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Blog Post #9: All Because of Becky With The Good Hair

Since her debut, Beyonce has been a cultural icon and a hip hop feminist. Throughout her career, she has released music and music videos paying homage to all women, especially the Black women in America. Her most recent solo visual album, Lemonade, is no exception. With Lemonade, she was able to take us on the emotional journey that was her life during Jay Z’s infidelity, while also bringing a few political issues into light. 

One of the most iconic lyrics from this era is, “He better call Becky with the good hair.” Although this may seem like just another clever lyric, there’s actually a huge meaning behind it. Of course, with the help of the BeyHive, this lyric found itself as the motive of the search for Becky. However, Becky isn’t a real person. Becky is actually a symbolic representation of all white girl side chicks. With this lyric, she puts the attention to the appeal of white women in comparison to black women. Women with lighter skin and hair, are thought to be more desirable. In the visual album, right before the song Hold Up, she talks about the things she’s ‘done’ to make herself more appealing; this includes, “I tried to be soft, prettier” and “I bathed in bleach.” No matter what they do, black women somehow always feel threatened by the white woman. Although her insecurity was displayed in the beginning, it was no longer present by the end. 

Lemonade wasn’t just about her unfortunate experience, but it also put the life of a Black woman into the spotlight. Throughout this visual album, she put Black women at the forefront. Not just that, but she put their natural beauty there too; she celebrated their different hairstyles, body types, etc.—things that weren’t really envied. She wanted and made these women, and women with similar features, proud of who they were, and are, and what they stand for. 

The Lemonade era wasn’t just a pivotal moment for Beyonce, it was also a pivotal moment for women of color. She was an example of being proud of who you are, and your culture. With that, thank you to Becky With The Good Hair. If it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t have gotten the master piece known as Lemonade. 

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Blog Post #8: Equality in Hip Hop

Like many things in this world, hip hop is deemed as a male dominated industry. For many years, women have struggled to make their presence, in hip hop, as significant as their male counterparts. Trailblazers, like Lil Kim, opened the doors for many of today’s female artists, whom are now pretty much able to speak freely.

On the road to making her presence known, Lil Kim faced much backlash for her music, as she hit the exact same themes males have consistently touch upon, which includes the objectification of genders. In the article, Black Empires, White Desires, it is said that, “When patriarchal desires suddenly become articulated in a female voice, these desires are deemed ‘unnatural.’” Unlike today, where it is pretty much okay for women to speak on these sexual topics, it was a shock to the world when female artists, like Lil Kim, started to challenge those stereotypical gender roles and speak about sexuality. On the opposite end, it was very much normal to hear men talk about sexual desires through their music. In the article it is also stated, “The rhymes make it obvious that the relentless pursuit of status, power, and sexual satisfaction is not gender-specific, and thus reverse the objectification of women as sexual objects by viewing men as access to pleasure and capital accumulation, if necessary, through sexual exchange.” Through her music, Lil Kim has been able to debunk many gender stereotypes and challenge the initial beliefs of  “natural” gender roles. 

Because of artists like Lil Kim, we have these killer female hip hop artists who have been killing the game, and touch on those topics that were somewhat taboo during the era of Lil Kim’s debut. If it wasn’t for artists like her, we wouldn’t have been able to see artists like Beyonce, Nicki Minaj and Cardi B rise to fame. She helped open up the dialogue about “natural” gender roles, and showed that women can equally compete against men. 

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Blog Post #7: Lauryn Hill

Before reading the Tidal article on Lauryn Hill and her album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, I didn’t really know of her (Lauryn Hill) or her music; the only exposure I had to her music was Beyonce’s cover of her song Ex Factor. However, after reading the article and listening to some of her songs, I got a pretty good feel for her—she has definitely gained a fan in me.

