Isys100 - Final Vlog

After all the memories, it is time for Mad Jams blog to say goodbye. We hope that you have enjoyed our content and as a parting gift, have created a short Vlog for our loyal viewers.

Thank you,

Dean, Matt, Jack, Akhil.

Isys 100 - Group Report

Isys100 -Blog Report

Constantinos (Dean) Vosnakis, Matt Arnold, Jack Delaney & Akhil Arya.

1. Explain why you chose the blog topic and your decision on the final design of the blog.

Having discussed several different topics including; food, movies, television shows and sports. As a team we concluded that music is an ideal topic to explore as a team, as it would provide us with a large array of controversial topics that would encourage page views and discussion. We ultimately decided to look at a mixture of reviewing the latest or classic songs and analysing current trends in the music industry. As a team we felt that we could write content that was new, fresh and exciting to read.

The blog design is a minimalistic style design, we wanted to keep it simple, clean and elegant. From the logo and name designed with the first letters of the names of our team, to the tour bus driving in the background everything on the page makes sense relating to our topic. The colours and backgrounds compliment the overall theme of the blog while not detracting from the content.

2. How does the video in the last post relate to your blog? how does each member in your group contribute to the process of making the vlog?

The vlog portrays how the Mad Jams content is created, whether it be from listening to music while walking your dog, completing assignments or going for a drive. When music is heard and ideas are sparked it is the duty of Mad Jams blogs to provide our loyal readers with our content. You never know when or where inspiration will strike, so the vlog shows that we are always prepared and put the blog content over our daily lives on a regular basis.

Each member of the team has their own 30-40 second segment filmed by themselves, where they show how they get inspiration to write their content. Making a vlog is a challenging exercise to accomplish with work commitments often ruining plans. So as a team, we though this approach would work best for us.

3. What were the largest challenges with a team assignment?

There are many challenges that a team assignment can bring. Luckily for Mad Jams, every team member worked well together and there was no personality clashes. The biggest challenge that we faced as a team was time management and the effect that had on the constant stream of blogs being published. The majority of our group are mature age students who are working fulltime, hence it is hard to dedicate much time throughout the week on writing blog content affecting our organisation as a whole. This also impacted our ability to come into university on different days as most of us had work commitments. Considering this, we would all agree that our blogs could have been posted slightly more consistently but on the overall scale of thing, we are happy with our final product.

Another challenge we did not anticipate was the vlog itself, with each of us having little to no experience using editing software, it was difficult to firstly film content then edit it together with other content. This proved to be more difficult than first thought and required a lot more time and effort than we had originally thought. But working together we helped each other out to achieve a result that we are happy with.

4. Compare a blog that has similar content to your blog and critically analyse your site comparing to theirs (layout, usability, content, delivery style, etc). Provide a URL to their blog.

www.pitchfork.com

Pitchfork is widely regarded as one of the most influential music blogs on the internet and it is not hard to see why when examining their content. Pitchfork has similar content to that of Mad Jams but takes it up a level to include a more thorough coverage of the industry, not just music. Pitchfork looks at reviews, best new music, artists, festivals and a lot more to extensively cover the music industry.

The layout of the blog is somewhat similar to Mad Jams blog, it is not extravagant, it is clean organised and effective in portraying its content. It is set out well with easy navigation to the section you are after. Where Pitchfork differentiates itself from Mad Jams, is its usability and content, the sheer amount of diversified content is staggering and the ease of finding and accessing that content is highlighted by their use of tabs, featured articles and easy to navigate sections. This is an area where Mad Jams could improve to display our content like Pitchfork and make it easy and straightforward to use the blog. They also differ in their delivery style, they use a box model which portrays each of their different sections and diversified topics for readers to easily navigate. In contrast Mad Jams simply does not have enough content to do so and have differed by providing our stories with a sidebar allowing quick access to our other content. However, considering that Pitchfork has 35 paid employees, it is easy to see why Mad Jams with just 4 volunteers does not quite reach up to Pitchforks high standards.

The future aim of Mad Jams blogs is to move towards a point where they can display our blog in the style of Pitchfork in terms of its sheer content, delivery style and usability.

How long is the radio going to last?

Radio, do we even listen to it any more?
When do we listen to it? at work? in the car? Me personally, i barely listen to the radio. But when i was a child i remember the radio being very prominent. As a family we would have it playing outside as the children played. Going to and from the shops the radio would be blaring in the car.

But now as i look at my day to day life i wonder..... Where did the radio go? Some people still love the radio and listen to it on a day to day basis. But as CD's and MP3's player hit the market, and now the new age of "apps" we're starting to listen less and less of the radio.

With Apps like Spotify where we can demand the music we want to listen to on the fly. Starts to rule out the need for music on the radio. The availability of "pod casts" where we can listen to 1 hour long clips of almost absolutely anything. Are these all starting to destroy the radio industry or are these giving the radio more and more content?

In my opinion based off my own personal experience. I believe it is starting to destroy the radio industry. I now find no need for the radio. I burn CDs of the music that i want to listen that I find in my music library on my computer which I access to virtually anywhere. I have thousands of songs stored on my phone that allows me to listen to any given song at any given moment.

