Monday, August 2, 2010
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Bay Area Rap: Chunk (East Palo Alto). Sampling and Masculinity
Chunk from EPA. Bay Love
Menace to the Game
Man I Dont Even Trip
Shouts to all my Pali ALto headz. oNeLoVe!! Epacity
Nommo and the Word! Word Up by Cameo
dealing with some family issues and so pardon my absentia. But here is
a special treat that was referenced by the saying "word up" or "word em up"
as I say it. A oldie but goodie, Word Up by Cameo.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Fake American Rappers
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128567769
Mutabaruka - Blacks In Amerika
Not really hip hop, but dub poetry definitely embodies the African aesthetic and the power of NOMMO
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Marcus McCarther---Collective Marginality
In his video Life As A Shorty, Fashawn is able to articulate the identity of a young male growing up in his neighborhood. His story is a universal story in American culture. Most people can relate to the lyrics and imagery displayed in the video. Largely because of rap music, one can tune in to the voices and find faces of America’s Black youth at any point in the day (Kitwana, 342). Although this statement is true, I find it to be problematic. Not all rap music is specifically catered or representative of Black culture or people. There is conscious hip-hop that I feel is entirely underrepresented in hip-hop discourse. This may be for economic reasons but mainstream record companies suppress messages of Black uplift and empowerment. And in the same way as the mainstream media establishes the parameters for national discussion for the nation at large, rap music sets the tone for Black youth (Kitwana, 344). Hip-hop is the embodiment of connective marginality. Connective marginality is the term given as a conceptual frame that encompasses various social and historical realms that form the context for youth participating in hip-hop outside the United States (Osumare, 69). Mired in the historic context of American racism, the global meanings of blackness may signify parallel issues of marginality and difference marked already in other countries (Osumare, 62). This song and video are successful at articulating a message that is both representative and universal at the same time. Fashawn says, “life as a Shorty shouldn’t be so rough.” Given the fact that many of our youth come of age in urban centers blighted with poverty and an educational system overwhelmed and underfunded, it sometimes follows that our kids see themselves as damaged or deficient (Watts, 595). Some might watch this and think this is what it must me like to live in the ghetto but I challenge that. This is what it might be like for many living in lower class, impoverished environments. However, these same experiences might take place in an upper-middle class neighborhood in Orange County, California or even Tokyo, Japan.
Babak Afshinnik---Gangster vs. Conscious Rap
The song I chose is Tupac’s “Never Had A Friend Like Me.” This song embodies both Gangster and Conscious rap in it lyrical dimensions. Few artists are capable of producing a song that can possess Gangster and Conscious rap lyrics and far fewer can achieve this with the balance and taste Tupac brought. Conscious rap attempts to tell a story/narrative from an introspective stance that incorporates metaphoric/descriptive prose to impart a refined sentiment/quality to the music Gangster rap, in contrast to conscious rap, is more unrefined. Although a story is often told in Gangster rap, the main focus isn’t one of introspection and reflection but rather reaction and flows that speak of the present at hand and ho that experience comes across is the core of Gangster rap. Tupac’s “Never Had A Friend Like Me”comes across as both Gangster and Conscious rap in its entirety.Tupac blends elements of Gangster and Conscious rap with the verses, “…See at night I watch the sky take another breath I smoke my Newport to the butt Like it's the last motherfucker left just me and you evading enemies let you get my last shot of Hennessy ain't never had a friend like me remember memories so vividly was once a little dust kicker now becomes a G who can I call when they all fail collect calls to my dogz from the county Jail sendin' me mail heard the blocks in the same shape ain't nothin' changed niggaz slangin' at the same place the same faces we suppose to alwayz hate our foes this lifestyle is forever watch the game unfold shedding crocodile tears just got life plus and you wonder if these white judges like us just stay strong we'll appeal nigga you'll be free down with cha to the very end cause you ain't never had a friend like me.” In this verse, Tupac touches on many elements of Gangster and Conscious rap. Tupac’s choice to speak of Hennessy and Newport’s is reminiscent of Gangster rap. Tupac’s discussion of the block and how things haven’t changed is a social commentary on the pace of life in the hood and this draws from elements of Conscious rap. Tupac’s reference of to a white judge is a commentary aimed at the racial prejudice blacks and minorities feel in America, especially in the judicial system.
Margaret Guitron---Machismo
Broken down into its components, the machismo is the being or the expression of being “macho.” In Hip-Hop we see that machismo or the expression of being “macho” is done so to give power to the “devalued black man.” Machismo can be expressed through either the flaunting of sexuality, money, physical power (i.e. strength), or the devaluing of women.
In Nelly’s “Tipdrill” music video, for example, we as viewers are witness to several acts of machismo through the devaluing of women. Throughout the whole video there are scantily dressed women dancing around what seems to be a summer pool house. These women’s rear ends are what is the central theme of the song; we hear such lyrics as, “it must be your ass ‘cause it ain’t yo face.” Such lyrics strip women into mere body parts, disposable to men’s use. Along with these lyrics, we see some very explicit images where women’s booties are being slapped around, men are grinding behind them, and some women are grinding on each other in a Jacuzzi. It is very obvious that women’s central role in the video is to sexually entertain; at one point a girl is being thrown dollar bills at her by Nelly. The video concludes with Nelly swiping a credit card through a woman’s butt cheeks all whilst he smiles big for the camera in approval. Overall, we see the power that Nelly and his crew of men have over these women: slapping them around, throwing money at them, and using them to their desire. We get a sense that they own them with their money…the same could also be said of the women owning the men through their sexuality but in the end what we see is that the exchange of goods is not equal as these women are being heavily degraded in dignity. Every act of woman’s submission in this video is used to bring forward the power that the video’s men have over women, all indicative of machismo.
