Recount Magazine

8

The Y oung, Important Starhood of

JOEY BADA$$

7

BEN CARSON

Success at the Suspense of Women

14 SYRIAN REFUGEES As a Matter of Fact and Photograph

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the INNAUGURAL ISSUE

RECOUNT magazine is a collaborative forum striving to change the way individuals consider their place in society and to encourage social and political participation in creative and affirming ways. We value counterculture narratives, experiences, and creative expression found in merging of artistic and political cultures. We hope to provide a space for common conversation on society based in shared humanity as an alternative to the norm infested with partisanship and competition.

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CONTENTS

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/ri’kount/

verb, tell someone about something; give an account of an event or experience. noun, an act or instance of giving an account of an event or experience.

Culture – art, music, film, poetry, and all other forms, are essential to human experience. In the political sphere today, issues are limited to polarizing legislative or media-narrative terms when they’re truly about a common, human conversation. We want to provide a space where every part of that conversation is valid and meaningful and we hope to empower people to take their recount to the political process.

WHAT WE’RE ABOUT

This is the forum for political counterculture, what happens when the accounts of the people are at the forefront. Based in the belief that culture is actually lived, we celebrate and explore the connection of human experience and artistic expression to politics.

STEPHANIE SAUNDERS FOUNDING EDITOR IN CHIEF

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR

KATHERINE LADUE MUSIC EDITOR

JESSICA ALI COLUMNIST

KS

AN

TH

LARISA KARR

L

IA

CAITLYN RUSNAK

EC

DESIGN EDITOR

SP

MAKEDA SANDFORD

COLUMNIST

TO

PABLO BEST

RECOUNT Magazine • Page 3

THE SONIC, FRIGID LANDSCAPE OF

CHIEF KEEF ANALYSIS BY PABLO BEST

Slurred, disjointed braggadocio drenched in bouncy, delayed autotune.

Punchy ad-libs peppered sporadically like trumpeted staccatos. Synth heavy beats sliding around, as amorphous as a gust of propane that has escaped from a steel tank.

All of these and more are characteristic of your average banger issued by Chief Keef, christened Keith Cozart on the 15th of August, 20 years ago. The Chicago native broke into the consciousness and headphones of rap fans everywhere upon the release of his 2012 mixtape Back From the Dead. “I Don’t Like,” a track from the aforementioned mixtape, quickly

went viral, attracting the attention of industry mainstay and hit-maker Kanye West; the rest has been history.

Much of the discussion surrounding Keef’s work has just addressed its “weird” nature. Noisey, Fact Magazine, Entertainment Weekly and more have all touched on the experimental territory the rapper has treaded since his increasing departure from the drillrap conventions he himself was largely responsible for establishing, along with his early producer Yung Chop. What all of these talking heads seem to miss is that Keef seems to have direction with his experimentalism, despite the haphazard quality of many of his releases.

Not unlike the place “demo tape” releases have held in DIY, guitar-centric music scenes, mixtapes in the modern rap-sphere serve as a testing tool for an artist to shop an artistic direction without potentially sacrificing major marketing and recording budgets.

Additionally, they’re useful for keeping core fanbases happy and having sufficient material for live shows.

Keef’s most far-out projects have been released through the mixtape format, including the unique 2014 sequel to Keef’s breakthrough, Back From the Dead 2.

Back From the Dead 2 showcases Keef’s most drawn out yet consistent flows. He allows lines room to breathe, beautiful musical flourishes to shine, and quickly followed by sometimes hilarious ad-libs that are always intensely effective.

Young Thug, a contemporary of Keef’s, has been getting press for what many perceive to be a “gibberish”-based rapping style. His, and Keef’s in a similar fashion, have been perceived to actually be captivating takes on regional vernacular filtered through very expressionistic flow-forms, with Thug even having been known to walk into the recording booth with doodles of shapes and concepts rather than lyric books.

This vocal approach has been termed “warble-rap”, which places more emphasis on feeling than New York-based rap conventions of technical ability. Warble rap follows in the storied tradition of long time trap-rapper Gucci Mane, who has worked as a collaborator and mentor to both artists.

