Category: Miscellaneous

Random sh*t we don’t know where else to put

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Miscellaneous

Sampling in music: What is it? Good? Bad? Who knows?

cellar door’s take on Sampling

In short, sampling is the practice (an art form some may say) of taking a portion of another sound recording, music or not, and reusing it in another sound recording. Samples come in many shapes and sizes. They can be speech sounds, instrument sounds, ambient sounds, beats and even lyrics. Musique concrète, which originated in the 1940s, was a way of making music out of previously recorded sounds. Artists who indulged in this kind of music composition would literally take tapes, cut the audio out that they wanted and then proceed to manipulate them via music technology. The point of musique concrète was to find “music” in everyday sounds by looping them, slowing them down or speeding them up. Now, thanks to some French dudes, sampling was (sort of) born. Of course, artists were borrowing from each other since the beginning of music; sampling is an inherent element in music-making.

In the 1960s, Jamaican dub reggae artists would take previously recorded reggae tracks to create faster songs to dance to and then they would DJ over them, these songs were called riddim (not EDM, though they share the same name). Jamaican immigrants who moved to America shared their practice of sampling and so began its roots in hip hop in the 70s. Sampling is the foundation of hip-hop itself, which is why it’s so widely used in the genre today. DJs would use turntables and loop breaks in soul records from artists like James Brown and use them to rap over for their audiences.

So why do some people despise sampling? Is it because they don’t know about its history and thus make blind assumptions of stealing (yes.)? Or is it because they do know what sampling is and they still don’t exactly agree with the “taking” of intellectual property even if it is manipulated to create another work? I’m not the one to say, but I can say that there is plenty of controversy surrounding sampling in the music world. I mean sure, it is very wrong to literally take someone’s work, copy it, paste it and then call it your own. To me, that’s not what sampling is. Sampling is about paying homage or shouting out something you really like as a music artist and it gives artists even MORE creative room to work with. It gives artists the chance to share something new with their audiences and it sometimes propels the original to new stardom. Sampling also creates a unique space for music to be made of other music which is pretty meta if you ask me. However, running into copyright issues is where it can get tricky and controversial. Of course, nowadays, you hear a lot about artists having trouble getting samples cleared because of how expensive and difficult it is to get through copyright rules. Imagine all of the good, juicy sampled music we could have if these samples had been cleared. Personally, I love sampling. For me, it’s like finding hidden treasure because the original song is ALWAYS better than the song with the sample. It also broadens my musical horizons greatly and gives a song another layer of history. Hip hop and electronic music are my most favorite genres and sampling is at the base of their creation so I am all for it.

 -cellar door xx

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Miscellaneous

Obviously, Fake Top 5 Most Shocking Moments in Music History

Obviously, Fake Top 5 Most Shocking Moments in Music History

5. When Ozzy Osborne ate an entire horse on stage 

The undisputed king of classic doom has been relegated to docile geriatrics as of late.  Following his exploration into reality TV at the turn of the millenium, Osborne has become somewhat of a parody of himself with his cartoonish antics and increasingly unintelligible ramblings.  That being said, it’s crucial to remember Osborne as an absolute legend of classic rock. As he popularized playful occultism, sludgy romantic doom, or just general head banging goodness, Ozzy was a key player in transforming rock into a liberated art form.  Nowhere is this more clear than the infamous occasion wherein Osborne participated in a horrifically graphic equine feast. While on a solo tour after leaving Sabbath, the band was halted mid-set by their leader; Osborne first looked out into the audience in silence before finally opening his lips.  “Bring her outttttttt!” he screamed as Randy Rhoades and company scrambled backstage before bringing out, well, you guessed it. A giant horse. For the next three hours, the audience stood stark horrified as Osborne slowly sliced through the beast and consumed it piece by piece, blood dribbling down his chin and onto innocent concert attendees who just wanted some good-down-to-earth-metal-music-itellyawhat.  The show was, of course, cut short as Osborne proceeded to shit himself and die after eating so much raw horse meat. Classic Ozzy, he’s quite a clown, huh? 

