This is one of those songs that I hate to love. Its hyphy beat had me nodding my head in seconds and the signature voice and flow of each established artist was endearingly familiar to my ears. Why then the discontent? Because verses that flaunt egregious displays of wealth and celebrity are also all too familiar to my ears. And while I am guilty of listening to artists like Waka Flocka, who are embedded quite nicely into this ‘club/party’ niche, I feel that those who can do better, should do better. I have my reservations about 2 Chainz, but artists like Kanye, Big Sean, and Pusha T are lyrically talented enough to escape this niche with ease, especially when they work together on the same track and necessarily inspire and encourage each other. To clarify further, I am all for hyphy bangers, but when songs like “Mercy” are released instead of songs like “Mama’s Boyfriend,” I cannot help but be troubled by the current state of the hip-hop industry. All this aside, click play on the Soundcloud player and blast “Mercy” through your speakers; I would be lying if I said that this song does not bump.

Kanye West peforming “Mama’s Boyfriend” for employees at Facebook…