switch.

S.H.H.O. Time

The First Lady — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 01:56:31 +0000

If you haven’t seen the chalking, the tweets, the Facebook page/statuses/ events, etc…allow me to clue you in.

The Student Hip-Hop Organization has arrived at the University of Virginia. The members include two of Switch’s very own, Chuck and yours truly.

More importantly, tickets for their upcoming G.O.O.D. KIDS concert featuring Big Sean and Mac Miller go on sale tomorrow at 9 AM in Newcomb Hall, at the SAC. A limited number of tickets will also be available online for those who are unable to attain them at Newcomb.

For more information on ticket sales and the show. See S.H.H.O. tumblr (link below) and the Facebook event page.

Stay tuned for more info on S.H.H.O. but in the meantime, check out http://shhotime.tumblr.com/.

Filed under: HooVille, Media/Pop-Culture, Music, News Tagged: Big Sean, concert, G.O.O.D. Music, Mac Miller, SHHO, UVa

Diz Music: Hiz Life

snookikarad — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 07:17:12 +0000

My Life

Unfortunately, everyone does seem to think they are a rapper these days. So when one finally stumbles upon talent, the subject must be appreciated…

Stumbling upon Yinka Diz, a UVA alumnus who currently resides in Washington DC, was in fact refreshing. Although Diz has found professional success as an IT Project Manager in the government sector post-graduation, this rapper/producer has yet to veer far from his passion for music.

“I wrote poetry when I was a younger [then] experimented with doing it in the form of hip-hop in the 8th grade and found it more gratifying -and a lot cooler,” Diz says,

Diz began producing shortly after, in high school, in an attempt to stand out. Unacquainted with any producers, his craving for his own original beats further pressed his aspiration to produce music.

While at UVA, Diz was a DJ, which not only provided monetary rewards but a vast network and financial sponsorship.

“As an artist, I interacted with the greater C-ville area more than the campus. I was a part of a hip-hop group known as The Kartel and we did shows throughout the Charlottesville area at venues like Starr Hill and Rapture with other local acts such as The Beetnix and Nickelus F,” Diz remembers.

For most, life post-graduation entails losing sight of dreams and assuming reality. But there are a few, who never halt their passions, regardless of the circumstances. These are the inspired.

“Life inspires me. Particularly new experiences…New experiences give me fresh perspective from which creativity is born.”

Oh and every artist has his muse…so we asked and it was easily conveyed: ”Sydney’s my muse…”

Check it… YinkaDiz Music

Also visit www.YinkaDiz.com

Filed under: Music Tagged: Hip Hop, Music, UVa, UVA alum, Yinka Diz

WEEZY’s BACK!! …and so ARE WE!

snookikarad — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 06:53:10 +0000

First and foremost, I would like to personally apologize for our hiatus this semester. BUT have no fear…. SWITCH. is back.

And apparently, great things occur in twos (well in this case anyway) because guess who else is free of his shackles and chains???!!! YEPPPP WEEZY’S A FREE MAN! Your “FREE WEEZY” shirts are most definitely irrelevant at this point. -well at least until his next jail sentence.

He IS NOT a Human Being

…anyhow, get ready for a COMEBACK. Twofold.

Filed under: Music, switch.message Tagged: Hip Hop, Lil Wayne, Music, Rap

Oluponya Records Open Mic Night Brings Hot New Talents

uvasnr11 — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 21:59:47 +0000

And I’m not just saying that because I’m a member of the organization

Last Night I attended the Open Mic Night presented by Oluponya Records (only Record Label on grounds!) and I must say I was not only impressed by the new talents but the progress by the old talents as well. Particularly the amazing voice of Oluponya President Erin Lunsford. Check her out here:

Part 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efPx6BF4nMs

Part 2

Like what you heard? Join Oluponya Every Other Friday at O’Hill Forum for a night of music by our group and others at Open Mic Night!

Also watch Oluponya light up the stage this fall at the Annual Fall Concert Coming up!! Details to be determined!

