I woke up this morning expecting to get on the Internet and read about winners at the ESPY awards last night. Instead I saw a video that offended me only to then be appalled at the people who were circulating the video, finding it hilarious.
For those of you who don't know, Drake hosted the ESPY awards and showed a skit of him parodying Manny Pacquiao and his singing. Now, we can make jokes about Manny all day because he performs concerts after his fights (why? HOW? WHY?).
What offended me about the video was not the choice to poke fun at Manny but the manner in which it was done. You can't put out a video of you mimicking the accent of another race and think that that's perfectly ok. Because it isn't. It's just as bad as white frat boys throwing blackface parties.
But what really got my blood boiling were the people circulating the video. It was other Pilipinos! Really? This is ok with you? Y'all should be up in arms about this shit.
See, this is why Pilipinos are viewed as the "model minority." This shit is why everyone thinks it's ok to mess with Pilipinos, disregard our history and walk all over us. Because Pilipinos are the ones who get made fun of and instead of getting up and saying, "Hey, stop that, that's racist," they nod on happy that people are at least finally acknowledging Pilipinos exist. So you laugh along with the world, share the video and clap like a fucking seal.
No. Fucking no.
I'm tired of this shit. This shit is NOT ok.
It may not be hate-fueled at all but it's still fucking inappropriate. Just because it's not some white girl saying, "ching chong ling long ting tong," doesn't make it ok and not racist. This shit is perpetuating the stereotype to all the people who watched the ESPYs and don't know anything about Pilipinos that they can't speak English properly. Moreover, it's telling these same people that it's ok to make fun of Pilipinos because they won't fucking do anything about it. In fact they'll laugh and pat you on the back telling you, "that was a good joke about me. Please, continue to make a mockery of my people."
TL; DR
Drake's parody of Manny Pacquiao was racist because it was a type of blackface. Wake the fuck up people and open your eyes.
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Monday, April 7, 2014
John Legend Gives All of Himself
On stage is a string quartet featuring a cello, a viola, and two violins as well as a grand piano and a guitarist. To open, the string quartet plays a beautiful piece, setting the intimate mood for the night. John Legend comes out to hearty but not overly wild applause and begins his concert.
For his "All of Me" tour, John Legend himself told his audience that he wanted to them make feel like they were there with him in his living room. Of course, Legend jokes, "I usually don't wear a tuxedo in my living room... Also, I don't have my own string quartet there either." This provided a concert experience very different from what people normally expect from an artist today.
John Legend played many of his popular hits like "Green Light", "Ordinary People", and, for his encore, played "All of Me." But for his more attentive fans he also went deeper playing less popular but equally amazing songs such as "Where Did My Baby Go", "Save Room", and a very personal rendition of "Like a Bridge Over Troubled Water." All of these were arranged to fit the concert consisting of only John Legend and the piano supported by the string quartet and the single guitar.
What does this provide for the listener? Isn't it usually "the bigger the better"?
In this case, no. The cliche of "less is more" is more fitting.
The concert itself was intimate. You generally felt like you were being treated to almost a personal recital rather than a large concert. This was not something you'd find (or would want to see) at a musical festival. Music festivals and raves are, in my opinion, about the experience.
That's just my nice way of saying they're places to party.
But this concert was about the music. The performance was intimate but it was also very exposed. Normally artists have a large band with back up singers, lights and back up dancers. A lot of times, the artist can hide behind all of this and a pretty face. But John Legend relied solely on his musical talent. At no point in the concert was the focus on anything but John Legend.
If he made a mistake, everyone would know. If he was not performing his best, you would know. If John Legend was not a great musician, after this concert, you would know.
But he did not disappoint. John Legend was on fire this night. This concert proved to me that John Legend is for real.
And, if you ask me, music needs to go back more concerts like this. I'm sorry (no I'm not) but I'm tired of people passing off raves as concerts. EDM is cool and all but going to see a DJ play a set is NOT a performance. You press play. And then pick the next song.
