BY MITCHELL NORTHAM

Sports Editor

@primetimeMitch

   The buzz around the hip-hop world in the past few weeks or so has been what’s up with Kendrick Lamar’s new album?

   Is it good? Is it bad? Is it better than his last album? Is it better than J. Cole’s newest project, 2014 Forest Hills Drive?

   Kendrick’s new album – To Pimp A Butterfly – has drawn much acclaim, criticism and comparison. But it’s overshadowed one of the best works of hip-hop and artistry this year. Once again, the work of D.C. rapper Wale has flown under the radar.

   Wale’s newest album is ironically titled The Album About Nothing. It’s ironic because the album is about many things and is far from being simply about nothing. He covers so many topics, ideas and art on this album that it makes the title misleading. Which is fine, but just know that the listener is certainly getting into more than just something when they hit play on The Album About Nothing.

   The album kicks off with Wale and Jerry Seinfeld having a conversation on the first track. Yup - Jerry Seinfeld. What other hip-hop artist is going out on that limb to plug in skits from a 90’s sitcom star on their album in 2015?

   And the rapper from D.C. does this throughout the entire album, and it’s especially awesome during a pair of tracks pegged back-to-back early on in The Helium Balloon and White Shoes.

   On The Helium Balloon, Wale addresses his battles with fans. Some love him, some hate him, some troll him and some say he sold out – but ultimately, they need him. While Wale raps “Some love to see you blow, they don't want see you pop,” Seinfeld chimes in with a witty metaphor. Wale is the balloon, his fans are the little boy holding the string – letting it go, only to try and catch it.

   “So you're the balloon, you've got that helium and we travel with you through the string. So we're going up there with you even though we're on the ground. We can't fly, I can't sing, I can't make music but I can get a-- I can buy it. So I can get a balloon. I can't fly, but I can get a helium balloon,” Seinfeld says in the intro.

   He continues between Wale verses: “Now when a kid gets a helium balloon, he's holding that string and he's keeping this balloon from going anywhere. But he also wants to let it go.

“So he wants to let it go and he wants to catch it. Eventually he loses it - he doesn't want to lose it.”

   Next up on White Shoes, Seinfeld sets a scene talking about a woman seeing his white shoes, citing her saying that she likes them because they make her feel good. Wale dives into the verses, rapping about how white shoes can make a poor black kid feel good too, but he complicates the scene that Seinfeld sets by illustrating a criticism of poor people making rich decisions. But the song has an overall feel over positivity aside from the criticism. The hook from Wale goes, “Take this good advice, if they're gonna judge you for life, ay we can't always be fly, but we gon' be good long as them sneakers white.”

   After addressing consumer culture and kids getting held up and shot for Jordans, Wale then wraps the song up saying, “No matter how good or lavish us (expletives) got it, we just a bunch of ravenous addicts living for fancy haberdashery.”

   Feel free to Google a few of those words in spare time.

   The biggest takeaway from this album is that Wale wasn’t overshadowed in any way on any song or on any verse – not even by Seinfeld.

   J. Cole, Usher, SZA and Jerimih are featured, but not for verses – those are all Wale. None of his MMG label dudes even made it on this album and really the only shout out or mention they got was on a track titled The Middle Finger in which the rapper gives a big F-U to anyone who opposes or doubts him. So there’s that.

   The tracks with Jerimih and Usher give a nice R&B ending to this album and slow it down so Wale can address the females that have been in and out of his life throughout the years, and the future ladies to come his way.

   Seinfeld helps with the ladies and sex-game rapping on the track The Need To Know. The skit during the intro and between the verses of this song is actually from a Seinfeld episode in which Jerry and Elaine try to establish a “friends with benefits” deal – alluding to the theme of the song which Wale raps and SZA sings out.

   While some of the tracks show that Wale is still pissed at critics and that he’ll never stop putting on for his home – The DMV – it shows he has matured and he’s truly finally happy where he is with fans and music. While the album is a return to his roots and his early mixtape days, its far better than something he could have done in 2008 – all he needed was time and reps.

   So back to Kendrick’s album:

   The biggest difference between these two albums is the people that were in the studio while they were being recorded. To Pimp A Butterfly is good, but Kendrick’s third album could have been so much better if he had someone in the studio to tell him that a track - or two, or three - sounded lazy, weird, bad or just whack. 

   During the production of The Album About Nothing it sounds like Wale had that, or at least something similar to it.

   Or maybe it was just the guidance of one man: Seinfeld. Perhaps the guidance of legendary entertainer, artist and comedian was what Wale needed on this album. It is certainly what has set the rapper apart from the others in 2015.

BY TIMOTHY YOUNG

Staff Writer

@TheTimothyYoung

   The story of Marvel Comic's man without fear “Daredevil” recently released their first season on Netflix.

