Tag: Music

  • Crash Dat Soulja Boy

    Flash floods throughout California have resulted in a series of mudslides, leaving people stranded in their cars. Among those involved in such incidents is Soulja Boy, who posted on his twitter to confirm that he was in a car crash during the floods.

    “My car got stuck too almost went into the ocean,” he tweeted alongside a clip of mudslides. He later clarified the situation with his with his fans, adding that he was “involved in a very bad car accident ”.  He explained that he still hasn’t got his car back and that its still stuck “in the water in the middle of the mudslide/flood.” He doesn’t seem to bothered by the loss of his car, however.

    “I’m just thankful to be alive I don’t care about the car its materialistic, you can’t take it with you when you’re gone,” he added on his Instagram. Recently, Soulja Boy removed his two video game consoles from sale after shrugging off a potential Nintendo lawsuit. Before he stopped selling the consoles, he made a number of since deleted tweets laughing off the idea of such a lawsuit.

    “For anyone that thinks Nintendo is going to sue me you’re retarded,” he said. “Nothing going to happen everything is legit. My console isn’t going anywhere trust me,” as stated by Complex Magazine.

  • Free 6ix9ine!

    Recently, rapper known as 6ix9ine,  has been arrested due to accusations of racketeering and possessions of firearms right before his release of his new album Dummy Boy. Right alongside him, 6ix9ine’s ex-manager and a few other associates has been arrested as well. Charges have not have been released yet. 6ix9ine soon after went on Instagram and recorded a video of himself saying that he fired his management so he can put himself farther away from the people he has gotten arrested with.

    This event has not made 6ix9ines situation any better because he has allegations of performing sexual acts on a underage girl. Even with all of this happening 6ix9ine has still released his album Dummy Boy, which has been doing well on it’s release day and after. It has been the number 1 album on Apple Music for a while only to be recently passed by Travis Scott’s  Astroworld. But to date Dummy Boy is still top 5 albums on Apple Music. He also has amazing features from great artists such as Kanye West, Bobby Shmurda, Anuel AA, Tory Lanez, and Gunna, just to name a few. Despite all this hate around 6ix9ines name, he receives a ton of support and is arguably the most popular rapper in the game,as of right now

     

  • Do I Miss The Old Kanye?

    Kanye West is known for his inspirational music and his influential style that the masses appear to follow. He has recently met with the President of the United States, Donald Trump. Kanye is one of the more popular Trump supporters, and people do not support him because of his unpopular beliefs that go against mainstream ideals. He visited Trump last Thursday to talk about revisions, improvement, and developments in Chicago. It circulated loads of publicity on social media surrounding Kanye. Speculators believe Kanye is pulling a publicity stunt for his new shoe drop and Yeezy Season clothes as well as his new album, YANDI. Memes have been made about him unlocking his phone with the password of “0000” all over Instagram and other social media platforms. This isn’t the only time Kanye West has stirred up controversy on social media. There are countless amounts of tweets with him sharing an opinion that proved unpopular. For an example Kanye had said, “slavery was a choice” and that caused severe negative backlash from many. People began to stop supporting Kanye after he said that statement. However,  some people began to support the artist for individuality and speaking his mind. Personally, I think Kanye shows differentiation and creativity among the basic ideals people choose to follow. His opinions show that not everyone has to follow the beliefs of mass media, but that people have to power to formulate their own opinions.

  • Poly’s DJ’s Are Not the Life of the Party

    Have you ever asked for a song at a Poly dance just to only not have it played? If you answered yes, then you aren’t the only one. Why don’t we get acknowledged or have a song played at our school dances, of our choice? I get it if the song you suggested was inappropriate but most suggestions aren’t. Half of the time the song we wanted just wasn’t added to their approved playlist. Knowingly, sometimes, us students start jumping to conclusions and blame it on the DJ. Honestly, the reality is that most of the students who have attended any of Poly’s dances can clearly agree that the DJs suck.

       Now, I usually don’t have a problem with the music that is played at dances because it’s decent, but what ticks me off is when My Boo by Usher and Alicia Keys is played 5 times or when your favorite verse of Drunk In Love by Beyonce doesn’t get played because they put some another song (usually a whole other genre) that kills your whole vibes. Isn’t this relatable even if you switched in some other songs than the ones I put?

      I also understand and respect the school policy, but I know too well that the school rules don’t tell a DJ to play 40 songs over and over. Also, who makes the approved playlist? Where’s Playboi Carti, Chano, Bruno Mars (new and old), Ed Sheeran, Kehlani, basically the music of today. I get it, you gotta throw it back and play the backyard boogie old school remixes but that’s not all we’re looking forward to. And what didn’t make sense was when we had a Throwback themed party and the DJ was playing Bruno Mars’ new album and suggested other songs that just recently came out…..PLEASE GO WITH THE THEME OF THE PARTY OR YOU CAN GLADLY QUIT YOUR JOB. Like tear your own contract because you blew it.

