Ari Kellen | Musical Minded

Ari Kellen's musical tastes

Musical Therapy

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Music is a wonderful thing. Beyond tapping our toes and moving our feet, the healing power of a pleasant tune has been known to improve learning, increase cognitive response, and combat the symptoms of some diseases like epilepsy and Alzheimer’s. But what are some of the other hidden benefits of music? How can your favorite songs be used to effectively combat pain? A random study conducted in Germany and published in the Deutsches Arzteblatt International holds the answer.

Researchers randomly selected 84 patients undergoing palliative care, or care to manage excessive levels of pain. One group was given music therapy to help treat their pain, whereas the other group conducted verbal relaxation exercises. The music therapy group was treated to two sessions of live music performed on classical wood and string instruments. The discovery the researchers made surpassed even their expectations.

Ari kellenAll the patients that took part in the music therapy reported less pain and discomfort, along with decreased levels of stress. Astonishingly, the effects go deeper than their own responses. The scientists found that the patients exposed to music therapy were showing signs of decreased fatigue, and increased peripheral blood flow. Medical jargon aside, these results mean patients were more alert and in less pain.

Patients that experienced this treatment were not only treated to regular concerts of relaxing music, but relieved of their pain. A result that anyone in their shoes would be happy for, music has proven yet again to be one of the most powerful tools at our disposal. Whether fighting chronic pain or stemming a tide of symptoms brought on by a virulent disease, music can make a difference. For more on the subject, click here.

 

David Burd – Lil’ Dicky

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David Burd is a name that sounds like your run of mill guy. He probably enjoys a wide variety of music, hanging with friends, etc. What people do not know is that David Burd is the real name of Lil’ Dicky, the most recent “funny rapper” to hit the scene since Asher Roth. So what makes this guy different than your run of mill Frat Rapper? Most likely his inclination towards topics that are educated. LD graduated Summa Cum Laude from from the University of Richmond’s business school, and his educated background shows in the undertones of his funny songs. He often addresses racial stereotypes along with social norms that should be changed. He mocks everyone, including himself, without apology in a easy going and captivated flow-style.

He broke onto the scene with his hilarious music video Youtube channel that he helped fund from his “Bar Mitzvah money”. Songs like “Lemme Freak”, “White Dude”, “Too High” and “White Crime” won him a cult following that continues to follow him today. His most recent release, and first album title Professional Rapper, featured Snoop Dogg in the song that bears the album’s name. Video below:

His satirical nature and undeniable rhyming skill has earned him the respect of both hip-hop purists and the general public. With some of his songs coming off as offensive to certain secular groups, LD takes the high ground stating the joking nature of his music. Bringing light to issues in society in the manner he has, has been eye opening for many.

In his Professional Rapper, LD took his time to explain his plan and outline how he wants to impact the hip hop world. Time will tell if David Burd can launch Lil’ Dicky into the stratosphere of the hip hop world but the future looks promising as of today.

Questlove, The Roots and Jimmy Fallon

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Most music fans have heard of Questlove aka Ahmir Khalib Thompson, if not, you may recognize him as the impressive drummer for The Roots. Maybe you’re not well aware of who The Roots are, so here is a clip of their presence as the house band for Jimmy Fallon.

Questlove is a busy guy, when he is not playing the drums for The Roots, he is teaching at NYU as a professor among many other public undertakings. But how did Questlove and The Roots come to be a staple of late night television after making a name for themselves as the rebellious-kind of music makers?

Questlove describes their first interaction as completely disarming. Recalling how this goofy white guy with a bunch of african american band members completely owned his own goofiness. When Questlove and the rest of his band found themselves on the grass at UCLA making a human pyramid, they knew this experience would be a once in a lifetime experience.

It had seemed to the members of the Roots that after every show, they became a little more close. This is hard to believe since they had been together for so many years prior (since 1987) but Questlove’s describes it as “..becoming friends again”. They no longer were as guarded with each other and felt free to be as goofy as Jimmy.

This renewal of their relationship has resulted in five Grammy nominations that resulted in taking home the hardware twice. They have also contributed largely to the success of the Tonight Show helping Jimmy earn 4.13 million viewers a night!

It is safe to say that with the union of Jimmy Fallon, and Questlove along-side the rest of The Roots they have created a match made in heaven. Coupling the street cred of The Roots with the fanfare of Jimmy Fallon, there seems to be no end to their creative and entertaining potential.

To read the original article, please click here.

Empire Music

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Music plays an enormous part in any TV show or movie, it drives the audience to feel what the character feels. In horror films high frequency strings make you feel on edge, while slow piano makes you relaxed and lets you know nothing bad is going to happen in the immediate future. In the newest hit show, Empire this is no different. It is a show about the music industry therefore one would assume that the music in the show Empirewould be second to none.

