North Texas Daily (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 99, No. 47, Ed. 1 Thursday, April 12, 2012 Page: 3 of 8
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Thursday, April 12,2012
Arts & Li e
Page 3
Alex Macon, Arts & Life Editor
alexdmacon@yahoo.com
North exas rapper, student making waves
Leigh Daniels
Intern
Jarren Mack is leading a double
life.
There's UNT senior Jarren
Mack, studying public adminis-
tration and emergency manage-
ment at the Denton campus.
Then there's JMack, the
up-and-coming Texas-by-way-of-
England rapper who rhymes over
his own self-produced beats.
When Mack's not at school, he
can be found laying down tracks
in a dimly lit studio decked with a
keyboard, avocalbooth, produc-
tion equipment and a beat-up
backpack he loves so much he's
written a song about it.
"I'm a night owl," he said. "I'll
know I have school the next day,
and it'll be one in the morning,
and that's when I'm ready to write
for a beat I've had in my head
all day."
Mack has been taking the rap
game by storm with his distinct
brand of electronica and hip -hop
and has several big-time opening
shows under his belt, sharing the
stage with artists such as Bun B,
Killer Mike, Yelawolf, Trae the
Truth and Big Tuck.
Mack, whose father was in
the Air Force, grew up across
the Atlantic in England, which
is where he first heard the song
"Wake Up Call," a collabora-
tion between dance group The
Prodigy and rapper Kool Keith.
The song's blurring of genre lines
served as an early inspiration.
He grew familiar with elec-
tronic music while living in
England, and his love for rap
artists such as Wu-Tang Clan
and UGK started whenhe moved
to Allen, Texas in 1990.
In high school, Mack began
rapping with his friends as a
way to goof around and make
fun of each other, but it eventu-
ally turned into something more
emotional.
"When my grandmother
passed away, it was a way to vent;"
he said.
Mack said it had always been a
passion of his to listen to music,
and he longed to emulate his
favorite artists.
"I just want to inspire people
the way I was inspired," Mack
said. "That's my motivation."
It's not all about the rap
industry for JMack, and he said
that right now his biggest focus
is on graduating from UNT.
Juggling his time between
school and music is one of the
biggest challenges he's faced
living his double life, Mack said.
"My grades started to slip
because I have such a passion
for music, but I turned it around
and put school first," he said.
He chose to study public
administration and emergency
management because of his mili-
tary background and his desire
to help those in need.
"I wanted to do something
totally across the street from
music," Mack said.
Friend and publicist Ashton
Lynne, of Dulce Vida Public
Relations, said Mack brings a
unique style to the table.
"He has sustenance and isn't
drawn into the industry for the
wrong reasons. He likes what he
does, and that's why he does it,"
Lynne said.
After a string of big perfor-
mances and ink from various
North Texas media outlets,
Photo by Ashley-Crystal Marie Firstley/Staee Photographer
Emergency administration and disaster planning senior Jarren Mack, also known as JMack, stands in the recording room
in one of the studios he uses Tuesday afternoon in Carrolton. Mack has opened for artists such as Bun B and Yelawolf.
Lynne said Mack is on his way
to becoming a household name
in Dallas.
Pre-radio, television and film
sophomore Max Fuerst is a recent
fan of JMack who said the rapper
presented a breath of fresh air.
"He's got a unique style
because of his refreshing rhyme
structure," Fuerst said. "It's good
to see someone breaking the
mold."
JMack's music is available on
iTunes, and his first album, "First
Initial, Last Name," is available
on his website, www.jmack972.
com, for free.
He's currently working on an
album-setto drop this summer -
andregularlyperforms in venues
around Dallas-Fort Worth.
Photo by Amber Plumley/Staff Photographer
Christof Syre, executive chef of Las Colinas' Four Seasons Resort and Club, helps to prepare his menu items with
School of Merchandising and Hospitality Management students at The Club at Gateway on Wednesday.
Guest chef chips in
at student restaurant
NadiaHill
Staff Writer
Chef Christof Sy re's sing-
song voice trails behind him
as he glides from one oven to
another, gesturing grandiosely
and keeping an eye on every
student wearing an apron.
Syrd, executive chef at
the Four Seasons Resort:
Las Colinas, worked along-
side students at The Club at
Gateway Center on Wednesday
to plan and produce a specially
designed meal for The Club's
Guest Chef Day, which is held
once a semester.
About 200 patrons dined
at the student-run restaurant
- operated by the School of
Merchandising and Hospitality
Management to give students
hands-on experience - to
sample Syre's menu.
"Each year we hire from
this campus, and I wanted to
be part of building that rela-
tionship," said Syre, a fourth-
generation restaurateur who
was raised in Germany.
"My goal was to explore and
build job opportunities for
students."
Syre's European cooking
school background is informed
by the years he later spent
living in Asia, and his food
fuses flavor and creativity.
His menu for Guest Chef Day
included oven-dried tomato
and bread soup, grilled salmon
Nicoise style, white chocolate
and praline mousse, and a
strawberry mint salad.
