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.
