Many black musicians used their music as a platform to express the struggles that their community experienced daily during the 1980’s and 90’s. It allowed them to represent their anger or sorrow without acting out violently while also spreading awareness to the listeners about their stories, ideas, struggles, deep emotions, and the messages behind their songs. Lyrics to songs can bring a lot of meaning to a person or society. Music is an art and showcases an individual’s spirit. Hip hop music has brought many messages forward, for example the song Expression by Salt n Pepa had lyrics that showed the public how to be yourself and how to let lose. On page 7 of “Understanding Black American Aspects in Hip Hop Cinema” it talks about how during slavery the slaves would make up songs that would lift the spirits of the people working. Some of these songs had messages about freedom and dreams that the slaves had. Considering most songs have an impact on people, the slaves would create a culture of music that was brought forward. Craig Werner talks about genres and their impacts on the black culture.
Tupac’s work in this movie made him a household name. A year later, he starred in John Singleton’s movie, Poetic Justice. With the success in the box office he still stood as the main instigator in the battle between east coast and west coast communities. In 1995 Tupac signed with “Suge” Knight and Death Row Records and released ‘All Eyez on Me’. Many tracks on the album threw violent lyrics at Christopher and other east coast rappers, even claiming on the track ‘Hit ‘em Up’ to have slept with Christopher Wallace’s wife.
Throughout the song, Tupac gives an inside look on the social problems affecting African-Americans and suggests possible solutions. In the first stanza of the song, Tupac first talks about how certain social issues are linked together; he makes a correlation between his skin color and being poor. Tupac says “I'm tired of bein' poor and even worse I'm black.” Then he explains how poverty causes crime by saying “My stomach hurts, so I'm lookin' for a purse to snatch.” And finally, he demonstrates the relationship between police brutality and race by saying “Cops give a damn about a negro? Pull the trigger, kill a nigga, he's a hero.”
The rudimentary components of racial isolation are principals that have transcended over time. The guiding principle, mandated through Jim Crow, of “separate but equal” was only personified through the New Deal not abolished. Racial segregation in the U.S. has transcended through the history of a nation that has used race/ color as a means of distinguishing right from wrong, good from bad, holy from evil, and it’s in this association the mammoth race issues we battle today enfolds itself. Most view racial division in the U.S. as a social canon that’s always held a dark presence in U.S. culture from the beginning of American history. Conversely, racial tension in America was introduced then further woven into American fabric through methodical structure as a means of standardization. Racism was institutionalized with systems that were originally perceived as being set in place to leverage African American’s with economic stability, but had an inverse effect that continues to rip through Detroit today.
One way that Tupac highlights the issue of poverty in “Changes” is in the 2nd and 3rd line of the song when he states “Is life worth living? Should I blast myself? I’m tired being poor and even worse I’m black”. In these 2 lines 2pac uses a rhetorical question in the 2nd line of the song by questioning the worth of his life due to the poverty that he, like many other African American’s, go through on a day to day basis. By highlighting such a sensitive topic 2pac hopes to have an emotional effect on the listener. As well is this it uses emotive language that is simple to understand namely the phrase “I’m tired of being poor”, this line allows listeners to see the side of Tupac that is fed up with the
King of Rock n Roll, Elvis Presley, had a song in 1969 that took a drastic turn in theme from many of his other tunes relating to love, dancing and rock n roll. This song tells a tragic story which has very realistic connotations to the social problems of crime and poverty that were not only applicable to 1960s society but to our 21st century society. In this paper I will examine that song, titled “In the Ghetto”, highlight how the themes of the song relate to social disorganization, and further examine how the main character’s neighborhood takes the characteristics of a socially disorganized ecological environment perfectly.
On May 16th, 2010 Aiyana Stanley-Jones, a seven-year old Black girl from the east side of Detroit, Michigan was fast asleep at her grandmother’s home when Detroit Police Department’s Special Response Team mistakenly entered the residence during a midnight raid. Officer Joseph Weekley discharged a bullet that entered Stanley Jones’ head leaving her body lifeless. Initially, Weekley was charged in connection with Stanley Jones’ death but prosecutors cleared him in 2015, ensuring he would face no repercussions for his negligence that resulted in the premature death of Aiyana Stanley Jones.