   Played by Charlie Cox, Daredevil is a street-level superhero who got in a car accident as a child, and was exposed to toxic chemicals that left him blind and endowed with superhuman senses.

   By day, he is an up and coming defense attorney named Matt Murdock, setting up shop in Hell’s Kitchen. By night, Murdock is known simply as the man in the black mask; stalking across the rooftops dispensing the truest form of vigilante justice.

   The well done cinematography is shown off during a fight scene that takes place in a hallway. The fight lasts several minutes, and was done with a single take.

   The fight scenes throughout the series are intense and gripping. The immersion is kept intact with Daredevil actually showing his fatigue and vulnerability as the fights wear on.

   This constantly reminds the viewer of one of the best elements of Daredevil’s character: He’s still just a man in a costume.

   "Daredevil" adds a new dynamic that most superhero movies have been lacking: True vulnerability. Daredevil is known as the “man without fear,” and that lack of fear could easily get any up-and-coming vigilante into a good amount of trouble.

   Within three episodes, Daredevil is found in an alleyway dumpster on the brink of death. He has no fancy iron suit, no magic hammer and no bulletproof skin.

   He can (and does) get the absolute crap kicked out of him with nothing to fall back on except for his heightened senses, will to fight and (of course) his impenetrable plot armor.

   "Daredevil" also pulls off another element that most Marvel productions seem to lack: a decent morally ambiguous villain.

   Vincent D'Onofrio plays the main antagonist, Wilson Fisk, also known as the Kingpin. D'Onofrio is a breath of fresh air for fans everywhere.

   It is not often that people can find themselves empathizing with a 300-pound murderous crime lord, but his backstory showed some serious contrast regarding his motives.

   He is far from a one-dimensional bad guy that most superhero shows and movies love to showcase.

   Overall, the casting is spot on throughout. Cox plays a very stoical Daredevil and gives of a very “Batman-y” vibe that works quite well for the tone of the series.

   However it is still a Marvel movie, and that is where Murdock’s best friend and partner, Foggy Nelson (played by Elden Henson), comes into play.

   With a quick wit and a lighthearted attitude, Foggy is a much needed character to lighten up the massively dark and serious mood the show sets.

   "Daredevil" is made on a completely different template for Marvel movies. It is a dark, gritty, thriller that isn’t afraid to get its hands dirty. With all the freedom of being a Netflix series, it takes its liberties with the violence and other elements that other Marvel productions couldn’t.

   However, "Daredevil" is still Marvel at heart, and continuously references the Avenger-related “incident” that had taken place in New York a few years before.

   This reinforces the idea that everything Marvel related will be eventually tied together with more Avenger movies, shows and spinoffs.

   Overall, "Daredevil" secures the role of a fantastic Marvel series. Hopefully this breakout will pave the way for a possible second season, and other street level superhero series that have already been cast for Netflix series.

   The Flyer gives "Daredevil" Season 1 a 9/10.

By Kobi Azoulay

   Is it a coincidence that Salisbury’s Spring Wellness Fair is scheduled on 4/20, the day that pot smokers across the country light up?

   Something smells a little bit fishy. Or is it skunky?

   In a way it actually makes sense. New health benefits of weed are discovered all the time. From helping people with epilepsy cut down on their seizures, all the way to allowing veterans to deal with their PTSD when they come back from war, the benefits are well documented.

   It’s unlikely the University scheduled the event today to promote those facts. Even though weed is decriminalized in Maryland, it’s still illegal and smoking it is against campus rules.

   Since when did rules stop anybody though? College students are notorious for underage drinking, risk taking and defying authority in general.

   If the University thinks that scheduling a Wellness fair on National Weed Day is going to discourage students, they should probably think again.

   That idea could actually backfire. Stoners would love to do yoga, meditation, and breathing exercises. Offering these activities at the Wellness fair attracts the high people that don’t want to do exhausting exercises.

   Or maybe the event organizers are actually evil geniuses.

   At 1 p.m. University Police is having a safety demonstration. No better way to terrify pot heads away from a health fair than to invite their arch enemy.

   Too bad they won’t be handing out Doritos or brownies. Those foods are the opposite of healthy, but appeal to stoners perfectly.  This would allow administrators to lure in every pot smoker on campus into the most perfectly planned trap possible.

   Showing up blazed is bound to win you a 100 dollar citation and probation for a semester. For those brave souls who take that risk, just know how much is at stake.

   The school probably figures that people who smoke weed don’t care about their health anyway. By scheduling the fair today, and inviting University Police, they will be able to make sure that everyone who comes will be willing to accept health advice.

   Opinions like this are wrong. Not everyone that smokes weed is ignorant to health advice. Nobody has ever died from smoking pot, while alcohol kills millions of people every year. People that choose weed over alcohol are actually making the healthier decision.

