The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
the b-side
Thursday, January 12, 2017 — 3B

This week Daily Music writers 

look back at — and reconsider — 
less modern pieces of music.

On his 2005 track “The Food,” 

Common wonders aloud about 
sincerity in rap, questioning “if 
it’s for the art or for the dough.” 
It’s a critical distinction, staying 
away from the material mindset, 
and it’s one that was echoed just 
a year later by fellow Chicagoan 
Lupe Fiasco.

Fiasco has made a career out 

of distinguishing the “real” from 
the inconsequential. A Chicago-
born Muslim, he visibly carries 
both of these characteristics 
with him, channeling their 
relevancy 
into 
a 
heartfelt 

characterization of himself. As a 
result, he has the voice, for he is 
a real one, embracing positivity 
and flipping negativity on its 
head, essentially functioning 
through 
purposeful 

compartmentalization. 
2006’s 

Food & Liquor is the first sign of 
this. His studio debut operates 
in dichotomy — rebellion and 
conformity, 
sin 
and 
virtue, 

optimism and pessimism, good 
and bad.

In effect, he pulls off a rare 

feat, one we might today call the 
Kendrick formula, only before 
Kendrick. Exuding an air of 
cool, calm and collectedness 
in light of otherwise gloomy 

circumstances 
–– 
shattering 

perceptions of how to tackle 
obstacles that just might not be 
institutionally conquerable.

But, maybe they are. Because, 

maybe, 
Lupe 
can. 
Amidst 

characteristically 
grandiose 

production, with blaring strings 
and Jill Scott’s forceful hook, 
the poised Lupe shines. He 
neglects an idealized Chicago, 
instead describing a grimmer 
reality: 
“Now 
there’s 
hoes 

selling hoes like right around 
the toes / And the crackheads 
beg at about the lower leg,” he 
tells us. “There’s crooked police 
that’s stationed at the knees / 
And they do drive-bye like up 
and down the thighs.”

This locality lends itself to 

universal social consequence, 
and the result is home-cooked 
poetry that manifests as a 
unique brand of “cool.” With 
fresh retrospect this Chicago 
cool becomes more apparent. 
It’s the same self-assured cool 
that 
produced 
a 
president 

who pumps out Al Green at 
fundraising events and almost 
nails “Sweet Home Chicago” 
in the White House. The same 
worldly cool paved the way to 
stardom for Chance the Rapper 
(“Lil Chano from the 79th”), 
later 
acknowledging 
that 

influence by returning to help.

Though abstract in nature, 

what begins earnestly quickly 
turns 
— 
appropriately 
— 

preachy. In “Real,” it morphs 
into adversity-defining (“Just 

Might Be OK”). “Kick, Push,” 
shrouded in production similar 
to that on “Daydreamin’,” comes 
across as a coming-of-age tale 
(“When things got crazy they 
needed to break out, they’d 
head / To any place with stairs, 
any good grinds the world 
was theirs”). Humanizing the 
youth through skateboarding 
anecdotes, 
Fiasco, 
in 
turn, 

continues an impossibly subtle 
yet effective narrative of hope.

Food & Liquor, Fiasco and 

the collective ethos behind 
both is helplessly, yet positively 
foundational in nature. For 
many, the magic of Food & 
Liquor is just how formative 
it proved to be. It enlightened 
and resonated with those inside 
and, most impressively, those 
outside. Through it all, Lupe 
had the proverbial swagger, in 
a time when it was culturally 
relevant 
to 
exhibit 
— 
no, 

trailblaze — such a thing.

Even at its most vulnerable, 

like 
the 
dead 
ends 
and 

brokenness of “Hurt Me Soul,” 
there’s substance, comforting 
overtones 
and 
lingering 

glimmers 
of 
confidence. 

Accompanied 
by 
a 
sound 

(though eventually repetitive) 
that proves ahead of its time, 
the rebelliousness — the cool 
factor — anchors Food & Liquor. 
A timeless album that examines 
while it tells, it thrives in the 
organic, making it engaging for 
nearly every genre of listener. 

ATLANTIC

Have you heard Imagine Dragons latest single?

When it comes to The School 

of Music, Theatre, and Dance’s 
annual Collage Concert, not 
a seat in the house is left 
empty. Every year 3,500 people 
saunter into Hill Auditorium 
to soak up the brilliance of 
this 
concert’s 
mosaicism. 

Highlighting 
and 
combining 

the University’s 
large ensembles 
with 
the 

top 
student-

comprised 
groups, 
the 

Collage 
Concert’s 
inclusion of all 
aspects of SMTD 
makes 
for 
a 

riveting, diverse 
performance.

