CH. 11 Mutual Denials in the Hip Hop Wars

Six important underlying belief of political positions, images and points of emphasis. “these six beliefs have become foundational assumptions on which battle over hip hop takes place.” (Rose 217)

1. Creative Disregard: Simple-minded rhymed rantings, hip hop is not music, the rhymes are not poetic, and everything about it is simple and requires no talent.

· Ex: “The Whisper Song” by Ying Yang Twins and “Laffy Taffy” by D4L and “Oh Lets do it” by Wacka Flocka Flame

· “dumbing down” rapper are encourage to “dumb down” music and keep the lyrics simple with basic beats and rhymes.

· Two sides: those who find no creative value in hip hop whatsoever and those who most profit from its creativity. “wind up collectively denying the importance of investing in the creative expansion and diversification of the genre.” (Rose 221)

2. Unadulterated Products: Mainstream commercial hip hop is obsessed with black gangster and ghetto street culture. Black music reflects the black ghetto.

· “This collusion of denial supports the belief that “authentic” black people are criminals, that being poor is a “black thing” and that corporate-sponsored rap has had no impact on hip hop content or in a way shapes our access to hip hop artist.” (Rose 223)

3. Profiting from Black Suffering:

· “buzz kill” raising awareness of the constant struggling that the black community is facing on a regular basis, especially to white fans.

· “Keeping our eye on black suffering and why ghettos are what they are and how they came into existence would challenge record executives, artist, and fans of all backgrounds to think about exactly what they are packaging, normalizing, and celebrating.” (Rose 224)

· Exaggerated expansion and hyper-aggressive machismo: two examples the “no snitching and “the hustler”

· Because of the mistreatment and murders of black community members, blacks lack trust and have a deep sense of fear due to the police officers in the neighborhood. This criminal code allows blacks to protect themselves from criminals and seek justice for crimes against law-abiding citizens. (Lil Kim and Busta Rhymes)

· Rose believes, “…refusing to give information about serious crimes only empowers criminal activity and vigilante justice; it does not reduce police brutality or racism.” (Rose 226)

· “the hustler” Hip hop perceives this to be a normal model of success, Rose thinks its an model of profitable dishonesty. “A Hustler represents a dog-eat-dog model of capitalism from the excluded.” (Rose 227)

· Both “no snitching” and “hustling” “contribute to the decline of trust and mutuality. Both are necessary ingredients for community survival.” (Rose 228)

4. Invisible White Consumption: “white consumption of black stereotypes is fine as long as it look like “authentic” black culture.”

· “color-blindness” an idea that hip hop is for everyone, idea that hip hop is the new multiculturalism

· Ex: Spike Lee’s 2000 film Bamboozled “reveals the complicated collusions of white desire for black “authenticity” and for stereotypes that are based in white supremacist ideas.” (Rose 229)

· Scholar Charles Gallagher and Researcher Jason Rodriquez

5. Sexism Isnt Really a Problem:

· Exploiting of women (especially black) is not a problem

· Women in hip hop obtain sexual freedom.

· Excuses: Hip hop has songs like “Dear Momma” and “Keep ya head up” by Tupac, “Momma loves me” by Jay-z, and “Runaway Love” by Ludacris

· Lil Kim or Nicki Minaj is an example of a woman who is “expressing sexual freedom”

· “So the problem isn’t really sexism; its sexually explicit culture, in which women are not “respected” while under male authority”

6. Homophobia is Okay: Homophobia is not worthy of our attention

· “…simple remain silent about or only occasionally mention hip hops homophobia, letting the emphasis on sexism or the “disrespect” of black women stand in for other kinds of hatred and discrimination perpetuated by hip hop.” (Rose 236)

· Doesn’t gain attention because pro-gangsta-pimp-ho profile is driven explicitly by its sexism and amplified by gangsta-style, sexist music videos. Few videos contain gay men or women, unless women are rubbing on one another. (Males fanstasy)

“In the absence of serious attention to these issues, the creative future of hip hop is in jeopardy, and a progressive musical community where justice matters, where trading violence, insult, and domination are rejected, is stymied. The powerful possibility of meaningful, gender equal, and collaborative cross-racial exchanges through music and culture is squandered, and progressive values are pushed to the margins, while myth of black dysfunctionality remain profitable and perilous for black people and for America as a whole.” (Rose 240)

Chapter 12 (Hip Hop Wars)

In Chapter 12, Tricia Rose explores Progressive Voices, Energies, and Visions. Part of the chapter is dedicated to speaking about “conscious rap” in which she describes as: “rap that avoids pandering to the worst images of young black people, favors more socially conscious content, and is not nearly as heavily promoted as that of artists who rely on the gangsta-pimp-ho trinity” (Rose, 2008, p. 241).

