Hip Hop

Mcst3300

[gmarshall23-blog]

Blog Post: Lemonade

Beyoncé Knowles’ visual album lemonade paints a very detailed picture. This visual artistry paves way for women, specifically women of color. As she dives deep into this film, she gives way to a form of great hip hop feminism. As Aisha S. Durham would describe it as “ a sociocultural, intellectual, and political movement grounded in the situated knowledge of women of color from the broader hip hop or US post-civil rights generation who recognize culture as a pivotal site for political intervention to challenge, resist, and mobilize collectives to dismantle systems of exploration.” Beyoncé, maybe one of the biggest female hip hop advocates, situates this film under said definition. As she uses an Afrocentric culture within this film as a gateway to redefine women in hip hop. As well as it is a film for everyone, it is also very personal. As Malcom X says in the film, “the most disrespected person in America is the black women, the most unprotected person in America is the black women, the most neglected person in America is the black women.” This film was made for women of color, by a woman of color, starring other strong women of color (Miriam Bale). Lemonade shows Beyoncé’s journey from isolation to strength by unity of women of color. She demonstrates how women of color have nothing. However, that’s what lemonade is all about. “Take one pint of water, add half a pound of sugar, add the juice of eight lemons and the zest of half a lemon, pour the water from one jug to another several times, then strain through a clean napkin.” Although a recipe for lemonade, it happens to be tuning something that is sour in to something so much better and sweet. This film is for women to turn their lemons into lemonade.

https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/7341839/beyonce-lemonade-black-feminism

[gmarshall23-blog]

Blog Post #8: Rapping like a girl

For years upon years, men have been seen to dominate most things including hip hop. Women have been seen as objects, things that men can just use. Until now, hip hop has been misogynistic, and some what demoralizing to women. However, in came women to the hip hop artist roles. Women like Lil’ Kim, and todays Cardi B have taking this misogynistic style of hip hop and taking it to be their own. Taking what has worked for men in the hip hop industry and making it their own. Lil’ Kim has realized that sex sells. In the article Black Empires, White Desires it states “black males monopolize blackness through relegation of the black female, but here men have become the object of desire. When patriarchal desires are suddenly articulated from a women’s voice, these desires are deemed ‘unnatural’.” People then begin to ask what is lady like? However, artists like Lil’ Kim have paved the way to show that they don’t need to act “lady like” instead they can do exactly the same thing men can do. “Female artists have understood ‘sex sells’ and have indirectly initiated a transformation of the color coded and gender laden rules by which social relations are scrutinized. Female artists like Lil’ Kim gave way to artists like Cardi B to make music that shows patriarchal desires in a female voice, as well as anything else. Showing that women can be tough, hard and rap just as well if not better than the boys on the street.

[gmarshall23-blog]

Blog Post #7: Native Languages

Rap and Hip- hop music has always been evolving. From East Coast to West Coast, eventually down South. Artists are always changing the music and bringing their own style of home to the mix. Some of the first artists from the Bronx; Soul Sonic Force with the Zulu nations funk style of rock, and Spoonie G and the Treacherous Three brought up a new rap language. As they were able to take hip hop elements such as MCing, DJing, b-boying, and graffiti art and fuse it together with native traditions of drumming, worship, music, visuals and so much more (Native Tongues). These artists were able to take regular hip- hop and bring in a community that usually would be seen on its own because you usually must grow up a part of said community to be a part of it. They were able to bring people together with this tribal kind of music. Even this sort of indigenous practices isn’t as far-fetched from hip hop as you would think. Yunus from the group X-Plastas says in Native Tongues: A Roundtable on Hip Hops Global Indigenous Movement, “the style of talk, or dialogue in hip hop is a similar convention. Our storytelling is done through oral tradition, such as songs – like raps- are like our books used as media to advocate, criticize, to relax and even entertain” (Native Tongues). To me it is so fascinating how hip hop was able to bring in a community otherwise ingenious through artists from those communities. As well, be able to take their native traditions and keep their style of rap similar to their identity. Bringing cultural changes to music keeps things different, and that is what keeps music going. 

