Where Did Rap Go Wrong?
by Justin Joseph

Rap music began in South Bronx with Rapper’s Delight by Sugarhill Gang. The industry was condemned and was predicted to die out. But people like Run-DMC and LL Cool J carried the music through the 80s. Coming into a new decade the music separated into many different styles which showed the versatility of the genre. There were styles of the music separated from rap. Gangster rap featuring such artists as NWA and Ice Tea was one direction. While the other route was Miami bass, (this was by the group 2 Live Crew.)
The 80’s were the golden years when there were great rappers who told stories. This was a time when rappers would always incorporate their DJs into any song. Rakim had Eric B., Reverend Run and D.M.C. had Jam Master Jay, and there was Pete Rock and CL Smooth. All three were very popular and all three sold lots of records. Nas was a dominant force in the rap music business with his album called Illmatic.  The lyrical content of the 80s was much better then that of today.
Gangster rap with its flamboyant artist from, NWA led the way and took the industry by storm. This music spoke to the kids growing up in the ghettos like the ones in Los Angelus and Brooklyn. The innovation of rap music that spoke about real life would lead to the superstars Tupac Shakur and Christopher (Notorious B.I.G.) Wallace.
Tupac and Biggie were the climax of the rap music industry. Biggie was with his hardcore street rhymes and Tupac was with his poetic lyrical flow. Biggie seemed to be the king of New York while Tupac was the king of LA. East coast rap versus west coast rap this beef would develop and eventually would come to kill two of the music’s rising stars. Rap music died with Tupac and Biggie.
The other type of music is Miami Bass. Luther Campbell also known as Luke Skyywalker of 2 Live Crew was the king of Miami bass. This music had fast beats and very risqué lyrics. It was eventually banned in the United States of America due to the lyrics.
There was a small decline in the late 90s with the label wars. Bad Boy Entertainment took over the radio waves. Artists such as Mase and Diddy carried the industry. Along with the new millennium came a new style of rap. Crunk music was born with Three 6 Mafia with the song “Tear da Club Up.” Lil’ Jon and the Eastside boys took this new style of music and ran with it. With music that talks about money, girls, and jewelry of course the records would keep selling.
There are still certain artists such as those on the Good Music label that give a breathe of fresh air. Artists still talk about social issues and things that really matter to everyday society No one really wants to hear that though. Maybe people were right and the genre will die out. To listeners there are still chances for people like Jay-Z and others like him to save the industry and bring it back from the dead.

Are We Judged by Music 
by Jenifer Jenkins

High School is often all about stereotypes, and oftentimes the stereotype that applies to you is defined by the type or types of music you listen to.  Listening to a certain genre of music supposedly dictates how you dress, how you act, and the people you become friends with.
If you listen to Bob Marley for example, you must do drugs, or maybe listening to country music makes you a hick.  These assumptions are often unfair and most of the time very untrue.  Every person in our school has different tastes in music, but are they stereotyped because of it?  Senior Amanda Maisel seemed to disagree, “I listen to rap, and I am not, by any stretch of the imagination, gangster.”  Other students have the same opinion, saying that music has nothing to do with how their classmates are stereotyped.  One sophomore, Vincent Cuellai, stated, “I don’t befriend people based on what music they listen to.”  So apparently music does not decide your group of friends.  Sophia Greve, another sophomore, agrees, “All people listen to different music, it’s not just one group.”  Perhaps these stereotypes do not affect them personally, but they must affect some people.
Sarih Singh, a junior, agrees.  “It’s true but not with everyone, especially in High School.” High school generally is a breeding ground for stereotypes.  From the way you dress and act to where you come from, an opinion was made by the time the first person laid eyes on you.  But music, who would have thought?  Zack Alexandre, a senior, who took the time to talk to about the subject was upset by this. “People shouldn’t be defined by what music they listen to, that’s just going too far.  But stereotypes will always plague our society.” Just because someone listens to punk music, does not mean they are “punk”, and not everyone who is “preppy” only listens to pop.  You can listen to every genre of music and like them all.  Do not let a certain stereotype prevent you from enjoying a new kind of music.

Appease Your Senses 
by Arden Ramos

So here you are browsing a store looking for that one game that has eye candy, gets you into the game, and probably awaken your senses. Well, there are plenty of games out there, most of them somewhat bad, but there are some games out there that are hits like Halo 2, Super Smash Brothers Melee, and Kingdom Hearts II to name a few. You see one you like behind the counter or behind a glass case, and it has a fresh little graphic on the front of the case. You immediately get it because we are all attracted by the shiny graphics. You get home, you play it and you are totally shot down by it thinking, “Why did I even buy this if it is this bad?” Well, fellow gamers of all sorts, here are three of many different games to hit your local store shelves.  
NBA Live 07 (X360, Xbox, PS2, PSP, PC)

  The next NBA game to come from EA Sports, this game is chock full of new features, better graphics, and a brand new enhanced Dynasty Mode, in which you control your favorite team and become their manager. Other new features include “Total Freestyle Control” (Performing realistic NBA moves, unique to every person, then enhancing their skills), signature jump shots, also unique to a lot of players, a brand new, redone AI for more challenging games, ESPN Commentary and a Slam Dunk Contest and 3 Point Shootout mode.

