Mr. A

I'm happy to say that I got the chance to be taught by Mr. A. He has shown me a different way to think about everything around me, and has taught me how to look at everything with an open mind. History of Rock and Roll was more than just a class about music history, it was a class about self awareness and how each of us views the world differently. Something that made his class stand out from other classes was how everyone's opinion mattered and was shared. It's unfortunate that he will no longer be teaching after this year, everyone needs the experience of his teaching. If Mr. A is reading this I wish you the best of luck with your album, career, and the rest of your life. Thank you for your time. 

Tyga

A rapper that I have always been a fan of and has had a consistent career for the last couple of years is Tyga. His breakout song "Far Away" that released a few years ago is a lot different than what he normally releases. "Far Away" was made for a younger audience, while most of his other songs are extremely derogatory and very vulgar. He has good rhythm and his production is always great (he's a part of the Young Money label).  He has a very distinctive voice and is constantly releasing new songs, something I like about him. 

Logic

This Friday I am going to see one of my favorite rappers, Logic, in concert at Emo's. From what I've heard his concerts are a lot of fun and I'm very excited to go. Something that stands out about Logic's music is his rhythm and flow. He is one of the best rappers at keeping a high tempo while enunciating his lyrics effectively. Listening to him is aesthetically pleasing and in my opinion very addicting. He treats each line with a lot of care and his lyrics are a notch above most rappers in the game today. He is just now blowing up and has an endless ceiling for his future. 

Reincarnated

I must've been missing a key aspect of the documentary on the making of Snoop's album, "Reincarnated". It seemed to me the director focused the majority of his attention on Snoop and his bronies getting super baked with some random Jamaicans. I get that they're trying to show Snoop's "research" on the Rastafarian culture, but it was a little overboard at some points. The points where they showed Snoop talking to the Jamaicans about his album and Reggae music seemed forced and a bit random. I like Snoop's music and he seems like a pretty cool guy, but I would've liked to find out more about how he makes his music. If you want to see Snoop get super blazed with his clique and some random Jamaicans, this is the doc for you. 

Technology at a Young Age

We recently discussed how our current society/generation is beginning to be more and more enveloped in our technological advances, and how it is starting to prevent social interaction, to a certain extent. I agree that our use of technology is beginning to breach our social abilities, but I don't think it's necessarily as detrimental as a lot of people seem to think. The entire point of technology is to make things easier, faster, more convenient, and that's what it is doing. To say technology is becoming bad for us because it isn't allowing us to communicate between each other, face to face, is an inadequate argument. I believe there will always be situations that require human interaction, no matter how advanced technology becomes. Is it a bad thing that we are becoming less social as a society? Some people may think so, but I don't think it's something to worry about. 

Phone Rule

While everyone is up in arms about the new phone rule, I don't think people realize the purpose of it and why it was enacted by the school. I admit it is extremely inconvenient and annoying, it was put in place to prove to people that the school was doing something about the whole Yik Yak situation. Rumors have it that someone is actually sueing the school over the incident, and in order for the school not to be in any legal trouble, the rule was enacted. Yes it is (in my opinion) too little too late, it is meant to show some initiative. 

Jon Bellion

Recently I discovered singer/rapper Jon Bellion while listening to other artists in the Visionary Music Group, including Logic, Castro and QuESt.  Bellion caught my attention mainly because of the catchiness of his sound/lyrics. I downloaded his mixtape "The Separation" and cannot stop listening to it.  While I admit the lyrical content is a bit cheesy and somewhat bland, there is something about the sound of his voice and the production of his music that I deeply enjoy. It's a bit poppy sometimes, but it's very upbeat and gives off happy vibes. 

Dizzy Wright

Yes, another rapper. Recently I've been listening to this young rapper named Dizzy Wright. He belongs to the rap group known as Funk Volume, which also includes the more famously known Hopsin. What makes Dizzy stand out to me is his lyrical maturity and the relevance of the material in his songs. The one song in particular that really exemplifies this is "Red Balloons". It's a fairly recent release, coming out about 3 days ago.  In the song, Dizzy raps about the deaths/disappearances of young children throughout the world, and the dreadful toll it takes on the parents of the children. While I cannot directly relate to the material, I respect Dizzy Wright at a much higher level than I would if he had not made the song. Dizzy is definitely worth a listen if you enjoy intelligent rap. 

