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.