[gmarshall23-blog]

Blog Post #6: MC Hammer

MC Hammer was a very unique artist. From his music all the way to how he dressed he was different from everyone else. That is exactly what the bay area was like as well. The Bay area was a very diverse area in terms of music. From everything about politics from 2pac and Paris to the flam bouncy of MC Hammer. People like Too $hort even sold his music from car to car, drug dealer to drug dealer, and pimp to pimp. MC Hammer plays a big role in shaping this diverse music of the Bay area, with his provocative lyrics and crazy dress he changed hip hop to portray himself. He began to become a performer, people wanted to see him live more than just listen to his music. His vibe was so energetic, his concerts had choreographed dances and crazy outfits that people just went to experience him and his vibe. Hammer changed the way people would perform, instead of just being an MC and walking around stage with someone playing tracks on some turntables, to dancing and jumping around on stage with audience engagement. His songs were all about having fun and dancing. MC Hammer brought rap and hip hop to a mainstream audience. With songs like “You can’t touch this” off of his debut album “Please Hammer, don’t hurt em,” launched hammers success in the music industry. Hammer was different but so was the Bay area. I believe rappers helped the bay area, but the bay area also helped the rappers. With the bay area being so open to different music and not sticking to the same style as what started it all in new York, helped these artists to evolve the hip hop music industry.

[gmarshall23-blog]

Blog Post #5: Dirty South

How do Southern rap artists acknowledge and resist the stereotypes associated with a Southern cultural identity?

Rap has always been about representing one’s territory and life. From the streets of Bronx in New York (where it all began), to the gangsta style brought up by those in Compton, California. With 2 different yet extremely similar forms of hip- hop the fight of the coasts began. It is described in the article, Rap’s Dirty South, “the perceived stylistic and thematic tensions between East Coast and West Coast artists were overlaid upon a pre-existing image of dangerous and violent black masculinity which constituted an important feature of rap music’s discourse.” It wasn’t until the late 1980’s until this “dirty south” would appear. The South would be the next geographical location to join the rap music scene. Put on the map by artists like Uncle Luke and 2 Live Crew, followed up by The Geto Boys. Eventually to be referred to as the dirty south, bringing this negative connotation of corruption, uncleanliness, sexuality which describes much of the Fifth Ward in Houston in which The Geto Boys represented in their music (Raps Dirty South). Dirt can also have a powerful meaning of land and life, and as you can hear from most of the Southern hip-hop music it is dirty. Personally, I feel as if these southern artists took this connotation of dirt and made it their own with their music by making it extremely explicit, misogynistic, and overall controversial. In other words, their music is “dirty” hence the “dirty south.” I also feel as if the music had to be “dirty” because this is what put them on the map. According to rappers from New York, the south was country and rappers weren’t tough enough to make it in the “game” of rap. However, Southern rap artist acknowledge this stereotype as well as resist against to prove themselves with in this hip hop culture.

[gmarshall23-blog]

Blog post #4: Going South

How is “representing” related to the construction of one’s subjective identity in hip-hop?

Hip- hop went south with the emergence of the Geto Boys. From Houston, Texas The Geto Boys display a style of gangsta rap almost too extreme for most people. From songs about necrophilia to drugs, sex and murder. However, this is the style that put them and southern hip- hop on the music map. Texas is always seemed to be a country folk area, but not according to the Geto boys. In an article by the Houston press, ex Geto Boy Raheem states, “Rappers from New York and L.A. were saying Texas rappers ain't about nothin'. We're stereotyped as country folk. We're not hicks. Houston rappers are tough. Houston has some great rappers.” The Geto Boys began to represent Houston and Texas as something more than just country. Houston is tough, and you can see that in their songs, while also keeping the old school funky roots. The Geto Boys had created this hip- hop sub culture called horrorcore with songs like “assassin” and “Mind of a Lunatic.” This subgenre heavily inspired by horror characters such as Freddy Kruger, Jason, Helter Skelter, as well as portraying that gangsta lifestyle. As for what they represent, it is horrorcore. Horrorcore is extremely significant to the self-identity of this group because of its different style and almost too extreme lyrics is what made them so publicized. The Geto Boys are known for their controversy with their lyrics and style of music. Their theme of horror and death makes them stand out while still maintaining that funky, poppy musical sense of golden age hip- hop. Like N.W.A represents Compton and the “hood” lifestyle, the Geto Boys represent Houston and the horrorcore gangsta life.

