Wednesday April 15, 2020
Serving the Rio Hondo Community
Volume 60 Issue 7
Ghost-Town Whittier
MICHAEL MARTINEZ/ EPM COVID-19 has brought the popular Uptown Whittier to a halt. Uptown is known for the great food and entertainment and is usually traffic heavy but on Friday April 10 it is looking like a ghost town.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
2
Long Live Nipsey Hussle:
A year after his death, the late hip-hop artist continues to inspire
MEGAN DE LARA / EPM
A screenshot from Hussle’s music video for the track Double Up from his album “Victory Lap”, released in 2018. The single also featured Canadian rapper Belly and Los Angeles-based hip hop artist Dom Kennedy. TONY RUIZ Reporter
tony.ruiz0556@my.riohondo.edu Ermias Joseph Asghedom, better known as Nipsey Hussle, King Nip, or NayBaHood Nip was an American rapper, activist, and entrepreneur. Hussle was born August 15,1985 in Los Angeles CA, to Angelique Smith a african American woman and father Dawit Asghedom an Eritrean immigrant. The musician was raised in the Crenshaw District with his brother Samuel and sister Samantha. At the young age of 14, Hussle dropped out of school and left home to join the Rollin 60’s Neighborhood Crips. His stage name, a play on the name of comedian Nipsey Russell, was given to him from a childhood friend. Nipsey was this generation’s Tupac. Tupac, who was Nipsey’s idol, was also an activist. Not only was Tupac a huge part of the hip hop world, but he was a part of something bigger which was giving back to his community just like Nip.The connection between both Nip and Pac was they both wanted the best for their people and wanted to help kids get out of the hood and do better for themselves. In a recent interview with DJ Envy on his morning podcast the Breakfast Club, Snoop Dogg said he truly believed the spirit of Tupac became Nipsey Hussle. Snoop Dogg stated, “The spirit Nipsey had was the spirit 2Pac had as far
as being up close and personal with the people.” In 2004 at the age of 19 Nipsey’s father took both Nipsey and his brother on a trip to Eritrea, East Africa for three months. This trip inspired Nipsey to become a community activist with an “entrepreneurial spirit.”Nipsey’s focus was giving solutions and inspiration to young African American men like him. He funded improvements to the neighborhood schools and spent time with the kids. Nipsey emerged from the west coast hip hop scene in the mid 2000’s where he released his first mixtape “Slauson Boy: Volume 1,” giving him local success which led to him being signed to Cinematic Music Group along with Epic Records. Later on he would go on to create his own label called All Money In where Nip would live by his famous slogan, “The Marathon Continues.” From this point on, Nip became a rap favorite where he would begin collaborating with other popular LA artists such as The Game, Snoop Dogg, YG and other LA legends. Nipsey’s music had a huge impact on not only the rap game, but to the people as well. Nip’s lyrics were known to be so powerful and spoke to the people as if he actually knew them and the things they were going through. Hussle’s last album, “Victory Lap,” was released February 16, 2018 debuting at number four on the billboard
200, where he sold 53,000 album equivalent units in one week. Victory Lap was also nominated for Best Rap Album at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards where he eventually lost to Cardi B. On March 31,2020 was the one year anniversary of Nipsey’s death. One thing I can say is that nobody has forgotten Nipsey. On this day, various artists and celebrities were going on Instagram live talking about their memories of nipsey while playing his music in the background. A couple NBA players as well posted some of the pictures they had with Nipsey. LA Rapper YG took this day to
the next level where he was going Instagram live with any music artists that had ever worked with Nip and he would play that song as they all sang along. YG was able to get artists like Tyga, Dom Kennedy, Dj Mustard, and other LA artists to join in on his celebration of Nip’s life. The Game and Snoop Dogg also posted pictures of Nip on their Instagram along with a heart filled message to their good friend Nipsey. Not only were celebrities celebrating the anniversary of Nip, but his impact could also be seen on social media from people all over the world and people of all ethnicities.
