Mixtape Magazine Fall 2019 Issue VIII by Mixtape Magazine

ISSUE VIII

FALL 2019

WINS AND LOSSES

YOUR STUDENT FEE

Fall 2019

Mixtape Magazine Issue VIII Fall 2019 Editor-in-Chief: Kyliah Almeida Co-Executive Editor: Ayaa Mesbah Co-Executive Editor: Cydney Lee Executive Designer: Natasha Brao Fashion Chair: Punya Sidhu Photography Chair: Siyaka Taylor-Lewis Illustration Chair: Aiden Reese-Taylor Community Engagement: Omari Romain Head of Digital Content: Jordan Rose Web Editor: Camryn Simon Head of Public Relations: Shantal Risk

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Writers Aaron Imholt, Ayaa Mesbah, Cydney Lee, Fawaz Okoya, Fredaye Wilkes, Jordan Rose, Kenny Wilson, Pat Shanahan, Spencer Jones, Toluwanimi Fajolu, Valerie Torres, Dassy Kemedjio Designers Natasha Brao, Maura Anderson, Sarah Prosser, Marlon Lahens, Wanjiru Wambugu, Kaya Pope Illustrators Aiden Reese-Taylor, Wanjiru Wambugu, Amaya Finklea, Lance Evans Photographers: Siyaka Taylor-Lewis, Stacy Fernandez, Tanner Hogan, Torian Love, Akeem Lovell, Kevin Tsai Editors: Kyliah Almeida, Ayaa Mesbah, Cydney Lee Assistant Stylists: Valerie Torres, Sonam Choesto, Wanjiru Wambugu, Dylan Antigua, Jillian Arroyo-Mark, Kevin Lopez Models: Kyle Williams Jr., Shantelle Ismay Wilock, Brandon Belton, Troyesha Parks, Alexis Alex, Gianni Villegas, Bria Huff, Taylor Wright, JosĂŠ Arrieta, Amber Lee Barbee, Frankelly Gonzalez, Javier Ovalles, Christopher Crossman, London V., Bobby Manning Student Outreach: Taylor C Bradbury, Makeda Cheru, Sandy Cao

Fall 2019

THE MIXTAPE STAFF Natasha Brao Executive Designer 4

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Ayaa Mesbah Co-Executive Editor

Cydney Lee Co-Executive Editor

Kyliah Almeida Editor-in-Cheif

Aiden Reese-Taylor Illustration Chair

Punya Sidhu Fashion Chair

Omari Romain Community Engagement

Camryn Simon Web Editor

Siyaka Taylor-Lewis Photography Chair

Jordan Rose Head of Digital Content

Shantal Risk Head of Public Relations Fall 2019

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Art: Lance Evans

Fall 2019

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If You’re Reading This… WE F*CKING DID IT. That’s it, that’s the tweet. No, but really. I still can’t believe we’re here. The amount of work that went into this mag, the amount of talent, the amount of hours—invaluable and immeasurable. This kind of feels like a Grammy acceptance speech, but I’ll try not to do all that. I do want to thank God, but I also want to thank this team. Please know that whether you’re reading this letter as a contributor, an E-board member, or just a reader, the team that put this magazine together is comprised of some of the most talented, creative, and abstract minds I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. I truly could not have done it without y’all. It’s safe to say that this semester was tough for all of us—both as individuals and as a community—and to have a body of work that commemorates the last decade is truly something remarkable, and in some ways, a silver lining. We’re still here. Through it all, still we rise. I think it’s fitting that the theme of this issue is Redemption (a take on the concept of wins and losses and whether or not there really is such a thing as taking an “L” in Hip-Hop) because we truly have managed to redeem ourselves through all the “L’s” we thought we took. This magazine is evidence of that. *Quick shoutout to my web team! Even though y’all are the web team, you’ve done more than your part and damn sure crossed the digital boundaries.* There were times when I thought this issue wouldn’t see the light of day—for a number of reasons (if you know, you know)—but the people that came before us worked too hard for that. Freshman year me is probably even more proud than present-day me; she’s GEEKED that we’ve somehow made it here from that first Involvement Fair on the quad. My imposter syndrome has me sitting here wondering how I was able to follow in the footsteps of the remarkable women that filled these shoes before me (some BIG ass shoes y’all trusted me to fill!!), but I hope you’re just as proud as I am. To everyone reading this issue: thank you, and stay resilient. Keep raising hell and crossing boundaries the same way our beloved Hip-Hop has. This is just the beginning. P.S.- I don’t forgive y’all for letting Not All Heroes Wear Capes lose in Mixxy Madness Kyliah

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12 MIXXY MADNESS 14 ALBUM REVIEWS 18 HYPEBEAST VS MINIMALIST 24 RAPPERS USING RELIGION AS A PATH TO REDEMPTION STORY OF REDEMPTION: 26 MEEK MILL 28 GUCCI MANE

30 INFILTRATION 36 WHAT MAKES AN ARTIST UNDERRATED?

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38 ARTISTS DON’T OWE US ANYTHING 40 EUROPE’S COMPLICATED RELATIONSHIP WITH HIP HOP

A DECADE IN B-SIDES: A PLAYLIST

44 COMPARING THE COMING OUT STORIES OF LIL NAS X AND FRANK OCEAN

46 CONSCIOUS RAP IS CORNY: WHY DOES RAP GLORIFY NEGATIVITY? 48 JAY-Z AND THE NFL: THE BURDEN OF REACHING A BILLI FIRST 52 CANCEL CULTURE

54 SPOTLIGHT INTERVIEWS Fall 2019

MIXXY MADNESS OVER IT SUMMER WALKER NASTY RICO NASTY THE WIZRD FUTURE FLOOR SEATS A$AP FERG CONTROL THE STREETS VOL 2 QUALITY CONTROL NOT ALL HEROES WEAR CAPES METRO BOOMIN SHEA BUTTER BABY ARI LENNOX DIASPORA GOLDLINK IGOR TYLER, THE CREATOR CHAMPIONSHIPS MEEK MILL FEVER MEGAN THEE STALLION KIRK DABABY WILDBOY CALBOY 1123 BJ THE CHICAGO KID THE LOST BOY YBN CORDAE CRASH TALK SCHOOLBOY Q

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OVER IT SUMMER WALKER OVER IT SUMMER WALKER THE WIZRD FUTURE OVER IT SUMMER WALKER NOT ALL HEROES WEAR CAPES METRO BOOMIN NOT ALL HEROES WEAR CAPES METRO BOOMIN SHEA BUTTER BABY ARI LENNOX

FEVER IGOR TYLER, THE CREATOR

FEVER MEGAN THEE STALLION

FEVER MEGAN THEE STALLION 1123 BJ THE CHICAGO KID THE LOST BOY YBN CORDAE THE LOST BOY YBN CORDAE

I AM > I WAS 21 SAVAGE SO MUCH FUN YOUNG THUG SO MUCH FUN YOUNG THUG SO MUCH FUN YOUNG THUG ROTD III DREAMVILLE ROTD III DREAMVILLE WHEN I GET HOME SOLANGE

SO MUCH FUN

GINGER BROCKHAMPTON GINGER BROCKHAMPTON LOVE SONGS FOR THE STREETS II LIL DURK

WOW... THAT’S CRAZY WALE WOW... THAT’S CRAZY WALE WOW... THAT’S CRAZY WALE WHACK WORLD TIERRA WHACK

I AM > I WAS 21 SAVAGE FATHER OF 4 OFFSET SO MUCH FUN YOUNG THUG DRIP OR DROWN 2 GUNNA ROTD III DREAMVILLE PERFECT 10 DJ MUSTARD WHEN I GET HOME SOLANGE WHILE WE WAIT KEHLANI GINGER BROCKHAMPTON GHETTO LENNY’S LOVE SONGS SAINT JHN SLI’MERRE PI’ERRE BOURNE / YOUNG NUDY LOVE SONGS FOR THE STREETS II LIL DURK HERSTORY IN THE MAKING YOUNG M.A. WOW... THAT’S CRAZY WALE WHACK WORLD TIERRA WHACK X 100PRE BAD BUNNY

Fall 2019

ALBUM REVIEWS

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SO MUCH FUN So Much Fun by Young Thug: Album Review By Cydney Lee Will I ever get tired of Young Thug? Probably not. The Atlanta crooner has come a long way since dropping his first project, Barter 6, four years ago. A slew of mixtapes and a debut album later, he has finally earned his first #1 spot for the latter which is titled, So Much Fun. Many fans had high expectations for this project after he went back to blond locs. After much teasing and speculation, the album lived up to its hype considering it is his most successful project to date. While Thug has developed and mastered both his sound and image tremendously since

his debut, unsurprisingly, So Much Fun is the most mainstream sounding project in his discography. To me, this is expected, as he has worked his way up to being a leader in the Atlanta trap subgenre and is arguably one of its kingpins right now. One thing admirable about Young Thug is that no matter how poppin’ he is, he always makes sure his brothers eat. He recruited most of his slimes and frequent collaborators/mentees for this project: Future, Gunna, Lil Baby, Lil Uzi Vert, and Lil Keed to name a few. (Honorable mention to Travis Scott because the “Hot” remix just dropped and his ad-libs on there are spooky).

ately titled and easy to listen to because of Thug’s comedic rap style. He toys with new ad-libs such as “Totally, dude!” on the Gunna-assisted track, “Surf,” and raps “had to wear the dress ‘cause I had the stick” on the opening track (and my favorite), “Just How It Is.” His inflections are one thing, but that paired with these funny lines makes the album that much better to listen to.

