AAAAHHH so my housing information updated right at midnight and I now know who my roommates are. Well, not really. I know their names, hometowns, and phone numbers. Like the junkie I am, I added each on Facebook so get a head start on creating lifelong friendships. I just hope they're laid-back and cool. The last thing I need are wack roommates all throughout college.
Fingers crossed!
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Idiosyncrasy
I'm going to attempt to stay true to my daily blog themes as much as possible.
Let's delve right into Tuned in Tuesdays. My topic: west coast vs. east coast hip-hop.
A lot of people will say, "you're a small town girl, what do you know about rap?" Well, dear friends, I know more than you think. ;) Lately, I've been listening to a looot of rap and getting in touch with my gangster side. Something about rap just draws me in. I think it's the manner of conveying thoughts into a flowing poetic stream of words that match a beat and rhythm. It's an artform; creative and not so easily done. I appreciate its uniqueness and it's revolution from the 80s into today. Like the LMFAO song said, "They said that rap was a fad/but it surpassed rock and roll."
In the early to late 90s, there was a bit of a conflict between the east and west. It was very prevalent then but kind of died down because you don't see too much of the tension today. Then again, you don't see too many west coast rappers nowadays anymore. I won't get too involved in the history because I myself don't know it completely.
But this does leave an open question... what IS the major difference between west and east coast rap?! After much research and experienting, I've come to a conclusion. The wesy focuses on the musical aspect whereas the east favors the lyrical. If you don't believe be, play a Dr. Dre song and then play a Nas song and you will see. West coast rappers and producers experiment greatly with sounds and instruments, Dr. Dre especially. Every song that man has produced has some sort of usical element which makes them hits. Straight up, what other rappers can have crotales playing their riff and STILL be hard core? West coast hip-hop has a very broad use of melodies and harmonies but lyricaly, ehhh they're a little dry. This isn't to say that all west coast rappers are dry in the mouth. The Game and Crooked I are two very lyrial west coast rappers who can get the music as well as the proper wording down to a T. But that's what, two out of how many? Don't get me wrong, I will ALWAYS love the Snoops like "Gs up, hoes down while you motherfuckers bounce to this." but I will admit, it's not the most poetic of all verses.
East coast hip-hop, on the other hand, is VERY lyrically oriented. A lot of east coast rappers tell stories, Biggie, Nas and Immortal Technique being just a few of the many. Each verse, each bridge, each line is so well-written and straight from the minds of people who have experienced life before the gae of 20. Rappers like Jay, Loso, Biggie, Budden, Wu-Tang Clan, even Q-Tip plus the earlier mentioned all have such clever and effective ways of manipulating the English language in their favor. Anyone who appreciates rap can agree that the east is full of literar geniuses. Musically, though, is a little lacking. If I'm in a zoned out mood, I will listen to east coast rap for the lyrics alone. If I'm in an upbeat mood, I'll turn to something else. I'm not saying they completely lack it, but as compared to the west, the east is clearly more focused on spitting deep lines than they are writing captive hooks. The only rapper I will give major props to is Mos Def; with his interesting array of sound mixed with his symbolic verses, that man is every hipster's gangster escape.
It's a funny situation and reminds me a LOT of that one episode of Hey Arnold! where Dino Spumoni and his lyricist Don Reynolds split up. Dino Spumoni can come up with the most seductive and catching of all tunes, but sucks at the wordage. Don Reynold, on the other hand, has put poetry in motion but has a mediocre and boring beat. Put the two together and they are each other's backbone! I'm surprised there weren't too many collabos between the east and west. They probably could have created gold. One supergrooup that does seem to combine both very well is Slaughterhouse. Every song of theirs has both elements on point. But that's probably because it's a group comprised of a west coast rapper, two east coast rappers and a midwesterner.
