So, I contracted in to make some beats for this class. I thought why not post them on the blog so everyone can see them. Here they are, along with an artists statement.
Becoming
disenchanted with anything is a confusing and unsettling process. I view my
relationship to the art of hip-hop very much as process of disenchantment.
Starting in the realm of unconditional love, I have grown to feel almost
nothing but a mild dislike and discomfort for the genre and culture. I have
given my self a challenge in this course, not only to focus on the culture and
genre that now I feel I have little to nothing to do with, but to create within
that genre. I wanted to make hip-hop make sense to me again, to feel some kind
of connection to the genre I formerly loved so intensely and would have
defended to no end.
The
main reason I had a falling out with rap music was that at a certain point,
after my testosterone surge began to wear down and I was making my way out of
the adolescent years, I found rap hard to relate too, in fact impossible. I
didn’t share the same struggles as my favorite rappers and all though I could
adhere to the most basic of their emotional context I could not agree with the
morals of rap music of the sexism and violence. Even the artists that rap
samples I could not relate entirely too, although I love jazz and funk and
soul, that music is not my parents music and the reworking of those samples is
not my own expression. Black music was not mine to manipulate, I felt too
outside of hip-hop to participate anymore and so I left it all behind.
So,
starting over again. I picked up my old rap production tools: my drum machine,
my sample library. I started from scratch. I didn’t want my beats to sound like
other Madlib or J-dilla or Just Blaze or Pete Rock, I wanted my beats to sound
like me. To do this I had to dig into the music of my past, the music of my
father and my own listening history. I sampled only songs that held some real
location in my history, my fathers favorite song, the song I listened to when
my first girl friend broke up with my after a week (tragically) in sixth grade.
I also only sampled white musicians, music I felt like I had the right to
manipulate and not feel like an outsider doing. But I also wanted my beats to
sound like hip hop, so I incorporated the sounds of hip hop the rhythms of hip
hop the tools of hip hop. The product is one that I feel is entirely my own.
In
Drezus’ video, he represents what he calls “real hip hop.”It is Drezus’ rapping about all of his
80’s/90’s hip hop influences.The
video has a very 90’s feel to it and it even models 90’s album covers and
mimics other 90’s music videos.This video is almost polar opposite to the Quese Imc song.Quese Imc is very passionate about the
history present struggles of his ancestors, the Native Americans, while Drezus
references nothing of his ancestors.Drezus strictly references to popular black hip hop icons from the 80’s/90’s.This is what Drezus considers to be “real
hip hop.”Quese Imc goes against
many hip hop stereotypes while Drezus wears a Wu Tang Clan shirt, is a bit aggressive,
and drinks expensive champaine.
During my semester abroad in South Africa last fall I had the opportunity to encounter a lot of different cultural expressive art forms. The most pervasive was definitely "house." South African House is a bit different than what I had experienced here in the states. Rather than a more techo-electronica vibe, I noticed more elements rooted in hip hop beats--especially in appropriation of hip hop dress and style.
The following are three songs/videos that were HUGE (think when Kanye or Jay Z drop something new on the radio) for the timebeing that I was there.
The first is by DJ Cleo. Most House artists still in fact identity with the "DJ" title. Though these three videos have the DJ's front a center, lots of the songs are simply instrumentals, with a drum loop in the back--rather than a chance for the DJ to express his MC skills. "Facebook" is DJ Cleo's anthem to, well, Facebook. Rather than give him your number, he'd rather you hit him up on Facebook later. Poke him. Message him. Whatever.
The second video also features Dj Cleo, as well as a host of other DJs (dubbed "The Teddy Bears"). If I can remember correctly, "impempe" translates roughly into "whistle." You can see how...
My personal favorite is DJ Sbu's "Lengoma." Here is a prime example of a House artist at work. The backing for the song is Zahara's acoustic ballad "Lengoma." Sbu laid a house beat over the top, mixed it a bit, and it became a massive hit--giving also fame to Zahara who wasn't widely known prior to the song. I find it really interesting how DJ Sbu is the main focus of the song. Though it's 90% a Zahara song, she's barely featured in the video at all--always somehow fading away as the camera pans to her singing.