        The DJ of the party literally determines whether it’s fun or not. The decoration, sorry ASB, we know you work hard to set up and make things pretty, but even if it’s a picture scene, the whole party is trash if the DJ can’t mix or go the whole night without replaying a song a thousand times. The DJ skips over songs that the crowd clearly enjoys and even playing the wrong genre at the wrong time. In my opinion the man who was the DJ at the Poly Kickback/Coachella did a fantastic job. Bring. Him. Back. Please. Students have been saying the music selection should be more groovy and uplifting rather than laid back and depressing. Sorry, no one wants to listen to Alone Again by Train or Fake Plastic Trees by Radio or anything that makes us sad. “We tryna twerk!” said some of the seniors. I agree! Let’s get lit and turn up while we still can.

  • 60th Annual Grammy Recap!

    60th Annual Grammy Recap!

    To those who produce music, it is a dream to be nominated for a Grammy. 2017 consisted of amazing new music from artists such as Lana Del Rey, Childish Gambino, Lorde and many more. On January 28th, the 60th Annual Grammys were held at Madison Square Garden, in New York City. The show wrestled with a range of social and political topics including immigration, racial injustice, and the #MeToo movement by many influencers of our time.

    Many remarkable moments happened throughout the show. Kendrick Lamar opened the show with U2 with his song “XXX,” as he raps about poverty and revenge. A #MeToo moment was brought into the spotlight by Kesha and many fellow female artists that attended that night standing behind her in this overwhelming, powerful, emotional movement. For those who aren’t aware, the #MeToo movement brings widespread awareness and prevalence to sexual assault and harassment in the workplace. The women in white performed “Praying,” a ballad off of her first studio album, “Rainbow.” Performances from Bruno Mars, Cardi B, Rihanna, SZA, and Sam Smith took the stage by storm, with hit singles released last year.

    The nominations this year among the musicians, rappers were going head to head in each of the category. For Bruno Mars, it was the highlight of his career thus far. An upbeat master of singalong bops, which also makes you want to groove with the move. Mr. Mars won all six of the awards he was nominated for, including the top prizes of: album, record, and song of the year. The provocative and critically admired rapper from Compton, CA, Kendrick Lamar, was the next most awarded artist whose five wins included awards from the rap categories. For those who didn’t go home with a Grammy in hand, it was an honor to be nominated, which clearly indicates how worthy and impactful their music was and still is in many lives.

  • Poly’s Got Jazz!

    On November 2, 2017, Long Beach Poly’s Jazz program performed their annual fall concert at Hughes middle school.

    The night began with a performance from a Jazz C. Junior, Maya Cheav played the piano for Jazz C. “The concert was great. You wouldn’t believe the amount of talent at this school,” said Cheav. Jazz C performed four songs: “Second Line,” “Avalon,” “Sugar Train,” and “Tenor Madness.”

    Next in line was Jazz B, performing “Cheesecake,” “Butterfat,” “Teach Me Tonight,” and “Smackdown.”

    “We performed four songs, all pretty different. Two swing, one funk, and one ballad,” said senior Blake Leigh, who played the piano for Jazz B. “I think that the band’s hard work really showed in our performance.”

    Jazz A2 was second to last to perform. Drummer, junior Marcelo Murillo played for Jazz A and commented, “I felt as though from the beginning of our first rehearsal of the tunes, we struggled as a group. Then overtime, through practicing as a group and on our own, we developed the songs and shaped the music in a way that sounded amazing. On the whole, the concert sounded great.”

    Jazz A2 performed the songs: “Hey That’s Nacho Cheese”, “Body and Soul”, and “I’ll Be Seeing You”.

    Jazz A closed out the event with more spectacular performances.  Senior Kyle Van Lant played the saxophone for Jazz A. “We played New Mambo, Count Bubba, Duck Ankles, Helen’s Heart, and the Trolley song, which Jacob Wolff arranged. I had a ton of fun; we really pulled through at the performance, as did all the other groups,” said Van Lant.

  • Camp Flog Gnaw Recap

    The iconic music festival, Camp Flog Gnaw, drew in people from all across the globe to join Tyler, The Creator. They celebrated their 6th annual music festival  at the Exposition Park in Los Angeles.  Myself and a few other lucky Jackrabbits had the honor of attending this world renowned festival. Many look forward to this year’s event, and not only for the astounding live performances, but also its carnival aspect that features all sorts of fun games and prizes.

