Hip Hop Essays (Examples)

Hip-Hop Culture, Its Origins and Its Culture

The hip-hop culture, according to Richardson, originated in the United States in response to the oppression of African-Americans. This art form is therefore deeply integrated with the social consciousness from which it arose. The art form created an outlet for creativity and repressed anger and other emotions resulting from the hardship of this particular culture. Therefore Richardson and several other critics criticize not only the commercialization of the art, but also globalization and its effects on the culture of hip-hop. oth commercialization and globalization, while proving a financial benefit to the music emerging from the hip-hop culture, nonetheless detracts some of the deeper culture and messages associated with the original art form. Indeed, when the struggle is removed from the art form, the unique culture from which it originated is lost, and the music changes accordingly. Thus globalization and increasing commercialization have combined…

Bibliography

Frazitta, Bobby. "Hip-hop Culture." 1998-2002. http://www.b-boys.com/hiphopculture.html

Hip-hop Congress. "Where is the Color?" 2004.  http://hiphopcongress.com/yourworld/politics/columbusday.html 

Johnson, Abra. "Globalization of Popular Culture:

Hip-Hop culture shaping and being shaped by pop culture in New Zealand, Japan, Cuba, and the U.S." 2004.  http://www.hiphopconvention.org/issues/international/global.cfm

Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes, a documentary by Byron Hurt aims to investigate the underlying social issues that have permeated hip-hop and been propagated through the music and culture. The documentary offers multiple perspectives from industry professionals and artists that aim to dissect prominent social issues such as violence and hypermasculinity, stereotypes, homophobia, and the misogyny that pervades hip hop music and culture. Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes provides insight into these issues and raises awareness about these issues impact hip-hop yet the insight appears to be slightly skewed and only focuses on men and hip-hop.

The documentary begins by focusing on issues of violence and hypermasculinity and why these issues are so prevalent in hip hop music. While the documentary points to how these issues are not only a major concern in hip hop, but rather an overarching social issue that has been propagated through the media as far…

These findings suggest that rap may affect society in several ways. For example, how adolescent whites perceive rap may impact their support for race-based policies such as Affirmative Action as they grow older and become more politically involved. Further, to the extent that rap helps to promote interracial relationships, cross-racial social networks resulting from rap may increase employment opportunities for blacks and other non-whites (97).

However, state Thompson and Brown, another scenario is just as plausible. Since so many of the studies on racial attitudes and rap music have been cross-sectional, it is possible that over time the relationship between whites' opinions on rap music and racial attitudes may change. It is feasible that as the average young adult white rap supporters get older, have a family, and begin a career, the relationship between their opinions of rap music and their perceptions of blacks and support for liberal values may…

References

Aaron, C. 1998..Black Like Them. Spin Magazine

Farley, C. 1999..Hip-Hop Nation. Time, February 8.

Goff, J.R. 2002. Close Harmony. Greenboro: University of North Carolina Press.

Jackson-Brown, I. 1990. Developments in black gospel performance and scholarship.

Men are expected to put across domination and to affirm their masculinity during a hip hop dance. Hip hop and tango are both designed to put across the feeling that there is a strong connection between the message and the dance, the dance and the dancer, and the dancer and the message.

Tango and hip hop are relatively similar when considering that professional dancers are primarily interested in dancing from the perspective of someone who actually understands why he or she is dancing. These people are not only interested in looking beautiful as they dance, as they are also concerned about having audiences understand their emotions.

All things considered, choreography is one of the most important concepts in the contemporary society and it is very important for the general public to understand that dances are more than movements designed to please the eye. Individuals also dance with the purpose of…

Works cited:

Benshoff, Harry M. And Griffin, Sean "What is Gender?," "What is Sexuality" in America on Film: Representing Race, Class, Gender and Sexuality at the Movies, Blackwell Pub., 2004, pp. 203-206, 293-296.

LaBoskey, Sara "Getting off: Portrayals of Masculinity in Hip Hop Dance in Film," Dance Research Journal, 2001, 33(2), pp. 112-120.

Leigh Foster, Susan, "Choreographies of Gender," Signs, Vol. 24, No. 1 (Autumn, 1998), pp. 1-33.

Manning, Susan, "The Female Dancer and the Male Gaze: Feminist Critiques of Early Modern Dance," Meaning in Motion: New Cultural Studies of Dance, ed. Jane C. Desmond, Duke University Press, 1997, pp: 153-166.

lurred Line" is a song by Robin Thicke that caused a tremendous controversy because of the video that accompanied it. Some allegations included the fact that the video condoned a rape culture and a culture that sexually objectifies women. This paper will aim to analyze some of these claims, looking at the theoretical and sociological perspective of what a rape culture is and matching some of these characteristics over the elements that are seen in the video.

According to Nicoletti, Spencer-Thomas and ollinger (2009), a rape culture in society reflects a society that tolerates or even encourages rape and, in general, sexual violence against women. There are several characteristics of rape cultures, including sexual objectification and a trivialized approach to rape.

