Tag Archive for: the way we live now

Lil Dicky: “A very serious combination of funny and serious”


By
 in , ,
It’s hardest to describe a cultural phenomenon from the very middle of its trajectory. Not enough time has passed for hindsight to accurately characterize its origins, and its future remains distressingly uncertain, particularly for its primary stakeholders. The rapper Lil Dicky finds himself in just such a position at the moment; profoundly validated by his […]

Advertisements are films, too


By
 in , ,
Since its inception, the advertising industry has tried to present ads as entertainment, and it’s never been closer to succeeding. Although Americans watch less live television today than we have in the past, TV ads have started to become more a part of pop culture than ever before. With online viewing platforms allowing us to […]

‘#Selfie’ makes laughable attempt at cultural critique


By
 in ,
The song “#Selfie” by the Chainsmokers has been securely in the top 20 most downloaded songs on iTunes for the past few weeks, and the accompanying music video has been viewed more than 40 million times on Youtube. It’s been quite an impressive run for a song that isn’t really a song at all. The […]

What we talk about when we talk about Iggy Azalea


By
 2 Comments/in ,
Iggy Azalea is not your typical rapper, but I really mean it this time. No, she’s not a media studies student at an American liberal arts college. She’s a 23-year-old Australian blonde bombshell, and she’s making a serious push to become a legitimate voice in the hip-hop world. In fact, she’s arguably the most successful […]