minitmade98-blog

[minitmade98-blog]

Dont read this if you havent seen Infinity war

If you have not seen Infinity War,  please don't read this. I spoil the ending many times. Okay,  I warned you. Infinity War really changed the way I think about films. Marvel started this film run a couple years after I was born. Literally speaking, my entire life has led up to the newest Avengers movie. In almost all superhero flicks, the hero faces an impossible task that they almost always overcome. In the first Captain America movie, Steve Rogers has to single handedly take down Red Skull and his army. In Blade, Blade has to kill an enormous amount of Vampires. Even in wrestling, John Cena has to beat whoever the new brute is in the company every couple of months. The one thing all of these scenarios have in common is that the hero wins. We know it's going to happen. After witnessing the journey and becoming invested in the hero, we just want to see them win. For me, the same can be said for the entire Marvel universe. From reading the comics throughout my life I knew that when thanos comes around, someone dies. I was perfectly fine with a few lesser characters dying. When Loki fell, I was unfazed. When Vision fell,  I was unfazed. I'd heard rumors that Iron Man died that I was perfectly fine with. Not half of the damn universe! What the heck is this?  Spider Man: Homecoming was one my favorite films of all time!  Black Panther is one of the most successful movies of all time!  Why are both of their main characters dead? Seeing them literally fade away made me shed a tear in the theater. They didn't even have to die. The Avengers had an amazing plan to get the gauntlet off of Thanos. It was even executed perfectly, until Starlord allowed his emotions to get the best of him. I knew he messed up horribly from the musical cues. The fight leading up to that point came with booming music. Every big attack was made more impactful from the soundtrack. When starlord got in Thanos’s face though, everything went quiet. After Starlord finds out what happened to Grimora, the music begins to creep back in. The new, darker music becomes louder as Starlord’s anger grew. When he hit Thanos, music became as loud as before. Everyone in the audience was so tense at that moment. We knew it was over for half of the most universe. About 20 minutes later,  and every hero I cared about was dead.I didn’t even believe it actually happened until the credits started rolling. In the future, hopefully everything is undone. Dr. Strange seemed like he knew something we didn't as he died.

[minitmade98-blog]

Is college worth it

More youth than ever are going to college, but along with their degree comes a pile of debt from student loans. On the opposite end, many young people are gaining fame and fortune very quickly.Sometimes even overnight. Their use of social media allows them to earn large sums of money, without spending thousands of dollars for a college degree. Due to this, many people believe college is not necessary for a successful life. A lot of people I was in high school with have reached the point where they regret their decisions. They're starting to wish they went to college, or even graduate. School may not seem very important to some people,but it's necessary in most cases. Unless you have an outstanding talent. Education can do great things for people, but it also comes with a cost. In 2013, 69% of graduating college students had an average of almost $29,000 in student loan debts, with the remaining percentage of students having $2,500 to $72,000 worth of debt. Out of those students, 45% of them end up working at jobs that don't require a bachelor's degree. My mother has at least two degrees, but she can't do anything with them. They were in the medical field, but there aren't any related jobs in her area. While these students are trying to gain their wealth using the traditional route, there are others using technology to gain success. One of the most known examples is the Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerburg. Zuckerburg founded Facebook while a student at Harvard. It wasn’t the successful and popular platform that it is today, but he kept developing it until it made him into one of the wealthiest men in the country. Another young self made millionaire is Chief Keef. After gaining nationwide attention for songs “I Don’t Like”, and “Love Sosa”, Keef signed a $6 million dollar record deal with Interscope records in 2012 after his 17th birthday. I follow him on Instagram and he has a crazy life. The same can be said for many celebrities, such as Desiigner. He had the number one song in the country before his senior prom. Also Justin Bieber, who is currently worth $200 million dollars. Education consultant and career counselor Marty Nemko stated that the Bachelor’s degree is “America’s most overrated product”, due to unstable jobs. Also as college tuition rises, it’s becoming more difficult to pay off college debt. I don't think I've heard anyone say they've paid it off either. All of this is not to say college is a bad investment. Statistics show that college graduates have higher salaries and higher employment rates than others.The benefits of careers that require college educations include health care, retirement plans, vacation and more. Also, college educations least to. more job opportunities. Of course, people without college educations usually make less than graduates. The average income of high school graduates is $30,000, while a college graduates is between $50,000 and 70,000,depending on their area of study. But with the amount of debt that can come with a master’s degree, most stay away from advancing their education that far. As college currently costs more than ever, it is important to plan a field of study that makes them more money than they spent. There is no guaranteed path to success and a large bank account. No matter what someone does to get rich on their own, it will require determination and an intense work ethic. It is very possible to be the next Chief Keef by recording simple songs. Or for someone to create their very own social media platform. but it’s important to also understand that many have tried. Even more have failed. Chief Keef remains a wealthy man by continually making music, but he was dropped from his record label after losing most of his popularity. He became a national fugitive, and claimed to “raise the murder rate”. Overall, a college degree is not always necessary to be successful.A higher education may be someone’s only route to success later on in life. It is very possible to achieve fame and fortune without any formal education, but people shouldn't really count on it. Just think of the all the SoundCloud rappers that work at Burger King. Whatever someone does, it will most likely require a large amount of dedication and work to turn their dream of success into a lucrative reality. Works Cited @BET. “Chief Keef.” BET.com, BET, 15 Aug. 2013, www.bet.com/topics/c/chief-keef.html#! Che, Jenny. “Wages For College Grads.” Huffingtonpost.com, Yahoo, 2 June 2015, www.huffingtonpost.com/. “College Tuition Costs.” 22 Feb. 2010. Gerencer, Tom. “Money Nation.” Money Nation, Moneynation, 27 July 2016, moneynation.com/. News , Kaiser. “Mark Zuckerburg.” US News, U.S.News &Amp; World Report, 5 Oct. 2016, www.usnews.com/. “Value of a College Degree.” 2 Oct. 2009. Wilezol, David. “Is a College Degree Necessary for a Good Job? Not Always.” Values &Amp; Capitalism, Values and Capitalism, 5 May 2013, www.valuesandcapitalism.com/is-a-college-degree-necessary-for-a-good-job-not-always/.