In my day to day life I find very little need for the radio any more. Not long back i was working as a labourer and even then people were starting to not listen to the radio but more play music from there phones through the use of speakers.

So urge you to just ponder for 5 minutes. Where is the radio for you now? Do you still listen to it on a regular basis? or are you now someone like me? that really has no need for it any more.

The N word

In today’s society we account racism as one of the biggest issues. Anyone that says it no longer exists is lying. To this day we’ve been having riots over this issue, and one of the biggest “no no’s” is the N word. No one likes saying it, and nobody likes hearing it. But what happens when you hear it in all these rapper’s songs, every second line. Why is it acceptable for them?

Now as adults we know that the N word isn’t tolerable no matter what the circumstance, however, the younger generation may not, and after listening to one or two RnB songs may begin to use the word. What happens then? Who gets blamed?

Truth is maybe if we want racist to come closer to an end, and the N word to be forgotten, it should no longer be used in songs. However, a lot of people say if you’re from a ‘black’ background or decent, the n word is fine to use, and most rappers today are all from black decent. But what happens when we sing along to this music or make a cover, does it then become acceptable for us too?

No probably not, because these rappers are reappropriating the word, by which a cultural group reclaims the term that was previously disapproving by the group and making it theirs. So to the thousands of people out there who think that the word is unnecessary in rappers albums, to them it is. And that’s what rap is all about expressing yourself and your pain through your music.

Is the hate that singers receive too harsh?

Everyone has that one singer that they can’t stand. No matter how many times they listen to the artist. No matter how many of their friends like the singer. They just can’t stand the sound of their voice. Now not liking a singer is fine, not everyone likes the same music, but do they deserve the hate they get from us.

Iggy Azalea could possibly be the most hated artist in the music industry at the moment, and recently her vine of her performing DRUGS live for her fans has gone viral after she got her lines tongue twisted.

The Australian singer copped heaps of hate for this vine, with hundreds of parodies of the video still coming out every week. And being labelled as one of the worst rappers of all time.

This wasn’t the only occasion however, Iggy also went on the world renowned morning radio show, Sway in the Morning. Where she rapped a freestyle performance as an MC for the show. Moments after freestyling, the show received a call from a listener, where a male aggressively abused the rapper as being a ‘terrible rapper and should get the hell off the radio’. Now Azalea didn’t seem to react at the caller, just laughed it off and continued her interview, but man that would’ve hurt. It’s these comments that get us to question whether they deserve it.

There’s no doubt that the comments hurt. Lady Gaga took her pain to twitter when she received criticism for her new album ‘Artpop’. Personally I don’t like Lady Gaga, but that’s my opinion, others could love her. Truthfully all hate is going to be harsh, but that’s what comes to those living in the spot light. You’re going to have your fans and you’re going to have your haters, it’s whether you’re going to let them affect you that matters. Or whether you’re going to use it to your ability, and maybe make song lyrics about it.

“Haters keep on hating, cause somebody’s gotta do it” – Chris Brown.

Star Wars in Hip Hop

I will never hide it - I’m a huge Star Wars fan. My parents raised me on the original (and best) trilogy. I’d spend hours as a young kid pretending my flashlight or TV remote was a lightsaber. While I was to young to remember these early years, Mum and Dad tell me how obsessed I was with Han, Chewie, Luke and the gang. Then in 1999 when I was 5, The Phantom Menace, the first of the prequel trilogy was released. This trilogy didn’t end until 2005, when I was 11. This meant that I’d grown up with Star Wars an important part of my life, and definitely my favourite movie series of all time. To this day,  I’m obsessed with anything and everything star wars, and can’t wait for the new trilogy to begin in December this year.

The original star wars movie, A New Hope, debuted in 1977. That means for 38 years Star Wars has been a part of society in some capacity. There is a history of Star Wars references in almost all media, which shows the universality and popularity of the series. With the impending release of The Force Awakens, the latest instalment in the series; I thought it would be fitting to explore the history of Star Wars references in Hip Hop.

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Song: Eminem - Rainman

Lyrics: “He used to be like a hero to me / I even believe I had one of those 25-cent stickers on my refrigerator right next to Darth Vader / And Darth must have put a hex on him for later.”

Song: Lupe Fiasco - Failure

Lyrics:  “No plaque but a whole lot of cheese / This the drill / Mr. Chill gave me the green light like Yoda knife.”

Song: The Notorious B.I.G - Hypnotize

Lyrics: “Tell them ho take they clothes off slowly / Hit ‘em with the Force like Obi…”

Song: A Tribe Called Quest - Wild Hot

Lyrics: “No, ‘cause he move like the wind, in flight / Counter-attack like a Jedi Knight.”