4. When Mick Jagger Didn’t Die 

How is this guy still alive? Like, I don’t wish ill on him.  But it seems like a natural violation that the Rolling Stones are still a thing.  I’m pretty sure him and his bosom buddy Richards have done it all: smoked poo skeletons, injected specially radioactive gas poison, writhed around in the River Styx while occasionally shouting “yeah baybay” to each other as their tight leather pants grazed death water. It doesn’t matter, I guess, though. 

3. When Billie Idol Invented Punk Rock 

When the words “poonk rok” first creep past your ears with their spindly digits, the first images that pop into your whimsical head may be of dingy clubs occupied by New York’s darling quartet of hideous grandmas, but they, sadly, were posers.  Wha…? Posers? Posing as whom? Iggy Pop? Nope. The MC5? Nope. Lou Reed?! Nope again. See, they were actually following what could essentially be distilled down to an elaborate marketing campaign designed by one Billie Idol. Idol, originally a marketing consultant for Viacom, spent years researching what could set off what he identified as a powderkeg of untapped teenage angst. Several years of looking at graphs, gathering disgruntled testimony, and co-opting avant-garde aestheticism into white-consumerism later, Idol emerged with the hit single “White Wedding” which fundamentally altered the course of music history.  Idol would go on to enjoy a long and successful career as punk’s most vital contributor, eventually giving birth to two sons: Henry Rollins and Ian Mackaye. 

2.  When The Beatles Headlined Woodstock

Imagine this, Woodstock has already been going on for nine-days, your one pair of super hip homemade jean shorts have been absolutely soiled by mud and human feces, and the acid jell-o isn’t enough to keep you going.  It’s about time to leave, the sun is rising, but wait. There’s one more act. Who could it be? You think, lids nearly crusted over from sleep and probably a little pinkeye too, the headliner has been kept a secret from us this whole time.  Who is it who is going to come out and end the show. Also, this was New Year’s Day 1970. Then, you see it, a lanky figure with a severely unbrushed beard begins making his way towards the stage. Sunlight is still soft, you can’t see exactly who it is but the anticipation is beating against the inside of your head as another figure steps forward.  This time, it’s a greasy guy with no shoes and a round face who is tailed by a guy with an impressive mustache wearing like robes and then another guy. Of course, it was the Fab Four appearing to close out both the now-legendary music festival and the 1960s as a whole. Who could forget their classic renditions of “Hey Jude”, “I Wanna Hold Your Hand”, “Octopus Garden”, “Why Don’t We Do It in the Road”, or Ringo’s fifteen minute drum solo rendition of the National Anthem.  You had to be there, man. 

1.  When the guy from Def Leppard Grew An Extra Arm to Drum Harder 

Deep in the bowels of 1985, Def Leppard was perched gracefully upon international charts and drew tens of thousands of rabid fans who were interested in seeing what was, simply put, the worst band of all time. During one of their famously shitty performances which drew attention from Rolling Stone writers who were baffled at the sheer magnitude of their diarrheal soundscarpes, drummer Rick Allen began to sweat profusely as shapes began to appear in underneath the skin of his sweat-drenched chest.  Audience members wretched as the shapes began to take more tangible figures and it became clear that what was being formed was none other than a horrible bundle of fingers. Fountains of bile streamed down the floor of the jam-packed stadium as the fingers flailed helplessly into the air as they were painfully pushed out of the now swollen and putrid body which housed them. Eventually, the arm was fully generated, picked up a drum stick, and laid down the worst drum solo of all time.

– Cliff Jenkins 

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Miscellaneous

Top 5 Class Rock Bands

Top 5 Class Rock Bands 

I get it, it’s exhausting listening to the most cutting edge music 24/7 on two simultaneously spinning student-run radio stations.  Sometimes you just gotta throw on some 100.7 and let your brain mush take in the vibes of a land long gone to the passage of time. But we can’t forget that these bands and musicians are our forefathers, and that they deserve the utmost respect from the new guard of…ahem…coolness.  For this reason we’ll be going back in time today to take a look at the most essential bands that ever existed and fully analyzing what about them made their impact so durable.  