Trust me; I know the work that goes into mixing and making transitions from song to song on the fly. And trust me; It doesn't compare to singing and playing piano under the microscope of a full concert hall for two hours.
For his "All of Me" tour, John Legend himself told his audience that he wanted to them make feel like they were there with him in his living room. Of course, Legend jokes, "I usually don't wear a tuxedo in my living room... Also, I don't have my own string quartet there either." This provided a concert experience very different from what people normally expect from an artist today.
John Legend played many of his popular hits like "Green Light", "Ordinary People", and, for his encore, played "All of Me." But for his more attentive fans he also went deeper playing less popular but equally amazing songs such as "Where Did My Baby Go", "Save Room", and a very personal rendition of "Like a Bridge Over Troubled Water." All of these were arranged to fit the concert consisting of only John Legend and the piano supported by the string quartet and the single guitar.
What does this provide for the listener? Isn't it usually "the bigger the better"?
In this case, no. The cliche of "less is more" is more fitting.
The concert itself was intimate. You generally felt like you were being treated to almost a personal recital rather than a large concert. This was not something you'd find (or would want to see) at a musical festival. Music festivals and raves are, in my opinion, about the experience.
That's just my nice way of saying they're places to party.
But this concert was about the music. The performance was intimate but it was also very exposed. Normally artists have a large band with back up singers, lights and back up dancers. A lot of times, the artist can hide behind all of this and a pretty face. But John Legend relied solely on his musical talent. At no point in the concert was the focus on anything but John Legend.
If he made a mistake, everyone would know. If he was not performing his best, you would know. If John Legend was not a great musician, after this concert, you would know.
But he did not disappoint. John Legend was on fire this night. This concert proved to me that John Legend is for real.
And, if you ask me, music needs to go back more concerts like this. I'm sorry (no I'm not) but I'm tired of people passing off raves as concerts. EDM is cool and all but going to see a DJ play a set is NOT a performance. You press play. And then pick the next song.
Trust me; I know the work that goes into mixing and making transitions from song to song on the fly. And trust me; It doesn't compare to singing and playing piano under the microscope of a full concert hall for two hours.
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Are you Catching the Throne?
Now, if you know me, you know I love hip-hop. I'm a Kanye fan, a worshipper of both Nujabes and J. Dilla and "Simon Says" is my theme song.
Just kidding. I love that song, though.
If you know me, you'll also know that I NERD THE FUCK OUT when it comes to Game of Thrones. Admittedly, I've only watched the first season of HBO's series but I have read every single book that has been released and am impatiently waiting on George R. R. Martin to finish the series. Hurry up, man.
I've never attempted to keep these worlds separate but I also never thought they would come colliding on a course aptly named Catch the Throne.
The chuckle that title might elicit from you (*slaps knee* it's a Kanye/Jay-Z joke) is the kind that will come often if you listen through the whole record. Honestly, I never thought I'd ever hear an MC write, "I spit fire like Khaleesi." If anything, the writers for Parks and Recreation would be the ones to write that for Ben Wyatt (if he ever found himself rapping).
So what is this... this... thing? Did HBO commission this as a pure publicity stunt? Or is it supposed to be a legitimate attempt at another mode of art for that which is Game of Thrones?
In short, it's not. A lot of it comes off as tongue-in-cheek. Hell, it starts with the title of the entire mixtape itself.
But it does what it sets out to do. In the end, this is a way for HBO to market its show. They want people to keep talking about their show.
And they are.
And whether or not people are taking this mixtape seriously or are guffawing at its GoT references, it does not matter. It's gotten the people talking. They released it for free on SoundCloud so it's also easily accessible to everybody.
So, all you hip-hop heads who also love Game of Thrones...
GET THE FUCK UP!
And if you want to hear it, again, it's FREE!
https://soundcloud.com/catchthethrone
Just kidding. I love that song, though.
