Black Tap | Review

Yesterday, a couple of friends and I went to Black Tap in SOHO. You know. Crazy Milkshake Black Tap. For those who don't, however, Black Tap is a burger place that, according to their site has been "modernized for the Instagram age." It is run by chef Joe Isidori whose goal from the start was to create a classic luncheonette, kind of a more casual diner but only for lunch, and create the perfect burger. There are three locations in New York, two in SOHO and one in the meatpacking district. I went to the one on Broome Street. I'm not sure if that was the original one but a waitress said something about the top floor being the original building and the downstairs being an addition.  

     Okay, so the wait was about 30 minutes. Yup. I mean I guess that wasn't bad, someone said they waited for 4 hours in February. While waiting. we looked at the brick wall behind us and realized it had been turned into a Black Tap waiting mural with everything from twitter handles to Staten Island pride to Montana pride (a true American hero added Hannah before that) to "MEOW" to random pig doodles to "SEND NUDES". Of course, I wrote my name on there (several times and with a gel ink pen).

I didn't buy actual food, I mean I had the fries which were amazing with ketchup and truffle butter, but no burger. Two of my friends and I got the Brooklyn Blackout milkshake and the Cookie milkshake together. My thoughts? Excessive but amazing. At one point I just looked at the huge oreo shaped ice cream cookie on the Cookie milkshake and was overwhelmed. It was the best milkshake I've had in New York for sure. And the whole vibe of the place was cool and relax, especially with the chill and accommodating waiters/waitresses. 10/10 will go again. 

Highlight | Beast is Back!!

With K-pop on the rise internationally, how can I not talk about my favorite groups of all time? Beast!! Now Highlight :)

03.20.17 - The official debut of Highlight, the long awaited independent return of the K-pop group formerly known as Beast.
They came back with a mini-album "Can You Feel It?" and their title song is "Plz Don't Be Sad", a song telling people to smile because they're prettier when they smile.

They also had a pre-release track the week before their debut, "It's Still Beautiful."

You guys should see my calendar, I have more events about Highlight's schedule than my own plans.
(you can check out their schedule on the Around Us website here)

But wait... Who the hell is Highlight? Let's simply go through the 5 Ws

WHO: Highlight is a five member group consisting of Yoon Doojoon, Yong Junhyung, Yang Yoseob, Lee Gikwang, and Son Dongwoon.

Left to Right: Son Dongwoon, Lee Gikwang, Yang Yoseob, Yoon Doojoon, Yong Junhyung

They were formerly part of Cube Entertainment's first boy group Beast which debuted in 2009. Some of you may know Jang Hyunseung. He was also a member of Beast but officially left the group in April of 2016, the same year all of their contracts ended with Cube Ent. After the termination of their contracts with Cube Ent., the five other members left the company and established Around Us Entertainment.

WHAT: They came back less than a year after their last album with Cube, "Highlight" (Beast's third full album, and their first album as a five member group. Remember, Hyunseung had left three months prior.)

Their mini-album "Can You Feel It" has five tracks.

01. Plz Don't Be Sad (Title Song) (Youtube Video: 1thek / Highlight Official )
02. It's Still Beautiful (Pre-release Track) (Youtube Video: 1thek / Highlight Official)
03. Start
04. Dangerous
05. CAN YOU FEEL IT
06. Plz Don't Be Sad (instrumental)

WHEN: 03.20.17 is their official debut date as the group Highlight. But if you watch any of the variety shows they have been on, the running gag is that they are "9th-year rookies".

WHERE: This one is pretty self-explanatory. South Korea. They officially debutted with their title song, "Plz Don't Be Sad", releasing it on their Youtube channel (here) and on 1thek (here).

WHY: ...Should you give them a listen? Hey, K-pop is literally dominating the world music industry. There's also almost always at least one K-pop album on the World Album Billboard charts. I'm serious. Check right now, right here. (When I checked on 3.28 @11:50pm EST there were 5 K-Pop albums of the top 10. Highlight's "Can You Feel it?" being #9 :D)

So, support Beast, now HIGHLIGHT!!
Only one week into their promotions and they've already gotten a win on The Show! (Youtube videos: Performance / Win)