Notice that all the videos above actively feature dance. Dance in SA is a major part of their tradition--spanning across different cultures and languages. Like in the U.S., a lot of videos/songs will have accompanying dance routines that listeners can learn and follow. Also notice the bravado in a lot of these performers: the dress, the style, how one presents oneself.
The backgrounds of each video are also really different. Facebook takes place in a hyper-produced "video" environment while "Impempe" takes place in a township, and "Lengoma" is set in what I think are the streets of Johannesburg.
For one of my papers, I am writing about the shock effects that many 'artists' use to get high viability through controversy, and through creating a general identity of them self that makes consumers go "Oh my, there are really people who live there life like that?" and it catches peoples attention, the same way a train wreck catches people's attention, and captivates them.
Below, I have a few examples that I talk about in my paper, but a brief overview for all you other viewers is that because we as consumers of popular culture get so bored with things so quickly, and we are always looking for the 'new thing,' that there are a certain niche of artists that catch our attention do to their shock value, and when they become a web sensation or blow up, and start getting a little paper, they get hungry for more and more and more (a common human condition). They begin to create more and more facets of their life that captivate the audience. And what captivates the audience? Things we don't see every day, be it violence, death, disaster, obscurity, taboo things, or incredible feats (among other things). In my paper, I talk also about the implications and possible effects that some of these shock value stars have on identity, youth, and race.
We have the first video that Earl Sweatshirt and OFWGKTA put out over 2 years ago. Earl was around 16 years old when this was made, and the video shows him and his friends mixing a deadly concoction in a blender, drinking it, getting fucked up, fucking up their bodies more and more, getting more people involved, and in the end, perhaps even resulting in drowning themselves. It catches the eye because the whole idea and premise behind it, what it represents, the message it sends, and the acts in the video, are terrifying and tragic.
Next, we have another video from OFWGKTA. Tyler's use of explicit language, graphic and terrifying verses, along with a video of him eating a cockroach and hanging himself put the nation in awe last year. This video has over 52 Million views. At this point, and even more after this, this group created a reputation for themselves as the outcast teens of LA that didn't give a fuck about anything, because of the way they were raised, and the environment they grew up in and around. They had no concern for their own health, the image they presented to other teens, and in general, the kinds of teens you wouldn't want your child to be friends with or emulate. And for kids, this crew was a big "Fuck you" to society, authority, their parents, and everything that went against them, because these kids were free, and did what ever they wanted and said fuck the world. A way to 'cope' with their angst and frustrations of the world was offering up to them (teens, being melodramatic and all). OFWGKTA has capitalized on their Shock value, not only through these two videos, but by the lifestyle they seem to live, as well as the messages they tend to send. Another up and coming, unfortunately 'hot' new artist is Chief Keef. His lyrics aren't saying much at all, except things he doesn't like, and that he gets high all the time and isn't afraid to shoot someone. This might not seem too different from a lot of other "hip-hop," but one of the major shock values of Chief Keef is that he is a high school student, who has already been arrested and is under investigation on murder charges. He has posted a photo of himself on the web of himself receiving oral sex, from his lyrics and other videos, his lifestyle seems to be similar to OFWGKTA's in respect to having an attitude of "I don't give a fuck abut anyone or anything." He is another type of child that you wouldn't want your kids hanging around or idolizing because of the lifestyle he promotes. Unfortunately he is signed to Interscope, and his style of music is a style referred to as "ratchet." Ratchet music has simple, but catchy beats that you can't help but want to shake your head to (the way he does in this video), with lyrics that generally promote disrespect and disregard for others and society, generally of a sexually promiscuous nature, and categorized as "hood".
Of course, these are not the first artists to use shock value to promote their music, and this is not the only type of chock value that is used. Unfortunately this is what catches on with the youth right now.
