More handpicked essays just for you.
The education of African Americans
Essay on hip hop and politics
Essays about education for african americans
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: The education of African Americans
One purist in hip hop stands out for me as someone who can embody the tenants asserted in Anthony Thomas’ essay, “The Spirit and Philosophy of Hip Hop.” My purist of choice is Yassin Bey (born Dante Smith), more commonly known as “Mos Def”, his former stage name. Mos Def was born on December 11, 1973 in Brooklyn where he would gain his whole educational experience. Growing up in Brooklyn, Mos Def’s parents, Adbul Rahman and Sheron Smith, were not together. He lived with his mother with two of his sisters Jauhara and Chandani, and his brother Anwar, while the ret of his twelve siblings lived in New Jersey with his Father. Living in the Brooklyn projects during the 80’s crack era must have effected the way he views the world, especially since he has become so successful and seen so much. From an early age he has been interested in comedy, acting, and music. Mos Def attended Phillippa Schiyler Middle, Talent Unlimited High, and New York University. Most people aren't familiar with Mos Def’s educational history, and know him from either his hip hop albums, or his …show more content…
On the 14th of November this year, he released a song named “NO Colonial Fiction”, the new single off his upcoming mixtape. In this song he talks about Tamir Rice, the young man who died from the hands of the Cleveland Police Department. Mos Def also recently did an interview with Ferrari Sheppard, highlighting issues that need to be address such as ISIS attacks on Paris, and police brutality against blacks. Mos Def came from the most humble beginnings you can think of, and he made his mark in hip hop by always remaining true to the genre. He uses Hip Hop to encourage, motivate, educate, and enlighten anyone who will listen. I respect Mos Def, and chose to report on him because he has never compromised his lyrics for listens, or his image for
Have you heard the phrase “Momma said knock you out”? If so, you've probably heard your parent sing this song. Signing with Def Jams in the 1980’s, LL Cool J showed the world a unique style of Hip-hop and Rap. A kid just 18 years old when his first song came out, LL showed the world he would he would be different. LL Cool J created an influential long-term career with his starting a new hard-hitting romantic style of rapping, influences with popular clothing lines, and paved the way leading rappers to transform into actors and continue to have a successful career.
Watkins, S. Craig. 2005. Hip hop matters: politics, pop culture, and the struggle for the soul of a movement. Boston: Beacon Press.
Since the decade of 1920, America has been the setting for a progressive "Black Arts Movement." This African-American cultural movement has taken shape in various genres, gaining mass appeal, through multiple capitalistic markets. Even with the use of capitalism this cultural arts movement has stayed set upon its original purpose and direction, by aiding in cultural identity awareness. The knowledge of the duel-self through community awareness as it pertains to economic perceptions and other social boundaries or the metaphysical-self; what W.E.B. Du Bois coined as "twoness," or a division of one’s own identity as a African-American. (Reuben 2) A realization of the existence of two beings within one’s mental identity, where time alters attitude and identity through environmental influence of passing events. The discovery of the "New Negro" in the Harlem Renaissance marks the beginning of this essential philosophy contributing to the 1960’s Black Arts Movement and the Civil Rights Movement; continuing to be evident in current forms of black art, such as within the lyrics of hip-hop music. These revolutionary Ideals of reform have been voiced in the lyrics of many rappers of urban realism, like the New York M.C.’s Rakim, Run-D.M.C. and west coast rapper Tupac Shakur. Though this form of expression is opposed by most academic elitists and fundamental conservatives due to their vulgar expressions of sex and violence depicted within the genre of Hip-Hop; it in opposition actually presents an internal cultural conflict revealed through the redefinition of one’s own identity with poetic lyrical expressions of realism.
Hip-Hop became characterized by an aggressive tone marked by graphic descriptions of the harshness and diversity of inner-city life. Primarily a medium of popular entertainment, hip-hop also conveys the more serious voices of youth in the black community. Though the approaches of rappers became more varied in the latter half of the 1980s, message hip-hop remained a viable form for addressing the problems faced by the black community and means to solve those problems. The voices of "message" hip...
