Hello everyone! I am Eli Pitts, a student in this class and I play basketball here at Converse University. I thought that this class would be interesting to me because I listen to music all the time and I am curious as to how different types of music can impact cultures. When I was younger I was in the choir at church so I definitely know how to sing a little bit, but I also played the drums for a little while.
I grew in a city called Gainesville which is in Georgia. I ended up in Spartanburg through basketball and am really glad that this is where I am. I am a middle child of two brothers and have a dog that goes by the name Jaxxy. Some things that I like to do that I think reflect me in a way are playing basketball, snowboarding, going on the boat, and playing some video games. While here at Converse, I am going to school to major in business administration.
1. An example of something that I like right now
One of my favorite artists right now and over that past couple years has been NBA Youngboy. His real name is Kentrell Gaulden and he is 23 years old. He first become popular in 2016 when he released "38 Baby." Since then, Youngboy has gained much more popularity and many people argue that he is one of the best rappers right now if not the best. One thing that I really enjoy about Kentrell is the fact that he releases new music constantly and makes sure the music he releases isn't rushed and is actually good. Some of my favorite songs ever released by Youngboy would be Valuable Pain, House Arrest Tingz, and Purge Me.
This song "House Arrest Tingz" was released as a part of the album "Top" in 2020 and has 215 million views on Youtube making it the 6th most viewed video that he has released.
2. An example of music that is deeply important to me
I like many different types of music but my personal favorites are rap and country. One song that really stood out to me when thinking of a song that has a deep meaning in my life would be "Meet in the Middle" by Diamond Rio. The reason I chose this song is because when listening to it, it brings me back to my childhood when me and mom would be riding around in the car just singing this song. I also just really enjoy the rhythm to this song and how it is sang by Diamond Rio. This song was a song that was played in my house when I was younger so it holds a pretty big value to my family as a way of bringing us together.
3. An example of music I don't really connect with
One example of a piece of music that I cannot really connect with would be Frank Sinatra's "Fly Me to the Moon." I chose this as my example because I really enjoy a few songs by Frank Sinatra like for example I really like the song "That's Life." But when playing Frank Sinatra's number one song "Fly Me to the Moon" I just didn't find much enjoyment in it and felt as if everything was just grey. This may not be a very popular opinion but I just don't see how that is his number one song compared to some of the other songs that he has made and felt ver little connection with this song.
I agree with your thoughts on "Fly me to the Moon". As a crooner, I understand why Sinatra sang the song the way he did. However, I believe it leaves something to be desired. I much prefer his "My Way" as it shows his talents in a more enjoyable way.
I understand why you don't like “Fly Me to the Moon”. It's a lovely song, but it doesn't fully display Sinatra's abilities. I find that artists that do covers of the song make it much more enjoyable.
I agree on NBA Young Boy's talent of releasing music consistently but never rushed, I like "Valuable Pain" too. The story behind "Meet Me In The Middle", seems like a core memory for sure, it is a great sing a long song, I like they're song "Norma Jean Riley" too.
For this blog I chose to interview my mom because she listens to many different artists and different genres of music so I thought she would be a good fit. When I was younger my mom sung in the choir at church and even got me to sing in the kids choir. I feel like this has allowed to me to understand music much better and has given me a connection to music. So here are the questions that I asked my mom for this blog. "What genre of music is your favorite and why?" - She said that her favorite type of music was country music because when she was growing up that is what she heard the most of and found it to be quite catchy and relatable. She also said that when her and my dad where younger there was a song called "Meet in the Middle" by Diamond Rio that they enjoyed very much together and now I also enjoy the song. (I attached it below.) "Who is your favorite country artists?" - She said that her favorite artist ever was Alan Jackson and rambled on about ...
Hip-hop is a genre of music that originated in the Bronx of New York by African American and Latino communities during the 1970's. Some characteristics of hip-hop music come from rapping, beats, rhythm, and DJ scratching. Since its earlier years hip-hop has become much more popular on a global level with other related topics like fashion and dancing. Some of the key elements that make hip hop what it is are Rapping, DJ scratching, Beats, Dancing, and Graffiti. Rapping- Rapping is the most known aspect of hip hop and is described as a from of music that comes from chanting lyrics in a rhythm over a beat or instrumental track. Some of my favorite rappers are Youngboy, Lil Baby, and Rod Wave. When listening to each of these artists music you can hear a nice beat with their voice over going in a rhythm with the beat. Here is an example of Lil Baby rapping. DJ Scratching- is when Dj's use a technique of moving a vinyl record back and forth on a turntable to make a certain rhythm or...
I feel like almost every ritual that you can think of has a piece of music that goes with it. One correlation between rituals and music that brings back some old memories would be my high school graduation. Once everyone had walked the stage, gotten our diplomas, and threw our hats I remember hearing the song "Congratulations" by Post Malone. I think that this was a great choice of song for this occasion because it made me feel proud of myself for what I had accomplished throughout high school. Another event that I have been to that did a good job of having the right music for the ritual would be at my Cousin's wedding reception. At this wedding reception it was more of like a party so everyone was just dancing and having a good time and I can remember the song "Down" by Jay Sean (ft. Lil Wayne) playing and I feel like when that song came on everyone was like actually getting down and showing off all their moves. Now every time that I hear this song I immediat...
The song "Meet Me In The Middle" does have good rhythm to it. I enjoyed listening to the songs story and what it was about.
ReplyDeleteNBA youngboy House Arrest Tingz is a great song.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your thoughts on "Fly me to the Moon". As a crooner, I understand why Sinatra sang the song the way he did. However, I believe it leaves something to be desired. I much prefer his "My Way" as it shows his talents in a more enjoyable way.
ReplyDeleteI understand why you don't like “Fly Me to the Moon”. It's a lovely song, but it doesn't fully display Sinatra's abilities. I find that artists that do covers of the song make it much more enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteI agree on NBA Young Boy's talent of releasing music consistently but never rushed, I like "Valuable Pain" too. The story behind "Meet Me In The Middle", seems like a core memory for sure, it is a great sing a long song, I like they're song "Norma Jean Riley" too.
ReplyDelete