People were posting pictures and leaving messages on how Nipsey influenced them to become a better person or how his music brought people from overcoming obstacles they were facing in life. I was actually one of those people who posted a thank you message to Nip for impacting my life. The music of Nip and his strong meaning behind his lyrics helped me get through the passing of my cousin and some other things I was facing in life. Nips famous saying “ The Marathon Continues” is what keeps me pushing everyday. Long Live King Nipsey.
MEGAN DE LARA / EPM
A still of Hussle during his set for Power 106’s “Powerhouse” concert in 2015.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
3
John Prine, American Singer and Songwriter, loses battle with COVID-19 EMILY DE LUNA Reporter
emily.deluna2549@my.riohondo.edu
John Prine, an American country folk singer-songwriter, passed away at age 73 on last Tuesday due to complications with COVID-19 at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Prine was also a composer, recording artist, and live performer known for an often humorous style of original music that has elements of protest and social commentary. As known for his classic contributions such as “Angel from Montgomery,” “In Spite of Ourselves,” and “That’s the Way the World Goes Round,” Fiona Whelan-Prine, the musician’s wife, took to Instagram to post an emotional statement about his passing, writing, “We have no words to describe the grief
our family is experiencing at this time. John was the love of my life and adored by our sons Jody, Jack and Tommy, daughter in law Fanny, and by our grandchildren.” She then went on to advise readers to take the virus seriously and follow CDC guidelines so they won’t have to experience the grief of losing a loved one. News spread throughout the music community about Prine’s death, many celebrities took to social media to mourn. Many stars like Miranda Lambert, Toby Keith, Kacey Musgraves, and many others posted on Instagram and Twitter. Whelan-Prine tested positive for COVID-19 and recovered. Prine himself was hospitalized since late last month on March 26 due to his coronavirus symptoms. He was put on a ventilator
and remained in the intensive care unit for several days. The singer-songwriter had suffered from other types of complications in the past that had made him vulnerable to the virus. He underwent surgery back in 1998 to remove a tumor in his neck identified as squamous cell cancer, which had damaged
david.flores5487@my.riohondo.edu
Independent hip-hop artist Noa James keeps up his promise to continue releasing new music this year by dropping off “OrcaMania 30,000.” James is releasing “OrcaMania 30,000” approximately 38 days after putting out the full seven song release “The Love Was Never Hidden.” The way his previous album centered around love, this new one James focuses on his love for wrestling by putting together a pay-per-view event in audio form with the help of his own company, “BrickToYaFace’’ and the assistance from “Productive Culture” plus a few others. The new EP makes up for its shortness in length with its originality and creativity. The album begins with the artist portraying two commentators who welcome the listener to the audio experience and act as narrators throughout the entire listen. The first song, which happens to be the title track of the album, is an ode to wrestling by James, who already has many aliases, adds another to his list as he introduces his wrestling alias “Powerbomb James.” On the first track Powerbomb James takes over a hyphy beat made by Productive Culture’s JMKM and DeFalco. The rapper name drops a list of wrestlers including The Undertaker, Chris Jericho, Rob Van Dam, The Rock, Triple H, Eddie Guerrero, Sting, Big Show,
Booker T, Hulk Hogan and more. To those that care less about wrestling, they could still vibe to the upbeat lyrics powered by an infectious bouncing beat that they can’t help move and groove to. For the wrestling fanatics, the track will send them down a nostalgic ride and potentially blow their minds because what other rap song is shouting out World Wrestling Federation legends. On the next track, “New World Orca,’’ James teams up with fellow independent artist Imran Ashraf and together they create James is known for best and that is a positive hip-hop banger. The chorus sums up what the song is about as James acknowledges positivity and gives it the praise he believes it deserves. “The hustle never stopping, failures not an option, blessings always knocking, haters always watching, love filled my pockets, love got me popping.” The third track of the tape has the Inland Empire artist partnered up with a San Bernardino artist and
music that led him to the man he was. The raspy-voiced singer was a two-time cancer survivor and accomplished a lot such as being a four-time Grammy winner and also a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He inspired the art of many throughout his life, including Nobel Laureate Bob Dylan.
