “My Love” I will assume you’re a dirty liar who doesn’t deserve anything. Also, “Chop Me Up” and “What Goes Around” still brings enough heat to keep you warm through a winter blizzard. Fuck, what an album.
Everready by Tech N9ne. Tech’s music ages like pasteurized milk but Everready has stood the test of time, somehow. “Jellysickle” was unfairly good. I still think about E-40’s line about being “hot like a left sink handle” any time I need to use hot water.
