My Favorite Albums of 2012 (cont.)

03.) Killer Mike - R.A.P. Music

Killer Mike - R.A.P. Music

The big story for me this year was my growing interest in rap, hip hop and R&B music, a trend spotlighted here in the top three. New York rapper had a breakout year with both his own Cancer for Cure album and the El-P-produced R.A.P. Music, but I preferred Killer Mike’s southern approach over El-P’s record. The first song “Big Beast” barks out immediately and doesn’t let up, showcasing polished verses by Bun B, TI and Mike himself. The sci-fi beat creaks and bounces before the smoothness of “Untitled.” Killer Mike spits about his love for his wife, the harsh realities of Reaganomics, and a case file of a drug dealer against airport security. He shines over the deep funky beats and gives praise to all the black music to come before him on “R.A.P. Music” before settling in with his daughter to ride out the end. “This is jazz, this is funk, this is soul, this is gospel” goes the chorus on this Adult Swim-affiliated release, and Killer Mike is trying to change the current rap game while giving nods to the past that made it possible. Watch out, other rappers on the radio, Mike’s calling you and your hood shit out.

2.) Kendrick Lamar - good kid, m.a.a.d. city

Kendrick Lamar - good kid, m.a.a.d. city

The first time I heard Kendrick Lamar on the radio, I immediately took notice and hunted down his name over the other guest rappers. Then I heard he was from Compton, was being backed by Dr. Dre, and he had a new album coming out this fall. I got excited quick, and I gave good kid, m.a.a.d. city a perfunctory spin to see if the hype was justified. It was. Lamar calls this album a short film for good reason: it tells the story of his youth and upbringing, with short interludes with his parents and friends. The album also jumps around in the timeline, showing Lamar falling for Sherane before jumping to today and his current look upon the hip hop scene. Songs detail his nights free-styling over beats and burglarizing houses with his homies, nights in the club with way too many drinks, unknowingly smoking a blunt laced with angel dust and other hood-life rituals before he wakes up to strive for more and to live what he loves. Lamar escapes Compton by the album’s end to rap alongside Dre, but the path there is this album’s success.

“Swimming Pools”

01.) Frank Ocean - Channel Orange

Frank Ocean - Channel Orange

If Kendrick Lamar’s major-label debut is a short film, then Frank Ocean’s Channel Orange is a novel, filled with all sorts of characters and plots. “Super Rich Kids” tells the story about the spoiled juniors growing up in California la-la land. A drug-mule’s love-life-gone-wrong unfolds in “Lost.” In my favorite story, the ten-minute “Pyramids” spans from the days of Cleopatra to the strip clubs of today, transforming over the song’s course from raving dance to slow jam incarnate. Ocean puts his own story of falling in love for the first time before losing his love and dealing with the pain right in proximity with these other stories, suggesting the English tidbit that it’s all one story, really. Most people focused on the fact that Ocean’s first love was a man and that he was coming out with this album. Although that letter was exquisitely written, it’s beside the point. Frank Ocean is a great songwriter first and foremost, and Channel Orange is his first classic album gifted to us, with hopefully more to come.

“Thinking About You”

So long 2012; hello, 2013!

-Landon Briggs, 1/7/13

Art-Based Nuclear Outreach Proves Successful

We here at PopAtomic have been formulating ways to use art to effectively reach young people with critical information about nuclear energy for some time now. I am excited to report that our first major Educational Outreach effort at Chattahoochee Technical College in Atlanta confirmed our theory that art can make learning about nuclear energy a fun and empowering experience.

As a part of their Service Learning Program for Introduction to Sociology, students watched a presentation about nuclear energy and art, then participated in making art that transformed negative imagery associated with nuclear into positive imagery. During the art making process students were encouraged to discuss the role of energy creation and consumption in the context of Sociology. Specifically we touched on how a viable clean energy source such as nuclear has come to be so misunderstood as well as ways we can change those misperceptions.

I think it is fair to say that I learned as much as the students during this program. Most had very little knowledge of nuclear energy and were grateful to be introduced to some basic facts. Essentially all of the students from the three classes I spoke to are now ready and equipped to have a meaningful discussion about energy outside of the classroom. I was amazed at how receptive and creative these students were in approaching this challenging subject.

Starting our Educational Outreach efforts in Atlanta was not coincidental. We hope to cultivate strong support of nuclear energy in Georgia as the Vogtle Electrical Generating Plant expands, especially among young people and the arts community. These efforts will be followed up by continued speaking engagements at Chattahoochee Technical College, as well as collaborative efforts with the Georgia Tech Student American Nuclear Society, leading up to an art exhibit to open in Atlanta during the 2011 Student Conference in April. And we may have just discovered a few more artists to participate in the exhibition!

To my my surprise not a single student tried to use the “I’m not creative” excuse that often comes out when you ask adults to make art. I wonder if it was because there was a sense of purpose behind the art making? Maybe this was just an exceptional group of people? Either way the art work that came out of this program is truly incredible. I will conclude with some images of student work that will really make you smile! Next up on my speaking tour: Idaho National Lab on Tuesday and University of North Carolina Asheville in September.

There’s so much amazing student work that we will have to share it over a series of posts and through our Facebook page. A special thanks to Leigh Keever for inviting us to speak to her classes, and to her wonderful students for accepting this challenge with creative and open minds.


-Suzanne Hobbs, 8/20/2010
( http://www.popatomic.org/ )

Dark Horizon: A Documentary about the Gulf Oil Disaster
( via: http://vimeo.com/greenermedia )

The time for a cleaner energy was years ago, but the present is better than a decade down the road. I don’t imagine BP and their cohorts realise the colossal and long-standing effect that will percolate into the lives of our children and maybe their own. Only now do the persons of America “wise-up” as they mourn the untimely oil splurge into the sacred fishing waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Environmental agency representatives certainly had the foresight to see this one coming and yet citizens were sickeningly staggered by the avoidable casualty. Truth be known, cleaner energy should have been implemented years ago. The reasons this hasn’t yet taken place in-full is there’s far too much oil to be harvested and exorbitant slews of profits to be made.


-Tad Dylan Lee, 6/16/2010