The Cornell Daily Sun (https://cornellsun.com/author/gsc32cornell-edu/)
Pop radio is brainwashing the ears of America. I don’t care how many times you’ve heard it; the music heard on the radio and advertised as mainstream is, more often than not, a dirtied reflection of only the tiniest, most insignificant percentile of actual musical output. Regardless of our inability to change the airwaves, however, it’s easy to stop plugging your ears with the synthesized plastic of music’s darkest dregs.
MF Doom has always worn a crown as abstract rap’s premier innovator, his seemingly nonsensical lines swiveling past common sense and boring into your third eye. Always one to change his moniker, 2009’s Born Like This is presented by DOOM rather Viktor Vaughn / Supervillain / Metalfingers / MF Doom.
DOOM’s timeless work with Danger Mouse and Madlib combined a fusion of two hip-hop geniuses simultaneously complementing and restraining each other. Without restraint, however, some of the tracks on Born Like This bounce off each other clumsily, as the signature offbeat scratch of DOOM’s beats tries to catch up to the 21st century’s super-produced sound.
The collective boots of Cornell are shaking. This Sunday, the concert crescendo that’s been slowly invading campus all year reaches its climax when Girl Talk comes to town, GZA by his side. What started as a whimper with T-Pain (sorry to all three members of Cornell’s “BUY ME A DRANK!! T-PAIN’S #1 CORNELL FANS” Facebook group) and gained steam with Luda is now going to be, as the immortal Lance Crouther / Pootie Tang once said, a “cama cama leepa-chaiii,” dig? I know this might be a lot to take in all at once, so let’s take it step-by-step.
Regardless of how you respond to Emmanuel Jal’s documentary War Child, the truth of its footage destroys any debate over its political significance. Once a Sudanese child soldier, Jal has become a figurehead and spokesperson for genocide awareness by sharing his own story with the world. The film splits its time between Jal’s concert tours and seminars (he moonlights as a hip-hope with lyrics inspired by his childhood) and United Nations footage shot about 20-years earlier, prominently featuring a nine-year old Jal in the beginnings of his life as a child soldier.
See No Evil restored my faith in rap music. Between the synthetic world of Auto-Tune and hype men, the duo of DJ Mickey Cake and MC Johnny Knuckles have created an album of pristine simplicity. Cellar Door Dreams, combines Cake’s samples — ranging from Smokey Robinson to doo-wop legends the Delfonics — with Knuckles’ rhymes, an earnest combination of childhood meditations and uncompromised charisma.
In a contest that had the packed Ries Tennis Center holding its breath with every point, Cornell lost a heartbreaker to Columbia on Saturday, 4-3. It was the first match of Ivy play for both the Red and the defending league champion Lions. On the road, the women’s tennis won its first Ivy League match of the season against Columbia, 6-1.
The women continued its strong season as they moved to 8-2 on the year (1-0 Ivy). And they did it in dominating fashion. Cornell took the doubles point on the strenghth of wins at the first two spots. The singles matches were even less of a competition as the Red took five-of-six matches.
As the men’s tennis team’s regular season makes its final push, it seems only right that we take a look back on the trials and tribulations that have shaped this season thus far.
The men’s tennis team, currently standing at 5-7 overall, is about to embark on a four game homestand with eight contests left in the season. The team is currently attempting to rebound from a disappointing trip to Florida, but the trip down south that ended with four losses has left the team viciously hungry for any type of redemption.
From the suffocating cold of industrial Pittsburgh to the torrential breeze and sun in Hawaii, Cornell’s women’s tennis team has wreaked havoc on their opponents, silently climbing up national rankings and becoming a power in the Ivy League.
Heading into the start of conference play, the Red are 7-2 overall, boasting a 5-0 record at home.
They also were ranked No. 69 nationally heading into their last match over break against No. 1 BYU-Hawaii.
Though the team lost that match—which was against not just the best team in the country, but singles players ranked No.1 and 6 nationally as well — their season has been littered with impressive wins, streaks, and personal achievements.
Last year, the team broke a 32-year losing streak to the Crimson.
The scouts and rankings warn about taking on Florida’s tennis teams. Unfortunately, the men’s tennis team threw caution to the winds and traveled south to play No. 31 South Florida and Central Florida over spring break. Alas, the experts proved correct as the Red was handled, 7-0, in both matches.
The trip started innocently enough. South Florida had won its last 10 matches, ripping through opponents like Blackberry-ans through text messages. Led by No.1 singles player Lucas Jovita, who is currently ranked No. 81 in the nation, South Florida certainly seemed to be the Goliath in this matchup.
In what was supposed to be a road trip that would test their endurance and put the Cornell men’s tennis team on the national map, the Red came up short this weekend, losing 5-2 to No. 67 Michigan State on Saturday followed by another 5-2 defeat at the hands of No. 65 Western Michigan on Sunday.
However, the trip was not a total disappointment. Both opponents are in the top tier of college men’s tennis, and the Red was able to keep up with both teams’ levels of play for the duration of the contests. Junior Josh Goldstein hopes the tough competition will serve as an inspirational force to drive the team’s further improvement.