JMBLYA

The up and coming music festival "JMBLYA" that is occurring in New Braunfels this year is this Saturday, and I couldn't be more excited.  My favorite rapper currently, Chance the Rapper, is the headliner for the festival, along with my 2 favorite trap DJ's, Baauer and RL Grime, the latter being my favorite of the DJ's.  I've heard amazing things about Chance's live performances, and I believe he has the highest potential out of all young rappers in the game today. I've blogged about him multiple times, showing how much I admire his work. I hope he lives up to all the hype this weekend. 

ACL

After listening to some of the more unknown artists that will be coming to ACL, I have a few I would be interested in seeing if nothing else is playing. I liked Capital Cities, they had a good sound that I definitely enjoyed. Iggy Azalea, while not the most lyrically competent, would definitely have a banger of a concert. Gramatik is a decent DJ that I'd be down to catch a few minutes of if I was passing by. Most of my time at ACL will be spent camping out for the headliners, which has its perks but definitely lessens the variety of music i will be able to listen to while at ACL. 

ACL Lineup

While the announcement that Eminem will be coming to Austin for ACL this October didn't come as a shock (he was hinting it to Twitter for a week before the official announcement), it was still a little unreal when it was made official on Tuesday. Eminem is probably the biggest name to come to ACL since I began coming 3 years ago, and he's also my favorite artist of all time.  There are plenty of other artists I'm very excited about. These include Childish Gambino, Skrillex, Outkast, Beck, Chromeo, Major Lazer, and Glitch Mob. I'm a big fan of DJ's and there are a plethora of DJ's coming this year. October 3rd couldn't come fast enough. 

The Art of Rap

I thought the documentary we watched called "The Art of Rap" was the most entertaining and relevant documentary to my tastes in music. It was really interesting learning about how rappers view their work, and how they create each one of their songs.  I already had an immense amount of respect for rappers and their lyrical capability, but for people who didn't know what it takes to make rap music, I thought the documentary did a good job of showing the audience of the tediousness and artistry it takes to make a rap song. I also loved seeing my favorite rapper of all time Eminem freestyling, he's probably the best at it. 

Chance the Rapper

One of my favorite rappers probably of all time is Chance the Rapper, as I've mentioned previously in some of my other blogs. I just recently started relistening to some of his old stuff, and I've developed a newfound admiration for Chance. 10 Day is his oldest mixtape and I never really gave it much of a chance (no pun intended) because I had heard one song that didn't really catch my attention so I blew the entire thing off. I started listening to the entire thing the other day, and I have to say that it's some of the best rap music I've heard in a while.  While I admit Chance is somewhat of an acquired taste, once the taste is acquired it does not go away. I'm extremely excited to see him live in May at the JMBLYA Music Festival. 

Nirvana

I am a fan of Nirvana and have been a fan since I was really young. My parents had almost every record they ever produced and would always play it for my sister and I. I think it was the first rock music I had ever heard and I've been a huge rock fan ever since.  I can't tell if I like Nirvana because I was exposed to them early and my parents were huge fans, or because I actually like their music. Whatever it is, I like their music a good amount. 

SZA

I recently discovered singer/songwriter SZA while checking out new music online. She is basically a mix of Jhene Aiko's voice and Purity Ring's production, both of which I am a fan of. Her newly released album "Z" is a great EP, she does an amazing job on it and I like every song on it. I think one of the reasons she's become big all of a sudden is her signing with the rap group TDE, which contains huge names like Kendrick Lamar, Schoolboy Q, and Ab-Soul. My favorite song of hers is "Babylon". I definitely recommend her to anyone who likes good production and an amazing voice combined. 

Biggie & Tupac

With Hip-Hop/Rap being my favorite genre of music, i definitely enjoyed watching the documentary about legendary rappers Biggie and Tupac. I'm more of a fan of Tupac, mainly because I've listened to more of his music, but I understand their equal significance and impact on the rap game.  A point was brought up in one of the past classes about the legitimacy of both Tupac and Biggie's legacies. In my opinion, each of their deaths is what caused them both to be upgraded to the status of a legend. While their music was good and popular at the time, I don't believe they belong on the list of legends.  Because they died at young ages and never could create a complete legacy and release multiple legendary projects, they were never able to prove themselves. They do have their place as pioneers of the development of East/West Coast rap. 

Musicals

On Monday we watched Grease, one of the very few movie musicals that I can actually get all the way through.  I've never been a fan of combining acting and spontaneous singing/dancing, i just don't think it combines very well. It always comes of super cheesy and unneeded. The combination of acting and singing should only be used in music videos, and in moderation. Even in Grease, a musical I can stand to watch, the occasional break-offs to singing gets annoying.  

