"Story Telling" 

Since its beginning hip-hop music has been a way for artist to tell a story. This is not the case with all rappers, because as we know small talk about girls, sex and drugs does not make for a very good story. When rappers tell a story through their music it often has a lesson or message attached to it. The real meaning, like any great story, is often subliminal and will be understood after the song is listened to a few times. However there are many songs that tell a straightforward story. Those are the cases when rappers are just speaking what’s on their mind. There are many great rappers who are known for good story telling. Eminem, Biz Markie, Public Enemy, Notorious BIG, Slick Rick and Drake are just a few of the many rappers who tell stories through their songs. In addition to the lyrics telling a story, the music video it self plays a huge role in storytelling and hip-hop. Granted the meaning of the song can still be clearly understood without a video, but a good video always adds to the affect/meaning the artist is trying to get across.

In his hit “Runaway Love” Ludacris gives the account of different girls who are all around the same age and dealing with the struggles of where they live and go to school. The song revolves around these girls growing up in the hood and having to deal with parents who weren’t around to raise them thus causing their poor decisions and lack of feeling loved, which lead them to find love elsewhere i.e. Boys.  Ludacris writes,

“So she pops X to get rid of all the pain

Plus she's having sex with a boy who's sixteen

Emotions run deep and she thinks she's in love

So there's no protection he's using no glove

Never thinking 'bout the consequences of her actions

Living for today and not tomorrow's satisfaction”

His lyrics tell a great story with incredible detail.

All of Eminem’s music tells a story. Many disagree with his rapping style because of how harsh and straightforward he tends to be, but that is what makes him a great storyteller. His songs are deep. Like one of my friends mentioned, “He’s not someone you listen to when you’re in a happy mood.” His music reflects a lot of his life and the shit he’s been through. He always mentions his daughter and sometimes his ex- wife. One of his most famous songs, “Stan”,  that sends the message ‘respect your fans,’ is about a fan who wants to get his attention by writing letters to him, but he never receives an answer from Eminem. Eventually when Eminem decides to answer him it’s too late.  Likewise, in his hit song “Mockingbird” Eminem is addressing his daughter. The song begins with the words, “Hallie I know you miss your mom and I know you miss your dad when I’m gone, but I’m trying to give you that life that I never had.” This all relates back to his life growing up. Eminem never grew up in a stable home. He had many problems and has found his relief in talking about it through his music. He chooses to tell a little more of his story in every song that he writes.

One of my favorite artists is Drake. It goes without say that just like the two rappers mentioned before and those alike that are not mentioned; he also tells a story through his music. Specifically in his new song “Furthest Thing,” Drake is targeting an audience who believes he has changed as a person since he has become famous.  Drake says,  “I still been drinkin' on the low
Mobbin' on the low
 Fuckin' on the low
 Smokin' on the low 
I still been plottin' on the low
 Schemin' on the low
 The furthest thing from perfect Like everyone I know”

He wants his audience to understand that He is still the same as he was before despite the fact that he now has money.

Rappers have found their escape and a way to speak their mind through music. The stories they tell are in songs that we listen to on a daily basis. They deserve our support when it comes to hearing what they have to say. Cause after all who wouldn’t want their story to be heard?

(Raggenius.com) (blogspot.com/meaningbehindthemusic)

(A-Zlyrics.com)

"Defending this Sh*t": Language, Politics, and Purpose in Hip Hop

In 2004 Comedian Chris Rock performed his hit HBO Comedy Special  “Never Scared”. During this comedy special, Chris Rock performs one of his most memorable monologues about defending Rap Music (I’ve provided the link below).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aU8O4tKc-2E

“In the old days, it was easy to defend rap music. It was easy to defend it on an intellectual level. You could break it down, intellectually, why Grandmaster Flash was art, why Run-D.M.C was art, why Whodini was art in music. […]And I love Rap Music, but its hard to defend this shit-its hard to defend ‘I’ve got Hoes in different Area Codes. It’s hard to defend ‘Move Bitch, get out the way.” 

