Since 2016, many Americans have held their breath with distaste for the current administration. Not that this is particularly unique of this administration, but it’s worthy of exploration because President Donald Trump is one of the first presidents to inspire the sort of polarization that we currently witness in politics. From a straight on perspective, the Democratic debates up to this point have had one goal in mind – determining who can run away from Trump the fastest. The positions to be taken on this issue aren’t directly related to who the best candidate may or may not be. Rather, the importance is if the eventual president will be elected by virtue of their distance from Trump or their true merit for office.

Obviously, from a layman’s perspective, both of these facts hold true. There is a reason why Bernie Sanders is currently in the lead in the Democratic Primary, as opposed to any of the more centrist candidates. The prevalent political strategy has been to vote for the more centrist candidate in the primary election so that there is the best chance of attracting moderate voters who don’t vote along party lines.

This trend is not revealing itself this time around which begins one down the line of questioning whether or not running from the political ideals which Trump holds is a viable route to becoming the president-elect.

The Sanders campaign strategy has radically ran away from centrist liberal ideology to endorse more Democratic socialist ideals and get them onto a presidential debate stage. He wants to engage all of the folks who have grown so disinterested in politics because of Trump and motivate a base, which arguably didn’t exist in 2016, to come out and vote.

Many experienced political analysts would give a hard vote against this strategy, but this seems to be indicative of a larger trend which might be able to be stated plainly. Whoever is the farthest from Trump has the best chance of beating Trump.

Most political analysts argue that Trump wants Sanders to take the Democratic nomination so that he is able to make the presidential race one of capitalism versus socialism. This is a clearly bastardized understanding of how political races operate, but that doesn’t make it essentially untrue.

The latest round of debates centered on Mike Bloomberg, the candidate who is arguably the most Trumpesque. He was attacked for being another old white man who was well-funded and has represented shaky moral standings his entire life. This can be attributed to how Bloomberg, as mayor of New York City, legitimized stop and frisk policies, which were definitively agreed upon as a method of policing that incentivized discrimination by officers of the law. Bloomberg has been attempting to run away from this policy initiated under his leadership, but this left him open to attacks on his contradictory political stances.

Out of absolutely nowhere, Denzel Curry has decided to link up with budding producer, Kenny Beats, for “Unlocked,” a sleek 17 minutes of some of the most braggadocious, exemplary and notable hip-hop to hit the community in years. 

The two collaborated on a short EP released Feb. 7 for what seems like the explicit purpose of letting Curry strut his stuff for a few minutes. From the lyrics to the musical composition to the underlying coherency and short evolution which the project achieves, I have not listened to a project composed as tightly as this one since Pusha T’s immediate classic, “Daytona,” which ran seven songs in 24 minutes. 

Curry has been growing in acclaim since the release of his hit song, “Ultimate,” in 2015. Since 2013 he has released four full albums and a few shorter projects to accompany those. All of them have worked toward building his heavy crunk and Houston ‘screw’ sounds into more refined elaborations of these, palatable to those not familiar with Curry’s eclectic sonic predecessors such as Trick Daddy, Ol’ Dirty Bastard and DMX. 

In more recent years, Kenny Beats has been proving himself one of the most versatile producers to touch a keyboard. His mature sense for hip-hop and its different traditions gives him the ability to compliment Rico Nasty’s loud punk-influenced hip-hop just as well as 03 Greedo’s bouncy Oakland sound. Beats has produced entire projects for both artists. 

Beats is most well known for his YouTube show, “The Cave,” where he brings on various artists, everyone from 6lack to Thundercat to Omar Apollo to Lil Yachty. They record a song over a beat he makes upon their arrival, demonstrating his creative process. For reference on Beats’ versatility, simply refer to the fact that Lil Yachty is the only artist listed who makes what could be solely considered as hip-hop.

As early as the intro track, Curry warns his listener that this project, which would be analogous to an interlude in the context of the entirety of his discography, is truly a prelude to what he thinks he is capable of. 

Curry ends “Track 01” arguing, “I’m historical/I’m the Oracle/I been known what’s in store for you/And all this has been just the beginning.”

