The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Friday, January 25, 2013 - 7
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Friday, January 25, 2013 - 7
I
HBO
"It must be summer love.
Stimulating'Girls'
Du
with
By
"Girl
of the
shows l
writer
Lena D
a ho
name.
nothing
lutionar
the pre
it focus
group
lege-edu
young
in their
ties, str
with lif
HBO's
distinct
wants t
Prem
heels o
Golden
quickly
world o
ham, "T
(Allison
Dreams
"Tiny F
na (Zos
All Rig
bit uns
itself to
uncerta
The
unsure
(Adam.
Hannah
nham returns About Time" did little to clear
1unpredictable it up. But given their current
vague situation, the ambigu-
premiere ity is understandable. Following
Adam's car accident, Hannah
RADHIKA MENON has been delegated to take care
DailyArts Writer of her crippled ex-lover while
also unsure of her emotions
s" was arguably one for him. Adam's future within
most talked-about new "Girls" is uncertain, which is
ast fall that made creator, unfortunate because he is one of
and star the few characters comfortable
)unham with telling it how it is, no sugar
usehold on top - a much-needed voice of
There's Girls reason among the jaded girls.
revo- Shonda Rhimes, creator of
y about Seasn Two "Grey's Anatomy," openly com-
mise - Premiere plained about "Girls" 's non-
es on a Sundaysat diverse depiction of New York
of col- 10:00 p.M. City, and season two seems
ucated determined to address that with
women HBO Sandy (Donald Glover, "Com-
r twen- munity"), who takes up a casu-
uggling al relationship with Hannah.
e in the Big Apple - but Sandy is a welcome distrac-
"comedy" darling knows tion for Hannah, though it is
ly what it is and what it unclear whether or not he will
o say. be a constant fixture or sim-
iering directly on the ply a placeholder. "It's About
f the show's two major Time" doesn't spend much time
Globe wins, "Girls" characterizing Sandy - or even
settles us back into the showing him as more than a
of Hannah (Lena Dun- booty call - but he's easier to
Piny Furniture"), Marnie like than Adam was at the start
Williams, "American of season one.
"), Jessa (Jemima Kirke, In the short time that we've
urniture") and Shoshan- known Hannah's roommate,
ia Mamet, "The Kids Are Marnie, her entire world has
ht"). The premiere is a changed. After breaking up
tructured, which lends with Charlie (Christopher
the unpredictability and Abbott, "Martha Marcy May
inty of the cast's lives. Marlene"), the next blow to
season-one finale left us life-as-she-knew-it comes as
of the status of Adam she's fired from her job as an
Driver, "Lincoln") and art gallery assistant. In a series
'is relationship, and "It's of increasingly bad decisions,
she hooks up with Hannah's
ex-boyfriend-and-now-homo-
sexual roommate and then runs
back to cuddle with Charlie by
the episode's end. Having once
had it all together, Marnie's tra-
jectory this season is truly one
of growth and reexamination,
forcing her to address her inse-
curities head-on.
Though Shoshanna is nor-
mally relegated to the back-
ground, this episode brings her
into the main fold by addressing
her blossoming romance with
Ray (Alex Karpovsky, "Tiny
Furniture"), who took her vir-
ginity last season. Shoshanna
and Ray's relationship is one
of the bright spots in the series
- both are slightly wacky and
inexplicably attracted to each
other, making their scenes
together a delight to watch.
Shoshanna's scenes come at
the expense of Jessa, who is
noticeably absent until the end
of the episode. When she reap-
pears, she is with her new hus-
band, the two basking in their
new marital bliss. But there is a
passing look of uncertainty that
shadows her face, suggesting
that her spontaneous marriage
may not have been as great of a
decision as she thought..
This uncertainty ties the four
girls together: Each one embarks
on a new life and struggles to
escape the baggage of their old
selves. The premiere sets season
two up to be one of rediscovery
and new beginnings, a march
toward new identities - and it
seems to be headed in the right
direction.
CINEMATIC
Shouldn't you be in school, young man?
