On your free time, what do you do you like to do? On my free time, I love to listen to music. I listen to all types of music, whether it’s Pop, R&B or Hip-Hop. But my favorite artist to listen to is Kendrick Lamar. Kendrick Lamar is an American rapper and songwriter that was born in 1987 and raised in Compton, California. He is signed to the record labels Top Dawg Entertainment and Aftermath, the latter of which was founded by Dr. Dre. I know what you’re probably thinking. Hearing that he is from Compton and that he’s a rapper makes you think that he raps about money, cars and hoes but that isn’t the case. He has been called by many a genius and the most influential person of the new generation. Frankly I agree. …show more content…
Kendrick Lamar had a similar upbringing like any other kid in Compton. He lived in the ghetto streets of Compton and was part of the gang rivalry between the Crips and the Bloods, the most notable gang rivalry in history. But despite growing up in the same environment as the other kids of Compton, he was different. He was a straight A student in Centennial High School and tried to stay away from the streets influences, like alcohol, weed or gang life. How did he stray so much away from every other kid in Compton. What became a defining moment in Kendrick’s life was when he was eight and he got to witness Dr. Dre and Tupac Shakurmake their music video for their song “California Love”. Kendrick got to witness his two idols in front of him and he realized from then on that he would want to become a rapper and make something better of himself. For years to come he would focus on his rap career as well as balancing his life with school and family. He may have hit a few bumps in the road but he would follow in the right path and become the man he is today. Kendrick started his rap career as an independent artist.
In 2004, at the age of 16, he released his own full length mixtape titled “Youngest Head Nigga in Charge”. This release would get the attention of a newly found record label in Carson, California called Top Dawg Entertainment. After signing on, he began recording songs for his next solo project. Along the way the record label hired two new artists, Ab-Soul and Schoolboy Q, and together with Jay Rock, the four of them formed Black Hippy. Over the years he would release his next big mixtape titled “C4”, a tribute to Lil Wayne’s “Tha Carter III”, and he would feature in his fellow Black Hippy members’ own projects. He remained a small artist until the release of his mixtape “Overly Dedicated”, which was highly acclaimed by music reviewers and it would gain the attention of Hip-Hop legends Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre. Kendrick’s career started to take off. In 2011, after high anticipation, Kendrick would release his long awaited debut album titled “Section .80”. The album was a concept album revolving around the 80s babies, talking about the hardships they faced with racism, police brutality and drugs along with the overall message that we have to make a change. The album was acclaimed by music reviews and the hip-hop community in general. After the release Kendrick became better known to the music
industry. After the release of "Section .80", more and more artists like Drake and The Game sought out Kendrick for features on their albums and he began to blow up in the mainstream. One of the more notable people to seek out Kendrick was Dr. Dre, who wanted to sign him to his label Aftermath, the same label that signed 50 Cent, Eminem and The Game. With the help of Dr. Dre and Top Dawg Entertainment, Kendrick released his major label debut "Good Kid, M.a.a.d City" and he became more popular than ever before. Sold out festivals and worldwide tours, Kendrick was on top of the world. The album “Good Kid, M.a.a.d City” and the lead single “Swimming Pools (Drank) became certified platinum and he received seven nominations at the Grammys, which included Best Rap Album and Album of the Year. From the end of 2013 to most of 2014, Kendrick would stay hidden and work on his next big project. He would release his next single titled "i", a hip hop and pop fused song that spread the message of loving oneself. We would then make his boldest move yet. In March of 2015 Kendrick would later release his second major label album "To Pimp a Butterfly", one of the important hip hop release of 2015. The album follows a young black artist becoming famous in America and having to deal with the greed and consequences that come with. The biggest surprise of the album was that it was a poem that Kendrick was reading to Tupac. You heard me right, Tupac! It has great themes of racism, selflessness and self-love and it has been known as one of hip hop's masterpiece and a pantheon of racial movement. He received the second most nominations at the Grammys, with eleven, and some of those nominations included Song of the Year, Album of the Year and Best Rap Album. I love to listen to Kendrick because he makes music that makes you think. Since his debut album “Section .80” to "To Pimp a Butterfly", Kendrick has raised awareness to many about current issues that are happening in the world, like racism, violence and self-hate among the youth. I was exposed to Kendrick's music three years ago when I read a Complex article about him being snubbed from winning the Best Rap Album Grammy. I had heard of Kendrick before when he signed on with Dr. Dre but I never looked too deep into his music. But after hearing about the outrage that Kendrick got robbed, I decided to look into the true story. I found out that the other nominees included big names, like Drake, Jay-Z and Kanye West, but the Grammy went to Macklemore & Ryan Lewis for their album “The Heist”. I remember seeing the main question of all the articles was “Did they win because they were white?” I thought it was ridiculous that people were freaking out over someone’s skin color so I decide to judge both of the albums myself. When I first listened to both of those albums I was on a bus to New York. I had two hours to kill so I spent it listening to music. The first album I listened to was “The Heist” and I wasn’t impressed with it. The album felt like attempt to make radio music, especially “Thrift Shop”. When I put on “Good Kid, M.a.a.d City”, something clicked. From the song “Backseat Freestyle”, which is basically a braggadocios song about getting bitches, to “Sing about Me, I’m Dying of Thirst”, which is about the titular character of the album realizing the reality of Compton, each song helps to tell the story being told and I remember being glued to every lyric of each song. The difference for me between those two albums was that I felt like the album“The Heist” was never going to end because I was getting bored with it. But with Kendrick’s album I was so invested into it that time flew by. From that moment on, I was a big fan of Kendrick. Whenever I listened to his music I would be glued into the story, no matter how many times I heard it. I could envision the story like I was watching a movie and hours felt like minutes when I listened to his music. I went to his earlier work, “Section .80”, and I was blown away by how amazing his thoughts were, like on “HiiiPower” when he talks about conspiracy theories and making a revolution. I was even more blown away when he released “To Pimp a Butterfly”, with incredible songs like “King Kunta”, “The Blacker the Berry” or “Mortal Man”. Anytime I have free time, I will always listen to Kendrick because I feel lost in his music, which I feel like music should always be like.
