This that new sh*t

Hip hop and rap has changed in the last 10 years. Not only have the two become one, but the once traditional view of hip hop and rap as being a misogynistic, gun wielding, bling wearing  and violent narrative has shifted. The genre has become an outlet for heartfelt emotions that explore the ‘realness’ of 21^st century, love and life. Lyrics are sad, messages deep, and rhythms moody. So what happened to the hardcore gansta rap we millennials only throwback to and who pioneered this new sound we get turnt to?

90’s nostalgia

Full House has become Fuller House and gotten renewed for a second season. Chokers and brown lipstick rule the runways. Iggy Azalea remade Clueless . Girl bands are back and soft grunge pastels are the new black. It’s clear that we having a young moment of 90’s nostalgia, as we the millennial move into our adulthood, desperate to relive and remember our childhoods.

What do you meme?

I have never been on 9gag before. But I appreciate the community they started and I adore what the Internet’s humor has come to be. Memes. They’re smart, funny and apt. I love them hence this ode to a pop culture hero, the meme.

The social game changer

Social media is probably this centenary’s most influential person.  Its game changing knows no bounds. Almost every aspect of 21^st century life has had to adapt to the online giants that controls both our actions and interactions.  And popular culture is no acceptation.

Popular culture is dependent on the relationship between it media producers and media consumers. It needs to be made (by the producers)  and received (by the consumers) in order for it to even be popular culture.Social media helps facilitate this relationship by being a space through which the producers can interact more closely with its consumers.  This interaction creates a more tailered media enviroment, what you want is what you see. More things can be made and thus more received.  Social media allows all this to happen all this in 3 ways promotion, interaction and release.

What is rape culture?

Chapter 2.12 was a campaigned launched at The university currently known as Rhodes (UCKAR) 3 weeks ago. The campaign drew awareness the perpetuation to rape and rape culture on the campus. A series of posters were put up outside the universities main library. Printed on them were anonymous quotes from survivors of rape and sexual assault about how the university dealt with cases of rape and sexual violence. University management addressed these horror stores by removing the posters during the week and continuing “business as usual”.

In the weeks to follow went against this business as usual, a culture that has and had been bubbling under at UCKAR boiled over and its students decided to address rape culture on the campus. #RuReferenceList

Young and restless

Dear  PEW Research Center for Journalism and Media I owe much of the last four years to you, but fam, I think you’re tripping. You’ve got to re-evaluate some of your stats and maybe some of your phrasing too.

PEW published an article that I and hopefully you the aware reader am not so sure about.

The article is a report on millennial attitudes towards politics in the US. Researchers found that “When asked to choose among a list of nine topics, only a quarter of millennials named government and politics as one of topics they are most interested in. By comparison, politics ranks among the top three interests for roughly a third (34%) of Gen Xers and 45% of Baby Boomers.”

But what am I even talking about?  Babyboomers Gen Xers? Political  apathy, amongst young  people? 

The politics of it all

Our parliament is lit.

In one session we had a debate to impeach our president, our madam chair asked to step down and a minister fall asleep. Seems a little hard to believe, but here, look

Black twitter.

In 140 characters or less, black twitter is a global social & cultural community within twitter dealing with issues & experiences of black society. #newpost #discuss

Black Twitter is important is part of popular culture .There is no denying it. It’s a platform that shows off everything popular culture has to offer, and then some.  But what is black twitter and why is it important?

South Africa, what’s good?

Where are the pots?

Yes, I went there.

If you live in gorgeous South Africa and part of the 61.1% of the population that has internet access, you’ve probably seen this video and all the memes, status, tweets, snaps and Instagram posts about it that have taken over your social media feed.

But how do we know?

I have never watched a Star Wars movie before. I have never read a Star Wars comic, or played a Star Wars game. But I know who Luke’s father is, I think Hans Solo and Chewbacca have the sweetest bromance and I sometimes even wear my hair in Princess Leia buns.

So how do I know all of this without my own personal awakening of the force? It’s through popular culture and propagated by the glory that is Information Communication Technologies otherwise known as ICT.