Death metal!

Darkest Hour—"Undoing ruin"

                                                   

           As I have mentioned before my Pandora playlist ranges from Classical to Punk music with indie and rock thrown in. I can usually get behind the beat of heavy rock; it can be very cathartic and energizing at the same time. Death metal is one of those genres that I haven’t really listened to because the subject is an uncomfortable genre for me. As a person who does not like to get yelled at period, listening to music that has a basis in screaming can be a bit jarring for me. While I have listened to certain types of metals with my friends, and have a heavy metal playlist on Pandora for working out, I do not believe that I have truly listened the music from the death metal genre. I am going to start out looking into the past of death metal,as well as typically heavy metal culture. I will then look into the band that I will be mainly looking at, then review the album "Undoing ruin." 

About death metal:

Death metal is an extreme form of heavy metal that was born in the 1980s, that commonly centers around death motifs and symbols. The influence from thrash bands like Slayer and Venom are what brought it to light but, d metal took it a step beyond heavy with certain sonic changes. Guitar distortion, double blast beat drums and various abrupt tempo changes, all added with the deep growling of the vocals are the basics to being a death metal band. As well as the common themes of death metal, which can include:

                                                               i.  Hyper-violence

                                                              ii.  Horror

                                                             iii.  Murder

                                                             iv.  Satanism

                                                              v.  Mysticism

                                                             vi.  Anti-religion

                                                            vii.  Politics

It is believed that death metal came from early thrash metal in the 80s and 70s. Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal, one of the extreme subgrenes that is characterized by high speed riffing, aggression, and lyrics which attempt an “objective critique of society” ( http://www.spirit-of-metal.com/liste_groupe-indexStyle-Thrash_Metal-l-en.html). Similar topics behind the lyrics are often found with in popular death metal music, so it is not hard to see this as one origin of death metal. There are four large and very popular bands,they are known as Slayer, Megadeth, Metallica, and Anthrax. (All these titles are very fitting for this genre and topics.) This genre is generally traced to the 1970s but was mostly popularized in the early 80s by these four bands.

Some believe that the first death metal band was one called Possessed, with its 1984 demo which actually included a track called Death metal. Jeff Becerrra, Possessed's lead singer, claims to have invented it for a high school paper. They released their first full length album in 1985 called “Seven Churches” and another in 1986 called "Beyond the gates." They were also one of the first bands to meld thrash metal with brutal styles that is now considered death metal. Although there are some who argue that the band Death was the founder of death metal (interesting). The band released their debut album in 1987, it was called “Scream Bloody Gore.” Though in the 90s they started to branch off into more “progressive death metal” and strayed from their original fiercer death metal material.    

        
         The fans of heavy metal music are known as metalheads or headbangers. And they have a very specific culture that usually an onlooker is able to notice that they are a part of this ‘anti-conform’ society. The death metal subculture has fashion with a lot of death motifs and mostly dark colors, like black. There can be heavy face makeup; white base coat and black skullish designs drawn over it. Leather coats, ripped clothes, large piercings, and many rivets and spikes. Although parts of the overall style have changed from the 70s there are still the key elements that are still held true;

                                                              1.      Long hair

                                                              2.      Leather jackets

                                                              3.      And of course the black clothes.

                                              
      The main fashion comes from the inspiration of biker, rocker, and leather cultures, they just made them more ‘metal’. In the 70’s when heavy metal was making an appearance, the fashion started to evolve.  The band tees for the death metal genre also typically are adorned with gory pictures and offensive words. Another staple of the death metal fashion are the large, typically black, combat boots with thick buckles and straps.

Intro to the band:

                                 

           Darkest hour was formed in 1995 with their early sound being more of a dark metallic style of hardcore punk. Their first demo was in 1996 and it was named after the band, “Darkest hour.” Although on their first full length album they added a bit of melodic death metal to their sound. The album I will be looking at is known to be the album that is evidence that he core sound has evolved to melodic death metal. While that was in 2005 with “undoing ruin”, in 2011 they moved back into metalcore while still keeping their melodic noise. The members of Darkest hour during the time of the albums release were:

1.      Mike Scheilbaum-guitar

2.      Paul Burnette-bass guitar

3.      Ryan Parrish

4.      John Henry-vocals

5.      Kris Norris-guitar

The band says that they got a lot of their influence from Swedish death metal, and that they could probably name every Scandinavian bands.

