What kind of Media Consumer am I now?

After being in Mcom72 for an entire semester, all I can say is that not much has changed. Not much as changed since I last blogged about my media consumption. I still read the newspaper in the morning so I can keep in touch with the current events. Also, I would still go online to check email and shop at Amazon. I still have very little time to watch TV and listen to Hip Hop on a daily basis. For the most part, I am still the same media consumer as I once was.
Though most of my media consumption habits remain the same, there parts of it that were changed due to this class. One change it did was influence my ability to judge media more critically. Wheither it's critisizing a propaganda message, judging Howard Stern's comments, or analyzing a foregin TV station, this class has made me a more intellectual media consumer.
Another important aspect this class help me with was blogging. This class inspired me to blog, not only for self satiscfaction but also for others. Also, class helped me learn the importance of blogging. I learned that it is important for my future career as a Magazine Journalist.
Out all the events that happened in class, the blogging project, the group presentation, and many others, the one that made huge impact was watching the movie "A Face In The Crowd." That movie totally changed the way I view at media. Since the story revolved around a convict that suddenly became a national icon, it made me wonder about today's society. When I look at today's society, thugs and gangster are turned into heros while sluts and whores become role models, it totally scared me. My perception of the society is forever changed due that movie. Overall, it was an interesting class that proved to be somewhat of a success.


Special Thanks


-My group mates Julian Harris and Krystyna Coria. Thank you for pulling through to make our presentation a success. There were just 3 of us and we were able to pull it off. We rocked!!!

-Kelley Lugea. For being the first to post a comment on my blog.

-Amir Masood. For having interesting things to say in his blog.

-Anngiely Salvacion. For checking up on me and making sure I stayed focus in class.

-For everyone that made a comment on my blog. Even those spam peeps. Just seeing a comment on my blog made my day.

- For anyone that actually read my blog at least once. Thanks for donating a portion of your time.

- To those people that followed my radio experience at KSJS. Just to let you guys know, I passed the class!

-And lastly, I liked to thank Prof. Buchwitz for having the class. I seriously learned a lot about the role of the media in today's society. Wheither it's radio, TV, or newspaper, you talked about all of them. Also, thank you for all the blogging tips you gave me and leaving comments on my blog. I would also like to thank you for allow my group to present even though we only had three people. And lastly, thanks for the pizza at the last day of class.

My Top 10 Emcees of All Time!!!

10. Slick Rick

When it comes to humor rhymes, no one can do it better than Slick Rick. When Slick Rick rhymes, it seems to flow with ease. Funny lyrics plus fresh delivery equals a combination that can't be beat. Also, he has a British Accent.

Favorite Songs

-La Di Da Di

-Children's Story

-Treat Her like a Prostitute

Best Album

-The Great Adventures of Slick Rick

9. Big L





One of the most deadliest rappers ever. When Big L grabs the mic, he unleashes a fury that can not be matched. He can literally rip any Emcee into pieces with his killer punch lines. Not only is his punch lines deadly but their also very witty as well. Just listening him can make any person want to be a battle rapper. R.I.P. Big L

Favorite Songs

-Put it on

-M.V.P

-Ebonics

Best Album

- Lifestylez ov da Poor and Dangerous



















8. Chuck D


When it comes to political raps, no one can do it better than Chuck D. of Public Enemy. His raps can range from topics such as corrupt government, racism, and Black Power. Not only is his raps very dangerous propaganda but also delivered very well. Chuck D's voice is one of the most recognizable voices in Hip Hop history.

Favorite Tracks

-Don't Believe the Hype

-Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos

- Shut Em Down

Best Album

-It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back

7. The Notorious B.I.G.


One of the biggest names in Hip Hop. The Notorious B.I.G., also known as Biggie Smalls, was known for his stylish rhyme flow and his brutal death. Not only is his rhymes are on point, but their also very clever. Biggie Smallz had some quick metaphors in his rhymes that made it lovable. His lyrics would be violent and revolve around him being a playa. Overall, delivey and style is what made him one of the best.