Of course, beats play a role in a song’s feeling. Keef is at the helm of 16 of the 20 tracks, all heavily indebted to a sound quality not commonly attributed to rap, not to mention hardcore rap – psychedelic.

Chief Keef’s psychedelia is less about kaleidoscopes and Flower Power and more about the disorienting perspective acquired as a product of war-torn streets. Rugged individualism by way of survival rather than personal philosophy. Sound collages of machine gun shots litter many of the tracks.

Upon listening to the long awaited, retail mixtape Bang 3, one can observe the scaled down the eccentricities from much of his 2013-early 2015 output. Despite that, his adventurous spirit can still be seen in the three random songs he posted on October 19th Much has been said about Keef’s place in the industry. From fellow Chicago rapper Lupe Fiasco’s criticism of his hyper-violent lyrical content to persistent concerns that his short-lived dalliance with Interscope Records was manipulative, Keef’s name has constantly been pulled since his entrance into the high stakes arena of the rap business.

And the concerns have all had some level of validity. As Keef was achieving stardom, Chicago was constantly in the news due to its status as what Kanye West referred to as being the “Murder Capital”. Much of the publicity focused on post-2010 figures, although Chicago has had an endemic problem with fatal violence since the late 1960’s. Since 2000 the average annual murder rates are lower than those as recent as the 1990’s.

That being said, out-of-touch community leaders and politicians from Chicago seem to lack empathy for someone who is a result of the issue.

Mayor of Chicago Rahm Emanuel and another local mayor shut down a benefit concert in Chicago that was to feature a hologram of Keef citing concerns over violence. It was more of a political move to seem “tough on crime” than anything else. It turned out to be a moot point, as the benefit, and the holographic performance, was in condemnation of gun violence and sought to assist recent victims of the phenomenon.

So who is in the wrong, the guy who came from a hyper-violent world talking about it frankly and artistically, or the label bosses and politicians who use the guy to benefit themselves?

King Sosa is constantly seeking the Sound in an age where artistic exploration is often synonymous with the sacrifice of fan loyalty. For that, all fans of forward-thinking rap should be thanking him.

SUCCESS AT THE EXPENSE OF WOMEN ANALYSIS BY JESSICA ALI

B

en Carson hails from a household headed by a single mother whose education stopped short at the third grade. His mother Sonya Carson bore the task of raising three children while juggling three jobs. Despite her efforts, she could not fully alleviate the poverty they faced.

Having the choice and safe access to an abortion or any other family-planning methods would have made the difference between Sonya being the mother of a successful son or a woman with the option of forging her own success.

Ben Carson’s stance on abortion, like many other male politicians’ stances on abortion, is problematic in the fact that they seek to dictate female public policy issues.

Carson’s recent comments on abortion incite unease as he likens women who seek abortions to slave masters,seeking to do

whatever they wish with their slaves.

“I’m a reasonable person,” said Carson in a recent piece published in the Huffington Post. “And if people can come up with a reasonable explanation of why they would like to kill a baby, I’ll listen.”

Carson’s fallacious reasoning in his comparison of abortion seeking women to slave masters is evidence alone that he is not in fact a “reasonable person.” He evades addressing women all together by substituting the word “women” with “people.”

Under pretense, Carson offers his ears to those “people” who can come up with a reasonable explanation for getting an abortion. But that isn’t the terminology he uses.

Instead, he refers to an abortion as “killing a baby” which is an opinion without factual basing; therefore, inherently misleading information.

Given his mother’s struggles and sacrifice, it is disheartening that Carson stands where he stands on women and abortion. Rather than making it a priority to foster a nation that will allow for women to forge paths for themselves similar to his, it seems he is content with relegating them to a position without reproductive power, so that they may dedicate their lives to their possibly male children so that those male children may achieve as he did.

Carson pulled himself up by the bootstraps from inner-city Detroit to become a neurosurgeon at Johns Hopkins. Apparently, he did not intend on stopping his climb at Dr. Ben Carson. He is reaching for Republican President Ben Carson, and for that to happen, he must be palatable for the party even if that means putting a sour taste in the mouths of a female voter base.

