Sampled Music

"HAPPY NEW YEAR FAM;" I know its a bit too late to say this but am so excited about this new year. I thank God for letting me see 2013 &  am so happy to post my very first blog post for 2013:D . When a new year begins, thoughts usually turn into resolutions so I've decided in 2013, am turning over a new leaf.am expanding my music collection: I want to do something different,i have decided to create new play lists of 'Golden' songs from the 60's 70's & 80's. that are now sampled into "modern-day" hits:-)



In music, sampling is the act of taking a part of one song & putting it in another song as a background track with some alteration.A song can be sampled into another song if that song has not been used or if it is significantly altered from it's original sound.This idea began with rappers in the eighties and has continued until today.For a long time this has been a respected practise of the music world but it has since become a problem. Record labels who hold the rights to the songs being used are suing those who have sampled siting copyright infringement. This has stood  in some cases & seems as though it is becoming the status quo. There are some defences however, there is no specific amount of measures, words or notes that say you have illegally sampled music.

Rap icon Kanye west has sampled over 334 classic songs into famous hip hop hits.The fact that he samples music doesn't speak to whether he is or isn't a talented artiste,he has sold millions of records,won grammys & he's made millions of dollars out of it. However G.O.O.D sampled music has been to him,it has also bought its fair share of problems; a New york label "TufAmerica" sued kanye west for illegally sampling music for his album "My Beautiful Twisted Fantasy"

Artistes also can get permission to sample music or break copyright laws. People arrange pieces of music everyday,The difference is that ask permission to alter the music and/or they give the original author credit for their work. Cameroonian singer Manu Dibango sued Michael Jackson & Rihanna for 500,000 euros for sampling his song without permission. 
Apparently Manu & Michael had reached an agreement upon michael used part of Manu's 1972 track "soul makossa" for Michael's 1983 hit single "wanna be startin' something" but apparently Manu was upset when Rihanna borrowed the same portion of the song & only asked for michael's permission without bothering to contact him,the original owner

So there are other questions that eventually come to mind like when is music legally in the public domain & legal to sample.That doesn't happen til a minimum of ninety after the death of the copyright owner so maybe the next question should be if that is too long for people to make money off of a song. Honestly,in my opinion i think that is way too long.i don't think any artiste should hold a copy more than about his/her life,I believe when they die their music should go to the public domain so that their fans can appreciate & Honor their death without having to pay for it.

So basically,I think music sampling is a new style & a new way to show songs and therefore,it should be legal to take parts of the songs & use them in any genre of music provided it doesn't hurt the original song...

The Christmas Season

Its only one day before christmas day & I must say the 'holiday rush' is catching up with me......waaaaaaah! times files,it feels like it was just the other day we were celebrating New year 2012 and now it's that time of the year again;The festive season is here
 I made a list of my all time favorite christmas songs,they always get me in the 'christmas spirit'

These are my favorite classic christmas songs; 'The christmas shoes ' song is very touching,i almost cried when i heard this song on the radio & 'Grown up christmas list'  is a great song too,whenever i listen to this song,it always makes me want to write my own 'christmas wish list' sadly after the song ends,i never follow through.....:p

my other favorites include;

 

 

 Hope you enjoy: May this chrismas be a delight
Merry Christmas & A happy New year:-)
 

Depressing Songs

I was watching CNN one morning & they were doing a feature on how musicians are topping charts & making some serious paper on depressing songs.so in the feature,they wanted to know why artistes have decided to do more depressing and sad music?
songs like mad world by tears to fears, i'm alive by next to normal, loose yourself by eminem  people singin along to the lyrics of these songs but its pretty dark if you look at each of these songs more in depth for what they mean other than just entertainment

Russian Roulette by Rihanna. how much more clear can it get. This song is clearly about the game of putting a revolver to your head and firing. can there be more of a depressing song and yet this song ruled the charts & was really well liked when it came out.

