Story Telling in Hip Hop

Stories can be told in many different ways, but doing so through music seems like a very powerful way. Hip hop artists can really make a story interesting through the different aspects we talked about in class such as narration, language, character and theme. Those that are famous for their storytelling consist of Slick Rick, 2 Pac and KRS-1. What I thought even more about in storytelling, however, was the question Fati asked us towards the end of class: whether storytelling in hip hop is just made up for entertainment or is actually authentic storytelling. I began to ponder different artists I know of that use storytelling in their music, and who is a better example than Eminem? Although I'm not really a big fan of Eminem (which I am still trying to figure out why), he is very successful at using storytelling, shown in many of songs including "Stan."

This song is about an obsessed fan, named Stan, who centered his life around Eminem to the point that he would create a shrine in his basement, get the same tattoos as the artist, and even dye his hair to be just like Slim Shady's. Eminem caused Stan to go insane because he that believed Eminem was ignoring all of his fan mail. Stan ended up killing himself and his pregnant girlfriend by driving off a bridge. Eminem later replied to the letters, but by then it was too late.

I believe this song is a great example of storytelling because of the emphasis put on narration, theme, language and character. Eminem tells the story through another character, Stan, to tell the story through the character's point of view. The theme in this song would be to respect your fans. Nobody wants their fans to be as crazy as Stan, to the point that they become violent. The language in the song seemed to hold a very angry tone, showing how upset Stan was. The characters were very well developed, as the audience is given enough information about Stan, his girlfriend and Eminem. All of these aspects were portrayed well enough to make this song successful in storytelling. 

I then thought, although the storytelling was executed well, was it made for entertainment or was it a true story? It seems like it wasn't for the entertainment nor was it true, but the purpose was more for teaching the audience and the actual theme of the song.

Another song that came to mind about storytelling was "Cold as Ice" by B.o.B.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xG8GeqWTXXM

This song was about B.o.B. robbing a bank with his girlfriend and her stabbing him in the back, resulting in his arrest. Obviously it is not an authentic story and is made more for entertainment, as there is no theme or purpose to the song. However, it is entertaining because of the upbeat tone in the language, and the humorous plot along with the catchy beat. 

I came to the conclusion that storytelling can be done in various ways to reach the audience; those that story tell just for the entertainment, ones that are doing it to send a message to the audience, and those that tell true stories about them or others. All are successful ways to tell stories in different ways. 

Story Telling in Hip Hop

Stories can be told in various ways; but its takes a certain talent to create a hip hop song out of a story. Story telling in hip hop is one of the more impressive tasks to accomplish. Writing songs about getting 'fucked up' and 'bandz making her dance' are never short of entertaining, but other songs that tell a story never seem to make the top of the charts. Music videos can take the blame for that. The creation of music videos has taken the art of story telling out of lyricism because it doesn't give the listener/viewer a chance to comprehend the story on their own terms. Like when a book becomes a movie, it's a lot easier to understand something when you're watching it unfold in front of you; listening to a story and drawing your own conclusions calls for a much more creative process.

Many of the artists we've explored in class are notorious (no pun intended) for story telling in hip hop. Artists such as Big Daddy Kane, Notorious B.I.G., and Immortal Technique have been hailed for their art in story telling through their songs. It seems to me that newer artists don't create hip hop songs with stories within them as often. Instead of writing about the classic artists, I want to bring attention to a current artist who possesses the talent of story telling through rap.

Eminem is one of the most talented artists in the industry. His success was ground breaking and his work can be hauntingly beautiful. For those of you who haven't heard the song "When I'm Gone" by Eminem, you're missing out on one of the more finely-crafted songs he's created.

In this song, Eminem tries to convey to the listener the struggles of being such a success and raising a family simultaneously. His career calls for constant traveling - alone. In result, his family suffers from the lack of his presence. This song is really relatable - any kid that has a parent constantly traveling for work can understand the pain Eminem puts into the song. Any parent that travels constantly can equally relate. Eminem uses irony in his story to demonstrate the role his alter ego, Slim Shady, plays in his career and family life.

In the beginning of the story, Eminem starts out by trying to convey just how much he loves his daughter and how much he wants to be there for her. He adds in the dialogue, "daddy look what I made," "dads gotta go catch a plane," to show how his career gets in the way of his personal life. He adds, "Daddy's writing a song, this song ain't gon write itself," which is incredibly ironic. This could've been the exact exchange that went down between him and his daughter as he was writing this. The song itself took time to write, time he could've spent with his family...ironic, right? He says that 'Sim Shady,' his alter ego, is to blame. "Shady's crazy, but tonight Shady's rock-a-bye baby." Slim Shady may be the reason he's away so much, but he's also the reason Eminem can support his family. Shady's 'rock-a-bye baby' because he's the roof over his families head; the reason Eminem can sleep at night, knowing he's providing for his little girls. In the second part of the song, Eminem talks about this dream that he keeps having; but its not really a dream. Its Eminem's conscious playing tricks on him. The dream he explains is his moral choice between his fans and his family. In the dream, he explains how after playing a show in Sweden, his daughter, Haley, suddenly appears behind him. She explains that she just wanted him around but "...It's too late dad, you made your choice. Now go out there and show em that you love em more than us." Once his daughter starts to walk away he has an epiphany and realizes Slim Shady has to die so he can have more time with his family. The chorus of the song acts almost as a lullaby for Haley. The song is made to bring her comfort through the melody and the lyrics.

