Oddisee - Odd Seasons

2011 is The Year of the Producer

Oddisee is Takin Full Advantage

We Keep them Heads Ringin,

WhatUpWally?

But Everyone Needs an IPAD

Austin City Limits 2011 | Special Treats

After missing last year's ACL Festival, the WhatUpWally? crew is excited to avenge our dissapointments. A few years ago we were able to see Conor Oberst, MGMT, CSS, Beck, Erykah Badu, Jamie Lidell, Mars Volta, and N.E.R.D. - among others. 

To celebrate the announcement of an even better lineup, WhatUpWally? would like to offer you some special treats from the acts we most anticipate. Enjoy and see you September 16th!

Friday, Sep 16

Coldplay

Viva La Hova Mashup Mixtape with Coldplay and Jay-Z

Download Mixtape | Free Mixtapes Provided by DatPiff.com

Kidz In The Hall – Semester Abroad [Mixtape]

SEMESTER ABROAD "INSPIRED BY THE BRAIN CANDY SERIES" by double_0

Listening Party | Blu - Jesus

Production by Madlib, the Alchemist, and Hezekiah

The Bad Rabbits - Stick Up Kids

Dance Pop-Hop Groove Funk

Like them?

Cincinnati... get up and dance with The Seedy Seeds!

After a a day long scavenger hunt... we found one more Cincinnati band for your listening pleasure:

Walk the Moon - i want! i want!

How We Discovered the Cincinnati Music Scene
Walk The Moon and The National

Can we just start by saying watch this video?





OK! Now wasn't that fun? Tommorow, 5-11-11, Our good friends over at Northgate Vintage are hosting Eric Pulido from Midlake




and Robert Gomez for a night of night great music.


But that's not the story (although that would be a good story).

What Would Foucault Do? Rethinking Thinking in Sociology

             Sociology is losing cultural capital as America experiences cultural transformation. The postmodern culture is being transformed by increased globalization, changing modes of production, increased speed of information, and technological shifts in the formation of the self that intensify domination while opening new means of freedom. Sociologists can still guide Americans through this postmodern reality by thinking philosophically about our past to understand our present and open new possibilities for the future by taking courageous risks to redefine the discipline.

Thinking Philosophically About the History of Sociology

In order to regain cultural significance, Sociology must first understand its history as a discipline. For Michele Foucault:

the aim of philosophy is to question the ways in which we think, live, and relate to other people and to ourselves in order to show how that-which-is could be otherwise. Understanding philosophy in this way opens up a space of freedom: it exposes new possibilities of thinking, perceiving, and living. (Oksala 10)

Sociology developed as a philosophical response to modernity. The early sociologists, Emile Durkheim, Herbert Mead, Karl Marx, Auguste Comte and Max Weber, would have agreed with Foucault as they looked beyond the visible social problems to ask more fundamental questions (Oksala 9). Their interrogation of the fundamental questions shaped the political, social, and cultural discourse of the industrial age. The early sociologist’s study of economic, political, historical, and scientific theory enabled them to explain the industrial transformation and construct creative theories to confront the social problems of modernity. Foucault stressed that “since things have been made, they can be unmade, as long as we know how it was that they were made.” (Oksala 15) The early sociologists thought philosophically and were able to “expose” the “new possibilities of thinking, perceiving, and living” (Oksala 10) that today’s sociologists rely on.

Soul, Funk, Jazz, Disco? Something Like That

Not quite sure how to classify this one and haven't been able to find much background information. 

The sound is kind of a cross between soul, funk, jazz, and R&B.