Favorite Songs

-Juicy
-Big Poppa
-Hypnotize

Best Album

Ready To Die




















6. Kool G Rap

The founder of Gangster rap in the east coast. His great lyrics are very violent. Also, his raps has a lot of mafia infulences in it. Other than his lyrics, there is one that sets him apart from all the other rappers out there, and that is his delivery. It's one of the best delivery styles in Hip Hop period. Kool G Rap has this one style were he would constantly rhyme with that last syllable of a line. With his vigor, Kool G Rap remains untouchable when it comes to delivery. He also influenced countless rappers.

Favorite Songs

-Truly Yours
-Ill Street Blues
-Road To the Riches

Favorite Album

-Live and Let Die





















5. Scarface

He is proclaimed to be the " King of the South." His lyrics are gangster and very graphic. Another strong point about Scarface is the raw energy people feel when they hear Scarface raps. Scarface also was a strong infulence to a lot of rappers. Rappers such as Tupac and Biggie Smallz were influence by Scarface's psychological views about life and suicide. This is not "Laffy Taffy," music. Scarface is one of the most graphic, psychological gangsters out there.

Favorite Songs

-I Seen a Man Die
- Mind Playing Tricks
- Mr. Scarface

Best Album

-The Diary


















4. Ice Cube

One of the founders of Gangster rap. He is truly an icon in Hip Hop Culture. Ice Cube and N.W.A brought the West Coast into the Hip Hop game. He penned a lot of contorversial lyrics. His lyrics were very political and gangster at the same time. He had funky delivery and was the best rapper in the early 90's. Ice Cube was the one the penned Eazy-E's lyrics. He was the mastermind behind N.W.A. Ice Cube is truly an Icon of West Coast Hip Hop.

Favorite Songs

-Today was a Good Day

-Steady Mobbin

-Once Upon a Time in the Projects

Best Album

-Amerikkka's Most Wanted

3. KRS ONE

His name says it all. Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everybody. His lyrics are pure knowledge. It's all intelegence. Everytime KRS ONE raps, it's like hearing a lecture because it lyrics contain so much knowledge.

Favorite Tracks

-MCs act like they don't know
-Still 1#
-South Bronx

Best Album

-By All Means Necessary
















2. Rakim

Rakim Allah is the God of Hip Hop. He was the one that revolutionized rhyming. His internal rhyme schemes, rhyme patterns, and delivery are what caused people to call him a God. Rakim's mic skills are unmatched. He was the one that influence everyone in the Golden Era of Hip Hop. The best when it comes to microphone skills.





















1. NaS

Nas is the heir to Rakim's throne. He was predict to be the next Rakim. Not only did he rhymed in a God-like way, but he also took the rap game to different level. He did every single kind of genre of rap. Gangster, Political, Club, Intellegent, and more. He is the BEST Emcee of all time. He would rap about ethics like no other rapper out there. And the best part about NaS,is that his lyrics is purely Street intellegence. His lyrics are poetry. There is nothing NaS can't do. He truly is the best Emcee ever.

Favorite Songs

-It' Aint Hard to Tell
-One Love
-The World is Yours

Best Album

-Illmatic

The Bridge Between Punk Rock and Hip Hop

A lot of people tend to think that Rock and Hip Hop are total opposite. Some people would think that Hip Hop is all about being gangster and "BLING BLING," when actually it's not. There is a lot of rap out there that doesn't even mention any of those material at all. I believe these kinds of alternative hip hop can convert punk rockers into hip hoppers. So if any of you punk rockers out there are reading my blog, I suggest you keep an open mind listen to some of my music suggestions.

Atmosphere is an underground Hip Hop group. Out of all the underground hip hop groups, Atmosphere tends to some popular. Their got popular due their lyrics. Slug, the Emcee of the group, raps lyrics that tend to be very emtional and hardcore at the same time. Also his lyrics tend to be very poetic. Here's a sample from the song God Loves Ugly. Slug's emotional delivery matched with Ant's, Atmoshpere's music producer, piano sample is perfect Hip Hop chemistry. This song was an instant Underground Hip Hop classic.