Nebiyu Wondyfraw--- Social Commentary / Social Discourse
Dance, disco, having a good time, this is what rap was prior to “The Message” by Grandmaster flash. This music video caused a shift in hip hop from feel good music to an outlet for the struggles of the urban community. The music video was a call to the American public to listen and understand what was really going down in the very environment for which most of the hip hop artists were coming from. In many ways “The Message” was the seed of conscience rap that laid the foundation for future social commentators like Chuck D., NWA, and Tupac.
Grandmaster flash vividly paints a picture of what was going on in the urban communities during the Reagan era of the 1980’s. There was an explosion in crack cocaine dealing and many people of the urban community were suffering through economic struggles such as inflation. Furthermore, the trickledown economics of the time seemed to be causing an increase in the separation between the have and the have-nots. Grandmaster explains that the streets of the time were filled with the homeless, pimps, and drug addicts. In addition, children were spending most of their time watching tv all day, smoking, and not getting a proper education, contributing to the endless cycle of the youth growing up to live a life on the streets. By stating “ Don’t push me cause I’m close to the edge, I’m trying not to lose my head,” he was warning all of America in the chorus that the urban community of the time was a ticking time bomb and that if changes were not made, then all of America better brace themselves for the consequences. The song was Grandmaster Flash forcing the uninformed public to listen and visualize what really was going on in the streets, instead of just pretending that it does not exist. It was the genesis of the union of hip hop and social awareness that served a purpose that was far greater than just dancing and selling records.
Do you think the mainstream success of hip hop has led to the decline of socially conscious rap?
Leo Thom--- Social Commentary / Social Discourse
Today’s popular hip hop scene is typically dominated by hyper-masculine figures who berate the female sex to prove the gangster lifestyle their lyrics portray. Much of the time, the content within popular rap is anything but substantial or conscientious, with the usual references to one’s masculinity, sexual prowess, and wealth being somewhat ubiquitous of the top ten rap hits at any given time. Commercial and popular success are often directly correlated with how “real”, or authentic, a rapper is, with a misogynistic attitude being one of prerequisites for obtaining street credibility. The lack of respect for women in contemporary hip hop is alarming and a cause for concern, with women being viewed as either tools for sexual pleasure or annoyances that need to be dealt with.
However, highly influential rapper Tupac Shakur was one of the few artists who not only openly respected women, but also produced female-positive songs including “Dear Mama” and “Keep Ya Head Up” to much commercial and critical acclaim. Although Tupac did indeed live the gangster lifestyle depicted in his music, his street credibility, fan base, or record sales did not falter because of his female-positive messages. Arguably, because Tupac was considered authentic by his peers and listeners, his messages of female empowerment did not fall upon deaf ears.
Tupac’s social commentary through his song “Keep Ya Head Up” touches upon the hardships many women face in the ghetto community, namely sexual abuse and single-motherhood. The artist questioned the behavior he saw in the ghettos:
And since we all came from a woman / Got our name from a woman and our game from a woman / I wonder why we take from our women / Why we rape our women, do we hate our women?
Using his influence in the hip hop community, Tupac, an ever conscious artist of social dilemmas, was able to comment on the troubling issue of the degradation of the female image in the ghetto. Amid the plethora of artists that spout misogynistic, almost predictable lyrics, Tupac was one of the leading forces behind female-empowerment through hip hop.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Gabrielle Alvarez: Jovanotti – Il Rap (1992), “globalization”
Everyone can agree on the fact that hip-hop has gone global, and not just in a form of borrowing United States hip-hop and putting a foreign face on it. All aspects of hip-hop culture, including rap, b-boying, clothing style, and graffiti elements, have spread to countries all over the world and each one has incorporated their own influential touch. As Osumare describes this phenomenon in the context of "connective marginality," different cultures are able to do this because the meaning of hip-hop in general is centered around four main characteristics: youthful rebellion, historical oppression, class, and micro culture. Hip-hop expresses each of these realms in creative ways that can be unique to many different artists from all around the world. Complications can arise because these realms, experiences, and the reasons behind them are often interconnected among different nations, but in the end it leads to further integration and influence of the music.
Driving the globalization of hip-hop across national divides are the processes of advanced technological communication, and consumerist commercialization. However, even with the root of hip-hop holding a United States background, other countries have still embraced the culture as not just music but as a physical and personal movement. The example I use is Italian hip-hop and Italian rapper Jovanotti's "Il Rap." Hip-hop spread to Italy in the mid 1980's and popularized in the early 1990's. The song "Il Rap" illustrates early mainstream Italian rap music, which still had an extremely large American component. As one of Italy's first popular rappers, Jovanotti used this track to boost hip-hop in Italy by sampling the United States' Public Enemy. As the country was exposed to more music and more hip-hop artists gained fame, the globalization process became much more apparent. Italian rappers began to rap about everything from personal struggles in their own lives to political situations concerning the Mafia, and about homelessness, poverty, and other social issues that were specific to Italian communities. Furthermore, many artists have individualized their expressionist music by rapping in local dialects that have been known to be as exclusive as within a single family. Italian rap started with heavy American influence, but like globalized hip-hop in other countries, has become one single culture with Italian elements.
