Rap Music - a Soundtrack of Revolution
Soundtrack of Revolution for the Generations of Rap Artists Since 1980s

Hip hop is a culture that encompasses a vast corporation of artistic forms, which originated from marginalized subcultures within the South ronx in New York City during the 1970s. This culture encloses four distinct elements, representing diverse manifestations of its founding reasons: the rap music (oral), disc jockey (turntablism), graffiti art (visual), and break-dancing (physical). Regardless of their controversial forms of execution, these artists find a general unity within their association's manifestations of poverty, violence, and racism underlying the historical context of their cultural origin. This association served to provide reactionary outlets from the urbanization hardships which it underwent.

The cultural origin of hip hop stems from a chunk of parties of the Ghetto rothers who would plug amps for their musical instruments and speakers into lampposts at Prospect Avenue and 163rd Street. Similarly, DJ…...

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Bibliography

Brewster, Bill and Frank, Broughton. Last Night a DJ Saved My Life: The History of the Disc

Jockey. New York, NY: Grove Press, August 2000.

Chris, Dickinson. 3-CD Set Chronicles History of Rap. Everyday Magazine, January 4, 1998, 3.

Fernando, Shem. The New Beats. New York, NY: Anchor Books Doubleday, 1994.

Rap Music and Society
Rap Music currently enjoys a status of mouthpiece for society's rebels. In fact, since the music of Elvis, various forms of music have pushed the boundaries of acceptability and decency in culture. According to some critics, rap has done this to an extent that cannot be condoned in terms of social norms. elow a short historical overview of this music genre is examined, followed by a consideration of its significance for society. While it is true that some rap artists have broken rules and norms not only in their music, but also in their lifestyles, and sometimes to an extreme extent, it is also true that other rap musicians attempt to use their art for social upliftment.

Historical Overview of Rap Music

During the 1920s, urban street jive was a form of speech developed in Chicag0, Ill. (Current Events). According to some historians, this is the tradition at the…...

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Bibliography

Current Events. "Getting a Bad Rap?(offensive lyrics in rap music)." Feb 2, 2002. Weekly Reader Corp., 2001.

Ehrlich, Dimitri. "Blazing the other way. (interview with members of the rap music group A Tribe Called Quest)." Interview, August 1998. Brant Publications, Inc., 1998.

Fields, Suzanne. "Bad Raps: Music Rebels Revel in Their Thug Life." Insight on the News, May 21, 2001. News World Communications, Inc., 2001.

Rapmusic.com - News. "More Than One in Five Surfers Download Music." May 8, 2003. New York: 800 Media, Inc., 1998-2002.

The first is a test that is spelled out in Electric v. Public Service Commission which states that 'commercial speech obtains a lesser degree of protection from the First Amendment than that of "pure' or 'core' speech. The second of the tests was established in the 1969 randenberg v Ohio case involving a Ku Klux Klan leader who was found guilty of advocation of violence and a crime syndicate and on appeal to the Supreme Court the conviction was overruled when the court stated that:
It was held that the constitutional guaranties of free speech and free press did not permit a state to forbid or proscribe advocacy of the use of force or of law violation, except where such advocacy is (a) directed to inciting or producing imminent lawless action, and (b) was likely to incite or produce such action."

Another case cited in this article is McCollom Records, Inc.…...

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Bibliography

Sullivan, Rachel E. (2003) "Rap and Race: It's Got a Nice Beat, but What about the Message?" Journal of Black Studies, Vo.l 33 No. 5 605-622 (2003)[Online] located at: Connecticut{http://jbs.sagepub.com/cgi/content/refs/33/5/605

Best, Steven & Kellner, Doug (1999) "Rap, Black Rage and Racial Difference:" Enculturation, Vo. 2, No. 2 Spring 1999 [Online] located at http://enculturation.gmu.edu/2_2/best-kellner.html

Bartleby Online Dictionary (2004) Def. "Gangster Rap" [Online] located at  http://www.bartleby.com/61/66/G0036675.html 

Freeman, Lauren (2000) MC Timz Editorial Con: "Rap does more harm than good" Michigan Chronicle 11.21.2000

Rap Music: The Result of Violence
Rap music is a phenomenon that is unparalleled in America, at no other time has a music form risen in such a way and gripped a nation as fully. While, rap music has its roots in the ghettos of the U.S.A. And black culture, it is now a full scale industry that caters to the disenfranchised youth of America and bridges all gaps of culture and social level. Indeed, one of the currently most famous rappers, and relevant to this topic, is white, as are most of the current buyers and listeners to rap music. Violence and rap music are interwoven in such a way that it is impossible to completely untwine them but looking at the cause and results of violence is a different topic that needs going into as it has far reaching implications, including the government control of the music industry. Parental…...