Song: Eminem - Stay Wide Awake

Lyrics: “How you cower / Jump out on you now like I was Jawa from fucking ‘Star Wars’ / Jabba the Hutt, beddy-bye-bye”

Song: Mf Doom - Hoe Cakes

Lyrics: “Smackin rookies, he is the ‘Super!’ / Look like a black wookie when he let his beard grow”

Song: Busta Rhymes - Woo Hah!! Got You All In Check

Lyrics: “Through like G.I. Joe / ‘Star Wars’ movie deal like Han Solo / Make you bounce around like this was calypso”

Song: Inspectah Deck - Hellz Wind

Lyrics: “Lethal weapon, step through your section with the Force like Luke Skywalker / Rhyme author, orchestrate mind torture.”

Song: Method Man - Bring The Pain

Lyrics: “Who da boss? Niggaz get tossed to the side and I’m the dark side of the Force”

Song: Blow Your Mind - Redman

Lyrics: “Next to Yoda I’m a Star at War…”

Song: Rocking with the G.O.A.T - LL Cool J

Lyrics: “LL the boss, like luke wit the force / My techniques ugly, dirty like rugby / Drop jewels like yoda my young students love me”

Song: Rap Phenomenon - The Notorious B.I.G Ft. Redman & Method Man

Lyrics: Star Wars I’m Han Solo, with three egoes / And three charges, I got to “See-three-P.O.’s”

Song: Mic Check - Malice

Lyrics: “I was in the spot from the First to the Fifth / With a mean come-back like the Return of the Sith!”

Song: Booby Trap - RZA

Lyrics: “Pocket fat be Jabba the Hutt”

Song: NYC Crack - Wu-Tang Clan (RZA)

Lyrics: “Deep in space like the Millenium Falcon”

Song: Drink, Smoke & Fuck - RZA

Lyrics: “Her cousin Tawanna, she’s hairy like Chewbacca”

Song: Bob N’l - RZA

Lyrics: “I’m in the clouds like my man Calrissian (and) Lando, bust shows like Marlon Brando”

Song: U-God - Coke (Raekwon)

Lyrics: “You know we cool and we Darth Vaders / Always in black uniforms, rocking Clarks and sharp gators”

Song: Black Friday - Mellowhype (Tyler, The Creator)

Lyrics: “So much fucking white make Darth Vader have a dimmer force”

Song: The Stand - Childish Gambino

Lyrics: “I keep a lightsaber like I fuck around with Greedo”

Song: Happy Valentine’s Day – Outkast

Lyrics: “Han Solo till I’m hit by the bullet, so may the Force/Be with you, and I’ll hit you when better time permits.”

Song: Shaolin Worldwide – Wu-Tang Clan

Lyrics: “The Jedi only use The Force if ya force me / Shaolin What? Don’t get it fucked up and cross me.”

Song: Do It – Beastie Boys

Lyrics: “Like gravy on potatoes / Luke to Darth Vader / I’m a souped-up sucker and I’ll see you all later.”

Song: Gone – Kanye West

Lyrics: “If they ever flip sides like Anakin / You would sell everything, including the mannequin”

Song: Change Clothes - Jay Z

Lyrics: “Let I breathe, Jedi Knight;/The more space I get the better I write/Whenever I write/But if ever I write/I need the space to say whatever I like”

Song:  Feel It – House of Pain 

Lyrics: “So catch me if you can, you know I’m the man like Chewbacca knows Han…  Solo”

Song: Party No Mo - Ludacris

Lyrics: “And I keep the hood with me like Obi-Wan Kenobi”

Song: Get By - Talib Kweli

Lyrics: “We sell, crack to our own out the back of our homes / We smell the musk at the dusk in the crack of the dawn / We go through ‘Episodes II,’ like ‘Attack of the Clones’ / Work ’til we break our back and you hear the crack of the bone”

When you imagine Star Wars fans, I bet I know what comes to mind. An overweight middle aged man, balding, a tight shirt accentuating his man boobs with the crumbs from his devoured chip packet coating his belly; below his greasy, acne ridden face.  Living in the basement of his mother's house, spending all day playing video games and abusing people on the internet. This imaginary Star Wars fan probably visits comic book conventions too, hiding his dishevelled frame inside a Stormtrooper outfit.

This article shows that Star Wars breaks through all barriers, when rappers - who I'd say are probably the functional opposite to 'nerds' in that the former are generally regarded as 'cool' people embrace the movies. I just implore you not to discard the thought that when you think of this imaginary star wars fan, remember, it could be your favourite rapper hiding under that stormtrooper helmet.

Do good looks matter in the music industry?

We see all of these music competitions on TV, on a regular basis now days, X Factor, American Idol and The Voice. Where new contestants audition each year and are chosen to sing against each other to become the next international sensation. Every year somewhere throughout the series they have a makeover segment, to remodel the contestants to match their singing genre more. Is this segment of the show really necessary? Do we really categorise singers to their looks?

What happened to music being for the ears? Now we have ever musician making music videos to go with the song, sometimes not even having anything to do with the track. Is this making it harder for musicians that are insecure about their looks, or is it possible, just a lot harder for them to become big?

