The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts
Tuesday, March 12, 2019 — 5

MUSIC REVIEW

DEF JAM

I remember watching an 
MTV special on 2 Chainz around 
2012, where I was surprised to 
learn the dope-slinging trap 
rapper graduated high school 
as the salutatorian and landed 
a scholarship to play basketball. 
And yet, in the end he chose hip 
hop, recording hits like “I’m 
Different” and “Birthday Song” 
and becoming one of the most 
desired features in the industry 
($100K for a verse). All those 
past collaborations would come 
back around for this album 
with a superstar list of guests: 
Marsha 
Ambrosius, 
Young 
Thug, 
Travis 
Scott, 
Kendrick 
Lamar, 
Ariana 
Grande, Ty Dolla 
$ign, Lil Wayne, 
E-40, 
Chance 
the Rapper and 
Kodak Black.
The title Rap or 
Go to the League 
is both a nod to 
2 Chainz’s own 
past choice and 
a reference to the widely-held 
belief of young people trapped 
in the hood — the only way out 
is to rap or go to “the league.”
Right from the beginning, 
2 Chainz makes it clear that 
this is not a trap album. On the 
soulful “Forgiven,” he laments 
the dangerous decisions he 
made as a kid and mourns the 
loss of his friends’ children 
who died too young. However, 
the introspective tone of the 
album is quick to fall apart. By 
the time “Whip” starts playing, 
the 
personal, 
from-the-soul 
theme is out the window, both 
sonically and lyrically.

2 Chainz attempts to occupy 
just about every lane of hip 
hop at once on this record: a 
west-coast style DJ Mustard 
track 
(“2 
Dollar 
Bill”), 
a 
modern Southern sound on 
his collaborations with Young 
Thug and Travis Scott (“High 
Top Versace” and “Whip”), 
and even a borderline pop-rap 
record with Ariana Grande 
(“Rule 
the 
World”). 
Quite 
frankly, this album is all over 
the place.
That’s not to say 2 Chainz 
has never dabbled in most of 
these subgenres before, but one 
sound that was completely new 
was the MF Doom-esque song 
“Threat 2 Society.” Packed with 
complex rhymes over a soul 

sample-based beat, 2 Chainz 
proves he can go toe-to-toe 
with 
lyrically-gifted 
artists 
like Earl Sweatshirt. Based on 
this song, a Madlib-produced 
2 Chainz album (in the vein 
of Freddie Gibbs and Madlib’s 
Piñata) might be a match made 
in heaven. Despite all the big-
name features on this album, 
“Threat 2 Society,” a solo track, 
might be one of the best songs.
Don’t get it twisted — just 
about all the collaborators came 
through on this album despite 
its weak points. “2 Dollar Bill” 
has an annoying hook, but Lil 
Wayne and E-40 bring so much 

heat that it almost saves the 
song. Chance the Rapper’s gives 
a mellow-cool verse on “I’m 
Not Crazy, Life Is” that almost 
offsets the disappointing Kodak 
Black verse on the same track. 
But no artist came through 
harder than Kendrick Lamar 
did on “Momma I Hit a Lick,” a 
unique and ominous Pharrell-
produced track. A collaboration 
in the truest sense of the word, 
2 Chainz and Kendrick Lamar 
seamlessly share the hook and 
bleed into each other’s verses.
For each high point, however, 
there is a low. The only time 
2 Chainz tries to address the 
idea that there are more paths 
out of the hood than rap and 
basketball is on the outro to 
“NCAA” 
— 
otherwise, 
nothing 
ties 
this 
record 
together 
outside 
the 
first few songs. 
“High 
Top 
Versace” 
and 
“Whip” 
are 
decent, 
but 
sound 
like 
Young 
Thug 
and 
Travis 
Scott 
b-sides. 
The last track, “Sam,” could 
have been cut and the album 
would’ve been better off for it.
Rap or Go to the League is 
paradoxical, an unremarkable 
album filled with super high 
peaks. 2 Chainz flexes a near 
unmatchable level of versatility, 
but lacks any consistency in 
sound or message. The record 
itself may not be worth listening 
to again in a few months 
time, but tracks like “Threat 
2 Society” or “Momma I Hit 
a Lick” will make permanent 
homes in Spotify listeners’ 
playlists.

