Moonpie

Part 2 In search of figuring out how deep my culture ran in korea I found a YouTube channel that showed korean girls reacting to videos like Nicki Minaj’s “Anaconda” and Chris Brown’s “These hoes ain’t loyal” and was briefly taken back at the level of judgment. It was funny to see these girls calling Nick a hoe and Chris a douche because Its one thing to have your own country constantly down you but now there’s some artsy fartsy college student who thinks it’ll be interesting to merge and compare two completely different cultures just to see what happens. *wink wink* (…we both love fried chicken)

Afterwards, I decided to listen to some exo and amid one of kyungsoo’s infamous runs I decided to actually pay attention to the vocals during “What is Love” and re-realized something…they sound good. Now I don’t mean the basic definition. I mean your moms definition. Actual talent. If you’re black; think of it as they can “Sang.” VS they can “Sing” and you’ll get me. While listening, my mind raced and I willingly let it, knowing where it would take me. Byun Baekhyun and Do Kyungsoo (both lead vocals) sing with so much raw emotion and feeling it reminded me of hip hop’s long time counterpart r&b. Now you don’t have to be black to love to sing r&b but rythm and blues was created to fit our voice, which is why majority of the vocal techniques are God given gifts that can’t be taught and have been passed down from previous generations since slavery. Being about 7,000 miles’s away from from America (thanks siri) I know that, they could care less about black history but there’s obviously something about our music that knicks the ears. By this point you see that I can’t leave well enough alone and I decide to search deeper. I tried to find clips of them singing an actual r&b song in English and because Google is obviously being ran by the Lord, I found Kyungsoo’s singing some of his favorite songs which included artist I’ve heard on the radio throughout the hood my entire life! Seeing names like: Music Soul Child, Avant, and Eric Benet kicked my nostalgia on it’s ass and snatched my already blooming curiosity’s heart (you though I was gonna say wig).

African American music has been long known for its rhythmic creativity and ethereal influence but just how deep is it? About a few months ago I saw a instagram video uploaded by Exo’s Sehun that has boggled my mind ever since. He and Chanyeol were (supposedly) at hun river (no one really knows) one night and while they were eating and kicking it, the camera’s on Sehun and he’s straight jiggin to trap music! I was so blowed because you’d never guess they listened to that type of music being an idol group that represents an almost archetype standard for the clean cut Korean man. (But whatever, I’m not judging) And that’s when I first asked the question, how much do they think of my culture?

In a country thats almost 97% homogeneous it’s easy to see where the pressure to be different stems and with dozens of entertainment companies striving for the same greatness, I feel as though the heat is definitely turned up when perfecting your artistic craft. Being a lover of kpop, k-rap, and music in general I’ve taking notice that when practicing korean rappers would break down the fundamental image of what a rapper does. You’re probably asking, why does this matter? Well think about it, when you hear of a rapper practicing what do you imagine? Drake reading lyrics from his phone? Nicki practicing her stage entrance in a dance studio? Well, for some Korean artist who’ve never even met an African American, it’s the action they see portrayed in media. Entertainers all alike look to the west for diversity and they find it in the Black American community.

I came to this conclusion shortly after seeing how much they naturally appropriate us in music videos, and to me that was an immediate answer to my first question of “how much do they think of us”. I didn’t have to waste time thinking about why; that answer arose almost as fast as the first. White America rules world of social media and who better appropriate us than white people? (But that’s another blog.) On a video log, BTS’s Rap Monster shared that he practices “pointing” while performing, and though he’s my bias I still felt that this was funny because from where I’m from thats not something a rapper would necessarily have to practice…Tbh.

