Creation 4: In Plain-View

Bagels and Lox, Always new right from the box
Louie Louie, Gucci Gucci, Fendi Fendi Prada
Everyone's got it but nobody owns OWNS it
Drive it, buy it, don't let them find it!
"I don't need loans, my Daddy owns the bank"
uh-oh that crack in your mask is getting bigger
Nails done, hair done, everythin' did, o you fancy huh? you sure THINK you are
Private school, public photos, yeah I just got that new one
Let's peak behind the mask
Oh you don't have power? Well I have a generator to charge apple tv..ipad...iPhone and three ipods
It all comes down. what's that? you're parents got a divorce?
Yeah I bet your Daddy did buy you that diamond bracelet, but he doesn't come home does he?
And your mom probably wears the same jeans you do but that crack's filled with a little extra Botox.
You're not happy. You know what's going on. How much does YOUR love cost?
Well...I know how much mine is...its FREE! Cuz I'm not spoiled.
My family isn't poor but we dont need a generator power the jacuzzi and keep the tanning bed bright.
You guys suck! "By the way I want mine toasted"...
Yeah this town doesn't have the worst stereotype of the litter but it sure does make me bitter.
15 year old alcoholics, 12 year old whores. Your mom's off doing the same shit.
Just make sure your Dad brings her back a scooped out low-carb whole wheat bagel with low fat cream cheese from Gold n' Meyers when he gets back from his "business trip"... that should go down smooth as butter.
But you'll just get that lypo-ed won't you?
MY family loves me with hugs and kisses, support and encouragement-
NOT those new uggs, and make sure that's a macbook PRO for all that time he spends with his girlfriend over you.
You're mom "doesn't know" well MY mom does!
and instead of fighting over who gets to watch that apple tv tonight...MY family will be playing cards by candlelight. making memories...
They'll clean up the branches together and not hire "THOES" people to do it.
And SHE'LL make a barbecue and it will be the best. night. ever.
Nah you don't have to pick us up some bagels we got our own.

Critique 5: Nobody talks about the positives in hip hop

I agree that nobody talks about the positives in hip hop. I think hip hop has created an essential sub culture to inner cities and struggling teens. I think hip hop is a "god sent" to these communities by helping to keep kids off the street and be creative. It gives these kids a new way to channel their energy in a positive way. Hip hop gives these kids hope and the successful artists give them someone to look up to. The music is therapeutic in general, and this is the music of their communities. Even to those people not living in impoverished areas, hip hopis a relatively new type of music that is extremely popular with teens and young adults and its power should not be taken for granted. A lot of rappers and artists in the industry have charities to help these struggling kids and people who look up to them. I do not believe rap adds to the violence or negativity, I think it just makes it more prevalent in the media and the reality more readily available to those who do not live in those areas. Rappers really make it a point to give back to their communities and remember where they came from. Even when natural disasters occur, they hold benefit concerts and donate to charity.

Creation 3: Caught

Watchin' TV on that usual grind,
marijuana in my unusual mind.
Bang! Bang! on the door, it's an unusual time,
Cop at the door, that's who we're gonna find!
"Open that door before I open it for you!"
Get that towel out the door before he finds a clue
Bloodshot eyes and she cries "I'm Sorry!"
Hopefully he doesn't turn around and find that Bacardi

"I roll up I roll up, Whenever you call baby I roll up"

"Gimme everything you got, especially the pot"
We looked at eachother, we had a lot.
Gettin' nervous for my friends, especially Scott.
Background check's clean so he doesn't arrest us.
but he thinks he's a big shot, lookin for a mug shot, but we got off by a long shot.
Heart's pounding, anxiety, screwed by society.
Needing some sobriety, but i gotta calm down,
Cop's off with out weed, what do we do now?

Creation 2: Ramblin' in my Head

I am stressed by the best,
but freed by the weed.
Bleed, cry, and scream!
You better get that work done to get thoes grades,
to make that money,
to buy thoes cars, bars...greed!
but it always come down to the weed.
Lead! leader of the pack- take another crack at it and never look back.
Reach your goals, don't let it hold you down
now let's start the countdown, be a clown and leave town, 3,2,1.
Bud, flash flood, of ideas.
Invention, find another dimesion, more tension.
Mara wants ta', get this fucking work done already!