To a wider degree, however, there are connections that can be argued between a sexist society and the possibility of it becoming a rape culture. Sexist and misogynistic approaches…

Bibliography

1. Nicoletti, J., Spencer-Thomas, S., Bollinger, C. Violence goes to College. Charles C. Thomas Publisher. 2009

2. Sommers, C. Researching the "Rape Culture" in America. Simon & Schuster Inc., New York, 1994

3. Parenti, Michael. The Cultural Struggle.New York: Seven Stories Press.(2005)

4. Vogleman, L. Sexual Face of Violence: Rapists on Rape. Raven Press Ltd. 1990

Free

How the Criminal Justice System is Dysfunctional according to Paul Butler's Let's Get Free

The American criminal justice system has had a long history of prejudice. From the Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) decision that institutionalized the false concept of "separate but equal" to the Jim Crow laws that followed to the methods of "control" enacted by police in urban communities, criminal justice in the U.S. has seen lots of crime but little justice. Part of the reason for the inherent dysfunction in the way minorities have always been treated in America is that the country was founded on prejudiced WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant) principles: the principle of "manifest destiny" was based on the supposedly "divine right" that WASPs had to "control" the New World and eradicate the "lesser" races (such as the Native Americans and the African-Americans). These prejudiced principles were absorbed into the criminal justice system through lawmakers…

Reference List

Butler, P. (2010). Let's Get Free: A Hip-Hop Theory of Justice. UK:

ReadHowYouWant Publishers.

For example,

Shante represented herself (falsely) as Dr. Roxanne Shanteb, a psychologist with a graduate degree from Cornell University. In reality, she attended only a portion of one semester at Marymount Manhattan College. She had claimed to have attended Cornell under a different name because of a domestic violence situation but never provided any evidence to suggest that she actually attended the university.

Lauren Hill provides a much more positive and legitimate image of urban motherhood and community consciousness. She has been actively involved in charitable organizations and causes and is a recipient of a 1996 award by Essence magazine for her involvement in various initiatives such as founding the Refugee Project, for supporting voter registration efforts in Harlem, and for helping to build clean water wells in Kenya and Uganda. Ultimately, all four of these female artists have contributed to the empowerment of females with respect to overcoming male…

Other female Hip Hop artists besides Queen Latifah have also presented conflicting personal contributions toward the cause of female empowerment, mainly because they chose to do so in a fraudulent manner instead of honestly. For example,

Shante represented herself (falsely) as Dr. Roxanne Shanteb, a psychologist with a graduate degree from Cornell University. In reality, she attended only a portion of one semester at Marymount Manhattan College. She had claimed to have attended Cornell under a different name because of a domestic violence situation but never provided any evidence to suggest that she actually attended the university.

Lauren Hill provides a much more positive and legitimate image of urban motherhood and community consciousness. She has been actively involved in charitable organizations and causes and is a recipient of a 1996 award by Essence magazine for her involvement in various initiatives such as founding the Refugee Project, for supporting voter registration efforts in Harlem, and for helping to build clean water wells in Kenya and Uganda. Ultimately, all four of these female artists have contributed to the empowerment of females with respect to overcoming male subjugation in the Hip Hop genre as well as in the reality of urban communities. For this, they all deserve commendation regardless of their own troubles and imperfections.

Te article also portrays drawing young people to temples wit ip-op as a radical idea. But Buddism and popular culture ave always ad an interactive relationsip in Japan: people migt use Buddist amulets for good luck, for example, as well as solemnly meditate upon a koan. Wile Kanso Tagai, te subject of te La article, may be innovative in is appropriation of American urban culture for te 21st century, is approac is not unique witin te Buddist tradition. Anoter monk says: "it's important tat we come down into te secular world and live in modern society. An altar doesn't mean you ave a temple. A temple is a place were people follow te fait and Budda." Te concept of a Bodisattva is a being tat resists entering te plane of ultimate enligtenment, and remains amongst te unenligtened, to bring te wole world to a state of iger consciousness. Te tone…

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/01/21/japan.hip.monks.buddhism/ 

The modern, Western media enjoys portraying modernity and religion as perpetually at odds: either in a humorous way, by showing nuns walking next to rollerbladers on the streets, or in a serious way, such as when it reports upon the position of the Catholic Church on the subjects of abortion and birth control. However, not all religions see secular and sacred life in such a sharply divided fashion. Buddhism, although it has a monastic component, has also existed as a religion 'of the world' for many centuries. The samurai warriors of Japan integrated their Buddhist beliefs with their military service, for example. However, when Buddhist monks are shown drinking, inevitably a reporter feels compelled to create a cute slogan, such as: "Sutras are shaken and stirred at the Monk Bar" (Lah 2010).

Kyung Lah's article "Buddhist monks use hip hop, alcohol to attract followers" from CNN suggests that Buddhism is in crisis in Japan, because so many temples have closed. Yet Buddhism is also a philosophy. Unlike Western religions which tend to define themselves by rituals that are seen as 'sacred' and in conflict with secular values, Buddhist methods of practice of meditation and reflection are not only confined to formal worship contexts. The article also portrays drawing young people to temples with hip-hop as a radical idea. But Buddhism and popular culture have always had an interactive relationship in Japan: people might use Buddhist amulets for good luck, for example, as well as solemnly meditate upon a koan. While Kansho Tagai, the subject of the Lah article, may be innovative in his appropriation of American urban culture for the 21st century, his approach is not unique within the Buddhist tradition. Another monk says: "it's important that we come down into the secular world and live in modern society. An altar doesn't mean you have a temple. A temple is a place where people follow the faith and Buddha." The concept of a Bodhisattva is a being that resists entering the plane of ultimate enlightenment, and remains amongst the unenlightened, to bring the whole world to a state of higher consciousness. The tone of the article suggests the monks are introducing something new to the religion in a cynical fashion to draw new believers, while the monks are really following very old practices and ideas common in Japanese Buddhism for many centuries.

