music lit portfolio

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Matt RayosMusic & Literature

PortfolioMay 24, 2011

Song Reviews

Mac Miller- The Spins

Growing up through the 90¶s, and hearing different types of rap/hip hop caused

Malcolm ³Mac Miller´ McCormick to come up with his own music. At eight years old, he

began ³spitting his own raps,´ and a few years later he dropped a few mixtapes. After

graduating high school, all of his hard work paid off, this is because in July 2010, Wiz

Khalifa signed him. Being signed is big, but after high school; and by Wiz Khalifa, must

have been not just a dream come true, but surreal. Especially since they are from the

same city, they have a lot they can relate to. Now, after just graduating from high

school, his popularity is growing off the charts! With the combination of the hot artist,

Wiz Khalifa, and now the ever more popular, Mac Miller, they are putting Pittsburgh on

the map with their hot beats and lyrics. There are not many white rappers out there,

especially who just graduated high school, but this one is something to look out for in

the upcoming future.



Ke$ha Review

Dear Ke$ha,

Your music makes me want to cut my own ears off after I hear your song for the

100th time within a days span! I mean, seriously, get a new beat or sound, so it doesn¶t

sound the same for every song you sing! Once you sing (or attempt) a song that doesn¶t

have to do with partying or having fun with your girls, then maybe we can call it music;

but until then, it is just the same song to a different beat/ or tempo. Stop waking up in

the morning and feeling like ³P. Diddy,´ and start making music with actual musical

talent and lyrics. It takes actual talent such as a good voice/vocals and good songs to

be named a successful artist, and let me tell you, you are far from having both of those!

Your voice makes a piercing noise every time I hear it because I know it is going to be a

techno beat saying I was stupid this night and this is what happened, well we know you

like to party and do stupid things, but the sad thing is that you think this is quality music.

So nice try coming up with ³good music,´ but it still doesn¶t impress me!

Sincerely,

Matt Rayos



Misc. Review(Has to do with Ke$ha and technology)

With all the new technology, and all the new ways of doing music, the

possibilities are endless in ten years. When my parents and I talked about music when

we would watch such shows as ³100 Top One Hit Wonders´ and ³100 Songs of the

90¶s,´ my dad would say that there would be more one hit wonders in our generation

(my) compared to theirs. They have the top 100, but we couldn¶t even have a show for

the entire one hit wonders in my generation. Also, now a day, they do not care about

quality, they care about quantity. This will get worse as time goes on throughout the

next 10 years. If you have looks, and maybe even an interesting story/background, they

can make you a star by the technology; such as auto-tune. The variety of music will

probably be the same, but more technologically involved. So I think that more hip hop,

rap, and techno will be popular over the actual ³talented´ singer(s), because the actual

singer(s) doesn¶t make the money or the fame as the other ³non-talented´ artists out

there.

Drake- Thank Me Later Review



Rags to riches is not the story of Aubrey Drake Graham, instead, it is the rich to

richer story. Some would say, ³He was at third base, and thought he hit a triple.´ In other

words, Graham was born into the life and luxury throughout his whole life; he never

lived in the ³ghetto´ or had to sell drugs on the corner just to survive. Drake talks about

partying and having the ³good life,´ but we don¶t need him to tell us that. Anyone familiar

with hip hop/ rap music has long known that it is not all about partying and getting girls,

it is about something more than that. It is about rapping with a meaning, to make that

impact with their lyrics, and their beat. It is about the music, and the love going into

creating the music. Drake does not appreciate this quality of creating the music he

does, and neither do some of his fans. As Tyler Brown states,´ Songs containing

uninspired lyrics filled with misogyny where said rapper doesn¶t even submit an idea on,

just a flawed attempt to put on a No.1 single. Needless to say, it is shameful in every

sense of the word.´ This describes Drake, and all of his music throughout his album,

Thank Me Later , in that, he is only trying to create a catchy song to get money, instead

of coming out with quality music.

Blink 182- I Miss You



A powerful bass strung sound, with a slow paced beat makes you feel the

heartbreak throughout this whole song with ³I Miss You´ by Blink 182. You can feel the

pain of having your heart torn out of your chest when he says, ³Hello there the angel

from my nightmare,´ and how things turned out badly throughout the relationship.

Betrayal is a terrible feeling when you are in a relationship, and you get a sense of that

feeling when he says, ³And hear your voice of treason.´ The poor guy had his heart

ripped out not just because of an argument, but because she was a traitor.

He did not expect to have all of this happen or be hurt by this person, but he was.

