Critique on chapter 2 of The Hip Hop Wars

The Hip Hop Wars - Chapter 2

In chapter two of Hip Hop Wars, Tricia Rose reflects on how rap in Hip Hop has negatively portrayed its community over the years. When Hip Hop first began rap was motivational, inspiring and a way to vent about the tragedies the black community was facing and had to endure. This era has taken rap as a way to demean women, minorities, themselves and the black community. The excessive cursing is always associating ways to belittle their culture and everything it represents. Rappers talk about their community which is often referred to as the “ghetto” in a good way. Early in their careers they talk about the struggles trying to let others know about their circumstances faced in their community but that all fades away once they become a little famous. Now they switch their messages from struggles to selling drugs, treating women like dogs and being disrespectful to everyone. Rappers try to feed their listeners false reality that selling drugs is a way out of the “ghetto” and that the more women or money you have the happier you will be. As a person who comes from a black community where I have seen and experienced struggle I have to disagree with this generation’s rappers. Hip Hop is a culture that many outside of the culture see a negative, demeaning and trashy. Rap has made the outside world judge the black community based on the lies rappers are feeding the public. Rap is about self-expression or at least it was when it first began but now rap is about who has the most money, women, and cars. The black community is suffering because its role models forgot how to be role models.

Imitation 6 - Music of the 2000's

Jesus walks- Kanye West 

"We rappers are role models we rap we don't think
I ain't here to argue about his facial features
Or here to convert atheists into believers
I'm just trying to say the way school need teachers
The way Kathie Lee needed Regis that's the way I need Jesus
So here go my single dog radio needs this
They say you can rap about anything except for Jesus
That means guns, sex, lies, video tapes

The song I chose is called "Jesus Walks" by Kanye West, this is one of his early rap pieces. In the rap, he raps not to convert anyone into believers of cristianity, however, to prove a point with how rap music is labeled. He sends his little message through this song how rap represents a lot of gun violence, drugs, and bad depictions of woman. The 8 bars that I chose which are my favorite lines of the rap song, he even states how rappers are viewed as "role models" and can rap about anything except for the "Jesus". Which to me means they can rap about the negatives but can't rap about positive messages to the people. Kanye's "Jesus walks" rap is a confessional piece, because he is stating how he feels how rap music. He also makes a statement by questioning, how just because his rap isn't about sex, lies, and violence that his records wont get played. The rhyme scheme is (a,bbb,c,d,c,f), the literary devices used is an ending rhyme scheme.

Imitation 5 - Rap music on the 90's

Tupac- Changes 

"I see no changes. Wake up in the morning and I ask myself,

"Is life worth living? Should I blast myself?"

I'm tired of bein' poor and even worse I'm black.

My stomach hurts, so I'm lookin' for a purse to snatch.

Cops give a damn about a negro? Pull the trigger, kill a nigga, he's a hero.

Give the crack to the kids who the hell cares? One less hungry mouth on the welfare.

First ship 'em dope & let 'em deal to brothers.

Give 'em guns, step back, and watch 'em kill each other."

The song that I chose is a song by Tupac called Changes. This song discusses the issues in society back in the 90's and around the world, and how Tupac himself would like to see some changes from the people to help make it a better place. This song is written to make a statement about the struggles that people who live in the ghetto go through. This song is critiquing the society that he lived in back in the 90's and how unfair and wrong it was. However, I personally feel that despite the differences in time frame, we still deal with the same issues now. The rhyme scheme is (aa,bb,c,d,ee), the literary devices that tupac uses is an ending rhyme scheme and  inside rhyme schemes as well. 

Imitation 4 - Rap Music of the 80's

Rap.Music from the 80

Ice Ice Baby 

"Dance, go rush the speaker that booms

I'm killing your brain like a poisonous mushroom

Deadly when I play a dope melody

Anything less than the best is a felony

 Love it or leave it, you better gang way

You better hit bull's eye, the kid don't play

If there was a problem, yo, I'll solve it

Check out the hook while my DJ revolves it"  - Vanilla Ice 

The 80's Rap song that I chose is "Ice Ice Baby" by Vanilla Ice. In this song Vanilla Ice is boasting about his skills and talents of being a rapper. His audience is to all of the other rappers and towards those who listen to his music. The context of the rap is basically written to say that he is the best, and how his crowd will love it and if they don't, screw them.  An example is in these 8 bars, when he says "anything less than the best is a felony... If there was a problem, yo, I'll solve it". The rhyme scheme is (aa,bb,cc,dd) and the literary work that he uses is ending rhyme scheme. 

Critique: Chapter 6 of The Hip Hop Wars

Chapter 6: Just keeping it real

          Chapter 6: Just keeping it real in “The Hip Hop Wars” speaks about how rappers portray the phrase “just keeping it real”. It states how Hip Hoppers use that phrase as a defense mechanism as a response towards criticism. Most rappers use their raps to tell their own stories and struggles. However, with those stories, they may demonstrate “violence, crime, support sexism and homophobia” as stated in the text.  

This chapter dispute how “just keeping it real” is both a good and bad. By “just keeping it real”, people are able to know the truth about the poor black community that our government tries to hide. On the contrary, there are some people who rap and declare themselves as real but are speaking falsely about what they do, just because it seems cool. “Just keeping it real” can be viewed through many aspects and not just speaking about the troubles, however, it should also acknowledge the accomplishments of the black community.

  This chapter questions “Why are there few music videos or radio played songs about the extraordinary sacrifices that neighbors, teachers, coaches, mothers, ministers, etc. make to help keep the community together”. I agree with this completely, rappers are supposed to be story tellers, so why not tell stories of the positive things that go around with the people in their community. 

        Overall, this chapter really caught my attention on how people view rap and hip hop. The audience for which it was written, is for both those who are interested and  those for are not knowledgeable of what rap and hip hop is. It provides both sides of what people see rap and hip hop as, and what rappers try to portray in their music. 

Imitation 3: El Spanglish National Anthem by Pedro Pietri

El Spanglish National Anthem by Pedro Pietri [ first 8 lines]

"En my Viejo San Juan
They raise the price of pan
So I fly to Manhattan.
It was there that I swear
Everyone took welfare
Especially the Latins!

To El Barrio I went

In pursuit of low rent"

The poem that I chose is called "El Spanglish National Anthem" by Pedro Pietri. It is basically a poem that defines the reasons why Puerto Ricans migrated to New York, and their hopes to return to the mother land. The poem itself is written in Spanglish and it was written to speak on behave of the struggles, hopes, and dreams of the Puerto Rican community. It's both a confessional and a critique written poem. Pedro Piertri confesses the reasons to why Puerto Ricans moved to New York; to acquire a better living situation and be able to provide for their families back home. However, he also critiques that the "American Dream" is not what they pictured it to be. That bills will be bills in Spanish or English. He also describes the discrimination that they face in New York because of their accent and the way they look, but that was not a problem back in their home land. The rhyme scheme is an (aaa,bb,c,dd), and the literary devices that he uses is an ending rhyme scheme and lots of imagery when describing both living situations in New York and Puerto Rico.