Hip Hop Ends

Hip hop class has come to a close so I thought I would take some time to write about the entire experience as a whole. When class began I was not sure what to expect. The first day was interesting and I feel that it was a good way to begin the course. I knew nothing about hip hop before class and for the first day to have people from the industry to tell about hip hop was helpful and interesting. I feel that this day also set the tone for the entire class early on. DJ Brasco saying that hip hop was real, and a lifestyle, and it’s how you act and dress. This definition automatically put that image into the mind of the non hip hop heads. It would be this image that set the tone for most of the class. I also think it is this definition that makes much of the class believes that they themselves cannot be hip hop. This first day with the people from the radio station also set an open dialogue for the rest of class. We answered many questions on the first day and this is what I think made the class so open and honest with one another. I have a theory that intersession and summer school courses always end up becoming comfortable with one another like a family. I feel that this comfortable setting made the learning experience easier for me as someone who was not fluent in the language of hip hop. I felt as though I could ask questions with out being ridiculed by my classmates. Instead my classmates did their best to help me further my understanding of hip hop. There were times that the discussion got a little uncomfortable because of different points of view but I think over all the discussion helped us to understand where one another was coming from. The few hip hop heads in class got to express their passion for the music and it was refreshing to see their love for this music. Hip hop in the media was a positive experience for me and I will walk away with a respect and knowledge for a culture that I was unaware of before the class began.
New Sites that I like
http://xxlmag.com/
http://www.thesource.com/
http://www.vibe.com/

Who is hip hop?

Today in class much discussion surrounded the topic of who is hip hop? Many people chose to answer the question given “Are you hip hop?” Many of the female students in the class answered that they felt as though they are not hip hop. I was one of the students who felt and feels as though they are not hip hop. Though I have a new found respect and understanding of hip hop I do not think that a three week course on the subject automatically makes me hip hop. I agree that hip hop does not have to have an exact definition. All of our class controversy has surrounded the definition of hip hop. Is hip hop being real? Is hip hop a culture? Is hip hop a life style? I agree with all those things and that is why I feel that I can not call myself hip hop. I think if I were to label myself as hip hop I would not be real. I am not a part of the culture. I am a part of the generation but not the culture. I feel that though I know more about hip hop now than I ever have that does not give me the right to call myself hip hop. When I think of someone who is hip hop I imagine someone who is knowledgeable on the artists and songs of hip hop. I picture the stereotypical image of a person in baggy clothes and the rest of the stereotypes. I understand the common idea of the stereotype is not always the case but I cannot help but think of that when I imagine someone who is hip hop. I know that sounds terribly ignorant and I know hip hop reaches a wide range of people but I think it is that strong stereotype that keeps me from calling myself hip hop. Also I just don’t feel that I am hip hop. Yeah I listen and can relate to some of the music but that does not make a person hip hop. It makes a person literate in the subject of hip hop. I feel that I can sympathize with hip hop but I do not know if I can empathize because the struggles I have faced are not the same that hip hop heads have. I think just because I see a Broadway musical and enjoy it does not make me Bernadette Peters. I have respect for hip hop and say that I am not hip hop, but who knows maybe I will be in the future.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hip_hop_music
http://www.bernadettepeters.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6oBjrMi5Ww

The Power of Break Dancing

When hip hop began it was not as popular as it is in present day. DJ Kool Herc looped parts of the song with the best beats so the people would continue to dance. This became known as break dancing. Afrika Bambaataa organized one of the first break dancing groups The Zulu Kings. Break dancing was a harmless release that propelled the popularity of hip hop. These beats created a new way of dancing that had never been used before. Break dancing faded but then came back in the style that may are familiar with today. I find break dancing fascinating. These dancers not only have rhythm, something I envy, they have to be incredible athletes.
I used work for Universal Cheerleaders Association and had the opportunity to meet interesting people all over the US. One of the most amazing people I have ever met was a break dancer turned cheerleader. While on staff I met another staffer who also cheered at an East Coast university. We were hanging out talking one night just getting to know one another when he shared with me one of the most encouraging stories I have ever heard. He told me how his mother was a drug addict and because of her addiction his family had lost everything they had. At young age he and his brothers were homeless. He told me how he and his brothers used their break dancing as a way to make money. They would perform on the streets for people making money to eat on all the while living on the street or in shelters. They were so talented that eventually he got offered a scholarship to be a college cheerleader. His break dancing skills make it easy for him to learn to tumble (he could already do a ton of flips) and cheer. This is also how he got his job with UCA as a cheer instructor. It was his break dancing that opened doors for him making it possible for him to get his brothers off the streets. When his brothers were old enough they became college cheerleaders at the same school. Each time I think of this story I am almost moved to tears. Mainly because BeeZ was so happy that you would never know the hard ships that he faced. This is one amazing example of the power of hip hop and the human spirit.

