"Analyzing What We Say & Why We Say It"

Hip Hop artists  use their music as a form of poetry as an way to express an social issue or to bring a certain topic to light. If you know poetry, you would know that every word was carefully made to scripted to have a certain behind what was said in the sentence. Rick Ross says it the best when he includes in his songs the  phrase "Its Deeper Than Rap". Although hip hop can be viewed as a way to educated listeners,Hip-Hop can also get such a bad rep sometimes. Go ask any group of random people what they think about the constantly-evolving genre and you’ll undoubtedly hear half the answers harping on how endangering such reckless noise can be for our youth. But, the truth is most of those crusty old blame-shifters probably haven’t heard anything more than a few Slim Shady singles and are just as ignorant as the songs they speak of.

There are many songs in the hip hop industry that has a concrete meaning that well explained in there lyrics instead of in a form of a hidden message. Such a song as Lupe Fiasco- Bitch Bad take a listen

However Lupe believe that his song is insignificant to the problematic issue that was brought up in the song. Having this song made just aroused and magnify the issues that girls face in the society. seeing his three little sisters listening and following to nicki manaj explicitly actions angers him.  

 Another song that I would like to bring to light in regards to song with explicit meanings is J. Cole "Lost Ones"

 J. Cole brings the topic of every sexual active person, particular teens in the world. the song is title lost ones because he is trying to show that abortions in killing a future family member of yours.

Backpack Rap: Writing For The Subculture

Backpack rappers are artist that are not on the mainstream scene and typically do not have a large following. The term "backpack rapper" was given to these artist because the first backpack artists were mostly seen wearing a backpack. The artist would normally keep there CD's and notebook in there backpack and write whenever and wherever they could. More commonly referred to as indie rappers or underground rappers now, these artist are not on the mainstream scene because they don't what to be. The style of these rappers is more lyrically focused than mainstream rappers, and the lyrical content is usually about real life things that they have experienced or have witnessed. These artist stay away from the mainstream scene mostly because they have a different and unique style and want to be able to stay true to that style while making their music.

 

My first example of a backpack rapper is Chance The Rapper. He is from Chicago and has recently gained a following since the release of his first mixtape, #10Day, which came out in spring 2011. He has a very unique and interesting style of rap in terms of his flow and ad-libs. In terms of lyric content, he doesn't really rap about many topics that mainstream artist rap about. The topics he reference mostly is his 10 day suspension from high school during his senior year which lead to his first mixtape, #10Day. He is currently self-produced, so he has the freedom to make his music however he likes. 

Another example is Ab-Soul. He is from Carson, California and is with the independent label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE). He has been recording music since '04 and was slowly acquiring a following, but due to the success of his label mate, Kendrick Lamar, he has been gaining more fans over the past few years. His style can be described by the two videos above for the most part. Although he does rap about some things that mainstream artist rap about, like smoking weed and women, majority of his music is about his life and his opinions on events around him. Ab-Soul can be described as a political rapper because many of his songs contains references to his views on topics ranging from double standards in society to the government. Although he now has close ties to Dr. Dre, due to Kendrick Lamar's relationship with him, he continues to release his music through TDE.      

Welcome to the Hood: The Importance of Location, Culture, and Totems.

    Location and culture is a big part of hip hop.  In this genre, where you come from almost defines who you are and what kind of music you make.  Ever since hip hop began, feuds and rivalries have taken place over location and hometowns.  These feuds have, in the past, included gang rivalries, drug wars, and culture differences.  According to Allison Samuels, Newsweek Reporter,  "Originally, at block parties, DJs would play records and isolate the percussion breaks for the dancing masses. Soon, MCs began speaking over the beats, usually simply to keep the audience dancing. Eventually, MCs began incorporating more varied and stylistic speech and focused on introducing themselves, shouting out to friends in the audience, boasting about their own skills, and criticizing their rivals. This was often done in good humor, but several deaths introduced a fear that lyrical rivalries may develop into offstage feuds that become violent."  After rappers started getting angry over who was better, location and culture became the main topic in hip hop.  One of the most common ways rap rivals clash is through "diss tracks," music tracks that contain lyrical insults directed at the artist's rivals. Feuds are also fueled by rivals placing targeted insults in the press and confronting one another at public events. In some cases, feuds intermingle. This lead to the East Coast-West Coast hip hop rivalry of the early and mid nineties. 

East Coast- West Cost rivalries was one of the things that started why hometowns matter so much in hip hop

    While hip-hop is known to have originated in the East Coast (particularly, the Bronx, New York), the roots of gangsta rap are accredited to the West Cost (particularly, Compton, California). Thefocuses of many rap battles involve disputes between East Coast and West Coast artists. The artists most commonly associated with the East Coast vs. West Coast beef are Tupac (2Pac) Shakur from the West Coast and Notorious B.I.G (Biggie Smalls) from the East Coast.  After the deaths of 2Pac and Biggie Smalls in 1996 and 1997, the beef between East Coast and West Coast died down and rappers began representing their hometowns, instead of either Coast.

    

    Hometowns became a huge part of hip hop music and most songs in some way talk about someone’s hometown still to this day.  Artists battle over who is better and how their hometown is better.  If someone is not from your hometown, then they don’t belong there and should never go there.  For example, artists such as OutKast represented Atlanta, Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre represented California, 50 Cent and Eminem represented Detroit, and Jay Z and Nas represented New York.  So therefore, no matter the artist or genre, part of what makes music so powerful and enduring is the intense connection every artist has to “where they’re from”. The sights, sounds, feelings and people in our “hometowns” are inextricably tied to who we are and those influences almost always resonate in the music artists make. The music has changed, but today’s most popular artists still wear their “homes” on their sleeves no matter where their travels take them.

Soures:  http://www.pbs.org/wnet/tavissmiley/features/examining-hip-hop-culture/ 

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2007/04/hip-hop-planet/mcbride-text

http://www.cincystreetdesign.com/1520_Sedgwick/

Race Identity

Hip hop has evolved drastically over time. Hip hop used to be a genre that was very controversial and looked down upon. It was also predominately listened to by blacks. However, now hip hop has become a universal genre. People from all different backgrounds are able to listen to and relate to hip hop. White, hispanics, Asians, etc. all listen to hip hop and can relate to some parts of it. In my opinion, Eminem started the change. He changed people’s views on hip hop. He was one of the first white rappers. He had such an influence on hip hop with his songs that talked about the hardships about life that so many people can relate to. Another white rapper that had an influence was Vanilla Ice with his hit “Ice Ice Baby” while this song doesn’t seem like hip hop now, it was considered hip hop back then. There have also been quite a few hispanic rappers. For example, Pitbull. He puts a new twist on rapping. His style is very different however it has changed the views of hip hop itself. Hip hop has evolved so much over the decades and it is now something that so many people can relate to rather than just one race. These are just three people with different races that I feel have dramatically changed hip hop.