Tormented Art

Amedeo Modigliani  (July 12, 1884 – January 24, 1920) wasn't an extraordinary painter or sculptor. What made his work famous is the story behind the art. 

I never knew of Modigliani until I saw Andy Garcia play a fictionalized account of his life in the film Modigliani. In the film Modigliani is an up and coming Italian painter who becomes the art rival of then famous Pablo Picasso. He battles with canvas, Picasso, addiction and his love of women. My favorite line from the film is also the best description of the artist. "Why must you suffer for your art Mo, when all you have to do is paint." 

Afterwards I researched Modigliani and found his real history far more interesting than the movie. Modigliani made tormented art. He suffered and lived with illness his entire life. He was born into a wealthy Italian Jewish family who were well established in their community. Modigliani contracted pleurisy when he was 11, then a few years later caught typhoid fever. When he was 16, he contracted tuberculosis which later claimed his life at 35. 

During his brief career Modigliani was a man obsessed with art. He would sometimes do up to 100 sketches in a day. He loved alcohol, drugs and women just as much so he was often homeless and broke. During those low periods he would sell sketches and paintings for necessities, so the majority of his work is lost history.

The art that remains has become far more famous than Modigliani dreamed. He was a talented, and tormented man who only managed one art show in his entire career. Back in 2010 a series of his paintings from 1917 sold for over 68 million dollars. A testament that his art was before his time. 

Below are some paintings from Amedeo Modigliani, the man, myth and legend. If you would like to see more of his work click the link: Modigliani Gallery.

Aussie Hip-Hop

There are numerous reasons to visit Australia, also known as the land down under. Most people go for the sand, sun, and beaches but recently people have been checking for Hip-Hop.

I was fortunate enough to visit Perth, in Western Australia, several years ago. While I was there most days were filled with Bar-B-Q's on the beaches, surfing, and sun-bleached blondes. (try saying that sentence fast 5 times) I was only there for a short time and didn't see much urban culture. Most of the nightlife was rock bands and the clubs played a mix of pop and top 40 music. Some of my friends who were in Sidney at the time told me they were in the Hip-Hop hotspot.

The Aussie Hip-Hop scene has been independently developing since the late-eighties. Most of their early exposure to Hip-Hop came from television and radio programs. Before the music became popular, other elements of the culture (like break-dancing and graffiti) had already taken root. Their scene is grassroots and underground. Most of the early releases were done by indie labels usually run by the artists themselves. Their style is a blend of Reggae/American rap combined with European influences and local slang.

Just like everywhere else there is a division of wealth, community, and resources. These topics were brought to public attention by Aboriginal (Australian indigenous people) rappers like Brothablack, Local Knowledge, Native Ryme Sindicate and others who are considered conscious MC's.

Recently there has been an explosion of Aussie talent hitting the airwaves. Iggy Azalea made headlines when she signed with T.I.s southern imprint Grand Hustle. Bliss n Eso made a global impression with their album "Flying Colours," from 2008. I like those cats. The Hilltop Hoods, have a track "Nosebleed Section," that reminds me of "Paul Revere," by the Beastie Boys. 

Below are tracks from Iggy Azalea, Young Warriors Ft. OutLawz, Bliss n Eso, The Last Kinection, and The Hilltop Hoods showing that, there is a lot of talent rising from the land down under.

Scary Science

What is reality? This question has baffled scientists and inspired the writings of fiction writers for hundreds of years. 

Dr. Sylvester J. Gates Jr. is a theoretical physicist at Maryland University who discovered a "Doubly-even self-dual linear binary error-correcting block code," in Supersymmetry (String) theory. This may all sound like a bunch of scientific gobbali-gook (that's the technical term) so I'll break it down in laymen terms. 

Supersymmetry is the study of our universe broken down into mathematical equations. There are different equations used to explain electronics and space travel. While there are a completely different set of equations used to explain the particles of life. 

