6B -- The ichigan Daily Weekend agazine - Thursday, January 29, 1998 w DIA Continued from Page 2B Numerous other works by lesser- known artists illustrate the vastly dif- fering artistic styles of the 20th Century. If asked about museumgoers' favorite Dl A painting, any museum gift shop worker would tel! you that it is William Adolphe Bouguereau's 1882 work, "The Nutgatherers," which hangs in the European Paintings gal- leries. This painting, which shows two young peasant girls sitting in a mead- ow, exemplifies the French Academic des Beaux-Arts style. It is the most- visited painting in the museum and shoppers buy more postcards of it than of any other work on display at the DIA. But despite the nearly universal appeal of Bouguereau's painting, muse- um visitors should not neglect brilliant pieces in this and neighboring galleries by Paul Cezanne, Edgar Degas, Georges Seurat and Vincent Van Gogh. Other galleries have equally fasci- nating displays. In the Asian archives, museum visitors will find themselves in rooms full of nothing but oversized statues. The American Galleries include a replica of an entire 19th- Century house, complete with contem- porary furniture and paintings. In addition to the standard DIA fare, the museum frequently hosts special exhibits, such as the recent, critically acclaimed "Splendors of Ancient Egypt." The show left Detroit after attracting an astounding record num- ber of museum patrons. Several special exhibitions are on display until Feb. 28. "Changing Spaces," a compilation of twelve installation art projects, is the result of a collaboration between artists work- ing in non-textile media. "Contemporary Masterpieces: Selections From the Permanent Collection," was created to spotlight some of the museum's newest and most controversial works from the lat- ter half of the 20th Century. A third special exhibition, "Early Modern Masterpieces. Selections From the Permanent Collection," fea- tures more works from the gallery col- lection which were made prior to 1948. Pieces in this exhibition highlight works from the School of Paris, German Expressionism and early European and American Modernism. Finally, "A Celebration of Lithography: Nineteenth-Century Invention and Innovation" opened just days ago and marks the 200th annivei- sary of the inventior of lithography, a printmaking technique. Among the pieces on display are works by Honore Daumier, Eugene Delacroix, Edouard Manet and Henri de Tou'ousc-Lautrec. It takes just as long to get to the DIA as it does to get to Michigan State. and the trip to Detroit is much more intel- lectually inspiring. For the bargain price of SI (student admission), the history and art of the world is yours to see. And you can even eat in Greektown when you're done. The Michigan Daily Weekend M! ® Music Feature Rakim produces innovative hip-hop The Detroit Institute of Arts 5200 Woodward Ave., Detroit, Mich. 48202 Hours: Wednesdays-Fridays 11 a.m.-4 p.m.; weekends 11 am.-5 p.m. Directions: Take U.S. 23 north to M-14 east, then continue on 1-96 east. Take the left off-ramp to 1-94 northeast, then turn right onto Woodward Ave. 76 ,4ta etec 4 Soeec atek ae Z& e4 Oe / id 4 c,7 d, & 2 4 e et exd t l4e e eet4u% cy6 : 57M Wme O94&6w, a/991cct aife e" 975-6720 *assiedkd Saw. ?e Zee 669-9207 fde a ue!aud~eda By Laurence Lowe For the Daily When Dr. Dre released "The Chronic" five years ago, the rap land- scape experienced, for better or for worse, the most radical transforma- tion of its brief history. Since then, two prominent rappers have been shot and killed, one record executive has been jailed and another has such a tight stranglehold on the main- stream that MTV has toyed with the idea of renaming itself "Puffy Productions." The "b-boy" has been replaced by it Mafioso aesthetic and today's videos are illuminated by Vegas- neon rather than the chiaroscuro that so deftly mirrored the streets from which the artists came. In the past five years, the art form of hip-hop has made a noticeable departure from its roots. This is not to say that the industry is experiencing a downfall - on the contrary, rap was the most innovative and groundbreaking music to emerge from the 1980s. Also, regardless of the praise that has been handed to Brian Eno and Kraftwerk, it is the most obvious catalyst for the present electronic-music movement. Hip-hop continues to influence every facet of popular culture on an international level. Some have point- ed to Rakim Allah's latest work to further support the claim that rap music will "not go gentle into that good night." The Brooklyn-raised Rakim, whose collaborations with turntableist Eric Barrier yielded him legendary status as the "greatest MC to cver rock the mike." has released RECYCLE THE DAI LY. QUALITY DRY CLEANING & SHIRT SERVICE 332 Maynard (Across from Nickels Arcade) M44 1*~ his irst solo effort, "The 18th Letter." He has enlisted such rap visionaries as DJ Premier, Clark Kent and Pete Rock to fill the production role previously held by Eric B. Because Rakim last released a full- length LP five years ago, expecta- tions for the album are high and pres- sure to succeed is coming from vari- ous directions. Many fans and critics wonder whether the aging Rakim can breathe life back into a music once defined by its ability to constantly change. On a first glance at the album cover, shoppers might notice that the obligatory "Parental Advisory" label is absent. In the CD booklet, they will find paintings as well as graffiti art, some hailing the b-boy aesthetic, others depicting African deities. Listeners are greeted by Rakim's voice, in which swagger and thought- ful reserve naturally coalesce. An unidentified man questions, "What are you giving them back?" Dramatic pause. "What I'm giving them back is what they've been waiting for - skills." This introduction segues into the title track, one of at least five songs demonstrating the obvious influence of the Wu-Tang Clan. An ominous soundscape created by a scratchy string section, far from looting a style, pays homage to Wu-producer Rza. Rakim bobs and weaves in and out of the beat like a shadow boxer, approaching his art in the busi- nesslike fashion for which he is revered. The MC's braggadocio is not lost on "It's Been a Long Time," in which he unabashedly reinforces his own legend: "The crowd couldnt wait to see this / Nobody been this long awaited since Jesus." Produced by DJ Premier of the now-reunited Gangstarr, "It's Been a Long Time" is one of the strongest tracks on the album for its vintage-Primo horn samples and Rakim's "Follow the Leader"-like lyrics that hearken back to his earlier days. "When I'm Flowin," the album's final new track (not counting the two remixes that close the album), is another highlight, with its samples of other-worldly sounds like those ema- nating from the spaceship in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." Echoing water droplets and a jazz- inflected piano support fierce rhymes like "Crowds are screamin' / I choke the mike and keep squeezin' / Styles seemin' like I used a thousand words without breathing." But the cut that stands out most is the second single off the album, "Guess Who's Back." It has every- thing one might ask of a Rakim Allah track: battle rhymes, bravado, symbi- otic interplay between the DJ and the MC, and a "tear tha roof off the sucka" breakbeat. When Ra declares "Some of the things that I know will be in your next bible / So when I die go bury me and my notebook in Cairo," listeners are left in such awe that they uncon- sciously gravitate toward the repeat button on their CD players. Other than those mentioned, the rest of the tracks are mediocre at best. Although the album is largely incon- sistent, anyone who attended Rakim's State Theater performance this past Sunday could attest that no current Rakim's new album, "The 181 MC can rival his stage prey was the meta-rapping kn bearer of old, and his freest tighter than spandex. But even though Rakim was successfully reinforce be dangerous to entrust the an entire art form to one matter how awe-inspiring might be. Such an action justified if it was necessar music is in no need of a Chr The thinly populated underground rejoices ever r I I i Serving Pick-x e 7 F, V, % i 1 *1 *1 11 t 'd, i 1,' 4* ,' I *- # k, K" 4", ". li * i *' t k, " & &~ #r.