Georgia City

Zing! February 10, 2012

paris — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:37:03 +0000

Make use of that medulla oblongata by filling it with nifty and noteworthy current news:

Photo courtesy of The New York Times

Giveaway: Be Mine, Jolie & Elizabeth

paris — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:08:42 +0000

Credit: Rachel LaRoche

It’s that time of year again: everything’s swathed in red or pink, the smell of roses seems to permeate from every angle and the heaps of chocolate-covered shelves just beg to be devoured. Cliche? Absolutely, but what holiday isn’t? So we propose you ditch the ‘tude ladies, and prepare for a giveaway that is sure to brighten your woe-is-me mood.

For those of you who do have a date night planned, then kudos to you Miss Perfect. For those that would rather sulk, cuddled up with Russell Stover and an endless stream of Lifetime movies, then cheer up because we have good news.

We present to you super chic Jolie & Elizabeth, a women’s clothing line that carries effortlessly cute dresses, blouses and skirts–all at an affordable price. Rather than just give away any dress, we want YOU to pick out which dress you really want! Whether its for your romantic, candlelit dinner or a girls night out, you need to feel and look amazing.

Revanche Dress in Mint

Exhibit A: The Revanche Dress comes in both mint and pink. The Revanche (French for “revenge” might I add) is the perfect cocktail dress — with pockets! — and was actually designed by Jolie when she was experiencing a tough breakup. What better way to take revenge on you-know-who than by looking good?

O'Hara Dress in Black

Exhibit B: The O’Hara Dress in black has a gold ruffle at the hem and is an LBD worthy of any closet. We love this one because of its versatility: wear it for a date night, cocktails with friends or even for holiday parties.

Marielle Dress in Crimson

Exhibit C: As the name suggests, the Marielle Dress is quite the sneak attack–it’s actually two dresses sewn into one! A Valentine’s shoe-in, this crimson dress is the ultimate choice for February 14th. Turn this bad boy inside-out, and you’ve got yourself a second dress.

To participate head over to our Facebook page and VOTE on one of the three dresses picture above. The dress with the most votes will then be up for grabs. Those who voted will be prompted to sign up for our mailing list, and from there we select a lucky winner!

Three dresses and one tough decision…let the voting begin!

GET SCHOOLED.

- Brittanae Casper (Editor-in-chief)

First Listen: Kam Royal – Rap Guys

paris — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 21:28:59 +0000

As usual, theCampusStyle is giving you the freshest and newest music out there. Remember KAM Royal? Of course you do, we love this kid. Check out the first video off of his new album, Quit Your Day Job (2.13.12), Rap Guys (Don’t Trip). Enjoy.

Keep up with KAM – @KAMRoyal.
Find him on Facebook.

P.S. If you didn’t see his last video, check it out here.

GET SCHOOLED.

- Zoë Björnson (Editorial Assistant)

First Listen: Kam Royal – Rap Guys

paris — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 21:28:59 +0000

Keep up with KAM – @KAMRoyal.
Find him on Facebook.

P.S. If you didn’t see his last video, check it out here.

GET SCHOOLED.

- Zoë Björnson (Editorial Assistant)

New Years Resolutions

paris — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 16:56:26 +0000

Happy New Year to all theCampusStyle readers out there! 2011 was a great year. Freshmen got to experience the fun and hardships of being in their first year away from home. Sophomores, now acclimated to school, got to enjoy themselves and start taking classes for their major. Juniors have one semester down and are now getting ready to travel abroad and seniors are getting ready to graduate! Crazy! As the year comes to a close, its always important, especially for students, to make a list of a few things that can better ourselves and our education. Now, how are we going to make this year even bigger and better? With 3 easy resolutions, I say.

Resolutions are annoying and hard to keep. But these three, simple tips will make your year easier and breezier.

Our first resolution is to… buy a day planner. It seems silly, but it will be your new best friend. You can use your planner to write everything down so you don’t forget a thing. You can keep track of your assignments, quizzes, tests, parties, dates and much more. You can pick a cute and stylish one , like this Kate Spade organizer, that fits your personality. A whole New Year planner for a whole new you!

