...though, some rap music of today strays from the lyrics of white oppression, most rap music still expresses the means of identity-formation affected by social construction just like original rap music. Contemporary, twenty-first century, rap music expresses two concerns: social construction on identity-formation and the life of the rapper. Rap music, when it first broke out, was viewed by society as a deviance from social construction, and the rappers were aware- but they in way- did not care. In King of Rock, a rap song released in 1985 by Run-D.M.C, the rappers’ lyrics, “I won’t stop rockin’ till I retire…It’s all brand new, never ever old school…Cause they don’t make no songs like these!”, shows that they know their music is different, but no matter what they will not change because they were content with the new identity-formation. A contemporary song that shows that same idea of the “I don’t care attitude” towards social construction on identity-formation is Look at Me Now by Chris Brown, featuring Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes. This song was released in 2011. The whole song is about how the rappers do not care about what other people think because the life their living and who they are, they are completely contempt and satisfied with. “You ain’t never gonna stop me… Look at me now, look at me now. I’m getting paper.” These lyrics claim that no one is going to change who they are- their identity- because who they are and what they are doing now, getting “paper” which is money...
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...Me: I know I know that's why I love you so much you always keep it real and I'm telling you tonight I'm giving him the choice to tell King or I'm done. Now, sis I've found my voice and I want you to promise you'll do the same, Shanice we are two loyal and beautiful ass women and we deserve more than what we are getting from the men we love. Tonight I'm demanding my respect, how about you sissy? Shanice: you're dam right I already planned to have a talk with King tonight. But I'm not demanding it, I'm showing up wearing nothing but my trench coat, red bottoms, and baby oil. Then I'm gonna lay it out for him and let his ass see what he's gonna lose. If he still isn't ready to commit then I'm prepared to leave and find the love I deserve else where. Me: you're damn right, I'm about to oil my body down put on my red bottoms and sexy lingerie and give him a reason to man up. Then I'll put my foot down and that way if things don't go as planned at least I'll have some good ass breakup sex. Thanks sissy you always give me the best advice best of luck tonight King better make the right decision because you’re the only chick I'll ever call sissy, he will never find another...
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...Mehtab S. Dhaliwal Georgia M. Roberts B CUSP 117D 03 March 2012 “…I feel like murder but hip-hop you saved me…” (Lupe Fiasco) But what is Hip Hop? No one really has a concrete classification for this term, though many have their own opinions on what the culture of Hip Hop is. Some view the culture of Hip Hop as a door into a different culture, something one has never experienced first hand. While others claim that “…hip hop is primarily responsible for every decline and crisis world-wide except the war in Iraq and global warming…” (Rose) because of the negative influences it has on many people. Numerous parents believe their children shouldn’t be listening to this type of music due to the explicit lyrics. There are countless opinions of what Hip Hop means, but no one really converses about one actual definition. To me, Hip Hop is a way for people to express their opinions and experiences within their music. Hip Hop is distorted throughout history. It originated in the streets of New York City during the late 60’s early 70’s, specifically in the Bronx. Back then it was just a style of poetry, like a type of freestyle that young black men performed. Quickly this style started to become popular and the black youth began “…engaging in verbal duels with contenders like a linguistic match…” (Gates). Due to the geographic location of this formation of Hip Hop, it is considered a “black art form”. Other ethnicities such as the Caribbean and Latin peoples probably had...
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...Rap music contributes to violent crime due the offensive statements on its lyrics. Most of its songs contribute to women’s devaluation thorough stereotype, discrimination and illustrating them as objects. As a matter of fact, rap music is supported by this society throughout the use of languages that devalued women and by treating women’s bodies as objects. Tran R. (2016) argues, since childhood men are taught to see women as objects, but they are people with feelings, wants, and needs. Also, men are taught how to be a proper man and that women are weak, which make them feel superior than women. These are the principal factors that cause the violence against women, which creates indifference regarding women’s rights and safety. From a long...
