Max Ataraxis

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After having a 2017 full of mainstream success with his Hit Album “Everybody”, Logic is back on his Rap ish, with his “Bobby Tarrantino II” project. Being the sequel to his 2016 Bobby Tarantino tape, Logic ditches “Album Logic” to Let “Mixtape Logic” shine.

 

The thing I like most about this project is how self aware it is. This self awareness is at it’s peak with a Intro from Popular Adult Swim Icons, “Rick and Morty”, explaining the difference between the two types of Logic. Quotes like “I’m in the mood to turn some $h!t up Morty! I’m not in the mood for a message about how I can be whatever I want,etcetc” lol.

 

This epic intro to the mixtape immediately sets the tone for what to expect. The project isnt one of Logic’s deepest most thought provoking tapes. It’s not meant to be , though. Coming off of a great year including a EPIC Grammy performance, the majority of the tape finds Logic spitting braggadocio type raps about his success, his lifestyle, and his team. The thing I find refreshing about Logic, though, is that even on his “Turn Up” songs, he tends to keep lyrics such as “If they tell you money make you better than others, then somebody lied” on his projects. It’s a hype record that gets people moving and excited, but the lyrics still stay true to who Logic is as a artist.

 

The mixtape also has some stand out features like the track “Indica Badu” featuring Wiz Khalifa. Logic and Wiz sing and rap about the herb in a “Kush and OJ” Era type weed anthem.   Another stand out feature comes from Big Sean on the song “Wassup” where you find the two rappers going in with the bars and word play.

 

Logic definitely dropped this one off for his fans specifically, and for him to have been singing so much lately, it’s nice to hear Logic have these long winded verses on these songs too, where we get to here the DMV Native flex his lyrical abilities. We get to hear Logic do what Logic does best.

RAP. And don't just mean RAP. I Mean RRRAAAPPPPPPPP lol

 

Overall I say it's a solid mixtape and addition to the catalog Logic has ammassed thus far. First week sales are in and "Bobby Tarantino" is sitting at #1 with 119,000 records sold. Congratulations to LOGIC on another W and we'll be looking forward to the Everybody/Bobby Tarantino tour! 

Stream the project via the link below!
https://twitter.com/Logic301
Best of Logic:
https://goo.gl/Qdu2t8
Subscribe to his Youtube here:
https://goo.gl/iBgSrs

 

 

-Max Ataraxis

**Warning- There will be spoilers for Black Panther in this article BUT the movie is about to hit over 1 billion dollars in 3 weeks so chances are, you've seen it lol**

 

Killmonger is literally everyone's favorite villain. I havnt seen this much hype around a movie villain since Heath Ledger's phenomenal performance of The Joker back in 2008's The Dark Knight. Michael B. Jordan absolutely KILLED the role.

 

There are even people who want to go as far as saying that Killmonger was in fact the hero and T'challa was the "Bad" guy.

 

In theory, its all about perspective.

 

From the perspective of Erik Killmonger, he was essentially going to "Stick it to the man" and "free his people" from oppression. When you look at it from that viewpoint, then yes, he IS a hero.

 

The Black Panther can very well be looked at as "The Man".

And the uncomfortable truth about Killmonger is, his anger is entirely justified. In a strange way, he’s much more relatable to the audience than T’Challa will ever be.

 

T'Challa CAN be seen as the bad guy, especially in the beginning because of his PRIVILEGE. His Privilege and unwillingness to share his resources to those in need.

 

 

Before I dig a little deeper into the significance of his character, first lets understand exactly what Killmonger's plan was.

 

Killmonger was a native of Wakanda who grew up in the hood in Oakland, California after his uncle, the King of Wakanda, killed his father.

 

Unlike all the other Wakandans, Killmonger had to grow up fatherless and oppressed in America, due to a senseless killing by a person in power. A trait that many young black boys and girls have to experience.

 

Killmonger is the embodiment of the pain caused by this opression. He grew up with anger in his heart. A anger that carried on into adulthood just like with many oppressed black people.

 

Killmonger's plan was to arm black people all over the world with advanced weaponry in order to overthrow their opressors.

 

In laymans terms, He was Malcolm X against T'Challa's Martin Luther.

To be frank, I believe this is why so many black people resonated with the character. He seemed to be fighting FOR us, whereas T'Challa didnt at first see a responsibility to help other black people when he has the means to.

 

I know not EVERY single black person has this fantasy, but , I can gurantee you that the idea of a revolution taking place where we conquer our opressors sounds pretty dag on dope to most black folk.

