The story of Straight Outta Compton
Can you fight racism by singing ‘Fuck tha Police’?
The year was 1988; the place was Compton, California. The violent and gang-ruled suburb of Los Angeles had recently birthed one of the most influential hip-hop groups of all time,
N---az Wit Attitudes, and the group’s debut record, Straight Outta Compton, had just been released. The record was a resounding success, selling over three million copies and staying in the cultural spotlight for years after its release.
Straight Outta Compton introduced gangsta rap to the world. Using hip-hop as a medium for providing their social commentary, the group heavily influenced the black power movements with lyrics described by members as ‘telling the truth’. N.W.A.
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Given the focus of the magazine, one can expect Complex to be a credible source for this hip-hop-related essay. The article is a secondary source, citing video interviews done by surviving group members, as well as interviews from the time around the album’s release. Because of Complex’s status as a culture-oriented magazine, rather than a news source, this source probably has the lowest credibility of the sources used. That is not to say that this is a non-credible source, however, since the writers can be expected to be very familiar with the subject.
Harrington, Richard. The FBI as a music critic. The Washington Post. 1989. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1989/10/04/the-fbi-as-music-critic/3f9abdb7-bed1-45b2-83ca-7a6e7da59fa9/?utm_term=.6a7b787f827f (retrieved 2017-09-29).
The Washington Post is a prominent and credible daily newspaper. The article cited here is an opinion piece, which takes away some credibility, but since it was published in such a prestigious paper it is safe to assume this article has been fact-checked and approved before print. The article is from 1989, amidst the controversies noted in this paper. This adds credibility, since it was written so closely to the things discussed.
Ryan, Patrick. N.W.A.’s impact goes beyond ‘Compton’. USA Today. 2015. https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2015/08/10/straight-outta-compton-movie-nwa-f-gary-gray-ice-cube/31343631/ (retrieved
No, the authors seems to be true to their words. They each have credible backgrounds.
Perry, Imani. 2004. Prophets of the hood: politics and poetics in hip hop. Durham: Duke University Press.
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...
During the 80s a controversial group of rappers came together and changed the game of Hip Hop for generations to come. Niggas with Attitude, otherwise known as N.W.A, was comprised of the rappers; Ice Cube, MC Ren, Easy E, Yella, and Dr. Dre. Theses rappers spoke the truth about life in the streets; the hustling, the trapping, the sexual encounters, the gang life, and the most important, the racism. They shined a light on these issues in a violent, sexually explicit, yet intelligent and revolutionary way. The Facebook page, *N.W.A* creates an environment that connects people of all races, backgrounds, and ages; with the goal of immortalizing, and spreading the original message of the group.
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
Inside the album jacket, Serch sums up hip-hop in ‘89: “There was a time when nothing was more important than the New York Rap Scene.” It’s dilluted, but not divided.” To hip-hop afficionados, Serch’s quote sounds like the equivalent to a Vietnam soldier’s letter home. Obviously, the group saw the possibility of the hip-hop culture being tainted.
...olka, Petr Bc., and Jeffrey Alan Vanderziel. “Black or White: Commercial Rap Music and Authenticity.” Masaryk University Faculty of Arts, Department of
These articles depict the controversies of the hip hop industry and how that makes it difficult for one to succeed. Many of these complications and disputes may be invisible to the population, but these articles take the time to reveal them.
Straight Outta Compton was produced by the N.W.A. The N.W.A. consist of seven members. Although, in the song you only hear from Ice Cube, Eazy - E, and MC Ren. Throughout the song we hear from those members rap about their rough experiences in Compton. However, since theirs three different people in the song, you witness three different interpretations of their experiences within the same city. Through the summarization of cyphers, Ice Cube’s rap is mainly about how in Compton he’s well-informed and if you want to call him out the police will have to save you because, he will fight you. Next, underneath MC Ren’s cyphers, it is mostly about how he is not scared to fight, better yet, the more he fights the more his reputation grows. He also
In conclusion, these theorists who explore hip hop all have generalized ideas of what hip hop represents. Johnson is more oriented towards the female side of hip hop, whereas Jeffries is focused on the unity side of what it offers and Smitherman thinks that it is a black CNN. Although each scholar focuses on different aspects of hip hop, it is evident to point out that all these aspects correlate with one another. Hip hop is a cultural tool formed out of a need to take a stance on the issues that relate to the black community. And that it’s a voice to relate and unite people who share the same struggles on which to advocate change.
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
From its conception in the 1970's and throughout the 1980's, hip hop was a self-contained entity within the community that created it. This means that all the parameters set for the expression came from within the community and that it was meant for consumption by the community. Today, the audience is from outside of the community and doesn’t share the same experiences that drive the music. An artists’ success hinges on pleasing consumers, not the community. In today's world, it isn’t about music that rings true for those who share the artists' experiences, but instead, music that provides a dramatic illusion for those who will never share the experiences conveyed. This has radically changed the creative process of artists and the diversity of available music. Most notably, it has called in to question the future of hip hop.
Dixon, Travis L., TaKeshia Brooks. “Rap Music and Rap Audiences: Controversial Themes, Psychological Effects and Political Resistance.” Perspectives. 7 April 2009. .
I have used this journal as a source to many of my researches before and I find them to be very reliable. Statistics stated in this particular article are well sourced, and I have not discovered any sourcing errors, as well as grammatical errors. This source is not objective, but it is not as biased as some of the other articles I have come across on the same topic. I do not believe that the article’s lack of objectivity takes away from its credibility. All of the claim are well documented, and the goal of this article is to bring light to the issue.