The Founder’s Intent: Analyzing the Contrasting Use of Religious Rhetoric Between Common Sense and the Federalist Papers

We recently presented an updated version of this paper at the Telos Conference in New York City 2-15-13. Click here to read : Christianity, the Founder’s Intent, and Post-Secular Society: Analyzing the Contrasting Use of Religious Rhetoric Between Common Sense and the Federalist Papers

Sunday evening, May 2^nd at 11:35 pm EST, President Barack Obama addressed the people of the United States on national television. The purpose of the address was to inform the nation that Osama Bin Laden had been assassinated in Pakistan. President Obama fused religious language with political language when he concluded his speech by saying:

The cause of securing our country is not complete. But tonight, we are once again reminded that America can do whatever we set our mind to. That is the story of our history, whether it’s the pursuit of prosperity for our people, or the struggle for equality for all our citizens; our commitment to stand up for our values abroad, and our sacrifices to make the world a safer place.

Let us remember that we can do these things not just because of wealth or power, but because of who we are: one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you. May God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America. (Obama 2011)

President Obama concluded this speech by appealing to the historical concept of American exceptionalism that consists of God’s provision for his chosen nation to be victorious, prosperous, and moral (Dreisbach 2009, 96). The early colonialists used similar language as they envisioned themselves as the Israel of old (Dreisbach 2009, Gaustad 1987, 7); after the revolution, Americans regarded George Washington as a Moses like figure that led the Americans into a new world just as Moses had led the Israelites out of the wilderness (Hay 1969, Gaustad 1987, Noll 1993); and President Lincoln appealed the God’s sovereign plan in his Second Inaugural (White 2003). The fusion of political and religious language has created a confused legacy of religion in America (Krammick and Moore 2005) that began with the founding generation and the writings of the founding fathers. American’s continue to appeal to the founding fathers to argue that the United States is a either a Christian nation or a secular nation.

Trek Life | Everything Changed Nothing - Free LP

As you have previously read, the WUW? crew is big on producers. This free LP from Los Angeles MC - Trek Life is produced by Oddisee. We would go ahead and call Oddisee a super producer... maybe that is a bit of an overstatement, but the homie will make your head nod. 

Gettin in where we fittin in,

WhatUpWally?

Emilio Rojas | Champion video

Click Picture to Download

New video from the Life Without Shame Mixtape. If you haven't downloaded the mixtape yet - - Do it now!

Rough Intro - Did the Founders Create a Christian Nation?

I have a mean case of writers block... Thoughts?

Sunday evening May 2^nd at 11:35 pm EST, President Barack Obama addressed the people of the United States on national television. The purpose of the address was to inform the nation that Osama Bin Laden had been assassinated in Pakistan. He concluded his speech by saying:

The cause of securing our country is not complete. But tonight, we are once again reminded that America can do whatever we set our mind to. That is the story of our history, whether it’s the pursuit of prosperity for our people, or the struggle for equality for all our citizens; our commitment to stand up for our values abroad, and our sacrifices to make the world a safer place.

Let us remember that we can do these things not just because of wealth or power, but because of who we are: one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you. May God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America. (Obama 2011)

President Obama grounded this speech in an American exceptionalism that consists of God’s provision of his chosen nation to be victorious, prosperous, and sacrificial. Utilization of religious rhetoric can be traced back to before the American Revolution. The early colonialists envisioned themselves as the “Israel of old”. (Gaustad 1987, 7) George Washington was regarded as a Moses like figure that led the Americans into a new world just as Moses had led the Israelites out of the wilderness (Gaustad 1987, 75). President Lincoln’s Second Inaugural speech was inundated with religious rhetoric as he appealed to God’s plan for the salvation of the union (White 2003).

Despite the continued incorporation of God into political language, the nation remains divided over whether or not the founding fathers of the United States intended for the republic to be governed by religious ideals or by secular reason. The tension between the religious and secular foundation of the United States was present before the American Revolution and after the Constitutional Convention. Normal Cousins comments on the paradoxical relationship between religion and the founding fathers in his 1958 book, In God We Trust: The Religious Beliefs and Ideas of the American Founding Fathers:

"And though most of them resisted the literal Biblical view of creation, they maintained respect for the Bible as the source of Judeo-Christian religious belief. They were opposed to legislation that sought literal acceptance of Biblical interpretation of the universe and man’s place in it. Similarly, they were opposed to laws – which actually existed in several of the American states – making church attendance compulsory. Man’s approach to God, they believed, was as personal as his soul." (Cousins 1958, 9)

