Author: Danielle Gasher

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Music

An Introduction to 90s R&B

The rhythm and blues records that bring nostalgia to our eardrums

R&B, the acronym for rhythm and blues, is a genre that sometimes gets lost in the shadows of hip-hop nowadays. In the 90s, just like hip-hop, R&B prospered, changed and grew. The move into experimental R&B set the scene for talented contemporary artists. In case you aren’t familiar with the smooth, cool, funky sound of 90s R&B, here are some picks for best artists and albums of the era.

Aaliyah – One in a Million (Blackground Records & Atlantic Records, 1996)

Aaliyah Dana Haughton was “more than a woman,” and she remains an R&B legend to this day. Her debut album, Age Ain’t Nothing but a Number, was released in 1994 when she was only 15 years old. The album sold three million copies in the U.S according to Billboard Magazine. Two years later, she worked alongside producers Timbaland and Missy Elliott to release an essential album of the 90s, One in a Million. It sold another three million copies in the U.S and over eight million worldwide according to Billboard Magazine. Aaliyah was known for her smooth seductive voice. You can hear the maturity in her vocals and lyrics—she inspired class, professionalism and dedication. The song, “One in a Million,” is one of Aaliyah’s classic hits, it is a romantic tune that will definitely make you fall in love with her. “If Your Girl Only Knew,” “4 Page Letter,” and “Hot Like Fire” were her top hits from that album. She had the voice of an angel and was taken from us much too soon at the age of 22 years old. A week after her death, her self-titled album, Aaliyah was released. She truly was “one in a million,” and her musical influence lives on and on and on.

Trial Track: “One in a Million”

Mary J. Blige – What’s the 411? (Uptown/MCA Records, 1992)

If you’re searching for some “Real Love,” Mary J. Blige gave it to you on her debut album, What’s the 411?, back in 1992. The album was produced by Sean “Puffy” Combs (now known as P. Diddy). It peaked at number six on the Billboard 200 and sold 3.4 million copies in the U.S according to Billboard Magazine. She is known for her soulful voice. Mary J. Blige was praised for mixing her powerful vocals with hip-hop—she was one of the first R&B artists to do so. This blend of genres can be found in “You Remind Me,” featuring Greg Nice, which peaked at number one on the R&B singles chart in the summer of 1992. Critics view her album, What’s the 411?, as one of the most important records of the 90s. Her second album, My Life, spoke about her dealing with an abusive relationship, drugs, alcohol and depression. She expressed feelings that every woman has felt at one time: “How can I love somebody else/If I can’t love myself enough to know when it’s time to let go?” are the lyrics from her top hit, “Be Happy.” She expressed how happy she truly wanted to be, yet she admitted “I don’t know why, but every day I wanna cry.” Her strong voice, along with her powerful emotional messages, touched fans across the globe.

Trial Track: “Real Love”

D’Angelo- Voodoo (Virgin Records, 2000)

Few artists do R&B with as much soul and funk as D’Angelo. Fusing jazz, soul and R&B, D’Angelo is one of the most important figures in the neo-soul movement that emerged in the 90s.  The artist’s second album, released in 2000, captures D’Angelo’s emphasis on complex musicality with original use of instrumentation and rhythm.  The artist’s first album, Brown Sugar, released in 1995, abided more to the traditional R&B and hip-hop conventions of the time. Voodoo was, in a sense, revolutionary to 90s R&B.  It reflected the jams and flows of the artist’s music collective, Soulquarians. The sound of D’Angelo’s second album moved in a more contemporary direction—a direction in which the artist continued and strove for in his latest album, the 2014 jazzy neo-soul masterpiece, Black Messiah. The sexual, sensual and personal album was part of an important shift in R&B. D’Angelo and Voodoo’s influence are still tangible in today’s R&B, in artists like Solange Knowles and Frank Ocean.

Trial track: “Untitled (How Does it Feel)”

Erykah Badu- Mama’s Gun (Motown/Universal Records, 2000)

Another prominent figure in the neo-soul movement, Erykah Badu was part of the Soulquarians music collective alongside D’Angelo.  Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, the drummer for The Roots, produced Badu’s second studio album, Mama’s Gun, which was released in 2000.  The album beautifully showcases Badu’s unique, identifiable voice and experimental R&B sounds.  She conveys raw, powerful emotion so naturally through her lyrics and vocals. The album is vulnerable—a painful but beautiful heartbreak album. What is particularly interesting about Mama’s Gun is how vulnerable the confident, sassy Badu lets herself be, in a musical genre that doesn’t necessarily encourage heartbreak or vulnerability in the same way pop and folk do. “I can’t imagine why I feel so weak, say, say/That’s when he took my heart in his hands, and kissed it gently,” she sings in “In Love With You.”

Trial Track: “Didn’t Cha Know”

Anthony Hamilton- XTC (MCA Records, 1996)

Hamilton’s debut album, XTC, released in 1996, is so pleasingly 90s. The sound is less experimental than Badu’s and D’Angelo’s, and has more of a classic, early 90s R&B vibe. Hamilton’s voice was made for R&B—both smooth and nasally, his vocals match his jazzy guitar and bluesy, slow drumline. Next time you’re chilling with friends or hosting a dinner party, switch this gem on for a groovy soundtrack. “And she said ‘baby baby, I know it might sound crazy, but I just want to spend some time to relax your mind/Spend some time with you is what I really wanna do,’” he sings in his smooth, sax-backed ballad, “Spend Some Time.”  The lyrics and music are simple, but that is part of what makes the album work. In R&B, simplicity often translates to smoothness.

