Short/Long Song Review: I Don't Mind & She Knows

Well, it's been a long time since I reviewed two songs in one review, but I've finally done it again. This time, I'm doing a theme, based on one artist and his...certain theme of content in his music.
Juicy J is a rapper known for songs about strippers and their line of work geared horndogs who love such. And has been doing this for the past several years. The reason I'm talking about him is because the two songs featured today are all about strippers. And that he is the featured artist on both songs.

Both songs here are pretty...meh. Individually, they feature bits and pieces that I do like, mixed together with bits and pieces that I hate.

First off, here is "I Don't Mind" by Usher.

At first, I don't know what to say about this song. I thought "Oh God, another stripper song.", but then I listened closely and noticed something different. It's not about strippers, or even about falling in love with a stripper, but falling in love with a stripper and not minding that she works as a striper.

Do you know that strippers don't really love their costumers? They only pretend to love the costumers so they can take your money. So about that about her "getting that money"? At least I'll give you credit for noticing what the hood idiots don't: Being in love with a woman, despite the fact that she has the sex appeal to show off to horny toads who part with their money every chance they get to see what they could see on the Internet for free!

Also, that thing that happens in the verses and chorus: some black guy (I assume) repeating lyrics in the background. I hate that. With a passion. My God, I found

"I make enough for the both of us, but you dance anyway
You know I was raised in the A"
On one hand: Whoop-de-doo, Usher, you're from Atlanta! Who gives a buck?!



On the other it's sweet that Ursher has given up his money for both himself and his lady friend to do well, even if she already has a job based on taking off her clothes. Which is weird. But at least he respects her well.
"I'm proud to call you my bitch!"
Fuck you, Usher.

Now, of course it can't be a song about "Strippers, Stripping, Strip Clubs and Sex" without a guest verse from the man of the hour himself, Juicy J. Now, let's see what he brings to the table...or in this case, the pole. Juicy, give us what you got!
"I’m just tryna cut her up, tryna bust a nut
Tryna take somebody bitch, turn her to a slut
Tryna fill my cup, tryna live it up
Throw some hundreds on that ass, walk her out the club
YEAH HOE!!"

So you beat on a woman and call her degrading names?
All in the sake of lust?
Oh, isn't that cute?

BUT IT'S WRONG!!!

So basically, from this verse only, he's going to
-steal another guy's chick
-possibly physically deform her
-ruin one of his testicles on her (I know what it means; just making a joke), and
-use her as his personal sex slave.
Just...un-fucking-precedented. Well, at least she gets a hot meal and a nice warm bed every night.
Oh, and by the way, the "cut her up" and "bust a nut" line reminds me of a couple lines from "Some Cut" by Trillville. So yeah, not only is that a horrible dumb-ass line, it's a horrible dumb-ass line stolen from another song. Great start, J!
"(Yeah, ho) Lap dance for the first date
Bet I threw a few bands, that’s third base
It’s okay if you work late, we can still party like it’s your birthday"
Hahaha. Oh, Juicy J, you randy dumbass, you. You really think she's in love with you? I'm pretty sure you thought so when you saw her ass for the first time, and it was all backdoor birds and bees from there. Fuck you, J.

So of course, that verse sucked. It's just Juicy J spouting the obvious and same.
As for the rest song as a whole...I don't think it's bad. I mean, while I can't stand stripper songs with a burning passion, I do kinda like this song because it's about a guy who actually is aware of the fact that his trophy--I mean bitch--I mean girlfriend is a stripper and dances for money.
Not only is it catchy, I think it's a better song about strippers than I've ever heard in a long time (possibly ever). As for the voice in the background in Ur-shur's verses, it's fucking annoying, unbearable and sort of kills the mood of the song for me (even if there barely is a mood to begin with). And the beat is kinda nice. It's boring, but nice.
Granted the rest of them are horrible, so this one is lucky to get a like out of me. It's not one of Usher's best recent singles, but it's not crappy, so I won't mind hearing "I Don't Mind" anytime soon.