So Much Fun’s lead single, “The London” which features J. Cole and Travis Scott, is the closing track and arrived three months before the album. J. Cole executive produced the project which also gave rise to the fans’ expectations about the result of the unlikely While a little lengthy at 19 pairing. tracks, the album is appropriThe production is the usual bass heavy and rapid hi-hats we are used to hearing on Thug projects. It amazes me how many different ways these same elements can be used over and over without sounding too redundant. I would have liked to hear more guitar because him (and Gunna) over a guitar are *chef’s kiss*. One thing that Young Thug and I have in common is that we’re both Leos. This didn’t come to my attention until this past summer when he dropped So Much Fun on his birthday, which is four days after mine. I’ve been fucking with Thug for a while now, and I thoroughly enjoyed this project so this all makes sense to me now.

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ROTD III Revenge of The Dreamers III: Album Review By Jordan Rose When Nick Fury was forming the Avengers, he said his goal was to “bring together a group of remarkable people.” This is also what J. Cole sought to do when making the third installment in Dreamville’s Revenge of the Dreamer series, Revenge of the Dreamer 3. The basic formula for any trilogy is as follows: an explosion onto the scene with the first installment, a rising action and establishing of the main players in the second to finally lead to a magnum opus of a finale. ROTD 1 was a prelude in many ways, not making a huge splash but instead taking its time to figure out how everyone sounded together.

At that point it only featured Bas and Omen, two Dreamville OG’s who were learning on the job with Cole. The second installment in the trilogy raises the stakes, and putting new signees like Ari Lennox on the spot did exactly that. ROTD 2 showed Dreamville’s versatility, showcasing how they were pushing the envelope and prepared to compete with other rap groups like TDE and A$AP Mob. All of this would culminate into ROTD 3, a summer blockbuster with the most unlikely stars coming to support the Carolina Prophet and company. Cole harnessed not only his own stacked Dreamville roster to create his show stopping third installment, but also enlisted the talents of a wide variety of artists like T.I, Reason, DaBaby, Kendrick

Lamar and Buddy among many others. ROTD 3 is a collaboration album done right. The 10 days worth of studio sessions that birthed the project was a perfect storm of talent wed with friendly competition, an event that only Cole and Dreamville could seamlessly put together. Let me repeat, this entire album was made over the course of 10 DAYS. Who else is doing that? As Cole usually does, he not only blessed artists with their first appearance on a major label track but also gave rappers like Saba, Smino and Guapdad 4000 their first ever platinum plaque credits. Just a man of the people, not above but equal is a great way to describe Cole and his effort in bringing all of this together. With retrospective tracks like “PTSD” and “Sacrifices” that reveal Coles newborn son to tracks like “Wellsfargo” and “1993” that literally make you feel like you’re in the booth with them making it, ROTD 3 is a reminder that Dreamville is in a league of its own. This project will withstand the test of time not just because of its club bangers and all star performances but because it captured lightning in a bottle, locking an upwards of 20 artists in the same studio and making them work together, making them compete and never allowing it to get hostile. Revenge of the Dreamer 3 is an example of what rap is supposed to be all about, friendly competition and the upholding of bars over anything else. Rap groups come and go, but Revenge is forever.

Art: Aiden Taylor

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FEVER Fever and Black Feminist Thought: An Album Review By Ayaa Mesbah & Dassy Kemedjio The Hot Girl anthem of the summer, Fever, was released on May 17th, 2019 as the debut mixtape by Thee Houston Hottie, Megan Thee Stallion. As many know, Fever is led by Megan’s alter ego: Hot Girl Meg—as alter egos seem to be her niche with her first being Tina Snow (in coherence with the name of her second EP). Since Megan stepped on the scene, she has been compared to other female artists that are “over-sexualized” like City Girls, Cardi B, etc. She has since broken apart from that problematic stereotype by proving her lyricism and versatility within fashion, beat selection, and hip-hop in general. This hyper-sexuality of Black women in hip-hop forces the need for an oppositional knowledge—the creation of representation outside of normativity. Women in hip-hop continue to be boxed in by standards of beauty and “authenticity” created by men in hip-hop. However, in the reclamation of our narrative as Black women, artists like Megan are able to use their sexuality as a benefit rather than as a means of harmful exploitation. We as Black women are a core audience of hip-hop consumers, and in this sexploitation of our own, we need to acknowledge our harmful role of support in the relationship. Only in realizing how our role continues to harm us is when oppositional

knowledge can be created and implemented—reinforcing Black feminist thought in its core value of Black women making their voices and experiences a known factor to society and its systems. That is exactly what Fever does, and Meg implements this perfectly. On tracks like “Cash S**t” featuring DaBaby and “Sex Talk,” Meg not only reclaims her sexuality but takes full control of it. The lyricism in both tracks holds the heavy implications of empowerment on levels of sexuality and pimpin’ like confidence. Megan also asserts her independence as a Black woman who is securing her own bag on “Money Good” and “Realer”— blessing both tracks with her seemingly-effortless lyrical delivery. Outside of proving her status a certified boss in a male-dominated field, Meg is here to celebrate all the Hot Girls. High-energy tracks like “Simon Says” featuring Juicy J, “Shake That,” and “Ratchet” all exude a dynamic energy that is guaranteed to get any crowd hype, and judging the videos from her endless college tours and various other events, that energy definitely translates in real life (her world-renowed knees probably have a hand in that, too). Meg is the epitome of a tastemaker, which is clearly evident in the way her Hot Girl brand took the summer by storm. She is a smooth-talking, fast-twerking, hard-working

queen who is consistently making power moves. It’s no surprise that she secured a management deal to Jay Z’s Roc Nation label back in September, all while still holding it down for H-town by releasing her music through 1501 Certified Ent/300 Entertainment. Did we mention that she’s doing all this and actively pursuing a degree in health administration at Texas Southern University? Through the release of Fever, Megan Thee Stallion has solidified her spot in the industry and will certainly be a force to reckon with in the years to come. The last line of her mixtape says it all: “Hot Girl Meg from the motherf***king South, ah!”

Gospel Rap

Source: Google

Rappers using religion as a path to redemption By Aaron Imholt 2019 has become the year of musical crossovers. “Old Town Road,” Lil Nas X’s country rap song, became the longest #1 hit in U.S. history—holding this spot for 17 weeks—in part because of his success in merging the two genres. With the release of Kanye West’s highly anticipated album, Jesus is King, an existing yet less popular musical crossover seems to be at the forefront of popular culture—that of gospel rap. However, this is not the first-time rappers (or even Kanye himself) have merged the genres. Throughout the 2000s, some of rap’s biggest acts have incorporated religious elements into their music as a way of seeking redemption.

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Before Jesus is King, there was “Jesus Walks.” “Jesus Walks” is a single off of Kanye’s debut album, The College Dropout, that released in 2004. On the song, Kanye raps about his relationship with God pleading for him to “show me the way because the Devil tryna break me down,” but that he is afraid to speak to God because of his past, saying, “I don’t think there’s nothin’ I can do now to right my wrongs / I wanna talk to God, but I’m afraid because we ain’t spoke in so long.” Kanye uses this song as an instrumental part of his debut album, the sample heavy beat and catchy refrains helping to define his sound as he began his career as a solo artist.

Kanye’s career in music is as fascinating as it is strange because of the variety of twists and turns in the music he has made. In 2013, Kanye dropped Yeezus, an album best described by the track entitled “I Am a God.” Two years later, he claimed he was working on an album titled, Waves, that was to be primarily a gospel album. Waves turned out to be The Life of Pablo, an album that revealed a heavy gospel influence albeit that notion not being present in some songs. The opening track features a string presence by a choir led by gospel star, Kirk Franklin. He ends the song proclaiming “you can never go too far when you can’t come back home again.”

This album was a stepping stone in Kanye’s faith, as he did eventually “come home.” In 2019, he has dropped his first exclusively gospel album where he denounces his past, claiming

“the Devil had my soul, I can’t lie / but I survived, that’s on God.”

