6ix9ine

The 4 strangers

Daniel Hernandez was born on May 8, 1996 in Brooklyn. He is an american rapper and he is professionally known as 6ix9ine or Tekashi69. He is known for his power screaming technique in some of his songs.
6ix9ine became famous thanks to his debut single "GUMMO" in 2017. His first album was Day69 and he entered in the Top Ten for his first time with his song "FEFE" featured with Nicki Minaj. 6ix9ine was born to a Mexican mother and a Puerto Rican father and raised by both until the age of 13 and then he grew up alongside his brother.
When 6ix9ine was young he had various jobs and sold marijuana to help his family financially. He had trouble with the law, for example he was accused of a sexual contact with a 13-years-old girl. In our opinion 6ix9ine is a strange person but at the same time he has made a career and has become very famous.
His first apparition in Italy was at Number1's club and we went to see him and we liked it so much. We appreciate that he does a lot of donations to help poor people. We have chosen him because of those things and his popularity. His appearence is unconventional, he has tattoos of the number 69 in different parts of his body and has a tattoo of an evil clown and a spiderweb on his face. He bought a mouth guard composed by diamonds. He spends a lot of money for jewerly and diamonds watches and he likes showing he has a lot of money. His behaviour is very strange because sometimes he makes music videos without his clothes on and sometimes his dances are ridiculous but the most strange thing of him is that he has a multicolour haircut.
Our favourite song is "FEFE" because of the music sound and because this is a collaboration with Nicki Minaj. We waited him at Number1 Club and it was awesome. We were in the queue for 2 hours because a huge crowd was there. After that concert the club was shut down to the public because that night some security laws were violated. In our opinion 6ix9ine will become more famous than now and one of the best singers in the 21th century.

Glossary
Behaviour: it is the attitude of a person.
Controversial: when you use unusual behaviour.
Featured: it is when you do a song with another person.
Alongside: when you are next to someone.
Marijuana: it is a plant used to get high.
Law: everyone must respect it to live in a good society.
Accused: when you do something wrong.
Famous: when you are recognized in the world for something.
Appreciate: it is when someone does something good and you like it.
Donation: when you give money to poor people.
Apparition: when someone comes in one place for the first time.
Club: it is a place where you can go to a party.

MY IMMORTAL

Never Give Up

The Evanescence are a rock band from the United States, formed in Little Rock in 1995. The band takes its name from the word "evanescence", the state or act of vanishing.
Their music is characterized by a fusion of alternative metal elements, gothic metal (especially at the beginning).
The band was founded by vocalist Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody in 1995. According to various sources not always congruent, the two met in a young camp in Arkansas, where Moody listened to Lee playing the piano and singing I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Will not Do That) by Meat Loaf; later he would say: "I thought I was in paradise. Almost I was dry. In that tiny young camp there was one of the most powerful and beautiful voices I'd ever heard.

LYRICS

I'm so tired of being here 

Suppressed by all my childish fears 

And if you have to leave 

I wish that you would just leave 

'Cause your presence still lingers here

And it won't leave me alone 

These wounds won't seem to heal 

This pain is just too real 

There's just too much that 

time cannot erase 

When you cried I'd wipe away 

all of your tears 

When you'd scream I'd fight away 

all of your fears 

I held your hand through 

all of these years 

But you still have 

All of me 

You used to captivate me 

By your resonating light 

Now I'm bound by the life 

you left behind 

Your face it haunts 

My once pleasant dreams 

Your voice it chased away 

All the sanity in me 

These wounds won't seem to heal 

This pain is just too real 

There's just too much that 

time cannot erase 

When you cried I'd wipe away 

all of your tears 

When you'd scream I'd fight away 

all of your fears 

I held your hand through 

all of these years 

But you still have 

All of me 

I've tried so hard to tell myself 

that you're gone 

But though you're still with me 

I've been alone all along 

When you cried I'd wipe away 

all of your tears 

When you'd scream I'd fight away 

all of your fears 

I held your hand through 

all of these years 

But you still have 

All of me, me, me

All together, we’ve chosen this song, in memory of our dear friend Angelo who, after a fatal accident, lost his life.

Angelo was more of a classmate or a friend. Angelo was a part of us and from one day to another everyone lost him.
As the song says, it is a pain that none of us can forget because it is such a strong pain that even time can’t erase, it’s “a spirit staying with you after its death and haunting you until you actually wish that the spirit were gone because it won't leave you alone”.