Discussion: Hip-hop developed in the United States and has globally allowed the youth generation to express themselves in a revolutionary way. How do you think other countries incorporate elements such as Africanist Aesthetics and other such dynamics into their music? Can they use these means of expression in the same way that Americans can, particularly African-Americans that have long-standing historical and political struggle connections within hip-hop culture?
Marquis Nicolis: Tres coronas – Ahora o Nunca, “globalization”
Prior to the 1980s, hip-hop music was largely confined within the context of the United States. However, during the 1980s, it began its spread and became a part of the music scene in dozens of countries. In the beginning of 2001, in the streets of Queens, New York City a rap group was formed under the name "Tres Coronas" (which literally translates to Three Crowns) by three young rappers from Colombia (P.N.O. and Rocca) and Dominican Republic (Reychesta). With their only goal in mind to “crown” in the world of rap in Spanish and Latin America Tres Coronas began to release various mixtapes that were independently sold in certain parts of the United States, Colombia, France and Spain.
Within the construct of the "global-hood," hip hop examines how an expressive culture that began in the impoverished working-class black and Latino communities in New York has developed into a performative and social phenomenon that incorporates verbal skills and other creative elements such as dance and music. Central to Osumare's argument is the concept of Connective marginalities, a term, and multiple layers of meaning that draw from its sociocutural context and audience. Moreover, in this video ahora or nunca t by tres coronas has concept of connective marginalities continues to reflect the cross-cultural performative stage that allows for the exploration of cultural identity by the hip-hop artist. In a sense hip-hop connects minorities of any country, which allows them to use hip-hop as tool for speaking about poverty and other inequalities such as low unemployment, gangs and the civil war in Columbia between locals and the government army. Nonetheless, hip-hop has become an influential voice for youth around the globe. “Given the impact and pervasive confluence of global communications and postmodernism, It should come as no surprise that hip-hop youth culture has proliferated internationally,” and we such groups such as Tres Coronas
Hip hop "has become international in breadth and depth, with thousands of cultures throughout the globe having embraced it in various forms ... American hip-hop music has reached the cultural corridors of the globe and has been absorbed and reinvented around the world.
Discussion: Although hip- hop has been has sometimes taken for granted in the U.S., how has hip- hop globally come to represent empowerment of the less fortunate in the developing countries. In other words how can it be seen as or represented as there own American dream?
Tony Quach: Eminem – My Name Is, “power moves”
Eminem in 1999 released “My Name Is” on the album The Slim Shady LP under Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment record label. The controversial and often offensive lyrical content made waves with the media and various activists groups calling for bans and censorship. In its first verse the song contains violence, gore, drug behavior, sex, suicide, pop culture, misogyny and religion. As an emcee, Eminem uses his lyrical talents to provide such shock value as an emcee “power move,” or a move to gain power when it moves beyond public acceptability. Eminem uses his glorified experiences with drugs, seemingly intense anger at the world, and thoughts of horrific violence in order to establish respect.
Post Hip Hop’s Vanilla Ice Era, it seemed impossible for a white emcee to make a case in rapping. Labeled by the mass media a gangster rapper, since his lyrics contain violence, misogyny, and drugs, he was not accepted warmly by the public, nor was he fully accepted by the hip hop community. A lot of hip hop fans believed he was going to be another white emcee trying to catch their glimpse of fame by using controversy as his fuel before the flame of his career burns out. Eminem’s lyrical attacks towards various pop culture icons in this song (Pamela Anderson, Spice Girls) originates from his emcee background where he developed his skills as a freestyle battle rapper. Battle rappers’ utilize improvisational lyrics as power moves in the form of grisly metaphors, threats of violence, homophobic declarations in order to “destroy” their opponents.
Discussion: Do you think Eminem’s recent albums still the original power move factors when compared to his earlier works?
Larisa O'Loughlin: Reggie Rockstone and Wyclef Jean – We Glad, “Globalization”
Why is it that Hip Hop has resonated with youth all over the world? How has Hip Hop, which originally started out as a form of expression within a society that marginalizes a people based on race, become an essential part of global youth culture? Osumare's answer is connective marginalities. Connective marginalities is a term in which Osumare uses to explain the connection Hip Hop has globally. It helps to explain the social and historical experiences in which certain youth identify with, particularly in Hip Hop. Connective marginalities are "resonances of social inequalities that can manifest as four configurations in different parts of the world- youthful rebellion, class, historical oppression and culture." (Osumare, 63)
The artist I chose to feature is Reggie Rockstone who is the Godfather of Hiplife, a genre of music in Ghana that combines jazzy/funky Ghanaian highlife, hip hop, reggae and dancehall. This style of music has been around since the 80's, but became popular by Rockstone in '94 when he ignited the Hiplife movement. He went to London in his early year and became a break dancer. He brought his knowledge of Hip Hop back to Ghana and used the youth population to test out tracks, that incorporated African and Hip Hop beats. This Hiplife movement was a youth movement which was heavily influenced by Hip Hop in its early years. The cultural and youth rebellion aspect of the connective marginalities are most present in Hiplife. One professor of anthropology notes that African Diasporic musical forms are fluid in many parts of Africa in that music from artists in the Diaspora have always had success due to the fact that they share many of the same aesthetics- such as storytelling. In Hiplife, you will also see that the youth have taken on the stance of being social critics, criticizing the government, the church or any institution in which they see as being harmful to society. In turn, Hiplife is seen as morally corrupt and a threat to tradition by some of the older generation in Ghana. It wasnt very easy to find a song that wasnt sung in Twi or Ga, but I found the song "We glad" by Reggie Rockstone and Wyclef Jean, a Haitian born American rapper. The theme of the song is rags to riches, which is also a popular theme in American Hip Hop. This song also has some underlying social commentary about the realities of many people in Ghana who are still waiting (but may never) for their chance to "make it" to the top.