It's so hard to summarize a person like Lauryn Hill who can be described as so many different things. To start it off, I guess I would describe her as a hip hop feminist. She was, and still is, a huge inspiration for women of every color and every age; she was able to reach out to so many people, especially women, with her messages of “love and Blackness, and this love of love.” Through her solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, she was able to display the perspective of a woman and express her concerns. This album was, and is, “An incredible anthem for women, all women, for girls, all girls. She predicted everything from the #MeToo movement and Black Lives Matter, and even the deterioration of both hip hop and pop culture by challenging the un-thinking of us all.” With the contents of this album, she was also able to show her vulnerability, and express every feeling that she was experiencing—she was brutally honest. 

Lauryn Hill has opened up the doors for many people in the music industry, and has positively affected the way that music is viewed and created. With her album, she was able to create this crazy and unique mixture of hip hop and soul—something that no one had really done before. With that, she took both of those genres to a whole new level. Today, twenty years later, her songs continue to inspire “some of the moment’s most prominent and promising artists.”

Lauryn Hill is a multi-talented and multi-dimensional artist whose music will forever be timeless. Her album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, is considered one of the greatest albums of all time “with its influential fingertips found all across modern music.” She is an icon who has immensely impacted the hip hop culture for the better.

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HOMECOMING (2019) dir. Beyoncé

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She has slayed me once again... 👑🙌🏻

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Blog Post #6: Keepin’ It Real in Hip Hop Politics: A Political Perspective of Tupac Shakur

When you think of Tupac, you don’t necessarily think about political activism. As it was said in the article, “Despite the extensive coverage of Shakur’s life, writer’s overwhelmingly neglect to analyze his political beliefs and activism.” In other words, despite his many political works, he was/is not acknowledged as a political activist. However, Tupac’s full body of work and experiences state the contrary.

Tupac’s political activism was heavily influenced by his support for Black Nationalism. This was primarily shaped by his family and those who were close to him; both of his parents, his godfather, his mentors, his attorneys and his management team were Black political figures of important status. Even through his success, he continuously surrounded himself with people of the same beliefs and dreams; “Tupac’s retention of New Afrikan advisers and professionals, even after he became a celebrity, proclaimed his continued respect and solidarity.”

Tupac incorporated his political activism in his lyrics and writings. Since he was a child, Tupac would produce plays and skits, and would give hip hop performances as a means to his political activism. Beginning from his days in high school, Tupac would write and perform socially conscious lyrics, rap about teen pregnancy, and discourage gun violence. 

Tupac acknowledged the value of culture in political activism. He used hip hop culture as “the principal tool in his political arsenal. Tupac understood that he and other activists lacked the support of a social movement to motivate young people; thus, he strategically exaggerated important features of hip hop culture to capture and retain their attention.” For example, his clothing (oversized baggy jeans and white tees) and mannerisms (sticking his middle finger up in the air and spitting) were deliberate; he used them to connect to the young black community. Through this act, he was able to reach his audience of urban youth—who loved him. 

Tupac Shakur was, and still is, an important figure in the hip hop community. This is not strictly due to his musical contributions, he was also a voice for the people who educated and motivated “his peers to become activists in defense of themselves”—a political advocate, educator, and motivator. In addition, his “life and political advocacy prove that hip hop music and activism are not mutually exclusive.” Tupac is example of using your voice for the good of all people and a means of promoting social change. Overall, he was a very passionate person who put his all into anything and everything he believed in—his political activism is a great example of this.

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Blog Post #5: Southern Stereotypes

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

In 1993, the founder of the So So Def label, Jermaine Dupri, explained one of the hardships of the southern music industry, complaining, “Being from Atlanta, it’s hard to get respect from people in New York and LA.” This so called respect was, in part, due to the lack of knowledge about the South—a lot of the initial perceptions of the South was based upon negative stereotypes and generalizations. Being in this situation, southern rappers either embraced and exploited those images, or tried to completely steer clear from it.

In the article, Rap’s Dirty South: From Subculture to Pop Culture, it is said that, “Some southern artists and producers expressed frustration that their colleagues from other parts of the country subscribed to stereotyped conceptions of the South as a culturally backward part of the country which had little commercial or creative potential within the context of rap music production.” With that said, the South often held connotations of poverty, ignorance, rurality, and violence. There was also a strong “hillbilly” stereotype reflected onto the South—referring to their country accent and, assumed, way of life. 

