The Official Student News Site of Parkway West High

Pathfinder
The Official Student News Site of Parkway West High

Pathfinder
The Official Student News Site of Parkway West High

Pathfinder
“People should look forward to taking [the] Poetics of Hip-Hop class. Mr. [Dan] Barnes kind of lets us explore a bunch of rap music and [we] try to justify how it's poetry. Other students like to bring in their own music. For example, we do daily dissections. So, he hands us a paper, and whatever student is presenting, they pick the song. I think it was ‘Yale’ by Ken Carson, and we kind of just did a deep dive into that. It's just a really fun thing [we get to do]. We [have] learned how hip hop came to be, and it's just really fun. We share our music experiences, and Mr. Barnes is definitely the best teacher for that. But there's also different styles in rap. We have seen pop songs be tried to turn into rap, and it just doesn't work. It's not poetry like rap is. I think everyone should take this class, because it's a really fun English class, and it's one of the many options that seniors have here. It offers [an opportunity] to look at music in a new perspective, which has been constantly [downed upon] because of the lyrics and how vulgar they [can be], but it's just poetry. It's about the deeper meaning behind it.” - Evangeline Copeland, 12

Evangeline Copeland

Taylor Faintich, Staff Writer • December 12, 2024

Before there was Apple Music or Spotify, there was the Sony Walkman. Now reduced to only the latter word, a Walkman was just a portable cassette player, but in the ‘90s, they were a vital accessory. The Sony Walkman was the first piece of music media to allow people to travel with their music.

30 years later: The albums of 1994

Mikalah Owens, Staff Writer • April 11, 2024

The music industry was forever altered in 1994 by a series of groundbreaking albums that emerged from various genres. It was a year marked by artistic innovation and genre-defining releases. From the gritty...

A raised fist has been a staple piece for protests amongst the United States for decades. The forceful salute is intertwined with some of the most tumultuous events involving racism. A powerful medium that artists have used is music, which has been used to push back against the constant oppression that happens in society.

Honoring Black artists

Mikalah Owens, Staff Writer • February 1, 2024

From jazz, blues, R&B and hip-hop, Black artists’ creativity and talent have heavily influenced the music industry. By bringing soul, rhythm and powerful storytelling to music, they broke racial...

Nobody likes you when you’re 23

Mikalah Owens, Staff Writer • October 23, 2023

Pop-punk band blink-182 famously said “Nobody likes you when you’re 23” on their hit “What’s My Age Again?” off their breakout pop punk album “Enema of the State” in 1999. Some of the biggest...

Kanye West’s “Donda” and Drake’s “CLB” Break Records On Spotify and Apple Music

Jordan Scales, Staff Writer • October 26, 2021

Drake’s new “CLB,” album and Kanye West’s “Donda,” broke records for Spotify streaming and Apple Music listens. On Aug. 29, the first day of “Donda’s” release broke the 2021 record for...

Awaken, My Love! album review

Justin Cupps, CONCEPTUAL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF • February 16, 2017

In September my brother immersed me in enough rap and hip-hop that I began enjoying it as a genre. Since then, the music I listen to has been integrated with artists such as Chance the Rapper, Jon...

“Walk Away” single review

Emily Dickson, CONCEPTUAL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF • May 17, 2015
Take a hint, Jawan, preserve your career and “Walk Away."