After time goes on, he still can¶t get over what happened, as he states, ³And as I stared

I counted the webs from all the spiders.´ The heartbroken feeling can be fixed over time,

but will be a long and hard process. Especially when the person you love leaves you

and is a traitor when it comes to your heart.

K ill Your Idol

Disillusion



I have heard bad lyrics, beats, and songs, but the one of the worst albums I have

ever heard has to be Thank Me Later by Drake. This album has to be one of the worst

overall albums I have heard in my lifetime! You would think that once you are on

Degrassi: The Next Generation that you would try to continue acting in another

television show(s) or go into movies, but like Drake did what only some actors or

actresses do, they went into music. Aubrey Drake Graham is known as his hip hop artist

name as ³Drake,´ and I must say, how original. This album got positive reviews from

Rolling Stone and Vh1, but there are just as many fans and prime sponsors/ big

corporations that did not give positive feedback about not just this album, but Drake

himself. But as Tyler Brown states, ³The current state of mainstream Rap music is

wounded at best. Artists like T-Pain, Soulja Boy and current-day Snoop Dogg are all

topping the Billboard 200 charts while frequently producing some of the worst excuse

for µmusic¶ I have ever had the misfortune of hearing. Auto-tune runs rampant like the

crabs or gonorrhea that I¶m sure they all have from sleeping around with groupies.

Songs containing uninspired lyrics filled with misogyny where said rapper doesn¶t even

submit an idea on, just a flawed attempt to put a No.1 single. Needless to say, it is

shameful in every sense of the word.´ Tyler Brown wrote this in an album review of

Thank Me Later and I agree completely with Tyler Brown in this statement. Drake is one

of the biggest users besides T-Pain that uses auto-tune, and he still can¶t make his

voice sound creative in his music and weak beats. Some people may think that his

beats are good but they all sound repetitive and the whole album doesn¶t flow right

either with this beats. Now the lyric, that is a whole different topic, they are just flat out

awful! You would think that if you had bad lyrics that you would rap fast to them right?



Well Drake, he does not rap fast, he does not even rap, and he talks. I mean when you

hear artists they either flow with the beat and rap, or use their voice and make it really

stand out, but Drake does neither. I do not understand how anyone would want to give

this guy a record deal or even allow him in the building! If I was in charge of a record

company, and I heard this guys voice, I would want to replace the glass in the studio

just incase there was damage because if I could not handle that awful voice, how could

the glass? I mean it would be a miracle if the glass wouldn¶t break. If Drake learned how

to use his voice and have it flow with his beats, then maybe, just maybe he could be as

he would say, ³successful.´

Counter-argument

But on the other hand, there are fans and critics on every side of an argument or

issue, and now that we have heard the critic side, lets hear the fans side. Tyler Brown

says, ³Though Drake¶s first release is in no way ground breaking or, in some places,

remarkable, is still a very pleasant listen, producing some songs that will be in rotation



does, and neither do some of his fans. As Tyler Brown states,´ Songs containing

uninspired lyrics filled with misogyny where said rapper doesn¶t even submit an idea on,

just a flawed attempt to put on a No.1 single. Needless to say, it is shameful in every

sense of the word.´ This describes Drake, and all of his music throughout his album,

Thank Me Later , in that, he is only trying to create a catchy song to get money, instead

of coming out with quality music.

F ancy Review

Many people assume that Drake is a superstar because he was on Degrassi:

The Next Generation, and now twenty-four year old Drake is trying the rap/ hip hop

artist role now. It is often said that there are mixed reviews on his music, both good and

bad. But Drake tries to go for the catchy lyrics that aren¶t so catchy, or a catchy saying

that gets annoying after the fifth time you hear the pathetic excuse for music or musical

talent. Drake lauds women when he says, ³Oh you fancy huh. Nails done, hair done,

everything done.´ But why make a song about why women are so ³fancy?´ When Tyler

Brown of sputnikmusic.com states, ³The current state of mainstream Rap music is

wounded at best, ³you can see why Drake is on his list for this ³mainstream Rap music.´

With lyrics from, ³Trim heals all, and heels hurt to walk in,´ to ³unless you play these

suckers just like B.O.B play the guitar,´ you can tell Drake doesn¶t have strong lyrics.

But I guess when you were in Degrassi: The Next Generation, and you were raised a

trust fund no talent wannabee hip hop artist, this is the best you can do. Tyler Brown

reminds us that, ³Auto-tune runs rampant like crabs or gonorrhea that I¶m sure they all

have from sleeping around with groupies.´ Basically, Brown is saying that auto-tune is

the new thing of music and becoming more widespread, but is this musical talent? I



agree that auto-tune is becoming more widespread, a point that needs emphasizing

since so many people believe that auto-tuning is actual music or takes actual musical

talent.