This rap is heavily fueled by artists who have politically aggressive content in their lyrics. Thus, they are labeled differently than the bling rapping artists who most often rap about street life. It is often in the underground realm rather than the commercial realm because of people’s habits of listening to music that is most accessible and highly promoted (244). These lyrics deal with social consciousness and avoid taking part in the “voyeuristic consumption of black stereotypes” (242) that commercial rap most often does. Rose uses the term commercial as one who is concerned about the way in which Black people are represented in hip hop and to show the significant role that corporate as well as mainstream American culture has on shaping the direction and content of what is most visible and highly promoted in hip hop for profit (242). Thus, this conscious rap is most often marginalized, though there are some who have contracts with major record level, such as COMMON!!!!!!, Nas, and Mos Def. Other artists operate in the Do It Yourself networks and remain underground. It seems as people are not attracted to this music because it does not give them what they are used to or give them something to dance to. So, it is looked at as an alternative to commercial rap.

Rose says, “The conventional split between commercial and politically conscious rap creates a narrow ‘alternative’ to the commercial options that saturate hip hop” (243). She describes it as narrow because just categorizing hip hop in only those two ways makes it seem as if rap that is overtly political is the direct opposite of the trinity rap (gangsta, pimps, and hoes).

Additionally, she notes it as rigid and one dimensional set of options that does not help the establishing of a progressive vision of hip hop. In other words, looking at hip in just these two ways neverminds the fact and desire that hip hop is fluid and complex. Up and coming artists have to choose where they fit in, either in the explicitly political category or the trinity category. Additionally, it causes artist to remain in these categories and never venture out. Rose says that this labeling is detrimental, particularly to artists who are labeled as “socially conscious”. She notes that it is “almost a commercial death sentence for artist visibility and everyday fan appreciation. From this sober perspective on consciousness, gangstas appear to be the only ones having fun” (243). And everyone wants to have fun, right?! No matter how great they are at rhymes or how great their beats are, they are still pushed to the margins because no one wants to listen to social consciousness. As mentioned before, we gravitate toward the most popular and that happens to be the trinity rap that promotes “keeping it real” when talking about street life. Rose notes this as something that needs to be done away with in order for progressive music to become popular.

What are your thoughts?!

What is Popular Music?

Rose describes popular music as something that must be “dynamic, playful, exciting, and cutting edge” (244). So, if conscious rap aspires to be popular, then it must possess these characteristics. It can involve politically conscious content, but surely cannot as well and not always. “A crucial aspect of a progressive reclaiming of the soul of hip hop is the refusal to limit the scope of progressive art to the narrow application of ‘social-consciousness’—oriented topics, as has sometimes been the case” (244). In other words, progressive artist should consider stepping outside of that political agenda a bit. It does not mean that they have to feed into the gangsta, pimp, hoe scene, but they should be versatile and be able to talk about anything, such as street culture. An example is A Tribe Called Quest who said, “ We noticed that the world was kind of negative and a lot of people in hip hop talked about their love of jewelry, and money and love of cars. We wanted to discuss the love of humanity, loving yourself, loving the real emotion that’s relevant to life.” They have songs, , such as “Bonita Applebaum” that have expanded their use of hip hop. Other artists include COMMON!!!!, Lauryn Hill, Saul Williams, Wyclef Jean, The Roots...

Their versatility gives them a chance to be popular. Rose mentions that the distinction between gangsta rap and socially conscious rap is not just about the story that artists tell in their lyrics, but about how OFTEN. She encourages artists to switch it up a little.

A Tribe Called Quest and COMMON!!!! are amongst bloggers, journalists, filmmakers, social workers, etc. that are “all working to broaden the creative and intellectual grounds for progressive hip hop. Their work suggests that there is a diverse, invested, and significant group of people who are part of hip hop, but willing to challenge and re-envision it” (246).



Solutions:
1. Challenge commercial culture!! Quote on page 243 by Andre C. Willis

2. Expand our visions
3. Get to know progressive artists and organizations!! Pages 247-260

What do you define as progress after reading the chapter?!

