Kendrick Lamar drops unexpectedly upbeat single

Rapper Kendrick Lamar is going to save hip-hop. At least, that’s the promise every reviewer, blogger and hip-hop enthusiast has made after La- mar dropped his latest hit “i” off his highly anticipated soph- omore album on Sept. 23. After hearing “i,” I myself might just believe that statement. “i” is a whole new sound style for Lamar, reminiscent of Outkast. It’s not just Lamar’s high-pitched singing, flow and rapid-fire drums that remind me of Andre´ 3000; there’s something fun in this song that I haven’t heard much of in hip- hop since the days of “Roses” and “B.O.B.” That something is a catchy, feel-good beat and lyrics that––for once––are not about money, molly or the degradation of women.

There are undoubtedly other hits with “fun” beats and lyrics within the ever-growing genre of hip-hop––take “A$$” by Big Sean for example. Yet, they have nowhere near the same level of the lyrical and rhythmic exploration that La- mar employs in “i.”

Lamar certainly isn’t ap- pealing to the average pop-rap demographic like Mac Miller or Childish Gambino might, but his song is still accessible for a casual listener. “i” feels universal; it isn’t meant for just one crowd.

The brilliance of “i” is that when it comes down to it, the song is simple and up- lifting. It’s just about learning to love yourself and having fun. There’s no gimmick and there’s no stereotype to ful- fill, as demonstrated in recent hits like Nicki Minaj’s “Ana- conda.” Lamar’s message to listeners is to just dig yourself for who you are and you’ll be happy.

Don’t be mistaken, how- ever, it’s not vacuously cheer- ful like the intolerable Pharrell hit “Happy.” There is some real darkness in the track. Lines such as “I went to war last night/ I’ ve been dealing with depression ever since an adolescent,” remind you that Lamar has been to some sad places and seen some messed up things. Still, these don’t mean he can’t be happy. This honesty and poignancy are what distinguish any Lamar hit from the mainstream rap that most are used to.

If the rest of this album is thematically linked to “i,” then Lamar’s highly anticipated up- coming album will be the anti- Yeezus. Whereas Yeezus is about the unexpected pains and strug- gles from a man on the top of the world, Lamar’s album could be about unexpected joy from a man at the bottom. The contrast in lyri- cal content creates a nice dichot- omy for the hip-hop community.

For a long time, I’ve felt like you can either write fun hip-hop or you can write serious hip-hop. Lamar has certainly broken down those boundaries. By taking seri- ous, profound lyricism and mix- ing it with upbeat bars and catchy hooks, Lamar may truly save hip- hop.

Why the United States should wage a culture war against ISIS

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, also known as ISIS, has created a terrifying presence for itself. For a while, Americans were afraid of ISIS in the way kids are afraid of the boogeyman; they saw the organization as a scary, yet distant force of evil. But now, with the recent cutting of art and education programs in Iraq, ISIS seems much more real—and even more dangerous. These cuts to education represent serious attempts at indoctrination as well as a consolidation of power in ISIS-controlled territories. The elimination of literature, art, history and music education will isolate the youth from the rest of the world and make the indoctrination of the new generation a simpler process.

The significance of a liberal arts education isn’t that it simply allows our creative juices to flow. Rather, the arts exist in schools to create a direct link to a shared global culture. The goal of ISIS is to create a separate Islamic State. Of course, nationalism may be all well and good in healthy doses, and I’m not advocating the creation of one world culture. But if a nation allows itself to be removed from the shared stream of global culture, isolationism is sure to follow.

This is exactly what ISIS desires. By deleting the liberal arts from education, they are effectively cutting the Iraqis off from the river that is international culture, dehydrating them and eliminating their social knowledge. All ISIS has to do is create its own cultural pool to fill up the thirsty masses and the brainwashing is complete.

Suddenly, there is no struggle for control, because the population won't even remember what it was they were struggling for. And this is what truly scares me about ISIS.

ISIS is not just fighting a physical war; it is fighting a mental war and I’m afraid the United States is not prepared to win a war on those terms. Nothing in the history of our foreign involvement, especially in relation to the Middle East, has led me to believe that the U.S. can act as an ambassador of culture, at least not in any positive way.

Many would argue that the international idea of American culture is fast food and ignorance, which is not what you want when you attempt to win over the hearts and minds of a foreign population. Now, even the scant positive images of Western culture that did make it to Islamic nations through the study of liberal arts are being removed, and all that’s left is McDonalds and memories of the Iraq War.

Ultimately, we as a nation need to shift our efforts in fighting this threat. The concern should not be finding and fighting as much as it should be convincing the Middle East that we’re not just a bunch of gun-toting killers.

If we are going to stand any chance against ISIS, we have to stop fighting a physical war and start fighting a war of culture, and support and advocate for the global and creative freedom of those who are deprived of a chance to express themselves artistically.

The "blurred lines" of provocative summer hits

My sister thinks I have a problem. She thinks that I can’t enjoy pop culture because I can’t seem to watch, listen to or read something without analyzing its potential social impact.She’s right––I can’t listen to a song without thinking over the sociopolitical ramifications of its existence. This brings me to Jason Derulo and Snoop Dogg’s recent summer smash hit, “Wiggle.” I’m going to assume that everyone has heard the song “Wiggle” because it is everywhere. Like death, taxes and Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines,” it is completely inescapable. You remember “Blurred Lines,” right? The song that praises the blurred lines of sexual consent due to intoxication and the burden that comes with it? Or maybe you’re like my sister, and you’ve only heard “I know you want it, I know you want it, but you’re a good girl,” but never thought about how disturbing that actually sounds. Hopefully, now you will. “Wiggle” is surprisingly my favorite pop song of the year. I consider “Blurred Lines,” however, to be a sexist, rape apologist piece of pop drivel. Here are the two key differences between these songs: intent and awareness. The brilliance of “Wiggle” is that from the moment it starts, Derulo and Snoop Dogg know what they’re dishing out. Derulo holds no pretense of being clever or particularly original; if anything, he revels in his sense of cliché. Wanting a girl to “wiggle that big fat butt” is a sentiment dating back to Sir Mix-a-Lot’s old-but-classic “Baby Got Back” (and probably even older). No one involved with that song thinks they’ve written the next Phil Collins’ “Against All Odds.” They’re not even going to try to pretend it’s a love song. The song starts and ends as a joke about being sexy. Thicke takes “Blurred Lines” very seriously, however, even if it isn’t necessarily apparent in the song’s lyrics. As seen in post-controversy interviews, Thicke attempts to hide rape-apology behind love. He claims the song was actually for and about his then-wife Paula Patton. This takes the song out of a slightly comedic context and puts it into a league with other serious love songs. Thicke unintentionally––or perhaps intentionally––elevated his song into an area of higher criticism. If he wants the song to be seen as a love song for his wife, then his questionable objectification stops being humorous and starts being dangerous. Now, I’m not claiming both songs don’t have their fair share of sexist lines; in fact, I would say both highlight a culture of objectification and misogyny. Thicke chose to view his song in a more serious light, allowing the issue to become more detrimental. This is what separates the fun romp of “Wiggle,” from “Blurred Lines,” an explicitly dangerous hit.