Discussion: Do you think Hip Hop could be popularized in another country without having elements of the four connective marginalities?
GROUP SONG: Far East Movement – Like a G6
Hailing from Los Angeles, California, Far East Movement are a group of rappers and entertainers that have worked with various hip hop acts and artists. They performed at Power 106’s Powerhouse 2009 alongside such artists such as Jay-Z, Lil Jon, Kid Cudi, SeanPaul, New Boyz, Pitbull and Flo Rida. Hip hop and its constant evolving state has given birth to such sub genres as electro hop, hip hop rapping with dance heavy beats. Osumare discusses that hip hop and dance appeal to the Africanist Aesthetic. The blend of Asian and American cultures truly shows its globalization. Osumare’s concept that hip-hop all over the world still includes connective marginalities or youth rebellion, expression, oppression, culture and class are all included in the scope of hip hop. The video depicts a culture of partying and regardless of socio-economic class, people gather in celebration with music, food and drink for all sorts of occasions, and as FM explains in their lyrics, “This is how we live, every single night.”
Discussion: "Like a G6" shows how hip-hop culture can be influential in both directions: American hip-hop doesn't just influence other countries. This song shows how Asian influence is brought back on to the United States. Do you think that all of the cross-cultural influences and integrations change the central meanings and expressions that hip-hop originally developed for? How do you think dynamics between countries, like war etc., might influence the way countries can affect each other in terms of the music?
Monday, July 19, 2010
Fake "American" Rappers
Even though our discussion section got pretty heated and I have to agree with a lot of my classmates in saying that all arguments concerning authenticity can get shut down, I have to just throw it out there that I think this is a little ridiculous and really shows me what it means to lack authenticity. These guys really became a business in the sense that they weren't selling their lyrics per se, but they were selling their created story-image of poor youthful Americans.
Here: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128567769
Tuesday Section: Group: Holy, Kauzhuapa, Kathryn and Angelika. Terms: Gangsta Rap, Power Moves, and Ghettocentrism.
Term: Ghettocentrism
Music Video: Eazy-E –“Boyz n the Hood”
Ghettocentrism as defined by Samuels is “a style-driven cult of blackness defined by crude stereotypes” (Samuels, p.152). Historically the crude stereotypes that attempt to define blackness originate from chattel slavery and the fascination of the black body. The emergence of early rap in the late 1970's created a genre that appealed to a voyeuristic society trying to define black music and culture. “Raps appeal to whites rested in the image of blackness: foreign, sexually charged and criminal underworld against which the norms of white society are defined” (Samuels, p.147). Such exaggerated and romanticized images portrayed in rap videos during the 1980's and 1990's created rapper “superhero” status and reinforced stereotypes of living a ghetto lifestyle as to being the only reality of black experience in America.
Easy-E in 1991 released the song “Boyz in Da Hood” in which he narrated a day in the hood. Throughout the song he takes the listener through several areas of “hood” life that glorify violence, materialism, illegal activates and misogyny.
- “Cruisin down the street in my six-fo', jockin the bitches, slappin the hoes”.
- “young niggas at the path throwin up gang signs, ran in my house, and grabbed ma clip”
- “they greet me wit a 40 and I start drinking”
- “its all about makin that G.T.A. (Grand Theft Auto)”
- “I went to get them out but there was no bail, the fellas caused a riot in the county jail”
Easy-E goes on to say that boyz in the hood are always hard because surviving a day in the hood is hard. Although this type of black experience is the reality for some black youth, the commercialization of rap by music industry glamorizes ghettocentrism while failing to provide alternatives to the black experience.
Question: Being that rappers are the most influential “superheros” of the 21st century, by profiting rap as a consumable good, and reinforcing negative stereotypes, can one assume that achieving black superstardom means accepting overt racism?
Term: Power Move
Clip : Breakdance Power Moves on Youtube
Power Moves is defined as a form of dance moves. A combination of dance moves of all styles that require power in speed and movement fused together. An example of power moves would be break dancing. Break dancing has many combinations and styles of “power moves” from music played. For instance, in break-dancing there are moves such as the “foot”, head spines, windmill, arm wave and turtle freeze. There are many dance moves that are in creation and are still being created, especially dancers, moves are always improvised and created.
Power moves are based on beats and rhythm of the music played. Halifu Osumare says, “the original impetus in hip-hop culture was the break beat- the percussion beats that included bongos, congas, bells, and shakers- within songs that were looped together to extend the rhythmic interlude for the “break” dancers” (Osumare, 33). Power moves require the intensity to the flow of rhythmic beats and creative styles of dancing, in this case, break-dancing.
