Hivemind Times Issue #2

Welcome To The Hivemind Times!

Okay, so last week was unexpected. We went from being the most _____ newsletter on the internet to being the biggest YouTuber newsletter on the internet in a span of 24 hours (Source: Trust me)

No, but seriously, you guys knocked it out of the park. We’re grateful for the initial response to the first Hivemind Times issue and your support all over the internet.

And we see you guys on Reddit, no more AI images, ok?

- Riley & Graydon

WEEKLY PLAYLIST

This week we’re giving you “Techno and more with Tony”.

Twenty seven tracks from Tony full of trance, underground EDM, and just a fast-paced, electronic good time.

Warning: this playlist may make you want to go full John Wick in the club.

ARTIST BRACKET YOU WANT TO SEE

MUSIC CONTROVERSY

Is Tyler the Creator HATING on Ian?

As I’m sure many of you have heard, Tyler the Creator’s comments on an episode of Mavericks with Mav Carter stirred up internet discourse last week surrounding the popular underground rapper Ian. In a discussion about the current state of rap music and what it means to truly be a musician, the Grammy Award winning artist had this to say: “It’s some kid right now — this white kid, regular caucasian man. And he’s, like, mocking Future and Gucci Mane — like, rap music — and people are like, “This shit hard!” It’s not even, like, satire, like “I’m just joking, I’m just mocking.” Although Tyler never addresses Ian by name, hip hop fans and chronically online keyboard jockeys across the net inferred that Ian was almost certainly the caucasian man in question. 

Now we all know Tyler, we all love Tyler. We respect Tyler’s contributions to music and we take his opinions seriously. So today I’m gonna focus on Ian.

First off, who is Ian? Ian O’Neill Smith is a 19-year-old rapper and producer from St. Louis (based in Dallas, TX now) whose meteoric rise started where many do in 2024 - on TikTok. His song snippets caught traction for many reasons: his witty bars, his modern “rage” style production, his casual laid-back attitude (what some may call “aura”), and yes, of course - because he’s white. Hip hop has seen the rise of many white rappers over the past decade - Jack Harlow, Lil Peep, Yung Lean, Post Malone, Machine Gun Kelly, Yeat, Russ, Lil Dicky, Yung Gravy, etc. - so what makes this different?

Why is Ian so divisive?

Musically, he’s drawn comparisons to rappers like Yeat, Playboi Carti, Future & Gucci Mane - some even going as far as saying he’s doing an impression of these rappers and lacks his own identity. Outside of the music itself, Ian is often praised or criticized for his unflashy, “regular white guy” look. He’s usually in a white tee and sweatpants, and very rarely wearing jewelry. He doesn’t appear to be wearing a costume or presenting some sort of cliché rap alter ego. This is where I think the problem lies. When you start to market your “regular white guy” thing in a tongue-in-cheek manner, it can go one of two ways: either it looks like you’re being true to yourself, or it looks like you’re turning your whiteness into a gimmick.

So where does Tyler’s criticism come from? Is it valid criticism?

While Ian most definitely borrows from black artists and black culture, I do think there’s a fine line between influence and mockery. As a fan of underground music, I don’t think Ian is a “clone” of anyone, and I don’t see his persona as parody. However, I do think Ian being white and the way he markets that awards him extra attention in a predominantly, and historically, black art form. At the same time though, Ian isn’t the only white guy making music like this. People wouldn’t be paying attention if the music wasn’t good, or at least compelling. 

However, I think the hip hop forefathers - or “old-heads” as the haters like to call them - have reason to be cautious. Over the past decade, we’ve seen plenty of white artists enter the hip hop space and gain success, only to eventually jump ship for another genre (usually one that also has roots in black culture but that’s a conversation for another day). I’ve seen many online say that Ian will be making country music in a few years - and I don’t blame anyone for thinking that way. Look at Post Malone & Yung Gravy. Obviously we all remember when mgk went pop-punk for a little bit. While I do think blending genres and creating without boundaries is ultimately a good thing, it’s not unreasonable to say that those artists used hip hop for personal gain and ditched it when it was no longer convenient for them.

Another thing to consider is that Ian is only 19-years-old.

He was born after The College Dropout came out. He’s part of a generation that has had access to the internet for their entire lives. No matter how or where Ian grew up, he’s been able to absorb and seek out music & culture from all around the world for as long as he can remember. Culture has never been more universal. Regardless of race, Ian is probably a relatable figure to people his age who grew up discovering, paying attention to and connecting with the same pieces of culture that he did. For the “music is music” crowd or the “who cares? his music is hard” crowd, Ian is just another young person making hype, rage-inspired songs they like to play in the car and with their friends. Personally, I like Ian’s music. Is that okay? Yes, but I also think we preserve culture by being critical of it and lose culture by failing to do so.

The question is: Is Ian a culture vulture?

