SLA Media

SLAMedia is a publication of the news for the Science Leadership Academy community. Writers come from the student body in 10th, 11th, and 12th grades. We work in unison to create a functioning paper with biweekly postings on a variety of events.

A&E

Show Review: Everyday Struggle

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Mekhi Granby

Staff Writer

Complex is a New York–based media platform for youth culture which was founded as a bi-monthly magazine by fashion designer Marc Eckō. Complex reports on trends in style, pop culture, music, sports and sneakers with a focus on streetwear, sneaker culture, hip-hop, and graphic art. Complex currently reaches over 120 million unique users per month across its owned and operated and partner sites, socials and YouTube channels.

Complex released a new segment/series titled “Everyday Struggle” which can be viewed on their website or via YouTube. The show features “retired rapper” Joe Budden, YouTube personality DJ Akademiks, and Complex journalist Nadeska Alexis. These two individuals have very strong opinions about many different topics regarding music and pop culture. Everyday Struggle is a talk show with heated debates between Budden and Akademiks.

The best thing about Everyday Struggle in my opinion is the frequency of episodes being released, since the debut of the show (April 10, 2017) there has been 24 videos of content as of May 2, 2017. I say “videos of content” instead of episodes because on Complex’s YouTube channel they also include highlights/clips of episodes about a certain topics discussed in the full-length episode. These clips range from 4:25 to 10:43 while the full length episodes are usually in the 30-50 minute time frame.

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With the frequent controversial topics that are discussed on the show, Everyday Struggle has been gaining a lot of views.

For example, epsiode number 2 (listed as 102) focuses on the current status of Lil Uzi Vert and his ongoing label issues. Joe Budden angrily expressed his opinions about young artists signing to a major label company. Nicki Minaj and Meek Mill were brought up in an interesting conversation about “who won the break up”.

Another episode, episode number 4 (listed as 104) DJ Akademiks and Joe Budden debated who they think the greatest rapper alive is; after that they broke down the Janet Jackson divorce rumors and then talked about the rumored Quavo and Karrueche romance.

One element of the show that I think doesn’t get enough appreciation is the moderators. Nadeska Alexis is super calm and laid back on the show compared to the angry, loud voiced Joe Budden. She sometimes expresses her opinions and slightly joins in on the conversation, but her main focus is to keep the debate on topic as it can spiral in other directions.

Overall, there’s nothing I don’t like about this show. There’s an episode released today which features a guest appearance from Lil Yachty which means the show is headed in a great direction.

I would recommend this show to anyone who likes music, more specifically hip hop as that is the focus of the show. It’s super entertaining and hilarious.

Song Review: I’m The One

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Meymey Seng

Staff Writer

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Seven days ago, the song “I’m the One” was released by DJ Khaled. Some people referred to this video as DJ Khaled assembling the team of avengers, since he brought together a notable group of singers and rappers. He was the one who created the song itself and had different visions of which voice would match a certain part best.

When I first heard this song, I only heard a solid ten seconds and was not sure whether or not I liked it. It just reminded me of other songs that I have heard before, nothing unique or special. Later, I searched it up to give the whole song and video a chance.

The video opens with  DJ Khaled calling Chance the Rapper, telling him to bring some friends who were Justin Bieber, Quavo, and Lil Wayne to have a house party where they would celebrate the good things in life. The rest of the video was okay to me, I didn’t really care for it. It was simply them singing in a party environment surrounded by women.

Starting the video was a hook sung by Justin Bieber and I thought the beat was good, although the hook itself was kind of repetitive in a tiring sense. Quavo’s performance clearly relied on autotune, which kind of turned me off from the song. Even if it was meant to sound like that, I feel like it was not executed nicely. The next rapper after that was Chance and I liked that part more, even though it was very short. Lastly, it was Lil Wayne’s part and I enjoyed his lines but there was a very strong autotune sound. Seconds after the start of his part, it starts to sound better.

So overall, I would give this song a rating of five out of ten. A majority of this could be because I was expecting a lot because of the talk that has been built around this song. With this said, I have to admit, it is a actually catchy song and I’ve already heard it on the radio and played on loudspeakers. Occasionally I might be in the mood to hear it and have actually played it myself.

 

Sick Fights, Lame Plot

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Fatu Castillo

Staff Writer

Let me kick this off by saying that I knew exactly what I was going to get when I went to see Kong: Skull Island. I didn’t go into the movie theater expecting to be blown away by an intricate plot like Inception or delve into modern societal issues like in Her.

This is not a movie that will have you in tears while people filter out of the aisles nor will this movie compel you to contemplate society and technology the next time your phone dies and you’re bored.

