Let me say that I am brand new as of today to Tom MacDonald. I had seen videos in my suggestions on YouTube with reaction videos and such, but, I am gun shy when it comes to modern music because it has turned to shit. I don’t like all the sex, drugs, and crap that has seeped into music especially the hip-hop, rap, and r&b scenes.
I grew up listening to Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Tupac, Biggie, and more. I’d listen to the local hip-hop and r&b station for hours everyday while I hung with friends, did homework, or rode my bike to and from school. I grew up in a neighborhood where I was the minority and I didn’t care because we all liked the same things and dealt with the same crap. It wasn’t until the second year of high school that my mom moved us across town to a neighborhood that was mostly the same color as me. I still didn’t care because I was raised better than to judge by skin color or how people look in general. The different culture from my younger years however got me treated like I was a dangerous thug. I talked like I was from the hood, I walked like I was from the hood, I dressed like I was from the hood, because I was from the hood. As much as my mother had tried to shelter me back then I still was exposed to it. I got jumped for my bike multiple times and had to defend myself. I got picked on for being weird. I got picked on for being fat. This was the 80’s and 90’s before zero policies got put in place. The most memorial moment in my younger years was a group of girls surrounding me and threatening to beat the shit out of me if I didn’t quit choir because they didn’t want me in there. The teacher had made the mistake of having me audition in front of them and telling me that I had a fantastic voice. Since I didn’t have any true friends back then to back me up I quit. The teacher tried to have peer counseling do something about what was happening but it never resolved anything, ever and made me feel like I had done something to make them treat me like that when I hadn’t. But, I digress.
I went to Tom MacDonald’s song called “Snowflake” because one of my favorite YouTubers, Blaire White, was called in to be in the music video. I loved the song and the video so I went to Mr. MacDonald’s channel and started watching more. I also watched an interview he did with Officer Tatum. I am amazed at his talent. You can tell that he was influenced by a lot of the same rappers I grew up listening to. On top of that he has gone through a lot of crap that has made him realize that he was slowly drowning in what the rap scene was trying to push on him. He woke up, he decided to be himself and to try and reach out to those that actually think for themselves. He cares and isn’t just doing this to make money, though that is a wonderful byproduct. In his own words in the video from before they filmed the music video for “White Boy” he talks to the actors he hired. He wants to make people think. He grew up in Canada which has it’s own problems, but, generally the racial stuff isn’t as intense as it is here.
My favorite song so far is “Helluvit”. It rings so true to me on a deep level. I spent a lot of my teen and young adult years trying to fit neatly into boxes and fit into society so I get where he is coming from. I am going to binge the rest of his work.
If you like rap with an actual message. You aren’t easily offended and like being made to think check this guy out. I know that I am going to start collecting some of his albums when I can afford to and I am definitely going to be bumping him through Spotify when I am in my car.
Derek's Mindscape 