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[DIY SNAP CHAT MUSIC VIDEO] NICKI MINAJ’S “CHUN-LI”

Nicki Minaj just put out two music videos for her singles, “Chun-Li” and “Barbie-Tingz” which was released April 12th, 2018. To promote her singles she premiered her music video for highlight track, “Chun-Li”. She decided to do a very DIY video which includes her filming from her SnapChat camera. I’m sure that her official videos will come out soon but this was a great tease since we have missed Miss. Minaj for quite some time.

Check out the music video for “Chun-Li” here:

The outfit is truly amazing along with a big wig, fishnets and leather. One thing I love about Nicki is her sense of style. She is seen lip-synching the song as if she was one of her fans posting the video up to their story. I love the personability of the video along with her exaggerated expressions- which she is known for. You really have to be the queen of rap to film a music video on SnapChat. 

Hopefully the real video drops soon, I’ll be counting down!

 

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[ON THIS DAY IN HIPHOP] ARETHA FRANKLIN & GEORGE MICHAEL’S SOULFUL DUET

Today in hip-hop the iconic song “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)” came out in 1987. This Grammy-Award winning song performed by Aretha Franklin and George Michael as a duet.

Listen to it again here:

This was Michael’s third single since going solo and it gave these two talented artists an opportunity to let their voices meld.

Michael stated,

“I was nervous [about singing with Franklin]. I knew that Aretha would get the melody and then take it all over the place, which sounds great, but the thing also needed tying down. … I just tried to stay in character, keep it simple. It was very understated in comparison to what she did.”

This song won Michael his first Grammy and propelled him to be a recognized soul singer to start his career off extremely strong.

Basically, everything that Aretha Franklin touches is gold. 

Aretha Franklin was born in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1942. She is a gifted singer and pianist. Throughout multiple successful attempts to get into the industry, she signed with Columbia Records. The singles that she put out throughout her career have now become certified classics.

In 1987 she became the first female artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Then in 2008, she won her 18th Grammy Award which made her one of the most honored artists in Grammy history.

Throughout her career and chart dominance, she earned her the title of Queen of Soul during a time where black women were not respected. She became the symbol of black empowerment during the civil rights movement.

We have to honor the people that made music what it is today and the faces of the civil right movement that paved the way for other musicians and public figures to have a voice.

 

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KANYE WEST OR ARISTOTLE?

Kanye West, the ultimate philosopher has always been open to sharing his views on the world. Throughout his career, he has been enlightened to see outside the box. His music displays this because he is not afraid to go into other genres and mashup styles- making him one of the greatest rappers of all time. Some say that his views about the world are too much and it has given him the reputation of being crazy.

As Kanye West raps in his song, “Feedback” on his Life Of Pablo release,

“Name one genius that ain’t crazy”

He might be referring to this interview on Ellen:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ugm6IQOYakQ

As an open-minded person and a creative one, it would make sense to write a book.

Kanye West just announced that he has been creating a work of philosophy called Break the Simulation.

He returned to Twitter on Monday to announce the news. He claimed that he has been writing his book for a long time now and he has been tweeting out some of his philosophy throughout the years.

He stated,

“oh by the way this is my book that I’m writing in real time. No publisher or publicist will tell me what to put where or how many pages to write.”

Here are the official statements he put out about his up and coming book:

Here are some of the Tweets we might suspect will be in his book:

You can check out more of his Tweets on his timeline.

I am extremely excited for Kanye’s book. I think he is a creative genius and someone who is in touch with himself. He has great insight and views on life. You can say what you want about Kanye West but he is certainly someone who has surpassed this mortal plane. Even if you think he is crazy, what he says is powerful and insightful. He might not be the next Aristotle but he is sure to make an impact with his vast audience.

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ITS THE NEW 92.3 ALT-ROCK STATION ACTUALLY ALT-ROCK?

For six years there has been no alternative rock on the New York City airwaves. The pop channel 92.3 NOW, which has been competing with Z100 for years threw in the towel and changed their station to alternative rock on November 17th, 2017. It is New York’s first alternative station after six years since 101.9 RXP changed their format to the news.

To celebrate ALT 92.3 played 10,000 songs in a row without commercial interruptions. Their top songs were Foo Fighters’ “My Hero,” followed by 30 Seconds to Mars’ “Walk on Water,” MGMT’s “Kids,” Vance Joy’s “Lay It On Me” and Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.

Pat Paxton, Entercom’s President of Programming stated:

“In a city where alternative music is a way of life, we are thrilled to finally fill the void in radio in New York City. With the launch of ALT 92.3, we will cater to the passionate / core audience who have helped define the genre for decades — and we couldn’t be more excited to turn up the volume.”

They started off strong and I was really excited about this new ALT rock station. I thought it was great to have a station that played my favorite genre of music. I was expecting them to play more relevant alt-rock since that is the point but a few months later it seems like they are moving away from their original goal.

Fast forward a few months later, they play a variety of music but it is more pop leaning. They play “Thunder” by Imagine Dragons which is a lot more pop than alt. They play “Colors” by Beck which I would categorize as more of alt-pop. “Sweater Weather” by The Neighbourhood which is a very old song- and also alt-indie. “My Favorite Color is Blue” by Robert DeLong which is pop. “River” by Bishop Briggs which is a lot more indie pop.

They also play Smashing Pumpkins, The Offspring, The Killers, Fall Out Boy and Nirvana over and over again. These are great songs and musicians but they are constantly being played when there are so many other alt-rock songs that are recent.

Overall 92.3 created an alt-rock station to play alt-rock but they seem to be moving away from this sound to put songs that are primary indie pop or alt-rock songs that have a pop influence. It seems like they are not doing too great and want to appeal to the masses so that the majority will still listen, but that isn’t the point of an alt-rock station. I think there has to be another alt-rock station to compete that actually stays true to their original message. It is also the first few months of their release so I hope they fix the kinks to be a great collective station.

 

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[LIL UZI VERT] OFFICIAL VISUALIZERS ARE THE NEW LYRIC VIDEOS

If you love the song “Unfazed” by Lil Uzi Vert featuring The Weeknd then you have been listening to this song wrong. Lil Uzi Vert put up a great visualizer video for the song and it captures the fun and trippy energy.

Check out the Official Visualizer here:

Hey, we might not have a music video but this is pretty close.

Lil Uzi Vert has always been a huge fan of visualizers.

Check out the “Neon Guts” visualizer here:

And don’t forget about the “The Way Life Goes” Visualizer:

He has always been a creative soul. The graphics really help put these songs on the next level. I hope he continues to add this element to his discography. I wouldn’t say they are better than his music videos but hey it’s a lot better than a simple lyric video. Check out more of his work on his YouTube channel.

 

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