Funk

The portrayal of African Americans in the film industry is pretty different from what they were in the past. Compared to our society, the portrayals of African Americans in the past were negative. Since one of Hollywood’s main goals as time progressed was to make films that are more relatable, the films had to follow the specific trend that was going on in that time. Many films followed the lifestyles of individuals living in antebellum South. The only roles available for African Americans in…

Music is all around us, playing in shopping malls, on television, in elevators, and stored on our personal electronic devices. Music has the ability to change one’s mood to either positive or negative based on the genre and the lyrics a song. To determine if there is a correlation between music genres and deviant behavior, researchers Jeffery Lozon and Moshe Bensimon examines genres as alternative rock, hard rock, heavy metal, hip-hop/rap, punk rock, rock and electronic/techno to see if it…

1. How is music used by teenagers, what role does music play in their lives? It is with no doubt that music has become a part of our everyday lives. In fact, it is everywhere and is listened by a vast majority of the population. In the article “Policy Statement-Impact of Music, Music Lyrics, and Music Videos on Children and Youth”, the use of music by teenagers is discussed in depth. In fact, music plays a big role in the lives of these young people who are in a period where they are finding and…

Kendrick Lamar is a widely recognised American rapper and songwriter from Compton, California. His music is notorious for its diverse range of musical genres and exposure of the socio-political struggles that African-Americans face growing up in America. Through the study of Section80 (2011) and How to Pimp a Butterfly (2015), this essay will explore the ways in which Kendrick Lamar uses his music to express socio-political issues, and if his rise to fame effects this. Lamar’s first independent…

Book Review The book called Hip-Hop Revolution The Culture and Politics of Rap by Jeffrey O. G. Ogbar was a very informative, historical source for learning about the background of how hip hop came to be. Jeffrey O. G. Ogbar is an associate professor of history and director of the institute for African American Studies at the University of Connecticut. With his skills, Jeffrey Ogbar writes a book that examines genders in hip hop, authenticity of hip hop, and races that had an influence on hip…

Meghan Trainor is a recent American pop star defined by her sense of empowerment as she urges listeners to reject body shaming. Encouraging positive body image is becoming a societal norm in the U.S. and the Nashville singer 2014 debut single, “All About That Bass,” help persuade her audience that bigger bodies are better. The objectification of larger bodies contribute towards a feeling that there is a criteria for beauty. Similarly, Nicki Minaj’s “Anaconda” is part of a tradition of hip hop…

“I got my 12-gauge sawed off, I got my headlights turned off, I’m ‘bout to bust some shots off, I’m ‘bout to dust some cops off, Die, Die, Die Pig, Die!,” a quote from Ice-T most controversial song “Cop Killer” had everyone in rage. With words like these being said and being published without modifying the lyrics should say something about the artist and producer. From the society point of view, they would see this as hatred words being said as literal words towards cops and the artist intending…

Music of all kinds affects its audience members and fans. In spite of the fact that all genres have this impact, and it is up to the artist to choose how they utilize that impact whether that be positively or negatively. A debate lately has been the developing issue of music that either advances or excuses violence in its verses (Hoga and Bar-on 1219). In spite of the fact that a few artists contend their utilization of violence as a device to relate and direct troublesome youth far from…

“Why Rap Rules and Rock Is in a Rutt,” by Robin Davey, expresses a common view among youth today: Rap music is in and Rock N’ Roll is out. Davey believes that Rock music has lost its gusto and should make way for the more relevant genre of Rap. Although I agree that Rap music is more popular and culturally relevant to our current society, I strongly disagree with Davey in regards to Rock’s inevitable demise. One of Davey’s attitudes towards Rock throughout his editorial expresses that it is…

In an excerpt from her book, titled When Chickenheads come Home to Roost: A Hip-Hop Feminist Breaks It Down, which was first published in 1999, music writer and hip-hop enthusiast Joan Morgan expresses her deep concern of the negative influence lyrics in rap music have on women and people of the African American community, as stated in her essay, "From Fly-Girls to Bitches and Hos". Morgan shares her views on the root causes of the prevalence of misogyny in rap music lyrics. Morgan illuminates…