chapter 19 & 20

BIGGIE:
As soon as the casket closed Comb’s recorded missing you with a dramatic video and tribute at the 1997VMA’s, in which made BIG a martyr(279).
Comb’s wanted the world to know and to understand how important Biggie was to him, but also what Big meant to the rap world. Big’s wife faith and sting put on one of the most expressive and emotional performance on stage to date.
Combs rise as an artist and the production of studio Albums did not do anything for BIGGIE, what it did do was link Big to the next wave of artist(279).
After Big‘s death, Comb started releasing unheard music, prevalence recorded by Big, with calibrations with up and coming artist. By Combs doing so it maintained Big name into the next generation. Therefore his old released remained current. With the new wave of music being released Biggie as a feature, made the song better. Big being thought as having a thug image, made any artist creditable.
Biggie philosophy was to making it and when he made it his people made it. In his own words: Ant no fun if the homies cant have none (280).
Big message when he rapped was more directed at his people, his immediate family and friends. He was not out to change the world, but if he was eating well his family was to. Not to say that he didn’t give back to his old community because he did, but he was not out to save the world. His words were not meant for that but more of way to till his story from rags to riches.
PAC:
His iconography also extends beyond race and national boundaries. All over the worlds Pac name resonates with the young people struggling to define and assert themselves individually and collectively against injustice and oppression (281).
Pac was a man who the world thought to be one of them. His words would fill young people with the belief that someone else has gone through the same struggles as them. Pac, feeling the pains of the world, the good and bad the world has to offer. Ever song he rapped one could feel a passionate message being expressed. He was the outlet of the people.
Close friends who became bitter enemies (282).
When Biggie first entered the game Pac help developed him, help mold him give him some one he could look up to in a essence. Through miscommunication all the love in the friendship went away.
We the Hip hop generation cherry picked from Malcolm and Martin and patched together an American quilt that neither of them would have slept under.
Malcolm and Martin are supposed to be Biggie and Pac hypothetically. One representing one side of the spectrum, and the other almost believing the same thing, but dealing with the issues in a different way. Pac wanted to change the world, while Biggie just wants a better life for his own.
These two great leader of the 60’s and the 70’s preached a great message but we the American people, or better stated like above, the Hip hop generation, have taken their words, develop are own meanings and turned them into something that neither of them would agree with.

JAY-Z:
While Jay-Z is widely associated with the classic "rags to riches" story, to many, the backdrop of his commercialized success and the reasoning behind why he took the route he did, is quite vague. However, these uncertainties can be explained when closely examining albums such as In My Lifetime, S. Carter Volume III, The Blueprint, and The Black Album. The cause of his upward mobility in the industry can be heard and seen through songs like, Hard Knock Life and Moment of Clarity.
Ross begins by touching on Jay-Z's claim to be "The Mike Jordan of Recording", referring to how he switched his flow in the same sense that Jordan changed his style of hooping. While many consider Jay's transition to be a "sell out" move, he claims that it was strictly for monetary purposes. Though, the author argues that the worlds of sports and hip hop are incomparable, stating that, "Corporate stockholders and executives may judge success by an artist's number of #1 records, but fans rarely keep track of such figures" (290). However, Jay-Z says that in the process of reaching a greater portion of the mainstream market, "I dumbed down for my audience" (291). Yet, the author contests that, on the contrary, it was through the use of sampling and featuring artists from other music genres, that allowed Jay to make a successful transition into mainstream America. For instance, his hit song, "Hard Knock Life", used a sample from the Annie theme, which served as Jay's bridge into affluent Appalachia. This type of crossover has been used by many successful artists prior to the reign of Jay-Z. Artist such as Biggie and Sean Combs took this direction with "Juicy" and "Big Poppa", and Run DMC with "Walk This Way", featuring Aerosmith. The common denominator is their appeal to white America.
Aside from Hova's crossover tactics, Ross gives credit to America's growing economy in the late 90's and the passing of the Telecommunications Act in 1997. Jobs were at an all-time high, and so was consumer spending. In addition to the economic situation, the Act passed in '97 permitted large companies to monopolize on as many stations as they could afford. In turn, small, independent stations were bought out, which took away from the exposure of local artists, resulting in standardization. Stations were now only playing top national songs, mainly extending from big name record companies, which in essence, allowed Jay-Z to flourish even more as an artist.
Next, the author back-steps to this notion of "selling out", addressing the numerous accounts of Jay-Z borrowing lines from Biggie. Ross discusses how BIG released a mixtape entitled, "Real Niggaz Do Real Things", where Jay incorporated the entire hook saying, "On the road to riches and diamond rings/Real Niggas do real things"(300). Ross also questions the premise of Jay-Z's "Sunshine", which bares a close resemblance to BIG's, "Me and My Bitch". Jay-Z responds to these accusations of theft in his song "What More Can I Say" from The Black Album:
I'm not a biter/I'm a writer for myself and others/I say a BIG verse I'm only biggin' up my brotha'/Biggin' up my borough/I'm big enough to do it/I'm that thorough/Plus I know my flow is foolish (301).
Ross correlates Jay's image through BIG's legacy to Jesse Jackson utilizing his relationship with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as a stepping stone to being an accepted black leader. However, the author expresses that Jay's mistake was not in reaching success, rather, what he chose to do with his success. It is not necessarily the fact that Jay focuses on hyper-materialistic, hyper-masculine American values, because black leaders such as Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington, also had a "relish for standards of civilization as they understood them to exist in American society" (304). Even still, Ross states that, "The best leaders of the black resistance tradition always make a demand of the people...They love the people enough to criticize them and not be afraid of what that criticism will mean to their careers" (308).
Nevertheless, Jay-Z--the skinny, fast-rhyming rapper from the ghetto--was able to convince corporate America that he was the best "representative of urban America" (310), while effectively making the shift from being a businessman to being "a business, man".