Speaking of which, I can't neglect the up and coming midwest hip-hop. The midwest successfully combines beautiful lyrics with catchy tunes that bring them to be another great clan of musicians. Kanye, Lupe, Common, Em... all amazing rappers who have demonstrated an intelligent use of words with a great rhythm to go alonh. Lupe Fiasco is my MOST FAVORITE rapper of all time because, not to be cliche, is real. He and Common can both say what they need to say without lessening their intellect which I think is an important attribute missing in today's music industry. It makes me sad that Lupe is retiring after his next album is released. The rap game needs more souls like him for us avid thinkers who appreciate a scholar.
Since I touched on the midwest, it's only fair I shout out the south's contribution, too. The south has produced some legendary musicians like the Ying Yang twins, Luda, Rick Ross, of course Weezy, Nelly, Mystikal. These rappers remind me of the westerners; catchy but don't say too much. Lil Wayne is probably the only one who has that metaphorical swagger down, but does he ever say much more than "get money and pussy" in a clever way? Some songs, yes, but not too many. As for the rest, they can spit it cleverly, but they never really do say too much.
All in all, each coast and region has their strengths and weaknesses which make them unique and great in their own way. No one region is better than the next because none of them have it ALL. This is my take on the hip-hop game. You may agree, you may not, you may think I need schooling, or you may think I need to stick to my guns. No matter the case, let me have it. :)
Let's delve right into Tuned in Tuesdays. My topic: west coast vs. east coast hip-hop.
A lot of people will say, "you're a small town girl, what do you know about rap?" Well, dear friends, I know more than you think. ;) Lately, I've been listening to a looot of rap and getting in touch with my gangster side. Something about rap just draws me in. I think it's the manner of conveying thoughts into a flowing poetic stream of words that match a beat and rhythm. It's an artform; creative and not so easily done. I appreciate its uniqueness and it's revolution from the 80s into today. Like the LMFAO song said, "They said that rap was a fad/but it surpassed rock and roll."
In the early to late 90s, there was a bit of a conflict between the east and west. It was very prevalent then but kind of died down because you don't see too much of the tension today. Then again, you don't see too many west coast rappers nowadays anymore. I won't get too involved in the history because I myself don't know it completely.
But this does leave an open question... what IS the major difference between west and east coast rap?! After much research and experienting, I've come to a conclusion. The wesy focuses on the musical aspect whereas the east favors the lyrical. If you don't believe be, play a Dr. Dre song and then play a Nas song and you will see. West coast rappers and producers experiment greatly with sounds and instruments, Dr. Dre especially. Every song that man has produced has some sort of usical element which makes them hits. Straight up, what other rappers can have crotales playing their riff and STILL be hard core? West coast hip-hop has a very broad use of melodies and harmonies but lyricaly, ehhh they're a little dry. This isn't to say that all west coast rappers are dry in the mouth. The Game and Crooked I are two very lyrial west coast rappers who can get the music as well as the proper wording down to a T. But that's what, two out of how many? Don't get me wrong, I will ALWAYS love the Snoops like "Gs up, hoes down while you motherfuckers bounce to this." but I will admit, it's not the most poetic of all verses.
East coast hip-hop, on the other hand, is VERY lyrically oriented. A lot of east coast rappers tell stories, Biggie, Nas and Immortal Technique being just a few of the many. Each verse, each bridge, each line is so well-written and straight from the minds of people who have experienced life before the gae of 20. Rappers like Jay, Loso, Biggie, Budden, Wu-Tang Clan, even Q-Tip plus the earlier mentioned all have such clever and effective ways of manipulating the English language in their favor. Anyone who appreciates rap can agree that the east is full of literar geniuses. Musically, though, is a little lacking. If I'm in a zoned out mood, I will listen to east coast rap for the lyrics alone. If I'm in an upbeat mood, I'll turn to something else. I'm not saying they completely lack it, but as compared to the west, the east is clearly more focused on spitting deep lines than they are writing captive hooks. The only rapper I will give major props to is Mos Def; with his interesting array of sound mixed with his symbolic verses, that man is every hipster's gangster escape.