Through a very selective 

application 
and 
audition 

process, 
eight 
student 

ensembles 
were 
chosen 
to 

showcase short performances 
that will be integrated into 
the 
program, 
alongside 

the 
University 
Symphony 

Orchestra, 
the 
University 

Choir, 
Jazz 
Ensemble 
and 

University Symphony Band. 
With hardly a minute between 
each different performance, 
the 
exhilarating 
continuity 

keeps 
the 
audience 
on 

their feet, while spotlights 
illuminate 
different 
areas 

of the auditorium back to 
back, cueing the next piece to 
immediately begin after the 

antecedent.

“It goes from one end of the 

spectrum to the other. It’s a 
great ride — you’ll go from a 
mass orchestra piece, to a folk 
duet, to a dance piece,” said 
Janet Lyu, a senior violinist in 
the School of Music, Theater 
and Dance. “It’s a night of a lot 
of stimulation.”

In addition to performing 

in Collage with 
the 
University 

Symphony 
Orchestra, 
Lyu 

is 
one 
of 
five 

student 
liaisons 

for 
the 
school. 

When 
applying 

for the job, Lyu 
specifically 
had 

Collage in mind 
as 
something 

she 
particularly 

wanted to be a 
part of.

“It’s really special to me,” 

Lyu 
said, 
regarding 
why 

Collage is one of her favorite 
concerts 
of 
the 
year. 
“It 

proves that this school is not 
your 
typical 
conservatory. 

It’s a great coming together 
of community. There’s really 
nothing like it — a lot of schools 
copy the model that we have. It 
brings me a lot of pride to be a 
part of.”

Lyu, who will be performing 

in Collage for her sixth time, 
is excited for the audience to 
feast on the wide variety of 
performances.

“It’s a wild showcase,” Lyu 

said. “It’s one of the only times 
in the year where the entirety 

of SMTD gets together on a 
complete level. All different 
genres and all different aspects 
of the school get a chance to 
showcase themselves — not 
just to the audience, but to each 
other.”

Every year, all the numbers 

are 
unique. 
There’s 
quite 

an 
assortment, 
including 

incorporation 
of 
different 

instrumentation, 
electronic 

music and theatre skits; the 
Collage 
Concert 
aims 
to 

challenge the norm of typical 
University performances.

“They’re constantly trying 

to make it exciting,” Lyu said.

This 
year, 
the 
Collage 

Concert will spend part of 
the evening paying tribute 
to the man who originally 
brought the idea of Collage to 
the University, Gustav Meier. 
Meier, who passed away in 
May 2016, was the professor 
emeritus 
of 
conducting 
at 

SMTD for 19 years.

Additionally, because 2017 is 

the University’s Bicentennial, 
performances will showcase a 
few pieces that were written 
the year the University was 
founded 
to 
celebrate 
its 

inception.

“I think that Collage is a 

great array of different pieces 
and a great focal point of 
pushing the boundaries of 
our art. It’s a beautiful way of 
tasting everything SMTD has 
to offer in a compact and fun 
way,” Lyu. “There are so many 
different people on stage, yet 
at the same time, we’re all 
representing the same family.”

National Book Award winner, Colson
Whitehead, to speak at Mendelssohn

Author of ‘The Underground Railroad’ visits for University Bicentennial

‘Food & Liquor’ a seminal Chicago 
work that foreshadows conscious rap

JOEY SCHUMAN

Daily Arts Writer

SOPHIA KAUFMAN
Daily Book Review Editor

Colson 

Whitehead

Mendelssohn 

Theater

Thursday, Jan. 12 at 

7 P.M.

Free

When it comes to The School 

of Music, Theatre, and Dance’s 
annual Collage Concert, not a 
seat in the house is left empty. 
Every year 3,500 people saunter 
into Hill Auditorium to soak up 
the brilliance of this concert’s 
mosaicism. Highlighting and 
combining 
the 
University’s 

large ensembles with the top 
student-comprised groups, the 
Collage Concert’s inclusion of 
all aspects of SMTD makes for a 
riveting, diverse performance.

Through a very selective 

application 
and 
audition 

process, 
eight 
student 

ensembles 
were 
chosen 
to 

showcase short performances 
that will be integrated into 
the 
program, 
alongside 

the 
University 
Symphony 

Orchestra, 
the 
University 

Choir, 
Jazz 
Ensemble 
and 

University Symphony Band. 
With hardly a minute between 
each different performance, 
the 
exhilarating 
continuity 

keeps 
the 
audience 
on 

their feet, while spotlights 
illuminate 
different 
areas 

of the auditorium back to 
back, cueing the next piece to 
immediately begin after the 
antecedent.

“It goes from one end of the 

spectrum to the other. It’s a 
great ride — you’ll go from a 
mass orchestra piece, to a folk 
duet, to a dance piece,” said 
Janet Lyu, a senior violinist in 
the School of Music, Theater 

and Dance. “It’s a night of a lot 
of stimulation.”