    The various performances catered to many different genres including Lana Del Rey, Kid Cudi, and many more. The boy band Brockhampton brought to life the main stage performing one of his many great hits, “Queer,” off their latest album SATURATION. Saturday night ended with Lana Del Rey. Many of the audience’s inner 2012 fangirl spirit came screaming out, singing along to all her oldies from the Born To Die album.

    Go big or go home, am I right? That’s how Sunday felt. The energy everyone brought to the carnival radiated through the festival from the fashion and the people, to the weather and the food. Some people were dressed head to toe in all colors of the rainbow and some people were dressed in hardly nothing. Each person had their own voice that projected itself either through the exotic food they were eating  or the vibrant outfits they were wearing.

    It was gloomy, sunny, and cold, but all I could think of was that it beat walking around in 100 degrees and dwelling in my own sweat.

    Another exciting part of the festival was when Playboi Carti’s set had multiple mosh pits, people climbing trees, and  all sorts of people jumpin’ & bumpin’.

    Throughout the weekend, there were several special guests  that made an appearance: YG, Ty Dolla Sign, Mac DeMarco, ASAP Mob, G-Eazy, etc.

    But the set everyone truly looked forward to was ASAP Rocky’s. Known for his amazing performances, all anyone had to say was, it was wild, you just had to be there. 11/10 recommend, it is definitely worth your time and money. Until next year, Camp Flog Gnaw, thank you Tyler!

  • Black History Music

     

    Michael Jackson

    Many people try arguing that Michael was ashamed of his race due to him constantly tried to change his skin tone, but this, of course, is just a rumor. Michael was constantly trying to better the lives of Black youth, through many foundations and charities, including The United Negro College Fund. He donated over $100 million in his lifetime. MJ was also the first black artist to appear on MTV, which had a very strict rule limiting Black artists from screen time. Once he got the opportunity, Michael’s videos became the most popular. “Thriller” is still the most popular and most viewed video of all time. Long live the king.
    Recommended listen: “The Lady In My Life”

    Billie Holiday


    Holiday was brought up in a brothel house and at the age of twelve was arrested for prostitution. It was at this age that her love for the blues began. She collaborated with saxophonist Lester Young in the 1930s, and continued to make music with him throughout her career. The most notable song of their partnership was “Strange Fruit.” Considered the first protest song she recorded, Billie began expressing the pain she felt as a Black female entertainer. This only worsened her situation, as the racial attacks and sexist obstacles grew as rapidly as her fame did. Her alcohol and heroin addiction led to her downfall and eventual her death in 1959 at the age of forty-four. Her message and legacy live on, as she is still considered to have one of the greatest voices in all of jazz.
    Recommended listen:  “Gloomy Sunday”

    Otis Redding


    Otis Redding had a short-lived but full career. He began singing as a child in the choir, and Redding wasn’t only extremely talented, but was also a smart businessman. He owned multiple homes and 300 acres of land at the time of his death. Otis Redding made true soul music; white people respected him and welcomed his music with open arms, which was a huge deal for a time when segregation was still very common. He was the closing act of The Monterey International Pop Music Festival and one of the only Black artists to perform at Woodstotck other than Jimi Hendrix. What sets Otis apart is the fact that he made music for Black people to enjoy, and ended up bringing everyone together in the name of music. His final recording track “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay,” although released after his death, became his most well known song.
    Recommended listen: “Pain In My Heart”

    Diana Ross


    Front woman for the infamous group The Supremes and film star, bombshell Mrs. Ross has had a big career and is still active to this day. Her career is one that spans over forty years.  One of her most critically acclaimed films was her portrayal as the previously mentioned legend Billie Holiday in Lady Sings The Blues, for which Diana Ross received an Academy Award. She also starred alongside Ted Ross, Richard Pryor, Nipsey Russell, and Michael Jackson in the musical classic, The Wiz. Her skills in both singing and acting are monumental to say the least. She will forever be looked back upon as one of the greatest Black entertainers of our time.
    Recommended listen: “My World Is Empty Without You”

  • JJ’s Jam of the month: “Yes. I’m Ready”- Barbara Mason

    Not everyone has been in love, but at one point, we’ve all wanted to be. People of all ages find themselves wanting someone to spend every moment with. More than a want, but a need for love. We all need love. This song expresses the stage of being ready for a relationship. Whether it’s your first relationship or your millionth, new love can be so difficult. It’s hard to start over, to trust and be vulnerable to a new person. It can take a whole lifetime to find the right person or it can take no time at all, but when you do decide to take that first step, it’s the most beautiful and terrifying thing. The good thing is, from that point on, it gets easier, or so they tell me.