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
4th 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.
your right about the cleverness that rappers have. They do use figurative language a lot in their music which is interesting.
ReplyDeleteYour post was very informative. You provided great examples of artists that are very politically spoken. Immortal Technique is a prime example of an artist who incorporates political content into hip-hop songs. He uses hip-hop as a means to gain recognition while expressing his views on various controversial subjects. Prior to Immortal Techniques, it was the music of N.W.A, Public Enemy, Ice-T and others who used hip-hop to create their "cop hating" lyrics. All of them coming from an unstable environment who were perceived as criminals by the masses and police. They believed as if they were doing what they had to to survive. They thought cops were acting as oppressors and abused their authority. They channeled their discontent and frustration with authority through their lyrics.
ReplyDeleteAs for purpose, some of the "main-stream" artists that we hear seem to posses no purpose in their music other then being catchy and for monetary reasons. However, there are several old-school and modern who still deliver music with purpose. Some artists give their admirers a chance to relate with the artist. The fans who hear there idols rapping then are given the ambition to do well in their life. There are all different sorts of purposes in hip-hop music that either can educate the listener, or have some deeper intrinsic value to an individual. Hip-hop has enabled artists to compose music that not only betters the artist, but all their fans that they have an impression on.
Immortal Technique has to be one of my favorite artist for the reason that he express views and opinions that aren't so common in mainstream America or that of the media however, I never really thought about him using specific word choice and metaphors in his music I just mostly enjoyed the beat and the overall lyrical point of his songs. After reading this post I can definitely think of a few lines where he has benefited from the use metaphors and specific word choice.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post, it praised hip hop music as a means to reach the masses rather than simply a form of entertainment. Hip Hop artists can be as candid and biased as they want when discussing mainstream topics such as politics and other current events. Music is a widely accessibly medium to relay ideas because it's fun to listen to and broadcasted on radio stations, television, and the internet.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about how the artists use language creatively. A lot of people dont take the time to actually listen to the lyrics of the different hip-hop artists and view it negatively because of the explicit language. But like you said, hip-hop is full of poetic devices and the lack of censory helps convey a certain message.
ReplyDeleteBuilding off of Graceann, I agree that a lot of people judge hip hop music before they take the time to get to know it. They assume the mainstream is everything and people like that never see the side of hip hop that Kevin portrays in his post. In my opinion, the best part of any kind of art, whether it is music, dance, photography, or studio art, is the agenda or the message that the author wants to get across as well as being able to experience something you've never been exposed to.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I think you had some good points and you used the correct examples to build on them. I really loved the song by Big L, I had never heard of him before. Although most of the slang he used in the song was N.Y slang I still liked because I really love N.Y slang and how different it is from southern slang, and also he does a good job of really breaking down Eboonics so that people can understand it no matter what region they are from.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed how you showed the different ways hip- hop lyrics can impact our everyday lives whether it be in politics or just relating to our emotions. I think most of the time people criticize hip- hop artists for their slang and raw lyrics because they really don't understand what their saying. Rappers really do use English mechanisms and poetry to deliver there messages. They are creative and try to break down the meaning of things in their songs. Your Tupac example was great because it showed how hip-hop can send out positive messages to people. Great Job!
ReplyDeleteThanks for this great post. I liked the examples you gave because it allowed me to be exposed to some new artists and songs that I hadn't heard of before. I think the political messages in hip hop are some of the best forms of hip hop and best uses of hp hop. I like to hear artists talk about their beliefs through their songs. It seems that some of today's biggest hip hop stars don't really ever share their beliefs or touch on sensitive subjects that are issues in the country. I think a good example of hip hop's influence in politics is how Jay Z did a lot of benefit concerts for Obama in his re-election campaign and things like that.
ReplyDelete"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."
ReplyDeleteIt's unfortunate that in the 80's and 90's the hip hop mainstream was populated with artists such as 2pac and Public Enemy who, while not always promoting a positive message, at least stood for something that was larger than hip hop rhetoric. I can't think of a single mainstream hip hop artist being played on the radio right now that is rapping about anything but the standard hip hop rhetoric that has become a requirement for label promotion. 2pac had the Thug Life movement, Ice-T scared a bunch of conservative politicians with "Cop Killer", and even mainstream media was obsessed with the concept of an East and West Coast rivalry. It seems as though hip hop was a movement back then, rather than a culture as it is now; at least in the sense that it has indubitably become so commercialized and processed that it is a difficult medium to use as a means of collectivizing a people around a zeitgeist as was done with the East vs. West rivalry.
