There is nothing more uplifting that can make your heart soar and touch your soul, than music. Now days music can be transformed to greater heights with the use of high-tech, well-equipped and hip recording studio.

In fact, what once seemed like a pipe dream is now a possibility and you can actually set up your own recording studio within the comfort of your home.

With technology moving at such an amazing pace, you really are spoiled for choice and the sky is the limit. However, you need to have some understanding of what it takes to make a great recording and the equipment you would require to set up that dream home recording studio.

Undoubtedly, having a computer with a fast CPU and a powerful soundcard would be a good start, followed by the appropriate software, to get the sound impact that you want. Additionally, a basic set of headphones and a good quality microphone is just as essential, as it has a lot to do with how your recording will finally sound.

Every soundcard or external audio interface has different features in a range of prices, so it would be a wise choice to shop around before you settle for the right one.

What you would basically need for a home recording studio is keyboards, synthesizers, adapters, 2 or more sets of speakers, computer monitors, mikes and lighting equipment. In order to have perfect harmony, you should have your music keyboard and computer keyboard near each other. Another good idea would be to include a bass trap and sound absorber as this would help to disperse the uneven bass frequencies.

When it comes to buying equipment it can be an expensive affair. However, while second hand equipment can be quite functional, you need to take extra care before making a purchase.

Some music shops and even individuals sell off second hand items quite cheaply, but ensure that you can return it, if it doesn’t work as expected.

The bottom line is that things with moving parts tend to be less reliable in comparison to equipment like computers. Additionally, any equipment, even a computer, which is more than seven years old, cannot be considered reliable.

However, should you still consider purchasing such equipment for your home recording studio, check for signs that the machine has been cleaned, by paying close attention to the nooks and corners that would be really hard to clean. If you notice that some switches and knobs are a bit loose or show other signs of wear, you need to be cautious. Furthermore, check out the user manual, the condition of which will tell you just how used the product probably is.

Now that you have all the equipment set up, it is time to work on recording your music. One popular way to compose and record your own music on your computer is to use PC music software programs. However, just having the gear is not enough and what is most important is to have a musical understanding to write music and how to use the equipment and software that you have. While the thought of making high quality music recordings may seem overwhelming for a beginner, all it takes is some musical talent and cash of course, to get you started.

Therefore, even if you are not skilled at playing a musical instrument, you can still get good practice by trying different things, experimenting, mimicking, tweaking and mixing. You will soon come to realize that making music is a craft and the studio is its workbench. Slowly, with knowledge and experience your recording studio will equip you to play the role of musician, audio engineer and producer. Additionally, if you have modern software packages or hardware digital multi-track, you too could be on your way to creating some fantastic sounds.

For those music lovers, for whom music is more than a hobby, a passion that inspires you to set up your own home recording studio, it can now be a reality. All it takes is talent and the will to succeed. When you increase your ‘know-how’ through trial and error and the cash flow to purchase the necessary equipment you can then work on letting your creativity flow to produce the kind of music that you can proudly call your own.



By: Kevin Sinclair

About the Author:

Music is often the rhythm of life. It has the power to invoke our emotions so that we experience the pain of heart break or the passion of living. It can rev us up or calm our soul. Music just plain helps us to experience life. Wouldn’t it be nice to see what you hear? Wouldn’t it be nice to see your favorite artist decorating the wall of your home? Capture the essence of your favorite music in a visual experience using a few of the ideas here.

Print the words of your favorite song on special parchment paper. Add this along with a black and white photo of the artist who sang the song. Set these items against a blue felt background for a calming effect or a red felt background for a more passionate one. For some of us, a nostalgic touch can be added by simply noting the date of the song when it came out. This idea would look especially nice in a glass or ceramic frame with matching colored trim (matching to the felt background). Or what about combining the lyrics with several photos that evoke the ambiance in a collage frame?

Like show tunes? Combine an element of the song with a movie trailer poster for a powerful expression. For example, the spirit of the song “The Eye of the Tiger” can be shown using a Rocky movie trailer poster along with some boxing gloves. Frame these items in shadow box in a bold color like red or black. The striking accent of the frame will reinforce the power of the fighting spirit in the song.

Have you attended a concert lately? Don’t be so quick to trash your concert ticket stubs. Use them as part of this tribute to your favorite artist. If you’re really aggressive, obtain an autograph of this artist to add to this frame concept. Combine these items with a photograph of the band or artist in a gold picture frame. Gold is a bold color often denoting significance or value.

