Steve 'Flash' JuonDid I just hear a very familiar “ohh-ah ohh-ah” in this song?
Today was not the day I expected to hear a sample of “Video Killed the Radio Star” in a rap song. It’s a pop song whose symbolism has long eclipsed the artist’s intentions. Ostensibly a reaction by The Buggles to the changing media landscape in the late 1970’s, the song then became infamous for being the first music video show on MTV, ushering in the very change the song was cheekily addressing. I found it doubly ironic that I discovered this while reviewing Lil Tecca’s “Dopamine” because I was streaming the album from YouTube while drafting this piece. If The Buggles were writing the song today, they’d probably title it “Streaming Killed Music Television.” MTV doesn’t even show music videos most of the time. You certainly wouldn’t find “Owa Owa” on there anywhere nor “Half the Plot.”
YouTube and TikTok are the new MTV. If you want to find a video from your favorite music artist you’re not turning on the television to look for it… unless it’s to stream something from your phone TO your TV. I’m not looking to be a Luddite about this. I actually like the on demand nature of today’s services even if you have to pay to get them ad free (and even then they sneak sponsorships in). Lil Tecca has embraced this change to the point that even songs like “Don’t Rush” that have no big budget music video still have a “visualizer” online. It’s a bit of cotton candy to look at while you consume the sugary fluff of his beats and rhymes.
That might sound like a hater’s comment — “Oh Flash is saying he’s empty calories and no substance.” Well… yes? But that doesn’t mean it’s BAD exactly. I’ve already celebrated Lil Tecca on this website in the past, and made no judgment about him in doing so. Since this is a review of “Dopamine” though I’m forced to get off the fence and give you something specific. To me songs like “Sure of It” are a snack from Dollar Tree. I know what I’m consuming, I know it’s not nutritious, but like he says on the song “Only came with one life so I’m living my life.” You need that sugar now and then. If that was all you ever consumed to the detriment of everything else you’d be fucked, but this is a quick snack for the ears before you have something more nourishing.
Over the course of 41 minutes (or more on some editions) Lil Tecca extols the virtues of a hedonistic lifestyle. He eats, drinks, fucks, spends money and makes all his haters mad. I could try to give you a profound analysis of his statements but they are entirely surface level so it’s not necessary. “Give a fuck what you saying, give a fuck what you thought […] you trying to get broke and famous, I’d rather be rich and unknown.” There it is. “On Your Own” has put all of Tecca’s cards on the table. He’s not bluffing.
“Dopamine” has a laundry list of producers and almost no guests save for Ken Carson, so you can’t even make the case that he’s not conveying his message here. It’s all him from the front to the back. Can you handle that? Well I’m going to tell you how I handle it — selectively. I open the box of candy and I don’t consume it all in one sitting. Read the label. There’s like a half-dozen servings in there. I pour out a small amount, enjoy it, and then I close the box. I’ll have some more… later. I listen to Lil Tecca the same way. I consume a song or two at a time, then I come back for more another day. With the amount of preservatives the pitch correction puts into his songs, there’s no expiration date in sight, so feel free to enjoy a handful of “Dopamine” any time you like. Snacks help us survive. I’m no philosopher living on a diet of lentil soup to prove a point and neither are you. A little sugar, a little dopamine, it’s fine by me.