The Four Seasons: Las
Colinas reached out to UNT to
continue fostering a budding
'.../ wanted to be part of building
that relationship. My goal
was to explore and build job
opportunities for students "
—Christof Syre
Executive chef, Four Seasons: Las Colinas
relationship between the
university's hospitality school
and the hotel's restaurant.
"It's a chance for chefs
to come in and work with
students and expose them
to a broader audience," said
lecturer Charlie Foster, general
manager of The Club. "During
the pre-meal with students,
the recipes just come to life,
working side by side with the
chef. It is definitely a positive,
collaborative relationship."
Before the day of the event,
Syre created a menu that
students then adapted for
correct portion sizes, adjusting
ingredients based on The Club
at Gateway's budget. Students
said the greatest challenge
was learning how to plan and
prepare more than twice the
usual number of meals.
"I am his right-hand person
that makes sure everything is
right," hospitality and tourism
senior Rhonda McTyre said.
"This is my first time working
with a chef one-on-one, and
he has a lot of advice and is
very informative. He's shown
me that it takes patience and
great leadership, and if I ever
become a chef I want to work
with him."
Syre said he enjoyed the
experience of working with
students in a fully opera-
tional restaurant.
"It would've been good
for future planning to have
students involved [earlier
in the process] because I
provided the recipes, but
it makes me understand
the way students are taught
and need support to be
successful," Syre said.
Twenty students each
day prepare, cook and
serve meals to keep the
on-campus restaurant up
and running. The Club is
maintained by students
from two Restaurant
Operations. The classes
divide up management
and cooking responsibili-
ties every three weeks, but
all hands were on deck for
Guest Chef Day.
The Club at Gateway
Center is open Monday
through Friday from 11 a.m.
to 12:15 p.m. for the rest
of April. Meals are $7. To
make a reservation, e-mail
Gatewayclub@unt.edu or
call 940-565-4144.
J
Photo by Martha Hill/Intern
Business freshman Hannah Kearney holds a dog, Roy, while music freshmen Kimberly Newcomb and Caroline Hunt pet
Roy. The Denton Animal Shelter held an event at the Library Mall on Wednesday to bring awareness to students about
the responsibilities of owning a pet.
Dogs day out in Denton
Katie Olson
Intern
Groups of students excit-
edly crowded around dogs of all
breeds and sizes outside of the
Willis Libraiy on Wednesday. The
University Program Council's "Pet
Experience" included wagging
tails, furry ears and adoption tips
courtesy of the Denton Animal
Shelter.
The Pet Experience, run by UPC
Film's Coordinator Joe Gonzalez,
gave students a chance to talk to
pet owners who have adopted
dogs from the Denton Animal
Shelter. The event was specifi-
cally aimed at students who are
leaving on-campus housing and
can consider taking in a pet.
"We put on this event so
students can be informed by
current pet owners about how
they can adopt and be pet owners
themselves," Gonzalez said.
Dog owner Tracy Frier has
volunteered atthe Denton Animal
Shelter for almost a year and
knows how much commitment
it takes to take care of pets.
"We let the dogs out of their
kennels and play with them,
spend time with them and
make sure they're socializing
and getting lots of love and atten-
tion," Frier said.
Because college students have
schedules filled with class, work
and other commitments, Frier
encouraged any prospective pet
owner to think carefully before
adopting: pets, such as dogs,
require time, care and devo-
tion.
"We encourage people to adopt
dogs appropriate for their life-
style," she said.
Frier also advocated for
students to adopt from shelters
or rescues because so many dogs
are euthanized every year on a
national scale.
"When you adopt from a shelter
you really save a life," she said.
Math freshman and pet owner
Melissa Parks agreed.
"I'd rather give a second chance
to a dog than get a new pedigree
that's expensive," she said.
However, she said she under-
stands that adopting a dog is a big
commitment and a decision that
potential pet owners should take
time to consider.
"I think if you want to adopt
from a shelter, you need to know
ahead of time that dog had
another life before the shelter,"
Parks said.
Frier also encouraged anyone
interested in volunteering at the
animal shelter to attend an orien-
tation at Denton Animal Shelter
at 300 S. Woodrow Ln. on May
12 at 9:30 a.m. As for "The Pet
Experience," Frier said she hopes
students will realize the respon-
sibility of being a p et owner that
comes with adopting from shel-
ters or rescues.
"Every breed is different, and
it's important to adopt a dog
where their energy level is right
for you," she said.
Gonzalez expects students
to take the information they
learned at "The Pet Experience"
into consideration as well.
" I think the students students
gain an understanding of what
it takes to be a pet owner and
can also gain valuable experi-
ence from pet owners in the
Denton Community," he said.
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Gorman, Sean. North Texas Daily (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 99, No. 47, Ed. 1 Thursday, April 12, 2012, newspaper, April 12, 2012; Denton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth255911/m1/3/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.