My Debut Album

Title-“Open Minds Will Open Eyes.”

The album cover would feature a young person’s face surrounded by drawn, cartoon-like images of people and things that are likely to influence his thoughts and beliefs. This includes parents, other teenagers, a teacher, a rapper, a television set tuned to a news network, a politician, a comedian, a radio, and a stack of novels. This cover, coupled with the album title, is meant to convey the idea that all throughout our lives, we are learning new things, and to do that, we must listen with an open mind to everyone and everything around us. However, we should not take everything that all of them say at face value, as evidenced by the fact that they are drawn, cartoon-like pictures rather than “real” images. Therefore, we must realize that some people are going to use dishonest tactics to try and make us believe what they want us to believe, and it is up to us to separate fact from fiction.

1. Don’t Tase Me, Bro- Hip Hop
This song deals with police brutality and excessive use of force particularly in less fortunate urban areas. It will feature several stories about people who were beaten or even killed by overly zealous police officers and postulates that race plays a big role in how alleged criminals are dealt with in our justice system. The song title comes from a quote from a University of Florida student who was tazed by police during a question and answer session with John Kerry.

2. “Friends” for Life- Alternative Rock
This song questions whether or not fraternities and sororities are a good thing. It asks if the friendships formed amongst members are real, or if many of the people in these organizations simply want to appear more social and popular. It also addresses things like hazing and criticizes how far some people are willing to go to be accepted. Rather than jumping into a frat or sorority because it feels like the cool thing to do, students should make friends by being themselves, and recognize that true friends will appreciate their individualism and unique personalities.

3. Will I Ever Come Home?- Soft Rock
The U.S has had troops in Afghanistan and Iraq for a combined total of some 13 years now, and many of them have been forced to serve multiple tours of duty, or have had them extended when they expected to be coming back to the U.S much sooner. Despite calls for withdrawal leading up to the 2006 Election, the War in Iraq only escalated with thousands more troops being deployed to try and improve a situation that was growing worse each day. This song is written from the point of view of a soldier who has been away from his family for a long time and has seen awful things happen to people around him, and wonders if he will ever make it back.

4. Give the Man a Chance- Hip Hop
Since Barack Obama took office just over two months ago, he has frequently been the target of criticism for political policies as well as things that have nothing to do with the current state of the nation. Despite the fact that many of these critics were quick to label people who did not support the Bush Administration as “Bush Bashers” it appears that they are not the least bit willing to put partisanship aside and try to do what’s best for the country. Some have already predicted that he will fail and others have gone so far as to say they hope he does fail. This song calls out those who refuse to give the new President a chance to prove himself, citing conservative commentators Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity as examples.

“You see what you want to see
To reinforce your beliefs
It doesn’t have to be a battle
But you’ll never make peace
8 years you pretended everything was going well
Now Obama takes office and we’re all going to hell
Rush said he wanted failure and Hannity agreed
Well tell that to the homeless and jobless
To the people in need
Dissent is patriotic
We’re all Americans first
But there’s nothing to be gained from assuming the worst
Now it’s time to stop the fighting
No matter what your stance
It’s time to be supportive
Time to give the man a chance”

The video would include images that go with the lyrics, including some of the major events taking place under the Bush Administration as well as Hannity and Limbaugh’s interview and other clips from their shows. It would include news segments talking about the economy getting worse as well as images of people who are struggling to pay bills, find work, etc. It would also feature some cliché symbolic images such as an American flag and an eagle to remind the audience that we are all in this together. It would close with an image of the President, most likely with a member of an opposing party to represent the need for bipartisanship.

5. Fight Fire With Water- Hip Hop
The infamous Westboro Baptist Church is scheduled to come to George Mason University next week to preach that we are going to hell for our sins, most notably our acceptance of homosexuals and their life style. This song is intended to teach people about the kind of people who are part of this group that is really more a cult than anything else, including several criminal charges that have been brought against its members. More importantly, it calls on listeners to take the high road in dealing with them, to not be violent or aggressive, but merely to show them that we will not be swayed to support such a hateful cause.