-Clevon Kirkland and Desmond Polk

Chapters 21 and 22 (N & D)

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Within each subsection of hiphop culture, there is the prevalent element of “The Battle.” For DJays, it started with who could spin the loudest, and later evolved into a battle of scratching skills. For graffitiers, achieving success was a combination of getting your name out (“Going All City” as Ross calls it) and creating an individual style recognizable to others. BBoying began as little more than a street brawl in terms of competition, and the rivalries were just as real. Emcees used two main techniques to prove supremacy: rap battling and the wax battle. While rap battling is more widespread, wax battles usually gain more publicity, mainly due to the fact that it has to occur between two successful, recognizable, and credible artists.

Ross traces the roots of the wax battle between Nas and Jay-Z back to the time following the death of Biggie Smalls. While both artists tried to keep Big’s legacy alive, they took two conflicting approaches. Jay sought to keep Big alive through his own music, using Big’s life and work to elevate his career (Ross, 312). (What do you think he was doing- elevating his career, honoring Big’s life, or both?) Nas on the other hand saw what Jay was doing as simply capitalizing off his death, first calling him out in his song “We Will Survive”: “Now that you’re gone and these brothas is wrong, using your name in vain and they claim to be New York’s King? (312).” Ross sees Nas’s callout as not just a swipe at Jay, but more so revealing Nas’s idealistic viewpoint.

(Do you think Nas was showing his idealistic viewpoint, simply dissing Jay-Z, or both?)

Moving on Ross details what a typical “dis” record is then specifically details Jays Blueprint II dis of Nas in which Jay talks about Nas’s consciousness credibility with the line, “just cause the nigga wear a kufi it don’t mean that he bright”(313).

Ross then takes the battle back to the dawn of the 20^th century paralleling Nas and Jays “matierialst/ idealist feud” to Booker T Washington and WEB DuBois . Ross talks about Nas’ response to “Takeover” as similar in context to Web ‘s response to Booker T’s Biography “Up from slavery” which held views that WEB felt compelled to respond to.

Ross puts the two conflicts together when he says that emphasis on records of Nas and J obscures the real conflict. Real significance within Hip Hop tells much about the dilemma in young marginalized black America at the turn of the 21^st century just as the conflict between DuBuis and Washington tells about oppressed America at the turn of the 20^th century. Ross basically lays out that Jay followed Booker T’s accomodationist Blueprint (315).

Ross believes that during the late pre-millennium, Nas wasn’t clear about the role he wanted to play in hiphop. This is reflected by Nas’s albums Nastrodamus and I Am, which were released only eight months apart. His first of the two, I Am, carried strong ideas but were backed by weak lyrics. Nastrodamus, says Ross, lacked the ambition found in I Am as well as the lyricism found in earlier albums. Whatever direction Nas was headed in, the events of 9/11 changed his direction entirely.

After 9/11, Jay and Nas went in two very different directions. Jay’s album The Blueprint, which coincidentally was released on 9/11, contained many clubby hits such as “Izzo (HOVA)” and “Girls, Girls, Girls.” A few months later, Nas released Stillmatic which was far more socially critical. While other rappers at the time were keeping their material light, Nas fired lines like “George Bush killer to George Bush kill me” (322). Ross puts much emphasis on Nas’s transformation from commercial artist to socially conscious artist by quoting the lines “Diamond Rings can poison a rap star” and “Metamorphosis, this is what I changed to. God, I’m so thankful” (322). Ross further argues that Nas’s Stillmatic was “An album the culture needed, an album America needed” (323).

(Do you agree with this statement?)

After Stillmatic, Nas continued to fire criticisms. However, he still retained his sense of social responsibility and love of black culture with songs like “I Can”, which gives hope to the Black youth with the lines “Nobody says you have to be gangstas, hoes- read more, learn more, change the globe.” Ross subsequently slams Jay-Z with the line “Jay-Z successfully exported a mainstream Dream that didn’t change social or economic relations for anyone except himself” (328).

(Do you think Jay is only helping himself, and Nas is helping advance the black youth?)

Even recently, Nas retains his social consciousness and idealistic viewpoint with his 2004 album Street’s Disciple. On one track, he criticizes the Russell Simmons’ backed Hiphop voting campaign (333). He critiqued African American entertainers and athletes with the song “These are our heroes” by comparing them to “coons” and “jiggerboos” (331). Ross even draws a connection between Nas and Malcolm X, who at one point called out Martin Luther King Jr. for being “Reverend Dr. Chickenwing” (331). On another track, Nas praises his daughter, something many rappers are afraid to do because it would put them at risk of alienating young listeners (333).

(What do you think are the social responsibilities of black athletes and entertainers?)

Chapter 23: A New Direction (N&D)

In Chapter 23, Ross discusses the truce between Nas and Jay-Z in East Rutherford, NJ on October 2005. Some criticized the event as a money-making scheme, but when MTV correspondent Sway askes the two artists the reason for the reconciliation, Jay-Z answered, "'It's bigger than both of us...it's more about the culutre and about showing people another way...'". Nas responded, "At this point...this was inevitable" (Ross 335).