Album review;

          Now I will review a few of the songs from “Undoing ruin”; the first and last along with two songs from the middle that during my initial listen through really stuck out to me. The album was produced by Devin Townsend through Greenhouse Studios in Vancouver Canada. Through this album the band made it to the Billboard 200 chats, and was at 138. I was recommended this album from a coworker of my brother, whom I thought listened to death metal, but he did ask his friend for help. The guy said this would be a good album for people with not too much experience with this type of music.

1. With a thousand words to say but one

                                In the beginning there is a building of tension when all the music is coming together and then there is a drop. immediately there is a cacophony of guitars and drums, which I kind of like. I cannot hear everything that the lead vocal artist is saying but that does coincide with the death genre. The growling vocals match well with the deep playing of the bass and guitar. There is a slow point in the song that allows the listener to have a moment before the music picks back up. Being the first album the artists were smart not opening up to screaming and growling right away. It gives the listener a chance to get into the album.

11. Tranquil

                                This is the last song on the album, and this title seems a bit funny to me for being on a death metal album. And it actually starts out not at all tranquil like I thought it would have. Right off the bat there is a loud bass and drums, followed by a deep growl. As a fan of heavy metal on certain occasions I do really like the angry beat behind the vocals, it truly makes me want to head bang. Even though there is not a ‘tranquil’ beat or sound I do feel a bit of a cathartic release during the song.

5. Pathos

                                I decided to review this album because during my initial listening there was something that really stuck out to me; it never got aggressive. Now from what I have read metal music is all about getting out your aggression abut society, capitalism, a break up, your parents, and really anything. But this song as a calm guitar and drum, and not just ‘calmer’ like this is something I might call soft rock kind of vibe. This is also only a little over a minute long. There are also no vocals at all, it is all basic guitar; and it darn near brings me to tears it is just such a touching beat. Which that makes sense, because it is named after a “quality that brings pity or sadness.” Now the song before is a pretty dark track itself, and has just as much ‘screamo’ as the next song. So it is quite jarring when the next song is a very calm and less ‘metal’. Although it would make sense to put this style of song basically right in the middle of a death album, even if you love death metal, it is probably good to have a kind of mental break.

8. District divided

                                The first second is filled with angry guitar and loud growling vocals. These vocals are more of the screaming and growling noises than the other three songs above, they seem to make the least amount of sense. These sound the most just like growling noises than words. I am not hating on the death metal, but I am having the most trouble understanding these lyrics. Although the riffing of the guitar in the back creates a great sonic undertone, I find myself getting just as angry as this one guy is. But then at the end of the song there is this silence where no music can be heard but there is a faint static; either intentional or just my speaker/headphones.

         I actually forget that I am listening to a more growling genre when the vocals are taking a break. I just think I am listening to a metal song, or just a heavy rock until I hear the gravely vocal and screaming. But I do understand where the fan base could come from on this genre, I did find myself head banging to practically every song. There are two songs that have no lyrics and are the shortest on the album; Pathos, and Ethos. Ethos comes fright before the very angry and loud track number eight, “District Divided,” and Pathos before Low. According to Dictionary.com Ethos means, “Sociology. the fundamental character or spirit of a culture; the underlying sentiment that informs the beliefs, customs, or practices of a group or society; dominant assumptions of a people.” This could be a set up before track 8, since the past two songs were a bit softer than the rest, and the song would have to in a way prepare you for the aggression of District divided. Or it could be a way of saying that the band was about to get into some societal issues and you should listen to the lyrics closely.

