stoicism in bladee's 333

I love Bladee. That is no secret to anybody that knows me. He has been my top artist on Spotify two years running and I do not see that trend ending anytime soon.

In Bladee’s 2020 album 333 he turns a new leaf in his sound and songwriting. Past projects felt closer to hiphop. This album is downright ethereal. This album is elven in origin. This is the album the child of Aragorn and Arwen would create.

Bladee also brings a new mentality to this album. In Icedancer Bladee is the loveable brand whore, in Eversince he is the lost sad boy. While listening to this album the themes are remarkably stoic. He reminds us to play the cards that we are given in Oh Well and not to worry in the beautiful song Don’t Worry.

Bladee touched on similar themes his previous 2020 studio album Exeter, in the track MIRROR (HYMN)-INTRO he repeats “Mirror in the way, Ego in the way”. It is hard for this not to resonate with me. So much of life as we know it today appears to revolve around ego. Everything from Instagram to Clubhouse is a vessel with the sole purpose of inflating your ego at hyperspeed. But as Bladee says, “The veil is thin, like my skin”. We are glass cannons in this world. We are hyperinflated by the constant instant gratification of likes, retweets, and messages but many come crashing down at the slightest critique on the internet these days.

What is your ego getting in the way of? What does Bladee think is behind the veil? Those are questions you must answer for yourself. Epictetus has a great quote that is applicable here, “You can’t learn if you think you already know”.

I reccomend going outside, setting off on a long hike and queuing up Bladee’s 333 on a good pair of headphones. Aide can also come from psilocybin if you so choose.

Reccomendations
Headphones: Blon Bl03
Trail Shoes: Altra Lone Peak 5
Spotify Offline: Listen Offline