If you know me, you'll also know that I NERD THE FUCK OUT when it comes to Game of Thrones. Admittedly, I've only watched the first season of HBO's series but I have read every single book that has been released and am impatiently waiting on George R. R. Martin to finish the series. Hurry up, man.
I've never attempted to keep these worlds separate but I also never thought they would come colliding on a course aptly named Catch the Throne.
The chuckle that title might elicit from you (*slaps knee* it's a Kanye/Jay-Z joke) is the kind that will come often if you listen through the whole record. Honestly, I never thought I'd ever hear an MC write, "I spit fire like Khaleesi." If anything, the writers for Parks and Recreation would be the ones to write that for Ben Wyatt (if he ever found himself rapping).
So what is this... this... thing? Did HBO commission this as a pure publicity stunt? Or is it supposed to be a legitimate attempt at another mode of art for that which is Game of Thrones?
In short, it's not. A lot of it comes off as tongue-in-cheek. Hell, it starts with the title of the entire mixtape itself.
But it does what it sets out to do. In the end, this is a way for HBO to market its show. They want people to keep talking about their show.
And they are.
And whether or not people are taking this mixtape seriously or are guffawing at its GoT references, it does not matter. It's gotten the people talking. They released it for free on SoundCloud so it's also easily accessible to everybody.
So, all you hip-hop heads who also love Game of Thrones...
GET THE FUCK UP!
And if you want to hear it, again, it's FREE!
https://soundcloud.com/catchthethrone
Saturday, February 1, 2014
How to Not Only Ruin but Completely Destroy "Song of the Year"
If you haven't heard, Song of the Year at the Grammys this year went to Lorde for "Royals."
If you ask me, it is a great song. As I like to say, do not let the amount of times you've heard a song diminish your opinion on the quality of it. In other words, just because you're hearing a song often does not mean that eventually it will start to suck. Yes, you'll grow to hate it but that's because of your perception of the song itself.
Anyways, I digress.
"Royals" won Song of the Year because of great performance on the song, interesting production (those were some eerily haunting harmonies, yo) and, of course, great song writing. The song is about something real, not some lofty facade of opulence most listeners can only dream of. Finally, here is a song talking about the glorification of reality and the distaste for the high life.
Lorde is "not about that life."
*slaps knee repeatedly*
But have you heard Rick Ross's verse he added to it? If you haven't, read this:
"Silver Rolls Royce cigarette smokes in it
New fur rug now my dirty boots in em
Flowin' in the pocket like I'm enrollin' in a college
Mean as a dean, triple beam well polished
She wanna watch Scandal, I wanna count a handful
Dead Presidents sleep in the attic of the mansion
All I heard was murder, think the house haunted
Super Bowl tickets they bitches and and Fed chargers
Label the racketeer, John Gresham with a pen
Top three writer but number one at your event
Mastermind unfolds like a true crime
Double M gold mind for the whole time"
New fur rug now my dirty boots in em
Flowin' in the pocket like I'm enrollin' in a college
Mean as a dean, triple beam well polished
She wanna watch Scandal, I wanna count a handful
Dead Presidents sleep in the attic of the mansion
All I heard was murder, think the house haunted
Super Bowl tickets they bitches and and Fed chargers
Label the racketeer, John Gresham with a pen
Top three writer but number one at your event
Mastermind unfolds like a true crime
Double M gold mind for the whole time"
What is going on? How clueless is Rick Ross?
Now, I'm not one to assume intelligence... but COME ON RICK ROSS. You literally took everything the Lorde was expressing disdain for and proceeded to rap about it. Moreover, the content of just about every verse Rick Ross has ever written is literally what Lorde is against.
Don't you get it, Rick Ross? LORDE HATES YOU!
Maybe not as a person, but certainly for everything you stand for: overindulgence, materialism and general douchbaggery.
OK, I know I'm pointing out the obvious. Everyone who's heard this remix knows exactly what I'm talking about. Honestly, I'm just indulging myself by writing this. I just have to complain!