In this YouTube video clip, break dancing is shown and it takes place in a competitive battle setting. Many people comment on this video clip and describe certain moves such as the Babymill, Munchmill, Knuckle Zoo and Elbow spin. These are “new” moves created by the competitors in the competition. Like I said before, moves are always in creation and being created, especially for dancers.
Question: What kind of power moves do you see or recognize on rap music videos or hip hop music?
Term: Gangsta Rap
Music Video: Lil Wayne – “Snitch”
Gangsta Rap was first introduced and commercialized in the mid 1980’s by artists such as Ice-T, Schooly-D and infamous group N.W.A. This subgenre in Hip-Hop, described in class, became popular because of it’s lucrative and explicit lyrics. In the 1990’s gangsta rap evolved but faced criticisms from almost everyone. They were accused of promoting violence, profanity, gang rape, drive by shooting, drug dealing, alcohol abuse and the list goes on. Basically anything that has to do with common urban violence and crimes, gangsta rap was blamed for being influential.
One of the G-Codes (gangsta codes) that all gangsta rappers live by is this unwritten rule of “No Snitching”. Every gangsta knows this rule and live every day by it. Here is a list I compiled that describes a “snitch”.
- Any person who tells police or any authority of another's activity whether it’s a illegal or not. (Sometime snitches might even deny they snitched, but they’re still a snitch.)
- A jail informant. (paid and unpaid) who gives information to cops in exchange for reduced sentences, dropped charges and witness protection.
- A scared person who informs police of threats made to them.
Snitches sometime pay the consequences for snitching. Some live to tell their story but the ones caught, are usually murdered or beaten down badly. In this song “snitch” by Lil Wayne from his album “The Carter”, it demonstrates the consequences of snitching.
{Hook}
Don't let your mouth open up
Cuz you don't wanna see the handgun open up, no
Don't let your mouth open out
Cuz you don't wanna see the automatic open out, no
[Verse 1]
Aint no snitches ridin wit us
Ol motor mouth niggaz could holla the front
Cant no loose slips get on my yacht
I leave player haters at the dock, watch
And your nigga help ya burn the block
As soon as you get hot nigga turn to cop
Ya settin up federal appointments now
Nigga all in court pointing out
Daddy not knowing what he doin here child
We gon mail him his finger when he get out, yea
Just to show him what we's about
Never let shit about G'z leave ya mouth, yea
You inside can't leave ya house
Two donut lovers to police ya house
I sneak past those brothers leak in ya house
And put the heat dead in yo mouth, so shut up
[Hook - repeat 2X]
[Verse 2]
Wizzy nigga been bout me
Stay low so you don't know shit bout me
Make no mistake I'm a veteran at
Me never rat mommy taught me better than that
Get a gat if you ain't got one already
If you do then you ain't got enough get two
And you could never get me nigga get you
And you ain't got to fuck me girl fuck you
I'm rollin wit my goons
And I would never roll on my nigga take that to my tomb
aint no girl came out of mom's womb
Real nigga shit muthufucker I'm tuned, and I was taught
If a man talk about another man while that man ain't present
A man don't listen
They throwin brick but they hands is missin
Just watch what you sayin sissy
[Hook - repeat 2X]
[Verse 3]
Aint no telling who spillin the earl
You telling yo boy he tellin his girl
O, Now she telling the world
It ain't no secret I'm hotter than etha
But I don't neither cop shit neither
Either close yo mouth or meet the heater
We the dirty south where cocaine cheaper
You go up north nigga's boost they fee up
This where the real hustlers meet up
Look out anybody can be them people
Yo own people could be them people
No glasses can help you see them people
They around too many evil people
Detectives wanna get even equal
My desert eagle ain't even legal, but sssshhhhhhhh
In this song, Lil wayne talks about drug dealing, guns, murder and consequences of snitching. In the first verse, lil wayne claims a snitch pointing out in court so he said “we gon send him his finger when he get out”, meaning he’s going to pay the price for snitching. Then he states “Never let shit about G'z leave ya mouth, yea, You inside can't leave ya house , two donut lovers to police ya house, I sneak pass those brothers leak in ya house and put the heat dead in yo mouth, so shut up.” Meaning even with the police to watch over your house, he’ll find a way to sneak in and shoot you, specifically dead in the mouth.
Question: Now that you guys are familiar with snitching. Do you think “snitching” is a good or bad thug law to live by? If you were in the position to snitch, what would you do and why?
Term:: Gangsta Rap
Song: Ice T “6 in the Mornin’ ”
Ice T, along with other artists such as Schooly D, is revered as one of the founding fathers of gangsta rap. This style of rap, which portrayed the violent and dangerous lifestyles of youth within urban areas, was established in the 1980s and received mass commercial popularity late in the decade. Popularity continued throughout the 1990s with artists such as N.W.A., TuPac, and Snoop Dogg.
As popularity increased so did social criticisms of the controversial issues that the songs brought to light. Depiction of issues such as violence, drug use and trafficking, and degradation of women were among the chief complaints of critics. Those opposing the production of gangsta rap went so far as to insist on the censorship of the music in the early 1990s. Ultimately the artists defended their music by saying that they were not promoting the activities they were rapping about, but rather portraying them for an audience.
