Are Taylor Swift and Blair Waldorf secretly the same person?

This past week marked the beginning of a new era in Taylor Swift’s career with the release of the first two singles off of her forthcoming album, Reputation. It was also a historic moment for fans of what is arguably one of the best and most controversial teenage dramas of all time, Gossip Girl, as it marked the 10th anniversary of the series premiere.

Playboi Carti impresses with live performance

Summer is over, which means that this writer is back on his proverbial cow excrement. That is to say it is time for another article about a concert. While most of the Hopkins community spent their summer working a high-powered internship or impacting some positive change on the world, some of us chose to just work and listen to music.

Baltimore set for a jam-packed concert season

With the fall semester just getting underway, there’s numerous shows worth seeing coming soon to Baltimore. Here’s a preview of some of the best, covering a wide breadth of genres from heavy metal to indie pop to rap.

XXXTentacion’s emotional release 17 falls short

XXXTentacion (aka X) is an unlikely creation — an array of disparate characteristics that had to fit together perfectly in order to form him. He is a part of the Soundcloud rap era, an independent artist who got discovered online.

Oiticica exhibit highlights creativity and talent

When I first walk in to the exhibition, I wonder why there is a box in the middle of the room.

Musicians explore their anxieties this summer

DJ Quik and JMSN’s new releases live up to hype

About a year ago, west coast hip-hop legend DJ Quik — one of the definitive west coast rappers, standing alongside Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube and the N.W.A. ensemble — and fellow Compton rapper Problem released a short mixtape called Rosecrans. The EP was a fun, well produced work with a few west coast bangers and some great grooves. Now, Quik and Problem have turned this small EP into a fully fleshed album.

Film Festival promises exciting schedule

It’s been many a year — about five — since we’ve heard anything from the iconic D.C. punk band Bad Brains. Time and personal problems have prevented the band from getting together for studio work since their 2012 album Into the Future and a suspected upcoming album has yet to materialize. Thankfully, punk fans can look to the Maryland Film Festival in their time of need.

Students curate and design exhibit of avant-garde art

The Milton S. Eisenhower M Level Exhibit space welcomed a student produced exhibit entitled “Asger Jorn and CoBrA.” The exhibit, which was shown on April 26, was designed by students in the class “The Long Sixtie’s in Europe” taught by History of Art Professor Molly Warnock.

Boomerang is a perfect album for finals stress

If you’ve been searching for a soundtrack for finals week, look no further. Indie pop artist Elliot Moss has that perfect slow, subdued vibe that is so well suited to all-nighters in Brody when you need some light background music to vibe to.

Gorillaz release long-awaited album Humanz

Hulu’s Handmaid’s Tale captivates viewers

Back in April of 2016, when it was first announced that a TV adaptation of The Handmaid’s Tale was coming to Hulu, no one had any idea how culturally relevant it would feel after its release.

Ferg and Aoki shine at Spring Fair concert

The titular Spring Fair concert was held at the very august Ram’s Head Live in the Inner Harbor on Friday, April 28. The headliners — and indeed the only performers except for a guy who Ferg brought whose name I didn’t catch — were DJ Steve Aoki and the Hood Pope himself: A$AP Ferg.

Noname forges her own path in hip hop

My favorite female rapper is Noname. Rap is weird like that, where everyone is forced to have a favorite “descriptor” rapper. There’s the best New York rapper, the best female rapper, the best “mumble” rapper, the best fat rapper (although that seems to have changed after the progression went from the Fat Boys to Biggie to Big Pun to Fat Joe).

Lacks film screening prompts criticism of Hopkins

The university hosted a screening of HBO’s new film The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks on Monday. The film is based on science reporter Rebecca Skloot’s 2010 book of the same name, which documented the life of a Baltimore woman named Henrietta Lacks who died of cervical cancer in 1951.

Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why stirs controversy

13 Reasons Why made history earlier this month when it became the most-talked-about Netflix show on social media in the streaming giant’s history. Of course, Netflix is thrilled, as this seems to be a sign that they have finally captured a demographic that previously proved elusive: those in the tween-to-teen age-range. Needless to say, that group was not exactly primed for Orange is the New Black or House of Cards.

Things you’ll see at this year’s Spring Fair

1. Cake smashing

Father John Misty succeeds on Pure Comedy

Unafraid to confront complex philosophical themes in music, Father John Misty questions what it means to be human in his latest folk rock album, Pure Comedy. Released on April 7, the album boasts orchestral-sounding tracks that criticize mankind with biting wit.

Cam’ron revolutionized rap with Purple Haze

This has been a fairly light week for new music, so I have decided to turn my eyes back to some classic albums that aren’t talked about as much as they should be. The first on this list is one of my personal favorite albums, Purple Haze, by objectively the most charismatic rapper of all time, Cam’ron.