Every hip-hop/rap generation a lot new fresh upcoming aspiring rappers who wishes to go down in hip-hop culture as one of the greatest. Some of them are merely one hit wonders; others go on to silicify their mark in the Hip-Hop culture becoming great artists. In the year 2006 the hip-hop world was introduced to a future superstar by the named of Lupe Fiasco. Lupe Fiasco has become one of hip-hop fastest rising superstar ever since releasing his first album. Although many listeners find some of his music very controversial, yet Fiasco is one of the few artists whose music teaches people about current events that the world has turned the blind eye to, and Lupe lyrical trickster, story teller.
Kanye Omari West, rapper, producer, professional celebrity, and with an ego to match, has forced himself into the limelight of the music industry. Kanye West has made a lasting impression on all of those around him, whether it be a good one or bad. With seven full length albums, a multimillion record label company, and a successful fashion business all under his belt, it’s fair to say that Kanye has done his fair share of creating. Over the last twelve years Kanye went from a young Chicago kid just trying to get his flows off, to one of the most decorated musicians of all time. With over 20 Grammy’s and 3 of his albums ending up on the Rolling stones “500 greatest albums of all time”. He has continuously created, entertained, and spoken his mind for years. Whether it be “George Bush does not care about black people” or “Taylor imma let you finish, but Beyoncé had
On a lighter note, he explains his inspirations for his dream of making music in the song ‘Juicy.’ Biggie’s writing went in depth to show his audience where he came from and to also inspire other artists working their way up in the music industry. Lastly, Kendrick Lamar’s piece Good Kid m.A.A.d City is a coming of age story from the perspective of teenage Kendrick living in Compton, California. This album shows the dark side of Kendrick’s life, as well as his lighter moments of aspiration. There are vivid depictions of violence that he endured as a teen, as well as the influence of money and power.
Rapping was a key component as Pitbull grew up and he drew his creativity from popular rappers like Nas and Big Pun. His first big musical break was with the popular movie series “2 Fast 2 Furious” where his song “Oye” was the theme song of the entire movie. This achievement was extremely important to Pitbull’s future rapping career because many people watched this movie series and by having this song be the theme it instantly gained him fame. From this movie he signed on with TVT records and made his first album called M.I.A.M.I. In the years following this album release, Pitbull made three more albums all of which were very successful. Pitbull became a prominent rapper and this career lead to many other accomplishments that were to come.
Tupac’s first big break came when he joined the group Digital Underground as a dancer and roadie. During that time, Tupac spent a lot of the time composing his own poetry and lyrics to launch his own career. In 1991 he signed with Interscope records and a year later he released his first album 2Pacalypse Now, which immediately landed him
Kanye Omari West, an icon of hip-hop, pop culture, fashion and music in general. Kanye Omari West, a person belittled against and a person subjected to a life of racism and hate. Born on June 8th, 1977, Donda West, West’s mother, always knew he was destined for greatness, but did she know her son would turn out to be the Kanye West, a man lacking the respect he deserves for transforming a big part of the music we listen to on this very day? West came onto the scene in the late nineties but didn’t release The College Dropout until 2004, an album that took everybody by surprise. Kanye West changed the gangster filled rap genre by releasing his positive, soulful debut album, changing the way rappers dress, and paving the way for a whole new style of introspective lyrics and soul-inspired rap production in the mainstream.
