I think Kool Moe Dee was on the money with his rubric for ranking the 50 Greatest MCs. I wonder how he decided to come up with the different terms that would make up a great MC. For example, one of the descriptions was having "flavor". It was funny that he could actually put a true definition to this word and make it work for his list.
He defined flavor as "the ability to have a signature energy to their rhyme style". I guess Jay-Z's flavor would be being able to put together one hell of a career based on rhymes that he has never once had to write down in order to recite!
Friday, November 30, 2007
A Girl Like Me
I have to admit that I was pretty emotional watching this video. It was just all too familiar. I knew other girls had issues like this, I mean, it isn't it the American way to dislike what you have and to envy others...
As young girls we are taught by society that if you wanted to be pretty you had to look a certain way, walk a certain way, talk a certain way, think a certain way. Everything is supposed to be predetermined, and if you don't fit in that mold you didn't have what it takes. I was utterly amazed at the test results from the doll test, that the white doll was preferred among all black children. I guess I shouldn't be though, I mean, how recently did the market even introduce black and other ethnicities in toys?
Real Talk: I don't know if I should feel confused or proud. Don't get me wrong, I couldn't picture myself any other race....now. But as a young girl, I'm sad to say I probably would have picked the white doll too!
As young girls we are taught by society that if you wanted to be pretty you had to look a certain way, walk a certain way, talk a certain way, think a certain way. Everything is supposed to be predetermined, and if you don't fit in that mold you didn't have what it takes. I was utterly amazed at the test results from the doll test, that the white doll was preferred among all black children. I guess I shouldn't be though, I mean, how recently did the market even introduce black and other ethnicities in toys?
Real Talk: I don't know if I should feel confused or proud. Don't get me wrong, I couldn't picture myself any other race....now. But as a young girl, I'm sad to say I probably would have picked the white doll too!
Women In Hip-Hop Part II
Yes, I think women should have an equal role in hip-hop...why not? I don't know that they would be able to represent themeselves in the exact same way that a man would, of course, but why should they be restricted to representing themselves in the way that they wanted to be represented. On the one hand it may be a negative representation and in turn cause there to be a negative representation for other women all over the world, but on the other hand they would be able to considered equals in the world of hip-hop and maybe some form of respect could come out of it...probably not though!
Let alone of the fact that MTV, BET and VH1 are all ran by women, MTV and BET are both ran by black women and still we question who should be responsible for safeguarding the depiction of women in hip-hop. Why not hold the women who run the major production companies partially responsible? It is true that they are allowing certain things to be aired, but it is also true that the women who are included in the so called "negative depiction" are allowing themselves to be included. At that point who is to say who is right or who is wrong? It is nearly impossible to point the finger, unless you are pointing at everybody, including those who support the depiction by tuning their channels to it.
I think public campaigns against hip-hop are both helpful and hurtful. Public campaigns can not only tell the postive sides of hip-hop but also the negative sides, even though it tends to be more negative than positive. However, I think it's a good thing because it allows people to decide for themselves. Hopefully those who are viewing the campaign would have the mind to think for themselves and not to be swayed based on popular opinion.
To comment on the video, it is amazing how what was being said was so true. Being an African American female I grew up thinking that I wanted to be light-skinned and be that perfect depiction of beauty. As a matter of fact, sometimes I still do feel like I wish I had long beautiful hair. But nothing is more true than the saying that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder".
Let alone of the fact that MTV, BET and VH1 are all ran by women, MTV and BET are both ran by black women and still we question who should be responsible for safeguarding the depiction of women in hip-hop. Why not hold the women who run the major production companies partially responsible? It is true that they are allowing certain things to be aired, but it is also true that the women who are included in the so called "negative depiction" are allowing themselves to be included. At that point who is to say who is right or who is wrong? It is nearly impossible to point the finger, unless you are pointing at everybody, including those who support the depiction by tuning their channels to it.
I think public campaigns against hip-hop are both helpful and hurtful. Public campaigns can not only tell the postive sides of hip-hop but also the negative sides, even though it tends to be more negative than positive. However, I think it's a good thing because it allows people to decide for themselves. Hopefully those who are viewing the campaign would have the mind to think for themselves and not to be swayed based on popular opinion.