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Bibliography

Villani, Susan. "Impact of Media on Children and Adolescents: A 10-year review of the research," Publication: Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, April 1, 2001.

The National Media Violence Study, Federman, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1995 "Preventing and Producing Violence: A Critical Analysis of Responses to School Violence." Harvard Educational Review.

Bayles, Martha. Hole In Our Soul: The Loss of Beauty and Meaning in American Popular Music, by, New York: The Free Press, 1996.

Doherty, Brian. Listen up! Eminem gives a voice to his generation, February 18, 2001, issue of the Detroit News

Music
Few popular music stars today are as colorful as Lady Gaga. Recently on tour, Lady Gaga is again making the headlines. In South Africa, a group of churches has been organizing protests against Lady Gaga's performances, and even just her presence, in the country. Among other complaints, the South African Council of Churches claims Lady Gaga's visit "could lead to an exponential growth of Satanism," (Engelbrecht, p. 1). For others, Lady Gaga is a welcome presence in the popular culture because she spreads the message of gender equality and positive gender "performativity," (Horn, p. 1). Lady Gaga is like a female "drag queen" and therefore sends a good message about tolerance of gender and sexual identities. Finally, Lady Gaga exemplifies the way social media can be used to promote popular culture and allow for greater fan interactions and control over content. Given that Lady Gaga is associated with Satanism, gender,…...

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Works Cited

Engelbrecht, David. "Council of Churches Still Anti-Gaga." Channel 24. Retrieved online:  http://www.channel24.co.za/Music/News/Council-of-Churches-still-anti-Gaga-20121129 

Hampp, Andrew. "Gaga, Oooh Lala: Why the Lady Is the Ultimate Social Climber." Advertising Age. 22 Feb, 2010. Retrieved online:  http://vandymkting.typepad.com/files/2010-2-22-adage-gaga-oooh-la-la-why-the-lady-is-the-ultimate-social-climber.pdf 

Horn, Katrin. "Camping with the Stars: Queer Perfomativity, Pop Intertextuality, and Camp in the Pop Art of Lady Gaga." Current Ojbectives of Postgraduate American Studies. Vol. 11. Retrieved online:  http://copas.uni-regensburg.de/article/view/131/155

Today many mainstream popular artists have Rhythm and Blues influences. In addition some artists fluctuate between signing R&B and pop music. Although there are often distinctions made between the two genres R&B is definitely a type of popular music that has been greatly influenced by all of the above Genres.
Rap music or hip hop is also a prime example of the influence of African-American Music on popular music. Rap music actually comes from the ancient art form of poetry. The original intent for rap was to tell a story -- provide a narrative. ithin the context of African-American folk tradition storytelling is extremely important -- the griot is important. Griots are the keepers of the oral traditions -- the storytellers. According to Powell (1991) "To the accompaniment of drums or other percussive instruments, griots entertain and educate their audiences by reciting tribal history and current events. Their performances are…...

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Works Cited

Powell, CT. (1991) Rap Music: An Education with a Beat from the Street

The Journal of Negro Education, Vol. 60, No. 3,

Progler., J.A.(1995) Searching for Swing: Participatory Discrepancies in the Jazz Rhythm

Section Ethnomusicology, Vol. 39, No. 1,, pp. 21-54

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…...

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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.

Music on Teens Actions
In the past 40 years all kinds of music has turned out to be more and more overt predominantly towards the negative side like sex, drugs, aggression and violence. Lately two of the genres which have caught great attention is hard rock music and rap music. In most of the cases, the lyrics of the music are made in such a way that they induce negativity in the developing minds of the teenagers. This negativity is reflected in their actions in the form of drug abuse, aggression, violence, sex and rebellious actions towards parents, family, family and society in general. This kind of negative music is a major concern these days because it poses mental and physical threat to the teens of today. Some of the other alarming effects of such music are pregnancy, STDs, accidents, killing and this has resulted to be the normal lifestyle…...

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Works Cited

Burns, Kate. The American Teenager: Examining Pop Culture. Annotated Edition. Publisher Greenhaven Press, 2003. ISBN 0737714670, 9780737714678, pg 150-189.

Connell, J., and C. Gibson. Sound tracks: Popular music, identity and place. London: Routledge. Pg 145-147. 2003.

Hawkins, S. Settling the pop score: Pop texts & identity politics. Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing. Pg 121. 2002.

