literature
Beat's music literature from the New York Times or the recesses of online. Our favorite stories showcase musicians.
Polymath Actor, Recording Artist, and Filmmaker Amir Royale Releases His ‘Stories of the Lost, Rich & Tormented’ EP
From Amir Royale Sophomore year, NYU Tisch’s Clive Davis Institute, 2017. I created the concept of Stories of the Lost, Rich & Tormented as a "Writing the Hit Song: Deep Cutz" homework assignment. Over the course of 14 weeks, I crafted and reworked about 12 or so ideas. Suddenly, my songwriting professor at the time (Eren Cannata of Cove City Sound Studios, Facethouse Records & Warner Chapel Music), directed us to use all the content we created thus far to formulate an EP. This project would then become one we’d pitch and present to potential A&R scouts. It was our final project. I curated 5 of my best records across the class to showcase a conceptual narrative and description of greed, lust, and youth insecurity within American culture. It is the final entry within my four-EP-long music chronicle (dating back to my 2015 EP, This Is for You.). To let this project go free finally—feels like a blessing. Thank you.
By StageScene Magazine3 years ago in Beat
Reading "Better Than Before" as a Rebel
Being a rebel is hard. If you don't know what that means, or you don't know if you're a rebel, I suggest you pause here, take the "Four Tendencies Quiz" here, and then come back. The quiz takes three minutes to take and revealed so much about me to myself.
By Jolene Poulin3 years ago in Beat
Chances Are Your Favorite Christmas Songs Were Written By Jewish People. Top Story - December 2022.
For most Christmas lovers, you'd think that the popular Christmas songs they've come to love were created by others who loved the holiday. Right? Well, it might come as a surprise, but most of the Christmas songs we've come to love and celebrate with every year were not written by Christians... they were written by Jews.
By Jenika Enoch3 years ago in Beat
Top 5 Songs For Worldbuilding
When you create a world for your readers, there are some questions to ask yourself. How does this world work? How do people exist in this world? What is the ambiance of this world? Creating a world that you are writing to present to a reader can be amazing. To show the world you want to see exist with the other fantastic worlds. But there are little pieces that can be tricky with how the characters exist in that world. I can defiantly tell you the best way to create the world is by listening to music. Music puts you in that world from the lyrics and the beat. It's like making a movie in your head.
By Samantha Parrish3 years ago in Beat
Snowy weekend getaway
We drove up the snowy, windy road towards the cosy A- frame cabin, "this road is icy' Sarah sat nervously next to her husband "I know and with all this snow I can barely see the road" "we will make it" "don't worry sweetheart we will get get to the lovely cosy A frame cabin' Jacob said in a reassuring voice he didn't want to panic his wife he could she was already nervous. An hour later they arrived safely at the cabin "I knew we'd make it in one piece" Jacob smiled as he grabbed their bags out of the car "I hope there is some dry firewood inside we need dry firewood to start a fire" Sarah nodded. When they walked into the cabin Sarah looked over at the fireplace there was a basket next to the fireplace with some wood in it "that's not a lot Jacob" "it is enough to get it started I'll go out to the shed and see if there is more" Sarah took their bags from Jacob "you get the fire started and I'll take these into the bedroom "ok sweetheart" Jacob kissed Sarah sweetly on the lips.
By Jessica Howard3 years ago in Beat
My Fiction Story Part 3!
The birth had not been smooth there had been complication for me not my baby girl she was beautiful and healthy I watched as Logan cradle her in his arms 'are you okay?' 'I am feeling much better Logan' 'I was so scared I was going to lose you' 'you didn't I am still here' I smiled weakly. Logan placed our daughter into the crib and came over to me 'Tess I don't know what I would do if I lost either of you' 'that is not going to happen I am not going anywhere' 'I love you Tess and I...' I put my finger to his lips 'no not now I need to get my strength back and be a mother to my baby girl we will talk about this later' 'you're right rest now' Logan kissed my forehead. The time had come for me to go home with my baby girl and I knew Logan would be waiting on my decision about our relationship the only problem was I didn't have one I knew I loved Logan but I didn't know whether I was ready. I sat in the rocking chair that Logan had made while I feed my baby girl Lily I felt Logan's presence I knew he was standing in the door frame 'Logan' 'yes' 'you just going to stand there and watch' 'yes I am it is a beautiful sight' I sighed. I placed Lily down in her bassinet I felt Logan behind me 'I need to sleep while Lily is sleeping' 'Tess' 'not now Logan I am tired' 'you can't keep me waiting forever' he sounded so angry but I couldn't turn around I heard him leave the room.
By Jessica Howard3 years ago in Beat
The Softer Side of Tupac Shakur: Poetry, Life, & Wisdom. Top Story - September 2022.
When most of us hear the name Tupac Shakur, we think of 90s rap music and a rather tough exterior. But underneath that hard shell lies a much softer side of him that few people realize existed. After his death, some of his most intimate, hand-written poems, including a book of his childhood poetry and illustrations, were uncovered. His poetry, which is quite heartfelt and profound, offers a window into his personal life, allowing us to see far beyond his hip-hop persona. While the lyrics in some of his rap songs were offensive enough to insult most women and anyone he hated, his poetry is quite the contrast with his music and the image he portrayed.
By Jennifer M. Ward3 years ago in Beat
Five Books Every Writer Should Own
Writing has always been part of my life in one way or another. As a child, my journey began with writing short stories and poems about family summer vacations. As a teenager, I kept a journal for many years, writing about crushes and teenage drama. Today, I’m grateful that I can say it is a daily part of my life. As most people would expect, I write a lot as an English Teacher and an MFA student. But I also spend substantial time working on my creative writing. Whether our passion is technical writing, copywriting, creative writing, or something else, as writers, we never stop improving our craft or looking for work.
By Jennifer M. Ward3 years ago in Beat
It's still falling down...
Thank you for the track All Falls Down. A long time ago, when life was simpler, this was simply a song with a funky beat and great lyrics that had a great vibe to it. Those were my adolescent days with my juvenile problems that felt like true cataclysmic catastrophes. Those would pale in comparison to the things that stress me today. This song speaks volumes about the trials and tribulations one will encounter on the road to glory. I’m sure we all know how the song goes, but take into consideration the separate phases the song goes through in just a matter of minutes. Now I’m writing solely based on my own experiences and interpretations of the song. I’ve second-guessed both of my degrees from the moment I got them because it’s so hard to find passion in a field with little to no grey area. “That major that she majored in don’t make no money.” Story of my life. Because the money to be made entails becoming a person I’m not equipped to be. Selling yourself for a dollar is the theme. I thought I could find security in a field that wouldn’t deviate so far from the rules and that hasn’t been the case. The song itself reminds me that things will continue to go wrong as long as you keep focusing on all the wrongs around you. It takes a strong mind to be able to see the positives around you whenever everything seems darkest. The song will transcend time and generations because the problems depicted in the song have continued to plague our society. Many will criticize a person that decides to overlook their shortcomings for the pursuit of happiness. But those same people will also advise you to do what makes you happy. The contradiction lies in the fact that advice can only seem sound when that person is happy with their situation. The struggles we encounter will always be in abundance. It helps define us because the person that rises from being knocked down is never the same person that went down. You rise a little tougher, a little wiser, a lot more determined.
By The Omnipotent Deity3 years ago in Beat