       Overall this is a good album to start with, in my opinion, with the death metal genre. Every song has the growling voices, but there is still a unique sound for every track. The vocals are not even as harsh as other death metal, they are still pretty understandable and are not as ‘scary’. I do also like the break tracks, the ones without lyrics, they gave me a break from the growling and screaming when I was listening straight through. This album was great pick, especially when looking at the different way death metal can be recorded. It may not have been a straight hardcore death metal album, but if I had started with that style I may not have been able to get all the way through. I can only listen to angry music so long before I just need a happy and upbeat song.

       I really did enjoy doing this project, I learned a lot about the metal scene. Although I probably won’t be listening to death metal on a daily basis in the future if I find myself mad, I may start up a Pandora station. Sad love songs are not what you should be listening to if your heart is broken, I believe that either death or heavy metal is the way to feel better. (my mom second that motion) Even if you are not as passionate about the typical themes behind the metal genres, when one is stressed listening to some loud music that is just as angry as you is a great cathartic release.

Exploring the Culture of Indie

When a new genre comes out it is usually to meet the needs of an arising group of adolescents. Rock and roll was considered inappropriate in its day of doo-wop and jazz. In the 1920’s jazz music would lead a good kid down the road of liquor. Punk is for the colored haired, over pierced teen with a problem with authority and believes they are a vampire.  It is as though the people who wish to break the molds are criticized for it, and the music just becomes the anthem of the rising rebels.  I know that these observations are not absolute for all members of these cultures, I listen to punk and I am quite a girly girl at times. I mentioned all these different types of genres, but I am not going to report on those cultures, instead this post is going to be about Indie. Now in my opinion Indie fans are coffee lovers who wear beanies and write limericks. I understand that is wrong but that is just the culture that comes to mind when I think about it.

Basic History:

According to Wikipedia Indie music came out around the 80’s in the US and UK to represent music produced by independent labels. Then later was used to describe punk and grunge albums produced in the 90’s and 2000’s. I would categorize indie with the grunge of the 1990’s, you know the straight long hair and flannel around the waist. Based off just the two sentences I read, Indie was a blanket term for anything alternative and that makes a lot of sense. The 80’s seemed to have been a big time for new styles of music to emerge including punk and techno.  

Looking into the women scene:

Gina Arnold has said that in the 90’s indie music was primarily male artists and was even geared toward men in her article on Liz Phair. An article from The Atlantic by Deborah Conan said that where more hardcore sounds were prominent so were the male artists whereas women only appeared on sympathetic radio stations. Conan also said that “…the idea (at least theoretically) was that anyone could get a band together, learn to play, and maybe even press a record and take the show on the road...” besides the fact that Women were not as in the crowd as one would like, this music was for the people who wanted to believe they could make it in music. One could sing about their troubled lives and other young adults would relate leading to them buying the said band’s music. As I did just a basic google search of “top indie girl bands of the 90’s”, what I got were just articles of “female-fronted”. I took that as being just the singer was female, and I am not sure that is the best representation that the 90’s should have about the female gender in indie music. Even as I scrolled through the pages and even clicked on the links, the list still had mostly male bands. The top band in indie now is even all male! According to flavorwire.com some of the ten essential artists of the 90's were Liz Phair, Veruca Salt, Kim Gordon, and Elastica. Why is it women have not been more present in the indie music scene? There are pages and pages of articles that pertain to the gender inequality of the music industry. Some say that women are over sexualized too much to actually be taken seriously, while others just say that listeners are just naturally sexist. According to quotes on humanhuman.com from other artists there has been a rise in women in the producing and DJ-ing scene. So in the 90's when women found a style of music that was for everybody, did they just not get popular because they were women? I was not able to discover much on this topic that truly gave me an answer, but I will keep looking into this topic; because now I am intrigued as to why women have not been more popular in the music industry.

What is big now?:

According to Ranker.com the number one indie band is the Artic Monkeys, which happened to be a favorite band of one of my best friends. I also looked on thetoptens.com and they also happened to have "Artic Monkeys" as their number one. So I decided to text my good friend who dresses punk complete with the bright colored hair and black jeans. My friends name is Jessica Honea, she is an 18-year-old just like me and has never really “grown” out of the scene and punk era of middle school. The quick quote Jessica gave me was that she likes how unique Alex’s(Lead singer) voice is along with how each album never has the same sound. She also mentioned that her favorite song would either be knee socks or Arabella, and “The videos for the am album were great.”

