Hip dysplasia

“At last I can be free, Yeah, listen, I mean, I really can be me, I’m happy, I’m carefree and I’m gay, I was born this way! I’m happy, I’m carefree and I’m gay, I was born this way!”— Carl Bean In 1978, Carl Bean, a Black gay male singer from Baltimore who was signed to the legendary Motown Records, released not only a triumphant anthem for gay communities across the globe, but a profound declaration through song that was a bold coming out statement, which spread across mainstream radio spaces.…

Old followers of hip hop may say that there are four main components of the genre: ‘rap, break dancing, graffiti and disc jockeying’ (Uzeki). The genre is seen as a part of youth culture because they have a special connection to it. This essay will be discussing rap and the evolution of the language used since the beginning of the movement during the 1970’s. Rap is a form of music that stemmed from the Hip Hop genre, also known as ‘rhyming’ or ‘MCing’. Since its…

Society’s views on rap and hip-hop music are often negative, despite other genres having similar social messages. One must ask themselves, why is hip hop and rap under such constant scrutiny? Authors Feagin, Vera, Batur, & Rose theorize, “From the start, the public viewed hip-hop culture and rap music through a racist lens. Rappers and rap fans were often portrayed as menacing Black adolescents, and rap music was vilified as violent and misogynistic” (qtd. in Sullivan 607). Although most people…

Nyck Caution and Kirk Knight use rhetorical devices throughout their song Audiopium. This song was written to honor one of their friends and fellow rappers, Capital Steez, that took his life on December 23, 2012 at the age of 19. This young rapper was taking the classic rap scene by storm with his incredible word play, his use of irony, and his critic of the injustices in America. Capital Steez had dedicated his career to shedding light on what is wrong in our country. He wanted to bring rap…

Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins III, also known as Aloe Blacc, is a thirty-eight year old, African American musician who falls within the genres of soul, funk, contemporary R&B, and hip-hop music. Blacc began his solo career with the release of his first solo album Shine through in 2003. He signed with Stone Throw Records six years later. His next two albums, Good Things and Lift Your Spirit, are what launched Blacc to where his is currently in his music career in 2017. In his album Lift Your Spirit,…

Capital Steez was a young New York rapper that took the classic rap scene by storm with his incredible word play, his use of irony, and his critic of the injustices in America. Capital Steez took his own life on December 23, 2012 at the age of 19. He dedicated his life to shedding light on injustices in America and bringing rap back to its roots where there was meaning behind every line. Steez wanted to not only change the genre, but also the effect of rap on the community and the negative…

Rap industry has gained huge recognition with fans over the years. According to Bradley “Rap is now the most widely disseminated poetry in the history of the world” (Bradley, xiii). Rappers have built up their following from adults to young kids that enjoy listening to rap music. The audiences are the ones who spend money on the artist, accordingly, buying their music, attending concerts, or buying merchandise. Now a day, an artist can be asked to represent a company, either in the fashion world…

Product The product name,Beats by Dre, is associated mainly with the famous headphone line, although other products are available. Not only is the name catchy, but it draws clear associations with one of the company “founders” and his music career. There are assumptions made automatically that with such a history the company must focus on quality and stem from a musical passion rather than money. The products that Beats provides to consumers attempt to meet a need that the target market has;…

Rap music has been around for almost 30 years starting with the people like, Run DMC, LL Cool J, and N.W.A. No one had ever heard this new type of music and was intrigued by the rawness and realness of it. People of all races liked the music and thought it was a new form of art. But, the new rap music of the 2000’s has changed the overall view of rap. People don’t think of it as art anymore because of its big influence of gang violence and use of profanity and this is more of a caucasian…

great strides towards becoming more accepting of the LGBTQ community, there is still a portion of the population that has not changed. And in hip hop culture today, it can be seen by many that homophobia is still prevalent. Joel Penney is quite aware of this as his article entitled, “We Don’t Wear Tight Clothes”: Gay Panic and Queer Style in Contemporary Hip Hop, is centered on the aforementioned idea. In the article, Penney discusses how the ongoing feud, between masculine gangsta rappers and…