Radical Revisions and Adaptations

Radical Revisions and Adaptations

For an artist of any genre,  releasing a song that is appealing to the audience is harder than you think. The music industry is very competitive and artists strive to become more  popular and famous than the other. In result, more songs are created. Sometimes, multiple versions or remixes of a song are created.

For example, Jay Z has multiple versions of his song, “Encore.” Below are three different versions of “Encore.”

1) Encore by Jay Z ( Original Version )  

2) Encore by Jay Z ( A Cappella )  

The difference between the two is that this version is in A Cappella. A Cappella is a phrase that is commonly misused. It is two words, not one. The best definition I can give is,  A Cappella is singing with out the use of non-vocal instruments, or rapping in Jay Z's case.

3) Numb/Encore by Jay Z feat. Linkin Park  

In Conclusion, adaptations and radical revisions helps not only the artist, but the music industry. Although hearing multiple versions of one song can be irritating, however it helps bring in more listeners.

We all remember Lil Boosie right? Hopefully, by the end of this video you either remember him or laugh.

Give Me My Freedom Remix by Lil Boosie feat. T.I., Lil Wayne, Rick Ross and Gucci Mane

 

My Beautiful, Dark, Twisted Affair with Misogyny, Hip-Hop, and Post-Feminism

Kanye West is a well known bad boy that is rude and sees himself as above others, saying whatever he wants at anyone's expense. Chris Brown on the other hand is also known as a bad boy but he literally is violent and physically takes his anger out but is appealing in videos and on award shows. So what's the difference between these two bad boys? Kanye's behavior as being a jerk seems unforgivable to most and makes most people unattracted to him and his music. Chris physically beats his girlfriend up, Rihanna, but most have forgave him and still enjoy his music. So really, who is worst? We all saw Kanye's rude interruption of Taylor Swift during her speech that caused controversy and showed his true colors. People see Kanye as being an ass all the time and hear it through his music and his body language. Chris Brown is more appealing in his music and this makes fans forget about his violence off the stage. Here is an example of Kanye's outburst at the music awards that shows his character.

Below is Kanye interrupting Taylor Swift at the music awards:

People will always argue that people enjoy the "good girl/boy" or "bad girl/boy" persona and its what makes hip hop what it is. Some go to the extent of saying that Rihanna's music and her videos show her bad girl side and she had this violent relationship coming. In her music video "We Found Love" she shows her unhealthy relationship which seems to be Chris Brown, but fans say that she materializes the violence and makes it look sexy and appealing.

Below is Rihanna's music video "We Found Love":

When Kanye disrespected Taylor, people were so angry and seemed to hold this rude act against him until this day. But Chris's violence towards Rihanna seems to be forgiven and forgotten for the most part. Some do say it's because Taylor is the good girl who didn't deserve that and Rihanna is known to be the bad girl so its not as big as a surprise. With all the violence and attitude that comes with hip hop music its hard for women to identify themselves on were they fit in to it all. Do we want to be known as the "bad girl" like Rihanna or do we want to be the "bad bitch" like Nicki Minaj calls herself? These are all personas, and the problem with trying to identify ones self with being what type of style of music is that these attitudes start to shape our identity. Rihanna glamorizes her unhealthy relationship in her video above, and makes fans think that these actions may be fun but in reality no one wishes for a violent and horrible relationship.

Kanye's rude interruptions and attitude is what makes fans identify his music and we all cant disagree with the fact that sometimes his rude actions keep us entertained and keeps him consistent. Rihanna will always have sexual and crazy music videos but that is her way of expressing herself. People need to stop trying to identify themselves off of artists work because everyone is different and hip hop is here to be relatable not on how to live our lives.

Looking at an Album as a Whole: Nas' Illmatic by Elise Ferrera

Looking up, "Illmatic," on urban dictionary, it states that it is "The greatest 40 minutes in Hip-Hop history." Released in 1994, Nas dropped his debut album, Illmatic. Critics argue that this is the most influential, critical album in hip hop history.

