Writing about music

Its not something I will profess skill at, despite my love of arts and entertainment and a few stabs at album and video reviews in college and occasionally here at Vanity Dark. This doesn't mean that I can't appreciate some good commentary.

Some websites I like are Honorable Media at http://hmblog.wordpress.com, Sasha Frere Jones at http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/sashafrerejones and the Status ain't Hood blog over at Village Voice. Since I don't really have a sites I read section...I just thought I'd let it be known. Also, Kelefa Sanneh is the truth. Lola Ogunnaike was also on point...one day, I may make the list (my professional writing is nothing like the uber casual style I take here, although I maintain the same sentiments ...just in case a straggler on to the site was scared).

With that said two songs you should go listen to if you haven't yet, "Hostile Gospel" by Talib Kweli and "Drunk and Hot Girls" by Kanye feat. Mos Def

"Surviving Droughts, I wish you well"-Jay Z

HAUL,
The Queen

Minorities and Campus News Papers

So, I think this off topic from my usual postings, but then again--there is no real connecting theme, beyond my obsession with Vanity Fair, journalism, and the popular culture of my youth. So in that vain, I'd recommend checking out this article on racial politics in college newspapers from Campus Progress. This was a persistent issue on my campus that I suffered reading several emails about. Still not much change happened. I don't think that its simply that minority students lack an interest in the poor paying field of journalism (why did I choose this path again?), because as far as I can tell HBCU's have campus newspapers and shock even communications majors(note: never attended one and don't intend to). There's even a student branch of the National Association of Black Journalist (NABJ) I think it's a larger issue of minorities on medium to large size campuses not being attracted to various campus activities en masse. Sure there's a sprinkling over a variety of clubs, but there's only a sprinkling over the entire campus in general. Add on all the various minority groups, including minority papers, and you have a group of overspent students constantly proving themselves and their right to be there, that adding one more activity can be a bit much. In my experience, just among black students there was a umbrella group, an African group, a Caribbean group, a male group, a female group, a theater group, 2 singing groups (one became too integrated with whites for some folk), a business group (mixed with other minorities), a secret homosexual group, community service organizations within three of those groups, some dance groups, publications in three of these groups, loads of multi-thousand dollar events and people were still trying to start more.

I also have a feeling that some enjoyed the racial homogeneity of some of their clubs after mixing it up all day anyway. It may have been like going home at night to family. Not saying its right, but its human.

HAUL,
The Queen