December 10th, 2008
You are all cordially invited to celebrate the release of the Immigration issue. Please see attached.
What: “Migration Nation”
When: Friday, December 12, between 6:30-8 p.m.
Where: Caffe Bottega
Featuring work by…
Cassandra Johnson
Daniel Carvalho
Deborah McLeod Sears
Elizabeth Lee Kaozouapa
Faith Briggs
Fidel Gurrola
Ivy Onyeador
Jennifer Williams
Jerry Nguyen
Kate Nelson
Kristy Peloquin
Madeleine Haddon
Victoria Yu
This event will also feature performances by Jook Songs and members of YWISO. You are invited to share experiences you may have related to the theme of immigration through performances such as spoken word or music. If you are interested in performing please email Cara@spheremagazine.com.
Thanks for you support,
Cara McClellan
Executive Editor, Sphere Magazine
March 19th, 2008
The highly-anticipated, oft-vanishing, frequently-rescheduled Boondocks episode that apparently some don’t want you to see.
Discuss.
February 22nd, 2008
Ladies and gentlemen, it’s that time again. Time to let go with the get go. Time for the faint hearted to get the party started. Time for you all to chill with the sultan of smooth, the man so focused it looks like hocus pocus, the unbelievable, undefeatable, indefatigable, out of your league-able, the FIX, Pretty Flaco.
So first and foremost, apologies for missing last week’s mix. I had the sickies and was buried underneath a pile of day job that wasn’t letting me see daylight. That said, I’m back, I’m hungry, and I’m eager to jump right into the mix. In fact, I’m SO eager (and so clueless as to what happened in music this week that would be worth talking about), that I want to get right to business. For your edification though, here are the mixtapes you need to pick up (besides the Week-ness, of course, because like Fab says, there is no competition).
1. Jim Jones – Harlem’s American Gangster
Build from …
February 18th, 2008
In a few weeks students from around the country will arrive at Yale for the Black Solidarity Conference. Not only will they be greeted with keynote speakers and roundtable discussions, but also with the musical stylings of Lupe Fiasco.
By Steve Whittaker
At some point I had a theory. A theory that people—irrespective of color, creed or origin—who listened closely enough to rap music could actually learn a lot about life from Hip Hop culture. But for a while now, I’ve not been so sure. Not since materialism and misogyny have so saturated Hip Hop that the genre melted and was made into a Rorschach inkblot, the most direct associations sounding out like a child playing “I-Spy” on the set of a rap music video: “…with my little eye, someone on a Maybach, $20 bill in G-string. It’s a video vixen!” And what of those who are not so ill-inclined with their lyrics? Well, amidst the short, unheard histories, unofficial biographies and unsubstantiated dates hanging from the lips of the more “conscious …
February 8th, 2008
Volume 4 – The “Love” Volume
This week, Sex Week storms Yale’s campus with events from this Friday February 8th to February 18th. Events range from a debate featuring Ron Jeremy and sex toy giveaways to speed dating and discussions about the myths of sex. And of course Valentine’s Day falls in the middle of the festivities. Be sure to check out some of the events! Sex Week webpage
Lighting of fireplace
Ice clinking into glass
Cognac pouring
Cascada’s “Every Time We Touch” playing
Now that the dude has set the mood, allow me to welcome all of you to a very special…wait, they’re all very special…a very sexy…wait, they’re all very sexy…a mildly uncomfortable…dammit, this is hard…whatever, it’s another edition of the Week-ness, the mixtape designed to get your eardrums through another week. Once again, I’m your host, The Poohbah of Playlists, The Teacher for Your Speakers, The FIX, Pretty Flaco, PF if you need speed. But this week, I’m not just about the sonic loving; I’m about the Loving loving …
February 1st, 2008
It’s that time again. Time to relax your mind, set your conscience free. You’re now rolling with the sounds of your homey P. PF, that is. That’s right, it’s Friday, and in case you’ve been living under a not very fun rock, I am the Musical Nectar Selector, the iGod of your iPod, the Fix, Pretty Flaco. Once again it’s on, I’m back in the [sexual acting toward your mother] booth, with the [continuing sexual act toward your mother] truth, in mixtape form. But before we get to that, a thought…
For those of you who spend as much time digging in the crates as PF (and that’s the best you can hope for, because unless you live on some moon with extra hours in a day, you ain’t beating me), you may have noticed that an event which would, in most musical circles, be a major event occurred: A new Jay-Z single leaked. …
January 28th, 2008
If you have any questions about career insights, AJ can address them if you post them in comments.
By Adrian J. Hopkins
Do you ever have moments in class when you completely space out? Of course you do. As part of your college experience, those moments are completely normal. As part of the job interview experience, however, they are not.
Two years ago, I was in the same spot where many graduating seniors are currently finding themselves. Coming into senior year, I knew that I wanted to work in business, dealing in some way with either of my biggest passions – media or design, and that I wanted to work in a major city. When it came to identifying specifics, however, I was at a loss, and therefore an easy victim to the UCS vacuum. This is the vacuum that lures unsuspecting undergraduates into thinking, “Maybe I could do banking or consulting…there sure are lots of information sessions coming up…and the pay is nice I hear.” If you close your eyes and stand …
January 25th, 2008
[EXPLOSION NOISE], [SOUND OF GUN COCKING FOLLOWED BY GUNFIRE], [OTHER CLICHÉ NOISE TO START OFF MIXTAPE]. Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen, to the show with the pro you know, the pick and choose it music maestro, yours truly, PF for the familiar, Pretty Flaco people who enjoy full names. I’ve been digging in the internet crates all week to put together a little something to get you through the week. First, though, a digression.
Now, PF tries not to be a hypocrite when it comes to ignorance in music. Truth be told, some of the music I like the most has been some of the dumbest material in the history of sound. I loved Juvenile’s “HA”, the titular saying of which was the only easily understandable phrase said in the entire song (PF was also a big fan of the music video, which started the trend of “angry music set to images of people being unhappy in their places of residence and work in the …
January 18th, 2008
It’s Winter, I’m back in school, you’re back in school, CAN IT GET ANY WORSE?!? Actually, yes, yes it can. For the unfamiliar, my name is Pretty Flaco, PF if you’re nasty, and back when SphereMagazine.com was just an itty bitty baby in my arms I used to put together the Weekly What’s Good For You Mixtape. Everyone here is a little older now, though; I’m clocking grad school hours, and in the meantime the Sphere Machine has a whole bunch of new kids running things that make me feel like an old man. The one thing that hasn’t changed, however, is that SphereMagazine.com is still the premier destination for urbane culture (no explanations necessary; just wait and watch and let the cultural progression wash over you), and PF is still one of the biggest supporters of the music of that culture. So, because there really is nothing new under the sun, I’ve decided to come back to SphereMagazine.com and bring back the art of …
January 3rd, 2008
Spheremagazine.com will be on hiatus for the next week. In the meantime, this playlist will welcome you to 2008.
