Verified Document

Hip-Hop Theory, Culture The Central Essay

The unique sounds of rap music challenged the American listening public by shifting away from rock song structures and instrumentation. Sampling songs and scratch became some of the signature effect of DJs, who provided the music over which rappers would speak their poetry. The fact that rapping is generally unmelodic and set over percussive-forward music ensured that hip-hop remained an underground music. Break beats offered a novel approach to musical expression. The lecture notes discuss the supremacy of the DJ within hip-hop, which is why one DJ could pair up with multiple rappers. The lecture notes outline the pivotal moments that pushed hip-hop into the mainstream. The "internal growing pains" referred to in the lecture also lends insight into how hip-hop has never been monolithic. Artistic diversity has ensured that the genre thrives and grows. The lecture also addresses the different styles and sounds that hip-hop assumed when...

California hip-hop has made an especially strong stamp on the industry.
The "Golden Era" of rap incorporated powerful social and political commentary. Much of that commentary derived from the Civil Rights movement and its iconic leaders. Some hip-hop reflects Black Nationalism and the struggle of the oppressed over institutionalized racism. Other commentary was more squarely directed at violence, drugs, gangs, and other realities of street life. Although men dominated the rap scene, prominent female rappers introduced gender consciousness and feminist issues. Hip-hop offered a legitimate and powerful means for oppressed groups to subvert traditional means of acquiring financial and cultural capital. For example, the quote from H. Rap Brown is about how hip-hop legitimized African-American street culture. Hip-hop cannot be studied out of its social and political contexts.

Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Hip Hop Culture in Saudi
Words: 4627 Length: 15 Document Type: Research Paper

Saudi Arabia is known as the home to the hip hop group, Dark2Men, who competed in MTV Arabia's Hip Hop Na reality show. Break dancing has also become popular as a pastime in the region. Though the exact music distribution and sales numbers are difficult to establish, there is huge listenership especially in satellite TV and radio Gana 45() Hip hop culture in the U.S. Hip hop has been a part

Hip Hop and Ethnicity
Words: 1264 Length: 4 Document Type: Term Paper

Gangster Rap Responds to Police Brutality Gangster Rap Speaking Out Against Police Brutality Art often reflects life. When life creates situations that are dire, the art projected from that experience echoes that sense of urgency for change. In today's modern existence, the values of various subcultures do not always correlate with that of the dominate culture. This can often result in a clash of cultures, where minority groups are left to deal

Theories Tactics Methods and Techniques
Words: 24173 Length: 76 Document Type: Term Paper

EDSE 600: History and Philosophy of Education / / 3.0 credits The class entitled, History and Philosophy of Education, focused on the origin of education and the "philosophical influences of modern educational theory and practice. Study of: philosophical developments in the Renaissance, Reformation, and revolutionary periods; social, cultural and ideological forces which have shaped educational policies in the United States; current debates on meeting the wide range of educational and social-emotional

John Dewey and Education Theory
Words: 3330 Length: 10 Document Type: Term Paper

How many value-added units is the teacher-scholar producing?" and, Van Luchene continues, "Lip service is paid to educational considerations beyond quantitative measures... [and because of that] we stand to lose the vitality of our educational system. To boot, we may also lose our democratic form of government, depending as it does on education to foster deliberation, judgment, imagination..." Meantime, Van Luchene stresses that Dewey's writing "provides a refreshing antidote..." To

Free How the Criminal Justice System Is
Words: 2325 Length: 7 Document Type: Essay

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

Sociological Theories Sociology of Gender
Words: 1087 Length: 4 Document Type: Term Paper

Sociology and Feminist Theories on Gender Studies Postmodern Feminism in "Cherrie Moraga and Chicana Lesbianism" In the article entitled, "Cherrie Moraga and Chicana Lesbianism," author Tomas Almaguer analyzes and studies the dynamics behind Moraga's feminist reading of the Chicano culture and society that she originated from. In the article, Almaguer focuses on three elements that influenced Moraga's social reality as she was growing up: the powerful effect of the Chicano culture, patriarchal

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now