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...and Plies are just some of today’s biggest icons in the world of hip hop. Having record hitting tracks that jump off the charts, these rappers are definitely the image the younger generation looks up to. Though, having these amazing tracks, these same iconic figures are said to be the cause of our teenagers heading down the road of destruction. The effects of these lyrics on the teenage society are said to provoke violence, foul language, and enhanced sexual behavior. To begin, the effect of hip hop or rap music on the younger generation today has encouraged youth to become more violent and aggressive. Ever since the rise of rap music, teens have been turning to music to help solve their problems. However, this music cannot be helpful but very destructive. Encouraging raging acts of violence, these lyrics influence and damage the minds of children, teens and young adults. For instance, rapper Plies states, “Don't tell me shit about what them niggas said, Them niggas just raping, Fuck niggas be bluffing, Killers make shit happen,” in his track called Naan Nigga. The breakdown of these lyrics: It does not matter what another individual states about one, if a person is “real” one must make violent actions to prove your point in life. The effect of teens listening to music like this is shown in and out of school. More and more students are being arrested and taken to juvenile detention centers due to fighting or bringing weapons to school. For example, my junior year, a student...
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...The Game Shall Always Remain the Same: Hip-Hop from a Protagonist’s Point of View The Hip-Hop culture and all it stands for has saturated a generation in an unprecedented way. It has begun to shape and unify a diverse population of people. Hip-Hop, for many, provides an outlet to express your thoughts and for others, Hip-Hop is a lifestyle. The influence of Hip-Hop has become universal. It has transcended from a cultural genre to having a larger audience not made up of solely African Americans. It has gone from the slums, to the suburbs, and into larger corporate rooms. McDonald’s, Addidas, Nike, Coca Cola, Sprite, and other corporate giants have capitalized on this phenomenon. Although critics of Rap music and the Hip-Hop culture seemed to be fixated on the messages of sex, violence, and harsh language Hip- Hop has potential to unify individuals and promote change. This genre of music has transformed generations across the country. Hip- Hop possesses a level of maturity and a sense of cultural belongingness that has become a protest form for people all over the world. The art form, now simply known as Hip- Hop, began with three New Yorkers: Busy Bee Starski, DJ Hollywood, and DJ Afrika Bambaataa; they are credited for creating the term Hip-Hop. It all began in the early 1970’s with house parties and basement beat shaking music in upstate New York. The beats were very melodic, Africanized, and soulful. Hip-Hop is music for...
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...musical stylistic origins and social influence throughout history on hip-hop music to create an unbiased, accurate account of how hip-hop music came to be what it is today. The genre of hip-hop music formed in the 1970s amongst African American Groups in urban New York City, during a time when “block parties” and it’s associated music started to become extremely popular. Credited with founding hip-hop music, DJ Kool Herc, an immigrant from Jamaica, started to extend the percussive breaks in popular funk and soul music (Dyson). This new sound became so popular that DJs needed to start using two turntables to lengthen percussive breaks, effectively creating an entire new sound and new genre of music (Bekman). Hip-hop music is characterized by four main elements: rapping, scratching (DJing), break dancing, and graffiti (Chang). Because music is dynamic and constantly changing, hip-hop started to develop sub-genres within hip-hop, such as southern trap music or west coast gangsta rap. Hip-hop music in different regions started to develop their own unique style of hip-hop, and although all of these sub-genres could be considered “hip-hop,” the music adapted and started to reflect some of the social issues within the region. In order to further inform and achieve the goal of creating an unbiased account of how hip-hop music came to be what it is today, I have organized my paper into two main sections. The first section will detail the...
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...and 3) they seemed to be in no hurry, I assumed they were skipping school. They were extremely loud and unruly, tossing food at one another and leaving it on the floor. Black people ran the restaurant and made up the bulk of the customers, but it was hard to see much healthy “black community” here. After repeatedly warning the boys to stop throwing food and keep quiet, the manager finally told them to leave. The kids ignored her. Only after she called a male security guard did they start slowly making their way out, tauntingly circling the restaurant before ambling off. These teens clearly weren’t monsters, but they seemed to consider themselves exempt from public norms of behavior—as if they had begun to check out of mainstream society. What struck me most, though, was how fully the boys’ music—hard-edged rap, preaching bone-deep dislike of authority—provided them with a continuing soundtrack to their...
