In the 90’s we associate rappers and politicians to be on completely different sides of the spectrum. No one could ever possibly see these two parties coming together. Until now, who would of thought President Barak Obama friends with American Gangster Shawn Carter or known by his stage name Jay-Z. Two complete different people with different occupations, backgrounds, acquaintances, and power actually hanging out and having laughs together. This was the beginning of “Change and Hope” (Murray Forman) Obama was looking for. But it took us a while though to make this transition. Hip-hop was not the same back in the old days where it was just about freedom of speech, speaking against the man, and the white power. Rap was vulgar, explicit, and violent during the late 80’s and early 90’s. Public Enemy arose during this time, “1989 was indeed another year in a long struggle for equality for African Americans” and Public Enemy wanted to make a statement. They attacked the political powers of the government not through violence and weapons but through music and words. There hit song “Fight the Power” talked about racism and civil rights leaders. Public Enemy was not like the rappers today singing only about women, money, and drugs. Public Enemy focuses on the political aspects and emphasizing their black community. This was the start of the movement for Hip-hop and politics. Hip-hop through out the years has been involving and become universal in everyday life. You will here presidents, senators, republicans, and democrats talk about their favorite rappers and songs they hear. The president was asked if he liked hip-hop music, he replied, “I’ve got to admit, lately I’ve been listening to a lot of Jay-Z. This new ‘American Gangster’ alb... ... middle of paper ... ...earch of Hip-Hop Authenticity." University of Pennsylvania Year (2007): n. pag. Web. 13 Nov. 2013. Forman, Murray. "American Studies Journal." Conscious Hip-Hop, Change, and the Obama Era. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2013. O'Neal, Adam. "Hip-Hop Gaining Bipartisan Embrace From Pols | RealClearPolitics." Hip-Hop Gaining Bipartisan Embrace From Pols | RealClearPolitics. N.p., 22 Oct. 2013. Web. 19 Nov. 2013. Hughes, DANA. "Hip-Hop in Politics: What a Difference a Generation Makes." ABC News. ABC News Network, n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2013. Foster, Brian. "Still Furious and Brave: "Everybody Gotta Have a Dream": Respectability Politics and Rap Aspirations." Still Furious and Brave: "Everybody Gotta Have a Dream": Respectability Politics and Rap Aspirations. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. Thoelke, Matt. "The HANDLE." The HANDLE RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.
Watkins, S. Craig. 2005. Hip hop matters: politics, pop culture, and the struggle for the soul of a movement. Boston: Beacon 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...
Hip-Hop’s criticism of George W. Bush is a good example of hip-hop’s reflection of Black public opinion. The Republican candidate who already had a low approval rating of 57% amongst African-Americans received an even lower approval rating after his lackluster efforts to support Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 (Jones, 2003; Cillizza & Sullivan 2013).
Since the early to mid 90’s, hip-hop has undergone changes that purists would consider degenerating to its culture. At the root of these changes is what has been called “commercial hip-hop". Commercial hip-hop has deteriorated what so many emcees in the 80’s tried to build- a culture of music, dance, creativity, and artistry that would give people not only something to bob their head to, but also an avenue to express themselves and deliver a positive message to their surroundings.
George covers much familiar ground: how B-beats became hip hop; how technology changed popular music, which helped to create new technologies; how professional basketball was influenced by hip hop styles; how gangsta rap emerged out of the crack epidemic of the 1980s; how many elements of hip hop culture managed to celebrate, and/or condemn black-on-black violence; how that black-on-black violence was somewhat encouraged by white people scheming on black males to show their foolishness, which often created a huge mess; and finally, how hip hop used and continues to use its art to express black frustration and ambition to blacks while, at the same time, refering that frustration and ambition to millions of whites.
Hip hop is both a culture and a lifestyle. As a musical genre it is characterized by its hard hitting beats and rhythms and expressive spoken word lyrics that address topics ranging from economic disparity and inequality, to gun violence and gang affiliated activity. Though the genre emerged with greater popularity in the 1970’s, the musical elements involved and utilized have been around for many years. In this paper, we will cover the history and
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.
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.
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 contents. 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. This will then open up the discussion for the how this has influenced society, and the impact it has had in terms of race issues which hip hop itself often represents through music.
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
In Total Chaos, Jeff Chang references Harry Allen, a hip hop critic and self-proclaimed hip hop activist. Harry Allen compares the hip hop movement to the Big Bang and poses this complex question: “whether hip-hop is, in fact a closed universe-bound to recollapse, ultimately, in a fireball akin to its birth-or an open one, destined to expand forever, until it is cold, dark, and dead” (9). An often heard phase, “hip hop is dead,” refers to the high occurrence of gangster rap in mainstream hip hop. Today’s hip hop regularly features black youths posturing as rich thugs and indulging in expensive merchandise. The “hip hop is dead” perspective is based on the belief that hip hop was destined to become the model of youth resistance and social change. However, its political ambitions have yet to emerge, thus giving rise to hip hops’ criticisms. This essay will examine the past and present of hip hop in o...
"40 Years on from the Party Where Hip Hop Was Born." BBC Culture. N.p., 9 Aug. 2013. Web. 30 Apr. 2014.
In an interview about hip hop music President Obama states that his favorite hip hop artists’ are Jay Z and Kanye West. When asked why he likes hip hop music Obama states, “ I love the art of hip hop.” In addition, Obama emphasizes that, “ Hip Hop is powerful, it can make you think. It is like poetry to introduce complex arguments” (¨USA President¨). Although, President Obama is a huge supporter of hip hop he admits, that it is,“ degrading to women,”and it is, “ Always talking about the material things.” Additionally, Barack Obama believes that hip hop music is poetic and powerful; though, there are downsides to it. In short, this is yet another reason why parents should allow their teenage children to listen to hip hop music--- I mean take it from United States President Barack
Not only is hip-hop a way of expressing ones feelings or views, but it is a part of the urban culture and can be used as a communication tool. Slang originally came from hip-hop music and has become a very popular use in today’s society, especially the urban parts. 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).