GLOSSARY
Suppress: to put an end to the activities of a person to keep in or repress (a feeling, smile, groan, etc.)
Wound: an injury or hurt (also to emotions)
Heal: to repair or take care of
Tear: drop of water coming from your eyes when you’re sad, wounded, ecc…
Fear: you have fear when you’re in an impending danger
Guitarist: a performer on the guitar
Classmate: a member of the same class at a school or college
Fusion: the act or process of fusing or the state of being fused

Linkin Park

MMCEditorial

We’ve always loved rock music, we can listen to it for hours and hours. But Linkin Park's music left a mark on our hearts. We discovered the band hearing the song “What I’ve Done” from the Minutes to Midnight album and we liked it so much that we started to follow the band and the other songs later published.

This Band can satisfy all kinds of ears, because it's rock influenced by hip hop, alternative rock and electronics. The band was founded in 1996 in Los Angeles by three high school friends, Mike Shinoda, Rob Bourdon and Brad Delson. They called their band Xero and firstly recorded in Shinoda's bedroom. After recruiting Chester Bennington, they renamed the band Hybrid Theory. 

Their first concert was in Los Angeles, after which they got a contract with the Warner Bros Records, but they had to change their name one last time in Linkin Park, and changed their lineup. Their first success was the album Hybrid Theory, that sold over 30 million copies influenced by other groups like Defnotes, Nine Inch Nails, Depeche mode, and other ones. 

In 2003 the band began a small tour, the “Lp Underground Tour” reserved only for the fan club members; it started in Milano (23 February) and finished in Los Angeles (25 March). Their lineup in 2017 was: Chester Bennington, Mike Shinoda, Brad Delson, Rob Bourdon and Joe Hanh. Linkin Park's logo was initially a square with the letters L and P inside it (the letter P was reversed) but in 2007 the logo was modified to a circle with two triangles in it, indicating in a particular way the initials of the band. The last logo published was an exagon with the triangles inside, indicating the band formed by 6 members. After the death of Bennington, Shinoda posted the same logo, but with the exagon missing a side.

We wanted to leave here a tribute to Chester Bennington, who died in 2017: “You satisfied our ears with your music, now let us remember you continuosly hearing your songs".

GLOSSARY
Lineup: members composing a music band
Mark: sign, little scratch on something
Underground: below the ground level
Recruit: to look for and hire new members for a band
Influence: to cause an effect on something or someone
Found: to form a music band
Record: to put sound on a disc or a tape
Exagon: a figure having six angles and six sides

THE COIN OF LIFE

Why not?

Curtis Jackson, known as 50 Cent, is a hip hop artist and businessman who became famous for his streetwise raps and rag-to-riches life story.

Curtis James Jackson III was born on the 6th July in 1975 in South Jamaica in New York.  He was raised by a single mother in a broken home family. His mom worked as a drug dealer and she was shot died by an unknown suspect when Jackson was only 8 years old; after the death of his mom he moved to his grandmother’s.  He had a boyhood aspiration to be a boxer, and fought at junior level, but began selling drugs when he was 12 years old. At the age of 19 an undercover police officer arrested Jackson for selling four vials of cocaine; three weeks later the apartment was raided by police where they found crack and heroin. At first he was sentenced to three-to-nine years, but he went to a bootcamp and got his G.E.D. in prison. When he got out of prison 

he stopped selling drug thanks to a friend and he started to write his own songs.

He got his first important contact with the New York hip hop scene when he met Jam Master Jay from the group Run DMC. Jay was impressed by Jackson’s rapping ability and produced and album for him, but it never came out. Jackson also made a false start with the Columbia label, recording an album that was shelved before its release. That album was “Power of the Dollar”.

In 2000 Jackson was victim of a severe shooting incident that left him with multiple injuries. He returned to music after his recovery and made several low-budget recordings with his friends

Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo, as a crew called G-unit. In 2003 he became famous thanks to his first song with Eminem and another one whose title is “Get Rich Or Die Tryin”.

We chose to write about 50 cent's life because he is a model for all teenagers around the world today, who deal drugs to earn their living. 50 cent's life, instead, teach us to follow our dream to become someone important and to be successful.

GLOSSARY

Broken home: a family in which the parents are divorced or separated.

Drug Dealer: a person who sells illegal drugs.

Boyhood: it is a period of a male person's life during which he is a boy.

Undercover: a work that involves getting confidential or secret information

Raided: past participle of “to raid”; if the police raid a building they enter it suddenly and by force in order to look for dangerous criminals or for evidence of something illegal, such as drugs or weapons.

Sentence: it is a punishment that people receive after they have been found guilty of a crime.

Shelved: put aside; it’s when they decide not to continue a Plan or project, either for a while or permanently.

Bootcamp: a centre for young offenders, run in military lines.

G.E.D.: General Educational Development, the G.E.D. is an educational certificate awarded in the United States and Canada which certifies that the recipient has met the minimum requirements necessary to graduate high school.

