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!