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4B - The Michigan Daily - Weekend Magazine - Thursday, October 17, 2002
The Michigan Daily - Weekend Magazii
AML
Continued from Page 3B
I was upset when I heard that.
TMD: I was upset too. It killed me,
because Ja Rule might my least favorite
person in hip-hop music.
DJ Haircut: In history, maybe.
TMD: Do you guys feel like hip-hop
is struggling? A lot of guys who are held
up by the labels as the paradigm, like
"this is hip-hop," really aren't making the
kind of music that real hip-hop fans want
to listen to. What do you think people
can do to get it back to a better place?
Sonny Star: Actual hip-hophas been
dying for the last few years. Everybody
can always say "it used to be this, it used
to be that," but you kind of have to say
that since hip-hop used to be used for a
different thing than what its being used
for now.
And if it is still being used correct-
ly, it's only being done by a few select
artists, and even those artists that I still
respect veer off sometimes and do
what they need to do to keep their
jobs. So, the people that I hold up as
the best right now, I can respect cer-
tain things that they do, but not every-
thing that they say or are about.
TMD: So is Nas an example of that?
Sonny Star: Nas is an example, Jay-
Z is an example. Whoever people are lis-
tening to the most right now commer-
cially, there are certain things I like them
for and other things which I don't look to
get from them.
Vital: See, and this is another thing
about hip-hop. People like to stratify the
whole thing, separating the commercial
and underground, trying to make them
different when, in fact, they're really not.
You get a lot of bull from Nas and Jay-Z,
but at the same time, when they do hip-
ip hop is getting better right now.
We've seen some dark days, but I am
optimisic that the state of things is
getting etthatow.
- DJ Haircut
F3
ELITE ENTERTAINMENT EXPOSI
In a world of shady characters and dirty deals,
I this is just business as usual.
hop, they do it the best. I'm not going to
go out and get every new Roc-A-Fella
album, but at the same time, when you
hear them do a track or a collabo(ration)
track and it's on some hip-hop stuff, they
do it better than some of the underground
cats in the first place.
Sonny Star: There's the same bullshit
in the commercial stuff as there is in the
underground stuff. The underground
ain't all that it's cracked up to be. People
shouldn't be categorizing either one.
Buff(1): A lot of times when we get
interviewed or when we just talk to peo-
ple, they automatically assume that -
since we would fall into the underground
category - we're anti-industry, hate
everything on TV and don't listen to the
radio, but the fact is that there's a lot of
stuff on TV that I love. All of us like to
party and have fun, but when you see
people repeating the same things over
and over again, it kind of gets tiring.
Sonny Star: Doing stuff, like singing,
that maybe (people like Ja Rule) should-
n't be into or do more than once.
DJ Haircut: I also just wanted to
bring up something which I've said in
other interviews, and that is the trend that
in the last five years, rap music has more
or less become pop music. That is some-
thing that has not happened to hip-hop
before, and I feel like that changes a lot
of things in the way that the public looks
at hip-hop - the way that records are
sold.
Never has there been a time when hip-
hop records have sold more copies. It
went from NWA, where society was
threatened by listening to hip-hop ..
Sonny Star: Now, if you're a part of
society, how can you not listen to hip-
hop?
DJ Haircut: ... to now, when hip-hop
is standard on the radio and MTV
Texture: I won't be surprised if in the
next presidential campaign, there are
rappers rapping campaign slogans
Vital: Even with all that, I love hip-
hop right now, only because I love
what we do and I believe in what we
do, and that's hip-hop. So I love it for
what it is because I am able to do it,
and there are a lot of people out there
still that I respect that are doing it. I
don't like to compare the state of hip-
hop, you know, what it is and what it's
gonna be, because it is always a jaded
view however you look at it.
So, I'm just gonna look at it right now.
Will it go back to the days of old? No, it's
not gonna go back to the days of old;
that's impossible. I don't even want to see
it go back to the days of old. I want to see
what the next step is.
DJ Haircut: I will say that I think that
hip-hop is getting better right now. We've
seen some dark days, but I am optimistic
that the state of things is getting better
now.
Buff(1): The way that I'm looking at
it now, somebody out there is trying to
blow up cats like Mos Def, Kweli, and
Slum Village. These people are getting
television and radio opportunities that
they never got before, so I think it's good
right now.