Breaking down the
best mixtapes of 21
By JACKSON HOWARD
DailyArts Writer
2012 was a chaotic year for.
rap music. Just as important as
ever were mixtapes, the free
semi-albums that rappers put
out online. Ultimately, the mix-
tape catalogue of 2012 provides
an eclectic mix of thought-
provoking, speaker-breaking,
strip-club-shaking free music.
Without further ado, I give you
the top eight mixtapes of 2012.
8. Gucci Mane - Trap Back
(DJ Holiday)
Gucci Mane has made so many
mixtapes that, at this point, it
seems impossible he'd have any-
thing left to say. Wrong. Comple-
mented by production and guest
spots from Southside, Lex Luger,
Waka Flocka, 2 Chainz and
more, Gucci uses his usual half-
decipherable drawl to weave
together a more-than-enjoyable
tape full of nonsensical similes,
eerie synths and obscure drug
references that should satisfy
diehard fans. Brrrr.
7. Juicy J - Blue Dream &
Lean(DJ Scream)
Let me say this: If you have
the chance, and are in decent
health, go see Juicy J live. It'll
change your life. And maybe kill
you. Since splitting from Three
6 Mafia, Juicy has re-invented
himself as a solo artist - at
the age of 38. BD&tL is a never-
ending barrage of trap beats,
pre-school-level rhyme schemes
and X-rated content and, though
horrifically long at 28 tracks,
Juicy's energy carries the tape
along. Turn up.
6. Wale - Folarin (DJ Clark
Kent)
Wale rose to fame through
his incredible Seinfeld-inspired
debut mixtape, so it only makes
sense that in preparation for
his upcoming third album he'd
release a tape to hold his fans
over. Folarin finds Wale trading
bars with Rick Ross, 2 Chainz,
Trinidad James and others,
while also displaying his usual
blend of witty and pensive lyr-
ics. Though the tape is fun, let's
hope the new album is a little
more experimental.
5. Fabolous - The Soul Tap
Vol.2(No DJ)
The first The Soul Tape was a
refreshing attempt by a rapper
For his first mixtape in two
years, Big Sean sounded hungry
again. Boasting features from J.
Cole, Kendrick Lamar and Chris
Brown, among others, Sean put
together a project that simulta-
neously was fun to listen to and
demonstrative of his tremendous
growth overthe lasttwoyears. No
longer Kanye's side-act, Sean has
staying power, andDetroitis more
than enough proof.
2. Rick Ross - RichForever(DJ
Scream)
who h
too lon
only s
IOus's
nal for
street
with t
Trey S
the pe
throug
dr
as been around for a little The Bo$$ cannot be stopped,
ig: an entire mixtape using and he wants the world to know.
oul-inspired beats. Fabo- Every song on Rich Forever
sequel sticks to the origi- affirms in its own way that Ross
mula, blending New York will indeed be, well, rich forever.
lingo and '70s soul music Spitting as confident as ever over
he help of J. Cole, Pusha T, a landscape of menacing instru-
Songz and more, creating mentals and with the help of
rfect late-night-cruising- Diddy, 2 Chainz, Nas and Drake,
;h-the-city soundtrack. to name a few, Rozay absolutely
suffocated any doubt as to wheth-
er he was indeed the "Biggest Art-
Did YOU ist inithe Game," as proclaimed on
his Twitter. Notonly is he, maybe,
op a Bada$$ the biggest physically, but Rich
P Forever reaffirmed emphatically
mnixtape at that Rick Ross was the biggest
artist in the game in 2012.
