Today’s song presents a rare and precious male perspective on abusive relationships for women. Society has been constructed in a weird way where a woman telling her abuse story to another woman sounds normal, almost expected. But when a man takes a stance, the room suddenly feels heavier and everyone is listening. And for that very reason, I am grateful to Jay Nitz for the lyrical direction he’s taken in his latest release, Toxic, for the fact that he’s using his voice to expose the mental, physical, spiritual consequences women are subjected to when in the wrong relationship. It is a song that has an extremely solid grip of reality, that will have you holding your breath, and that will also have you singing along sooner than you think. This is a 5-star song. On all possible levels.
After a 20-second intro of electric guitar strums and light cymbal claps, the hook unfolds itself while introducing us to Jay’s very capable voice: “And he don’t really love you like he say he do/ But you say he do/ Just because he said it nice/ That don’t make it true/ Nice that don’t make it true”. The high-pitched airy voice effect that echoes in the background makes the chorus sound that much more mystical and ethereal. Jay Nitz has a cool, clean, bass voice that rightfully steals the spotlight and draws immediate attention to it. It’s too good not to.
You gotta appreciate the honesty Jay uses to set the tone for the upcoming revelations: “She just want to be loved/ He just wanted to f*ck”, now you ladies reading this right now, raise your hands if you been there, done that. I know. We all got our hands up in the air right now. This hit home more than one would like to admit. “She gave him all that she could/ But still it wasn’t enough/ He’d tell her all that he could/ So she’d believe in the front” oh Lord. Fighting real hard to hold back tears right now. Feels like Jay Nitz decided to analyze any given woman’s most heartbreaking relationship through a magnifying glass and he just keeps hitting the bullseye with every bar. Speaking of, pay attention to his melodic cadence with undertones of anger and frustration. The way he’s delivering these heavy lines will instigate reverent admiration in anyone truly listening to what he’s got to say.
“Then she believe that sh*t/ Oh you believe that sis?/ Well All the while he keep saying/ He gonna leave that b*tch/ Then got her pregnant/ He gonna tell her to delete that kid/ When she said no/ He punched her dead in her sh*t/ Damn” I pray that not all women reading this article can relate to these bars, but I know many of us will. It is such a sickening situationship that has its roots in low self-esteem and too much love and idolization for a man. And while very clear from a 3rd party perspective, try telling that to a very young woman who doesn’t know better and whose family lacked the mental tools to prepare her to save herself from toxicity. Jay Nitz is portraying things like they are, without any judicial intent and that just makes him a great narrator, an outstanding lyricist, and a phenomenal artist.
The 2nd verse carries the tremendous responsibility of depicting the aftermath of when a woman does stand for herself and does realize she has to get out: “She still feeling that hurt/
And go to tell him/ That this just won’t work/ He gets livid/ Stands up/ […]/ She tried run/ That n***a hella crazy” while terribly upsetting, the public knows this is a real-life scenery way too common for this day and age. The cinematic lyrics peak right afterwards: “RIP to that baby unborn/ Four weeks/ That baby heart just formed/ She is sore and weak/ Baby’s heart still torn/ She can’t even talk or eat/ Until her jaw’s reformed” – damn. We couldn’t leave out any part of the ending because every single word is wired in such way by Jay Nitz as to make the increasing development the more impactful. And my oh my the impact it has… Devastating.
Toxic is a song that acts as a cautionary tale, that might just save a woman from a life-threatening relationship by showing her what things will devolve into eventually, and Jay Nitz is a fine artist that has chosen a hard-to-digest topic while also delivering a high-quality song. *Standing Ovation*
Song Credits: Jay Nitz – Writer, Young Taylor (Dominik Wirsching) – Producer, Mark A. Lee III – Recording Engineer, Kevin Orsino (Kayo SFA) – Mixing and Mastering Engineer, Vincent Bohn (Vinny Bee) – Cover Art Designer.
Make sure you add this monumental record to your playlists on Amazon Music HERE, on Apple Music HERE, and on Spotify below:
Written by Mariana Berdianu
Blue Rhymez Entertainment ©2020
Blue Rhymez Entertainment 