Critique 4: We're Not Role Models

I have mixed opinions on this topic of hip hop's relationship with the notion of role models. On one hand I believe that rappers know they are being watched and looked up to by younger generations and need to be responsible for that. What rappers say goes into kid's mind like a sponge and rappers sometimes may need to censor themselves when they know their audiance. The things rappers speak about are "bad" not things a kid should be listening to at all. However, it is not the rappers job to make sure kids don't replicate what they are talking about in their songs and prevent them from doing drugs or going to jail. Rapers rap for a living, it is their career and how they put food on the table. If they censor themselves they risk losing some of that or gaining some, but it is not the rappers job to make sure the kid doesn't copy what they say. Like 50 cent says in Hip Hop Wars " Watch what I do, Not what I say"...I love this quote and I think it perfectly describes they way children should be seeing hip hop artists. In 50 cent's case, he is a very successful business man who have made a very nice life for himself by following his dreams and expressing himself through music. Kids should look up t that, not the details of the lyrics and hat his songs support. Also, it is their guardian's responsibility to censor the television if they don't like what is being hown. The parents need to step in and either not let the kids watch it or educate them on what is going on.

Imitation 7: (10's) Nicki Minaj, Fly

Nicki Minaj, Fly
Me, me, me against themMe against enemies, me against friendsSomehow they both seem to become oneA sea full of sharks and they all smell blood
They start coming and I start risingMust be surprising, I'm just surmising I win, thrive, soar, higher, higher, higherMore fire

Nicki Minaj is talking about how her friends become enemies and how everyone becomes an enemy because when you are successful like she is, everyone wants a piece of the pie and favors, loans and help. With the title, Fly, I think Nicki is talking to her family, friends, and peers about how she wants to be let free and able to do what she wants to do without them holding her back or wanting things from her.  She is also saying that as her success grows, the problems get worse. This is a confession of the way her life has changed since becoming famous and how her relationship with her friends has changed. Nicki Minaj uses literal meaning, internal rhyme, repitition and the rhyme scheme is ABCDEEFG.

Critique 3: Hip Hop Huts Black People

I believe the hip hop and gangster lifestyles portrayed in rap music hurt black people. I think there is still a lot of underlying "ground" blacks feel they need to make up for from when blacks were enslaved and this hip hop culture isn't working. I feel like blacks want to prove to white that they're just as good if not better. As time goes by I think blacks are succeeding at their goal however I think hip hop and rap are destroying the progress made to clean up their stereotypes and prove that they can be a superior race. Hip hop does not value education, a healthy lifestyle, a career, monogamy and many other social institutions valued in our society. Crime, prostitution, drugs, violence and being incarcerated are all apart of the gangster lifestyle that potentially represents black people. This makes black people look bad, as if they will never amount to anything but a rapper or drug dealer. The raper is not the image the black people want to have when they are trying to come up from under the white oppression in the past, and some might even say today. Today there is still a lot of racism and the hip hop culture just gives racist whites more to argue against. If I black I would not be happy with the way the hip hop culture reflects the black population, even though it is not fair, people do generalize. If I were a successful black lawyer, doctor, professor, ect. I would be angry that I worked so had to get where I was just to have some dumb rappers undermine my work and value to society by bringing down the value on black people in society. There is a lot of great black culture to be proud of that is left out in the hip hop community so it displays an unequal face for the black community.

Creation 1: Cruise

Me and you
We took the train
You took it all
What were we thinking?
But this was only the beginning
So young, so in love
Missing you became a physical ailment
Worth the pain
To see your face and feel at home
When you lived so far
A state away, who would have known
Two years later in the city alone.

Critique 2: Hip Hop reflects black dysfunctional ghetto culture

I believe that hip hop does support black dysfunctional ghetto culture. The lifestyle the artists live in is portrayed and glorified in their music. When people hear lyrics about hoes, pimps, the black market, hustling, drugs, partying, alcohol, guns gangs and violence, and sex it does not look good to help America prosper. This lifestyle is the dysfunctional underclass and it wouldn't be dysfunctional is there was not a problem with it and it is being glorified to our kids. If we all decided that rappers make their life style look good and decided to join it, there would be bad consequences for the nation. problem areas should not be looked up to, convicts should not be idolized and the black market should not be a career choice. The lifestyle portrayed in many rap songs reflects poor education and life choices. The criminal rebel lifestyle is a threat to American culture and prosperity. These people usually rely on government aid and welfare, many of these artists grew p on these programs, but now they are rich and drive Maybachs. The message they send out is that its okay to be poor, rely on the government but hustle in the streets selling illegal items. Although they produce good music, the entire situation is not good for the country in the long run, especially if it continues to gain popularity and acceptance. The celebration of being underclass and unsuccessful goes against American social values and norms which challenges the changing attitudes and culture regarding ghetto life.

