Arts - The Spectrum

Philadelphia rapper Meek Mill delights the crowd during a 2015 concert.

ARTS

‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!’ is the name of the game on ‘Expensive Pain’

By ALEX FALTER | Oct. 5, 2021

Few artists fly as successfully under-the-radar as Meek Mill. Even with anthems like “Dreams and Nightmares” still bringing clubgoers to their feet nearly a decade later, Meek has always been somewhat overshadowed by industry pioneers like Drake and Kendrick Lamar. But with a dedicated legion of stans, Meek seems unbothered by his rivals, returning as confidently and comfortably as ever on his latest album, “Expensive Pain.”

The film adaptation of “Dear Evan Hansen” released in theaters on Friday.

ARTS

Dear Evan Hansen is a mental health masterpiece

By DAN EASTMAN | Sep. 28, 2021

“Dear Evan Hansen” is the mental health movie of the year, with an inspiring message: “You Will Be Found.”

Season three of "Sex Education" released on Netflix on Sept. 17.

ARTS

‘Sex Education’ Season 3 succeeds in its characters, stumbles in its comedy

By KARA ANDERSON | Sep. 21, 2021

When Issac deleted Otis’ voicemail to Maeve professing his undying love for her in the final scene of season two’s finale of “Sex Education,” fans weren’t exactly expecting season three to feature the early and tragic death of a cat, Johnathan, — who’s owners night of frisky activity sent a microwave oven flying across the room, crushing him to death — or travel as far as an underground Nigerian gay club.

Cinderella (2021) “far more resembles the pumpkin before the carriage in this adaptation.”

ARTS

Bippity boppity flop

By KARA ANDERSON | Sep. 21, 2021

Once upon a time, Hollywood found its own glass slipper with the fairytale, “Cinderella,” which spawned a trove of beloved movies like Disney’s 1950 animated feature of the same name and Hilary Duff’s teen rom-com “A Cinderella Story.”

The CFA’s Atrium gleams with beautiful colors from an illustrated universe of stories and happenings.

ARTS

CFA welcomes back students with aptly-titled ‘Fall Into Art’

By ALEX FALTER | Sep. 21, 2021

Not since the beginning of COVID-19, has creativity echoed so loudly through the halls of UB’s Center for the Arts. On Thursday, the CFA opened its doors to four new exhibits collectively referred to as “Fall into Art.”

Canadian rapper Drake performs in Summer Sixteen Tour 2016 in Toronto.

ARTS

Drake disappoints with ‘Certified Lover Boy’

By ALEX FALTER | Sep. 14, 2021

Scheduled to be released as early as January, Drake’s “Certified Lover Boy” was arguably the most anticipated hip-hop release of 2021. After multiple postponements, the Toronto native finally delivered on his promise, releasing “CLB” at 2 a.m. Friday.

Many visitors said the final section, the Immersive Experience Room, is their favorite exhibit in the gallery.

ARTS

Williamsville’s “Beyond Van Gogh” offers up an immersive and emotional experience

By KARA ANDERSON | Sep. 14, 2021

From rippling waters to portraits formed from flowing colors, the Beyond Van Gogh exhibit in Williamsville’s Eastern Hills Mall offers visitors the opportunity to walk through a mesmerizing and animated version of Vincent Van Gogh’s life and works.

ARTS

Kanye West gives fans his best album since ‘Life of Pablo’ with ‘Donda’

By ALEX FALTER | Sep. 7, 2021

Kanye West has been on a fascinating run as of late. After announcing his 10th album, “Donda,” over a year ago, West spent the past two months performing the new tracks at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, with the sets becoming progressively zanier and the many songs/features being changed each time. Now, West has finally released “Donda” for the whole world to hear.

After a three-and-a-half-year stretch without releasing an album, Atlanta trio Migos returned in full force with the next entry in their “Culture” album series, “Culture III.”

ARTS

The best rap albums of the summer

By ALEX FALTER | Aug. 31, 2021

Over the summer, many musicians came out of hiding and began releasing music again, with the hip-hop genre receiving a surge of excitement.

ARTS

J. Cole returns with ‘The Off-Season’

By ALEX FALTER | May 20, 2021

J. Cole has been on a stellar run the past ten years. After landing five consecutive albums at the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200, he went on a run of exceptional features in 2018 with rappers like 21 Savage on “A Lot” and Dreamville labelmate J.I.D. on “Off Deez,” before he released “Revenge of the Dreamers III,” a project which allowed Cole to curate the best and brightest rappers — in and out of his label — to release his own “Cruel Summer.”

