Justine Skye – 2.5.19
Released: 13 December 2019
2.5.19 is a passionate, reminiscent, & self-reflective cry; Justine Skye shines vocally
https://soundcloud.com/justineskye/idgaf
2.5.19 feels extremely polished. Close attention and detail seemed to have been paid during the creation of this song. Justine sings nearly the entire track, but also spits a few bars during the middle section.
Breakdown
The lyrics are a reminiscent cry about a former relationship. Justine sings, “I cried a thousand times/ 2 years a hell of a drive/“, but in the midst of recovery from this relationship which seemingly destroyed her, Justine sings “Made it back to my own(old?) self…for you“. Revealing that she’s only gone through this recovery to be returned to the one who originally broke her. Justine confirms these supposed convictions during the song’s chorus, “I’m a new kind of fool, but I’ll be a fool…for you“.
Sheck Wes?
In February 2019, Justine Skye was involved in an altercation with former boyfriend Sheck Wes and accused Sheck Wes of physical abuse. These events were reported by music blogs around the date of February 11, 2019 (see the above links). This song is titled “2.5.19” (February 5, 2019).
When artists title songs as dates, it sometimes comes off as mysterious or purposefully vague, but this “2.5.19” song title could very obviously be the date that Justine and Sheck Wes fell-out. Making the enjoyment of this passionate swoon as a listener feel a bit perverse, knowing that it is coming from an abused to the abuser, it could even be seen as a form of Stockholm’s Syndrome on wax.
Justine Skye – an eventful 2019
Justine would go on to be publicly involved with rapper GoldLink later in 2019, who recently has come under heavy siege for insensitive comments about the late Mac Miller. Also, Justine posted this song encouraging fans to listen to it because it could be removed in the future. This could be due to copyright and sample clearings. But it could also be due to the song’s lyrical content. See what Justine has to say below, referencing “some weird ass situation”:
Whatever her reasons may be, we know that Justine Skye had quite the wild 2019 – from the Sheck Wes situation, to the GoldLink situation, to a bunch of other personal and career stuff that we will never know about. This track could be the product of that chaos, and the result is confusion. Some would say perverse confusion.
“I’m a new kind of fool, but I’ll be a fool…for you“
Or maybe I’m off the mark here, and this song was “written and recorded a long time ago” – a cop-out many artists use when a controversial song or lyric comes out and they’d rather not confront or ignite the situation they’ve created by releasing the song/lyric. Maybe “2.5.19” is the date her favorite pet goldfish died and this song is an ode to him. It has nothing to do with the above 2019 experiences. Yeah. That’s it.
VERDICT
Was this passionate, yearning song made for Sheck Wes? Who knows? But we do know it’s a damn good song. 2.5.19 plays as a polished, contemporary R&B record. Salute to Justine Skye.
★★★1/2: Very good; a few bland parts or minor flaws throughout.
Rating Categories:
★★★★★: Best in show; pinnacle release from an all-time great artist.
★★★★1/2: Stellar example of genre; peak potential.
★★★★: Excellent; recommended to all fans of artist or genre.
★★★1/2: Very good; a few bland songs or minor flaws throughout.
★★★: Good; fans of the artist will find value here.
★★1/2: Average; does little to establish the artist or maintain quality.
★★: Unexceptional; a few highlights but otherwise bland.
★1/2: Weak; unrecommended for anyone but major fans of the style and/or artist.
★: Seriously flawed; very poor work but relatively listenable.
1/2: Terrible; a true embarrassment and akin to audio masochism.