Casey Veggies

One of my friends recently told me about Casey Veggies and said that I would like his music so I decided to check him out. His collab mixtape with Rockie Fresh called "Fresh Veggies" is the only mixtape I've downloaded so far, but from what I've listened to I definitely enjoy him. He's a pretty decent rapper, but his production is what catches my attention. I've only listened to about 5 of the songs, my favorites being the Interlude and All That. Id recommend him to anyone who's a fan of rap and wants a new, young rapper with a lot of potential. 

Habits & Contradictions

I recently downloaded Schoolboy Q's album "Oxymoron" and loved almost every song on it so I decided to check out some of his older stuff. His only other studio album was one called "Habits & Contradictions". I've gotten about halfway through it so far, and I have to say it's one of the best rap albums I've heard in a while. In "Oxymoron" Schoolboy focuses on the more physical aspects of his former (and maybe current) addiction to all sorts of prescription pills and other drugs.  In "Habits & Contradiction" it seems as though he is attempting to convey the emotional toll these drugs have taken on him and his family, along with some of his friends' families. Both albums are very good but I think "Habits & Contradictions" is a notch above "Oxymoron" in it's quality of content. 

Ice JJ Fish

Before I had heard Ice JJ Fish's most popular song "On the Floor" I thought I had a grasp on the musical talent scale. I now know that it is possible to go lower than the lowest possible scale, thanks to IJJF. I can't tell if he's actually that terrible, or just putting on a seemingly half retarded act in order to draw attention to his horrible music. Whatever he's doing is obviously working because he has blown up on social media.  It is a definite face-palm that he's even on the radar of popularity. Whether he is secretly laughing at everyone for making his music popular or actually believes he is good, Ice JJ Fish sure knows how to get publicity. 

The Great Gambino

I recently found out that one of my favorite rap artists, Childish Gambino, had released multiple mix tapes before his debut album "Camp". As soon as I discovered this I immediately downloaded both of the mixtapes, "The Great Gambino" and "Culdesac". Both include around 15 songs each so I haven't had the chance to listen to all of each album, but from what I have listened to I can easily say they are my 2 favorite projects of his. I can listen to The Great Gambino and not have to skip at all, that is how good it is. I was actually surprised at how good it is, usually most artist's early works are of poorer quality than their later works.  I like Gambino even more than I did before I heard them. 

Elvis Costello

Elvis Costello's voices is probably my favorite voice out of all the artists we have listened to so far. I don't know specifically what it is about his voice, I just enjoy listening to it, along with the music surrounding his voice.  I also love the personality he embodies as someone who couldn't care less about anyone else and just does what he wants. His personality reminds me a lot of the rapper Tyler the Creator's.  Both artists seem to be antiestablishment and do things without having the repercussions in mind. I would definitely recommend Costello to my friends, which shows how much I like his music. 

Meek Mill

One of the game's best young rappers would have to be MMG's Meek Mill. While he might not have the lyrical skills that some have, his production and effort make each of his songs bangers. By banger, I mean you can listen to it without paying close attention to the lyrics and still have a good time. My favorite songs of his include "Ooh Kill Em" "Young and Gettin' It" and "Burn".  If you don't care too much about lyrical quality but still like bangers, Meek Mill is a good choice. 

SXSW

This year will be my first year going to some of the SXSW shows, some of which include Schoolboy Q, Childish Gambino, Future, Snoop Dogg (or Lion?), Chance the Rapper, and probably a few I haven't planned out yet. From what I can tell right off the bat it is too difficult to find the different artists gigs locations and venues. I think SXSW could do a better job with communicating where and when their artists are performing. I still haven't worked out the kinks to my plan, but I'm definitely excited for my first SXSW experience. 

PARTYNEXTDOOR

I've always known about Hip-Hop artist PARTYNEXTDOOR but I've never checked out any of his other stuff other than the songs he features in with Drake. My favorite song of his is "I Don't", while it doesn't necessarily contain the highest quality of lyrics, it pleases me because of the way it sounds and the catchiness of it.  Not many of his older songs catch my attention in particular, other than Muse which is decent. He's really young and has a lot of potential for his future in the Hip-Hop game. 