If you’re an artist yourself, consider framing a photograph of your favorite musical instrument in a picture frame. For example, a guitar photo framed with a pick that you use along with the titles of a few of the songs you sang are great items to frame. Set these items against a colored felt back ground and set it in a black picture frame with gold trim. Simply original!

If your favorite music has no lyrics, such as orchestra or some techno music, consider finding a painting or print that depicts the mood that your musical choice creates. For example, maybe the piece has a majestic feel to it. Consider selecting a view of the mountains to display the emotions of the song. Maybe the song has a light, whimsical feel to it. Consider a picture of a lone flower bending in the wind. Add the title or composer to enhance the effect.

There are so many ways to visualize the emotions that music brings out in us. Get creative in the way you display them. Any of the ideas above can be mixed and matched to create just the right mood for your needs. Visually experiencing music can be a fun and decorative concept for your home.



By: Kathy Page

About the Author:

Trend of wearing Jewellery is one of the most volatile trends in fashion streets. Recently Hip Hop Jewellery items gained momentum worldwide due to its attractive design, unique looks and low prices. Elder women, office going and even college going girls are mad these days because of the fever of this hip-hop jewellery.

When we look at the place of origin for new jewellery fashion trends we observe that film stars, models, and celebrities are the most important cause. The large fan following behind celebrities always want to look like them, they are not only eager to follow hair styles, and clothing but also their jewellery and personal gadgets. But it’s not possible for every fashion carving people, due to their different income range and economic status.

However, to solve this problem of common man, jewellery designer and manufacturers come up with option of hip hop jewellery. These jewellery products are generally made of low cost metal with several replica stones set on a single item. People who are mad behind fashion and show off are going with such kind of jewellery that results a boom in hip-hop jewellery market segment.

Quality conscious people or real jewellery lovers are still with original hallmarked jewellery items instead of hip-hop jewellery which are a favorite of fashion mad people. There is a very simple reason behind this. Most of the jewellery sales are dependent on either wedding and other celebration or special festivals or occasions throughout the year, when people buy jewellery for them of their loved ones. On such occasions people never go behind hip-hop jewellery because of the importance of situation as well as the sentiments which are being carried out with their jewellery products. For example, a couple who is getting engaged will never think of a replica engagement ring for the occasion, or a wife looking for an exclusive gift for her husband to present on their anniversary will never think of buying a hip hop style studded watch.

Therefore, the temporary fashion enthusiasm or blindness for hip hop jewellery cannot compete with original jewellery products. Although we cannot ignore the utility of hip-hop jewellery products for daily use, so the demand for such products will be there always. So, we can conclude that both the segments of jewellery products are different, their utility, and customers are different.

After all, “A Diamond is forever” and nothing can challenge the glow and beauty of diamond and diamond jewellery. It’ll be glowing like always, and day by day its glitter will attract more and more people.

Rivazge.com is an U.K. based Diamond jewellery manufacturer, engaged in production of high quality diamond jewellery. Diamond jewellery manufactured by Rivazge contains 100% certified diamonds. To know more about our products, visit: http://www.rivazge.com



By: Aadil Bandukwala

About the Author:

Golden songs of 80’s and 90’s rejuvenate our cells & soul

Music is a magical word that automatically generates a feeling of high awe in us. And when the context is of golden melodies of 80’s and 90’s, people really can’t help themselves to listen it. It is a not a serendipitous gift from God, instead it’s a true form of hyper meditation for God. It takes us towards the purity of emotions and inner random feelings. Golden old melodious songs drag us to the unending streak of happiness and euphoria.

Old Hindi songs from various classic movies of 70’s to 90’s are still loved by almost everyone; all of us have their own favorites also. There are usually times, when sitting in a group of friends, we start remembering the old gems, singing them, discussing our favorite singers. Quite often in discussion we debate, who was the greatest or who was better. No one can conclude anything from these discussions or rather speculations.

People who like golden euphoria show their inner reflection, as such old songs not only shake the foundation of relational feelings but also stir’s it. Old songs create a nimbus of superlative divine hood. These songs are always related to our heart palpitations and ignite a magnetic feeling of love and emotions. This is the only reason why it is still hard to compare the golden songs with our stone-crashing rocks and pops!

