Every May, NYU shuts down a block of LaGuardia Place to throw a festival that celebrates–for no apparent reason–strawberries. In the last installment of Sidewalk Talk ever, Jason and Andrew infiltrate the festivities to find out what all the fruity fun is really about, once and for all.
The last time we heard from the trio of Stern seniors that make up the rap outfit Gorilla Warfare Tactics, they had just dropped their first mixtape but were already at work on a follow-up that they promised would “sound wild.” Fast forward two years and their debut mixtape, Premier, is at well over 20K downloads and GWT are making good on their word with the release of Zoology, a collection of lush boom bap that flaunts a more evolved sound but maintains the same effortless, windows-down kind of fun like in earlier jams such as “Temptations” that made them an NYU favorite in the first place.
The collaboration between twin brother production team of Vivek and Vikram Nayar, otherwise known as Imagine1984, and rapper Abhi Kanakadandila, AKA Dilla, Gorilla Warfare Tactics are amped to finally be sharing Zoology with the world, after doing the perfectionist dance for almost two years. ”We’ve been toning our sound a lot,” says Abhi. “The whole game has gotten a lot more competitive so it’s really all about not only having dope lyrics and dope beats but being able to craft something a bit more conceptual.”
The seniors of NYU Local have put together the ultimate bucket list for NYU’s class of 2013. Most of us have spent the last four years under our covers blogging in front of the soft glow of our warm laptops — it’s time we got out out the house.
This past Friday, we sent three Gentiles and their Jewish spiritual advisor to Shabbat dinner. Although the Senior Bucket List stated “Enjoy Shabbat at Weinstein (bonus points if you’re Gentile),” the rules were bent a bit for time, place and manner. The Global Center for Academic and Spiritual Life (GCASL) held the Bridges Jum’ah/Shabbat day services and dinner, inviting both the Jewish and Muslim communities to come together for this special occasion. So we had no idea what we were walking into.
Upon arrival, our spiritual advisor forced us to schmooze. And, within the first fifteen minutes or so, President John Sexton showed up to the celebration, dog cradled in hand. As Gentiles, we were penetrating a network previously unknown to us. Andrew was on the lookout for his future Jewish galpal/wife (he came up empty-handed… again), McKenzie beelined towards Sexton to get her first hug (“So how do we do this?,” she asked him) and John couldn’t keep his paws off the frisky pup known as LEGS.
We thought we were showing up for free food before Friday night’s festivities but, instead, we got something really special in return.
The seniors of NYU Local have put together the ultimate bucket list for NYU’s class of 2013. Most of us have spent the last four years under our covers blogging in front of the soft glow of our warm laptops — it’s time we got out out the house.
10. Swim at Palladium
If there was ever a day to go for a dip in the Palladium pool, it was this past Saturday afternoon. We met up at three in the musty locker rooms outside the natatorium — after silently (and shamefully) stripping in front of a bunch of strangers, it was go time. But first, as per NYU law, we had to take mandatory showers to get nice and wet before we hopped into the swim lanes. Andrew was sporting his favorite orange swim trunks from Banana Republic and John did his best to keep his heavy, soaked Converse cut-offs from sinking down to his ankles.
Slippity dippity wackiness ensued.
Everyone loves Valentine’s Day….or do they? Andrew and Jason hit the sidewalk to figure out the truth.
At NYU, there’s about as much interest in sports as there is I in team. But hey, everybody loves the Super Bowl, right? For the first Sidewalk Talk of 2013, Andrew and Jason hit the pavement to to talk quarterbacks, moustaches, and diaper maneuvers with unsuspecting strangers. Pretty sure everybody scored a touchdown. Sports!
Everyone knows that the best part about the holidays is Holiday music. The second best part about the holidays? New Holiday Music! There’s even Holiday Music for people who don’t like Holiday Music! There’s no getting around it: it’s the most wonderful time of the year. So, here’s a list of the most wonderful holiday mixtapes to blast while hanging out with your family and stuff.
NYU Local invited some of our school’s lyrical greats to rap (and subsequently spit hot fire) on a roof. Rappers Dylan Owen, Topaz Jones, and Anonymous (And.On.I.Most.) joined beatmaker Sam Wildkatz for a few minutes of word play and tongue twisters to let off some steam before finals. Earthquakes ensued.
Last Christmas, when one rogue Tuesday Tracker decided she was “doing things a little differently,” we featured Wham!‘s late twentieth century masterwork “Last Christmas” as an extra seasonal Tuesday Track. This year, to save you from tears, rather than tell you about a song you’ve never heard of, we’re reminding you of a song that no one in the history of music has ever gotten sick of: Wham!‘s late twentieth century masterwork “Last Christmas.” (!!!)
You might recognize Gallatin senior Jason Sherman as the guy who shoots NYU Local’s super cool Sidewalk Talk videos (self-promotion what?). But have you ever seen what he can do on the other side of the camera? Well, local 8-bit post-rock champs Infinity Shred just released the video for their new single “Wayfinder”, starring none other than Mr. Sherman himself. The video is a cinematic six minute sci-fi saga that chronicles a skate crew who find themselves in trouble when it turns out the planet’s most ‘gnar’ skateboard might just be too gnar… Watch it above.