When looking at the landscape of Hip-Hop among African Americans, from the spawn of gangsta rap in the mid 1980s to current day, masculinity and an idea of hardness is central to their image and performance. Stereotypical to Black masculinity, the idea of a strong Black male - one who keeps it real, and is defiant to the point of violence - is prevalent in the genre. This resistant, or even compensatory masculinity, encompasses: the hyper masculinity rife in the Western world, misogyny, and homophobia, all noticeable in their lyrics, which is in part a result of their containment within the Black community. The link of masculinity and rap music was established due to this containment, early innovators remaking public spaces in their segregated neighbourhoods. A notion of authentic masculinity arose from the resistant nature of the genre, but the move to the mainstream in the 90s created a contradiction to their very image - resistance. Ultimately, this in part led to the construction of the masculinity defined earlier, one that prides itself on its authenticity. I’ll be exploring how gender is constructed and performed in Hip Hop, beginning with a historical framework, with the caveat of showing that differing masculine identities in the genre, including artists
Both a rapper and an MC, Tupac Shakur was a very famous artist during his short time on Earth. Better known as “Makaveli” or “2pac,” Shakur influenced many young teens and adults his age. 2Pac was born in East Harlem, NY during June of 1971. The name Tupac comes from a revolutionary leader who was killed after leading a revolution against the spanish in the 18th century. Most of the family Tupac was raised around were involved with crimes, drugs, and charge convictions. His first job in the industry as an MC was with a hip-hop group Digital Underground. Along with being an MC for this group, he was also a backup dancer and roadie. He was also featured on the group’s song for a soundtrack to a movie called “Nothing but Trouble.” He went on to record both an EP and full studio album with Digital Underground before leaving to pursue his own solo career. His first album “2Pacalypse Now” did not receive mainstream hype at it’s time but did feature artists such as Nas, Eminem, and the Game. It also reached Gold status by the RIAA. His next album, “Strictly for my Ni***z” Hit ...
Mos Def parents named him Dante Terrell Smith on the 11th of December in 1973. He was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Mos def is one of 12 siblings which included step-siblings. Mos Def and several of his siblings lived with his mother in Brooklyn. The rest went on to live with their father in New Jersey. He grew up in New York City when crack became the big drug market in the 80s, during which he became beleaguered by the violence, addiction and crime but he never succumbed to its influences. At nine years old he began to love theater and hip-hop. According to “Mos Def Biography” on Bio.com, his first play was in the fifth grade, a school production, “Free to Be….You and Me” and during his freshman year in high school he got his first professional acting role in the TV movie God Bless the Child. His senior year he won a recurring role on the TV series You Take the Kids. A year later he landed a role on The Cosby Mysteries. According to IMDb Mos Def is a vegetarian and in September 2011, he announced that he has adopted the name Yasiin Bey and will discontinue using the name Mos Def by the end of the year. He is also been known as Pretty Flaco, Flaco Bey, The Mighty Mos Def, and Bezé.
Influential Black Nationalist spokesmen Malcolm X, and others alike, preached racial solidarity, economic self-sufficiency, and black self-help during the tumultuous times of the 1960’s in America. Organizations like the SNCC, CORE, Black Panther Party, and Black Muslims attracted hundreds of thousands of followers for the sole purpose of bringing the black community, during these tremendously hard times, together. Musicians like Otis Redding, Ray Charles, and Sam Cooke touched on the struggles of the black man during this time period. It wasn’t until 10 years later that self-conscious poetry spoke of Black Nationalism over a beat, but from that point on the genre coined “hip-hop” has transformed.
Light, Alan. "About a Salary or Reality? – Rap’s Recurrent Conflict." Rpt. in That’s the Joint!: The Hip-Hop Studies Reader. Ed. Murray Forman and Mark Anthony Neal. New York, NY: Routledge, 2004. 137-146. Print.