 

Before this time, the rap game mostly consisted of DJ's and rappers. Nas brought something new and exciting to the table. He began the importance of production, lyrics and flow. He did not just make the album for one or two hit singles. Each song in its own is great enough to be a single, yet each song fits perfectly with one another in its context. This is the first album to paint a picture with the most eloquent of language. All of the songs feed off of each other, making the album fit together perfectly as a whole. Illmatic tells an in depth story of Nas and his struggles. It set the scene for making songs to coexist, that are not just random ideas. This album sparked the flame that hip hop albums in recent times look at for guidance. Comprising only of ten songs, each song is more well put together than the next. Just by listening to the songs, it is not hard to tell the rigorous amount of work and talent that went into making such a wonderful piece of art. This was one of the first times that lyrics mattered just as much as the beat. 

This website provides ten ways in which Nas' album changed hip hop forever:

http://www.complex.com/music/2013/04/10-ways-nas-illmatic-changed-hip-hop/

One point the article makes is that the album broke ground for new phrases. In his song, "N.Y State of Mind," Nas says that 'sleep is the cousin of death.' Recent artists have emulated that lyric in their own music. In Lil Wayne's song, "6'7," he says a line that goes like, '...sleep is the cousin…' He is not directly stealing Nas' work, but it is evident that he respects his lyrics and appreciates the truth of them. 

Beyond the Words: Production and Videos by Aldair Seac

Since the first hip-hop music video hit MTV, music videos have had huge impact on the genre. The first hip-hop music video air on MTV was "Rock Box" by Run Dmc paved the way for other artists. The music video had a funky style to it showing a party feel to it. This video started it all for a wave of artists producing videos showing flashy lifestyle.


Today the coloration between song and video is a tactic used by advertisers and producers in the  entertainment industry. Listening to a song is one and listen with its music is another, take Ciara featuring Ludacris - Ride it for example. I would not listen to the song alone but after seeing how intriguing the video was I was an instant fan. Take an look and for yourself and see.

 

Furthermore, artists sometimes formulate their songs in ways for music videos to benefit their songs. For instance, Ludacris featuring Mary J. Bilge - Runaway; do not get me wrong this song is deep alone but when watch the music video for this song, do not be surprise if you want to shed a tear or want to fund an foundation for young abuse children.

To sum up, hip hop is well known for its ability to be diverse, music videos and other productions such as live performances play an major role in the  exposure of an artist song. The way hip hop music is written at times is specifically made by artist to be perform at shows or either made as catcy dance songs.  

MC Stylists: Finding Your Voice

MCs are Master of ceremonies, they are the official host of a staged event or similar performance. In other genres such as hip hop they are considered as a rapper, someone who creates a voice for the product or the material in the work of art they produce. MCs are also known as people who keep the event going. Many of rappers in the Hip Hop genre take time to find, or even transition their voices throughout out the course of their career.

Below is an in-depth Eminem and checka checka Slim Shady interview video that described his performance as an MC. From Slim Shady preforming at the rap battling shelter and keeping the function live with punchlines, to preforming his persona of his conscious Marshall Mathers voice at the Ford Field in his hometown Detroit. The type of voices he delivers are embodied by forty year old men to Seven year old Children.

Below Is a Meme written on Drake's Album Nothing Was The Same

" When an MC finds their voice, it becomes a prominent extension how people see them, for example, the exaggeration of Drake's image..."

MCs in the Hip Hop genre discover a niche in their voice which brands them into the stage name artist the mass media knows them to be. For example, Hip Hop Heads can easily easily distinguish a theme an artist is portraying simply because of the gravity of their voice. Artist such as Waka Flocka, Lil' Jon and Juicy J find their voice to be party themed. Slim Shady brings a controversial voice that is themed on immature, reckless jokes to the Hip Hop table, while Marshall Matthers' voice brings conscious rap to the table, as if he was trying to give fatherly advice to his listeners. When an MC finds their voice, it becomes a prominent extension how people see them, for example, the exaggeration of Drake's image...