Ross argues that the truce was significant largely because it wasn't manipulated by outside forces; the two artists united on their own. Ross states that "this is critical not only because it closed the loop left undone by BIG and Tupac, but it uncovered a level of historical insight and self-reflection too often denied the Hip-Hip generation" (Ross 336). Ross believes that the peace made between Nas and Jay-Z should not be limited to just a "great rap moment," but rather must be "understood within the wider context of the dilemma that has defined black American history" (Ross 336).

Ross refers to the "'either/or' dialectic" that has haunted the black community and continually causes division within it. He calls on DuBois' idea of double-consciousness--"an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings"--and discusses how this idea has manifested itself repeatedly in the black community through "the personages of two rivaling figures" (Ross 337). Ross argues that instead of fanning the flames of division, which has been the case in the past, the black community must strive for, in the words of DuBois, neither assimilation or separation but "'proud, enduring hyphenation'" (Ross 337). Ross believes that this hyphenation could have been achieved has Malcolm and Martin survived after their union, but unfortunately the black community did not get to see the fruits of their truce. Ross refers to a 2007 Pew Research Center study which revealed that "nearly four out of ten blacks feel the race can no longer be thought of as a single black community," and "less than 25% of blacks think middle-class and poor blacks share 'a lot' in common" (Ross 338); as a result, a new way to categorize or define what it means to be black in America may be necessary, argues Ross.

Ross continues to say that the feuds between BIG and Tupac, as well as Nas and Jay-Z, reflect the double-consciousness of black Americans. The fact that this "either/or" dynamic is prevalent in hip-hop thus shows that the problems which originally caused this double-consciousness (racism, economic exploitation, opportunity, and hope) still exist. Ross discusses the issue of white Americans perception of black progress, which is not an accurate reflection of actual issues faced by black Americans in today's society; he argues that the media's portrayal of the black community is largely to blame for white America's false perceptions. Ross argues that this perception gap is a significant factor in the creation of double-consciousness, because while America is a place of idealism where "dreams are realized...cultural plurality is celebrated...[and] dreams are cherished," it is also the case that not all those who hope to achieve this ideals and goals have equal footing or equal opportunity (Ross 338-39). Ross states that "this is the contradiction of America itself--what has drawn us to love and loathe the nation (and consequently ourselves), driven us to seek refuge either inside (assimilation) or outside (separation) and led us to embrace the Dream (MLK's, BIG's and Jay-Z's) or dwell on the Nightmare (Malcolm's, Tupac's, and Nas's)" (Ross 339).

Ross believes that this double-consciousness or "'second sight'" provides a powerful contribution to American society, but "unless we understand the history of the primordial conflict, we cannot transcend it...". Relating this idea back to Nas and Jay-Z, Ross states that "The challenge is to see that they are the first two symbols of the archetypal dilemma--the Nightmare and the Dream--to transcend their differences in their lifetimes" (Ross 339). While some disagree that Nas and Jay-Z should or could be compared to Malcolm and Martin, Ross argues that there is value in studying and understanding the truce between the two artists because if they are capable of uniting for something bigger than themselves, then perhaps our society can also break away from its prejudice, categorizing, and stereotyping of the black community.

-Lauren Robertson and Alana Dakin

The Hip Hop Wars: Ch. 9 and Ch. 10

Chapter 9: Role Models

Negative connotation with the word rapper because of mass media’s portrayal.

“We’re not role models” (Rose 188).

Artists and record say that it’s the parents responsibility to “turn it off” and monitor what their kids watch or listen to.

The rappers treat it like a 9-5 job like everybody else.

Nelly states that: “I have an eleven-year-old daughter, and she loves her daddy. And she’s never seen the video that allot of these people were saying.” (Rose 194)

Rose argues that the money and the resources to keep his children from seeing the negative videos that he creates while he is constantly on the road.

“At home parents,” Rose argues, usually cannot watch over their children as much as Nelly thinks. Most parents are taking extra shifts during the night to make ends meet with the bills. Usually the children are left with their grandparents, neighbors or friends within the neighborhood. (Rose 195)

“Just turn it off” (Rose 196)

Basically, the artists today are not arguing with anything the media or parents say about their lyrics. They argue that if they don’t like what they see they can just turn it off. It is not them that is making the children and parents watching the television programs that air these videos.

Once again, Rose argues that the you would never be able to hear the progressive hip hop videos, because you would have to be “psychic” to know when they come on. She also disputes that the executives of BET and MTV for example are the primary problem because they choose the negative videos over the progressive videos. The reason that the negative videos receive more attention and bring in more money. Also, the artists that portray all these negative images are the most popular among young people today. (Rose 196-200)

Chapter 10: Nobody Talks About the Positive in Hip Hop

Philanthropy and Organizations

The media focuses on the unconstructive happenings that occur to some artists. We never hear about the good donations to charities and schools for some of the examples.

