“You broke my heart girl you rent it in two 

Now it’s not fun to be out with the crew 

I write these songs just to numb all this pain 

I can’t forget you they echo your name” 

-King Nito

“Baby tell me what you want 

Let’s make a deal 

I can give you what you want If you tell me how you feel  

We can trade…”

– King Nito 

“I be round these treeshes and hoes that just want my salami 

These thots really wilding they all on my body 

Im tryna do different I can’t let them block me 

No… 

Baby your a Queen” 

-King Nito 

I am my own biggest fan. Although I am only showing you ONE of my favorite songs from myself, I love all of my babies. Growing up my life was hectic, dealing with a father who always showed me toxic masculinity, as an attempt to make me tuff, I felt like it was emasculating to be vulnerable or to open up. Even though I couldn’t open up and talk about problems, things were still happening, my life was still declining and my mental state was always being altered. Until I found music. I wrote my first rap at 8 years old after I learned that my father was again sent to prison. “My name is Jimmy, got plenty of Knowledge, That’s why I’m going to COLLEGE!!” Lol. Now it sounds so basic but this is when I learned that although I didn’t feel comfortable opening up to people I didn’t have to hold in the things I was feeling. It took alot for me to become “my own biggest fan” and it began with me having to look at my life and realize who I am as a person. 

In high school I was well known for being one of the people you can pass the mic to during a cypher at lunch and this reputation made me veer off the path of authentic content. I began rapping to please a crowd and not to express my problems. This is obvious because in some of my first works I said things that I wasn’t really living. For example, “My whole hood show me love, I can crip walk with the bloods”. While I am affiliated with some bloods whether through family groups or just friends I don’t actively take part in these types of activities. One day my father listened to my music and his first question was, “Jerome are you really in these screets?” When I said “no” he told me the best advice that I ever got in my life. He said, “Stop writing for people and write for you, Write what you live. When you put yourself in your music that’s when everybody gon like it. And if they don’t ohh well. But you will never lose yourself as a supporter.” From that moment on I stopped rapping and started “singing”. I was able to get back to my origins and shamelessly become vulnerable in my music understanding that I write for me. My friends at the time who only rapped clowned me for singing, telling me they needed the old Jimmy back. The “Bust a nigga head open Jimmy” but fortified in my music I laughed it off and kept singing. (It’s funny because now all those friends try to sing and protect their melodic voices) 

Now, I can honestly say that to me I write the best songs ever. My girlfriend hates it when I say that however, when I listen to my songs I’m hearing my story. In Love Affair, I’m talking about how I feel emotionally stuck in a “love affair” with a girl because every time I feel like I have to leave her to chase my dreams she shows me she will still love me, wait for me and be there. She shows me that I can chase my dream and be confident that she will add to me while she waits. So in response I say…

“I’m stuck in a Love Affair (with you)

I’m stuck in a Love Affair (for real) 

I’m stuck in a Love Affair (it’s true)

I’m stuck in a Love Affair (i’m scared)

cuz I gave you no reason to love me

But girl that’s the reason I love you” 

In conclusion, I have to apologize. I am NOT writing to all the people in the class right now. This is a little bit of my story to provide inspiration for the content creators in the class. If you want to be your own “biggest fan”, I recommend you write about your life. This way you can always ensure that whatever you create will remain timeless in your mind. If your work matters to you then it will always matter to others. Don’t cheat the people out of hearing their own story in your music because you are trying to sound cool or go mainstream. I am so happy that I listened to my father that day and if you as a content creator apply this tip… you will be happy as well. 

I chose this song because I love the narrative. It tells a story about a love struck individual who tries to escape from a woman to focus on his career but for some reason he can’t. This is what he calls a “Love Affair” In the song King Nito uses repetition. The chorus is not only repeated multiple times in the song but the phrase “I’m stuck in a love affair” is repeated four times in the chorus. As a listener I find myself hypnotized by the melody. Speaking of melody his music would be categorized as melodic rap as he takes strategies from both genres of music to make something totally different. Another aspect for the song is the Harmonies. I love how not only the background vocals are not only harmonizing with the more prominent vocals, but also serves as ad libs for the song. There is a dynamic feel of the song as we progress there is a change in how things are said. For example the third time that Nito sings the chorus, the whole song becomes distorted and warped and as a result It’s easy to forget about the amount of repetition. I feel like this song is perfect because the repetition did not overwhelm the song, but rather added to the transformation of the method of the song.  As a result of the format the song actually embodied the story. Where as listeners we were literally “stuck in a love affair” after every verse. Every other part of the song, Verse one, verse Two, bridge was ended with the same words. “I’m stuck in a love affair”. As a result the listeners are “stuck in a cycle” as King Nito “is stuck in a love affair.”

Narrative- The story that is told in the song.

Repetition- When a word or phrase is repeated in order to get the listener to remember it. (Usually the name of the song)

Melody- A linear succession of musical tone that the listener perceives as a single entity. 

Harmonies- Combination of musical notes sung or played simultaneously.

Ad-libs- A word or sound that is recorded but wasn’t pre-planned. It enhances the other parts of the song. 

Dynamic- A song that changes as it progresses.