HELP: Seeking Mentor

     There is always room for learning, and it is a lot helpful when an expert is there to assist and teach. 

What kind of mentor do I need?

(A question even I don't know the answer to)

• Mentor has to be familiar with analyzing music.
• Mentor has to experienced.
• Mentor has to also be familiar with Hip-Hop.
• Mentor has to enjoy what he does.

What would be the first question I ask him?

-What are we doing?

I, Entrepreneur

Entrepreneurs reinvent things for the better. They're passionate about it and shouldn't be afraid to fail. Sacrifices have to be made to get to where they want to be.

a. Certain rappers are entrepreneurs. They find new ways to make rap songs interesting, instead of every song being similar or monotone. Most are passionate of what they do, they do it as an outlet for expression. Things are given up to reach the top.

b. I guess I am able to classify myself as an entrepreneur. I actually enjoy what I am doing with this blog but failure is not an option.

c. I think others should stop seeing entrepreneurs by the typical text-book definition. Instead, see the characteristics that come with being an entrepreneur. There can always be an amateur entrepreneur, you gotta start somewhere right? So, you have to make progress to gain expertise and become that much more successful. 

10 Questions

10 questions to ask an expert. (experts being rappers)

1. What motivates you?
2. Are your lyrics most often literal?
3. How did you start?
4. Has life been affected since becoming well-known?
5. If life has change, how has it?
6. Why do you do what you do?
7. What are you most often trying to say in your songs?
8. What do you think about when you're in the booth?
9. Do you ever freestyle your songs right then and there in the booth?
10. What are the negatives that come with your lifestyle?

THINK

"Give a man a truth and he will think for a day. Teach a man to reason and he will think for a lifetime."

                 Phil Plait

Welcome To My Network (So Far)

Derek Gonzalez and Joe Ortiz came up to me the other day asking me about rap.

They're interested and I found out that Joe makes beats. 

Now, I find that interesting because who knows what kinds of projects or collaborations we can do from here 'till June. 

What and Why am I doing?

 Just because I mutter a lot:

     "What I am doing is, I am focusing on the meanings in some rap songs. Pardon me for how I am about to put this but there is no true expression with censorship- There are hip hop songs that are about more than just pussy, money, weed.

     There is literature in some of these songs! Also, the lyrics are usually indirect with their meanings. You have to read in between the lines:

• Identify the double entendres
• Notice the alliterations
• Understand the similes and metaphors
• Know the allusions

     Like I said before, you have to read in between the lines of certain rap songs as one would do in typical literature. English teachers are always telling us to do so when focusing on a novel in class. Well there is a lot of storytelling in songs as well! Usually, an English teacher will want you to find the true meaning behind a line or a sentence. The same can be done for rap songs and with songs in other genres as well.
For example, when an author/writer uses any adjective to describe a simple scenario or plot, chances are there is meaning behind it.
They are describing the setting.
They are describing the emotion.
They are describing the feeling of the situation.
They are describing the level of intensity or calmness.
And since this literature is expressed vocally, the tone is far easier to perceive.
     Stereotypes complicate comprehension in some topics, and that is why I want to share that some rap/hip hop songs can be artistic."

Hafta/Wanna

     Life After High School

     I have certain expectations for when after I graduate. For example: going to college, having a steady job, and an increase in independence. I really don't know what to look forward to though. I will gain more responsibilities but I'll still be young, especially in my case because I started school early. It is what comes after college that leaves me oblivious to my future. 

Life During High School

     I have it easy at this moment. My parents provide for my. My education is free. Classes really don't require much. I'm just really lazy and lack motivation. Until something truly hits me and I take notice that I must get my shit together until the next time I lose ambition and gain another awakening. It's a roller coaster for me. At this moment, I know I have to fix where I went wrong. I want to live senior year to the fullest and that includes gaining the education I've been seeking, participating in school events, as well as things outside the school.

What Of It?

     The differences between these two are MAJOR. Getting used to change takes time. We are required to make the biggest decisions of our lives right after graduating from high school and just months before, we still had to ask for permission to go to the bathroom.
     We all have these things we need to do and want to do. I like to get through what I REALLY need to do and leave the easier, less important stuff for later. That allows me to do what I want.

     I'm moving on. So is everyone else. It's best to mainly focus on ourselves. That's it.

A Master Asked His Disciples:

I feel like I had to share this, so here you go.

A master asked his disciples:

Why do we shout in anger? Why do people shout at each other when they are upset?

The disciples thought for a while, and one of them said 

“Because we lose our calm, we shout for that.”

“But, why to shout when the other person is just next to you? “

Isn’t it possible to speak to him or her with a soft voice? Why do you shout at a person when you’re angry? The disciples gave him some other answers but none satisfied the master.

Finally he explained:

“When two people are angry at each other, their hearts distance a lot. To cover that distance they must shout to be able to hear each other. The angrier they are, the stronger they will have to shout to hear each other through that great distance.”

Then the master asked:

“What happens when two people fall in love? They don’t shout at each other but talk softly, why? Because their hearts are very close. The distance between them is very small…”

And he concluded:

When they love each other even more, what happens?

“They do not speak, only whisper and they get even closer to each other in their love. Finally they even need not whisper, they only look at each other and that’s all. That is how close two people are when they love each other.”