Rhyme and Punishment

Finally a documentary that catches my interest! Rhyme and Punishment hit right on with some important issues regarding the relationship with Hip-Hop and the prison system. One of the rappers being interviewed, I can't remember who it was, mentioned how it's possible that police forces are punishing Hip-Hop artists more severely in order to "set an example" for the rest of the world.  This is one of many examples of how corrupt the modern prison system is. Another thing I found interesting from the documentary was how the cops were attempting to get one of the rappers to set up 50 Cent with either guns or drugs in order to put him behind bars.  That is extremely corrupt and very disturbing. The fact that it is also probably happening more often than not is even more disgusting. Overall, Rhyme and Punishment was a good documentary that brought about some good points involving the prison system and Hip-Hop. 

Anton

While I might agree slightly to Anton's analysis of Cristian's song choice during the activity where we could share our own music, I think he is being extremely closed-minded when talking about all other classmates' choices. He mentions how he liked Connor's, Mikayla's, and half of Fred's choices, all of which are in the same category (rock/grunge/whatever the xx is). He also mentions how every other person in the class played "garbage" and dislikes all of it. From my point of view, it seems as though Anton has a predisposition against any form of rap/hip-hop. I heard almost every form of rap played by my classmates, some of which I enjoy, others not so much. By calling these choices "garbage" he is not allowing himself to have an open mind towards different types of music. I don't remember what Anton played, which might speak for his quality of choice. I think him calling everyone's music choices "garbage" is ignorant and stubborn. 

Oxymoron

Today rapper Schoolboy Q's upcoming album "Oxymoron" was leaked on the internet and blew up on twitter. I downloaded it as soon as I heard the news because Schoolboy Q is one of the best "not-so-up-and-coming" rappers right now. He's been around for a year or two (for all I know) and has already made a big name for himself. He's featured on tracks with big name stars including Kendrick Lamar and A$AP Rocky. So far I absolutely love Oxymoron, almost every song is worth listening to, and I haven't found a filler yet. Schoolboy Q is beginning to blow up, and has a very bright future ahead of him. 

Denzel Curry

There's an upcoming music festival that I recently bought a ticket to called JMBLYA. It was in Austin last year but this year it's in New Braunfels. The lineup is pretty sick but I'm gonna be taking about one of the artists that caught my attention and had previously been undiscovered by myself.  Denzel Curry blew my mind when I first heard his stuff. He reminds me of a mix between Kendrick Lamar and Tyler, the Creator, if that's even possible. His production is amazing, and in my opinion is what makes him stand out. My favorite song "Threatz" features a few unknowns, but each rapper goes just as hard as one another. Other songs that caught my attention are "N64" "Widescreen" and "Dark & Violent". I'm extremely excited to see this guy live in a couple of months. 

Classmate DJ's

I think the exercise of allowing each student to choose 2 songs to play to the class was a fun one, and definitely exposed myself to music that I hadn't heard before that I enjoy. 

I was planning on playing "You See Me" by Childish Gambino and "Chain Smoker" by Chance the Rapper but I decided to play some stuff I had just recently got into which included "Threatz" by Denzel Curry and "Chain Smoker" by Chance the Rapper (decided to stick with it last second).  I learned about a bunch of new music from this activity and I genuinely enjoyed it. 

RHCP

I think it was the general consensus this year that the Super Bowl did not live up to it's standards, for multiple different reasons. One of said reasons is the fact that the Red Hot Chili Peppers faked their entire performance, and didn't even bother to cover it up. If I had any attachment or interest in them, I honestly don't think I would've minded the fact that they were lip singing. I would mind the fact that they didn't even put any effort into the whole thing. I can definitely see how fans of them would be upset, but in my opinion it's more about the fact that they were there as opposed to the actual performance. 

Big Sean

One of my long time favorite rappers, Big Sean, has been releasing some new songs recently and they are definitely up to par with most of his other music. One of the reasons why I think he's one of the best rappers alive right now is because of his lyricism. He's one of the best in the game at rhyming and using witty puns consistently throughout his songs. His new song "1st Quarter" goes pretty hard and I think it's worth a listen if you want a good example of raw rapping talent. 

Reasons to Die

Today one of the things we discussed in class was what is worth dying and/or fighting for in our minds. I have a lot of mixed emotions about a lot of different aspects of this kind of thing.  In my opinion the only reason worth fighting/dying for is something that you as a person find personally important. Whether it be God, country, family, or fame, if it means something to you then it's worth whatever you want it to be worth. For me, my family and my country are the only things I would fight or die for. But when I say country, I mean I would fight to defend it in times of absolute need, not because some rich douche needs more cash.  

