Kobe

Kobe (神戸市, Kōbe-shi, Japanese pronunciation: [koːꜜbe]) is the sixth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture. It is located on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, on the north shore of Osaka Bay and about 30 km (19 mi) west of Osaka. With a population around 1.5 million, the city is part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kyoto.

The earliest written records regarding the region come from the Nihon Shoki, which describes the founding of the Ikuta Shrine by Empress Jingū in AD 201. For most of its history, the area was never a single political entity, even during the Tokugawa Period, when the port was controlled directly by the Tokugawa Shogunate. Kobe did not exist in its current form until its founding in 1889. Its name comes from "kanbe" (神戸), an archaic title for supporters of the city's Ikuta Shrine. Kobe became one of Japan's 17 designated cities in 1956.

Kobe was one of the cities to open for trade with the West following the 1853 end of the policy of seclusion and has since been known as a cosmopolitan port city. While the 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake diminished much of Kobe's prominence as a port city, it remains Japan's fourth busiest container port. Companies headquartered in Kobe include ASICS, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, and Kobe Steel, as well as over 100 international corporations with Asian or Japanese headquarters in the city such as Eli Lilly and Company, Procter & Gamble, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Nestlé. The city is the point of origin and namesake of Kobe beef, as well as the site of one of Japan's most famous hot spring resorts, Arima Onsen.

Big Sean

Sean Michael Leonard Anderson (born March 25, 1988), known professionally as Big Sean, is an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan. Big Sean signed with Kanye West's GOOD Music in 2007, Def Jam Recordings in 2008 and Roc Nation in 2014. After releasing a number of mixtapes, Sean released his debut album, Finally Famous, in 2011. He released his second studio album, Hall of Fame, on August 27, 2013. Sean's third studio album Dark Sky Paradise was released in 2015 and which earned him his first No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

Life and career

1988–2003: Early life and career beginnings

Sean Michael Leonard Anderson was born on March 25, 1988 in Santa Monica, California to Myra and James Anderson. When he was 3 months old, he moved to Detroit, Michigan, where he was raised by his mother, a school teacher, and grandmother. He attended the Detroit Waldorf School and graduated from Cass Technical High School with a 3.7 GPA. Big Sean is often heard saying "west side" in his songs; he is referring to the west side of his hometown Detroit, Michigan. In his later years in high school, Sean gained a valuable relationship with Detroit hip-hop station WHTD; he would show his rhyming skills on a weekly basis as part of a rap battle contest held by the station. In 2005, Kanye West was doing a radio interview at 102.7 FM. Hearing about this, Sean headed over to the station to meet West and perform some freestyle. Initially West was reluctant to hear him, however he gave Sean 16 bars to rap for him. According to Big Sean, West enjoyed his freestyle: "As we get to the entrance of the radio station ... we stopped in the middle of the doorway. He starts looking at me and bobbing his head,". After the freestyle, Sean left West his demo tape. Two years later, West signed Big Sean to GOOD Music.

Some Great Reward

Some Great Reward is the fourth studio album by English electronic music band Depeche Mode, released in 1984. The album peaked at number five in the United Kingdom and at number fifty-one in the United States. The title comes from the last lines of the bridge in "Lie to Me" when it repeats near the end. The album was supported by the Some Great Reward Tour.

Critical reception

Melody Maker hailed the album, noting a "truly remarkable development in the voice of Gahan". Reviewer Barry McIlheney noted that "[i]t used to be okay to slag this bunch off because of their lack of soul, their supposed synthetic appeal, their reluctance to really pack a punch." He concluded that Some Great Reward "just trashes such bad old talk into the ground and demands that you now sit up and take notice of what is happening here, right under your nose".

NME criticised the album, stating that it "suffers from too many missed grips on good ideas." Reviewer David Quantick found the tunes "ordinary" but he nevertheless rated the singles as "fine". He finally stated that the result was "annoying" and concluded, "Depeche Mode can be one the few acts worthy of the name pop group. It's just that they should be so much better."

Music video

A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings. There are also cases where songs are used in tie in marketing campaigns that allow them to become more than just a song. Tie ins and merchandising could be used in toys are marketing campaigns for food and other products. Although the origins of music videos date back to musical short films that first appeared in the 1920s, they came into prominence in the 1980s when MTV based their format around the medium. Prior to the 1980s, these works were described by various terms including "illustrated song", "filmed insert", "promotional (promo) film", "promotional clip", "promotional video", "song video", "song clip" or "film clip". Since the creation and increased popularity of YouTube, mainstream artists now promote new music videos by releasing trailers of short promos on the site for their upcoming song and music video. Consequentially, YouTube has been converted into a social media platform for celebrities and artists to market themselves to their fans and audiences.

If You Want It

"If You Want It" is the thirty-first UK single from synthpop group Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, released in September 2010 by 100% Records as the first single from their eleventh studio album "History of Modern". It is the band's first single since "Universal" in 1996, and is the first single with the original line-up since "Dreaming" in 1988. The song was a top 50 hit in Germany.

The track was previewed, along with "History of Modern (Part II)" on their website during August and was announced as the album's first single. The artwork was revealed later that month.

Music video

The music video for "If You Want It" was released on the band's website on 16 August 2010. It shows a group of dancers performing underneath the spotlight while the two band members watch the display.

Track listing

CD single, Germany (10 September 2010)

Vinyl single, UK (6 September 2010)