Their view of the women is shaped by their perceptions of what category of woman they represent.

Symptoms of a Much Larger Social Issue:

In many respects, the gender relations illustrated in Boyz 'N the Hood are merely symptoms of a much more general problem of misogyny and the general lack of mutual respect for females in many areas of American social culture, especially in the Hip-Hop community. Both Tre's early relationship with Brandi and Rickie's relationship with the mother of his baby illustrate the psychological distance that males maintain between themselves and their female partners, even within romantic and domestic relationships respectively. Neither woman is involved in her partner's life in the same way as the male friends. Instead, they remain within a highly compartmentalized role and kept almost completely separate without significant integration into their lives.

If anything, that dynamic is only a relatively mild version of the…

A high production value and an industrial feel throughout much of the song impart an engagingly chaotic and progressive feel to the song.

6. MC Lyte is one of the few successful female rappers. In "Paper Thin" MC Lyte raps over minimalist music that includes just the beats and the occasional sound of a synthesized but unidentifiable instrument playing an eerie melody. Lyte tells the story of a jilted lover, with an overall theme of empowerment. Occasional encouragement from background vocals and a chorus of "ooooh" refer to African music. MC Lyte also draws gender issues into the repertoire of rap lyrics.

7. The Beastie Boys "Paul Revere" stands out because of the reverse-played scratch sound. Synthesized maracas add sonic texture, but the focal point is the amusing story. "Paul Revere" is one of many New York area rap songs denoting a shift of content away from love of music…

Increasingly, the majority of black outh Africans became disillusioned with the political system and those ruling it. In the opinion of many, they had simply traded one form of oppression for another - they are now exploited not only by white rulers, but also by those who are black (Clark, 2007). This is expressed in the current forms of outh African Hip Hop. Artists working against the apartheid of the past are now working against the exploitation of the poor.

In addition to being politically oriented, Hip Hop also focuses on the African enjoyment of dancing. The earliest forms of this, also advertised and accepted via the media, included break dancing. Currently, outh African Hip Hop has evolved to a form of house music called kwaito. This music is very popular among the black youth, whether oppressed or not. As such, it is a well established form of music in…

Sources

BBC News (2007, July 25). South African Hip Hop.  http://www.theworld.org/?q=node/11662 

Clark, Msia Kibona (2007, July 11). South Africa - Hip Hop Revolution. Global Envision

 http://www.globalenvision.org/library/33/1682/ 

Wright, Steve (1999, June 9). Kwaito: South Africa's Hip-Hop? CNN.  http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Music/9906/09/kwaito.wb

I think that one of the ways that break dancing helps to solidify resistance is through providing another avenue for a countercultural movement to grow. Due to the concerns about the economy that she mentioned, today is one of the few times in the history of the U.S. that there is not a dominant countercultural movement. Therefore, I believe that by having people breakdance in places where people also turf dance, both of these forms of dance can help to form a countercultural movement that expresses social concern.

There is a definite similarity between Nicole's choice of hip-hop dance as a form of resistance and mine highlighting turf dancing as a form of resistance. Both of these forms of dance largely began in urban environments in the streets. I believe that it would be useful to incorporate hip hop dancing with turf dancing, since in reality turf dancing is merely…

Works Cited

Browning, Barbara. Samba: Resistance in Motion. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. 1995. Print.

he author then proceeds to contradict himself or herself by referring to the Black Eyed Peas as mainstream. So, are the Black Eyed Peas up-and-coming or mainstream? Moreover, the author contends that it was refreshing to have a "mainstream music group" release a song with a positive message when the music the band was not considered to be mainstream until the release of "Where is the Love?" And the release of their third studio album.

he essay is also heavily biased against hip-hop, or at least it appears to be, through the arguments made the song is influential because the Black Eyed Peas were able to convey such a message through hip-hop music when hip-hop artists "are stereotyped as thugs who only talk about money, sex, and guns." By arguing hip-hop artists are negatively stereotyped without explaining that hip-hop is not limited to these views and the term can also…

The essay is also full of false and biased statements. For instance, the author contends the Black Eyed Peas were an up-and-coming hip-hop group at the time the song was released when, in fact, they had been around since 1995 and had released two albums prior to the 9/11 attacks. The author then proceeds to contradict himself or herself by referring to the Black Eyed Peas as mainstream. So, are the Black Eyed Peas up-and-coming or mainstream? Moreover, the author contends that it was refreshing to have a "mainstream music group" release a song with a positive message when the music the band was not considered to be mainstream until the release of "Where is the Love?" And the release of their third studio album.

The essay is also heavily biased against hip-hop, or at least it appears to be, through the arguments made the song is influential because the Black Eyed Peas were able to convey such a message through hip-hop music when hip-hop artists "are stereotyped as thugs who only talk about money, sex, and guns." By arguing hip-hop artists are negatively stereotyped without explaining that hip-hop is not limited to these views and the term can also be used to define a specific music style or a lifestyle.

I believe the paper could have made a greater impact on the reader if the author explained what about the song was especially influential and how it appealed to listeners to take a closer look at their surroundings. I also think that the author should have explained why the song was so important to the band, and more specifically, how the song transformed the band. In order to strengthen the arguments made in the paper, I would suggest the author consider how the paper is structured, present the argument from a more formal perspective, provide citations for claims made, and make sure the essay is free of grammatical errors, which detract from the point that the author is trying to get across.