To comment on the video, it is amazing how what was being said was so true. Being an African American female I grew up thinking that I wanted to be light-skinned and be that perfect depiction of beauty. As a matter of fact, sometimes I still do feel like I wish I had long beautiful hair. But nothing is more true than the saying that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder".
Post Hip-Hop Generation
This article was like a revalation! First as it discussed what an exact definition of what the "post hip-hop generation" is, while it gave new meaning to the term. Then it began to unravel what we know as the hip-hop generation.
It identifies what we know hip-hop to be, "like scores of other innovations and phenomena that emerge from the black community, it has helped to shape the perceptions of people, especially young ones, all over the world."
Now, we as a generation are beginning to acknowledge how hip-hop has refused to acknowledge or respect other things of importance in our times and because of that we are ready to make a change. Well...I wouldn't say that we are completely ready, because we still do have those who belive that saying just anything over a beat is real music, but like a young kid, from the article said, "hip-hop don't speak to or for me". If somebody of his age would have said something like that before, meaning back in the day, it would easily be considered blasphmy!
This article also made me think of the comparision of urban vs. suburban youth when it comes to the post hip-hop generation. For example, like I mentioned earlier what the young black kid said about hip-hop's current influence on him, I wonder if it would have the same effect on a young white kid from suburbia. ..
It identifies what we know hip-hop to be, "like scores of other innovations and phenomena that emerge from the black community, it has helped to shape the perceptions of people, especially young ones, all over the world."
Now, we as a generation are beginning to acknowledge how hip-hop has refused to acknowledge or respect other things of importance in our times and because of that we are ready to make a change. Well...I wouldn't say that we are completely ready, because we still do have those who belive that saying just anything over a beat is real music, but like a young kid, from the article said, "hip-hop don't speak to or for me". If somebody of his age would have said something like that before, meaning back in the day, it would easily be considered blasphmy!
This article also made me think of the comparision of urban vs. suburban youth when it comes to the post hip-hop generation. For example, like I mentioned earlier what the young black kid said about hip-hop's current influence on him, I wonder if it would have the same effect on a young white kid from suburbia. ..
Entertainment vs. Symbolism
I pulled this discussion from a quote made by one of the interviewees, Jadakiss, in the video clips we watched in class. He said, "At the end of the day, it's just entertainment". "It" is hip-hop and what "it" represents.
I called this discussion entertainment vs symbolism because while Jadakiss thinks of hip-hop solely as entertainment, we all gotta know that it involves so much symbolism that we need to learn how to control the message.
For example, when it comes to hip-hop and women it would be easy for someone from the outside looking in to say of course the rappers would use women in skimpy bathing suits and things of the like because it gets attention and attention equals money, but while those women grace the screens like so, it is the way that they are depicted that makes the difference between entertainment and what they are symbolizing, which in most cases is sex and a cheap thrill, all the while demeaning women.
This is the problem and currently there doesn't seem to be many who are trying to fix it. Of course, something that drastic would take a lot of fixing to make a change, but the hardest part is, where do we start?
I called this discussion entertainment vs symbolism because while Jadakiss thinks of hip-hop solely as entertainment, we all gotta know that it involves so much symbolism that we need to learn how to control the message.
For example, when it comes to hip-hop and women it would be easy for someone from the outside looking in to say of course the rappers would use women in skimpy bathing suits and things of the like because it gets attention and attention equals money, but while those women grace the screens like so, it is the way that they are depicted that makes the difference between entertainment and what they are symbolizing, which in most cases is sex and a cheap thrill, all the while demeaning women.
This is the problem and currently there doesn't seem to be many who are trying to fix it. Of course, something that drastic would take a lot of fixing to make a change, but the hardest part is, where do we start?
Women In Hip-Hop
I'm pulling this blog from a discussion we had in class regarding women in hip-hop. The question was: Describe your view of the representation of women in hip-hop and who is responsible for representation of race and gender in hip-hop...
When I first started to respond to this question I thought, well... hip-hop is a male dominated genre, but it certainly also has its fair share of women. The women involved may not have much of an influence or even be in the forefront, but they are there. Then we started getting into the video clips and I realized how much of an influence the male perspective has in both creating and criticizing hip-hop.
For example, for the variety of comments on the subject from the individuals in the clips the majority noted how "The Black Man" represents his people by his actions and some issues in hip-hop, particularly, the role women play in hip-hop videos, could be considered a form of "black male supremacy"...