This song exemplifies many of the main ingredients that personify gangsta rap. It speaks of inner city struggles saying that “Living in the city is a serious task”. The song talks openly of violence, jail time for possession of weapons, and running from the cops. Along with including common social issues mentioned in gangsta rap songs, the style of flow in which the song is delivered is similar to styles seen
in other gangsta rap songs such as Eazy E’z Eazy Duz It.
Group Video: Biggie and Tupac Freestyle
- Two of most famous gangsta rappers are featured
- Each artist rhymes about exagerated violence, possesion of guns.
- “I got seven Mack 11's, about eight 38's
Nine 9's, ten mack tens, the shits never ends” - Reps their hood “Where brooklyn at” and speaks directly to “thugs”- Appealing to ghetto youth.
- Freestyle battles are common in BBoy community, use power moves to assert themselves. We thought that this could translate into freestyle rap, where their lyrical power moves are
1st Int'l Ultimate B-Boy Championship
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Jazz and Hip Hop!!
Jazz Hip Hop which discusses and compares Hip Hop and rap.
Lyrics:
Chorus:
Music evolution change
Sometimes the common makes it sound strange
Add a little this, take out a little that
Then you'll come up with jazz called rap
Where it's at, bring it back
Because it is an ill format
(Repeat)
Once upon a time not long ago
When all the cats went to hear Satchmo blow
Groovin' at a tempo fast or slow
Jazz was at a new plateau ready to grow
Also developing ways to make dough
Although we always heard no when at a show
The Klan couldn't keep the man from makin' mo'
Better blues, kinda confused here's the news
These grooves is better than
your blue suede shoes
Some G's are fake and some will make moves
I prove jazz gone up another level
Real without making a deal with the devil
And so, I'm about to let the world know
That bebop and skattin' was an old school flow
Callaway was a dope MC, you didn't know?
Now that the years gone by some will try
Try to make that hip hop and jazz thing die
When it was skat before it was rap, Yo it was fly
Now it brings tears to the eye, oh my
I didn't hear that back in the days
I wonder why
[ Find more Lyrics on http://mp3lyrics.org/y2Z ]
Chorus:
Ennie, meenie, minie, mo
Let's pick a song
Let's make it long and add the
rap to make it strong
And if it's wrong, then I'll
chill and let it stop
If not, then I'll bust chops to get props
To make sure jazz and hip hop is at the tip top
But wait, we must cross roads to get it straight
in rhyme there's a thin line
between love and hate
Some state rap will never make it out the gate
But I'm here to cause a debate and contemplate
Why jazz and hip hop is considered second rate
But what' the use, if I proceed to break it loose
There's always an excuse why
the rapper gets abuse
Don't wanna tangle because the angle is obtuse
Same kinda case that was facin' the juice
My tongue can get necks hung, where's the noose
My hypotenuse was to make rap fun
But what I done has put the soldier on the run
From sun to sun carryin'
weight that weights a ton
Convinced without a gun
Forget the fame of your name they need someone
to blame
For murder one
Chorus (5x)
Change
Strange
This
That
Jazz
Rap
Because it is an ill format
Grym Reaper (Gravediggaz) - Savior
Should you neglect your music to focus on the "business" aspect, or is the "soul more precious than rap careers?"
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Lichtenstein
Authenticity
In his article "Authenticity as Authentication," Allan Moore looks at folk and rock criticism to argue for three kinds of authenticity: first person authenticity, wherein the performer is recognized as being authentic to himself; third person authenticity, wherein a performer is identified as authentically representative of a third party or "Other" group; and 2nd person authenticity, which hinges on the experience of authenticity, particularly as that experience relates to performance and dance.
What I find useful about Moore's articulation is this: he shows the pitfalls of the two most common ways of understanding authenticity. He shows how "first person authenticity"--a performer being authentic to him or herself--is an undefensible or unarguable position. We cannot actually ever know whether or not someone is being true to their feelings, their identity, or their experience. They can tell us their opinion of their own authenticity, but as cultural critics (or social commentators, to alter Dyson's phrase) we cannot know, not for sure, if anyone is being authentic. This is hard to recognize because we want to know, and we want to be able to recognize this in artists--especially if that artist is speaking to an experience we identify with. Any performance is exactly that, and indeed, if we are to allow hip hop the performativity of social change, we must acknowledge its performative nature.
The second understanding of authenticity, third person authenticity--wherein an audience decides whether or not a cultural form is "true" to a set of individuals of which the audience has little or no knowledge--is equally clearly problematic. Moore uses the example of "the blues," a musical/generic (as in genre) category from the 20th century wherein an outsider (white Alan Lomax, who wanted to collect "real" American music) decided that this music, which he called "the blues," was authentic because it "really" expressed the "harsh realities" of an "Other," a kind of person who is like but not like--in this case, poor southern Black men. In contemporary hip hop, we can see the parallels to yesterday's video on hip hop masculinity, wherein a white girl talked about hip hop as a way to see into a reality which she will never experience. This dynamic is fraught expressly because of the power dynamic at play; Lomax has the power to decide what "is" the blues, which is why, as a category, the blues have always been played by men--for Lomax, the women who were singing at the time (and who displayed many of the musicological and formal elements of "the blues) were not the blues, and as such, we don't view them as the blues today--they're jazz singers, or somehow fall outside of the genre. What's important to remember is that acknowledging this power structure isn't the same thing as liberal humanistic self-flagellation or "white guilt"--the issue isn't how messed up things are, but instead the thoughtful consideration of power structures to provide analysis.