Albanian music

The music has always been a very important chapter in our life. Music has always existed in the world.
Every population has a form of music that it has evolved over time.

There are many types of music: pop, rock, metal, classic, rap and even folk. If you think that you have listened to all genres of music, you are wrong because probably you haven’t listened to our music… Our Albanian music!

The most popular music in Albania is folkloristic music. This type of music is very antique and it has been handed down orally. Albanian folk music is proudly represented by ‘’shota’’ band, with the most famous soloist Shkurte Fejza.

Albanian music represents a set of different traditional kinds of music, from Balcanic music (with its particular rhythm) to many other Turkish and Western influences. In Kosovo there is a type of Balcanic traditional rap: we call it ‘’tallava’’. Besides, you can even listen to a mix of Macedonian and Albanian songs with Eastern rhythm. It’s a very funny and appreciated genre, especially during weddings.

The characteristic instrument of Albanian music is definetely “çiftelia”.

It is a musical instrument with two strings. It is typically played in popular music. The word “çiftelia” actually comes from the Albanian language “çift” (double).
Nikolle Nikprelaj is one of the most famous person that plays this instrument. The lyrics of popular music usually talks about heroes and love. This instrument is best used by elders because they don’t want to lose their traditional music, so they like to teach young people how to play the çiftelia. Recently, indeed this instrument is played by young people to keep traditions alive as you can see in the following video.

After that, the çiftelia is usually played with “tupani”. It is known as one of the oldest rhythmic instruments comes from Asian countries.
It’s a cylindical drum made of leather. It works with a rod, with a set of traditional instruments.
This musical instrument has deserved place in popular Albanian music; without it, popular dances can not be immagine. Indeed the drum can’t miss in Albanian weddings. The “tupan” is an alarming and informative tool, used to inform the people of a neighborhood that the marriage was about to begin. Thanks to his thunder the neighbours could realize that there was a wedding and this automatically meant to be invited to the wedding dinner.
This has happened because there was the lack of communication tools.Finally, in Kosovo, we find modern music that comes from the Western countries. There are others kinds of music too, such as pop, hip-hop, rap, rock and jazz music.
Currently, the kind of music young people mostly listen to is Rap.

GLOSSARY

Handed down => transmit over time, through generations.
Lyric=> are words that make up a song usually consisting of verses and choruses.
Çiftelia => music instrument, with plucked cordes, the most characteristic thing: only 2 cordes.
Tupani => it’s a cylindical drum made of leather. It works with a rod, with a set of traditional instruments.
Folk => genre of music that develops traditional thems starting with peasant protests and popular generally.
Tallava => albanian music style
Elderly => is a person that i san old age. This person is considered old, when has over sixty-five years
Neighborhood => the inhabitants of the same street you life.

People help people

Three years ago I felt the most lonely and messiest person in the world.

I was in a dark period from which I couldn’t get out. I had my heart broken, I didn’t smile anymore, I wasn’t the same as before.

On a gloomy afternoon of three years ago, I was going to the train station.

I was listening to music and looking down, when a boy smiled at me and I did the same.

Just a smile, nothing more.

                                                    

A year after, in October, I saw him again: it was another bad day. On that day I was so sad that I was crying. I was going to the train station and I thought I would have loved to meet the mysterious boy, but I had almost lost hope.

He passed next to me and I immediately recognized him. We didn’t talk and we both had a very sad face, but we knew we needed to talk together. I went for the train but a few seconds later the mysterious boy turned to me smiling: I realized that he had recognized me as well.

I got on the train and I haven’t seen him since that day.

I tried to find out who he was to thank him for helping me with just a simple smile. Since that day I think that sometimes there are special bonds between people that don’t require words.

Sometimes pain get people together.

People help each other without knowing it: that boy helped me without saying a word. He helped  me with a smile.

 

Glossary

Lonely: alone, a person who stands alone

Messy: disordered, a confused person who doesn’t put things in order

Gloomy: dark, a day without sun

Smile:  to assume a facial expression indicating favor and fun

See: to view something with the eyes

Lose hope: be sad, see negative

Recognize: to know, to see someone among many people

Find out: to get an information

Bond: a relationship among people

The value of things

The first time that I heard this song I didn’t give much weight to its meaning but I liked its rhythm.
Later I understood the meaning as well as the value of things and people. Similar experiences have happened to me, the most recent was a trivial quarrel with a friend but fortunately we put aside the pride and we saved our friendship.

I chose this song because it reflects on a very common and important theme: we realize the value of things only after we have lost them.This song makes us understand how the things that at first seem useless,once lost become necessary.
Simple things, simple habits, simple gestures become essential.
Unfortunately, the guy inthe song doesn’t put aside the pride and accept that the girl he loves isn’t longer at his side, suffering for love .