Sage Francis is one of the greatest lyricists to ever grace the microphone. His deep lyrics are filled with metaphors that can leave listeners in a world of confusion. Sage Francis's lyrics is spoken word poetry at it's finest. Here is a sample from his songs Personal Journalist and Climb Trees. Sage Francis is truly on a level of his own.

I believe if any punk rocker were to listen to these emcees, they would have a different opinion about the Hip Hop genre. I know a lot of Punk Rockers who convert into Hip Hoppers overnight after listening to these underground rappers. For any rap haters out there, I suggest you listen to these artists. These underground emcees would break the stereotype that all rappers rap about "Bling Bling." Who knows. Maybe you guys would like it.

Hip Hop is Dead the Album

Nas's upcoming album titled " Hip Hop Is Dead," can easily be the most anticpated Hip Hop album of 2006.
Ever since Nas made peace with former hip hop rival, Jay-Z, and signed to his record label, the hip hop community were anxiously waiting for his next album release. Nas has always been known to be one of the top lyricsts in Hip Hop. His first album "Illmatic," was so good that many serious Hip Hop scolars proclaimed it be the best Hip Hop album ever created. Now, nearly 15 years into the Hip Hop industry, Nas is still making songs that attract serious attention.
In his latest album, Nas is attempting to make people realize that Hip Hop is dying. He wants people to know that Hip Hop is not what it once was and that today's Hip Hop is more focused on money and snapping fingers. The title "Hip Hop is Dead," can act as an eye opener for those who have not noticed the corrupted state that Hip Hop is currently in. `
So far, the album has going through some tough times. At the beginning of the year, it was predicted that Nas's album would be release around September 14. As the time approaches, Nas was forced to delay his album to a November release. And again, Nas was then forced to delay the album to December 19. Nas delayed his album because it was not ready yet.
Along side the delays, some of the tracks on the album leaked. Tracks such as The N, Hip Hop is Dead, Where are they now, and Black Republican, the highly anticipated Nas and Jay-Z collaboration song, were leaked onto the internet. The leak tracks were considered very impressive by fans.
Just today on BET, Nas released his first music video from the Album, to the public. The music video is of the song "Hip Hop is Dead." Overall, the song and the music video centered around a fictional setting were Hip Hop was officially nonexistent in the public.

Nas Album drops December 19. I highly suggest serious Hip Hop heads to check it out.

Hip Hop is Dead music video

East Vs West Hip Hop

For those of you who are not familiar with Hip Hop, it has several sides. The two sides Hip Hop that tends to be the most infamous is the West Coast and the East Coast. Though some people might think that rap is just rap, hip hop actually has different styles according to coast or personality of the emcee.

East Coast is known to be the originators of hip hop. It was at the East Coast were hip hop started. Most of East Coast hip hop is based on the fundamentals, the lyrics and break beats. Upon hear an emcee, it can quite easy to tell if he or she is from New York. A rapper from New York would tend to be very lyrical. Example of some fine New York rappers include Nas, The Notrious B.I.G, Jay-Z, KRS-ONE, and many others. These emcee's lyrics tend to be really thought provoking and stays very close to the foundation of true hip hop. Not New York artists tend to be lyrically gifted but they are also different when it comes to music production. The beats from East Coast producers would contain sampling, and other traditional forms of hip hop production.

The West Coast whoever is a different story. While the East Coast as been known for originating hip hop, the West coast has been known for inovating it. The West Coast started gangster rap. Gangster rap tends to be less traditional than the music from the East Coast. Gangster rap uses funky beats, and would tend to be more straight forward than lyrical. For most of the time, lyrics of gangster rappers would revolve around life in poverty and mischieves acts committed by the rappers.Excellent examples of West Coast emcees include, Ice Cube, Eazy-E, Tupac, and Ice T. Most of the noticable West Coast rap would come Los Angeles. There are other parts of the West Coast, such as the Bay Area, that would contribute musically. Bay Area rappers such as Too Short, E-40, Mac Dre, and Del tha Funkee Homosapien all part of the West Coast.


