Music
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In Defense of Aspiring Rappers Everywhere
On last night’s episode of FX’s awesomely awesome new show, the Donald Glover-helmed, Atlanta, there’s a scene towards the end where Earn’s kinda-sorta girlfriend but definitely baby mama, Vanessa, is doing that thing that people do when you tell them that you do “music”, she lets him know that being an aspiring rapper – or…
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An Ode To My Favorite Outkast Album, ATLiens, Which Is Now 20 Years Old
Outkast’s sophomore album, ATLiens, turned 20 years old on August 27, 2016. I would like to talk about it. For as long as I live, I will never forget where I was the moment I heard “Elevators (Me & U)” for the first time. I was on my way to pick up my boy E.…
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Atlanta Episode 3: "Going For Broke" Recap
“Can I just please get a kids meal?” One of the only good things to come out of the recent push to all things Hipster in the past couple of years is an ability to pass off bargain-basement decisions that come with being broke AF as a facet of Hipsterism. Pabst Blue Ribbon is trendy…
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King of Pain: 20 Years Later, Tupac Shakur’s Problematic Genius Still Haunts Us
The aphorism goes, “Stars are born, not made.” I understood this twice in childhood: the first time I saw Magic Johnson on television, and the moment in Digital Underground’s “Same Song” video when a resplendent Tupac Shakur burst into the public consciousness on a chariot, wearing a dashiki and kufi, and holding a scepter that…
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FX’s Atlanta Is Fucking Awesome. Signed, An ATLien.
I couldn’t wait for FX’s new series, Atlanta, to hit the screen. Ninety percent of my excitement is that it’s named after a city I like to call home. ZONE 4 ADAMSVILLE. WHAT! The other ten percent is because of all the press and promotion done on behalf of the show. If you watch television…
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Atlanta Episodes 1 + 2 Recap
When I was in the fifth grade I had a huge crush on this guy name Lonnie. Lonnie was one school year older than me and barely knew I was alive but for some reason one day he decided to strike up a conversation. I’ll never forget it. It was 3pm on a Wednesday during…
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So, Let's Talk About This Frank Ocean "Blonde/Blond" Album.
Pigs flew and hell froze over for a weekend as Frank Ocean finally dropped not one, but two projects with his long form video “Endless” and his looooooooooong anticipated follow up to Channel Orange, Blonde, which is stylized as Blond according to every musical publication. Thing is, if it’s labeled as Blond on the cover, why…