THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
entertainment
HOROSCOPES Because the stars know things we don't.
Aries (March 21-April 19)
A tough challenge awaits. Draw strength from your roots. Use what you've learned to cut costs; you'll be more patient with finances over the next few days.
Today is an 8
Taurus (April 20-May 20)
The upcoming week is good for negotiating. Outdo your past best performance. Strengthen your infrastructure. Someone has to teach them how to earn and save. Keep at it.
Today is a 7
You're entering a two-day work phase, but it's not all about you. See what you can do for others. You benefit in the end. Imagine the entire plot, and achieve perfection.
Today is a 9
Gemini (May 21-June 20)
Cancer (June 21-July 22)
Trust your experience and your heart. Love blossoms in the new couple of days. Examine available resources. Smooth things over b maintaining decorum.
Today is a 9
You're irresistible. Provide facts,
and your partner warms to your
plan. Home and family take priority.
Something that worked before works
again. Today in a R
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
You're smart and getting smarter, but you may need a friend's help to keep all your thoughts on track. Profit from the ideas. Get yourself something that you've been wanting for your home.
Today is an 7
Lura (sept 23 - oct 27)
Make money, not war. Convince
others requires tact, and you can do
it. Don't take the situation too sini-
ously. Breathing deep and laughing
makes for the best medicine.
Today is a 9
Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
Go ahead and try it out; nothing beats experience. Plant constructive seeds while you're at it. Heart and mind are in sync today and tomorrow. There's nothing wrong with nesting now.
Today is a 6
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
Venture father out. Travelling isn't as easy now, but it's still worth the effort. Rewards are larger when the assignment is more challenging.
Have the facts. Illusions fall away.
Today is a 8
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
Organize your team for the next two days. Clear confusion, and then go, and achieve the highest quality. Be respectful and gain promises. Past deeds speak for you.
Today is a 8
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 16)
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
Work definitely takes priority. Take time to acknowledge the team and rest once you complete the project.
You're especially charming now.
Today is a 8
PAGE 4
Pisces (Feb.19-March 20)
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2012
Go for the full experience and learn. Push the envelope. An older dream could be possible now. Take good notes for future reference. Return a favor.
Today is a 6
Comedian comes to campus
CAMPUS PERFORMANCE
KAYLA SOPER
ksoper@kansan.com
Award-winning comedian Jessica Johnson isn't just funny by herself; she's funny as 10 different people.
"Oblivious to Everyone", a onewoman show written and performed by Johnson, is meant for a student audience. Named Best National Solo Artist at Williams College, Johnson has performed at several universities including Kansas State, Missouri State and Berkeley. She keeps audiences entertained with her portrayal of a woman with multiple personali-
"The 10 different characters help to show the many ways the media has impacted us, good and bad." lohnson said.
In a light-hearted way, Johnson's performance shows how stereotypes and pressures that prevail in the media affect people. She overdramatizes assumptions about groups of people. Johnson's main character Carrie, who bears a striking resemblance to Paris Hilton, has an unhealthy obsession with celebrities and the media.
said. "It is a drama but it definitely has its comedy as well."
Kaitlin DeJong, films and media coordinator for Student Union Activities, saw some of Johnson's videos online and thought she was hilarious.
ties, playing a variety of ages and races.
"I call it a 'dramedy,' Johnson
"This is a different kind of event than I've ever seen" DeJong said. "It's a unique comedy event with a lecture."
Johnson will perform "Oblivious to Everyone" tonight at 7 p.m. in the Kansas Union and is free to attend.
—Edited by Emma McElhaney
MORE BEATS PLEASE
Astro taking the world by storm BY DUNCAN MCHENRY
Since their debut appearance in the U.S. at last spring's South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, the Chilean synth shamans known as Astro have been creeping onto the indie-electro scene.
The group's new self-titled album was released on Aug. 28, and includes the song "Panda," which has already been featured in a Bloomingdale's commercial and the upcoming video game FIFA 13. The music video for the album's first track, "Cliervos," follows the four band members on a trippy dash around a verdant island. They don kilts and end up splattered with paint and luminous powder.
This flower child attitude has drawn numerous comparisons to MGMT from American critics. However, Astro's pairing of synthesizer blips and shrill vocals is
All of Astro's songs on the new album are in Spanish, yet the language difference doesn't diminish the musical quality for listeners who speak English; lyrics nearly always take a backseat to melody and attitude. In fact, this first studio effort begins with such an exuberant five-song romp that the cosmic pop begins to stagnate by the album's second half.
more akin to the electropop band Passion Pit.
On the second song, "Coco," the band takes a deeper plunge than usual into alternative rock. The synthesizer vortex that envelops most songs on the album fades into the background as an accessory in favor of gritty guitar chords with a sustain reminiscent of classic surf music.
However, the first several tracks, including "Ciervos," "Coco," "Colombo" and "Panda," practically beg the listener to break out a tie-dye shirt and crack some cerezas in the wilderness. The carefree vibe of these songs is fresh in the album's early stages; the timeless strum of electric guitar and rock drum-beats add depth to the electronic sound.
Astro has the talent, sound and shaggy demeanor of a successful indie-electro band, with moustaches to boot. American listeners should view this debut album as an introduction to the band and a sign of their potential.
Beginning with the lackluster sixth track, "Miu-Miu," the rest of the album maintains a level of sunny mediocrity. Astro can improve upon this lack of musical diversity in the future.
Edited by Whitney Bolden
WHITE GIRL PROBLEMS
A history of rap means more than East vs. West Coast
I spent this past Saturday at a concert, singing along to the lyrics I knew and dancing my way through the crowd. The headliner wore an ironic "I'm in the Band" tank, a plaid pearl snap collared shirt, skinny jeans and Converse shoes and had the haircut of an Urban Outfitters model. An acoustic guitar made an appearance. At one point, we sang along to Miley Cyrus "Party in the U.S.A."