There are always great acts coming up in the music industry. Unfortunately, there are certain cancers impeding their progress having the limelight wasted on them. One of them is Rick Ross.
Rick Ross: you are a cancer to our industry and you should stop.
Other glaring terrible acts: Ke$ha for making "Timber", Pitbull for finding Ke$ha for "Timber" and also participating in that terrible song, Drake for being Drake, EDM for dumbing down everyone's musical sense and Lil' Wayne for dumbing down everyone's IQ. And Wacklemore for selling out. At least now you're rich, bro.
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
The Grammys
In a post-Internet boom society where award results can be accessed from your iPhone in bed minutes before falling asleep and where performance videos are a quick YouTube search away, where do the Grammys fall into place?
In general, most people don't watch the Grammys anymore. Most (myself included, admittedly) chose to not watch it and instead Google the awards results and resolved to watch YouTube videos later. What does that say about our generation now then? Personally, I don't have cable so I didn't watch it. I mean, I could probably have found a stream somewhere but I wouldn't do that because it's illegal I'm lazy.
But that's an entirely different discussion.
Let's first talk about the highlights:
Daft Punk!
I don't care how tired out or overplayed you think "Get Lucky" is, that song is still fire. It has all the recipes of a great dance hit without sounding like a cookie-cutter EDM track that honestly saturates the genre today. I could gripe all day about EDM but I won't belabor you with that.
At least not now.
If you did not see nor hear about Daft Punk's, Pharrell's and Stevie Wonder's performance (how big is the rock you're living under?) it was definitely the best performance of the show. And although Pharrell's singing was by no means virtuosic (quite the opposite really, good lord) everyone was into it.
Why?
Because the song is great and the performance was energetic. I mean, when do you ever get to see Stevie Wonder and Daft Punk share the same stage?
Also, on the note of "Get Lucky", the amount of times you ever hear a song should not dictate how good you think it is. Many people I know ended up hating the song because they "heard it too much." To that I usually said, "Well turn off the radio and put on something else!" Don't let the radio kill the music you like!
Now about the negatives:
Much can be said about who was awarded what awards, what got televised and any other type of complaints about what is wrong with these awards today.
I was personally outraged (yes, outraged) that Macklemore won all the awards he did. Macklemore has his merit: he's accessible and he has a good amount of socially conscious songs (see "Same Love").
But let's be real now.
Was The Heist a better album than good kid, m.A.A.d. City? Or even Yeezus.
I think not.
Much has been said that Kendrick was robbed at the Grammys. I wholeheartedly agree. His album, in my eyes (or ears you could say *slaps knee*) was definitely rap album of the year. From the nominees of best new artist, Kendrick has definitely had the biggest shaking up of the industry this year.
In a year when it looked like rap was on its way out, to be replaced by EDM, Kendrick Lamar reminded everybody why they liked hip hop in the first place.
Now why did Macklemore win? Is it because he's white? Are those in charge of choosing who wins the awards out of touch? Are there ulterior motives?
These kind of questions tend to cross the mind when such an obviously inferior act wins. If you want to read up more on the injustice of Macklemore's and Ryan Lewis's awards, check out this entry on the Huffington Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jay-dodd/while-i-will-never-want-macklemore_b_4674792.html?utm_hp_ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false
That only cracks the surface about what can be said about the Grammys this year, but it's what stood out to me.
One more thing:
John Legend's "Love in the Future" should have won best R&B album over Alicia Keys's "Girl on Fire."
Just sayin'
Monday, October 28, 2013
THIS IS A RANT
Now it's not like people need to defend Kanye West on the Internet. No matter what anyone says, Kanye's going to keep being Kanye and that's that.
But this is besides that!
It's the principle of the matter!
I don't know what is in me... actually, I'm lying I do know what it is in me. I'm a musician with strong opinions and sometimes I just won't stand for things.
