Newspaper Page Text
September 29 - October 5,2010
www.themaroontiger.com
10 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Morehouse Students Teach Hip-
Hop Dance Class in Archer
Spencer Greene
A&E Editor
sgreene.savvy@gmail.com
R oughly 35 people laid
on the floor in the dance
studio in Archer Hall; tired,
sweaty, out of breath, and
with water bottles glued to
their hands. But as the mu
sic came back on, everyone
jumped up and back into the
movement.
Morehouse students Dar
nell White and Dwight Holt
Jr. have been teaching hip-
hop dance classes at More
house since first semester of
last year.
“The classes will more
than likely be biweekly,"
said White, a business ma
jor from Brooklyn. NY. With
only Twitter promotion and
word of mouth. White and
Holt had a full attendance
class on Thursday. Sept. 16.
The class started simply as
a program for Perdue Hall,
commissioned by resident
assistant Quinterrence Bell.
Though the program is still
a Perdue Hall program, it
has captured the attention of
students all around the AUC,
resulting in Clark Atlanta,
Spelman and Morehouse stu
dents coming out to partici
pate in the class.
I'he song used to instruct
the class was Ciara’s “Gimme
That,” and the movement
seemed extremely difficult.
Holt and White spent time
breaking down the move
ment, helping all dancers to
perform as if they’ve been
practicing for days.
For updates on future hip
hop dance classes, follow
White and Holt on Twitter:
twitter.com/djwj (White)
twitter, com/d wightholtjr
(Holt).
Morehouse students Dwight Holt Jr. (far left) and Darnell White (front row) lead a dance class for AUC
students in Archer Hall dance studio. It has become a gathering point for AUC dance enthusiasts.
Octane Coffee Shop
Mellow atmosphere at Midtowns best
kept secret is a hit with AUC students
Miriah Codes
Staff Writer
mcodes® scmail .spelman .edu
O ctane is a coffee shop marking the fork
of Howell Mill and Marietta. It’s re
cently been dubbed “the new study/chill
spot for most upperclassmen” by Spencer
Greene, senior at Morehouse College.
Precious Hills, the second attendant to
Miss Junior, agreed with Greene, saying,
“It’s a really cool place to write a paper and
socialize” due to its cozy, quiet environ
ment and free Wi-Fi. Day to day. its patrons
can be found settled into the comers of the
shop with eyes fixed on computer screens,
drinking from coffee mugs while working
on different tasks.
Walking into the shop, customers have
no choice but to let go of their stress from
the day and comply with the mellow atmo
sphere. Students can bring their laptops and
spread out their study materials over wide
wooden tables and still have room for their
coffee mugs.
Not to worry, there will be no distractions
or loud voices to disrupt your work for ev
eryone in the shop seems to have a silent
understanding. Upon walking in, you have
agreed to uphold the tone, never raising
your voice past a mumiur. The only noises
allowed are the pecking of keys and the
shuffling of papers.
Sitting down, sipping on your cappuc
cino, scanning the room from behind
your computer screen, you may notice the
stripped-down rawness of the interior. The
ceilings and piping are left totally exposed.
The brick walls are rustic but charming.
There are a few wall hangings and paintings
casually placed throughout in addition to a
mural inspired by the words of the menu.
The decor gives the shop a unique personal
ity without ever interrupting the vibe.
Featuring only the basics, the menu is
a perfect reflection of Octane’s trademark
mochas, carmelattos, americanos, hot choc
olate and an assortment of sweet cakes. It
is not as confusing or intimidating as Star-
bucks and the prices are considerably less
expensive to accommodate a student bud
get. They also have coffee mugs and t-shirts
for sale in a quaint display next to the door.
Octane’s employees encourage the tran
quility of their space by being relaxed and
laidback, but also friendly. They don't wear
uniforms or aprons, restating the vibe in
their urban attire. With these attributes, Oc
tane has unintentionally proven itself the
coolest destination for a cup of coffee in
Midtown.
