First Day of DC

This weekend, I had arrived in Washington D.C., and just as I expected, it's one of the most beautiful cities I've ever seen. This being the first time I've ever been here, going down Pennsylvania Ave had me like a little kid in a toystore; I wanted to see everything. I settled into an apartment not far at all from Capitol Hill so getting to work isn't going to be a problem. Now I'm just in the middle of doing the class readings and writing out all the thank you letters. With nothing much more to talk about, I figure I'll just leave it at that; I have a lot ahead of me.

The thing(s) Obama is doing RIGHT

I know I give this administration a lot of criticism, I think it's only right that after all of it, I give credit where credit is due.

Addressing the need for Health Care Reform

Since 1994, we haven't seen a president so determined to reform health care in this country and make it more accessible for Americans. While I frequently criticize the Democratic party's plans to overhaul health care and put it in the hands of government bureaucrats who determine what is best for individual citizens, I applaud Obama's intentions on reforming health care. Taking over the health care industry is the worst possible scenario to fix the problem with insurance coverage among Americans and while Obama is unfortunately siding on the less-reasonable and credible option, (a "public option), he does in fact, mean well and it shows in his speeches and determination to pass some form of legislation. While it may be too early to decide if Obama has some hidden liberal agenda, his concern for the uninsured sounds genuine.

So yeah. That's basically it. Sorry for anyone who expected any more; its no secret I'm no fan of this administration's methodologies. Let me know what you like about this administration.

Where to go

Since I'm leaving next weekend, I'm not sure where I should make sure I visit while I'm in D.C. A lot of you have been there; unfortunately, I've never been there so I know NOTHING about where to go. So tell me; What places do you recommend (clubs, restaurants, landmarks, monuments, schools, etc)?

Days Til' D.C.

In about 13 days from today, I'll be in D.C. starting the experience of a lifetime; an experience I had only dreamt about before reaching college. I'll be interning on Capitol Hill and taking classes there. It'll be unlike anything I've ever taken part in and I get to work in politics hands-on. I get to enter the U.S. capitol at one of the most interesting times in American history and see the very processes our legislators must work through in order to make some form of progress (hopefully). I'm going to D.C. optimistic about the political knowledge I'll attain over the next 4 months. I'm thrilled about the prospects of networking with all sorts of different people; people who will make all the difference for me and my future with public policy. I have no false illusions about what to expect; I will in fact, come back to Danbury, Connecticut (and UConn) a different person with a set of different beliefs. Some of my beliefs I go to D.C. with will only be reinforced; others will change. No matter what though, I promise myself, my friends, my family and anyone reading this; I won't forget where it is I come from and who helped me get to anywhere I go in life. I promise.

What Happened to Hip Hop?

I'm an 80's baby. 1989; but nevertheless; an 80's baby. So growing up in the 90's, I was fortunate enough to grow up listening to quality good hip hop. There was Nas, Jay-Z, Tupac, Biggie, The Lox, Fabolous, Mobb Deep, Big Pun, D-Block, DMX, Eminem, Fat Joe, Common and MANY MANY MORE. Some of these rappers went away and just left, some abandoned their whole style in exchange for a more commercial style. Very few rappers today though, rhyme and write about truth. Few of them write about things that aren't superficial like money, cars, 'hoes' or jewelry. There's little to no originality on the radio anymore and my belief is that the corporate heads want everything to sound the same. This way, it saves them the difficulty in looking for the next great rapper and allows them to take someone with little skill and use them at their disposal. This might mean auto-tuning their voice or giving them corny lyrics to rap out. Either way, the very genre that once embraced MC's for being original now looks down whoever has something different to bring to the table.

The Hip Hop Audience is partly to blame as well. Had it not been for us or our friends downloading say for example, ringtones from soulja boy; the big executives might not have had the leeway in forcing garbage rap down our throats. I've spoken with various DJ's who work with the radio; DJ Big Man of Hartford's Hot 93.7 being one of them a few months ago; and he had mentioned that the reason for the influx of bad hip hop was due to the corporate heads dictating what is played on the radio and taking away that role and duty from the DJ's themselves. I understand the job of an executive is to put out what is profitable, but distributing new hip hop music is what the job of being a DJ is all about. The roles of a DJ and an executive should be co-dependent and in cooperation with each other. Unfortunately, it's become so difficult to be a DJ in today's mainstream radio; the executives choke off their individualities and pull the rug from right under them in regard to determining what is played over the airwaves.

Some of you who read this might say to yourself "the souths on top; get over it" and I would like to say it's not a north-south thing for it. It's a matter of what's coming out on the radio and making sure what gets airplay is what is most satisfying and not a matter of what is easiest to produce. Hip Hop has begun to sound all the same; so much so that I question whether this new form of auto-tuning, snapping, choppin n' screwing or anything else all takes on a whole new genre. Hip Hop is meant to inspire, to uplift, to entertain, to dance to, to listen to, and most importantly, In my eyes; it's meant to preserve. If Hip Hop stays on the road it's on today, it'll get lost along the way and lose its meaning. It's pretty sad when you realize that great and phenomenal rappers are more and more seldomly made. Look at the dozens of legendary rappers who came out of the 80's, then 90's.. Yet With the first decade of the 2000's drawing near an end, we may only be able to name a handful of great rappers who emerged in this decade.

It's Hip Hop, People. Save It
Save the Music.

- David Javier Solis