Perspective Podcast - Kendrick Lamar

 Hello, and welcome to my third action project for the unit of "Sound" in my Humanities core class, "Journalism". The goal of this unit was to take on the role of a radio broadcast journalist by practicing the essential skills of interviewing, script-writing and sound-editing. After doing so, I created a story to tell a mini-biography of a voice important to the 21st century. For this Action Project, I shared a story, collected interviews, recorded, and edited sound bites. I chose Kendrick Lamar as an influential voice in my podcast. Kendrick Lamar is one of the oldest rappers today at age 34. He continues to grow as an artist even though his older albums and music projects still receive praise. I hope you enjoy it! Make sure to check out my other podcasts through my Soundcloud below.

NL · Perspective Podcast- K.DOT

[00:00] - NL

When it comes to influences, people nowadays only look up to musicians, artists, and actors. Someone who stands out from them all is Kendrick Lamar. He is an actor, songwriter, rapper, and activist. He has won the Grammy Awards for Best Rap Album in 2016 for his album “To Pimp a Butterfly” and in 2018 for his album “DAMN.”. He’s influenced a lot of rappers today, especially his younger cousin who goes by the stage name “Baby Keem”. When it comes to hip-hop especially in the last 10 years Kendrick Lamar has been around on the scene and has been a prominent figure and name in the industry. If you haven’t heard about Kendrick Lamar by now, you have to be living under a rock. That’s fine though, you will know who he is after this podcast today.

[00:52] - NL

When I say the name Kendrick Lamar, what is the first lyric or quote that comes to your mind and why?

[00:56] - KJ

There’s really not a lyric or quote. Ok, I’ll name an album then a song. The first album that comes to mind is “To Pimp A Butterfly”. Cuz that’s just a really good album in general. That’s where I know him from. My dad was playing it and I thought that was nice. And a song, it’s “XXX” on “DAMN.” cuz I used to love that song.

[01:22] -Kendrick Lamar

"I can't sugar coat the answer for you

This is how I feel—if somebody kill my son

That mean somebody's gettin' killed"

Tell me what you do for love, loyalty, and passion of

All the memories collected, moments you could never touch

I wait in front a niggas spot and watch him hit his block.”

[01:39] -JH

I would say the first quote that comes to mind is from one of his songs “Poetic Justice” I found that to be pretty interesting. “If I told you the flower bloomed in a dark room would you trust it?”

[01:49] -Kendrick Lamar

“Poetic justice

If I told you that a flower bloomed in a dark room, would you trust it?

I mean I write poems in these songs dedicated to you. When.” 

[01:58] -JH

Yeah, I found that to be pretty interesting cuz like, it just kinda makes you think about how the world is and how different people can come out of the same world differently. The good that comes out of people can stem from the bad that they experienced. And some of the bad that comes out of other people can come from too much good that they’ve experienced. Like it’s just different outcomes from different things people experience, all from the same world.

[02:32] -NL

What influence has Kendrick Lamar had on you?

[02:36] -KJ

I would say he influenced the artist I listen to a certain extent. In general, he’s probably made me pay more attention to the issues that black people have in this country just in general l. And I feel like his music is like a great representation of what we have to go through and just talking about those struggles.

[03:04] -JH

I feel like music hasn’t really affected me as much as it has other people. I’m not really into music as much as other people are. But when I listen to Kendrick; when I listen to people like Kendrick; I feel like the world can be changed in so many different ways for the better of course. I feel like there’s still hope for what people can end up becoming.

[03:30] -NL

Kendrick Lamar and his music have positively impacted my life for the better. He’s a rapper with the mindset of a jazz musician when it comes to recording songs. My English teacher loves his song “HUMBLE” which gained a lot of attention because of its chorus back in 2018. 

[03:48] -Kendrick Lamar

“Sit down

(Hol' up lil' , hol' up lil') be humble

(Hol' up) sit down

(Sit down, hol' up, lil')

Be humble

(Hol' up, hol' up, hol' up, hol' up) tell 'em sit down

(hol' up, lil') be humble”

[04:00] -NL

Too many music artists get their flowers and credit after they die. I feel that the youth should look more into his music and honor it while he’s still with us. Make sure y’all go explore his albums. You just might find something you were looking for. Goodbye for now.

[04:15] - HUMBLE. Outro Instrumental

[04:27] The End

Works Cited

“Kendrick Lamar.” GRAMMY.com, 15 Dec. 2020, www.grammy.com/grammys/artists/kendrick-lamar/17949.