Curry’s exhibition of pure lyrical skill is tempered by a strong sense of brevity throughout his raps on this project. This means everything comes hard and fast, a style which Curry has continuously been fine-tuning throughout his career. “Take_it_Back_v2” is a beat that begins with a hard, sustained guitar riff that dissolves into a recurrent accent in a beat dominated by an almost typical trap beat. But Curry would never let a song with his name on it be characterized as anything reminiscent of typical.

“My birth’s an accident, so what is life initially, /Officially love and lust accompanied by misery, /So obsessed with company, / Watchin’ how you move, how you walk, where your compass be, / Even when / you move to an island, livin’ comfortably, / (Drama still follows), / Harry Potter clip filled with deadly ass hollows, / Bangin’ out your trunk but it’s not a Monte Carlo, / Here’s how it really goes, now open up the car door.”

And mind you, this song isn’t even my standout. 

Since hearing this album soon after it came out, a distinct shift in my perspective regarding the place of Curry amongst his colleagues – who compete regularly – in the rap game occurred. Next to Kendrick Lamar, it is difficult to find an artist with the sort of effect which Curry infuses in his voice. It is so distinct that even attempting a description designed to emulate his effect is a futile effort. Sure, those tapped in with the highest achieving lyricists rapping currently will point me to J.I.D., YBN Cordae and maybe even J. Cole. 

To those critics I will consistently argue that none of those artists begins to approach the level experimentality which has always historically been rooted in the advent of the most creative contributions which artists have made to hip-hop. There is something to be said about a style which reveals itself as utterly original. This is what made artists like Snoop Dogg, Tupac and other legends of old like RZA into the names they are. And that is also what led swaths of people to idealize the inventiveness which others pioneered.

I don’t make this argument to disparage those who copy the sounds of other artists. Hip-hop is a constant process of development, of trying and practicing sounds initially unfamiliar to the ear. It is just my view that those who best embody this sort of creativity ought to be cast as the predominant characters in a genre whose quintessential quality is innovation.

I think Curry supports my interpretation. If his lyrics are indicative of anything, it is the simple fact that he sees himself plainly as one of the premier rappers to touch a mic. 

On what is arguably my favorite song, “So.Incredible.pkg,” Beats provides a smooth Westside bop-influenced track for Curry to boast.

“It’s the significant, never frivolous, mister/It’s the man of the hour/Super confident and my clothes yell it louder And if it don’t compute then I gots to re-route ya.”

“Unlocked” is not just a project, it’s Denzel Curry and Kenny Beats asserting dominance.

Basketball as a whole experienced an almost unthinkable loss when a five-time NBA champion for the Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant, and eight others tragically passed away in a helicopter crash. The event occurred as Bryant was on his way to a basketball game with his daughter, Gianna Bryant, who also lost her life in the accident. As the news about this tragedy spread across the internet, the initial reaction was understandably disbelief. 

It’s hard to think about walking the Earth when Bryant is not. More specifically, it’s odd to think about Bryant in relation to having lost him. Bryant was never a loser of any measure. He made 18 all-star appearances, won a multitude of championships, and his will to succeed landed him in the professional basketball world at the mere age of 17 years old – right out of high school. 

Bryant was emblematic of a drive, a particular work ethic which many refer to as mamba mentality. Kobe was known for being exceedingly intense when he was engaged in battles on the court – not because he was bad-spirited, but because he held so much passion for a game he’d loved as a child. We have the incredible privilege of having been able to witness the greatness that Bryant now symbolizes, which gives birth to the unique weight his namesake now evokes. 

Balancing growing up and an NBA career created meaning for Bryant beyond just being a successful basketball player. As the news of his death broke, NBA games were being played or were soon to begin. Many players broke into tears at the knowledge of his passing, and Kyrie Irving, a player for the Brooklyn Nets, walked off the court and left the game upon learning of Bryant’s passing. Bryant was known to be an extremely close mentor for Irving throughout his career. 

