1246 Decade's Wrap 🤠

[RIP to everyone who won't be making it into the next decade]

1246 Magazine has come up with its pertinent milestones of the decade. I consider myself something of a student of pop culture. At least in 2010 I was. Then I heard Judas right after I found out I had secretly gotten my GED. LMAO! Born This Way does feel like a turning point in my life. My masculinity, my love for pop, my general outlook. In the last 10 years I have seen my aspirations go from looking up to looking straight ahead. Tyler from MTV's Taking The Stage gave me something to believe in and Asiel Hardison of Haus of GAGA gave me a roadmap. By my second semester of college that roadmap had become a caricature of the joke of myself.

Now going into 2020.. somehow I'm now plotting to assassinate APEDRUMS. No Shade but then I would "randomly" bump into Diplo with all my songs he and Walshy Fire can deStroy and I can be the 3rd member of Major Lazer! LMAO! IDK how I got here but really I am the Breakout Star of the Decade. Trying to ascend to Billboard success doesn't come without its lessons though. I've had to, painstakingly, realize that your gut feeling is the only thing you can trust as an artist and as a singular human as we all are. Think about pressing send on that tweet. Don't think about pressing send on that political wordplay!

We have seen so many talents and juggernauts this time period. I can't make all the categories I'd like and this intro is already too long. Cheers to another decade and hopefully one that being "Woke" becomes a universal lifestyle.

Album of the Decade|1000 Forms of Fear

Sacred Cow has decided 1000 Forms of Fear is the album of the decade because it represents the new breed. It's more about the brand and the art now, again.. kind of. You can write for Bey & Rih then breakout with your vision. Orr you can make ur way with instagram posts. Sia did both while maintaining her privacy.

There hasn't been a more genius articulation of pop this decade. Since breaking big, she has shown that writing and singing songs can be a career without sexualizing. Without a crazy phase. She has appeared on dozens of soundtracks; along with efforts that have shown her and her mini-me Maddie's talent. We love a true queen and Sia has made us all exhale a bit.

Single of the Decade|We Found Love

This decade in music has taught us to relax a bit. Admit it. When the chorus in WFL ends you feel a bit more connected, a little more understood. Rih throwing up streamers turned from being disgusting, "OMG Rih needs to chill." to "Grrrrl Same." for me this decade. I think of the EDM decade this song will survive because it encapsulates the human condition. Extreme highs and meh. We are all searching for the transcendent night when We Found Love can create the speed bump we need. I've had it, and so have you.

HipHop Single of the Decade|The Motto

This decade has seen Rap set up camp in art. There has been so much progress made in all areas but the main is its cultural stake. Finally, people are giving African Americans props for our contributions to America. Almost every song on the main chart right now has Rap leanings. Every IG model would give her soul for a hit HipHop song. The Motto represented the shift. You can't escape YOLO and although it's more than 100% not derivative.. Drake has a way of Vulturing his way through Culture with finesse. The song is hot, the term is universal and very few people can pull that off at his level.

Drop of the Decade|Beyonce

The morning that Beyonce dropped I had gone to Tucson to photograph its 4th Street Arts Festival with a friend. I was hungover and quickly bombarded on FB with posts from elation and shock to memes of Stewie with a gun in his mouth. This was a last ditch effort for this woman to conquer the digital age. And she did. Making an album full of videos is much harder than one may think.. CC the other people who have attempted.. I'll wait. This album still slaps, it still has a magic. I don't think music videos will ever matter again and I'm grateful to Mrs. Carter for making something that had such a big effect on me special one last time.

Artist of the Decade|Katy Perry

Katy Perry represents the value of art. Music is the dominant art form these days and Katy had a good burn. Looking back over her discography you realize how curated she is. How meticulously she and her people make her confections. I didn't like her(or many pop stars) at the beginning of the decade. But after learning about music and then the business side I completely get her brand and I'm here for it. I don't know if Mrs. Bloom has a place in the next decade. I don't know if she wants one... but I'm here for her. As hit-or-miss as our relationship is.

Breakout of the Decade|Lorde

Lorde is that coolgirl next door that you would never talk to. From the beginning she's just made us feel shy. How's she so cool, she's top hipster. Her first song threw GAGA pop in the trash and spit on it. It was what we needed. She's from a country most of us never thought about before her. Everything about her is an enigma. Her second effort was this archetype after being famous for a couple years and not everyone went for it. Regardless, Lorde came at a time when she helped me realize I wasn't her age anymore. She started a new era that has helped so many non-girls walk through and I'm excited for L3.

R&B of the Decade|Awaken, My Love

AML is R&B of the decade because it has been struggling in the 21st Century. Us Gambino Girls are upset about Glover not being an angsty OREO anymore; but it's for the best. He has constantly climbed the ladder of respect and has the discography to prove it. You watch Atlanta... but Terrified vs Backpacker. AML has all the fix-ins of R&B but serves it so much artistically. It infuses rap, gospel, classical and so much more. He can't exist pretending to be one dimensional anymore. IDK what to even say about him but "I'm getting the ticket."

Diva of the Decade|Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift went from performing awkwardly with a guitar to rocking stadiums in a leotard this decade. Don’t @ me. My younger brother has stanned since the beginning and I jumped on when Max Martin decided to come back. Like all Main Pop Gurlz Taylor knows no bounds. She's perfect. She comes hard every time and satisfies her Swifties' thirst. Going to or near #1. (Let's just move past Cats...... ..) In 2009 no one would've thought she'd be here going into 2020. She has grown and changed the music industry in so many ways. Let's be honest, we all thought Justin B would be winning Artist of the Decade this year. We all know how that turned out. YOU GO GIRL!

