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Urban Escape Artists

19/12/2013

By Ahmed Latif

In this the inaugural issue of The Kallipolitan Magazine we would like to discuss an important duality that prevails in our post-modern time. The city is often demonized, particularly the inner city or the downtown core, while being glorified as the embodiment of cultural preeminence. The prominent image is one where urban centres are places of decay and pervasive social issues — such as homelessness, drug addiction, and gang violence — dominate. But at the same time, the city is home to the arts while the suburbs reign as a cultural wasteland.

Yeezus

18/12/2013

By Toshiro Diggs

You would expect from the man who named his album Yeezus that self-aggrandizing would one of the work’s central themes. The vanity put on display is almost vile but you do not doubt for a second that Kanye West really does believe what he says about himself. Boosting egos has been a part of hip hop since the days of battle emcees but Kanye’s braggadocio does not come across as a gimmick. Both musician and listener are aware of his relevance in hip hop and popular culture. Even still, it is not mindless either. Let’s keep in mind that he once rapped "we're all self-conscious, I'm just the first to admit it." What Yeezus reveals about Kanye is his dualistic nature as the genre’s most polarizing anti-hero. This is apparent from the themes, to the sonic choices on the album.

Judge Dredd

18/12/2013

By Gabriel Zultanic

The comic book that brought Judge Dredd to cultural prominence, 2000 AD contains an apparent lack of emphasis on the urban setting as a causal force behind the dystopia of Mega-City One. Avid fans of the cult classic comic were constantly cognisant of the urban setting but did not instantly blame it for the collapse of the free society. This nightmarish civilization depicted was a result of authoritarianism, police states, and the decline of social ethics. The moral complexity of the comic was not rooted in the setting; the result is that Judge Dredd is a non-stereotypical hero that tampers with the balance between authoritarianism and anarchy.

Dredd

18/12/2013

By Osvaldo Guillermo Turco

Judge Dredd is not your average comic book hero. He operates in morose dystopian backdrops and is a staunch protector of the rule of law as a representative of the Hall of Justice. The recent incarnation of the character in the film Dredd (2013) portrays Mega-City One, a violent metropolis that stretches from Boston to Washington DC, as being intrinsically linked to Dredd’s philosophy as unwavering judge, jury, and executioner. From the first scene we are plunged into an environment that is “convulsing...choking...breaking under its own weight” where “citizens [live] in fear of the street.” Dredd must take down a gang that deal reality-altering narcotics in Peach Trees, one of the massive housing skyscrapers known as City Blocks in which citizens live closely packed together and criminal organizations vie for control.

Urban Escape Artists

Yeezus

Judge Dredd

Dredd

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