Trial Track: “Fallin”

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Music Quickspins

Norah Jones – Day Breaks

Norah Jones – Day Breaks  (Blue Note Records, 2016)

Day Breaks is Jones’s sixth solo album. After 15 years in the industry and five albums under her belt, she’s got her sound down and she’s sticking to it. With her alto, muted jazz voice, armed with her piano and smooth bass lines, Jones is unstoppable. Over the years, she has consistently produced albums that are critically acclaimed and grow musically a little each time. Day Breaks is a jazz album—a slow-paced, no-frills jazz album. Unfortunately, a few of the songs in the middle of the album muddle together, as they sound too alike. While the songs are individually pleasing, there isn’t an apparent musical story throughout the record. Like a lot of Jones’s albums, the sound is nostalgic, with an added twinge of melancholy. The piano takes up a lot of room in the album, gracing us with its beautiful solos, song after song. “Fine lines, moments pass by, and I cry / Rewind, step behind, it’s hard to find the flipside,” she sings in her jazz-rock tune, “Flipside.”

Trial track: “Day Breaks”

8/10

Categories
Music Quickspins

Van Morrison – Keep Me singing

Van Morrison – Keep Me singing (Caroline Records, 2016)

Who hasn’t danced with a huge smile on their face to Morrison’s 1967 classic hit “Brown Eyed Girl”? Morrison’s new album, Keep Me Singing, includes some compelling songs. It remained relatively true to the distinct sound we know and love from this artist, however, it was presented in a disappointing way. Although the renowned Irish musician is known for his upbeat and ballad tunes, this album’s sound feels forced and has inauthentic joviality. Morrison, now 71-years-old, is starting to sound his age. Throughout the album, the singer’s voice sounds pushed to its limits and tired. The tiredness of his voice awkwardly clashes with the upbeat swinging rock ballads that seemingly seek to replicate what the folk-rock genre was doing in the 60s. Although Morrison introduces some original elements with interesting hints of jazz in his songs “Every Time I See a River” and “Look Behind the Hill,” overall, the album was disappointing musically.

5/10

Trial track: “Look Behind the Hill”

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Student Life

Canada’s void: A talk on our indigenous peoples

Photo by Danielle Gasher

Missing Justice organized a discussion on the issue of missing and murdered indigenous women in Canada

Missing Justice hosted a teach-in on Sept. 27 to shed light and engage Montrealers on the issue of missing and murdered indigenous women in Canada.

The event, facilitated by Missing Justice members Chantel Henderson and Chelsea Obodoechina, explored the past as a cause, the present as a time for action, and the future as hope for the conversation of the issues surrounding indigenous peoples.

A diverse crowd of students and community members, both indigenous and non-indigenous, gathered at Concordia’s Centre for Gender Advocacy for the evening discussion.

Obodoechina (left), Henderson (right). Photo by Danielle Gasher

Missing Justice is a fee-levy organization that operates under the Centre for Gender Advocacy’s umbrella. According to the organization’s website, Missing Justice’s mandate is “to promote community awareness and political action through popular education, direct action, and coalition-building, all of these in consultation with and in support of First Nations families, activists, communities and organizations.”

Henderson has been a member of Missing Justice since January 2015. She got involved with the organization when she moved to Montreal from Winnipeg for school, two years ago. As a Master’s student in community economic development at Concordia, Henderson explained she had to find an organization to get involved with as part of her program.  Henderson knew she wanted to get involved with a centre or organization that focused on missing and murdered indigenous women.

As an indigenous person herself, Henderson wanted to join Missing Justice because she said she feels personally impacted by the issue.

Photo by Danielle Gasher

“I went missing when I was 16. I went missing when I was 20. And yeah, I’m here to tell you my story, to tell you why this issue is important,” she said. “Being from Winnipeg, it’s hard to be native and to not know somebody who has gone missing or who has been murdered,” said Henderson.

Obodoechina joined Missing Justice four months ago. “I kept hearing about missing and murdered indigenous women, and I just wanted to get involved any way I could, as a non-Indigenous person,” said Obodoechina.

According to the Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC), aboriginal women are almost three times more likely to be killed by a stranger than non-aboriginal women are. Additionally, the NWAC found that between 2000 and 2008, aboriginal women represented approximately 10 per cent of all female homicides in Canada, even though they only make up three per cent of Canada’s female population.

Last year’s scandal surrounding allegations of sexual and physical abuse of indigenous women by Sûreté Québec officers in Val d’Or caused an uproar in the province, and sparked pressure on the federal government to launch an independent investigation into the issue of missing and murdered indigenous women. The Canadian government announced the launch of an independent national inquiry into the affair on December 8, 2015, according to the CBC.

The facilitators discussed indigenous peoples’ history in Canada, going back to colonization, the Indian Act and the more recent residential school system.

