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brandon vee - rap & culture social lyrics

hip hop recording artist – songwriter [brandon vee] trademark emotive sound. his controversial lyrics, unpredictable flow, and sense of humor, has him listed a method contribution to music he refuses to compromise, and effortlessly revolutionized hip hop. controversy surrounding rap music has been in the forefront of the american media. from the hype of the east coast-west coast rivalry that shadowed the murders of rappers 2pac shakur and notorious b.i.g. to the demonization of modem music in the wake of school shootings in littleton, colorado, it seems that political and media groups have been quick to place blame on rap for a seeming trend in youth violence. however, though critics are quick to point out the violent lyrics of some rappers, they are missing the point of rap’s message. rap, like other forms of music, cannot be understood unless it is studied without the frame of its historical and social context. today’s rap music reflects its origin in the hip-hop culture of young, urban, working-cl-ss african-americans, its roots in the african oral tradition, its function as the voice of an otherwise underrepresented group, and, as its popularity has grown, its commercialization and appropriation by the music industry

hip-hop music is generally considered to have been pioneered in new york’s south bronx in 1973 by jamaican-born kool dj herc. at a halloween dance party thrown by his younger sister, herc used an innovative turntable technique to stretch a song’s drum break by playing the break portion of two identical records consecutively. the popularity of the extended break lent its name to “breakdancing”–a style specific to hip-hop culture, which was facilitated by extended drumbreaks played by djs at new york dance parties. by the mid-1970s, new york’s hip-hop scene was dominated by seminal turntablists dj grandmaster flash, afrika bambaataa, and herc. the rappers of sugarhill gang produced hip-hop’s first commercially successful hit, “rapper’s delight,” in 1979′

rap itself–the rhymes spoken over hip-hop music–began as a commentary on the ability–or “sk!llz”–of a particular dj while that dj was playing records at a hip-hop event. mcs, the forerunners of today’s rap artists, introduced djs and their songs and often recognized the presence of friends in the audience at hip-hop performances. their role was carved out by popular african-american radio disc jockeys in new york during the latel96os, who introduced songs and artists with spontaneous rhymes. the innovation of mcs caught the attention of hip-hop fans. their rhymes lapped over from the transition period between the end of one song and the introduction of the next to the songs themselves. their commentaries moved solely from a dj’s sk!llz to their own personal experiences and stories. the role of mcs in performances rose steadily, and they began to be recognized as artists in their own right2

the local popularity of the rhythmic music served by djs at dance parties and clubs, combined with an increase in “b-boys”–breakdancers–and graffiti artists and the growing importance of mcs, created a distinctive culture known as hip-hop. for the most part, hip-hop culture was defined and embraced by young, urban, working-cl-ss african-americans. hip-hop music originated from a combination of traditionally african-american forms of music–including jazz, soul, gospel, and reggae. it was created by working-cl-ss african-americans, who, like herc, took advantage of available tools–vinyl records and turntables–to invent a new form of music that both expressed and shaped the culture of black new york city youth in the 1970s

while rap’s history appears brief its relation to the african oral tradition, which provides rap with much of its current social significance, also roots rap in a long-standing history of oral historians, lyrical fetishism, and political advocacy. at the heart of the african oral tradition is the west african3 idea of nommo. in malian dogon cosmology, nommo is the first human, a creation of the supreme deity, amma, whose creative power lies in the generative property of the spoken word4. as a philosophical concept, nommo is the animative ability of words and the delivery of words to act upon objects, giving life. the significance of nommo in the african oral tradition has given power to rappers and rap music within many african-american communities

rap’s common designation as “cnn for black people” may result from the descendence of rappers from griots, respected african oral historians and praise-singers. griots were the keepers and purveyors of knowledge, including tribal history, family lineage, and news of births, deaths, and wars5. travelling griots spread knowledge in an accessible form–the spoken word–to members of tribal villages. similarly, in the united states, many rappers create songs that, through performances and records, spread news of their daily lives, dreams, and discontents outside of their immediate neighborhoods. rappers are viewed as the voice of poor, urban african-american youth, whose lives are generally dismissed or misrepresented by the mainstream media. they are the keepers of contemporary african-american working-cl-ss history and concerns by becky blanchard

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