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(04/19/17 4:00am)
I love rap music. In it you find witty banter, intense imagery and nuanced love stories, all accompanied by a danceable beat. Still, like most artistic and social movements, the culture that comes along with it has some issues. Of these, misogyny is both the most prevalent and the most damaging. A lot of hip hop artists rap about money and luxury because they came from nothing, and they describe violence to tell the stories of those largely ignored by society, but there is no justification for thinking less of a person because she is a woman. At Duke's campus this is especially relevant. I appreciate that rap music is played at parties, but I hope it has a positive influence on the social dialogue of the community and does not encourage sexual violence and misogyny. I want to have a good time at parties, not hear about some dude treating a girl like she's property.
(10/29/15 5:57am)
In art, the best endings usually leave some things unsaid. Now, clearly I am setting you up for some broad, sweeping generalizations about life, but in art it is especially clear that the most moving works are left final, but not fully resolved. To me it’s really interesting that culturally we can be more satisfied with a lack of completeness than an all-telling story.
(10/01/15 7:05am)
Sometimes I am baffled by how much importance we place in opinion. Specifically in art, where nowadays most of us agree that there exists a special value in each one of our subjective opinions, it seems that people spend too much time arguing over the validity of a certain point of view. While these discussions can be fun to have, any attempt to bestow superiority to one opinion over another as opposed to realizing the difference is one of interpretation is simply misguided. To me, these assertions of opinion portray a lack of confidence in our perception of reality in the face of some presumed objective truth.
(09/24/15 6:32am)
Gregory Porter is a Grammy-winning jazz vocalist who has garnered widespread critical acclaim for his powerful yet refined voice and his authentic, impassioned delivery. This Thursday he is bringing his soulful sound back to Duke for the second time in two years.
(09/03/15 5:24am)
In my first year at Duke, I was terrified of separating from the collective freshmen conglomerate. Orientation week activities and dorm bonding helped the class feel like a cohesive whole. While in retrospect these events solidified friendships and brought forth new experiences, at the time I felt artistically suffocated by this ever-present community. Maybe this feeling of entrapment was a result both of my naivety to the validity of my own interests and tastes and my shyness that kept me from seeking out people who shared them. This stifling culminated in my attendance of a Macklemore concert. Despite your opinion on the artist, he was never a rapper I was into. Did I enjoy spending time with new friends and partaking in a shared experience? Sure. Was it worth sixty dollars and two hours of Macklemore? I think not.
(09/01/15 5:51am)
Since its inception a few decades ago, hip hop has grown to become both a dominant force in our sociocultural dialogue and a continuously developing form of expression for a variety of artists across the globe. Consequently, Duke Performances is holding a spotlight on the genre this year that will culminate in talks, class visits, master classes and performances from high profile, internationally-acclaimed rappers and dancers.
(08/27/15 6:36am)
The Pinhook’s roots in alternative music and renowned artists will be on full display with a show this Thursday.
(06/15/15 8:09am)
Less than a year since it opened, The Shed has made a habit of hosting renowned musicians in its intimate downtown jazz venue.
(06/15/15 8:08am)
5/5 stars
(04/24/15 3:15am)
Jazz saxophonist, arranger and educator Paul Jeffrey passed away in his home in Durham, North Carolina on Mar. 20, 2015. Mr. Jeffrey played with jazz legends Thelonious Monk and Charles Mingus, as well as taught classes and directed the jazz ensemble at Duke for 20 years. Mr. Jeffrey is remembered by fellow music educators and former students for his devotion to and love for The Music.
(04/09/15 11:11am)
The Earl hype has finally died down. Earl Sweatshirt has returned from Samoa, released his debut and shaken his provocatively immature image. He’s even split ties from Tyler, the Creator and the rest of the Odd Future collective. In his latest album, I Don’t Like S**t, I Don’t Go Outside, there is not even a single utterance of “golf wang.” Gone are the niche features (think Tyler, Mac Miller, Casey Veggies) and bittersweet, overdramatic lyrics. Earl’s latest album is his humblest, yet also darkest, work to date, as he reminisces on life while showing complete indifference to both his own thoughts and his audience’s perceptions of them.