No Justice, No Peace
In Z-Ro’s “No Justice No Peace,” the hip hop artist states, “No justice, no peace
It's us against police. Every time I turn around they shoot another brother down.” The argument made by the artist is that police brutality and oppression is marginalizing African-Americans and making them fearful of the law—which to them represents white rule, white power, and white aggression. The artist, like all hip hop artists, is coming from a traditional of criticism against Jim Crow: his descendents are men like Malcolm X and MLK, Jr., Ice Cube, and Tupac Shakur. Z-Ro’s words echo with all the history of those stories and more rolled into a monumental protest anthem. It is an anthem that many can understand. However, there is also a racial component to it that disqualified anyone who is not African-American from identifying with the song. For instance, others who are white…

Yo! MTV Raps was also a great venue for up and coming rap legends to showcase their work to their world through performances. Audiences around the world were exposed to a new type of raw creativity in rap music, one which took the music industry by storm. Yo! MTV Raps was a huge first for the network; it was the first show dedicated one hundred percent to rap and hip hop, an emerging art form in American popular music that had not yet found acceptance within the larger body of society.

Major name artists saw their career explode alongside the publicity they were getting from the show and the movement it was inspiring within pop culture. Huge names in the rap industry were seen before they really made it big and when they had a definite hold over the lure of pop culture in the United States. The series was…

ith time, Tango dancing had been recognized officially world wide, and people have even turned it into an art. Tango dancing is presumed to be one of the easiest dances in the world, but it would take a professional to really Tango.

The Indians are known for their extreme spirituality and the Indian traditional dance is full of it. Indians have taken the art of dancing to a whole new level by having associated it with meditation with the intention of sending a message through the dance to the spectators. The early Indian dancers had a strong bond with the church. Later on, the dancers would be seen dancing in order to bring to life the stories told by singers.

According to David Courtney, "Today the acknowledged classical styles are:

Bharatnatyam of Tamil Nadu,

Kathakali of Kerala,

Kuchipudi of Andhra Pradesh,

Manipuri of Northeast India,

Orissi from Orissa, and Kathak…

Works Cited

Courtney, David. "NRITYA - INDIAN CLASSICAL DANCE." Chandrakantha. 2008. 24 November, 2008.  http://chandrakantha.com/articles/indian_music//nritya.html 

Heikkila, Lori. "Tango History." Central Home. 24 November, 2008.  http://www.centralhome.com/ballroomcountry/tango.htm 

Leonidou, Anne. "Portrait of the Greek Dance." Nostos Hellenic Cyber Centre. 24 November, 2008.  http://www.nostos.com/dance/ 

Stith, Kevin. "Hip Hop Dancing." Ezine Articles. 24 November, 2008.  http://ezinearticles.com/?Hip-Hop-Dancing&id=407540

Keepin' it real -- Real-ism, that is: Today's 'take' on John Singleton's 1991 film, "Boyz in the Hood"

The pummeling hip-hop soundtrack immediately sets the tone for "Boyz in the Hood." This film's musical sound signals to the viewer that it is produced by someone who knows the street, because it sounds like the street, screams like the street -- a particular kind of neighborhood street -- that of the 'hood.' The film's early use of quick cuts in a montage that introduces the main protagonists and the neighborhood to the viewer and its sharp, guttural dialogue suggest that the director is 'really' going to show to the viewer how people 'really' and authentically communicate in real, urban street life.

The use of short sentences and monosyllables in many films that attempt to seem realistic is often also used to show individuals who know each other well, like brothers and…

Works Cited

"Boyz in the Hood." Directed and written by John Singleton. 1991.

Shirley Chisholm

An Analysis of the Life and Work of Shirley Chisholm

In light of the fact that black feminism has gained more of a voice in the last few decades it is important to remember the people who first brought the plight of the black woman, specifically, to the forefront of national public and political discourse. One of these women was Shirley Chisholm. She was the first black member of the New York State Assembly and the United States House of epresentatives. Many black women may not have regarded her ventures into the political realm as wise, her voice was could have been dampened by the need to remain diplomatic, because she could have done more good advocating the cause as just an activist. But, Chisholm used her platform to change the way many, both black and white, viewed African-American women. Her personal story was one of rising to…

References

Chisholm, Shirley. 1970. Unbought and Unbossed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Collins, Patricia Hill. 2006. From Black Power to Hip Hop: Racism, Nationalism, and Feminism. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.

Hill, Levirn. 1993. "Shirley Chisholm." Pp. 90-99 in American Women Civil Rights Activists: Biographies of 68 Leaders, 1825-1992, edited by Gayle J. Hardy. Jefferson, NC: McFarland.

Lynch, Shola. 2005. "Shirley Chisholm Fought the Good Fight." The Crisis, (January/February), 58.

However, at the same time, the Dominican Republic is also a Hispanic speaking island and thus the Latin influence is also heavy in their version of Reggae and other musical tastes. Finally, as the band grew up in the Bronx, their musical background was also heavily influenced by the growth of American style hip-hop, which grew up out of the Bronx area. This diverse, mixing pot of musical heritage was combined by the band Aventura to create the unique musical character of Bachata.

Overall, I found the Avnentura Kings of Bachata concert to be of high quality and highly entertaining. Watching the band perform on stage shows you how much they care about their music and how much they enjoy performing it for their fans. These facts bring a high level of energy to their show, which I found captivating. The band played their songs at a fast, energetic pace…

The master of the ceremony will be the key agent of advertisement during the event (Argenti 37). He will adorn himself at four different times with attires that are representing the brands of each of the four key sponsors.

