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arts & culture
KANSAN.COM |MONDAY, APRIL 24, 2017
Aries (March 21-April 19) You're getting stronger, especially today and tomorrow. Something you try doesn't work. Discover a structural problem. Share practical data. Discuss possible solutions
Taurus
tomorrow. Something doesn't go as expected.
New information emerges.
Sort truth from fiction. Create your plan and share it.
possible solutions.
Gemini
laurus (April 20-May 20)
Reorganize things through
Friends teach you the rules. Talk about your enthusiasms and passions with people you respect and admire. Share what you're learning. Listen to older players.
older players.
Cancer
(June 21-July 22)
Professional decisions await. Take charge and manage details over the next few days. Prepare documents. Track results.
Ask for more and get it.
Leo
(July 23-Aug. 22)
Spontaneous adventures call. Expand your horizons over the next two days.
Follow a family tradition.
Let your heart carry you to a completely different environment.
conversation.
Virgo
Contributed Photo
(Aug. 23-Sep. 22) Have patience with financial breakdowns. Keep a positive attitude, and collaborate for resolution. Your sense of humor opens locked doors. Profit through communication.
Libra
(Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
Things may not go as planned ... flexibility and partnership are key over the next few days. Split up and coordinate efforts Jump on an opportunity.
Kendrick Lamar's new album "DAMN." (Interscope Records)
Scorpio
Scorpion (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) Get your heart pumping. Avoid accidents or break- age. There's plenty of action through tomorrow, and it could get physical. Your network has support. Invite participation
Invite participation
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
Listen to your elders. Interview someone with a great track record. You're attractive and attracted,
especially today and tomorrow. Make fun plans with someone wonderful.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan.19) Family comes first over the next few days. Learn from experience.Get support from your community if needed.Journal your thoughts and feelings.
Capricorn
Aquarius
Review: Is "DAMN." Kendrick Lamar's best?
Aquatics (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
You're especially articulate and clever through tomorrow. Communications and travels experience delays but ultimately get through. Write, post and broadcast. Get your message out.
Pisces
The next two days are good for business and income. Your ideas are drawing attention. A beautiful moment arises through connecting with someone.
► MYLAN JONES
@thislanismylan
facing inner demons; contemplating the legitimacy of his religion; battling with these ideas of his position in the world. Kendrick Lamar captures all of these ideas in his most recent album "DAMN."
Kendrick's album covers so much in such a small window of time, considering this is his shortest album. This album is also somewhat different from what we have seen in his previous projects.
But, is "DAMN." his best album?
Kendrick kicks off the album with a very interesting intro. On "BLOOD." Kendrick sees a blind woman who is trying to find something. As he offers help, he says, "Seems to me that you have lost something." The woman states that it is Kendrick that has lost something, which turns out to mean his life. He is shot and killed right at the beginning.
The circumstances with "BLOOD." are reversed in the last track "DUCK-WORTH." After the death, we get an outro for the song which includes people on Fox News criticizing his lyrics on "Alright." Kendrick then counters this idea in the next track "DNA."
In "DNA." he uses the opinions of those at Fox News (and later that of Geraldo Rivera) — that music like this caused more problems for African Americans than racism — which is nonsense. Kendrick goes in by portraying something that is "harmful" for listeners. He switches to this more aggressive and loud flow and states that these particular subjects within his music are the product of the continued attack on the black community from white America.
Though Kendrick analyzes these different issues that the black community continues to face, most of his presentation illustrates his own experience and what he continues to battle.
He wonders whether or not his position in the industry and black culture as a whole is worth it. Kendrick is often painted as a savior and a person that will educate his listeners as he pushes the culture forward. In his song "FEEL" he is
wondering why everyone is expecting him to pray for them, but no one is praying for him. Very little people seem to be truly concerned with his well-being and what he provides for the culture.
Kendrick also points faults in himself that might hinder him from being in a better position.