Kanye collaborator and fellow Chicagoan, Chance the Rapper, found redemption through religion in a similar manner. After his debut mixtape, Acid Rap—a project made glorifying the use of drugs and the rapper lifestyle—Chance took a sharp turn that was reflected in his music. After moving to LA and dealing with an addiction to Xanax, Chance found out that he was going to be a father. He moved back to Chicago and reconnected with his faith, something that is shown in his lead single, “Angels,” and that would be followed by his Grammy Award-winning mixtape, Coloring Book, which dropped in 2016. On the song he raps, “I got caught up with a little Xan / can’t stop me but it slowed me though,” telling his demons, “you can’t touch me / na, na, na, na I got angels.” This religious influence was extended even further on the mixtape that featured a heavy use of choirs and live instrumentation. On the song “Blessings,” Chance identifies the effect his family has had on his faith, feeling that God “said you the man of the house now, look out for your family,” and that his daughter re-instilled his relationship with his

ex with “her becoming my everything.” Later on the album, the song “How Great” goes minutes in on a choir reciting, “how great is our God?” before Chance enters proclaiming that, “I couldn’t stand to see another rapper lose custody,” and that he “used to hide from God.” The mixtape ends on a choir asking the audience, “Are you ready for your blessings?” Through his daughter and family, Chance was able to reconnect with God and turn his life around. Chance was able to find God in his daughter, something he considers to be a blessing. However, many people actually find God in some of their lowest moments and difficult situations. Rap collective, Brockhampton, talks about what they consider to be their lowest moments on their 2019 album, Ginger. After signing a $15m record deal with RCA in 2018, Brockhampton was on top of the world. Though this feeling did not last long, as shortly after they removed co-founder, Ameer Vann, as a result of sexual allegations. The group was shattered and the fan base was torn as the group scrapped their material with Ameer. Later that year, Brockhampton dropped their fourth studio album, Iridescence, which loosely addressed the issue but not to the degree that many fans had hoped for. After sitting on the issues and taking a 6-month hiatus, the group returned in August 2019 with Ginger. The song titles immediately expressed a new religious undertone that they had not yet explored with titles such as: “No Halo,” “Heaven Belongs to You,” “If You Pray Right,” and “I Been Born Again.” On the opening

track “No Halo,” rapper Merlyn Wood expresses doubt in himself asking, “Do I matter? I’m ecstatic, I’m depressed / More like God’s special mess, never had no halo.” Later on the song, Joba claims he “went to church for the hell of it” because “in times like these I just need to believe it’s all part of a plan.” The album remains mostly melancholic as the closing track fades out with a refrain from frequent collaborator, Ryan Beatty, as he sings, “thank God, when I talk, I know you listen to me / thank God for me.” In an interview with Genius, the group clarifies that these religious themes and references were all intentional, and that religion was an important part in moving on from the Ameer scandal. Religion and rap have long coincided. Religion within rap music can often come with various themes, but one that is often visited is that of redemption. Kanye has long been a public figure who has made various mistakes and let his ego get the best of him, something that he discussed in his music and repents for in his faith. Chance saw his daughter as a sign from God that it was time for him to do more than rap about acid. Brockhampton was able to move on from a scandal that almost got the best of them by connecting with religion. As crossovers continue to dominate charts it is likely that more and more new opportunities to merge genres will be created. However, gospel rap will continue to be revisited not as a means of making money or topping charts, but as a way for artists to express, repent, and redeem through their art.

Fall 2019

By Toluwanimi Fajolu On August 27th, 2019, Meek Mill was finally freed from the shackles of the system after he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor firearm charge, leading prosecutors to dismiss all remaining and prior charges against him— charges that kept him in the system by way of probation for a majority of his adult life. This would mark one of many wins that Robert Rihmeek Williams would have this year and in his career in general. Meek Mill has always been a top artist in the hip-hop industry, but throughout his career, there has always been an obstacle that has derailed his grind. However, he continuously rose from it and became a better artist. Meek released a documentary with Amazon Prime titled, Free Meek, about the journey of his case and the wrongdoings of the justice system. His documentary shows how once a black man enters the system, they are in a trap that is very difficult to get out of, but he did. It shows the continuous struggles that he dealt with and the journey of how he broke out of the trap that is

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the criminal justice system. In order to fully appreciate the redemption of Meek Mill, we have to start from the beginning of his career. Meek was first ever arrested in 2008, at the age of 18, where he spent eight months in prison and was later released on bail and placed on probation for five years. Thinking that he would be incarcerated for a long time, he decided to put all of his energy into his music. He was in and out of jail for several years to follow. In January 2009, he was sentenced from 11 to 23 months behind bars and seven years of probation. He was discovered by Rick Ross and was signed to Maybach Music and he was later signed to Roc Nation. In 2012, he released his first major-label album (which was also a big step in his career), Dreams and Nightmares. He was later detained again, and he was forced to stay in Philadelphia for a month due to his house arrest. He was later convicted guilty of a probation violation in 2014 and was sentenced 3 to 6 months in jail and 10 years of probation, which could have ended his career, but he once again put

that energy into his music and continued to succeed. In 2017, Meek Mill was arrested once again and since the operating Judge was in a sense, tired of Meek avoiding reprimands of his probation violations, they sentenced him two to four years and he spent five months at the Camp Hill prison; after “outcry from thousands of fans and vocal support from Jay-Z and Philadelphia 76ers owner Michael Rubin.” [1] Throughout his career, Meek has been through other events that could have stopped his progress but didn’t. He was stuck in a hopeless situation after all his time trapped in the criminal justice system, this continuous cycle of events in his life caused a shift in his mentality. He even became addicted to prescription pills. At one point, he would take 10 Percocet’s a day and at that point in his life, he was not fully himself. Meek had said that this was partially the reason he came at Drake during the infamous Drake v. Meek Mill beef of 2015. Beefing with a big artist like Drake could have once again hin-

dered his career, but he was determined to get his life and his mental health on track. It worked out because in 2017, he released his third studio album, Wins and Losses. This album was his first “redemption’’ album because up until now, the public had seen him both win and lose. His cover for the album was a statement piece, a compilation of his wins and losses and his new road to redemption. This album was great because it showed people that he acknowledged his wins and losses, which made him a better artist. Many people have viewed Meek’s latest album, Championship, as a redemption in itself. In an interview on The Breakfast Club, he himself questions why people think that this is a redemption when he has continuously dropped fire hits and albums throughout his career. He said that ‘people thought it was over ...[but] I prevailed’. I think that this album is a redemption because people had the perception that he was beaten down by all of his troubles, that he couldn’t reshape his image and reputation. The whole theme of the album related to his life at the time. When listening to this album I got a different feel than I did from his other projects. I think that this album was different because it

Source: Google

just sounded like a score at the end of a movie when the main character comes out victorious, which is similar to what he went through. The album was also dropped after the height of his journey with the criminal justice system and it meant a lot more to the fans and at least for me, it meant more to know that he didn’t let the hardships that were thrown at him hinder his creative process and his ability to create great projects. This album reminded me of how great of an artist Meek Mill is, and I think this album did the same to a lot of other people. This album was also a big win because it had a lot of big features i.e. Drake, Cardi B, Jay z, Fabolous and Rick Ross. This entire year has been a redemption year for Meek Mill not only because he released an album that debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and that he is finally free from the

prison system, but because he has actively used his struggles and resources to help his community. He is currently raising much-needed awareness about the anxiety that black men have to deal with due to the traumatic events that happen in their neighborhood. Michael Rubin and Meek Mill created a foundation called Reform Alliance, with a goal to free 1 million people out of the prison system, not just people out of jail but people out of probation. They are going to do this by changing the laws and policies so that other people in the prison system can have their own chance at redemption. Meek Mill’s story of success is not like other artists. It is deeper and has more layers due to his continuous struggles. He says “the difference between me and most of these rappers I’m talking ‘bout work that I really put in’ on his song, Lord Knows. He is able to continuously redeem himself by staying true to who he is and his music and use that momentum to his advantage.

Fall 2019

By Valerie Torres From Founding Father of trap music to owner of his own record label, mentor, author, and most recently, the newest face for Gucci’s 2020 collection, Atlanta rap legend, Gucci Mane, has proven to be the epitome of both hip-hop and lifestyle redemption. While Gucci has remained relevant in the rap game since 2005, his journey to the top has dealt him with extreme obstacles including the hardships of a drug addiction and the collective time of four years in and out of jail throughout his career. Nonetheless, Gucci prevailed every time.