The Y oung, Important Starhood of Joey

Bada$$

I

REVIEW AND PHOTOS BY MAKEDA SANDFORD ANALYSIS BY STEPHANIE SAUNDERS

t’s a rare occasion when the hip-hop head of Western North Carolina shows their faces around these parts.

They tend to stay in the comfort of their best friend’s basements in the largely white, largely hippy community of Asheville, NC, tucked in the valley of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It’s rare to see teens with Biggie shirts, sagging skinny jeans, and portable speakers in tow, vibing to classic beats and sharing them with the likes of the streets around these parts. But Joey B’s arrival created a delightful spectacle. The Orange Peel, a famous venue in downtown Asheville, had its usual atmosphere turned on its side in anticipation for the Word Domination Tour.

The crowd loomed among green-tinted smoke while old school rap and Michael Jackson classics awaited the arrival of a young star.

The headliners warmed up the vivacious crowd, impressively weaving in unique styles that promised a world of underground rap to be ever-thriving. But once 20-year-old Brooklyn native, Jo-Vaughn Virginie Scott, who goes by the stage name Joey Bada$$ took to the stage, the young fans immediately clicked into Joey-mode, anticipating every lyric and reaching out to him as if to share energy and a collaborative bond.

He starts out the night with “Big Dusty,” an electric party-starter off his debut album B4.DA.$$., produced by his right-hand Pro Era squad member Kirk Knight. He continued to bring the energy for the first quarter of his set, singing “Always got the weed, so WTF you mean?” to mellow out the crowd before his first pause. Then Bada$$ called out his day one fans, gifting them with a throwback to his

RECOUNT Magazine • Page 9

JOEY BADA$$ AND PRO ERA: A LESSON IN CONSCIOUSNESS ANALYSIS BY STEPHANIE SAUNDERS

Joey Bada$$ is ascending. The vision Progressive Era has referenced since the beginning is becoming a reality before our eyes. From their early mixtapes to Joey’s latest release, this collective’s take on the world around them has been nuanced and aggressive, critical and aware. In essence, woke.

Joey Bada$$ is often mentioned alongside artists like Nas, Tupac, and Kendrick Lamar as a part of the subgenre of “conscious rap”. But what does it mean to be conscious? The word itself is an enigma, a vague vocabulary word describing a part of human nature that’s rarely discussed outside of classrooms or yoga studios. Joey and the Pro Era crew seek to explicitly and powerfully explore this concept.

It’s clear to see the mindfulness of their approach at the forefront of their music. The

nature of hip-hop inclines the artists to elevate themselves, and these MCs do so with a vision and a means that’s completely unique.

Even in the context of drug use- “I don’t drink too much, I know the bud wiser”- their primary message is one of balance. They proclaim the need to align chakras, specifically the third eye. It is a message of self-awareness and the continual process of balancing emotional, spiritual, and physical energy; that is where they found their power and purpose.

On arguably the grimiest song on B4. da.$$, Christ Conscious, he proclaims that he won’t stop ascending until he reaches that level of universality and omnipotence, describes himself as holding the world in his pocket, and threatens to unleash the “hurtful fucking truth”. He draws the last syllable of

“nigga” out into a resonating, guttural sound, somewhere between a yell and an “ohm”.

The ethereal imagery of the video implies that it could be homage to the liberating experience of reclaiming a derogatory term, a reference to his meditation practices, or another blatant rejection of censorship.

Intended or coincidental, it’s a sonic example of Progressive Era’s brand of contemporary double consciousness. The grit that comes from being aware of life’s difficulties, acknowledging the complex systems at play, and the convergence of those to inspire everything from frustration to resilience to self-esteem deficits.

B4.da.$$ is intimate, especially when he samples his own radio commentary to tell of his Caribbean family or incorporates conversations and feedback from friends to

17-year old 1999 days with “Waves,” a song infused with coastal vibes and cheers to the good life.