2 Chainz is versatile and 
scattered on new album

DYLAN YONO
Daily Arts Writer

Stephen 
Sondheim’s 
most 
underrated musical “Merrily 
We Roll Along” took the stage 
of 
the 
Lydia 
Mendelssohn 
Theatre the weekend before 
Spring 
Break. 
Ann 
Arbor’s 
newest professional theatrical 
company, 
Runyonland 
Productions (founded by School 
of Music, Theatre and Dance 
senior Thomas Laub), headed 
this ambitious project.
“Merrily We Roll Along,” a 
musical with a book by George 
Furth and lyrics and music by 
Stephen Sondheim, is based 
on a play of the same name by 
George S. Kaufman and Moss 
Hart. The musical follows the 
journey of Franklin Shepard 
(SMTD senior Liam Allen), 
a world renowned Broadway 
composer who abandoned his 
friends and collaborators for 
the commercialized lifestyle of 
Hollywood. The musical starts 
at the height of his Hollywood 
career 
and 
works 
its 
way 
backwards in time, showing 
snapshots of Shepard’s most 
important relationships — with 

his then wife Beth (SMTD 
senior Emilie Kouatchou), his 
major 
collaborators 
lyricist 
Charley (SMTD junior Wilson 
Plonk) and writer Mary (SMTD 
sophomore Erica Ito).
In past experiences with 
this show, I have left feeling 
rather saddened by the life of 
Franklin Shepard. However, 
under the direction of SMTD 
senior Megumi Nakamura, I 
left Runyonland Production’s 
version of “Merrily” feeling 
rather, well, merry. Nakamura’s 
message in her director’s note 
at the beginning of the program 
that “the idea that no matter 
where we are in our lives and 
no matter the mistakes we 
have made, it is never too late 
to take responsibility for your 
choices 
and 
move 
forward 
with positivity, love, and hope” 
shines through tremendously in 
her take on this musical.
The actors’ portrayal of these 
classically 
tragic 
characters 
helped a great deal in bringing 
Nakamura’s 
optimistic 
perspective on “Merrily” to life. 
In particular, Ito’s portrayal of 
Mary had a glimmer of hope 
that I have yet to see brought 
to life in many actresses take 

on this famous role. Ito brought 
a sense of spunk and ambition 
to the character, giving Mary, 
a character that can easily be 
portrayed one dimensionally, a 
sense of emotional resonance 
and depth. In addition to being 
a captivating actor, Ito’s musical 
talents also shined through 
during 
her 
performance, 
particularly in her song closing 
Act One, “Now You Know.” 

This was perhaps my favorite 
number of the evening. Ito’s 
combined acting chops and 
musical talents allowed her 
performance to be among the 

most exciting on the stage.
The night I went to see 
“Merrily,” 
Wilson 
Plonk 
(Charley) 
was 
unable 
to 
perform vocally due to illness. 
While Plonk physically took 
to the stage, the vocals behind 
Charley’s 
lines 
and 
songs 
were 
delivered 
backstage 
by 
Runyonland 
producer 
Thomas Laub. Due to Plonk’s 
commitment 
and 
Laub’s 

impeccable 
timing, 
I 
often 
forgot the character of Charley 
was being dubbed over at all. 
This is a true testament to the 
amount 
of 
professionalism 

behind each of these actors, 
as 
well 
as 
Runyonland 
Productions 
as 
a 
whole. 
Another vocal talent worthy of 
mention was Kouatchou. All of 
Kouatchou’s vocals were spot 
on — she was perfectly cast for 
her role.
The musical talents of the 
entire cast and orchestra were 
one of the driving forces of 
this production. At times when 
the blocking got a bit muddy 
and the dialogue was not well 
supported, the story was always 
clearly delivered through the 
music. The orchestra and the 
ensemble complimented one 
another well, remaining in 
harmonious balance through 
the 
production. 
Musically, 
there was not a weak member 
of the entire orchestra and cast.
However, while everything 
was technically there, there 
were times when the emotion 
behind the songs was lacking. 
While the technicalities of the 
music are difficult to get right 
in Sondheim, the tragically 
beautiful stories behind the 
songs in “Merrily” are even 
harder to relay to an audience. 
This production of Merrily had 
emotional resonance for most 