Awesome post! I was entertained by the part where you mention how rappers are able to say one thing while choosing from several ways to phrase it to make the song more intriguing. I'm sure we have all found from writing countless essays for school that the manner in which you say something is probably more important than what you actually say(especially when the essay is about a book you didn't read).
ReplyDeleteThis is a very good post. Coming from a person who doesn't know a lot about Hip Hop, you really made it easy to understand and showed a lot of great examples here that seem very relevant to your topic. I have the same one for this Thursday and you've given some great inspiration (but don't worry, I won't plagiaries).
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this post, i agree completely on how rap is a complex art and allows people to see things in a different perspective. Most people just go by living day by day not seeing any of the hardship that some have gone through or not realizing how they felt about certain things until they heard a rap song. Most people just view Rap as garbage and talking, but really it's telling a story.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete"The rebellious nature of hip-hop also allows rappers to give it to you “raw”...". I couldn't have thought of a better way to describe hip-hop myself; that is exactly the beauty of this genre. Just like Fallon said, hip-hop is definitely a means of story telling. Stories that otherwise would sound like another tragedy or problem on the news that many would rather close their ears to than listen to. Hip-hop is engaging, not only are you following a beat but you're listening to truths. It's also a way to target a wider audience, for example, youth/adolescents who aren't necessarily interested in the news and media.
ReplyDeleteThere's also many people who think hip-hop and rap is just rhyming with beats in the background and they couldn't be more wrong about that. I'm sure we can all relate and agree to the fact that it's an art. Anybody can rhyme, I mean, look at Dr.Seuss. That's not hip-hop. Like everyone else above me has stated, hip-hop uses a lot of English mechanisms to not just rhyme, but to relay a powerful message in direct and indirect ways. That's why I said in class that I believe hip-hop is poetry with rhythm.
Good looks on the Big L, "Ebonics", great way to show the example of language and vocabulary. And I have to admit that I know "99 Problems" word for word. Awesome post!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHip Hop at its best is when it can serve as a portal into some else's world. Not only through the words they are saying but the way they are saying them. The way rappers talk and expressive the tone in their voice adds meaning to the things they are saying. Killer Mike is someone who excels at using the an angry and aggressive tone to help add meaning to this political message. Much like "99 Problems" and "The 4th Branch", Killer Mike's "Reagan" voices his anger at the politics of Ronald Reagan and the racism of the police.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lIqNjC1RKU
I really enjoyed reading your post, it made me think about hip hop as an art form and expression of social issues, political beliefs and a sort of snapshot of how a usually ignored culture or section of society feels or sees a topic. Hip Hop is easily overlooked as a serious method of expression by people not connected to it or interested because it is easy to brush it off using the many stereotypes that have been created to describe the entire culture, and often the artists themselves. Some of the more recent and popular artists seem to be perpetuating this problem by rapping about things that mold them to fit the stereotype. The serious and relevant issues that Public Enemy, N.W.A. and Immortal Technique rap about their side of the story when it comes to racial profiling, media prejudice and police brutality. It's the way to make themselves heard, and I think viewing Hip Hop in that light makes me, as a listener, appreciate it much more.
ReplyDeleteKevin, I really enjoyed your post. I completely agree with most of the things that you said and I think that you should be an advocate for rap and hip hop. Most people tend to think that it's just a whole bunch of thugs cursing in a song but none of them really look into what the artists are trying to say and the messages that they are trying to get across.
ReplyDeleteKevin, I liked your post and really understand your arguments you made. Like Perry said, from someone who doesn't know a whole lot about hip hop, you definitely made these important characteristics of the genre easy to understand. Your examples of language, politics, and purpose are really brought out through the different songs and artists you included. I really enjoyed listening to the Jay-Z songs because like you said no one was used to hearing but it was present.
ReplyDeleteYou definitely know your stuff. I loved reading your post. I especially liked the part when you talked about Big L and his use of "similes, word choice, and complex stacking rhymes." When I hear a new rap song, I look for qualities such as that because it makes the song not only more ascetically pleasing, but it also shows an extreme level of poetry among rappers. I also liked when you talked about rappers saying exactly what they feel and giving it "raw." The rebellion against the police is a great example. Everyone's thinking it, the thoughts already there, but no one talked about it until rappers brought it into light.
ReplyDelete