MEGAN DE LARA / EPM
A screenshot of Prine performing in December of 2018 for House of Strambo.
Noa James Welcomes All to ‘OrcaMania 30,000’ DAVID FLORES Reporter
his vocal cords. In 2013, he had part of one lung removed to treat lung cancer. Prine was raised in Illinois during 1946 and grew up with an interest in music. Later in life Prine was discovered and got the chance to work on his own album then signed with many other record companies to make more
producer in Nah’shon and together over a JMKM beat they battle the idea of hate and choose love instead. The song’s chorus is catchy as it repeats the title “No Hate Just Love” which if the listener repeats along with it makes it hard not to smile while doing so. “OrcaMania 30,000” is a short release for the independent monster that will leave his fans wanting more especially those who, like James, are fans of wrestling. For those listeners that do not share a similar fanfare, they can find the musical project enjoyable as always his lyrics are uplifting while the beats are energetic. This is the first project by James that focuses on one subject entirely, the rapper who is known for his positivity and anime references continues to make his own lane. Next for the artist known as Orcamane is more new music releases, as he hopes to drop at least three more digital recordings this year, to keep up visit noajames.net
DAVID FLORES/EPM
Noa James performing in Pomona,California on October 10, 2018 at DBA 256 Bar & Gallery
How to Attend Concerts Virtually During Quarantine
LESLIE LOPEZ
Reporter leslie.lopez3339@my.riohondo.edu
It seems like every event, such as concerts, has been canceled due to COVID-19. Is it possible to watch an event without leaving your place? Of course, it is possible. Here’s how you can still enjoy shows from the comfort of your own home. Events have been canceled such as Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Excision, Emo Nite, South by Southwest (SXSW), EDM - these are just some of the events that have beeb postponed. Epik Music Videos (epikmusicvideos.com) is a music video production company in London and website thar provides music videos and other online sources for live streaming concerts. Although the website does not host the events itself, there are at least 10 websites it provides for live streaming. Some charge to see these live concerts online, and others are completely free. The websites that are provided for free are moshcam.com, baeblemusic. com, npr.org, bandsvideos. com, and concertsvideos. com. Moshcam.com offers interviews, trending videos, HQ concert videos, features, reviews, and to discover new artists. The website that charges for concerts is wolfgangs. com, and pastemagazine.
com. A person may be able to discover different genres of music and expand options. Depending on the website, it also includes podcasts, music videos, news, and so on. By clicking on one of these websites, an audience member will be able to see when the concert will be held. If one would like to watch live concerts on your cellular device instead of your computers, there is an app that will allow anyone to watch it anywhere around your home. Billboard’s website also provides information based on which concerts have been canceled and the dates as of when concerts will occur until further notice. As famous artists are trying to figure out what to do for entertainment, others have started live streaming concerts on social media from their homes to any location where one may practice social distancing. One should be checking out the updates or announcements as to when the artists release their livestream plans. If one has extra time to kill, rewatch videos from previous events that are available to watch. Artists like Miley Cyrus, have been posting on instagram of her singing, performing, reenactments, Q&A’s, and having conversations with her fans. Other artists such as John Legend, Coldplay, Keith Urban performed live on Instagram as well.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
4
Los Angeles Has The Cleanest Air Due to COVID-19
JAIME APARICIO/EPM Although the Los Angeles area is now subject to cleaner air, it seems as though that the results will not last for long. It is quite certain that the quarantine is due to end and LA traffic, once again, to start polluting the air to “normal” status. JESUS MARQUEZ Reporter
jesus.marquez1625@my.riohondo.edu
Los Angeles, one of the biggest cities in the United States, has the cleanest air in the world due to COVID19. California’s biggest city used to have the thickest air pollution hanging over its downtown buildings. But today, with the orders of staying at home due to the coronavirus, something strange has happened to the
air in LA. Last Wednesday, LA saw some of the cleanest air in the world and it’s healing everyday. The sky has a nice blue color never seen before in LA since 1995, according to IQAir, a Swiss air class technology company which also monitors pollution levels in cities around the globe. Also, in early March of this year, EPA air quality data shows that the city experienced its longest stretch of good air quality.