“It all comes back to that. Colonization. The loss of land. The patriarch. And of course, the Indian Act, where indigenous women lost their status. [The women] married non-indigenous men, and therefore that affected generations of indigenous peoples that were, you know, not Indian anymore,” said Henderson. “So it was a slow genocide, and it continues to this day.”

Photo by Danielle Gasher

Until Bill C-31, or the Bill to Amend the Indian Act, revised the laws on Indian status under the Indian Act in 1985, indigenous women who married to non-indigenous men would lose their Indian status. Additionally, according to Indigenous Foundations, under Section 12(1)(a)(iv) of the Indian Act, an indigenous child would lose status if both their mother and grandmother acquired status from their husbands.

Henderson and Obodoechina also discussed the negative impacts the residential school system had on indigenous children, mothers and fathers, and generations that followed. They also discussed the lack of representation and misrepresentation of indigenous peoples in mainstream media and Hollywood.

Jonel Beauvais, an attendee of the event, introduced an activity after the first half of the talk.  Beauvais is a community outreach worker from Seven Dancer’s Coalition—an indigenous coalition of workers from Haudenosaunee and other areas of the state of New York that seek to educate and support indigenous communities. She had attendees stand in the middle of the room and form a circle that would represent an indigenous community. The “children” sat in the middle, the “mothers” placed themselves behind, and the “fathers” behind them—each row supporting the other with a hand placed on someone’s shoulder.

Beauvais wanted to show that when a member of that community is not there, the community is not complete—the link is broken. “Now you have missing mothers, missing women, missing grandmothers, missing men. If we took at least one person from each level, our circle, our community, is very much deprived now. That’s the kind of state in which we’re in,” said Beauvais, her tone strong, but her voice shaky.

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Student Life

Sometimes you just need a handy helpr

Founders Julien Nolin (left), Michael Hasenfratz (right) Photo by Danielle Gasher

A new Montreal-based app is modernizing traditional tutoring

Julien Nolin, Michael Hasenfratz, and Emmanuel Cohen all agree that, oftentimes, the best and most convenient help for your homework comes from a quick chat, or a few messages back and forth with friends.

This was the vision that Nolin, 28, Hasenfratz, 29, and Cohen, 29, had when they created the mobile tutoring app, Helpr.

Taking into consideration today’s digital world, and extensive research they’ve conducted, the three founders, two of which are Concordia graduates, set out to create a modernized tutoring experience that reflected what they believed students actually needed and wanted. They came up with the idea for Helpr—an app that lets you be both a tutor and a student, depending on your strengths and weaknesses in school.

To register for the app, the user must prove their student status before choosing their school from the five schools available. The app launched at Concordia on Monday, Sept. 19. From there, if a student wants to be a “helpr” for a class, they must upload a screenshot of their school transcript, or take a picture of it with the app. A student generally has to have received an A- in the course they want to be a tutor for.

Students using the app have a few options of tutoring help to choose from: once they have found a “helpr” by searching the name or code for their course, students can either start a private chat with the “helpr” or, if they prefer, they can send out an invitation to do a video chat. If the “helpr” accepts the request from the app, the tutoring video session begins.

The last tutoring help option on the app is on the Q&A section. This part of the app features a “newsfeed” similar to that of Facebook, where students post questions about certain classes and other students can answer.  Students can “vote” for the best answer, and the one with the most votes becomes the “best” answer— a concept similar to Yahoo Answers. “So it’s kind of like crowd-sourcing knowledge within your school,” said Hasenfratz.  While the “best” answers are voted for by students, and not necessarily validated, it works as a guidance tool, to get fellow students on the right track.  

Another option the app offers is the one that most closely resembles a traditional tutoring session. The “live” session is when a “helpr” meets in-person with a student. To set up a meeting, either the “helpr” or the student chooses a time, date and public location through the app, and the other must approve it. Upon meeting, the “helpr” starts the session in the app and the student must then approve it. The same goes for when the session ends. This way, no one gets overcharged or underpaid. The video sessions and the live sessions are the only two features of the app that require payment. The base rate for a session is $2.50, and then 35 cents per minute.

During the summer of 2015, the three co-founders surveyed over 400 McGill students as part of their research. Before engineering the app, they wanted to be sure their vision matched the needs and vision of the students.

“We built it originally in the way we thought students were going to use it,” said Hasenfratz. “Then we watched how people were actually using it at McGill, and we re-engineered the app to be customized for the way people actually want it.” The first version of the app only included the option of in-person sessions, but the Helpr team changed that based on McGill students requesting more kinds of in-app options.

Screenshot courtesy of Danielle Gasher

Helpr had its beta launch at McGill in January 2016, to test the grounds and see how students reacted and adapted to the app.

The app is now available at five universities— Concordia, McGill, Université de Montréal, UQAM and Université de Laval. The app officially launched at Concordia on Monday, Sept. 19.

Nolin stressed the fact that this kind of tutoring service permits students to help other students not only with school, but financially as well. “Instead of paying a tutor, why not pay another student and let another student benefit from it?” Nolin and Hasenfratz said they felt this type of resource was lacking when they were students.