Following up with a somber rendition of his hit “Hardknock,” Bada$$ had the whole crowd lifting their lighters up to the ceiling to pay homage to everyone in the room who had gone through the struggle. This remix of the old Annie classic sheds light on the socio-political strife of the hood lifestyle he experiences and represents in New York City.

That anthem was followed by a deep and reminiscent track “Hazeus View,” one of the strongest indicators of Bada$$’s maturity.

The crowd vibed hard and he used the line “When we get high we say fuck the police” to

transfer the mood to mosh pit-level intensity with the song “No. 99.”

Joey Bada$$’s performance was a clear depiction of the young star’s use of old school meter to produce a sound that’s beyond our time. He catered to the ladies by inviting them on stage in a song “Teach Me,” beckoning them to teach him how to dance, then turned right around to give timeless advice to share love before it’s too late – “Life is too short not to tell them you love them.”

He dedicate a moment of silence and a collective throwing of peace signs up for crowd members who have lost loved ones, and his own loss of a good friend and Pro Era teammate, Capital Steez. The moment was

heartfelt and even made the bartenders shut up in respect.

He closed out the night by having the peace signing crowd turn those hands around and put the index fingers down to say “fuck you” to police, and to censorship.

Bada$$’s performance was refreshing to the old school hip-hop head, hopeful for the pessimistic about the future of rap, and inspired to go out and make change, following the goal and vibe of his collective, Pro Era, according to their website “inspired by the “progressive era” time period in the 1900’s, the group based their focus on progressing and growing in everyday life through their music.”

RECOUNT Magazine • Page 11

introduce Big Dusty. Joey’s roots play an integral role in the formation of his perspective, and his music is inseparable from his background.

He references his international and stateside influences both explicitly and implicitly, but the ideology of Rastafarianism is a consistent element to his music. It’s evident from his collaboration with Collie Buddz on My Yout, to his mentions of Bob Marley and Marcus Garvey in Piece of Mind.

Reggae is more obscure in American culture than hip-hop, and as a result, is less often divorced from its origins when it circulates in the mainstream. There are few standout artists in the genre, and those tend to be crossover artists, like Sean Paul and Shaggy. The essence of Rastafarianism – and reggae music to varying degrees – is to transcend the “isms and schisms” of the world, the institutions, divisions, and possessions that society has deemed more important than spirituality, relationships, and integrity.

When Jo-Vaughn’s St. Lucian mother’s voice comes on O.C.B

and Curry Chicken (<3), imparting her wisdom to all of us about the difference between people’s perceptions of you and who you truly are, we are invited to share in another source of his resilience. It’s a conversation children of color have always had with their parents, and in these United States, where unarmed black people are killed by police at a disturbingly high rate, perceptions can be deadly, so those words of wisdom are a necessity although they may very well be useless. It’s a survival tactic.

I first came across Joey Bada$$ in a video with Capital Steez for their single “Survival Tactics”, shortly after 1999 was released.

My eyes widened, my heart raced, and it still does to this day when I watch it.

The biting social commentary they throw through the screen is raw in emotion and brilliant in substance. They are clearly fed up with the status quo like so many of us are. They dare society to think on the connections they make lyrically and symbolically.

They take that energy and

You got to give to get and then you give back CURRY CHICKEN

just spit. Verse after verse, line after line of real relevant and poignant shit. They lived the effects of societal shortcomings in the political system, the education system, and the economy. Steez, Joey, and Pro Era refused to be silenced, in addition to being marginalized. Joey points and shoots one of their toy guns at the camera at the close of the 2012 video; it’s meaningful, foreshadowing commentary on the perceptions that frame instances like the murder of 12-year old Tamir Rice in Cleveland over two years later.

Hip-hop has always been layered like that, with elements of sociopolitical commentary from a medley of cultural perspectives, with rhythmic complexity, and anecdotal musicality.

The commentary, then, can be subtle or overt. In the video for “Like Me”, Joey addresses police violence directly and sincerely.

Positioning himself simultaneously in common romantic and political narratives, he brings humanity and a dose of reality to this controversial phenomenon. He heightens the listener’s awareness in real time by telling a timeless story. At the same time, the #BlackLivesMatter movement has struggled to get their story across color lines.