For the most part I agreed with the comments made, especially one that considered BET as the "cancer of black manhood in the world". That one was pretty interesting!
When I first started to respond to this question I thought, well... hip-hop is a male dominated genre, but it certainly also has its fair share of women. The women involved may not have much of an influence or even be in the forefront, but they are there. Then we started getting into the video clips and I realized how much of an influence the male perspective has in both creating and criticizing hip-hop.
For example, for the variety of comments on the subject from the individuals in the clips the majority noted how "The Black Man" represents his people by his actions and some issues in hip-hop, particularly, the role women play in hip-hop videos, could be considered a form of "black male supremacy"...
For the most part I agreed with the comments made, especially one that considered BET as the "cancer of black manhood in the world". That one was pretty interesting!
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Hip-Hop Planet
This article showed an interesting perspective on the world of hip-hop. I didn't really find it as much informative, in regards to hip-hop history, as I did factual, in regards to hip-hop statistics.For example, in class we learned that the origins of a "scratch" and "break-beat" in a record were attributed to the likes of Kool Herc and Grandmaster Flash, however the article mentioned that "The DJs "learned" to move the record back and forth under the needle to create a "scratch", or to drop the needle on the record where the beat was the hottest, playing "the break" over and over..." therefore I wasn't really feeling the history aspect of the article, because it was a bit confusing.
Another example of the statistics provided by the article was noted when it discussed the popularity of hip-hop around the world, in comparison to other forms of music. I knew hip-hop was considered on a grand scale in comparison to other forms of entertainment, particularly music, but I didn't know that it was favored more when compared to more "native" forms of music. For example, the article mentioned that in Brazil "rap is a rival to samba in popularity".
Another point that I thought was worth discussing in regards to this article is when the article included the perspective of hip-hop from Henry, the young white "model American teenager" from Dayton, Ohio. Even though Henry admits to being caught up in the hip-hop world, much to his parents despise, he admits that he knows "it's just a fantasy". I thought this was an interesting point to make because so many people tend to point the finger at hip-hop for its' negativity and violence and the influences that it provides for America's young Adults, but if the "model American teenager" can distinguish the fantasy of hip-hop from reality, why is there still blame?Even though I know this is just one individual who realizes that what he hears and sees may not all be factual, it seems that there are still an overwhelming number of those who disagree.
One last point I wanted to make about this article was a quote that I took from the article that was said by Assane N'Diaye a 19 year old Senegalese fisherman, "rap doesn't belong to American culture...it belongs here. It has always existed here, because of our pain and our hardships and our suffering". I thought this quote was so powerful because it really spoke to me about the popularity of hip-hop, and I realized that hip-hop is so popular all around the globe because people from all around the globe can to relate to it, not just because of the catchy beats and captivating hooks, but because of the universal situation.
Another example of the statistics provided by the article was noted when it discussed the popularity of hip-hop around the world, in comparison to other forms of music. I knew hip-hop was considered on a grand scale in comparison to other forms of entertainment, particularly music, but I didn't know that it was favored more when compared to more "native" forms of music. For example, the article mentioned that in Brazil "rap is a rival to samba in popularity".
Another point that I thought was worth discussing in regards to this article is when the article included the perspective of hip-hop from Henry, the young white "model American teenager" from Dayton, Ohio. Even though Henry admits to being caught up in the hip-hop world, much to his parents despise, he admits that he knows "it's just a fantasy". I thought this was an interesting point to make because so many people tend to point the finger at hip-hop for its' negativity and violence and the influences that it provides for America's young Adults, but if the "model American teenager" can distinguish the fantasy of hip-hop from reality, why is there still blame?Even though I know this is just one individual who realizes that what he hears and sees may not all be factual, it seems that there are still an overwhelming number of those who disagree.
One last point I wanted to make about this article was a quote that I took from the article that was said by Assane N'Diaye a 19 year old Senegalese fisherman, "rap doesn't belong to American culture...it belongs here. It has always existed here, because of our pain and our hardships and our suffering". I thought this quote was so powerful because it really spoke to me about the popularity of hip-hop, and I realized that hip-hop is so popular all around the globe because people from all around the globe can to relate to it, not just because of the catchy beats and captivating hooks, but because of the universal situation.
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