Has the meaning of Indie changed?
Indie music is basically defined as a style of music recorded by an independent label, but as a classmate of mine pointed out; even the 'independent' labels are now under a larger, more popular record label. That had me wondering what does define the genre of indie? There are so many artists named as indie that reach the top charts at time, would one think of indie as being a top chart? Some articles argue that indie music has now become about the sound, and not so much about being recorded independently due the expansive use of the internet. My roommate, Annie, when I asked her about her favorite indie band("FlatBottoms"), said that their sound has changed since they signed with a more pop label. "Coldplay", who is considered an indie group has Universal as a label contract; "Arctic Monkeys" have Warner Bros. While I did notice that some other indie bands have smaller labels, as in I did not recognize the name, bands that are getting popular are getting signed with bigger and more famous labels. Is this to increase sales in records or is this for the label to have an 'overnight star'?

Final Thoughts:

I  thought that I had never listened to indie music before, as in actually searched for it. Thinking it was this weird clash between acoustic and techno, but in reality I have been listening to is for quite a while. As I looked up the lists for top indie bands, I noticed very familiar names such as “The Killers”, “The Black Keys”, and even “Imagine Dragons”. “Imagine Dragons” was the first band that I bought an album from on iTunes! This entire post is basically me finding out that I am an indie fan or at least a fan of the popular indie bands. I mean if I dug deep down into alternative music I am sure I will find my version of stereotypical indie music.I do wish that women had a more powerful presence in the indie music, or any music scene.Hopefully over the next few years or so girls will start become as prominent in music as the men. To conclude indie, in my words, is having an alternative style, either in  sound, fashion, or culture; because you are independent.

The History of Techno Music

Techno has quite an enormous group of sub-genres and different styles. 1988 was the year techno was first used to describe the growing genre. The genre Electronic dance music in the late 1980’s was composed entirely of electronic instruments and was made popular.Trap music originated in the 90's and is known for it's ominous lyrics and high kick drums. Jungle is a genre that came from England in the 90's as part of Rave scenes.

Drum machines were invented in the 80’s such as the Roland TR-808 that really allowed the Techno beats to take off. It was used by artists such as Marvin Gaye and Afrika Bambaataa in their hits from the early 1980’s. Other Drum machines came after the TR-808 but it still is used for the old school sound along with newer drum sets. In the 1990’s there seems to have been more of a jazz influence in the techno genre as seen in the albums by UR and Model 500. 

 

Throughout the late 80’s techno was making a scene in Germany and the UK and new sub genres were emerging. In the UK a genre called Acid house was making a move and becoming quite popular amongst the British youth. While in Germany genres such as Gabber, Tresor and Trance music were occurring. The Genre was really making a name for itself among the rave scenes in Europe and artists like Groove connection and Jam and spoons. 

I am going to look at a couple popular songs from the 80's, 90's and early 2000's and try to see what about it is different from the rest. 

To begin with  I am going to look at a song that was popular in the 80's and used the famous TR-808 drum machine. Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing" released in 1982 with Columbia Records and was the hottest pop-culture song since "Physical" by Olivia Newton-John. One can definitely hear the drum machine in the background, it just sounds very electronic. It is not what I would usually think of with the techno genre, but considering it was using electronic instruments as it's base especially when that idea was new, it counts. The singer behind "Motown" really had another hit, because this song will still be played on the radio every once and a while even though it has been near 35 years.

Next I am going to look at a song from the English sub-genre Jungle, or old school jungle it is by Johnny Jungle and it is a mix from 1994. Johnny Jungle was a DJ in the streets of England during the 90's and early 2000's, and Wikipedia says that he was pioneer for the sub-genre.The title is "Johnny'94" and I believe the original mix. The song starts out very eerie but the the drum machines starts to pick up and there is a woman calling for Johnny.  The drum is fast and just picks up, it does seem like a song that adolescents under the influence would enjoy to dance to. Besides the creepy fact that somebody is calling out for Johnny to help her this song does have a nice rave feel. 