We’ve got Ed Sheeran and he’s not the best looking guy, but man do his songs sound good. Straight from the heart for all those young lovers out there. He really does show that music comes from the heart and looks don’t matter. He’s got a huge fan base behind him too. He doesn’t dress that flashy either, just simple t-shirts and casual hoodies, which everyday people wear. On some level him not dressing to match his wealth is good, just means that he’s successful for his singing and not his looks. Lorde isn’t the most gorgeous girl either, far from it actually, but her success is off the charts at the moment. The winner of 2 Grammy awards, for song of the year and best pop solo performance, quite prestigious awards. Maybe it’s just the singing and the vocals that matter. Then why do all these TV shows, give their contestants all these makeovers?

Does music inspire movements?

There has always been a negative stigma on punk rock bands, but who hasn't been driving home at some weird time of night when the 'golden oldies' play on the radio and a song like 'In Too Deep' comes on. Are these songs destined to be in the longtail or back catalogue of iTunes to be downloaded one time every month? 

These bands literally produced a movement and a style of living with their music, and these days everyone is concerned if Iggy Azalea has bum implants... Music has changed to a form of gossip and hindered creativity. It is a pity that you do not see much of these type of artists in mainstream media, as they proved that they could achieve mainstream success with number one hits like 'Fat Lip.' Unfortunately now, you have to contend with whatever Bruno Mars or Pitbull produce over the weekend. 

'In Too Deep' has been used in a variety of movies and proved to be a very successful hit for Sum 41 hence. It is hard to listen to this song once, without hitting the repeat button and that is because it is simply good, catchy music that you will be humming around for the next week. Bands like Sum 41 went away from the 'jock' culture, no longer was popularity confined to the people who could play sports, they aimed to promote the nerds, musicians and artists to a 'jock-like' status. It is simply a cult classic.

Your favourite rappers favourite rapper - Earl

Kendrick isn't very good at the whole social media thing. We could all probably take a page out of his book. However, he recently hosted a Q&A on Twitter. He was asked who his favourite rapper at the moment is and answered:

Yep. You read right, Earl from Odd Future. Now there's definitely nothing wrong with Earl, he's a great rapper but I'm sure most people don't think of him when thinking about the hottest artists in the game. To celebrate this huge compliment to Earl, and for people who want to know what the hell Kendrick's talking about I thought I'd give a list of the best songs from Odd Future's most mysterious member Earl (In my opinion of course).

• Drop
• Orange Juice
• Cool
• Luper
• epar
• Couch
• molasses
• Hive
• Assmilk
• Hoarse
• Centurion
• Sunday
• Whoa
• Chum
• Huey
• Mantra
• Grief
• off top

That kiss at Coachella

A few weeks ago Coachella 2015 was held and like every year Coachella didn’t fail to deliver a wild weekend off up and downs. With Tyler the creator harassing Kendall Jenner with some words and Justin Bieber being executed out of the festival. However the biggest controversy of this year was by far that kiss that Madonna and Drake shared. What the hell was up with that, keep in mind Madonna is 56, that’s old enough to be a grandma, she’s also the mother of four. She can’t be going out and kissing young man. Poor Drake the 28 year old didn’t know what hit him.

After Madonna received much hate from many over social media, Drake later claimed that he did like the kiss and was honour “I got to make out with the queen Madonna and I feel 100 about that forever.” As he posted a picture of the two smooching on his Instagram. Drake fans really wish they hadn’t heard that.

Last Saturday, Saturday Night Online did an Ask Anything Chat with Madonna. And of course there were questions about that kiss. When asked what it was like to kiss Drake, Madonna replied, “I kissed a girl, and I liked it.” Did she just imply that she liked it?
It got juicer, a fan asked “what advice would you give your younger self knowing what you know now?”
“Never kiss Drake no matter how much he begs you to”, she answered.
Drake defended the so called queen, while she just shot him down telling all the ladies out there he kisses like a girl and isn’t very good at all. We’re waiting for Drakes reply to this all, or maybe it was all just friendly banter.

The career of rapper 'The Game'

The Game’ changed his name to just ‘Game’ in late 2009 for a fresh change, “like I got a new haircut”. Earlier in his career, he was also referred to as ‘Hurricane Game’ or ‘Hurricane’. I’ll be referring to him as just ‘Game’ throughout. 

Where it all began…

Jayceon Taylor was born November 29, 1979 in the notorious Compton, LA. His parents were both Crips, and drug addicts. Due to this terrible environment, by the age of 7 he was moved to foster care. Game reminisces in songs how his father molested his little sister, and remembers seeing both his parents preparing for doing drive by shootings. At 13, Game’s brother Jevon who was 17 was shot and killed, and he states that this is the time he really entered the gang lifestyle himself. Opposed to his mum and dad, he joined the Cedar Block Piru Blood gang which was header by his older half brother. 

It’s pretty clear how his early lifestyle lead him to what was next in his life. Your social context has a big effect on how you end up as a person, and being born into that environment of drug addicts and gangsters, set the scene for Jayceon’s life as a man. 

