21st Century Literature

It may be difficult for most to understand the scope of this song. It is the essence of hip hop, today's defining media, and Kanye is the truest artist of our time. "Stronger" achieves so many unthinkable goals simultaneously, that any skeptic of hip hop must accept this work as a significant piece of 21st century American art. My statements are bold, but so is the nature of this song, and so is your preconceived notions of hip hop, an art form plagued with copy cat artists that often give the industry a bad image.



HipHop is the literary style of our time, and music has replaced the book. As many novels have in the past, hip hop serves as a representation of todays alternative culture and the problems associated with society today. Not only can hip hop be considered structurally more complex than most music today, but it's cultural relevance cannot be rivaled. These are the characteristics that make it so defining to todays society. Kanye West defines true hip hop and it has never been clearer than in "Stronger."

The original track for this song comes from the French electronic music artist Daft Punk's track "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" which is an Ayn Rand like song focused on the industrialization and hardships placed on the people of our global economy. Now using this track as a beat isn't exactly revolutionary, or particularly significant if in it's translation, the true meaning and essence of the song is lost. This is what separates the true artist. Kanye not only maintains the integrity and meaning of the song, he adds to it his own perspective, and a reflection of America's situation today within the global economy. This in itself is a feat, to take such a strong piece and insert values that reflect upon todays society while maintaining the integrity of the original work. That isn't the last layer on the cake though. Kanye uses his popular hip hop style and context to cloak the meaning using the club scene and the female male relationship as an analogy for America's global relationships. This is significant as it ties his cultural identity into the song as well, therefore allowing it to relate to his fan base who might otherwise criticize the song. Through this, Kanye is also setting an example, saying that all music is fair game, and holds equal value. His continuous love for all different ranges of music allows the walls of devision to be broken down in a sense, much like one would aim to do within the social context of race.

Sure, you probably heard it as just another hip hop hit, but stop and listen once in a while. It's not all just bitches, 40s and blunts. It's the music of our time, and it's farther ahead than you know. Don't be so quick to judge because you don't understand, or relate.

And you don't give a f**k what they all say, right?
Awesome, the Christian in Christian Dior
Damn they don't make 'em like this anymore
I ask, cause I'm not sure
Do anybody make real shit anymore?

The Road to Sustainability

It's sick to think about the gross amount of asphalt and concrete that covers the United States, when you consider it's bare nature just 100 years ago. Then, on top of that you have the millions of miles of power lines and phone lines that lace our neighborhoods and cities. Now, with these new ideas of sustainability and pv tech, and harnessing the wind, we begin to see these huge farms of solar equipment and windmills pop up where mountains and farms once stood. This image is almost as disturbing as the millions of miles of roads and power lines. I much prefer amber waves of grain to ebony waves of silicon. The idea that we could use an infrastructure that is already in place to capture energy that is already being wasted is something exciting to me. It makes the highway infrastructure more of a lifeline for America. Right now, we call it a "lifeline", an artery that carries all our goods and all our citizens, but with the new carbon concerns and all around environmental concerns, the idea of the highway being an important part of America is becoming less and less appealing. Think urban farming and local grown food.

So, today I read an article about a Dutch company who is working on a system to siphon heat energy off the roads to heat houses and local businesses. This sounds like a brilliant idea for America if you ask me. Considering the American Life, and the suburbs as we know it, was founded on the creation of a highway network linking everyone to everything, it isn't hard to imagine the immense amount of power one could generate. In the case that the local ideas stated above are embraced, the roads are not a forgotten infrastructure but live on to power our towns and neighborhoods. And while we are at it, with thin film solar, why not embed solar into our roads? The highways are generally clear of tree shadows and building interruption, save car traffic...

We are moving away from the idea of the car and the suburb. Every year our cities grow larger and larger as suburbanites abandoned their commutes and make their way to city living. As we move away from the car, away from the suburbs, and into this new sustainable life style, the roads will not only be seen as a means to travel but also as a farm for harvesting the suns energy to power our homes and businesses. This allows the highway to live on as a life line for America, yet at the same time, revolutionize both.

AP: New Energy Use for Asphalt : via Treehugger

Someone elses

If you are afraid of used things, if you think it's gross to wear something someone else has worn or touched, then you better stop using public restrooms. What would you rather do, put your arm in a sleeve that another person has worn, or press your ass up to a place where someone else pressed their ass? Oh, and which one is somehow socially accepted?