"It's beautiful! What is it?"

Do you ever come across a work of art and you're just really blown away by the artistry of it and whatever and it really made you feel something but you have no idea what the context of it is?

Like, when I first read The Hollow Men by T.S Eliot. That is an undeniably beautiful poem, a tragic poem, one that feels heartwrenching when you're reading it. I knew this the first time I ever read it.

But upon a first reading, I didn't have the slightest clue what it was actually about.

(It's about the lost generation that came about after WWI - they were the reason for the so-called "Roaring Twenties". Sure, it seemed like everyone was having fun, except that there was no drive to do anything else.)

But it doesn't really matter, because the way the words are chosen, the artistry of the piece itself, it makes you feel what you're supposed to feel without even knowing why. And that's really impressive.

Or, maybe, when you're looking at a piece of abstract art. And it makes you feel something. You don't know why it does, but you're staring at this mess of colours someone put to a canvas and you feel something about it. It's inexplicable, but that's art.

I love that feeling. I think it's one the most magical things. Because you know that it's coming entirely from the art itself and not from sympathy about the subject.

The example that got this tangent started isn't entirely applicable in the same way, but it still kind of brings that same reaction, of, "I'm touched! Why?"

So, my DELF test is coming up. That's kind of stressful, since it's essentially the culmination of thirteen years of French Immersion, and if it doesn't go well then I might jump out a window. So to prepare me, I've been looking up all kinds of French media. Watching French movies, finding French podcasts, watching Buffy in French because why not, and listening to French music.

One of the French musicians I've been getting into is Maitre Gims. It's more pop-ish than I usually go for, but it's the kind of pop I like because it isn't all romantic and stuff (despite French being the language of romance). He flip flops between being a singer and a rapper, and I tend to stick to the ones where he's more of a singer. I was first introduced to him because one of my French teachers once used his song Zombie as a grammar exercise in class. That song is super catchy, and lyrically interesting.

So as I was looking up more of his stuff, I came across his song "J'me tire".

That's the one that made me go, "It's beautiful! What is it?"

Well, maybe beautiful isn't the right word. It's pop/hip hop, which I have a hard time defining as "beautiful," because to me that's a really loaded word to be used for something more majestic. This song wasn't majestic.

The word I'm looking for is "powerful."

Looking at the title, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. What I got, though, was a rather personal, emotional song about the artist himself, Maitre Gims (or M-Gi, as he calls himself in the song) feeling helpless.

I don't have the full context of his feelings here, and that's where the feeling of, "What is it?" comes in. But the words themselves mean a lot. Roughly translated, the chorus goes like this:

"Im pulling myself out,
Don't ask why I left without a word
Sometimes I feel my heart hardening
It's sad to say, but nothing makes me sad anymore
Let me go somewhere far from here
To keep the smile, I'll say that there's worse
If it's like that, bah, fuck the life of an artist
I know it's cliche to say I've been targeted
But I'll say it for the rhyme"

That's a super rough translation, but that's basically what it says. He also talks about going somewhere where he wouldn't need to take the mic anymore, where no one cared about his life anymore. Possibly most telling, he thanks people who support him despite his being black.

As far as I can gather, though as I've said, I have zero information on the context behind this song besides what's actually in the song, he's been the subject of racism based on his art and the kind of music he makes, to the point where he feels like his only option is give up. At least, that's the message I'm understanding from it. What really makes me feel it is the bridge, which roughly translates to:

"I'll leave without a word
Without telling myself what I will become
Stop, don't think about it anymore M-Gi
Stop, don't think about it anymore, go on."

You really have to hear it, though. Guy's got a powerful voice, and a powerful delivery. I haven't been able to get this song out of my head for days, and that's not just because it's catchy. It's just one of those things that makes you feel something, even if you can't quite understand it (and I couldn't at first - I looked up the lyrics, and that's the moment that this song burrowed itself into my head and never left).

Interesting things that happen when you explore the pop culture of places you've never paid attention to before. I'm not even sure if my interpretation is entirely correct, though it wouldn't surprise me - I understand that France has a pretty big problem with racism.

Anyway, I hope I introduce you to one of those "It's beautiful! What is it?" feelings, because this did it for me, and I think it might be a nice feeling to spread around.