On one end of southern hip hop, you had artists who exploited the “hillbilly” southern stereotype. “Artists like Nappy Roots and Bubba Sparxxx would seem to be manipulating traditional southern stereotypes in order to stand out in the crowded rap music market, profiting from preconceptions on the part of journalists about what southern rappers should look, act, and sound like.”

On the other end of the spectrum, there were many southern artists who attempted to redefine the South on their own terms. Through their music, they wanted to show people just how similar these coasts really were. Like the East and West Coast artists, these southern artists often rapped about police brutality and drug-dealing culture within their ‘hood,’ and conveyed themes of unfairness and injustice. By doing this, they started to remove some of those negative connotations of the South.

Despite the many different standings in southern hip hop, it is important to remember that, “The development, marketing, and consumption of the Dirty South came about as a result of the geography of the rap music industry, and built upon pre-existing ideas about the South and its inhabitants.” Therefore, without those initial stereotypes and generalizations of the South, the Dirty South would not have become what it is today. 

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Straight Outta Compton

Straight Outta Compton is a biographical movie about the hip hop mega-group N.W.A. This movie digs deep into, basically, their whole life story; it begins with them in Compton trying to find a way out of their current and unfortunate situation, and ends with the post-credits showing what they’ve been able to accomplish. This was my second time watching the movie and I still very much enjoyed it. For me, it’s so crazy to think that they really went through all of those hardships and obstacles, but through their perseverance and passion, they were able to accomplish so much. 

I think that the most important thing to take away from the movie is that they were able to be a voice for the people and represent Compton. Through “representing,” they were able to inform people about what their day-to-day life looked like and the obstacles that they faced on a daily basis. As the article “Represent” stated, “Through these multiple means of signification the city of Compton rapidly gained notoriety informed by the image of tough and well-armed homeboys and the ongoing deadly conflict between rival gangs operating with a near-total lack of ethics or moral conscience.” Although it was a hard pill for a lot people to swallow, when they heard the songs that they released, at least these issues came into light—they used their focus on black struggles as a way to empower people. 

The thing that I really love about them is that they utilized their voices to speak up about sensitive topics, and there was no way that you could shut them up. One great example of this is the scene where they decide to perform “Fuck Tha Police” despite the many warnings/threats that were sent their way. Despite those many threats, they felt the need to spread their message and stand up for what they believed in.

N.W.A. isn’t just an ordinary hip hop group, they changed the game. They used their voice to bring up a lot of topics that regular artists wouldn’t dare to mention. They are game-changers. They are legends. 

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Blog Post #4: Representing Compton

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

While reading the article “Representing,” I stumbled across a quote that I believe is substantial when digging through and understanding West Coast hip hop; Tricia Rose stated that “during the late 1980s Los Angeles rappers from Compton and Watts, two areas severely paralyzed by the postindustrial economic redistribution, developed a West coast style of rap that narrates experiences and fantasies specific to life as a poor young, black, male subject in Los Angeles.” Two Compton-based artists that are a great example of this are N.W.A and Kendrick Lamar. With their music, they are able to vividly describe what life was like for them to grow up in this type of environment. While representing their hometown of Compton, they ultimately establish their own identity in hip hop. 

Through their music, N.W.A. was able to articulate what life was like for them growing up during a time, and place, where violence, drugs, police brutality and racism was prevalent. Through their songs, like “Fuck Tha Police,” they were able to be a voice for the people and stand up for what they believed in. They were also able to speak about their personal experiences and what they saw on a day-to-day basis. For them, in order to really get their message across, they felt that they needed to present their message in a way that was very aggressive and confrontational; their songs, especially “Fuck Tha Police,” are very in-your-face. With that, of course their listeners became very hyped and emotional. This style of rap, Gangsta Rap, would basically define them as artists and people; they would later become known as “The World’s Most Dangerous Group.”