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...issues that many can relate to. Rap in the U.S first started in the Bronx in the 1970s by Dj Kool Herc. Rap through out time became a very popular genre that many people of all races listened to. Many rappers not only rapped about money and their life style but they rapped about important issues like racism that affected many people then and even today. Rapper Tupac and groups Public Enemy and N.W.A were among many that did. Rap is one important way to bring to light issues people are facing in society because you don’t have to be a certain race to listen to rap and even though a rapper could talk about issues that African Americans many can learn from it. To a great extent rap protest against institutional racism and inform people about what it was like being black in America....
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...influenced many things in American culture. According to a survey done in 2002-2011, many Americans believed that hip hop music promoted violence, demeaned women and condoned drug use. Although some people say that the lyrics in some hip hop music is violent and promote the wrong values, Hip hop “has positively affected” the way people think act and dress. In a recently taken survey, I found that many people think that rap or Hip Hop music lyrics promote violence. Do you think that Hip-Hop condones violence among its listeners? | [Writing suggestion: Unless in a quote or a title, avoid rhetorical questions in academic writing. A good idea is to provide answers, not questions] Yes | (3; 50%) | No | (3; 50%) | | | Do you think that the Hip-Hop culture demeans women? | Yes | (5; 83%) | No | (1; 17%) | | | Do you think that Hip-Hop culture condones drug use? | Yes | (6; 100%) | No | (0; 0%) | | | Do you find this rap lyric offensive? "We cop a whip and drop a brick - that's how we do it Weed, liquor, money, and guns how we do it." | Yes | (3; 50%) | No | (3; 50%) | ...
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...Look, I was gonna go easy on you not to hurt your feelings But I'm only going to get this one chance (Six minutes, six minutes) Something's wrong, I can feel it (Six minutes, six minutes, Slim Shady, you're on) Just a feeling I've got Like something's about to happen But I don't know what If that means, what I think it means, we're in trouble Big trouble. And if he is as bananas as you say I'm not taking any chances You were just what the doctor ordered [Chorus:] I'm beginning to feel like a Rap God, Rap God All my people from the front to the back nod, back nod Now who thinks their arms are long enough to slap box, slap box? They said I rap like a robot, so call me rap-bot [Verse 1:] But for me to rap like a computer must be in my genes I got a laptop in my back pocket My pen'll go off when I half-cock it Got a fat knot from that rap profit Made a living and a killing off it Ever since Bill Clinton was still in office With Monica Lewinski feeling on his nutsack I'm an MC still as honest But as rude and as indecent as all hell Syllables, skill-a-holic (Kill 'em all with) This flippity, dippity-hippity hip-hop You don't really wanna get into a pissing match With this rappity-rap Packing a mack in the back of the Ac backpack rap, crap, yap-yap, yackety-yack and at the exact same time I attempt these lyrical acrobat stunts while I'm practicing that I'll still be able to break a motherfuckin' table Over the back of a couple of faggots and crack...
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...confidence Started not to give a fuck and stopped fearing the consequence Drinking every night because we drink to my accomplishments Faded way too long I'm floating in and out of consciousness And they sayin' I'm back, I'd agree with that I just take my time with all this shit, I still believe in that I had someone tell me I fell off, oh I needed that And they wanna see me pick back up, well where'd I leave it at I know I exaggerated things, now I got it like that Tuck my napkin in my shirt, cause I'm just mobbin' like that You know good and well that you don't want a problem like that You gone make someone around me catch a body like that No, don't do it, please don't do it, cause one of us goes in And we all go through it Drizzy got the money, so Drizzy gonna pay it Those my brothers, I ain't even gotta say it That's just something they know [Chorus] They know, they know, they know They know, they know, they know They know, they know, they know Yeah they know yeah That the real is on the rise Fuck them other guys I even gave them a chance to decide Now it's something they know They know, they know, they know, Yeah, I be yelling out money over everything, money on my mind. Then she wanna ask when it got so empty Tell her I apologize it happened over time She says they missed the old drake, girl don't tempt me If they don't get it, they'll be over you That new shit that you got is overdue You better do what you suppose to do I'm like why I...