The message is to give the right importance to everything and everyone, because everything and everyone areessential.

Put aside the pride when you have to fight for something or someone important!

Well you only need the light when its burning low

Only miss the sun when it starts to snow

Only know you love her when you let her go 

Only know you’ve been high when you’re feeling low

Only hate the road when you’re missing home

Only know you love her when you let her go

And you let her go 

Staring at the bottom of your glass

Hoping one day you’ll make a dream last

But dreams come slow and they go so fast 

You see her when you close your eyes

Maybe one day you’ll understand why

Everything you touch surely dies 

But you only need the light when its burning low

Only miss the sun when it starts to snow

Only know you love her when you let her go 

Only know you’ve been high when you’re feeling low

Only hate the road when you’re missing home

Only know you love her when you let her go 

Staring at the ceiling in the dark

Same old empty feeling in your heart

Cos love comes slow and it goes so fast 

Well you see her when you fall asleep

But never to touch and never to keep

Cos you loved her too much and you dived too deep 

Well you only need the light when its burning low

Only miss the sun when it starts to snow

Only know you love her when you let her go 

Only know you’ve been high when you’re feeling low

Only hate the road when you’re missing home

Only know you love her when you let her go

And you let her go

And you let her go

Well you let her go 

Cos you only need the light when its burning low

Only miss the sun when it starts to snow

Only know you love her when you let her go 

Only know you’ve been high when you’re feeling low

Only hate the road when you’re missing home

Only know you love her when you let her go 

Cos you only need the light when its burning low

Only miss the sun when it starts to snow

Only know you love her when you let her go 

Only know you’ve been high when you’re feeling low

Only hate the road when you’re missing home

Only know you love her when you let her go

And you let her go.

Glossary

Useless: something that is not useful
Surely: something that is sure
Ceiling: the highest part of the wall
Empty: something that does not contain anything
Give much weight:
Trivial: something for granted
Quarrel: discuss with a person
Put aside: forget something

Impossible (the end of a love story)

The Smiths

I've chosen this song because James Arthur has decided to express his sorrow in a song. The first time that I have listened to this song, it gave me the shivers.

I like this song because it conveys the sorrow of a story that has finished, the love rage and the sadness that sometimes we experience when a story ends. The first time I listened to this song I was moved by the words of the lyrics. But the thing I find more interesting is James Arthur's voice: so sweet and at the same time so powerful...

Enjoy that sound!

IMPOSSIBLE 

I remember years ago

Someone told me I should take

Caution when it comes to love

I did

And you were strong and I was not

My illusion, my mistake

I was careless, I forgotI did

And now when all is done

There is nothing to say

You have gone, and so effortlessly

You have won

You can go ahead tell them

Tell them all I know now

Shout it from the roof tops

Write it on the sky line

All we had is gone now

Tell them I was happy

And my heart is broken

All my scars are open

Tell them what I hoped would be

Impossible, impossible

Impossible, impossible

Falling out of love is hard

Falling for betrayal is worse

Broken trust and broken hearts

I know. I know

Thinking all you need is there

Building faith on love and words

Empty promises will wear

I know.

I know

And now when all is gone

There is nothing to say

And if you're done with embarrassing me

On your own you can go ahead tell them

Tell them all I know now

Shout it from the roof tops

Write it on the sky line

All we had is gone now

Tell them I was happy

And my heart is broken

All my scars are open

Tell them what I hoped would be

Impossible, impossible

Impossible impossible

I remember years ago

Someone told me I should take

Caution when it comes to love

I did

Tell them all I know now

Shout it from the roof tops

Write it on the sky line

All we had is gone now

Tell them I was happy

And my heart is broken

All my scars are open

Tell them what I hoped would be

Impossible, impossible

Impossible, impossible

Impossible, impossible

Glossary
Mistake: a mistake is an error
Careless: when you're careless about something, you're not giving it much attention or consideration
Embarrassing: something that is shameful or humiliating
Shout: utter in a loud voice
Faith:when you have faith, you trust or believe in something very strongly
Ahead: when you're ahead, you're further along or further forward

Summer paradise!

The Troll

We are good friends and last summer we went to the sea in Sardegna together.
Every day we went to the beach and we used to listen to this song.

Now, every time we occur to listen to this song we immediately remember ot that great time we spent having fun!
“Take me back, take me back, back to summer paradise”: this sentence is very important for us because we hope to live those moments again very soon.
We enjoyed a lot going to the beach with so many friends (… and beautiful guys as well!)