-$.dale

Filed under: Uncategorized

CMON SON RETURNS!!!

uvasnr11 — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 20:43:24 +0000

I know you’ve all been patiently waiting this moment! So Have I. CMON SON IS BACK! So for those of you who don’t know about it, CMON SON was a series last semester where I would post some of UVA’s “finest moments” lol. (both the quotes and the “lol” are necessary). SO! With out further adieu lets get into it!

This Stupid block and all the ones around it are REALLY annoying. I mean COME ON SON! Newcomb is the center of the grounds! Everything you need can probably be gotten to through this way. AND YET UVA decided that fall semester was the perfect time to block this path for us making us have to walk to the opposite end of newcomb just for food. CMON SON! Why would u do that? You’re REALLY in the way right now. Get it together UVA….

omnomnomy pasta? vegan waffle batter? CMON SON

So once you travel far and wide to get into newcomb, you’re usually barraged by these television screens. UVA dining thought it would be a nice idea to allow students to text their comments about dining to this screen and display it. This only leads to “smart” comments such as “Can we have some more of that omnomnomy pasta from last night?”, “last night’s dinner selection was off the chain!”, “is the waffle batter vegan?” and my personal favorite “vegan ice cream?”. COME ON SON! I know you guys have better things to do with your time then to try and be witty on a dining suggestion screen. And vegan ice cream? you know what they call that? ICE. smh….

Now one day after contemplating how exactly I would get out of newcomb jail…i mean newcomb dining hall and what the heck “omnomnomy” means, I was passed by this bright young 1st year. With, as you can see, a rolling bookbag…..CMON SON! Rolling bookbags were NEVER hot, will NEVER be cool, and you’re really just asking to seem socially awkward. Please believe if I see you again I’m kicking your bookbag and watching you drag it on its side. Maybe that will be enough incentive for u to get a REAL BOOKBAG….

Honorable mention goes out to all those GAGA fans who dressed up at like 1 in the afternoon for the concert. WOW guys. Example?

rar, rar, oh na na! smh...

CMON SON!

-$.dale

Filed under: Uncategorized

We Want Lasers – Petition to Atlantic Records

Rev. R — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 18:00:58 +0000

The title speaks for itself and there is very little to say. Like many other Lupe Fiasco fans I’m tired of waiting for the release of the LASERS project which has been on delay by Atlantic Records since January. And now the fans are taking action. I came across news of this petition on The LupE.N.D. blog which is a well-recognized and reliable fansite for all things Lupe Fiasco. I put my good faith in and signed the petition and I’m asking for others to do the same.

Sign “The Release Of The Lasers Album Petition” here.

Filed under: Music, News Tagged: #We Want Lasers, Lupe Fiasco, Petition to Atlantic Records

Society Awareness of Vitality for Everyone

Rev. R — Fri, 21 May 2010 22:51:36 +0000

This post has been a long time coming. Before final exams started I was approached by some peers who started up a new CIO here at UVA. I was intrigued at the concept and at the passion these students felt to come together and start up their own organization and I can respect that kind of ingenuity. Allow me to introduce the Society Awareness of Vitality for Everyone (SAVE).

SAVE’s purpose is as follows.

The purpose of SAVE is to bring awareness of the health disparities experienced by minorities in this country and to educate the student body and Charlottesville community on what can be done about it. SAVE defines health disparities as a substantial disadvantage in areas of health, disease prevalence, mortality and the quality of health care experienced by racial and ethnic minorities. Members of SAVE will serve to promote healthier lifestyles for the minority groups that are at high risk for suffering from these health disparities.

I strongly encourage any members of the student body who are interested in educating the community on health issues and be sure to look for SAVE at the Student Activities Fair next fall. Until then you can find more information on the organization blog or by following SAVE on twitter.

Below are a few statistics with regards to minorities and health disparities in the United States of America.

Seventy-five percent of newly diagnosed HIV/AIDS cases are African Americans. Eight out of ten women diagnosed with HIV are African American (in South Carolina).

