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Music

Made in America

June 9, 2017 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Caroline Pitone

Staff Writer

boop

Made in America is a famous music festival that happens every year in Philadelphia. The area in which it happens is near the parkway. In Made In America there are 3 stages that people perform on. There is usually a performance happening every second of Made in America. There are tons of food trucks with many different foods you would never think of trying. There is access to rides and games to pass the time. This is a 2 day festival that provides over 20 performances with tons of different genres like rap, r&b, alternative, etc.

The tickets go on presale, before the lineup is announced for around $150. After the pre sale the tickets can skyrocket to hundreds of dollars. Now looking at the price tag you might think that these are ridiculous prices, but when you see how many performers you get for this price it is well worth it. Now, the lineup is the most important thing. The lineup could go either way, amazing or horrible, you never really know.

“The lineup is disappointing” says Autumn Jerman who goes to Wissahickon High School.

I asked a current student what they thought about Made in America last year.“I liked the lineup last year, I didn’t think I would like lil ui but it was good!” I then asked her what she thought about the lineup for Made in America of 2017:“I think the lineup this year is bad…the previous years were so good, now its kinda wack.”

Made in America gives opportunities to learn and hear new music that you wouldn’t usually listen to.

Filed Under: A&E, Uncategorized Tagged With: A&E, Music, uncategorized

Song Review: Strip That Down

June 9, 2017 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

MeyMey Seng

Staff Writer

On May 18, 2017, Liam James Payne released a new song called Strip That Down. Many people know him as a member of the biggest boyband, One Direction. After five years of producing songs and going on tours, the band decided to take hiatus, lasting one year.

With this hiatus, all of the boys have chose the same path which is creating their own individual music. Coincidentally, each member chose a different genre to base their album off on. One Direction usually produces pop songs, and the other boys have explored R&B, electronics, acoustics, and rock. Hip-hop was what Liam decided to choose which shocked many people.

Before releasing his song, Liam has posted many teaser clips of how the song may sound. Honestly, most recently I have favored Liam and love his voice. Also, pop is my favorite genre of music but recently, I have been getting interest in hip-hop which gave me a silly thought: he knows what kind of music I want to hear!

liam-payne-strip-that-down-stream

When my phone notified me that the lyric video was posted, I immediately slammed my thumb down to click it. My first reaction was that the beat was good but then I did not enjoy the lyrics. The lyrics “But your love, it hit me hard, girl. Yeah, you’re bad for my health. I love the cards, that I’ve been dealt” felt very out of place and almost as if it was all smushed together. I felt like it sounded generic and it didn’t make me jump as much as I had anticipated. Also, the record company’s design of the lyric video was not my favorite, although I appreciated the purple, gold, and grey theme of the it.

Of course, even though the lyrics did not have the meaningful lyrics that I hoped for, Liam’s voice was still pleasant. A quarter way until the end of the lyric video, there was a verse that was sung by Quavo that I enjoyed more, mostly because the lyrics flowed a bit more smoothly. The thing that surprised me was that Ed Sheeran, an artist that I enjoy a lot, helped write the song. Knowing that two amazing people worked with one another in writing this song, it should be a lot better.

The music video came out on June 2, which I liked a lot more. The choreography was done well, especially knowing that the band was not focused on dancing. Something that I loved that they including clips of him laughing at the camera. It struck that fangirl part of me and after listening to the song a bunch of times, it got onto me. So apart of me finds myself going back and listening to this song because I have to give it one thing, that it was very catchy.

For the rest of the songs in his album, I definitely hope that things spiral upwards and has a more unique sense into it. According to Liam Payne, hip-hop was always a genre that he has wanted to go into. Although, with all of the different music tastes that the other boys have, not all their ideas would be able to be produced. Also, after producing his song, he admittedly said that it does feel nice having all of the control of the song.

Filed Under: A&E, Uncategorized Tagged With: A&E, Music, Review, uncategorized

Chance The Rapper

June 6, 2017 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Ella Petersen

Staff Writer

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When I was invited to drive to D.C. with my best friend to go see one our favorite artists on Sunday, I couldn’t say no even though I knew I had a pre-calc test waiting for me the next morning, committed to babysitting Monday night, and had a benchmark due Tuesday. But it was so worth it.