So turn back and don’t waste your money if you want your emotions hammered like a punching bag or your thoughts challenged by a pretentious director that just had to make a point.

No, if I was looking for a movie that would blow me away with an amazing plot or deeping meanings then I’d be sorely disappointed.

I mean, dropping bombs on a random island? Because a crackpot researcher thinks there might be something there? Where was the government agent to say “Uh, Sir, that sounds a little too expensive.”

I paid money to see one thing and one thing only, sick monster fights on a giant screen. Let me tell you, I got my money’s worth.

Kong

Jordan Vogt-Roberts, the movie director, knew exactly who his target audience was and played right to them. Not even ten minutes in and Kong, all hail the king, was already on the screen.

He wasn’t beating anything up yet, which was a little bit disappointing, but he was still cool to look at. And it gave me the perfect taste of the what was in store for the rest of the movie.

It didn’t take long for hands to start being caught since the first fight scene was about fortyfive minutes. Watching Kong wretch-shop a bunch of military helicopters with added explosion noises and comical deaths was extremely pleasing.  

Sometimes, there wasn’t even a reason for hands to be thrown but they were, namely when a giant octopus attacked out of nowhere in water that was definitely too shallow for it to be in.

Why? Because senseless violence and epic soundtracks were exactly what me and the other there are dwellers paid for.

Good acting? Not so much.

By the time the movie was over, I could care less about the if the people lived or died. I still can’t wrap my head around why some of them were even in the movie.

Why would a government agent allow an obviously anti-government photographer to come along on a secret mission? Why would an otherwise level-headed intent go crazy with vengeance instead of saving his men?

I don’t know and I don’t care, I got to see soldier fight with a giant spider.

Would I recommend this movie? No, if you don’t want to waste money of forgettable characters and a lame plot. Yes, if you just want to watch sick monster fights.

 

Music Review: Kodak Black

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Mekhi Granby

Staff Writer

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Dieuson Octave better known by his stage name Kodak Black is an American hip hop/rap recording artist. Born on June 11, 1997 in Pompano Beach Florida, also where he was raised. Since early childhood Kodak Black has been in and out of conflict with law authorities, being sent back and forth to prison.

After releasing multiple mixtapes and singles, Kodak Black delivers his 18-track debut album “Painting Pictures” on March 31, 2017 along with a documentary titled “Project Baby.”

As an official debut album this project is a huge representation of Kodak Black as an artist. Does it live up to the hype? I will be giving an in-depth review of Painting Pictures, track by track.

  1. Day For Day

As an intro this song is purposefully placed as it sets up the mood for the album. It’s a very mellow song with a monotoned Kodak Black as he talks about incarceration and why he continues to pursue music. I like this message of this song and the instrumental is relaxing.

  1. Coolin and Booted

Track 2, another mellow song featuring a calm/smooth instrumental with melodic vibes from Kodak Black. This isn’t one of my favorite tracks because the chorus isn’t that great and I think it could’ve contained more substance.

  1. Candy Paint (feat. Bun B)

Track 3, I have no choice but to skip this song everytime it comes on, this is by far the worst song on this project. The instrumental is alright but the lyrics are complete garbage, I’ve never heard of Bun B and after listening to this song I realize why. Not a good song to put on the album aka a throwaway track.

  1. Up In Here

Track 4, sadly another throwaway track. I cannot listen this song, a very bad performance by Kodak Black on this song. The lyrics are irrelevant and the instrumental is better than the artist rapping on it.

  1. U Aint Never

Track 5, Kodak redeems himself from the previous two tracks. The vibe, chorus and instrumental is what attracts me to this song. Kodak talks about the some of the crimes and activities he did/does in his life and calls out everyone who hasn’t done these things claiming that they did.

  1. Twenty 8

Track 6, the most annoying song on the album in my opinion. I assume the number 28 has a lot of significance to Kodak Black for him to make a song about it but I really do not like this song at all. It’s very repetitive and pointless in terms of contributing to the rest of the album. I would recommend skipping this song to those who listen to Painting Pictures.

  1. Patty Cake

Track 7, kind of an ironic song but also one of my favorite songs from the album. I say it’s an ironic song because the instrumental and vibe of the song is uptempo and happy, (the use of the piano definitely contributes to this) but the lyrics aren’t. While bragging about his wealth Kodak Black says “I clap a nigga like patty cake.” Patty cake is a popular children’s hand game which includes a lot of clapping. Kodak uses “clap” meaning shoot.

  1. Save You

Track 8, one of the better tracks but I always skip it, on this song Kodak talks about his love for women and how he can use his wealth to support his significant other. He expresses how much of a great partner he’d be in a relationship. The chorus is catchy and the instrumental fits the song perfectly.

