Project Development... Updated.

        So, I have decided to change up my approach to this Project Development thing. As long as I don't change my mind again, I am most likely going to make an expansion on my YouTubing Whitman project. In that project, I edited a video, placed one of my songs underneath, and recited Whitman lines on top. Through that project, I tried to create a new lens in which to view Whitman's poetry by way of visual media. Now, I'd like to create a new lens to view the Whitman poetry by transforming Whitman's verse into rap verse, and use his own colors to create a new painting.. I'd like to go into the Calamus poems, dig up lines that I can transform, add to, and subtract from, and create a song. I will take creative liberties while I do, cuz, you know...
    
        I will extract the CONTENT from the poetics of Whitman's lines, and then place the content back into a different poetic form. Sometimes, I will rip the lines right out of the poem, and stick them straight into the song. I will post my lyrics side by side with the Calamus poems/lines I adapted them from, to show what meanings and sentiments I derive from his poetry. I will also post the audio of the song on my blog once I'm done as well. My friend has a ghetto studio with a real vocal microphone, i.e. one that doesn't blow up and distort whenever you say a word with the letter "P" in it. Hopefully I can get him to hook me up. Otherwise, it will be recorded on my really bad microphone. My bad.

        I don't rap, but just this once, I will. My voice doesn't have much range, so I will probably sound like something in between the monotone stylings of Guru (from Gang Starr) and Evidence (from Dilated Peoples). On these songs here, both of the rappers I named had the benefit of having my producer-hero DJ Premier lace them with a dope-ass beat and scratches. I won't have that luxury, but I hope it comes out decent, because I am picky as hell when it comes to my Hip-Hop, and I will hate myself if it comes out wack. Real talk.

Rest in Peace, Guru.

Microphone check, 1, 2.

Project Development

I kinda wanted to look at some more of Whitman's peers, but at the same time, I didn't. Then I also wanted to look at more examples of Whitman in Mass Media, but at the same time, I didn't. I was wondering if I could do a project that in a way combines elements from those two projects (but at the same time, is a bit different)? What I had in mind is looking for a few of Whitman's peers, not in terms of time/place/artform, but in terms of an artist who directly claims Whitman as a heavy influence and creates art as a 'peer' of Whitman in terms of his 'realm of style' (and I wouldn't dwell on any of the poets/artists who are involved in our teaching project). After finding a few artists who state they are directly influenced, I wanted to look at what exactly they took from Whitman's influence (free-form? romantic aspects? ideas of interconnectedness? language? democratic ideals?) I wanted to build on the other 'Whitman's Peers' post by showing Whitman influence that is direct and stated, and this idea comes from the fact that one of my 'Whitman In Mass Media' entries directly stated Whitman as an influence. What I really hope to find is a few artists I don't know much about, and examining their art to find what they borrow from Whitman, which might also show me what certain things people notice the most about Whitman.