[minitmade98-blog]

I Love 6ix9ine

An artist that I absolutely love, but also receives an enormous amount of hate,  is 6ix9ine. He's a New York rapper who was gaining buzz on the underground scene for about two years. Frequently releasing songs and music videos with Trippie Redd, 6ix9ine slowly gained a strong fanbase. He was unknown to most casual rap fans until he released his platinum record “Gummo” in October of 2017. The unorthodox intro, simple lyrics and screaming delivery gained him about 160 million views. Almost immediately shutting down “one hit wonder” comments, 6ix9ine released not one, not two, five billboard hot 100 songs. Most artists struggle to get one song to chart. This, and his arrogant personality, angered many people in the rap community. One of the first people to negatively speak about 6ix9ine was his own friend Trippie Redd. Right before “Gummo” was released, Trippie began calling 6ix9ine a child molester on Instagram. In the beginning, most people disregarded Trippie’s claims as being jealous. Unfortunately, Trippie’s statements contained some truth. When 6ix9ine was 18, he recorded a video of a 13 year old girl dancing. He didn't think anything of it and posted the video onto his social media accounts to show he was gaining popularity. The girls parents became aware of the video and immediately contacted the police. 6ix9ine plead guilty to three counts of sexual misconduct. He's offered many explanations, saying he had no money to fight the case, and he plead guilty out of genuine guilt. The damage was already done in the public eye though. Since the cases resurfaced, 6ix9ine’s social media comments have been flooded with the words rapist or child molester. He'll most likely never escape that, but he continues to make music. Almost everyone in the rap industry refuses to work with him. Businesses don't want to be associated with him. He can't even come to some venues to perform his songs. Despite everyone treating him like an outsider, he continues to thrive and gain popularity. There's a new feud between him and a disgruntled rapper in the news almost every week. They usually call him a fake gang member, or “ban” him from whatever city they're from. Even with all of his recent success, 6ix9ine is still working with all odds against him. Honestly as a fan, I don't care what he does in his personal life. His music's great to me, and that's all that matters. Chris Brown beat Rihanna almost unrecognizable and everyone loves him and the ground he walks on. Donald Trump openly talked about sexually assaulting a woman and he was still elected president. 6ix9ine for president!

https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.46356/title.tekashi-6ix9ine-gets-roasted-by-the-game-but-supported-by-50-cent

https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/8214817/6ix9ine-controversy-timeline

[minitmade98-blog]

Blog #7

My feature story is on the sudden surge of Fortnite popularity. Fortnite is a multiplayer third person shooter for PS4, Xbox and PC.  The release of it's free-to-play Battle Royale game mode has become a staple in the gaming community because of it's easy accessibility and friendly nature. Personally, I don't enjoy the game, unlike everyone else I know. My social media timelines are constantly flooded with people posting their gameplay videos, opinions,  or memes centered around Fortnite. It can be easy to get caught in the hype, as I caught myself almost liking it because everyone else does. After playing a few matches, I learned the game is not for me, but it's impact on the gaming community is undeniable. With more than 48 million players, it's spreading out of the gaming community and into more mainstream outlets. Recently, celebrities have shown their love for the shooter, most recently by Grammy winning artist Drake, who streamed his gameplay for an hour. The event was covered by most pop culture news outlets, like Complex, IGN, and even ESPN.

