Jambalaya

This weekend I went to the Jambalaya Music Festival, and Austin Music Hall. It featured upcoming artists such as R.L Grime, and G Eazy. Additionally it had some veterans of their respective genres, Big Boi from OutKast and Zeds Dead. Finally the headliner of the whole show was EarlWolf, which is a combination of Tyler the Creator and his younger brother Earl Sweatshirt. They threw by far the best show, followed closely behind Big Boi. Tyler's concert had the best crowd feeling as everyone was basically going insane with Tyler, and Big Boi played mostly originals from OutKast such as Bombs Over Baghdad, Ms Jackson, and Move It. Overall the whole concert was awesome, if Jambalaya becomes a yearly thing it is definitely something you should check out.

OutKast

In class this week we listened to the rap group known as OutKast. Outkast has two members, Big Boi and Andre 3000, both who met in high school in Atlanta. We listened to a couple of OutKast songs and my favorite was, and has always been "Ms. Jackson"

Massive Attack

In class this week we listened to Massive Attack, I had never heard of them before that class so I assumed that they were some old 90's metal thrasher band... however I was pleasantly suprised to hear that they were a group kind of with their own trippy sound. The first four songs on the track were by far the best, as the whole album had a real night feel to it. My favorite out of the four was definitely the third song, I dont know what was so great about it it was just very cool to listen to.

Here is one of my favorite Massive Attack Songs.

Jambalaya

The Jambalaya music festival is taking place this Friday at Austin Music Hall. Tyler, The Creator and Earl Sweatshirt are the headliners for the night. Some other notable people that are going include, Zeds Dead, R.L Grime, G-Eazy, and Big Boi from Outkast. Tickets are only $25, and if you are into rap/dubstep then it is definitely a fest that you do not want to miss.

Here is a video of Odd Future live.

ACL Lineup

I personally HATE the lineup for this years upcoming ACL. The only reason is because of the lack of big names, I have never heard of Depeche Mode before I saw them on the lineup for this year... and the fact that they were the first name is just a little sad. It might just be me but this years lineup is just really weak compared to the past couple of years, as it is riddled with repeats from past years and small names.

The videos pretty cool though I'll give it that.

Logic

I have always loved this really sort of underground rapper known as Logic, I remember following him on twitter when he barely had 1,000 followers and now he has really blown up and gone global. He recently came out with his latest mixtape, "Welcome to Forever" It is one of the best mix tapes I have listened to in the past couple of years, give it a listen

Earl Sweatshirt

Earl Sweatshirt got famous solely from his brother Tyler, The Creator. However when he was discovered lots of people found him to be much more talented than Tyler as a rapper. When Earl got huge however, he was already gone. He had been sent to an island in the Pacific to a disciplinary academy by his parents. He was there for two years until last year he made his return on stage with Tyler, the Creator. He did not realize that he was famous until he had made his return to the U.S, and then his first night back he performed in New York City with Tyler, in front of thousands.

LCD Soundsystem

I personally even though a lot of the class wasn't watching, I found the documentary extremely interesting. I have always kind of been a fan of LCD Soundsystem, but I had never really actually seen who they were, just heard some of their songs here and there. The coolest part to me was seeing him go out on top and performing his very last show at Madison Square Garden, and additionally it was cool for me seeing that I was born in New York so I have been to the Garden my fair share of times. Overall I thought it was a really cool documentary.

Kendrick Lamar in Class

I personally love Kendrick Lamar so I automatically loved listening to him in class on Wednesday, his sick flow and meaningful lyrics make him in my opinion one of the best rappers in the game now, and the BEST rapper that is up and coming. Being found by Dr. Dre, who has also found rappers such as 50 Cent, Eminem, and much more, Kendrick is joining an elite class of rappers.

P.S I donated $10 to your KickStart, really pulling for you to get to $15,000 Mr. A.

Rozay

I am just going to say this first, I am not a fan of Rick Ross. However he is becoming more and more popular as time goes on. Rick Ross separates himself from lots of other rappers in the sense that he is not about the whole poppy teen kind of scene. Rick Ross is ghetto and he is the voice of the streets. In an interview with Jamie Foxx, Jamie said that for the movie "Django: Unchained' Quentin Tarantino had Rick Ross write a song for it specifically because he symbolizes the ghetto, and the struggles of the streets.

Kid Cudi

Cudi is a rapper from Cleveland and he is extremely talented. He just came out with his latest album, Indicud. I personally dont like it, but you should definitley check it out because it has gotten varied reviews.

Nirvana

To me Nirvana is one of the best bands of all time, they might not be in the top ten but in my opinion they are definitely in the top 20. Kurt Cobain was one of, in my opinion, the best lead singers for a band, since McCartney. My favorite Nirvana song would have to be, "Swap Meet" off of their first album, Bleach.

Pauls Boutique

Pauls Boutique is one of my favorite albums by the Beastie Boys so I really enjoyed listening to it in class, the last time I heard Pauls Boutique was a very long time ago so I didnt realize how many other artists today use the beat from songs off of Pauls Boutique for there own. My favorite song off of Pauls Boutique is hands down "Shake Your Rump" I think it is a really fun song to listen to combined with its great lyrics.