"As a group, they reflected a fair degree of diversity in their individual creeds. Certainly, Samuel Adam’s Puritanism was in stark contrast with Thomas Paine’s Deism. Where we find a large measure of unity is in the positions or attitudes of the Founding Fathers towards religions on general. It is therefore necessary to make a distinction between their personal articles of faith and their historical role with reference to the development of religion in America." (Cousins 1958, 9)

Two questions remain unanswered. Is the United States a Christian nation and did the founding fathers intend for the United States to be a Christian nation? Unfortunately, both of these questions lack a clear and precise answer. Each question is left to the interpretation of the individual. Further, the question is left to which founding father they are interpreting, which speech or writing they are interpreting, and which time period the work being interpreted is set in.

Because of the variability of this individual interpretation, I posit that the two questions are the wrong questions to ask. They are the wrong questions to ask because there is no clear answer as to the intentions or desires of the founding fathers concerning the religious foundation of the new nation. Furthermore, there is no clear consensus among the people concerning the role of religion in the new nation. Thoughts on religion differed between individuals within states, churches within states, and states within the colonies (Gaustad 1987, 1-11, 12-35). The founding fathers represented their states and the people within their states. When we mix the diversity of religion and religious beliefs of the people with the diversity of the founders beliefs concerning personal faith and the role of religion in government, we can conclude that there is no one unified consensus concerning the role that religion should play in the governing of the new nation.

Instead of continuing to determine whether or not the nation was founded on Christian principles, we should interrogate what each founder wrote, when it was written, and the purpose of the work. I contend that the founding fathers used religious language rhetorically as a means  to achieve the goal of the specific time within the specific cultural context. By situating the writings within a socio-historical context, we can liberate the words from a literal reflection of the writers intention therefore allowing us to understanding why they chose to you use or not use religious rhetoric when speaking to different crowds, at different times, and with different goals.

Approaching the writings of the founding fathers from this direction allows us to better understand what the writers were doing rhetorically and how lifting their words outside of the specific context they were intended for leads us to the opposing positions about the founding of the nation. The goal of this inquiry is not to conclude whether the founders wanted the United States to be Christian or secular, but to understand how the founders employed religious rhetoric for different purposes and therefore effecting our understanding of the founding of the nation.

For this project, I will use two time periods to illustrate how writers use or don’t use religious rhetoric to achieve their objective. Although not an exhaustive comparison of the literature of each time period, I will use analyze the documents that have been considered the most influential of their time periods. To show how religion was used by writers of the revolution, I will analyze Thomas Paine’s Common Sense; and to show how religion was used by writers for the ratification of the constitution, I will analyze the Federalist Papers written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay.


Interpreting others words is never easy,


WhatUpWally?

President Obama's Remarks - Osama Bin Laden Dead | The White House

Osama Bin Laden Dead | The White House

Remarks by the President on Osama Bin Laden
East Room

11:35 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Good evening. Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda, and a terrorist who’s responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women, and children.

It was nearly 10 years ago that a bright September day was darkened by the worst attack on the American people in our history. The images of 9/11 are seared into our national memory -- hijacked planes cutting through a cloudless September sky; the Twin Towers collapsing to the ground; black smoke billowing up from the Pentagon; the wreckage of Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where the actions of heroic citizens saved even more heartbreak and destruction.

And yet we know that the worst images are those that were unseen to the world. The empty seat at the dinner table. Children who were forced to grow up without their mother or their father. Parents who would never know the feeling of their child’s embrace. Nearly 3,000 citizens taken from us, leaving a gaping hole in our hearts.

On September 11, 2001, in our time of grief, the American people came together. We offered our neighbors a hand, and we offered the wounded our blood. We reaffirmed our ties to each other, and our love of community and country. On that day, no matter where we came from, what God we prayed to, or what race or ethnicity we were, we were united as one American family.

