From the time that I was young, the Oscars never really piqued my interest. I always felt like it was something for old white people and that's it, tbh.

But now that I'm older and the awards are diversifying a bit more, my level of interest is up there now.

So for the first time in ever, I actually sat down and watched The Oscars. My personal fan favorite top pick was Jordan Peele's suprise hit movie, GET OUT.

This year, the Oscars had not one, but TWO elephants in the room. Those elephants consisted of

1) The Me too/Times up Movement

2) The continuing talk of the lack of diversity within the culture of the Oscars.

Jimmy Kimmel did an excellent job as host and tackled the Times up Movement as soon as his opening monologue started and several actresses gave their own piece on their experiences through out the night.

The Oscars also used their platform to shed light on and discuss other politics going on in the world, including: Gun control, The dreamers, and racism.

Overall, it was a great night for Hollywood and there were mostly good vibes only through out.

There was a moment for which Emma Stone is getting "Dragged" as we say these days, though.

After announcing the nominees for Best Director, Stone went out of her way to point out the fact that there were 4 male nominees against 1 female nominee. The issue that stands in this is that 2 of the male nominees were minorities (Jordan Peele- Black| Guillermo Del Toro- Mexican). Minorities, especially blacks and hispanics, have historically had the least amount of representation through the entire 90 year tenure.

People are saying this is peak white feminism. A branch of feminism that surrounds the idea of white women only looking out for their own "opression" and not women in general.

That being said, Its dope to announce that the biggst award of the night, "Best Picture", went to Del Toro for his film "The Shape Of Water".

One of the other bigger awards went to Jordan Peele for Best Screenplay.

So though, there are still strides to be made in the category of diversity, its good knowing that progress is being made.

Apart of this progress is also including more diverse people on the voting board for the academy awards. There was a 20% rise in the amount of people of color being added to the board, including a spike in black women specifically.

We hope that as the years go on, there will continuously be growth and room for more diversity at the awards ceremony.

thanks for tuning in as always, peace and much love!

-Max Ataraxis

Feedback. The actual definition of feedback is information about reactions to a product, a person's performance of a task, music, etc. The ultimate purpose of feedback is so that it can be used as a basis for improvement on their craft.

Feedback is not subjective to just one type of artist. Musicians need feedback on their songs. Painters need feedback on their paintings. Writers need feedback on their writing. You get the point. 

It seems though, that many do not get feedback for one reason or another. Something that I've noticed, especially with really talented artist, is that people wont get feedback on their work because people already assume they know its amazing. This leads to many talented artists quietly dealing with a crippling self doubt that no one would even know was happening in their head. So I encourage everyone out there to let all their talented friends know that their work is good and why it is good, too!

Tell them exactly what you like about it and I promise you will make their day. People will sometimes lose their creative passions because of a crippling self doubt. You can have a artist destined for greatness who just gives up because of the crippling self doubt that sets in when your making art. For me, it comes down to one question: Am I Delusional?

I will sometimes make a song and Ill think its one of the dopest songs ever! But then the crippling doubt sets in and I have to fight with the thought of, "Is this really good or am I just delusional?". Hearing someone say something postive about that song helps me in that I know if other people like it, then I'm not delusional. Because, you can make what YOU think is the greatest song in the world, BUT if NOBODY likes it? Like nobody at all?

Then you probably ARE delusional and though art is subjective, there is some truth involved if no one likes it. It just might not be that good or may need to be worked on some more. 

This leads me to my next point on feedback. Another reason people dont get feedback is because whatever their reviewing IS bad or not up to par with quality standards. Many people will opt to be yes men (women) and not tell the truth in order to save someone's feelings.

I believe that if you really are that person's friend, then you will be able to be honest with them. If their a true friend,  they will appreciate the honesty. Sometimes harsh criticism is necessary for growth. 