Wolf

This past week Tyler, The Creator came out with his third album titled, "Wolf" Overall I think it is really good, the storyline of the whole album is really creepy yet genius in a way, as you follow a character named Sam throughout his life in every song. My personal favorite on the album is Slater, featuring Frank Ocean, who is one of my favorite artists. Even though I thought "Wolf" was good, I in no way think it compares to Tylers first album "Bastard"

U2

I personally really enjoyed listening to U2. It was fun listening to a variety of there songs from earlier in their careers as most of the songs of theirs that i listen to are newer, with the exception of Sunday Bloody Sunday. Sunday Bloody Sunday was the first U2 song I ever heard and it is one of my personal favorites, I am hoping later in the year we will listen to more of U2's more recent works.

Paul Simon

I personally really enjoyed listening to Paul Simon. He has an amazing voice mixed with really deep lyrics that really make him alot better when you know his backstory about having a pretty messed up life. Overall though, Graceland was a great album that I personally enjoyed listening to alot.

Tim McGraw

Tim McGraw is one of my favorite country artists, and that is a lot coming from me because I usually try to steer clear from country as much as possible. However I personally love the story that Tim McGraw tells in his songs, combined with his singing makes for a perfect duo.

2 Chainz

2 Chainz is possibly the worst rapper I have ever heard, and it troubles me that today so many people in high school enjoy listening to him. His raps are not creative and are almost all about getting money and then spending it on strippers. He used to go by the name "Tity Boi" before he went solo from Three Six Mafia.

Hair Metal

I personally hate hair metal, I think its way to flamboyant and stupid. For me its just so like in your face with all of their clothes and hair screaming at you filled with random guitar solos. However I will admit Eddie Van Halen is a badass whenever he goes off on a solo. Overall hair metal though, not my thing.

Billy Joel

Recently a video went viral of Billy Joel answering questions at some sort of event. One kid, a huge fan of him told him that it was his dream to play a song with Billy Joel. Billy let him on stage and they performed one of Billy Joels most famous songs, it was truly amazing how good the kid was at piano and how awesome it was that Billy Joel let him play with him.

N.W.A

This past weekend I was watching some documentaries on Netflix and I came across, the sports documentary: Straight Outta L.A. The documentary was directed by Ice Cube, and was basically about how big of an influence the Los Angeles Raiders had on Hip Hop in California, back in the 80s and 90s. I have known about N.W.A, since one of my friends played one of their songs for me over Xbox Live and I have always thought of them as this crazy hip-hop group, that really in my opinion started the whole concept of 'Gangsta' Rap. If you have some time on your hands, you should definitley check the documentary out, I think you would like it a lot.

Straight Outta L.A Trailer

The Bee Gees

I can tell you that when we listened to The Bee Gees in class on Thursday, it was definitely not my first time hearing that song. With parents who were growing up during the 70s and the 80s, I have heard countless numbers of Bee Gees record playing all throughout the house with my parents dancing like they were in Saturday Night Fever. In my opinion, I love the Bee Gees and I just think they are completely awesome. I feel this way because their music, is so original and gives you an image of what the disco scene was like... and honestly it just makes you want to dance. Overall, I love the Bee Gees and my favorite song of theirs is definitely, Stayin Alive. Whats your opinion on them?

Stayin' Alive- The Bee Gees

Joey BadA$$

Joey BadA$$ is a new rapper coming out of Harlem. He is extremely young, being 17 and rapping in front of extremely large shows. However unlike other rappers, who rap for the fame and fortune, Joey raps in hopes of one day getting his mom out of the projects, and with how his rap career is going right now, wont be long from now. His nice flow and sweet verses make him one of my favorite youn rappers today.

Patti Smith

I personally didnt like The Patti Smith album we listened to in class "Horses" Even though I did not particularly like it I can understand why some people do like it. The lyrics are at times hard to listen to just because in my opinion she has an awful voice, however they tell an interesting story. I am more of a guy that likes the sound than the lyrics themselves so with her abysmal singing it was hard for me to like it.

Stevie Wonder

This week in class we listened to an album by Stevie Wonder. I personally enjoyed it a lot, My favorite Stevie Wonder song is definitely "Superstition" I think that one it is an amazing song, and two that its truly incredible how he is playing almost all the instruments in the song. During theBud light  commercial it played Superstition and had Stevie Wonder shown in the commercial itself.

Superstition- Stevie Wonder

Led Zeppelin Movie

I personally really enjoyed the music performed in the movie we watched this week, however I found the documentary itself extremely boring. The fact alone that it was just continuously showing footage from their shows without any commentary or breaks from the show to actually talk about the band Led Zeppelin. My favorite song by Led Zeppelin has been Stairway from Heaven since I saw Waynes World in the third grade. What was your opinion on the documentary?

