https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3L4YrGaR8E4

[Intro: Zack de la Rocha]
Come with it now!
Come with it now!

[Verse 1]
The microphone explodes, shattering the molds
Either drop the hits like de la O or get the fuck off tha commode
With tha sure shot, sure ta make the bodies drop
Drop an don’t copy yo, don’t call this a co-op
Terror rains drenchin’, quenchin’ tha thirst
Of tha power dons, that five sided Fist-a-gon
The rotten sore on tha face of Mother Earth gets bigger
The trigger’s cold, empty your purse

[Chorus]
Rally ’round the family with a pocket full of shells
They rally ’round the family with a pocket full of shells
They rally ’round the family with a pocket full of shells
They rally ’round the family with a pocket full of shells

[Verse 2]
Weapons, not food, not homes, not shoes
Not need, just feed the war cannibal animal
I walk tha corner to tha rubble, that used to be a library
Line up to the mind cemetery now!
What we don’t know keeps the contracts alive and movin’
They don’t gotta burn tha books, they just remove ’em
While arms warehouses fill as quick as the cells
Rally round tha family, pocket full of shells

[Chorus]
Rally ’round the family with a pocket full of shells
They rally ’round the family with a pocket full of shells
They rally ’round the family with a pocket full of shells
They rally ’round the family with a pocket full of shells

[Guitar Solo]
Bulls on parade! Uh…

[Outro]
Come with it now
Come with it now
Bulls on parade!
Bulls on parade!
Bulls on parade!
Bulls on parade!
Bulls on parade!
Bulls on parade!

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1xHvBdKzX7RczPNJOBdWy_3Qn-MtRu2ec274mMnzucOQ/edit#slide=id.p

I’m fond of the historical aspect of this class. I’ve considered music as my favorite measurement of time for quite a bit now. A song can help keep track of a few minutes, or about an hour for an album. As well as in the grand scheme of time. You’re able to follow an artist’s work throughout their careers by the years in which they released projects, or say you remember seeing a band during a particular year and can reflect on how long ago it was. So I think what makes this class so interesting is the fact that we’re following the progression of music trends in America during the past century or so.

Although I am curious about the music of the future. In one of my other classes, we recently discussed concert holograms. The conversation began with 2Pac’s hologram performance with Snoop Dogg at Coachella a few years back. I learned the same thing occurred with a Michael Jackson hologram performance at the Billboard Music Awards. I thought these hologram performances were atrocious. I felt that it lacked authenticity somehow, and was in some sense disrespectful. First I think people should live, let go, and move on. We can enjoy the dead’s music, but virtually brining them back to life is just odd. But of course, single hologram performances weren’t enough for some people. I learned that a tour was taking place of Roy Orbison’s hologram performing. This I found mind boggling, although I’m kind of curious as to what the numbers were for it’s revenue and ticket sales. I’m of the belief no one should profit of a dead person’s image or likeness, & I’m sure Roy won’t see any of the profits from that tour.

It makes me think, where is music headed? What’s it going to be like down the road? Will musical performers become automations like cashiers are becoming? I personally hope not. I think of music as one of the most personable art forms within our species. Lately it feels like a popularity contest platform. Kids will copy and paste beats to create their microwave music, in hope of gaining attention, clout, fame, and fortune. Music is becoming more and more automated or virtual as technologies advance. Which from one perspective is cool. Someone with no experience or expertise in music can make some, but without raw talent, time, & practice, they wont make it big.

One final anecdote to conclude. A buddy of mine attempted to make music for a little bit. It seems to have fizzled out now, but for a while he would always say ‘I make music’. I knew damn well he just wanted to rap, and never really played or learned a musical instrument. Now I play the drums, I’m not expert on music theory, scales, & chords etc., but I asked him one time to play a C major scale (the simplest scale to play on the keys) on the keyboard we were near. The baffled face he made was pure comedy.

In my first 20 years of life you could not pay me to listen to country music. As big as a fan of music I’ve been, I wouldn’t sniff at a country tune. But change is inevitable, and over the past two or so years I’ve grown fond(er) of the country genre. This change of taste was through no choice of my own. Consider it forced listening. In which after enough time, I began recognizing songs and almost enjoying the deep steady voices preaching lost love and pickup trucks. All thanks to my buddy, Tyler.