Something that people never experience here in Los Angeles for a long time. That means there is less traffic and less people outside. Everyday the air quality is improving by 15 to 20 percent in Southern California. Furthermore, a team found a 40% drop in levels of PM 2.5. A class of microscopic air pollutants that have been linked to serious cardiovascular and respiratory issues. Children and elderly people are the
most effective ones that die from poor air every year. But, with the virus still in session, kids and older people are safe from unhealthy air. Because Los Angeles is the second populated city with 4.0 million people, there is a lot of traffic going on daily. Traffic in LA is the reason why the PM 2.5 levels are high in Southern California. The stay-at-home order went into effect, the team has found that traffic across the state has fallen by
around 80%. A massive drop in one of the most traffic choked states in the country is likely a big reason for the cleaner air. Sadly, the reduced pollution is probably temporary. As California has 18,309 confirmed cases with the coronavirus, lockdown resumes. Once the pandemic is over, the air quality is likely to decrease again.
How To Clean and Reuse A N95 Mask EVELYN VARGAS Reporter
evelyn.vargas3749@my.riohondo.edu
It is not recommended to reuse the common N95 filtering facepiece respirator mask. However, due to the high demand of usage, it is almost impossible to find and/or able to afford one. With the coronavirus pandemic there are some acceptable methods to decontaminate and reuse the common N95 mask. While some methods are very effective there are also common ones that a great number of people believe it is the correct and safe way. The methods that do not provide proper effectiveness to the mask are spraying or wetting with aerosol or liquid alcohol, in addition to washing with soapy water. Though it is believed by many that it is the correct way, it is indeed the improper way to clean a mask. Dr. Tsai, a designer of the modern N95 mask indicates that these methods can break down the inherent electrostatic charge that is key to the way an N95 filters
small particles. They can reduce a mask’s effectiveness by a third to a half. Thus, it is not recommended to reuse, there are three alternative methods that experts find credible and efficient. Method one is rotation, a study done in the NewEngland Journal of Medicine that utilizes a round robin rotation of masks so that each one is rested for at least hours before being worn again. Tsai has yet not experimentally verified this method himself, but it is relied on the widely withheld belief that the coronavirus should not survive more than 72 hours on an inhospitable host, just like the surface of an N95 mask. This method’s only downside is that the minimum amount of mask per wearer is four, and that is with the assumption of the usage of a mask each day. The next method is steaming or boiling. Tsai says submerging an N95 in 125C/260F degree steam or boiling water for approximately 3 minutes, it will in fact disinfect the mask without significantly
JAIME APARICIO/EPM Handling your masks for more than one use is crucial, especially if on a budget. Following instructions will ensure a longer lifespan for even the simplest masks. reducing its filtration efficiency (FE). The mask does not need to be stirred excessively when you are boiling it, a small amount of manipulation to keep it submerged is the only thing that is recommended. Lastly, the third recommended method is to bake it. However, this method runs a huge risk of contaminating your main food preparation oven.
Researchers from Michigan State University refined this method utilizing a laboratory oven and Dr. Tsai agrees that heating up the mask for 30 minutes at 70C (160F) is an effective decontamination method. Yet, keep in mind that the most important step is to not ruin a freshly decontaminated mask by handling it incorrectly. It is very important to not let
your hands create a bridge between the particletrapping front of the mask & the ostensibly clean back of it. The Centers of Disease control and Prevention (CDC) officially says that there is no way to determine a precise number of times you can reuse a mask safely. These methods are credible viral transmission experts that create reasonable alternatives in this unparalleled time.