Hey everyone, welcome to the blog! My name is CYBER_DRIVER ☆ (aka CD), and I like to write about Black music along with gaming, anime, movies, TV, culture, and art. I realized making a blog would probably be the best thing for me to do because I wanted to create my own space and domain to share my thoughts. I hope you guys enjoy yourselves while reading my stuff! ☆*:.｡.o(≧▽≦)o.｡.:*☆
This video is somewhat related to today's discussion. I wanted to put this here so I would remember to watch the whole video. LMAOOO - I hope you guys enjoy it! :)))
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Growing up, I used to LOVE fighting games; I still do. My first introduction to fighting games was the Injustice game on the PS3. I used to play Joker all the time and just whoop ass. Then, when Injustice 2 came out, I played it on my Xbox One. I started playing as Harley Quinn, and I was whooping ass then, too. You know what? Maybe I just like jesters and clowns…but I’ll unpack that another day. After beating those games as a kid, I moved on and started playing Mortal Kombat X (an older game) with my brother. Did I love the game? Not necessarily, but I liked it better than Injustice. I ended up maining Scorpion, and I just learned his combos; it was cool for a while. Then, as I got older, I tried to play Street Fighter. Street Fighter was fun; it was different…but still wasn’t a game that caught my attention like that. Then, fast-forward to earlier this week, right? I was walking around the library and looking at the games you could rent; one of them was Tekken 8. It caught my attention since I played the demo last year, but didn’t remember much. I got bored, rented it, and brought the game home to play…and the only thing I could think was, “Why the fuck did no one tell me about Tekken?”
Dude, Tekken is genuinely so fun. I don’t even know what makes me like the game. Okay, I do like the characters, the fighting styles, and I love that I can get away with mashing buttons, but that’s not the point! Also, I hope I make sense when I say this, but Tekken feels Black. Hold on, hear me out. You know how Black anime fans universally agreed that Piccolo from Dragon Ball Z is Black? I have similar feelings about the Tekken franchise. However, at the same time, I could be wrong. I’ve only played Tekken 8 as of right now, and I’m not even aware of the lore yet; I’m just saying it feels Black.
Additionally, unique shit just stands out to me. Compared to the fighting games I mentioned earlier, Tekken’s cast attracts me the most. I literally got to play as a fucking panda and a Black Ninja Terminator (Raven). Along with that, the fandom seems chill as shit, and I lowkey want to join it. I like connecting with people in the name of video games; it’s fun…and it gives you an excuse to do nerd activities. Anyway, the point of me writing this? I’m officially a Tekken fan, and I wanted everyone to know. LMAOOO
- P.S. I liked playing Raven the most. I hope I can actually own the game soon!
This video is for anyone who wants to learn more about Memphis rap and its history. It's an interesting watch, and I hope you guys enjoy yourselves! :)))
Hey everyone, I hope you guys are doing good! Bro, I'm so excited for October- it's one of my favorite months of the year. I can't wait to start seeing and writing about scary stuff lol. Anyway, I just have a few announcements I wanted to get out of the way.
For album of the month, I wanted to show you guys Da Resurrection by Al Kapone. For this month, I wanted to go into the darker side of hip-hop, and I felt that picking this album would be a good introduction to the genre. A lot of Memphis rap has creepy elements in its music, along with storytelling. Not to mention, a lot of Memphis rappers put horror movie elements into their work- I figured this would be the best theme for October LOL. Anyway, all of that aside, I hope you guys enjoy yourselves.
Now for the short film of the month, I decided to go with NOT ANOTHER BLACK HORROR MOVIE by POPE.Not only is it the first horror movie on the blog, but it's also another comedy. It's super short, and it may take more than one watch to understand it, but it's still a good time.
I know I only uploaded twice last month...and one of those posts was the damn announcements. LMAOOO, my fault! I want to work on posting more this month. I think I needed the small break because I've been trying to force myself to write, and it hasn't been working in my favor. I have to give myself time, and I appreciate you guys for being patient with me. I'm going to make it up to y'all, trust! ;)))
It's officially been a year since CD THE NET ★ launched. I've been a blogger for an entire year, my people!!! I have no clue what I want to do for the anniversary, but I'll definitely be writing something, so be on the lookout for that!
Being on here to write and make content is one of the best decisions I've ever made. I really love being on here, and I intend to make more stuff in the future, so thank you guys, for supporting me; I'll forever appreciate it. Anyway, emotions aside, that was all I had for the announcements! I hope you guys enjoy yourselves this month, and I'll talk to you later!
This is somewhat related to the post; it was the song that was playing when I wrote this. This is one of my favorite MIKE songs, so I hope y'all like it too. :)))
Honestly, September has been nothing but a long-ass humbling session. A lot of stupid shit happened; I fucked up my car, my mental health was at its lowest point, I was barely here mentally, and to top it off, I got fucking sick. It feels like the universe is just telling me to shut the fuck up and sit down. Like, goddamn, I did not catch a break. It's just been weeks of beating myself up and trying to be perfect. The same shit that was holding me back; the same shit I critiqued myself for- I let it happen again.
I try my hardest...I think. Look, when I said I was my biggest enemy, I meant that shit. Growing up, I let so many things hold me back. Now, as an adult, I let everyone's opinion of my life tear me down...Sometimes, I let them stop me from making the decisions I want to make. I can write all I want, but the truth is I haven't changed. Sure, I can blame other people, but I'm the only one living with my decisions. No one else is going through my shit but me. A part of me wants to be angry, but what good would that do? I barely have anything going on; no job, no money, nigga, I'm barely here to begin with. Spending all this time trying to impress people so they don't criticize me- it's tiring, and I don't know why I can't see that. The best way I can describe people-pleasing is watching yourself turn into a broken record; you keep playing the same songs so people can dance, and they don't give a fuck, as long as you can play music. Actually, that might be a corny way to look at it. lmao
Dude, I ended up finding this video by accident. This is for anyone who wants to learn more about MIKE and his influences. I hope you guys enjoy! :)))
Hey everyone! I hope you guys are doing okay. I just wanted to go ahead and share some quick announcements for the month again.