The balance for hip hop dominance is constantly shifting. Not all the money and power comes from one coast. The Coasts are constantly battling each other for Hip Hop supremecy. When Hip Hop first started, Hip Hop belonged to the East Coast. Then in 1988, when the West Coast group, N.W.A, dropped Straight Outta Compton, then the attention when directly to West Coast. From that time till 1993, the West Coast owned Hip Hop. Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, and Snoop Dogg's G-Funk made people forget about the East Coast during that time period. Then in 1994, New York emcee's Nas and The Notorious B.I.G. release albums that shifted the power back to the East Coast. Now, mainstream hip hop is currently being overrun by the South by their Crunk style music.

My Last Training Day with KSJS

My Last Training Day with KSJS can be described in one word, disaster. I suffered a lot of technical problems while I was on the air. One of the notable problems was the major mistake I did with the instrumental track. At the radio station, it is good to play an instrumental track while talking live on air. Playing an instrumental track makes the DJ sound more enjoyable as he or she speaks. One of the major mistakes I did at my last training day involved the instrumental track. As I looked up at the clock, I noticed that it was almost my time to announce my live Public Service announcement. It was planned that after the track that is currently playing would end, I would play the instrumental and begin my announcement. When the track ended, I pushed the button to play instrumental. To my surprise, the intrumental track did not play on the air. As I fidget with the control panel, trying to get the instrumental to play, nothing was being played on the air. In other words, there was arounds 20 seconds of dead air. Dead air means nothing is being heard from the radio station.
Another problem I suffered was reading the Live PSA. Some of the public service annoucements were hard to read due to the faded ink on the paper, that I had to read. While reading the announcement on air, I would stumble on a couple of the phrases.
Those problems basically made my show sound unprepaired and utterly boring. Though there was some people that called the station claiming I was doing a good job, I had to feel that is was kind of like pity. Having 2 hours to myself seems to be a lot harder than I thought.

This will not be the end of my radio experience. I will continue to show up at Beatnik's show for a couple more weeks, including this Thanksgiving. Though Deejaying maybe somewhat hard, it also fun as well. I will use the remaining weeks I have to sharpen my skills. Thank you for all those that were able to listen me on the radio station.

Want to become connected with KSJS? Here is the Message Board. You can contact the KSJS DJs here.

Listen to KSJS RIGHT NOW!!!

I'll still be at the station this Thanksgiving Thursday. 8:00-10:00 am.

Is Hip Hop Dead?

According to Nas, a self-conscious rapper, Hip Hop is slowly dying due to it's lack of self control. Hip Hop is not like what it was once now. Back then, Hip Hop was not about money, it was actually more about being something. At that early time period, Hip Hop did not involve a lot of money. Local DJs would assemble parties at the parks and play music to people for free. Now, Hip Hop has changed. Hip Hop is being crupted by money and large corporations.
Money has been one of the main reasons why Hip Hop is dying. Hip Hop artists of today are more focused on money rather than talent and skill. Instead of exposing some lyrical talent on the mic, current artist would rather make club hits and make more money.
Another reason why Hip Hop is dying is because the large corporations. Large corporations are the ones in control of the music artists. They are one's that influence the artist music style. Rappers are not in control of their music anymore because they are now slaves to the record label.
Much of the blame can be pointed towards the South. Their "Crunk," style of Hip Hop involves a lot of yelling and very little talent. Though their music lacks creativity, the beats of their songs are very easy to dance too, that is why it is so popular. This "Crunk," has then shadowed over what true Hip Hop sounded like. "Crunk," is best example of the death of Hip Hop. "Crunk," focuses on money rather than lyrical talent, and also it is widely influenced by the corporations the pushes it to make club hits.
Though most of the Hip Hop radio stations are filled with this type of music, there are some artists out there that are bringing the orignal style of Hip Hop back. For example, the group Little Brother is widely known for their lyrical abilities that mimicked early 90's Hip Hop group A Tribe Called Quest. Others artist such as Lupe Fiasco, Common, Nas, and many others are also contributing to the return to the Golden Age of Hip Hop. It's is up to the listeners to decide which is more important, the essence of Hip Hop culture or money.