Feedback is essential for every type of artist. Im going to end on this note. Cardi B is one of the most popular new school rappers out right now, so, with that shes getting a lot of love! But with all that love comes twice the amount of hate. Contrary to popular belief, the trolls on the internet CAN get under these celebrities skin. Cardi B has talked about how the comments hurt her self esteem and makes her feel bad, but then she sees the FEEDBACK from her fans. The ones who send her good energy and talk postively about her. It doesnt matter how "Big" or underground you are. Feedback is an essential part to being a artist that is almost out of the artist's control. 

So take what I spoke on today and be mindful. Tell a artist you like that you love their stuff! Let them know exactly why and be genuine about it. I promise you, your going to make that artist's day. Also though, be sure to keep it real when necessary, too. No artist can prosper with longevity with yes people in the circle. Thank you so much for your time as always, and tune in for more good art based articles coming soon!

- Max Ataraxis 

Hello All!

Thanks for tuning in. Today, I want to talk about EPKs versus social media!

First things first. What IS an EPK? EPK stands for electronic press kit. It came about not long after the internet age started to revolutionze the music industry in the mid to late nineties. Before then, it was simply just press kits that were used.  You know , you hear about bands like Nirvana putting a demo cassette tape together with some physical band photos and maybe a hand written letter to the record companies?

The internet made this process so much easier!

So, what are the contents of a Electronic press kit?

EPK's normally feature a bio, audio clips, videos, photos, press, set list, basic technical requirements, and a calendar. Its the most efficient way for booking agents, record labels, etc to get the run down on who you are as a artist and what your needs are, should they hire you for a gig. These electronic press kits have been the staple to success for the past twenty or so years. Having all of this in one space at the click of a button is super beneficial and easy for everyone involved. Its no wonder it's been so popular for all these many years.

But we're starting to notice a transition in the culture.

Nowadays record labels are signing youtube and instagram sensations. They arent doing artist development anymore, and it seems like Press kits are even becoming obsolete to getting discovered and coming up in the industry.

The number one thing that a record label or booking agent will look for in the current generation is your social media following. How many followers does this person have? Have many likes per post are they averaging? How many people are actually actively interacting with this artist?

To them, all that translates to $$$$.

This is the reason that music artist such as Bhad Bhabie (who grew from internet fame after the infamous "Catch Me Outside Phrase" slipped out of her mouth at the tinder age of 13 on Dr. Phil) can be so successful with a major label backing.

Kids these days flock towards simplicity and nonsense. Its just how things are now, unfortunately.

To all my artist out there, though, dont be discouraged! Sure, nonsense and ignorance sell easier, but also you have to realize that its easier now than ever to put yourself on !

You can build a brand entirely off of social media. You can eat good and feed yourself and your family entirely off of social media! You can hate if you want to , but instagram models, for example, are having full fledged careers from the platform. You just gotta know how to play the game and Brand yourself.

So my advice to all upcoming artist is to invest time into building your social media presence. Get your vision together, so that when the time comes, you have a brand built via social media and a gameplan for when those who want to give you an opportunity, come about.

Are EPK's Dead? To an extent? yes. And I say yes, because social media is the new EPK. Everything that would be in a EPK can be found on your social media if executed properly.

That being said, I think having an official EPK on deck will actually impress labelheads, festival heads, booking agents, etc. It comes off as you being a artist who is serious about their craft.

Id like to reccomend sonicbids.com for any up and coming artist who want to put an EPK together. It's user friendly, and not only do they help you put a EPK together, but there are constant opportunities to apply for festivals, concerts, etc,etc using the platform.

Here is a link to sonicbids:

https://www.sonicbids.com/

 Hope you found this helpful, thanks for tuning in to Diversal!

-Max Ataraxis

Hannah Rae Beale is multi-talented vocalist and instrumentalist hailing from Frankfort, Michigan! I recently got put on to her music and I am so happy to have done so, because she truly is a powerhouse of talent!

She just recently released visuals for her song "MONSTER" and they are phenomenal! It is high standard quality! The acting was great between her and the guy playing her EX.  The cinematography of the video was beautiful and her outfits/style is on point.

She's calling it "The Anthem For Heartless Exes" and I can definitely hear that in the song!

