“Juicy” – The Notorious B.I.G. ft. Total
The Notorious B.I.G. career began back in 1992 when he was signed onto Bad Boy Entertainment. The Notorious B.I.G. also known as Biggie Smalls uses his lyrics in the song “Juicy”, to admit to the burden he refers to as his youth, to bear witness, and portray how he eventually redeemed himself. Biggie portrays two of Werner’s three elements found in Understanding Black American Aspects in Hip Hop Cinema by Tani Sanchez. The three elements are, “(1) acknowledging the burden; (2) bearing witness; (3) finding redemption”(5). The beginning of the song paints a picture of his difficult upbringing in Brooklyn, New York.
Biggie uses the word “dream” in the first line to shine light on the fact that he began his career as a struggling rapper. He starts with, “It was all a dream, I used to read Word Up magazine”(metrolyrics.com) Everyone in his audience is able to relate to having a dream or an idol that they look up to. These lyrics are noteworthy considering that Biggie went from being the dreamer to the dream itself in just a few short years. Biggie references Word Up Magazine because now he has been featured in it on multiple occasions. Additionally, he …show more content…
He begins the second verse with “I made the change from a common thief, To up close and personal with Robin Leach”(metrolyrics.com). Expressing that he once was a thief is Biggie’s way of bearing witness or telling us about a traumatic time in his life. The allusion to his time as a thief was only the beginning to a verse centered around how far he’s come. Beginning the verse with a reference to an all time low of his helps bring attention to all the success he has achieved. Addressing the substantial changes he’s made during his rise to fame, Biggie encourages everyone with a rough past that there is still hope. Reassuring his audience that their fate hasn’t been decided for
The Notorious B.I.G. career began back in 1992 when he was signed onto Bad Boy Entertainment. The Notorious B.I.G. also known as Biggie Smalls uses his lyrics in the song “Juicy”, to admit to the burden he refers to as his youth, to bear witness, and portray how he eventually redeemed himself. Biggie portrays two of Werner’s three elements found in Understanding Black American Aspects in Hip Hop Cinema by Tani Sanchez. The three elements are, “(1) acknowledging the burden; (2) bearing witness; (3) finding redemption”(5). The beginning of the song paints a picture of his difficult upbringing in Brooklyn, New York.
Biggie uses the word “dream” in the first line to shine light on the fact that he began his career as a struggling rapper. He starts with, “It was all a dream, I used to read Word Up magazine”(metrolyrics.com) Everyone in his audience is able to relate to having a dream or an idol that they look up to. These lyrics are noteworthy considering that Biggie went from being the dreamer to the dream itself in just a few short years. Biggie references Word Up Magazine because now he has been featured in it on multiple occasions. Additionally, he …show more content…
He begins the second verse with “I made the change from a common thief, To up close and personal with Robin Leach”(metrolyrics.com). Expressing that he once was a thief is Biggie’s way of bearing witness or telling us about a traumatic time in his life. The allusion to his time as a thief was only the beginning to a verse centered around how far he’s come. Beginning the verse with a reference to an all time low of his helps bring attention to all the success he has achieved. Addressing the substantial changes he’s made during his rise to fame, Biggie encourages everyone with a rough past that there is still hope. Reassuring his audience that their fate hasn’t been decided for