The event is expected to cost an estimate of $8,000, which is inclusive of the token of appreciation given to the artists and the total cost incurred in running advertisements via the various media outlets (Tassiopoulos 21).

Courvoisier S.A, 2 place du Chateau,

16200 Jarnac, France

Tel +33 (0)5-45-35-56 16

Sponsorship Proposal

As an organizer of Go-Go Music Show, which is an event held annually in ashington DC, I would like to invite the support of Courvoisier as one of the event sponsors. The event would be held on 10, November 2012.

As a sponsor in this event, you will have a chance to advertise the various brands offered by your…

Works Cited

Tassiopoulos, Dimitri. Event Management: A Professional and Developmental Approach. Sydney: Juta and Company Ltd., 2005. Print.

Skinner, Bruce and Rukavina, Vladimir. Event Sponsorship. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, 2002. Print.

Tarlow, Peter. Event Risk Management and Safety. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, 2002. Print.

Kahle, Lynn and Close, Angeline. Consumer Behavior Knowledge for Effective Sports and Event Marketing. Washington, DC: Taylor & Francis, 2010. Print.

Krump Dancing

Krump is a popular form of dancing sweeping America. But most people can't find a class in krump dancing offered at a suburban local gym or dance studio along with Zumba, tap, and jazz. Krump dancing originated in the urban ghettos of Los Angeles, not as part of a formal, classical tradition of dance. Much like breakdancing or vogue-ing, it has its roots in a culture of poverty, where people with little money or other material resources could at least create art with their bodies in a visceral and organic fashion. The streets where krumping first became popular are lined with "barbershops, chicken joints, liquor stores and churches" and little else (Booth 2005:1).

"Krumping," according to the documentary on the dance craze called Rize, has been called "break dancing on fast-forward" (Booth 2005:1). Krumping began as a "hip-hop dance style sired by a former drug dealer named Tommy…

Works Cited

Booth, William. "The Exuberant Warrior Kings of 'Krumping.'" The Washington Post.

24 Jun 2005. [1 Feb 2013]  http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/24/AR2005062401880.html 

Menzie, Nicola. "Krump dances into the mainstream." CBS News. 11 Feb 2009. [1 Feb 2013]

 http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-207_162-704843.html?pageNum=2

Sexuality is another common theme in music. We see in the songs studied testosterone and estrogen, the sexual response cycle, psychosexual images and sexual orientation issues. These treatments of the same basic thing are again complex, ranging from purely physical explorations of the subject to the deep-rooted psychological attributes of sex. Self-esteem and denial are also wrapped up in this subject in some of the songs. This again reflects our need to understand our sexual selves, in particular as distinct from our emotional/loving selves.

In the other category, power proved a major theme. Self-esteem, self-serving bias, defense mechanisms, ego, superego, the spotlight effect, achievement motivation and projection are all components of this theme that emerge in the music. The need for power reflects a desire for achievement that we all have and the need to feel important in this world, perhaps explaining why this theme is so popular. Its popularity…

female rappers talking sexually explicitly raps degrading act empowerment? feminists. sources: *pornification, sex sexuality media culture- susanna paasonnen *hen chicken heads roost *spin sisters: women media sell unhappiness liberlisation woman america.

Female rappers and how they affect society

The rap industry has generated much controversy in the recent decades, most debates emerging because critics consider some lyrics to be offensive and discriminatory to particular groups. It would be absurd to claim that society remains unaffected as a result of being subjected to lyrics that contain explicit inequitable expressions. Individuals who come up with these lyrics apparently share no interest in the consequences their music leaves on the world.

Although it is difficult to identify the exact people who are harmed by offensive language heard in rap music, surveys and personal opinions are more than explanatory in regard to the overall state of affairs. Although most individuals involved in the industry…

Works cited:

1. Blyth, Myrna. (2004). "SPIN SISTERS: How the Women of the Media Sell Unhappiness and Liberalism to the Women of America." ST. MARTIN'S PRESS.

2. Campbell, Kermit Ernest. (2005). "Gettin' our groove on: rhetoric, language, and literacy for the hip hop generation." Wayne State University Press.

3. Morgan, Joan. (2000). "When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost: A Hip-Hop Feminest Breaks It Down." Simon & Schuster.

4. Paasonen, Susanna; Nikunen, Kaarina; Saarenmaa, Laura. (2008). "Pornification: sex and sexuality in media culture." Michigan University.

Harry, B., Sturges, K.M., & Klinger, J.K. (2005). Mapping the process: An exemplar of process and challenge in grounded theory analysis. Educational Researcher, 34(2), 3-13.

Read the article listed above and provide your impressions. In one page, summarize the authors' experiences in conducting a grounded theory study in an educational setting. What were some of the challenges they faced? What are your thoughts in general on conducting qualitative research in the field of education?

Grounded theory is generation of a hypothesis (or assumption) that proceeds from observation and rich qualitative study. The authors wanted to show that qualitative study in general and grounded theory approach in particular could be used in conjunction with the subject of education.

The purpose of the study was (a) to investigate whether and, if so, how, the processes used to identify, assess, and place students in high-incidence special education programs contribute to the overrepresentation phenomenon;…

Lester, S (nd) An introduction to phenomenological research  http://www.sld.demon.co.uk/resmethy.pdf 

MacArthur, G.S. (2007). Best practices in writing instruction. New York: Guilford Press.