African American infants are more than twice as likely as white babies to die before their first birthday
251 per 100,000 African American males suffer from Prostate Cancer as compared to 167 per 100,000 white men.
108 per 100,000 African American men suffer from lung/bronchus cancer as compared to 72 white men.
68 per 100,000 African American men suffer from colon/rectal cancer as compared to 58 per 100,000 white men.
HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death for African American men ages 35-44.
Additionally, Black women are 18 times more likely to be diagnosed with HIV in 2003 than white women.

Filed under: Health, HooVille Tagged: S.A.V.E., Society Awareness of Vitality for Everyone, University of Virginia CIO

Meet the switch.crew…

D. Hudson — Mon, 17 May 2010 22:00:23 +0000

Over the last semester, you’ve gotten to read blogs and magazine articles by the new, illustrious members of the switch.crew. But after the release of our second issue, we thought that you might like to get to know them a little bit better. So we had them interview each other, to try to give you a better feel of what they’re really about. And I have to say, these were some pretty good questions, lol…

Read the interviews after the jump.

Stephanie “s.wat” Waties (questioned by $.dale):

What is your passion? Straight to the serious questions… I can’t say I have one single passion. My top five would have to be: one. spending as much time as possible with friends and family; two. writing (mostly journalism related); three. R&B (listening, not playing. I have ZERO music skills); four. watching my Lakers win another NBA championship; five. experiencing new things (hopefully, one of them will lead me toward a career path, but if not, I should pick up a few good stories along the way.)
If you could be any fruit you wanted, what would you be, and why? The Apple from Fruit of the Loom. Why? The others don’t get enough airtime. And really, why not?
What’s your ideal date? Something casual, fun, maybe a little different than the typical dinner and a movie.

Charles “ChuckZhao” Zhao (questioned by Snooki Karad):

What’s the first thing you think of when you wake up from a nap? Damn, what time is it? Did I miss my class?
If you could be anyone at UVa, who would you be? Myself! No need to be someone else when I’m already enjoying the hell out of my life at UVa.
If you could own one pair of shoes for the rest of your life, what would it be (assuming you don’t commit suicide for this)? 1999 Air Jordan IV Retro, White/Cement
Who are you? Chuck Z!
What’s the last thing you ate? A tortada from Taco Bell… sh*t was CLUTCH!
Backstreet Boys or *NSYNC? *NSYNC. My dude Justin is the epitome of swag.
Are you ticklish? If so, where? Honestly, a lot of places. My stomach/sides and my neck.
Drink of choice? Corona with lime, or a nice, cold Sprite.
Kobe or LeBron? As a Suns fan all my life, I’d like to say F*CK KOBE. LeBron all day.
Do you know who Tom Brady is? Some goon.
Favorite and least favorite place in the world? Favorite: the beach. Least favorite: Canada… lol
How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? A woodchuck would chuck as much wood as a woodchuck could chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood!

Sedale “$.dale” McCall (questioned by The First Lady):

What is one thing you regret not doing first year? Studying harder. Yeah, I had fun and got to experience a lot of things, but trying to get my GPA up for the past four semesters has not been fun.
If the switch.crew was supernatural, what powers would you assign each person? AP – speed, both vocal and physical lol; D. Hud – stretchy, because he’s the thinnest; P. Weezy – endurance, because she’s Kenyan and she never sleeps; Ron – strength to kill, honorably; Chuck – heat vision, because his eyes are already red; Snookz – loyalty, since her relationship is doomed to fail; BOSS – hearing people’s thoughts, so she can tell us lol; SWAT – the keysmith from the Matrix, because she’s resourceful; me – flight, being fly, looking fly, and FLYING
What do you feel most passionate about? Music. Music makes me lose control lol… figuratively speaking. But seriously, it is my release, what I go to for fun, what I go to for work, it’s just pretty much everything I do without having to think about it. Ask anyone, drumming is something I do completely unconsciously without even recognizing it (not that I stop when I do recognize it). Music.