I come from one of the most diverse areas I’ve seen in my life. I haven’t seen too much of the world, mostly PA for a matter of fact. Regardless, the music I was exposed to as a child came from two primary sources; my mother, and friends at school. My mother exposed me to her collection of vinyl albums of classic rock and much more. I bet I’ve heard only a fraction of her collection, honestly. Other than that it was the classic rock, hard rock, alternative and grunge radio stations I would hear in the car. Besides that, I was exposed to plenty of hip hop, rap, and pop music growing up in my school district. I made most of my friends through playing sports in school, and basketball being the most prominent. In an area as diverse as mine, not too many other white kids played basketball. This exposed me to, and ultimately fell in love with the genre of hip hop.

Then I go off to college and the few times I come home there’s just a select few friends I still see consistently when I go back. Even through my college career, seeing friends at home has dwindled down to Tyler for the most part. Tyler is from the “country” part of town; farm land and pickup trucks. He’d gone country at birth. In recent years he’s almost made me go country. Lets just say Tyler aint no Okie from Muskogee. While we hangout we often listen to music to enjoy ourselves, and Tyler puts on country 9/10 times. He often sputters “this is a classic!” before turning up the volume and singing along to a song I’ve never heard before. But as a drummer, I tap my feet along to the rhythm and enjoy it with him for what I can. Something about Tyler that always makes me laugh are his impromptu remixes that he’ll sing over songs. One night with two other of our friends, we joked around with the idea of each remixing a verse to “Highwayman” by The Highwaymen. I’m the only one who took the time to write a remix, of the second verse. Which its probably for the best because some of my friends material in the other verses were pretty messed up to say the least. But hey we’re kids thats what we were going for. I had so much fun remixing this verse of “Highwayman”, I decided to write a full remix to another country song Tyler made me familiar with, “Dixieland Delight” by Alabama. & if I must say so myself, “Dixiecup With Some Ice” would do wayyy better numbers. Jokes aside, I’m far more familiar with country music than ever before. Granted, I’m no expert or super fan and rarely if ever put on country for my own enjoyment. But it’s because of my friendship with Tyler, that allowed me to be more open to it. In all seriousness, country music made our friendship so much stronger today. I’ll get down with a little Honky Tonk, but only with my buddy Tyler.

On Tuesday in class we discussed the legacies, impacts, and musical background of three iconic musical acts of the prior generation; Michael Jackson, Prince, and Madonna. One thing that wasn’t pointed out in class, because it’s relatively useless information, was the fact that all three performers were born in 1958. A point of no uselessness, just something I noticed to find interesting. (Or I missed out on that fact in the few first minutes of class)

Prince was brought into the world first on June 7th, 1958 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Next came Madonna, born June 16th, 1958 in Bay City, Michigan. Soon there after came the baby of the Jackson 5, Michael Jackson, born August 29th, 1958 in Gary, Indiana.

Roughly 61 years later, only Madonna is still alive out of the three artists. She is currently 60 years of age.

As a child I was most familiar with Michael Jackson out of the three artists. I was exposed to his music far more than Prince’s and Madonna’s in my youth. When Michael passed away on June 25th, 2009 it was a recognizable moment for me and many others. The common question “Where were you when so and such happened?” is one I can distinctly remember with Michael’s death. I was sitting in a car with friend’s family outside of a Chick Fil A in Jacksonville, North Carolina. We were waiting on french fries when my buddy’s uncle was reading the story breaking, on what can now be considered one of the first cell phones with internet connection. He mentioned Michael had gone into cardiac arrest, before quickly updating the information that Michael’s death was confirmed. He was 50 years old.

Prince’s death on April 21st, 2016 was of less significance to me. Like I mentioned, Prince wasn’t on my radar a ton as a child. I could only recognize the term Purple Rain with him, but wasn’t aware it was part of his body of work. Thinking back I can’t recall where I was or what I was doing when I heard the news. I didn’t get the chance to appreciate his work while he was alive. An iconic musician in his own right, he’s remembered and missed by many.

Madonna is the remaining soul of the three artists discussed and there’s a sense of appreciation towards that. As I get older, and especially as of 2018 experiencing death around me more than ever, I’m grateful to appreciate an artist while their around. That won’t mean I’m going to listen to Madonna for hours straight, but appreciate their life and art a bit more.