Guitar Hero II (PS2 Exclusive)

  Coming from RedOctane, the rock guitar simulation Guitar Hero II follows up where the first Guitar Hero left off. There are new modes like Co-Op, a new Practice Mode, and a revamped Career mode. In Co-Op, you help your friend get through the song, one of you being lead guitarist, and the other on bass or rhythm. You will both share the combo meter and your “star power” (Star power helps boost your score and performance on stage, and gets the crowd to love you). In the new career mode, you will still build your reputation from the bottom starting in a high school battle of the bands, and if you are good enough, the crowd will ask you for an encore, which is also a new mode within Career mode. The old Versus mode is still available for those of you who are more competitive. There will be 40+ new songs, coming from many eras of rock and from many bands like Nirvana, Black Sabbath, KISS, Van Halen, Guns N’ Roses, and The Rolling Stones. Before you real guitarists shove it away, try playing on expert mode.  
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team/Red Rescue Team (DS/GBA)

  In this new Pokémon game from Nintendo, you play as a human who one day wakes up as a Pokémon. In your Pokémon form, you travel through dungeons and learn about natural disasters that put Pokémon in danger. Now you are probably thinking, “Which version should I buy? Aren’t they the same?” The answer is technically yes and no. They are both the same game, but the Blue Rescue Team version is for the DS only while Red Rescue Team is for GBA. The Nintendo DS uses its communication abilities to swap items other Blue Rescue Team players might need and contact them. There is also an Unknown Dungeon feature only for DS in which your top screen can display Dungeon Maps and your Teams’ status. The touch pad is also usable with this game. For the GBA version, however, players must use the GBA Link Cable in order to help each other with their quests. Blue and Red teams can contact each other using passwords they will get in game, then trading them. Expect a lot of your favorite Pokémon and even some new ones that are exclusive to each version to be in these games.

Inspect These New Gadgets  
by Jack Coyle

Every year, electronics companies release thousands of new products upon the world.  Some of these products reel in money like there is no tomorrow; others do not.  So far this year, many different gadgets have been released and many more are on the way.  Some are expensive; others are cheap.  Some are small; some are not.  They allow you to talk to friends, play games, and write e-mails, listen to music and much more.  In this article, several new gadgets that came out this year will be reviewed.
I-Pod Nano- Apple strikes again with the new and improved Nano.  The new Nano comes in five different colors: white, black, pink, blue and green.  It is 3.5 inches tall, 1.5 inches wide and half an inch thick with a 1.5-inch color screen.  As well as being able to download music, pictures, podcasts, audiobooks and TV shows, Apple now allows customers to download full-length movies straight to your I-pod.  The Nano comes in three versions.  A 500-song model that costs $150, a 1,000-song model that costs $200 and a 2,000-song model that costs $250.
Bottom Line:  The Nano is definitely worth the price tag. It can do almost anything you can think of.
X-box 360- Microsoft’s new system has dwarfed its predecessor since it was released earlier this year.  The 360, like the original, combines a game system, DVD player and a music CD player.  Its CPU has 64 megabytes of RAM (basically, no one will ever be able to use up all the memory, no matter how hard they try.)  The 360 can play all the games its predecessor could as well as a heck of a lot of new ones.  The price range is $150-$350 depending on where it is purchased.
Bottom line: - The 360 is a fine piece of work.  It can effectively become an entire entertainment system, playing games, music and movies all in one square piece of plastic.  The 360 should only become more popular as time goes on, especially with the release of Halo three for this console later this year. Every self-respecting gamer should already own this system right now.
                Boot Camp- Apple computers is a company that has grown considerably in the last few years.  The release of the I-pod has given them a tidy sum of green, especially since apple has enabled customers to download full-length films.  Now Apple has released a program that could advance its interests much further.  This program is called Boot Camp.  Basically, boot camp allows customers to run a Windows XP operating system on a Macintosh computer.  After someone installs Boot Camp on their Mac, all they need to do is hold down the option key (alt key for Windows users) and a window will come up giving them the choice to run Windows or Macintosh as the operating system.  Boot Camp is still in its beta stage, (kind of like a test run) which can be downloaded at www.apple.com/macosx/bootcamp.
Bottom line: - Now anyone can have a computer that combines the versatility of a Windows with the Security of a Mac, definitely a good call.