Moore's offering of a "second person authenticity", which puts emphasis on what he calls "the process of authentication" as opposed to an innate or essential category of an artist, is helpful for two reasons. One, it correctly implies that authenticity is invariably recognized by an audience, and the negotiation for authenticity always takes place with someone besides the performer. Any analysis of authenticity invariably implicates both the performer whose authenticity is up for debate and the debater.
Two, his argument hearkens back to the "embodiment" aspect of Osumare's Africanist aesthetic. Moore acknowledges that the process of authentication takes place in part in and on the body, so that dancing at a show is both indicative of authentication and also part of its process. As such, we can see the duality that Osumare recognizes in the Africanist aesthetic: it's not just about what the mind recognizes as authentic, but also what the body experiences as authentic.
There are limitations to Moore's argument, to be sure, but he highlights the crucial negotiation process by which authenticity is declared, contested, and reached. I'll upload the article to SmartSite.
Thoughts?
Dj Vadim It'S Obvious feat Blue Rum 13
Alternative Hip On MTV back in the day. You should be able to recognize the sample. Note the aesthetic differences between this video and some of the music videos we have seen in class. Also take note of the video time length :)
Tough Guise by Jason Katz
In yesterday's film Hip Hop: Beyond the Beats and Rhymes, Russell Simmons made an interesting comment in response to the misogyny that Hip Hop portrays in music videos and lyrics. He said something along the lines of 'Why don't we question the sexism in our society instead of blaming the poetry that reflects it.' If you noticed, the documentary made connections of the images and messages we see in hip hop, to issues pertaining to masculinity in the broader society. The film Tough Guise is narrated by Jason Katz who was also a commentator in Beyond the Beats and Rhymes. It talks about the very issue of masculinity and sexism in our society today, and how it is reflected in popular culture.
Here is a link to the video:
http://video.google.com/
Dave Chapelle on How Women Dress
Thursday Section, Group One: Authenticity, Capitalism, and Cultural Production
Eminem- Mockingbird (Sylvester)
Authenticity
Authenticity is a social construct. As such the idea of authenticity is stochastic. It depends wholly on a set of qualifiers defined by an identifiable social group and is always subject to both change and scrutiny. One constant of determining the authenticity of a work is to look at the underlying intentions of the artist and how these intentions relate themselves to the times. By intentions we cannot look solely to financial desires. It is a social standard in American culture to desire economic success via enjoyable routines. In order to understand the authenticity of a song the underlying intentions of the art pieces message beyond face value financial desires. If the underlying intentions are in fact nothing beyond the exploitation of social patterns for the sake of profit then it can be said that a song is unauthentic.
Eminem’s song Mockingbird is an example of an authentic hip-hip rap. Eminem’s style is very reminiscent of story telling. He often takes on the role of protagonists and narrator during his pieces. Using the first person voice Eminem conveys stories born from actual life experience. Mockingbird is drawn from actual life experience. Eminem details the relationship with his ex-wife and the strain his work life had on their family dynamic.
“Daddy's always on the move
Mama's always on the news
I try to keep you sheltered from it
But somehow it seems, the harder that I try to do that
The more it backfires on me”
Though the story certainly dips into Eminem’s time as a successful rapper the story is conveyed in a way that is relatable. The inability to provide for one’s family and the difficulty of being a working parent are all common permeable social issues. Eminem does not discuss a romanticised social situation, nor does he glorify his position as a successful rapper. Rather it is Eminem’s intent to instill a truth about life that permeates all classes and cultures. This method of story telling allows Mockingbird to provide a form of social commentary, that is, lyrically discussing a current issue. Social commentary and the genuine origins of the story Mockingbird conveys a very real sense of authenticity.
Discussion: What do you believe constitutes a genuine tale? Can genuine origins exist within unauthentic hip-hop? What shapes authenticity within a culture?
Capitalism: Wanna be a Balla’- Lil’ Troy (Jacob)
Capitalism
This song is by Lil’Troy and talks about coming up in the drug business. It is autobiographical in a sense because he talks about the way he became a rapper and what he had to do in order to reach national status as a rapper. Throughout the song, there is a sense of nostalgia because as much as he likes the life he has chosen to lead, he says that there has to be a better way.
“[M]aking money the fly but there’s gotta be a better way”.
This all relates to capitalism in two ways. One, Lil’ Troy was a drug dealer who used his money to establish his music business, thereby becoming an entrepreneur, and gaining national recognition. With this national recognition he became a part of Universal Music Group and was able to leave the drug business. (Although he went to jail for selling drugs)
The second way this relates to capitalism is that by signing with a major musical group he becomes the product itself that is part of a private, bigger company now distributing the profits among other shareholders. The music, his image and his stories are all part of what people want to buy or consume. The image that consumers want is that of people living the high life and having extravagant things.
Discussion: What role do the origins of rappers play in their image as capitalistic entities? How does consumer fetishism relate to voyeurism when discussing the packaged images of hip-hop artists?