http://www.jam2dis.com/j2dbreakdancehist1.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=321f_e8Ap0M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7gcEJjcRUE&mode=related&search=

Hip Hop Slang

Some are offended by the use of profanity in hip hop music. Others simply dismiss it as part of the culture. I wonder what makes it acceptable to use derogatory terms as a part of slang or even endearment. Words like ‘bitch,’ ‘nigga,’ and ‘faggot’ have become part of the slang language used in hip hop. The problem comes when these words spill over from the hip hop world and culture into society that has been affected by hip hop but is not fully aware of hip hop’s definition of these terms. I also think that a lot of the communication comes from the tone in which the words are used. I admit that I have taken pride in being called a bitch. It was the tone of the person using the phrase “You are quiet the bossy bitch,” that made me take the statement as a compliment. However, there have been times that my younger brother has called me a bitch and it completely enraged me because he used a hateful tone that was meant to belittle me as a woman. Check out this link to a teacher who used the term ‘nigga’ when addressing a student and has been suspended from his job.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCM8STStfGw&NR
I think that the teacher was using a term that he knew nothing about but had become familiar with through the influence of hip hop. Not that this man would listen to hip hop because it seems that he does not understand the connotation of that term being used by a middle aged white man to a teenage black boy. Crazy! Just as my younger brother knows nothing of being a female it is wrong of him to use the word ‘bitch.’ I think that there is a certain context in which these terms can be used and they may not offend any one but when used in these circumstances they are found highly offensive. However, when the teacher’s words were remixed in a hip hop manner they are still slightly offensive, but now they are freakin’ hilarious.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrrC-V3MhCk&mode=related&search=
Do you feel that only certain people have the right to use slang words?
http://www.answers.com/topic/list-of-slang-used-in-hip-hop-music
Which slang words are appropriate and non offensive to use outside of hip hop music?

Thoughts on My Hip Hop Education

As I have stated in previous blogs I am illiterate when it comes to hip hop. The course I am in has helped me to gain knowledge in the area and I am pleased with my new discoveries. However, I feel very confused at times. Here is one example of my confusion. When the class first began we paired up with partners for an assignment. By the grace of God I was lucky enough to be paired with someone fluent in hip hop. I felt comfortable enough with my partner, Brandon, to make a fool of myself to him and ask the difference between hip hop and rap. He reassured me that it was not a silly question and there was not that much of a difference it was just a sub category. So yesterday when someone said that you can be a hip hop artist with out being a rapper it boggled my mind. I am still quiet perplexed by this idea, but I see the difference. I think. It’s like if someone is good at beat boxing but can’t spit rhyme very well they are still apart of hip hop music. I’m sure there are other artists out there who are considered hip hop who do not rap, but I have been taking baby steps with this education. I have started to download some “old school” hip hop on to my ipod. I like to work out to it. However, with this new found education and listening to hip hop I cannot help but feel like a poser. I am not hip hop. I like the beats and sometimes I find the lyrics touching a part of my soul that gives me goose bumps, but this is not the real me. I wear cowboy boots on a regular basis. I was raised in a lower middle class white home with a preacher for a father and one extremely opinionated mother. I have two brothers who have never been shot, beat up, or a gang member. I am from Noble, Oklahoma and live on ten acres of farm land. How is that hip hop? What in me can relate with this music? I have never been through what most of the artist sing about in their songs, but it is my human nature and what I believe to be my compassion that can identify with the lyrics and beats of hip hop. Intrigued by a life style different from mine is what makes me want to listen more to the “ill” beats of Public Enemy and NWA. Is this going to make me forget that I grew up in boondocks and ride horses? No, because to me real is country, classic rock, and remembering that at heart I am a little bit white trash. As a human and a functioning member of society it is important to take a look at all walks of life and listen to what they are saying to society, and if at all possible help their cause once in awhile.
Videos interesting to me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8ddzDZP3Cs&mode=related&search=
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHIpyRG4f2g
Video that is home to me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXsjysiN8A0