One step forward, two steps back Gucci Mane, also known as Radric Delantic Davis, was born in a suburb outside of Birmingham, Alabama but moved to Atlanta at nine years old. Shortly after, he was introduced to selling weed around the ages of twelve to thirteen by his older brother, but he didn’t start smoking until he was older. Around 2001, while Gucci was attending community college, he wasn’t pursuing a music career until

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meeting Grammy award-winning producer, Zaytoven, who at the time was a student in barber school. From the moment Gucci’s career officially popped off in 2005, with the release of his first hit single, “Icy (feat. Young Jeezy)”, he signed to Atlanta-based Big Cat Records and started working on his first studio album, Trap House. Just as Gucci’s career was beginning to takeoff, on the same day of his album release, he turned himself in for murder charges which were later dropped. A few months later, he was back in jail for assaulting a club promoter. Once Gucci came out of jail in 2006, he was back to work. Within the next two years he released three studio albums and twelve mixtapes. Throughout what seemed like an everlasting era of Gucci releasing music, he collaborated with artists like OJ da Juiceman, DJ Holiday, and Mike WiLL Made-It, and was on a recording rampage. His ideas and his work ethic were endless, and so was his music. In late 2008, Gucci served six months in jail for failing to complete community service hours from the 2005 assault case. When he was released

from jail the next spring, Gucci’s career skyrocketed like he never left. Two albums, seven mixtapes, a few hit singles, and many pop music collabs later, Gucci was hotter than he’d ever been, but by the end of the year he was back in jail for six months after violating his probation. When he got out of jail in May 2010, it was evident that the pressure for Gucci to appeal to a large audience and simultaneously keep the authentic, nasty trap sound that he birthed was overwhelming, and pushing him into a wave of chaos. In 2011, he was sent to a psychiatric center. Later that year, he served time again for pushing a woman out of his moving car because she refused to go back to his hotel with him in exchange for money. He was released three months later in December 2011. While Gucci seemed to be on an emotional downward spiral, he somehow never let it interfere with his music. For almost the next two years he was on a studio spree, but this time not with the big names like Warner Music and Atlantic Records, rather he opened up his own studio, which he called the Brick Factory. With the help of Zaytoven, he was

able to release his own music and the studio was used for Atlanta rappers to come in, record, and collab. Throughout this time, Gucci mentored many Atlanta rap novices at the time, such as Quavo and Young Thug. Gucci was making memorable strides as a musician, but he was also nearing his last straw. In late 2013, he went on a twitter spree in which he called out and insulted many artists and producers in the industry such as Waka Flocka Flame, Nicki Minaj, Rick Ross, Drake and other artists he had worked with. While reluctant to admit he actually tweeted those things from his account, he eventually owned up to it, apologized, and blamed his behavior on his then-lean addiction. A week later, Gucci was arrested and soon after, sentenced to three years for gun charges. However, that wouldn’t stop him.

No turning back By the time Gucci was released three years later in March 2016, he had recorded enough music—before this round of jail time—to make up twenty-nine mixtapes of his discography within the

years he was gone. Not only had he remained a presence in the game, but he was back and better than ever. He released a song his first day out of jail called, “First Day Out Tha Feds.” By the next fall, Gucci became an icon not only in hip-hop, but within pop culture as a whole. The Atlanta rapper started focusing on his health and his physique in hopes to feel and look good in designer brands. Sober, healthy, and dripping in designer brands while flashing his pearly whites, the new and improved Gucci Mane was featured in Vogue for his drastic style transformation in September 2016. By the next month, he had his first number one song, “Black Beatles” with Rae Sremmurd. Gucci also published and released a memoir, The Autobiography of Gucci Mane, which he had written while he was in jail. Shortly after, he proposed to his girlfriend and by the end of the year, he had released his tenth studio album which featured big names like Drake, Bryson Tiller, and Travis Scott. Gucci also performed a live set on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series. In 2017, Gucci dropped a project with Metro Boomin, traveled to Europe for the

first time, and by the end of the year he married his longtime girlfriend, Keyshia Ka’Oir, and the two have pretty much become everyone’s couple goals ever since. Gucci has spent the rest of his time as a multi-millionaire legend touring, sitting courtside at NBA games with his wife, traveling the world, and has released three studio albums to date. His most recent is with the actual designer brand Gucci, where he has his own campaign for the Gucci Cruise 2020 collection. It’s only been three years since Gucci Mane was released from prison following the rollercoaster that was his life and career, and yet he has managed to completely transform his health and his image, while still being recognized as one of the most revolutionary rappers in hip-hop. If there’s something that Gucci has shown through his journey to the top, it’s that people are resilient, growth is constant, and all it takes is the will to want it to make it happen. Art: Sarah Prosser Fall 2019

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A SEAT AT THE TABLE

Fall 2019

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Fall 2019

YOU DECIDE YOUR FAT 34

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By Toluwanimi Fajolu In an industry filled with countless artists—talented or not—it can be hard to find genuinely good artists. It is also hard for artists to stick out amongst already popular artists. In this day in age, you don’t always have to be talented to be popular, and upcoming artists know that. They understand that there is a formula to be “poppin’” in the rap industry, and for artists that do not necessarily follow that mold but are still talented, they are often classified as underrated. An example of one of the most underrated artists, in my opinion, is ScHoolboy Q. My initial introduction to him was when I heard his feature on Macklemore’s “White Walls,”

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which peaked at #15 on Billboard’s Hit 100 chart. Q has consistently dropped quality albums that always break the mold of whatever is currently popular. The LA rapper is a member of the critically acclaimed rap label, Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), which includes other greats like: Jay Rock, Ab-Soul, SZA, and Kendrick Lamar. Even when people talk about TDE, they often mention Kendrick or SZA before Q’s name is brought up in the conversation. I think that he deserves more acclaim because he has continuously dropped great projects, singles, and collaborations that are on the charts. Q’s track record proves that he is able to drop hits that

can be on Hot 100. He makes music that is out of the norm because that is what he is passionate about. Q has been nominated for five Grammy awards—two of which were for best rap album—but has lost every time to a more popular artist. These losses show that sometimes having an amazing album isn’t good enough to get acclamation and popularity. And the fact that Q is not a public person makes it even harder for him to be well known by the public. He doesn’t really do interviews unless he is promoting his album, and the only time his name is in the news is for his music—something that most underrated artists have in common. In order to

be a popular artist, you sometimes have to give the public more than just music, which sometimes comes in the form of personal experiences unrelated to music. In order to be popular, an artist also has to appeal to people that do not listen to hip-hop by collaborating with popular artists from other genres. Another aspect of what makes artists underrated is their inability to keep up with trends. In the present music climate, the ability for a song to be made into a TikTok is seemingly what makes a song popular (i.e. “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X). In the case of ScHoolboy Q, his songs are often filled with deep and complex lyrics that make the listener think, and nowadays, people don’t want to have to think when listening to music. An underrated artist, in my opinion, is an artist that has genuine talent but is over-

looked due to their more popular peers. Underrated artists are evident in all genres, but I think they are more prominent in hip-hop because the genre is constantly evolving. What is considered “popular” is constantly changing. In the 90s, it was the lyricism, but now a song’s popularity depends on if it sounds good and is danceable. When a talented artist doesn’t follow this cookie-cutter formula, they are automatically deemed as underrated.

Source: Google 37 Fall 2018 Art: Marlon Lahens

ARTISTS DONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T OWE US ANYTHING

Why we shouldn’t rush their creative process By Cydney Lee Often times we, as fans, take for granted the gift of music. As we subscribe to different artists, we become entitled to their work and subconsciously begin to dehumanize the people we know and love. I always see tweets on my timeline of people with the false notion that wishing heartbreak on The Weeknd or Bryson Tiller will probe a new album. Juice WRLD even clapped back to this insensitive mentality by tweeting: “To the mfs that say ‘break his heart so we can get more heartbreak music’ or ‘when they break up he dropping the album’ STFU. What type of fans are y’all that’s fake love y’all don’t wanna see me happy.” The truth is, artists don’t owe us anything. Now yes, most of our favorite rappers and singers are contractually required to release projects consistently. But at the end of the day, it is still their art that they are choosing to share with us. Just because we stream their music, buy tickets to their shows, and buy their merch, doesn’t mean we get to dictate the pace of their creative process. Wishing hardships on artists in hopes that it will trigger Art: Aiden Taylor

them to make an album conveys fan entitlement and the dehumanization of artists that arises from it. While some of our favorite emotional ballads by these singers and rappers do stem from heartbreak and failed relationships, this approach is not it. Fans have their artists misunderstood. Rappers and singers aren’t robots that are programmed to crank out music on a consistent basis. They are humans like us, with real lives. If anything, we owe them the time and space they deserve and sometimes ask for. Just like us, artists go through trying times. I’m not saying that one person’s problems takes precedence over another’s, but the difference between us and them is that our lives are not in the spotlight like theirs.

The artist to fan relationship is just as transactional as it is transformational. By buying concert tickets and merch, many fans expect their support to be met with a song, album, or experience that they can resonate with emotionally. When this need is not fulfilled, feelings of disappointment are warranted. Yet, defaming artists who explain the delay or hiatus is simply inconsiderate and not cool. Kanye West is notorious for confirming a drop date, not delivering on said date, and waiting until later to explain why he made the false promise. His mental health has been the reason for some of these instances, but his fans’ skepticism is justified when behavior like his becomes a pattern.

The constant pressure to please fans can make it more difficult for artists to cope with their personal struggles.

We call ourselves “fans” of these artists for a reason. Ideally, the people whose art we admire and support would receive our admiration and support all around. Too often do we look at them through a selfish lens as if they are music-making machines that are responsible for scoring every aspect of our lives.

Big Sean, Chance the Rapper, Summer Walker and many other artists, for example, have all canceled tours citing either mental health or personal issues as their reasoning.

