What I'm Talking About: Rotten Apples and Rap Beef
Hi everyone,
I use voice notes to help me sort out my thoughts, and I sometimes share them on my Patreon. I'm going to get back into doing that more regularly. Last week, I was spurred into recording by Apple's ad for the new iPad. In the spot, a giant hydraulic press crushes musical instruments, artists’ tools and other implements of human creativity and joy. When it's all done, paint leaks out like blood. Everything has been ruthlessly pressed into “the thinnest iPad ever.” I and many others found the ad disturbing or even sinister. I discussed my uneasy feelings in a post that's now public on my Patreon (members received early access). I'm also sharing it here:
(There’s a moment where I misspeak and refer to students protesting the genocide in Gaza as “petulant.” I meant to say the are perceived to be petulant.)
I don't know how many of you have been following the rap beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake, but it's crossed over into mainstream international news. I'll leave dissection of the tracks and impact on hop hop culture to people who are better versed in the artists’ work and place in the pantheon. The thing that struck me the most is that Drake's creepy behavior with underage girls finally stuck to him. It seemed like a matter of the right messenger at the right time. That seems to be going around in different parts of the zeitgeist. Uncomfortable truths seem to be more palatable for some reason.
I recorded my thoughts on this exclusively for members of my Patreon. You can listen to an extended sample here: https://www.patreon.com/kitanyaharrison
Thanks for reading and listening!
Kitanya