The Wu-Tang Clan were a group of nine members which included cousins and forefathers Robert Diggs (RZA) and Gary Grice (GZA), and close friends Dennis Cole (Ghostface Killah), Clifford Smith (Method Man), Russell Jones (Ol’ Dirty Bastard), Corey Woods (Raekwon), Lamont Hawkins (U-God), Jason Hunter (Inspectah Deck), and Jamal Turner (Masta Killah). They were rooted in the housing projects of Staten Island, New York, or better referred to as Shaolin in Wu lore, during the time that break dancing and MC battles were becoming popular. Like many rappers in that era, the Wu- Tang Clan strived to portray their everyday struggle in the hood. They wrote lyrics that depicted the violence they were raised with in both the streets and in their own households. …show more content…
The group was completely truthful, and unlike most growing rappers, stuck to the old school way of using their music to not only be a source of relatability, but also to shed light on the horrendous treatment they encountered, and the non caring attitude of those who are supposed to protect and serve. The Wu Tang Clan proved to be one of the most revolutionary rap group during the mid 1990s not only for their music, but also for turning the common perception of a hip hop crew. They produced success through the Intelligence of their producer and Co Vocalist, and the decisions he made. Popularity, in order to gain fame, a rapper must release multiple back to back albums in order to keep a consistent fan base. Instead, the group decided to take over the record industry in a profitable fashion by establishing themselves as a force with their debut album and then spin it off into as many side projects as possible. In the process, the members would all become individual stars as well as receive individual royalty checks. RZA is the Wu-Tang Clan’s chief producer, and the creative mind behind all of the success.
He first surfaced in the rap game during the early '90s as a member of the rap group All In Together Now, a group from Staten Island, New York which also contained fellow Wu-Tang members such as GZA, or better nicknamed Genius for his creative lyrics, and Ol' Dirty Bastard. In 1987, after meeting the two future members of the group, RZA purchased a 4-track recorder and began working as a producer. Following his participation in All In Together Now, he signed to the famous rap label Tommy Boy under the name Prince Rakeem where he issued his first Extended Play Ooh We Love You Rakeem in 1991; a video was later released, and sent to popular music television stations. After his deal with Tommy Boy, RZA formed the Wu-Tang Clan together with fellow members Ol Dirty Bastard & GZA. In 1992, after RZA was on trial for attempted murder and later acquitted on the grounds of self defense, the group released an underground hit Protect Ya Neck which gained them attention from many record labels. They eventually were able to sign with Steve Rifkind’s Loud Records, where they were given a deal that gave the group members creative control and the freedom to negotiate solo projects with other
labels. In 1993 after meeting the remaining members of the group (Method Man, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, U-God, Inspectah Deck, and Masta Killah), Loud Records released Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). The album in itself was a ghetto narrative filled with martial-arts and cryptic instrumentation which charted on the Billboard 200s, #41 in pop and #8 in R&B. In 1994, the releasing of the single "C.R.E.A.M." put the group over the top, and won them a solid fan base. The success of this single gave five members of the group, GZA, RZA, Raekwon, Method man, and Ol’ Dirty Bastard the opportunity to land solo contracts. The group also maintained a steady airplay on BET because of their illustrated mystic philosophies on their video for the song “Da Mystery of Chessboxin’. This video illustrated hooded swordsmen in black and white masks dueling on a giant chessboard. The video depicted the groups attitudes towards a “changed” America, and how racism still exists with the two races in a constant battle. In 1994, Method Man's Tical and 1998 equally successful Tical 2000: Judgement Day, began a series of solo projects. Raekwon, Ol' Dirty Bastard, GZA, Ghostface Killah, RZA, Inspectah Deck, and U-God's singles, which were mostly produced or co-produced by RZA, also achieved both commercial and critical acclaim. They all charted relatively high on the Billboard 100s.
Public Enemy’s members came together at Adelphi University on Long Island, New York in 1982 (Simon & Schuster, 2001). Public Enemy is one of the most influential and controversial rap groups in the America during the late 1980’s and the early 1990’s. Public Enemy members are Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Professor Griff, and his S1W group, DJ Lord, and music director Khari Wynn. There are two vocalists, drum performers, guitarists and scratchers. Public Enemy consists of...
In the middle and late part of the nineteenth century, the West was a harsh and dangerous place to live. Bar fights and murders were being committed in every town. This was acceptable behavior however in those days. Men settled their problems face-to-face, and normally, the slower man ended up dead. Gunfighting in the West was started and carried on by a group of men known as the Clanton Gang. Old Man Clanton was the leader and founder of gunfighting, his sons carried some of his fights and continued with their own fights, and his last surviving son parted with gunfighting and started his own successful business.
Our team presentation focused on three Latino gangs, MS-13 (Mara Salvatrucha), the Mexican Mafia and the Los Surenos gang. My part of the presentation was to provide information on the type of crime these three gangs are known to commit. The crimes committed by the MS-13 gang are varied, violent, and take place all over the country. The FBI even put together a task force called the MS-13 National Gang Task Force in December of 2004 to try to put a stop to this gang’s activities. (www.fbi.gov). Los Surenos or Sur-13, originally based in Los Angeles, has also branched out from turf wars with rival gangs to “for profit”, violent crimes across the country. The Mexican Mafia has a similar story to tell as well in regards to gang crimes, which again range from respect crimes, and retaliatory violence to crimes for profit.