Of course both entertain us in a realistic way but still a physical separation is there which identifies the transformation and final effects. It is believed that those who are keen in relationships and naturally flowing emotions tends to listen old songs as compared to those who are like young music are more materialistic and full of paranoid fantasies. Golden songs ethereally runs deeps down our bones and rejuvenates our cells, it fills us with pristine gospels. Its true that golden songs are ageless immortal and nothing can defy there presence in the deepest dimension of our souls.

With the explosion of the Internet, and the ease of availability of online file hosting servers, today it is much easier for people all over the world to listen and download old songs collection.



By: oldsongsuttam

About the Author:

Many music podcasts are available online for downloading; if one wanted to find, for instance, a hip hop mix podcast, there are a few sites available to help. The first possibility would be to go directly to a site which creates one and subscribe to it using a podcast client which automatically checks the feed for new episodes and downloads them for the user. If, however, one did not know of any hip hop mix podcast sites, or simply wanted to find new podcast sites, the best possibility would be to check a podcast directory, a list of podcasts that can be browsed.

Hip hop mix podcasts could easily be found at one of these podcast directories. A podcast directory stores lists of podcasts which have been submitted to the site, and categorizes them by genre, type of podcast, region, and other meta data. To find a hip hop mix podcast, visiting a podcast directory and checking under music podcasts, and then under hip hop music would find many podcasts which play that type of music.

The hip hop mix podcast could then be subscribed to by inputting the feed address listed into one of the many podcast clients. The music will come in episodes, the name for each downloadable portion of a podcast. Some of these podcasts may feature independent artists, musicians trying to break into the music industry who have chosen podcasting as a way of sharing their music and gaining a following. Others may be remixes of popular songs that have been changed in some way to give a different feel to the music. Often, the artists may already be established, though, and they still see podcasting as a way to introduce themselves to a larger audience. They may grant rights to pay certain hip hip songs to a podcaster, letting them play the music as part of their mix distribution while requesting a link to a site where more information can be learned about the artists and music can be purchased. Artists that have done this include alias, edan, outerspace, RA the rugged man, roots manuva, and outer space.

A large number of podcasts featuring hip hop mix podcasts are actually radio stations, however. These broadcasters have found that podcasting their shows and selections is an easy way to reach more listeners and gain a greater audience. These podcasters can reach more people easier and cheaper than they can by playing hip hop mix music over the airwaves in their local areas. Playing hip hop music over the internet is probably the way many future artists will do their work, and there are many ways available even now that they can do so and make a profit. For instance, some podcasts are designed to work on a payment basis. A hip hop artist who wished to share his music could charge for addition to the feed list, then issue a unique feed address to the user, allowing them to hear new pieces of hip hop music released. The hip hop music file could even be designed so it could not be copied and used by another user at a different computer, to ensure that the artist could maintain control over his work.



By: Andrew Manifield

About the Author:

er rap, or hardcore rap, is generally considered a sub genre of the larger category of rap music, which itself is a subcategory of hip-hop. Gangster rap is differentiable from other rap music in that it makes use of images of urban life associated with crime (Haugen, 2). The top four images associated with the genre are violence, drugs, materialism and sexual promiscuity.

Gangster Rappers as Defining the Hip-Hop Social Group
As the hip-hop movement has gained recognition throughout the United States, it has established itself as one of the fastest growing social groups anywhere. In the late 1990s immediately following the murders of both Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace, two nationally known gangster rappers, a propaganda campaign escalated against rap music and the hip-hop culture (Slaughter). Although gangster rap only represented a small percentage of the hip-hop culture at the time, all hip-hop and rap music was instantly stereotyped negatively as being “gangter-like”. Why? Well, this gangster version of hip-hop was the highest selling and most recognized form of hip-hop music among the majority class. And many critics have determined that this is because America is in love with sex, drugs and violence (Whaley).

Hip-Hop’s Rejection of Inferior Social Group Status
Henri Tajfel, a social psychologist who developed a theory of inter-group relations and social change, argues that members of a social group deemed inferior by a majority class can either accept or reject their inferior position in society. If a group refuses to accept its inferior position in society as just, it will attempt as a group to change things (Coates, 8-9). A large number of hip-hop artists have used their musical lyrics to reject the inferior social status placed upon them by the majority class.

