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.