5. The Rolling Stones 

Formed in 1945 by best friends Mike Jagger and Keith Richmond, the Rolling Stones became a virtual overnight success due to being an anomalous sexy band from England.  Their 1984 single “Miss You” put the band on the map with its sexy combination of sexy guitar, sexy vocals, and sexy drums. Around this time Mike, who had reached an emotional pitfall due to his drug use, underwent a special therapy where all of his blood was replaced with more sexy blood.  Following the procedure, Mike’s sexy levels were so high that the United States government (still being led by President Richard Nixon) barred the Rolling Stones from entering the country. To combat the low album sales that naturally follow being left out of the American music market, Mike Jagger and Keith Richmond went undercover in the CIA for over thirty years to destroy the system from the inside, accidentally setting forth a series of convoluted events which ultimately led to Donald Trump being elected president.  To retaliate, the CIA was ordered to murder one of Mike’s closest friends: David Bowie, which was then framed to look like illness. In an unprecedented deal with the U.S. Department of Justice, the Rolling Stones were spared capital punishment on the condition that they tour forever until they die. 

4. The Beach Boys 

Oh boy, where to even start with the Beach Boys.  Well to begin with a little fun fact that few people know, the band’s name is actually derived from the surname of all of its members: Bechbou.  Emigrating from Germany in 1890, the Bechbou clan first established itself in Des Moines, Iowa as a circus act consisting of 15 identical children singing the same note so loudly that they would begin to hover six inches above the ground.  This was not a good idea. Frightened Iowans exiled the Bechbous from Des Moines and the family had no choice but to wander the Midwest until they reached a promised golden paradise: California. By no means was the trek easy. Though in 1932 the Bechbous had reached Los Angeles, half of the children had died by means of natural disaster or cannibalism.  Now a disgraced, broken clan, each of the Bechbou boys had ten more identical boys who they subsequently trained to be even better circus performers as themselves. Twenty died during the brutally strict singing regiment. Still, this left 50 members, most notable among them being Huey, Louis, Dewey, and Charles Manson. Renaming themselves to the more anglican “Beach Boys” the band erupted in the West Coast American rock scene after the release of their 1975 album “Rumors”.  However, their bitter rival, the Beatles, figured out that, due to the band’s insane musical training for their entire childhood, they could be activated as super soldiers if the right song was played for them. Needless to say, 1980’s “Helter Skelter” ripped the band apart. Charles Manson was the first to be activated, turning into a high powered psychopath while Huey, the band’s leader, went bananas. 

3. The Beatles

Possibly the most famous band of all time, the Beatles were formed in 1989 by spirit brothers John Legend and Rob McDonald.  Both being from recently divorced parents, the duo began their career with busking on the streets of their hometown: Seattle.  In a time where Michael Jackson was ruling the Billboard Hot 100 with a bedazzled fist, the Beatles were dead set on dismantling popular music in its entirety.  At first, the King of Pop didn’t pay much attention to Legend and McDonald. However, as spray-starched hair began to fall out of fashion with a youth obsessed with being disaffected, the freshly-born MTV recognized extreme potential in Lennon and McCartneys supremely unkempt chic.  After releasing 1991’s “Revolver” to critical acclaim, Legend grew noticeably distant from his musical partner. Walling himself in his Northwest fortress which he custom built to look like a medieval castle, he and his new wife, Joan Jett, notoriously indulged in month long benders while recording unlistenable noise soundscapes. In early 1993, at the pit of this illness and while the Beatles had taken an indefinite touring hiatus due to hysterical crowds, McDonald was forced to slap Legend several times in the face and subsequently bring about his sobriety.  With a full functioning creative engine again in place, the Beatles recorded their sophomore record “Under the Bridge” during the Fall of 1993 and began plans for a world tour the following year. Sadly, these plans were never actualized. In the Winter of 1994, Michael Jackson silently moonwalked into Legend’s ridiculous cartoon castle house while he was sleeping and bludgeoned him to death in his sleep. Though McDonald continued on to a profoundly successful solo career which still thrives today, the story of The Beatles is one which undoubtedly ends in tragedy.