Police violence is a systemically perpetuated violation of human rights, and it is one with proposed solutions – if we’re looking for them. Joey has walked with the #BlackLivesMatter movement in protest of Freddie Gray’s treatment and he’s still connected to his old high school, Edward R. Murrow in Brooklyn, NY. In interviews he’s had conversations about gentrification, related his favorite self-help book, and been open about the people he’s lost as much as his monetary gains. So he raps consciously, he is aware of and active in the politics of the world around him, his mentality is based on being conscious of self.

So again, what does that mean?

In my experience, studying consciousness in a philosophy course entitled Mind and Nature, we explored levels of awareness, human capacity to take in information and perceive color (actually almost the same thing), and concepts of self (in many contexts including cloning). It was a humbling experience to be asked those cosmic, and strangely personal questions. These thought experiments yielded

awkward silences for the class, but small insights grew into substantial conversations whenever we were able to move past that initial paralysis.

The reality is that race is as much of an enigma as consciousness, and the willingness to address both is the beauty of what Progressive Era inspires. Whether you buy into it or not, they openly accept their humanity by pursuing clarity within their own

depths while basking in the cosmic unknown.

So we can all benefit from pursuing global and personal awareness like Joey Bada$$. Maybe the reason that perspective resonates with fans of Progressive Era, is what that approach represents. People are deeper and more dynamic than the systems we’re shuffled into. Institutions have a bad habit of perpetuating norms and if we limit ourselves

to those definitions, we’ll never improve, grow, transcend.

Historically, movements have made things a bit better. The civil rights, LGBT, labor and women’s movements, are still in motion; the conversation is still going on.

Social and political dynamics are complex and they’ll never be perfect. So keep in mind, you don’t have to have all the answers to consciously question the world around you.

I spend my days sharpening my skill wheels while its still legal Reading through cathedrals applied to my cerebral, They aint built they feeble, driven by the ego The vision of a eagle, see the vision in my people How many lives will they take today? We aint equal Another world war sequel and doomsday prequel, this aint the world we thought it was when we was in preschool.

Sometimes it’s hard to be cool, sometimes I feel like im see thru Sometimes I really wish, yo I wish that I could be you BLACK BEETLES

SYRIAN REFUGEES AS FACT AND PHOTOGRAPH ANALYSIS BY STEPHANIE SAUNDERS PHOTOS BY MAGNUS WENNMAN In 1979 and 1980 alone, the United States allowed entry to over 300,000 Vietnamese refugees.

Many saw this as the United States paying reparations for a bloody civil war we made far worse by arming and fighting with the faction whose ideology we agreed with while ignoring the geopolitical complexities of the situation. Sound familiar?

Many of these refugees were not Christian, could not speak English, and have since successfully assimilated into the tapestry of the U. S. Obama’s current plan calls for the allowance of 65,000 Syrian immigrants over 2015 and 2016 – just over 20% the amount of Vietnamese offered refuge then. The population of the US in 1980 was 226.5 million. The most recent estimate of our population? 318.9 million. The differences here are staggering – yet we’re afraid these Syrians won’t assimilate? You can learn more about where refugees come from in this Pew Research Center study.

So let’s turn to how Muslim nations view the acts of Daesh (ISIS) and other extremists. Well, roughly 60% of all people polled strongly condemn ANY violence in the name of Islam.

That number seems low, right? Especially since that takes into account that the phrasing of the question includes violence done in defense of the religion. Pretty shocking, don’t you think? Would 60% of Christians be willing to say “Even if I am under attack, I will not use violence to protect myself”? Heck, would 60% of anybody say that? Furthermore, when asked if they support suicide bombing or other acts of extremism, the percentage of condemnation jumps to over 85% in most cases.

Finally, most Muslims view extremist groups like Hamas, Al Queda, etc. extremely unfavorably – the number is also around 60%. When interpreting these statistics, it is important to note that these groups, while having a militant wing, are also political parties in many countries that end up providing a lot of public services for the Muslim populace. But what about their view of ONLY militant groups, like Boko Haram? Only 2% of Muslims polled (hyperlink) have

a favorable view of this organization.