On the total opposite side of things, you have an artist like Kendrick Lamar. Kendrick’s music is all about sticking to your roots—remembering who you are and where you come from. He is also an artist who is not afraid to voice his opinions; he’s an artist that is very political and will stand up for what he believes in, despite the backlash that he may receive later on. He is a strong voice for the people. Like N.W.A., Kendrick grew up in Compton and experienced similar issues. However, he continuously makes the decision to create music that is a little more low-key and not so in-your-face. A great example of this is his song “Alright.” In this song, he is basically talking about the same issues that N.W.A. talked about in “Fuck Tha Police.” Though they are speaking about similar issues, Kendrick is definitely more comforting and hopeful. In this song, he is saying that, despite how bad everything is right now, in the end, we gon’ be alright—this chorus was chanted multiple times on different locations; it was chanted in a 2015 Black Lives Matter assembly. It’s songs like these that add to his greatness—he’s the voice for our generation. It’s songs like these that make him one of the greatest hip hop artists of all time. 

In all, “representing” plays an important role in creating one’s identity in hip hop. Majority of the time, it’ll determine what you choose to speak about through your music. The only thing, besides “representing,” that will determine your identity would be the manner in which you choose to portray it. You can be as aggressive as N.W.A. or as hopeful as Kendrick Lamar. 

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Do the Right Thing

If you haven’t watched Spike Lee’s incredible movie “Do the Right Thing,” I highly recommend that you drop what you are doing and watch the movie. I was initially a little hesitant to watch the movie, but after watching it, I’m so glad that I did. This movie was able to totally capture my attention through its screenplay and characters. 

One of the things that I loved about this movie was that Spike Lee was totally, unapologetically honest with everything—he captured the true perspective and feelings of all types of people, from Puerto Ricans, to African-Americans, to Whites and to Asians. I believe that one of the main objectives of this movie was to keep its viewers aware of what was happening during that time (i.e., racism, violence, etc.). I also believe that it was some sort of plea to find better ways to sort out our issues with one another, rather than always relying on violence to solve things. 

Like a lot of hip hop artists during this time, Spike Lee was brutally honest in the film. He wanted to reach out to the masses with his film and with his message. Of course like many hip hop records, “Do the Right Thing” also stirred up a lot of controversy. In the article, “Postindustrial Soul: Black Popular Music at the Crossroads,” Mark Anthony Neal brought up the fact that the movie, which featured Public Enemy’s record “Fight the Power,” “was criticized for potentially stirring the black masses to violence in response to the film’s vivid portrayal of race relations in the fictional Brooklyn neighborhood.” 

One of the most intriguing things about this movie is the synchronicity between the movie and real life. For example, in the movie, Radio Raheem was a victim to police brutality. Not too long after this movie came out, the whole Rodney King case came about. I mean, it’s a crazy to see such things in movies, but for it to play out in real life, at the same time, is surreal. Although it was hard to watch some of these situations being played out, it’s even harder to accept the reality of it. Altogether, the fact that Spike Lee was able to tackle so many issues in a two-hour movie is amazing.  

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❤️ Using their voice for good ❤️

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Blog Post #3: The Criminalization and Commodification of Hip Hop

Prompt: In what ways was hip-hop criminalized? And what kind of impact did the increased commodification of the genre have on the industry?

In the early 90s, there was a consensus within the middle and upperclass that violence was basically one-in-the-same as hip hop. This simple idea would be the start of the criminalization of the entire culture.

A good example of the criminalization of hip hop would include the aftermath of NWA’s “Fuck tha Police.” This popular NWA record confronted and critiqued police violence against black youth. During the time that this record was circulating, the assistant director of the FBI actually “charged the group with advocating violence against law enforcement officers.” Around the same time, law enforcement officers from several cities also “openly challenged the group to perform the song in concert with the threats of detaining them or shutting down their shows.” These examples “reflected an increasingly common trend to criminalize hip hop artists, their audiences and the music itself.” 