Stairway to Heaven- Led Zeppelin

Kanye West

Kanye West is one of my favorite rappers of all time, in my opinion he is a true musical genius. Signed with Jay-Z, at Roccafella Records, straight out of Chicago this young rapper has rised from running the underground mix tape scene to becoming a huge mainstream rapper. He currently has four albums and of them my favorite is definitely Graduation by far. The story told in songs like Diamonds From Sierra Leone and other songs are truly amazing.

Diamonds from Sierra Leone- Kanye West

The Last Waltz

I personally thought The Waltz Movie about The Band was okay. I have never been a huge Bob Dylan fan or a Band fan in general so I guess for me the documentary wasnt that special than if it was about The Beatles. However the soundtrack of Band songs throughout the film, were very good in my opinion and I plan on checking out more of The Band in the future.

The Last Waltz

Lil Wayne

In my opinion Lil Wayne is possibly the worst rapper out there today. None of his raps have any basis or story other than, getting women, and using illegal narcotics. He hails from New Orleans, where he grew up and started his rap career. Whats your opinion on Wayne?

Drop the World- Lil Wayne

Joni Mitchell

Honestly I think that the album by Joni Mitchell that we listened to in class last time was my favorite album we have thus far listened to this year. My favorite song out of all of them was definitely the last one, just because after really listening to it and analyzing the story line behind it it leaves a lot of unanswered questions, making me really wonder. I only found one flaw in Joni Mitchell and that being her voice would kind of like, I dont know how to exactly describe it but it would almost vibrate in a way... if that makes any sense. Overall listening to her in class definitely made me a new fan.

Last Time I Saw Richard- Joni Mitchell

Mac Miller

Mac Miller is a relatively new rap artist who hails from Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. While a lot of people have surrounded him with a ton of hype saying hes the next big thing, I would have to disagree. For me, his raps are too poppy and not enough about the actual story that they are telling, basically all he talks about is generally drinking cough syrup and partying.

Loud- Mac Miller

Zepp IV

Lately I havent really enjoyed the stuff we have been listening to in class as much as earlier in the year when we were listening to The Beatles... However I actually really liked Zepp IV. As Noah said, he could imagine a guy doing coke while listening to Black Dogs. So basically its really hardcore and awesome. My favorite song on Zepp IV would have to be Stairway to Heaven. The eight minute song is my favorite Zeppelin song. I personally love the instrumentals involved throughout the song.

Stairway To Heaven- Led Zeppelin

Rick Ross

I am just going to say this first, I am not a fan of Rick Ross. However he is becoming more and more popular as time goes on. Rick Ross separates himself from lots of other rappers in the sense that he is not about the whole poppy teen kind of scene. Rick Ross is ghetto and he is the voice of the streets. In an interview with Jamie Foxx, Jamie said that for the movie "Django: Unchained' Quentin Tarantino had Rick Ross write a song for it specifically because he symbolizes the ghetto, and the struggles of the streets.

100 Black Coffins- Rick Ross


The way this song was incorporated into Django, was pretty awesome, I suggest you check out both the song and the movie which is in theaters now.

Girl Talk

I thought that the documentary we watched in class about copyright infringement and Girl Talk was extremely interesting. It really made me think about whether or not it was really worth it to download a song illegally for free or watch a pirated movie that is still in theaters. The best part of the movie to me was definitely towards the end when he could no longer play Girl Talk music so instead he played  public music, and it was a very slow boring piano piece.

Girl Talk Live:

I personally think Girl Talk is awesome, however I am slightly conflicted because I do feel like pirating music is technically stealing, but groups like Girl Talk create amazing music off of it. Whats your opinion?

Kanye West

In my personal opinion, I believe that Kanye West is a musical genius, and an amazing performer. I saw him about two years ago at ACL, and he threw the best show that I have ever seen, and I think will ever see. His entrace in the middle of the crowd, to the crazy light show with lasers shooting overhead the crowd. His latest album "My Dark Twisted Fantasy" was one of my favorites by him, next to Late Registration.

Kanye West @ ACL

This was my favorite song that he performed at ACL in 2011, whats your opinion on Kanye? Will his legacy end up being better than Jay-Zs?

Dr. Dre

One of my favorite artists of all time would have to be rapper, and producer Dr. Dre. He had some amazing rap songs back in the 90s and even in the early 2000's. My personal favorite would have to be the famous song with Snoop Dogg, "Nuthin But A G-Thang" As well as him being a musical genius, he has also found some of the biggest rappers in the game today. Such as Eminem, 50 Cent, and the newest to join the rap world Kendrick Lamar.

Nuthin But A G Thang- Dr. Dre

The verses in this song are just so laid back, and it flows so perfectly making it one of my all time favorites.

Black Sabbath

I personally havent minded listening to Black Sabbath that much lately, especially because their first album isn't... that bad. Even though Ozzy Osbourne is a nut job in real life, he isn't that bad of an artist. My personal favorite off of their first album would have to be the classic, Iron Man.

Iron Man- Black Sabbath

The guitar in this song is just amazing, I can't understand a lot of the lyrics but thats a given with Ozzy.