Beyonce "Surprises" Us With a Visual Album

All this time, we were fooled by one of the greatest. But then again, that’s what makes her so great, right? Friday morning, at midnight, Beyoncé dropped a surprise album on ITunes and shocked the world. There was no warning, no hint and nothing that would’ve had us guessing that Queen B was even in the studio preparing to release anything.

A few months before, while on tour, Colombia Records went on record saying that Beyoncé had started recording an album but decided to scratch everything she had worked on and start fresh. The major label expressed its concern of her lack of material, but I’m starting to think that this was part of the entire marketing scheme. Since the album’s release, it seems to have been promoting itself. This is Beyoncé’s first time really digging deep into the artistic side of her music. Every song has a corresponding video to go along with it. But one has to wonder, how in the world did she have time for all this production and studio time. Beyoncé has been on tour, since God knows when, while having no new songs to perform, with the exceptions of “Grown Woman” and critically acclaimed “Bow Down”. 

All the work going into the new album seems to have slipped right under our noses. Her sound is definitely very different than what we are used to this time around. Bey is experimenting and quite frankly, we like it. Of course, no Beyoncé album is right if you don’t have her typical sassy, upbeat songs like “Blow”. But in collaboration with artists like Frank Ocean, Pharrell and Drake, the songs, lyrics, melodies and concepts on this album are very new for the Bey we know.

The self-titled album premiered as number (not surprising), and has been since the drop. Now, all that is next to do is to guess how Mrs. Carter will portray these stories on stage. There’s no doubt that she, yet again, won’t cease to surprise us. - Ashley Germain

Good Luck On Your Finals!

Late nights, tons of homework, and endless studying will be the lifestyle of a typical St.John’s student this week and the next. The semester is coming is to an end and the workload is escalating. Finals are here and the stress has arrived upon many of us.  Although most of us are planning trips to go home and cannot wait to be with our families; we have to push that aside and focus on ending the year right.  

As excited as one month off from school may sound, we also have to think about our final grades. Some of us have been doing well all throughout the semester so ending will be a breeze. Others will have to put forth a little more effort. But after all this hard work we will be able to sit back and relax with the people we enjoy and love. Whether you’re going 10 miles or 2000 miles away it is great to take a break from being a busy college student and take pleasure in the holidays. 

For many students especially freshman, going home for the holidays is very exciting because this will be the first time students will go home since being in college. With all the activities St.John’s has put together from the carolers to ice skating in Bryant Park there is no way to forget about all this is to come during this season. 

To everyone reading this, have fun and be safe this holiday season.
- Philtrina Farquharson

Share Your Thanksgiving Fun With Us!

Haraya would like to wish all Harayans and their families a beautiful holiday filled with love, laughs, and good food! How are you all spending your Thanksgiving? Send us pictures at harayablog@gmail.com and we'll post them here after the break! 

Enjoy your break! See you seen in a few days!

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Jhene Aiko's New Album Makes Waves

     

Attention music lovers: there’s some new underground tunes that are sure to have you sit back, close your eyes and drift off to a world far away from your own reality. Treat yourself to a trip to a musical paradise by sailing out with recording artist, Jhene Aiko. The former T.U.G. artist has come a long way from kicking it with R&B group B2K to establishing herself as an artist to look out for.
       Last Tuesday, Aiko released her highly anticipated EP titled Sail Out. Since releasing her first musical project in years, Sailing Souls, fans have been eagerly waiting to hear some fresh sounds from the singer, myself included. Since then, many labels have been dying to sign the brand new face on the music scene, but in the end, Def Jam won the prize. Aiko’s decision was found to be the right one. Upon signing, she has been on tour with the likes of two powerhouse names, multi-platinum Hip Hop artists Nas and Drake. We can assume that because of all the performances there were to tend to, studio time just wasn't a priority. However, the wait has finally come to an end with not just one, but two presents (YAAY!).
       Aiko has called the EP "a bridge between Sailing Souls and her first solo album Souled Out". The album is set for release in early January of 2014, so it looks like Aiko’s fans should be sitting tight until the next album. I know that I (a fan since the T.U.G. days) am more than satisfied and cannot wait to hear more. If you know Aiko, then you know her style: smooth, sultry and easy on the ears. Her voice and melodic rhythm are captivating and her lyrics cut deep into the soul. She has said that the album will be a little different than what we’re used to, but hey, I’m up for the challenge. Any artist that can step out of their comfort zone musically and succeed at it is a go in my book.
       If you’re looking for something new for your iPod, definitely give Jhene Aiko a listen. Sail Out  is only six dollars on iTunes and is in this week’s top 10 new album releases. Collaborations on the EP include Kendrick Lamar, Childish Gambino, and Ab-Soul. Aiko touches on issues ranging from deep conversations about her personal life to lighter expression about her love of hibiscus and just being a bum for the day with your significant other. This is definitely an EP that will be on repeat for me until further notice.