Although he discusses the issue in a humorous and light way, he is speaking on a topic in which thousands of people feel torn about-the Purpose of Hip Hop. An ongoing discussion on the purpose of Hip-Hop has been going on since its rise in the late 80s-early 90s, and especially in the rise of Gangsta Rap. As the reading told us “There has never been a consensus within hip hop about its purpose, identity, or destiny”. No one can deny the overwhelming influence that Hip Hop has had in our culture and society, nor the way Hip Hop has influenced the politics of our country- but the purpose of hip hop can often seem lost in the obscene amounts of bling, money, drugs and women. But as hip hop icon Darryl “DMC” McDaniel’s, of the pioneering hip hop group Run DMC, once told a crowd “What you see on television in music videos is “show business” and not a true reflection of what hip hop represents” (finalcall.com) Behind the bling, money, cars and women lies a movement that is over forty years old, that continues to be a vital source of creativity and industry for urban youth.

 “Hip Hops claim to fame is the claim of authenticity in its undaunted portrayals of ghetto reality.” So whether it is the graphic imagery of gang activity and drug hustling like that of NWA or the raunchy sexual lyrics of Lil-Kim, rappers know how to keep true to where they came from, and also keep the public talking. Whether you love it, or hate it, it is the lyrics in some of the most controversial songs that not only brought Hip-Hop to the mainstream, but also brought several important issues to light. One of the prime examples of this would be the classic NWA song “Fuck the Police”. Produced by Dr. Dre and DJ Yella, this song would catapult both the group and the reality of police brutality into the public spotlight. Lyrics such as “A young nigga got it bad cause I’m brown”, “They have the authority to kill a minority”, “Searching my car, looking for the product-thinking every nigga is selling narcotics” showcased the dark and militant side of the LAPD that was concealed from America. 

That is, until March 3, 1991 when an amateur videographer got video of Rodney King being brutally beaten by a group of LAPD cops. When a jury acquitted all four cops of all charges, tensions were at an all time high. People had enough of the injustice within their own community, and the anger and frustration boiled over into the streets. What ensued were the Rodney King Riots, which would last six days across Southern Los Angeles and cost over a billion dollars in damage. The battle cry that was heard throughout was “Fuck the Police”. I doubt that the purpose of the song was to make people riot in the streets and loot businesses but the energy and lyrics of the song perfectly captured the mood and anger of the time. Another important record during that era came after the riots were over; Dr. Dre’s “The Day the Niggaz Took Over” tells the daunting story of what occurred during the six-day riot. Unfiltered and unapologetic, the song vividly tells of the riots that occurred. Like a fossil or artifact, these two songs now serve as a way for the new generation to understand the events that were occurring during that time. If anything good came out of the LA Riots, it is that it elevated hip-hop to a new level of importance and forced people to recognize the struggles that were occurring in the inner city. Rappers were no longer just rappers; they become voices of their community.

What the general public forgets about Hip-Hop is the way it has transformed lives-taking people from the rough streets of the ghetto to the cover of Forbes magazine.  The classic “Rags to Riches” story in Hip Hop would be the life of Shawn Corey Carter, or Jay-Z. Jay Z was a prominent dope boy from the rough Marcy Projects. It was because of Hip Hop that he was able to become one of the most recognizable and well-respected artists in music today. His prominence even earned him better seats than Al Sharpton at the Obama inauguration (http://www.huffingtonpost.com). Jay-Z is just one of hundreds of stories of people who came from nothing and were able to transform their lives all from behind a microphone. Snoop Dogg went from serving time in prison for selling Crack Cocaine to now become a multi-million dollar artist, and now coaches an inner-city football league. (Planet-Rock: The Story of Hip Hop and the Crack Generation). It is easy to poke fun at Hip Hop and claim that it no longer serves a purpose or that it is lost its meaning. Lupe Fiasco was onto something when he eloquently said, "hip-hop has saved my life." As long as someone can look to hip-hop as a way to get out of the projects, become a voice for the voiceless and bring to light issues affecting their community-then Hip Hop will always have a significant place in society.