The past couple years have been really big for Chance The Rapper. Last summer he released his newest album “Coloring Book” and this year he made real history at the Grammy’s, being the first person to win that doesn’t sell physical copies of their music. He’s unsigned to a label and he always releases his music online for free, he combines gospel and rap to form a new genre of music.

After three hours in the car we were finally there. Jiffy Lube Live, a venue right outside of DC, was packed to the brim with 23,000 people.

“I’m not used to performing in front of this many people,” Chance confessed to the crowd. “The fans that have been there forever know that I started out broke.”

He opened with “Blessings” definitely the most spiritual song on the album. “I’m gon’ praise Him, praise Him ‘til I’m gone.” He had the crowd repeat that hook for a good while and confetti poured over us. I knew that we were in for a great performance.

Chance is known for being a huge fan of Chicago, the city where he grew up. So it was no surprise that he had a huge Chicago skyline on the screen in the back of the stage while he performed “Angels” and “Summer Friends,” songs about his beloved city. He jumped around and danced while “CHICAGO” ran across the back screen. He explained that his favorite verse on the album was the second one on “Summer Friends” and had us help him sing it.

The mood changed when he performed “Juke Jam,” a song about going to the roller rink with a girl as a teenager and the whole stadium was lit up with phone lights. After that it was “Smoke Break,” a tale of two people who need some time to just stop and reevaluate what is going on between them.

He also threw some Kanye West songs in the mix. Chance helped produce Kanye’s most recent album, “The Life of Pablo”, so we were able to hear a few of his renditions that night. He performed “Waves” and “Father I Stretch My Hands Pt. 1” as well as his verse on “Ultra Light Beam” while pictures and videos of him and Kanye played in back of him.

“I’m gonna turn the lights off and when I turn them back on I want it to be a party,” he said. And then “All Night” came on, the most upbeat, party song on the album. The stage lit up with fireworks and smoke machines while colorful shapes played on all screens.

Finally, he played “Sunday Candy” and “Cocoa Butter Kisses,” two of his oldest songs on mixtapes he made before he was popular.

Overall, he really made me proud to be a Chance fan. The crowd was very happy and lighthearted; his really positive energy was extremely contagious. I am really excited to see where he goes next and so proud to see how far he has come.

Filed Under: A&E, Uncategorized Tagged With: A&E, Music, uncategorized

2017 XXL Freshman Cover Prediction

June 5, 2017 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Avi Cantor

Staff Writer

2017 XXL Freshman Cover Predictions
2017 XXL Freshman Cover Predictions

Every year since 2007, XXL Magazine publishes an edition of their magazine that highlights the year’s most prominent emerging artists in Rap and Hip/Hop. XXL helps young artists expose their music to the broader public and celebrates their accomplishments that exceed their peers. The XXL cover has been widely regarded for the last ten years as a platform that artists can aspire to be a part of.

This article explains who I think will be the members of the XXL cover for 2017. Readers should know that this list has less to do with my opinion, and more to do with numbers.

I’ve divided this list into two sections. The first highlights the people in ten freshman spots, three of which I have dubbed ‘All-Stars’ for achieving more than their fellow candidates. One thing to note about this section is that I haven’t included the people who the artists have collaborated with who are XXL candidates. XXL makes it clear that high profile collaborators rank higher in their decision making process than collaborations with the artists’ peers. In the second, I have included a list of people I think barely didn’t make the cut for the cover and could make the cover in years to come.

Probables for the cover:

A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie (All-Star)

Notable Collaborators: Kodak Black, Lil Bibby, Kehlani, DJ Spinking (producer) and more.

Noteworthy Accomplishments:  

  • 5 songs above 30 million streams on Soundcloud
  • Record My Sh*t is RIAA gold certified
  • A-Boogie’s mixtape TBA peaked at number 63 on the US Billboard 200 chart and made an appearance on Rolling Stone magazine’s 40 Best Rap Albums of 2016 list

What makes A Boogie an All-Star: A Boogie has been pumping out hit after hit this past year, a feat that most of the artists on this list have not done. Sure, other artists have put out one, two, maybe three true hit songs, but A Boogie has put out at least seven hit songs that have gotten radio play on mainstream stations and have caught nationwide (and even worldwide) attention.

