2pac- Keep your head up

This past Sunday I was at my friend’s house, and we were flipping through the channels looking for something to watch. He stopped on a movie about 2pac Shakur. It was him talking about his life from child to adult. I have always liked his music, but after watching this I had a much better understanding of who he actually was as a person. I just thought I’d give some interesting facts.  I learned that he grew up in a rough neighborhood, and when he started getting famous he would do things to try and help make places like where he grew up better. He would do concerts to raise money. When he was a teenager, he got accepted to a performing arts school where he learned drama and dance. Later on he joined the Oakland, California-based hip-hop group Digital Underground, and he was a backup dancer for them in the song “The Humpty Dance.” 2Pac was shot five times during a mugging in the lobby of a recording studio. He accused Biggie and some other people of setting him up. This later caused the big war against east coast and west coast rappers. He also did a lot of acting aside from rapping. My favorite is Juice. He is a really good actor in my opinion. 2pac was shot on his way to a boxing match, and later died in the hospital. Even though he isn’t alive, his music is still alive and strong. He’s a perfect example that it’s not impossible to come from nothing and become something great.

Imperative Reaction - Side effect

So, this blog has a story behind it. On this year’s Halloween, I had nothing to do. Two of my girlfriends were going to club shampoo and invited me to go. The club was having an event for all ages called Dracula’s Ball. All I knew was there was going to be some live bands. So I went with one of my friends, and was going to meet up with the other later. When me and my friend walked in the club we felt so out of place. Probably like 98% of the people in the club were dressed in black and nothing but rock was playing, but there was a room that was playing 80’s music, so we went there. Later, my other friend arrived. A new band came on and she wanted to stay and watch them. I didn’t think I would like it at all, but then they started their first song and with only a few seconds in my jaw was on the ground. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing and seeing. I’ve never heard music like this before, but I really liked it. It’s so different from anything I listen to, and I don’t really know what you would call it. It’s like a mix of techno, rock, and that crazy scream music. I never liked when people screamed in rock music, but I really liked this. And they were amazing performers. They were full of energy the whole time, and the singer interacted with the audience very well. The guitar player was all over the stage swinging his long hair everywhere and just having a great time. The drummer was awesome, and they keyboard player was so into the music, and he sang as well (or screamed I should say). I just loved everything about them and I couldn’t take my eyes away for even a second. I’m really glad I went and got to experience this.

If you liked this and want to hear more, check out this youtube page. It has tons of videos.

Playlist

RENT: (start watching at 3:10) Over the Moon

Today I would like to talk about the musical RENT. This video is me from last December. It’s not really that good because it was the first performance. Don’t judge me. Lol.  I’d like to talk about my experience in RENT. If you are not familiar with this musical, I put a description of the characters and summary at the bottom. The production of RENT I was in was directed by an awesome man by the name of Rich Wexler. We did the school version of RENT, but the differences from the regular version are very minimal. When I originally auditioned, I auditioned for the role of Mimi. It didn’t go very well. But Rich decided to give me another chance. So he told me to learn two songs that Maureen sings and come back to audition. So I learned the songs, and it was definitely a much better fit for me. It was such an amazing experience. It wasn’t just a musical, it was a learning experience. Rich had different people come in to talk to us and teach us different things. He had someone with aids come in and talk to us about what life was like with AIDS. He also had someone come in and teach us how to improv. And we also got to do interviews, and take pictures for newspapers. It felt so amazing. I felt like a professional. And it was so nice to have strangers come see our shows instead of a whole bunch of the cast’s family, like when you do a high school show. I went into this show thinking I was just going to get on stage and do my thing, and that was it. But I ended up developing some close relationships with the people in the cast. I felt so comfortable around them, and it was nice to have people I could open up to and be myself around. I also developed a greater appreciation for this musical, and found myself connecting with my character. Playing the role of Maureen and being around the amazing people in my cast helped me become a lot more confident. This is an amazing show, and I highly recommend seeing it, whether it’s the movie version or the musical itself (even though the movie cuts out a lot of song).