Hip hop is surrounded by racial issues. It is also full of gender double standards and things that are looked down upon for women. I recently did a presentation comparing Queen Latifah and Trina. Before this assignment I had little knowledge of either hip hop artist. Comparing the two women became fascinating for me. Of course I had heard of Queen Latifah and even seen a few of her movies like Chicago and Bringing down the House, but I had never heard any of her music that I could recall. I definitely had never heard of Trina. The first thing I did was search Trina on i-tunes and listen to a few of her songs. I definitely say a difference to Queen Latifah. Trina was rapping about things that I personally consider being very private matters, and though I had never really listened to a Queen Latifah song I was almost positive her music did not have the same subject matter. Here is strange thing; the more I listened to Trina’s music the more I began to understand it more. I can respect her as an artist because she is, in a sense, the definition of hip hop, real. Trina never apologizes for who she is or what she raps about, and to me that is respectable. Her lyrics are sexually explicit, but it’s her and real. So why does Trina catch such a bad reputation for doing exactly what male artist do and singing of their sexual escapades? It is not only the industry’s double standard, but society’s. If a guy were to sing the exact same Trina lyrics he would get a high five from his buddies but when Trina sings them she is labeled a slut. To me that is not fair. Though the double standard has changed a little and guys can be considered male sluts now instead of glorified as players. However, women are viewed as sluts if they want to express themselves sexually. I feel that these double standards are mostly reinforced by women. Women judge the lyrics as inappropriate and immediately deem that female artist as a slut. Why? Is it jealously? I don’t understand why we cannot support one another as successful women. After all we are women and the supposed inferior gender. Even though I may not agree with Trina’s lyrics I’m glad she is making it possible for women to express themselves in a sexual manner.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuBHIfoCP1U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-h5NNTVpzYU

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2294/is_n7-8_v33/ai_17895695

Music Racial Lines

Is hip hop a black thing? If hip hop is truly defined as something that is “real” then it should not have racial barriers. However, after reading the handout Why White Kids Love Hip Hop it became clear that there are people out there who believe that hip hop is a black thing belonging to black culture. Hip hop began as a way for black youth so speak out against the government that had forsaken their neighborhood and race. Many people feel that middle class white kids have no right taking part of something that they really do not understand. I say why not? If hip hop is still about getting the people in power positions to fix the problems in the black community, or at least notice they exist, then why is it a big deal for white kids to be interested in hip hop? It makes more people aware of the cause. I understand the fear that the white kids may misrepresent hip hop and what it stands for. If hip hop’s true definition is to be real then is white kid into hip hop in Middle America suburbia with not many black friends real? I don’t have the answer to that one. I don’t understand why music has to be a white or a black thing. The whole thing about rock-n-roll coming from black people’s music and now white people take credit for it boggles my mind. What about Cowboy Troy the black country singer? I’m positive that he has caught some major flack, but he continues to do what he loves and that is sing country music. I disagree with music having racial lines. I know that there are things that I will never have to deal with simply because of the fact that I look white. People would never know that I am actually a Choctaw Indian, but because I look white I will never have to deal with the racial struggles that other Indians do. However, should the fact that I look white keep me from listening to tribal music? To me the answer is simple, it’s no. Music can have so many different meanings not one is right or wrong. Though sometimes the meaning you get from a song may not be what the writer was intending, but that does not make it wrong because it is the meaning that you understand. Music is universal. I am and for as long as can remember have always listened closely to the lyrics. I’m not sure why I do that instead of just listening to the beat. It’s probably because my father, the reverend, has always told me to be careful of what I am putting into my mind. I find that listening to the lyrics helps me make a deeper connection with that song. My point is what if a middle class white kid can connect with the lyrics of a gangsta rap song, that connection is what make it real. If we limit music to race so many people will be missing out on so many great songs.

http://chronicmagazine.com/public.php?level=1&page_id=169

http://www.nathanielturner.com/freddiefoxxx.htm

http://www.cowboytroy.com/