DJ Vox is in the building, here to announce that Daniel LaMagna is in the building! Part-time GUSA senator representing some of the chill inhabitants of Henle Village, and full-time worshipper at the altars of the rap gods, this sophomore junior and rising star on the Georgetown University Student Life Committee has been making sure that his constituents know what he and the rest of the crazy cats in GUSA are up to.

In two Youtube videos (also embedded below), one posted Saturday and the other in October, LaMagna’s topic of choice is “Facilities…and why they suck.” In his October video, he reminds his audience that he feels their pain too: “I know my shower hasn’t been fixed for about two months.” He dedicates himself to getting some answers.

The song that plays over the introduction and credits of his first video, which has been viewed over 500 times, is none other than J Cole’s “Who Dat”, in which the rapper frequently uses a word that former Republican presidential candidate and pizza magnate Herman Cain has no problem saying.

In his second video, LaMagna happily reports that Facilities is a priority for the administration, and a major overhaul is planned for next summer. Until then, students can personally contact the Director of Facilities Richard Payant (payantr@georgetown.edu) whenever their work orders aren’t filled. Accompanying this video is Jay-Z’s “Politics as Usual” from what LaMagna calls the artist’s best album, Reasonable Doubt (1996).

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Mike Seander, a graduate student on Georgetown’s baseball team, caught the attention of the Washington Post yesterday. Not for his on-the-field talents, though.

You see, Seander raps. (His rap name? Mike Stud.)

“It’s absurd,” Dan Capeless, his teammate, told the Post. “People are going nuts. DJs are screaming his name. Very outlandish.”

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By releasing the single “Georgetown Girl” this past March, NBA star Ron Artest managed to catch the attention of some Hoyas for a reason other than his erratic behavior and fiery temperment. Now Artest, who famously started the 2004 Pacers-Pistons Brawl when he leapt into the stands to attack a taunting fan, has released a music video to accompany the single.

“Georgetown Girl” was a collaboration with Houston based artist Kyleon, but Hoyas can be forgiven if they were ignorant of Artest’s musical ambitions. His first album, My World, which was released in 2006 on his record label Tru Warier, never made it on to the charts and was mostly ignored by critics.

While Kyleon’s lines are decent, he graces the track only at the beginning. Excessive auto-tune renders Artest’s pining vocals unrecognizable, and his lyrics lack anything remotely resembling complexity.

The music video brings precious little insight into the meaning of the song. Featuring about half a dozen young women, some of whom are clad Georgetown jerseys, the video is superficial and unexciting. The auto-tuned Artest simply goes through the standard rapper motions: canoodling with one of the Hoya-supporting honeys, rolling around in a large black Escalade, et cetra.

What Artest means by a “Georgetown Girl” and why he feels compelled to rap about her remains unclear. Artest did not attend Georgetown himself, and he does not appear to have any specific fondness for female Georgetown students. The most likely explanation is that this is just another puzzling result of Artest’s eccentric nature.

Either way, Vox will take The Chimes’ rendition of “Georgetown Girl” over Artest’s any day.

Via DCist,the first (and best) rap about DC voting rights. It’s got Eleanor Holmes Norton crossing her arms, all sorts of DC residents asking for their rights, and a heartbreaking intro.Best of all, around 2:00 rapper Joe L. Da Vessel complains to Shadow Senator Michael Brown: “Now I know this is delicate, but I could go to war and all I get is shadow delegate?” Brown just shrugs and looks abashed, it’s priceless.

My infatuation with Mike Jones began in 2005 when “Who is Mike Jones?” was released. I was mesmerized by his self-promotion, narcissism (2-8-1-3-3-0-8-0-0-fo’, anyone?), generic beats, poor enunciation (those pesky grills) and unabashed reliance on the “they used to…now they…” formula for rhymes. Time passed, though, and like all good things my affair with Mike Jones came to an end.

A week ago, I was wandering through the music blogosphere [ed. note: a.k.a. surfing Destiny's Child message boards] when I stumbled upon “Turning Headz,” Mike Jones’ new single. I don’t want to sound irrationally exuberant, so I’ll just say this: “Turning Headz” is the best hip-hop song of 2007, if not the best hip-hop song ever, for a few simple reasons.

1. Mike Jones’ name is the first thing you’ll hear. It just feels so right.
2. The hook sounds like it came straight from Linkin Park.
3. You can practically hear the lyrics smashing against the grill of whoever sings the chorus (“Every time I hit the corner I be turnin’ headz.”)
4. Mike Jones keeps up with technological trends. He still raps his cellphone number like in 2005, but also gives his fans another way to contact him: “Myspace/Mike Jones/Hit your boy up on the low.” Way to stay current.
5. I’ve always loved the “They used to…now they…” formula as epitomized by “Back then they didn’t want me, now I’m hot they all up on me.” He achieves the pinnacle of the art in “Turning Headz” when he raps “They used to laugh at my belly now they want to rub/on my belly every Sunday to get in my flub.”
6. After letting loose one of the freshest rhymes I’ve ever heard, Mike Jones seems to realize how good it is. So he repeats it: Mike Jones’ flub x2.

But don’t take my word for it. Listen for yourself (courtesy Zshare).

-Sam Sweeney, Senior Writer