Imitation 6: (00's) Eminem, Mosh

Eminem, Mosh 2004

"Maybe we can reach alqueda through my speech
Let the president answer a higher anarchy
Strap him with an Ak-47, let him go, fight his own war
Let him impress daddy that way
No more blood for oil, we got our own battles to fight on our own soil
No more psychological warfare, to trick us to thinking that we ain't loyal
If we don't serve our own country, we're patronizing a hero
Look in his eyes its all lies"

Eminem's song is a clear critique of the war in Iraq and how Bush was handling the situation with AlQueida, Osama Bin laden, 9/11 and the Iraqi war and how he's trying to impress his father. While in office Bush send more and more troops to Iraq. The song was a message to the American voters and released prior to 2004 presidential election, warning voters not to reelect Bush. Eminem wanted his message to influence the voters and rally together to make sure Bush wasn't reelected. Today George W. Bush is still scrutinized for the way he took care of things during his two-term presidency, unfortunately Eminem did not get his way. The literary elements used are internal rhyme, end rhyme, literal meaning, lyrical poetry, tone and the rhyme scheme is ABCDEEFG.

Imitation 5 : (90's) Marianne Williamson, Our Deepest Fear

"Our Deepest Fear" Marianne Wiliamson 1992

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness
That most frightens us.

We ask ourselves
Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.

This poem is a critique of the powerful, those in control that can exploit the weak or disadvantaged. The poem is in response to Nelson Mandela's incarceration because of going against the government of South Africa. The white South African were oppressing the blacks, the blacks were forced to live in segregated areas and were discriminated against. When Williamson says that "our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure" shows the responsibilities power comes with and how easily it can be abused while in the wrong hands. The audience is the owners and those who have, it is a message to them to use their power wisely and not hurt people with it. Literal meaning, line, tone and metaphor are literary elements exemplified in this poem .There is no rhyme scheme. 

Imitation 4: (80's) Grandmaster Flash, White Lines

grandmaster flash 1983:

Ticket to ride, white line highway
Tell all your friends, they can go my way
Pay your toll, sell your soul
Pound for pound costs more than gold
The longer you stay, the more you pay
My white lines go a long way
Either up your nose or through your vein
With nothin to gain except killin’ your brain

 

This rap is about 80's crack and cocaine epidemic, "Up your nose", cocaine and "through your vein", crack. Grandmaster flash is talking to young people, especially those in the inner city where the epidemic was very profound, simply not to do the drugs. He is saying how it is expensive, the longer you do it the more harm you do to your body and its overall not worth it. In the early eighties Reagan announced the war on drugs. The drug kingpins from central and south America were making and transporting cocaine and crack into the U.S. Crack became such an epidemic, in New York city especially, because it was cheaper and more potent than cocaine. This really affected places like the projects and became a major concern for the cities. In Grandmaster flash's critique of the drug problem he uses literary elements like simile, internal rhyme, the rap isn't very complex it is basic rhyme and there is no hidden meaning in what Grandmaster Flash is saying. The rhyme scheme is AABBCCDD, although there is internal rhyme as well.

Critique 1:Hip Hop causes violence

I would not say I agree with the title of this chapter, that hip-hop causes violence, but I can see where you can infer a correlation. There is no guy with a gun to your head telling you that you have to be violent after you listen to a rap Lil Wayne song. Rappers have the freedom of speech and can say whatever they like. However, the issue occurs when people don’t have a mind of their own and they take lyrics to heart, especially kids. I don’t think kids should be listening to gangster rap until they’re mature enough to see that this is just someone expressing him or herself, not something to go and do yourself. I like rap, I like the beat and I like the passion from some artists, but I would never let that passion influence me in my decision making of what is right and wrong. And just because Rick Ross says he’s done illegal things, the fact of the matter is that he was a correctional officer. Rap certainly does not cause violence but it certainly does not prevent it. There are definitely lyrics out there promoting violence especially towards police officers but that doesn’t mean the lyrics are based off true facts and even if they were, the rappers intention probably is not to make the listener shoot a cop. The high levels of unemployment unfortunately gave reason to the violence that did occur, people had to resort to dangerous and illegal activity to put food on the table. The poor housing situation also gave rise to violence, while blacks were segregated in certain areas their “slums” became an intense catalyst for a sense of community, but when those were taken away to build other institutions, homelessness and violence increased. It is almost unfair of “the boss’” to say rap causes violence when they caused the trauma that caused the violence.

