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Anonymous asked: I heard that you are planning to run for Mayor of Philadelphia. What are some paramount views that you will be incorporating into your platform?
1. Educational reform: financial allocation, fundraising, testing standards etc.
2. Job creation
3. Cleaning up the city (drugs, crime & actual trash)
4. Increasing the number of large companies with headquarters in Philadelphia.
for more information or to have a real discussion, email me at: SedrickHines@gmail.com or add me on facebook: Sedrick Hines
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I’ve captured some pretty awesome pictures on my camera this summer. I’m going to post a new one every day. I couldn’t think of a better way to begin than this immaculate portrait of Jesus captured in a Greek Orthodox church during memorial day weekend. (I still believe jesus was middle eastern but that’s a discussion for a later date)
Where 90’s R&B meets gospel is where you’ll find Keke Wyatt. Her soulful sounds soothe and make for great driving music or unsuspecting prequels to a late night Trey Songz medley (if you get my drift). For those of you who aren’t yet convinced, feel free to listen to “Mirror” ft Kelley Price and Tweet below and click on the photo to enjoy the entire album.
Tracklist:
01. Light Me Up
02. Unbelievable
03. Mirror Ft. Kelly Price And Tweet
04. Love Under New Management
05. Tap Out
06. Saturday Love Ft. Ruben Studdard
07. Miss Your Plane
08. Enough
09. Travel The World (Love Uses Time)
10. Tears In Heaven
11. His Eye Is On The Sparrow
What more needs to be said?
Bad Meets Evil-Hell:The Sequel (EP)
Tracklist:
1. “Welcome 2 Hell”
2. “Fast Lane”
3. “The Reunion”
4. “Above the Law”
5. “I’m on Everything” (featuring Mike Epps)
6. “A Kiss”
7. “Lighters” (featuring Bruno Mars)
8. “Take from Me”
9. “Loud Noises” (featuring Slaughterhouse)
10. “Living Proof”
11. “Echo” (featuring Liz Rodriguez)
Click photo to download
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I was flipping through the channels the other day and I came across an interesting segment on BET’s 106 & Park. Now, first and foremost let me just I am not a fan of BET in any way, shape or form. People who know me can tell you that I have a great deal of disdain for the channel but I digress… The hosts of 106 & Park were discussing the controversy surrounding Rihanna’s new music video “Man Down.” Set in the Caribbean, the video which is more of a short story follows a woman (Rihanna) that has been brutally raped by a man and seeks revenge on her assailant by shooting and ultimately killing him. Since the videos premiere, Rihanna has been severely criticized by various organizations in addition to the BET community about her apparent “endorsement” of murder. (Mind you the depiction of murder was NOT the purpose of her video or the song for that matter.)
Violence against women is at epidemic proportions in the United States. Sexual assault, harassment, stalking, and intimate partner violence have become a “normal” part of women’s daily lives. Young women in particular are more likely to be assaulted and less likely to get help. The statistics are quite alarming:
-According to a 2004 National Crime Victimization Survey, almost two-thirds of all rapes are committed by someone the victim knows a relative, an acquaintance, or even a friend. This study also claims that every two and half minutes, someone is sexually assaulted in the United States, and that one in six women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape. (Mind you rape is one of the most underreported crimes.) Furthermore, eighty percent of rape victims are under the age of thirty and forty four percent are under the age of eighteen.*
I realize some of you might be asking yourselves how do these vicious acts of violence towards women take place during this day and age? Well, to answer your questions we have are living in what many feminists call “rape culture.” We live in a society that basically condones rape. Yes, rape is in fact illegal but, our social and political environment covertly “allows” rape. We are bombarded by images whether it’s from TV, film or other forms of media that perpetuate the objectification of women, violence against women among other things.*
I feel that entertainers like Rihanna possess a unique ability to discuss difficult social issues that plague our society because they wield a great deal of power and influence, especially over young people. I’m not saying that it is their sole responsibility to shed light on issues of rape or domestic violence. We should all be held accountable for injustice within our society because we all have the ability to speak up and speak out! However, I do believe that by not challenging their audience to discuss these issues entertainers are just perpetuating the status quo… I frankly commend Rihanna on her new song and video and instead of banning the video and condemning her we should be discussing how we can put an end to violence against women.
*Statistics and other information were taken from Jessica Valenti’s “Full Frontal Feminism” and Ginia Bellafante’s “Is Feminism Dead?” Time Magazine, June 29, 1998.
My rant aside here is the link to her video. Check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEhy-RXkNo0&feature=player_embedded
-Kristina
S/o to the UK for bringing us Tinie Tempah. From the moment the intro came on all I could say was OMG. His beats are electrifying, his background singers chew up tritones for breakfast and he’s stomping all over these songs in a way that few European imports have imagined let alone mastered. Turn this album up in your stereo system and blast your way down the highway…it will not disappoint. I’d tell you more about this album, but you really need to experience it for yourself.
It’s been a while since I’ve heard a new R&B artist come out and really have chance to stand up amongst the big boys. With a voice that hovers somewhere between Chris Brown and Bobby Valentino, an album that features artists from Gorrilla Zoe to Yung Joc and production that sounds like Tank/The Dream sat down in the studio and just told him to go, JC is making quite an impression with his album “Ear Candy”. His ballads are soft and harmonic and his more upbeat songs aren’t nearly as cheesy as you’d expect for a young artist. I’d love to see him perform live and see what he’s really made of, but in the meantime feel free to check out the album by clicking the photo.
What’s up fiends? I know that everyone has been blasting “Novacane” by Frank Ocean, any and everything put out by MMG and the standard inaudible southern hip-hop with a hot beat. While those things are all fine and dandy, don’t be afraid to expand your iTunes a little bit.
Owl City’s “All Things Beautiful” album is definitely worth a few spins in your cd player/plays on your iPod. If you are looking for soulful drug ballads then this is not the album for you, but if you are looking for some easy listening for the myriad long summer drives that will undoubtedly come to past…then check them out.
Click photo to download.
I just finished this mixtape cover for my friend Marc last night. The mixtape isn’t yet complete but I expect it to be no-skip worthy.
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