Changing Themes in the Art of Rap

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It is a day in the summer of 1974 on the block of 1520 Sedgwick Avenue, Bronx, NY. The grass is blazing, the air is fresh, and the kids are shrieking with joy. This is where it happened. DJ Kool Herc popped in his new record playing smooth rhythms of jazz and blues with the integration of Jamaican sound creating a new genre that would soon sweep the nation. He called it Hip-Hop. Some would call it “black noise”, but to urban African Americans it was music they could own; music they could learn to appreciate and adore. As they faced afflictions like racism, oppression, drugs, and much more, they used this new found hip- hop to express their thoughts and feelings. Today, we try to understand where this passion and substance in rap has escaped; if it was left to wither in the blazing grass, or blow away in the fresh air. Today, we try to understand what is hip hop, and why it’s becoming the “black noise” we once denied it to be. Ever since rap officially emerged in the 1970s, critics had a negative reaction; even when rap had meaning and substance and consisted of people telling their stories. Now that rap has become more contemptuous, critics have began to question what rap is really about. It is clear themes have changed: But at what point? And how? Furthermore, how has this impacted blacks and their image, who dominate the rap industry. Conclusively, while themes in mid 20th century rap have been known to revolve around aspects like politics and unity, currently rap has underwent a dramatic change now producing themes that promote violence, among many other things, and has ultimately painted a negative image of African Americans. Even before the party in the Bronx rap music made a mark. Some say it originated in Jamaican under th... ... middle of paper ... ...mages of Violence in Rap Music Lyrics: 1979-1997” Journal of Public Health Policy, Vol. 30, No. 4 (Dec., 2009), pp. 395-406 J. Cole. Runaway. Roc Nation, 2013. MP3. Keef, Chief. 3hunna. Interscope Records, 2012. MP3. Nicki MInaj. Super Bass. Young Money Cash Money Entertainment, 2010. MP3. Public Enemy. Fight the Power. Motown Records, 1989. MP3. Queen Latifah. U.N.I.T.Y. Motown Records, 1993. MP3. Salaam, Mtume ya. “The Aesthetics of Rap” African American Review, Vol. 29, No. 2, Special Issues on The Music (Summer, 1995), pp. 303-315 Shakur, Tupac. Keep Ya Head Up. Interscope Records, 1993. MP3. Smith, S. L. (2005). From Dr. Dre to dismissed: Assessing violence, sex, and substance use on MTV. Critical Studies in Media Communication, 22, 89–98. Wood, Joann. "Rap Music." Nova Online. C.T. Evans and J. Wood., Apr. 2004. Web. 3 May 2014.

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