I agree that we need a new Kendrick album, but next time you say that he “owes” us one, think twice and be patient. Don’t bite the hand that feeds you because it will do so eventually. If you can’t wait, go discover a new artist. Fall 2019

EUROPE’S COMPLICATED RELATIONSHIP WITH HIP-HOP Why Europe seems to unfairly target Black American rappers By Patrick Shanahan Europe is obviously an important place. It may not be the largest continent in terms of land mass, but the various countries present in Europe have informed a large portion of Western history and culture. For example, music. Modern pop and r&b is indebted to the sounds of the French, English, and Italian new waves. Rock & roll and its various subgenres simply would not exist without British Rock—i.e. The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, The Clash, etc. So by extension, having stemmed from a combination of rock drum beats and the sampling of classic African-American soul and dance music, hip-hop would not exist without its European roots. Music owes a lot to Europe in terms of its roots, but for whatever reason, European countries seemingly have not returned the favor. Case in point: the recent controversy with A$AP Rocky in Sweden. While on tour in Sweden, two Swedish men allegedly groped a couple of women and started harassing Rocky’s crew. Rocky and his crew warned the men to back off, but the men were not compliant. The incident ultimately resulted in a fight breaking out, and Rocky was charged with assault. He was kept in a Swedish prison under apparently inhumane

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conditions, to the point where Donald Trump got involved in a now-famous tweet: “Just spoke to @KanyeWest about his friend A$AP Rocky’s incarceration. I will be calling the very talented Prime Minister of Sweden to see what we can do about helping A$AP Rocky. So many people would like to see this quickly resolved!” Rocky was eventually freed, but only after being fined and given a suspended prison sentence. Rocky was also prevented from a subsequent performance due to the assault claims. The whole situation was a giant misfire. Rocky and his crew would not have gotten involved with the Swedish men if they had not acted the way they did, and ultimately and unfairly, Rocky was the one who was forced to pay the consequences. The Swedish mishandling of Rocky’s case became the story of the summer, grabbing headlines left and right. It was good for Rocky’s publicity, as basically every hip-hop fan was quick to call out Sweden for the detainment which resulted in a boost to Rocky’s global notoriety. But the situation was nonetheless a failure on behalf of Sweden and their

justice department—another example of a black American being unfairly targeted by a predominantly white country. The list goes on and on. Famously, Snoop Dogg was banned from Sweden, the UK, and Australia over “character grounds,” which is pretty much a fancy way of saying that the countries disagreed with the themes expressed in his art. He was also banned from Norway in 2012 for possessing less than eight grams of weed, a relatively minor offense that was clearly blown out of proportion due to Snoop Dogg’s notoriety. Tyler, the Creator was also banned from the UK and Australia for the content of his music and live performances and was deemed “a potential threat to public order” in New Zealand. Curiously, white rapper Eminem was accused of similar things to both of these artists, but was not banned from entering the countries. *cough* white privilege *cough* But one incident that often is forgotten is rapper Freddie Gibbs’ run-in with Austrian law officials. In 2016, Gibbs was arrested and extradited to Austria before a performance in France after an Austrian woman claimed to have been drugged and

sexually assaulted by him in 2015. This claim was unique in that it lacked any scientific or physical evidence and relied solely on the woman’s testimony for Gibbs’s conviction. After spending four months in prison, it was found that Gibbs was ultimately falsely accused of the crime which led to the acquittal of all the charges against him. If he had been found guilty, he would have faced ten years in prison. Now, it is important to establish that if Gibbs had been found guilty, he would have been totally deserving of cancellation by social media and his fans. But the aftermath of the events resulted in a total destruction of the rapper’s reputation—all because the Austrian justice system was overly eager to find a culprit without conclusive evidence and hearing both sides. Gibbs has since spent subsequent years trying to mend his perception in interviews and in his music, with his 2016 album, You Only Live 2wice, and his 2019 collaboration album with Madlib, Bandana. Gibbs wrote each of these albums in prison and directly addresses his experience and the accusations against him. Both albums— Bandana in particular—were met with widespread critical acclaim, but Gibbs’s stock has still not risen much, likely due to having been apparent-

Source: Google

ly blacklisted from certain events and countries for the situation. While these cases vary in infractions, they all share a commonality of begging the question: why does Europe seem so eager to go after rappers for either minor or no crimes at all? Ultimately, I believe the issue is that these countries still possess racial inequality in their justice systems, unfairly targeting black men. If a white public figure had been faced with any of

the aforementioned situations, he likely would have been let off scot-free. Hell, the EU has been harboring Polish film director, Roman Polanski, for years for child molestation and he has faced little to no consequences for his actions. Europe needs a reckoning for its treatment of black American rap artists. The sooner, the better, as it is only a matter of time before this happens again and someone gets severely hurt.

A DECADE CURATED BY

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1. SMUCKERS

2. January 28th

3. The Ride

4. Threat 2 Society

5. Gotta Have It

6. For Free? (interlude)

7. The Games We Play

8. 1 Train

9. Kelly Price

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IN B-SIDES JORDAN ROSE

10. Hold My Liquor

11. Mr. Rager

12. Furthest Thing

13. Good Kid

14. Shadow Man

15. I. Pink Toes

16. first take

17. Blessings

18. Outro

Art: Kaya Pope

Fall 2019

Comparing the coming out stories oF

Frank Ocean and Lil Nas X

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By Fawaz Okoya From the meme-ready country song that became an instant hit on TikTok to the Billboard country Hot 100, success may not even be the most prominent word to describe the victory of Montero Lamar Hill, more commonly known as Lil Nas X. Descriptors like “genius,” “the voice of the generation,” and “a bridge between the divisions of music” all have been tied to Hill’s success, and more recently the title, “gay icon and activist,” can be added to that list. On the final day of Pride Month 2019, Lil Nas X broke the internet by coming out to the world via Twitter. The star tweeted, “Some of y’all already know, some of y’all don’t care, some of y’all not gone fwm [fuck with me] no more. But before this month ends I want y’all to listen closely to c7osure.” Although he didn’t explicitly state how he identifies, it was evident that the star was making use of the opportunity to come out as queer. The song in question, “C7osure (You Like),” the final track on his debut EP, 7, opens with the suggestvive line, “True say, I want and I need / To let go and use my time to be free.” Not only was this an inspiring moment for Lil Nas X, but also to the world and the thousands of queer Black men looking for someone they can look up to. Today, Lil Nas X has the opportunity to become a forthcoming face in the fight for queer rights in the music industry. There’s nothing like seeing a Black man who has not only found a home in the hip-hop community, but

also the country community, ushering in a new era for the presence and acceptance of queer Black men. Lil Nas X has fully embraced the community with warm arms and seems completely unfazed by the haters, turning homophobic responses to his coming out into hilarious memes. This is just one step toward a transitional culture in the rap community. Before the viral sensation of Old Town Road and Lil Nas X, hip-hop was already beginning to see a turning point in the inclusivity of more Black men exploring sexuality as well as masculinity in their work. One of these notable stars being Frank Ocean. It was only a few years back when the breakout star told the world about his “first love” with a man—before his critically-acclaimed debut album, Channel Orange, was released. In a series of letters Ocean wrote,

“I don’t know what happens now, and that’s alright. I don’t have any secrets I need kept anymore.”

For a star with as much praise as Ocean, this was the glass ceiling moment for the music industry. Specifically for r&b and hip-hop, which has had a hard time breaking the layers of homophobia in the industry. Unlike Lil Nas X, Ocean carried out more of a performance in his coming out as he shared a

set of memories and explored complex feelings—similar to how he does in his songs— instead of embracing a particular identity. As a new generation of young artists who are unconcerned with heteronormative labels and unbothered by genres is ushered in, hopefully the self-indulgent machismo of the rap industry can finally transition to the new age of hip-hop. In an era where stars are popularized through platforms such as Soundcloud and TikTok and not the radio, artists are no longer held to the same homogenized standards of hip-hop that dates back to the genre’s beginnings. As Generation Z takes the center stage of the music industry, a new age of artists who are talented, invigorating, and free in every aspect can rise to the occasion. For now, I am content with knowing that an openly queer Black male rapper is at the forefront of the rap industry and doesn’t appear to be giving up his spot anytime soon. The Wrangler-wearing, horseback-riding, superstar Lil Nas X has the potential to be the spark that the industry needs to break free of the chains of homophobia and a troubled relationship with the LGBTQ+ community. And he is doing this one Billboard chart at a time.