He may just seem like another rapper to you but if you actually listen to his lyrics you can see he’s not like any rapper out there. His name is Kanye West and he was born in Chicago Illinois. He grew up in the “ghetto” and learned to appreciate life. He didn’t learn to really, truly appreciate life until October of 2002. Driving back to his hotel late one night after a recording session, the new-coming rap/hip-hop artist was involved in a devastating, near fatal car accident. The crash left him with a broken jaw in three places and an appreciation for life. Just weeks after being released from the hospital he recorded his first major hit, “Through the Wire,” with his mouth still wired shut. He records every song like its going to be his last song and that makes every song better than the last. He’s not only a rap artist but also a producer. He has been responsible for being behind songs like Jay-Z’s Izzo, Girls, Girls, Girls, The Takeover, and 03 Bonnie and Clyde.
“Iguodala to Curry, back to Iguodala, up for the layup! Oh! Blocked by James! LeBron James with the rejection!” These were the words spoken by ESPN’s Mike Breen during Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals, describing one of the best defensive plays in NBA history. Hello, I am Steven Lai, and we are here today to celebrate LeBron James. We celebrate him because he is one of the greatest basketball players on the court and off the court. As a huge LeBron fan, I can tell you all why we are here to celebrate him. To celebrate LeBron James, I will talk about his accomplishments in the NBA, his social activism, and his charitable acts.
Dr. Dre (b. Andre Young, February 18, 1965) became involved in hip-hop during the early '80s, performing at house parties and clubs with the World Class Wreckin' Cru around South Central Los Angeles, and making a handful of recordings along the way. In 1986, he met Ice Cube, and the two rappers began writing songs for Ruthless Records, a label started by former drug pusher Eazy-E. Eazy tried to give one of the duo's songs, & quot;Boyz N the Hood," to HBO, a group signed to Ruthless. When the group refused, Eazy formed N.W.A. -- an acronym for Niggaz With Attitude -- with Dre and Cube, releasing their first album in 1987. A year later, N.W.A. delivered Straight Outta Compton, a vicious hardcore record that became an underground hit with virtually no support from radio, the press or MTV.
"After some time Tupac released his own album "2Pacalypse Now", which was a success. His career skyrocketed; he became tight with main pawns in the rapping industry. Tupac signed to Deathrow Labels and released songs and albums with them."
As a result from extreme hard work and perseverance followed by an unmatchable drive to succeed, Donald J. Trump has earned the right to be known as a multi-billionaire, real estate icon, and President of the United States of America. Reflecting on his life, he has faced many challenges and overcame them all. To understand how he rose to success and his journey to the top of the kingpin, it is important to recognize how he saw the american dream and pursued it. Today, many recognize him as the president but very few can fully grasp all that he has done in his life. From his start as a real estate mogul, to his impact on media, there are many questions as to how he became so recognizable today.
Kanye West has been an icon in American hip-hop culture for over a decade. His music, fashion line, producing skills, and flamboyant personality has influenced many people for generations to come. Coming out of Chicago, many people in the music industry didn't even think Kanye had a chance to become a figure in hip-hop, but his hard work and persistence paid off. Kanye started off his music career as a producer. He produced music for the likes of major artists such as Common and Jay-Z. His first major breakthrough came from producing Jay-Z’s “The Blueprint”— which is certified 2x platinum. Kanye believed he could be a successful rapper as well, but music executives didn't believe he had it in him. That all changed when Roc-A-Fella records signed Kanye to their label, and gave him a chance to shine as a rapper. Kanye’s background, critical analysis, and importance all shows that he has become one of the most important characters in American hip-hop culture to this day.
Accommodating for lost time can be a struggle, however education is the perfect key to allow a human a better diagram for survival in this world. Mortal Man is full of the reality that is blinded to society, because they have been confused by the experience of the struggle. Comparing two poems written within the song titled Mortal Man by the rap artist/ poet, Kendrick Lamar, provides an opportunity to engage in the Burkean Parlor; discussing the experience of the struggle and the proper way to survive through it. There is credibility of the struggle without mistakes of not knowing how to deal with the initial interaction; mistakes do not always lead to success; it is just an excuse to repeat history. Kendrick Lamar’s work provides evidence
Hip hop culture has been around since the 1970s. Multiple sources all come down to the South Bronx in New York City, as the origin of hip hop culture. The culture began to take its shape within the African American, Afro-Caribbean, and Latino communities. The father of the start of this culture was a Jamaican-born DJ named Clive Campbell but also known as DJ Kool Herc. He brought forth a new sound system and the Jamaican style of “toasting.” Toasting was when Jamaicans would talk or rap over the music they played. This whole new style soon brought what is now known as DJs, B-Boys, MC’s, and graffiti artists (Kaminski).
After his 1991 graduation from Harvard Law School, Obama taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School from 1992 to 2004.