Rapping

Rap was understood as an example of, and was articulated to, essentialist notions of racial difference, thus reducing a complex and alternative set of cultural practices to simplistic constructions of the black ghetto and the "native" culture of the African American underclass. Rap is neither the essential product of black male youth experience nor a singular music movement defined by one or a limited number of styles and artists, but rather it includes practices and forms that have emerged…

Considered by many to be the, “Most talented Rapper of his Generation,” Kendrick Lamar has become extremely influential and popular since the release of his hit album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (Stone). It is this great influence around which his second and most recent album, To Pimp A Butterfly, is based. Throughout the album Lamar struggles in dealing with his wealth and influence: each song is a slow progression from an abusive, wealthy consumer to a wiser man who understands the good he can do…

Will Sheerin Professor Lorenz Music and Migration April 4 2016 Skinhead’s influence in Jamaican Ska During the 1950’s, Britain’s economy was in a recession and they reached out to many of their Western colonies to increase immigration to England. After World War II the economy was in bad shape and the United Kingdom government looked for immigrants to fill the employment vacancies. Many Jamaicans took the opportunity to start a new life and migrated to London in large quantities. With them…

Introduction The Pinkprint (2014), Nicki Minaj’s third album, is one of her most successful releases to date, displaying Minaj in her truest form of raw femininity and strength, two characteristics which, previously, had not coincided with each other in the rap industry. She uses traditional gangster rap’s objectification of women, especially those of color, in a way that promotes women and femininity in an empowering manner. The hiphop industry is one which is rooted in misogynistic views and…

In the music industry, their happens to be a lot of competition between different young male singers. One of the most famous competition is between the British boy band One Direction, and Justin Bieber. Both of these artists are very famous and popular to teenage girls all around the world. Almost everybody has heard about both of these artists and they are both definitely breaking records. Their fans, the Beliebers, and the Directioners are sometime caught in a battle of who is the better and…

Jock City in 1991, Juice in 1992, Friday in 1995, and other movies may not have been meant to glorify the ghetto/gangster lifestyle but when filtered through negative racial perceptions... these theatrical leant credibility to the assumptions of Black culture..." (Hart 15). The Black Best Friend’s main job is to help their white friend out of problems, their character has little to no context. They are also called the token black friend. They usually tag along behind the white friend with quirky…

Hip-Hop has Changed the World “Music can change the world because it can change people.” (Bono) Hip-hop first started in the 1970s in the neighborhoods of the New York City Bronx. It immediately became a huge movement in African American culture and soon affected people from all over the world. It spread from one city to many in a matter of months, from movies to music videos, hip-hop was everywhere. It was a statement, a voice for African Americans to speak up against civil rights. Hip-hop…

“Biggie Biggie Biggie can’t you see sometimes your love just hypnotize me.” “Watch me Whip. Watch me Nae Nae. Watch me Whip Whip. Watch me Nae Nae.” “Like never leave me, won’t forsake me. If you don’t help me, I won’t make it.” Could you name any of these song lyrics? Think about the ones you could and could not. These are lyrics of traditional and modern day R&B and gospel songs. The comparison between these lyrics show the way rap music has changed throughout time. Rap music is defined as…

In the two movies Perks of Being a Wallflower and 8 Mile, the main characters are extremely similar. In one way, they both are like wallflowers. Another way they are related is they both have a hard time talking to females. Lastly, they each share their life stories through their writing to cope with their life surroundings. In The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Charlie is the wallflower. In 8 Mile, B-Rabbit is also a wallflower. Charlie acts like a wallflower by staying to himself before he…

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…