FX highlights politically
incorrect humor with 'Legit'
By KELLY ETZ a pilot. manages to make the strenuous
DailyArts Writer As proven with "Louie" and search for the perfect hooker
"The League," FX knows how seem awkwardly heroic. The
There's no point in cross- to work with comedians in parting sequence, complete
ing every politically-correct an outside-the-cookie-cutter with an extremely satiated
line ever drawn for the sake approach to sitcoms. And while looking Billy rolling out while
of shock fac- "Legit" doesn't have the matu- fun.'s "Carry On" blasts in the
tor alone. Too rity of an established comedy background, certainly comes
often, sitcoms yet, it certainly showcases good off as inspirational.
that want to be Legit bones. The non-stop, say-any- There's no doubt that, as with
new and out- thing crudeness never becomes most of FX's programming,
rageous think Pilot a crutch, and typical beginning- "Legit" is an acquired taste.
that string- Thursdays at of-series stumbles are the only It's not for everyone, and will
ing together a 10:30 p.m. things that drag the premiere inevitably offend more than its
half-assed plot down. fair share. But, as FX proves
with as much FX time and again, even vile, boor-
profanity as ish nastiness is palatable when
possible is all the work they there's the tiniest bit of heart
need to put in. W ARNING: shining through.
Only a standout series can It's that heart, more than
take exceptionally crass vul- Content may unconventional formats and
garity and skillfully finagle lengthy pauses, that pushes
the obvious denial and throw- Contain many "Legit" past ordinary. Sure, Jef-
away laughs into unsuspecting, dick jokes feries is a selfish, useless stoner
should-I-even-laugh-at-this . with a bad habit of saying what-
humor. FX's new half-hour ever the hell he wants, but the
comedy, "Legit," plays perfect- audience can tell he actually
ly into this dynamic, pulling cares about Billy. That is, for
cautious snickers from every The loose premise of the more than just the handicapped
uncensored line out of Jim Jef- series plays out in the first parking space and unlimited
feries's mouth. two minutes, with Jefferies's wingman potential. And that's
A successful stand-up come- mother's plea for him to legiti- nice. Nice enough to make a
dian before partnering with mize himself before she dies, road trip to an out-of-the-way
FX, a la Louis C.K., Jefferies a task he. takes as seriously as dive bar into a surprisingly poi-
essentially plays an overblown he's able. The pilot focuses on gnant moment of male bonding.
version of himself in front of his first "legit" good deed: hon- It might even provoke a reluc-
the camera. Still, the delivery oring his best friend's brother tant smile.
is spot-on and Jefferies, who Billy's (DJ Qualls) request to In true FX style, buried
looks like Ricky Gervais's mel- get laid for the first time - a beneath all the male postur-
lowed-out twin (the series does unique request as Billy is 32 and ing and obvious dick jokes is a
have an odd similarity to "Life's at an advanced stage of muscu- series that might just make you
Too Short"), makes the comedy lar dystrophy. Jefferies takes feel something. And hey, the
look effortless - a mean feat for this all in stride (mostly) and dick jokes can be fun too.
age 17?
4. Meek Mill - Dreamchasers
2 (DJ Drama)
Here's a number for you:
3,858,845. That's the number
of times this project was down-
loaded from mixtape giant
Datpiff, setting a record and actu-
ally crashing the site. The tape
featured huge single "Amen" with
Drake, and loads of head-splitting
trap music, double-time rapping
and tales of life on the streets.
Coupled with his mostly well-
received debut, Meek Mill had a
huge 2012, and will most likely
have a bigger 2013.
3. Big Sean - Detroit(No DJ)
1. Joey Bada$$ -1999(No DJ)
Joey Bada$$ was 17 years
old when he released 1999 last
summer, but listening to the
tape, you could've sworn it was
released 20 years ago. Joey,
without any major label help,
released a project that chan-
neled Golden Era hip hop for a
new generation. Flowing over
beats from MF DOOM ("World
Donination"), Lord Finesse.,
("Funky Ho'$") and J Dilla
("Snakes"), Joey and his Pro
Era crew managed to bring back
the heyday of rap with a mix of
lyrical dexterity, wit, introspec-
tiveness and swagger. It may
be the 21st century, but for 15
songs, Joey Bada$$ is happy to
take you back to '92, even if he
wasn't born yet.
ARE YOU AN A2 GURU?
DO YOU LOVE GOING TO COMMUNITY EVENTS?
ARE YOU THE HERO GOTHAM DESERVES?
If you answered yes to any of these questions (especially the
last one), you should apply to be a Community Culture writer
for Daily Arts!
E-mail arts@michigandaily.com to request an application!