Hopes of something better…

In High School, Game was following in his brother’s footsteps and going down the very footsteps that his brother and parents had left for him. Things changed for him when his natural athletic ability earned him a spot at point guard on the basketball team. After this, he realised there could be a different life for himself, and starting concentrating on athletics and was a member of the track team as well. Game ended up scoring himself a full basketball scholarship to Washington State University, though he messed it up by being caught with drugs in his possession. This is debatable, as the University itself denies that he was ever enrolled, and also deny the drug claims. Whatever the case, after being expelled Game fully embraced the street life, selling drugs and gang banging. 

The night his life changed…

His life continued in this spiral until the night of October 1, 2001. While Game was sitting at home playing Madden, he heard a knock at his door at around 2 a.m. Just thinking it was a late night customer, he answered the door - only to find it was a regular customer, with two other people. A fight  broke out, and before Game was able to grab the gun off his living room table, he was shot 5 times by one of the men. After he lied still and played dead for a few minutes, Game called the ambulance and was rushed to hospital. His wounds were so serious that Game entered a 3 day coma. 

“Woke up out that coma 2001, bout the same time Dre dropped 2001”…

After he woke from the coma, Game told his brother to go out and buy all the classic hip hop albums. During the next 5 months, he studied these albums and thought of a plan for himself to become a rapper. His grandmother had given him the nickname ‘Game’ as she said he was always game to do anything. He decided to use this as his rap name, and created a label with his brother. They started working on releasing a mixtape which was You Know What It Is Vol. 1 and released in 2002. After signing with a small label, Get Low Records, Game’s debut tape was eventually found by P Diddy, who wanted to sign him to his label, of course Bad Boy Records. Just after this, he was discovered by Dr. Dre who contacted Game and signed him to Aftermath Entertainment in 2003. 

Dre thought it would be a good idea to bring Game together with the up and coming group G-Unit to create some buzz around both Game and G-Unit. Game’s first cameo was in the film clip for 50 Cent’s In Da Club. He made a few cameos in other music videos while he worked for two and a half years on his debut album, The Documentary.

The Documentary

Even though he’d been signed to Aftermath for a few years, Game still hadn’t released an album. He was making money off his image - getting endorsed by Boost mobile and staring in commercials for Sean John clothing. Game was also releasing heaps of mixtapes in this time period. 

Originally, Game wanted to call his debut album Nigga Wit’ An Attitude Vol 1 but Eazy-E’s widow stopped him from using N.W.A’s name in the title of the album,. Thus, The Documentary was born.  Released on January 18, 2005, the most famous songs from the album would be the hit singles ‘How We Do’ and ‘Hate It or Love It’, which are probably Game’s most popular and well known songs amongst the mainstream.  The album debuted at number 1, and Game was thrust into the spotlight as the driving force behind reviving the West Coast rap scene. This album is definitely a classic, as the title says, this is basically a documentary on the history of rap. Game takes lot’s of cues from the legendary rappers before him, and implements their styles to create his own. He pays homage to all the past greats, and raps about how he wants to become one. My favourite song on the album is definitely ‘Start From Scratch’, with ‘Higher’ coming in second as a great turn up anthem. Oh, and when he plays ‘Higher’ Live, it’s something you don’t want to miss. 

Beef with G-unit…

So everyone knows that Game and 50 Cent had a falling out, but why?

Basically, after the successful release of his debut album in 2005, there was tension between Game and 50 Cent. This came from 50 claiming that he wasn’t getting the proper credit for his work on The Documentary, as he had written six of the songs for Game. Game denied that 50 wrote any at all. This all came to a head when Game didn’t back up 50 when he was in a dispute with Fat Joe and Jadakiss over the lyrics of one of their songs. It’s all childish and stupid, but hey it happened. 

Then there was the incident where one of Game’s entourage was shot in the leg out the front of Hot 97 radio station in New York. After this, Game and 50 held a press conference to announce they had reconciled, though fans were dubious, thinking that perhaps the whole thing was fabricated to create publicity for both of their albums. I don’t think so, some pretty personal things were said over the years. 

Now I’m a huge Game fan, with him being one of my favourite artists ever. But why would 50 make up the fact that he wrote songs for Game? Doesn’t make sense. It wouldn’t be the first time Game’s version of events and someone else’s were different, remembering back to his story about Washington State University. 

The beef led to Game being kicked out of G-Unit, a variety of diss tracks being released by both sides of the beef, and game making his own spin-off diss of G-Unit called G-Unot. I’ll write a comprehensive list of all the diss tracks released by these two in a separate article on a later date. 

Leaving Aftermath and The Doctor’s Advocate…

Due to the bad blood with his label mates, Game left Aftermath and signed with Geffen Records. He released his second album Doctor’s Advocate on November 14th, 2006. Game had a point to prove on this one. He wanted to show the world that he could be a success without the help of either 50 Cent or Dr. Dre, which he was able to do. Doctor’s Advocate debuted at number 1, he’s second no.1 album in a row. The main singles on this are the hood banger ‘One Blood’ and ‘Wouldn’t Get Far’ which has a great feature from Kanye West. My personal favourite on the album would be ‘Ol’ English’, where Game raps about his upbringing. ‘California Vacation’ and the title song, ‘Doctor’s advocate’ are some other notable ones too. It’s important to note that the New York Times said that Doctor’s Advocate was the best hip-hop album of the year, so he was obviously doing something right. 

