G-Man's Ramblings

Hello Everyone! Today I am reviewing a fairly new release by a popular Christian Hip-Hop artist, Andy Mineo.
In Andy’s latest release, he talks about things such as doubt as a Christian, depression, and struggles with his distant father. There are more songs coming later this year where he will have his full album. But lets get into the songs he already has.”I’ve Been…” starts with a chill guitar to ease us into the first and only verse of this song.
The first few lines seem to express that he’s having a hard time finding truth, especially with the new day. So he needs “a new dose of truth” from God in order for him to see what’s real and what’s important.
He goes on to describe playing arcade games such as NFL Blitz and NBA Jam and says “He’s on fire, not like Satan” Referring to Revelation in the Bible where Satan is thrown into the Lake Of Fire.
And of course, my personal favorite few lines is where he sings “Rain would you please come back on another day-ayy (boo)
Alright, I can’t sing, well don’t that stink (uh)
That’s why I keep the autotune on deck
But lately I’ve been thinkin’ my flaws are something that’s fresh (uh)”
And it ends where he hopes to get the benefit of the doubt.”Clarity” opens with a recording of Andy’s voice taken from his phone, where he addresses being unable to express things creatively or being in “a funk” as a person.
Its another very chill beat with just a simple piano, some 808, and a few drums later on in the song.
Andy talks about the pressure of people being able to listen to him on demand and wanting his music to be long-lasting and impacting.
He uses the words “hella” and “hellish” for reasons unknown to me but other than that, its a clean song.
Andy drops in a few samples of Madeline L’Engle, the author of A Wrinkle In Time (a classic book suitable for all ages, trust me, I’ve read it) talking about how doubt leads to changes in our Christian lives, and at the end of the song she describes her desire for “God to wrap me in the everlasting wings and say
‘There there, it’s alright'”
After the first verse, pre-chorus, and chorus, it transitions into a faster tempo with much more elements of sound incorporated into the track. He talks about being deceived by false teachings and having to relearn a lot of what he believed.
He also seems to wonder if the doubt and chaos he experiences are caused by that of himself, and discusses the culture’s obsession with things such as social media.
Personal Favorite Lyrics: “Rocky verses, I’m a person that’s tryna believe I’m worth it
I’m working through it, but work is, well work, but well worth it”
And “I’m trellis and the vine”Ahh yes “Family Photo”. This one is rough.
He collaborated with his good friend Weathrman also known as Wordsplayed who’s real name is John Itiola. He describes his wedding and his mother texting him during his preparation for the ceremony telling him that Andy’s father was probably not going to be there. Brushing it off, he proceeded through the ceremony where his best man Ray comments on the fact that “At least you know you’re gonna be smashing tonight”
The chorus comes in very smoothly and then it transitions into the second verse, a verse of hurt and anger.
Mineo talks about hoping that his dad was just late, and then “I looked Cris in the face and told her nothing’s gonna ruin our day”
Andy very aggressively says “D*mn man, you my dad, what I did to ya?”
And ends the song with the Serenity Prayer.Andy works with John Itiola again on the next song “Anxiety”
The full first and only verse is:
“My heart run around in my chest
Even in my bed there’s no rest
Your voice is so loud
Nobody hears that sound but me
I hope I don’t drown
My air is trying to leave
Try to breathe for a second
Make believe for a second (it’s all in your mind)
That it’ll be alright, alright, alright, alright, alright”
Then it ends with Andy’s voice at a concert talking about making his next song with his voice and a distortion pedal.”I Ain’t Done” actually topped his song “You Can’t Stop Me” which recently went gold.
This one is very bass heavy (my favorite), and he says “As long as there’s breath in my lungs, I ain’t done”
In the first verse he says that people say to be humble but he knows he is made in the image of God.
The second verse talks about emerging as a winner from the cold season of life he’s in.
He describes the stress that he put himself under:
“Used to spend a lot of time daring myself
Then spent a lot of time comparing myself
Turn into the doubt, then the fear in myself
Overthinking to the point I was imparin’ myself”
And the second verse ends with him saying why famous people are always disappearing or do drugs and what not, the answer for Andy is pressure.”…Lost” Is the final song on Andy’s EP and it seems to be upbeat, depicting the hope the Andy knows he has.
He says “But if I lose my happy thought then I won’t fly” and it moves into his happy chorus backed up by a choir where he says that when the clouds go away and he can see the sun, he knows that he is going to be alright.
The second verse is rap of course, and he asks who’s flying the out of control plane that he’s in. He defines faith quoting the Bible saying “Trust Him even when I don’t see
That’s the definition of faith”
And admits his struggle with the want for control.
The chorus is sung once more and the song ends with what seems to be a voicemail to a producer from Andy where he talks about an idea for the cover art of the EP and the backstory behind it which also correlates with the pre-chorus and chorus. And when the voicemail ends a quiet and somewhat sad piano piece is played and……. the EP ends.I hope this helped you understand what this is about. If you have any suggestions for the next post, please feel free to leave that in the comments and I will consider it.G-Man out. Lyrics taken from Genius

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