Puttin' On For Your City: An Analysis

by J. Brown

Confession: I really like T-Pain. Having attending college from 2004-2008, Mr. Pain was an integral part of my party-going experiences. It could even be argued that other than Lil' Wayne, T-Pain was the biggest hip-hop artist during that time period. In addition to having his own smash singles, like "Buy U a Drank", he was also featured on A LOT of other people's singles. Just look at this list of singles that he was featured on; his 2007 was insane. 

Graduating college should have put T-Pain in a strictly nostalgic place for me, somewhere along with Bacardi Limon, fake IDs and Ramen noodles. That hasn't happened. I still enjoy his music, and could probably spend an unnecessary amount of time spouting the merits of Thr33 Ringz. So the other day, I was listening to his latest album while mopping the floors in my house. (I'm still an adult, after all.) On the first song, he used a phrase that's overused in hip-hop, but for some reason, it made me think. Yes, I said it: T-Pain's music made me think. In the first verse - which is mostly just about being a baller and gettin' these hoes - T-Pain claims that he does it "for my hood." Though I've heard rappers say this countless times on records, for some reason, I really thought to myself, 'What does that actually mean?' How exactly does one "do it for their hood"?

Beware of the Brunch

by J. Brown

Winter is gone, and spring is upon us. In addition to the obvious climate changes that will take place, springtime garners a significant amount of social changes, as well. The baseball park reopens. The winter cuddle buddies slowly begin to distance themselves. Sundresses become prevalent again. (Thank God.) And, perhaps most significant, day parties and brunches become the most popular weekend activities for the young professional crowd. 

I didn't understand brunch culture when I first graduated from college. My only understanding of brunch was the leftover sandwich you ate at 1 pm because you woke up late from partying the night before. When I moved to DC at age 24, I quickly realized that brunch wasn't just a meal, it was an event. You don’t just eat brunch; you do brunch. In addition to learning this new verb, I also became familiar with the idea of the day party. Day parties are exactly what they sound like; it’s a club party, but in the daytime, so you can actually see what that “cute” girl really looks like. In DC, the best day parties are usually on rooftop bars where you can enjoy the weather and party with your friends. 

Now, day parties/brunch parties can be pretty fun, especially the first few times you go and the experience is new. But the more familiar you get with these settings and the more you really think about it, the idea of a brunch party in the daytime is pretty counterintuitive for a number of reasons. First and foremost, day parties usually involve alcohol, drink specials and bottle service. This sounds cool in theory, but getting tipsy at 3:30 in the afternoon isn't really all it’s cracked up to be. Depending on how hard you decide to go, you may or may not be drunk when the party ends at 6 or 7 pm. Now, you’re in no man’s land. It’s too early to call it a night, but it’s also too early for any of the actual nightclubs or bars to be open. And you can’t go home and try to go back out later in the night, because once you sit down you’re probably going to just end up passing out. You didn't think about any of this when you saw the special on Eventbrite, though. You just read “free before 4 pm with RSVP” and you were all in. Now the sun’s barely set and you’re tired, tipsy, and your feet are killing you. You've been set up.