I like to think that I’m a unique person.
My name is Tawanda, I have tattoos of both cartoon characters and times that I almost died. I like sneakers, manicures and the show Reno 911. That’s hella unique. What blows my mind is that every other day someone tells me I look like someone they know. When I was in High School people said Kanye, when I was in College it was Kid Cudi, and in comedy I get Lil Rel. The other day someone walked up to me at a party and said “Yo you spit some fire bars my nigga” and I had no idea who he was talking about, I just went with it and said “thanks for supporting the movement” before giving him my IG. I really believe that my spirit and energy is so different but, when I dug a little deeper, I’m pretty regular. Tawanda is a really popular name in Zimbabwe, a lot of niggas have tattoos, and a lot watch TV while caring about their appearance. I definitely fit a certain mold.
Lately a lot of people have been telling me I remind them of PJ Morton. I didn’t know who he was or what he was about, but when I saw he was just a nigga with glasses and a beard, I was kind of tight. Then I learned that beyond being my look-a-like, he was a pretty dope musician. So with that lets get into his new album “PAUL”
The minute I pressed play, I wasn’t as mad that people think I look like him.
PJ Morton got the energy of someone who went through a period of having a lot of white friends. When I discovered that he was in fact a member of Maroon 5, it all made sense. PJ basically made an album for niggas to listen to after a long day being a token black employee/friend/member of the Dallas Mavericks. He’s grateful for the life he’s built for himself, but knows that work needs to be done to strengthen himself and his community.
This is the music of a man who’s realized that once your dreams have become a reality, your purpose becomes living. He has a family that he needs to take care of and he’s happy to provide for them. This is a good album to compare health insurance plans to. PJ knows that “aight the deductible here is higher, but the copay for emergency room visits is Free” sound, and he knows that sound well.
As I listen to this, I can hear that PJ, like most niggas of our ilk, was heavily influenced by Kanye. This would’ve easily been a G.O.O.D. Music release in 2011 and it shines for this reason. My phone heard me play this album and started sending me ads for Todd Snyder twill pants.
Overall, I rock with this album. Now I may be biased because people see this man and see me, but it’s very well crafted. Thematically it hits home for me as someone who’s trying to bridge Dreams & Reality. Most artists speak of this connection with cynicism, but PJ has warmth in his voice. He’s proud of what he’s done, and is preparing himself for what he has to do next.
I give “PAUL” 8 wine Turtlenecks out of 10