                                          

House music seems to be the largest sub-genre list, there are even sub-genres to the sub-genres. There is Acid house, Hip house, Witch house, Electro house with complextro and Bouncy house. Intrigued i picked a song from Witch house because that seemed one of the more different of the types. I picked a song by Balam Acab called "See Birds" released in 2010, around the time Witch house was emerging from Techno. The beginning of this song sounds like one is dancing and clanging in a once abandoned warehouse. As the song progresses eerie voices and the vibrations from the bass start to overpower the industrial undertone. The back voices create a scene similar to a horror movies seance scene to me. The beat never really picks up or changes once the initial scene is set, and creates a rhythmic trance that surrounds the listener. 

                                       

In all the Techno genre is diverse and mostly pleasant to listen to at times you want to get pumped, rave and some for just relaxing. It's history is still new and evolving as new genres are emerging with every new decade. The genre emerged out of the creation of voice synthesizing in the 60's for western popular music and became a much deeper experience. From small amounts of electronic instruments to the album being entirely composed using drum machines and similar machines.

Blake Shelton's The Dreamer REVISED

I have lived in the rural area of South Carolina for my entire life and it was not always cool breezes and smooth talking country men.Townville, South Carolina (where I am from) had cow fields, chicken farms, a nearby lake can one can't throw a dead cat without hitting a church. The boys in school wore thick camo jackets, even in the summer, and they dipped in Mt. Dew bottles. The store parking lots were filled with trucks that had been modified to create more exhaust and sound louder than it needed to be. There were big green tractors, but I mostly just got stuck behind them on the way to school, not riding on them with an attractive county boy. I know not every southern town will be exactly the same, but when I have talked to other people about their "County life", it is pretty similar to mine. 

With Blake Shelton’s album The Dreamer from 2003 I was surprised that not every song was about the truck and girl who stole his heart. Each song had its own story, which is usually the appeal of country music. Although I usually feel as though they end up being about the same topic of either a southern girl, Christianity, or their truck on a dirt road. Blake Shelton is from Nashville, Tennessee(which is actually a pretty large town) where he might have had a different southern experience than I ever have. I am not saying that he is not southern because he is from a larger town, I mean he does have a pet turkey, that is pretty country in my eyes. 

                                                                               

One of his most famous songs, “The Baby”, is one of the typical story telling songs that so many people, including my high school drama teacher, loves. I may not have left home young and worked all across the country but I can relate with this song. My mom and I have a very close relationship, and as the youngest I truly am the baby of the family. The touching story of this song really brought me to tears, nearly.

Blake Shelton’s Album does not give me a false sense of what living in the south is like other songs I have heard. The songs do make one feel like they are partying in a barn or sitting on a southern porch in the heat of summer. I do also appreciate the fact that “My neck of the woods”, and a few others incorporate electric guitar and isn’t just the slow acoustic twang. I also like that song because it does remind me of the lake around my house, how sitting on the dock was pretty much a little piece of heaven.

This album is also a very good example of the accent that I have rarely heard from anybody down here in South Carolina. My accent is barely there, and that is what it usually is; barely there or closer to the super southern. Super southern is the accent that one will usually find in the low country areas of states, they are Blake Shelton's just without the refinement that allows the listener to understand what they are saying. I even thought to look up a video of a person speaking with Nashville accent and it does sound similar to what I have heard in my hometown. Even Shelton may have faked the accent a bit for the sake of non-southerners, it really does add a "country" mood to the songs that I actually appreciate.

Although this is a country album, there are also songs on the album that sway to other genres as well, such as "Georgia in a Jug", That song reminds me of Jimmy Buffet's  'Margaritaville', the beat, and instruments just give the feeling, but the lyrics are very country. "Mason jars on the dresser filled with quarters...and dollars.." that is a typical scene in a southern house. The combinations of different genres into the songs are great for attracting a variety of listeners to his art.

