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(11/16/11 12:00am)
On Oct. 31, 2008 I ran Baker 13 for the first time. That night I trotted around in all my glory, proud to be participating in such a storied tradition. After all, Baker 13 on Halloween is one of the few chances in your life where you can run naked with over 250 of your closest friends. Otherwise, you have to wait until your 60s when you join that nudist colony outside of Boca Raton that your awkward uncle always fantasizes about. In any event, I was proud to participate in the former instead of anticipating the latter.
(05/19/11 12:00am)
Man, KRBE sucked. But the point is that while I was under the impression that my brain was slowly leaking out through my ears during the chorus of Katy Perry's "E.T.," I was actually realizing more about music than ever before.
(04/15/11 12:00am)
Last weekend's annual Outdoor Show was a complete success, and members of the Rice community have only KTRU to thank for a full day of engaging festivities and excellent music that went off without a hitch. Having been in attendance for previous on-campus concert flops, KTRU was able to provide a completely new and different experience by organizing an event that centered on enjoying great music and discovering new local bands – two of the station's principle missions.
(04/08/11 12:00am)
While the Owl's basketball season ended at the hands of the University of Tulsa during this year's Conference USA tournament, 300 lucky Rice students were able to experience March Madness first hand at Monday night's NCAA championship game held at Reliant Stadium.
(03/18/11 12:00am)
More than halfway through my final semester as a student at Rice, I have begun to realize that I rarely take time to reflect on my experience as an Owl. Many seniors panic at this point in their academic careers, terrified of missing something on their Rice "bucket list," now faced with the realization that they will soon be unable to ever go back and relive their glory days.
(02/25/11 12:00am)
Anthony Pinn, Agnes Cullen Arnold Professor of Humanities and Professor of Religious Studies, has taught a course on religion and hip-hop since the Spring of 2007. The class has always been among the most popular in its department, with around 150 students enrolled each year. This spring's course, however, filled to its capacity of 240 students during the first day of registration. The reason behind the sudden increase in student interest is no secret: Pinn is now co-teaching the course with a very popular guest. A tangible cross-campus buzz began to spread when Pinn announced late last spring that Port Arthur, Texas rapper Bernard Freeman, known more commonly as rapper Bun B, would be joining him in Duncan Hall each Tuesday and Thursday morning.Freeman, known simply as "Prof" to Pinn and his students, explained that his vast career experience as a rapper and his intimate connection with the city of Houston make up for his lack of a background in academia.
(02/11/11 12:00am)
Martel College seniors Erik Tanner and Daniel Hays entered the Student Association presidential debate Monday night as "joke candidates," allowed to participate in the forum for their comedic value over their presidential merits. As the debate came to an end and candidates were afforded the opportunity to give a closing statement, Tanner and Hays turned to a more serious tone, offering thoughtful remarks on the state of the university. "There's something amazing at this university - there's a bold, irreverent and funny nature to it, and there's a freedom here that doesn't exist anywhere else," Tanner began. "Unfortunately, that side is starting to die for us - that spirit is starting to wane."
(01/28/11 12:00am)
The Warehouse Live's packed house erupted at the first 808 beat as Chicago-based rap duo The Cool Kids hit the stage last Sunday on the last stop of their "Road to the H-Town Sneaker Summit" tour. While some people reserve their day of rest to worship in a more traditional sense, these fans were taken to church and rap-baptized by two 20-something indie rappers in a crowded nightclub, which is no small feat in a city that holds its hip-hop holier than most.The Cool Kids sport a style that seems to meld the braggadocio, clever lyricism of the east coast ("I'm the new cat diggin' in cans in the alleyway/Fuck Simon - you should do what Mikey say,") with the thick, syrupy bass of the South. They've carved out a niche with young fans who appreciate metaphors over melodies and subs over samples. The group played a combination of tracks from their 2008 EP The Bake Sale, their digital-release mixtapes and their long anticipated upcoming LP, to be released through a promotional deal with PepsiCo.
(12/03/10 12:00am)
Shawn Carter's aptly titled book, Decoded, is a deep exploration into his monumental rap identity, "Jay-Z," and the lyrics behind his work. His significant influence not just as a rapper, but also as a businessman, entrepreneur and media mogul is juxtaposed with his violent, drug-ridden beginnings.The book's design, with Carter as the art director, is consistently beautiful. Clean lines and images correspond with the constantly changing topics, and the front cover is a striking all-gold reproduction of Andy Warhol's "Rorschach." Unfortunately, Decoded's excellent design definitely overshadows the storytelling.