Miss Me Review

You can see in the song title alone, that it is going to be about Drake yet again. And

when you hear the song, it talks about getting girls (as usual) and having Lil Wayne say

what he has to say about getting girls as well. But when you read the lyrics to this song

you really do realize how cocky Drake is, such as when he states, ³So tonight is like

tomorrow night. I will have a model wife, Your b-tch is as hot as ice. Every time you see

me I look like I hit the lotto twice.´ I mean who says that about themselves? Also, when

he says, ³I love Nicki Minaj, I told her, I¶d admit it, I hope one day we got married, just to

say we f-cking did it.´ Then comes Lil Wayne¶s part and he says, ³Beat that pussy up,

call me Larry Holmes. Young Money¶s Jerry Sloan. I turn every stone. When she

masturbate to me, that¶s how she learn every song.´ As you can see, he holds nothing

back when he speaks about ³getting some.´ But just because this has Lil Wayne¶s name

on it, it will be noticed a lot more compared to many other songs on this album. Yet

even though these lyrics are vulgar, they will go unnoticed because people do not worry

about the quality anymore; it is all about the quality. But personally, I would waste my

money or time listening to terrible lyrics, beats, and rhymes from this pathetic attempt of

a rapper in Drake and awful lyrics by Lil Wayne.

Stain on popular music



The stain of this album is not on just this album, it is on many albums across the

board in all different types of music. Music is not all about the quality, it is about just

making money and get as much quantity as possible. Sadly this album is what

mainstream music is like, and it is a pathetic excuse for music but that is just how it is

unfortunately. I mean even one of Drake¶s ³biggest fan´ said he wasn¶t impressed with

the album, the fan begins with,

³Dear Mr. Graham,

Being the designated biggest Drake fan amongst my friends, I definitely had a couple a

listens to your debut album, before its June 15

th

release date. And while everyone says

it sucks and complains about you singing too much and yadayadayada, I realized the

true problem:

Your track list is horrible-

You have songs that you¶re singing, songs that you¶re rapping, songs that are a

combination of you singing and rapping, songs that are really for women, songs that are

really for doods (e.g. blasting in cars), and songs that are oddly in a way, very suitable

for both.´ As you can see, this fan is not happy with the quality of this album because

the songs are as if they were on shuffle mode and they just did not fit in the right order.

Now popular or mainstream music has some good music, but can only be played so

many times till people get sick of the same song(s) being played over and over and over

again within an hour, or even different radio stations. To me, this album made me

realize that you can only take so much mainstream music, that is why I look for more



underground music because it is new, different, and the artists are a lot more driven

compared to mainstream artists were they do it just for the money and fame of having

the title as an ³artist.´ I mean I have been following Wiz Khalifa ever since the beginning

of last school year, and now that he is more mainstream, you can see a big impact on

his music and now even his look. Sadly, once you become mainstream, most of the

time, they conform into what people want them to be, and not stay who they were. But

popular music is determined by who listens to that music, because mainstream is

maybe what people listen to, or there are people who like underground music, or rock or

other types of music. Popular is different for everybody¶s liking, because what one

person or group may like, other people may not like.

Music and My Philosophy of Life

Music is just not a category, it is not just beats or noises and tones put together,

it is not just one or two people singing, it is more than that. Music is something that has

been around for hundred of thousands of years, and has had many battles staying alive

throughout the years.

African Americans used music to communicate with each other so the slave

owners would not understand what they were saying or talking about. Over the years

the music turned into Jazz, Blues, Rock, Metal, Rap, and even Hip Hop, and now there

are even more kinds of music. Jazz had to have their name changed, had numerous

people outraged with the kind of music they were playing because people thought it



influenced bad things/ influence people to do bad things. It seems as if people are

influenced by music, even if they do not listen to the music themselves. People wanted

to outlaw Jazz but even if people did not listen to the music, they were still involved in it.

Along with Blues, Blues was sung to talk about the hardships in life and everyday

struggles through music. Music back in the day let people of all colors have a voice,

even when outside of music, they had no voice. Blacks had limited rights, and had life

rough, but through music, they could express themselves and help get the message out

to people through the music they created. When Rock and Metal came into play, you

had a lot of white men doing the music during that time, but they still sent out a

message, but it wasn¶t necessarily about them all the time. In this class I have learned

that to really understand a song or album, you have to read the lyrics and understand or

interpret what they are trying to say. Without music in our lives what would we have or

do? Who would have a voice when their voice does not matter in real life? Music helps

us express ourselves and express how we feel or helps us understand things in life.