Martino, S.C., Collins, R.L., Elliott, M.N., Strachman, A., Kanouse, D.E., & Berry, S.H. Exposure to degrading vs. non-degrading music lyrics and sexual behavior among youth. Pediatrics, 2006, 118, 430 -- 444.

Music on Brain and Emotions
The Effect of Music on the Brain and Emotions

The study of human's mental state on subjection to music has been a research subject to many with interest. Over the past decade, interconnection between human's physical and mental strength and music has been subject to research with a number of positive outcomes. These research endeavors suggest that music exhibits the healing power in certain elements, in a human's life. A sample of music with the best or strongest healing power is the Indian music. What music does is that it injects a calming effect into a human's mind. This speeds recovery-time of certain health ailments. Music positively effects the human's hormone system allowing easy brain concentration and information assimilation (Adalarasu, K.K. et al., 2011). This means that music boosts the learning process thereby augmenting cognitive skills. This paper outlines a brief overview of the various ways…...

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References

Adalarasu, K.K., Jagannath, M.M., Naidu Keerthiga Ramesh, S.S., & Geethanjali, B.B. (2011). A Review on Influence of Music on Brain Activity Using Signal Processing and Imaging System. International Journal of Engineering Science & Technology, 3(4), 3276-3282.

Figueiredo P, Pereira CS, Castro SL, Teixeira J, Figueiredo P, Xavier J, et al. (2011). Music and Emotions in the Brain: Familiarity Matters. PLoS ONE 6(11): e27241. Doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0027241]

Koelsch, S. (2009). A Neuroscientific Perspective on Music Therapy. Annals Of The New York Academy Of Sciences, 1169374-384. doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.2009.04592.x

music of the Twentieth entury. Specifically, it will compare music of the Twentieth entury to the music of a previous period, and include information about the significance of composers in society, the role of music in the societal landscape, and the evolution of musical forms through the centuries.
Twentieth entury music embodies so many different forms and types that it is difficult to lump it together under one heading. In the United States, the Twentieth entury brought music listeners everything from Gershwin to rap and blues to headbanging. Just as America is a rich cultural melting pot, her music is just as rich and varied, and this is nowhere more evident than in the Twentieth entury.

At the turn of the Twentieth entury, most of America listened to opera and classical music - much of it from some of Europe's most famous composers of the previous centuries, such as Bach, Beethoven,…...

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Composers have always been revered by society, and the part they play in the social fabric of a time is incredibly significant. The music of Copland and Gershwin embodies an age in American culture, just as the music of Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman embodies another time and place. Good composers can "feel" the time and place, and create music that embodies the spirit of the country and the people. This was never more evident than after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, when people suddenly wanted to hear patriotic melodies, and several composers complied by writing touching tributes to America and the victims of the attacks. Composers have always created music that spoke of the people and the times, and as such, they are mirrors of society, and change in society. Jazz came about because the lifestyle of the people was changing, and they needed music that reflected these changes. Rap came about for the same reason, and so did rock and roll. All of these forms of music came about at the right time. Composers recognized the societal changes, and were not afraid to change with them.

Music can touch a place in a person's soul, and this is another reason composers who can feel what the people are feeling are so important. Music is woven into the fabric of our lives. We marry to special music, are buried with special music, and remember certain music of the past by the memories it evokes. Music, and the people who write it, are a vital part of society at every level, and at every stage in a person's life. We tend to look back at the music of our youth with fondness, which is one reason music of the past can sometimes resurge, such as the current cult popularity of swing bands, such as Big Bad Voo Doo Daddies, Manhattan Transfer, and the Brian Setzer Orchestra.

In conclusion, music has always evolved and changed how we listen to it. One critic said, "Reviewing the popular music of the twentieth century as a whole, most people would probably agree that some of it is excellent, some unbearable, and most of it very indifferent" (Van der Merwe 3). This continues to be the case.

Music
Misconception is a false belief system; an erroneous cognitive construct that leads to a dysfunctional worldview and potentially destructive behavior. In possession of a misconception, a person develops a warped sense of identity and a distorted vision of reality. The media is especially brilliant at crafting stories that create misconceptions in the minds of the public and its consumer sheep, simply by creating a legend or a myth that influences consumer behavior and social norms.

Music can be a media tool to create the misconceptions that shape American social norms and consumer behavior. Most music has the potential to uplift, inspire, and enliven our community; yet some forms of music are having the exact opposite effect, and that negative impact is felt most by young and impressionable consumers. The negative impact can be referred to as misconception. ith regards to music, the wrong types of music can leave deep and lasting…...