 

Thats what made Killmonger one of, if not THE best Marvel Villain. He's relatable and his intentions are understood, even if you dont neccesarily think their right. You FEEL for him. He even sounds 100% right, at times.

 

The complexity of the character was amazing, Iconic, and worthy to be talked about.  The significance of the character is deep, and I hear there are even college courses that are being made surrounding the ideologies based in this movie.

 

The aspect to the character that indefinitely DOES make him a villain is the fact that he's willing to kill anyone who gets in his way, to achieve his goal. (even his own girlfriend). Also, the fact that he wants to CONQUER white people , is a problem. There should be a balance to where I feel the goal should be to live in unity, not conquer our oppressors.

 

So, because of all of these different traits, I want to go ahead myself and in conclusion, call Killmonger an anti villain.

 

An Anti-Villain is a villain with heroic goals, personality traits, and/or virtues. Their desired ends are mostly good, but their means of getting there are evil.

 

thanks for tuning in, I hope i provoked some more thoughts on the character that can induce a real life discussion about the topics at hand.

 

Peace and much love to All!

 

-Max Ataraxis

 

From the time that I was young, the Oscars never really piqued my interest. I always felt like it was something for old white people and that's it, tbh.

But now that I'm older and the awards are diversifying a bit more, my level of interest is up there now.

 

So for the first time in ever, I actually sat down and watched The Oscars. My personal fan favorite top pick was Jordan Peele's suprise hit movie, GET OUT.

 

This year, the Oscars had not one, but TWO elephants in the room. Those elephants consisted of

 

1) The Me too/Times up Movement

2) The continuing talk of the lack of diversity within the culture of the Oscars.

 

Jimmy Kimmel did an excellent job as host and tackled the Times up Movement as soon as his opening monologue started and several actresses gave their own piece on their experiences through out the night.

 

The Oscars also used their platform to shed light on and discuss other politics going on in the world, including: Gun control, The dreamers, and racism.

 

Overall, it was a great night for Hollywood and there were mostly good vibes only through out.

 

There was a moment for which Emma Stone is getting "Dragged" as we say these days, though.

 

After announcing the nominees for Best Director, Stone went out of her way to point out the fact that there were 4 male nominees against 1 female nominee. The issue that stands in this is that 2 of the male nominees were minorities (Jordan Peele- Black| Guillermo Del Toro- Mexican). Minorities, especially blacks and hispanics, have historically had the least amount of representation through the entire 90 year tenure.

 

People are saying this is peak white feminism. A branch of feminism that surrounds the idea of white women only looking out for their own "opression" and not women in general.

 

That being said, Its dope to announce that the biggst award of the night, "Best Picture", went to Del Toro for his film "The Shape Of Water".

 

One of the other bigger awards went to Jordan Peele for Best Screenplay.

 

So though, there are still strides to be made in the category of diversity, its good knowing that progress is being made.

 

Apart of this progress is also including more diverse people on the voting board for the academy awards. There was a 20% rise in the amount of people of color being added to the board, including a spike in black women specifically.

 

We hope that as the years go on, there will continuously be growth and room for more diversity at the awards ceremony.

 

thanks for tuning in as always, peace and much love!

 

-Max Ataraxis

Feedback. The actual definition of feedback is information about reactions to a product, a person's performance of a task, music, etc. The ultimate purpose of feedback is so that it can be used as a basis for improvement on their craft.

 

Feedback is not subjective to just one type of artist. Musicians need feedback on their songs. Painters need feedback on their paintings. Writers need feedback on their writing. You get the point. 

 

It seems though, that many do not get feedback for one reason or another. Something that I've noticed, especially with really talented artist, is that people wont get feedback on their work because people already assume they know its amazing. This leads to many talented artists quietly dealing with a crippling self doubt that no one would even know was happening in their head. So I encourage everyone out there to let all their talented friends know that their work is good and why it is good, too!

 

Tell them exactly what you like about it and I promise you will make their day. People will sometimes lose their creative passions because of a crippling self doubt. You can have a artist destined for greatness who just gives up because of the crippling self doubt that sets in when your making art. For me, it comes down to one question: Am I Delusional?

 

I will sometimes make a song and Ill think its one of the dopest songs ever! But then the crippling doubt sets in and I have to fight with the thought of, "Is this really good or am I just delusional?". Hearing someone say something postive about that song helps me in that I know if other people like it, then I'm not delusional. Because, you can make what YOU think is the greatest song in the world, BUT if NOBODY likes it? Like nobody at all?