“When I was a student, I used to have to travel for an hour to go work in a bar to get paid twelve bucks an hour,” said Nolin. “Had I known this kind of platform was available, I could have been in the library waiting for other students who need help [with school], or walking up to students to help them.”

For now the Helpr team is a team of six, consisting of Nolin, Hasenfratz, Cohen, as well as three developers—an android developer, a web developer and a design developer, in charge for the app’s design and layout.

Hasenfratz said the app gives personalized help to students by peers from the same field of study.  “A lot of the questions teachers get are repeated over and over by different students who don’t know they’re asking the same questions,” said Hasenfratz. “This [app] consolidates everything into one place, so that before students post that question, they can easily just see what questions other people are posting about that course.”

With Helpr Concordia now officially launched, Helpr is actively recruiting students to join the team by becoming “helprs” or brand ambassadors.

Categories
Music

Women in old-school hip-hop

Some of the first female hip-hop artists to influence a whole generation

These influential women made it in the game and left more than just their mark behind—they left a hip-hop legacy. Their determination, confidence and raw talent have influenced both male and female artists to this day.

The Fugees- The Score

The Fugees, comprised of Lauryn Hill, Pras Michel and Wyclef Jean, were active in the 90s, and blew fans away with their 1996 album, The Score.  The hip-hop album, Timeless and enchantingly cool, is listed on the Rolling Stone’s “500 Best Albums of all Time” list.  The group’s reggae vibe, as well as the presence of Hill’s enchanting R&B voice distinguishes this group from any other alternative hip-hop trio of the 90s. The album includes Hill’s infamous cover of Roberta Flack’s “Killing Me Softly,” and even an effortlessly cool cover of Bob Marley’s “No Woman, No Cry.” The trio is one-of-a-kind in the way that they fused soul, reggae and hip-hop, all while maintaining flawless rapping and powerful lyrics.  Hill would go on to have an equally successful solo career after The Fugees split in 1997.  Thankfully, Hill is still active—you might even have seen her at the Montreal Jazz Festival this summer. Both The Fugees, and 90s hip-hop, would have been lost without Hill.

Trial track: “Ready or Not”

 

Roxanne Shanté- The Bitch is Back

Roxanne Shanté’s 1992 album, The Bitch is Back, is your typical record-scratching, beat-mixing, drum machining, emceeing, hip-hop album. It will remind you of the music of Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing. It’s the essence of the early 90s— a time when clothing and music were as colourful as Shanté’s style. Shanté’s career was short, but far from tranquil.  The Queensbridge, N.Y. native became known thanks to the Roxanne Wars—a series of rap rivalries during the mid-80s between Shanté and another Roxanne. The rivalry began with a dispute over a cancelled show. The disses began  with Shanté’s track “Roxanne’s Revenge,” produced with the help of New York record producer Marley Marl.  Diss tracks and rap battles have always been an important part of hip-hop culture—a culture where pride and egos are important. “On stage tryin’ to recite like me, but what I really see is Creepshow 3.  I size em’ up to die and pulverize em, so bad her own mother won’t recognize em,’” raps Shanté in her first track off The Bitch is Back, “Deadly Rhymes.”  The Bitch is Back was Shanté’s second and final album.

Trial track- “Big Mama”

Salt-N-Pepa – Hot, Cool & Vicious

If you mess with them, they’ll take your man. They made that damn straight with their very first album, Hot, Cool & Vicious. The album was launched in 1986, making Salt-N-Pepa one of the first all-female groups out there. From Queens, N.Y., the ladies formed a trio with confident and feisty raps. They were the hip-hop feminists of the 80s. If you think you’ve never heard any of their songs, think again. Does this ring a bell: “Push it. Push it real good?” Ooh baby, baby, their hit “Push It” has played in one too many commercials. Salt-N-Pepa’s overall energy during stage performances is remarkable. Their jams from Hot, Cool & Vicious were also great hits in clubs that still play on the dancefloors of today. “Shoop” is a perfect example, as it still plays in dance clubs and is frequently used in hip-hop choreographies in dance studios. These ladies were way ahead of their time in terms of musicality. Hot, Cool & Vicious will definitely get you hooked on the groups vivaciousness. A definite must for all who appreciate the classic hip-hop genre.

Trial Track: “I’ll Take Your Man”

Da Brat – Funkdafied

Da Brat knows how to let the funk flow. If this album doesn’t convince you that she is the badass queen of rap, then you’ll have to listen to her track “Funkdafied” one more time. This was her very first solo album, launched back in 1994, back when the female rap game was still very fresh. Her style is known for mixing R&B rhythms with smooth rap prose. She demonstrates strength and confidence in her verses. Da Brat is 90s hip-hop from head to toe. She brought the funk, and a sleek smooth tone of voice, with lyrically genius content. Not to mention, her 90s house party music videos were the bomb. Her jam “Fa All Y’All” is super funky and cool. The hella cool music video for the song demonstrates her class and poise. She is an inspiration to all female rappers out there. If her jam “Sittin’ On Top of the World” doesn’t inspire confidence, then I don’t know what does.

Trial track: “Funkdafied”

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Student Life

Learning the language of university finances

Graphic by Thom Bell

The CAUT releases a new guide to help decode university budgets and financial statements

The Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) released a financial guide to facilitate the reading of post-secondary institutions’ financial statements and budgets.

