Creation #3: Gotta Do It

I bet you never thought you'd see me here
So sit back and relax and enjoy, my dear

Okay so first things first I'm not a rapper, let's get this straight
But I have a message for you all so just give me a break
This past semester has taught me - let's see - a few things
I've been busy, I've been working and okay, I enjoyed a few drinks

Let's start from the beginning - I got a job and of course that's been hell
Serving others isn't great when you're pretty hungry yourself
And some people just can't be pleased no matter what I do
They forget I'm probably the same age as their little daughter, too

Hook:
This attitude I have to handle to pay all my bills
Then I get to class, they think I've been chillin', got nothing with to deal
What you don't know is that I work hard and I take this seriously
Go to every class, schoolwork first, won't pass on this opportunity

You gotta do...
Chorus:
(What you need, what what you need)
(What you need, what what you need)
You gotta do (What you need, what what you need)
(What you need, what what you need)

Now let me tell you a little something about my sorority
Yeah those little drunk sluts with the shirts that say "Eat"
Think I'm paying all this money to have girls to drink with?
Community service, business aspects, you got nothing on my leadership

Everything that comes with my org I can put on my resumé
And what are you gonna write? Sat on your ass and watched TV all day?
I work damn hard to earn my future and be able to impress
So don't judge me when I go out to celebrate all those A's on my tests

So talk whatever shit you'd like about me and my girls
But you'll take it all back when you see our success in just a few years
And what's that about me being stupid in love with some guy?
Trust me that won't hold me back, he's the one helping me reach the sky

Hook

Creation #2: In Your Own Hands

It's not where they take you
It's where you take them
It's where you take you
It's what you choose.

You can sit on your ass all day
You can sit on your ass and complain
Eat chips and dip and sip, give lip
But you're not going to get your way.

Let me tell you something about attaining success
Get up and put yourself to the test
Get yourself out of your own damn mess
You're not the only one who's felt a bit of stress.

If you want something go get it
Try once. Try twice. Try a hundred times.
If you give up you're never going to get it
The day you stop trying you can just forget it.

Nothing is going to come to you
It's not going to appear on your doorstep
Not your job
Not your money
Not your friends
Not your family
So go out and get it yourself.

Creation #1: Always Missed

Your smile

Your laugh

Your eyes

Your hair

The way you dance

The way you sleep

The way you stare

You're perfect, a blessing

Everything I could ask for

The happiness you bring

The feelings and so much more

She's not around to see you

She would have been so proud

She would have spoiled you, done everything for you

By just a few months she missed you now

I didn't understand it at first 

Such a beautiful woman who gave her everything to us

But she has to watch over you from above

Your perfect guardian angel will give you so much love

Her smile

Her laugh

Her eyes

Her hair

A perfect angel, but I'm still left in despair

Critique #5: Hip Hop Demeans Women

The first paragraph to this chapter presents are strong argument. It provides the reader with three solid examples of disrespectful and demeaning lyrics which sparks more ideas in the readers head of songs with similar hurtful lyrics. The author then makes a valid point that t is not debatable whether these lyrics degrade women or not. It is apparent to all and even artists know when they are doing it. This chapter also expresses how the "gentleman" existed when women did not have the right to vote. They treated women with respect and looked at them as innocent essential people. While many were against their rights, others fought for women's suffrage. Fast forward to modern day and men are now publicly degrading women. Women are treated even worse and are looked down to. The fight for their rights has been completely overlooked and they are back tracking. This chapter also speaks about the view of sexuality. Hip hop songs degrade women in a sexual way, giving sex a bad connotation. There are no other positive mentions about sex, so any relation women have with sexuality automatically gives them a bad image. Radio station, KBOO, sent a clear cut message by banning Sarah Jones' song meant to express the drawbacks of women degrading themselves. While this song held explicit content, it sent a strong message meant to imposer women. Plenty of other explicit songs that are demeaning are repeated over and over on the radio.

I want to tell her all the ways hip hop made me feel powerful. How it gave my generation a voice, a context, how we shifted the pop culture paradigm. How sometimes it's a good thing to appear brave and fearless, even if it's just posturing. I want to suggest that maybe these rhymes about licking each other's asses are liberating. But I can't.

This passage was very powerful. It shows what hip hop was made for and what it has come to. Tricia Rose uses inspiring words to explain the power of what hip hop was and then shifts to "licking each other's asses,"which exemplifies hip hop today. It shows how meaningless the lyrics have become and how disappointed she is by it. The chapter requests a change in sexism exploited by hip hop music. As a main discussion in this type of music, the connotation that comes along with it makes is seem negative as a general topic. Sexism must be taken out of the context of hip hop music.