Ultimately, time will tell. It’s not up to me and shouldn’t be up to anyone who looks like me. I will say this, though: vultures prey on the dead, and hip hop culture is very much alive. We have artists like Tyler, the Creator to thank for that.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments & on social media.

- Riley

ALBUM RECS

Indie rock fans, listen up!!! The Shins are one of the best bands of the 2000’s, and the only reason they don’t get their flowers as much these days is because they were memed to shit in the 2004 rom-com Garden State. Now that their reputation of being the insufferable record store hipster’s first recommendation has effectively worn off, let me put you on. Chutes Too Narrow is The Shins’ most slept-on album, and I choose to blame that on the wonky, childish album cover (god, we need to do another album art tier list soon - I have THOUGHTS). From the raucous acoustic opener “Kissing the Lipless” to the jangly indie-folk classic “Gone For Good,” James Mercer doesn’t miss once. When it comes to easy-listening 2000’s indie-rock, this album is ol’ reliable for me.

Give it a listen if you like Death Cab for Cutie, Vampire Weekend, Fleet Foxes, Modest Mouse or Future

- Riley

SPORTS

The smell of tailgating is upon us!

NFL preseason is almost over and the rookies have given us our first impressions in their new NFL uniforms. Here’s my thoughts:

Caleb Williams

Caleb looks so good, I drafted him in my fantasy league. I am scared that the Bears are actually cursed when it comes to QB’s but this guy seems absolutely electric. Even had another perfect pass interrupted by PI.

JJ McCarthy ):

I hate Michigan and I hate this dude's meditation before games, but god damn did he look good in that one game he played before shredding that poor meniscus and subsequently being ruled out for the 2024/5 season. He was the only rookie QB I saw push the ball down the field with the comfort of an NFL vet. But alas we will have to wait another year to see if he can really make the NFC North the second best division in football….even though it still might be.

Drake Maye

Drake Maye is going to get the starting gig in New England because he looks fine and no team wants the controversy of starting the QB they drafted at #193 over the one they picked at #3, especially a storied franchise with a former player replacing the greatest coach of all time. I hope to god Milton ends up winning this job midseason because I love controversy and I love his rocket launcher of an arm.

Bo Nix

Bo doesn’t look like a doofus, in fact he looks serviceable and potentially capable of keeping the Broncos off the bottom of the barrel. He hasn’t thrown a pick and looks surprisingly mobile. There is something to be said here about the love affair that is budding between QB and coach, Sean Payton is a wiz and a crazy one at that but if these two sync up there might be something kinda cool brewing in mile high. (Look up Sean Payton ripping bong)

Jayden Daniels

Dude has won the the starting job in Washington and looks like a little Lamar Jackson?

Michael Penix Jr.

Michael Penix Jr. balling in Atlanta is infinitely a cooler hypothetical than Kirk Cousins leading this team to the playoffs only to inevitably lose. And he looks accurate and talented just as he did in college, so good in fact it doesn’t look like he’ll play anymore in preseason. On top of that, he doesn’t need meaningless reps with the 2nd team in practice, this doesn’t bode well for ol’ Kirk. There’s gonna be a fire under Kirk and that big bag of money he has and I am all here for it. Coming back from an achilles ain't easy ever, let alone when you’re 36.

Pittsburgh

And last but certainly not least, the new duo of quarterbacks in Pittsburgh look fucking atrocious and I’m belly laughing in a Joe Thomas jersey as I type this. Imma just leave this here… preseason week 2 combined stats for Field and Wilson were 19/27 139yds 42 rushing yds and 4 sacks. Maybe they shoulda kept Kenny Pickett. 

- Graydon

RILEY’S TWITTER DRAFTS

RECIPES

We’e been out in LA this week doing LA things…like eating salad. So it got me thinking, why don’t I just make my own salad? So I did! I call this one:

Sexy Fun in the Sun No Pressure Summer Salad

What you need…

For the salad itself:

1. Arugula (wash it plz)

2. Sunflower seeds or Pepita or any seed for a lil crunch

3. Cheese - something crumbly like feta but goat cheese or bleu can work too

4. Roast a fucking carrot for once, yes it takes 45 mins but cover it in honey with salt and pep and thank me later

5. Beets, just a good ol jar of beets

6. Some blackberries or raspberries

For the dressing:

1. Good olive oil - as much as you need

2. Juice of like two whole lemons (taste as you go, if it’s too lemon-y, just add more oil)

3. Honey - do a tablespoon at a time depending on how sweet you want it

4. Fresh cracked pep

5. Kosher salt

6. Mince / pulverize like 4 cloves of garlic

7. Red wine vinegar (be gentle, this stuff can be strong)

This is an absolute banger - rinse out the beet jar and put these ingredients in there and SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE. This dressing also keeps for weeks so put it on other shit if you have extra!

What you’ll do…

It’s a salad, get a bowl, put the stuff in a bowl, do your dressing however way you like it and live a little, would ya?

- Graydon 

MERCH