Sometimes talking, is just boring. Boring for the speaker, boring for the listener, and detrimental to the message being sent. So how do you dress up, and make what you want to say sexy enough for the world to want to listen? You rap it or perhaps sing it. Hip Hop/ rap is much more than just music genre, they are essentially a culture utilized to send a message from a particular artist in a unique format.
So how has rap changed, and subsequently how has this change affected the message of rap culture? This is obviously very contingent on the context of where the rap is coming from, and it may also depend on differing kairotic moments that influence to the individual artists. Hip Hop as displayed in the nineties provided a powerful platform to speak out on social issues, while also providing meaningful entertainment. Rap music was a direct reflection of the minority community's feelings of joblessness, disempowerment, and injustice, while also empowering social awareness.
Music is a direct reflection of trends and ideologies in a contemporary format, that actually is heard by millions of impressionable teens. So, in analyzing these trends of a specific musical genre we can infer, from its relationship, about the changing social norms and ideologies of individual time periods.
My thesis would be: The evolution of the rap industry is a reflection of a generational shift in social ideology, and this shift has not only changed how we view social life in the US, it has changed the very message of rap culture. I really want to analyze lyrically what has changed with each generation's major artists, and how this reflects the contextual social atmosphere. There are still messages hidden in contemporary rap, but they are vastly different from the roots of the culture. This paradigm shift not only demonstrates a shift in a music genre, but more broadly a shift in an ideological message being sent to perhaps a much broader audience.
Work Cited
“The Evolution of Rap.” Harvard Political Review The Evolution of Rap Comments, harvardpolitics.com/covers/evolution-rap/.Romano, Kathleen Odenthal. “How Hip-Hop Music Has Influenced American Culture and Society.” Spinditty, Spinditty, 20 Apr. 2016, spinditty.com/genres/Hip-Hops-Influence-on-America.
Ooooh this is really close to McKenzie's topic. But she is focusing on the change in rap lyrics. You could focus on the shift in social ideology. This looks like a really solid topic and I'm excited to see it!
ReplyDeleteTo start, McKenzie has pretty much the exact same paradigm shift at work here. So, I'm not really sure what the convention is but you might want to ask about it.
ReplyDeleteBut on the topic alone, I pretty much am going to say the same thing. I think analyzing rap is a powerful tool since music gives us an idea about social attitudes at the time. This was demonstrated in the essay we just read. I like how you specified that there are social issues they focus on, which identifies the significance of this shift and will make for an interesting essay and speech.
Aren't all genre's of music a "culture utilized to send a message from a particular artist in a unique format?" I think it may be better to say that hip hop is unique because it emerged as a medium for artists to convey the reality of their culture. Hip Hop is not a culture but rather an extension of one and a way of conveying what it means to be apart of that culture. This is a really great topic. What exactly do you think the shift in social ideology is?
ReplyDeleteI feel like your paradigm shift is a little to broad right now, focusing on a long time period. If you could focus on a specific time period or hone in on a few specific artists, then you'd be able to generate some much more detailed research. Also, be careful, as others have mentioned to not use the same topic or time period as McKenzie.
ReplyDeleteLiam, I think you have a good premise to work with, but I also agree that you might be able to refine your approach. My best suggestion would be to hone your thesis statement.
ReplyDeleteRight now, the thesis is vague: "it's a generational shift in social ideology...." What does this mean, really? There are loads of ideologies, so precision here matters.
One interesting take might be to look at how early rap was *highly* politicized with a strong social message about race/justice (ex: NWA, Ice Cube's "Cop Killer,") and now a lot of rap is commentary on possessions, women, and sex.
But I'm also NOT an expert on rap at all, so I don't know if this holds true. (Does it?)
Essentially, I encourage you to make your thesis more precise. It'll help to guide all of your research and support.
Thanks!