Art: Wanjiru Wambugu Fall 2019

CONSCIOUS RAP IS CORNY: WHY DOES RAP GLORIFY NEGATIVITY? By Spencer Jones

A majority of hip-hop content is about using and selling drugs, misogyny, violence, sex, partying, and gang activities. These topics are paired with a melodic rap style and straight forward production to make some of the most infectious rap available. But why is rap like this so popular, and why does rap with conscious—or “woke”—lyrics pertaining to deep personal, social, or political issues rarely surface on Top 100 Charts? When judging what makes hip-hop music popular in recent years, trends can be seen in songs with limited lyrics, recognizable beats, and earworm lines or choruses. Rappers looking to make

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songs that will sell and get lots of plays in general social settings utilize lyrics that are easy to recite and don’t take much thought to analyze. Without even taking into account the beats or melodies, it is much easier to rap, “I got two twin glocks, turn you to a dancer / I see two twin opps, leave ‘em on a banner,” from Lil Tecca’s “Ransom” than it is to rap “I mean it’s evident that I’m irrelevant to society / That’s what you’re telling me, penitentiary would only hire me,” from Kendrick Lamar’s “The Blacker the Berry.”

because the lyrics are basic and features a hook that is instantly recognizable. The beat is a similar upbeat loop. The lyrics feature Tecca talking about girls and violence, although he has said in an interview with Genius, “I don’t have no straps for nobody.” This shows that these subjects are so popular that rappers will use them regardless of their actual involvement with the topics. If talking about girls, drugs, and violence is profitable, then that is what will be talked about by rappers trying to make popular music.

Songs like “Ransom” exemplify how minimalist many popular rap songs are. It is perfect to play in a club

Kendrick, however, is one rapper who has been able to transcend these two worlds and make conscious hip-hop

popular. In the song “DNA,” Kendrick touches on how his heritage makes him the man he is today. He even samples a clip from Fox News in which a commentator states that he thinks hip-hop has been more detrimental to the black community than racism in recent years. “DNA” peaked at #4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and continues to be one of the most popular rap songs from 2018. Although I would like to say this popularity was from its lyrical content, the reason it was so popular was because of the hard hitting, bouncy Mike WiLL Made-It beat and the repetition of the “I got, I got I got, I got” lyrics which made the song fun to sing along to. “The Blacker the Berry” was a socially charged song from Kendrick’s third studio album

To Pimp a Butterfly. The song focuses on Kendrick’s frustration with the United States’ mistreatment and lack of justice for black people. He delivers fiery line after fiery line, but due to the heavy lyrical content and Kendrick’s seemingly spoken word delivery, the song peaked at #66 on the Billboard charts and is largely unknown to many casual rap fans. Some conscious rappers are not only less popular, but are even deemed “corny.” While many words describing music are subjective, corny is especially so. This term has fallen onto the reputations of rappers such as J Cole, Hopsin, Russ, and Logic. Conscious rappers can be called corny so quickly because of what they rap about. The social, personal, and political issues

that are apparent in their lyrics are more taboo subjects, leading audiences to be much more observant of any slip-up or issue in the lyrics. When something like this comes up, the accusations of corniness start raining down. Sometimes these can be in a constructive way, but often times they come in a mob-like force of criticism. Although hip-hop’s roots are in the style of entertainment and social music, the art of conscious rap has never wavered. Hip-hop would also not be the same without a diverse buffet of lyrics, beats, and messages to choose from. Hip-hop is one genre that has something for everyone, and for every scenario. Whether conscious or surface-level, the genre of hip-hop is whatever you make of it.

“I got two twin glocks, turn you to a dancer / I see two twin opps, leave ‘em on a banner” lil tecca vs. kendrick

“I mean it’s evident that I’m irrelevant to society / That’s what you’re telling me, penitentiary would only hire me” Fall 2019

Jay-Z and the NFL:

THE BURDEN OF REACHING A BILLI FIRST

“I said no to the Super Bowl, you need me, I don’t need you/ Every night we in the endzone, tell the NFL we in stadiums too.” - Jay-Z “Apeshit” By: Kenneth Wilson In September of 2017, businessman, activist, and rapper Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter turned down an invitation from the National Football League to headline the halftime performance of Super Bowl LII. That

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same month, Jay-Z would go on to dedicate a performance of his song, “The Story of OJ,” to former star NFL quarterback and social activist, Colin Kaepernick. “The Story of OJ,” is a racially charged critique of socio-economic realities and perceptions of Black

people in the United States, and via his dedication in addition to his wearing of Kaepernick’s jersey in a performance on Saturday Night Live the following month, Hov made it apparent that he was not a fan of the League and what it stands for. However, in August

of 2019 Jay-Z announced a partnership between the NFL and his company, Roc Nation. This move opened Mr. Carter to backlash from his community and drew claims of “selling out.” So how did this deal happen, and what does it really mean?

ethnic community. Jay-Z has proven himself as a voice for the marginalized by using this unprecedented wealth and power to contribute to social causes and help victims of inequality, but this new NFL deal has seemed to tarnish this reputation.

First, we must understand who Jay-Z is, and what he represents. Jay-Z’s origin of growing up in the Marcy Housing Projects in Brooklyn and selling crack cocaine is a well-known story that has been cited as proof of the survival of the “American Dream,” as he overcame the streets and established himself as one of the most iconic and successful rappers of all time. Hov proceeded to build himself into an industry mogul and through a plethora of entrepreneurship endeavors and wise investments, he became hip-hop’s first billionaire. This is an incredible feat that had repercussions beyond the music industry. The world only saw its first Black billionaire in 2004 with Oprah Winfrey, and she would hold the title as the only Black billionaire in the world until 2006, only 14 years ago. It is no secret that the vast wealth inequality gap that exists in the U.S. is largely based on a history of disenfranchisement and racism. The total accumulation of Black wealth was only 7% of white wealth in 2018, and the average annual income of Black households is a mere $9,590, in comparison to white households that average $130,800 per year, according to the US Census Bureau. Shawn Carter has defied these statistics and now stands as a significant outlier in terms of financial success not only his music industry peers, but his entire

So why is the NFL so bad? To begin, the business model of the League is problematic due to the history of how business operates in this country. The racial wealth inequality numbers cited above have roots in the troubled history of American society. Political philosopher Karl Marx’s theory of historical materialism explains the foundations of capitalism as a modern perpetuation of slavery in its relation to the coercion of labor. America’s boom in wealth can be greatly attributed to free slave labor, and following the passage of the 13th Amendment, there was a need to devise a new way to coerce this labor in a way that holders of capital, would disproportionately benefit off the work of lower classes. This is the basis of American capitalism, and the NFL utilizes this inequality in a fashion that mirrors the historical economic models in the U.S. just as Marx describes it. The majority of NFL players are Black (68%) with only two people of color having ownership of the 32 franchises, neither of which are Black. While NFL players can be paid lucrative amounts of money, their incomes are dwarfed by those of the team owners who have the luxury of generational wealth to thank for their favorable positions. To compare, the

average net value of an NFL team is $2.86 billion. If Dr. Dre, P. Diddy, and Jay-Z (the three richest people in hiphop) all pooled their money to buy a team, they would still be about $200 million short of the average cost. Within the NFL, the socio-economic cleavage between race, labor, and financial ownership is drastically apparent. This is without mentioning the extremely dangerous nature of the game that has been under extreme scrutiny lately with trauma sustained that results in the average life expectancy of players to be only 53-59 years. The NFL is problematic, but they make so much money that they can continue to coerce the labor of disenfranchised communities because that’s how the system has always worked. To expand upon the NFL’s faults, the issue of Colin Kaepernick must be revisited. Kaepernick was the quarterback for the San Francisco 49er’s and even led them to Super Bowl XLVII where he only lost by 3 points, proving his abilities as a competent player. Kaepernick became a social justice icon following his decision to kneel for the playing of the national anthem before games to protest inequality and police brutality in the U.S. Both causes which heavily continue to affect the Black community, especially in the context of the Black Lives Matter movement that was rightfully gaining influence at the time following the senseless abuse and killings of African-Americans by police officers. Kaepernick faced immense backlash with claims of him disrespecting military personnel and being “anti-American.” President Donald Trump even directed Fall 2018

one of his usual malicious tweet storms condemning Colin, also calling him a “son of a bitch.” The involvement of President Trump is also notable as many of the owners of NFL teams are supporters of Trump and have donated sizeable amounts of money to his campaign. Kaepernick would respond by stating, “I’m not anti-American. I love America. That’s why I’m doing this. I want to make America better.” Kaepernick would eventually be released and no NFL teams would pick him up despite

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his abilities because they feared the controversy and did not want to lose money by signing a player unpopular with many of their fans. In 2017, Kaepernick would even file a grievance against the NFL in which he accused league owners of colluding to keep him out of the league, which was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount. It was in this struggle that Jay-Z supported Kaepernick and even advised his friend and musical executive Jermaine Dupri against working with the NFL in October of 2018.

