My Top Three Hip Hop Artist

Nas strongly impacted the hiphop culture at the young age of 18 when he dropped his first album by the name of "Illmatic"- setting new standards by collaborating with various artist and producers; Nas put stories of adolescence and times of trouble into his project, describing what life was like in the Queens Bridge projects of NY. He is my favorite for his intricate lyrics and jazzy instrumentals.

Common, born and raised in the city of Chicago is noted to be one of the most influential artist of his time. He is not only an artist but an activist, actor, author and revolutionary. His lyrics represent strength and endurance to all people. Common is one of my favorites because of his ability to vocalize his passion for knowledge and equality for all people.

My third favorite artist is a woman by the name of Lauryn Hill, she originated from a Trio group called The Fugees that began on the eastcoast in the early 90's. Lauryn is my favorite for her strong feminism and character. She is a strong activist and her lyrics really express her ideas and beliefs.

Being Charitable

Artist J.Cole began the Dreamville Foundation in October of 2011. His purpose behind the foundation was to uplift the youth of his hometown in Fayetteville, North Carolina. At an early age J.Cole knew he wanted to be a rapper, with dedication and true talent his dream came true. Jermaine hopes to help the youth of North Carolina to become inspired, to dream and help establish goals they can one day pursue. I would strongly support the Dreamville Foundation for the fact that they are seeking to help the youth, and as we all know, the youth is our future. Generations after generations have slowly deteriorated with drug use and crime rates sprouting abundantly. The American Dream has come to a close, but we cannot let the youth down, on the contrary, we must revive them. 

My Winter Break

This Winter break was very relaxing, my boss surprised me with having the entire week off of work so I got the privilege of spending a lot of extra time with family and close friends during these holidays.
My family had a secret santa gift exchange and this year I got my grandma, I bought her brown leather boots and a coat. This being my last high school Winter break I realized how much I have grown as an individual. Unlike years in the past, this year I found it more fulfilling to give, rather than to receive, but I kept in mind that sometimes the biggest gifts of life are not those you can so simply unwrap. Since January is my birth month and I will be turning 18, I decided I wanted a tattoo. I went to my local artist and scheduled an appointment on January 23rd to get a memorial portrait done of my grandpa's service photo from when he was in Vietnam.

About Me

My name is Monique Lopez, I was born and raised in Orange County, California. I attend Back Bay High School as a ℅ 2015 Senior. I am one of two children, I have a 6 year old sister, and I will be turning 18 in January of the next coming year. I stay busy by working at Starbucks Coffee on 17th St. in Newport Beach and going to a weekly ROP baking and pastries class.

I really enjoy expressing myself through music and art so I’m looking forward to acquiring new skills in this class! In my freetime I hangout with friends, go to concerts, and spend time with my family. After High School my hopes are to attended a two year college and later transfer to a State University, I plan to work with juveniles as a substance abuse and mental health counselor.