XXXTentacion (pronounced EX-EX-EX-TEN-TA-SYONE)

Notable Collaborations: Denzel Curry, Ronny J (Producer), Diplo (producer) and more.

Noteworthy Points:

  • Song ‘Look At Me’ peaked at No. 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100 Rap Chart
  • Songs ‘YuNg BrAtZ’, ‘R.I.P. ROAST “EAST SIDE SOUJA”’, and ‘ILOVEITWHENYOURUN’, have over 22 million streams on SoundCloud,
  • Song ‘I don’t wanna do this anymore’ has over 33 million streams on SoundCloud
  • Performed at the Rolling Loud Festival in Miami

Kyle aka Super Duper Kyle

Notable Collaborators: Kehlani, G-Eazy, Chance the Rapper, Carnage (producer), Lil Yachty and more.

Noteworthy accomplishments:

  • Toured with Cousin Stizz (32 shows) on Kyle’s ‘Super Tour’,
  • Connected to; All Def Digital, INgrooves (imprint of Atlantic)
  • Song ‘ISpy’ featuring Lil Yachty peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 Rap and R&B charts, and has nearly 75 million streams and over 1 million likes on Soundcloud

MadeinTYO (pronounced MAY-D IHN TO-KEE-YOH)

Notable Collaborations: Travis Scott, Big Sean, 2 Chainz, Metro Boomin (producer), Lil Yachty, Offset, and more.

Noteworthy accomplishments:

  • Opened for Big Sean’s ‘I Decided’ Tour (22 shows)
  • Hit ‘Uber Everywhere’ has over 52 million views on Youtube, was certified RIAA platinum and was later remixed by Travis Scott
  • Hit ‘Skateboard P’ has almost 55 million streams on SoundCloud and later remixed by Big Sean
  • Hit ‘I want’ has almost 10 million views on Youtube and was later remixed by 2 Chainz

Montana of 300

Notable Collaborations: Talley of 300 and more.

Noteworthy accomplishments:

  • Album ‘Fire in the Church’ went No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 Rap Chart
  • Signed to Fly Guy Entertainment (FGE).
  • His song ‘Ice Cream Truck’ has over 27 million views on Youtube
  • His song ‘Chiraq (Remix)’ has nearly 18.5 million views on Youtube

*Side note: Even though Montana of 300 hasn’t put out a ton of music since his album was released, in my opinion, he’s been overdue for a spot on the XXL freshman cover for at least 3 years.

Nav aka Beats By Nav (All-Star)

Notable Collaborations: Travis Scott, The Weeknd, Belly, Metro Boomin (producer), Kodak Black, Drake, Lil Uzi Vert and more.

Noteworthy accomplishments:

  • Song with Travis Scott titled ‘biebs in the trap’ has nearly 47 million views on Youtube and is RIAA Certified Gold
  • His self titled mixtape peaked at the No. 9 spot on the US Billboard Hot 100 Rap category and No. 4 on the Canadian Billboard Hot 100 Rap category
  • Performed at the 2017 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival

What makes Nav an All-Star: Nav has collaborated with several A list artists not only as an artist, but also as a producer. The fact that he has seen just as much success producing songs like ‘Back To Back’ by Drake as he has with his own songs is a feat that you never see in any genre of music.

PnB Rock (All-Star)

Notable Collaborations: Kodak Black, Quavo, Wiz Khalifa, Ty Dolla Sign, Fetty Wap, Lil Yachty, Kevin Hart, Young Thug, 2 Chainz and more.

Noteworthy accomplishments:

  • Song ‘Selfish’ has over 15.5 million views on Youtube, is RIAA Certified Gold, and has over 52 million streams on SoundCloud
  • Album ‘Going Thru The Motions (GTTM)’ went No. 7 on the US Billboard Hot 100 Rap Chart
  • Featured in two songs in the movie ‘Fate of the Furious’
  • Song with Kodak Black titled ‘Too Many Years’ has over 15 million views on Youtube and nearly 55 million streams on SoundCloud

What makes PnB Rock an All-Star: PnB Rock is an All-Star because of his consistency and his connections. He has pumped out a couple hits and a well reviewed mixtape. But the biggest thing that makes him an All-Star is that he was featured in two songs in the movie ‘The Fate of the Furious’, a feat that nobody who has been considered for a XXL freshman spot has done before making it on the XXL cover. As for his collaborations, he has worked with several A list artists and even comedian Kevin Hart for his movie/documentary ‘Kevin Hart: What Now?’.