Below is a video of a teenager mimicking different voices of mainstream Hip Hop Artists

"Hip Hop Heads can easily easily distinguish a theme an artist is portraying simply because of the gravity of their voice."

"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.

Race and Identity

Hip hop, while being one of the most changing and progressive musical genres, also has deep rooted attachment to the race of not only the artist, but the listener as well. On one side of the argument, there is a desire to respect and transcend race barriers; this viewpoint is shared by the "color blind" Americans. The opposing viewpoint believes in the continued segregation of the genre, maintaining an ugly history; these people believe that only people of their same race can listen to and identify with hip hop. This can be exemplified in Wale's "The Kramer" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bp05cNnsR3I. The song starts with a sample of an angry man repeatedly shouting the n-word, showing the still-existent racism in America today. Wale comes in with the line "The color of my skin, content of my character", he perfectly describes how his race is his main identifier of personality.  The song ends with the same man who opened, but he is apologizing for his words at the beginning of the song; this shows that through Wale's words and message he converted the racist to judge people based on their actions and character, not appearance.  This song can be drawn to parallel the progressive evolution of black suppression in America and how it can affect all of the people who come into contact with racism.

Hip hop started at a very racial genre, but has since made progress towards becoming universally accepting.  Originally, hip hop was a strictly black genre where rappers would convey their messages and struggles to an audience not much different from themselves.  The progression of the hip hop "battles" is as follows: East and West Coast, Underground and Commercial, and now white and black.  But, as time went on and the genre expanded and prospered, there became a much more balanced listening audience.  The phenomena of people listening to artists of their own race and subsequently being more harsh when listening to other artists exists today; this is not necessarily a bad thing.  Although race can be a factor which can have negative connotation, it is still a part of our identity and who we are.  It is important that we properly embrace our race and heritage in order to make the world a better place for everyone who is in it today and in the future.

Below is a video of a documentary which discusses hip hop's mix of race and identity

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ypVo5kZ8u_c

Sources used:

http://www.daveyd.com/articleultimatebattlerace.html

http://rapgenius.com/Wale-the-kramer-lyrics

http://newsreel.org/video/blacking-up

The Art of Storytelling (Ca'Maya is doing her blog post as a comment on this blog post, so read her comment/blog and comment on that to please)

 

The art of story telling! You could argue that anytime a rapper puts pen to pad or steps into the vocal booth, they are telling a story.Whether it be some lyrical masterpiece with creative wordplay and multi-syllabic rhyme scheme about our generation's hardships or redundant degradation of women with catchy hooks, some story is told. Hip-Hop listeners are constantly hearing stories being told because that is essentially what hip hop, or any genre of music, is. I strongly believe that it is impossible to make a hip hop song that doesn't tell a story. Artist often times make songs about instances they've experienced and been through. So right off the back they are giving you insight into their life. They are conveying to the listener a scenario and these scenarios cause the genre to be loved and welcomed by people all over. Hip Hop has such very universal appeal, in part, due to its incorporation of vivid imagery into its narrative sequence. Musicians paint a pictures and make mental movies with their lyrics. They describe things in a more elaborate manner than what is strictly realistic.Sometimes, the most simplistic concepts can be broadened and turned into beautiful works of art. For instance,  “Poe Man’s Dreams” by Kendrick Lamar is a great example of amazing simplicity and storytelling blended. A line from the song reads, “And don’t call me lyrical cuz really I’m just a nigga that’s evil and spiritual, I know some rappers using big words to make their similes curve, my simple as shit be more pivotal.” In laymen's terms Kendrick basically stated that he has listened to other rappers and isn't impressed by their use of large and complex terms. He can still be great and simple at the same time. Also, you are given insight into Kendrick's life as well. You are told that he listen's to his competition, he is considered lyrical by his followers, and that he may even consider himself to be a hypocrite. It is all subjective, but you still get a story. All in all, whenever you listen to hip-hop you are always going to be told a story. So shut up and enjoy it. 

