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Ed Roman Returns With the Clever “I Have a Dream

The clever and satirical singer-songwriter Ed Roman Is back with another clever track, I Have A Dream. Combining colorful imagery and deep metaphors into his writing style, Ed Roman rarely underachieves with his competent prose. “I Have A Dream” is a stripped-down, raw, and emotional piece lacking diverse instrumentation, or complex musical breaks. This is just Ed Roman armed with his trusty acoustic guitar in front of his mic signing about the little things we take for granted and painting a vibrant utopian landscape with the solutions to life’s little frustrations. As we gain an understanding of what a perfect life would look like from the eyes of our troubadour artist, each verse and stanza is resolved with the simple phrase I Have A Dream. These little dreams, however, are deep and thoughtful dreams which define true happiness, not vast wishes and unachievable goals, as stated these are the simple things that bring joy, “With all my friends around, talking about gardens with kids while eating dinner.” Of course, this wouldn’t be a signature Ed Roman piece without a little tongue-in-cheek humor, “She’s an angel’s wings, always thinks of things, like shutting off the water, ‘I Have A Dream.” It is the little frustrations that we do not recognize as having a toll on our stress levels that Ed paints vividly to us that once removed would make a perfect life indeed.

I Have A Dream is accompanied by a very amateur-looking overly backlit video which helps maintain this simple approach to this track. The shot of Ed singing to the camera with the light behind blurring out the surroundings is a little painful to watch, as the focus blurs in and out, yet this is such an ideal idea for a video as the contrast to a song lacking frills and over-production should be visually represented as well. On the other hand, the music production is very well executed, as the vocals and guitar are well separated leaving plenty of headroom for the guitar’s overtones to ring out crisp and clear while Ed Roman is free to resolve each phrase with whatever intonation fits his general mood. This intonation becomes a considerable attribute to this piece as Ed Roman couples his majestic, elegant singing voice with a spoken word articulation to drive his point home, giving audiences that little bit more than they bargained for an appeal to this song. Although, I Have A Dream may not be suited for commercial pop radio playlists, this is still a very enjoyable track, and worthy of many listens. A perfect track if you are feeling down, or generally frustrated with the little things piling up in your life.

–Lee Callaghan

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DJ Akademiks questions if Lil Durk will get bond as the racketeering case goes on

Lil Durk’s legal battle is about to take another big step, and DJ Akademiks is already sharing his expectations for what could go down when the rapper returns to court in November.

Durk is in custody, awaiting his next VICAR case in which authorities say he was running a criminal enterprise. His next trial was set for October 5, but recent developments have called into question when those proceedings will occur.

Durk’s murder for hire trial recently resulted in a not guilty verdict in November. Regardless of that outcome, he remains in custody because the separate racketeering related charges remain unresolved. Durk’s attorneys have asked for the new hearing and have been ordered to appear by U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services, which also must submit a fresh bail report.

Against that backdrop, legal commentator Bradford Cohen had previously suggested Durk could eventually get bond. That view ties in with Durk’s not-guilty verdict in the earlier case, and the argument that the outcome could make it harder to sustain the remaining allegations.

DJ Akademiks sees things a bit differently. In a recent livestream, Akademiks predicted that Durk would not get a bond at the Nov. hearing. He believes the charges will stick and cites the seriousness of the allegations in the VICAR case as his reasoning. He also doesn’t appear to expect the rapper to be released from jail anytime soon as the case moves forward.

Akademiks’ prediction concerns the bond hearing, not Durk’s chances at trial. Durk’s legal situation remains unresolved for now. His recent acquittal has altered the circumstances of his arrest, but the separate racketeering case still looms over the rapper as both sides prepare for the next phase.

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Celebrity

DJ Akademiks Resurrects 2015 Drake vs. Meek Mill Beef With Alleged Nicki Minaj Backstory

DJ Akademiks is digging up hip-hop history buried for 10 years as he offers his supposed explanation for how the Drake/Meek Mill feud came to a head in 2015. The back-and-forth between Akademiks and Meek Mill has resurfaced the conversation. Akademiks returned to the long-running Drake-Meek beef on his stream last night, saying a comment by Nicki Minaj had something to do with what happened between the two rappers.

According to Akademiks, Meek and Minaj were shopping at a designer fashion store when they got to the register. He says that when Meek told her he didn’t have the cash to pay for Minaj, she allegedly told him he would never be Drake. Akademiks also claims Minaj left the store on her own, and then Meek went on X, and what happened next started the infamous feud with Drake.

The account remains an allegation, not a confirmed explanation. The information provided has not been independently verified, and ultimately only those involved, including Minaj and Meek Mill, could confirm the story’s authenticity.

The beef between Drake and Meek Mill started in 2015 and has become a staple in hip-hop conversation. Meek struggled after the fallout, while the beef became a defining moment in Drake’s career. However, the two eventually made up and collaborated on “Going Bad,” signaling a return to a more cooperative relationship despite the rivalry’s tension.

Now that Akademiks and Meek are throwing shots again, the events of 2015 are back in the conversation. By reflecting on the feud, Akademiks has added another possible piece of context to a story that has been a hot topic in hip-hop for years.

Whether his version of events is what actually happened, however, remains unresolved. Currently, the designer-store story isn’t factual, but it is Akademiks’ version of the events surrounding the beef.

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