Bad Romance by Lady Gaga. I don't know how long ago this song came out but its still one of the most popular songs on the radio. The title tells you all you need to know that this song is not happy in meaning. having a bad romance is not a positive thing if you ask me although this song is strange and sounds happy if you listen to it,its not quite easy to tell that this song is not happy

And these are just a few examples, most popular songs have negative themes. they aren't all as sad as rihanna's or as blunt as gaga's but they are there & we seem to enjoy them which raises the big question:why?

There are obvious answers. I think that we are at a time when the lyrics in the songs mean less and less. Think of Rap music,most people love rap because of the beats & rhythm of the music but they don't really care what the artiste is saying. And pop music is similar, if the tune is catchy & the words are easy to learn it doesn't really matter what they are. But there aren't songs without words that are popular right now so maybe we just want simple lyrics that don't make us think to figure them out

Or is it that the world is in depression & we want people that relate to us? The global economy as a whole is falling to pieces, terrorism is on the rise and we are still at war and have been for years. With so much heavy stuff weighing the world down, its no wonder that artistes write their feelings into songs would be writing about sad topics.


But not every song on the radio is sad. When people aren't happy they two things; understanding & uplifting. That constitutes the other part of popular songs

Time for miracles by Adam Lambert. This song is a bit sad but it gives people hope & determination as he says he ain't giving up on love. This is what everyone wants, even in the worst of times they want to believe that they should keep faith & hope alive and since people look at celebrities for models they are positively influenced by the messages in songs like this one.

And then there's Nickleback.Nickleback's 6th studio album Dark Horse was one of their best top-selling albums. Dark Horse features hit singles like 'Never gonna be alone' 'Gotta be somebody' & 'If today was your last day'. Strange as this sounds, these songs are inspirational even though they're rock songs. they aren't kind about how they sound but they have great messages in their lyrics.

So maybe the world is a little down right now. Maybe it is affecting our media but some of us have taken charge to help uplift our spirits,give us hope and maybe someday most songs will be about joy & happiness, and we will all believe it.....

As time Goes By....

I've heard this song countless times on the radio & every time i hear it,it always gets me thinking about what it would be like to live forever young. As 2012 comes to an end,I realized most of my 'new year resolutions' are not complete and there isn't nearly enough time achieve all of them let alone doing things i want to do. If i had more time,there are tons of things i wish i could be doing. There are different ways to look at this theory, would it be better to live forever or just to make the most of what little life you have? I think there are pros & cons of each

If you live forever, you don't have to worry about the amount of time you have but everyone else still does. The problem would be having to watch your friends grow old & die when you never will. Personally i would hate to lose everyone i loved even if i would get an eternity to do whatever i wished. It is the same idea as the story Tuck Everlasting; in the novel Natalie Babbitt writes about the Tuck family who found a lake where, if you drink from it, you live forever young.. It is a cursed miracle & not as good as the alternative

Since no one can leave forever, we just have to try our best to do everything we can before we can't anymore. what that is really depends on you. I just think that everyone should do what they want so they have no regrets about it when they die.so before this year ends,i want to achieve all my 'new year resolutions' If i can't well..................at least i tired

OktoberFest 2012

First of all, I want to apologize for not having blogged for the past few weeks. These few weeks have just been a blur, had a lot of things that needed to be done & needed my attention. This weekend i finally had a chance to unwind & bond with my girlfriends at the Oktoberfest that took place at Impala Grounds, Ngong' road.