Stanley, L & Wise, S (1993) Breaking Out Again: Feminist Ontology and Epistemology London, Routledge

A Tribe Called Quest has performed live at a number of large music festivals including Bumbershoot and Lollapalooza. These big name, big draw venues allowed A Tribe Called Quest to project their sounds to the masses, enlightening large numbers of listeners to the transformative potential of hip-hop. As gangsta and other predictable forms of rap increasingly dominated the industry, A Tribe Called Quest was keeping things real. Their commercial success also depended on their high visibility in terms of live performances and music videos. The videos of A Tribe Called Quest parallel the content of their lyrics, and depict African-American street culture especially on the east coast.

A Tribe Called Quest drew upon the groundwork set by De La Soul in fusing jazz musical elements, instrumentation, and samples into hip-hop. In fact, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, and the Jungle Brothers were schoolmates and formed a successful musical…

Works Cited

"A Tribe Called Quest." Rolling Stone. Retrieved Dec 8, 2009 from  http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/atribecalledquest/biography 

"Biography." A Tribe Called Quest. Website retrieved Dec 8, 2009 from http://atribecalledquest.com/html/biography/

Bush, John. "A Tribe Called Quest." All Music Guide. Retrieved Dec 8, 2009 from  http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:dcfixq95ld6e

In fact, the album Paul's Boutique, which is now hailed as "one of the first albums to predict the genre-bending, self-referential pop kaleidoscope of '90s pop" was scorned or ignored when it was released in 1989.

The Beastie Boys split from Rick Rubin and Def Jam and developed an independent, eclectic, and sonically adventurous sound. The album Check Your Head, which included rock instrumentation, solidified the Beastie Boys' reputation as one of America's top musical talents. Since then the band has enjoyed relatively steady critical acclaim, peer recognition, and popular success. Their most recent award earned was a Grammy for the 2007 release The Mix-Up, a creative instrumental journey. The Beastie Boys have released their own concert film called Awesome: I Fuckin' Shot That!, the title of which proves their punk roots.

Numerous musical styles and artists have influenced the Beastie Boys, enabling the band to create their unique and…

Works Cited

"Beastie Boys." LastFM. Retrieved Dec 12, 2009 from  http://www.last.fm/music/Beastie+Boys 

"Beastie Boys: Biography." Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock and Roll. Simon & Schuster. Retrieved online at RollingStone.com on Dec 12, 2009 at  http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/beastieboys/biography 

Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Biography." All Music Guide. Retrieved Dec 12, 2009 from  http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:3ifqxq95ld6e 

Forget, Thomas. The Beastie Boys. New York: Rosen Publishing, 2006.

Instead, he has been doing the production and promotion for other artists. He also collaborates with other musicians, such as Elizondo to product Eminem's single "The Real Slim Shady. He hopes to get out another album in 2008, which would have several different contributors. Even he admits that his message has mellowed out since his first hits in the '90s, Regarding earlier years he says: "That was my past. What I thought was the thing to do then. I mean, I think 'Straight Outta Compton' was a classic hip-hop album. ut I do look back on a lot of the things we were saying and doing then and go, "Damn!." ut the ***** was dope at the time." Would he ever do that same material now? "No. No way. I'm more into totally positive moves."

Admittedly, not everyone was or continues to be keen on Dr. Dre and similar musicians.…

Bibliography

Bennett, Andy. Bennett Cultures of Popular Music. Philadelphia: Open UP, 2001.

Dr. Dre. Biography.  http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Dr.-Dre-Biography/49B29B5DD87AEC0C482568860008957D  Accessed 24 November, 2007.

Dr. Dre's My Space.  http://www.myspace.com/drdre . Accessed 24 November 2007.

Farley, Christopher "Hip Hop Nation." Time Magazine. 8 February,1999.  http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101,00.html . Accessed 24 November, 2007.

Anthology of Rap by Adam radley and Andrew Duois sets out to illustrate how rap can be analyzed from a literary standpoint, and traces the development of the genre from the late 1970s to contemporary interpretations of the genre. Throughout the book, radley and Duois offer interesting insights into how the music movement developed and evolved, and while they provide some insight into the development of the genre as a movement, they overlook significant factors that influenced rap.

In the introduction, The Anthology of Rap establishes that it will focus primarily on rap as poetry, yet the focus frequently shifts to other influencers. The book's introduction is full of promise and offers a definition of rap that allows the rapper to be considered a poet and helps to create a distinction between rap and the overarching genre of hip hop. KRS-One states, "Rap music is something we do, but hip…

Bradley and DuBois's discussion of the Golden Age of rap ends on a low note because of its complete disregard for the role that women played during this time. The authors simply mention, "Whereas before, the best female lyricists crafted lyrics that were indistinguishable in essence from those of their distinguished male counterparts, figures such as MC Lyte, Roxanne Shante, Salt-N-Pepa, and Queen Latifah began to speak on themes provoked by a sense of gender disparity and the untapped power of women" (129). Bradley and DuBois ignore women's roles in rap throughout The Anthology of Rap, and while they mentioned that women rappers at this time wrote lyrics that were initially indistinguishable from their male counterparts, the authors do not elaborate nor explain how these women were affected by rap's evolution or how they contributed to rap as poetry. Throughout the book, Bradley and DuBois place focus on one singular female, M.I.A. And praise the impact she had on American hip hop, specifically citing her song "Paper Planes," which is heavily influenced by The Clash's 1982 song "Straight to Hell," which Bradley and DuBois do not cite nor recognize in applauding M.I.A.'s contributions to hip hop.