2. AC/DC

We all know AC/DC as the vessel by which rock and roll most quickly enters our bloodstream.  But what I bet you didn’t know is that AC/DC is actually just five dogs sloppily dressed up as people. 

1. The Beatles Again

I’m so sorry.  I forgot to mention Sgt. Peppers.  When I first heard Sgt. Peppers, I punched my own mother in the face because I didn’t know how to react.  The minute the soundwaves emanating from “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” stroked my face the spongy material in my brain signaled me to go full force berserk mode.  I ripped through my shirt and first two layers of epidermis, I drove my car into a wall, I burned off my own foot with a flamethrower because it was the best music I had ever heard in my life.  As I lay there bleeding on the ground, I was struck by maddening inspiration. Formulas, formulas, formulas, and Bam! I had invented the time machine. I traveled back to the days of Mozart and sliced his head off with a machete.  How dare he try and remove the crown of best musician from atop the collective mop-topped heads of the Beatles. This man has never come close to writing the majesty that is and was “A Day in the Life” and he should be ashamed to ever even venture into the territory of musicianship. I will call the police on any person who does not get the album cover of “Sgt. Peppers” tattooed on their chest. 

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Miscellaneous

Why Hip-Hop is so Unfiltered

Moms everywhere often criticize hip-hop for its often blunt and uncensored language specifically as it has made its way into mainstream pop culture.

 This unfiltering is seen in every aspect of the genre from obscenities in music videos to cut-throat lyrics, but why?

For starters, hip-hop rooted from the underground, underrepresented, under-resourced slums of New York City. It started on the streets, literally. People would come and have what is now known as cyphers to provide the neighborhood with an outlet of expression. MC’s or rappers at the time would “tell it like it is” through relaying rhythm, rhyme, and humor, over a live beat from other members of the community. 

Through this, the underrepresented were finally given a voice to speak about the struggles of their community, their lives, and America as a whole. When hip-hop went commercial, this did not change much. 

Aside from rappers under major labels and hip-hop figureheads of pop culture, most hip-hop music is still raw and unapologetic. The mass of it still comes from the same marginalized groups of people as they continue to tell the struggles they have faced in their community and their lives. I will admit, some rappers do cap (lie), and amplify their past a bit, but in all, the culture persists.

Hip-hop was founded on unfiltered authenticity. All of the seemingly overt uncensoring is really just a result of the basis on which it was founded. So, next time your mom asks you; “Why they always gotta cuss so much?” tell her it’s for the people. 

-Lul Bulma 

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Miscellaneous

What is Grime?

Grime is a variation of hip-hop that was born in the UK and is inspired by the Garage scene of the 90s (much like the Underground scene of the 90s in the U.S), Dancehall, Jungle (a type of electronic music), and Reggae. It developed from the inability of artists to be fully accepted into any of the various music scenes from which it was inspired. Characterized by fast, syncopated breakbeats, jagged electric sound, and lyrics of which revolve around the grime and grit of urban life, Grime changed the rap game forever.

It rose from the Underground into the light around the mid-2000s, after being featured on pirate radio stations (radio stations that broadcasted from ships in the 60s because of censorship) and essentially engulfing the Underground Scene.

Rappers like Skepta, Dizzee Rascal and Wiley have been a big part of the Grime movement. To you, these names may not ring a bell but in places like London, these names are as iconic as A$AP Rocky.

Grime has furthermore filtered itself into fashion. London Fashion Week this year was filled with streetwear. Though this has a lot to do with Hip-Hop’s influence in pop culture in general, a lot of it is specifically due to Grime influence. Brands specifically are beginning to embed streetwear with a y2k influence which can all be thanks to Grime.

