Some things you just have to see to believe. Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin recently cut a hip-hop song along with rappers Snoop Dogg and Talib Kweli. The website Funny Or Die has the music video of the song, “Rocket Experience. They also have the “making of” video of Buzz’s song. Quincy Jones and Soulja Boy also make appearances. It’s fun to watch, and Buzz really lets it all hang out – he’s a very cool dude! And let’s face it, everyone wants to see Buzz Aldrin rapping about traveling in space, right? My favorite part is when Buzz is rapping while standing next to the famous cardboard cut-out of him standing on the Moon. (I have one of those…) Enjoy the video!
Also available: Download the song “Rocket Experience” on iTunes. A portion of the proceeds from the song sales of” Rocket Experience” will go to ShareSpace Foundation, to further benefit and support the work of the National Space Society, the Planetary Society and the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation.
I’m not too impressed, myself, but anything to get folks interested in space is indeed a good thing.
I hate rap. I prefer music. >:(
Anyone who thinks rap (or any form of socially accepted music) is NOT music, is either trying to offend a whole group of society, or has forgotten what the definition of art is. Also, those who chose to use the word “hate” to describe their feelings about art probably are very judgmental to begin with about other aspects of life in general.
I haven’t bothered to see the video yet, but wanted to read comments first, and the “I hate rap” comment about made me sick as I thought the readers of this blog were more sophisticated than that. Sad, really, but I guess I need to realize that no amount of intelligence or curiosity of how the universe works is a measure of one’s tolerance of others.
Snoop and Talib doing good work for astronomy funding. I can’t say that I ever imagined that that would come about.
# Nexus Says:
June 23rd, 2009 at 5:51 pm
“I hate rap. I prefer music. >:(”
Yes yes. Everyone seems to hate everyone else’s taste in music and deride it as somehow ‘not music’. Those into heavy metal despise hip-hip. Those into hip-hop deride rock. Those into rock deride jazz. Those into jazz rip off punk rock. Those into punk rock mock classical. Those into classical mock, well, pretty much everyone. People think electronica/breaks/psitrance/drum&bass/dub/house/ambient/drone and all the other forms of (frickin’ awesome) electronic music aren’t music.People who are into this stuff can’t imagine why you’d listen to anything else.
In other words, people seem to like to form little cliques based on the music they are into and war against other peoples’ choice in music. I never got it – at some point in my life, I have been heavily into each of the styles of music I’ve listed above, and I still listen to examples from each and every one of them on a regular basis. They all have their own unique energy and ascendancy, so I say keep an open mind!
I’m not having a go Nexus, just musing out loud…
In fact, I think I may go and stick some Muse on now.
prajna Says:
June 23rd, 2009 at 9:11 pm
“and the “I hate rap” comment about made me sick”
Come on – that’s being a bit dramatic. I’m sure reading a comment posted on a website didn’t actually almost make you sick. Might it then be that Nexus ‘hates rap’ in the same way as you were just ‘made sick’?
Even if Nexus does vehemently hate rap in the true sense of the word, I don’t think you can really make judgments on somebody’s level of tolerance, sophistication or intelligence based on an off-hand comment like that. We’re just mucking around people! It’s a light-hearted story for God’ sake!
That was fun!
Go Buzz! The fact that he has embraced “Twits” and Rap and is willing to share his experience with a new generation in their format is pretty cool. Didn’t anyone think that a 79 year old man rapping is pretty spectacular in and of itself! (Whether you like the art form or not) 🙂
That was just totally wierd. I don’t know what to think. Not suprising that Buzz would do something like this though.
“I am the space man.”
Space man with a mean punch.
Well, I am sorry, but I come here for fruitful discussions, not to see ppl put down any form of music or art. And to see so many ppl think that I am wrong for defending open mindedness here just proves to me that I am in the wrong place, obviously.
I think some people are taking themselves and me far too seriously. I was just mucking around, like Astrofiend says.
“Anyone who thinks rap (or any form of socially accepted music) is NOT music…”
Here’s where you step on your own toes. And quite quickly. Anyone who annoints himself as a judge of other’s intolerance while defending only “socially accepted music” is a wannabe censor and a bit slow.
And anyone who could get nauseated from reading “I hate rap” “has forgotten what the definition of” d*ckhead is.
That was ineffable!
As regards judgments, you can’t apply a measure to a distribution based on a few of its outliers. But looking at the larger subset which let it all hang out there seems fruitful. 🙂
[Disclosure: I mostly use music to dance to. Both hiphop and electronic strains of music are, well, “frickin’ awesome”!]
When someone makes a statement that they hate a type of music, that’s their opinion, and they are 100% entitled to it. Making claims that such a statment makes you sick is overdramatic, and ultimately has no effect on the original statement. It’s purely a reactionary comment.
I may not like what everyone else says, thinks, does, feels, or worships, but I believe in their rights to do so. Forcing others to accept a particular opinion isn’t going to make the world a better place, despite what politicians tell you.
Also, do we really need to resort to name-calling? Again, what does that accomplish?
I have never liked rap. It’s just not my taste. However, I do give props to Snoopdog for possibly generating some interest in the space program and astronomy in general. We certainly need more of that.
Buzz Aldrin has also reached a new level of coolness. I mean, once you’ve been to the Moon, it would be pretty easy to write off everything else. He could have said “you’ve sold millions of albums and you’re an international star…so what? I’ve been to the friggin Moon! Almost every night you can see the Moon, and might have used it’s light for drive-by’s. I friggin stood there, on the friggin Moon, and bounced on it.” No, he’s cool. I bet he doesn’t like rap either, but he still worked with Snoopdog.
It’s rather ironic that such a heated debate resulted from an example of cooperation.
Way 2 funy ;p
“It’s rather ironic that such a heated debate resulted from an example of cooperation”
Amen to that!
Haha, guess us humans will never stop with our petty quarrels.
prajna Says:
June 23rd, 2009 at 10:10 pm
“And to see so many ppl think that I am wrong for defending open mindedness here just proves to me that I am in the wrong place, obviously.”
Yup. We’re a bunch of close-minded jerks. Best head off elsewhere.
PS – art, science, religion – none of these things is, or indeed, should be above criticism. Horrible things have been done in the name of science, art and of course, religion over the years, and just because a great amount of good come out of them also doesn;t mean that any and all aspects of these disciplines is above reproach. Though I enjoy a good deal of HipHop, I think that there’s a strong argument that it perpetuates a huge number of social ills in addition to simply describing them. If you want to get down to it, it often encourages violence, disgraceful attitudes towards women, drug use and abuse and more. Why should that be above criticism or discussion just because someone claims it as his or her ‘art’? I’m sick of that line – ‘don’t question it man, it’s ART!’ What a bs cop-out.
The Buzz with a double Z !