While cartoon references and sampling have always been featured across the genre, Ski Mask took those two elements to new levels on this project.

ARTS

Five years later, ‘DROWN-IN-DESIGNER’ is still one of Florida rap’s most important projects

By ALEX FALTER | May 16, 2021

People became unfamiliar with South Florida rap when Fort Lauderdale native, Ski Mask the Slump God, dropped his self-released debut mixtape, “DROWN-IN-DESIGNER.”

ARTS

The 10 best underground rap projects of the 2010s

By ALEX FALTER | May 7, 2021

The 2010s ushered in an unparalleled era of rap, with stars like Kendrick Lamar, Drake and Travis Scott carrying the torch and redefining the genre with countless hits.

“Invincible” parodies and satirizes the usual plot points and story beats of a stereotypical blockbuster superhero story, like those that involve saving the world from an alien invasion.

ARTS

‘Invincible’ turns superhero fiction on its head with ambitious first season

By Thomas Kowalski | May 6, 2021

“Invincible” may appear run-of-the-mill at first glance, but its first episode makes it clear that this isn’t an average superhero show.

ARTS

UB Arts Collaboratory opens downtown art space

By ANASTASIA WILDS | May 4, 2021

“The Space Between” is a one-room studio the College of Arts and Sciences has rented downtown for $500 a month to showcase the artistic process.

Most people have heard of this series thanks to the well-known TV adaptation of the same name, which follows a ragtag group of survivors of the zombie apocalypse as they venture across the U.S.

ARTS

10 must-read comic books for beginners

By Thomas Kowalski | May 3, 2021

Comic books and graphic novels are some of the most adapted forms of media today, but the medium remains a rather niche form of entertainment.

With the season finale airing last Friday, “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” Marvel’s second Disney+ original series, represents a significant improvement over the previous series, “Wandavision,” which was bogged down by long, monotonous scenes that felt more like novelty than substance.

ARTS

‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ provides an exciting glimpse into the future of the MCU

By ALEX FALTER | Apr. 29, 2021

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has taken a backseat since the start of the pandemic, with upcoming films like “Black Widow” and “Eternals” being pushed back more than a year so spectators might watch them in theaters. As fans await those releases, Marvel Studios has begun rolling out original series on Disney+ to hold people over between films.

Only two months after his last project, “If It Bleeds It Can Be Killed,” Conway brings another tale of arrogance-induced cinematic hip-hop with “La Maquina,” which lets his wacky yet assertive persona shine across 11 tracks.

ARTS

Griselda continues its hot streak with the release of Conway the Machine’s ‘La Maquina’

By ALEX FALTER | Apr. 23, 2021

Only two months after his last project, “If It Bleeds It Can Be Killed,” Conway brings another tale of arrogance-induced cinematic hip-hop with “La Maquina,” which lets his wacky yet assertive persona shine across 11 tracks.

Since the pandemic has forced people all across the world to interact primarily online, “Telenauts” explores the idea of whether an electronic image can have a physical presence.

ARTS

‘We made the best of it’: UB Theatre and Dance Department stream first-ever ‘MFA Dance Thesis Concert’

By ANASTASIA WILDS | Apr. 22, 2021

The MFA Dance Thesis Concert — the first of its kind at UB — was streamed from April 16-18 on the UB Center for the Arts YouTube channel.

Armed to the teeth with a grandiose assortment of rappers and producers, Young Thug and Gunna have brought Thugger’s label to the masses with “Slime Language 2,” Young Stoner Life Records’ second compilation album.

ARTS

Young Thug brings his YSL imprint to the forefront with ‘Slime Language 2’

By ALEX FALTER | Apr. 21, 2021

Armed to the teeth with a grandiose assortment of rappers and producers, Young Thug and Gunna have brought Thugger’s label to the masses with “Slime Language 2,” Young Stoner Life Records’ second compilation album.

ARTS

The best music projects for 4/20

By ALEX FALTER | Apr. 20, 2021

Today is 4/20, a.k.a “weed day.” Once a year on this day, people look to unwind, enjoy some snacks and have a good time.