Critique #4: We're Not Role Models

This chapter defends hip hop artists with the fact that the youth should be influenced elsewhere, such as by parents. Music shouldn't hold such a large impact in their lives and they should learn to be entertained by the music and maybe even moved, but to shouldn't affect their daily lives or actions. Artists should not be looked at as role models just because they have become famous and grabbed media attention. Some have started as rebels and they use their music to express themselves. This outlet of expression is what gave them fame, so by no means does it make them role models. A role model is a reference for others of the same social group, and although some believe hip hop artists fit this description, the media-saturated and market-driven hip hop that has developed alters the classification of a hip hop artist being a role model. Parents are the main cause of how a child turns out. Artists rap about negative aspects of life, drugs, and violence but they are usually accompanied by the common theme of not having a father, having a careless mother, or other parental related issues. Again, music is their outlet of expression, and for parents to blame the behavior of their kids on the music they are not listening to the actual message of the lyrics. These kids that are growing up to mimic the music they listen to are not getting the proper guidance from their parents and then looking elsewhere for it. The hip hop defenders are not underestimated the time and work it takes to be a parent, but the artists should not get the blame.

Critique #3: Hip Hop Hurts Black People

This chapter claims that there are many arguments made against hip hop, such as it fuels a self-destructive attitude amongst the youth, it promotes violence, and it degrades black women. But the strong argument that it hurts black people is claimed by other blacks. They also claim that hip hop as it was once known is dead. The promotion of drugs, gang activity, abuse, and homophobia is thrown onto the listeners and is not helping anybody. Three majors issues os hip hop listed in this chapter are "1) unfair generalization made through sweeping claims and over blaming; 2) the tone of disdain and disregard that is smuggled in under 'outrage' and gets misunderstood and tough love; and 3) what's left out...the absence of collective responsibility for what's happened to hip hop and the silence among many critics about structural racism and its heightened impact on the black poor." This chapter emphasizes the destruction of rap and hip hop music because it devalues education for the youth. Even the best learning environments will not do much for a young black child if he is listening to destructive music.

Imitation #7 (2010/2011): Lupe Fiasco, Words I Never Said

I think that all the silence is worse than all the violence

Fear is such a weak emotion that's why I despise it

We scared of almost everything, afraid to even tell the truth

So scared of what you think of me, I’m scared of even telling you

Sometimes I’m like the only person I feel safe to tell it to

I’m locked inside a cell in me, I know that there’s a jail in you

Consider this your bailing out, so take a breath, inhale a few

My screams is finally getting free, my thoughts is finally yelling through

In this song, Lupe is speaking of governmental and global issues including 9/11 and the War On Terror. It is about violence and the lack of speaking out against what is wrong. He is speaking for those who are against government actions and want to stand up for the people. This piece is a critique directed at bystanders who don't do anything to stop what the American government is doing. The first line uses an internal rhyme. Lines 3-8 include slant rhymes, identical rhyme, and end rhyme. He uses figurative meaning when stating "I'm locked inside a cell in me, I know that there's a jail in you." "Fear us such a weak emotion" could be looked at as personification because an emotion cannot be weak itself. 

Critique #2: Hip Hop Reflects Black Dysfunctional Ghetto Culture

This chapter attempts to explain why Black culture is dysfunctional today. It explains that because of slavery, Africans were robbed their culture and started over on a clean slate. This caused their development to hold subtle African and strong Western influences. Today, african americans are able to develop further than that, given freedom and equal rights. But hip hop artists try to glorify their roots - the days post slavery that still included struggles and ghetto living. Because of slavery, blacks have a violent past and tend to repeat that in their modern music. The clean slate gave blacks the opportunity to  rebuild, but instead, hip hop undermines black culture capabilities. Hip hop songs talk about crime, violence, drugs, hustling, and prison as desirable things. They mirror the bad things those living in the ghetto face as well as encourage the youth to get involved in such actions. The ideas of "pimps and hoes" are also made to satisfy the white audience, but it is simultaneously making the black hip hop artists look bad.

Imitation #6 (2000's): Public Enemy, Harder Than You Think

Rolling Stones of the rap game, not braggin'

Lips bigger than Jagger, not saggin'

Spell it backwards, I'mma leave it at that..