Lyrics like "I F&$kIng Loved you but you never loved me" is something that a lot of people can relate to. This is one of those songs you leave on repeat for a good 2 -3 hours when you're in your feelings like that lol The production is beautiful and she flawlessly sings and meshes her vocals with the airy pop production of the beat.

 MONSTER VIDEO

Definitely be sure to stay tuned to see what else she has in store by giving her facebook music page a follow below!

Facebook Music Page

Peace and Much Love

-Max Ataraxis

I had the good fortune to watch the "Black Panther" movie for the late night thursday premier at the LA Regal theatre in DownTown L.A by the Staples Center!  It's All-Star weekend so I was hoping I might have seen a celebrity or two! Unfortunately, nope :/ lol

Its all good though, because it was so awesome to see so many people come out wearing their african attire! I saw all the dedication that the trekkies/star wars/etc  fans have when they cosplay their favorite fictional universes! People were walking around looking like African Royalty!

Let me tell ya'll WAKANDA FOREVER!!!

That movie was phenomenal! I didn't even know where to start, so I Figured Id start at its roots. The Marvel Aspect of the film.

What I think was one of the strongest traits of the movie was how unrelated to the MCU the movie really was.  You watch any other Marvel movie and there are easter eggs galore and I normally actually LOVE that about the Marvel Universe. But, for Black Panther? It was nice to see that they solely focused on the story of Wakanda instead of Easter Eggs. It didnt feel like they were world building up into the next thing (Even though they did that naturally actually).

People who dont know a dag on thing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe can watch this movie and it feels like something of its own.

I wont do any spoilers for this review but I will say the basic premise sets the tone for a dope political thriller mixed in with a lot of scifi action. The political aspect comes down to whether or not the Wakandans should feel guility for not helping out the rest of the world with their vibranium resoruces, specifically, Black People. Vibranium is a precious metal that landed in Wakanda centuries ago that has extreme value for its worth and durability. Wakanda as you can see in the trailers is the richest and most technologically advanced country in the world and they have been hiding in plain sight for centuries in order to hide their secret. ( Again this is common comic book knowledge in the trailers, no spoilers lol)

These are the standout characters in this order for me personally.

1) Michael B Jordan's Erik Killmonger was phenomenal! People are saying that there hasnt been a villain portrayal THIS good since Heath Ledgers Joker. Besides Loki, there hasnt been a villain with this much dexterity and layers to him in the MCU. Throughout the film, you watch this movie, and you know what hes doing is bad, right? BUT you 100% GET HIM and not only GET HIM but sympathize with him. THATS the making of a great character.

2) Next up, I gotta give it to Black Panther's little sister, Princess Shuri played by Letitia Wright. Shuri was amazing! OMG. She was funny , charismatic, smart, and resillient! I wont give away too much detail but Shuri is the one making all the techonology for her big bro, and their brother-sister relationship is soooo cute foreal lol Youll be like awwww look at them working together! lol

Shes actually the smartest person in the world! Litterally. Shes supposed to be smarter than both Iron Man and Bruce Banner! A 16 year old princess. Go head, BLACK WOMEN FOR THE WIN!

Speaking of Black Women! That leads me into my next standout character.

3) The Walking Dead's, Danai Guirira as Okoye!

The Dora Milaje is the All Female warrior unit dedicated to protecting Wakanda and it's King. I dont have much to say because I dont want to  give too much away, but let me tell you, her and her squad are super bada$$ !

Chadwick Boseman impressed me with his acting chops with this. His character was so dominant and strong-minded in his debut role in "Captain America: Civil War".  I figured I was going to see him just kicking butt and doing Boss stuff the whole movie lol

but that was NOT the case. He was very vulnerable and unsure of himself throughout the entire movie.  No spoilers but will say he wasnt just kicking everyones but easily the whole movie and my mans had to struggle.

It was really dope how they portrayed a man who just got catapulted into this KING position  suddenly, when he feels he isnt ready. Then his fight to deal with how he should run this kingdom.

All in All, I was worried that this movie wasnt going to live up to all the hype. I was thinking like man, if this movie fails, then the black community is going to take a hit for talking all that ish with nothing to back it up lol

I'm happy to let yall know that, It DOES live up to the hype! It really does and if you hav'nt seen it yet, then you need to make moves to do that right now!