The Reconstruction of the Gangster Identity
I have found that hip-hop artists use lyrics, both musical and poetic, to redefine the negatives characteristics given to their culture by the majority class, and in the process, reconstruct the gangster identity. By examining these hip-hop and gangster rap lyrics as text, I will show ways in which the lyrics attempt to reconstruct the stereotyped gangster rap identity by examining different views of violence, drugs, materialism and sexual promiscuity. In the end, one tends to wonder: Who exactly are the real gangsters?

Violence
That the hip-hop culture represents gangster-like violence is perhaps the biggest disputed claim amongst hip-hop artists. In order to disprove this claim, many hip-hop artists have pointed to the violence that exists within the majority social group, and how it leads to violence all over the world.
In “Violence”, 2 Pac demonstrates his belief that violence was prevalent long before gangster rap existed:

I told em fight back, attack on society
If this is violence, then violent’s what I gotta be
If you investigate you’ll find out where it’s comin’ from
Look through our history, America’s the violent one

Here, the poet points to American society as “the violent one” and that he has to be violent in order to “fight back.”

In “Who Knew”, Eminem showed a similar viewpoint by expressing his belief that violence is a common occurrence in American society, yet not challenged in genres outside of the urban environment:

So who’s bringin’ the guns in this country? 
I couldn’t sneak a plastic pellet gun through customs over in London
And last week, I seen a Schwarzaneggar movie
Where he’s shootin’ all sorts of these bad guys with an Uzi

Here, the poet questions the existence of violence in a country that allows firearms and violent movies.

In “Casualties of War”, Rakim blames the United States government, specifically its Head of State, as the group causing the violence in society with their war-like ways:

I’ma get back to New York in one piece
But I’m bent in the sand that is hot as the city streets
Sky lights up like fireworks blind me
Bullets, whistlin’ over my head remind me…
President Bush said attack
Flashback to Nam, I might not make it back

In this text, the poet refers to our country’s decision to go to war as an example of the violence that exists amongst the majority social class.

In “The Watcher”, Dr. Dre redefines the negative characteristic of violence by pointing to the police force as the source of violence, and therefore, referring to them as “gangster-like”:

Things just ain’t the same for gangstas
Cops is anxious to put people in handcuffs
They wanna hang us, see us dead or enslave us
Keep us trapped in the same place we raised in
Then they wonder why we act so outrageous
Run around stressed out and pull out gauges
Cause everytime you let the animal out cages
It’s dangerous, to people who look like strangers

Here, the poet accuses the majority class of keeping them “trapped in the same place we raised in” and that the perceived violence is only due to the introduction of “people who look like strangers.”
 
These are examples of how hip-hop artists redefine the image of violence by showing how it exists or was created within the majority social group.

Drugs
Another common disputed stereotype of hip-hop artists is their use and distribution of illegal drugs. In attempts to redefine this negative characteristic, many hip-hop artists have pointed at the majority social group as the facilitator of drug abuse.

In “Justify My Thug”, Jay-Z speaks directly to members of government, raising questions about who has made the availability and use of these drugs possible:

Mr. President, there’s drugs in our residence
Tell me what you want me to do, come break bread with us
Mr. Governor, I swear there’s a cover up
Every other corner there’s a liquor store – what is up?

In this example, the poet inquires as to why there is a liquor store in “every other corner” of his community.

In “I Want to Talk to You”, Nas uses the same approach to challenge the notion of drug distribution by asking his representatives what they would do in his situation:

Why y’all made it so hard, damn
People gotta go create their own job
Mr. Mayo,r imagine if this was your backyard
Mr. Governo,r imagine if it was your kids that starved
Imagine your kids gotta sling crack to survive

Here, the poet claims that the distribution of drugs is not only an effect of the poverty that exists in his environment, but also a means of survival.

In “Manifesto”, Talib Kweli actually accuses the government of being the body which allows drugs into the country:

Like the C.I.A. be bringin’ in crack cocaine bailin’ out of planes
With the George Bush connections, I push Reflection
Like I’m sellin’ izm, like a dealer buildin’ the system
Supply and the demand it’s all capitalism
People don’t sell crack cause they like to see blacks smoke
People sell crack cause they broke

In this example, the poet accuses the C.I.A. of flying drugs into the country, and again reiterates the point that it is a means of survival due to the “supply and demand” of a capitalist society.