The 27-page guide, which was made available on Sept. 8, was written by University of Manitoba accounting professors Janet and Cameron Morrill.  According to the association’s website, the document is a step-by-step guide with the goal to assist academic staff in identifying and understanding the revenues, including types of funding, coming into post-secondary institutions.

The CAUT is a professional association that was formed in 1951 with the purpose of advocating for its members and academic freedom. Today, the association represents 68,000 teachers, researchers, librarians and other academic staff across the country.

Courtesy of The Canadian Association of University Teachers

David Robinson, CAUT’s director, believes the guide can benefit everyone. “I believe it’s useful for anybody who wants to know what the true financial status of an institution is,” he said in an interview with The Concordian. “So when institutions are saying: ‘We have to raise tuition fees because we’re out of money,’ here’s a way that you can interrogate that. It might be true, it might not be true,” said Robinson.

According to the guide, institutions get their money mainly from provincial governments, tuition fees and private donors. Professors Morrill and Morrill explained their approach to analyzing university and college financial statements is to identify the amounts and origin of the resources available to universities, in order to determine what kind of additional support for academic teaching and research the institutions’ revenues can provide.

Essentially, the guide not only makes reading financial statements easier, but it also ensures that the reader can begin to comprehend universities’ budget-cutting strategies to further analyze or question these strategies.

In a message posted on Concordia’s website on June 29, Concordia President Alan Shepard explained that the university’s revenues from grants and tuitions fees for the 2016-17 year weren’t enough to see a significant lowering of the deficit.

As a strategy to diminish the university’s $6.3 million deficit, this year’s budget included two different Voluntary Retirement Programs—one for full-time faculty, and one for staff members. These buyout programs, whereby professors are offered a certain amount of money to retire early, are a way to reduce university expenses by spending less on tenured, full-time professors.

Academic institutions’ financial statements contain a lot of columns, rows, and most of all, a lot of big numbers. Many of these numbers have been on the rise over the past decade.  According to a Canadian Federation of Students statistic cited in a 2015 CBC article, during the 1960s and 1970s, governments covered more than 90 per cent of costs for post-secondary institutions. By 2013, that figure was down to 57 per cent. According to Statistics Canada, public funding is lowering, and therefore, being dramatically replaced by rising tuition fees.

According to Statistics Canada, for the 2014-15 year, total expenditures were approximately $560 million higher than the previous year. Revenues from tuition fees was close to $500 million higher than the previous year. The total revenues of all Canadian colleges and universities for the 2014-15 year were close to $36 billion, a big jump up from $35 billion, the year before. According to Morrill and Morrill, many institutions claim to be in bad financial situations, but the numbers tend to make it seem otherwise.

The numbers are there, the numbers are big, and they can be confusing. What exactly does the “other fees” row in the financial statements refer to? And why is it only ever on the rise, whereas Health Canada revenues and “miscellaneous” revenues fluctuate from year to year? These are the kinds of questions that the guide sets out to answer, or at least, to clarify. “We try to establish whether the institution has unexpended resources that it could use to improve employee compensation and the sustainability of those resources,” explain Morrill and Morrill in the guide.

Concordia’s director of media relations, Chris Mota, says Concordia fully supports this guide, and what it is trying to accomplish.  “Financial literacy is something Concordia puts high priority on,” she told The Concordian. Mota said this kind of guide is useful for everyone, but student associations and the student press can especially benefit from it, as they are often faced with the task of dissecting university budgets and numbers.  “You can’t be an expert on everything, and universities have their own language,” Mota added.

The CAUT guide, and the questions it sets out to answer, are all part of the larger issue of academic institutions’ spending. While the CAUT guide cannot directly address the larger issue of where money should be going, it can provide information to help answer the crucial questions of where the money is going, and whether or not institutions are hiding anything in their cryptic rows of numbers and monetary amounts.

“It’s important for institutions to be transparent in their financial dealings. We think this [guide] provides an interesting way and a helpful guide to allow [CAUT] members, but also students and the general public, to get a clearer sense of the actual state of the university and college finances,” Robinson said.

Graphic by Thom Bell

Categories
Student Life

Black, big, beautiful: a “Real Talk” about body-shaming

Photo by Danielle Gasher

DESTA hosted a talk about the preconceived notions surrounding overweight black women

A discussion about the stereotypes and negative connotations associated with overweight black women, and the media’s effect on the way society perceives black women’s bodies took place at last week’s DESTA Black Youth Network “Real Talk” session.

DESTA, an acronym for “Dare Every Soul To Achieve”, is a non-profit, community-based organization that serves marginalized and at-risk youth, aged 18 to 25 in Montreal. According to DESTA’s website, the organization’s mission is to mentor these youths in the areas of education, health, personal development and employment through activities, workshops and mentor support.

Personal accounts, understanding and attentive ears filled the room in DESTA’s basement on Sept. 14.  Sitting in front of a half-moon-shaped crowd of about 30 attendees, 22-year-old LaSalle college fashion marketing student Nyoka Hunter led her first “Real Talk” discussion entitled “Fat Black Women: How We Do Them Wrong.”