Playboi Carti (pronounced PLAY-BOY CAR-TEE)

Notable Collaborators: A$AP Rocky, Don Cannon (Producer), Lil Uzi Vert, Travis Scott, Kodak Black, Gucci Mane, Tyler, The Creator and more.

Noteworthy accomplishments:

  • Song ‘wokeuplikethis*’ featuring Lil Uzi Vert has 30 million streams on Soundcloud
  • Song ‘Broke Boi’ has over 24.5 million streams on SoundCloud
  • Starred as the lead model of OVO’s 2016 Lookbook
  • His self titled mixtape peaked at No. 8 on the US Billboard Hot 100 Rap Chart

Ugly God

Notable Collaborations: Trill Sammy, Lil Yachty, Carnage (producer) and more.

Noteworthy Accomplishments:

  • Song ‘Water’ has over 85 million streams on SoundCloud and over 25 million views on Youtube
  • Song ‘B***h!’ has over 18 million streams on SoundCloud
  • Song ‘RARI’ that was produced by Carnage and featured Lil Yachty and Famous Dex has over 18.5 million streams on SoundCloud

Young MA (pronounced YUH-NG EM-AY)

Notable Collaborations: Smiff-N-Wessun, Young Thug, Project Pat, Uncle Murda, Jadakiss and more.

Noteworthy Accomplishments:

  • Hit song ‘OOOUUU’ has over 204 million views on Youtube, has over 12,000 radio spins, peaked at No. 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 Rap Chart
  • Freestyled at the 2016 BET Hip Hop Awards infamous segment ‘The Cypher’ and performed her song ‘OOOUUU’ while there
  • Song ‘Quiet Storm’ has over 18 million views on Youtube,

Possibles:

Aminé: Aminé’s hit song ‘Caroline’ did go double platinum and received a slew of other awards, but I don’t believe he is worthy of having a spot on this cover due to having only one hit song. XXL isn’t really a fan of ‘one hit wonders’ and Aminé hasn’t done much else to put him in the conversation of being on the Freshman list.

Estimated Time To Get on the Cover: Unclear. Personally, I don’t think he’ll top ‘Caroline’.

Dae Dae: Dae Dae has a similar problem to Aminé in that he’s only had one song that took off. ‘What You Need (Family To Feed)’ has over 43 million plays on Youtube. But other than that, his catalogue of well known music is short.

Estimated Time To Get on the Cover: 1-3 years.

Lil Pump: Complex News calls 16 year old rapper, Lil Pump, “one of the most colorful and bizarre rappers coming out of South Florida”. His “weird but catchy” trap music is making waves with teenage crowds. I think that if there were an 11th spot on the freshman list, he would make it hands down. The only thing that truly sets him back is the fact that he hasn’t really had a chart topping hit yet.

Estimated Time To Get on the Cover: Next year.

Rob $tone: Same thing as Aminé and Kent Jones. His hit ‘Chill Bill’ was certified Platinum but his mixtape was a flop to say the least. Since Chill Bill, he hasn’t dropped any music that reached a million streams on SoundCloud or views Youtube.

Estimated Time To Get on the Cover: Unclear. I don’t think he’ll top ‘Chill Bill’.

Ski Mask The Slump God: Ski Mask The Slump God is so close to making it to the XXL Freshman cover, I just think that he hasn’t released his best work yet. He has one song on SoundCloud with frequent collaborator and XXL Freshman candidate XXXTentacion called ‘TAKE A STEP BACK’ that has over 20 million streams and a song with Lil Pump called ‘WHERE’S THE B**W’ that has over 10 million streams on SoundCloud, but other than that, he hasn’t had a ton of work that has really taken off. However, I am a fan of Ski Mask and I would be very surprised if he didn’t make the 2018 cover.

Estimated Time To Get on the Cover: 1 year most likely, 2 at most.

Filed Under: A&E Tagged With: A&E, Music, uncategorized

Album Review: Harry Styles

June 5, 2017 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Lauren Nicolella

Staff Writer

Screenshot 2017-06-04 at 8.41.12 PM

Harry Styles released a self-titled album on May 12th that’s made its way up high on the iTunes charts right after being released. It contains 10 tracks, each telling its own story while introducing a more rock sound into mainstream music.