For album of the month, I wanted to go ahead and pick Beware of the Monkeyby MIKE (2022). Now, I know it's actually a mixtape, but I still enjoyed the project and wanted to show it to all of you. His music felt fresh, and I felt myself connecting to his art quick as shit. I hope you guys like the project as much as I did.
For our film of the month, I wanted to show In My Garden by Zahri Josita Jackson(2023). Not only is the movie pretty as hell, but I thought some of the themes were similar to MIKE's project. I'm happy about what I found, if we're being fully honest.
In terms of content, I don't know if I'll be posting a lot this month. I want to take the time to work on other projects, but I promise to be on top of shit soon! Life's been kicking my ass a little bit. LMAO
Anyway, that was all! Sorry, it wasn't a lot of announcements this month. I hope you guys enjoy yourselves this month, and I will talk to you guys later! (＠＾◡＾)
This video is related to today's discussion, and this is also for anyone who needs context on what we're discussing today lol. I hope you guys like it! :)))
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I was casually scrolling on my phone when I found an article about Dr. Dre welcoming AI, which isn’t surprising. Most of these artists/producers who were popular in the 80s and 90s have been open to generative AI in art. However, what Dr. Dre said irritated me a bit. Saying that us not liking AI in music reminds him of the people who didn’t like the drum and synthesizer machines? Saying that the only people who see AI as a threat are the people who have trouble creating? It was a wild-ass take, and I wanted to discuss that, along with some other things. The reason why all of these rich people are pushing and embracing AI is because no effort is needed. So, to see all of these artists, especially rappers, spew all of this bulllshit does more harm than good, especially because people look up to these artists.
You ever noticed that the motherfuckers who can’t stay relevant are the main ones advocating for AI? Too much? My bad, but I mean it though! The artists who haven’t dropped in years, haven’t done anything but show up to events and pop up on random-ass commercials are the main ones saying bullshit. Instead of trying new things, giving love to new talent, or giving resources to help real artists grow, they put time into these machines. They give an AI girl a fucking record deal and press that they know a real person deserves. Rich people, who never have to worry about working ever again, are still worried about the money in their pockets.
While we’re on the topic, I think the reason why people like Dr. Dre are attracted to generative AI is because of the lack of care. You make a funky-ass record deal? Try to fuck over an artist? Or better yet, you don’t want to worry about paying someone or giving them resources? Then of course, generative AI sounds like the best option. You can easily take advantage of someone who won’t disagree with you…or bother to ask questions. It attracts more than just artists; multiple entertainment industries want to welcome artificial intelligence into their work. It stems from control. Always. I believe after you reach a certain level of wealth, you eventually stop caring about the people around you. You focus more on the money in your pocket, rather than what made you rich in the first place. When it comes to artists like Dr. Dre, Timbaland, and Snoop Dogg, the main reason people liked their work was because of how original it was. Them experimenting and being creative influenced so many people and made them want to do the same. So, advocating for people to essentially take the easy way out is a harmful message.
Not to mention, a lot of people lie about what generative AI is. Generative AI does not make anything original, nor is it capable of doing so. Every single thing that AI has generated came from something or someone already. Humans are responsible for the shit AI generates. So, if you take humans out of the equation, then AI would not be able to generate anything sensible. That’s because the relationship between generative AI and humans is purely codependent…but that’s for another day. My point is, telling people “AI is the future” is bullshit. It’s like saying “plagiarism is the future,” or maybe “being unoriginal is the future, and we just need to get with the times.” Fuck no, and the thing I find funny is that the millisecond generative AI became popular, the first purpose (most) people gave it was replacement. The people who advocate for AI always say it’s a tool, but never use it like one. Instead of using it to give you ideas or help you find resources, you would rather have it write the song for you or make the beat for you…knowing damn well there are songwriters and producers out here. Hell, some artists are doing both, and a lot of them don’t have the same resources. Argue with the fucking wall, but you don’t need generative AI to make anything, especially art.
Not only does AI "art" look and sound like shit, but it’s disrespectful to real artists, and it’s inauthentic. You can’t call yourself a songwriter and you have a robot giving you lyrics. You can’t call yourself a producer, and you have AI generating a beat. What makes art so valuable is the soul and work put into it. People going out of their way to make something that can be consumed- it’s beautiful, and at the end of the day, a machine can never replace that. These rich assholes only care about making their pockets bigger. They will never put their money into real artists because they do not care; they want someone to do the work for them while taking full ownership and credit. The only thing I can say is don’t let it discourage you. Just because higher-ups advocate for AI does not mean the people want it too. It’s been so clear in recent years that rich and non-rich people want different things. Everywhere I go, and every app I’m on, people express that they don’t like generative AI. People want human art. The old-school musicians may not give resources to new talent, but the people can; we have to support each other because all we have is each other. Fuck AI, keep working hard on your art, and know that you have support over here. Always.
- P.S. Dr. Dre gets on my goddamn nerves. Fuck him!
I wanted to show another video of someone doing a deep dive on AI-generated music. It's also just an entertaining video that gives people insight into today's discussion. Anyways, enjoy yourselves and thanks for reading! (＠＾◡＾)