Hip - Hop Is Dead/what I have learned

I just got done writing a paper over Nas CD 'Hip-Hop Is Dead.' When I first skimmed through the songs I was like oh my gosh I really need this extra credit, and I have no idea what he is saying. However, after I set down and listened to it again and talked with Scooby about what I thought it was saying and I felt a little better. My overall opinion was that the cd was really good. He talked a lot about how the music today is not the same as it was back when it began. Not only from this cd, but from class I have learned that people are not singing about hip - hop for the love of it, but now more for the money. This love for the money is also causing the wars between the East and West coast, they are all trying to be the best and are not just singing because they love what they do. He also talked about in one song called 'Not Going Back,' about how in his last cd he talked a lot about his life in Brooklyn, and how he was not going back to those days, but in this cd he was going to move forward.
I have not had a lot of experience in the background of hip - hop, but through our dicussions in class, and having to review the music I have learned a lot about the music and what it means. I just want to say that I really appreciate all the help the people in this class have done for me that know about hip - hop. Thanks so much because I know you have helped me more than you know. I have learned that not only is hip - hop about music, but it is also about life in general. The way you act, what you wear, ( I know this doesn't define you as hip - hop), and how you live your life.
I have really enjoyed this class though, at times it was really hard for me. I think that it has also made me dig a little deeper into the history and meaning of hip - hop, and through that I have made the first step in becoming a more knowlegeable person. It has been a lot of fun and I am kind of sad it is over.

Links:
http://www.nobodysmiling.com/hiphop/news/86206.php
http://www.rundmcmusic.com/
http://www.murderdog.com/archives/nas/Nas-1.jpg

Fair-N-Hyte, Liquid & DJ Mass

I really enjoyed the guest speakers today in class. I liked hearing the insight coming from someone who is out in the hip-hop world. One of the things that I wrote down that DJ Mass said was that once again 'hip-hop is a way of life.' I also think it is interesting to hear it from other perspective from outside the hip-hop world. Take Morgan for example, she and I both don't really understand what it means completly to have it as a way of life. She has asked me so many times about how it is there way of life because she and I both have religion, family and so on.....but my response to her and if anyone posts on my blog feel free to correct me if I am wrong, but I said that they still have those things that are important in their lives but it is referred to the clothing the music the way they talk and sometimes how they feel about certian issues. I just like her have a hard time grasping the who concept. He also mentioned when asked by Scooby if hip hop was dying that it was....and I was so excited to finally have someone tell me if they thought it was or not. He said it is dying because of the language that is used in it....that I not the only reason that it is dying, but that is the one I wrote down. He mentioned that back in the beginning of hip hop you didn't have to worry about covering your little kids ears when hip hop comes on. So in that instance it is not reaching out to as big of an audience. Then something that Liquid said was that getting out and becoming big is now like a pro sport...it is all about who is going to get drafted first. This was in response to the Common being in a Gap commercial. They also all mentioned that they didn't feel that doing commercials was a way of selling out, that it is just surviving in today business world of music. They said that it is 90% business and 10% fun. And to sum it all up, in class someone made a very valid point of if the music is ever going to go back to the way it was that you have to change the audience who is listening and buying it. Without the audience on board the whole genre and artists will not make money and eventually not exist. After listening today it showed me just how cut throat it is in the music business. I hope that all three of the gentlemen in class to great in all they are trying to do. I wish them the best of luck.

Links:

http://www.ninjaarrow.com/
http://www.daveyd.com/edithipdie.html
http://www.cbonline.org.au/index.cfm?pageId=12,38,3,454

Readings

I thought that the readings we were assigned for class today were very interesting. The first one that I read was the purple one. I found it very interesting how the different professors had different opinions on the topic of the death of the civil rights. From one perspective one man by the name of Chuck Stone talked about how he thought it actually is dead, but it did do its part. He said that it helped keep all of the police brutality away from some of the blacks. It also helped the white suburban kids to embrace the black brothers in an attempt to help make everyone equal. A man by the name of Todd Boyd also talked about his new work called The New H.N.I.C: the Death of Civil Rights and the Reign of Hip Hop. H.N.I.C sands for the Head Nigga in charge, he was talking about how now there are lots of black people in the world that are black and hip hop that are making a name for themselves in this world. They are having high profile jobs and are very successful. Then in the pink packet I found it interesting that they were talking about the different approches that white rappers had when trying to make a name for themselves in the black rapping world. How they said that Vanilla Ice tried to act too black and stage a hard life like other blacks and that in turn killed his career and then you had Slim Shady who just kept it real and in the end was more accepted by the blacks than Ice. Then they discussed that the Bestie Boys were actually one group who didn't try to act black they were white as could be knew it and stuck with it. So I think it is really interesting how the ways in which you appoach a situation in terms of color in a specific genre of music can have such a huge impact on your overall success. I will say it again it all goes back to one thing. If you want to make it in hip hop just 'Keep it Real.'

Links:

http://www.beastieboys.com/
http://www.eminem.com/
http://www.usdoj.gov/kidspage/crt/crtmenu.htm