There’s no doubt that his debut was better than the follow up album, but Doctor’s advocate was still good enough to keep Game on top of the rap boards and in the conscious of the people. It’s not a classic, it’s just another good album. A lot of the themes of the album focus on his demons with leaving Dre behind and trying to chisel his own path in the rap game. In places the album is dark and sad, and all the songs are good. The tone of the album is just a bit inconsistent, with songs like ‘Ol’ English’, a song about his upbringing, and quite a reflective and sad tone, goes straight into ‘California Vacation’, which is more of a hardcore ‘Gangsta’ song. 

LAX Album…

So when Game was promoting LAX, he was saying it would be his last studio album - we now know this obviously isn’t the case. Game released it on August 22, 2008 and it debuted at number 2 on the billboard charts. The album was reviewed positively worldwide, though general opinion was that it was the worst of Game’s now 3 albums, not that it was bad. Though I do agree that out of his albums, LAX isn’t his strongest, there are some songs on this album that are my favourite. The most mainstream popular songs on this album are ‘Game’s Pain’ featuring Keshia Cole, and ‘My Life’ featuring Lil’ Wayne. Though again, I don’t think that this album is consistent as his previous albums, the songs when taken as a singular essence are some of his strongest. ‘LAX Files’, ‘Dope 

Boys’ and ‘My Life’ are some of Game’s best tracks of his career (in my opinion of course).  

The R.E.D Album…

So after promising LAX would be his last album, Game couldn’t stay away and announced The R.E.D Album in 2009. It wasn’t released until 2 years later, on August 23rd 2011. The space in between the announcement and release was lined with really great mixtapes where Game was arguably at his peak. The album was supposed to be released way earlier, and was rescheduled literally 10 times. This album also saw his reunion with mentor Dr. Dre for the first time since his debut album. It was a return to form for Game, with a few years without an album being just what he needed, R.E.D Album debuted at number 1 on the billboard charts. The singles on the album were ‘Red Nation’, which was an attempt at a hood anthem and wasn’t very good in my opinion. ’Pot of Gold’ was more of a mainstream hit as he got Chris Brown on the feature. I’m a huge fan of this album, and I personally think this is some of Game’s best work. The album title is obviously a reference to his blood gang affiliations, and the album has an almost ‘Boyz N Da Hood’ tone to it. This is especially evident in the song ‘Ricky’, which is a direct reference to the *SPOILER: Death of Ricky in the classic movie. Game talks about this in a wider sense, in that how many kids are the ‘Ricky’ of their neighbourhood. ‘The City’ is one of the best songs Game had done in years, and is backed up by other good songs like ‘Heavy Artillery’, ‘Paramedics’, ‘Mama Knows’ and ‘The Good, The Bad and The Ugly’. All these songs have similar themes about the gang life. One of the biggest songs on the album is obviously ‘Martians Vs. Goblins’, with Game grabbing Tyler, The Creator for a verse. The song is actually pretty good, and at the time was one of my favourites. Looking back, this is another attempt for Game to stay current by rapping about strange things in the tone of Tyler’s early work. I think it was obviously an attempt to appeal to a younger audience, and stay relevant. Can’t blame him for it, though it was a sign of things to come…

Jesus Piece…

Yep, Game’s back for another. After almost 4 years ago announcing his last album, he was back. He announced his fifth studio album, titling it ‘Soundtrack to Chaos’. This name didn’t last long, as he soon renamed it ‘F.I.V.E.: Fear Is Victory’s Evolution’. That didn’t last long either, and finally game settled on the name and tone of the album when he named it: ‘Jesus Piece’. This was the final album before his deal with Interscope Records came to a close, so there was a lot of excitement and buzz about where he would sign. Maybach Music and Cash Money Records were both heavily rumoured, though Game said he would consider going independent. The album was released on December 11, 2012 and debuted at number 6 on the billboard charts, Game’s worst debut of his career. ‘Jesus Piece’ was a cool and original concept - an album about the balance between being a gangster, enjoying life, but also having faith in God throughout. Though you sometimes do bad things, you still see God as an influence in your life. I’m not a religious person myself, but I could relate to the basic themes of balancing the good and bad in your life. The lead single was ‘Celebration’ featuring Tyga, Lil’ Wayne, Wiz Khalifa and Chris Brown. It was a huge commercial hit. Some of my favourite songs off the album include ‘Ali Bomaye’, ‘Jesus Piece’, ‘Heaven’s Arms’ and ‘See No Evil’. This was another good album by Game, who had stayed consistent so far throughout his career.