Who would have the set the hands that Fox TV would place this enormous responsibility in? None other than Timbaland, the famous producer known for his works with Missy Elliott, and Justin Timberlake to name a few. He has created iconic music for our generation that forces you to dance, even if against your will. Creating the original songs for this series is nothing but another day at the office for the iconic producer. This time around he has help from one of his protege’s Jim Beanz. Beanz wrote almost all of the original music for the inaugural season, raising his stock among the TV ranks. Beanz also plays an upcoming rapper in the series as he is blurring the lines from behind the scenes production to on the set acting.

With original music the TV executives are looking to match the shows popularity with the musical popularity. Creating a top selling soundtrack for TV or a movie almost always drives viewership of that media as well as creating another revenue stream for the production house. Shows like Glee, and movies like Django both saw success in creating original scores and Fox will look to mirror these instances.

Songs from the show have already started to peak the public’s interest as “Good Enough” showed a short tenure on iTunes top sellers list. If this is foreshadowing for anything that is yet to come with this young series, we may be seeing music from Empire on the top selling lists for many seasons to come.

To read the original article, here.

 

Ari Kellen’s Favorite Music From The 90’s

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As a child of the 90’s I hold a warm place in my heart for the songs that remind me of a simpler time. The throwback Thursday playlist on Spotify has to be one of my favorite playlists not made by me. I find it to be a gateway to childhood memories I would otherwise not be aware of and that in itself brings a smile to my face. Below, I would like to offer a grouping of songs that remind of my childhood, force me to sing along, and that just rock. Here is my favorite jams from the 90’s.

Ari Kellen

Nirvana, Smells Like Teen Spirit– These guys defined the grunge rock age and made wearing flannels cool. This song brings me back to the dark days of overall style and teen angst.

Jay-Z, Hard Knock Life ( Ghetto Anthem )- A sampled beat that you cannot get out of your skull has been sampled so many times thereafter that it has turned into sampling inception. This is one of those songs that propelled Jay into the business he is today.

Whitney Houston, I Will Always Love You– Originally written and recorded by Dolly Parton, Whitney Houston used her golden pipes to blast this song into one of the best pop songs ever. I recall not being able to turn on the radio without this song playing on at least one station.

Blackstreet, No Diggity– I highly doubt that you have not heard this song at a recent house party and once it starts to play, that means the party has just begun. This is a complete jam that the average human body cannot help but to dance to.

Hanson, MMMMBop– The pseudo-scat song by three pre-teens with golden locks at first was not my cup of tea. But hours after listening to the song I could not shake the catchy, non-english melody.

Puff Daddy/Faith Evans- I’ll Be Missing You– This one tugs at the heartstrings for yours truly. The thought of what might have been if Biggie had lived into the new century still rests on the minds of many-a hip hop fan and this was a tribute from his widow and his best friend.

That was just a taste of my favorite songs from the 90’s. There will be plenty more to come in later weeks to remind you of all the great music that was created when we were young kids.

To read the article cited from, click here.

Forest Hills Drive | J Cole

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A few days ago, on December 9th, 2014, J Cole released his third and most real album to date. Forest Hills Drive give us insight into a real Cole and see what makes him tick. Hot New Hip Hop has seen stellar reviews of the album and I am inclined to agree as he touched on subjects that everyone can relate to. Of course, he presents all of his songs in true Cole fashion, telling a clever story throughout each.Forest Hills Drive, Ari Kellen

Kicking off the album with an Intro, he offers the listener a question, do you want to be happy? Do you want to be free? I’ll tell you Cole, this album made me happy. I am so tired of the popularized, ridiculous version of hip hop that the radio plays. This is the type of music that I fell in love with as a kid, real stuff, not bells and whistles with guys yelling into a mic making corny metaphors.

He references with affection TV characters such as Uncle Phil, and Aunt Vivian from Fresh Prince of Bel Air, as well as female artists, Trina, Sade, Aaliyah, and Nia Long. He also had some choice words for artists in his song Fire Squad. Iggy Azalea, Eminem, Justin Timberlake, and Macklemore were mentioned in that particular track.

This album will yield many-an Instagram quote with one liners like,” If you don’t aim too high, you aim too low”, “huh nice watch”, “I ain’t never did this before”, and many more for you to sift through on your own. He offers us a look into his own opinion about topics which is a relief to see him open up. Stories of his past emerge, reminding me much of a Nas album. I believe he would proud of you Cole.

Keep this stuff up Cole, you are one of the only real dudes still in hip hop, a prized diamond surrounded by fools gold.

 

To read the Hot New Hip Hop article click here.