(11/19/10 12:00am)
Because of my undying love for feline-related videos, I was immediately excited to review a film entitled Bouncing Cats and interview the filmmakers. However, upon discovering that the title of the film referred to a Ugandan beatboxing technique instead of cute kittens, I was less enthusiastic. Due to my lack of interest in actually doing work and my self-diagnosed agoraphobia, I almost did not go to the screening - until I came across something that changed my mind on the spot. I was going to interview Bun B. I was down to ride, and thanks to my hypochondriasis-induced amnesia, I was able to forget about my aforementioned preoccupations.Much to my surprise, I walked away from the event not starstruck from meeting Bun B or the others associated with the film but with a fresh and inspired perspective of an unbelievable cause. While I had an interesting conversation with Bun B, I was awestruck by my time with Abraham Tekya.
(11/12/10 12:00am)
Some of you may change the world one day as a successful doctor, lawyer or politician - but none of you were as close to Justin Bieber as I was on the evening of Nov. 6, 2010.The story starts in August when I purchased an early bird ticket to attend Austin's FunFunFun Fest, which was the weekend of Nov 5. Jumping at the chance to see a ton of bands perform over the course of three days, I gladly spent $100 on my weekend pass. Little did I know, things would change.
(10/29/10 12:00am)
On Oct. 13, Austin solo act Neiliyo released his first full-length LP titled Runnin' #Errndz. A self-described "solo electro-funktionaire," Neiliyo has cited his biggest influences as artists from his childhood like Prince and Hall & Oates. The album, an ode to Neiliyo's interest in leisure, clothes, making music and other diversions from the mundane, is an upbeat and polished work that is a noticeable step up from his previous releases. Before even discussing the music, it is worth noting that the album cover for Runnin' #Errndz takes the work as a whole to another level. If Neiliyo's lyrics on the album aren't enough to clue the listener in to his carefree attitude and ghetto-fabulous aspirations, then the cover is a dead giveaway. With his name in giant, glistening gold lettering, Neiliyo is pictured cruising in a car filled with some of his favorite things: a keyboard, a tambourine, a guitar, button-down shirts, boat shoes and a boombox (all of which are also glowing).
(08/27/10 12:00am)
At this point in my life, I'm pretty solid on the fact that I can't be a politician. Aside from the obvious, the age of Facebook has placed far too much firepower against my "integrity" into the public domain. I can imagine the questions now: "Mr. Hayes, can you talk about the photo of yourself wearing a pink women's pant-suit taken in 2009?" I'm going to go ahead and assume that an explanation to the media about Sid Richardson College's 80s party would not suffice as a response. In the same vein, I can't imagine the potential questions for a professor at Rice who is willing to profess to the world that "fuckin' bad bitches rub [his] dick against they uvulas," as Bun B does in his new song with T-Pain entitled "Trillionaire."
(08/20/10 12:00am)
In an auto-tuned world where 15 minutes of fame now seems to be a lengthy and successful career, Justin Bieber seems to be simultaneously carving a feather-haired spot into the dungeons of post-pubescent hatred and the heavens of pre-pubescent adoration. In inexplicable fashion Beebz (as I will refer to him in this column) seems to be the most loved and hated pop star in the world. Most people are "too cool" to get down to his infectious cookie-cutter beats, denying their love in public while secretly setting "Baby" on replay in the comfort of their own home. The fact of the matter is that Justin Bieber makes great pop music. I wouldn't necessarily call myself a fan, but it pains me when the "in crowd" won't even give him a chance. Let's all do ourselves a favor. Let's look past the fact that Beebz (as I like to call him) resembles a middle-aged lesbian woman and embrace his infectious melodies with open arms. By doing so, we can easily save ourselves a decade of waiting: a decade in which Bieber will go from being overplayed lame-pop to lol-inducing indie-irony.
(04/23/10 12:00am)
When unmarried 40-year-old hip-hop mogul Sean "P. Diddy" Combs gets out of bed every morning, he probably doesn't have much to worry about. After all, Combs made over $30 million last year and employs a staff to take care of his six children, make him breakfast, dress him and most likely bathe him.23-year-old Kesha Rose Sebert, more commonly known by her stage name, Ke$ha, probably has more difficult mornings. Yet, when she uttered the words "Wake up in the mornin'/ Feelin' like P. Diddy," she used Combs' sunrise routine as a muse for her hit single "TiK ToK." The subsequent Facebook statuses and tweets from "look at me, I drink!" females around the world were soon to follow.