Imitation #3 (70's): Carole King, Nightingale

Nightingale

Carole King

Like some nightbird homeward winging
He seeks that shelteredness
Like the sailor's lost horizon
He needs some place to rest
The songs that he's been singing 
No longer make much sense
And those strangers' cold perceptions
They've killed his confidence

This poem is about a soldier coming home to get that comfort he misses and some time off. He's been fighting so long that he no longer knows why or what he is fighting for. During the 1970s when this poem was written the Vietnam war was still in effect, the hippie movement was gaining popularity and they strongly emphasizes peace and happiness going against the war. This poem uses literary techniques like internal rhyme, simile in use of "like",literal meaning, tone, and narrative poetry describing this soldiers journey. The audience is the president, generals, and all soldiers. Carole King is trying to explain how the soldiers are tired of this long war that many American's did not support at the time. Soldiers were not coming back to America with warm welcomes from civilians but they yearned for the comfort of their famiies. The soldiers should see that the war does not make much sense anymore and that's why their confidence is down, they do not believe in the war they are fighting. This is an example of a critique of the soliders morale and attitudes during the Vietnam War. The line scheme is abcdabed.



 

Imitation 2 (60's) Beatles, Strawberry Fields

Nothing is real and nothing to get hung about
Strawberry Fields forever
Living is easy with eyes closed
Misunderstanding all you see
It's getting hard to be someone but it all works out
It doesn't matter much to me
Let me take you down, cos I'm going to Strawberry Fields
Nothing is real and nothing to get hung aboutStrawberry Fields forever

The Beatles are taking about all the trouble going on in the 1960's. During the 60's the Vietnam War was being fought and the American people did not support the government on the war and the citizens just wanted peace, also the civil rights movement was in effect and drug use was increasing. The Beatles are speaking to the American public in critiquing the government and society of the time. The Beatles say "let me take you down coz I'm going to strawberry fields", in what I interpret in meaning, come get high with me and we can escape all these problems, we will just close our eyes to shield us from the pain. Nothing mattes and nothing is real when you are high, there is nothing to stress over. Things will be okay. The Beatles use of language consists of rhyme, figurative meaning, and lyrical poetry. The rhyme scheme is abcdedfag. Not much of the lyrics rhyme besides lines 4 and 6. The Beatles don’t directly mention the societal problems in this mellow song but definitely address them in the lyrics.

Imitation 1 (20's):Langston Hughes, Bowery Blues

Samantha Weiss

Langston Hughes' "the Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain" is about the challenges and obstacles blacks faced in 1926. You can tell how uncomfortable blacks were in just the first line, "I want to be a poet- not a Negro poet". Why can't a Negro be a poet? Because in 1926, it was only socially acceptable for whites. This Hughes piece is a confessional and a critique. Hughes tells us in detail the situation in his area at the time but also critiques society, especially other blacks, for not supporting their own art. Hughes used literary elements like literal meaning, lyrical poetry, tone and narrative poetry. This was a time before Brown vs the board of education, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil rights movement. They were surrounded by discrimination and taught to think that anything white was better. White was "beauty, mortality, and money". Black culture was one not to be embraced but Hughes discusses how the best negro artists are the ones that are not afraid to be themselves. Race is such an overwhelming part of black culture during the Harlem renaissance that they were totally taken over by white thoughts. Langston Hughes hoped for a change in the way people saw negro art, not s a sideshow attraction to laugh at, but one to embrace and share around the world. During this time period black art started to increase and they got the attention they deserved. The role of race is a constant struggle for the artist, it is their limitation. Their creation will be judged by the public on how race is portrayed in their society. The listener s affected by the race issues because they are being told what to, and what not to embrace as apart of their culture. The artist struggles because their own people don't support their culture. 

I am hurt
I am scared
I want to live
I want to die
I don't know
Where to turn
In the Void
And when

- Kerouac

This segment of Jack Kerouac's poem Bowery Blues, he is talking about how he is lost and does not know where to turn. This was written in the beat generation after world war two, popular in the fifties. The beat generation he is apart of refers to the change in culture interested in drug use, changes in expressing sexuality, moving away from materialism and embracing lively and animated lifestyles. Referring to New York City, he discusses in the poem how no church, guru, or advice helps him in figuring himself out. This poem is an example of a confessional; he makes it clear he is lost in the concrete and buildings of the city. Life is asking where he has been and what took him so long. He is going through troubled times. The rhyme scheme is A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H. There is no rhyming in this section. Jack Kerouac uses alliteration, "I..." at the beginning of his lines. He also uses end rhyme; with short blunt verbs finishing his lines. Internal rhyme is used by the format he creates for the section, direct short statements. Literal meaning, rhythm, and stanza are also used. You can feel the tone in his lack of insight and hopelessness. He is lost with no direction.