Musezine 17
Musezine 17 Produced by: The Bronx Museum of the Arts' Teen Council. Featuring: Nicol Williams Hadiza Kassim Dalena Hoang Destiny Alvarado Clarence Killbrew Onieja Taylor Kelisha Cyrus Kwadwo Asamoah Eric Avila Alvaro Ceballos Gertrudiz Mendoza Jasheah Howard Brianna Brown
Edited by: Hannie Chia
Created in 2005, the Bronx Museum Teen Council strives to make contemporary art and culture accessible to urban youth. Structured around the production of MuseCasts, and MuseZines, the Teen Council is comprised of a group of high school students working closely with two instructors in the Museum’s Media Lab. Scheduled concurrently with the school year, this 8-month program provides teens with an open forum for the expression of ideas and dialogue on issues affecting young people, and the promotion of the Bronx as an important cultural, political and artistic force. Front Cover art by: Eric Avila Back Cover art by: Kwadwo Asamoah Visit us at: www.bxmateens.tumblr.com www.facebook.com/bronxteencouncil www.youtube.com/bronxteencouncil
Hatuey Ramos Fermín www.bronxmuseum.org The Bronx Museum of the Arts’ Education Programs and Teen Council is made possible with support from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, Stavros Niarchos Foundation, Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation, The David Rockefeller Fund, Simón Bolívar Foundation, New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature; Keith Haring Foundation, Robert Lehman Foundation; New York Yankees Community Council; and The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation.
Dear Summer, URBAN HEAT ISLAND! I perspire quite often, Even when it is cold. I hate sweating more than Fermented soybeans, And I understand that it is a Negative feedback, But I do not like feeling Like a waterfall with feet. I’ve tried to blame the Earth’s 23.5 degrees tilt every year During the Summer Solstice in June. But Summer, this is just what you are! I don’t hate you, I just don’t like that you are Too overwhelming--You are too radiant for me To handle when I step out Through my door in jeans With my plaid button-down shirt
And is struck by a hot breeze. I would yearn to reenter my home, lay down on my living room floor, and allow the cold air sink onto my body as I enjoy a cool afternoon nap. But I can’t, can I? I have to do the laundry. I know you’re going to ask me, “Why not wear shorter, lighter clothing?” Well, I do not have an answer for that yet. I am just ranting to you Because I do not enjoy sweating And you are the season that Makes my sweat glands to react like a fan girl in front of her idol. Should I remind you that I do not Enjoy sweating? From: A Complainer who searches for a victim for her perspiration. P.S. I like you more than Winter, you don’t make my nose run. by Dalena Hoang
by Eric Avila
by Clarence Killbrew
Revolution of Hip-Hop by Brianna Brown Believe it or not, music used to be made with real instruments. I know, right? Crazy. Now, I’m only seventeen, and I don’t claim to be any kind of music expert, but it’s nice to listen to real instruments once in a while. Nowadays, it seems like people are forgoing traditional instrumentals for artificial sounds produced by synthesizers, especially in genres like Hip-Hop. But there was a time when Hip-Hop was much simpler. Whenever my grandfather came to visit me when I was a kid, he would alway sing some of The Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” (1979). To this day, I can still remember the lyrics he’d sing: “I said a hip hop, hippie to the hippie, the hip, hip a hop, and you don’t stop, a rock it to the bang bang boogie, say, up jump the boogie, to the rhythm of the boogie, the beat.” And even until this day, every time he comes to visit, I always sing this song for him, to prove that I can still remember it. Hearing hip-hop and rap music from before my time brings me an odd sort of joy. Maybe it’s because it sounds so different from the music I hear today. There’s something that I like about old school hip-hop/rap music. It’s just fun, and whenever you hear it, you want to get up and dance. And it’s something that everyone enjoys. Old school hip-hop surpasses gender, race or age, and even kids who claim that they don’t listen to it have at least heard it. We all know MC Hammer’s U Can’t Touch This (1990), and everyone’s attempted the Hammer dance. As kids, most us have danced to It Takes Two by Rob Base and DJ E Z Rock (1988) and N.W.A.’s Express Yourself (1989).
Even if you don’t listen to this music, it still appears in pop culture. The Message by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five (1982) appeared in the 2006 movie Happy Feet. The 1992 hit The Choice is Yours was featured in the 2010 Kia Soul commercial, which most remember because of the dancing hamsters. Quinton Aaron as Michael Oher sang Young MC’s Bust a Move (1989) with co-star Jae Head in 2009’s The Blind Side. Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon sung Ice Ice Baby (1990) by Vanilla Ice on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Whether or not you like Old School Hip-Hop, it still has an influence on modern culture. And there’s plenty that it can teach aspiring musicians, regardless of genre. Cause it does have something to offer. Music is getting more creative, in terms of sound, content, and delivery. The genre is opening up to a wider audience - different people both writing and listening. And there are artists out there with serious talent for telling stories and dropping beats.
Drawings by: Eric Avila
Fashion Designs by Lexandra Alvarado
by Eric Avila
Saturday The Sun kissed the Cloud and burned the Cloud. She cried soft tears that trickled down onto my forehead. I felt the pain bouncing off every gaseous molecules that she was made of when he gently placed his lips on hers. The joy that engulfed her stretched her heart like saltwater taffy after being heated by his magnanimous passion. She could not forgive herself for leaving a small opening between her lips for him to poke his head inside of her. She felt sour because she knew that she was not the pure cloud that she once was. She was touched by the anthropogenic pollutants emitted below her, which caused her to become withdrawn in disgust. Although she was a contaminated cloud, he still loved her... Like every other cloud. Dalena Hoang
by Kwadwo Asamoah