Sources:

VH1 Rock Docs + UPRISING: Hip Hop & The LA Riots + VH1-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQG1CQULmHQ-
Planet Rock: The Story of Hip- Hop and the Crack Generation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWKo8CLL3ks
What Ever Happened to Hip Hop: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CH6af90Ig0

Planet Rock Movie Review -http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bene-viera/planet-rock-movie-review_b_980016.html

~http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/article_4270.shtml

 

           

            

Make it New: Sampling & Authorship By: Brianna Jordan

Sampling is a technique used by many artists to add versatility to their music. Sampling allows certain artist to become appealing to an audience that, normally, would not listen to their music. An example of this would be “KRS-One” by Sublime. Sublime is not a hip hop group by far. The use of incorporating song such as "Charlie Mack" by DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince and "Tough" by Kurtis allowed Sublime to be heard by a new audience. Although Sublime did their song sampling in 1992, sampling has become more popular as the years progress. In 2000, Erick Sermon’s “Music” took a sample from Marvin Gaye’s “I’ve Got My Music.” This song instantly became a popular summer song.   

  Fast forwarding to recent years, Kendrick Lamar’s “B***h, Don’t Kill My Vibe” took a sample from a song that was pretty much unknown by the American population. Boom Clap Bachelors is a 5 person group from Copenhagen, Denmark. This Danish group’s music belongs to a wide variety of genres from techno and electro-beats to soul and hip hop. Their song “Tiden Flyver” (translated “Time Flies”) was used in Kendrick Lamar’s “B***h, Don’t Kill My Vibe.” Lamar added his own drum and guitar beats into the song, but Boom Clap Bachelors’ “Tiden Flyver” was the main backdrop for his beat.

Sampling does not just stop at songs already created by other artists. Some religious activities are brought into the spotlight by these samples. There is a chant that many people who practice Buddhism often repeat. “Nam-myoho-renge-kyo” is known as “Daimoku.” This chant’s 4 words symbolize devotion, Mystic Law, lotus flower, and sutra (the teachings of Buddha). Typically, this chant is repeated during a meditation, and concentration is required to fully meditate. This concentration was the main subject of Xzibit’s song “Concentrate.” The song opens up with a Buddhist man repeating the chant continuously. This song is a perfect example of how hip hop can make connections to people that would not necessarily hear their music. By incorporating a religion into his song, Xzibit gains the attention of people from that religion.

Sampling has allowed hip hop to be more that just merely a song genre. It has allowed people from all regions of the world to come together to make hip hop more appealing. Sampling from older songs allows generations from the “yesteryear” time era to connect to the music of the current day. An example of this would be Kanye West’s “Bound 2.” This song was released in 2013 and sampled from an older song called "Bound" by Ponderosa Twins Plus One. This use of sampling would not necessarily mean anything to the generation that many young people belong to, but their parents and grandparents would be able to appreciate the sample. This allows Kanye West to gain the attention of parents and the elderly thus selling more records. Besides the fact that he will make more money, the connection made between these two generations allows for the gap to be closed. Parents, grandparents, and their children will be able to listen to the same song and appreciate all that it has to offer.

http://www.microsofttranslator.com/BV.aspx?ref=IE8Activity&a=http%3A%2F%2Fda.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FBoom_Clap_Bachelors

http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=2158

http://www.sgi-usa.org/buddhism/nam-myoho-renge-kyo.php

Okay honestly from the reading it would seem as if the never ending feud between rappers is a vicious cycle that plays out and seemingly entertains the consumers of the hip hop world. However, I point the finger at the record labels and the major music corporation masterminds who stage and insinuate this hate that turns into blood shed. Hip hop has gone from being solely in black and white standards where a rapper had to be thuggin and hard on camera with golds in his mouth to now in this era rappers have become "pansies." To completly switch tactics, I found it quite interesting even with the opening sentence that hip-hop walks this thin line of ununsual an absurd. This line itself popped into my head artists like lil-wayne who prances across the line of rock and lyrical domination, or even the weeknd who is definetly on the grade of absurd. Yet I believe it is artists like The Weeknd (who I freaking love by the way) who show that you dont have to appear as a thug to be "hard." Even though the feud between artists were not the main highlight of the article it was a captivating aspect that every artists has to be in some sort of "BEEF" in order to be a "rapper"; for instance 50 cent v.s. The Gane, Biggie v.s. Tupac, Ice Cube (my boo) v.s. Easy E. and the list goes on.