2Pac
Notorious B.I.G.
KRS-One
Beastie Boys
Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott
Queen Latifah
MC Lyte
Run DMC
Doug E Fresh
NWA
UGK
Bun B
Black Eyed Peas
Busta Rhymes
Salt N Pepa
Outkast
Mos Def
Ludacris
—–
When I was younger, I used to sit in my room and record songs off the radio so I could have a mixtape of all my favorite songs. I would eagerly and impatiently wait by the stereo/vinyl player combo for songs like “It’s Tricky” or “Push It” or “U N I T Y” to play on the radio.
Once I managed to record the song on the cassette tape that had been used for the umpteenth time, I’d play these songs over and over again so I could memorize the words. After memorizing the words, I’d dance around my room like a crazy person rapping and singing at the top of my lungs. Of course when my mom wasn’t home because she didn’t want to her me singing “Let’s Talk About Sex”.
And don’t get me started on having to “fight… for my right…. to pppppaaaaaaaaarrrrrrtttyyyy!”
Can you you guys tell I’m heavily into hip hop music? No? Just wait then…
From a writer/poet’s point of view, hip hop music can and still does have a positive influence on people. Yes the beats are often sick and moving but if one were to really listen to some of the lyrics, there are some really complex rhyming schemes. There is an intense use of word manipulation that most people would not normally use. Yet hip hop is for the devil and is part of what’s wrong with society.
Hip Hop is more than just a genre of music. It’s a culture. Genre of dance which has many sub genres such as lyrical, krump, breakdancing and pop and lock. Lemme stop there with that because I could go on and on about the beautiful marriage between dance and hip hop music and the bad ass choreographers who interpret, style and perform the music that hip hop artists perform. Such an amazing way to display talent.
Ma bad
Back
To
The
Topic at hand
The reason I’m paying homage to hip hop because I love the poetry and the spoken word aspect of hip hop. I love the time it takes to write the rhymes we hear on the radio or at a concert. I love that behind beats that have me bobbing my head in my truck or in the middle of Starbucks, there is some sort of meaning behind some of the songs. I’m not saying all rappers put some sort of deep intellectual meaning into their music.
There are indeed times, when the subtext of a song is about their environment or upbringing or what they see in their everyday life. Take NWA for example. They were from Compton yo. And I dunno how many of you were raised in the hood, but those guys went through a lot to put it lightly. Of course look at Ice T, Ice Cube and Dr Dre now. Music/Tv/Film moguls!
They used their music to obtain a better life. They used their experiences in Compton to relate to a demographic of people who are often overlooked or looked at differently because they “look like hood rats from the Southside of ___________________ (insert yo hood hur)”
Yes I know some songs demean women and aren’t suitable for young ears. But honestly, that’s a call for a child’s parents. Also, if a person doesn’t want to hear or finds that type of language offensive then perhaps he or she should turn off the radio. I hate when people offer their twenty cents about a subject for the sake of being critical and asinine. i’m talking to you Bill O’Reilly and people like him.
I suppose what really fascinates me about hip hop. It isn’t cookie cutter nor does it need to be. It is a genre and culture that is constantly evolving which can be refreshing especially when a new artist bring his or her style and flava to the mix.
Continue thinking out of the box and Thanks for reading…
The Southern Yankee
Like this:
Like Loading...
NerdtasticallyWrite 
You must be logged in to post a comment.