The loss of Bryant is not just a loss for those who knew him but also the basketball community as a whole. There have been many talks of tributes being erected to honor Bryant, something that will naturally occur in time, but even more creative tributes have already been done. Teams have voluntarily taken penalties during games, holding the ball longer than the 24-second possession clock and staying in the backcourt area for eight seconds, to show respect to the two jersey numbers Bryant donned throughout his career. 

The biggest or most involved argument for a tribute for Kobe has seen fans calling for the NBA to change the silhouette included in the logo for the league from former Lakers player Jerry West to Bryant. At this point, it is nothing more than hopes and dreams from fans of Bryant arguing for this change, and the NBA has announced no plans to actually change the logo. But it is worth mentioning how synonymous the game of basketball has become with Bryant’s namesake – so much so that there are already 2 million signatures on a petition to change the logo.

This event will mark the NBA for years to come, as the absence of Bryant is not something that will be easily overlooked. Moving forward, we can expect more full accounts of remembrance for the basketball legend. May he rest in peace.

At the root of the public transportation conversation happening within Kansas City local government is a simple question of priorities. Should affordability be maintained as a barrier to access to public transportation or does access preclude consideration of affordability?

Mayor Quinton Lucas and CEO of the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority agree that free bus fare should be offered to each and every citizen who desires to take advantage of the offer. Yet the plans that have officially been discussed regarding this movement have been continuously questioned by affordability critiques.

Nevertheless, Nov. 13 the Transportation Committee of City council voted to move forward with the proposition of free bus service city-wide. This doesn’t absolve the reality of financial barriers to this proposition, but it does signal that the financial considerations should come at a bit of a lower standard of valuation in comparison to the question of access.

The lapse in capital funded from bus fares composes a mere $8-9 million of the total KCATA operation budget. This represents a rough estimate of the slack that will need to get picked up somewhere else so that the budget can remain sustainable for the bus system to operate. Currently the City Council has only discussed compensating for this loss through personal taxes, business taxes and community partnerships.

Opposition to the current proposed plans for funding the bus system lies in equity concerns. Councilwoman Katheryn Shields argues that the benefits of completely free public transportation should not neglect what should be considered the due contribution from the private sector.

“We provide transit for the whole region,” she said. “[We need to] make clear that stakeholder engagement, including private business, is necessary to fund workforce transit.”

Although Shields is in favor of the move to free transportation, she has moved to ensure the current budget proposal is reviewed by the city manager before being presented before the City Council.

Other cities around the country have also considered the idea of free bussing city-wide. Denver, for instance, has had a similar debate about access versus affordability when it comes to public transportation earlier this year. The issue ultimately was a divisive one for the local government. The argument presented against the city taking on responsibility for the income lost from rider fares was framed as a practical one. In opposition to the case that busses aren’t used as much as they could due to minor hurdles, Jon Caldera of the Independence Institute says that affordability was never a hurdle for riders, and that the aim of free public transportation is misplaced entirely.

“The reason people don’t ride the bus has nothing to do with price,” Caldera said. “Nobody says, ‘I’m not riding the bus because it’s too expensive.’ The reason is, it’s too slow, it’s not flexible, and it doesn’t go where I want it to go.”

In Kansas City, although the plan to move in the direction to support free public transportation is solidified as of last month, the actualization of the plan is contingent on a detailed, sustainable plan being presented which makes considerations for optimal user experience as well as sufficient public and private investment.

This decision would not have been possible had KCATA not previously made the bus service free to veterans and students in the Kansas City Public Schools. This sample group provided valuable feedback on the current effectiveness of transportation should it be freely offered. Teachers and students both expressed regard for the value of public transportation in opening doors of opportunity for those who don’t personally have access to transportation.

Marissa Wamble Cleaver, director of public information for the Hickman Mills School District has noted that students in her district have benefited by using free bus passes to get to internships and work and said, “Now we have parents and staff asking to be part of the program, which of course we can’t provide.”

As an act of addressing and catering to lower-income Kansas City communities, the bus imitative has proven itself solid in terms of providing access. If City Council can find routes to properly address the affordability barrier, then free transportation that is truly city-wide could benefit all residents while giving those without express transportation options a fair alternative.