America definitely needs to hop on the Grind bandwagon because though Grime is technically hip-hop, it is also technically electronic music, meaning raves. Imagine raving to rap music? Sounds sick right?

Check out Skepta’s new single and hear the Grime influence:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwJXDrBik4I

Lul Bulma

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Miscellaneous

NC’s Up and Coming Hip-Hop Movement

Now more than ever before, North Carolina has a valuable place in hip-hop. Following Fayetteville native; J. Cole’s come up, local rappers began to realize that national or even global success might be attainable. With Charlotte’s own, Da Baby and his overnight success that came with the release of his new album and nationwide tour Baby on Baby, and left him with a #1 hit on the billboard charts, came a string of other NC artists that all have something to prove.

Stunna 4 Vegas from Salisbury is the most prominent example. With his hit; Animal (ft. Da Baby) and his opening act on the Baby on Baby Tour, he showcased his hardened country flare on a national stage that learned to both recognize and respect him.

Female rapper TiaCorine from Winston Salem is also a local rapper who seems to be on the come up. She has received recognition from the notable morning radio show, The Breakfast Club. Her hit single, Lotto, personifies her suave “bubblegum rap” style and has given her a rightful place in the upcoming female hip-hop movement.

Local Underground artists are also beginning to get the recognition they deserve.

ZenSoFly, a female rapper from right here in Raleigh, has been opened up for artists as notable as Rico Nasty. Likewise, BiggKeso, another Raleigh native and rapper, has opened up for Megan the Stallion.

Rapper, Lil House Phone from Charlotte, has received national fame with his album, Voicemails, that has allowed him to headline tours and have features and shows with notable icons such as Father. Another Charlotte rapper, 10Cellphones, has gotten everything from interviews with No Jumper to mentions on Rap Genius and features on Elevator Mag for his new wave style rap that the internet adores.

Even rural NC has fostered upcoming stars.

New Bern’s Cloudy Nueve has gotten shootouts from Riff Raff, features on Lyrical Lemonade, and Elevator Mag and almost 50,000 views on his hit song; From the Durt.

The Lost Gen, a rap group from Wake Forest, has gotten recognition from hip-hop specialist and internet personality, Adam 22, and has consistently worked with notable upcoming artists like WifisFuneral and BigBabyGucci.

Needless to say, the hip-hop scene NC is coming up fast. For the first time really ever, many local hip-hop artists have easy access to a platform that could lead them to national recognition and even fame. Maybe soon, we’ll be bigger than the Atlanta hip-hop. Only time can tell. 

 Lul Bulma

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Miscellaneous

Hip Hop Influence in Fashion

It’s fashion month and for the first time ever, streetwear is dominating the runways. Even age-old brands like Louis Vuitton have come out with cargo pants and two-piece sets. Simultaneously, Hip-Hop has reigned supreme in the American and global music industries. 

The top charts are no longer a place for Taylor’s Swift’s latest and greatest and even country music has turned urban. Is this all just a coincidence? I think not. Because of  the global society that we live in, when Hip-Hop became prevalent in American pop culture in the 2010s, it became prevalent everywhere.

Drake was the first to really kick off this phenomenon. When his album Nothing Was the Same came out in 2013, even the most suburban kids were blasting it in their cars. Following his claim to fame, more urban artist began to get a taste of his same limelight. Artist like, Migos, DJ Khaled, and Kendrick Lamar began to repeatedly make number one hits and from there, it was history.

With Hip-Hop came the culture. Baggy pants, oversized tees, and pockets started trending not to shortly after. Creative director of the luxury brand Moschino, Jeremy Scott, has even sported grills at a public fashion event.

So essentially, Hip-Hop has taken over. But how long will this trend last? I am urged to go on about trends come and go in pop culture so the influence won’t last too long. However, Hip-Hop is not only a global trend, but it has furthermore begun to dominate in two of the worlds most important and influential industries.  So who knows, maybe Hip-Hop will reign supreme indefinitely, only time will tell.