That ain't got nuttin to do with rap

Check the facts, expose those cats

Who pose as heroes and take advantage of blacks

Your government's gangster, so cut the crap
A war goin on so where y'all at?

"Fight the Power" comes great responsibility

'F the Police' but who's stopping YOU from killlin me?

The context of this rap is that in the 2000's there's a great division between underground and mainstream rap. Many rappers are selling out to the public for fame and money and many people are listening to rap that has no meaning. Public Enemy has been around since the 80's and they haven't sold out. They are speaking to the general public. The first line uses figurative meaning, comparing the Rolling Stones importance in Rock N' Roll to Public Enemy in rap. Chuck D. uses many devices to create a rhythm. He uses end rhymes (ex. braggin/ saggin), internal rhyme(facts/ cats), assonance (who pose as heroes), alliteration (government's gangster), and consonance (bigger than Jagger, not saggin). He also alludes to a song by N.W.A., 'Fuck Da Police," in the last line. That is a common saying that has spread although the police prevent many things from happening. Public Enemy is sticking true to what they believe in and aren't conforming to mainstream or selling out. This rap is speaking to the public who are so quick to agree with mainstream although if they truly thought about it, they wouldn't agree or relate to those ideals. This piece is a critique and modern mainstream rap and a boast about the greatness that Public Enemy did not sell out.

Imitation #5 (1990's): Paul Beatty, Dib Dab

smooth as...

a cab calloway blip blap big band stikkle tat riff

rolling over his process

from front to back

sliding on its knees

down the greased part

of a geechee ghetto trickster in full regalia

"Dib Dab" gives a funky jazz feel to the poem. He speaks about a variety of ideas throughout this piece but they all fall under the category of pop culture. In the eight lines I chose, he mentions Cab Calloway, a bandleader and scat singer. He held an active presence from 1930 until he died in the 1990's. Paul Beatty uses this context and as well as onomatopoeia in the line "a cab calloway blip blap big band stikkle tat riff." Beatty also uses repetition throughout the poem, stating "smooth as" before each stanza. This is also use of simile. These lines don't have a set rhyme scheme but without listening to him perform it, one can sense the rhythm used. The poem is a constant flow and is quickly said but there is a break after each stanza for him to say "smooth as." The poem is a critique. When it was written, the majority of who heard this could understand the references because it mentions all popular figures of the media.

Imitation #4 (1980's): Slick Rick, Children's Story

Raced up the block doing 83

Crashed into a tree near university

Escaped alive though the car was battered

Rat-a-tat-tatted and all the cops scattered

Ran out of bullets and still had static

Grabbed a pregnant lady and pulled out the automatic

Pointed at her head and he said the gun was full o' lead

He told the cops "Back off or honey here's dead"

Slick Rick is rapping about a teenage criminal in the 80's. He committed his first robbery with a friend and he couldn't stop after that. The last time he tried to rob someone, it was an undercover detective. The incident quickly turns physical and the kid gets innocent people involved. A shoot out breaks out and the rap ends with the a cop killing the kid. This piece is a narrative poetry because it tells a specific story. He uses end rhymes throughout the whole rap. In these 8 lines, he uses "rat-a-tat-tatted" as either onomatopoeia because it is the sound of guns, or a metaphor because instead of saying it was a shoot out, he replaces it with that. It is also an internal rhyme because when listening to it, he makes "tatted" rhyme with "scattered" and that is two rhymes in one line. Slick Rick is directing this rap to other teenagers who live in these types of communities. He is warning them to not get caught up in robbery or crime. This piece is a a critique. He tells a story as an example of how not to live your life. He confesses that people are easily convinced into this way of living, but if one acts like this, it will not end well.

Imitation #3 (1970's): Pedro Pietri, Puerto Rican Obituary

Pedro Pietri's Puerto Rican Obituatry shares his acknowledgment for hard workers who are not recognized for such this they do. He traces his roots of Puerto Rico and shares his pride for his background and his people. This piece did not include a rhyme scheme but still had a powerful message with the use of other techniques. This poem includes repetition in rode to emphasize that the five men were hard workers. He also repeats "They died," as a sense of sympathy for all that they've done has not paid off. While listening to the audio version of this work, it sounds like a ramble. He performs this as a series of sentences with very little pauses, but each time emphasizes "they died" in a certain rhythm. I believe that this piece is a critique on the way others viewed minorities during this time. They worked hard and didn't get anything for it. He is speaking on behalf of the minorities who experience this.