Rolex Records/The Firm/Blood Money… 

Game decided not to sign with Maybach or Cash Money, though Birdman did actually announce Game had signed with them, it ended up falling through. Game decided to go off on his own, and created Rolex Records. After establishing it, he went out and bought his whole crew Rolex watches and was ready to go… Until Rolex had something to say about it. After they took Game to court, he was forced to change the name. He changed it to The Firm, but apparently didn’t like it as he changed it again, and finally to Blood Money Entertainment. On October 14th, 2014 he released a compilation album with the artists on his label called ‘Year of the Wolf’… It sucked. There was a few good verses by Game, but his label mates are terrible. It was the first disappointing thing that Game had released to his name, though he only featured on a few tracks. The album is full of tracks trying to be something he’s not. He was following the trends of the young up and comers, and trying to stay relevant through beats that don’t suit him. None of the songs have a message, and it’s more club music. I don’t really count this as a Game album, and definitely try and ignore this from my memory. It’s not bad, but it’s not good, and doesn’t do Game justice as an artist. He seems to battle with his age and as most ageing musicians do, try overly hard to stay current, which he is definitely guilty of.

Fun Facts about Game…

He’s stared in a few movies:

Street Kings (Pretty good, he’s a small time character and only in it for about 5 minutes. He does get beat over the head with a phone book by Keanu Reeves, so that’s cool).

Waist Deep (He’s the main bad guy, ‘Big Meat’ and he’s really scary. He’s actually pretty good in this, though it’s a bit of a B grade movie. At one point he chops off someone’s arm, it’s worth a watch. 

House Arrest (I watched this and it’s maybe a C-grade movie. Actually, maybe D-grade. It’s terrible).

He’s also the voice of B-Dup, a character in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. 

Game’s also famous for drinking full bottles of vodka on stage while performing. You can check it out on youtube, it’s ridiculous. 

Game on a dating game show…

I really, really didn’t want to mention this. But I can’t do a history of Game without mentioning the show Change of Heart. Yep, Game was on a dating game show before he made it into the rap game. Yep, I know what you’re thinking it’s not 'gangsta'. It’s really not. Game actually seems pretty cool on here, though his girl says he’s “too sensitive” and “cries like a baby”. I mean, i don’t have too much issue with this, Game actually shows he cares about the girl. Everyone knows that guys are a lot different behind closed doors than they do in public with their girls. 

You can check out the video here: 

Suicide:

During an emotional interview with XXL, Game revealed that he has suicidal thoughts. Just before he was to serve a 60 day sentence for a gun related felon he revealed that he was in such a dark place emotionally and physically due to the struggles of fame, that he almost chose to end his life. 

“My life is fucked up right now. I’m in a fucked up place. My fans love me, and I know what they want but in a minute, I’m not gonna be physically capable of pleasing the world with music. Because my mind isn’t right. People are driving me under God’s good earth.” He added, “Sometimes I wanna be at peace so bad that I wish myself off the earth”. 

This was some heavy stuff, but obviously Game got through his part of his life and is now in a healthy mindset, though he’s spoken of his issues with Bipolar disorder, once referring to himself as “the bipolar bear”. If you thought that was heavy, this is what Lloyd Banks had to say when he heard. 

“I heard he’s going to terminate himself so good luck with that. I predicted that, too. So next time you in the dark and you think about blowing your noodles all over your nice little paint, just do it like Nike.” Ow. Harsh, hey. 

Game and (his ridiculous amount of) beef:

When You mention Game, you ultimately think of the ridiculous amounts of beef he’s had with other rappers. While I’m not going to go in depth as to the ‘why’ of all these beefs, here’s a list of all the artists Game’s had beef with in his career. 

vs. Jay-Z (2005 - Present)

vs. 50 Cent (2005 - 2009)

vs. Ras Kass (2006)

vs. G-Unit (2005 - 2009)

vs. Joe Budden (2005 - 2008)

vs. Yukmouth (2004 - 2007)

vs. Guerilla Black (2004)

vs. Mobb Deep (2005)

vs. Bishop Lamont (2008 - 2009)

vs. Memphis Bleek (2004 - 2005)

vs. Xzibit (2005 - 2006)

vs. Benzino (2006)

vs. Young Gunz (2005)

vs. Lil Scrappy (2007)

vs. Suge Knight (2005)

vs. Triple H (Yes, the wrestler, 2006)

vs. Lil Eazy E (2005 - 2006)

vs. Big Fase 100 (His brother, 2005)

vs. Glasses Malone (2006)

vs. Eminem (2008)

vs. Ja Rule (2005 - 2007)

vs. Jimmy Iovine (2006 - 2009)

Such a long list, so ridiculous. Thank god Game seems to have grown up and stopped bitching about all his issues with other rappers. He’s actually become somewhat of a mediator between other beefs, notably the one between Drake and Chris Brown. 

What now?