Peace, Love, and Light to all, WAKANDA FOREVER! :)

-Max Ataraxis

WAKANDA FOREVER! will be the iconic phrase ringing in the heads of many for decades to come! Wow this movie was so iconic. Thats the word that repeatedly rings in my head in reference to this flick. ICONIC.

For the most part, this film has been receiving nothing but praise, for its imagery, cast, and positive portrayal of black people.

There are those certain people who are like "I dont get the hype"?  "Its not THAT good", Ill wait till it comes on firestick, etc, etc. and I feel like there are certain people who like to hate on something prospering, just cause in their head, its cool to adhere from the norm.

I do understand that the media is kinda overdosing on the exposure/hype machine. That being said though, the movie IS a big deal! It's a big deal because art is so impactful and I know the hype surrounding it feels like it's OD cause I feel you there but even if you mad at the hype, you have to recognize the reality of it.

And the reality of it is, Movies like "Straight Outta Compton",  "GET OUT", and "Black Panther"  are all going to be beyond iconic in terms of impact, message, and artistry!

About 100 years ago, the Harlem renaissance took place and there was an outburst of black American art, music, poetry, ideologies, and more. These Three movies are the catalyst for the new black renaissance. That's the significance of this movie. It's literally history in the making! Especially with the political stance that the movie took.

100 years from now when we look back on pop culture, this movie will be heralded.

Hashtag #FACTS!

Thanks for yalls time as usual and Ill have a actual MOVIE review coming for yall very soon
:)

I first got hip to Farma Wes by my boy Wrighteous aka Tyler Wright. It was the song Feng Shui that put me on and I loved it. Had a melodic dope chorus that sampled a old school song and definitely got stuck in your head. The verses were hard too!

The visuals were amazing. I loved all of the anime style graffiti and murals that were present in the video. It really felt personal and like you were getting to really know what his interest and vibrations are.

That was way back in 2013. Fast forward to 2018, and my mans is still grinding! Hes released a whole arsenal of dope songs and visuals to go with the songs. If you take a look at his instagram, you can keep up with everything he has going on.

He's been performing all up and down the East coast in cities like New York and D.C, and in addition to continuing to release new music, he would like to start focusing on a career in film, as well.

Go ahead and take a look at the links below for all that fire !

Farma Wes:

Farmawes.com

Instagram.com/Farmawes

Soundcloud.com/FarmaWes

Tyler Wrighteous:
Instagram.com/Ninth_Nimbus

Soundcloud.com/TylerWrighteous

Logic is a guy that Ive been a fan of for awhile ever since my ODU days back in 2011/2012, when his career really started taking off. I remember specifically, it was the song "Mind of Logic" that really put me on to him. In the music video for the song, he walks around New York City while rapping the lyrics to the song. The cinematography for the music video was stunning. On top of that, he had a young woman by the name of Camille Michelle Gray, Sing a rendition of the popular Kid Cudi song "Mr. Rager", for the hook. It immediately bought me in and I then began to search all of his music that was released at the time.

From that point on to now, it is wonderful to have seen Logic's fan base grow the way it did. With each release of mixtapes and albums, he gained more and more traction. Its really dope to be able to watch a artist grow from just a local DMV artist to being the internationally known super star that he is today.

His latest album, Everybody, was a album that tackled a lot of political and social justice type idealogies: Racism, Poverty, anxiety, and depression. All things that real life people deal with on a daily basis. I believe that is what made this album so succesful was its reach to so many demographics.

In a era where artist such as Lil Pump, for example, can have a hit record repeating the same meaningless words over and over? Its easy for a rapper these days to just take the easy way out and aim for the big bucks with minimal amount of effort. Not Logic, though. He dares to be different and I think thats what his fan base loves most about him. Its why he has such a devout fan base. 

The grammys this past week ended with a performance from Logic, Alessia Cara, and Khalid, and it was probably the most powerful performance of the night, along with Kesha's PRAY performance. 