Critique #1: Just Keeping It Real

Hip hop artists are heavily criticized on the realism used to produce their work. Hip hop was first used to expose the tough times and struggles blacks went through, starting around the 1970's. This genre of music continued to develop and hip hop became more and more affiliated with the negative connotations with blacks, poverty and violence. The author recognizes that not all artists are writing about their personal experiences, but some write about experiences and events they have witnessed. Many hip hop artists do exaggerate and write about these issues just for the popularity, which contradicts the artist idea of "keeping is real." This chapter outlines the problems of artists claiming that hip hop is keeping it real. It challenges commercial hip hop and its constant support and exaggeration of the black street life. This is an important factor because commercial hip hop and underground hip hop have different value, goals, and techniques. These artists are viewed as "pimps," "thugs," and "gangbangers," but in reality, they haven't seen nearly as much action as they claim and are living a life contradictory to their music. The success of commercial hip hop influences other artists to exaggerate and create dishonest lyrics just for the success. The messages told through the music are altered to what they believe the audience wants to hear. But mainstream is not the problem; it is the quality of work mainstream produces. References to Danny Hoch's "Towards A Hip Hop Aesthetic: A Manifesto For The Hip-Hop Arts Movement," poor, low-key hip hop artists fought their way to the top. It isn't "selling out" because many want hip hop to take over and hold power. "Good hip hop is highly articulate, coded, transcendent, revolutionary, communicative, empowering," (Hoch) and with these characteristics, the hip hop artist is keeping it real.

Imitation #2 (1960's) The Four Tops, I Can't Help Myself

This song is a confessional about love. It uses lyrical poetry to explain his feeling for a women. He is telling this her he loves her and as he sings, puts stress on the words "I love you." The last two lines of each of the stanzas contain an end rhyme while the first two lines do not rhyme. Hyperbole is also used when referring to her picture and saying "and I kissed it a thousand times." It is stated for effect about how he feels for the picture. His love for her photograph is a symbol for his love for her. The picture is all he has of her when she is not around. After a few lines that are sung, they are repeated in the background or the other singers add "ooo"to continue the rhythm of the song and fill the spaces in between the lines.

Critique Langston Hughes, The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain

In this work, Langston Hughes expresses the way he perceives the connection between white men, upper class blacks, black artists, and traditional blacks. He claims that Black artists shouldn’t have any desire to live a white lifestyle or have any white influence at all. Blacks who live a more reserved life and choose white influenced entertainment and religion are losing their roots, and therefore cannot articulate a true African American background through art expression. Hughes believes that all upper or middle class Blacks lose the ability to be a true artist and isn’t proud of their ethnicity. He also believes that those who do stay true to their roots are the only ones that can be true black artists, but other Negros and Whites will not appreciate their works. Langston expresses this idea by using a high mountain as a metaphor. He compares the mountain to the life of Negro who chooses to have a White American lifestyle, which poses an obstacle for Black artists.Before the Harlem Renaissance, social status was still based on ethnicity and Blacks weren’t looked up to. Hughes speaks as if Blacks should remain poor and not change their character whatsoever. In modern day, no matter what ethnicity a person is, they can worship in different ways, express art in different ways, and live in different conditions. If a person is living the way they want to and isn’t influenced by fear, he is being true to himself. During Langston Hughes time, a Black person acting out of the ordinary and more in a “White man’s way”was being untrue to himself and afraid to be honest. It didn’t make sense to choose a white way of living when either way, the Black man would not be appreciated.

Imitation #1 Arna Bontempts, God Give To Men

In this poem, Arna Bontemps talks about the differences men of different ethnicities experience, comparing Asian, white, and black men and his wishes for each of them. The context behind this poem is the different privileges men have depending on their ethnicity – great harvest season for the Asians; jobs, authority, and objects of value to the White; and to allow Blacks to show emotion. Blacks are seen to have the least but be the least greedy. This is a confessional, sharing his wishes for others and himself.  This poem does not have a rhyme scheme. Arna Bontemps uses a metaphor when mentioning the “blue-eyed men.” A man of any ethnicity can have blue eyes but this clearly means white men because of the stereotype of blonde hair and blue eyes and the perfect man is Aryan. Bontempt used lyrical poetry to compose this piece, sharing his emotion and thoughts on how each race is perceived and his wishes for all men. He also uses figurative meaning to express his belief that blacks are humble and doesn’t ask for much. He mentions this through his list of wishes to God, also ending the poem with a wish that all ethnicities receive what they want.