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...got front back, and side to side then I let the alpine play (play) pumpin' new shit by NWA It was gangsta' gangsta' at the top of the list then I played my own shit and it went somethin' like this, Cruisin' down the street in my six-fo' jockin' the bitches, slappin' the hoes Went to the park to get the scoop Knuckleheads out there cold, shootin' some hoops a car pulls up, who can it be? a fresh El Camino rollin kilo G he rolled down his window and he started to say it's all about makin' that G.T.A. (CHORUS) 'Cause the boys in the hood are always hard you come talkin' that trash, we'll pull ya car knowin' nutin' in life but to be legit don't quote me boy 'cause I ain't said shit (Yo man, Get the fuck out, Pump that beat, Muthafucka, say what?) Down on B's is the place to give me the pace he said ma' man J.D. is on freebase the boy J.D. was a friend of mine 'til I caught him in my car tryin' to steal the Alpine chased him down the street to call a truce the silly muthafucka' pulls out a deuce deuce little did he know I had a loaded 12 guage one sucker dead, L.A. Times front page (CHORUS) 'Cause the boys in the hood are always hard you come talkin' that trash, we'll pull...
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...your friend ------------------------------------------------- I wanna fuck you like I'm never gonna see you again is all about getting a girl alone and performing sexual acts with her. This song is violent because it is emotionally harmful towards women. During the entire song, he sings about performing sexual acts with a woman and doing nothing more than that. Listening to this song, I can only be led to believe that what women take from this song is that they are only used for sex and then tossed aside. The victims of this song are women and this is obvious to me because I listen to many Kid Rock songs and he sings about having sex with women in several of them (I do not think Kid Rock is a homosexual). The possible perpetrators are all men who agree with this song; that women are to be used for sex alone. The violence being displayed is the emotional harm done to women who listen to this song. The emotional harm being that some women may take, from this song, that they are only to be used for sex. The purpose of this type of media is that songs such as this one sell in society. So the saying goes, “Sex sells”. Personally, I enjoy the rhythm of this song and Kid Rock’s style of music so I enjoy listening to it. This does not, however, mean that I agree with the song. As I previously said, I personally enjoy this song. My reaction to the lyrics, though, is that it makes me upset that this truly is what sells in the music...
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...Look, I was gonna go easy on you not to hurt your feelings But I'm only going to get this one chance (Six minutes, six minutes) Something's wrong, I can feel it (Six minutes, six minutes, Slim Shady, you're on) Just a feeling I've got Like something's about to happen But I don't know what If that means, what I think it means, we're in trouble Big trouble. And if he is as bananas as you say I'm not taking any chances You were just what the doctor ordered [Chorus:] I'm beginning to feel like a Rap God, Rap God All my people from the front to the back nod, back nod Now who thinks their arms are long enough to slap box, slap box? They said I rap like a robot, so call me rap-bot [Verse 1:] But for me to rap like a computer must be in my genes I got a laptop in my back pocket My pen'll go off when I half-cock it Got a fat knot from that rap profit Made a living and a killing off it Ever since Bill Clinton was still in office With Monica Lewinski feeling on his nutsack I'm an MC still as honest But as rude and as indecent as all hell Syllables, skill-a-holic (Kill 'em all with) This flippity, dippity-hippity hip-hop You don't really wanna get into a pissing match With this rappity-rap Packing a mack in the back of the Ac backpack rap, crap, yap-yap, yackety-yack and at the exact same time I attempt these lyrical acrobat stunts while I'm practicing that I'll still be able to break a motherfuckin' table Over the back of a couple of faggots and crack...
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