Supersymmetry theory is basically the idea that the equations of life and electronics could be switched in a laboratory to create or discover new particles. Two days ago, Physicist at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland successfully discovered a new subatomic particle utilizing similar equations. CERN researchers believe they discovered the fabled Boson Higgs particle which has been the plot of numerous episodes on television show The Big Bang Theory.

Professor Gates and his colleagues have discovered self-correcting binary code in the equations of reality. The kind of codes that make a computer browser work when you're searching the web, emailing, or reading this post. These codes suggest that our reality could be a quantum generated computer simulation, so real that the brain can't tell the difference. The movie that encapsulates these experiments is the Matrix. That movie was science fiction but these equations are real... and hidden within our reality. 

This research is groundbreaking because it poses the questions. Why does nature have this code embedded into it? What is an 'error' for the laws of nature? Checkout the video below for a more in depth explanation of the code and how physicist plan on pursuing the discovery. Also there are a list of references with more information below the video.

References 

1.) Recent NPR interview with Professor Gates: http://being.publicradio.org/programs/2012/codes-for-reality/gates-symbolsofp

2.) Gates original paper: http://arxiv.org/abs/0806.0051 

3.) A potential explanation, Bostrom's Simulation Hypothesis: http://www.simulation-argument.com/simulation.html

AniManga: Zetman

I recently watched some anime that has me waiting for season 2.

The show is called Zetman. It's an Animanga meaning animation based off a manga series. I never read the manga so this post is strictly from my experience with the anime.

The story follows two characters Kouga (the rich kid wanna be hero) with an Iron Man suit named "Alphas." Jin (poor kid, no family, anti-hero) who was a super Player codenamed "Zet"  genetically engineered in a lab to be a killer of mankind. Players are genetically engineered monsters created by Kouga's grandfather to kill each other in gladiatorial like games. They can hide as a human until they regress to their monster form. Once they change they cannot return to human form. Also they develop a insatiable blood lust to devour people.

Things go wrong when the players gain awareness, stop fighting each other and escape. Once loose in the city some hide amongst the citizens while others just go bananas and start killing whatever they can find. Zet and Alpha's fight to stop the Players, Kouga's Father, several master manipulators and each other. This all happens in a tale full of love, lose and the delicious taste of cold-hearted revenge.

My only complaint about the show is this character the Sweeper. Its a masked suit of armor that appears out of nowhere and destroys Players who regress and attack people. The character is like the boogieman to the Players but they never explain who he is or who he works for. In the end the series was dope but it left a lot of questions unanswered. Which is why I hope there's going to be a season 2. Check out the clip from the show below.

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Speaking Chinese

Below is a new song called "Speaking Chinese." I named it that cuz the producer who made the track used samples from Chinese instruments. The song is a dedication to all the beautiful women world-wide. As always if you like the song leave a comment and spread the word. 

Raw Living

I recently completed a 30 day raw diet. If you don't know what a raw diet is, let me explain. The "raw" diet means everything I ate was raw (uncooked or processed) for thirty days. The raw movement was popularized in the mid 90's when all the Hollywood celebrities were trying to get fit. At the time it was so new and trendy there were raw restaurants everywhere. Now the trend has died and only a few restaurants remain.

The diet was difficult for the first few days because I would miss simple things like bread and cheese. After two weeks the cravings went away and the real hunger kicked in. I don't know if it was because the body processed raw food faster, or if I wasn't eating frequently enough, but for whatever reason I was always hungry.  

Most people growing up in an urban environment in America don't learn about nutrition. The majority of the Caribbean, Latin, Indian, and soul foods are heavy in fat, starches, and oil. Individually these substances aren't a problem but in high enough quantities they cause heart disease, asthma, diabetes, liver and kidney failure, ending in death.

This may sound a bit extreme to be talking this way about food...but its true. If a person adds a few fresh fruits and vegetables to their daily caloric intake. It can reduce visits to a doctor, prevent sickness, provide energy, stamina, strength, and add years to your life. 

