Urban Lyrics Pursues Legacy

November 10, 2011 Suzy Berkowitz 0

Urban Lyrics, SUNY New Paltz’s newest rap and poetry-based team, was created last semester by fifth-year Black studies and sociology double-major Latosha Belton and alumnus Frederick Fernandez. Urban Lyrics helps writers express themselves through rap music and improve their craft, by creating and performing their own raps. Urban Lyrics has a different feel than organizations on campus. “Urban Lyrics embodies a much more urban essence that isn’t found in negative modern day rap music, popular poetry or even on the slam team. Every lyricist possesses a unique writing and performance style from the next, making the team extremely diverse,” said Kevin Cavanna, a third-year English major and member of Urban Lyrics. Minorities widely encompass the demographic of writers on the team who express themselves through their prior and even current oppression. […]

Keep On Rising

November 10, 2011 Ben Kindlon 0

Sam Lachow, 21, accumulated more than 3,000 views for his most recent original music video during its first week on YouTube. But the former SUNY New Paltz student said he never set any sort of goals for the “Hash Muffins” video or his rap career in general: he just wants to “keep rising.” “I never want to peak,” he said. “I just want to keep making the art I love making.” Lachow, now a third-year film major at the City College of Manhattan, released his first solo album, Brand New Bike, in July. Although he’s already made over $3,000 from the iTunes store since the release, the rapper said he won’t […]