Next resolution…. organize our closet! College closets are normally tiny. It’s hard to see what you have and you often forget about the great things you own! These 7 easy steps can literally change your life.

1. Store your most-used items in plain sight, less-used items below, and least-used items up high.

2. Combine storage units to fit your different needs: drawers for folded items, hangers for dresses and suits, boxes for odds and ends.

3. Use boxes, cubbies, shelves, or a hanging organizer to sort shoes.

4. Use hooks. They can create extra storage space when you hang them inside the closet or on your walls.

6. Use color-coding! You will find things easier.

7. Use suitcases to store out-of-season linens, blankets, or sweaters

Ooh la la! A perfectly organized closed!

Our last resolution is…to stock up the fridge with fresh fruits and veggies. Right after you buy the produce, slice it up and put the in plastic containers in plain view in the refrigerator. When you are coming home from class and you are starving, you will have a snack on hand, ready to eat!

I promise, if you keep these 3 resolutions up, you will be sure to have an organized, happy, healthy, fun and stylish 2012!

GET SCHOOLED & HAPPY NEW YEAR!

- Dani Pines (Indiana)

First Listen: Vaca

paris — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 04:56:46 +0000

Meet Vaca. When he’s not busy pursuing his rap career, he is a student at University of Albany. Obviously we support his efforts of pursuing music and school simultaneously, so we sat down with the Vacaveli himself to get a little more insight into his upcoming mixtape and how he manages it all.

TCS: So Vaca, you are an up and coming rapper and student at the University of Albany, how do you manage your time between school and your music?

VACA: I’ve come to realize that time management is incredibly important because college doesn’t leave too much time for leisure. When I sit down to write a song, I can’t truly concentrate on it if I know I have homework that is due or a test to study for, so I make sure all that is taken cared of beforehand. With that being said, most of my writing is done when everyone is asleep; I don’t really sleep much. The difference between “Going Back Home” and “Never Can Forget” is that the lyrical content, the musical influence, and the production/engineering has been elevated significantly. That means sleep gets cut and that allows for all my school responsibilities to be taken cared of during the day.

TCS: So you go by Vaca (your last name) as your rapper name. Say you weren’t so fortunate to have a cool last name, what would your hypothetical “rapper” name be?

Vaca: Honestly, I don’t know what I would be called. I remember thinking hard when I was young about what I would call myself, but it never really came to me. I definitely did not want a lame name because I felt like my music would have a good amount of seriousness to it. Before I started hitting the studio, I use to go down to Brooklyn to my boy Brandon’s place and we would record in his closet. On one of those regular trips, Brandon brought up that it would be cool if I just used my last name. That’s where ‘Vaca’ came from. Simple and true. On “Never Can Forget,” I bring out a new name people can call me by. Throughout the tape, I have a lot of serious songs, but when I decide to break it down and get playful or when I decide to talk about girls, I call myself ‘Vacaveli.’ Tupac is one of my inspirations and Makaveli and Vacaveli rhyme, so it’s sort of my alter ego on tracks; I can illustrate love stories just as well as anything else.

TCS: What can we expect to hear on your upcoming mixtape, “Never Can Forget”? What inspired you with this mixtape? Does the title, “Never Can Forget” have a specific meaning behind it?

Vaca: I got excited answering this question because I have received a lot of love for “Going Back Home” and I truly think that “Never Can Forget” is ten times stronger. You can expect epic sounds and royal strings, but you can also expect music for the ladies in my life and music for the soul. My first mixtape was called ‘GBH’ because it was finally being wrapped up when I was returning home from my first year at college. It was only fitting that I called my sophomore mixtape ‘NCF’ because the mixtape is being recorded now, going back to school entering my second year. My theme of my hometown, New York City, will never leave me, so the name “Never Can Forget” is basically me saying that, even though I’m leaving to go back to school, I’m not forgetting that I have to bring back the gold for NYC. That’s the blueprint.

TCS: When did you get into rapping? What would you tell others out there trying to break into the rap game?