Game spends most of his time in his mansion, posting pictures about how fit he is (he’s not that fit) and how ‘wet he makes your girl’. He’s got 3 kids: King, Harlem and Cali. Last year randomly he just had another kid, it was weird. His 4th child’s name is Madison, and she popped up randomly, though to his credit Game seems to have been looking after her. He’s got a long time love/hate relationship with the mother of Cali and King, Tiffney. They even had a reality show ‘Marrying The Game’, which quickly turned into ‘Breaking Up With The Game’, with them not going through with the marriage. It seems they still have feelings for each other, though Game did come under fire last year for revealing he had a new girlfriend, the 18 year old India Westbrook though they’re not still a thing. VH1 has actually ordered a new series called ‘She Got Game’, where his celebrity friends will help Game “find love.” See man, it’s suspect stuff like this that Game seems to gravitate towards that just makes me wonder. What kind of gangsta rapper is doing this stuff, oh well he makes me laugh. As we’ve seen, Game is no stranger to tv shows, with him appearing on Change of heart as a teen.

The next project for Game is The Documentary 2, which is obviously a follow up to his classic debut album. It’s set for release on June 30th, this year. I’m pretty excited for this, and I hope it sends him back to his roots, and away from the wannabe new school rapper he has kind of been lately. Fingers crossed. 

Is it hard for non mainstream artists?

On the other end of the spectrum, you get bands and groups that do not conform to mainstream media, hence they get little to no air time on radio. This is the type of song that many people listen to on repeat, it has a story about growing up in harsh neighbourhoods, with the influence of drugs, violence and gangs. Plan B's hip hop style music has never been your typical main stream genre, but as a fan, you know that his flow and lyrics work nicely with the beat and are catchy. 

The talent is evident and tells a harsh story coupled with violence and drugs portraying a strong politcal viewpoint. He is criticising government systems and how the government has neglected these people and have not put any effort into cleaning up the slums quoting, "he's just another poster boy for David Cameron's Broken Britain." Showing that if they don't do anything in the future, they could be subject to a documentary on how bad it has become.

Why should artists with more mainstream appeal be afforded the luxury of airtime, when there are many groups out their producing better more appealing music. Artists like Plan B find it hard to continue their work as it does not provide them with enough money to make a living out of their career. They are being crippled by radio stations and most mass media platforms as they do not conform to their capitalist ideology.

Hip Hop is it judged by its cover?

Rap & hip hop is one of the most controversial genres of music in the modern world. It all started back in the 70s when block parties were the new and upcoming sensation. It was a way for young teens to get there views and opinions out and express them in a way that made them feel comfortable. Gangster Rap was a sub genre that formed from hip hop and was more focused on the violent and impoverished side of society.

Rap and Hip Hop to me is one of those genres that has not seen a huge peak in good quality well produced music since the early 00s. Back in the early 80s to late 90s there was some of the most influential artists to ever hit stages. Artists like Notorious B.I.G, NWA, 2pac, Run DMC, Grandmaster Flash and Public Enemy just to name a few. These artists had talent. They knew how to throw words together in a way to tell a story, or to get a point across. Yes some of these artists did raise a lot of issues that some frowned upon. But one thing they did best was inspire. Without these artists we wouldn't have such artists like Kendrick Lamar, Dr Dre, Enimem or Jay-Z in the genre now.

As i see rap and hip hop now, there is too many mainstream artists. To many artist that just want "Girls" and "Money". They aren't in it for the music, they are in it for the perks of being famous and rich.

So what do we see in this genre now? CRAP! and yes i will say it again CRAP!. Video after Video, song after song. It's all the same topic. The same scenario. The same thing over and over again. Money. Cars. Women.

Then occasionally you will get the diamond. The artist that you can tell has heart for the industry.

I could talk for days on this topic. But for now i will leave this with you. Don't look at the popular artists in the genre. Go to youtube find the videos of kids in the underground seen. That is where you will find people with talent and passion. The lyricism of those artists is what rap is all about.

Our wallets getting Beat by Dre

I came across a funny little article on the Daily Mail a few weeks ago.
They reported that according to multiple headphones experts, "it might cost more to get your haircut" than to make a pair of Dre Beats headphones.

How much exactly? $14. Yep, you read it right. 1-4. Fourteen. 2 x 7.

Yep. The price of Beats range from $200 to $700, and cost MAXIMUM $14 to make.

Now, I have to admit that I'm guilty of buying a pair. When I bought them about 4 years ago, they weren't available in Australia. I had to buy them from the official site, for $500! Ridiculous, right?

I remember the exact reason I wanted a pair. My favourite rapper, 'The Game' had a film clip walking through a subway, rapping, wearing Beats by Dre. It was love at first sight. I had to have them! From then on, pretty much every rapper and American sports star you see would be wearing them. They were a symbol of the elite, of being 'hip' I guess. Who doesn't want to be like their favourite rapper?

On an audio test that Time Magazine did, Dre Beats came second last in their rankings. It shows public perception is everything, with Beats by Dre being worth 3.2 Billion dollars and controlling 57% of the headphone market. It's insane. The headphones I use now are $300 Sony Wireless ones, and they're amazing. I guess the motto of the story is not to get caught up in celebrity fashion - these people get paid to endorse the products and get them free. For the cost of the cheapest Beats by Dre, you could get 2 pairs of better quality headphones.

I guess as long as people see celebrities wearing these products, the money will keep rolling in. I know it won't be mine though.