So… we share this positive and funny song to wish a great summer holiday to everybody!

Oh, oh, take me back, take me back

Oh yeah, back to summer paradise 

My heart is sinking as I’m lifting up

Above the clouds away from you

And I can’t believe I’m leaving

Oh, I don’t kno-kno-know what I’m gonna do 

But someday I will find my way back

To where your name is written in the sand 

‘Cause I remember every sunset

I remember every words you said

We were never gonna say goodbye

Singin’ la-ta-ta-ta-ta 

Tell me how to get back to

Back to summer paradise with you

And I’ll be there in a heartbeat, oh, oh

I’ll be there in a heartbeat, oh, oh

(Tell ‘em) 

My soul is broken, streets are frozen

I can’t stop these feelings melting through

And I’d give away a thousand days, oh

Just to have another one with you

(What’d you say?) 

Well, real life can wait

(It can wait)

We’re crashing like waves

(Uh-uh)

We’re playin’ in the sand

(Me and you)

Holding your hand, yeah, yeah 

‘Cause I remember every sunset

I remember every words you said

We were never gonna say goodbye

Singin’ la-ta-ta-ta-ta 

Tell me how to get back to

Back to summer paradise with you

And I’ll be there in a heartbeat, oh, oh

I’ll be there in a heartbeat, oh, oh 

Yeah, uh, I remember sunny mornings and summer evenings

Now you’re not next to me and I am freezing

Was it real? Oh baby, tell me, was I dreaming?

How can you show me paradise when I’m leaving? 

Now my heartbeat is sinking, hope’s shrinking

When I try to speak, no words, lip-syncing

Hope this is not just wishful thinking

Tell me that you care and I’ll be there in a heartbeat 

Someday I will find my way back

To where your name is written in the sand

(Yeah, yeah, yeah, let’s go) 

‘Cause I remember every sunset

And I remember every words you said

We were never gonna say goodbye

(No, no, no)

Singin’ la-ta-ta-ta-ta 

Tell me how to get back to

Back to summer paradise with you

(Yeah)

And I’ll be there in a heartbeat 

I remember where we first kissed

How I didn’t wanna leave your lips

And how I’ve never ever felt so high

Singin’ la-ta-ta-ta-ta 

So tell me how to get back to

Back to summer paradise with you

And I’ll be there in a heartbeat, yeah oh, oh

I’ll be there in a heartbeat

(Summer paradise)

Oh, oh, I’ll be there in a heartbeat

Glossary 

Sink: to go down, below the surface of water, mud, etc. 

Clouds: a cloud is a clump of water vapor that you can see in the sky. Clouds are sometimes white and puffy, and other times so big and gray that they completely block the sun

Sand: the very tiny, loose pieces of rock that cover beaches, deserts, etc.

Sunset: the time when the sun goes below the horizon in the evening

Heartbeat: the action or sound of the heart as it pumps blood

Wave: a movement up and down or back and forth

A song for football

The next generations

Good morning dear readers,

this song was a catchphrase of the summer 2010 and now all times we listen, we think of the football. The song remember the beautiful moments of football and the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Waka Waka is a song performed by the Colombian singer Shakira with the South African group Freshlyground, chosen as the official anthem of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, which took place in South Africa. The song was written by the same Shakira and John Hill based on the song Cameroonian Zangalewa, which was almost entirely taken up in the refrain.

The South Africans have criticized the fact that the official song was not played by a local artist, believing that Shakira does not represent their country. Shakira responded to this criticism by saying that the World Cup is a global event that connects countries, religions and conditions in a single passion, furthermore the World Cup is an event able to unite and integrate, and this is the topic of this song .

This time for Africa

You're a good soldier

Choosing your battles

Pick yourself up and dust yourself off and back in the saddle

You're on the front line

Everyone's watching

You know it's serious we're getting closer, this isn't over

The pressure is on

You feel it

But you've got it all

Believe it

When you get down oh oh

And if you get up eh eh

Tsamina mina zangalewa

'Cause this is Africa

Tsamina mina eh eh

Waka waka eh eh

Tsamina mina zangalewa

This time for Africa

Listen to your God

This is our motto

Your time to shine don't wait in line y vamos por todo

People are raising

Their expectations

Go on and feed them this is your moment no hesitations

Today's your day

I feel it

You paved the way

Believe it

If you get down get up oh oh

When you get down get up eh eh

Tsamina mina zangalewa

This time for Africa

Tsamina mina eh eh

Waka waka eh eh

Tsamina mina zangalewa

Anawa aa

Tsamina mina eh eh

Waka waka eh eh

Tsamina mina zangalewa

This time for Africa

Ame la mejole biggi biggi mubbo wa A to Z

Asi tsu zala makyuni biggi biggi mubbo from East to West

Asi waga waga ma eh eh waga waga ma eh eh

Tendency suna tsibuye 'cause this is Africa (Africa, Africa Africa)

