The Sound of Music
Today, a huge gap exists between "pop" rap music and "underground" rap music. Through listening to various rap concentrations and genres I have discover influential media that redirects my ideals about current rap music. Pop rap consists of talk about women, money, fame, and abusive substances. In contrary, underground rap, a true vision to 'underground' society, exemplifies the purpose and movement of rap culture. Take for example, Sam Adams, and aspiring "pop rapper" who puts out songs such as "Drivin me crazy" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cpOMtfqJZ4) which emphasizes the college life and 'getting with' college girls. This classifies as "pop" rap-- A song to make college girls dance. This is an example of a song and message fabricated by the media. The media, or medium of music, is shaped by the individuals deciding what is 'popular music' or what is dispensable.
There exists an entirely different rap culture. This is where my "new artifact" derives from. Through my life experience, I have stumbled upon a "real rapper" (as actual underground rap fans would describe him) who doesn't succumb to industry standards. Reef the Lost Cuaze is an underground Philadelphia rapper who refuses to sign a contract with any main studio. He describes through his music a hesitation and hate relating to doing what record execs want of him (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKNNezzxM7s). Reef States, "My pockets still flat, as years go by I feel that, I’ll never make it, record exects; like you're not good enough kid face it.."Reef's refusal is due to the fact that the studios refuse to accept his messages through the media about his life and his triumphs.
Media labels such as Interscope, Universal, and Sony distribute media that they believe the public desires. Underground rappers, the individuals with a real message, fall to the way-side, because industry executives believe the public won't 'understand' their message.

Halo 3 - Violence in Media

The mediums that our society is exposed to have a great influence on their day to day lifestyles and interactions.   Although some may have their favorite mediums in which they feel attached or obligated to be with them, media is all around us through several different and hidden ways.   These artifacts, and how addicted we are to them, demonstrate the power that the dominant media has upon us.   Supported though James W. Carey's thoughts on the power of developing media, we learn that our culture moves fast and is always looking for the next big thing.   Through mediums, the developers of technology and enforces of media create a message to express to viewers, often subliminally.   My favorite Xbox game, Halo 3, is a good example of how the creators of such mediums have a large influence on consumers, such as by supporting violence.   Through their video game, the creators of Halo 3 impose thoughts of violence and crime on their consumers.  

Halo 3 is an Xbox game where the characters attempt to kill each other by using weapons, vehicles, and combat.   To gamers and consumers, this game often becomes an addiction, which allows the creators to easily impose their media message into our brains.   People blindly follow the message of this game and stay up all night virtually killing people and imposing violence into their soul.   The message this medium is invoking into my brain is a thought of violence and crime that becomes almost natural to me.   "The effect of the [media] on ordinary ideas: the coordinates of thought, the natural attitude, practical consciousness, or, less grandly, common sense" becomes a permanent message in our brains (Carey 210).   Our culture has become addicted to media and it is a huge part of our everyday life and basic thought process.   Shown in the pictures and video provided, Halo 3 is an extremely violent game which shows realistic deaths and lots of gore through combat.   The goal of the game is to harm others; therefore this medium imposes an instinctual reaction to impose violence upon others during a confrontation.   Myself included, our culture is moving towards a need for violence through media and entertainment, and Halo 3 is a perfect example.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TW6SW8XzLQI  

This video is from youtube, it is about five minutes long and it shows many of the killing and violence included in this Xbox medium.   All of the pictures and the video I found are from Google Images, and YouTube.   The quote from James W. Carey is from the class assignment we read for homework called "Communication as Culture".

Define Media

Media Within Us

            Media is all around us.   The world has become a place where there is a constant flow of ideas through various mediums.   A person’s thoughts, ideas, and portrayals of concepts are all influenced by the intense power of media.   Every encounter that an individual has is covered with media; his ideas are shaped by mediums.   Because of its large presence and power over society, media is inescapable.   Individuals may perceive and express media differently.   These claims are supported by McLuhan through his passage “Understanding Media”.   Media is the subconscious or conscious awareness, acceptance, and individual perception of all ideas portrayed through various mediums.  

            All ideas and thoughts are shaped and morphed by media.   A person may think he is being original, but every thought and concept he ponders reflects an impact that media has had on him.   Every image that passes through the mind is dripping with media.   Because “medium is the message”, the content and thought required to put together that message is influenced by media (McLuhan 13).  For example, if Jack sends a text message to Eric, he puts together what he considers to be his own thoughts and ideas in a manner which he believes is creative.   What Jack does not realize is that every thought and word he considered and wrote contains history and impact of other mediums. Furthermore, he is also imposing these mediums upon Eric.   Jack’s thoughts and wording of messages are reflections of what he’s seen and been trained to think.   The medium is the message from which no one can escape.

            Media is inescapable.   Everyone is subject to media-- it is unavoidable to all beings.   This power is held strong by media due to its presence in all aspects of life, as well as its persistence.   If a man is placed alone in a room where he is isolated from society, media is still all around him.   Although he is alone, media lies within simple things such as the color of the paint on the wall; it is essentially in the air that he breathes.   Media is extremely powerful because even if people attempt to ignore it, media is still surrounding their every move and imposing ideas on them.   This is why propaganda is so powerful.   Even if a person doesn’t believe it, the media “pounds” the ideas into their head.   This can be done through many different ways.

            Media can take diverse forms by being perceived and portrayed differently by individuals.   Each person sees media differently and the ideas formed by it are not set in stone.   “In other words, cubism…drops the illusion of perspective in favor of instant sensory awareness of the whole” (McLuhan 13).   The artist Picasso portrays things differently in his medium that contrast with the social norms.   He breaks down one image into pieces in a perspective that challenges traditional styles.   People start wondering how this process is formed and how it connects to the world.   He is a rare example of something different than the effects media has on most individuals.   Although he expresses the effect media has on him differently than others, Picasso is still effected by many mediums, and this is shown uniquely through his artwork.  

            Media shapes the ideas of society and largely shapes civilization.   Its powerful essence is inescapable to all beings and even those who react differently to media are still formed by it.   Society may or may not be aware of the encompassing influence that various mediums have on them, but their ideas and thoughts are reflections of what the media allows.