The “Real Talk” monthly discussions are part of a new series DESTA has launched.  The discussions are open to the public, with the goal of providing a learning centre, and a welcoming environment to address different social issues affecting Montreal’s marginalized youth. The discussion sessions don’t feature any experts or specialists, but instead have only one facilitator—someone to guide the talk, open the floor for discussion, and to present the matter in a researched, but personal way.

The success of DESTA’s “Real Talk” on cultural appropriation inspired Hunter to create this event. “I heard a lot of different perspectives surrounding the topic, and that motivated me to want to do this event based on fat black women and how they are perceived in the media, [by] their families, friends, just in general,” she said.

Hunter began the discussion by talking about how the media portrays overweight black women. She addressed black women’s place in Hollywood, and the types of acting roles that leaner black women might get, in comparison to overweight black women.

According to a Vice News article released on Sept. 7, a new University of California study found that out of 35,205 characters from the 800 films studied between 2007 and 2015, only 31.5 per cent of speaking characters were female, and only 26.3 per cent of the total amount of characters were racial minorities.

Not only are black women underrepresented on the big screen, but like other minority groups in the area, they are also not necessarily being well represented.

In a 2013 USA TODAY article, journalist Arienne Thompson discussed how the roles available for black women in Hollywood still lack depth. In the article, interview subject Jubba Seyyid, the senior director of programming of TV One, a black-oriented cable network, said the roles available are one-dimensional. She explained how black women are always depicted as aggressive and “bitchy,” creating characters that lack balance.

Hunter also talked about the fashion industry and “fatphobia,” as well as the so-called “plus-sized models” of the industry. “The industry advertises these average-sized girls as being ‘acceptable fat,’” said Hunter. However, she said body-loving and feminist social media personalities and activists such as Ashleigh Shackelford and Mercedes Brissett are shedding light on black women and weight. Hunter said it is important to raise new questions and discuss different perspectives to keep the dialogue rolling.

Categories
Music

An intro to old-school, U.S hip-hop

Some essentials from the genre that won over the 90s

Digable Planets- Reachin’ (A New Refutation of Time and Space)

Three distinct voices—one distinct funky sound. This 90s alternative American hip-hop group was composed of Ishmael “Butterfly” Butler, Mary Ann “Ladybug Mecca” Vieira and Craig “Doodlebug” Irving.  Their 1993 debut album, Reachin’ (A New Refutation of Time and Space), is the album that, to many, best captures the band’s infamous smooth and cool sound. The band’s debut album contains catchier beats than later albums, simple rhymes and unique lyrics that perfectly convey the trio’s love of funk.  The album’s biggest hit, “Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat),” is a simple and lyrically groovy ode to their sound. “Just sendin’ chunky rhythms right down ya block. We be to rap what key be to lock,” they rap in the song.  Yes they are hip-hop like that and yes you need to listen to this jam. The group’s albums, although different, were all about simplicity, without compromising originality and lyrical depth.

Trial track: “Time & Space (A Refutation Of)”

 

N.W.A– Straight Outta Compton

These guys are sure to ring a bell. They are one of the most popular, important and influential old-school hip-hop groups, and the main force behind the “gangsta rap” sub-genre.  The original crew formed in 1986, and was comprised of Arabian Prince, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E and Ice Cube. DJ Yella and MC Ren joined on shortly thereafter. Arabian Prince left the group before the release of their first and most renowned album, Straight Outta Compton. N.W.A brought “reality rap” to hip-hop. Their lyrics weren’t about expensive cars and money—they wanted to sharing their reality through their music. Compton’s reality in the 80s and 90s was poverty, police brutality, drug trafficking and racial divide. The group’s music fused anger, a call for social justice and hip-hop in a way that revolutionized the genre and is remembered decades later. The group’s sound is aggressive, up-beat and bass-driven. One of the best parts of this album comes from listening to the different and distinct voices of each member come together.

Trial track: “Fuck Tha Police”

A Tribe Called Quest– Midnight Marauders

This classic hip-hop band, formed in 1985, was composed of Q-Tip, Phife Dawg and Ali Shaheed Muhammed. Midnight Marauders, the group’s third album, released in 1993, is one of the most beloved, acclaimed and commercially successful albums the crew produced.  The album unfolds like a melodious and jazzy story, complete with smooth instrumentals, heavy bass lines and politically-charged lyrics complemented by some groove.

Trial track: “Award Tour”

 

 

Nas –  Illmatic

Listen to “NY State of Mind” attentively. Feel the lyrics as he rhymes along this obscure beat that takes you into the projects of Queensbridge, N.Y. This song is so powerful—it will leave you feeling scared. That’s what real hip-hop is supposed to make you feel: deep emotions. This song leaves you motivated, because in his voice, he is yearning for a way out—rapping his way out of hell. This album gives you the ambition to get through whatever problems you think you may have. New to hip-hop? This is the go-to album to get familiar with strong lyrical prose and the aggressiveness that lies behind it. Illmatic is a landmark album for east coast hip-hop. Make sure to listen to all of Nas’ albums while you’re at it—he is a lyrical genius.