What's interesting about the raw lifestyle is that most cooked meals have a raw substitute. Such as raw pasta with Alfredo sauce, cheesecake, brownies, burgers and hundreds of other foods. At the end of my thirty days, I lost a lot of weight and learned some new things about health and nutrition.

If you want to learn more about raw living check out the video below, and for raw recipes and desserts check out The Rawtarian.

Novicane

People keep asking "where is the music?" It's coming, but like all good things I'm taking my time to make it right. So to all my fans and haters here is a new track called "Novicane" fresh out the lab. The video will be shot in a few weeks. Its going to have a nice theme to it...that I won't spoil, by telling you now. Besides, it's always better to see something than hear about it. 

Check out the track, if u like it leave a comment...or leave one even if you don't like it. Either way take a listen and tell a friend to tell a friend.

Cheap Investments

Ever since Facebook started selling stock everyone wants to become an investor. 

Investing money into any project can be a tricky affair. There's always a risk of the project going wrong or being a scam. There are resources available to help lessen the risk of lose, like research on the internet or newspapers but nothing is fool proof. If you're new to investing and want to start small Penny Stocks are a good option. The SEC (Security Exchange Commission) classify penny stocks as any stock under five dollars. 

There's a man named Timothy Sykes who claims to have made millions from penny stocks. It is possible and there are people searching for the next big start-up company like Walmart or Google to duplicate his success. What made Timothy Sykes so successful is he had the inside scoop on which are the "hottest penny stocks." He offers advice on his website along with tips and tricks to avoid for investors. 

Although penny stocks cost less in some ways they can be more costly than blue-chip stock. There are four major factors that increase the risk. There's a lack of information available to the public, no minimum standards, lack of history and liquidity. You can read more about the risk of penny stock on investopedia by clicking the link.

Animal Sex

Having sex with donkeys is a part of growing up for the boys in northern Colombia. There are numerous reasons given on why they do it. Some believe having sex with a donkey makes the penis grow bigger. Other people say having sex with an animal is the traditional way in many cultures, for a man to prepare for sex with a human woman. 

This is not something new or even indigenous to Columbia bestiality and zoophilia are in every culture in civilization. Columbia is a very religious country so the girls don't start having sex until their late teens or early twenties. Some parents interviewed were happy the boys were having sex with donkeys instead of girls because they couldn't get the donkey pregnant.

The video below is an expose on the local Colombian animal sex traditions along with interviews with the locals and a Ph.D author on the subject. Here's a spoiler for you...it ends with a man having sex with a donkey. 

Socially Conscious

A friend once told me that, "I was to smart not to notice the world's problems...but to cold to care."

David Banner is a man that cares. His new track "Malcolm X" is a direct stand against all the negative stereotypes being perpetuated in music today. He talks about why rappers are so proud to brag that they're selling drugs in their hoods. When they're selling the drugs to their own people, which helps to destroy their neighborhoods.

The lyrics are hard but not preachy, the chorus is an angry chant with top notch production. David Banner is one of those socially conscious MC's who can still get in a cypher and spit fire. Don't get it twisted, he was making gangsta tunes before becoming aware of the message being related in his music. 

Another MC who gets busy is Murs. He is known as a conscious rapper who prefers to use more vocabulary than curses. His name is an acronym of many meanings. M.U.R.S. stands for (Making the Universe Recognize and Submit or Making Underground Raw Shit) and several others things. He is part of Hip-Hop groups Living Legends, 3 Melancholy Gypsies, Felt and an organizer of the Paid Dues festival. On his new song "Epic Salutations," Murs details the problems in Hip-Hop with witty rhymes, over neck-snapping production. 

Last, is a new track by Tech N9ne featuring group Mayday. Tech has never been known as the most conscious of rappers, but this song is different. Its a tribute to all the people who have been effected by the horrors of war. Whether its the soldiers fighting in the war or the families waiting for a soldiers return, the song is dedicated to everyone.