Oktoberfest is an annual event hosted by Big Five Breweries & this year's event it was a three day beer festival with premium brewed beers going for as cheap as Ksh 200bob , hearty German food fare, live entertainment, a selection of fashion & accessories for fashionistas, a variety of wines & spirits for taste buds as well as electronic technology and other business service providers tempting their wares

My Favorite band 'Nairotics' in action

The opening ceremony started on Friday at 5:00 p.m with the battle of Rock bands. Over 10 bands battling it out ( I think this was the biggest battle of rock bands i have seen in this country) & the traditional tapping of the KEG ceremony led by a VIP guest from the German embassy.On saturday featured great performances by wyre, kidum, nameless amongst others and on sunday was a family-fun day featuring a jazz jam session hosted buy Denise Gordon & guest performances by eric wainaina & harry kimani

Wyre the Lovechild

Big Five Breweries launched the African centre for volunteers scholarship Fund at the Oktoberfest. With  mission to educate some 50 children from the slums for high education. The Big Five Breweries has shown a desire to support community development projects which is also part of their business engagement.Funds raised from this year's Oktoberfest will be used in this noble cause.
As my friends & I walked out of the impala Grounds on sunday evening, we felt the event was worth every shiling we paid for. would we do it again? Definitely:-)

Wangari Maathai Memorial Lecture

Dr. Jung Chang

A historian, author & an engaging speaker - this are just but a few words that describe Dr. Jung Chang as a remarkable figure across the globe. The chinese born british writer is an international best selling author for wild swan & Mao: the unknown story, an inspiring tale of how women survived every kind of hardship, deprivation & political upheavel imposed by Mao Zedong (a high ranking cadre) Her remarkable rise from unimaginable hardship to literary stardom made her a suitable candidate for the inaugural lecture honoring Kenya's great noble peace prize laureate & founder of the Green Belt Movement, the late Wangari Maathai


The Wangari Maathai memorial lecture took place at louis leakey auditorium at the Hay festival in Nairobi.It seeks to bring thinkers from around the world who share the late Nobel laureate's enthusiasm for change, courage & resiliance in the face of adversity.
The Kenyan social activist & environmental crusader was the first woman in Eastern & Central Africa to hold a PH.D & the first african woman to win the Noble Prize for Peace.She was also a political activist who suffered for her strong convictions through political persecution & sometimes physical abuse

The Late Prof. Wangari Maathai

Born 72 years ago, The world marks the first year anniversary of her death. Her legacy lives on & her vision is still being carried on at the Wangari maathai institute for peace & environmental community.An institute dedicated to excellence & transformational community outreach and research for sustainable environments & cultures for peace. May the Lord rest her soul in eternal peace....

Back in Nakuru.........

Its been almost 6 months since i've been to my hometown Nakuru & i must admit,i feel homesick:( I miss the beautiful sceneries,the cool & hospitable climate,friendly people,home cooking,fun and hype Nakuru offers.I don't think there any town in the 254 that comes close to Nakuru with its breath taking wildlife scenes, charming flamingos, investments & business opportunities and a Rapid population growth,Nakuru is growing to be a capital city of its own.

This weekend, am going back home to spend  with my family & to enjoy the menegai oil's Prinsloo 7s taking place at Nakuru athletics club. The Prinsloo 7s came to an end on sunday with various teams like Strathmore Leos, Masaku Rfc, KCA, Impala Rfc,Mwamba, Quins KCB Rfc,Kisumu and many more participating in the tournament. KCB triumph to victory with a 36-0 win over Nakuru Rfc in the main cup final. Unfortunately, things didn't end well for champions Lunch bar Quins after winning Christie 7s & Dala 7s respectively, they were knocked out of the cup contention at the quarter final after a 0-10 loss to Nakuru Rfc.Mwamba was also eliminated at the quarter final after a 5-15 loss to KCB.

Prinsloo 7s Champions KCB Rfc

Nakuru Rfc @ their event

Although they're captain wasn't around, Kisumu Rfc sailed though to the semis after a 14-7 win over Impala. Sadly they were knocked out at the quarter finals by hosts Nakuru Rfc.
Homeboyz claimed the bowl after defeating mean machine 12-5. Nondies lifted the shield after a 10-0 victory over Eldoret Rfc. Congratulations to the winning teams & those that participated in the tournament, better luck at the fourth round of the National sevens circuit...