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Works Cited

Crouch, Stanley. "Taking Back the Music." Social Responsibility.

Ferrell, Monique. "Go Brooklyn!" Lead, Follow, or Move Out of the Way

Giovacchini, Anthony M. "The Negative Influence of Gangster Rap and What Can be Done about It." Ethics of Development in a Global Environment. Retrieved online:  http://www.stanford.edu/class/e297c/poverty_prejudice/mediarace/negative.htm

Music eport
Archaeological finds show that prehistoric man had already played music. Music and dance are the humans' most natural and original forms of expression. Berendt said of modern generations: "Nada brahma - all is sound," in nature. Stones, bones, pieces of wood, hollow vessels and cups make sounds when pushed, beaten or rubbed together. Stretched hides bang, the buzz of the arrow whizzing off the bow can be imitated with fingers and the murmuring, roaring and whistling of the wind can be caught in reeds, bone pipes or hollow branches.

Today, numerous types of different forms of music are played across the world. Because humans are so diverse, it comes as no surprise that people like different types of music. For example, there are many adults, many of them older, who do not particularly appreciate hip hop and rap. Part of this has to do with the slang language, which can…...

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References Cited

Berendt, J.E. Nada Brahma. The world is sound. Rowohlt, Reinbek,1983.

Christenson, P.G. And Roberts, D.F. It's Not Only Rock & Roll: Popular Music in the Lives of Adolescents. New Jersey: Hampton Press, 1998.

Freidan, Gregory. "A Response to Professor Taruskin." New York Times, December, 2001.

Liske, Kenneth L. "A Statement of Educational Philosophy and Professional Purpose." University of Wisconsin. 11 May, 2005.

Since the valuation of a God had been essentially devaluated, what was to be the source of revaluation in the modern world? No answer could satisfy Ives, for his society saw no return to the societal standards and beliefs of the age of Bach, which gave explicit valuation to all things, especially music -- as seen in Bach's mastering of counterpoint. Schoenberg's inverted counterpoint is the antithesis of that old world Germanic culture -- and it is no surprise that Schoenberg settled in America -- all things being equal, and, in a sense, equally meaningless.
In conclusion, what was once considered light and understood, orthodox, hierarchical, and whole -- in terms of both estern culture and estern classical music in the time of Bach -- had, by the time of Ives and Schoenberg, drifted into a kind of relativistic self-importance/self-worthlessness that had no moorings whatsoever. Notes and attitudes shifted without…...

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Works Cited

Barker, Dan. "Brahms the Freethinker." Works Without Faith. 17 May 2007. Web. 25

March 2011.

Heiner, Stephen. Interview with Bp. Williamson. 1 October 2006. Web. 25 March

2011.

Because of the enormous popularity of Snoop Doggy Dogg's "Gin and Juice" single, the proposed video will be based on a similarly styled rhythm and blues-based hip-hop song entitled "The Power of Youth." Thematically, "The Power of Youth" will not resemble "Gin and Juice," but the overall rhythm and style will. Vocals will include a choral background and familiar song structure that will grab young listeners and include all demographics. Instead of gangsta rap lyrics, the lyrics of "The Power of Youth" will concentrate on life on the streets, poverty, gender inequity, and other issues relevant in the upcoming election.

Visuals used in the music video will parallel the lyrics and theme. Instead of scantily clad ladies, ordinary women will be featured to promote Barack Obama as president. Skillful editing will interject footage of Barack Obama working in Chicago with disenfranchised African-Americans into the music video. Revealing the roots of income…...

Even the lyrics, which nonetheless maintain the same kind of bubblegum-angst present in nearly any widely successful "alternative" band, manage to surprise simply by the fact that the band seems to have gained a wider vocabulary, both in terms of individual words and the metaphors used. Put another way, burning "like the fire of a thousand suns" is simply a more enjoyable image than "one step closer to the edge / and I'm about to break," even if both convey generally the same theme within either song.
Following the release of A Thousand Suns, Linkin Park has, as it did previously, focused on charity work alongside the writing of the next album a promotional tour. Most recently, the band has played benefit concerts for victims of the earthquake, tsunami, and subsequent nuclear fallout which hit Japan earlier this year, with the first being in Los Angeles alongside the band B'z,…...

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Works Cited

Anonymous. "Linkin Park Awards."AceShowBiz. AceShowBiz.com, 2011. Web. 23 Sep 2011.

.

Anonymous. "B'z, Linkin Park rock fans in Los Angeles to aid disaster-hit Japan." Mainichi

Daily News 01 Sep 2011. Web.