HIP HOP FESTIVAL
** * OCTOBER 7 8 9 * * *
11 ♦
WWW.A3CFESTIVAL.COM
Use the discount code MHA3C and get tickets for $25
Closing of Fat Beats
Signals End of an Era
Lance Dixon
Staff Writer
ldixon2012@gmail.com
Q uick, think about the last time you actu
ally purchased a CD from a record store.
If you have finished pondering, you may
realize that the answer to this question may
not have been as easy to come by as the last
thing you had to eat. This is the reality of the
music industry today, and this new reality ul
timately marks the end of an era. Fat Beats,
a leading hip-hop record retailer, has closed
down its physical stores and resorted to on
line distribution.
This closing has echoed throughout the
community of hip-hop. with names like Talib
Kweli and D.l Premier offering their senti
ments to the store's legacy.
“The closing of Fat Beats is just like one
of my friends passing away," Premier said.
With its closing. Atlanta is left with only
a few stores that sell underground hip-hop
and vinyl records.
While it is not much of a surprise that gen
eral album sales are down, it may shock some
that vinyl sales are struggling. There has been
a large, new-found interest in this form of re
cording in recent years. However, a large por
tion of this interest is in music genres outside
of hip-hop. This can even be seen in stores like
Urban Outfitters that sell classic rock albums
on vinyl but not very much hip-hop.
It is easier to find a copy of Pink Floyd’s
"Dark Side of the Moon" or The Beatles' “Ab
bey Road" than Eric B. & Rakim’s "Paid in
Full” or Gang Starr's "Hard to Earn." This is
even true for contemporary artists as you can
find Vampire Weekend's latest album on vinyl
easily but not "How I Got Over" by the Roots.
All of this shows why Fat Beats was such
a vital part of hip-hop and how its loss in a
physical sense is so damaging. Certainly, there
is gieat hip-hop to be found on blog sites and
even on Fat Beats' online store, but the experi
ence is diluted. Gone are the days of getting a
true "digging through the crates” experience
or hearing an unknown artist perform in-store.
Hip-hop fans can now only scroll and click
hoping to find something new or fresh.
Here in Atlanta, all hope is not lost because
there are still stores that offer a similar expe
rience for underground hip-hop heads. Two
stores in Little Five Points. Criminal Records
and Moods Music, have a bevy of hip-hop
from lesser known artists as well as vinyl re
cordings. They offer a slight glimmer of hope
in an industry that is suffering major losses.
Despite a summer that featured large sales
for popular hip-hop artists like Drake. Emi
nem and Rick Ross, the climate of record
buying is changing. It remains to be seen if
Fat Beats w ill be able to thrive through online
sales, but more important than that, the future
of underground and independent hip-hop just
got a little bit cloudier.
questions
Freddie Short
Little Girl Seducer
hideyakids@humpfriday.com
■ttyP!
portunity
1. Did you go to the Miss fWCHEF SENIOR p^ant?
2. Is cooking FRENCH TOAST really a talent? •
3. Why was the pageant so bad anyway?
4. Is that what happens when the House's QUEENS don't direct it?
5. So another one of them is SALTY?
6. What do they and EDDIE LONG have in common?
7. Why don't they just stop doing stuff that warrants being talked about?
8. Did you get an invitation to the new CClub?
9. Why are you in a music video doing the same thing that Lost you 1
torunforMmw?
10. We guess somebody didn't learn huh? •
11. Wasn't the vice in the video a little less WHITE for her taste?
13. Did you hear the DAWG DEAN put an end to the football players skipping class?
14. Shouldn't we be happy that he's finally doing SOMETHING?
12. Are singing and dancing the only pageant talents for girls these days?
15. Why were the SPELMANITES so mad that the Clark girl won the pageant?
16. Where^l^c UNITY?
17. Will thJfllihbf|Yiorehouse keep paying her bills Even though she Didn’t win the
pageant? |
18. Did she t|irp her a#$ would get her pageant votes?
19. Aren't th&fenew SHIRTS better than the new homecoming theme?
20. Don't ydHrLove How wonderful today is?
Got questions? Submit them to mtiger2Glfjestions@gmail.com
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