You can read more about the overwhelming condemnation of extremism preached by foreign Muslims here.

People would like to see these numbers closer to 100%. I get that.

However, it is important to remember the complex socio-political pressures in these countries, just as in any country. We cannot overlook the ways these groups are entwined in some Muslim societies.

To further tease this apart, how often do Muslims commit acts of terrorism? Very, very rarely. In fact, less than 2% of all terrorist acts committed in the EU in the past five years have been committed by Muslims. Do you remember when two French police stations were attacked in a coordinated effort by men armed with assault weapons and ROCKET LAUNCHERS? That did happen, and in 2013 no less. at the hands of domestic terrorists, who carry out an overwhelming majority of terrorist attacks. Still, we disproportionately attribute terrorism to Muslim extremists.

If actions taken by Muslim extremists are so rare, how can we be constantly inundated with violence? Well, there’s presentation: the ever-breaking news cycle and sensational reporting has a lot to do with it. Violence in various forms is common in the United States and while we spend trillions of dollars on the “War on Terror”, we do surprisingly little against more statistically serious threats. In the 14 years since 9/11, roughly 7,000 American soldiers have died in the “War on Terror” and around 40 have been killed in acts of domestic terrorism committed by Muslim extremists. In that same timespan, well over 300,000 Americans have died due to gun violence. Various studies indicate that common-sense gun control legislation could potentially halve these trends. We have here a threat that takes over 4200% the amount of lives of the soldiers lost in Afghanistan and Iraq and over 7,500 times the amount of lives lost by victims of domestic terrorism perpetrated by Muslim extremists. And we’re doing nothing.

Some of you might say, “still, 40 lives is too much.” You’re right. So let’s refocus and look at the acts of domestic terrorism committed by refugees… except there aren’t any. Since 9/11, the US has admitted over 750,000 Middle Eastern refugees. None have committed any acts of domestic terrorism in the name of Islam. In fact, only 2 were found to have any connection to any Muslim extremist groups. They were sending aid to Al Queda operatives in Iraq – not planning attacks here.

In fact, applying for refugee status is just about the last thing a potential terrorist would do. Its a long process that places candidates under far more scrutiny than other methods of entering this country – both legally or illegally. If you want to stop the gaps in our immigration security, look to visas, asylum seekers, and the borders – but do not shut the door to the refugees who need our help the most.

We’ve established that terrorists disguising themselves as Syrian refugees and attempting to sneak into this country to commit acts of violence is statistically highly unlikely, historically inaccurate, and misrepresentative of the facts. There may still remain one big nagging question, however: the cost. This is the good news. Studies indicate that taking in refugees, while a shortterm expense, actually provides a boon to economies. At the end

of the day, host nations receive more population which means more demand and more workers.

Syrians are actually the best-suited Middle Eastern refugees for assimilation into the US culture and economy. Prior to the civil war, a large majority of the populace was in a middle-class analogous to our own. These people went to college, got a job, worked 40 hours a week and came home to their families. Furthermore, the Syrian nation stood out as a secularly-governed country in a predominantly theocratic Middle East; all of these are notions that would point to smooth assimilation. Syrians are largely skilled, educated persons that would be valuable assets to our society and want nothing more than to have a chance to provide for their families, yet we turn them away?

A multitude of articles – see former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright‘s comments – videos, and posts going around lead to the same conclusion: We should not be closing our doors to refugees when we are beyond the capability to provide for even more than the 65,000 we have committed to taking in. In times like these, it’s natural to feel afraid; these numbers are not meant to dissolve that fear. I do hope what I have shown you helps you to be brave, do your research, and think rationally about this very, very complex topic.

WHAT IS

RECOUNT? reflection

expression + participation

vision

change the conversation surrounding politics and policy to reflect humanity and opportunity create a culture of expression and participation, reflection, and dynamic growth facilitate a human approach to politics and creativity through content and programming bring multicultural, countercultural perspectives to the forefront

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