While The Anthology of Rap sets out to demonstrate the influence that rap had on society and argues rap lyrics should be considered works of art, much like poetry, the book's structure and focus progressively unravel as it traces rap's roots in the 1980s to hip hop's "death" in the new millennium. Bradley and DuBois have worked to create a distinction between rap and hip hop throughout the entire anthology, yet the last section "New Millennium Rap" appears to focus solely on hip hop. Furthermore, as the book progressed, they began to focus less and less on rap as poetry and instead transitioned into providing a brief explanation of how rap as a genre transitioned from something that was underground to something that was commercial. Furthermore, Bradley and DuBois place too much emphasis on music business in the later half of the book, completely voiding their claim that they seek to bring attention to rap as poetry.

Overall, The Anthology of Rap succeeds at presenting a collection of rap lyrics, however, its point-of-view is severely skewed, focusing mostly on the contributions of men with no more than 25 or so lyrical inclusions of rap by women. Additionally, the shifting focus in each of the major sections detracts from the purpose of the book. While the book begins by stating it will focus on rap as poetry, it begins to focus on individuals, society, and the music business soon thereafter. By the end of the book, the focus is no longer on rap, but on hip hop, which Bradley and DuBois defined as being two separate concepts. The book's deviating focus and the ignorance of women's contributions to rap cause a potentially great book to fall short.

The pimp has become the spokesman for the hip-hop subculture and directly influences black males and indirectly white males into directions that are anathema to the rights and dignity of black women in particular and all women in general. In other words, black and white females in a cultural sense are literally swimming in a sea of cultural images that play to the lowest common denominator of humanity and makes women into sexual objects and a product in the packaging of hip-hop records, whether or not they want to be there.

Again, to quote my paper and illustrate in detail the content "This form of media is the primary means of information broadcasting for youth. Plus, the portrayals of hip-hop culture in the media is highly likely to influence African-American youths." An entire generation of black males is being brought up to see women as material sexual objects.

I am…

Marketing Music on Social Media Sites

Social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and others have grown exponentially over the past few years. One of the entertainment genres that has benefited mightily from social media is music, rap, rock, hip-hop, country, and even classical music. This paper explores and analyzes how musicians and groups have exploited social media in their marketing strategies.

Key Reasons Music Marketing Thrives on Social Media

Social Media has carved out an enormous presence in the contemporary entertainment and information scene in the United States. In fact according to a 2010 book -- Facebook Marketing: An Hour a Day -- a Harris Interactive study shows that "…48% of all American adults had either a Facebook or a MySpace account" (Treadaway, et al., 2010, p. 15). Also, as an indication of how extraordinarily fast Facebook has grown, in just eight months the giant social media company went…

Bibliography

Associated Press, 2011, 'Coldplay to livestream Madrid concert on YouTube on Oct. 26, two days after release of 'Milo Xyloto'. Retrieved October 7, 2011, from  http://www.nydailynews.com .

CMU, 2011, 'New MySpace owners speak / New look music-focused MySpace set for 2011, retrieved October 7, 2011, from  http://www.thecmuwebsite.com .

Hernandez, Brian Anthony, 2011, 'How Lady Gaga Created a Web Marketing Spectacle for Born This Way', Mashable.com. Retrieved October 6, 2011, from  http://mashable.com/2011/05/24/lady-gaga-case-study .

Martell, Dan, 2010, 'How Six Hip Hop Artists Use Social Media', Flowtown.com. Retrieved October 6, 2011, from http://www.flowtown.com/blog/how-six-hip-hop-artists-use-social-media.

Kanye West's Yeezy Season Three Collections And Subversion Of Dominant Culture

Fashion is something that is thought to be changing with time. The fashion of the ancient times is not the same fashion of today, and the fashion of today has a little chance being the fashion of the times to come. As with the fashion progression in the United States of America, the fashion protagonists, and experts have contributed much to fashion. Fashion remains to be the people's choice and touches on the interests and tastes of the people. In the United States of America, fashion has been a way of life, finding its way almost into everything that involves human beings. The contributions are varied like with those who have progressed with the traditional career of fashion to those who have entered into fashion from other fields of play like Kanye West. In his Yeezy Season Three collections,…

Reference List

Clay, Andreana. 2012. The Hip-Hop Generation Fights Back: Youth, Activism, and Post-Civil Rights Politics. New York, NY: New York University Press.

Hall, Stuart. 1993. What Is This "Black" in Black Popular Culture? Social Justice, Vol. 20, No. 1/2 (51-52), Rethinking Race (Spring-Summer 1993), pp. 104-114

Rose, Tricia. 1994. Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America. Hanover [u.a.]: Wesleyan Univ. Press

The reason I do this is because it's the hottest part of the song that the dancers love and go absolutely nuts over. This ignited a cultural revolution and is how the term "break dancing" formed.

DJ EP: As I understand it, "breaking" has another meaning.

DJ KH: Oh yeah. My "b-boys" (break-boys) and "b-girls" (break-girls) are dancers who "breakdance" while I'm deejaying. ut the term, "breaking" also refers to the slang word for "getting excited," "acting energetically," and/or "causing a disturbance." Double entendre.

DJ EP: I love breaking in the clubs or on the streets. I don't know, tell me if you agree, but there's something so amazing and intense about the energy of deejaying street and park parties as opposed to clubs like Twilight Zone, Havelo, or the Executive Playhouse.