KendrickLamarVEVO. “Kendrick Lamar - Poetic Justice (Explicit) Ft. Drake.” YouTube, 22 Feb. 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyr2gEouEMM.

Lamar, Kendrick. “XXX.” YouTube, 26 July 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2Bjl_sFo8U.‌

Virgo, Chris J. “Humble - Kendrick Lamar (Clean).” YouTube, 14 Apr. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVL7R-dFlgk.

THE UNORTHODOX PODCAST

For this Fall term, I decided to take up the "Podcasting 101" workshop. I've always had a love for interviews and discussions so podcasting lets me enjoy both. In this workshop, I grouped up with my classmates (CH, KE, CH, NL), to create a podcast called The Unorthodox Podcast. We learned editing and recording skills that would be used later in our episodes. I enjoyed working with my classmates on this podcast because our environment was a safe and fun space when making content. In this podcast, we talk about anything. Common questions, random thoughts, perspectives on various topics, and etc. Grab some snacks, relax and vibe out to our wonderful production.

GCE Lab School · The Unorthodox Podcast Trailer

GCE Lab School · The Unorthodox Podcast Episode 1

Dogmas of Song of Solomon (Macon Dead Jr.)

Hello, I'm N.L. and welcome to my blog. This action project is for the second unit, Dogma, for my Humanities course class Forbidden Books. In this class, we discussed different religions such as Christianity, Islam, Judaism and how they each are similar and different from each other. Our main focus of this was to discover that each religion rests on the same common fundamentals. Islam and Judaism both believe that they are ancestors of Abraham. Buddha and Confucianism both follow the `golden rule”. We continued to discuss books in America that focus on religious\cultural contexts that have surprisingly been banned.


For this unit, we were required to read 3 books for this unit, 1 independent and 2 class books. First, we read The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. This book was banned from America’s schools for different reasons such as religion, sexual content, and the use of racial slurs. Next, we read Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury; which was banned because of its vulgarity and its plot where one of the books that eventually gets banned and burned in the Bible. We went on a field experience to WBEZ to speak with Natalie Moore, a journalist whose book, “The Almighty P Stone Nation: The Rise, Fall, and Resurgence of an American Gang” was banned from the Illinois prison system. There we talked to Natalie Moore about the banning of her book and her opinions on censorship and banning literature in institutions. We also visited the Muslim Community Center to learn more about Islam and the difference in the types of Muslim beliefs. Independently, the students were required to read a book of their choosing. The only criteria for the book are it needed to have been banned from schools.

For this action project, I chose to read Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison. This interview focuses on examining how the setting (time and place) of the book influences Macon Dead Jr.’s personal dogmas.

Opening Sounds (‘Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” by The Andrews Sisters)

The novel Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison spans from Milkman's birth to age 32 (1932-1963) while including the three generations of the Dead family's history. It occurs around the time of World War II, the Harlem Renaissance, the murder of Emmett Till in 1953, the Brown v. Board of Education decision occurred in 1954 to desegregate schools, and the Civil Rights movement was starting up. Jobs back then were well earned and hard labored. If you didn’t work and had no money you lived in poverty and that' was that. Women worked as well as men but weren’t treated with the same view as men. Segregation then was by social class but obviously by race. 

It’s 1961, and today I’m interviewing Macon Dead Jr also known as Macon Dead II. Father of Milkman, Lena, and First Corinthians and brother to Pilate Dead. Our session takes place in Montour County, Pennsylvania on the porch of the beautiful farm owned by his father. Our interviewee’s father was once a slave in Virginia. When he was freed, he and his wife took a wagon train going north. The farm is known as, “Lincoln’s Heaven” a paradise of agriculture, nature, and family. Macon Dead is an African American man who has distanced himself from his family, his community, and his African heritage on account of his lust for materialistic wealth. Macon is hated and feared by blacks, who dislike his arrogance. He is a landlord to many of the residents of the town of Mercy, Michigan and has spent his adult life driven by the desire to accumulate profit and wealth through his businesses and ownership of properties. Macon’s life is filled with struggles ranging from the deaths of his mother and father to his do whatever it takes mentality to keep money in his pockets. Not many people know too much about or can understand him.

NL: Afternoon Mr. Dead, thank you for spending your time today for my session.

Macon Dead: In all honesty, I needed a break from my properties and stress. It’s no sweat.