Hero of the Decade|Lady Gaga

We 1246ers are honoring Gaga for her philanthropy this decade. Aside from churning out hit after mind-blowing hit she makes time to speak out about issues within and outside of herself. Her album Born This Way wasn't an empty anthem that stayed in a time period. The BTW Foundation has remained with her (literally as a bus on her tour stops) and grown as if the era never left. Almost everything she does has a call for mental health awareness and kindness. Ima keep it cute. Lady Gaga for QUEEN OF THE WORLDDD!

Feature of the Decade|Nicki Minaj in Monster

I don't think anyone brought it more than anyone ever than this verse. In this verse you can feel Nicki kicking the door of the Rap boys club open. She started cracking skulls and set the stage for our female rap bounty we have today. What is there to say, go listen. Listen to the WHOLE DAMN DARK FANTASY LMAO

Activist of the Decade|President Trump

A few years ago Mr. Trump decided he wanted to be taken seriously in politics. After that he took the necessary steps to become president. There hasn't been a more ardent display of a small person I don't think ever. Donald decided that he would play on American's insecurity. The existence of racism and how our economy works, our dismissal of women. There are people out there who are ecstatic with the job he's done; and don't care about the rest.

During his campaign he gave me a glimmer of hope promising to drain the swamp. Little did I know the swamp was immigrants. I'm not trying to analyze policy. This is about how Trump awakened and gave an Espresso shot to people. A shot of racism to those who had to respect blacks or a black for 8 years. To do that Old Donnie of the Good Ol' Party has pulled a thread in society that is slimy and likely hugely detrimental. I think of humanity as a flower. I resultantly feel that the internet has picked those flowers out of the ground and placed them in a vase. This time it's gonna be worse than ever. Donald Trump & Co. threw caution to the wind to put a cherry on a legacy. The big guy.

Problematic Star of the Decade|Tyler Oakley(Youtube OGs)

In the beginning I feel YouTube had promise, and then people started using it to vlog. Kids rose through the ranks and setup camp at the top. One of those people was Tyler Oakley. At a certain point it became popular to do features or crossovers or whatever. Somehow that cheapened these individuals' talent. Since, we have seen a good handful come into their original career they wanted. Some of them are talented and want to transition but are stuck I guess. I call them the YouTube OGs. Unlike Jenna Marbles they aren't content chilling and making a vid once a week. YouTube has become a good equalizer for talent though and saves a lot of people the blank trip to L.A. I just wanted to shoutout their problematic place in my heart. The tragedy of the decade.

Series of the Decade|Da Vinci's Demons 

This is a selfish decision. Although you've probably never heard of this show it was amazing. (It was on Starz and now kind of widely available to stream) It portrayed Da Vinci as a sort of Inspector Gadget. It was very loosely based on fact but he is my number one hero and I enjoyed seeing him on the screen. The show was great but I'm hoping in the future a better interpretation of him comes out.

Brand of the Decade|instagram

It's glossy, it's fun, it's actually the same company as Facebook. I have a love-hate relationship with instagram. On the one note I love to be able to go on the stories and flip through. I see 2000 existences all happening at once in harmony. It's truly beautiful. But there's another side to existence's coin. The growing need to be seen. There are people who live their lives to "do it for the 'gram". They do risky diets, they put their children in harms way for a video.. they fight on TV for a living. These people aren't the barnacles of humanity. They need to be helped. I understand that everyone didn't put their soul into art and biz and are trending towards a great career. Some people's only hope is to go viral and do something with it. Going into the 2020s we should all take stock with what makes us special, what would work long-term, and how we can contribute.

Company of the Decade|Robyn Rihanna Fenty

The Company of the Decade is, Robyn Rihanna Fenty.

Pop Culture Moment of the Decade|Beyonce & Kim West Photos

It started with Bootylicious and truthfully ended with the Drop of the Decade. Since she has been avoiding photos and doing whatever the f*** she wants. But there was a new invention she hadn't planned on. A woman who looks just like her from certain angles and married her music Brother-in-Law. It's been a ride but not this decade, sweetie. A timeline of my perceived hilarity below.

Beyonce "Did this b*** really bring a toddler to a fashion show?.."

Kim "Hashtag Lifelong fashion memaunts!"

Kim "EHMG it's finally all happening for me!"

Beyonce "Wow, I been tricked again."

Kim "EHMG there's so many icons here at the BET Awards! Bigger than Jayonce."

Beyonce "Kanye is dead to me."

Beyonce "Let's get this over with."

Kim "EHMG there's so many icons here at the BET Awards! Bigger than Jayonce. Hiiiii"

Kim "Wow this really isn't happening huh..."

Beyonce *being the most powerful couple in the room*

The End 📷📷📷

|Lesson of 2010-2019|

"Have fun but only for 4 minutes at a time."

"It is possible to reach the stars and beyond."

"If someone can take a shot and cut you down, they will."

|20/20 Visions|

"Be a little more conscious about being mature and self-care. We all have to be happy. If someone isn't hurting you with their decisions leave 'em alone."

|Honorable Mention|

Reaction Memes are the invention of the decade lmao

LET'S GO 2020s