As for the next song, "She Knows" by Ne-Yo, this is one song I can really do without.


First off the beat is kind of irritating. It's like someone recording the sound of a bee buzzing, before mixing it up it in the studio and layering it with some bass. (It's not really minimalist, but just kinda boring) I'd expect Ne-Yo to at least make a nice R&B/Hip-Hop beat. It does get a little better when the chorus comes up.

"She Bad/Mixing ratchet with the classy, OHHH"
--Really, Ne-Yo? So you're saying this woman is a mix of maybe
Alicia Florrick and Nikki Parker?

How disgustingly accurate...

"So Bad/I just couldn't let her pass me, NOOO"
She's a stripper...at a strip club. I don't think a man would ever pass someone like her up. Even if she was thick and big-boned. Wouldn't you?

"She said, 'Daddy, I'll be back after this song'"
You know, I'm up to here with the word "Daddy" in songs like this. Have you guys heard of the word "implication"...or "incest"? At least some of their fans don't, so that's a plus.

And, surprisingly, believe it or not, there is another plus to this song. And it is, of all things, the guest verse from Juicy. It's shocked me too when I realized it, but after a while, I thought...it's not that bad. In fact, I think it's one of his best!
"You got my attention baby, gon' do what you do/
Eviction notice, now you gone have to make a move
All this ice in my rolly (Rolex), no wonder I play it cool/
Ain't no 'I' in Team, but I got my eyes on you"
It's simple, it's catchy, and it works all the way. And, it's not gross, misogynistic, or stupid.
"I watch it bounce/When she walk,
she lick her lips/When she talk,
I throw her in that Bentley coupé/with the top off like Mardi Gras"
It sounds horny, but at least no one gets hurt.
"All that cake, come get you some filling
Like a soap opera watch 'All My Children'
Hit it so long that she might lose feeling
With her legs in the air, she can walk on the ceiling"
Hah! That's clever. That's actually clever. He actually put effort into these lines, and didn't just consult the "How to Write Rap Songs About "

Okay...after listening to both songs, I was left in an interesting position. Even though both songs are pretty mediocre, I somehow think one is better than the other in a few places. Kind of a "Lesser of Two Evils"-type of situation.

In the case of lyrics, "I Don't Mind" has some good lyrics.
I really hate the "I'm proud to call you my bitch" line, but the rest is...palpable, to say nothing of Juicy J's shit guest verse.
Meanwhile, "She Knows" is just about what a stripper does and what she is personality-wise. There's no substance from that. Plus there's a wrap between lyrics. That annoys me; I'm not saying that every song shouldn't have that, but I can't stand it when that happens.
Meanwhile, J's lyrics are...well, at least original. And not disgusting.

When it comes to beats, I'll give it to "She Knows" by a hair. Say what you want about that song's beat, but when it comes to stripper songs, the beat has to be danceable, and She Knows has that. "I Don't Mind"'s beat is just four notes repeating throughout the entire song, with added bass coming in halfway. It's nice, but boring. This beat is irritating, and that baby sound is reprehensible, but at least it's lively and kickin'. And it's a trap beat. So yeah, "She Knows" wins that one.

As for Juicy J lyrics...
"She Knows" wins. Hands. Down. The lyrics are original, they're actually good, the "Eviction Notice" line was pretty clever, and the All My Children one was actually funny. "I Don't Mind" has lyrics that should have a man kicked in his nuts (which he wants to bust so much) arrested, and beaten (in no particular order).

So, at the end of the day, the song I'd listen to more...is "She Knows".
And how surprising, too. At first, I thought I was going to hate "She Knows", because this would've been another crappy stripper song. And it is, but it's pretty catchy and has oomph. "I Don't Mind" is a good stripper song about being in love with a stripper, but the beat is simple and boring, plus the irritating-as-fuck background voice is a complete turn-off for me.

So in conclusion, these are actually pretty good songs, with elements that I don't like and elements I kinda do like inside. Will I continue to listen to them anytime soon? Probably.