The rest of the chapter talks about the similarity of minstrel images in 1990s hip-hop, as evidenced by the defining characteristics of greed, violence, hyper sexuality and pathos in “gangsta rap” (a sub-genre of hip-hop further defined in chapter two). Ogbar balances this landscape with challenges to what he calls “neo-minstrelsy” from both inside and outside the hip-hop community, including discussions of the Spike Lee movie, Bamboozled, underground conscious hip-hop groups such as The Roots and Little Brother, and the activist “Stop Coonin’ Movement”, to name a few. Throughout the book, Ogbar explains how rappers strive for authenticity by “keepin’ it real”. And that is defined by how they rap, walk, talk, and make their
Many contradicting views surround rap music’s controversial subjects and use of language. While some consider it highly offensive, there is some validity to the rhetoric applied in political rap. In the 1990’s racial inequality is rampant with uprisings and segregated neighborhoods that condemn minorities and lower socioeconomic classes to inhumane living conditions. Specifically, Tupac Shakur’s posthumous song “I Wonder if Heaven Got a Ghetto” combines an emancipatory lyric with a hopeful and upbeat instrumental to assess the racial inequality in society and the possibility of a better future.
At this moment, Kendrick’s monologue addresses the battle encountered by African Americans today and the frustration that comes with wanting and deserving more than they have. The backing vocals in this section of the song imply that American society wants African Americans to submit to it and praise it, even though many of them have suffered from it. This introduction signifies how dazed society is to the black people and how there is a constant battle between
The decade of hip-hop is what some may call it. Tupac, Naz, Biggie Smalls, as well as other artists, were major contributions. Not only for the people who are trying to find their footing, but Buck as well. Throughout the book various lyrics were embedded in order to create a better understanding for its readers. In addition, this book is based upon a 90s lifestyle within Philadelphia, which included drugs, gang activity, crime, hip-hop, and havoc. Malo was directly in the center of everything, the girls, the fights, the guns. His experiences shed light towards what it’s like to as an African American individual living in or near the hood. Not everyone realizes what people go through while living there, but now it gives some readers an image of what goes on. Though times have changed, not all previous feelings
In “To My People “by Assata shakur, she’s infuriated that the white men has manipulated and oppressed the black men. She commands the colored men to advocate, assemble, and to fight for their rights, and freedom because the american society and law enforcement is corrupted. She contends that their isn’t any equality and justice for colored people. Also Assata Shakur illustrates that colored people should get their freedom and justice they should to fight for it because the white men corrupts the system to the point where the colored men will remain oppressed. She was a member of the Black Panthers and she was the most wanted person by the FBI and charged with of first degree murder, assault and battery of a police officer, assault with a
In the introduction of the video to “Alright” by Kendrick Lamar, he uses footage of “the hood” or a rough neighborhood in California to expose the harsh conditions of income based housing in rough black
In America on average only 27% of African American Students’ class mates are Caucasian due to a divide between white and minority populations which has lasted for decades (Rivkin n.pag.). A system of racial division has evolved in the shadows and takes on many forms, most of which are fairly discrete. Racially separated communities have formed through a variety of mediums in a slow and persistent manner. However, the effects of a residential divide are direct, immediate, and numerous. A racist agenda within the development of American communities has further isolated the American people from each other by a means of systematic urban segregation.
It is a given that when people hear the term “hip-hop” the first image that comes to mind is that of an uneducated, jobless, violent thug with a gun control issue. This stigma is embedded in today’s society because of artist such as Young Jeezy, 50 Cent, Ice Cube, etc. that glamorize the calling of picking up a gun and “hustling” to sell drugs on the streets. This can be seen in a number of songs, but one song that can be picked out of the lineup is Young Jeezy’s Soul Survivor. “But if you lookin' for me I'll be on the block / With my thang cocked possibly sittin' on a drop, now/ 'Cuz I'm a rida/' Cuz er'ybody know the game don't stop/ Tryin' to make it to the top 'fore your ass get popped, now/ If you a rida” There is not much depth to this song, the story behind this song is that most youths that belong to the streets of ghetto usually get into the business of selling drugs to get quick cash. When he mentions “sittin’ of the drop” he is referring to the drug deal location, which shows how most rap has a criminal element to it. Through all of the “gangsta” glorification throughout “hip-hop” from to the gun slinging and alcohol consumption Lupe took a different