 

 Click here to watch other videos from this performance

Main characters

• Mark Cohen (baritone/tenor): A struggling Jewish documentary filmmaker and the narrator of the show. He is Roger's and Collins's roommate until Collins moves out; he is also Maureen's ex-boyfriend.
• Roger Davis (tenor): A once successful but now struggling musician who is HIV positive and an ex-junkie. He hopes to write one last meaningful song before he dies. He is having a hard time coping with the fact that he, along with many others around him, knowing that they are going to die. His girlfriend, April, killed herself after finding out they had HIV. He is roommates with Mark.
• Mimi Márquez ([[soprano/belter): A club dancer and drug addict. She lives downstairs from Mark and Roger, and is Roger's love interest that, like him, has HIV. She is also Benny's ex-lover.
• Tom Collins (baritone/tenor): A gay anarchist with AIDS. He is described by Mark as a "computer genius, teacher, and vagabond anarchist who ran naked through the Parthenon." Collins dreams of opening a restaurant in Santa Fe, where the problems in New York will not affect him and his friends. He was formerly a roommate of Roger, Mark, Benny, and Maureen, then just Roger and Mark, until he moves in with Angel.
• Angel Dumott Schunard (tenor, often with falsetto): A young drag queen, street percussionist with AIDS. He is Collins's love interest.
• Maureen Johnson (alto]/belter): A lesbian performance artist who is Mark's ex-girlfriend and Joanne's current girlfriend. She is very flirtatious and cheated on Mark a lot.
• Joanne Jefferson (mezzo soprano/belter): An Ivy League-educated public interest lawyerand a lesbian. Joanne is the woman for whom Maureen left Mark. Joanne has very important parents (one is undergoing confirmation to be a judge, the other is a government official.)
• Benjamin "Benny" Coffin III (baritone/tenor): Landlord of Mark, Roger and Mimi's apartment building and ex-roommate of Mark, Collins, Roger, and Maureen. Now married to Alison Grey of the Westport Greys, a very wealthy family involved in real estate, and he is considered a yuppie scum and a sell-out by his ex-roommates. He is also Mimi's ex-lover, although he considers himself her ex-boyfriend.

                                                      Summary

Based on Puccini's 'La Boheme', 'Rent' tells the story of one year in the life of friends living the Bohemian life in modern day East Village, New York City, 1989-1990. Among the group are our narrator, nerdy love-struck filmmaker Mark Cohen; the object of Mark's affection, his former girlfriend, Maureen Johnson; Maureen's Harvard-educated public interest lawyer and lesbian lover Joanne Jefferson; Mark's roommate, HIV-positive musician and former junkie, Roger Davis; Roger's new girlfriend, the HIV-positive drug addicted S&M dancer, Mimi Marquez; their former roommate, HIV-positive computer genius Tom Collins; Collins' HIV-positive drag queen street musician/lover Angel; and Benjamin Coffin III, a former member of the group who married for money and has since become their landlord and the opposite of everything they stand for. Shows how much changes or doesn't change in the 525,600 minutes that make up a year.

 Click here to watch other videos from this performance

Birthday Song by Two Chainz


(WARNING: this song uses foul language.) This week I would like to use the song "Birthday Song" by Two Chainz, as a way to show how people are making Rap music look ridiculous. I love rap, but I am stuck in the 90’s and early 2000’s, because it seems like most current rappers just rap about dumb stuff. Not all rappers, just some, like Two Chainz. This song is probably one of the worst songs I have ever heard. “All I want for my birthday is a big booty hoe” and “When I die burry me inside a Gucci store” are just two examples of the dumb lines he says in this song. When I hear this song it just makes me angry. Any girl who dances to this song in a club should just be smacked. It almost feels like he is mocking music in this song; like he just doesn’t care. People put so much effort into music, and then other people like Two Chainz make nonsense like this. He may be a good rapper, but I wouldn’t know, because after hearing this song I really don’t want to hear anything else by him. I really don’t know what else to say except I hate this song with a passion.