Trial Track: “NY State of Mind”

 

2Pac – All Eyez on Me

All Eyez on Me, one of the last albums 2Pac recorded before his death, is one of the best selling albums in America. 2Pac was a gangster rapper, with a great lyrical style with raw energy. He rapped about the struggles of black men and women in poor neighbourhoods and their struggles, violence in the streets and many other social issues. His songs opened a door to the world of drugs and gang violence. He spoke the truth about what happens on the streets: “Give the crack to the kids, who the hell cares, one less hungry mouth on the welfare. First ship ‘em dope and let ‘em deal the brothers, give ‘em guns, step back, watch ‘em kill each other.” Those are lyrics from his song “Changes.”

Trial track: “All Eyez on Me”

 

Wu-Tang Clan – Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

“Dolla dolla bill y’all!” This rap group is composed of many big-name artists in the hip-hop scene such as: Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, Ol’ Dirty Bastard and Cappadonna. Representing Staten Island, New York City, they are definitely one of the most influential groups in hard-core hip-hop. Wu-Tang Clan stood out as soon as the album was released—no one sounded like them then, nor does anyone sound like them today. Their distinctive beats and lyrical style are hard to mimic. That’s what happens when so many talented rappers come together in the same group. To get the right feel of what underground rap is all about, listen to their song “C.R.E.A.M”.

Trial track: “C.R.E.A.M”

Categories
Student Life

The app that could solve your parking struggles

Amin Dada, left, Aubrey Hansen-Barkun, right. Photo by Danielle Gasher

Montrealers can now rent out their vacant private parking spots

Thanks to a cousin from the South Shore, a well-situated apartment and a productive 14-hour flight, Amin Dada may have created a permanent solution to a problem plaguing modern-day life: parking.

A conversation about the struggles of parking in a big city usually turns around in the same circles as the cars looking for parking. Dada, a self-described “OCD problem-solver,” needed to fix the problem once he got acquainted to it. The 30-year-old Concordia graduate is the founder of City Parking, a mobile app that lets driveway and parking spot owners rent out their spots when they are not being used.

Dada got a taste of what the app would be like before even getting the idea for City Parking. In late 2012, he started lending his parking spot to a cousin who drove downtown during the week to get to Concordia. Dada—who lived right behind Montreal’s Bell Centre at the time, and had a parking spot but no car—was happy to do so. He started offering up his spot to more of his friends and family, until it became quite the annoyance.

“I was a virtual lot attendant taking reservations through calls and texts at work,” said Dada with a laugh.  The situation got Dada thinking about a permanent solution to people’s parking woes. On a long flight in December 2013, Dada wrote up his business plan for the idea. The app went live on July 20, 2016.

The app is pretty straight-forward.  Upon downloading the app, the user must simply sign up.  Users get an hour of free parking the first time they use the app. After the free trial, a driver can reserve or book a spot anytime, anywhere, in advance or at the last minute, for a flat rate of $2 an hour.  Dada explained that if a car is parked in the spot upon arrival, the driver can either call the owner using the app, or select the “report problem” setting in the app—which calls the City Parking team directly. From there, the team leaps into action and finds the next closest spot for the driver, and gives them 30 minutes free.

While the concept of the app may sound similar to the Uber app in terms of average people offering a car service, nothing makes Dada and his team cringe more than being compared to the company. While City Parking is decluttering the streets, and promoting public transport by suggesting spots close to bus stops and metro stations, Dada said, Uber is doing the opposite.

Screenshot of City Parking. Courtesy of Danielle Gasher.

The app has not been heavily advertised or shared with the media because the team wanted to give it a test-run with friends, family and people who stumbled upon it. City Parking currently has over 100 users and 20 parking spots. The official launch of the app will take place in late September—an exact date has not been set yet.

The City Parking team is still small, but hard at work and attracting big names. The team. All Concordia graduates, is composed of five employees, plus two investors, and two advisors—including one from Google. The team is also receiving support from the city, the details of which Dada is not yet able to disclose.

Concordia student Aubrey Hansen-Barkun joined the team last winter. The 23-year-old marketing student was looking for a project to get involved with—a start-up worthwhile.  He found Dada’s ad on Indeed and the two met up.

“First time we spoke, I was like ‘wow, this is an incredibly smart guy, and this is definitely something I want to be a part of,” said Hansen-Barkun, who is now the start-up’s marketing analyst.

The pair’s passion for the project is apparent in the amount of research they have conducted, and in the focused and energetic way they speak about their app.  Dada and his team have a global vision for the start-up.

“Parking lots are being taken over by condos—meters cannot be expanded. Where will you find parking when your city grows? If we can solve parking [problems] for Montreal, we can solve it for other cities as well,” Dada said.

On top of decongesting the streets, Dada explained, solving the city’s parking problems has the power to lower carbon emissions caused by the “cruising time” that cars take when looking for parking. A 2006 study on parking, conducted by UCLA professor Donald C. Shoup, found that drivers in a 15-block district in Los Angeles “cruised” for 950,000 miles, produced 730 tons of carbon dioxide and used 47,000 gallons of gas just searching for parking. While gas station lots are sitting empty all day, and townhouse driveways are generally vacant between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., cars are polluting the air as they drive aimlessly around, looking for something they may never find, said Dada.