Examples: Jay-Z’s Shawn Carter’s Scholarship Fund, P. Diddy’s Daddy’s House, the Ludacris Foundation, 50-Cent’s G-Unity Foundation, Chingy for Change.

“Giving B(l)ack” (Rose 205)

In African-American communities, giving back has been a primary focus since 1700s. A study conducted by the Chronicle of Philanthropy African-Americans give 25% more of their income back to the community. (Rose 205).

Many artists today provide scholarships for many underserved students. Rather than giving to the students that have excelled their whole life, but by giving it to the students that have gone through adversity throughout their life and giving them a chance to benefit from college as well. (Rose 207)

Nelly controversy with Spelman College.

Nelly was going to Spelman College for the Bone Marrow Transplant Charity, because the foundation was named after his sister. (Rose 209)

However, Spelman College wanted to question him about his misogynistic videos as well as the bone marrow drive. Then, Nelly refused to come to the event because he did not want to speak about his videos.

“Blood Money” (Rose 212)

Artists are giving a bad image of the ghetto and hood where they came from. But in t he aspect they are turning around and giving their donations to their community and trying to tell them to stay in school and do well with their lives. Whenever, the young people that they are supporting are being told to sell drugs and be street by these same artists. Mostly, the artists that are doing this are being hypocritical. Not to mention, that most artists that talk to these young people demoralize women.

- Tara Givens and Tyler Hull

Hip Hop Is Destroying America’s Values (Hip Hop Wars, Chap. 4)

“One of the greatest threats to American family values is the way our popular culture ridicules them. Our music, movies, television and advertising regularly push the limits of decency, bombarding our children with destructive messages of casual violence and even more casual sex… I think we have reached the point where our popular culture threatens to undermine our character as a nation.” - Bob Dole

The attack on Hiphop: The Culture War

Hiphop is blamed for “undermining American family values,” though there is no specific set of universal values. The culture is associated with encouraging violence, deviant sex and immorality.

“Those who profess fear that American values are under assault owing to the negative influence of rap music are part of a much larger movement to align morality with conservative values – a movement that involves crafting a very short list of values (about which there has never been any unanimous agreement in U.S. society) and defining them narrowly.” (p. 96)

Many argue that Hiphop has negatively affected American culture because it came into popularity around the time when many norms and values were changing on their own or because of other cultural influences. Hiphop entered into popular culture with bad timing. Also, those same people ignore other potential values systems and focus only on their narrow-minded, conservative values.

It’s not likely that Hiphop could single-handedly bring down Western civilization.

The 5 possible explanations for why popular culture and rap music have been labeled as “killer culture” (p. 97):
1. The long association of black people with violence
2. Youth cultural challenges empowered by the development of modern society
3. Fears associated with the vast economic, political, and social changes that have taken place over the past fifty to sixty years
4. The singularly dramatic impact on American society of the social movements of the 1960s and 1970s
5. The profound shift from an industrial to a postindustrial service- and cultural-products-driven economy

Because of the racial/gender oppression and associations our nation has historically made with black people and deviance, black expression (such as rap music and Hiphop art forms) is blamed for many things. It can be considered a form of accepted racism.

Youth deviance emerged around the same time mass entertainment became accessible, and the worry that the bad influence would alter youth culture was associated with the fear of black cultural influence on youth as well. Strangely, many people also associate Hiphop culture with Islamic terrorism and hostility, both of which are supposedly connected through violence.

Even the socially-conscious, progressive lyrics present in rap music are looked down upon, because many see these outcries as dangers to America’s stability rather than positive changes.

“Crafting rappers as a cause of the demise of American values instead of seeing them as a reflection of the betrayal of America’s promise temporarily relieves the anxiety and justifies status and privileges for those who have been awarded the longer end of the social and economic stick.” (p. 103)

Because of the shift in America’s economy that caused cultural products to be in high demand, black youth culture became more mainstream and garnered a larger audience. Again, this relates back to a fear that popular culture and its effect on youth will open the doors to idolatry of violence and deviance, two things that are unfairly grouped with Hiphop culture.

“Larger social conditions, economic forces, and entrenched racial stereotypes not only fueled the corporate growth of hip hop but also helped usher in the decline in the depth and range of its expression. In the throes of these conditions, the most violent, sexist, and stereotypical images and stories began to outsell all other kinds of rap music, making what some call ‘gangsta rap’ the most profitable sector of the genre.” (p. 104)

In the 1990s, many people began to believe that the "traditional" (code for politically conservative) American family – a heterosexual, two-parent family with children – could “rescue” the rest of society from the depths of deviance set into place by Hiphop culture.

However, there is no single set of American family values to use as a societal model. There are a variety of modern American family configurations, and conservative value sets don’t encompass all types of American families. This remains unrelated to Hiphop.

“The conservative family values frame became the dominant lens through which nearly all criticism of hip hop is filtered.

