This is a Hip-Hop Kinetic Typography Music Video I produced for some independent artists out of Toronto. I was inspired by the Cee-Lo Green video ‘F— You’ and other Kinetic typography videos. A funny story accompanies this video, or tragic, I was like 80% done with the video, but then my power went out; which corrupted the file, so I had to spend another 10-12 hours re-creating everything. That was a lesson in saving multiple drafts of all video projects – especially in the Wonderful, yet buggy, Adobe After Effects, lol.
And of course with anything that is abstract, comes politics – especially when dealing with different people (which now, I really understand why most artists want to work for themselves and not deal with bullshit from other clients, collectives, etc.) … but thats for another chapter in my book, I’ll just say that when sampling a population, make sure your sample is representative of the target audience of your works.
Another Rap Parody video by comedian Jon Lajoie. In this one he takes on the persona of 12 rappers with different self-deprecating issues that reflect the range of characters in hip-hop.
Naturally when you think of Bob Marley, not only do you think of the great timeless reggae music that preached positive vibes, but you also think of the great herbs; or whatever you call it – spliff, chalice, sensi, high grade. So naturally when you mix creative, ecstasy and drug laced graphic artists with the task of creating Bob Marley fan doodles, your going to get some really ‘groovy’ and funked out Bob Marley renditions.
Bob Marley is one of those transient artists that is adored by people of all musical preferences regardless if you’re a straight rocker, into country, or even a baby …. (see below)
Rap parody video by Montreal comedian Jon Lajoie. Its kinda weird that yeah, this is funny, but the content that he is talking about is what hip-hop should be; talking about struggling with finances, public transportation, and such. For more videos check him out at www.jonlajoie.com
No matter what your opinion is on the current state of hip-hop; whether we are in the ‘golden era’, or the ‘trash era’, one thing is for sure – hip-hop displays a fondness for literary devices, specifically that of simile’s and metaphors. Thinking about it, no other genre uses as much different metaphors & simile’s throughout a song – though, the abstract depth and reasoning behind the literary devices may vary across genres. Which is why, to ‘get’ hip-hop; you really have to listen and have knowledge to comprehend what the rapper is talking about – well, that used to be the old rules. Here is where it gets murky (in my opinion), metaphors have an edge over simile’s in that it requires more thought and knowledge to process – a simile just likens object A to object B, and usually uses the operand word ‘like’ to indicate the comparison. Whereas metaphors those the same thing almost, except the objects are concepts, which when it is compared, creates new meanings and inferences. The underground rappers are known to favor the frequent use of metaphors in their songs – while mainstream rappers do not use them as much.
So with that, the question is posed, does usage of devices indicate the rapper’s intelligence and/or the intelligence of their audience? One component of music, successful music, is its ability to connect with the audience – there is a reason why known lyricists like Talib Kweli, Canibus, Joe Budden, and a slew of other talented MC’s never get those big budget marketing dollars. While, rappers like Drake, Lil Wayne, Gucci Mane, pretty much get anything they want in terms of marketing dollars for videos, tours, etc. The blatant anomalies that have walked the fine line, the tight rope act of ‘dumbing it down’, but not too much to lose the ‘real hip-hop crowd’, would have to be Eminem, Nas, and Jay-Z; who have openly admitted that they had to ‘dumb down’ their lyrics in order to remain on their respective major labels. So is it the usage of literary devices determine one’s audience? Would using a bunch of simile’s get you a Joe Budden audience? Would using a bunch of metaphors get you a Gucci crowd? I believe the answer is ‘NO, like the opposite of ‘YES’, as their exist a correlation between commercial rap/underground rap and similes/metaphors – just listen to a commercial track, and there is no deep thought behind it. Your brain will not work overtime to process; commercial rap songs are very sing-songy, like a nursery rhyme (see, I just made a simile!). Let’s take a look at some popular songs from Lil Wayne and Joe Budden:
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Joe Budden – Broken Wings
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Drake, Lil Wayne – I’m Going In
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Some difficulty with these popular usages of simile’s are that one has to understand the reference – that reference is usually from pop or hood culture, but besides that, nothing else. And maybe, that is what music should be – a passive experience that is soothing, relaxing, comfortable. Because I mean, after a long day of work/school, do you really want to explore abstract concepts and ideas? I mean, that is like running a track backwards in a race – you will always lose, right?
We all want to reach that ‘next plateau’, that ‘higher level’, that place where we feel that no one or nothing can touch us or bring us down. Such a place is a fantasy for most, a reality for for few, but a feeling shared by all. The following are collections of some ‘high times’ (cheesy, but effective)
A look at a device used for water filtration – in the size of your hand.
LifeStraw includes LifeStraw and LifeStraw Family, which are complementary point-of-use water filters designed by the Swiss-based Vestergaard Frandsen for people living in developing nations and for distribution in humanitarian crisis. Most recently, LifeStraw and LifeStraw Family have been distributed in the 2010 Haitian earthquake and 2010 Pakistan floods. LifeStraw filters a maximum of 1000 litres of water, enough for one person for one year. LifeStraw Family filters a maximum of 18,000 liters of water, providing safe drinking water for a family of five for up to three years. It removes 99.9999% of waterborne bacteria, 99.99% of viruses, and 99.9% of parasites. LifeStraw removes 99.9999% of waterborne bacteria and 99.9% of waterborne protozoan parasites.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LifeStraw
The principal maker of the LifeStraw is Vestergaard Frandsen, check them out here.
House/Electronic DJ out of Toronto doing big things. Came across her sets, and had to give respect and props for her blends and mixing abilities. The Dot is filled with gems of talent like this. Back in the day, the females never used to represent on the 1’s and 2’s but that is all changing as there are many DJ’s that are just as good, if not better than the dudes.
Soon a year will pass after the devastating BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The affects were grave as people lost lives, and the environment was destroyed (water, animals, vegetation). As with most public outrage, comes creative forms of expression to ‘show what you feel’.
Powerful statements and feelings expressed through images; lets hope this tragedy is a ‘teachable moment’ for all involved – greedy corporations, corrupt governments, and unfortunately the wildlife and people affected.
Its interesting how you can go from a fan favorite, to most hatred almost instantly; especially for the sports athlete elite whom are paid ridiculous amounts of money to shoot a cylindrical ball into hoop with mesh. LeBron James of the Miami Heat is a good case study of how fan art can change almost over-night from adoration to bitterness.
Even though she got a song with the same title as my boys in DOT CITY (check out their version of ‘How I Feel’ here), this New York native with a Jamaican accent is spitting some bars sounding like a young/hungry Foxy Brown.