Admittedly, this is a bit of a biased review because I am an ongoing fan of One Direction. I am here to support each individual’s solo career and music because they are truly my favorite band of all time.

Those who did not previously enjoy Harry while he was singing in One Direction found themselves listening to his solo album and thoroughly enjoying certain songs. Sophomore Lucien Hearn had those exact feelings, “The vocals really shine through even though I haven’t liked them in previous years.”

Meet Me in the Hallway

The beginning of this song is mellow, with very soft and almost gloomy vocals that lead into a louder chorus. There is something about the first 20 seconds of the song that makes me feel so pleasant and want to look out of a car window dramatically. I can’t picture another song to open up the album because it is the perfect sound in preparation for the upcoming tracks that portray different styles.

Sign of the Times

I already did a review of this song on SLA media, check it out here!

Carolina

My only words I have to say about this song: what a bop. After having slower and sadder songs to begin with, Carolina is the perfect upbeat song to sing and dance to. An interesting story is being told, about a girl who moved to the west coast after living in Carolina. Every time it comes on shuffle, I want to get up and shout out the lyrics because the chorus is so fun and catchy.

Two Ghosts

I imagined this to be a super sad song based on the title, but instead it sounds a bit more upbeat. Although, the lyrics talk about how two people, who were possibly friends or in a relationship, are “not who they used to be”, making listeners face the reality that they can relate to what is being sung.

Sweet Creature

When I first heard this song, I did not like it. I don’t know what I had against it because after listening to it a few more times it eventually grew on me. It is a very sweet song, it makes me want to drink lemonade on a nice summer day while sitting on a porch or something.

Only Angel

The beginning of this song has an incredible gospel harmony, mixing in the piano from Sign of the Times. It sounds like you are floating up to heaven, ready to enter the gates. Then suddenly it stops and rock music intrudes. Harry screams a “hey, hey!” grabbing my attention instantly, and that’s when I claimed this to be my favorite song off of this album. To have that buildup and have the song completely change was super unexpected, but also the greatest thing ever. I imagine this to be a song that Harry opens his concert with, or hopefully mixes it into his performance of Sign of the Times.

Kiwi

I was hoping that Harry would make a song like this and I am completely satisfied with it. When I previously mentioned how Harry is bringing rock back into mainstream music this is exactly the song I am talking about that is doing so. When you have a line like “I’m having your baby, it’s none of your business” how can you not be intrigued to take a quick listen? I love listening to older rock songs and imagine that I am magically able to play the guitar, which is exactly what I do with this song because I get those old rock sounds.

Ever Since New York

I heard this song when Harry performed on Saturday Night Live a few weeks before his album was released and I could not stop watching. I do prefer it live rather than the studio version. The chorus is insanely catchy with its repetitive “Oh, tell me something I don’t already know”. Seeing Harry play the guitar made me want to scream (in a good way, of course), because he is truly becoming a rock legend whether people like it or not.

Woman

One thing I noticed about this album by the time I reached the eighth track: there are some great bass lines throughout these songs. This was one of those songs where I could hear the heavy rock influence, because the guitar solo at the end had me feeling major Pink Floyd vibes. There is a sound made by Harry that replicates the quacking of a duck, and I absolutely love it; it makes the song a bit more unique, in my opinion.

From the Dining Table

If you have access to headphones, I am asking you to please wear them while listening to this song. It sounds like Harry is right at your ear. This slow song sadly ends the album, explaining how “comfortable silence is overrated”. The harmonies and very light strums of an acoustic guitar set the perfect tone for a dramatic rainy day scene.

 

Overall Album Rating: 9/10

Screenshot 2017-06-04 at 8.41.23 PM

I strongly encourage everyone to take a listen to this album, Harry should not be ignored since he is apart of a boyband. He was talented while being in One Direction, and is pursuing his own personal music taste, still having a large amount of talent. Sophomore Meymey Seng expressed her feelings towards that statement. “I hope that people will gain an appreciation for his voice when One Direction comes off of their hiatus and start producing new songs, because it is still his voice no matter what the song is.”

Filed Under: A&E, Uncategorized Tagged With: A&E, Music, Review, uncategorized

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