Page 20 THE RETRIEVER WEEKLY FEATURES February 18, 2003 “Biker Boyz” Rap-Rock Jives with Hip-Hop get lit: Screw Reality TV; Try Reality MEGHAN BOWEN Back.” Guitar riffs soar and groove with a catchy drum beat baseline in this track produced by The Retriever Weekly Staff Writer Neptunes, whose Chad Hugo and Pharrell On Monday night during my two remain dulled because we’ve experi- Funky seventies beats mixed with electronic, Williams also belong to the hip-hop group and a half hour long History class, our enced pain. rock, and rap rhythms drive the “Biker Boyz” N.E.R.D. teacher paused his lecture for a few min- It’s time to face the facts: “Reality” movie soundtrack, produced by Dreamworks One hip-hop rocker who is surprisingly miss- utes to set up the audio-visual equipment TV isn’t real. The heightened emotions Records, to the realm of audio success. Throbbing, ing from this fantastic array of crossovers and rap for a movie he planned on showing. and constant bickering and hooking up adrenalin-pumped music, like the Crystal Method beats is Kid Rock, who plays “Dogg,” the leader of “I hope this doesn’t take long and he on “The Real World,” the consumption remix of P.O.D.’s song a rival motorcycle gang in the lets us out at 8:55,” my friend hissed of icky bugs and challenge of living in Boom, set the pace for this movie. Recently, Kid has from a desk behind mine, “so I can get the wilderness on a quest for $1,000,000 album. shown his talent for remixing back in time to catch ‘Joe Millionare!’” on “Survivor” is not only unreal, but out- “Who likes a lil rock ‘n’ styles with the song “Picture,” “Oh! Is he picking tonight?” a man played thanks to the offspring of dozens roll mixed with a lil hip hop which he sings with rocker from a few rows ahead of me turned of similar shows. Every woman isn’t a soul? We do!” sing Ja Rule Sheryl Crow. Unfortunately, around to ask. In the seats about me, stu- size six with lusciously long and volumi- and Swizz Beatz in collabora- he did not lend his hip vocals dents began gossiping about the show, nous hair, perfect skin, and perky breasts tion with Metallica for the to this catchy collaborative the contestants, and what dramatic and not every man has a perfect smile hard-rock, rappin’ song “We soundtrack. events would possibly ensue during that with shiny white teeth, six-pack abs, and Did it Again.” This song sets Another musical union night’s episode. My professor turned the a year-round tan. Wake up. These shows the tone for an album that to highlight on this album is video on. Ironically, he was showing us a are feeding on your fantasies and forcing deftly blurs the lines of rap that of Ron Isley of The Isley special about television game show fraud America into another age of conformity, and rock into 15 tracks of Brothers featured with from the 1950’s. It turns out, a majority not where everyone is the same, but head shaking, body quaking Jadakiss for a funky rap break- of televised game shows in the fifties where everyone wants to be the same. music to move to. down with their song “Big were actually hoaxes, with contestants Another breed of reality entertain- Tracks like JrEwng’s Courtesy of allied advertising Business.” The Isleys have con- who had been coached and given scripts. ment seems to have been forgotten by “Renegade,” Redman featuring Bikers Rock: The Biker Boys tinued to rock the charts for the The members of my class who had the American society: non-fiction. Non- E3 with “Ride,” as well as soundtrack mixes it up. last 50 years with favorites like pledged their allegiance to the cult of fiction writing is where a writer shares “Biker Boyz” by Slick Boyz featuring Mr. Murder, “Shout” and “It’s Your Thing,” by collaborating reality television dutifully watched the true events in real peoples’ lifetimes and incorporate sly sirens, motorcycle revvings and tire with modern artists like R.Kelly for the 2001 song screen, but their thoughts were on shares their stories with the world. A squeals into their songs about the two-wheel racing “Contagious.” Ron Isley’s alter-ego Mr. Biggs whether Evan (the “Joe” in “Joe plethora of titles are available on any life. “Burn rubber not your soul,” is the theme pro- shows Jadakiss in 2003 how to woo the ladies with Millionaire”) would pick Zora or Sarah number of subjects that might interest claimed by Redman in “Ride” as well as David the fast and flashy material life. to expose his deep secret to. you. Are you a war buff? Turn off that Ryan Harris in his smooth song “Don’t Look The clever blends of rock, rap, and hip hop While working out on the cardio stupid “Navy Seals” reality show and Down” reminiscent of R.Kelly’s feel-good song “I make the “Biker Boyz” soundtrack a must have for balcony of the RAC the other day, I pick up Philip Caputo’s “A Rumor of Believe I Can Fly.” today’s eclectic music fan and an essential part to caught pieces of a heated conversation War,” written by a Vietnam veteran who Papa Roach and N.E.R.D. also soulfully every fast-car stereo collection. between two women on the exercise was part of a squad accused of merci- beseech youth to prepare themselves in their rock For comments or questions, please email bikes next to me. lessly slaughtering an entire village of anthem track with hip-hop rhythm “Don’t Look [email protected]. “I hope he doesn’t pick that skinny Vietnamese citizens, and the soldiers’ blond,” one huffed to the other. defenses. Into sports? “Running with the “Oh I know, she’s totally wrong for Buffaloes” by Chris Lear reveals the him!” her friend agreed. I assumed they training methods of cross country coach were engaged in a conversation about a Mark Wetmore and the season he lead mutual acquaintance… until I caught the the University of Colorado team to a sea- words “Joe Millionaire” sprinkled son of victory. There are books out there throughout their excited chatter. I dis- you’ve never even heard of that can mounted my bike in disgust and headed change your life in one read, can bring for the weight room. you to tears in one second and make you When “Survivor,” “Temptation laugh the next. Books that can make you Island,” and “The Mole” were entering question your life philosophies on one their second or third seasons on televi- page, and in the next chapter, make you sion, the United States had been hit hard feel so emotional that you want to put it by a devastating terrorist attack. The down… and you just can’t. American people spent weeks with their Part of what makes life so unique is televisions blasting them with grim and that each of us are different people, brutal images of a grieving country, inside and out. All the cosmic surgery, shaking the foundation of a country that tanning beds and hair color in the world had once felt so secure in its safety from can’t change who you are inside. Stop terror. Reality television provided us allowing yourselves to dwell in a society with an escape from “Reality,” a place where you listen to the same top-40 where bad things happened to innocent music, read the same magazines and people. The conflicts on reality TV are so watch the same television shows week harmless, so mundane, that it’s easy to after week. Start living for yourself and come home from work or class, kick off find something that no one else is into. I your shoes, and watch people like you guarantee you’ll at least learn more than and I try to make it in the big time on you do watching “Joe Millionaire.” “American Idol.” These shows numbed our minds when we needed diversion Brett McKenzie likes to dwell in the from the sadness around us. But ours is real world, not the “Real World.: She not a society whose sense should forever can be reached at [email protected]. trw.umbc.edu.