That is why there are so many different kinds of music out there, this is because there

are so many different types of people and they have different types of preferences in

music.

I know that if it were not for music, I would not be able to get pumped up for

games, or events, I would not be able to focus on doing this paper or my homework or

even go to sleep and wake up. I mean moms sing lullabies to us when we were little

and that¶s considered music, what would we do with out that music? Babies everywhere

wouldn¶t be able to sleep if it were not for the lullabies. I mean when I wake up I listen to

music off my computer or on the television as I am getting ready for school or



something in the morning, and the same happens when I go to bed. I listen to music

before I go to bed if I can¶t sleep or if I am stressed to try to help sooth me so I can get

or attempt to get a good nights sleep. But what I really use music for is for before games

and such because when I put on that music, it gets the blood flowing and gets the

adrenaline up and nothing beats getting pumped before a football game for example.

Even for baseball games I listen to music, it may not all be the same music as football,

but it is there to do the same job. I mean I even listen to music when I do my homework

and such because it helps keep me calm, concentrated, and collected throughout doing

my homework because I get distracted easily and I can be a procrastinator, so music

helps keep me on track throughout my whole task(s). There is also music I put on in my

car because when I drive whether by myself or with friends, I like to jam my music and

do what they call ³bump´ and just blast my music. I mean most of the time when I am

not doing homework, sports, or hanging with friends, I am looking up new music and

new underground artists. Music makes me interested and makes me want to try and

find and listen to new artists that are not mainstream yet, because once they become

mainstream, their music changes and look and everything about them in which what

made them so great.

But even though I may listen to more Rap and Hip Hop over country and such

types of music, does not mean I do not like that kind of music. Everyone is different in

their own way, and that is what makes you, your own person. But just like how people

say opposites attract or how someone may be completely different than someone else,

music is the same way. Even though music is so different in the variety of forms of

music, music is still what brings everyone together.



Look at spring break events or concerts, what would all those people do without

the music? How could people express themselves if it were not for music? I honestly

believe that people would not be able to express themselves or feel as free to express

themselves without the music. Music is everyone¶s voice to express themselves.

Freedom of speech and our independence is what makes this country great, and even

though some people may not agree on allowing people to say whatever they want, it

makes artists truly express themselves. I mean look at N.W.A., they were allowed to

publically announce ³F Da Police´ after Rodney King beating, and that is what made

them who they were. They were not afraid to speak their minds on any issue, and they

had many followers/fans for doing what they did.

Sometimes music even helps us or shows up how we feel or how to feel. I mean

when I am upset I try to listen to songs that will cheer me up and help me not think

about the bad thing or things that is going on at that time. But there is also the good side

of it as well, I mean when I am in a happy mood I listen to good, I guess you can say

party or dance, songs to help me stay in that mood. But there is also the music that

makes you realize things, whether in your life or about someone else¶s life. I know this

because just by reading lyrics compared to just listening to songs, you get the full

understanding and background behind the song and maybe even the music video. I

mean even a simple song like, ³This Land is Your Land,´ shows you how diverse our

country can be, but the music brings up as together. Just how people have a leader,

music influences people in many different ways.

3 Music/Memory Vignettes



Vamos a La Playa

The first time I heard the song V amos A La Playa I started to crack up because it played

on one of the warm up CD¶s for baseball on our senior night. But after I heard it I started

to like it the more and more I heard it. Well ever since that night, every varsity baseball

player has been singing it and we kept that CD so we could always play at our games

for warm ups. Even though this is the most recent memory, it has definitely been one of

the funniest! Seeing some of the guys dance has been hilarious by itself and how word

spread about the song around school amazed me. I mean just the other day I showed

some friends the song and they liked it so much they showed it to their friends and such



and now almost everyone in the school has been singing the song. It is also funny to

hear people who do not know the words (like me) try to sing because it makes it that

much better to watch. You will hear, ³Vamos a la playa, blah blah blah blah blah blah,´

almost every time you hear someone trying to sing that song. Everytime I hear that song

I not only think of senior night, but I also think of my friend and teammate Colton Reif

who was not only laughing when we heard the music, but also dancing along with the

music. Colton is one of those guys who looks like a baseball player and is super smart

(like 4.0 G.P.A. smart) and he is one of the whitest white guys you will ever meet, and

seeing Colton dance along toV

amos a La Playa was priceless. There was also Hunter

Serrato was dancing along with the music in the dugout before the game, and he has

this little dance that he does that is so hard to describe, I am not going to even bother.