See AML, Page 5B
Don't bother with most of disc two.
BILLBOARD
TOP 10.
1. Elvis: 30 #1 Hits, Elvis
Presley - The "i" is a "1."
Man, that's classic!
2. Forty Licks, The Rolling
Stones - Whoever decided to
run the TV commercial for this
twice back to back should die.
3. Man vs. Machine, Xzibit
- This is Xzactly what we
hate about music.
4. American Idol: Greatest
Moments, Soundtrack - This
won't break the bank, because it's
only a single. Get it? Because it's
so short ... Because they're not
good.
5. Home, Dixie Chicks - It
hurts our ears when you play.
6. Let Go, Avril Lavigne - We
don't care how many ties you have,
you are still awful.
7. The Young and the
Hopeless, Good Charlotte -
a.k.a. Blink 183.
8. Nellyville, Nelly - How
can he even pretend to act
tough when he is hanging out
with boy bands?
9. The Eminem Show,
Eminem - How does VH 1 get
off putting his second album
on the Ultimate Album show?
10. Believe, Disturbed -
That Steve Austin song ruled.
JEFF DICKERSON -SOMETHINGLEVER
:nV PLEASE WELCOME BACK
THE CLASS OF 1987
at ever happened to quality children's television (Mom, I can't believe you didn't buy that for me on nmy 6th
progratming? Maybe we were lucky or just plain birthday) or the Cobra Hydrofoil, constructing your soon-to-
spoiled, but the '8s was a great trile to a kid. be-toy was a mission in itself. The hardest part for me was
sue there were bad.times throughout the decade, think the never getting the pieces to fit together, but getting those
whole Iran-contra fiasco and the introduction of Dan Quayle pesky stickers in the right places. Most people don't under-
to the world, but-- more importantly.- - there was also a stand, but sticker placement is an art, an art I genuinely
buttload of great cartoons. sucked at, This is where my dad came in handy, although one
Oh, how I've always dreamed of going back to those sim-.misplaced sticker or tear would disrupt the whole father-son
pie times of Frankenberry cereal and Reaganomics. Well, it bond for weeks.
looks like my dream may have finally come true. Last year "G.I. Joe" returned with a new comic book
Over the extended weekend (some people have dubbed series from Image. It quickly became one of the most popu-
the brief sabbatical as."fall break") I had'a lot of free time on lar comics, and before you could say "Yo Joe!" there were
my hands. ..I between games of NCAA Football 2003 (Go..dozens of new toys on store shelves across the country. Let's
Hoosiers) and reruns of "Full House,"I stumbled on to an hope they make another version of the U.S.S. Flagg, which
episode of "Masters of the Universe" on The Cartoon, still has to be the single largest toy vehicle ever made in
Network, but this was not the He-Man I remembered. Thailand.
Gone were the pansy Hannah-Barbara animations and the "G.. Joe" was a landmark TV series, but my personal
slightly homoerotic'storylines between.Prince Adam and favorites were those heroes in a half shell, the world's most
Man-At-Arms. This edition of "Masters of the Universe" fearsome fighting team, the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles."
was sleek,.sexy and more adult-oriented than its predecessor. In what has to be the most absurd concept in mass media of
There were no signs of Orco or Dolph Lundgren, and He- the past century, scratch that - ever, Kevin Eastman and
Man himself looked as if he had spent most of his time at Peter Laird created a cultural phenomenon in 1984 with their
Gold's Gym popping Ritalin. Was this a dream? I checked bizarre Ninja-trained-Renaissance-named-reptilian comic
the other channels to make sure my biological clock was characters. Once the comic became a television cartoon,
firmly set on 2002, and by the time!I saw "The Real World: America was never the same.