Tsamina mina, eh eh

Waka waka, eh eh

Tsamina mina zangalewa

Anawa a a

Tsamina mina, eh eh

Waka waka, eh eh

Tsamina mina zangalewa

This time for Africa

Django eh eh

Django eh eh

Tsamina mina zangalewa

Anawa a a

We're all Africa

We're all Africa

We're all Africa

Glossary
catchphrase: Hit of summer
anthem: an anthem is a song that represents the ideals of a group of people
take place: come to pass
able: the skill to do something
refrain: the part of a song where a soloist is joined by a group of singers
shine: to give off a bright

No guns allowed

Black blood in the veins

This song was written by Snoop Lion, his daughter Cori B and Drake and it was directed by Jelly Terrero. The song itself is a very important message against violence. This song especially talks about the childrens who were killed at the elementary school by a delinquent who, after that, killed his father and wanted to kill the mother who taught at the school where he killed the childrens. The age of the childrens who lost their lives in the massacre includes from 6 to 7 years. Instead, the murderer was 24 years old and he had four different weapons. In our opinion, this was one of the most traumatic massacre ever. Nowdays, in this world many people have no soul, and there's no difference a between adults, seniors and children. Now you have no longer respect for anyone, always hope to have a better world tomorrow. The sentence in the lyrics that struck us most in this song is: "Bullets do not choose a victim/it is the shooter that picks' em".

Lyrics

Money makes a man and that's a crime
If we all were rich, we'd spend more time
With our daughters and sons, they're losing their minds
We all feel hurt, here's mine, hear me now

Cause, no guns are allowed, in here tonight
We're gonna have a free-for-all, no fights
I wanna get lost in the crowd, in here tonight
I need to hear my thoughts, turn the music up loud

Let the music play, me don't want no more gunplay
When the bodies hit the ground, there's nothing left to say, ay, ay
Me don't want to see no more innocent blood shed
Me don't want to see no more youth dead
Come hear me now

Cause, no guns are allowed, in here tonight
We're gonna have a free-for-all, no fights
I wanna get lost in the crowd, in here tonight
I need to hear my thoughts, turn the music up loud

Yeah, yeah, yeah, news from back home
This when it hurts to be gone
Two more young names to be carved out of stone
One summer day that went horribly wrong
Got my dawg on the phone
Cryin' and sayin' to leave him alone, but I'm not leavin' his side
I know that somebody died, somebody's child
Some people ducked down and some people hide
Some people just cannot react in time
Bullets do not choose a victim
It is the shooter that picks 'em
They just can't wait to get you in the system
The district attorney could use a conviction
Told you no guns and then you didn't listen
Life is so heavy with that on your soul
Dedicate this to Shyanne and Josh
And pour sumthin' out for the lives that they stole

Cause, no guns are allowed, in here tonight
We're gonna have a free for all, no fights
I wanna get lost in the crowd, in here tonight
I need to hear my thoughts, turn the music up loud

Money makes a man and that's a crime
Money makes a man and that's a crime
I wanna get lost in the crowd, in here tonight

Glossary

to Carve: to make an object or shape by cutting wood or stone
to Duck. to move your body down quickly to avoid being hit or seen
Crowd: a large group of people who are together in one place
Dawg: slang for "my close acquaintance of an African-American ethnic background"
to React: to respond to a stimulus
District: a district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by local government

...And hoping for a better life

Lionesses 

The A Team is a single of the singer Ed Sheeran, the first extract from the third studio album published June 12, 2011.

This song is about an eighteen years old girl who lives in the drug world.

Ed Sheeran describes the characteristics of this girl (white lips, pale face and burned lungs) who prostitutes herself to afford drugs before killing herself.

In an interview, the singer explains the song's title this way: "A drug like crack cocaine is called a 'Class A drug'. That's in the same category as heroin. Instead of making it clear and just saying what the problem was, I'd say, 'She's in the 'Class A' team.' It was kind of my way of covering up (a person's addiction), I guess, making it a bit more subtle."

The video tells the life of this girl sleeping on a bench in a park.

During the day she is in the streets to sell newspapers, but no one buys them if not a boy (the singer Ed Sheeran). With little money she earns she buys something to eat and she sits in front of a shop window with all the people walking by and she cries. She decides to freshen her make up, put on a shirt and a miniskirt and go into the street. A car stops and she assumes a sensual attitude, gets in the car and goes into a hotel room.

At the end of her work, she takes the money to buy the drug and in the end she commits suicide.