In the large and bright conference room of the team’s office space, Dada and Hasen-Barken sit with their computers, a couple of notepads and a cardboard coffee cup— the pair looks small, hopeful and powerful all at once—just like their app does in the ever-growing, digital-sharing economy.

Categories
Student Life

The back-to-school grown-up checklist

Some of the adult shit you need to get done before school starts

So the five-month student holiday is coming to a close.  In only a short week, the time you once had for day-long hangovers, paralyzing sunburns and summer barbecue food comas will be over.

School takes up a lot of time.  September always turns way too quickly into midterms, and soon you will be reminded that the adult-life-things you meant to do over the summer never got done.  So now’s the time!

The week before classes start is the perfect time to get appointments out of the way.  Do you have a teeth cleaning that is way overdue?  Or maybe you meant to set up a meeting with your academic advisor this summer?  Book these things now! If you have phone phobia, a lot of appointments can now be made online.  If that’s not an option, then suck it up, real adults speak on the phone.

Once your appointments are cleared, get more paperwork-administration-type-stuff checked off your list.  Bills, address changes, unanswered emails…these things can be huge sources of stress.

Start by paying as much of your credit card as you possibly can.  I know it’s scary, but check your finances online, make sure you are in the clear and find out if you have the best credit card to suit your needs.  In September, school expenses can go through the roof, so it’s best to start the month with the least amount of money stress possible.

Next, clear your inbox.  Answer any emails you missed over the summer, unsubscribe to any newsletter you are really sick of seeing and delete, delete, delete!  Chances are, you will be using your email a lot during the school year, so why not have it nice and neat for the start of classes.

Ah, the joy of paying bills!  If you are still receiving bills, perhaps consider making the switch to online billing.  This eliminates the possibility of losing anything.  For certain bills like Internet, hydro and the many subscriptions you may have, there is often the option to sign up for automatic payments.  This is when the company automatically charges the amount due to your credit card each month.  While this option is extremely practical, make sure you check the amount each month to assure it makes sense.

Did you move this summer? Address changes don’t have to be a pain. Visit Service Canada’s website or La Régie de l’Assurance Maladie’s website to get a full checklist of steps you need to follow to complete your address change.  The checklists come with links that go directly to the page you need to make the switch!  It’s as simple as that.  Another option is to visit Canada Post’s website or brave a trip to your local Post Office.

After getting all or some of this shit done, you should feel one step closer to being a grown-up and perhaps half a step closer to being in the right mindset for lectures and assignments.

Cheers fellow capable adults! I give you all a warm welcome back to school.

Categories
Student Life

The cyclists that will step up your move

Déménagement Myette: the environmentally-conscious moving company

At 11 a.m. sharp, the movers arrive at my apartment.  The two men have come prepared, and quickly, they begin unpacking their equipment.  They start unloading and stacking blankets, ropes, tool boxes and tape.  They talk amongst themselves, examine my stairs and point towards my door.  They are discussing their game plan.  After a few minutes, the men are almost ready to start the big move.  Only one thing remains before the heavy lifting: their bikes need to be laid strategically on their side.

For the past eight years, Déménagement Myette has been moving apartments and offices of all sizes across the island of Montreal…on bikes.  Julien Myette founded the company in 2008 after quitting his desk job to pursue his two great passions in life: cycling and the environment.

“Julien never uses a car,” said Matthew Gaines, spokesperson of the company, with a laugh. “He bikes everywhere.”

Since its opening, the company has built a good reputation, earning rave reviews on Google, and countless interviews and features in major media outlets such as The Globe and Mail, La Presse and Radio-Canada.  The type of moving service offered is unlike anything else on the market.  With friendly service, lower rates and lower CO2 emissions than companies that rely on trucks, Déménagement Myette has created an environmentally-conscious moving experience.

“It’s very nice to work for a company with values that I believe in,” said Gaines, who has been working for the company for three years.

The process for booking the movers is the same as with any other moving company.  The information for the move is entered online or over the phone, an estimate is provided and, if the client decides to move forth, a date and approximate time is set.  What comes after the booking is what steers far from the ordinary.

Gaines explained that, on average, the company sends two movers for a job.  The movers arrive with trailers attached to their bikes.  The size of the trailers depend on the size of the move.  The ones that pulled up to my place were about as long as the bikes themselves, but not much wider than the average desk.  The company’s largest trailer can hold up to 300 kilograms, said Gaines.  To place the items on the trailers, the movers wrap and tape each item rapidly yet carefully in large blue blankets.  Afterwards, they begin stacking the items on the trailers as if they’re playing a game of Tetris.  Ropes with locks are used to secure the items in place.

While it sounds like quite the process, on average, an entire move with the company, including transportation, takes less than three hours.  The company moves anywhere on the island with a maximum distance of 15 kilometers.  There is only one item the company doesn’t move: pianos.

As the last piece of furniture is placed in my new bedroom, one of the men walks over to me with a smile, wiping his sweaty palms on his shorts before handing me the bill for the move.  The amount is approximately $100 less than what any other moving company offered for the same date.  I make the payment and chat with the men for a good 10 minutes.  We say our friendly goodbyes, and out the door and on their bikes the pair goes—with pep in their pedal, on to the next move.

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