This song was phenomenal for the culture. I wont lie, I didnt know what that number was until I went on rap genius to have it deciphered. I know I'm not the only one who was unaware. This song educated so many people to the point that even if you dont need the number yourself, perse, I guarantee you, theres someone you know; someone you hold near and dear to your heart, who DOES need it.

According to the national suicide hotline statistics, calls to the hotline went up 27 percent, the day the song dropped. The trend continued and he traveled the world spreading the postive message of this tune. This song is LITERALLY saving lives.

I love the fact that Logic recognizes this song as the most important song that he has ever written. With all this newfound SUPERSTARDOM (Cause he was a star before but after that performance?!? hes a solidified SUPERstar) I cant wait to see all the good things he brings to the rap game and the world. 

Thanks for your ear as always! 

- Max Ataraxis

I don't normally get excited to watch the Oscars. It always seemed like something that was for older white men, because that's who dominated throughout the many years that it has been a thing. Starting way back in 1929, Black people and women have always been delegated to the back burner from the start. The first black person to win an Oscar was in 1940. A woman by the name of Hattie McDaniel won for her supporting role as Mammy in the iconic movie, "Gone with the wind". 

Since then, people of color (Not just black people) and woman have always had to fight for respect to some degree. There were a lot of black and women nominees this year, though! I want to specifically focus on race with this post.

Jada Pinkett Smith shook up the industry back in 2016 when She fronted a movement with the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite. She posted a video detailing about the lack of diversity in the industry in general, but specifically, within the Oscar ceromonies.  A lot of people DID NOT EF WITH HER because of that. It even looked like Jada would be blacklisted from the industry after speaking out the way she did. The lack of support from other black celebrities was despicable to me! I was like dang Jada out here putting her career on the line FOR THE CULTURE and like hardly NOBODY is backing her besides known black rights advocates such as Spike Lee. That didn't sit right with me at all and thats why Ive always had the utmost respect for the Smith Family.

Fast forward to the oscars 2017 and there were 7 minority actors who were nominated. 6 Black: Denzel Washington (Fences), Viola Davis (Fences), Octavia Spencer (Hidden Figures), Naomie Harris (MoonLight), Ruth Negga (Loving), Mahershala Ali (MoonLight)

And one Indian (Dev Patel: "Lion"). Was this a result of Jada Pinkett's boycott or the fact they these movies really did deserve the accolades?

I honestly believe it to be combination of both.

The oscars released their nomination list for the upcoming 2018 awards ceremony and it is another year of diversity!

Mexican film maker, Guillermo Del Toro, is leading with a whopping 13 nominations for his masterpiece , "The Shape Of Water".  Jordan Peele's Social economic horror thriller is pulling in 4 nominations: 1. Best Picture

2. Best Screenplay

3. Best Director

4. & best actor for Daniel Kaluya, the star actor of the film.

I read the screenplay for "GET OUT" myself, and I must say, its brilliant! Personally, I want him to definitely win for Best Picture and Best Screenplay.

If Peele wins for Best Picture, he will be the first black director to ever do so.

Denzel Washington picked up another nomination for his "Roman J Israel" portrayal. 

Mary J Blige (Mudbound) and Octavia Spencer (The shape of water) picked up nominations for the best supporting actresses category.

Mary actually made history this year too! Not only is she the first person to EVER be nominated in the actress category and music category simulatenously, but the first ocscar nominees for a netflix original movie! Go head Mary, you better get it ! 

Dee Rees, one of the black writers for "MudBound", is up for best adapted screenplay and Kumail Nanjiani is an asian american writer who is nominated for "The Big Sick" in the same realm.

Some other mentions from the latino community are Carlos Sadanha, director of best animated feature "Ferdinand"; Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez were nominated for writers of the original song "Remember Me" from the disney film "CoCo" (Somehow white people directed & wrote a movie revolving around Mexican culture) lol

But yes, As I said before, I normally dont watch the oscars but this year, I definitely will be tuning in! Jordan Peele is literally about to be one of my favorite directors, and I hope that he wins at least the screenplay award, but best picture would be epic! 

