Wiz Khalifa, perhaps the king of the college rap circuit, and Domo Genesis, member of rising hip-hop collective Odd Future, have both released album’s titled Rolling Papers. While Wiz’s was one of the most anticipated albums of 2011 in the wake of his smash hit ‘Black&Yellow’, Domo’s was quietly released for free on Odd Future’s tumblr. The two albums share not just a title, but also a chill aesthetic with airy synth-based beats. And though Wiz’s album is much more popular, after listening to both I must say that Domo Genesis’ album is undoubtedly the superior. In terms of rapping, Domo is clearly way ahead. Wiz’s rapping it run-of-the-mill at best, generic end-rhyme oriented and his songs generally contain the same tropes- rooftops, planes, etc. Domo, on the other hand, displays more verbal dexterity and originality. For instance, on Cap n Crunch he spits, ‘I got sixteen sixteens and if I’m right/One more song and I’ll be at seventeen again like Zac Efron.’ That’s some pretty good word play. In terms of production, it’s definitely Wiz’s strongpoint. He has a good ear for melody and hooks, and his team of producers does a very good job making beats to fit his aesthetic and musical style. His songs are not about  Wiz the rapper, but Wiz the personality. The production Domo’s album is on another level completely. Produced by Tyler the Creator, the beats are heavily layered complex soundscapes over which Domo spits. Buzzin, for example, contains some reversed sound blips among the different synth riffs. Wiz might be the more popular of the two rappers, but don’t sell Domo Genesis short. If you’re into Wiz and similar sounding acts, definitely check out Domo. His album is available for free download at oddfuture.tumblr.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0Nvgbd4oxU  – Wiz Khalifa ‘The Race’

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrR-KlSC61Q  – Domo Genesis ‘Buzzin’

At first glance, noir’s tales of corruption and societal evils, gritty aesthetic, and pessimistic worldview seem to be at odds with the portrayal of millennials as positive and optimistic painted by Strauss and Howe. However, Millennial Rising was published before a major formative event for our generation’s broader worldview- 9/11. Are millennials generally positive and cooperative? Yes, definitely. But I think beneath that lies a more pessimistic view on the global state of affairs. 9/11, the war in Iraq, the War on Terror, and the constant unrest in the Middle East have certainly affected the Millennial generation. While this pessimism is not as overt as previous generations, it does find its way into our media through noir-inspired programs such as Veronica Mars. Strauss and Howe wrote about our generation when the state the world did not seem as messy as it currently is. However, unlike previous generations, Millennials are still optimistic about their power to affect the world in a positive way. Veronica Mars continues to work as a detective to help people and enact positive change in her negative world. Part of what does into this is technology. It gives everyone, especially tech-savvy teens and young adults, a voice and allows for better communication and networking than before. Technology’s power is a major part of Millennial’s resilient  drive and optimism in the face of post 9-11 disillusionment.

I am not sure if he is millennial, but Kanye West’s work as a rapper, producer, and cultural icon is extremely influential. I am going to focus on his solo material here. His first 3 albums are meaningful in that they are artistically great and commercially successful albums that existed outside of both the prevalent gangsta rap of the time (think Jay-Z, 50 Cent) and the positive ‘socially conscious’ rap framed in opposition to this (think Mos Def, Jurassic 5). Surprisingly enough, though, the Kanye album with the most pervasive stylistic influence is his least critically acclaimed and least commercially successful album- 808’s & Heartbreak.

The emotional R&B/rap hybrid that Kanye lays down here has become the archetypal sound for many of today’s most popular acts and lead the way for a wave of new R&B. The most obvious and successful of these new artists is Drake (millennial! Degrassi!). His blend of personal rap and R&B is very informed by 808s. Kid Cudi is as well, although I don’t think he’s as good at what he does as Drake. This intensely honest, personal, heart-on-sleeve type of rap would not be possible without Kanye’s influence. Two displays of major label’s trying to get in on this type of rap are the over-commercialized and absolutely terrible recent albums from BOB and Lupe Fiasco. These attempts at an 808-informed brand of pop-y rap lacked not only any sort of real production value, but also any genuine-ness to their lyrical content.

While it seems to be a pervasive social text among millennials, this week was my first real exposure to Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series. In all honesty the movie was better than the book, which I found really unenjoyable. The thing that struck me most about Twilight was its reinforcement was traditional gender roles and the millennial context. Although, as McGeough points out, the abstinent male Edward and the sexually desiring female Bella is an inversion of commonly held perceptions about sexuality their relationship very much supports traditional notions of gendered power. He is depicted as the strong and beautiful decision maker, while she is uncomfortable in her body, thinks herself plain-looking, and is dependent on him. The problematizing of menstruation is also very interesting and, in my view, almost deplorable. While it makes sense in the context of Meyer’s desired audience to not have vampires feed on nutrient-rich period blood (because if a papercut set the vampires off, this certainly would do so as well), but for her to describe it as ‘dead blood’ just perpetuates the disrespect of the female body and its natural processes. This is furthered by the fact that vampires, who are very physically idealized, are without this function. Also fitting in with this message is the fact that it is not until Bella becomes a vampire by Edward’s agency that she feels comfortable and secure in her own body. She needs a man in order to fully realize her own identity. These messages are interesting in the millennial context because ABC Family, one of the driving cultural forces of millennial media, brands itself as ‘a new kind of family’, while family as portrayed in Twilight is very much a traditional one. It seems to be at odds with the millennial generation’s socially liberal mindset.