Sofia “The First Lady” Karad (questioned by ChuckZhao):

If you could do anything at UVa with anyone/anything, legal or illegal, what would it be? I would hustle on the Lawn and build an empire of workers under me and be Queen. Like a drug lord… only fiercer.
What’s it like to have your sister at school around you all the time? It’s like having a personal bodyguard. Mess with me, you mess with her. I feel like nobody can knock my books down, tease me, or steal my dining swipes.
Who of the switch.crew would you most like to have a drink with? Beat up? Have a heart-to-heart? Of the switch.crew, I would like to have a drink with AP, because he tends to progress to the point of fuzzy memories. I secretely want to beat up Rev.R, because then I would be able to perform certain tasks “honorably.” And finally, I would love to have a heart-to-heart with Snooki… not only because we’re related, but because I wonder how one emotionally deals with being a supreme guidette.

Meryem “Snooki” Karad (questioned by s.wat):

Name three things you have in common with Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi. Numero uno: nothing, deux: nothing, and three: I drink a lot.
What are your thoughts on Snooki’s infamous Bump It? Trash or treasure? FABULOUSLY trashy.
If you could possess one superpower, what would it be, and why? I would be invisible so I could be like a fly on your wall.
Would you rather serve in Heaven or rule in Hell? Rule in Hell. Slavery is OVER. So no thanks.
If you weren’t a student at UVa, what would you be doing right now? I’d be traveling in Europe and Africa with Little Me.

Filed under: switch.message Tagged: switch.crew

switch.magazine Volume I, Issue II

D. Hudson — Sat, 15 May 2010 17:53:10 +0000

Another hard semester’s work is completed and the new issue of switch.magazine is ready for the world.

Allow us to present switch.magazine, Volume I, Issue II

Filed under: switch.message Tagged: Issue II, switch.magazine, Volume I

C’MON SON (UVA End of the Year Edition)

uvasnr11 — Sat, 15 May 2010 05:15:26 +0000

As most of you know, we have all been working feverishly on the magazine (which will be AWESOME by the way… make sure you check it out!) so I apologize for C’MON SON level slacking on my part, but I assure you this was not in vain. But enough Chris Brown apologies, let’s get to it:

who wears short shorts?

Now don’t get me wrong; when the summer hit, I was thankful I left a couple pairs of shorts here so I wouldn’t have to go back and get them (heck I’m wearing shorts right now). But let’s be smart about this, guys. C’MON SON! Look at this girl, and all others like her. These aren’t shorts, they’re long underwear. I mean it doesn’t matter because they have nothing behind there to expose but still! Let’s have some decency kids. Finger tip length was not just a way to make your guys look bad! lol

Man Purse, the world's greatest oxymoron

I mean honestly I shouldn’t have to even write on this, but it is a blog so I guess I should at least say a few words. A bus driver, with a man purse. C’MON SON! Let’s be real here. Man and purse should NEVER be in the same sentence, and should DEFINITELY not be next to each other (only acceptable version, “Man bought purse for (insert female) ). Sir you have a purse, your manhood is now questioned. Put it down please.

airing out their dirty laundry?

This one was actually sent to me a few weeks ago (Thanks Erica!) Now ok I know I know washing costs $1.50 and drying is another $1.50 but you mean to tell me you didn’t have $3?! Yes it’s a recession but C’MON son! And if you’re gonna “air out your laundry” put it in FRONT of the blinds so we don’t see your gross wet clothes hanging as we walk to our room. I know you got a chair or a table or SOMETHING you can put these on and dry your clothes PRIVATELY. be smart ppl! BE SMART

no words just read

Now this one is an honorable mention I found in a Jet Magazine while in DC mother’s day weekend. Yes you are reading this correctly. Producer, TV mogul and “Take that Take that” man himself Sean “P diddy” “puffy” “puff daddy” Combs now owns a wax statue. As if you could be anymore vain. C’MON SON! You could be the most self-absorbed rich black guy out right now. This makes Chad Ochocinco look like the pope and Terrell Owens look like Ghandi. C’MON SON! what are you thinking Diddy? Just stop…

That’s all I got kids! I hope you all enjoy a wonderful summer! Be sure to check out the magazine you’re going to be glad you did seriously! Catch you guys next post!

-$.dale

Filed under: Uncategorized