The irony of this values-based battle in the hip hop wars is that, despite the blanked rejection of hip hop by most conservative pundits and the frequent defenses by liberals, commercial hip hop actually reflects and rejects both liberal and conservative values.” (p. 107)

As the above quote implies, there is, surprisingly, a sense of political duality within Hiphop. Hiphop embraces masculinity, violence, aggression and the furthering of the individual over the community, all of which stem from a conservative patriarchal tradition. However, in a liberal fashion, Hiphop toted as "socially conscious" focuses on justice, expression and community-building, with rappers like Mos Def, Common and Talib Kweli as positive examples. (Rose points out, however, that this positivity model does not necessarily hold true for all rap, specifically commericially popular "gangsta rap.")

One example of Hiphop that follows liberal traditions -- and what some defenders of Hiphop would call socially-conscious rap:

Regardless of political beliefs, Hiphop is not to blame for the cultural fascination with violence, aggression and masculinity. In fact, these values have always been in place in American society, as noted by cultural fixations on action figures, war/battle films, mobs and gangs, to name a few aspects. As stated before, these ideas are built into the conservative political system to some extent.

In regards to Hiphop’s sometimes emphasis on individual success rather than community success, many rappers boast lyrics of going from rags to riches and of making their own empires. As a country that rides on capitalism, these artists should be praised for such individual entrepreneurship. However, these artists are generally seen as threats, and the opportunities and jobs they create through their empires is overlooked.

Hiphop also focuses on such liberal ideals as political justice and freedom of expression. Politics in Hiphop culture dates back to the Hiphop roots. Rappers’ push for freedom of expression can be tied to the censorship many artists have faced over time, and those artists use their praises of freedom of expression to fight back.

“A powerful progressive emphasis on the destruction of foundational American values such as equality and justice has the potential not only to successfully respond to conservatives who use rappers as an easy target but also to challenge rappers to live up to the progressive values that highlight and work to change the unequal environment out of which hip hop has emerged.” (p. 111)

- Courtney Baldasare and Jillian Mapes

Tupac

The Nightmare and The Dream (Chaps. 19 & 20)

Chapter 19: Biggie and Tupac

Life After Death

Ross asserts that in hip-hop, disposability among artists is very common. However, for Biggie and Tupac, this hasn’t been the case. Their works have lived on, remain popular and the two rappers have become idolized. But why is that? Ross focuses on Biggie’s martyr-making, and lists a number of reasons as to why his artistry has survived despite his death, including Puffy’s tribute to him on the VMA’s and the release of posthumous albums. Biggie, in particular, has been kept alive through films and books that examine his life and death and, furthermore, his giving personality is said to have made an impact on his admires: “He is universally admired as a ‘man of the people,’ someone who not only represented the streets from which he came, but looked out for others” (280).

The Dyad Syndrome

Ross questions whether Biggie would still be such a significant cultural icon if Tupac hadn’t been murdered too. According to Ross, “Tupac had a profound impact on popular culture that extended (and extends) beyond hip-hop. He is linked to a continuum of black resistance” (281). While Biggie’s music was about making it out of the ghetto, Tupac’s was more complicated and ‘mercurial’. However, despite their differences, the two rappers are inextricably linked together.

Ross explains how this linking of Biggie and Tupac relates to a ‘stream of double-consciousness’ that exists in black America. Additionally, the hip-hop generation—much like generations before them—seemed to be looking for martyrs to help define its own movement. For instance, Ross notes the Civil Rights movement as having Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X as its leaders: “Even though no human being is purely an expression of an idea, the way they were represented through the media and by those who heroize, demonize and mythologize stripped them of their complexity, commonality and ambiguity in order to serve their hero-worshipping purposes” (283). Basically, we often view MLK and Malcolm X in very static terms and shape their views to fit our own.

Seemingly, the same thing has happened to Tupac and Biggie, yet these two rappers are a product of the social and political atmospheres that were forged before them. While Ross suggests that making them martyrs is better than just forgetting them, he says that “we should ask ourselves why we chose these figure to elevate and what they represent within the larger context of the struggle within black American culture” (285). For example, Ross claims that Tupac represents the ‘nightmare’ of this double-consciousness. However misguided some of his actions or statements were, they were fully representative of the struggles and experiences of blacks at the time. Yet, this isn’t something that most people have been comfortable with as Americas has been more comfortable listening to the ‘dream’ metaphor as opposed to the hard truth. Ross says, “the integrationist gospel has evolved to meet the needs of the American conscience” (285).