Chicago: All That Jazz

I'm really excited about this week's blog. I chose the song "All that Jazz" from the movie of my favorite musical "Chicago." Chicago is about fame, jazz, and murder. Velma Kelly who is seen singing first in this video is a star who ends up killing her boyfriend when she finds him cheating on her with her sister. Roxie Hart is the blonde woman who wants to be famous so bad she is willing to do whatever it takes. She is seen in this video with a man who has told her he had connections in the industry. She then takes him to her house to have sex, even though she has a husband. She later finds out that he lied just to get her in bed and she kills him. She ends up going to the same prison as Velma Kelly and later on finally gets famous. That's just the short version, but there's definitely a lot I'm leaving out. I really like what they did in this first song. You can see Roxie watching Velma in such awe, and it's clear that this is something that interests her. Then for a second you see Roxie singing which is really cool because that's kind of letting us see what's going on in her mind before we even learn who she is. I also love the choreography in this video. Everything is really sexy and fun. I love this musical over all. I don't think there is one bad song in here. Even if you're not a musical lover, I think you will like this movie.

Like this song? Check out some more
Funny Honey
Cell Block Tango
We Both Reached for the Gun
When You're Good to Momma

Ella Fitzgerald: Lullaby of Birdland


Where to begin on this week's blog... Well first of all, this song is called "Lullaby of Birdland." It is a jazz standard sung by my favorite jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald. I chose this song because it is the first jazz song I ever learned how to sing. I learned how to sing this when I was a senior in high school, because I had an audition that required a jazz piece. Ever since then I have fell in love with jazz, but specifically Ella Fitzgerald. I love her voice. It has a very unique sound that I feel no one could imitate. She also has a very wide vocal range. And in my opinion, she is the best scatter. I love listening to her scat, and she is my inspiration to learn how to scat, and become a better jazz singer. As for jazz itself, I absolutely love it. Jazz always puts me in a good mood. The thing I love most about jazz is that one jazz standard can be sung by five different singers, and not one of them will sound the same. Jazz singers are great at improvisation. Even when Ella Fitzgerald sings the same song, it sounds different every time. Also, Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong have done quite a few songs together. I think they sound so great together because the both have such unique voices, and both of their great personalities just radiate through the music. Even if you have no interest in jazz, just check out Ella Fitzgerald, I’m sure you’ll change your mind.


Here are some more songs you might like

I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm
Tea For Two
Blue Skies
Let's Call the Whole Thing Off

The Fugees: Killing Me Softly

What better way to start off my first Music 121 blog (first blog ever in my whole life) than with my favorite song. This song is called "Killing me Softly" by the Fugees (mainly Lauryn Hill). Before I begin talking about this song, I'd just like to say that with every blog I post there will be a video attached. Please watch, or at least listen to it because I really want you to understand where I am coming from when I write about these songs and the songs I post will have a meaning to me. Back to the song, "Killing me Softly" by The Fugees. The Fugees are a hip hop group that came to fame in the mid 1990's. The members are Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill, and Pras Michel.Their repertoire included elements of hip hop, soul and Caribbean music. I have loved this song ever since I was a kid. I don't know what it is about it, but I never get tired of listening to it. This song has a very chill sound. I love the soft playing percussion beat under the beautiful vocals of Lauryn Hill. And speaking of Lauryn Hill, I'd just like to say I love her voice. She has beautiful vocals, and she doesn't just sing her music, she feels it. If you just close your eyes and listen to her sing this song (or any song she sings), you can really feel the emotion. I really don't like the video, however. Today is actually the first time I have ever seen this video. I think the song is very deep, and the video, although very funny, does the lyrics no justice. It could just be because for all these years I've created an image in my head when I hear this song that the video completely goes against. (feel free to give your opinion on that in a comment) What I really like about songs by The Fugees and Lauryn Hill are the beats. I am big on percussion, and I've noticed that a lot of the songs by The Fugees and Laurynn Hill use good percussion beats to create that beat that you can't help but nod your head to. What happend to The Fugees? Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean went on to successful solo recording careers, while Pras Michel focused on soundtrack recordings and acting.

If you enjoyed this song, check out these other great songs
(Fugees)
Ready or Not
Fu-gee-la
Vocab

(Lauryn Hill)
Ex-Factor
That Thing
Can't Take my Eyes off You
Everything is Everything