[gmarshall23-blog]

Blog Post  #3: Post-Idustrial Influence

The Post-Industrial period changed not only hip hop but the black community. Through immense hardships faced during such a difficult time. Where cities began to decline and all you could see was intense poverty, economic collapse and what was left in these cities, the so called “underclass” (Postindustrial Soul, Neal). Hip- hop has always been a means of expression, a way to let everyone know how hard it is to live in these impoverished conditions, and the civil rights issues faced as well. Hip- hop was always real, up front, and confrontational. Hip- hop relied on black expression. With the emergence of immense poverty in this post-industrial era came a new kind of hip- hop. Instead of this music that talked about social issue and was very real about the life they live, there began to be this sort of subculture through what is called postindustrial soul. Artists like Smokey Robinson, Luther Vandross and Teddy Pendergrass began to make this genre into something else. According to Mark Anthony Neal in Postindustrial Soul: Black Popular Music at the Crossroads, “these artists popularized by large black audiences, allowed the black middle class that suburban life could not afford them, while also maintaining a musical subculture as well distancing them from the sonic rumblings of an urban underclass. These artists made music that seemed to be just for those well off. Their music was sexy, romantic, jazzy, and very laid back. Nothing in the music was about social issues, even if at that time the social issues were at an all-time high. This music was greatly influenced by these hard times to be a get a way.

[gmarshall23-blog]

Blog Post #2: Why Rap Needs Profanity

Hip- Hop and Rap are very controversial in the way that the culture is seen by those outside of its realm. Between its sensitive topics, violence, profanity and straight foreword attitude; it can be easy to be frightened by the mess of things. However, this is Hip- hop culture, and it definitely needs these things to be what it is today. Rap mainly needs profanity. All the curse words and so called ‘bad language’ in rap is what makes it rap. Rap is confrontational, its tells it how it is, it’s blunt, it’s a true story. Rap wanted to be a music form that would stick to the way people actually spoke, because of its emergence from the underground it was free to be what it truly wanted to be. In the introduction to the Anthology of Rap they write, “Rap’s explicit language and content was more than simply causing a stir. Rap was born as a form of necessary speech. It provided young people, many that were from impoverished backgrounds, a voice and a means of vivid expression.” Rap is more than just music, it’s a release. Even for myself, as I have begun to study hip- hop and its culture as well as listening to its music you begin to see the way these artists are expressing themselves. They are putting you, the listener, into their story. They are telling you how it was, no sugar coating. Rap is blunt, and offensive, it needs that profanity because without it the story wouldn’t be the same.

[gmarshall23-blog]

Blog Post #1: History of Hip Hop Dance

As hip-hop culture began to make its move in society, it sprouted out dances to go along with it. Jorge “Popmaster Fabel” Pabon, an early innovator to hip-hop dance, writes that a majority of hip-hop dance came not only from New York City but from the west coast as well. As New York developed a majority of hip-hop dances, the West Coast originated dances like popping and locking. Although all these dances were grouped together as “breakdancing”, thus overlooking the West Coast’s “funk” culture movement. As these dances started to become more popular, you begin to see them commercialized. You may not see them in a theatrical setting, however, it would appear in music videos and films for a few seconds. Not being able to catch the full potential of the dance. As well, there is a loss of spontaneous performance when hip-hop dance becomes commercialized. By that I mean, that dances used to be improvised and free formed. Whereas you get into a staged setting and things begin to be choreographed and boundaries are set into place to give the best view to the audience at all times. The best way to understand these dances and movements are from those who practice and innovate them.