   Scheduling the Wellness fair on 4/20 is as coincidental as CNN having a marathon of documentaries about marijuana the night before. CNN’s marketing department deserves a raise; Salisbury’s needs to learn about their demographics a little better.

   Whether done on purpose or not, the ironic scheduling is enough to make even the soberest of people laugh uncontrollably.

   High people will be laughing anyway.

By Emmanuel Atufu

In a recent Carl’s Jr. commercial a female model walks around a Farmer’s market appearing completely naked to the viewer, while perfectly placed items shielded her boobs and private part as she walked. The commercial ends with her eating an “all-natural burger” in a sexual manner, getting the attention from some of the guys around her.

Companies advertising nowadays are using sex in advertisements. There are times when sex has nothing to do with the product, but companies will insist on using sex to sell their products anyways, and rightfully so.

Sex sells and that’s the bottom line. They do it because sexual images capture the attention of people.

Psychologists suggests the sex appeal of models trigger chemicals in our brains that turn off our moral compass, which is basically our ability to judge between right and wrong and act accordingly. This is the physiological explanation as to why we buy things that are associated with sexual images.

That is the reason why more and more companies are using sexual images to sale their magazines, because sadly, it works. A recent study from the University of Georgia examined sexual ads appearing in magazines over the last 30 years and the researchers found the numbers are up.

But sex in advertising is not just exclusive to magazine brands. Car brands, cat food brands, restaurants, retail chains, fragrance brands, coffee brands, alcohol companies, banks, you name it, they all use sex in their advertising. Some to a lesser degree than others.

A lot of companies offer products and services that have nothing to do with sex. They just want to get in on the trend with a track record of success.

After watching several GoDaddy commercials, the idea that they were a pornographic website was the first thing that jumped into my mind. No one would believe that a web hosting site would use sex to advertise their service?

Nonetheless, sex sells and companies should be allowed to use whoever they want to sell their products whether we agree with it or not. It is deemed appropriate for brands such as Victoria Secret or American Apparel to use sex to sell their products because sometimes items such as underwear or lingerie might require a sexual association to help sell the product.

However, some people, including feminists, are irritated at the "over sexualization" of women in the media, fashion, television and movie industries. A lot of people love to say that they are against companies using sex to sell products, but if people truly cared, they would boycott the products and films, thus forcing the companies to lose money.

There is no reason for companies to abort a marketing strategy that has proven capable time and time again.

Since we have proven as a society that we are accepting of sex in advertising, companies will continue to feed us sexual images like it is breakfast, and we will eat it up.  

Rolling Stone's Excuse For Journalism

By BJ Darden

            A couple of months ago, Rolling Stone published a story titled "A Rape on Campus" about a University of Virginia student whom the magazine alleged was raped by members of a fraternity. The story was written by Sabrina Erdely, and she achieved exactly what she wanted: an enormous amount of page clicks and a massive storm of outrage surrounding the fraternity.

            What she didn’t account for was that a reporter needs to have evidence when making rather large accusations like the story does. The article's young Virginia student did not have substantial enough evidence to prove that it was a rape. Now the jury is still out on whether or not that is the case, police have said that the case itself is rather suspicious.      

            The reporter's investigation itself was a sham. Erdely cut so many corners on her way to writing the story. She never contacted the fraternity itself or the police while writing the story. The rest of the Rolling Stone staff that vetted the story was OK with this.

            Erdely cited the reason for these shortcuts being that she wanted to protect the victim. That’s a somewhat OK apology. Obviously the story shouldn’t have been written in the first place without appropriate evidence, but obviously some empathy for the girl is to be expected from Erdely.

            But, Erdely, as well as Rolling Stone, proceeded to blame the story falling through on the girl. Actually, Erderly, it’s your fault, and you almost had me for a second, until you completely sold out the young college student.

            Sure, she may have been lying, but she’s also a college student, a time that is meant for growth and development, and learning from your mistakes. Erdely works for a large magazine that is read nationwide. Even if it was a lie, it’s up to the Rolling Stone to figure that out. It’s part of the investigative process. It’s literally the job of the Rolling Stone to make sure she wasn’t lying, and then report it if they found the story to be true.

            The second failing comes from the team that vetted this. They read Erdely’s story and decided that it was OK to go to print. It was barely a day before other news sites began poking holes in the article. Not long after that, the lawsuit came and then so did the apology.

            Reading it the whole thing felt like Rolling Stone wanted to have its own Duke Lacrosse story. Something that shocks the world and shakes college campuses to their core. It felt rushed and amateurish. It was also offensive to rape victims and frat members, by assuming so much.