NL: I’ll move along with it then. First and foremost, how has money and currency impacted your life growing up?

Macon Dead II: I grew up poor after the death of my parents on their farm. Sadly my father was shot dead on this very farm and my mother died giving birth to my younger sister, Pilate. Ever since money has been the deciding factor of life and death.

NL: Do you believe you can exist without the security of having money, that causes you to be greedy and bitter at times.

Macon Dead: “Let me tell you right now the one important thing you’ll ever need to know: Own things. And let the things you own, own other things. Then you’ll own yourself and other people too”. (55). You need money to have a house, own property, take care of your family, buy a gun, and to fulfill whatever self-desires you might have.

NL: Many people say you’re a stubborn old man who knows nothing but greed. Why do you think that is?

Macon Dead: Those people and their opinions don’t mean a damn thing to me. I am a man of God. I care for my money, my business, and my family only. I don’t need acceptance or approval from nobody but the lord.

NL: That was a very deep response, I guess you get that question a lot. Well, what about the way you treat your own people; you seem to have little to no respect for your fellow blacks or women.

Macon Dead: That’s not true. I simply don’t have time for lower-class blacks, who are beneath me socially and economically. As for women; “You got better things to do with your time. It’s time you started learning how to work. After school come to my office; work a couple of hours there and learn what’s real. Pilate (my sister) can’t teach you a thing you can use in this world. Maybe the next, but not this one.” (55)

NL: It’s surprising because women are still oppressed by America’s society and must pay the price for men’s freedom; yet you still choose to overlook women for their strength. I agree that a woman can’t fully teach a boy to become a man without a male figure in a boy’s life. I don’t agree that women can’t teach boys anything they can use in this world.

Macon Dead: Well you won’t be a man in this world. You’ll always be under someone’s control and will have to depend on another person to survive; which is something a real man wouldn’t allow for himself.

NL: People often believe that names are alive and their meanings change depending on who refers to them and how they do so. For example, a name can be immortalized and turned into a landmark; such as Mains Ave., which is known to blacks as Dr. Street back in Michigan. What are your criteria for giving children names? ”

Macon Dead: “A name that is real is given to a child at birth with love and seriousness. A name is not a joke, nor a disguise, nor a brand name.” (18) Names hold power to those who wield them. If your name holds no power, you will be treated with little respect.

NL: I agree that names hold power to a level of respect people will have for you despite your very name. Those who give names to their children should be aware of the power a child’s name will hold in its future. That’s all for this session; thank you for your time, sir.

Macon Dead: No problem at all, enjoy your afternoon.

In conclusion to this interview, we can look back to the mid-nineteenth century and reflect on how far this country has grown as far as societal agreements among the treatment of black men and women. Looking back from the year 2020, we can see the controversial dogmas Macon had. First, names hold great power and should be given wisely otherwise chosen from the bible (Self-Image). Next, money is the only will to live. Without money, you have no purpose in this world (Lust for Money). Finally, women are disrespected, shunned for their mistakes, and are inferior to men (Gender Inequality). I don’t agree with all of Macon’s dogmas but, he is a reflection of some dogmas that existed during that time in history. He allows us to consider how dogma in our society changes with time. Macon’s dogmas can be compared to dogmas of the present to decide on what we need to change or reshape in society. Thanks again for tuning in.

MLA CITATIONS

Morrison, Toni. Song of Solomon. Plume: New York, 1987

Awareness Podcast

Hello my name is N.L. I am a freshman at GCE Lab School. This is my first action project for my Humanities course called "Who Am I?"In this class for our first unit of Truths and Memories, we have been learning about many Greek philosophers including Socrates, Descartes, Plato, and Anaxagoras. We also researched the many philosophers and their influences to their thinking and their philosophy. We've had an guest speaker named Katie Moody come in and talk to us about her work in dog training. She explained how behaviorism is demonstrated through the basic training of teaching a dog to sit or go near a certain place. She discussed the many different techniques people use to train not only dogs but people and other animals. I hope you enjoy this podcast.





Podcast Script

Awareness, yes it is an important principle in survival, but what does awareness truly mean when broken down. Awareness to the world and to our lives. Hi, I am N.L., a freshman in high school. I have come to the realization that some people are not aware of much going on. Not only in their lives, but also in the lives of other people. I want to prevent misunderstanding of awareness and teach the truth of awareness. I believe the ideologies and importance of self-confidence, success, and heritage. I value contributions toward positively impacting my society and neighborhood. I seek truth and knowledge.