In “Damn It Feels Good to be a Gangster”, the Geto Boys fully redefine the negative characteristic of drug distribution by accusing the President of being a drug dealer, and therefore, a gangster:

And now, a word from the President!
Damn it feels good to be a gangsta
Getting’ voted into the White House
Everything lookin’ good to the people of the world
But the Mafia family is my boss
So every now and then I owe a favor gettin’ down
Like lettin’ a big drug shipment through
And send ‘em to the poor community
So we can bust you know who

These examples show how hip-hop artists redefine the image of being drug dealers and users by again pointing to the majority class as the creator of the drug problem in this country. 

Materialism
Hip-hop music is also seen by the majority class as a genre dominated by materialism. Again, artists point back to the majority class in an attempt to redefine this negative characteristic.

In “Respiration”, Black Star points to all the wealth surrounding urban areas, and how it absorbs the lower class in materialism, making them want parts of that wealth:

Where mercenaries is paid to trade hot stock tips
For profits, thirsty criminals take pockets
Hard knuckles on the second hands of workin’ class watches
Skyscrapers is colossus, the cost of living
Is preposterous, stay alive, you play or die, no options

Here, the poet talks about various materialistic aspects of the majority class, and how the lower class must “play or die” to “stay alive.”

In “All Falls Down”, Kanye West actually blames this materialism on American society:

It seems we living the American dream
But the people highest up got the lowest self esteem
The prettiest people do the ugliest things
For the road to riches and diamond rings

In this example, the poet blames the “American dream” for materialism, saying it causes people to “do the ugliest things” for “riches and diamond rings.”

In “Los Angeles Times”, Xzibit also blames this materialism on the majority class, claiming that is what the youth are taught coming up in urban environments:

Welcome to L.A.
Where you can see the whole city burning
Cause the cops got Uzis and the dealers keep serving
And your kids ain’t learning it, except this
Sex power and wealth, forget everything else

Here, the poet expresses his belief that certain aspects of materialism, including “power and wealth” are taught to children through occurrences in society.

These are examples how hip-hop artists redefine the negative characteristic of being materialistic by showing examples of how this materialism is prevalent in the majority class, and often created within that class.

Sex
And the final debated stereotype of the hip-hop social class is that they are sexually promiscuous, often leading to disrespectful treatment towards women. The poets also attempt to redefine this stereotype by blaming the core of the problem on society.

In “Pussy Galore”, the Roots claim that the country’s obsession with sex is pushed by sexually-driven marketing campaigns:

Lookin’ out the limo window up at the billboards
200 miles, she was the only thing I saw
Promotin’ everything, from the liquor to the nicotine
Cell phones, anti-histamines, chicken wings
You gotta show a little skin to get them listening
For real yo, the world is a sex machine

In this example, the poet retells a personal experience in which he saw sex advertisements as “promotin’ everything.” And in order to “get them listening”, he claims, “you gotta show a little skin.”

In “Get By”, Talib Kweli blames this sexual obsession on what we view on television:

The TV got us reachin’ for stars
Not the ones between Venus and Mars,
The ones that be readin’ for parts
Some people get breast enhancements and penis enlargers

Here, the poet expresses his belief that television creates a misconception of what people should be sexually, and that contributes to the promiscuity that is being blamed on the hip-hop movement.

Hip-hop artists have used their lyrics and poetry to influence the rejection and reconstruction of the gangster identity that plagues their social class. This is accomplished through the redefining of negative characteristics assigned by the majority class. In most cases, these redefinitions include pointing to the majority class as the real holders of these negative characteristics. The redefining of these “gangster-like” images through hip-hop lyrics helps to reconstruct the gangster identity by questioning “gangster-like” behaviors and which social class actually has these behaviors. So the question presented is: Who exactly are the gangsters?