In addition to performing 

in Collage with the University 
Symphony Orchestra, Lyu is 
one of five student liaisons for 
the school. When applying for 
the job, Lyu specifically had 
Collage in mind as something 
she particularly wanted to be a 
part of.

“It’s really 

special 
to 

me,” Lyu said, 
regarding 
why Collage 
is 
one 
of 

her 
favorite 

concerts 
of 

the 
year. 

“It 
proves 

that 
this 

school is not 
your 
typical 

conservatory. 
It’s a great 
coming together of community. 
There’s really nothing like it — 
a lot of schools copy the model 
that we have. It brings me a lot 
of pride to be a part of.”

Lyu, who will be performing 

in Collage for her sixth time, 
is excited for the audience to 
feast on the wide variety of 
performances.

“It’s a wild showcase,” Lyu 

said. “It’s one of the only times 
in the year where the entirety 
of SMTD gets together on a 
complete level. All different 
genres and all different aspects 
of the school get a chance to 
showcase themselves — not 
just to the audience, but to 
each other.”

Every year, all the numbers 

are 
unique. 
There’s 
quite 

an 
assortment, 
including 

incorporation 
of 
different 

instrumentation, 
electronic 

music and theatre skits; the 
Collage 
Concert 
aims 
to 

challenge the norm of typical 
University performances.

“They’re constantly trying 

to make it exciting,” Lyu said.

This 
year, 
the 

Collage 
Concert 

will spend part of 
the evening paying 
tribute to the man 
who 
originally 

brought 
the 
idea 

of Collage to the 
University, 
Gustav 

Meier. Meier, who 
passed 
away 
in 

May 2016, was the 
professor emeritus of 
conducting at SMTD 
for 19 years.

Additionally, because 2017 is 

the University’s Bicentennial, 
performances will showcase a 
few pieces that were written 
the year the University was 
founded 
to 
celebrate 
its 

inception.

“I think that Collage is a 

great array of different pieces 
and a great focal point of 
pushing the boundaries of 
our art. It’s a beautiful way of 
tasting everything SMTD has 
to offer in a compact and fun 
way,” Lyu. “There are so many 
different people on stage, yet 
at the same time, we’re all 
representing the same family.”

Collage Concert to display wide
spectrum of talent at Hill Auditorium

COMMUNITY CULTURE PREVIEW

ALLIE TAYLOR
Daily Arts Writer
 Migos have a lot to celebrate 
at the moment: after years of 
fighting their way through 
hip-hop’s underground and 
trekking toward a commercial 
peak, they 
finally seem 
to be on top 
of the world. 
Next week, 
the rap 
supergroup 
will release 
its second LP, “Culture,” while 
the album’s first single, “Bad 
and Boujee (featuring Lil Uzi 
Vert),” will hopefully continue 
its reign as the number one 
song in America. So, it should 
be no surprise that amidst their 
current hype, Quavo, Takeoff 
and Offset are celebrating like 
kings, and in the new visuals 
for the third single off of 

“Culture,” entitled “T-Shirt,” 
the three emcees do so in high, 
wintry style.
The music video for “T-Shirt” 
finds Migos towering atop a 

snowy mountain 
and dressed 
in full-fur 
wardrobes that 
seem to take style 
tips from both 
Cam’ron and 
Leo’s Revenant. 

Quavo, Takeoff and Offset, who 
are also wearing royal amounts 
of jewelry, dance, bounce and 
floss in their quintessentially 
braggadocios ways while each 
delivers an ice-cold verse in 
the group’s staple start-and-
stop flow pattern. Eventually, 
attractive women and race-
ready snowmobiles arrive 
without any precedents at 

all, as do brief glimpses of a 
luxurious cabin, all of which 
seems to insinuate that the 
rap group has conquered 
the wilderness and turned it 
into their own comfortable 
playground, much like they did 
with the streets, then the rap 
game.
“T-Shirt” and its extravagant 
visuals might have arrived 
just in time to prolong Migos’ 
residency in pop’s spotlight. 
It also is pretty random, as it 
never explains why they’re on 
that mountain, like at all. But 
that’s okay. Quavo, Takeoff and 
Offset standing there in all of 
that fur — that’s iconic. That’s 
culture. Digital culture at least. 
That’s why “T-Shirt” is perfect.

— SALVATORE DIGIOIA

MUSIC VIDEO REVIEW

“T-Shirt”

Migos

Young Rich Nation

BOWIE LIVES.

JOIN ARTS. 

If you agree in this and other deeply rooted conspiracy theories started by Nabeel Cholla-

mpatty, email Anay Katyal at anay@umich.edu

Collage Concert

Hill Auditorium

Saturday, Jan. 14 at 
8 P.M. description

$12 for students, 

$32 reserved 

seating

ALL THINGS RECONSIDERED
COMMUNITY CULTURE PREVIEW

COLSON WHITEHEAD

It’s time for some game theory.

Entirety of SMTD to come together for showcase this Saturday evening