I believe that "awareness" or "being aware" is a principle of survival in life. When I say awareness, I mean being truly aware. Being aware of your surroundings, the people around you, issues, conflicts and problems of all people. Not being scared of everything by watching everything around you but recognizing the presence of other people, the risks of specific actions, and the consideration of others and their feelings. Awareness is introduced in our lives through conflicts and trauma. You experience conflict or trauma which awakens a skill which can be mastered over time. Awareness can be an utmost important undervalued skill for non-privileged people. And an overlooked, underrated, and slept on skill to privileged people. Now obviously looking down at your phone while walking through a busy city only makes you aware of what is on your device's screen. But walking around a busy place while looking around makes you aware of many more things that are on your device's screen.

Based on this belief of awareness and being aware, I have not always believed in this "ideology". My childhood innocence factors in with not being aware but as I have grown and am growing, every day I have become more and more aware of many things. Based on this belief of awareness and being aware I realized that there are many scenarios that can relate back to awareness. This experience contributes to my belief of awareness. I was taking the CTA Red and Purple Line trains to get to my art school. While on the Red Line train I noticed these three kids about my age, one younger and another may be a little bit older than me. I heard them plotting on stealing someone's phone and one of them even pointed at the person they were going to steal from. I interfered in them stealing one innocent woman's phone by telling them that her phone was not the iPhone X the group of boys thought or portrayed it to be. Two boys scolded the boy who pointed at the woman for not being able to tell an android from an iPhone. They proceeded to exit the train car to another. As I transferred to the Purple Line train, the same group of boys were on the same train as me. Crazy right. I knew they were up to no good once more. I sat further away from them compared to how close I sat by the when I was on the Red Line train. As soon as the train came to a stop, I looked up and it happened. One of the boys had snatched a woman's phone right out of her hands ripping her earbuds from her ear. The boys ran off the train luring the woman and her friends to go after them but at the same time making an escape by returning to a different train car as the doors closed. At the next stop, I got off and went to my destination. Another experience that happened on the same day was when I was coming home from art school. I saw my train had just got to the station so I ran to catch it. When I jumped down those last stairs to get to the train doors, there were three women walking behind each other, all of them face down into their smartphones. I had to bump into them in order to get their attention and to fully get into the train car. This experience made me fed up at the time with how people look at my generation as always on our phones when adults walk around with their faces sunk into their devices. These truths of not walking around blind but seeing deeply and not addressing a problem but looking deeper than noticing a problem or issue contribute to my belief of awareness. My belief of awareness connects to the ideas of Descartes because the two elements of self-awareness, the awareness that one is thinking and awareness that one exists played key role in Descartes' epistemological project. Another philosopher who had a philosophy of awareness is Franz Brentano. The Brentanian theory was called "Awareness of Awareness." According to this theory, "all conscious experience is in a certain fundamental sense "self-intimating"; all conscious awareness constitutively involves awareness of that very awareness."

My belief in awareness implies that I am a very thoughtful and cautious person. Awareness has influenced me into making the right decisions in my life and to also look out for others. This belief relates to my culture and me as an individual because being a young teen and an African American in the United States' society. This means that I will always have a target on my back. That is where awareness comes in. Growing up with these targets on my people's identities make people different from us feel superior to us. My people's cultural unconscious is still very real in our lives today. We really had no other choice but to be aware due to all the pain and suffering we have gone through in this country.

I have come to finalization of my concluding thought that awareness can become something you do unconsciously. I also wonder how does the belief of awareness relate to our collective unconscious starting from early human existence and throughout different times. How have we inherited this "principle" or factor in our lives? The group of three young African American males who took that white woman's phone were aware of almost everything around them. The woman who was sitting with her two friends while on her phone and listening to music was not aware of the boys' actions until her phone was snatched out of her hands. We all have the thought process that, "nothing will happen to us", but we also believe that anything is possible supporting the thought " anything will and can happen." That is why awareness is very important.
End of Podcast Script

Citations

"Awareness of Awareness: The Brentanian Theory." The Brains Blog, 31 Jan. 2017, philosophyofbrains.com/2017/01/31/awareness-of-awareness-the-brentanian-theory.aspx.

Smith, Joel. “Self-Consciousness (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy).” Stanford.Edu, 1 Jan. 2017, plato.stanford.edu/entries/self-consciousness/.

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