(03/26/15 7:26am)
Maturity is a fickle thing. Once attained, it helps reveal character flaws and hypocrisy, leading to a constant cycle of growth and reflection. Kendrick Lamar deals with this internal struggle in his latest masterpiece, To Pimp a Butterfly. Throughout the album, Kendrick presents a self portrait of raw emotion, describing his realization of inconsistencies and flaws in character that come about as a result of his rise to power and ever increasing influence. Both lyrically and musically, To Pimp a Butterfly is an incredibly innovative and creative work that pushes the boundaries of storytelling in popular music.
(03/26/15 7:15am)
As humans, we are forever trapped in only our own experience. We will never be able to truly and completely empathize with the thoughts and emotions of those around us, much less those who come after and before. At times, our relationship with art amuses me as a slightly absurd way of dealing with this incredible fear of missing out.
(03/19/15 7:58am)
In the hectic life of the Duke student, there is little time to sit back and reflect. This Friday, composer, violinist and vocalist Jenny Scheinman will challenge Duke students to do just that in her performance Kannapolis: A Moving Portrait. With her compositions set to filmmaker H. Lee Waters’ works capturing the lives of the people of Kannapolis, NC, Scheinman hopes to showcase the compassionate, affectionate and relatable citizens of the Piedmont in the early 1940s.
(03/19/15 7:57am)
Following up a classic album is hard, especially if the said album is an abstract hip hop classic released almost 15 years ago. Rap duo Cannibal Ox find themselves in this exact position with the release of their latest, Blade of the Ronin. Unfortunately, they exhibit little of the surreal imagery and practical street allegories that made them legends after the release of The Cold Vein. Still, the album stands independently and should be experienced as such. Blade of the Ronin combines catchy, yet largely typical, production with surreal, braggadocious imagery to make for only somewhat interesting listen before it quickly goes stale.
(02/19/15 11:28am)
I love the Internet. More specifically, I love using it to discover news shortly after it occurs. It’s a quick, convenient and thorough way to survey the current state of affairs in our world. In this way the Internet brings people together as we read and converse about similar topics, discussing ideas and nuances in opinion that we would not have without the digital fountain of information. While promoting cohesiveness, it simultaneously promotes individuality on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook, where people follow those who interest them. That being said, the Internet can make imitation somewhat easier. After perusing enough Pitchfork articles, someone could probably come up with enough genre blends, snarky lines and sonic landscapes to at least sound like a music writer. All in all, though, the Internet is a wealth of information, and imitation is often the first step in creating something original.
(02/05/15 11:22am)
As an act of pure confidence, it can be inspiring when an artist releases an album with complete disregard for either critical or commercial appeal. This is at least partially the case for Diana Krall’s latest work of covers of pop songs from her childhood. While it falls well short of inspirational, Wallflower is slightly moving as a show of love and nostalgia for the past.
(01/29/15 10:35am)
Here we are – 2015! We made it! As we move forward into the unknown of this new, exciting year, Recess sat around our crystal ball and summoned forth some predictions for what to expect in 2015. Whether the predictions have to do with the rise of television, the wealth of new movies being released, or seemingly random artist collaborations, Recess has you covered. Read on to see what our staff members think.
(01/15/15 10:02am)
A basketball game over a month away does little to help rationalize freezing in a tent in thirty degree weather. When my tentmate tunes into YouTube, I am left alone with the dark, the cold and the hours of work I set aside to do if I ever gather the courage to take off my gloves.
(11/13/14 10:07am)
Rap music is in an interesting state of development--old enough to have classics, but new enough to maintain the mainstream interest. It seems to be caught between its own established image and its continuously evolving culture. In a high-speed world full of a multitude of music-makers, most rappers are aware that, to the public, they are only as good as their last album. With upcoming releases from big names like Eminem, Kanye West, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj and Big K.R.I.T., it might be time for eyes of the mainstream to turn to some new artists. Consequently, this is a great time to get into rap music. With so many emerging artists waiting to dethrone the top, in a few years, your new favorite moderately successful rapper could be one of the biggest names in music. To help you out, here’s a sampling of the various names slowly emerging out of the contemporary rap scene. Of course, one list cannot encompass all of the different styles of a global hip hop culture, but familiarizing yourself with these artists is a good start to understanding the state of contemporary rap.