  1. Conscience (feat. Future)

Track 9, out of the five songs with features I find that this one is the best executed. This song has a high replay value in my opinion, I like the collaborative effort from both Kodak Black and Future on this song. Definitely a song to check out from the project.

  1. Tunnel Vision

Track 10, the first single to appear on Painting Pictures, Kodak utilises his melodies and creates a catchy song along with a music video containing an insightful message about the current state of the United States concerning racism.

  1.  Corrlinks and JPay

Track 11, going back to the original theme of the intro Kodak raps about receiving money while being incarcerated. He connects with inmates while reminiscing on the days he was locked up.

  1. Reminiscing (feat. A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie)

Track 12, a laid back instrumental with calm lyrics and a melodic chorus from A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie. Kodak reflects on the days when he didn’t have much and the days he was stuck in jail. He appreciates everything he has now and says that he doesn’t want to go back to living those ways.

  1. Side Nigga

Track 13, I dislike this song. It contains a bad message to the youth and impressionable minds about disrespecting relationships and chasing females in a committed relationship and harming their significant other. Don’t get me wrong, there are many worst songs out there about much worse topics which contain even worse messages but I’m only stating why I dislike the song.

  1. Off The Land

Track 14, my absolute favorite song from Painting Pictures. This song is extremely catchy with smooth lyrics from Kodak Black over a relaxing instrumental. This track talks about Kodak working hard to earn all the luxuries he has. Definitely one of my top recommendations.

  1. Top Off Benz (feat. Young Thug)

Track 15, this song features a lot of vocals from Young Thug with the first and third verse going to him along with the chorus. This was a good collaboration but it sounds more like Young Thug’s song rather than Kodak’s. The song talks about luxury cars and women.

  1.  Feeling Like (feat. Jeezy)

Not one of my favorites, nevertheless track 16 is an alright song. I never liked Jeezy so this collaboration isn’t appealing. Definitely wouldn’t recommend this to any new listeners.

  1. Why They Call You Kodak

Track 17, as the album comes to an end, Kodak expresses his final thoughts and emotions. On this song he decides to explain the significance of his stage name. This song features a more uptempo beat with a slightly aggressive Kodak. Leading into the outro I feel like this track could’ve been a lot better or replaced with a different track.

  1. There He Go

Track 18, the second single to appear on the album. Definitely a smart decision to add this song on the project as it’s a fan favorite along with Tunnel Vision. This songs currently sits at 87 million views on youtube. I like this song, simple lyrics over a relaxing beat; Kodak’s signature style. Good choice of an outro as most fans already know and like this song.
Readers should give this album a listen because it’s a debut album! The most important project for a new artist is their first one, it introduces them to a bunch of new people as hype and anticipation collide from fans, artists receive more attention. It properly represents who Kodak Black is as an artist and will be a memorable piece of his career as he propels and continues to create music. I would recommend tracks 1, 2, 5, 7, 9, 10, and 14 to any new listeners as these are the best executed in my opinion. If you have the time to listen to the whole album, you should. Although I don’t like every song as much as I like others, you might.

Movie Review: Life

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Caroline Pitone

Staff Writer

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Life is a Science Fiction movie that has recently came out. I went to see this movie on a Sunday. My expectations for this movie weren’t too high, because there are already many movies out there that have attempted at a similar concept. Although I do like things that are Science Fiction , I was excited to see what this movie had in store.

The plot of this movie is for the astronauts to capture some samples of the planet mars to test. They soon see evidence of Life that they weren’t expecting.  They see that the cell they find, is made of all muscle and all brain, which blows their mind and allows them to classify them as an Ëxtraterrestial.  In Life, we see some well known actors such as, Ryan Reynolds and Jake Gyllehnaal. The are companied along with some great actors; Rebecca Ferguson, Hiroyuki Sanada, Ariyon Bakare, and Olga Dihovichnaya. They all played great roles and were the main characters. Each role was very believable. The actor that played their role the best in my opinion was Ryan Reynolds. He really sold most scenes for me and did nothing but contribute well to every scene with his talent.

The thing that stuck out to me in this movie were the insane graphics. The animations and camera angles were so mind blowing. A movie I could compare these graphics to is the famous Avatar.
After seeing the movie, I have to say I was a bit disappointed, but also was not expecting the best movie in the world. The beginning of the movie was slow but everything soon started to fall into place, after about half way into the movie, it lost all of my attention. As good as the graphics were, and as good as the filming was, the content did not show through. I believe they could have made the movie so much better with the plot they had.