If you know me, you know I'm a Kanye fan. A huge Kanye fan. But this rant isn't one centering around the fact that people hate Kanye. I literally cannot care about other people's opinions on stuff I like. Or, at least, I won't held them against having their opinions.
What really gets me are people's inability to judge music.
I'll totally understand you're distaste of an artist if you present a perfectly logical reason why you don't. Or you can even present a perfectly illogical reason why you don't.
WHAT YOU CANNOT DO, is give me an inaccurate reason for liking something. If you say Kanye is talentless because he's not that good of a freestyle rapper, then you are wrong. Very wrong.
We all know (well if you consider yourself to be in the know) that Kanye is NOT the best rapper alive. That's very much given. Also, if you consider yourself to be a fan of hip hop, I would hope that you would know that Kanye's music profile is really based on his success as a producer/rapper and not just a rapper.
What I really want is to have an intelligent conversation about music. "Oh you don't like so and so? Well, I do but I want to know why you don't like so and so. No, I'm not trying to convince you to like so and so, I just think it's good to hear why you don't like so and so."
But when you rebuttal my assertion that Kanye's real talent lies in his production with the fact that all he does is sample melodies from songs that are already, speeds them up, loops them and puts a beat over it, well then I must say it's not fucking 2007 anymore.
I'm not here to say that I know everything. But when I do take a strong opinion on something, I do my research about it. There's not much worse than having a strong, ignorant opinion.
So if you want to debate something and pretend to know "all about the rap game" at least do some research about the "music game."
Hip-hop is more than just the rap lyrics. We wouldn't be where we are today without J. Dilla.
And it's not because his verses were whack.
But this is besides that!
It's the principle of the matter!
I don't know what is in me... actually, I'm lying I do know what it is in me. I'm a musician with strong opinions and sometimes I just won't stand for things.
If you know me, you know I'm a Kanye fan. A huge Kanye fan. But this rant isn't one centering around the fact that people hate Kanye. I literally cannot care about other people's opinions on stuff I like. Or, at least, I won't held them against having their opinions.
What really gets me are people's inability to judge music.
I'll totally understand you're distaste of an artist if you present a perfectly logical reason why you don't. Or you can even present a perfectly illogical reason why you don't.
WHAT YOU CANNOT DO, is give me an inaccurate reason for liking something. If you say Kanye is talentless because he's not that good of a freestyle rapper, then you are wrong. Very wrong.
We all know (well if you consider yourself to be in the know) that Kanye is NOT the best rapper alive. That's very much given. Also, if you consider yourself to be a fan of hip hop, I would hope that you would know that Kanye's music profile is really based on his success as a producer/rapper and not just a rapper.
What I really want is to have an intelligent conversation about music. "Oh you don't like so and so? Well, I do but I want to know why you don't like so and so. No, I'm not trying to convince you to like so and so, I just think it's good to hear why you don't like so and so."
But when you rebuttal my assertion that Kanye's real talent lies in his production with the fact that all he does is sample melodies from songs that are already, speeds them up, loops them and puts a beat over it, well then I must say it's not fucking 2007 anymore.
I'm not here to say that I know everything. But when I do take a strong opinion on something, I do my research about it. There's not much worse than having a strong, ignorant opinion.
So if you want to debate something and pretend to know "all about the rap game" at least do some research about the "music game."
Hip-hop is more than just the rap lyrics. We wouldn't be where we are today without J. Dilla.
And it's not because his verses were whack.
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Welcome, June EP and Your Up and Comers
If any of you read my original blog (it only had one post) I had to delete it due to financial circumstances. Stupid me did not read the payment plan and, assumed that $3.95 a month for three years meant I would be charged $3.95 a month rather than all at once. And I can't afford that right now. So here we are living the free blogging life. For now. So, once again, welcome to the new B Side!