A few storytelling songs, Enjoy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjNTu8jdukA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpRpzvV7K2s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mb1ZvUDvLDY

follow me on instagram & twitter: @justafewtats 

Language, Politics, and purpose

Make it Matter: language, politics, and purpose

                The claim that hip hop has an effect on society cannot be denied. There are three major places that its effects can be seen: Language, Politics, and Purpose. In the ever changing universe that is hip hop, there are constantly new revolutions that bring their own message and lingo.

                The language of hip hop has changed, so too has English. When rap first hit the mainstream, it was filled with good time lyrics that were meant to get people in a good mood. For example in Rappers Delight

 “I said a hip hop, hippie to the hippie, the hip ,hip a hop, and you don’t stop, a rock it to the bang bang boogie, say, up jump the boogie, to the rhythm of the boogie the beat"

Rhymes from this time period didn't necessarily need to be extremely lyrical, they just needed to put the crowd in a good mood and get the people dancing. As time has progressed though, certain words have taken on new meaning as a result of hip hop. Words such as bad, shorty, and cheese now have alternative definitions as a direct result of hip hop.

super short video: How Hip Hop changed the English Language

                Politics and government has also been influenced by both hip hop music and hip hop artists and produces. With blatantly anti-police tracks like “F*** Tha Police” by NWA and smartly written equality anthems like “Fight the Power” by public enemy, it is easy to get behind a cause. Tracks such as these addressed the discrimination and sometimes brutality shown against black Americans by the police force. They also attracted attention to issues and caused change. Icons such as Russell Simmons used their high influence to get directly involved in politics. Simmons, for example, attended a meeting with three prominent politicians to discuss the repeal certain drug laws that punished petty offenders too harshly. He even started The Hip Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN), an organization dedicated to “helping provide a voice for those who did not have a voice”

                The most interesting question, in my opinion, regarding hip hop is what is the purpose of hip hop? Is it meant to be used as a political tool to spark change? Is it meant to simply allow the artist to vent out his or her feelings onto a track? Is it meant to get people on their feet dancing and in a good mood? I know it may seem like the easy answer but I feel that it is meant to be all of these things. Hip Hop is like a ship, where it goes is up to whoever happens to be its captain that day. It can go to wherever it is needed. If there needs to be a spark for change, hip hop can be that spark. If there needs to be a time for thought and reflection, hip hop can be that journal. If there needs to be some sunshine on a cloudy day, hip hop can be that ray. No matter how you feel about hip hop, you can’t deny that it has power.

Sampling

According to the free dictionary, Sampling is the process of taking a short extract from a record and mixing it into a different backing track.  Sampling developed in the 1960's when people would literally alter or manipulate tape loops and vinyl records.  However, hip hop was the first large scale genre to adopt the sampling technique.  In the 1970's, Dj's would sample using turn tables.  These Dj's utilized sampling to create continuous music while the songs kept changing.  They would eliminate song breaks which meant the party never stopped.  

An example of one of the most common Samples is the drum intro in "When the Levee Breaks" by Led Zeppelin.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbrjRKB586s

A few artists that have used this song for sampling include The Beastie Boys, Dr. Dre, and Eminem.

Sampling is a great way to show how one song can affect such a large amount of people.  Led Zeppelin’s song had a large impact on the rock and roll world when it came out in November 8, 1971.  Music has a different affect on everybody and this one song, is just one example of just how big of an affect music really has on people.  This one example was powerful enough to inspire to some extent the Beastie Boys song “B-Boy Bouillabaisse,” Dr. Dre’s “Lyrical Gangbang,” Eminem’s “Kim,” and the list keeps on going. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKuYFexR_pg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yq6VJxewjNg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYKMRY5Rr9I

Sampling was and still is a major part of hip hop.  I think it is awesome how one piece of music can inspire hundreds of other pieces of music.  Sampling originally was generally only used in hip hop, today sampling can be seen in almost every genre.