It's a funny situation and reminds me a LOT of that one episode of Hey Arnold! where Dino Spumoni and his lyricist Don Reynolds split up. Dino Spumoni can come up with the most seductive and catching of all tunes, but sucks at the wordage. Don Reynold, on the other hand, has put poetry in motion but has a mediocre and boring beat. Put the two together and they are each other's backbone! I'm surprised there weren't too many collabos between the east and west. They probably could have created gold. One supergrooup that does seem to combine both very well is Slaughterhouse. Every song of theirs has both elements on point. But that's probably because it's a group comprised of a west coast rapper, two east coast rappers and a midwesterner.
Speaking of which, I can't neglect the up and coming midwest hip-hop. The midwest successfully combines beautiful lyrics with catchy tunes that bring them to be another great clan of musicians. Kanye, Lupe, Common, Em... all amazing rappers who have demonstrated an intelligent use of words with a great rhythm to go alonh. Lupe Fiasco is my MOST FAVORITE rapper of all time because, not to be cliche, is real. He and Common can both say what they need to say without lessening their intellect which I think is an important attribute missing in today's music industry. It makes me sad that Lupe is retiring after his next album is released. The rap game needs more souls like him for us avid thinkers who appreciate a scholar.
Since I touched on the midwest, it's only fair I shout out the south's contribution, too. The south has produced some legendary musicians like the Ying Yang twins, Luda, Rick Ross, of course Weezy, Nelly, Mystikal. These rappers remind me of the westerners; catchy but don't say too much. Lil Wayne is probably the only one who has that metaphorical swagger down, but does he ever say much more than "get money and pussy" in a clever way? Some songs, yes, but not too many. As for the rest, they can spit it cleverly, but they never really do say too much.
All in all, each coast and region has their strengths and weaknesses which make them unique and great in their own way. No one region is better than the next because none of them have it ALL. This is my take on the hip-hop game. You may agree, you may not, you may think I need schooling, or you may think I need to stick to my guns. No matter the case, let me have it. :)
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Joyride
How AWESOME is this bike I built on urbanoutfitters.com?!
Can you picture me riding this from class to class and along the beaches in San Diego? Oh, how blissful life would be. I'm getting this bike one way or another. Count on it.
Can you picture me riding this from class to class and along the beaches in San Diego? Oh, how blissful life would be. I'm getting this bike one way or another. Count on it.
Phantasm
Blogging is just so necessary right now. I have far too many thoughts and I need to learn to articulate them effectively. To help me do this, I'm organizing my days.
Missive Mondays: a day dedicated to talking about the current happenings of the world and my thoughts on them.
Tuned-In Tuesdays: a day dedicated to anything music related.
What's Up Wednesdays: the most exciting things going on in my life that week.
This is Sparta Thursdays: things I feel like shouting. ;)
Fabulous Fridays: things that are just fabulous and worth blogging about.
Spare Me Saturday and Sunday: whatev days.
DOUBT I'll follow this but it's nice to have a plan!
Missive Mondays: a day dedicated to talking about the current happenings of the world and my thoughts on them.
Tuned-In Tuesdays: a day dedicated to anything music related.
What's Up Wednesdays: the most exciting things going on in my life that week.
This is Sparta Thursdays: things I feel like shouting. ;)
Fabulous Fridays: things that are just fabulous and worth blogging about.
Spare Me Saturday and Sunday: whatev days.
DOUBT I'll follow this but it's nice to have a plan!
Indebtedness
A very happy raksha bhandan to all my brothers out there.
I'm so lucky to have an endless supply of brotherly love in my life. Thank you for the consistent protection you provide.
<3
I'm so lucky to have an endless supply of brotherly love in my life. Thank you for the consistent protection you provide.
<3
Monday, August 23, 2010
Tergiversation
On a different note, I've been debating a lot about the righteousness of the Ground Zero Mosque lately. It's a touchy topic but I think I'm getting in tune with my more conservative side on this one.