Works Cited / Discography
2 Pac. 2Pacalypse Now. Jive Records, 1991.
Black Star. Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Black Star. Rawkus Records, 1998.
Coates, Jennifer. Women, Men and Language. Longman Publishing, New York: 1993.
Dr. Dre. The Chronic 2001. Interscope Records, 1999.
Eminem. The Marshall Mathers LP. Interscope Records, 2000.
Geto Boys. Uncut Dope LP. Interscope Records, 1999.
Haugen, Jason. “‘Unladylike Divas’: Language, Gender and Female Gangster Rappers.” Popular Music and Society: December, 2003.
Jay Z. The Black Album. Def Jam, 2003.
Kanye West. College Dropout. Roc-A-Fella Records, 2004.
Nas. I Am. Sony Records, 1999.
Rakim. Don’t Sweat the Technique. MCA Records, 1992.
Rawkus Records. Lyricist Lounge Volume 1. Priority Records, 1999.
Slaughter, Peter. “Attack on Rap Music.” Barutiwa Weekly News. June 14, 1997.
Talib Kweli & DJ Hi-Tek. Train of Thought. Rawkus Records, 2000.
Talib Kweli. Quality. Rawkus Records, 2003.
The Roots. Phrenology. MCA Records, 2002.
Whaley, Angela. “Hip Hop is Not for Sale.” Colorado State University’s Talking Back: Volume 3, Issue 1.
Xzibit. 40 Days and 40 Nights. Loud Records, 1998.

By: Nathaniel Long

About the Author:

There are many different styles of jewelry that can be worn. All of these can range from the understated and elegant, to outrageous and gleaming. From these various styles of jewelry Hip Hop jewelry is now being worn by many young men and women who want to emulate their favorite singers who are known to wear these styles of jewelry. Hip Hop jewelry has been given other names due to the flashy look that is apparent with them.

Unlike normal jewelry Hip Hop jewelry is meant to be seen and admired. For this reason you will see Hip Hop jewelry that is bold and in your face. The jewelry itself will be made from silver or gold. These jewelry pieces will not be discreet looking. Instead you can expect to see thick ropes of gold or silver chains that sport crosses or other icons.

Hip Hop jewelry has been given names that emphasize its bold look. These names are ones like Bling Bling jewelry and iced out jewelry. These names were given with the rap connection that these Hip Hop jewelry had. The name of Hip Hop jewelry does not stop at chains or gem studded crosses though. You can find watches that have the same in-your-face quality that the Hip Hop jewelry does.

Today you can find Hip Hop jewelry being sold in stores where artistic fashion accessories can be found. You will also be able to buy these Hip Hop jewelry styles from other jewelry stores that cater to the Hip Hop music crowd who wants to live that style of life without having to worry about the lack of that type of money.

You will also find a large selection of Hip Hop jewelry available on the internet. Here you can preview the wide selection from the comfort of your home and imagine if the piece of Hip Hop jewelry that you wan to buy will look good on you.

You will find these Hip Hop jewelry being sold under the names of Bling Bling jewelry and iced out jewelry. There is also a selection of Hip Hop jewelry that goes by the name of Grillz. These heavily gemstone pieces if jewelry loudly proclaim that they belong in the Hip Hop class of jewelry.

The next time that someone mentions Hip Hop jewelry or Bling Bling jewelry or if they ask you about iced out jewelry you will know what they are talking about. While many of today’s fashion trends come and go in the blink of an eye Hip Hop jewelry seem set to stay.



By: Muna wa Wanjiru

About the Author:

Most of us, when we were kids, listened to the radio to hear the latest, greatest songs in the music world. We listened eagerly for something new, something original, something our buddies hadnt heard before, and when a song made its way into our collective conscience, we would wait for hours for our favorite DJ to play the song for us, sometimes even for days, just so we could hit the record button and get the thing on tape.

At the time, the record companies knew we were taping our favorite music, but they didnt really care, because the quality of the recording was low and the DJ would more often than not talk over the first and last five seconds of the thing, making it worthless as something to swap or sell. Mix tapes were a personal thing, but they couldnt really compare to the real thing  an LP, or, in later years, a compact disc.

But just as happens with every great hole in supply, eventually technological advances catch up with demand. And so it was that the publics desire for quality (free) music created the double cassette recorder, which made it possible for us to copy our mix tapes for our friends. The record companies tried to ban these devices, claiming they would lead to the end of the music industry. But they didnt&

Then video cassette recorders came along, allowing us to record our favorite music videos from MTV and play them endlessly. The music companies didnt like this either, and tried to get VCRs banned, claiming they would ruin the music industry. But they didnt&

Then along came Compact Discs, which allowed a cleaner recording to audio cassette, and late down the line, CD burners, which allowed people to copy CDs directly. Later still came DVD, and satellite radio. Everywhere you looked, someone was using new technology to make access to music easier, and everywhere that happened, the music industry tried (timidly) to put a stop to it. And then came Napster.