Eminem does an amazing job of telling a story through this song. He is one of the prime examples of how riveting story telling through hip hop can be.

Justin Bieber vs Vanilla Ice

so, completely random, and it isn't my time to post, but i found this tonight, and it broke my heart, but i figured y'all would think it was funny Justin Bieber vs. Vanilla Ice

Making it Matter: Language, Politics, and Purpose.

Hip Hop has served as one of the most powerful mediums of expression in music. It is a form of music, like no other, that has no boundaries or limits to what or how an artist should say something. From the use of vulgar language to controversial political issues, Hip Hop is one of the main forums of just simply, telling it like it is.

To people who don’t know very much about Hip Hop, (like me, to an extent) the idea of a song can be lost within a negative use of vocabulary or a topic that they don’t see eye-to-eye with. It can be said that the use of vulgar words can grab the listener’s attention and show the severity of that the artist is trying to say. Just like Kevin Gazitua said on the last blog post: It’s not only about what you say, but how you say it.

Some recent tracks just seem like most artists rap about degrading women and drinking too much. Sure, I think Pop That is a catchy song, but I don’t think that the lifestyle rapped about there is sending a message that could provoke a lot of positive change in a negative world. So, I look to songs like Changes by 2pac and Fight the Power by Public Enemy.

2pac raps about the need for change and that the way things are can’t be tolerated anymore. He talks about issues domestic and foreign, making it obvious that action also needs to be taken by those who have the authority to do so.  But no matter who he directs it to, what he says resonates with anyone and everyone that listens. Black or white, rich or poor, the world is an imperfect place and 2pac, through his own style, found a way to spread his message to all demographics in a way that could be understood.

The title Fight the Power couldn’t give a more clear indication as to what Public Enemy was trying to say in this song. It tells the listener to get aware and be mindful of the world and how it works. The song depicts Elvis as a racist, and promotes the concept of black pride. The song shows that one needs to stand up against the way things are and get real.

Throughout the years, Hip Hop started out as an underground nightclub craze, and now resonates in the public eye. Hip Hop artists have expressed themselves through their songs by rapping about their lifestyles, their struggles, and their beliefs. Many artists wouldn’t have gained the credibility and notoriety they have today if they didn’t rap about making changes and telling the world how they felt. Yes, art in itself is a form of expression, but Hip Hop is the form of explicit expression. You don’t need to interpret a song like you do a painting or a mural. A song is given to you in plain English, and you know just what the artist is saying.  It’ purpose is to give a voice to those who don’t have the means of doing it themselves. Put simply, the genre’s songs are here to tell it like it is…to tell a story.

Language, Politics, and Purpose

            Hip-hop is a form of music in which an artist can say a lot in a few minutes. Artists like Immortal Technique, Mos Def, 2pac, Coolio, and many other rappers seize this medium to address society. The rebellious nature of hip-hop also allows rappers to give it to you “raw”, and just say how they feel, or what they see as vulgar and raw as they want, and without media censoring. Use of language is especially important in making your message hit as hard as you want it to.

           

            Use of clever vocabulary, metaphors, and other poetic devices allow hip-hop artists to deliver their song with more impact. Just as when someone is giving a speech, or even in a normal conversation, how you word things and deliver what you have to say is almost as important as what you’re saying in the first place. One of my favorite lyricists is Harlem rapper Big L, until his untimely death, he was emerging as one of the masters of similes, word choice, and complex stacking rhymes that, with his hardcore thug persona and delivery, made his songs some of the best of his era, in my opinion. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBrzEVJwYFg Big L – Put it On) This song shows off some of his skills in word choice and punch lines, and how it helped to build Big L’s character. Another cool song about slang and a sort of hip hop vocabulary in 90’s New York is also by Big L, called “Ebonics” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMeFcVHNT1Q).  An interesting thing about this song is that you’ll find a lot of the words he’s talking about in his music, and helps you really understand his music better, as well as a lot of other artists.

            Politics in rap offers a unique opinion that people are exposed to in other forms of media. Instead of viewing it from the police’s view, or the news stations, you here stories and information from people that are on the other side of the coin. For example, a lot of songs reference racial profiling, and corrupt police officers. Songs like “Fuck tha Police” by NWA, and “99 problems” by Jay – Z show a view on police officers that people weren’t always necessarily used to hearing, but was present. An artist that is really passionate about political subjects, and focuses on a deeper style of hip-hop, Immortal Technique, is a good example of a current artist that is from the people and against the establishment. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ffxUT7Puf0 4^th branch – Immortal Technique) this song is about how the media can manipulate the masses, and the exploitation of that, as well as his stressing how people aren’t exposed to a lot of things that are happening. He is a rapper that is very worldly, and expresses being informed and knowing what’s happening in your backyard, and fighting against the herd mentality that can be so dangerous.