Mathers was born in Kansas City and traveled back and forth between Kansas City and the Detroit metropolitan area. He switching schools every two to three months made it difficult to make friends and stay out of trouble. Music and rap seemed to be a way out for Mathers. He was able to beat other kids in freestyle singing contests and brought joy to his painful existence. (Eminem.com 2) In Mathers poem, Life, he writes about life being one big obstacle put in front of you in order to slow you down, and whenever you think you are past it, it always comes back to get you.
For many, music is a cultural history that brings families together, allowing them to share a common interest. The birth of hip hop ignited a whole new world of music, which lead to vast amount of controversy in the music industry. Hip hop has always been recognized as the platform for the black American culture. Hip hop become a moment that changed the entire music industry, and as the culture progressed it become more mainstream. In today’s music society, it is evident that the white race has become greatly involved with hip hop and the lifestyle that entails this culture. Notorious artists such as the Beastie Boys and Vanilla Ice enabled artists such as Eminem, Miley Cyrus and Iggy Azalea to follow their dreams in the hip hop world. If one acknowledges all the aspect of the hip hop culture such as the type of dance or the graffiti art, does the color of his or her skin really matter? It is clear that these artists have tested this theory, and have results that are shocking. White artists are becoming more accepted and appreciated for their music and are being mentors for the hip hop community. As a result of the outbreak of hip hop out of the Bronx, all races were able to enjoy and love the culture of hip
Hip hop has multiple branches of style and is a culture of these. This essay will examine Hip Hop from the point of view of the following three popular music scholars, Johnson, Jeffries, and Smitherman. It will delve deeper into their understanding of what hip hop is and its relation to the different people that identify with its message and content. It will also identify the history of hip hop and its transition into popular music. In particular, this essay will focus on what hip hop represents in the black community and how it can be used as a social movement against inequalities faced by them.
Hip hop has permeated popular culture in an unprecedented fashion. Because of its crossover appeal, it is a great unifier of diverse populations. Although created by black youth on the streets, hip hop's influence has become well received by a number of different races in this country. A large number of the rap and hip hop audience is non-black. It has gone from the fringes, to the suburbs, and into the corporate boardrooms. Because it has become the fastest growing music genre in the U.S., companies and corporate giants have used its appeal to capitalize on it. Although critics of rap music and hip hop seem to be fixated on the messages of sex, violence, and harsh language, this genre offers a new paradigm of what can be (Lewis, 1998.) The potential of this art form to mend ethnic relations is substantial. Hip hop has challenged the system in ways that have unified individuals across a rich ethnic spectrum. This art form was once considered a fad has kept going strong for more than three decades. Generations consisting of Blacks, Whites, Latinos, and Asians have grown up immersed in hip-hop. Hip hop represents a realignment of America?s cultural aesthetics. Rap songs deliver a message, again and again, to keep it real. It has influenced young people of all races to search for excitement, artistic fulfillment, and a sense of identity by exploring the black underclass (Foreman, 2002). Though it is music, many people do not realize that it is much more than that. Hip hop is a form of art and culture, style, and language, and extension of commerce, and for many, a natural means of living. The purpose of this paper is to examine hip hop and its effect on American culture. Different aspects of hip hop will also be examined to shed some light that helps readers to what hip hop actually is. In order to see hip hop as a cultural influence we need to take a look at its history.
Some weaknesses of James McBride’s “Hip Hop Planet” include its cynical tone and his attitude towards the musical side of Hip Hop. McBride opens the essay with a reflection on what his ultimate nightmare is. He showcases the Hip Hop community in a negative light with phrases like, “music that doesn’t seem to be music—rules the world” (McBride, pg. 1). This starts the essay off negatively because it misleads the reader by letting them think he is not a supporter of the Hip Hop movement. As you read the entire essay you realize this is not the case. The article itself isn’t very inviting because tone of the entire essay is very cold and cynical. He also doesn’t agree with the typical Hip Hop sound saying things like, “It sounded like a broken record” (McBride, pg. 1). The sound of Hip Hop music is what helps define it and is a crucial aspect of
Hip- hop is a standout amongst the most compelling musical sorts on the globe. There are rappers everywhere that know what amount of an impact their music can have. Some entertainers attempt to utilize that force of impact to do great (Ruiz INT).