The Dreamer is an album that has a nice mixture of different country songs, a nice surprise for somebody who thought she would hate it. I guess my experience at with the boys from my school who liked the genre might have impacted my idea of it, considering the boys where not my kind of crowd. Now having actually listened to an album, I would recommend or even download this album. Mostly because the songs do not all sound the same, and every track has its very own story. There are slow steady beats that hang behind the lyrics and more dancing music that would make one want to wear cowboy boots at a Hoedown. As well as the story lines that range from being a mama's boy all the way to getting caught with his best friend in Mexico. This album was a nice way to have an introduction to the country genre, besides the overused songs from school dances.

Here is also a picture of Blake Shelton's pet turkey:

Waka Flocka Flame's Flockaveli

So I have always not liked rap, I just don't like the unnecessary vulgarity and degradation of women. I also don't like the whole "I am bad-ass and such because I am a gangster," how many rappers are even actually in a Gang? Well anyway I listened the Waka Flocka's Flockaveli album recorded in 2010 I believe with many other rappers. Since I am new to this artist I may not be able to tell which in the song is Waka and which is a featured artist. 

Let's Do this shall we??
      Note theses are reactions and observations of the Tracks.
                                                                                   (Click on the link to follow along)

                                                                          

1.       Bustin at em

a.       The beginning is very aggressive with the gun loading and shooting. After the first lyrics the beat actually gets pretty nice, it definitely is something that one would dance to. I am actually rocking in my seat and nodding my head to the beat. Although the lyrics are just very repetitive and I am also not one for the vulgar language. It sounds as though Waka is talking about something similar to shooting at his haters or his enemies as though he does not need to even listen to them.

2.       Hard in Da paint

a.       I really like the doom music in the beginning reminds me of a dungeon song in a video game. Waka seems to be calling out his friends that must be in the rap industry.  I do not understand the phrase “Hard in da Paint” is that a way of saying that he has many connections. This must be a great song to be played at a concert because there are great opportunities for the audience to interact with the artist.

3.       Trained to Go

a.       I actually started dancing in my seat to the opening beats before the lyrics started. Once I started to listen the lyrics I heard a great deal of gang ideas, and as a major pacifist I do not like such language. So even though the song is very easy to dance to, I just can’t get over the phrase trained to go meaning that they are killing and stealing due to being in a gang. One part of the song there is lyrics saying that they do it to take care of their family but there has to be a better way than to be a part of cult culture that is blood in, blood out.

4.       Bang

a.       I can already guess before listening that it will be another song about guns and gang banging.  The beat leading up the lyrics were just like the last 4 songs, and the lyrics in the beginning are the same call outs again. This does seem more like how I thought rap would be, a string of words put together without much of a break. But then it went back to just repetitive single words. Again more gang violence and turf lyrics.  This song isn’t really anything special, it doesn’t even have a danceable beat.

5.       No Hands

a.       Hey I have actually heard this song before! Also I do not like the whole aggressive voice telling me to listen to the song, then calling me a bitch. Again I can hear fake gun noises in the background, although the music during the chorus allows one to sway and dance.

6.       Bricksquad

a.       The beginning is literally the same thing over and over again, the same lyrics and music. A little over half the song, there is a verse that isn’t the same three words. The back beat it’s also very generic, so there is nothing really stand out about this song.  

7.       Fuck the club up

a.       So what I got from the first sentences is that If somebody messes with him in a club he will cause a scene in the club. Then he talks about how drunk he is, now that is very attractive. This one also does not have a good beat, doesn’t really make me want to dance. Though I could see how this can pump somebody up and empower them to not take anybody’s crap. Anddddd it ends will a fake gun shot, “POW!”

8.       Homies

a.       Not the same beat as the past 7 songs, but still nothing really special. I am really starting to not like these fake gun noises in the background.

9.       Grove St. Party

a.       This one is quite danceable, just dancing in my seat at the moment. I caught a lyric about rolling up a joint, and I just wanted to take a moment to be proud I could clearly understand that one line. Rap songs don’t really change up their beats do they? I guess it’s so they can keep the rhythm going for their lyrics. This isn’t really one of those songs you listen to all the way through because it is hella repetitive.