We were also united in our resolve to protect our nation and to bring those who committed this vicious attack to justice. We quickly learned that the 9/11 attacks were carried out by al Qaeda -- an organization headed by Osama bin Laden, which had openly declared war on the United States and was committed to killing innocents in our country and around the globe. And so we went to war against al Qaeda to protect our citizens, our friends, and our allies.

Over the last 10 years, thanks to the tireless and heroic work of our military and our counterterrorism professionals, we’ve made great strides in that effort. We’ve disrupted terrorist attacks and strengthened our homeland defense. In Afghanistan, we removed the Taliban government, which had given bin Laden and al Qaeda safe haven and support. And around the globe, we worked with our friends and allies to capture or kill scores of al Qaeda terrorists, including several who were a part of the 9/11 plot.

Yet Osama bin Laden avoided capture and escaped across the Afghan border into Pakistan. Meanwhile, al Qaeda continued to operate from along that border and operate through its affiliates across the world.

And so shortly after taking office, I directed Leon Panetta, the director of the CIA, to make the killing or capture of bin Laden the top priority of our war against al Qaeda, even as we continued our broader efforts to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat his network.

Then, last August, after years of painstaking work by our intelligence community, I was briefed on a possible lead to bin Laden. It was far from certain, and it took many months to run this thread to ground. I met repeatedly with my national security team as we developed more information about the possibility that we had located bin Laden hiding within a compound deep inside of Pakistan. And finally, last week, I determined that we had enough intelligence to take action, and authorized an operation to get Osama bin Laden and bring him to justice.

Today, at my direction, the United States launched a targeted operation against that compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. A small team of Americans carried out the operation with extraordinary courage and capability. No Americans were harmed. They took care to avoid civilian casualties. After a firefight, they killed Osama bin Laden and took custody of his body.

For over two decades, bin Laden has been al Qaeda’s leader and symbol, and has continued to plot attacks against our country and our friends and allies. The death of bin Laden marks the most significant achievement to date in our nation’s effort to defeat al Qaeda.

Yet his death does not mark the end of our effort. There’s no doubt that al Qaeda will continue to pursue attacks against us. We must –- and we will -- remain vigilant at home and abroad.

As we do, we must also reaffirm that the United States is not –- and never will be -– at war with Islam. I’ve made clear, just as President Bush did shortly after 9/11, that our war is not against Islam. Bin Laden was not a Muslim leader; he was a mass murderer of Muslims. Indeed, al Qaeda has slaughtered scores of Muslims in many countries, including our own. So his demise should be welcomed by all who believe in peace and human dignity.

Over the years, I’ve repeatedly made clear that we would take action within Pakistan if we knew where bin Laden was. That is what we’ve done. But it’s important to note that our counterterrorism cooperation with Pakistan helped lead us to bin Laden and the compound where he was hiding. Indeed, bin Laden had declared war against Pakistan as well, and ordered attacks against the Pakistani people.

Tonight, I called President Zardari, and my team has also spoken with their Pakistani counterparts. They agree that this is a good and historic day for both of our nations. And going forward, it is essential that Pakistan continue to join us in the fight against al Qaeda and its affiliates.

The American people did not choose this fight. It came to our shores, and started with the senseless slaughter of our citizens. After nearly 10 years of service, struggle, and sacrifice, we know well the costs of war. These efforts weigh on me every time I, as Commander-in-Chief, have to sign a letter to a family that has lost a loved one, or look into the eyes of a service member who’s been gravely wounded.

So Americans understand the costs of war. Yet as a country, we will never tolerate our security being threatened, nor stand idly by when our people have been killed. We will be relentless in defense of our citizens and our friends and allies. We will be true to the values that make us who we are. And on nights like this one, we can say to those families who have lost loved ones to al Qaeda’s terror: Justice has been done.