Then you probably ARE delusional and though art is subjective, there is some truth involved if no one likes it. It just might not be that good or may need to be worked on some more. 

 

This leads me to my next point on feedback. Another reason people dont get feedback is because whatever their reviewing IS bad or not up to par with quality standards. Many people will opt to be yes men (women) and not tell the truth in order to save someone's feelings.

I believe that if you really are that person's friend, then you will be able to be honest with them. If their a true friend,  they will appreciate the honesty. Sometimes harsh criticism is necessary for growth. 

 

Feedback is essential for every type of artist. Im going to end on this note. Cardi B is one of the most popular new school rappers out right now, so, with that shes getting a lot of love! But with all that love comes twice the amount of hate. Contrary to popular belief, the trolls on the internet CAN get under these celebrities skin. Cardi B has talked about how the comments hurt her self esteem and makes her feel bad, but then she sees the FEEDBACK from her fans. The ones who send her good energy and talk postively about her. It doesnt matter how "Big" or underground you are. Feedback is an essential part to being a artist that is almost out of the artist's control. 

 

So take what I spoke on today and be mindful. Tell a artist you like that you love their stuff! Let them know exactly why and be genuine about it. I promise you, your going to make that artist's day. Also though, be sure to keep it real when necessary, too. No artist can prosper with longevity with yes people in the circle. Thank you so much for your time as always, and tune in for more good art based articles coming soon!

 

- Max Ataraxis 

Hello All!

Thanks for tuning in. Today, I want to talk about EPKs versus social media!

First things first. What IS an EPK? EPK stands for electronic press kit. It came about not long after the internet age started to revolutionze the music industry in the mid to late nineties. Before then, it was simply just press kits that were used.  You know , you hear about bands like Nirvana putting a demo cassette tape together with some physical band photos and maybe a hand written letter to the record companies?

 

The internet made this process so much easier!

 

So, what are the contents of a Electronic press kit?

EPK's normally feature a bio, audio clips, videos, photos, press, set list, basic technical requirements, and a calendar. Its the most efficient way for booking agents, record labels, etc to get the run down on who you are as a artist and what your needs are, should they hire you for a gig. These electronic press kits have been the staple to success for the past twenty or so years. Having all of this in one space at the click of a button is super beneficial and easy for everyone involved. Its no wonder it's been so popular for all these many years.

 

But we're starting to notice a transition in the culture.

 

Nowadays record labels are signing youtube and instagram sensations. They arent doing artist development anymore, and it seems like Press kits are even becoming obsolete to getting discovered and coming up in the industry.

 

The number one thing that a record label or booking agent will look for in the current generation is your social media following. How many followers does this person have? Have many likes per post are they averaging? How many people are actually actively interacting with this artist?

To them, all that translates to $$$$.

This is the reason that music artist such as Bhad Bhabie (who grew from internet fame after the infamous "Catch Me Outside Phrase" slipped out of her mouth at the tinder age of 13 on Dr. Phil) can be so successful with a major label backing.

Kids these days flock towards simplicity and nonsense. Its just how things are now, unfortunately.

 

To all my artist out there, though, dont be discouraged! Sure, nonsense and ignorance sell easier, but also you have to realize that its easier now than ever to put yourself on !

You can build a brand entirely off of social media. You can eat good and feed yourself and your family entirely off of social media! You can hate if you want to , but instagram models, for example, are having full fledged careers from the platform. You just gotta know how to play the game and Brand yourself.

 

So my advice to all upcoming artist is to invest time into building your social media presence. Get your vision together, so that when the time comes, you have a brand built via social media and a gameplan for when those who want to give you an opportunity, come about.

 

Are EPK's Dead? To an extent? yes. And I say yes, because social media is the new EPK. Everything that would be in a EPK can be found on your social media if executed properly.

 

That being said, I think having an official EPK on deck will actually impress labelheads, festival heads, booking agents, etc. It comes off as you being a artist who is serious about their craft.

 

Id like to reccomend sonicbids.com for any up and coming artist who want to put an EPK together. It's user friendly, and not only do they help you put a EPK together, but there are constant opportunities to apply for festivals, concerts, etc,etc using the platform.

 

Here is a link to sonicbids:

https://www.sonicbids.com/

 

 Hope you found this helpful, thanks for tuning in to Diversal!

 

-Max Ataraxis