Many rappers and musicians use parts of other artist music to rap over. In Hip Hop this is a very common practice and with some artist it is more noticeable than with others. However, this practice raises many legal questions. Should artist be allowed to sample others work in their own pieces? In short the answer is yes.…
Jay Z is currently in court for a lawsuit filed against his 1999 hit, "Big Pimpin'." He is scheduled to testify on Wednesday. The lawsuit was filed by Osama Ahmed Fahmy, the nephew of late Egyptian songwriter Baligh Hamdi; Fahmy accused Jay Z, née Shawn Carter, of using part of Hamdi's composition in "Big Pimpin'. " The composition Jay Z is being accused of violating is titled "Khosara Khosara.…
When you think about rappers and singers in the 90s who comes to your mind first? Throughout this essay I will compare, contrast, and explain how they impact the music industry. When I think of rappers and signers in the 90s, Aaliyah and Tupac come to my mind because they are one of a kind type of people. My favorite two artists are Aaliyah because she has a unique voice and Tupac (2Pac) because his music was about his experiences in life.…
While it may be true that you may not have forgotten about Dre, chances are that there are several things that you may not know about him. As you may already know, Dr Dre is a multimillonaire rapper/music producer who was the orginal founder of the "Beats" headphones. He orginally entered the hip hop industry back in and is curretnly regarded as one of the most influyancial indiauls within the hip hop industry. Here are that you may not know about him.…
Although written by the same rap artist, Tupac Shakur’s “Dear Mama” and “Hit ‘Em Up” could hardly be more different from each other. Both songs, considered to be Tupac’s most influential for different reasons, showcase a contradiction in the personas he embodies in them. Described as “a moving and eloquent homage to both the murdered rapper's own mother and all mothers struggling to maintain a family in the face of addiction, poverty and societal indifference” by the Library of Congress, “Dear Mama” has Tupac rapping about how, despite growing up in poverty with a crack cocaine addicted mother, his love and deep respect for her allowed him to rise above these bad experiences as a better person (Library of Congress, 2010). In contrast, “Hit ‘Em Up” is better described as a “diss track” due to the overtly explicit lyrics Tupac uses, such as “We’re gonna kill all you motherfuckers” and “All of y’all motherfuckers, fuck you, die slow motherfucker. My four four make sure all your kids don’t grow,” to describe his violent intent towards his competitors – Biggie Smalls and Sean Combs –…
Victor Hugo once said. “Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.” In essence, music is the not the cause, but the effect of an individual’s circumstances and culture. Contradictory to this hypothesis, there are skeptics that believe art is the cause and culture is the effect. Is one solely right or do both ideas hold validity?…
Surprisingly, some of the best articles I have read were very casually written. A fitting description for the article “Lil Wayne I Am Not a Human Being II” by zcamp. It is loose in style and flows easily, reflecting that of a conversation between friends. The author writes confidently about the number of phallic metaphors Wayne uses in his songs, noting that he sets the world record, and makes a joke of his own renaming one of the songs as “Penis Colada”. Of course, even in a conversational tone, the author shows a great deal of effort in researching not only the number of songs contributing to Wayne’s world record, but also taking the reader through a brief history and progression of the artist.…
Throughout hip-hop’s history people have always debated the question of who is the greatest artist of all time. Some think one artist is the best while another person may be certain another artist is the best. Based on various different criteria, Jay-Z is the greatest hip-hop artists of all time. Jay-Z is the greatest hip-hop artist because he has the ability to evolve with the times. Today, he is still relevant until many other artists.…
Boyz N the Hood is a tough, raw film. The sense of frustration and urgency expressed is so great that at times Singleton's characters seem to mount invisible soapboxes to address the audience directly and shake some sense into them. Judged from a strictly aesthetic viewpoint, these moments are flaws; in this film, paradoxically, they add to the overwhelming feeling of real life and direct witness. Singleton quietly observes that “films serve different purposes, some are meant just to entertain, but there's also room for other films that inform as…
Rap in the 90's is often described as the "Golden Age" of the genre. Rap was in it's prime in the 90's thus earning the term. Popular 90's rappers like Nas, Dr. Dre, and Biggie Smalls permanently left their mark on rap. Although, in many people's eyes Tupac Shakur, or better known as 2Pac, takes the cake for the most influential rapper in the 90's. Tupac was arguably one of the most influential Rap artists in history.…
I first really noticed this in the song “Who Shot Ya” by Biggie Smalls. When I first heard this song all I thought it to be was just another rap song by another rapper. Later in life when I was really able to find out what happened that day between Biggie and Tupac the song opened up to me and the more I listened to it the more of that song came to life revealing its messages and Biggies thoughts at the time. Another song I also noticed this in is “No Vaseline” by Ice Cube. I also heard my dad playing this in the car multiple times and I would love to jam to it…
I attended the Cace Conference Literary Cafe at 6:00pm. in the EUC Alexander room. The opportunity to hear spoken word and poetry is what led me to the event. This event is related to African American studies due to the fact it featured poets and spoken word performances about African American history in the 21st century.…
For this first section I chose to write about the Lil Wayne and Whitney Houston record reviews. Very different music styles and both popular during different time periods and fan favorites of very different groups of listeners. Lil Wayne’s album reviewer, Camp, reviewed his 2013 hit album“ I Am Not A Human Being II”. Ann Power’s reviewed Whitney Houston’s 2009 album “I Look To You”. Both writers have very different writing styles and since these artist are very different I thought these two would be a good choice, along with the fact that I do not think I have heard a Solange Knowles “hit” before.…
20101037 PSY216/A Theories of Personality Study on Personality In this study I will examine the personality of Eminem who is a well-known American rap singer who is perceived as an aggressive by people all around the world. By focusing on his childhood development I aimed to achieve that his personality was greatly influenced and consisted by his childhood conflicts, and traumatic life events. Even if he was raised by a neglected parenting style by his mother and felt bullied among his peers; however, Eminem rose above them. Then he became the best-selling artist of the world.…
Many artists these days tend to sample other authors work into their songs to add a greater purpose or meaning to their music. Although this technique is not used in a lot of genres and appears mostly in hip-hop music, forms of music sampling have been around since the late 1900’s. Artists like Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar are known for sampling other artist’s music or speeches and incorporating them into their songs to enhance the message or theme that is trying to be presented. Kendrick Lamar uses a sample in his song “Alright” to help illuminate what life is like as an African American and the struggles that they face due to their skin color.…