For my project,  I plan to interview friends that play the game such as Chase Taylor, Jamari Johnson, Trelece Jackson and Zach Fabert. I want to start the story with stating the popularity of the game and including the Player count. Then I want to give a summary of the game to lead into what people like and dislike about the game. Afterwards, I will find information from the game's creators to use on how the game came along and what their hopes were for it.

I'll also use player's thoughts about the future of Fortnite,  and ask for their opinion of it's impact on gaming.

      I.  Lead

A.  Introduce topic and make readers interested about my story

1.  Briefly introduce Fortnite, show that millions of people play it, mention celebrity involvement

      II. Engine paragraph

A. Allow readers to relate to the story by talking about characteristics of the game

1.Easy accessibility

2.Ability to play with friends

3.Endless possibilities

B. Statements about why people enjoy Fortnite

1. Pull from interview

C. Statements about why people dislike Fortnite

1. Pull from interview

      III.Body

Give background on Fortnite

1. When it was released

2. What developers had in mind while creating it

     B. Expand upon interview answers to debate the impact Fortnite has on gaming and how culture moves forward

Involvement and surge of popularity of Twitch

Gaming tournaments

Pop culture involvement

IV. Ending

Wrap up and restate all points

           A. Fortnite’s popularity.

B. What it means for the future of gaming

[minitmade98-blog]

Tyler

I don't know the happiest moment of my entire life, but my happiest moment in recent memory was seeing Tyler The Creator. I've been a Tyler fan since I was a freshman in high school. His music always resonated with me, I could relate in almost every way. When I found out Tyler had a concert in Wisconsin I immediately walked out of class so I could buy tickets. I was so excited,  I couldn't believe I'd actually see him in person. One of the longest months ever goes by, and I call off work so I can go to the concert. I remember being down about something that day, almost dreading seeing him. That feeling was replaced by excitement after I got inside the arena and secured my spot in the second row. We had to wait two whole hours for him to come out, without any phone reception!  A curtain was on the stage so they could build all the props in secret. After what felt like a lifetime it finally dropped. The entire arena erupted with yells. He was actually there, wearing a green reflective vest like a construction worker and matching shorts. All but one of the lights were off. The only one was focused on him, the light shining off of his vest. He was standing on top of tree so high I was almost scared for his safety.  I screamed so loud I had an asthma attack. It was a crazy feeling, me and at least two thousand others sharing the same emotion. Then the music hit. Honestly I felt bad for the people around me because I was jumping and throwing elbows like a madman for two hours straight. I hit a couple girls in the back of the head in front of their boyfriends but who cares. Seeing Tyler on YouTube and Twitter was one thing, but seeing him with my own eyes is another. I sang all of the songs harder than I ever did before and tried my best to match the energy he was giving off. For the most part, I was relatively chill. Then he came over to our section, just an arms reach away. I swear I was so excited I was calm. I thought my heart would beat out of my chest for a couple of seconds. It was such a great night. Most of his fans are edgy white teenagers so at first I felt really out of place. I could literally count the number of black kids in there on my hands. Tyler even addressed it and said he'd bet money there weren’t thirty of us in the crowd. When his music was playing though, despite race difference, it almost felt as if we were a huge family. Everyone was happy and excited,  some were even extremely high on whatever they were smoking. Listening to his songs now has a little more of an impact, reminding me of one of the few times I felt free in public. It was definitely one of the best nights of my life.

[minitmade98-blog]

Friends

Vaughn Green

Friends

“Jermaine if you don’t get out that bed right now I’m getting the belt!” yelled Jermaine’s mother Rosa. He didn’t even need an alarm clock when he had a psychotic forty seven year old in the same living space as him. He found some ripped jeans in his mess of a room and slipped on an Ice Cream hoodie and an old pair of Nike’s.

After getting dressed, Jermaine made his way to the kitchen where his mother was waiting.

“You get on my last nerve J, but that’s part of the reason why I love your skinny butt so much.” said Rosa, grinning to show her pearly white teeth.

“Love you too mom, but you’re burning the bacon.” said Jermaine.  

He finished his breakfast and gave his mother a hug. As he was leaving, Rosa called out, “ Be sure you make good choices Jermaine!”

He thought he’d get to the bus on time, but when he looked up he saw the tail end turning the next corner.

“$**$!” All of his mother’s cursing must’ve rubbed off on him. He reluctantly turned around, afraid of what was waiting for him at home since he was late again.