Las Vegas" on MTV I knew.I had in fact not gone back in These turtles were suddenly everywhere; from lunch
time. boxes to underoos (my pair is a bit snug now). A live action
Excited by my unearthingI did some Angela Lansbury- flu was made and quickly became the highest grossing pic-
style detective work to investigate what historians may look ture in the history of New Line Cinema. I've never waited so
back and call "The Nostalgia Effect" Turns out He-Man and many hours in line (at least five) to get into a movie theater,
Battle Cat aren't the only 'S0s characters to make a but it was well worth it. I still watch the film religiously; I
grandiose re-appearance into our culture as of late. just wish they would come out with a special edition DVD
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome back Snake Eyes, complete with the deleted scene shown in the trailer (you
Raphael and Optimus Prime. It's 1987 all over again. know the one, where their shells rise out of the water) and a
"G.1J oe" was one staple of my life growing up in the commentary track with Corey Feldman. I may not get my
Reagan era. The cartoon was always entertaining (and who dream DV, but at least I can enjoy the new animated
could forget the classic Nintendo game?), but the toys are "Turtles" movie helmed by action-maestro John Woo that is
what made the Joes and Cobras so damn cool. As if the in the works.
countless points of articulation on a figure weren't enough, At the discovery of the triumphant return of my childhood
they also came with an assortment of plastic weapons and heroes, my body was going through a sensory overload I had-
most importantly, a file card. These tiny cardboard dossiers, n't experienced since "Super Mario Bros. 3" made its debut at
complete with bio and birthplace, enabled for infinite story- the end of Fred Savage epic "The Wizard." Although thrilled
lines in play battles. And knowing is half the battle. by seeing my old friends again, I began to think about what
The vehicles were a whole other ball game. Remember possibly prompted this massive redux of nostalgia. Was.the
back when you actually had to put together your vehicles? entertainment industry just getting lazy? Or is our generation
Kids today have it easy - real easy. Just open the vibrantly just a sucker for nostalgia. Whatever the answer is, I'm just
colored box and you're ready to go. What happened to the going to sit and enjoy 1987 while its here again.
creative assembly process? Whether it was the Tomahawk JeffDickerson can be reached atjsdicker@mnich.edu.
Hey, Freshmen
and Sophomores...
...s yo-Ur*b
simply not c.'ng
You've got the business savvy, but things aren't challenging. Well, come join
the Business Staff at the Michigan Daily and become an Account Executive.
You will sell advertising locally and nationally, manage your own account
territory, create ad copy, and earn commission based pay. We're talking
big time experience here.
So, if you're the ambitious, creative and highly motivated type, then stop
by and pick up an application. Deadline is Thursday, October 31st.
WHAT'S NEWS IN ENTERTAINMENT
RASTAMAN REMASTERED - Bob
Marley's 1976 album Rastaman
Vibration will get a remastered,
expanded two-disc release that
includes alternate takes and live ver-
sions of many of the songs.
The album is the third Marley stu-
dio album to be remastered; Catch a
Fire and Exodus have been released in
the expanded format as well.
In addition to the alternate versions
of the album tracks, including "Crazy
Baldheads," "Johnny Was" and the
political staple "War," the album fea-
tures versions of songs written at the
same time but not released on the
album, such as "Jah Live" and "Smile
Jamaica."
Live performances from the
Roxy in L.A. during the Rastaman
Vibration Tour, including
"Trenchtown Rock" and No
Woman, No Cry" are
also included.
Revolutio
of that
D
MATRIX SEQUELW
RELEASE DATES DECID-
ED - The long-awaited
"Matrix" sequels,
which have been
plagued with
delays, have been
given their
release dates for
2003. "The
M a t r i x
Reloaded," the
second film in
the trilogy, will
come out May
15, and the
final install- courtesy of warner Bro
ment, "The He's kind of like Jesus, but not in
M a t r i x a sacrilegious way.
ns," will open in October
year.
irectors Larry and Andy
achowski wanted to have
them come out closer
together, but spe-
cial effects
requirements
Rom made it impossi-
ble for both
films to be fin-
ished for back-to-
back release dates.
The second film
will apparently end
in a thrilling cliffhang-
er. Producer Joel Silver
said, " ... We won't
even have to advertise
s the third film. We'll
just .tell them the date,
and they'll come."
a
THE O.J. ALL STA
OF THE WEEK
BRUCE WILLIS
How can the same thing happen to.-
same guy four times? Bruce Willis and
his production company, Cheyenne
Enterprises, are in negotiations with F
to produce Die Hard 4. Willis wants to
call his new film "Man of War," and
Fox, which owns the right to the title,
refused to let him use the title unless l-
makes the fourth "Die Hard" movie.
Yippie kay-yay, credibility!
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