Abridged, I disagree with its construction. Why? Let's get some factual information before we continue.
The actual mosque was in the works prior to the September 11th attack and isn't planned to be built at Ground Zero itself but roughly two blocks away from the hallowed ground. It will not solely be a mosque but also a pretty lavish community gathering place for Muslims complete with all things community-friendly and for this, I will refer to it as a cultural center. The CC is intended to be a Muslim institution but will instead be run by a board of members of all different religions. Imam Faisal Abdul Rauf, the founder and brains behind this project, believes the center will "amplify the nature of [their] work."
Seems harmless, so why oppose it?
I'm going with a different route. I have NO problem with Muslims wanting to celebrate their religion and culture with a center dedicated for people in New York City to utilize. I do, however, have an issue with the nature of the project. This is purely opinion here, but I don't think the true essence of this center is really there anymore. As an idea, I believe it STARTED as a plan for the Muslim people to have a place to exercise their Islamic beliefs safely, but as radical (and even non-radical) Americans learned of this project, the controversy took away from the original meaning. As expected, many Americans do not want to see a mosque be put up just mere feet from the ground where thousand of innocent civilians died from an alleged Muslim terrorist attack. (I say alleged because to this day, we have not received any actual proof of Muslims being behind it and so I will remain politically correct.) They see it as a slap in the face, as almost a surrender to terrorists and Muslims alike (because half this nation sees them as the same thing anyway.) And honestly, it almost is. You wouldn't put a swastika near a historical concentration camp, would you? This is rowing in the same boat.
But that's not why I oppose the center. Like I said before, some people are absolutely radical. They are so politically hard-headed that they will go to great lengths to get their point across. Hitler, bin Laden, Stalin, Castro, all radical political leaders who led nations to do carry out the things they believed. I understand there are not many like that, but there are enough to put an entire community in danger. If this center is built, every Muslim who attends is in severe danger of being victimized by a radical. It only takes one to cause destruction. Just one.
If this center is built, it will only be done to be politically correct. It's less about the betterment of the Muslim community and more about making a point that America is "friendly to all peoples". It just doesn't seem worth it, to be honest. I'd rather not put millions of people in danger just to preserve the caliber of the constitution.
Obama seems to agree with me. I'm not trying to defend the guy in everything he does, but this particular situation I will. One speech, he seemed to favor the project and the next speech, he didn't. Sounds very John Kerry-esque, no? What many people seemed to miss was that in the first speech, Obama agreed with the RIGHT of the Muslims to build the center, yet in the next, he did not agree with the morality. His first speech's point was about their political and constitutional right to built a religious prayer ground, which I will agree is a little redundant and unnecessary because that wasn't really the issue. His next speech questioned the saintliness of building a religious prayer ground next to a sacred area which I think is most definitely something to think about. I don't think Obama handled this in the best possible way, but give the guy a break. He knows what he's talking about.
In conclusion, my dear Muslims, New York City is a large and vast metropolis. You will find another place for your beloved center.
References (I only trust the Brits):
http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_8913000/8913937.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/8931657.stm?ls
Abridged, I disagree with its construction. Why? Let's get some factual information before we continue.
The actual mosque was in the works prior to the September 11th attack and isn't planned to be built at Ground Zero itself but roughly two blocks away from the hallowed ground. It will not solely be a mosque but also a pretty lavish community gathering place for Muslims complete with all things community-friendly and for this, I will refer to it as a cultural center. The CC is intended to be a Muslim institution but will instead be run by a board of members of all different religions. Imam Faisal Abdul Rauf, the founder and brains behind this project, believes the center will "amplify the nature of [their] work."
Seems harmless, so why oppose it?