Alright, time for a plug.
http://justjune.bandcamp.com/
Head to my homie, June's, bandcamp and take a listen to his EP entitled TheJunEP. The EP itself is his first solo effort with some original beats and other famous instrumentals that he threw his verses on. It's more than that, though.
The great thing to me about this EP is that it's a great insight into the scope and identity of June himself. On TheJunEP, there's almost an eclectic mix of styles from good ol' old school to some hip-hop reggae fusion. It's also a good examination into a rapper refining his skills. If albums are considered milestones in the career of an artist, EPs such as this one can give the audience a good indication about how in their favorite artists are growing. June showcases a good amount of his rapping skills and well establishes his identity to the listener (although he doesn't pick a single niche). He even shows his ability to put down some reggae with a good Jamaican feel.
June himself is local to the Pomona area (currently) and is actually a classmate of mine in the Music department at Cal Poly Pomona. So support your local artists and give his music a listen!
This brings me to the subject of the up and comers you might be into.
In this day and age of music, large labels are disappearing making it much more viable for more artists to put out their music without having to go through a huge corporation just to get noticed. What does that mean?
Simply this: more music.
Artists are independent and there is a gargantuan amount of music being put out there. THIS IS A GOOD THING FOR MUSIC.
But here's where the listeners come in. No longer are the large labels dictating everything we listen to. Just like June, artists are making their music on the Internet so they can get noticed by you, the listener. The responsibility that falls upon as the listener is to promote the music we like.
Meaning, if you like something, TELL SOMEONE ABOUT IT. Share that shit on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, wherever! Go tell your friends about this new guy you heard about. HELP THEM. Because you're their audience and you like the music they put out. And if you got to hear it for free, you owe it to them to tell someone about it.
Because in the end, we all win. The artist's music reaches more ears and is then able to put out more music that you, the fan, want to hear.
So support your local artists and go tell someone about this great artist that you heard. And don't keep that shit a secret because you don't want fake fans on their nuts. Who cares?
NO ONE DOES.
Alright, time for a plug.
http://justjune.bandcamp.com/
Head to my homie, June's, bandcamp and take a listen to his EP entitled TheJunEP. The EP itself is his first solo effort with some original beats and other famous instrumentals that he threw his verses on. It's more than that, though.
The great thing to me about this EP is that it's a great insight into the scope and identity of June himself. On TheJunEP, there's almost an eclectic mix of styles from good ol' old school to some hip-hop reggae fusion. It's also a good examination into a rapper refining his skills. If albums are considered milestones in the career of an artist, EPs such as this one can give the audience a good indication about how in their favorite artists are growing. June showcases a good amount of his rapping skills and well establishes his identity to the listener (although he doesn't pick a single niche). He even shows his ability to put down some reggae with a good Jamaican feel.
June himself is local to the Pomona area (currently) and is actually a classmate of mine in the Music department at Cal Poly Pomona. So support your local artists and give his music a listen!
This brings me to the subject of the up and comers you might be into.
In this day and age of music, large labels are disappearing making it much more viable for more artists to put out their music without having to go through a huge corporation just to get noticed. What does that mean?
Simply this: more music.
Artists are independent and there is a gargantuan amount of music being put out there. THIS IS A GOOD THING FOR MUSIC.
But here's where the listeners come in. No longer are the large labels dictating everything we listen to. Just like June, artists are making their music on the Internet so they can get noticed by you, the listener. The responsibility that falls upon as the listener is to promote the music we like.
Meaning, if you like something, TELL SOMEONE ABOUT IT. Share that shit on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, wherever! Go tell your friends about this new guy you heard about. HELP THEM. Because you're their audience and you like the music they put out. And if you got to hear it for free, you owe it to them to tell someone about it.
Because in the end, we all win. The artist's music reaches more ears and is then able to put out more music that you, the fan, want to hear.
So support your local artists and go tell someone about this great artist that you heard. And don't keep that shit a secret because you don't want fake fans on their nuts. Who cares?
NO ONE DOES.
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