This is also when he would turn down the Super Bowl performance and diss the NFL in his song “Apeshit.” So, what exactly was the deal that Hov signed with the league? The actual deal between Roc Nation and the National Football League announced this August entails that Roc Nation and Jay-Z will provide consulting on halftime show performances hosted at NFL games, including the Super Bowl. In addition, the NFL will support the social justice initiative “Inspire Change,”

which focuses on education and economic advancement, police and community relations, and criminal justice reform. While the NFL may profit off of a historically unequal business model, they do generate tons of money that can be allocated to help fix some of these issues. To quote Hov, “With its global reach, the National Football League has the platform and opportunity to inspire change across the country.” Jay-Z feels like he is doing the right thing and views his NFL partnership as another extension

of his social justice efforts, and, to quote Hov again, “If you can’t respect that your whole perspective is wack.” Yet, as Jay-Z attempts to use his unprecedented money, power, and cultural clout for good, is he just feeding into the same system of oppression? Allegedly Jay didn’t talk to Kaepernick before the deal, and the former quarterback tweeted, “What they seek is not an end to oppression, but the transfer of the oppressive apparatus into their own hands,” a quote from Black activist author Robert L. Allen in his 1969 book, Black Awakening in Capitalist America. This suggests that Kaepernick sees the move by Jay-Z as him furthering the disenfranchisement in this country that the NFL represents, regardless of Hov’s good intentions. This brings to relevance a 1966 quote by Martin Luther King Jr., “You can’t talk about solving the economic problem of the Negro without talking about billions of dollars. Now this means we are treading in difficult water, because it really means you’re saying something is wrong with capitalism.” Jay-Z has billions of dollars, as does the NFL, and Jay wants to use this money acquired through capitalism to create social changes in America, but the opposing view suggests that the outright dismantlement of these oppressive institutions is required. As Jay-Z raps in “The Story of OJ,” the song he dedicated

to Kaepernick, “Rich n*gga, poor n*gga, house n*gga, field n*gga… still n*gga.” The verdict on whether or not Jay-Z is correct in his NFL partnership really depends on not necessarily what kind of change one wishes to see in the United States, but how that change will be executed, with Kaepernick taking a much more revolutionary and radical approach to the situation than Hov. Jay-Z went to provide personal annotations on Genius to describe “The Story of OJ” in which he explains, “The (song) is really about we as a culture having a plan, how we’re gonna push this forward. We all make money, lose money. But how, when you have some type of success, to transform it into something bigger.” Jay-Z understands that change is not brought about by one man, even if that man is the first rapper billionaire in history, has one of the most decorated discographies in the game, and is married to Beyoncé. As Jay seeks to expand his influence to enact top-down change that requires interactions with institutions such as the NFL, Colin Kaepernick advocates for the same change in a bottom-up fashion that could aim to uproot the way America has operated for centuries. But even as Jay-Z builds his wealth and connections to change socio-economic conditions, Kaepernick believes that the response from this system will always be, “still n*gga.”

Source: Google Fall 2018

Who Gets Canceled and Who Gets Saved? an article on cancel culture

By: Ayaa Mesbah

“They said what? About who? Nah yeah, they’re cancelled...” Just like that you become silenced by an entire culture (or maybe only a part of it), considered an entity not worth being admired, listened to or thought about, a goofy. The foundation and application of this so-called “cancel

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culture” is fragile, inconsistent and wishy-washy to say the least. It is important to recognize two major things; (1) many different things can bleed into the cracks and crevices of what makes one “cancelled,” (2) affluence, reputation and cultural impact play a considerable role in cancelling someone. Let’s start with the example of late artist, XXXTENTACION, and how he partially fell into this whirlwind of backlash after a 2016 domestic abuse case involving a former girlfriend came to light. He was c hargedwith

aggravated battery of a pregnant victim, domestic battery by strangulation, false imprisonment, and witness tampering, which he pled not guilty to. In light of these charges, the upcoming artist at the time was thrown into this cycle of cancel and call out culture. His fan base and major artists alike were split between those who believed he should be condemned with no question and those who believed he should be condemned but with the possibility of redemption. Recently speaking on cancel culture in an earlier 2019 interview with XXL magazine, artist J.

Cole said, “we live in a world where everybody wants to be so quick to cancel somebody. But at the same time, people condemn the criminal justice system, which is entirely the cancellation system. To me, both of those ideas are f*cked up, like, ‘We’re throwing you away...’” Further speaking on X he says that “if he had initially known about X’s domestic abuse charges, he would’ve showed him compassion and steered him toward the direction of healing—something he says X and his alleged victims desperately needed.” Cole falls under the umbrella of people who believed redemption was possible but accountability was still required, “I’m down for accountability culture. I’m cool with that. Even for myself,” he said. “Everyone needs to be accountable. I don’t mind if someone got something to say about me or what I said or did. That’s all good. But cancel culture? I don’t cancel nobody.” Therein comes the concept of redemption. I mentioned this issue of the application of cancel culture being inconsistent and that mainly stems from it being used on a scale of redemption; but what redemption is/ looks like and its ability to be achieved is purely subjective. We as individuals all carry a notion, a moral compass, that justifies the world around us; we carry individualized notions of redemption that we form into our single opinion, thrown into the ballot box of cancel culture. We then become (or attempt to become) the “gatekeepers of redemption,” ultimately seeking to dictate who can be saved.

Once some strong opinions and hot takes come into the already boiling mix surrounding artists or situations, the potential that cancel culture carries is to create a “mob mentality,” allowing people from everywhere in the world to jump on the bandwagon of these opinions and takes; even if they’re misinformed or lack basis. I also mentioned how a ffluence, reputation and cultural impact play a considerable role in cancelling someone. That brings me to artists like Kanye West and Drake. Drake has recently been made the center of many memes and conversations on Twitter of DM’ing and messaging many underage female celebrities. He hasn’t quite been cancelled in any regard and it most likely has to do with the context of these messages not being fully “inappropriate.” On Kanye’s end, during the weekend of Howard Homecoming in October, he hosted a surprise Sunday Service. While giving an on-stage rant Kanye said to the audience “I was canceled, but as I stand on the lawn of Howard University, do I look canceled to you?”

Easy as that. We have been debating Kanye and his status of “cancelled” for the last 2-3 years and yet because of his consistent fan-base, his multiple business endeavors and sources of income, his socio-economic status, his impact on Hip-Hop culture, etc. can he ever truly be cancelled? Will we ever be able to fully block him out? Although cancel culture aims to negate someone, to discard their significance, we need to realize it does the exact opposite. Although you become a “goofy,” you also become a circulating topic of conversation, a debatable affair. Cancel culture aims to dim the light on these artists but instead it really just turns the temperature up, putting them in the hot seat and giving them even more media attention. As much as the world may hate to admit it, it loves chaos and thrives of problematic tendencies and actions. We love to point fingers and have things to talk about, that’s exactly why cancel culture will always exist - even if it doesn’t thrive.

Fall 2019

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

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Fall 2018

Interview by Makeda Cheru Rapper/Photographer Reppin’: Washington Heights/Harlem Class: Senior Major: Art Photography What and who inspired you to start rapping? I guess my friends. We used chill at lunch, and this was like seventh grade. I didn’t consider myself somebody who was a rapper or wanted to rap, but we would chill in the cafeteria—you know, almost every boy has the story of doing beats on the table and doing stupid freestyles. I lowkey always had a knack for it, my brain just worked fast enough to come up with rhymes more than other people. So everybody was like, ‘Yo, you nice tho!,’ and I’d be like, ‘Yo, what you talkin’ ‘bout?’ As time went on, I liked to play around and make rhymes, like somebody would be talking and I’d make a rhyme out of it or something. So that’s kind of how that started. That was really the inspiration that literally made me start rapping, but the people and influences I would say first, is my family ‘cause like my family is a super duper musical family. Like my mom is a vocalist and I consider both of my parents to be music snobs. I feel like I’m more connected to music as a general art form than the usual rapper. You spit good, and the beats and the melodies on your songs go hard as hell. What do you think differs your music from other artists, especially those on campus? What do you feel you bring to the table? I think I bring being a regular person. I’m trying to bring being a regular fucking person

back to rap artistry. I feel like it’s gotten so fucking contrived. Everything is like, ‘Oh you gotta be this brand. You got to work on the content more than you gotta work on the craft,’ and half of the time, you’re marketing schemes to people. I feel like it’s a mess because it’s not you—you’re going for something. That’s honestly it, I really just don’t give a fuck. I’m going to just give you me, my whole fucking life story, my emotions, and there might be some shit that’s kind of embarrassing that people could use as leverage over me because I make myself vulnerable. I’m not tryna be on no fake shit. If you listen to my music, I’m lowkey like a big soft ass man. I think that’s what makes me different. What is your biggest goal for your music both in terms of on campus as well as in life in general? On campus my biggest goal is for people to align with my brand in ways that I see my brand truthfully for myself. I would feel like there’s a disconnect if I’m trying to put my brand across from my music out as something, and then like everybody’s like, ‘Nah, I don’t get it.’ I don’t need outward validation, but my actual intent is to package my shit in the way where I get my point across. My only intention is to use my craft to express a point in this general medium of artwork. “Sacrifices” is kind of a vulnerable song. I know that truth is your brand, but putting something out like that can be quite difficult. What made you decide that people needed to hear this? Just the reality that everything is too fake, it’s too forced. I felt with a song like that I had to let it be known it’s ok. It’s ok to be down Fall 2018