I'm going with a different route. I have NO problem with Muslims wanting to celebrate their religion and culture with a center dedicated for people in New York City to utilize. I do, however, have an issue with the nature of the project. This is purely opinion here, but I don't think the true essence of this center is really there anymore. As an idea, I believe it STARTED as a plan for the Muslim people to have a place to exercise their Islamic beliefs safely, but as radical (and even non-radical) Americans learned of this project, the controversy took away from the original meaning. As expected, many Americans do not want to see a mosque be put up just mere feet from the ground where thousand of innocent civilians died from an alleged Muslim terrorist attack. (I say alleged because to this day, we have not received any actual proof of Muslims being behind it and so I will remain politically correct.) They see it as a slap in the face, as almost a surrender to terrorists and Muslims alike (because half this nation sees them as the same thing anyway.) And honestly, it almost is. You wouldn't put a swastika near a historical concentration camp, would you? This is rowing in the same boat.
But that's not why I oppose the center. Like I said before, some people are absolutely radical. They are so politically hard-headed that they will go to great lengths to get their point across. Hitler, bin Laden, Stalin, Castro, all radical political leaders who led nations to do carry out the things they believed. I understand there are not many like that, but there are enough to put an entire community in danger. If this center is built, every Muslim who attends is in severe danger of being victimized by a radical. It only takes one to cause destruction. Just one.
If this center is built, it will only be done to be politically correct. It's less about the betterment of the Muslim community and more about making a point that America is "friendly to all peoples". It just doesn't seem worth it, to be honest. I'd rather not put millions of people in danger just to preserve the caliber of the constitution.
Obama seems to agree with me. I'm not trying to defend the guy in everything he does, but this particular situation I will. One speech, he seemed to favor the project and the next speech, he didn't. Sounds very John Kerry-esque, no? What many people seemed to miss was that in the first speech, Obama agreed with the RIGHT of the Muslims to build the center, yet in the next, he did not agree with the morality. His first speech's point was about their political and constitutional right to built a religious prayer ground, which I will agree is a little redundant and unnecessary because that wasn't really the issue. His next speech questioned the saintliness of building a religious prayer ground next to a sacred area which I think is most definitely something to think about. I don't think Obama handled this in the best possible way, but give the guy a break. He knows what he's talking about.
In conclusion, my dear Muslims, New York City is a large and vast metropolis. You will find another place for your beloved center.
References (I only trust the Brits):
http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_8913000/8913937.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/8931657.stm?ls
Out of Commission
I don't like this.
Lately I feel out of place. I'm not myself at all. I feel depressed, down, sad, quiet, unhappy, all things opposite of my natural optimistic self. It's coming out when I speak to people, too. I've been giving sheepish smiles and condensed answers when people talk to me. I don't talk to people with the same tone and mood as I usually do and I feel like it's slowly pushing everyone away. Rightfully so... who wants to be around negative energy? I certainly wouldn't, that's why I live a positive life.
I kind of feel like my dad is the same way with me, too.
Today we did an old school Indian tradition where we circle chili peppers around my dad's head and throw them in a fire to symbolize the burning of all things evil. It's a way to ward off the evil eye and send our prayers to God. Now I'm not really one to be religious but right now, I'm taking to anything that will give me hope for my dad and his future. Desperate times call for desperate measures, right?
I think I'm losing myself.
Lately I feel out of place. I'm not myself at all. I feel depressed, down, sad, quiet, unhappy, all things opposite of my natural optimistic self. It's coming out when I speak to people, too. I've been giving sheepish smiles and condensed answers when people talk to me. I don't talk to people with the same tone and mood as I usually do and I feel like it's slowly pushing everyone away. Rightfully so... who wants to be around negative energy? I certainly wouldn't, that's why I live a positive life.
I kind of feel like my dad is the same way with me, too.
Today we did an old school Indian tradition where we circle chili peppers around my dad's head and throw them in a fire to symbolize the burning of all things evil. It's a way to ward off the evil eye and send our prayers to God. Now I'm not really one to be religious but right now, I'm taking to anything that will give me hope for my dad and his future. Desperate times call for desperate measures, right?
I think I'm losing myself.
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