Lul Bulma

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Miscellaneous

Producer Role in the Hip Hop Industry

Hip hop music producers and sound engineers have always played a major role in an artist’s career. Honestly, many times they are more important to the song than the artist as they transform their voice and provide it with a beat, and sometimes even a flow. It wasn’t until the mid-2000s however, that producers began to get recognition for their work within the industry.

When listeners hear, “We got to London on the track!”, they already know the general vibe of the song and it is destined to be more popular just because of the clout that London On Da Track has within the industry. This wouldn’t be the case if it wasn’t for Zaytoven, the pioneer of it all.

He moved from the Bay Area to Atlanta in hopes to boost his career and met with an up and coming rapper named Gucci Mane. Together they created a new sound for hip hop, Trap, which became widely popular among hip hop heads. Soon enough, he even began to put his own producer tag before songs of which he produced as his sound was notable enough so that when people heard it, they automatically wanted to give the song a listen.

Thanks to Zaytoven’s influence, producers like; Metro Boomin, Mike Will Made It, and even DJ Khaled are able to make a name for themselves in pop culture even though they are not performers. Producer success has even reached the point of studio albums in which the producers have the rights to the songs sung by your favorite artists.

Needless to say, Zaytoven truly blessed the game.

Lul Bulma

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Miscellaneous

How to Be a Soundcloud Rapper

Do you want to be a SoundCloud artist but instead you just sit in your room making songs and never uploading them because you don’t think you’re built for that lifestyle? If so your prayers have been answered. I am here to give you a step by step rundown on how to successfully become a SoundCloud artist. You’re welcome.

Step 1: The Name

The most important thing is to have a distinctively ridiculous name so that listeners will be amused enough to give your music a listen. Try something with ‘Lil’ in front followed by a random noun (i.e. Lil House Phone, Lil Pump, Lil Peep, etc.)

Step 2: The Look

Your image is very important as well as we all know social media clout runs the world nowadays. Get some braids and try dying them the first color(s) that come to mind. If you really want success you should try maybe even getting a face tat, people will respect you more that way.

Step 3: The Clothes

This step is very important because it is a major clout booster so follow carefully. You must get designer clothes from head to toe. If you really want an audience though you cannot match, or else you don’t get the full effect.

Step 4: The Crime

You got to get arrested at least one time for doing something that you had no business doing. It builds your street cred.

Step 5: Fame

If you follow all of these steps effectively, you should be a successful SoundCloud rapper in no time! To ensure success I recommend adding in a public scandal or two and definitely some autotune so be prepared to get a good sound engineer and an even better lawyer. You’re welcome. 

Lul Bulma

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Miscellaneous

Why Party Culture is Killing Originality

A good building party consists of a few things. A lot of people who want to have a good time, a good DJ, and a good setlist. This setlist is not dependent on how good the song is, but rather how many people know it. As we all know, pop culture nowadays is a mess. Everybody wants to be different, but in the same way. This presents itself on social media, in fast fashion, but most importantly in the music industry. It’s lead to what I like to call, “The Young Thug Era”. This is an era in hip hop where essentially, everybody sounds the same. Gunna, Lil Baby, Sah Babii, and Lil Keed are four different artists that I can think of off the top of my head who all sound like Young Thug. This is worse than the soundcloud generation where everybody seemed to be a rapper, but nobody was good. That is because this “Young Thug Generation” promises success. The rappers I previously mentioned are all performing sold out shows on the regular though they sound like the same person. This is making everybody also want to sound like that same person in hopes that they might too, becoming success as well. Black party culture is what drives this. Instead of playing new or even distinguishable music, parties play the same setlist over, and over, and over again. The setlist is only changed when new indistinctive songs come out because they are promoted by popular artists. So even if Gunna for instance makes a whole album where most of the songs sound like the same song (Drip or Drown 2), the masses will bump it in their car for weeks on end, making it a party hit for the next few months. Now don’t get me wrong, I love Lil Keed, Sah Babii, Gunna, and Lil Baby too, but I also enjoy variety. So guys, stop trying to be Young Thug.

-Lul Bulma