and not know what’s really good with you or your life or what might happen. Those are real emotions. Everybody has those, you have to really get in tune with them and not be afraid to bring them to the surface and interact with that arena of emotionality. It’s my life. I really consider myself to be like an artist in the sense of an artist that has big dreams, is über emotional and totally into my work. That was the first time I really got like that— in tune with my emotions. I had been trying to, but there was a disconnect. It’s like you’re trying, and you have all this shock value shit, but you’re not really telling the truth. I feel like I was putting frosting on shit like, ‘Here, this is sweet right?,” and I had to step back and be like, ‘Nah, I have to remake this cake. It doesn’t need frosting.’ Speaking of different art forms, I know that you’re pretty creative with music, but also photography. Do you have plans to integrate the two? Do you want to like it your own music video or whatever? I actually have everything lined up for this project where I’m going to do like a short film. I have the person locked down for the video, and as a visual person, as a thematic

person, as a conceptually visual person, like I’m literally theming, directing, and conceptualizing all the videos. They’re supposed to be basically a play on part of my mental illness. I was diagnosed with PTSD which is an anxiety disorder. I have like crazy fucking dreams sometimes and crazy fucking daydreams. So I’m basically going to try to bring some of those super-duper vivid dreams to my music videos. I feel like they’re the themes that are in the music. I’ve thought about using my photography skills, but more so in order to help direct my music marketing and branding. But when it comes to integrating my music and photography, I consider them two separate things. I came to Syracuse for one reason, and that was to solidify my visual career, and I’ve done that—so my work here is done for that. When it comes to music, it’s a totally different part of my identity as a person, and they can’t go together. My music is personal, it’s about my past, my issues, its all of the shit that somebody wouldn’t hire me for. My photography is something that would be viewed as a professional—career-wise—and I’m also an avid community person. One place it does line up though is that the people that are higher up on the ladder in regards to my visual career. They need to understand that this version of this “rap-dude” is responsible for all the great intelligent shit you see going on over here. This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.

SOUNDCLOUD: therealsiyaka INSTAGRAM: @yakbennu 58

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Interview by Taylor C Bradbury Rapper Reppin’: Sudan/New York Class: Junior Major: Psychology Where are you from, and how has it influenced your style as a musician? I’m Sudanese. I was born in Sudan, raised in Saudi Arabia a little bit, and then moved back to Sudan. I stayed in Sudan until 2010, then I came here, lived in Roosevelt Island, then moved to Queens, then to Englewood, New Jersey and I’ve been staying there since. The only music I had in Sudan was literally one Pac CD and that was it. YouTube was banned. Everything was banned so you couldn’t get music. Usually on the bus rides to school, kids would play the Quran and I would want to play my Tupac CD with curse words in it. Everyone was like, ‘What the fuck is wrong with this kid?’ [laughs]. But Sudan is where I get my sense of music also. With music, our voices are very powerful. The instrumentation behind my projects is kind of just to help convey the emotional tracking. When did you know you wanted to rap? I made my first song when I was like six years old on my brother’s phone. I made a song called “Onomatopoeia.” It went like “Onomatopoeia, onomatopoeia,” and my hook was like “boom pow.” It was like little effects. My brother was like, ‘This is so dumb. What are you doing?’ Once I came here, I found my voice through music again, but before I even realized I wanted to rap, I would always write. In middle school and high school, whenever there was a freestyle circle, they’d always call me. I honestly

wanted to be a plastic surgeon. I wanted to go to medical school. Rap just came so naturally. I started recording on GarageBand with my beats wire. I was literally recording just off the fact that I wanted to let all of my thoughts out, and after a while, I realized that I’m making hundreds of songs off the sake of me loving music—‘let me see what I’m going to do if I really take this seriously.’ Tell me about the overview of your newest mixtape, Another Rush. In my last project, I deaded my doubts. At the beginning of this project, I had so much time to think of the pain. There are times when you might be hurt, or you’re in pain or going through something, and you’re kind of just looking for some sort of solace. That was what Another Rush was. I tried a bunch of different things to find peace, but me having peace does not solve my issues. It’s like me running away still. By the end of the project, I realized that I wouldn’t find true solace anywhere except for within myself. I finally attached myself to my music and my spirituality, and that is what the project ended on. I found my “new rush”... me—like waking up every day and having the new opportunity to just fuck shit up. Do you think you’ve found your sound? What was the process like? I feel like the last project I dropped was the last version of my experimenting. I was experimenting with different types of instrumentation as far as what my voice can do. Now that I’ve found my sound, you’ll hear me using more of my voice, more of my emotion, more passion in my voice. What have you learned about the music industry so far? Any surprises? No. It’s actually crazy because my brother just Fall 2018

SOUNDCLOUD: YAHYA INSTAGRAM: @yahyaax3

happened to go to college with a kid whose dad has a very big shareholding in 300 Entertainment. So through him, my brother met all these people who managed famous artists. He would always tell me stories about what different artists were going through, and I just started studying and reading up on everything that has to do with the business side of the industry. With a lot of record labels, you look at the contract and it might say, ‘We’ll give you $100,000 for 80% for everything you own!’ You don’t own any of your masters and it’s a royalty split up top too, and you’ll get $100,000 cash. I don’t want a $100,000 loan. I don’t want to sign a deal until one of my songs go platinum on its own.

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Who do you strive to be as an artist? I never say, ‘Oh, I’m Yahya, the Rapper.’ I go ‘I’m Ahmed, I’m a psychology major.’ That’s who I understood myself as. There are so many people that claim “rapper” to the point where it means nothing. Like what makes you stand out? And to me, it’s not going to be music that’ll make me stand out. Everyone can rap, but how are you going to make people connect to you? It’s only when you put out something genuine where people are going to connect to it. That’s my only strategy, and like my marketing, just be completely genuine. This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.

Interview by Omari A. Romain DJ Reppin’: London, UK Class: Junior Major: Bandier, minor in African-American Studies Who is Troyce Pitones, and is it a pen name or an alter ego? It’s just a pen name. Might turn into an alter ego in the future. I went to visit my grandmother in Dominica, [and] while I was there, I was drinking some water with my cousin and the water came from the Morne Trois Pitons mountain range. We were like, ‘Damn that sounds like a name.’ I told him that if I started doing more with music and DJing, I would use that as my name. When did you know you wanted to work with music? I started learning about music from a young age because my dad was in a reggae band growing up. The first instrument I learned was the drums at the age of 6. I picked up the bass guitar for a while to play in a band, [and] after that I moved on to DJing because a friend of mine put me on. I started getting serious with DJing at the age of 13 after I went to school for it in London. What is the hardest part about being a DJ? The most difficult thing about DJing is playing to a crowd and being adaptable to different situations. That was something I struggled with when I was younger because I wasn’t old enough to do any clubs or anything. Is there a difference between US parties and UK parties in terms of music? Yeah, I definitely think there is a difference, but the gap is being bridged really rapidly. Look at someone like Maleek Berry from South London.

He has grown to be very popular here in the US, however Afrobeats has been popular in the UK for years. I think most of what people listen to is the same. I think audiences here care more about song recognition and being able to sing it back in the club, whereas in London, people listen for the rhythm and still vibe even if they don’t know the song. Which artist would you say has the most versatile discography? I think an obvious choice is someone like Kanye West because he has so many songs with so many different styles. I think Drake is also up there as someone who can cross a lot of styles. He is someone I can lean on a lot because he touches on dancehall, pop-rap, some boombap and R&B. Someone like Playboy Carti as well—who can hit a lot of different audiences and resonate with so many different types of people. I would also put Young Thug and Travis Scott up there as people whose music I can use anywhere. What is 11th Street and the role you play in the company? 11th Street is a creative management firm ran by a collective of artists, including myself. My boy, Miles Franklin, founded 11th Street. On our roster we have: Ahmed Yahya (SU ‘21), K Woods, a rapper from Baltimore, Taihaul, who’s from Jersey, Gianni (SU ‘20), and our producer, Sluto. We all produce content and we support each other. It’s all really amorphous right now, but 2020 is going to be a big year for us. Your Instagram is full of you at soccer matches. How many live soccer games have you been too, and what’s your most iconic moment? So my favorite team is Arsenal; I’ve probably been to hundreds of games. I used to live across Fall 2018

from the stadium and the tickets are pretty cheap. My dad and I would go see Arsenal every week if they were playing at home, and we’ve been to a couple of other stadiums in London. My most iconic moment has to be when I went to a European championships game with my dad in France. We saw Germany vs. Northern Ireland, and I got to see my favorite player Jérôme Boateng play. He had an amazing game, so that was really special. How do you destress after a long weekend of working venues? I play a lot of video games during my downtime. I’m always instantly relaxed by just sitting down and playing video games. I like to play a lot of like Nintendo, but GTA this year has been my big destressing game because it’s so aimless. This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.

SOUNDCLOUD: troycepitonesbeats // 11thStreetWorldwide INSTAGRAM: @troycepitones

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