- Ashley Germain

Jhene Aiko's video "Bed Peace" from Sail Out

Kanye West "Takes Back" Confederate Flag

   Kanye West is known to do outlandish things that never cease to shock the public. It works like a charm, every time, and we are always entertained. His actions, his words and his mannerisms are very hard to predict but when will we stop acting so surprised? Kanye has made it clear to his audience that if he has a statement to make, it will be made, and last week’s events were no different from the rest.

                Last Tuesday, Kanye was seen sporting a jacket with the Confederate flag shining in all its glory on his right sleeve. Ironically enough, this happened at about the same time that Kanye slandered Barney’s for racially profiling in its stores. Now, before I get to how I feel about the charade, let’s get to the general public point of view. From all the articles I have read and all the newscasts I have seen, public opinion is split between two sides: publicity stunt and “cultural hero”. On the one hand, you might cry publicity stunt because Kanye is known for his antics; he needs to stay in the public eye to, (say it with me) make money. As long as Kanye remains a household name, he is getting called for photo shoots, commercials, advertisements, sponsorships and the list goes on. Not that we don’t talk about him enough as it is but it would make sense for him to pull a stunt like this.

West takes it even further by placing the Confederate flag on his tour merchandise. We’re talking t-shirts, sweaters, snapbacks, etc. which leads us to believe that this could be a marketing technique as well. On the other hand, some people see Kanye as the one person who looks out for the Black community. As an African-American, once you dig deeper, I can see how this could be a positive action that most people could take as a negative at face value. For example, take the N-word. People outside of our culture don’t understand why some of us use it. African-Americans sought to take that word that has such a negative connotation in our history, and turn it into something more endearing. Then we face the problem of “Well if you can use the word, why can’t I?” from non-African-American people. There’s a whole lot of controversy that comes with this, but you should understand the point I’m trying to get across. Kanye may be trying to abolish an ugly symbol that has lasted too long in our history.

            As for my thoughts, I believe Kanye has every opportunity to carry out the latter. Whether or not he is aware of this opportunity remains unknown. And even if he is, his statements in previous interviews give me the impression that he doesn’t really care. But that could be a bluff as well. I want to believe that Kanye has every intention to set the bar for African-Americans to succeed, however I need to see the fruits of that labor. If you are going to call yourself God, if you are going to flaunt the Confederate flag, have an end purpose to it all. Otherwise, the amount of ruckus that was made on your behalf was in vain, and these actions will just be thrown into the same pile as the Miley Cyrus’s or Lindsay Lohans. There will be no accomplishments made. I don’t want Kanye to be a walking oxymoron, exploiting those who he claims to support just for the sake of self-gain. What happens when Caucasians start wearing the flag as a fashion statement? Will not history repeat itself (as irony would have it)? Who knows, maybe I set my sights too high for someone who has no filter… ever. Only time will tell. What do you think? Is this a stunt, stirring up controversy for some publicity or taking back a negative symbol that has been in the African-American culture for years?

     

- Ashley Germain