Get Out | Successful Horror Comedy

Wow. 99% on Rotten Tomatoes for a reason. Pause and reverse. Last Monday, a couple of friends and I went out to see Jordan Peele's Get Out. Get Out is a horror movie about the events that take place during an interracial couple's meet the parents weekend. And I mean, the movie had a perfect balance of everything that has been missing from recent blockbusters. First, the horror. The image above is a shot from one of the most frightening movie sequences I've seen in a while. Everything from the acting to the music to the editing to the writing is perfect. Daniel Kaluuya (main actor, Chris) doesn't have that many lines in this sequence or the movie for that matter, but his face says everything. Tied with this fear is the social commentary. At the end of the movie, when Rose and Chris are on the road and the police car shows up nothing is said but everyone in the theater felt the dread that came with knowing the cop would believe Rose (the girlfriend, played by the talented Allison Williams). Get Out managed to do what (once again) many recent blockbusters try to do but fail when it comes to racial commentary: it isn't overdone. I recently read Dave Eggers' The Circle, maybe I'll do a review before the movie comes out, and the whole message about society becoming an oversharing consumer zoo got tiring by part 2. I get it! And I believe this is how people feel about racial commentary-- "We get it!" Overdone spaghetti is just a mushy pile of carbs. But, Peele manages to make his work a racial satire that is genuinely hilarious. (See the cereal and milk scene and any scene with Lil Rey Howery.) The racial commentary in this movie is so subtle and so nuanced, Peele knows he doesn't need to spell out certain things so he doesn't. The fact that the movie doesn't seem like it is trying exhaustingly hard to make a point allows for it to be funny and scary and beautiful at the same time. This makes the movie accessible to almost every type of viewer.

Where do I think the 1% went, you ask? (Probably not, but let me have this!) I the movie took a wild turn into the unbelievable in the second act. Just so much was happening and the beginning of the movie was so realistic. I actually didn't mind that but I can see how some people wouldn't. Also, maybe, certain people were just a little hurt. It's okay. Munch on a frootloop. Sip some milk. ;) Honestly, it is so amazing that this movie did so well (opening with $33.4M) and is still doing well. I really didn't want Jordan Peele to be a new Tyler Perry.

I tried not to spoil too much so you should go watch it.

10/10 will see again. Seriously, I am going to see it with a different group of friends on Tuesday at the Nighthawk theater. Jordan Peele take my money!!!

Plot Twist: Jordan Peele is married to a white woman. haha

What Keeps You Up At Night? | Warning: Opinions

Everything changed on June 15, 2015 when businessman Donald Trump announced his presidential bid. Donald Trump changed the political scene with unapologetically racist and sexist statements disguised as a crusade against political correctness. Having had little previous exposure to Trump, it shocked me to see a grown man get away with and be celebrated for such vulgar language. Trump’s campaign has affected me on many levels, being a Muslim woman of color, but one of the most troubling aspects has been the media’s coverage of the issue. I fear that Trump is not being considered for presidency based on policies, but instead on empty promises amplified by the media.

Donald Trump stormed the media from the minute he stepped onto the Trump Towers escalator; in fact, after the announcement, he was mentioned more times than fifteen of the sixteen Republican candidates according to Internet and TV News Archives. As coverage of his campaign rose so did his poll numbers. The news media realized that Trump was the key to higher ratings, only after Trump realized the news media was the key to his higher poll numbers. Every controversial statement he made was labeled breaking news and tossed around by the arguing heads on CNN. In a time of hate and uncertainty, the media covers “What will become of the GOP” when the main, more dire issue is “What will become of the United States.” Sensationalizing Trump’s statements makes them seem acceptable to a public that neglects to put in the effort required to understand politics. Hateful people are given permission to broadcast previously silenced prejudices while those who are innocent feel the world is against them. Even worse, children acquire hateful vocabulary through the news. Recently, my eight-year-old sister was asked if she was a member of ISIS because she is Muslim by a classmate. It is tragic that such an event can take place in the United States, a country that defines freedom and progress.  

The Trump phenomenon is attributed to the apparent decline of American journalism; however, the public is mostly to blame. The news media simply shows the public what it wants to see, and no one advocates for what we need to see. The whole Trump affair distracts from real news, and a public turns a blind eye to it because entertainment is valued over working toward change. Trump shifts the national focus from fighting against terrorism to pointing fingers and boiling down groups of people into stock characters. To be fair, it is far easier to listen to Trump ramble about the dangers of immigration than to think about the Syrian refugee crisis. However, it takes thought to be empathetic. Empathy is a quality that can spark change and yet we are living in a world where xenophobia in the guise of politics is being sold to the masses on television.

-Kadi

Blog Re-Vamp!

Hello Viewer!

This is just a quick blog update. As of Fall 2017, all of the ranters will be college students. (Where? Time will tell. Stay tuned...) Yessir, we'll be college students with oh so many issues to rant about and oh so many opinions to share. Seriously, though, we figured why not use this blog to stay in touch? The blog will be revamped so it can become what we wanted it to be when we created it in middle school. This not only means more posts but a wider range of topics including food reviews, book reviews, movie reviews and more. Here's to a better blog!

First update: Instagram!

Follow us on Instagram: therant__

-Kadi