Rap Music in korea has come a long way in a very short time due to the vast influence it has in social media. In almost every group there’s at least one rapper. In 2013 the popular kpop website KpopStarz released an article stating that there were 244 groups to debut in the last 9 years! That’s alot of new rappers, and in a country so far from where rap originated, I began to feel as though it has a different meaning outside of it’s host genra, hip hop, but I basically negated the thought because, we know, Hip hop was invited by Black Americans as a outlet to ease the stress and pain from hustling and hard work and no matter what shade we are that’s something that most ethnic cultures can relate to.

The Universal impact of colorism

our momentum is slowing down. we can’t let our dashes go back to normal when the world is not normal. so, if you are reading this, you are ~legally~ obligated to choose 2 numbers below; you must complete the task of those two numbers today. don’t pretend you didn’t see this. either do them right now or set a reminder to get it done before the sun goes down. the timer starts now. choose two. 

sign some petitions. LINK HERE. if change.org hasn’t accused you of being a bot yet, you haven’t signed enough. 

watch these youtube videos. LINK HERE. do not skip the ads. this is a way to help raise money without having to donate any.

sign up to get daily actions. LINK HERE. after filling out the form, you will receive texts Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays telling you what action to take. 

text or call for any of these victims. LINK HERE. this website is extremely helpful, well organized, and practically does all of the work for you.

donate some money. LINK HERE. if you have any more money to spare, please donate it to one of these funds.

follow every single one of these organizations on social media: blcklivesmatter, colorofchange, reclaimtheblock, showingupforracialjustice, and civilrightsorg

post these important sources to your social media. LINK HERE. you have no idea who it might help. 

read this article and forward it to at least one person. LINK HERE. 

watch this video explaining the racial wealth gap. LINK HERE. it’s really informative and only about 15 minutes long. 

ARIES: Quick but Passionate Kisses

TAURUS: Long Kisses

GEMINI: Playful Kisses

CANCER: Tender Kisses

LEO: Intense Kisses

VIRGO: French Kisses

LIBRA: Eyes to Eyes Kisses

SCORPIO: Wild Kisses

SAGITTARIUS: Spontaneous Kisses

CAPRICORN: Deep Kisses

AQUARIUS: Teasing Kisses

PISCES: Awkward Kisses

Aries: someone who makes your heart beat faster, who teases you, who makes your blood rush, who makes you chase them, who makes you feel alive, who makes you grin

Taurus: someone who makes you feel at ease, who makes you feel at home, who gives your life structure and meaning, who gives you a reason to wake up each day, who makes you feel stable and whole

Gemini: someone who you can talk for hours with about anything and everything without getting bored, who you’re completely open with, who you can be weird with, who is funny, intelligent, and witty

Cancer: someone who is kind and tender, who takes care of you no matter what, who always has your needs on their mind, who is romantic and loving, who always makes sure you’re doing alright

Leo: someone who shows you off, who is really proud to be part of your life, who showers you with compliments, who always goes on about you to their friends, who talks about you like you hung up the stars

Virgo: someone who knows how to please you, who knows your pet peeves, who matches your standards, who you can find no fault in no matter how hard you try, someone who makes you feel safe 

Libra: someone who is cheesy and quirky, who is always telling you how much they love you, who romanticizes you, who treats your relationship like a larger than life affair that they can’t live without

Scorpio: someone who isn’t careless with your heart, who cherishes the vast amount of love that you can give, who doesn’t make you second-guess yourself, who takes their time to memorize every inch of your body, every part of your soul, who you can trust completely

Sagittarius: someone who doesn’t cage you, who lets your wild heart run free, who gives you your space and lets you breathe, who fills your days with yellow joy and promises of adventure, who never makes you feel bored and is unpredictable 

Capricorn: someone who always seems to be in control, who always knows exactly what to do, who inspires you, who has a planned out future and a sharp mind, who is good at meeting the goals they set, who you can picture yourself growing old with

Aquarius: someone who shows just the right amount interest to keep you hooked, who you can never quite figure out, who is different from the rest of the crowd, who’s individuality piques your interest and keeps them on your mind

Angel Aura ✨🌈🌿