10.   O let’s do it

a.        I do like the cell phone ringing in the beginning, it reminds me of a song I like. Andddd it went downhill when he stated singing about the drug dealing he does. Does he realize that drugs and drug dealing is illegal? Just wondering. I do like the change from the gun shots in the back to the robot like beeps! Nice change, even if it is only for certain parts.

11.   Karma

a.       More gun noises! WHY?!? Like every other song has it, so it would be nice if more than one song did not have it. For me I feel more annoyed than impressed by it constantly there. But I guess it could be one of those signature things. I do appreciate the back beat it is more pumping and upbeat than the past few songs.

12.   Live by the gun

a.       This song really makes me question if Waka flocka is really in a gang? Google is just filled with conspiracy theories and no real answers. I do like the back beat it gives a nice bounce and sway kind of thing. If I don’t listen to the lyrics I can actually like it and would have it on a playlist. Though this does make me hope Waka has a permit for that gun he keeps saying he has!

13.   For my Dawgs

a.       So I am assuming this is yet another song about him and his gang relations?  He must be a great friend to have, he keeps saying he will die for his dawgs.

14.   G check

a.       MORE GUNS SHOOTING AS THE OPENING!!! Since the beat is basically the same as the other songs it is nothing really I would like.

15.   Snake in the Grass

a.       Now there is an aggressive man made dog noises, is that to show how bad they are? This seems like a very concert song, with the “wOOF”ing is must be quite a show. Whoa there is a girl in this song! Cartier, wait why is she in a song that is saying that Waka cannot “trust a bitch” because all they want is money?She said she runs the town and is richer than him!

16.   Smoke,Drank

a.       They're smoking weed and drinking in the opening of the song, which does not get much respect from me. The opening is more calm and slower than the other songs, I kind of like it. Then the gun starts again… The tempo speeds up but it still keeps the nice more calm beat, except when Waka is talking about smoking and “dranking”.

17.       Fuck this Industry

a.       I will assume he is talking about the music industry and not Gang banging. This song actually sounds the sincerest! He talks about loving his family, and how he really appreciates all those people that supported him. One lyric that really gets me is that he is going to have it all, because he probably did not really have much so he wants to pay his mom back. Waka also talks about the devil being in him and how he wants the lord to help him. I really like this song, it seems like a tribute to all the people that helped him along the way.

Through listening to this popular rap album I have heard of gang violence, drug dealing and being a part of a brotherhood. I also became very curious about if Waka Flocka was a part of a gang, but Google only gave me conspiracy theories. I asked a man in my English 102 class who is a big fan of Waka and he said that he has Blood gang connections. Under that he is a part of the Bricksquad, a subgroup of the Bloods, and is also the title of one of his tracks. And Waka is also favored amongst young adults because he seems to live a life that could seem out of reach and bad-ass.

About me!

Hello folks!! My name is Lelia(Lee-la), and I am a freshman anthropology major! I love to listen to music, and my Pandora playlists often range from 80s music to classical; from hard rock to show tunes.  I have never been a real big fan of rap, country or techno music. I wonder all the time why people enjoy the bassy club music and electronic beats.  I can listen to such genres but all I get is white noise and repeated topics, so it has been hard for me to truly listen to these genres.  

 So in my blog, I plan to uncover why it is people enjoy them so much! What is it that draws so many people to the loud incoherent beats? I just cannot relate to tractors, let alone green ones. One will see quotes from friends and residential-mates about why they like such music or why they dislike it, to further the understanding of the appeal of these genres. I will include others ideas on the song or track along with my analysis.

    

 As an Anthropologist I just have to uncover why these music genres are so widely appreciated and the elements that make them appealing. It may prove to be a mighty task, and It may never actually know the appeal or ‘beauty’ of these songs. But I hope to find a better understanding of what makes people love it. It should prove to be an interesting project, one that I believe will give me a better understanding as well as fun.