An Odd Future?

Odd Future's photo editing app #CatWang.

In the article “Young, Gifted and Outrageous: Can Odd Future Survive Popularity?” by Jon Carmanica, the author questions the unlikely hip-hop success story of the group Odd Future. Carmanica first states the group’s leader Tyler, the Creator’s brand of shock rap contains extreme subject matter; he also states that the group’s albums are grotesque, vile, and darkly comical (Carmanica 2010). The author questions if the group’s success will continue with their juvenile and provocative content.

            In past years, I have seen the rise of Odd Future and their mixtapes and videos all over Tumblr. I paid little attention to the posts; however, I remember listening to some songs and watching some videos, and I thought, “is this a joke?” Although I caught myself nodding to the beat, I listened to the lyrics and was appalled by the violent, misogynistic messages. It had to be a joke, but now, I see that it was quite serious. The group managed to gain many fans, radio-play, video views, and even record sales.

Seeing this happen, I wonder how their music has affected their listeners. Even though this article is not directly related to my essay topic of degraded women in Hip-Hop, it is still relevant to the fact that Odd Future’s provocative lyrics is full of misogyny. It sparks controversy and can cause hatred and degradation of women. I think society will take action to limit the horrible messages unless the group changes. In the article, a radio show host said that he couldn’t see them having a radio or video hit without them changing their style (Carmanica 2010). Nonetheless, Odd Future has not changed their style and still has had radio/video hits till this day. Odd Future’s success shows no signs of stopping with their cartoon show, mobile app, guest appearances, and concerts.

Young, Gifted and Outrageous: Can Odd Future Survive Popularity? By Jon Carmanica: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/13/arts/music/13odd.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

(Funny Fact: While writing this post, I was listening to an instrumental by Odd Future).

Permanent Stigma?

Although some people see body art as a sign of expression, tattoos have always had a negative connotation and are taboo to many people. Tattoos are usually associated with crime, violence, promiscuity, and more. I got my first tattoo at the age of 15 and added to it from time to time. Friends and some family were surprised when they found out that I have gotten one. Even here at Year Up, most of my colleagues were surprised as well. People would associate me with being an innocent little boy and not with crime and violence. The foundation of this stigma began due to the majority of the people getting tattoos. These people were/are either in tribal groups or street gangs from all over the world. Members of tribes were looked at as uncivilized savages, and people affiliated with street gang were looked at as unruly criminals. This outlook was passed onto generation to generation and continues today. Even though tattoos have become much more popular and more accepted in recent years, it is still looked at as unprofessional and unethical in some cultures. For example, in the professional work environment, companies have their employees cover up their tattoos as much as possible because of the social stigma. Society judges others by their appearance, and if a lot of tattoos are visible, they will think that the person is not professional and immoral. The acceptance of tattoos has been rising in past years; however, the social stigma against tattoos still exists and affects many people’s judgment.

I Pledge...

I,  Brandon Santamaria-Guilles, pledge to work harder and harder throughout the duration of Year Up. I will strive to enhance my work performance and improve my professional skills. To do this, I will practice what I learn from Year Up outside of program and behave properly and  professionally.

I pledge to not procrastinate. I will manage my time more appropriately, giving myself a perfect amount of time to do all assignments with a minimal stress level.

 I pledge to graduate from Year Up. I will continue to work hard, stay focused, be prepared, and remain positive throughout the program. I will be using my time wisely and using many resources around me. I also will strive to stay infraction free and to have perfect attendance.