Before he could get home, a shiny black Impala pulled up on the curb next to him. Initially, Jermaine felt a cold streak in his stomach. Luckily though, it  was just his friend Lee.

“Boy look at you! You look like you just seen a ghost. Need a ride?” said Lee, smiling to show gold that contradicted his charcoal skin. Jermaine was sure his friend's eyes were filled with happiness behind his black and gold Cartier frames. They hadn’t seen each other too often since Lee didn’t go to school as much anymore.

“ Yeah man, thanks, but you play too much.” said Jermaine, smiling as color returned to his face. He got into the passenger seat, noticing a plastic hilt sticking out of the center console. Before he could say anything, Lee pulled off.

“Come on now J, you should be used to me after all these years, or did you forget about the kid?” said Lee, still smiling. “ Naw I ain’t forget about you.”said Jermaine.“ I just thought you’d grown up a little bit.”

“ I have.”said Lee, his smile faded a little. “These streets can’t raise you Lee, not unless you want to end up like the other boys we see on the news”said Jermaine.

“I’m not talkin’ bout this right now J.You got your life, let me live mine.”said Lee. The rest of the car ride was in silence.

The good vibe was gone, a cold tension replacing it. After what seemed like hours, the Impala finally arrived at Pershing High School.

“You know I care man,  just stay safe out here bro.” said Jermaine. Lee’s grill reappeared.“I know man. And I will. I’ll meet up with you in like 10 minutes, I grabbed the wrong backpack.” said Lee.

“The wrong backpack?” Jermaine thought to himself. “If he doesn’t go to school, then why would he need..” Jermaine tried not to think about it.

“Wanna come with?”said Lee. “I’m stopping at Coney Island on the way back, ya boy hungry.” Jermaine remembered what his mother said earlier about good decisions.

“Nah man, I gotta go”, said Jermaine. “Just hurry up, I’ll be waiting on you. Who else am I gonna make fun of at lunch?” said Jermaine, behind a goofy grin.

“Oh the Boy Wonder got jokes huh? Better get ya black ass to class before I tell Ms.Rosa her darling boy missed the bus again!” yelled Lee.

“Whatever man, just hurry up.” laughed Jermaine. Lee pulled off, still smiling. “Stay safe man..” Jermaine mumbled to himself. With that, he turned around and walked into school.

Lunch finally arrived, but something was missing: his friend wasn’t anywhere in sight. That was odd, as he could spot the gleam from Lee’s mouth a mile away. “

Where’s Lee?”,he thought to himself. “He should’ve been back by now”.

That’s when the gunshots went off.

He almost got trampled as hundreds of students scattered. He slowly raised himself up, and glanced out of the oversized window. His heart instantly dropped.

It was a black Impala, with three bullet holes through the driver’s window.

Jermaine ran out of the school.“Maybe it’s not his Impala.” thought Jermaine, only seconds away from where the car was. He heard a cluttered mass of voices behind him, his classmates begging him to come back.

“I told you to be safe!” Jermaine thought to himself, tears starting to brim in his eyes. As he got closer, he saw some blood stained glass on the ground. Jermaine was terrified, but he couldn’t turn away.

His principals were coming now, yelling at him to get away from the scene. Jermaine still didn’t care, and took a few more anxious steps. The sound of his principal’s dress shoes were getting louder. He wanted to close his eyes, but they forced themselves open. He peered inside the car.

His body gave up.

The principal caught him right before he fell in his friend’s blood.

“Don’t worry man.” whispered a voice to Jermaine.

His vintage smile was still on his face. “The Guy Upstairs called me, and it was my time to answer.”

“I love you J. Tell Ms. Rosa I’ll miss her.”  

            Lee’s halo looked nice on him.

[minitmade98-blog]

Dont give me your opinion if you don’t agree

Currently, there are at least 40 million songs on Spotify. Out of all these, I am tasked with narrowing them down to the 5 best, in my opinion. Honestly, I don’t listen to much music that came out before 2014, so if anyone above the age of 20 is attempting to read this blog, I suggest that you delete your Tumblr account and do your taxes.

5. “The Weekend”, By SZA

This is an odd one. Though the entire basis of the song is making another woman’s boyfriend cheat for a weekend, I cannot stop myself from singing this at the top of my lungs. The slow, intimate instrumental makes finger snapping essential, while SZA’s soothing voice allows for full immersion into the song, which will definitely “make him lose his mind every weekend”.