The online music world has led a fraught and tumultuous existence over the past decade. As early as 1996, pioneer internet users were passing around copies of their favorite music using chat servers and email, with equipment and formats that sometimes took as long as a full day just to download one song. But it was Shawn Fannings Napster program that, in 1999, brought the ability to download music freely to every net user.

Napster provided the means for anyone to log in anonymously, search for their favored songs across millions of users hard drives, and download those songs quickly and simply. The fact that any internet newbie could master Napster in minutes added greatly to its early success, but it was mass collectors, largely operating from university and college computers, who turned the system into one of the biggest buzz-makers in computing history.

What Napster did was create a huge central directory of every song owned by users on their system. If you wanted to get a copy of I Want Candy by Bow Wow Wow, you would just type the band and song name into Napster, hit search, and you would be presented with a long list of matches. You then just selected the one you wanted to download, and it would suck down on to your drive.

Of course, when people find a loophole that allows them to get something for nothing, they do often tend to go overboard, and thats exactly what the community of Napster users did en masse. Instead of just finding the music they needed, users were soon downloading everything they could find, hoarding songs and albums that they had little interest in, just so they could say they had them. It was not uncommon for college students to use multiple computers at their school to download thousands of songs on to CD in a few hours, most of which would never actually be listened to. This, obviously, annoyed the hell out of the record companies in ways that double cassette recorders never could.

While Napster made it clear to users that its service was designed to help users find legal music downloads, it also made little effort to stop people from trafficking in pirated material through its system, which led the body that represents the record companies politically, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) to take legal action against the company, effectively charging it with mass piracy and the loss of tens of millions of dollars in sales.

Interestingly, rather than kill music downloading completely, the court action had the opposite effect, spreading word of Napster across the globe like wildfire, which saw millions of new users sign up even as the creators of the program were fighting to keep the system from closure. So many people had become addicted to music file-sharing that the prospect of life without Napster seemed a punishment few could take, and so those with the skills began coding Napster alternative programs.

Gnutella was an early variant, created by Nullsoft (the company behind the hugely successful WinAmp music software), and though they quickly took the program off the market, hackers and crackers were soon ripping Gnutella to pieces and reconstructing it to suit their needs. Morpheus was soon on the scene, and as Napster began to cooperate with the record companies by filtering out popular song titles from the system, the new program rapidly grew.

But Napsters shift towards cooperation was not enough for the giant music conglomerates, who threw up hurdle after hurdle designed to take Napster out of business. Even heavy metal group Metallica joined the fray, launching their own lawsuit and earning the rage of many of their fans in the process. Lawyers for the file-sharing software company made the all-too valid point that, if Napster was in any way responsible for the actions of copyright violators, so too were the phone companies that provided the phone lines upon which the music was being shared. They claimed that the ISPs were just as liable as they were, because they didnt actually house any illegal files on their servers, rather they simply facilitated the searching of said files on other peoples computers.

We may never know if the judge hearing that particular legal case understood the difference, or merely figured that while Napster wasnt breaking the law per se, they were acting against the spirit of the law, but either way, the judge told the company in July 2001 that if it couldnt stop illegal files from being passed through its service, it would have to shut its doors. And thats what it did, after a judge stopped record company Bertelsman, who had invested heavily in Napster in an effort to legitimize the company, from taking it over.

Since Napster shut its doors, the company has since reemerged as a legitimate music download source, albeit with far less success than it enjoyed in the early days, and literally dozens of illegal file sharing programs have taken its place to fill the free music download void. These, such as WinMX, BitLord, Kazaa, Morpheus, BearShare, Aimster, Napigator, AudioGalaxy, and Limewire, run the gamut from useful to useless, but they all share a common element  they take the stance that, if theyre not hosting pirated music, they have nothing to do with those using their systems that do. Translated: Use at your own risk.



By: Richard Adams

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Belly dancing originated from various sources which are why there are lots of theories about its origin. It is known world-wide and practiced by a lot of people.

As far as world history is concerned, Belly Dancing is among the oldest societal dances. It is believed that it originated from the Eastern Mediterranean. This is due to the fact that there are similarities in Egyptian artwork poses and modern dance.

