Tuesday, October 1, 2013
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.
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I agree with the idea that Eminem was kind of the first man to start the change of listeners to hip hop. I loved your blog and how diverse hip hop is. I love how these rappers have made such an impact on the music world.
ReplyDeleteCool idea how many different races are now involved in the genre, when it used to predominantly only be one. It is so true that hip hop is constantly changing and evolving.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea that individuals can help to shape an entire genre of music and agree that these three have played a very important role in helping hip hop become what is is today. Now there are tons of white and hispanic rappers that are very popular.
ReplyDeleteI really liked this blog. It shows that different individuals played parts and evolving the genre. Today many different ethic backgrounds listen to hip-hip because they can relate to the music the artist puts out. Which allows the genre to be more and more popular.
ReplyDeleteI've had enjoyed reading this blog along with many of the previous blogs due to that main fact that it talk about the evolution that hip hop has encountered. I must admit that adversity keeps me interested in the hip hop culture.
DeleteI really like this article. Hip Hop has changed over time and it has a lot to do with artist of other races doing it, starting with Eminem. He kind of made the world realize that Hip Hop does not have a distinct, specific style.
ReplyDeleteI liked your article, we both had to write about the same topic. Good job with the specific examples of artists, they made your point more clear.
ReplyDeleteI liked your post. I think you did a great job with the artists you choose to support your point. gave a good visual for how music transcends race
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your post. Although however, everyone is different. I never fell into the folkway that you have to be black to listen to music. And I did not define acceptance of a genre of music by the race of the majority of the artist that's in it. I believe for some people these artists race and their lyrics may have played a vital and symbolic role in Hip Hop. But for me, I never really looked up to an artist solely and primary on his race.
ReplyDeleteEnironmetn and Surroundings: Important or nahh?
ReplyDeleteAs the hip hop indusry is such melting pot for all different cultures and personalities, one thing that seems to always stay the same is their "hood" or hometown. As rappers come up into the spotlight, more often then not, they represent their hometown to the fullest. As I really anylyze this similarity between most rappers and artists, i bein to ask why? Why is this so common and i may have came up with the answer.
Growing up in a area where rappers have been generated through their west coast lifestyle, many with gang background or huslter mindset, kendrick lamar is great example of a ip hop or rap artist that represents his hometown of Compton to the fullest. In many of his songs he describes his hometown and the things he experienced while there. I believe the reason for all the shoutouts to his city because that is who made him who he is. But its not just a Kendrick Lamar thing, its artist thing.
Another artist who always talks about his hometown is Drake. Drake is alwasy repping his hometown of Toronto. The reason rappers or artist do this so often is to keep the people from his city understanding that he did not forget about his past and where he started. Thats why I believe this is so popular for artist to do becasue they need thesupport of their hometown. If they dont they may end up like Lebron and hated ny his hometown. Thats the biggest fear, being hated by the very place that made you who you are.
Every body whether you like it or not, is a product of their environment. Whether you fall into the negative of that environment and get sucked in and become one of the people you saw growing up jobless and lost hope, or you use that very same energy and drive you to be the famous person from compton or toronto. You may use it to tell yourself i cant become just another statistic on the paper of who fell into the evil of the city and never do anything with yourself.
You see Kendrick and Drake could have fell into evil of the city and never made it in life, but they used the influence of the negative they saw in their city and didnt look back.
Overall morale of the story; whether you fall into the trap of pressure of the evil your city, or use it as a flame to ignite your light out the darkness of your city, the hood or city of which you are from is the most significant influence on your life and you being you.
It’s cool to think about how many different artists portray their hometown. Talking about one’s hometown is also a very common topic in a lot of hip hop songs. It gives a more in depth look at someone’s culture.
DeleteI found this post interesting because I never thought about how different rappers and artists look at their hometowns. I now realize that hometowns are a main aspect of a lot of songs and they way that every artists looks at his or her hometown are different.
DeleteCool idea! I've never thought about it like that. It is interesting how much of an impact one's hometown has on them and how important it is to display that through one's music.
DeleteI love it when artists rap about their hometowns. It means to me that, they appreciate where they came from. Whether or not one, was surrounded by negative influences, they made it to the top, and still show their hometown love.
DeleteThumbs Up ! Most artists are usually noted from their upcoming. with regards to their living environment,and lifestyle. I am personally from Miami and I tend to listen to local rappers then others.
DeleteI really enjoyed this blog and I think it's cool that rappers sing about their hometowns. It shows the audience more about the artist and where they're from and maybe the origins of their stories.
DeleteI'm glad that rappers of different cultures started to rap in the hip hop genre because without rappers of different cultures there probably would not be so many people listening to rap as there is today.
ReplyDeletei really liked how you gave examples of rappers that rep their hometown like Drake and Kendrick. Its so interesting to listen to music from different cities because its never the same.
ReplyDeletei really liked how you talked about the diversity of hip-hop in the artists and in its audience. I also like how u brought up how rappers have different styles from different cities or regions.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading this. It is very true how someones hometown has such an influence on them. Most rappers talk about where they are from and how it has impacted their lives.
ReplyDeleteRepresenting where your from has always been a bug part of the hiphop game with state shout outs city shout outs and area code shout outs. where your from is where your credibility lies, and rep has always been intertwined with hiphop
ReplyDelete