Vaca: I always loved music. When I was like 11 years old, I had a better singing voice and I wanted to be a singer. I played the violin at Carnegie Hall around the same time, so music was always a huge interest for me. It’s funny reminiscing because I remember having my busted, cheap mp3 player and just laying in my bed listening to rap all day. When “Get Rich or Die Trying” came out, I literally sat in bed and listened to the album all day. For days. Maybe that’s why I started to really respect the art; I loved hearing what people had to say about their lives because I would think and laugh to myself, since I really could relate to a lot of the things they were saying. It was only natural that eventually I decided to write about my own experiences. It took a long time to find my own identity to be honest. But I never gave up writing, I never stopped. I would sit in front of the computer and write for hours with my headphones in and nobody would really know about it, but my family. I remember one day talking to my mother about how I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. She told me that life goes by fast and there is no time to dwell on things that aren’t passions and she knew music was what I loved. Follow your heart. Fear should never be the reason that you don’t follow your dreams.

TCS: Describe your style. Music & Clothes.

Vaca: My style in terms of music is as flexible as Shawn Johnson. I’ve grown a ton in terms of music. All types of themes can be found in my verses. On one song, I can be talking about where I come from, and on another I can be talking about a specific story or a girl. In “Never Can Forget,” people will really see the real me and who I am. Wouldn’t want to let go too much information, but I hope that you trust me; tape is going to be ill. In terms of clothing, I’m a swagged out kid from NYC! I’m kidding, I don’t know, I like to dress different. I like to think I keep it fresh.

TCS: You sure are keeping it fresh with the Olympic gymnast reference there. So, if we ran into you on the street, what might we find you wearing?

Vaca: If you came up to Spanish Harlem and found me on Pleasant Avenue, you might find me wearing my Stussy camo jeans, an Up There Apparel Crew Neck, an ‘MSS City’ t-shirt underneath, a TI$A snapback, and maybe some fly Supra’s to keep my feet from touching the ground.

TCS: What are you studying at the University of Albany? What year are you?

Vaca: I am a sophomore at the University at Albany, and I am an intended Business major with a minor in Music. Tentative because I still have some time to think you know? No worries though, grades are on point. Music is a big part of my life, but I know just how important an education is. When I come home, I know the neighbors are proud, so I do it for all the friends and family back home on the block. I do it for us.

TCS: Not bad smarty pants. And yes, you still have time. Who/what are some of your biggest influences?

Vaca: When I talk about my influences, I like to separate the Old School from the New School. Jay-Z, Nas, B.I.G., Pun, Eminem, Big L, and Tupac are huge influences and I’m only naming the rap influences. For the new school, I rock with J. Cole, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and Meek for now. I have a lot, but those are the guys I really like to go to for inspiration. I could go into other genres, but I’ll keep it right here because I’m in class right now and I don’t want to dive into the archives.

TCS: If you could assemble a “dream-team” to collaborate with, who would they be?

Vaca: Let’s get Roc Nation, Young Money, and Maybach Music in this and let’s see who comes out the champ. I can’t assemble a dream team yet, but ask me in 2 years and I’ll really give you the real answer. Gotta earn my stripes.

TCS: Well if its any consolation, you’ve earned your stripes with us. Now tell us, what is your favorite thing about theCampusStyle.com?

Vaca: I like the fact that you can find almost anything on TheCampusStyle. From music to fashion, I can stay in touch with the latest news and trends. Plus all the articles are well written and constructed. I like the aesthetics of the site, Good job Guys!

Score a free download of Vaca’s “Going Back Home” here.

You can also check him out on Facebook & YouTube and follow him on Twitter.

GET SCHOOLED.

- Cintra McGauley (Vice President)

Giveaway: STS9 NYE Tickets

paris — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 22:28:10 +0000

Here at theCampusStyle we want to make sure you have a fabulous New Year’s Eve, and we want to make sure you do it in style. That’s why we’re hosting a giveaway to the STS9 concert in ATL on New Year’s Eve. STS9 is changing the face of music by combining electric and rock sounds. STS9 has even been seen performing with acts from Bassnectar, Ghostland Observatory, Pretty Lights, Big Boi of Outkast and many more. TCS thinks you should hop on the STS9 train.

