Thug Notes
 | It has been suggested that this article should be split into articles titled Wisecrack, Inc., Thug Notes, Earthling Cinema, 8-bit Philosophy and Pop Psych!. (discuss) (September 2015) |
| Thug Notes | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Educational, Comedy |
| Created by | Jared Bauer[1] |
| Written by | Jared Bauer, Joseph Salvaggio[1] |
| Presented by | Greg Edwards |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Producer | Jacob Salamon[1] |
| Running time | 3-6 minutes |
| Production companies | Wisecrack, Inc. |
| Original release | |
| Network | YouTube |
| Release | June 3, 2013 – present |
Thug Notes is an American educational web series that summarizes and analyzes various literary works in a comedic manner. Thug Notes first aired on June 3, 2013, on YouTube, with the pilot episode centered on Crime and Punishment.[2][3] The host of the series is Sparky Sweets, Ph.D., portrayed by actor and comedian Greg Edwards.[4][5]
Style
The series is presented by Sparky Sweets, Ph.D., in the character's "original gangster" style.[6]
The following is an example of Sweets' style from his analysis of To Kill a Mockingbird, one of his most popular:[6] "Only a jive-ass fool would bother capping a mockingbird, cause all them bitches do is just drop next-level beats for your enjoyment. So what my girl Harper trying to say is ratting on Boo Radley wouldn't do no good. It would only rid the hood of one more true-blue player."[7]
Explaining the usage of African American Vernacular English within the series, Edwards stated, "but the truth is, the gift of literature is universal in meaning and should be made accessible to everyone on every plane. So, 'Thug Notes' is my way of trivializing academia's attempt at making literature exclusionary by showing that even high-brow academic concepts can be communicated in a clear and open fashion."[8] The style used by Edwards' character was a result of "frustration with the world of academia".[6]
Episodes
Reception
Thug Notes has been met with a cumulative view total of over 60.3 million (as of April 21, 2016)[9] and critical acclaim.[4] Thug Notes's virality has been documented by mainstream news publications such as The New York Times and Huffington Post.[10][11] The Tampa Bay Times has noted that the series can be used as an educational tool.[8] However, The New York Times somewhat criticized the increase in the frequency of style of the series, stating "We have to put a stop to inappropriate hip-hop appropriation before we get the Fox News 'Rap the Headlines Hour' or 'Gangsta 60 Minutes'."
The videos have been banned from some schools, such as El Cerrito High School, where it was determined by administration to be "offensive to students or our community."[12]
In 2014, Wisecrack/Thug Notes was listed on New Media Rockstars Top 100 Channels, ranked at #94.[13]
Earthling Cinema
 |
A similar show hosted by Wisecrack, Earthling Cinema, examines famous movies through the eyes of Garyx Wormuloid, played by Mark Schroeder, an alien that exhibits films from a destroyed Earth.
8-Bit Philosophy
|
| Episode |
|---|
| Are Drugs GOOD For You? (Kirby + Aldous Huxley) |
| Are You Authentic? (Heidegger + River City Ransom) |
| Are Your Actions GOOD? (Kant vs. Mill) |
| Can We Be Certain of Anything? (Descartes) |
| Can We Trust the Media? (Baudrillard) |
| Do Humans Operate Like Computers? (Kant) |
| Do We Crave Fascism? (Freud & Psychoanalysis) |
| Do We Enjoy Being Free? (Final Fantasy + Sartre) |
| Do We Need Government? (The Social Contract) |
| Does Christianity Make Us Weak? (Nietzsche) |
| Does Money Own You? |
| Does Privilege Matter? |
| Does Rationality Give Life Meaning? (Kierkegaard) |
| Does SCIENCE = TRUTH? (Nietzsche + Mega Man) |
| Get Away With Anything? (Plato + Zelda) |
| Is A Cat A Cat? (Derrida + Double Dragon) |
| Is Batman JUST? |
| Is Boredom Worse Than Death? (Kierkegaard) |
| Is Capitalism Bad For You? |
| Is Change Impossible? |
| Is Gender REAL? |
| Is God Useful? |
| Is Technology Killing Your Creativity? (Star Wars + Heidegger) |
| Is The American Dream B.S.? |
| Should Animals Have Human Rights? (Pok?mon + Speciesism) |
| The Philosophy of Bioshock (w/ The Game Theorists) |
| Time is a Flat Circle? (Nietzsche + Mega Man) |
| What Is Evil? |
| What is Marxism? (Karl Marx + Super Mario Bros.) |
| What is Real? (Plato's Allegory of the Cave) |
| What is Woman? (de Beauvoir + Metroid) |
| Who Was Machiavelli? (The Prince) |
| Who Was Socrates? |
| Why Do Haters Hate? |
| Why Do We Take Selfies? |
| Why Shouldn't We Commit Suicide? (Camus + Donkey Kong) |
| Will History END? |
The Philosophy of
|
| # | Subject | Released |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | BioShock | July 12, 2015 |
| 02 | Halo | November 3, 2015 |
| 03 | Fallout | November 7, 2015 |
| 04 | Rick and Morty | December 19, 2015 |
| 05 | The Walking Dead | February 11, 2016 |
| 06 | House of Cards | March 3, 2016 |
Pop Psych!
|
| # | Character |
|---|---|
| 01 | Santa Claus |
| 02 | Gollum |
| 03 | Batman |
| 04 | Mario |
Possible future episodes: Lisa Simpson, Shrek, Pac-Man.
References
- ^ a b c "We are the team behind Thug Notes, yo' main hookup for classic literature summary and analysis. AUA!". Reddit. February 11, 2014. Retrieved June 15, 2014.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Crime and Punishment - Book Summary & Analysis by Thug Notes. Thug Notes. YouTube. June 3, 2013. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
- ^ "Thug Notes: Sparky Sweets, PhD Looks At 'Crime And Punishment' (VIDEO)". Huffington Post. June 4, 2013. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b "Comedian-actor-writer Greg Edwards". PBS. March 20, 2014. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "'Thug Notes': The Hardcore Way To Learn About Books [VIDEO]". Guy Code Blog. MTV. June 21, 2013. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b c Dobson, Miranda (August 14, 2013). "Thug Notes: YouTube comic brings literary Classics to the masses hip-hop style". The Independent. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Thug Notes: 'To Kill A Mockingbird' (VIDEO)". Huffington Post. June 25, 2013. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b Hooper, Ernest (September 4, 2013). "'Thug Notes' delivers the innovation needed in education". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Thug Notes About". YouTube. June 11, 2014.
- ^ Genzlinger, Neil (January 24, 2014). "Homies in Verona, Gangstas in Elsinore". The New York Times. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Hartsell, Carol (January 28, 2014). "The Latest Episode Of 'Thug Notes' Gave Sparky Sweets The Giggles". Huffington Post. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ [1]
- ^ "The NMR Top 100 YouTube Channels: 100 – 76!". New Media Rockstars. Retrieved 6 January 2015.