Believe it or not, what I'm describing is a rap concert.
The Hoodie Allen concert at the Granada was in every way a fun, upbeat performance. However, considering I was at a rap concert, I couldn't help but notice that I saw only two black guys in the sold-out crowd of 1.000.
Today's hip-hop and rap scenes offer sub-genres that fit any listener's tastes. Despite stereotypes of gang violence and disrespect towards women, both modern and early rap are known more for beats and rhythm. Hip-hop was birthed by late jazz and neo-soul in the 1970s and '80s. At the time, popular songs centered around storytelling about daily events that often featured inequality and corruption.
Very suddenly, songs about racial inequality and daily struggles turned aggressive. In the '90s, the rap genre turned from fun, dance-friendly beats to violent, anti-establishment themes. The hip-hop group N.W.A. (Niggaz Wit Attitudes) from a suburb of Los Angeles released songs like the cult classic "Fuck the Police," establishing California prominence in what would soon become an East Coast-West Coast hip-hop rivalry.
This is when rap gets "real" Rap from the time of this media-dubbed "rap war" between California and New York groups was graphic, violent and is still idolized by the masses.
People in the '90s took rap very seriously. New York was jamming to songs like "Wu-Tang"
Fast forward a decade. Nicki Minaj is singing about drinking on the beach in "Starships" and Kanye West continues to comment on all the money, women and alcohol his lifestyle allows him to gain. What happened between Snoop Dogg's gang and drug-related appearances in the '90s and early 2000s to his gummy-bear and candy-suit appearance in Katy Perry's "California Gurls?"
Clan Ain't Nutting ta Fuck Wit."
In California, Tupac Shakur starts his retaliation song "Hit 'em Up" by insulting his rival's wife, crew, recording label and entire fan base, using the chorus to warn anyone who sees him to grab their gun and call the police. My mom still cringes when I play music from this era of rap in the car.
During the East versus West Coast era, rap was exactly as violent as my mother thinks it was. However, after the gang-related shooting deaths of The Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac, East and West Coast leaders respectively, rappers realized what their violent lifestyles led to. Rap opened back up to more introspective themes. The East Coast-West Coast rivalry fell apart.
So I reiterate: I am a white girl. I'm into cardigans and semicolons. Why would the same genre that endorsed gold chains and semi-automatic hand-held pistols appeal to a white girl from the suburbs? Despite occasionally listening to Eminem, the most trouble I've ever been in with the police was for a speeding ticket.
What used to be a violent gang-based rivalry between New York and California devolved into Jay Z's "Empire State of Mind" versus Katy Perry and Snoop Dogg's answer song "California Gurls."
The hip-hop market opened up.
And, suddenly, record companies started to realize how much money being popular enough to
play on hit music radio stations like Mix 93.3 could bring in.
The hip-hop scene's target demographic changed from inner-city gang enthusiasts to youth at large. Rap has been so widely dissected that classic artists like Tupec or the Wu-Tang Clan and contemporary artists like Hoodie Allen or Childish Gambino hardly fit into the same category.
Like all other music forms, rap has evolved. Rappers may forever use explicit language to describe drugs, sex and money, but who raps has changed the game. In these technology-driven modern times, any MacBook owner can open GarageBand, create a beat and post it to SoundCloud or an online blog.
Bloggers, generally speaking,
don't join gangs. They don't create
tense, violent rivalries between
coasts. They don't carry Glocks or
get into fights with police.
The fact that anyone and everyone can produce beats creates more diversity within the genre. Technology lets rap vary from violent gangster rap to Katty Perry pop music. For any other listeners tired of listening to the same playlist of "Get Low," that one Black Eyed Peas song and Tech N9ne's "Caribou Lou," rap evolving is a beautiful, beautiful thing.
- Edited by Hannah Wise
CROSSWORD
ACROSS
1 Pealed
5 Work with
8 "Ali —"
12 Gin flavoring
13 "Kidding!"
14 Hollywood clashers
15 Eight on a sundial
16 Ratatouille ingredient
18 Carrot cousin
20 Red-head's secret?
21 With it
22 Petrol
23 Discard
26 Salad base
30 Gorilla
31 Intention
32 Quarrel
33 Coleslaw or sauerkraut
36 Door holder
38 "— had it!
39 Droop
40 1,000 kilograms
43 Popeye's strengthener
47 Floret veggie
49 Wolf's look
50 Adam and Eve's third son
51 Arctic diving bird
52 Leeway
53 Stage show
54 Ball prop
55 Hen-house output
DOWN
1 Answer an invite
Solution time: 21 mins.
CHECK OUT THE ANSWERS
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2 Inter —
3 Type of film
4 Oriental companion
5 Loosen, in a way
6 First course
7 And so on (Abbr.)
8 Command
9 Not "fer"
10 German city
11 One side of the Urals
17 Converse
19 Pinch
22 Jewel
23 Puffer
24 Book-keeper (Abbr.)
25 Civil War soldier
26 Falsehood
27 Grecian vessel
28 Gear tooth
29 Ram's mate
31 Time of your life?
34 "Tara Road" author Maeve
35 With (Fr.)
36 "Bali —"
37 Snub
39 Rail nail
40 Recipe meas.
41 Pitcher Hershiser
42 Part of N.B.
43 Pivot
44 Quite eager
45 Stop up
46 Fixes a skirt
48 Feedbag morsel
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12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46
47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79
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Today's Cryptoquip Clue: Q equals H
J DYWILM MLJX QYWHXT YG
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Today's Cryptoquip Clue: G equals F
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3 9 9 2 6 1
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