The Roots featuring Raphael Saadiq- What They Do (Shonlisa)
Cultural Production
This song is about the frustration The Roots feels about the current state of hip hop during the 90s. The MC of the group, Black Thought, complains that many hip hop artists are unoriginal and are afraid to step out of the typical rapper’s persona. This persona is a combination of a playa, balla, and thug. In the first verse, Black Thought says, “The principles of true hip hop have been forsaken/ It’s all contractual and about money makin’/Pretend-to-be cats don't seem to know they limitations/ Exact replication and false representation.” For me these lines are a key example of cultural production because he is describing how the industry is manufacturing rappers and how artists are playing into the role for a pay check. These rappers then make music about a cultural practice or lifestyle they may not necessarily be a part of in order to better market a targetgroup of consumers.
The lyrics to a song work as the bait to entice the consumer while the music video works as the hook that reinforces the perceived ideals of hip hop artist. Music videos play a key role in cultural production because the images artist rap about are now visible and can then be duplicated. In The Roots video, they do a spoof of a typical rap video that would include half naked women, a mansion, flashy cars, a random beat-down scene, and a lot of champagne bottle popping. Even though the group is surrounded by these extravagant things they appear as if they don't notice it or that they are bored with it. Black Thought encourages a shift from the culturally produced norms of hip hop. He expresses how he wants artist to challenge the norm and states, “Infinitely go against the grain, that’s why my motto’s to...” and Raphael Saadiq chimes in with “never do ...what they do, what they do, what they do.”
Discussion: What aspect of your own image, if any, may be the result of cultural production? To what extent do you suppose perceived identities super cede actual ones in day to day interactions between cultural groups?
Tha Crossroads- Bone Thugs-N-Harmony (Elizabeth)
Cultural Production
Sociologist David Brain defines cultural production as the “collective production of skills and practices which enable social actors to make sense of their lives, articulate an identity, and resist with creative energy the apparent dictates of structural conditions they nonetheless reproduce.” (Watkins 557) In ‘Tha Crossroads’, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony presents to us their life in what is known as urban culture.This song is about the friends and family members who are passing away, and how each member will meet him, or her at the “crossroads,” where two roads meet such as earth and heaven. Friends of Bone who have died include Wally, Boo’s Uncle Charles, and Easy-E.
Lyrics:
“while you laughing, we’re passing, passing away”
“can somebody anybody tell me why, we die, we die, i dont wanna die ”
Video:
Music video shows Wally dying due to gunshots in an alleyway.
Group of five young African-American men walking, but three of them diminish and fade away, or pass away.
Tha Crossroads music video demonstrates the real status quo of young black men in the “hood.” The ghetto or hood is a place portrayed as a feared part of the neighborhood where casualties happen frequently among young black men. It’s the ghetto hardship that Bone Thugs N Harmony sing about, which is how their lives were, and are, carried out every single day. It seems as though their top priority is to to keep themselves alive, because you never know when your life will end living in the urban ghetto. Throughout the song they are constantly praying to God to stay alive and appreciate dead family and friends, such as Eazy-E, who was diagnosed with AIDS and died at the age of 31. Bone turned this ghetto hardship into a form of hip hop. This lifestyle is often perceived as a form of blackness, or African-American subculture because from this standpoint, young African-American males who live in the “hood” may identify with this culture of struggle illustrated in the video.
Discussion: Do you think Bone does a good job of presenting what urban culture is all about? Or is it more than what is being portrayed in the song?
Lil Wayne Hot Boyz Bling Bling - Lil Wayne Weezy Bling Bling (Group)
Authenticity, Capitalism, and Cultural Production
Money, jewelry, mansions, and cars are the focuses of Lil Wayne and the Hot Boyz’s song, “Bling Bling.” Wayne and companies choice to focus on materialistic things makes a fine example of the consumer fetishism typified in many rap songs. Even the songs title, “Bling Bling,” suggests a glorification of the consumer society. Money and things are what elevate social status in “Bling Bling.” To them, the street life is only a means to a goal. The “street life” is their business and they are profiting from it.
“Candy coated helicopter with that leather cover”
As the title suggests, Lil Wayne and the Hot Boyz adorn themselves with expensive ornaments. In the video, urban fashion is represented with baggy jeans, chains, hat to the back, fresh white T. Hot Boyz and Lil Wayne present urban culture as having possession of women and cash. With this, in the video you can see females in bikini suit dancing and surrounding the men, expensive cars, and large estates. They mention having possession of expensive rings, watches (Rolex), a helicopter, 30 inch rims, and a private plane.
“Bling Bling” is very materialistic in its approach. Visually, the music video is a continuous parade of what they perceive as making it. Fancy clothes, lavish woman, and gaudy jewelry all culminate to portray a sense of high class living. focuses on the financial aspects of the Hot Boyz’s standing as rappers (the salary). On the other hand there is no ties back to a sense of community beyond their immediate group. The video lacks any visual representation of life in urban areas and the lyrics are devoid of social commentary (reality). Rather, scenes such as the expensive cars driving trough domestic neighborhoods and the helicopter panning over urban areas demonstrate Lil Wayne and the Hot Boyz’s intent to contrast the urban settings with their lifestyle. However, the emphasis of salary over reality may still be an authentic approach by some. In an interview with the Hot Boyz, leader Birdman revealed that the purpose of the video was to celebrate their own “rags to riches” story. In this way the video represents a very true sentiment on behalf of its authors.
Discussion: Does capitalism conflict or coalesce with the idea of authenticity? Based off visual and audio ques alone, is it at all possible to determine the underlying intentions of this or any other song? At what level does the presence of multiple women in music videos today convey a sense of capitalistic achievement?