But seeing Hunter, Colton and some of the other senior guys dancing along with the

music put us in a lot better mood than the one we were in before. Win or loss (even

though we lost), that game was probably the most fun because we had a good clean

pregame, and we had a lot of fun doing it as well. But when you have parents taking

pictures, dancing along, and having just as much fun as we were before and during and

even after the game, it was definitely worth playing that song. Now every time I hear

that song I want to dance how we danced that day, and I stop and think, what a great

group of guys I played with this year. Even though we did not have the best season, we

still came together as a team and had fun whether we won or lost. It is also weird to

discover there was so many different versions of this song as well, because this was a

hit song last year during summer 2010,and all I am going to say is that we are bringing

back this song for summer 2011!



Wiz Khalifa Songs

There are actually two songs that I am going to be writing about in this portion and

those two songs are Y oung, Wild, and Free, and No Sleep by Wiz Khalifa. I chose these

two songs because no matter how many times I listen to them both, I can never get sick

and tired of listening to them. They may get caught in my head every once and a while,

but they are both fun songs to sing whether with friends or by yourself. Both of these

songs are upbeat and good positive songs that can literally make your frown go upside

down because it just helps put you in a good mood. That is why I love listening to these

two songs! These songs can cheer me up from being in a sad, bad, or crabby mood



anytime day of the week. I mean every morning before school and on the weekends I

listen to No Sleep, no matter if I am in a bad mood or not. I mean its just a fun song to

listen to and sing along to, it is hard not to be in a good while listening to it. I think I like

these songs so much because it reminds me that I am still young, wild, and free, I have

only a few short years before life really hits me after I graduate college and I want to

enjoy myself before that happens. I mean whether I am driving to hang out with friends

or they drive me, we always listen to no sleep because we want to ³live it up like it¶s the

weekend´ as Wiz Khalifa would say in No Sleep. I mean every time I hear it, I think of

the weekend or what happened over the weekend how it is like an anthem for this

summer because sadly to say, this is the last summer I will have with my friends until

they come back (but they will have their own things)from college. Then in Y oung, Wild,

and Free Wiz Khalifa and Snoop Dogg talk about being a teenager and just going out

and having a good time with your friends. I mean what better way to live your life. I

remember when I first heard the first time I heard Y oung, Wild, and Free, me and my

friends were going to meet up with some of our other buddies and we were just jamming

out to it and having a good old time on the car ride over to our friends house. The first

time I hear No Sleep, it was me and my friend was playing new music on the way back

to my house after a half day, and I asked for her to play me some Wiz Khalifa. Man I fell

in love with this song when I heard it and I can¶t forget that car ride either because we

had a lot of fun just driving around and hanging out.

Mambo #5



Oh man I used to listen to this song, Mambo #5 , everyday when I was a little kid. My

mom would get annoyed with me every time I played it, but I did not car, it was just a fun

dance and sing a long song (even though I did not know all the words). But the reason

why I remember this song so well is because I remember when I was probably seven or

eight years old ( I think) my family surprised my great-grandparents with anniversary

party for their wedding anniversary (I am not sure on which one it was). But I was all

supped up on sugar and pop from candy and kiddy cocktails that I was a dancing fool

out on the dance floor. Well the DJ asked if anybody had any requests to go up to the

front and tell him the song and such. Being seven or eight years old, I was a shy kid

back in the day and I tried convincing my dad to go up with me but he was busy talking

and hanging out with family he hadn¶t seen in a while. Well I stood over by my dad

because I always wanted to be like my dad, and I got bored of not dancing, so I went

back out on the dance floor. But I couldn¶t handle not hearing my song! So I went up to

my mom and see if she would go up with me to talk to the guy to request a song. Well



she said no as well because she was gossiping with the other moms (as usual). So my

grandma came up with me and introduced the guy to me so I wasn¶t as shy with him

and told him the song I wanted to hear. The song I wanted to hear was Mambo #5 and

when that song went on, I went crazy. I was dancing everywhere on the dance floor and

people circled up around me because I had the crowds eyes on me. Well once that

song was done, I kept on going up every half an hour to an hour and eventually the

parents had to grab me away from the DJ because I requested the song at least three

times in an hour. But I remember having a bunch of kiddy cocktails and food and just

having a fun time dancing to what is still one of my favorite songs. I mean who didn¶t

love kiddy cocktails or dancing? I mean one of the times, my great-grandparents came

out to dance with me because they liked the song too, man that was one of the best

times I have ever had with my family and I wouldn¶t trade that moment or that song for

the world.

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