of the songs, but some of them 
were lacking in depth.
Yet 
the 
moments 
shared 
between 
Allen, 
Plonk 
and 
Ito seemed to make up for it. 
The chemistry between the 
three actors clearly showed 
each time Allen, Plonk and 
Ito were on stage with one 
another. The relationships of 
these characters are tragically 
flawed and intensely intricate. 
The actors’ portrayal of these 
relationships allowed it to be 
easy for the audience to root 
for a seemingly hard-to-root-
for friendship. This caused the 
last scene of the show, in which 
the three are together for the 
first time, to be particularly 
heartwarming.
When going to the theatre, 
I can always tell that I’ve seen 
a worthwhile production if 
I’ve left the experience feeling 
changed for the better. I left 
“Merrily We Roll Along” with a 
tune in my head and hope in my 
heart, which is something not 
everyone finds on their average 
Friday evening. I look forward 
to 
Runyonland 
Productions’ 
future shows, especially if they 
are anything like “Merrily We 
Roll Along.”

“Climax,” 
Gasper 
Noé’s 
latest film venture, is designed 
to push its audience over the 
edge. 
Everything 
about 
it, 
from the plot to the music to 
the cinematography, is beyond 
disturbing. And I absolutely 
loved it.
The film tells the supposedly 
true story of a group of dancers 
in ’90s France that 
undergoes 
a 
night 
of sex, violence and 
chaos as a result of 
drinking 
LSD-laced 
sangria. 
Because 
the 
perpetrator 
of 
this 
drugging 
isn’t 
revealed 
until 
the 
final shot of the film, 
the audience is just 
as lost and confused 
as the dancers are. 
While 
the 
premise 
of 
“Climax” 
alone 
has the potential to 
be presented in an 
absurdist 
or 
even 
comedic light, Noé 
takes 
the 
exact 
opposite route. He makes it 
dark, repulsive and deeply 
depressing.
“Climax” is one of the most 
immersive movie experiences 
I’ve ever had, mainly due to 
Noé’s 
masterful 
command 
of the technical aspects of 
filmmaking. 
As 
the 
night 
progresses and the drugs begin 
to take effect, the camerawork 

faces a gradual decline in 
clarity and precision. As the 
dancers 
become 
sloppy 
in 
their judgement and cognition, 
the camera becomes sloppy 
as well, shaking and going in 
and out of focus at random 
moments. While we as an 
audience are never able to fully 
grasp what the dancers are 
experiencing, the movements 
of the camera do an excellent 
job of mimicking it. The sounds 
in the movie also function 

to immerse viewers in the 
world of “Climax.” At certain 
points in the film, the bass of 
the music was so loud that I 
could feel my heart adjusting 
to pump along with it. Just 
as the dancers lost control of 
their bodies, I felt I was losing 
control over mine, albeit in an 
admittedly much less severe 
manner.

The film continues to disturb 
its viewers through its plot on 
a deep, psychological level. 
“Climax” purposely seeks to 
confront and exploit our most 
innately human repulsions and 
fears. The film tackles topics 
like incest and self-harm, and 
even threatens the lives of a 
child and a pregnant woman. 
“Climax” clearly understands 
the things that scare us not 
only in general, but on an 
evolutionary, primal level, and 
it takes no issue in 
exploiting them to the 
absolute extreme.
I’m not sure if I’ll 
ever 
see 
“Climax” 
again. I’m not sure if I 
even want to. But I’m 
certainly glad I saw 
it, if only for the fact 
that I’ve never seen 
anything like it, and 
probably never will 
again. Many will say 
that “Climax” goes too 
far in all respects, and 
I wouldn’t disagree 
with them. But there’s 
something to be said 
about a movie that 
can conjure up such 
extreme reactions from its 
audience, even if said reactions 
arise out of shock and disgust. 
“Climax” is a prime example 
of what film as a medium is 
capable of: Harnessing the 
power of sight and sound to 
make us feel something, no 
matter 
how 
unpleasant 
it 
may be. And that, I think, is 
something to be celebrated.

‘Climax’ exploits sound 
and sight with panache

ELISE GODFRYD
Daily Arts Writer

Rap or Go to the League

2 Chainz

Def Jam Recordings

FILM REVIEW

A24

Climax

State Theatre

A24

Runyonland’s ‘Merrily We Roll Along’ astounds

ALIX CURNOW
Daily Arts Writer

COMMUNITY CULTURE REVIEW

The actors’ portrayal of these classically 
tragic characters helped a great deal 
in bringing Nakamura’s optimistic 
perspective on ‘‘Merrily” to life.