Lets Talk Tunes.

Christian De Jesus

Music has always had a special place in my heart. This week in class we covered music and its history of when it was most popular, and what years of music drew the most attention. In my personal opinion I find it more satisfying listening to newer released music from the 2010s all the way up to present time. 

Music has had some big ups and downs. A huge time where music at a pretty high peak was in the 1930s during the rise of jazz. Jazz is a very popular genre of music originated in New Orleans with artists like King Oliver and Louis Armstrong. Jazz Bands in this point in time were making a name for themselves playing in illegal speakeasies and on steamboats that would go down the Mississippi River. The 30s had a great era going with jazz but what people consider the most popular times in music are the 1960 and the 1970s

With the emergence of rock and roll in the 60s with musicians such as Elvis Presley and bands like The Beatles who could ever forget such a great era of music. Rock and Roll in the 60s was more of a glam rock genre which is soft compared to the music that came a decade later in the 70s known as Punk Rock. With artists and bands like AC/DC, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Queen and many others the 70s was rock era was an evolution from rock in previous years turned hardcore. Both era’s of music had plenty of success but what stands out most is The Beatles have sold 183 million units. 

One of my favorite times in music is the 90s where hip hop evolved from what it was in the 1980s. With artists like Tupac Shakur, The Notorious BIG (Biggie Smalls), Nirvana and other talented individuals. Being more of a hip hop and rap fan this era of music is everything to me and in my opinion is the best hip hop and gangsta rap has been in a long time. This time was not only rap during this time was also the rise of grunge, starting around the mid 80s grunge developed with inspiration from hardcore punk and heavy metal. The grunge scene was originally made popular in Seattle, Washington. This is where the band Nirvana and its lead singer Kurt Cobain emerged from. Nirvana is a band that has over 28 million RIAA-certified units.

Though all these decades in the past have had their success, present day artists are not to be taken in a joking manner. Such artists as Drake, The Weeknd, Bad Bunny and tons of other young talents looking to make a name for themselves. For example recently it was just breaking news that Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny has broken the record for most streamed artist on spotify with 10.3 billion streams a record that he held himself previous to July 17,2022. 

Questions: All these things being said, Which era in music is your personal favorite? What artists are you most interested in? What songs do you recommend for a person who you are trying to convince that your favorite era is the best?

WARNING EXPLICIT LANGUAGE!

Video games and Super Heroes how far have they come.

Since I was a kid I always loved video games of all kinds whether it is a sports game such as NBA 2K17 or a superhero game such as Marvel’s Spider-Man. I used to consider myself a gamer but nowadays I would not say I am that same kid. I remember growing up I would wake up super early around like 7 AM just to get dibs to play first on a really old Playstation 2 we used to have. Video Games have always been a great way for myself to personally unwind and distract myself. Comics books on the other hand have never been my cup of tea. I have always been a fan of movies like the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) movies and could never get into the comics. 

The MCU was one of my biggest sources of entertainment growing up from the earliest  Iron man movie in 2008 to the latest Thor Love and Thunder released in 2022. They still hold a special place in my heart personally as well as they do to other viewers such as myself. Super Heroes have always been seen as a figure of inspiration and role models. For example after the death of Chadwick Boseman who acted in the Black Panther movie as King T’challa also the Black Panther, he was immortalized in that role. After inspiring many children to be themselves and they can do whatever they put their mind to he will not be recast in the new Black Panther Wakanda Forever movie being released later this year. This shows how much power and impact something as a fiction as a superhero can have on our world.

Though all these superheroes exist in movies and comics they also exist in one of many genres of video games  alongside game genres like roleplaying (RPG), simulation and sports, etc.I personally have been a fan of playstation my whole life so i grew up around playstation exclusive games like Uncharted and God of War. Even on the handheld console version of the playstation the PSP where i played games like Pirates of the Caribbean on it. Video games have come a long way since even before then like the GameCube and the Nintendo 64. All consoles have their one unique games and are recognized for different things. Before gaming used to be local like arcades, handheld consoles and even just multiplayer games. Nowadays you can play many games with people all over the world through online gaming. You could make a living from playing video games if you really wanted to. With the Introduction of twitch being brought around in 2011 people could make money from playing video games and streaming it. One of the biggest streamers Ninja with a following of 23.8 million subscribers on just youtube has made up to 58,188 dollars a month, including twitch streaming, youtube uploads and sponsorships.

Which brings me to this question: after knowing how much money you can make streaming, making comics, acting etc. would you ever switch your career path to follow what some may call a “childish dream” or do like to be a fan and just enjoy what is put on your plate?

‘Headline’

DeJesus, Cristian

Journalism has evolved since the 1950s, from Indro Montanelli to John Roberts and many more authors our era has never even heard of. The ability to have our thoughts shared on paper and protected by our first amendment right has been overlooked and sometimes even taken for granted. History is created at the tip of our fingertips, to our disposal whenever we please. However, we decide to focus on the latest Instagram or Twitter post in order to figure out the latest death of a young actor, musician or comedian. We do not rely on newspaper articles nor journal posts; hence the decline throughout the years. We fail to realize the effectiveness of picking up the newspaper and turning the crispy pages, how connected we become to our community and the world around us because we rely on the internet to tell us about individuals we have never met and their latest pop stories. We wrap our heads around the drama of others and are blinded by the facts engraved in our community.

We have forgotten the excitement it brings to tell a story, express our thoughts and beliefs, we forget freedom of the press and how it came to be, the trial of Zenger and the movements and inspiration inspired from such. The first amendment was adopted into the Bill of Rights stating “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceable to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances (Cornell University Law School).”

Newspaper have to be by far one of the most important ways for us to recieve news and that is without actually reading a newspaper. Many news channels and blogs quote straight from newspapers. The way we get out information would be less creditable without newspapers being the source they get their information from. I guess what i am trying to say is that the media food chain would not be the same without newspapers being one of our mains sources of imformation.

What books are on Top?

Christian De Jesus

When we talk about books many iconic and even nostalgic copies come to mind, like The Harry Potter series, To Kill a Mockingbird, Charlotte’s Web and many more. All these books are amazing in their own way but have you ever wondered if the book just feels the same when it is online. Does the book give off a different feeling when it is in hard copy and not behind a screen Maybe you have wondered if books online sell more then digital copies. Or even which is better.

Books are great way to let the mind flow and escape from everything going on around you. Books are also a phenomenal way to learn something new whether it’s a lesson from a kids book, or even a recipe from a cooking book. With Ebooks in the picture you can find any book you won’t be able to find in your average library. Any books you can imagine at your access whenever you want with just the click of a couple buttons. In the film we watched in “Out of Print” we see many differences if people prefer an Ebook or a Digital Copy. The documentary touched topics on how being a self published online author can be good way to get your name out there to to the public as an author. Self publishing is very helpful when an author has no agent. Self publishing is a great way to not be tied down to due dates and regulation of publishing companies. However self publishing is a longer process to get recognized then working under a publishing company that has connections. It is also no cost to publish a book traditionally compared to self publishing. 

Digital Book vs Ebook

People love to compare ebooks and digital book, I say that they are both great. books are a great way to get kids more into books. According to the film “Out of Print” kids already spend 7.5 hours a day just staring at a screen. So imagine if you can turn at least half of all those hours into something productive like reading a book. Other people still prefer the digital copies because maybe the screen hurts their eyes or they get easily distracted by notifications on a phone or computer or whatever the case may be. We shouldn’t have to compare any form of entertainment. Everyone has their opinions and preferences. We just have to stick to what we like and let others do what they like. Both ways are a great way to obtain some knowledge or just get lost in the pages. Which do you think is better?