Tonight, we give thanks to the countless intelligence and counterterrorism professionals who’ve worked tirelessly to achieve this outcome. The American people do not see their work, nor know their names. But tonight, they feel the satisfaction of their work and the result of their pursuit of justice.

We give thanks for the men who carried out this operation, for they exemplify the professionalism, patriotism, and unparalleled courage of those who serve our country. And they are part of a generation that has borne the heaviest share of the burden since that September day.

Finally, let me say to the families who lost loved ones on 9/11 that we have never forgotten your loss, nor wavered in our commitment to see that we do whatever it takes to prevent another attack on our shores.

And tonight, let us think back to the sense of unity that prevailed on 9/11. I know that it has, at times, frayed. Yet today’s achievement is a testament to the greatness of our country and the determination of the American people.

The cause of securing our country is not complete. But tonight, we are once again reminded that America can do whatever we set our mind to. That is the story of our history, whether it’s the pursuit of prosperity for our people, or the struggle for equality for all our citizens; our commitment to stand up for our values abroad, and our sacrifices to make the world a safer place.

Let us remember that we can do these things not just because of wealth or power, but because of who we are: one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you. May God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America.

END 11:44 P.M. EDT

Seated from left, James Clapper, Director of National Intelligence, National Security Advisor Tom Donilon, CIA Director Leon Panetta, Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Vice President Joe Biden listen as President Barack Obama makes a statement on Osama Bin Laden in the East Room of the White House May 1, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

The 2011 Bin Laden Status Update Awards

It didn't take long for word to get out that America's Most Wanted #1 had been killed. I was sitting at Starbucks struggling through a statistics exam (shouldn't have worked so hard because I got a C on it anyway) when all of the sudden I recieved 15 text messages in a row. Most of my friends know that I don't have cable or internet at the house, so they wanted to make sure that I got to a TV.


I appreciated their concern but I was a bit skeptical and I was in the statistics zone. I logged on to NBC and waited for the announcement. Obviously, there was not going to be any statistics work done for the next couple hours, so I decided to do what all good Americans do when they have spare time - FACEBOOK!


I know, I know, you probably don't get on Facebook that much, or you are thinking about deleting your page becasue it is stupid, or you still prefer Myspace or Friendster.... but the rest of the loyal citizens of America are trained to go to the internet at all times.


Facebook gave me just the entertainment I was seeking: 1/4 political, 1/4 cynical, 1/4 comical, and 1/4 disrespectful. All the drama that you watch The Bachelor can be found at any time on Zuckerberg's great cultural revolution.


Most of the truly ridiculous stuff was said after President Obama's speech, but there was some classical material offered up for those of us congregating in the virtual public sphere before.


So in light of this momentous occassion in American history,
WhatUpWally? would like to presnt to you (insert suspenseful sound clip) the:

2011 Bin Laden

Facebook Status Update Awards!

Pre-Obama Announcement Edition

Listening Party | The Apple Juice Kid & Freebass 808

 

The Apple Juice Kid

While most of the WhatUpWally? office grinds away on final papers for the spring semester, a few of us have found some time to surf the blogs for new shiznit. Luckily - one of the WUW? office's favorite producers, The Apple Juice Kid, dropped another album with Camp Lo MC Suede. 

Download Mixtape | Free Mixtapes Powered by DatPiff.com

Freebass 808 is an interesting fusion of atmospheric, indie rock influenced, hip hop beats and tribal dance rhythms. Suede's lyrics and delivery blend as a complimentary vocal instrument that make you want to tune in and zone out all at the same time. The music and the lyrics both could stand on their own but together they combine to create a progressive sound that is unmatched in contemporary rock, hip hop, or electronica.

Apple Juice Kid | Miles Remixed

I first came into contact with the Apple Juice Kid's production, when Okayplayer featured his Miles Remixed album. Many albums have followed and he as grown as a producer and a musician. We recommend you fools download all of his junk (most of the albums are free - legal downloads). But if you have to choose one - choose Miles Remixed!

Finding the Balance Between Contentment and Creativity,
WhatUpWally?