During this time, any type of violence and/or criminal activity that occurred at a concert was automatically “characterized as social intolerable communal acts capable of destroying the civility of mainstream society,” whether they were random, incidental acts or not. To many suburban whites, a simple hip hop concert was seen as a threat to the stability of white suburban life. This whole idea of hip hop became so severe that people actually became concerned when African-Americans would congregate in public places. All of these concerns would lead insurance companies to hike up their prices for hip hop artists because of the public paranoia surrounded around hip hop.

With this whole situation taking place, “mass media increasingly dominated the presentation of not only mainstream critiques of hip hop, but hip hop itself. The social and public policing of hip hop and its audiences coincided with the corporate annexation of the hip hop industry and a subsequent period of intense commodification.” There was a sudden increase in hip hop outlets, which was a corporate attempt to mainstream hip hop for mass consumption. Even clothing designers and companies hopped on the chance to use hip hop artists to market their products. This is where the exploitation of hip hop’s mainstream influence begins, as an attempt to financially gain beyond recording contracts.  

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🙌🏻

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Blog Post #2: The Heart of Hip Hop

Hip hop has a different meaning for every person. It may be a genre of music, a style of dress, a type of slang, etc. In contrast to many people, hip hop is much more than one singular thing to the founding fathers of hip hop. Hip Hop is their life—their past and their view of the future.

The founding fathers of hip hop include Kool DJ Herc, Africa Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash. In the article, Hip-Hop’s Founding Fathers Speak the Truth, they were described, “As DJs in the ‘70s, these three brothers were the nucleus of hip-hop—finding the records, defining the trends, and rocking massive crowds at outdoor and indoor jams in parts of the Bronx and Harlem.” These three dedicated their lives to hip-hop. 

You may think that it would have been somewhat simple to create this type of music, but it was far from simple. Since no one had created this type of music before, there was not a single type of equipment that was readily available. A lot of technical knowledge was needed in the creation of this type of music. They had to closely study turntables, speakers and any other type of technology that was needed. In order to get the equipment needed to make music, they had to break-up different types of equipment and build their own custom-made equipment. All of this hard work was solely for the creation of hip-hop music. 

As it was stated in the article, The Old School, “No art is likely to survive without assimilating, critiquing, and transforming its past.” Therefore, we must all remember and appreciate everything that went into the creation of something as complex as hip-hop. We must remember and honor those who actually built it from the ground up and built it into whatever it became it be. 

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Blog Post #1: The Anthology of Rap

Coming into this Hip Hop Cultures class, I was (and still am) very ignorant on the topic of hip hop and the history behind it. I have always been a fan of this culture, however, it never really crossed my mind that I should dig deeper into what I am often celebrating. 

While reading the forward from the book The Anthology of Rap, I was presently surprise to discover that rap has been around since the early twentieth century, or even quite possibly before that. Like many people, I thought that rap was a more modern form of art, but it has been around for many generations. The term “rap” is the only “modern” thing about this art. Prior to receiving this title, it was referred to as “signifying," “playing the Dozens” and “Toasts.” The term “rap” originated from H. Rap Brown, who was one of the leaders of the younger black militants of the Black Power movement. 

Regardless of the name, everything else about rap has pretty much stayed the same. Rap is a complex tradition, originating from the African-American culture, that is used as a form of human expression. Through rap, artists are able to address a range of problems from social and political issues to personal experiences. Artists are able to successfully bring their message across with the help of “an excellent memory, a mastery of pace and timing, the capacity to inflect and gesture, and the ability to summon the identities of different characters simply through the nuances of their voices.”

Rap often utilizes stereotypes, risqué language, etc. to bring its messages across—some with the intentions to offend, while others may use them with deeper meanings. Like people, there are many sides to rap music. There’s the Gangsta Rap side that shows you the tougher/harder stuff, then there’s the side with humor and compassion. Rap is just as deep and beautiful as any other form of art.