In the 1960's another group was being formed to rival the Black P-Stone Nation. The Black Gangster Disciple Nation was started by a man named David Barksdale. The Black Gangster Disciple Nation {BGDN} fought bloody wars ont he Chicago south side over turf and drug sales. King David Barksdale was assassinated in 1974. As a symbol of honor and remembrance the six-pointed Jewish star {Star of David} was adopted by the BGDN as well as crossed pitchforks pointing up. Following Barksdale's death, the leadership of the Black Gangster Disciple Nation was taken over by two men; King Larry Hoover and King Jerome 'Shorty' Freeman. They divided the Gangster Nation into the Black Gangster Disciples, led by King Larry Hoover, and the Black Gangsters, led by 'Shorty' Freeman. Both of these men were soon incarcerated but continued to run their groups from inside the penal system.
The Crips, originating in Los Angeles, California, are one of the oldest, largest, and most notorious gangs in the United States. They have been involved in murders, robberies and drug dealing in the Los Angeles area. The Crips are mostly identified by the blue color worn by their members. What was once a single gang is now a loose network of "franchises" around the United States. The gang primarily (but not exclusively) comprises African Americans. The Crips have an intense rivalry with the Bloods and are also known to feud with Chicano gangs.
Tupac Amaru Shakur was an African-American rapper, poet, and record producer during the 1990’s. In his adolescent years, he attended the Baltimore School for the Arts where he took acting and dance classes, like ballet. He was taught radical politics by his mother, which helped him develop ideas about topics he would later use in his many works. At an early age, Tupac had seen the injustices of the real world. His mother was a former Black Panther activist who turned to substance abuse during Tupac’s childhood. Aside from that, he and his mother also moved many times while they lived together in New York City. While Tupac was in Baltimore, he discovered rap; not long after, he and his mother moved to the West Coast where he joined the rap group
David Wu is a member of the 110th Congress representing Oregon's 1st Congressional District. Wu was sworn in for his fifth term earlier this year on January 3, 2007. Stretching from Portland to the Oregon coast, Oregon's 1st congressional district has a population of 743,195. Congressman Wu's priorities include: improving our nation's public education system and making college more affordable; growing Oregon's economy by encouraging new business investment and supporting high tech research; improving our nation's healthcare system and the Medicare prescription drug benefit; and meeting our obligation to future generations by preserving Social Security and protecting our natural environment.
More than any other rapper, Dr. Dre was responsible for moving away from the avant-noise and political stance of Public Enemy and Boogie Down Productions, as well as the party vibes of old school rap. Instead, Dre pioneered gangsta rap and his own variation of the sound, G-Funk. BDP's early albums were hardcore but cautionary tales of the criminal mind, but Dre's records with N.W.A. celebrate the hedonistic, amoralistic side of gang life. Dre was never much of a rapper -- his rhymes were simple and his delivery was slow and clumsy -- but as a producer, he was extraordinary. With N.W.A. & C.A. he melded the noise collages of the Bomb Squad with funky rhythms.
"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."
Huey Newton and Bobby Seale were two African-American men growing up in the ghetto of California where they saw and experienced racism and police brutality. There voices were not heard when it came to their communities. It took three young children to die by car crashes, and a peaceful candlelight vigil that turned into a fight between a neighborhood and the police (in which the police covered up their badges so that no one could report them to the police department) for them to want to make a change to free themselves from control and oppression. It was because of this that 25 year old Huey Newton and 30 year old Bobby Seale founded The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense in October 1966, in Oakland, California.
struck a chord with blacks across the country, especially in the inner cities of the north. The
The Black Panther Party was founded on October, 15, 1966 by Bobby Seale and Huey Newton in Oakland, California. This organization was a black revolutionary socialist party that was created to primarily protect African American neighborhoods from violent police brutality. In 1967, the party released and circulated its first newspaper, The Black Panther. Within the same year the organization also protested a ban on weapons in Sacramento on the California State Capitol. After becoming an icon of the 1960's counterculture, the Party was see in numerous cities throughout the nation, with record membership at 10,000 in 1969. Editor of The Black Panther, Eldridge Cleaver and his editorial committee created a document called the Ten-Point Program. This document was comprised of desired wants and needs for the black community, such as; freedom, employment, bread, housing, education, clothing, justice and peace. The Black Panthers expressed their injustices with their saying of, "What we Want, What we Believe". Not only did this document demand specific wants for the panthers, it was also a sign of hope and inspiration for the underprivileged blacks that lived in ghettos across the nation. With a strong passion to turn around the poor black communities, the Panthers installed a variety of community social programs that were made to improve several aspects of the inner city ghettos. Two of their most commonly known programs were its Free Breakfast for children program and its armed citizens patrol that made sure police officers behaved within their limit of power and to protect blacks who became victims of racist police brutality abuse. They also instituted a free medical care program and fought the common problem of young blacks using narco...
The Black Panthers aren’t talked about much. The Panthers had made a huge difference in the civil rights movement. They were not just a Black KKK. They helped revolutionize the thought of African Americans in the U.S.
Chinese music is described as a unique form of art. Even today, the Modern Chinese music has a Western Modern Music style. The music has it's own characteristics and is very much distinct.
The Chinese Empire was large and controlled most of Asia at one point in time. One of the dynasties that ruled the empire was the Ming Family. Ruling from 1368-1644, almost three hundred years, the Ming Dynasty impacted Chinese history very much.