“With rap, if you have lyrics, you get to write much more, and if you have a story, you can get it very detailed” (Tandon 2). If you actually take the time to listen to the lyrics in different rap songs you will soon come to notice that rap has an important story to tell. The story can be something that someone went through even if its good or bad or an important message. Rap has definitely evolved how we speak over the past few decades from slang to the way we…
There are many dilapidated West Virginia coal communities, whose constant economic hardships have brought generation after generation of welfare recipients; creating an environment overrun with drugs, unwed mothers, absentee fathers, joblessness and no hope for the future. I have seen the same in the poor Guatemalan towns I’ve visited and expect I would see those same variables in inner city Baltimore. Still I don’t believe this shared experience to be the reason that rap is popular and I don’t believe it as music meant to inspire hope or change. I think it is just a mirror to a segment of society that’s rough, painful message is so strong it affects even those who might not have the same cultural reference on a primal…
Outkast is a duo formed in the early 90s by Andre 3000 and his high school rival and career friend Big Boy. The young artist began calling themselves “Two Shades Deep” as amateurs and later changed their names to Outkast. The group gained popularity with his singles like “Hey yeah” being released and jumping to the top slots on radio charts everywhere. Being considered underground and not yet mainstream making a number one song was definitely not something these two performers ever expected only dreamed of. Starting out in shopping malls when they were just sixteen years old the band participated in hip hop battles and began getting a lot of local attention.…
In Nathan McCall’s article “My Rap Against Rap” published by Reader's Digest he expresses how rap music is influencing young black people in today's society. Comparing his experiences to the film The Godfather and the effects they had upon him. Noting its violent gangsters and gunfights have created a fascination among young black Americans, it was the ruthless code of principles that govern the gangster’s lives that he ties to the rap lyrics. McCall took things into his own hands and shot the man mafia style like in a scene from the film. While being fingerprinted realizing he was just a scared mixed up kid.…
Rapper in this modern era identify with a persona that they created for themselves, these monikers are often used to explain characteristic or act that one wouldn’t display on a day to day basis. The persona allows the rapper to deliver nonstop bizarre, clever, thought provoking lyrics that hip-hop is known for. MF DOOM is no stranger to this approach of hip-hop, and he has taking it so far to even wear a mask to help fans embody the persona of his charter. With him, you’ll never know when the persona is ceased and when actual human begin. MF DOOM was Born in London, England, as Daniel Dumile…
Some see popular music especially in the rap genre as completely disgusting and vulgar. The reality is that music is an art form and a way for people talented enough to write music to express their thoughts and stories in a poetic and lyrical fashion. Growing up living in low income situations and in poor neighborhoods can indeed impact the way one speaks and conveys their message. Another aspect to look at is that society has become more accepting of these types of music over the past few decades. More people than ever have access to music at the click of a button or a tap of a screen.…
Music is known to be part of the popular culture which reflects cultural and social changes in a society. Rap is a genre of music that has significantly changed throughout the years. Rap was once a genre dominated mostly by African American artists. When looking through Billboard’s “10 best Rappers of all Times,” the skin color seems to be all black until there is a white male named …. ,…
Most African-american’s listen to rap music because of the beats, lyrics, and sometimes the artist. Most people don’t notice that people with a “higher power” , more money, can influence a lot of people in poverty. They want to be the people they listen to because they found a way out of the poor life and did something with themselves. What…
Since the commercialization of rap, many popular rap artist lacked substance, but there are still artist and songs that makes their viewers think and reflect on themselves and their surroundings. An example of an artist that can make gangsta rap and also conscious rap and still be well known is Tupac. Tupac is known for holding a gangsta image and even having gangsta sounds, but he is no stranger to making songs about loving our women and wanting to be better like in his song Dear Mama, 1995. In the Anthropology of Rap Part 3 (1993-1999 Rap Goes Mainstream), the author talks about Tupac variety, “ I ain’t never seen nobody that was just ghettofied and at the same time articulate and just able to maneuver them words and vocabulary and just…
It shows that African-Americans were in a severe environment during 20th Century, such as decaying neighborhoods, vicious murders, and police brutality. They need a way to demonstrate their desire for the society. So, Rap, a kind of music with a lot of words and beats, is a way to depict their hardship (The History of African-American Music 4). On the other hand, the things they are trying to express is African-American suffers unequal treatment in their life, like the economic and political inequalities between whites and African-American. Then they use Rap to express their anger to the unfair society (The History of African-American Music 4).…
For my Zine I wanted to stay in the music area, but take a focus into a specific subgenre in the music industry called “Trap Rap” and research more for myself and its growing audience. The term "trap" is used to refer to the place where all types of drug deals are made and they incorporate their trap lifestyle into their music career. This topic is nothing new to me I’ve been listening to music, and specifically this type since I was still in the car seat. My first introduction to trap rap was by an artist named Young Jeezy, and my mom was the first to show me his music from riding around in the car all the time. After a few listens, I knew some of the songs almost word for word, and not just the Young Jeezy, she played other artists like Gucci Mane, Future, and Three 6 Mafia.…
According to spotify 9.6 million people in the world listen to rap/hip hop. I usually listen to rap when i get home or when my little sister starts to talk or some times when i get made. When my sister starts talking i just put my headphones on and jam to loud music and ignore her. that is usually when i get home. when i am mad i put the headphones on and listen to my music on spotify.…
I know how rap gets a bad name cause of rap today but what do you think of rap??? Personally my opinion is how did rap get this bad. To be honest I love listening to older rappers like 2Pac, Eazy E, and Biggie but now …. we got rappers like Young Thug, and Lil Wayne. And they produce some pretty dry stuff.…
we know now, there are differences between rap and electro music. Therefore we cannot consider them as the same type of music. The rap looks more original than electro music. While the rhythms of electronic music seems more complicated than rap. They both have different messages and different emotional effects on a human soul.…
Kanye West is an American hip hop recording artist, fashion designer, songwriter, producer and record label executive. West graced upon popular culture in 2004 when he released his first single and video “All Falls Down” from his debut album The College Dropout. Kanye West is among the few hip hop artist Millennials can classify as a “musical genius” and now, as a fashion icon. West has adorned us with his much anticipated and successful Yeezy sneakers through both Nike and Adidas. He has released three “seasons” from his Yeezy clothing line and blessed us with multiple creative and elaborate collaborations through art work, fashion, and limited edition collection pieces.…