Post-Civil Rights Integrationism Revisited

Ross claims that Biggie and Tupac represent so much more than an East Coast/West coast battle, even though that’s usually how they’ve been marketed to appear. (Ross also acknowledges that the pop-culture industry thrives off of black death.) Rather, their iconography was representative of the feelings of black Americans, stuck between the nightmare and the dream. Biggie’s lyrics often related a tale of going from rags-to-riches and obtaining the American dream, while Tupac’s lyrics represented a marginalized and unwanted voice in society. Essentially, because both rappers are such large parts of hip-hop despite the many years after there death, its representative of the struggle that blacks feel in regards to American. Furthermore, until the hip-hop generation understands how they feel about America and their place in it, they will war with one another and “continue falling pray to divide-and-conquer tactics that are consistently employed and deployed to keep oppressed people from identifying their common aspirations for justice, liberty and peace of mind” (288).

Chapter 20: Ghetto Gold

In chapter 20 of his book, The Nightmare and the Dream, Dax-Devlon Ross examines the artistic choices of the rap artist Jay-Z to exemplify the impact that a growing financial market plays upon the content of mainstream hiphop music. Ross uses part of Jay-Z’s song “Moment of Clarity”:

I dumbed down for my audience to double my dollars/They criticize me for it, yet they all yell “holla”/If sells sold/Truth be told/I’d probably/Be/Lyrically Talib Kweli/Truthfully, I wanna rhyme like common sense/But I did five/I ain’t been rhymin’ like common sense/When your cents got that much in common / When you been hustlin’ since your inception/ Fuck perception/ Go with what makes sense / Since I know what I’m up against/ We as rappers must decide what’s most important/ I can’t help the poor If I’m one of them/ So I got rich and gave back/ To me that’s a win-win (Ross, 2008 p.289).

Ross uses this segment of the song to deconstruct it’s meaning, as well as to deconstruct the meanings that of the conversations that arise when discussing the impact of highly successful commercial rap upon the content of hiphop artists. Ross would argue that the statement Jay – Z is making within the context of the song is that he merely changed the style of his rap and the change alone was the deciding factor of his success (Ross, 2008, p.291). Ross states that Jay –Z’s explanation of his content fails to mention outside forces that influenced his music and that his explanation also produces a contradiction of self identity. Ross claims that by changing his music to make more money, what Jay-Z is really doing is changing the market of consumers that will listen to his music. “Jay –Z consciously changed his music to capture a greater share of the mainstream market. In short, he didn’t simply dumb down, but to an extent, he flip-flopped” (Ross, 2008, p.291). Ross would also state that Jay-Z’s explanation is just a bad excuse for sacrificing artistic credibility in order to make more money (Ross, 2008).

This explanation also provides for a contradiction between what Jay- Z would identify himself as and what he really projects to others. Jay- Z identifies with being a “ghetto spokesman” who speaks and represents his people (Ross, 2008, p.293). However, because his decision was to make money over preserving his content, he is really exploiting those who he claims to represent because he is moving hiphop away from “its resistance roots and deeper into corporate America” (Ross, 2008, 293).

Later in the chapter Ross looks to the economic climate of the late 1990’s to help add an explanation to Jay- Z’s change in content. Ross explains how the development of an economy based on information technology created an opening through the 1996 Telecommunications Act that allowed for companies to have a stronghold over radio stations, which left little room for anything other than the national top ten recordings (Ross,2008). This change within the radio industry allowed for hiphop music to be widely distributed to suburban America (Ross, 2008, p. 293). Also this new environment did not leave room for anything that would fall too far outside of the mainstream. Ross contextualizes the economic market to explain that there were other factors involved in Jay-Z’s decision to change his content. These additional two forces were: audience change, and market change.

Ross also gives defense to Jay-Z when he explains the “creative class”. The creative class is a growing demographic that independent, energetic, and always striving to create new ways to mix and remix culture while at the same time affirming the traditional values of hard work and enterprise (Ross, 2008, p.297). Ross States (2008):

“In fact, although many fans and music critics have justly characterized his music as materialistic, misogynistic and violent, those same critics have overlooked both his commitment to creating new forms through experimentation, and how that exchange has kept him in the cutting edge and in the public eye” (p.297).

In regards to Jay-Z’s authenticity, Ross would state that what Jay-Z did was authentic in some ways. Jay-Z wanted to create a narrative that would translate into a sound that the rest of the world could understand(Ross,2008.p 299). However, Ross does claim that in that process Jay-Z made a conscious effort to become the voice of the hiphop community after Biggie’s death (Ross,2008). In doing this Ross would argue that Jay-Z gained the same mass appeal as Biggie while at the same time doing so at the expense of an unsophisticated market (Ross, 2008, p. 303).

Finally, Ross makes a comparison between Frederick Douglass and Jay-Z. The common ground he finds is that both men had an assertion of mainstream American ideals and values; they celebrate the conspicuous excesses of our times, irrespective of race (Ross,2008,p.304). It was these values that lead to the change in content for Jay-Z. It was these values that allowed for Jay-Z to claim his position of “Ghetto Spokesman” through self-promotion (Ross, 2008). It was market capitalism that allowed for the development of the American ideals that led to his eventual reign to the top (Ross, 2008, p.309).

- Lindsay Ferguson and Hannah Orlowski