On March 31st, 2019, just after 2:00 pm PT in South Los Angeles California, Nipsey Hussle (born Ermias Asghedom) was shot and killed in the parking lot of his clothing store. A single gunman approached the store front where Nipsey and affiliates were located, and opened fire. Nipsey was tragically shot five times in the body and once in the head. Two others were wounded in the shooting. All three were taken to a local hospital, where Nipsey was pronounced dead.

Nipsey Hussle has been a Los Angeles rapper since the release of his 2005 mixtape, Slauson Boy Vol 1. He released over a dozen mixtapes and projects since then. Although it wasn’t until February 2018 that Nipsey’s first official album was released, titled Victory Lap, which was nominated for Rap Album of the Year. Unfortunately, Victory Lap was the last project he released in his lifetime. However, Nipsey had projects postponed indefinitely earlier in his career after issues signing with a label, so it wouldn’t surprise me to hear unreleased music of his come out as projects after his death.

The news of Nipsey Hussle’s death sparked instant controversy across every internet platform imaginable. On an interview with the Breakfast Club in 2018, Nipsey announced his plans of creating a documentary on the late Dr. Sebi, who released an ad New York papers claiming to have cured aids and cancer. In the interview Nipsey mentioned how Dr. Sebi was brought to trail over these claims, won the court case & went on to do it again at the federal level thereafter. This was the focus of Nipsey’s documentary. Dr. Sebi died a mysterious death after being arrested at an airport in Honduras and imprisoned. It’s claimed he was suffering from pneumonia while held behind bars, and while being transferred to a hospital, he passed away.
Nipsey brought attention to Dr. Sebi’s healing, trials, and mysterious death in this interview. After this interview came out, people began to show concerns for Nipsey’s life as well. Many were quick to make the connection, but it’s wrong to simply jump to the conclusion that Nipsey’s life was taken for bringing attention to the case of Dr. Sebi.

Nipsey Hussle will be remembered as a dedicated musician and entrepreneur. His life was tragically taken in front of a clothing business he built himself. He opened a technology hub and restaurant among others in the LA community. The day he was killed, he had planned to meet with LAPD to discuss combating gang violence. He was a young man coming from a rough situation, and turned his life around to become a legendary man. He was 33 years old. RIP.

[Verse 1]
Well, I stand up next to a mountain
And I chop it down with the edge of my hand
Well, I stand up next to a mountain
And I chop it down with the edge of my hand
Well, I pick up all the pieces and make an island
Might even raise a little sand
Yeah

[Chorus]
Because I’m a voodoo child
Lord knows I’m a voodoo child, baby

[Verse 2]
I want to say one more last thing
I didn’t mean to take up all your sweet time
I’ll give it right back to ya one of these days, hahah
I said, I didn’t mean to take up all your sweet time
I’ll give it right back one of these days, oh yeah
If I don’t meet you no more in this world
Then I’ll meet you in the next one
And don’t be late
Don’t be late

[Chorus]
Because I’m a voodoo child, voodoo child
Lord knows I’m a voodoo child, baby

[Outro]
I’m a voodoo child, baby
I don’t take no for an answer
Question no
Lord knows I’m a voodoo child, baby

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1yYuSC-O7SAGLbcvk5r2a5-AAmcWceXQW-gSVPAzR90U/edit#slide=id.g525c54252a_0_80

I found the song selections in the Chapter 7 listening guides pretty interesting. They were all pretty enjoyable tunes, even for being produced decades before my time. The recording process of songs made way back when is always interesting to me. The productions sound clear, yet theres something about the soundscape that gives it a vintage feel. I can never put my finger on it.

It was surprising to me how similar the structure of each of the songs in the chapter were. When I think of old songs, I associate them with a longer duration than most popular songs found today. These songs from the 50’s were under 3 minutes each. Besides the time of each piece, some songs had similarities in their hyper meters and verse/chorus patterns. I found most of these pieces started with a few second instrumental introduction, then would play eight measures of a verse before the chorus or switch it up to a different verse; similar to that of the 12 bar blues. Nancy with the Laughing Face was an exception. It doesn’t have a chorus, and the measures are elongated. It plays an 8 measure verse, followed by a similar 8 measure verse, before switching to a different 8 measures. The end of each 8 measure verse ends with the lyrics Nancy with the Laughing Face. That repetitiveness through the song almost creates the illusion of a chorus without there being one. Maybe the slow pace of the song has something to do with that. Despite the fact that most of these songs don’t appear to have high bpm’s, Nancy with the Laughing Face is particularly slow to my ear.

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