4. “Maria Im Drunk”, by Travis Scott, Young Thug and Justin Bieber

There are some things that are not supposed to happen in this world, such as Donald Trump being accepted by the black community, and Justin Bieber fitting on a song with Young Thug. The boy behind everyone’s favorite song “Baby”, could never cohesively rap with someone named Thug right? Wrong! Not only is he keeping up, but he’s excelling. Thug croons“ Pull down your pants I want crack, yeah”, while Bieber follows his lead by asking to see what a woman’s booty can do! This is what MLK fought for.

3. “Oh My Dis Side”, by Travis Scott and Quavo

The second song on his 2015 album “Rodeo”, “Oh My Dis Side”, has everything that a millennial rap fan could want in a song: hard hitting 808’s, gothic rage, and a ton of autotune. While these are very standard in hip hop today, the attribute that sets it apart is it’s two different songs put together. “Oh My”, is the first, but the bridge at the end allows for a transition to the next, which is “Dis Side”. Moody and reminiscent, it can be seen as the transformation from Jacquees Webster (Travis’s real name), to Travis Scott.

2. “XO Tour Life”, by Lil Uzi Vert 

Lil Uzi made Satan popular again. While this song has the quickest tempo on this list and a party fueling instrumental, the lyrics are eerily demonic and morbid. The catchiness of “XO”, still has elementary school children singing “push me to the edge, all my friends are dead”. Uzi exemplifies these lines by having many blood smothered bodies in the music video. He also touches on drug addiction, heartbreak, and suicide. I love it.

1. “The Brightside”, by Lil Peep 

“XO Tour Life”, is a toe dip into the pool of depression. “The Brightside”, is a nose dive into it. Ironically named, it’s about searching for a reason to stay alive. Plagued by haunting memories of ended relationships, Peep’s only consolation is drugs. This must have been true, as Peep died in November 2017 from an overdose. Guitar strings, angst, and even more suicide. What’s not to love?

[minitmade98-blog]

Who influenced me the most I’ve never met

                                                     Lil B

There have been many rappers over the years I have gravitated towards. In 2015, it was Young Thug, 2016 was Lil Yachty, but no one influenced me quite like Lil B in 2010. His unapologetic personality and vulgar, fun loving music still connects with me 8 years later.

The first that I ever heard of Lil B was when he released a mixtape with Soulja Boy titled “Pretty Boy Millionaires”. At the time, I was an enormous Soulja fan and was quick to listen to anything he released, so I quickly downloaded the project and played it throughout most of my middle school days. I immediately knew that B had something special about him, and downloaded his newest mixtape at the time when school was over. That mixtape was titled “Blue Flame”, and it sparked an infatuation for bouncy, high tempo, video game rap that I enjoy to this day.

While in middle school, I started noticing that I did not fit in with most of my other classmates in many ways. At first I thought that this was because of some problem I had and that this was a horrible thing, but after listening to Lil B, I learned that it was okay to be yourself at all times, no matter what others thought. His music showed me that I did not have to fit the standard set by others, and that I could be the person that I wanted to be.

At the time, I was one of the few people who idolized him, as many people criticized him for his music, with many music critics dubbing him the “Wackest Rapper Of All Time”. Many others spoke negatively of him and the way he dressed, most notably being his dedication to wearing very tight clothing. A few notable figures in hip hop accused him of being homosexual and even of being the antichrist in a couple instances. Though many tried to derail his career, he stayed true to himself without fault, which allowed for him to be beloved by most of the hip hop community because of it. His influence has even grown past music, as he makes his annual appearances on many basketball shows during the summer to discuss his picks for the NBA finals.

Witnessing how people grew to love him for his dedication, and how all of his critics learned to accept him for who he is, it inspired me not to compromise myself for anyone or anything in life.

[minitmade98-blog]

This is the funniest video on the internet

This is, by far, the funniest video on the entire internet. The joyous and interrogative vibe, the consistent repetition, enhanced by the awe-inspiring dancing of Ugandan Knuckles simply is too grand for any competition. You may be asking yourself, “What the hell is wrong with this boy”?The answer is nothing! I just know “De Wae”! I was like you in my younger days. Lost, with no knowledge of “De Wae”. Thankfully the Ugandan Knuckles forgave my ignorance! This is my way of thanks, and aids us in spreading knowledge of “De Wae”. I pray that you find “De Wae”, after you sacrifice an hour of your time to Ugandan Knuckles. Thank you.

[minitmade98-blog]

Why I’m in college

Im in college to get my mass communication certificate and associates degree. I’ve always wanted to work on or produce my own film, and this program seems like a good place to learn how to achieve that. I’ve taken the basic production classes and a couple other mass com courses, but I haven’t really learned much about actually making something, but I’m sure that’ll change in the summer classes.