Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Section B mTTT^ 1\/TTV I 1 . 1/ I I fL j PETIT-SENN, Writer m U ■ ^ i. T I I y Thursday, Aug. 18,2005 minutes Radio stations individuality puts it on mags elite college music list Photo special to The Gamecock WUSC station manager Will Bovender on the air during his weekly program, “Thursday Night’s Sippin' Show.” Alexis Arnone THE MIX EDITOR WUSC, the university’s non top-40 radio station, has a lot to offer — and students aren’t the only ones who have noticed. The station was recently recognized in “Schools that Rock: The Rolling Stone College nGuide,” a compilation of venues, music festivals, radio stations and record stores located near 100 university campuses across America. Will Bovender, WUSC station manager and fourth-year psychology student, said the book “was released as a guide for prospective college students who wanted to know the music scene of various college towns.” Although nobody at the station was involved in WUSC being chosen, Bovender said WUSC is an intrinsic part of the city’s music scene. “You really can’t talk about Columbia and music without mentioning WUSC, so Rolling Stone gets points for providing an accurate portrayal.” Bovender isn’t the world’s biggest Rolling Stone fan, mainly because of his “non top-40” roots as a WUSC DJ, but he found it “affirming to be positively acknowledged, especially by an audience that I didn’t know we had.” WUSC’s non-top-40 policy might seem disconcerting to some listeners, but Bovender said the station’s diverse playlist is unique. “Strictly following our non top 40 policy ensures that our DJs are the type of people who love music well enough to explore new sounds and styles, and it keeps us all working to be well versed in music that most people haven’t had a chance to hear yet,” Bovender said, adding that the policy makes WUSC different from other college radio stations. Don’t have any experience as a DJ? No worries, Bovender applauds his volunteer DJs. “Our DJs come in for two or three hours a week and put together the best show they can, and that to me is infinitely more rewarding for ourselves and our listeners than anything else you can do in Columbia on FM radio.” Bovender has been involved with WUSC the past four years, beginning as a DJ during his freshman year. You can still catch him Thursdays during “Thursday Night’s Sippin’ Show.” Wanna be a DJ? Head to WUSC’s interest meeting, 7 p.m. Sept. 6 or Sept. 8 in Russell House 203. “Being a DJ will make you cool, but you don’t have to be cool to be a DJ.” Bovender offered some free advice for wannabe DJs. “Don’t name-drop any bands when you show up — one, it makes you look like a tool of. Rolling Stone, and two, our vast wealth of knowledge will destroy you.” “Schools that Rock” can be found in bookstores everywhere. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecockfeatures@gwm.sc. edu Photo special to The Gamecock WUSC DJs hang out in their Russell House station. i CD REVIEW • Music, message salvage hip-hop artist’s mediocre lyrics enemy of your spirit. The moments consumed by peeling the plastic from a CD case while anticipating hearing the combination of instruments, voices and an artist’s passion are : the longest moments in your life. : Finally, the plastic is off, the CD case is torn open and the CD is inserted into the CD player. The expectation that this new investment will fulfill your musical needs builds. The first few seconds of the first song shape how you think about the rest of the album. After hearing the first 15 seconds of Pras Michel’s long awaited sophomore album, “Win, Lose or Draw,” listeners might believe this album is just what they needed. Then, as Pras begins rapping, those hopes of musical fulfillment begin to drift into disappointment. After hearing lyrics such as, “My style is as old as a reptile ... as new as a new child” and “I’m big green on u like that dude from Shrek”, one can safely say Pras might not have put much work into his lyrics. The most disappointing thing is that Pras was impressive when spitting on “The Score,” a classic hip-hop album recorded by his old musical trinity, The Fugees. His fans know he is capable of more than what we hear on some of these tracks. On “Mistakes,” one can see where Pras could improve his lyrical skills and eschew lines like “... at my beck and call whether I ball or stall” and “... get deep like subway stations.” In addition, sometimes Pras’ rhythm does not flow, and at times his words seem misplaced. However, most disappointments don’t last long, and those 15 seconds of greatness return. The first song, “Dance Hall” featuring Sean Paul and Sprague Benz, makes you feel as if you are in a club in Jamaica. Then, Pras reveals his social and political consciousness. On “Haven’t Found,” “Mr. Martin” and “Ghetto Politics,” he gives listeners an abstract but very clear message of how western civilization has declared war not only across the sea in the East but here in the West in the ghettos of America and Haiti. His message stresses the importance of choosing love over war, living for others and not for personal gain, and defending your rights as a human being. He does it all with the help of guest appearances from U2, Temp and Akin. He also features the voices of children on “How It Feels”. They sing, “They don’t know how it feels ...” and he adds, “when you a single mother and don’t have a significant other,” or “to be a black man in America”. He adds, “That’s all Mr. President, hear the voice of the youth, I don’t lie, I speak the truth.” This seems to sum up his album in many ways. Although his flow isn’t very fluid at times and his lyrics might sometimes be elementary, Pras has released an album which reaches his listeners with a sincere message spawned from his own experiences. His direct nature and the passion in his voice give his listeners back the hope they might have lost after those first crucial 15 seconds. This album of amazing music w£s produced by Wyclef (al^o of The Fugees), U2, Jerry Duplessis Photo special to The Gamecock Rapper Pras Michel leans. of Refugee Camp Records and, of course, Pras himself. One thing is for sure: If all of the lyrics don’t satisfy the spirit, the music definitely will help to fill some of the gaps. Pras states, “Hey yo, I done been through it all winter, spring, summer, fall, I’m still standing tall, win, lose or draw,” and after this musical session, whether his listeners believe he lost or won, they can say he still can stand tall. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecockfeatures@gwm.sc.edu “Win, Lose or Draw” Pras Michel ★★★ out of ☆☆☆☆☆ James Prince FOR THE GAMECOCK Take it from a devoted music lover: Time can sometimes be the