We chose this song for two reasons: the first reason is for the words. We love the way the singer describes the life of this girl. The second reason is the subject: drugs. We think that drugs are a serious problem nowadays, above all for the consequences that drug may have on you for the rest of your life.

White lips, pale face 

Breathing in snowflakes 

Burnt lungs, sour taste 

Light's gone, day's end 

Struggling to pay rent 

Long nights, strange men 

And they say 

She's in the Class A Team 

Stuck in her daydream 

Been this way since 18 

But lately her face seems 

Slowly sinking, wasting 

Crumbling like pastries 

And they scream 

The worst things in life come free to us 

Cos we're just under the upperhand 

And go mad for a couple of grams 

And she don't want to go outside tonight 

And in a pipe she flies to the Motherland 

Or sells love to another man 

It's too cold outside 

For angels to fly 

Angels to fly 

Ripped gloves, raincoat 

Tried to swim and stay afloat 

Dry house, wet clothes 

Loose change, bank notes 

Weary-eyed, dry throat 

Call girl, no phone 

An angel will die 

Covered in white 

Closed eye 

And hoping for a better life 

This time, we'll fade out tonight 

Straight down the line 

And they say 

She's in the Class A Team 

Stuck in her daydream 

Been this way since 18 

But lately her face seems 

Slowly sinking, wasting 

Crumbling like pastries 

They scream 

The worst things in life come free to us 

And we're all under the upperhand 

Go mad for a couple of grams 

And we don't want to go outside tonight 

And in a pipe we fly to the Motherland 

Or sell love to another man 

It's too cold 

For angels to fly 

Angels to fly 

To fly, fly 

Or angels to die.

Glossary

Struggling: to struggle in a difficult situation. 

Upperhand: vantage point of superiority, over an opponent. 

Day dream: dreaming with a open eyes, fantasying. 

Sinking: a person with a shock, upset. 

Crumbly: object that quickly crumbles. 

Mad: person with a mental disorder, mentally ill. 

Motherland: country, nation in which someone was born. 

Stuck: a person locked in a situation. 

Afloat: an object that floats, which remains on the water surface. 

Raincoat: a piece of clothes that protects from water. 

Freshen: to remake a make up

Dance inna Babylon

Five Guys

Italian reggae band Mellow Mood was born in Pordenone in 2005 but officially debuted in 2009 with their first record, entitled “Move!”. It was an unexpected success and the two singles “Only You” and “Dance Inna Babylon” got a total of more than ten million views on YouTube.
Their heartfelt live shows led Rototom Sunsplash to name Mellow Mood best Italian reggae band. After a slight line-up change, Mellow Mood went back into the studio to record “Well Well Well”.
We chose this band because they are emerging. We met them at a their concert in Palazzolo, it was fantastic, we sang their songs for many hours. The thing we liked most was when the fog machine and strobe lights were turned on and the band performed the song "Dance inna Babylon". It is actually our favourite song: the lyrics are very nice, we find it unique and a very powerful experience but the best thing is the rhythm.

Lyrics - Dance inna Babylon

Dance inna Babylon, until its throne a fall
I'n'I who see teachings of the Rastaman,
Back inna the yard living gets so hard,
Never play the game of a politician

Dance inna Babylon, until its throne a fall,
I'n'I who see teachings of the Rastaman,
Back inna the yard living gets so hard,
Never play the game of a politician

With righteousness I will bring you to my heart,
reveal you all I have ever heard
and everything will be so far away,
cause you to me mean every word I say

Me just can't try to fight that all only with me hands
but with you here, with no fear, I know it could be better
and I always know where we a come from
and I'll fight till Jah keep me so strong!

Dance inna Babylon, until its throne a fall
I'n'I who see teachings of the Rastaman,
Back inna the yard living gets so hard,
Never play the game of a politician

Dance inna Babylon, until itsthrone a fall,
I'n'I who see teachings of the Rastaman,
Back inna the yard living gets so hard,
Never play the game of a politician

Inna this race, where people rise and fall
ain't got no money? Well you've got to bow!
But with your work, with the knowledge of your edge,
you won't believe to every single word dem say

Me not a soldier, it's not there where I'm supposed to be
and ain't no work, ain't no game, me nah work for your deals
Me see everyone suffering alone
but together dem can't never get we down

Dance inna Babylon, until its throne a fall
I'n'I who see teachings of the Rastaman,
Back inna the yard living gets so hard,
Never play the game of a politician

Dance inna Babylon, until its throne a fall
I'n'I who see teachings of the rastaman,
Bagk inna the yard living gets so hard,
Never play the game of a politician

Blaze, blaze up the fire, and look down the road
Blaze, blaze up the fire, for dem who neva bow
Blaze, blaze up the fire, and look down the road
Blaze, blaze up the fire, becaw dem neva tell you what:

Children suffering, struggling for politic strategy
Dem neva care 'bout woman, only what dem a conquering
Dem boundaries and barriers control all we humanity
But sufferah still shouting and you won't hear about it!