            Hip-hop is a genre that can get really deep and stir emotions. One of my favorite 2pac songs is “Keep Ya Head Up”, which is really meant to help people stop thinking about the superficial for a little and think about their fellow human. It features a big message about treating women right, and praising them instead of degrading them. It is about being proud of who you are, and persevering when there isn’t much looking up. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8V0cfqqRYSs 2pac – Keep Ya Head Up). Coolio is another artist that I really enjoy listening to a lot. He has a classic west coast g-funk style, with the gangster organ in the back of his beats, and also is an artist that has strong messages in his songs, like in “Geto Highlights” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHneEQO2HW8). In my opinion, one of the “purposes” of hip-hop, may be to help people that maybe would have never thought to step into someone’s shoes that live a 180 degree different life than themselves. It gives people a humanizing view of the drug dealer that does what he has to do, and another opposing view to those who do the arresting and oppressing. It is a tool to understand each other, and communicate in a real way. 

Blog: Sampling and Authorship

Sampling & Authorship

Sampling is one of the main foundations of old school and modern hip-hop. It has played a crucial role in the development of hip-hop through the ages. All hip-hop started from sampling. Dating back to the 1970’s, Deejays would gather records from various genres and began to “scratch them” on the turntables. This created a sort of disco, dance, and funky sound of music. Because the large migration from Jamaica and other Caribbean people to New York the beats were heavily influenced by their instruments and music. Typically samples came from Jazz and Soul music; two predominantly African-American oriented music. These genres majorly influenced the MC’s rapping content; the rap was up-tempo delivering a dancing atmosphere. DJ Kool Herc was one of the fist Deejays to hit the New York scene. He helped innovate the way people heard music generally relying on funk and soul tracks to entertain the crowd.

As time progressed, so did sampling. New artists started to surface. These new artists brought a different and more advanced technique of sampling. The progression of technology also assisted in the new sound. Hip-hop was still relatively young, although its popularity was growing at a rapid rate. New regions began to start rapping; this formed various styles within the genre. Afrika Bambaattaa introduced the integration of electro with hip-hop. He created a sound the followers of hip-hop have never heard before. The dynamics of hip-hop is what makes it so incredible. It incorporates so many different sounds of music, yet was able to maintain that distinct hip-hop feel to it that is undeniable.

Personally, I believe the use of sampling was revolutionized in the 90’s by Andre Young, also known as Dr. Dre. In 1992, he released his first solo debut album with “The Chronic”. Prior to the solo project, he had years of experience by his self and N.W.A of producing. His instrumentals were mostly sampled songs with a little of his own production and mastering. One of his most well-renowned songs of the album, “Nuthin’ but a ‘G’ Thang”, was sampled from the Leon Haywood song “I wanna do something freaky to you”. The sample is a soul-full and funky song that resonates quite well with the G-funk, west-coastish vibe of Dr. Dre’s music. The first link I post is the original song by Leon Haywood, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpL836gqYlI , the second link is the sampled track made by Dre himself http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qkP8SvHvaU . Listen to both and hear the blatant similarities between the two. Dr. Dre’s fascinating use of sampling for all his projects is what makes his production so unique. His daring and innovative sound embodied a western (California region) culture that found its way all around hip-hop. However, Dr. Dre did not stop from the conventional sampling of funk and soul. He drifted into other genres in his second studio album “2001” sampling David McCallum who is classified as pop rock. It’s also interesting to note a sort of dependency on authorship based on location and type of beats. New instrumentals impacted the content of the authors, or rappers. Dr. Dre gave artists an opportunity to rap about their gangster lifestyle and made it sound compatible with the music Dr. Dre created. In the east, the instrumentals had drifted to a more Mafioso and boss like feeling that the rappers were really able to capture in their authorship.

Sampling did not stop innovating with Dr. Dre. New producers began to create their own legacy of music. One of my personal favorites, Kanye West, relied heavily on the use of sampling to orchestrate his music. West used a wide range of genres for his sampling. Usually he applied the soulful songs to his beat making, but would occasionally go another direction. For example, for his most recent and prominent solo album, “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” he sample the music of American folk indie bands, Rock bands and many more. Around this time, producers began expanding the boundaries in which sampled in. We started hearing them experiment with new genres of music that the hip-hop realm did not anticipate. For instance, Chiddy bang on his album “Peanut butter and Swelly” sampled Flux Pavilion. Flux Pavilion is an English dubstep producer. This was the first time hip-hop and its fan base heard the combination of rap and dubstep meshed into one track. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcU60v-upIM this is the link to the Chiddy Bang song “I can’t stop” that samples Flux Pavilion. This sampling experimentation spread quickly through out the hip-hop scene. Soon Kanye West and Jay-Z, two of the biggest names in hip-hop began using dubstep on their collaborative album. Sampling is a vital component to any artists music, and not solely hip-hop. It used by several genres and artists. The history and evolution of sampling is nothing less the remarkable.