            Erdely never checked the other side of the story. She just assumed that this fraternity could, and would, rape a young female student.

            The question also has to be asked what this does for the future of actual rapes on campus. The remnants of this scandal can already be seen. Other editorials and news pieces have been written, questioning whether rape on campus is an actual epidemic.

            According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, for every 1,000 female students there will be 3.5 cases of some form of sexual assault. It’s not really a debate on whether or not it’s a problem, which it clearly is. Sabrina Erdely has made it just that however. How many victims of sexual assault will be called into question because of this story now?

            Erdely set out to try and make a point about sexual assault. Instead she created an entire new layer of problems.  

BY EMMANUEL ATUFU

Staff Writer

   There is a huge debate going on as to whether colleges should allow their students to carry concealed firearms on campus.

   According to the National Conference for State Legislators(NCSL), at least 19 states introduced legislation to allow concealed carry on campus in some regard in 2013 and in the 2014 legislative session, and at least 14 states introduced similar legislation. In 2015, at least 12 states, including the prize states, Florida and Texas, will see those same bills hit their state legislators.

   These pro-guns on campus bills are spurred by the tragic shootings on college campuses, such as the murder of 32 students and faculty at Virginia Tech in 2007, as well as the shootings at Santa Monica College in California that left four students dead and the recent shooting in 2013 at the University of Maryland College Park that left two students dead. 

   Salisbury University is no stranger to school shootings. In 2013 there was a triple shooting at an off-campus house near the university involving Kristen Loetz, CJ Abbot and shooter, as well as Loetz's ex-boyfriend, Ryan Shallue.

   School officials told reporters that Kristen had already ended her relationship with Shallue, when he came to an off-campus home on Onley Road. Police say there was an argument between the two, and Abbot, also at the house, tried to intervene, and that is when Shallue pulled out a gun and shot Abbott and Loetz before committing suicide. Fortunately, Loetz survived the incident. She was the sole survivor.

   This is one example why students should not be allowed to carry guns on campus. Teenagers and young adults are often labeled by grown-ups and the media as lazy, reckless, impatient, irresponsible, untrustworthy, spoiled, etcetera.

   That's simply because a lot of us fit those descriptions. It does not make sense to allow us to carry guns around. Bad things are bound to happen. And if you mix in alcohol and drugs, then God help us all.

   According to NCSL, there are currently only 20 states that ban carrying a concealed weapon on a college campus: California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Wyoming.

   Non-profit gun lobby groups such as the National Rifle Association (NRA) and their student-led organization, Students for Concealed Carry want to change that. They are some of the biggest supporters for guns on college campuses.

   One of their main arguments gun supporting lobby groups, such as the NRA, is that having a “gun-free zone” encourages criminal activity, so students should be allowed to carry guns for protection and self-defense. 

   A November 2009 peer-reviewed study published in the American Journal of Public Health found that someone carrying a gun for self-defense was 4.5 times more likely to be shot during an assault than an assault victim without a gun. So much for the argument that guns on campuses will save lives during violent confrontations.

   According to the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, "members of the public who carry guns risk escalating everyday disagreements into public shootouts, especially in places where disputes frequently occur—in bars, at sporting events, or in traffic."

   The bar is one place college students tend to go to, except next time they will have a beer in one hand, and a gun in the other.

   These gun legislations negatively impact the majority of students that do not carry guns. This makes them feel unsafe and anxious knowing that someone might be carrying a lethal weapon. A July 2013 peer-reviewed study of 1,649 students at 15 colleges published in the Journal of American College Health stated that 79 percent would not feel safe if faculty, students and visitors carried concealed weapons on campus.

   Other arguments for guns on campuses are that the “right to bear arms” is protected by the 2nd Amendment, concealed handguns deter crimes, responsible citizens should arm themselves just like criminals do and a person carrying a concealed handgun could help stop a shooting spree.

   That all sounds good, but the keywords here are “responsible citizens.” Even if you consider yourself a responsible citizen, that doesn't mean that the guy next to you in the bar will be.

   Imagine if there were no laws and regulations in place, this planet would look like it went through "The Walking Dead" with dead bodies everywhere.

   Plus, imagine if a shooting spree were to happen and a police officer was to enter the scene, how would he tell the good guy from the bad guy when they both are shooting at each other.

   There are a lot of robberies, sexual assaults, rapes and other crimes that happen on a college campus, but to say that the safest and most effective way to solve the problem is to allow college students to carry guns is ridiculous. 

   Police officers go through intense training and take an oath before they get their gun and badge, and yet there are still cases of police brutality and innocent deaths of citizens by police. So there is no reason that a college student whose maturity is still developing should be allowed to carry a gun and be expected to use it responsibly.

   College campuses are generally a safe place for students to live in, so let us keep colleges a “gun-free zone."