Belly dancing have two forms that are called raqs baladi and raqs sharqi. Raqs baladi is a social dance in Lebanon and Palestine. It is performed by everyone during festivities such as weddings that are intended for celebrations and mere fun. The theatrical version of Belly dancing is the “raqs shargi”. Raqs sharqi is the most popular type of dance in the United States today. Both forms of Belly dancing can be performed with female and male dancers.

Belly dancing is a native dance that is why it is generally learned in the early stage of childhood. The children learn the dance informally by imitating and observing their elders through community and social celebrations, along with informal gatherings like most social dances. Nowadays, belly-dancing classes are offered throughout the world. Skilled dancers of this art share their knowledge that was even passed down from the indigenous people.

The real and exact origin of Belly dancing is widely debated by dance enthusiasts. Dancers who attempt to understand the origin of this dance did some research. This is because these dancers overlooked the fact that most Middle Eastern dances take place only in social backgrounds rather than going with the current glamorous and more visible background of professional dancers in nightclubs these days. There are lots of theories about the origin of belly dancing due to the misunderstandings of the people who want to learn its art. It is also regarded as a fusion of different dance styles. This is why belly dancing has many origins. Thus, most of the dance styles are derived from folk dances.

Here is a list of theories about the origin of belly dancing, according to most dancers:

1. Belly dancing originated in Greece and it spread because of Alexander the Great.

2. Belly dancing originated from a religious dance that a Temple Priestess made.

3. Belly dancing originated from the Upper Ancient Egypt through indigenous dancing.

4. Belly dancing descended from Uzbekistan and traveled to India because of the slave trade.

5. Belly dancing was spread during the Romani people’s migrations (termed as “gypsies”) and other related groups.

6. Belly dancing originated in Northwest India, particularly in Banjara of Rajasthan.

7. Bally dancing is part of a traditional birthing practice in its region or regions of origin.

From all the theories stated above, the first one is considered as the most “believed” theory. This is although the most popular theory is that it originated from a religious dance. The theory about the “birthing practice” has several movements that are incorporated in the modern “raqs sharqi”. This is because some of the movements demonstrated a type of exercise in order to ease childbirth. Thus, there are two points stated above that suggests that the so-called “Roma dance” is the origin of belly dancing. Regardless of where this dance began, it has a vast history and this eventually traveled fast around the world. It has a wide history in Africa and the Middle East as well.

The Costume

The most popular costume style include a bra or a fitted top that usually have coins or beans, along with a skirt and a fitted belt placed in the hips that have fringes of coins or beads. The skirts may be layered, paneled, circular or straight -styled. A veil is sometimes used in performing a complete dance. The veil must be four or three and a half yards in length. It is used as a part of the dance in order to frame and see the movements of the belly dancer. Egyptian belly dancers wear dresses that are fully beaded and designed according to tradition and dance. In the western world, dancers are free to choose the design of the costume according to fantasy and taste.

Dancing Techniques

The basic step of this form of dance is doing a circular motion on an isolated part of the body. An example of this is a step where in the dancer performs in a circular motion that is parallel to the ground and a body part. This is, in which, the shoulders or hips become isolated.

Belly dancing both have physical and mental benefits. Dancing alone gives a good workout to any person’s cardio-vascular muscles. This can increase the strength and flexibility focused on the “core muscles” or the torso. This form of dance also builds up leg strength. Most belly dance steps emphasize the so-called “muscular isolations” due to the fact that it teaches the ability to move different muscle groups or muscles in the body independently. The veil work can build the shoulders, arms and the general upper body system. Playing the “zils” builds independence and strength on the fingers. This form of dance is good for all body types and all age groups.

Belly dancing is now a part of the modern pop culture as well. Some pop icons of this age fused belly dancing into the modern hip-hop dancing. The Latin star Shakira has recently popularized belly dancing for she uses Latino dance along with belly dancing and modern dance. The late R&B singer Aaliyah used this form of dance as her “signature move”. Ssliyah named her dance the “belly roll” and it was featured in music videos. Some singers or performers that featured a kind of belly dancing in one of their music videos include Ciara, Rihanna, Beyonce Knowles, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Nelly Furtado. Out of all the singers that performed belly dancing on music videos, only Shakira had a professional “Belly Dance training”.



By: David H. Urmann

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By: moosa hemani

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