This year will be the 90th year of the ceremony, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and you can catch it on March 4 via ABC!

 Thanks for your ear as always!

-Max Ataraxis

Sup Guys!

So Ive mentioned in my previous post about how much of a fan I am of Lil Wayne. So I HAVE got to talk about his newest mixtape, Dedication 6, that was released a few weeks ago.

Mannnnn, my boy Weezy sound hungry again!! NOW THIS YOUNG BLOODS IS WHAT YOU CALL A OG. I've always been a advocate of Wayne,hardcore. Lil Wayne from about 06-11 had one of the greatest HipHop runs of dominance in HipHop history. These are facts. People these days be trying Play Wayne like he's washed up and this and that and the third. I've BEEN saying , nah Bruh Wayne still dope. It's all his label BS holding him back. Kids these days don't even know how great Wayne was in his prime , but Bruv never lost his skill. Never been washed up. Wayne isn't even in my personal top 5 rappers list, But I still respect and recognize him as the greatest rapper from the Millenial generation. Think about this; if hypothetically speaking Wayne was shot dead right after The Carter 3 dropped, then we without a doubt in my mind would have immortalized this man. We woulda been making sure that when you mention Tupac and Biggie, Wayne's name is ALWAYS Mentioned too and those 3 names would have been synonymous . Biggie, Tupac, and Wayne.

That didn't happen, thank God. The point I'm tryna make is that once he hit the label problems , it's like all he achieved didn't even matter anymore in the public eye . All the public perception of him was that he sucks now, he's washed up, etc etc....

Well now after giving his project a thorough listen for a few weeks, I have to say, BRUH!!!! Though Wayne never left, my guy Wayne is BACK!! I believe THIS is the project that will be the turning tide for his career. I believe Lil Wayne is about to reinvent himself once again and a new flourish of greatness will be bestowed upon his career! People are about to start puttin some Respek' on his name ! D6 has a Wayne that's duckin in and out of metaphors, wordplay, &sauce. Wayne over here spitting bars that will make u scrunch up your face, put your fist to your mouth, and say D*MN !!!! lol Bruh, this mans is so clever yo. He sound like the 06 mixtape Wayne on modern beats , Bruh ! It's crazy. The best rapper alive is back to remind y'all , true talent never subsides on some space jam type ish. Some might think he finally touched the ball and got his powers(skills) back.I knew big homie never lost em.

Yes, that was a space jam reference lol

So, after dropping off "Dedication 6" around christmas time, he is preparing to release a new version with more songs, entitled, "D6: Reloaded".

Earlier this year, He dropped off a remix to the popular JAY-Z song, "Family Feud", featuring Drake. The song is reminiscent to how Wayne and Drake used to trade bars almost as long as 10 years ago! 

No Hook, straight bars. Yesterday, Wayne dropped off a second offering from the reloaded mixtape and again we have Wayne straight going IN with the bars. 

The song is called "Big Bad Wolf" and it sees Wayne rapping for 4 straight minutes over Blac Youngsta's "Hip Hopper. Something I found interesting about the song was that one of the criticisms Wayne gets is he raps about drugs and drug use too much. I listened to the song and I litterally could only catch one line referencing drugs. The rest was just straight bragadocio bars but they were clever and entertaining. I'm hoping that when The Carter V drops, we can hear some more meaningful music and genuine music detailing what has been going on in his life since the label issues came about.

For now though, I am MORE than Happy to hear the mixtape version of Wayne doing what Wayne does best...and that is RAP.

Definitely looking forward to the reloaded tape and whatever else this new revamped HUNGRY Wayne has to offer!

-Max Ataraxis

UPDATE:

Just wanted to let yall know that Wayne just dropped off ANOTHER record from D6:Reloaded featuring Juelz Santana and its another song of straight barz! Im telling ya'll Wayne is HUNGRY again! sounding like the early 2000s mixtape weezy 100 percent and even linking up with his old patna!

Wayne was tired of yall playing with his name and calling him wack, I swear! 

2018 finna be his year !