Throughout the album, Kendrick seems to have lost his way on the path that God set for him. Since he is not on the right path, it seems that God is punishing him to test his resilience. This idea is very clear in "FEAR." as you listen to the voicemail left by his cousin Carl. Kendrick does not necessarily know if this
is what he believes in, but he throws it in for listeners to ponder and debate.
"DAMN." is used for listeners to look at themselves and their own faults. Kendrick is here to provide his own experiences, but he wants us to look at ourselves in the bigger picture. He wants everyone to know that there is more to our DNA than "sex, money, murder." He wants us to look back to our loved ones, our pride while remaining humble and focusing on the positivity in our life that do not require falling victim to greed, lust, wrath, and more.
My one gripe with the album is that these different subjects should be connected a little more. At some points, it seems that things are scattered throughout the album and some parts could have been switched around to create a stronger linear path. For example, I feel like the reference to Carl in "YAH." could have been placed closer to "FEAR." But, I believe the scattered ideas within this album illustrate what Kendrick goes through at this point in his own life. He has to juggle all of these ideas as they continue to weigh on his mind, which leads him to present these contemplations and depression throughout the album.
So, is "DAMN." Kendrick's best album? I, without a doubt, would say that I love this album. But, I cannot see myself stacking it up against his last two albums. I am not saying that it is not as good as the others, but it is different in the way that Kendrick presents it. King Kendrick covers so much with this one album
"DAMN." is Kendrick's most personal and emotional album yet. The album is short and sweet, with a lot of great production and features combined with a variety of flows and lyrical meaning. Even with all of that, I cannot say that this is his best. I will say this: "DAMN." reassures the fact that Kung Fu Kenny is one of the greatest rappers of all time.
Edited by Casey Brown
KU World Expo to showcase, celebrate over 44 international communities today in Union
▶ LIBBY FLOOD
@libbyflood13
The International Student Association (ISA) will be hosting World Expo 2017, an annual event that showcases the University's global community, on Monday, April 24. The event will feature music from around the world and cultural presentations from more than 44 countries.
Monday April 24th12-4pm Kansas Union Ballroom (5th floor)
The purpose of the event is to celebrate international culture, said ISA president Hollie Hall, a master's student at the University from London.
"We [hope the event] demonstrates to the local community the important role international students play in the USA, especially in light of recent negativity we have faced," Hall said.
sity student or member of the Lawrence community interested in learning about the international presence at the University.
The event also kicks off International Awareness Week, held each spring now for more than 50 years. The week-long celebration will feature the 65th annual Festival of Nations, a talent show that allows international students to share their country's music and dancing.
At the World Expo, international students are able to share their country's culture with the Lawrence community by setting up booths complete with artifacts, food or pictures. The event will also feature educational games and prizes meant to bring interest in cultural diversity. Hall said.
ISA provides international students with the opportunity to share their culture with the University, said ISA cultural chair Gita Nadinda, a psychology major from Bali, Indonesia. The group also provides a sense of community among students studying thousands of miles from their home.
World Expo 2017 will feature booths of over 44 different cultures Monday, April 24
Any international student is able to showcase their country, Hall said. The event is open to any Univer-
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Nadinda, along with assistant cultural chair Maheen Bangash from Overland Park, has spent months planning the upcoming World Expo to produce a "well-rounded and diverse" event.
Hall said that she enjoys the ability to meet other international students through ISA.
"We're always learning new things about different people and their home countries," Hall said. "It's enriching to be able to have this experience on a campus which lacks diversity."
Hall, who has been involved with ISA since arriving at the University in
World Expo 2017 will take place on Monday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the Kansas Memorial Union Ballroom. International
2014, said she hopes the event will highlight the "vital" importance of diversity.
Awareness Week will run through the week, ending with the Festival of Nations on April 27 at 7:30 p.m. in Woodruff Auditorium.
Edited by Casey Brown
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