DJ KH: There's no doubt about it. They're absolutely electrifying, probably because park and street parties are spontaneous.…

Bibliography

1) Chang, Jeff. Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation. St.

Martin's Press, New York: 2005.

2) Hager, Steven. "Afrika Bambaataa's Hip-Hop." Village Voice September 21,

1982. Print.

music is not always a vehicle for political or social commentary, it has become increasingly more so in the past several generations. Music serves often as a vehicle for community and cultural self-expression, or as a means to communicate social and political ideals as with the spirituals and blues songs of African-Americans bemoaning slavery and racism. Since the 1960s, however, music and its lyrical component has become a means by which to understand the zeitgeist of the historical epoch. Music in the 1960s was often directly and overtly political, particularly the songs of American folk musicians like Bob Dylan. It is almost easier to single out songs from the late 1960s that did not have political overtones versus those that did, because there were so many artists who used music to convey political messages. One of the most notable such songs is John Lennon's "Give Peace a Chance." This song…

References

Britton, L.M. (2015). Times they are a changin': Indie's apathy v pops political pursuit. The Guardian. 8 June, 2015. Retrieved online:  http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/jun/08/times-they-are-a-changin-indies-apathy-v-pops-political-pursuit 

Burns, C. (n.d.). Lady Gaga: Performer, persona, and political advocate. Retrieved online:  http://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1195&context=comssp 

Gavish, E. (2009). Music has always been a tuneful force for political change. New York Daily News. 10 Act, 2009. Retrieved online:  http://www.nydailynews.com /entertainment/music-arts/music-tuneful-force-political-change-article-1.381154

Hughes, D. (2013). Hip-hop in politics. ABC News. 14 Feb, 2013. Retrieved online:  http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/OTUS/hip-hop-politics-difference-generation-makes/story?id=18495205

As the vast majority of African-Americans do not know where their ancestors came from, it is difficult to trace one's roots back to the African continent. At the same time, the United States, while certainly the nation that nearly every African-American would consider to be home, has hardly been hospitable to African-Americans throughout history. Even today, nearly a quarter of all African-American families in the United States live below the poverty line.

Nation plays a more prominent role in Hispanic-American communities, as these communities tend to organize themselves around national heritage. For example, the Puerto ican community in the United States is distinct from the Mexican-American community.

It should be kept in mind, however, that both Hispanic-Americans and African-Americans tend to identify their national heritage with the United States of America - despite their troublesome relationship with their home country over the centuries.

Institutional Networks

Institutional networks continue to play…

References

Boddy-Evans, a. (N.D.) the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. Retrieved December 1, 2007 from African History web site:  http://africanhistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa080601a.htm 

Davis, R. (N.D.) Surviving Jim Crow. Retrieved December 1, 2007 from the History of Jim Crow web site: http://www.jimcrowhistory.org/history/surviving.htm

Educational Broadcasting Corporation (2002). The Great Migration. Retrieved December

1, 2007 from African-American World web site:  http://www.pbs.org/wnet/aaworld/reference/articles/great_migration.html

Future ole of the Juvenile Justice System in the United States

Young people are naturally prone to experimentation and impulsive behaviors that frequently result in their involvement with the law enforcement community, and police officers today generally enjoy wide latitude in resolving these incidents. In fact, in some if not most cases, police officers can release young offenders into the custody of their parents or guardians without the further involvement of the criminal justice system. Even when young offenders are arrested, though, the juvenile justice system tends to afford them with more leniency than their adult counterparts, due in part to the view that the role of the juvenile justice system is to rehabilitate rather than punish. These enlightened views of juvenile justice, though, are being replaced with "get-tough-on-crime" approaches in some states, and there remains a paucity of standardized models for states to follow. To gain some fresh insights…

References

Alridge, D.P. (2005, Summer). Introduction: Hip hop in history: Past, present, and future. The Journal of African-American History, 90(3), 190-193.

Black's law dictionary. (1991). St. Paul, MN: West Publishing Co.

Boyd, T. (2002). The new H.N.I.C.: The death of civil rights and the reign of hip hop. New York:

Brookins, G.K. & Hirsch, J.A. (2002, Summer). Innocence lost: Case studies of children in the juvenile justice system. The Journal of Negro Education, 71(3), 205-210.

Blackface Legacy

Influence of Minstrel Shows in Modern Music

Minstrel shows date back to pre-Civil ar times. Since then, the minstrel show, and elements thereof, have been assimilated into modern culture. Despite this assimilation, minstrelsy still conveys themes of racism and continues to propagate negative stereotypes of African-American culture.

Modern minstrel shows continue to be a popular form of entertainment although this entertainment is not necessarily classified, or labeled, as a minstrel show. Historically, minstrel shows' popularity waned at the turn of the century and into the mid-20th century as African-Americans made significant gains in combating racism and other social injustices (Lee). Traditionally, African-Americans were portrayed as "stupid, foolish, overly happy, and ignorant," but through hard work, protests, and advocacy, these perceptions began to change and African-Americans began to be more accepted as a part of society and not as a group outside of it (Lee). Among some of the…

Works Cited

Lee, Caroline. "Minstrel Shows and Their Effect on American Culture." Helium.com. 20 Jan

2008. Web. 5 March 2013.

Rasheed, Shariff. "Is Hip-Hop the New Blackface." 17 Jan 2013. Web. 5 March 2013.