Sound Tribe Sector 9 landed their latest studio EP, When the Dust Settles (click here to download), on Billboard’s Top 25, and as one of the most “intriguing and innovative” groups around, New Year’s Eve with this crowd is sure to be a good time.

Because we love our readers so much, theCampusStyle and Endit! Management have teamed up to give one lucky reader a pair of tickets to STS9′s New Year’s Eve concert at The Tabernacle in Atlanta.

Want to score tickets to this awesome show? (Which is sold out, by the way.)

To be eligible you must do the following:

Like STS9 on their FACEBOOK PAGE

- Sign up for our newsletter HERE

- Send us an email to giveaways@thecampusstyle.com with the subject line “STS9,” telling us why you deserve to party it up with STS9.

And that’s it! Come on, don’t you want to ring in 2012 with jams like “Scheme” and “Somesing”? Enter quick! New Year’s Eve is just days away!

GET SCHOOLED.

- Zoë Björnson (Editorial Assistant)

Getting to Zero

paris — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 18:07:50 +0000

I serve on the amazing MOVE HIV/AIDS Awareness Committee here at Tech. This is a committee that comes together to raise consciousness for the HIV/AIDS epidemic that not only occurs in foreign countries, but in our own city! On World’s Aids Day, which took place December 1st, the entire world joined in unity to acknowledge the millions who have lost their lives to this horrific disease, and also those who are currently living with it.

“GETTING TO ZERO” was this year’s theme. ZERO discrimination, ZERO new infections, and ZERO Aids related deaths! This means with a united effort we can work to eradicate HIV/AIDS and stop the discrimination or stigma that sadly comes along with the disease.

The MOVE HIV/AIDS Awareness Committee at Tech brought pieces of the Aids Quilt to campus for display, and put on demonstrations like a FLASH MOB to promote understanding of World Aids Day throughout campus. The whole campus was fabulous and ROCKED their RED in support. Learn more and help us GET TO ZERO!

GET SCHOOLED.

- Lindsey Walton (Georgia Tech)

Have a Very Nerdy Christmas

paris — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 20:57:06 +0000

Need some help adding last minute gifts to your holiday wish list? Have to pick up something for your brother’s girlfriend’s sister’s best friend? Have no fear, theCampusStyle is here! Check out these gadgets that any girl would die for. Nerdy is so in this season.

1. Heartbeats by Lady Gaga ($150)

I received some of these bad boys (girls?) a couple of years ago as a graduation gift, and I love them. They’re sleek, don’t tangle, and have great sound. I have the older version in red and always get comments on them at the gym.

2. Uncommon iPhone Cases ($20 – $40)

Uncommon is great because they let you design your own case. Pick any image and you can put it on three different types of iPhone cases of varying protection. I picked up this one at the Apple store earlier this year and can’t wait to design my own.

3. Jawbone UP ($100)

While we’re on the topic of iPhone’s… I came across the Jawbone UP and became instantly obsessed. This little wristband records everything you do and can help you better your lifestyle. It can even wake you up in the morning with vibrations. That’s a heck of a lot better than the annoying alarm I currently have.

4. Solio Bolt Solar Charger ($70)

This solar battery charger is perfect for the eco-friendly girl on the go. When fully charged, it can charge your smart phone up to 2 times and can be used with any electronic that is charged via a USB connector.

5. Cashmere Long Echo Touch Glove ($78)

Even though it doesn’t get that cold in California or New Orleans, I love these extra long gloves that are smart phone friendly. They come in a variety of colors and they’re cashmere! How great is that? Chic & cozy.

Happy Holidays!

GET SCHOOLED.

- Zoë Björnson (Editorial Assistant)

First Listen: Brainwash – KAM Royal

paris — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 19:12:32 +0000

Y’all remember KAM Royal, right? Good. Well as usual, theCampusStyle keeps you up with the freshest music out there, and it just so happens that my boy, KAM, has a new song out. Check out “Brainwash.” Listen, enjoy, repeat.

Look out for his new album, Quit Your Day Job, dropping in 2012.

Check him out on FACEBOOK & follow him on Twitter.

GET SCHOOLED.

- Zoë Björnson (Editorial Assistant)