Glossary

Heartfelt: of a feeling or its expression
Growth: the process of increasing in size
Slight: small in degree
Righteousness: the quality of being morally right or justifiable
to Reveal: to make (previously unknown or secret information) known to others
Knowledge: facts, information, and skills acquired through experience or education; the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject
Rototom Sunsplash: it is a European reggae festival
Boundary: a line which marks the limits of an area
Strobe lights: such a lamp used for creating special lighting effects, as in a theater or discotheque or at a rock concert
Fog machine: it is a device that emits a dense vapor that appears similar to fog or smoke which is most commonly used in professional entertainment applications

Have we really found the answer to everything?

The Chiari Herald

In 2011 Nas and Bob Marley’s son, Damian a.k.a. Jr Gong, wrote this fabulous song where there are clear questions about the difference of thought, culture, life style and religion.
Questioning the lifestyle of the poor and the rich as well, the singers are sarcastically saying that science is not always right.
We think that if this song could be heard in 15 years it would have the same shocking effect.
In this video there are two singers sitting on thrones, in the background there are pyramids, animals and some people.
All the population meet near the houses and there are two women dancing.
They move constantly across a bridge to the desert and the two singers are in a pond with a waterfall behind, in the sky there are stars and the moon.
The singer is sitting on the throne and at his right there is the Islamic symbol and at his left there is the Christian one.
The two hip hop’s legends describe the ill society using unusual and little considered topics, like the Egyptian culture, clairvoyance, zoo, paparazzi and sacred books’ writers and if you try to imagine the scenery while listening to this song you can do a trip in your mind and take a look at the perversity of the actual world.
In this song the masters mix hip hop with classic music and a little bit of reggaeton in one of the most catchy song of all time with American slang and a Hindi refrain.

Close your eyes, good listening and have a good trip!

Lyrics:

Sabali, Sabali, Sabali, yonkontê
Sabali, Sabali, Sabali, kiye
Ni kêra môgô
Sabali, Sabali, Sabali, yonkontê
Sabali, Sabali, Sabali, kagni
Ni kêra môgô

Some of the smartest dummies
Can't read the language of Egyptian mummies
An' a fly go a moon
And can't find food for the starving tummies
Pay no mind to the youths
Cause it's not like the future depends on it
But save the animals in the zoo
Cause the chimpanzee dem a make big money
This is how the media pillages
On the TV the picture is
Savages in villages
And the scientists still can't explain the pyramids, huh
Evangelists making a living on the videos of ribs of the little kids
Stereotyping the image of the images

[RIT]

Huh, we born not knowing, are we born knowing all?
We growing wiser, are we just growing tall?
Can you read thoughts? can you read palms?
Huh, can you predict the future? can you see storms, coming?
The Earth was flat if you went too far you would fall off
Now the Earth is round if the shape changes again everybody would start laughing
The average man can't prove of most of the things that he chooses to speak of
[…]Can you read signs? can you read stars?
Can you make peace? can you fight war?
Can you milk cows, even though you drive cars? huh
Can you survive, Against All Odds, Now?

[RIT]

Who wrote the Bible? Who wrote the Qur'an?
And was it a lightning storm
That gave birth to the earth
And then dinosaurs were born? damn
Who made up words? who made up numbers?
And what kind of spell is mankind under?
Everything on the planet we preserve and can it
[…]Like somebody got a doll of me
Stickin' needles in my arteries
But I can't feel it
Sometimes it's like 'pardon me, but I got a real big spirit'
I'm fearless.... I'm fearless
Don't you try and grab hold of my soul
It's like a military soldier since seven years old
I held real dead bodies in my arms […]

Glossary
A.k.a.: Also know as
Average man: the normal and common  man
Catchy: a nice thing to hear
Claim: when you express your right to something
Clairvoyance: the ability to predict the future
Dummy: a dummy is a type of doll that looks like a person/stupid
Fearless: invulnerable to fear on intimidation, without any fear
Flat: something straight
Pillage: to rob someone
Refrain: the repeating part of a song
Rib: a bone of the body
Root: the part of the plant that’s underground
Shape: the form of something
Starving: people who have so hungry that they could die
Stereotyping: repeating often the same images
Storm: a violent weather condition
Tummies: the principal organ of digestion
Wiser: when you possess knowledge of something 

Youths: young people