For today’s blog, I am somewhat concerned. Yesterday I woke up and had a bit of a sore throat and a slight headache. I thought nothing of it, but when I told my mom she told me I might have coronavirus, which has made me really scared. I think this goes to show truly how embedded this virus is in our brains. It’s the first thing we jump to when someone has a sore throat, or it’s the thing we talk about at the dinner table. It’s taken over our lives, and everything we do. I long for the day that I can go outside and play with my friends again and be close to people. It feels unnatural and dystopian.

I thought an interesting question from this list was #7: “How have your thoughts about the future (immediate or distant) changed?” When I read this, I realized that at the beginning of quarantine, I had been thinking so much about the future, almost constantly. Now, I’ve realized that I rarely think about it. It almost seems as though one day is simply flowing into the next, and I could easily forget which day it was if I didn’t have school. Nothing makes the days seperate other than what classes I have. My thoughts about the future are more long term. I hope for summer, and by that I mean I hope we have a summer where we can leave our houses and have fun with friends again. That’s really all I’m thinking about regarding the future.

Journal

This is my Wednesday journal, although I’m writing it on Thursday. I just saw my junior theme rubric and I’m not as upset as I think I should be, but I’ll definitely revise it. I’m feeling alright, and I am having a little trouble keeping up with all of this when I can’t see any of my friends or teachers in person. I feel really lazy but I’m also not allowed to leave my house. I might start to work out at home somehow. We watched the movie Fargo last night and it was fantastic. Although pretty gory, it was unexpected and I couldn’t read the next steps of any of the characters. It was a crazy plot to begin with, and with each new scene, it got even crazier. Movies have kept my family and I relatively sane throughout this quarantine. We’ve seen a couple comedies as well like Talladega Knights and Zoolander. I haven’t listened to as much music but Frank Ocean and The Weeknd have kept me calm. Technology is helping me a lot as well. I’m watching YouTube videos and playing video games to pass the time.

               My paper discussed the evolution of rap music over time, and explained the impact culture, media, and creativity had on this evolution. The goal of my writing was to understand why exactly it has become so widely listened to, despite its humble beginnings in the Bronx. In this paper, I research the change in subgenres of rap, along with the effect culture and media has, leading to more exposure for new rappers and an overall growth of the genre.

               This topic is completely relevant in today’s society, because it’s been the United State’s most listened to genre since 2017. I am interested in talking to a rapper on the come-up or on the brink of becoming viral. These young artists have so much more opportunity than the young artists of the past, and can become literally overnight sensations. I am passionate about the culture around this genre, including the music itself, but also the fashion and business surrounding it. I was somewhat surprised reading that it was the most listened to genre since 2017, because pop music is typically on the radio because of the clean language used in their songs, although I do know many people who listen to rap music on streaming platforms all the time. My opinion was changed positively while writing this essay. I learned a lot more about my favorite music genre, and I hope to learn much more in the future.