Another Beatles Movie

I think I'm not the only one who thinks the most recent Beatles film was both weird, confusing, and at times a tad bit stupid.  I got lost almost immediately and never caught on to the plot line. It might be partly because I've never been a huge fan of British comedies but I strongly disliked it. It was hard to pay attention most of the time, and I'm not really sure the whole point of the singing. I respect those who enjoy that kind of comedy but I am definitely not one of them. 

Yeezus

Self proclaimed "god," Kanye West, recently released his sixth studio album named "Yeezus".  This guy is obviously very humble and selfless.  And he has a sense of humor too, naming his first born son North.  All jokes aside, Mr. West has had a phenomenal career thus far, and although his most recent releases have not been as strong as his older projects, he is still one of the best in the game.  His over-confidence with himself is part of what makes him so good.  He's not afraid to say what he thinks, which a majority of the time has something to do with how awesome he is. Kanye's most recent album "Yeezus," although not widely received very positively, is actually a pretty decent album. Although his actual lyrics aren't as strong as previous albums, I think the beats are what makes Yeezus stand out so much. His production is outstanding, and combined with mediocre rapping I actually think it is a album worth a listen.  

Grade Inflation

Similar to the value of currency, the value of grades has slowly been decreasing over the years.  Contrary to the inflation of currency, I think grade inflation is a positive thing. There are a lot of instances where the knowledge one is required to know and learn in the modern school system does not correlate to a student's actual intelligence.  A plethora of students have specialized skills that can lead to a successful career, but because of the grading system they are considered failures and have no opportunity to excel in their field. With grade inflation, more students are given opportunities to go to college and begin studying in the field they actually desire, rather than one they are forced upon.  Although these less than mediocre students might not have a chance to attend the most prestigious of universities, they are at least given more of a chance than if they were failed in high school. 

Simple Logic

Behind Eminem, Logic is one of the best white rappers in the game. Although not widely known, this kid has some major talent. Since 2010 he has made a name for himself with the releases of "Undeniable" and "Welcome to Forever," his two most popular mixtapes. His lyricism and flow are consistently sharp throughout every song and he features a few superstars including Jhene Aiko, Kid Ink, and Trinidad James. I love his sound, never sounding exactly the same and never having a potentially "mainstream" pop crappy song like a lot of rappers. He has a very bright future and hopefully has a very successful career. I would also like to add he is label-mates with Kanye West and The Roots, two very popular hip-hop artists. 

What is Rock

I think the question of what "rock" is, is being extremely over analyzed. Obviously it's a very subjective question, but the subjectivity should be able to be narrowed down more than it currently is. Rock comes with preconceptions (in my experience) of wicked electric guitar solos along with some awesome drums. I think the argument that hip hop is rock is quite silly. Hip-hop/rap is it's own unique genre and has it's own unique sound and rhythm. I'm not a music expert so I might be a little out of my league saying these things but I think in order for something to be classified as "rock" it should have that rock and roll sound that's hard to describe with words. It should sound like Metallica or Van Halen or Led Zeppelin. When I think of rock I think

One of Those Days

Everyone has days when nothing goes their way, and when these days come around certain tactics are used in order to get through the day. Personally I need a physical release to improve my mindset. Sitting around watching something or listening to music doesn't do it, I need to be exerting energy as if it's a bad omen.  Most of the time I'll go outside and shoot some hoops until I'm either bored or feeling better. I almost always listen to music when I shoot hoops, mainly because it provides some background noise but it also helps calm my mind if my day has been terrible. I definitely think music can act as a release from reality and help someone cope with a bad day or experience. I sometimes use it this way but I find it hard not to do something else while listening to music.  If I want to feel better I'll listen to rap or uplifting music, if I want to feel even worse I'll put on some Drake and think about my past relationships.  

ACL Review

The Austin City Limits music festival, although a weaker lineup than previous years, was a great time. Friday started off slow with fun. being the only band I thought was worth seeing, their concert actually was pretty good. After fun. some friends and I decided to camp at the stage where Kaskade would be performing at in order to get a good spot up front. Okkerill River was the band who played before Kaskade and I really enjoyed them, they had a good concert. Kaskade was fun, although I don't like his music very much I still thought his concert was a blast. Saturday definitely had potential for being awesome. Walk the Moon was great, although I left early to meet up with some friends, and for the rest of the day I camped at the stage Kendrick Lamar would be performing at. This was one of the worst experiences I think I've endured. It felt like it was 100 degrees and the sun was shining directly on us. I probably sweated the equivalent of my body mass and fried like a lobster. I can't say it was worth it, but Kendrick definitely had a great concert. Sunday was alright, the only artist I stayed for an entire act being Paper Diamond who was an okay DJ. All in all I had a great time but I'm hoping for an improved lineup next year. 

Jaymes Young

Thanks to Ben Holztman I have found a new artist that I genuinely enjoy listening to.  He asked for him to be played during class and I liked the sound of his music so I decided to check him out and I really like him. His music can be described as melancholic, trippy, chill, and electronic-ish.  Young's voice is good and he combines it with a trippy techno beat in most of his songs that is a great combination in my opinion.  It's good music to sit back, maybe do homework to, and just relax.  He's not very well known, and I'm not sure if he produces the songs himself but I would definitely recommend songs like Northern Lights and Moondust to someone who likes chill music. 

ACL

This weekend is the first of 2 weekends of the world famous Austin City Limits music festival.  Renowned for it's live music, ACL is one of Austin's most famous music festivals. Personally I'm very excited for the weekend. My favorite artist performing is Kendrick Lamar, who plays on Saturday. Other artists I will probably check out include Kaskade, Wick-it the Instigator, Muse, Walk the Moon, Grimes, fun., Kings of Leon, Portugal. the Man, and Dawes. This year's lineup is nowhere near as solid as last year's, or the year before, but there is still some definite talent. I love the environment of ACL because of how many people are at Zilker at once (75k per day), and I love getting amped at concerts. This weekend is going to be amazing and I'm hoping to make it out with as few bumps and bruises as possible.