Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Music Review

 I'm turning the clock back to an album that all 90's rap lovers should know. The Big Picture is the second and final studio album by the rapper Big L. The album was intended for a 1999 release, but due to L's murder, the album was later released on August 1, 2000 by Rawkus Records. The album was produced by DJ Premier, Ron Browz, Ron G, Lord Finesse, Pete Rock, Shomari, Mike Heron, Ysae, and Showbiz. The album features on of my favorite tunes Ebonics/Size 'Em Up,which was the last single released while Big L was still alive, as well as the #1 Rap single Flamboyant. The Big Picture features appearances from Fat Joe, Guru, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane and 2Pac. The collaboration of Big L, Guru and 2pac (3 favorite rappers of mine) lay down some of the dopest rhymes.   It was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America in October 2000.
It sold 72,549 copies in the first week. This album is unbelievable and I'm going to give you a little taste of the flow of Big L. This is a freestyle from the album.



Monday, January 28, 2013

Alone

Being alone has always comforted me. When I'm alone my mind is faced with honesty. If you've ever tried to lie to yourself, you will find it almost impossible. It is one of the beauties of life because it allows me to see that i am important and that my progress is essential to the world if I am to continue living. One of my favorite philosophers Alan Watts keeps me on my toes when I'm alone and feeling sorry for myself. He asks "Do you consider yourself a victim of the world or the world?" This says to me that I am meant to be on this planet and I surely cant help myself by putting on a good face, by dismissing what others may deem horrible as a section of my life to be forgotten, by comforting my self with false pretenses. It says to me, "You are the world and all it's imperfections. In other words, what may seem like conflict on one level, is really harmony on another.  If you keep with the flow and treat yourself and others with love and respect, things will work out.  Solitude helps me think about my role in the world and where my life is moving. If you become comfortable with yourself while alone, you can become comfortable everywhere. So spend some time one and be happy that your living while you shed off all the unnecessary layers of life.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

I Know This Means Something

As John Lennon said, "When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy.’ They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life."  

 I first heard this quote last year on an Outward Bound trip in North Carolina. As I sat around the fire and heard this, the way I lived my life made sense. And still does. It makes fools of those who put so much emphasis on going to college, getting a career, starting a family. These are just roads to happiness not actual happiness itself. And yet, these "tasks" are seen with more importance. I believe the meaning in life is to be happy. Happiness consists of being sensitive in each moment, acknowledging it as new and unique. To do this it takes a receptive and open mind which sees what gives happiness to ones self. This in itself is living in the present. The past exists in the present, while the future is created in the present. From that, I deem that there i only the present, and I'm the happiest in the present. So live on fellow humans! Your happiness is here (i don't want to say out there, because that would being saying it's something you seek outside yourself). Find what makes you happy and realize that what you are feeling is happiness, because living feels good if you leave out all the judgement. I mean, only feeling exist after all judgement disappears.    






Monday, January 21, 2013

Frank-ly Speaking

"It had been a bad day. On parade, an announcement had been made about the many actions that would, from then on, be regarded as sabotage and therefore punishable by immediate death by hanging. Among these were crimes such as cutting small strips from our old blankets (in order to improvise ankle supports) and very minor "thefts." A few days previously a semi-starved prisoner had broken into the potato store to steal a few pounds of potatoes. The theft had been discovered and some prisoners had recognized the "burglar." When the camp authorities heard about it they ordered that the guilty man be given up to them or the whole camp would starve for a day. Naturally the 2,500 men preferred to fast."

This passage shows the true nature of the prisoners a this stage in their imprisonment. Even when you are deprived of everything good in life, the hope exists for a better day or one will give in to suicide or nothingness. The majority who still hangs on with hope, hold a steadfast defiance against the Nazis. In Frankel's voice you can hear the emptiness, emphasizing the few emotions that the prisoners still exhibit.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Thankful for a Classmate

 I'm thankful for having Artem in philosophy class. He provides sound and unique philosophies which have always made me think.What is most helpful about how he thinks is the way that he provokes me. Frankly I hate what he has to say sometimes and it makes me angry but that is only my natural reaction to things that I haven't fulled examined. What I mean by this is that I have not seen another side to a topic argued to my content before, but he does a damn good job of it. I tip my hat to you sir. There seems to be no progression without experiencing people and things that throw you off, make you feel uncomfortable.  Being comfortable is great but learning to expand your thoughts and pushing yourself to think a different way is equally important. By expansion, you learn to be more comfortable with differences and with yourself. Now i cant give you all the credit for this Artem, but you serve as a reminder that there are many truths and i still need to look for them.