Migos

One artist that I've recently been listening to, and actually like, is known as Migos. From what I know it's a group made of three dudes, but I don't know their names. They are a mix between 2 Chainz and Juicy J, with 2 Chainz's production and Juicy J's rap sound. My favorite songs of theirs, while also being the only songs I have of them, include They Don't Know, Jealousy, and Hannah Montana. Hannah Montana is a song that people love to hate because of who it involves and some of the lyrics. At one point there is about 3 lines of the lead guy saying "Hannah Montana" over and over. Aside from their occasional repetitiveness, their sound is something that catches my attention and I definitely think they're worth a listen. 

Big Star

I never have really listened to REM, let alone Big Star, but after watching the documentary on Big Star I'm just as surprised as everyone else is that they weren't as popular as they should've been. I liked the sound of a lot of their music. I can't remember the names of most of the songs but I definitely thought they were worth more than they earned. The songs were catchy and I liked the lead singer's voice a lot. As for the documentary, I thought it was good for informing the public about Big Star's potential. 

Three Days Grace

My favorite rock/metal band would hands down be Three Days Grace.  I've even listening to them since I was little, which might be part of the reason I like them so much. Recently they haven't released anything I've been a huge fan of, but their old albums are absolute classics in my mind. My two favorite are One-X and Three Days Grace. My top favorite songs are Animal I Have Become, Gone Forever, Break, and No More. I've always based my classifications of rock and metal off of how Three Days Grace sound. They are what, in my mind, a typical rock group sounds like. Their songs are catchy, while also containing density in the lyrics. Adam Gontier's voice is also extremely strong. 

Chance the Rapper

Chance the rapper has been one of my favorite rapping artists lately because his music is original and doesn't follow the typical rhythms or organizations of hip hop music. His personality stands out among other rappers through his focus on actual life experiences and historical archetypes.  He makes instrumentals which change throughout the song leaving room for varying tones throughout his songs. His rhyme schemes also vary throughout his songs making him extra original and fun to listen to. He hides different puns and jokes throughout most of his songs, finding them is always interesting.  Chance won mixtape of the year for his "Acid Rap" project, which basically created all the hype over him over the last couple of months. 

Talent

If I were asked to answer the question "Does true talent exist in someone?" I would quickly say of course. But when I start to really think about it, it's a much more difficult question than it seems. I would define talent as natural ability to excel in a certain area.  Once I get to thinking about it, everyone can be considered "talented" in some area, whether they know about it or not. But can't one's talent just be considered one's genetic predisposition? Does talent even exist? Technically speaking, anyone can basically do anything they put their mind to, if they try their absolute hardest to do so. But I think certain people definitely have the ability to learn or accomplish things at an accelerated rate than other people. Maybe this is what talent actually is? The ability to do and learn things faster. Or maybe talent has something to do with one's potential? Does more potential mean more talent? TECHNICALLY speaking, everyone's potential is infinite, because if you REALLY put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything. Does that mean everyone has the same amount of talent? Is talent even a thing? Who knows. 

Mr. A Can Sing

I'm one of the few people who can say I have a music teacher that also sings in his own band and has been featured in some big name bands.  I was slightly surprised when I heard his album, mainly because I had no idea this guy could sing this well and his singing voice was much different than his talking voice. I thought the album was very uplifting and I genuinely enjoyed listening to it. It might have something to do with the fact that I know the person who is singing personally, but even if I didn't I would've still thought it to be a good listen. At some points he even sounded similar to The Beatles.  The two bands sounds are very similar which also might be another reason I liked it. If anyone wants to listen to something that immediately puts you in a better mood, I would definitely recommend Mr. A's album. 

Ty Dolla $ign

I think I'm in the majority when saying I had never heard of Ty Dolla $ign. Yesterday while looking for new music to listen to on HotNewHipHop I saw Wiz featured in one of his songs so I decided to check him out, and I actually really like a lot of his stuff, so far.  The song with Wiz, "Or Nah", is my favorite, but I'm beginning to delve deeper into his older projects. Beach House and Beach House 2 are his most popular mixtapes, both of which I downloaded. I'm actually surprised I hadn't heard of this dude before yesterday because of the fact that a lot of popular rappers are featured on his mixtapes, including Wiz Khalifa, Kirko Bangz, BoB, and YG. I haven't gotten a chance to listen to all of his mixtapes yet but I definitely think Ty Dolla $ign is worth a listen.