Past examples of shock value are Lady Gaga (with her Meat dress and nearly every other outfit an thing she does/says)
Busta Rhymes with his 'quick spitting' ability (nearly 200Million views!), leaves people in awe saying "how does he do that?" And ALL the visuals in the video are so interesting and different from 'normal' life (is it some sort of crazy party in a warehouse or something, and whats up with that mask made of mirrors?). The coloring, the dance style, it is all obscure to most people, so it catches our bored attention.
And there are many more examples of shock value stars, or people who have utilized the shock effect.
I hope that for many of you this isn't something new. That is, I hope you have digested enough pop culture, and thought about it after the fact enough to know that this isn't something new. After all, that is what the entertainment industry is meant to do right, catch our attention and hold it for a period of time. The role of pop culture nowadays is to be the social glue that keeps society together and on the same page. It gives us something to talk about, because if it is pop culture, we can be sure that most people know about it, or have heard about it.
And you may have noticed that I am referring to 'pop culture' now as a whole, not just the shock value portion in relation to Hip-Hop. That is because it isn't just in Hip-Hop, or just in music even. It is in the movies, video games, tv shows, movies (one of the most valuable labels a tv show or movie can receive is "captivating." Many shows achieve this through twists and shocks), even the newspapers (the front page is always something shocking, real news, like global politics, or business, or something else is put further in the newspaper for those who have the attention span to search for it).
Without rambling too much more, I will touch on a few other things I will be talking about in the paper, in case anyone in the class has any thoughts or ideas on them as well.
I talk about identity, doing something new/different, "rebellious domains", "unified rebellion," "false consciousness," naturalization of the obscure/subculture to the mainstream and popular culture, "folk devils," "Collective effervescence," relevancy, realness, dictation and control by the businessmen, what sells, and finally an aphorism by Zandra Rhodes-"To shock is chic."
Also, I may add more videos for reference as I finish my paper.
In Bakari Kitwana’s fifth chapter of his book Why White Kids Love Hip-Hop he examines what he deems to be four essential, capital T “Truths” of hip-hop: 1) that hip-hop has arisen from Black American youth culture; 2) skill comes first; 3) “realness” is valued based on life experiences; and 4) that it is very difficult to divorce the hip-hop narrative from the very Black American youth culture that it was spawned.
We can trace the first hip-hop Truth back to Chang’s historical account of hip hop in the Bronx. Here, black youth, searching for a safe space, embodied elements of hip hop in the black experience. To quote Kitwana, “All the aspects of hip hop are implanted in the genetic code of the African American experience. It was that experience which provided the space for hip hop to emerge. Life is not life without movement, without music. That music is something you bring into your homes, your schools, into your streets and all around you” (152). We saw this played out via subway appropriations and cipher battles in public city space—hip hop is standing on the shoulders of those such as Afrika Bambatta, Kool Herc, and Run DMC.
Though hip hop is grounded within a historically black context, that does not mean that it is an exclusively black medium. Kitwana’s second truth reveals hip hop as a cross cultural appeal—priding skill over mere racial makeup. In an era of “new racial politics,” excluding other races from hip hop goes against the dream of a new, inclusive, America—one separate from the old racial politics of stereotypical assumptions and worldviews. Thus, rappers like Eminem or Atmosphere are now not only allowed into the hip hop scene, but welcomed. They’ve proven themselves skilled in their classes and have been embraced by black kids as well as white kids.
Kitwana’s third Truth asserts that honest rapping and lyricism—or “realness”— is rewarded and respected in the eyes of fans. Turning away from 90’s gangsta narratives, Eminem kept it real by rapping about his mother, girlfriend, and various disturbing breakdowns and thoughts he had running through his mind. A scene from a skit on the Marshall Mathers LP in which he discusses record sales with Steve Berman seems appropriate:
Berman: Do you know why [Dr.] Dre’s record was so successful? He’s rapping about big screen TV’s, blondes, forty’s, and bitches. You’re rapping about homosexuals and Vicodin.
Additionally, perhaps this is why artists like Asher Roth have become popular. Rather than trying to fit a mold that he doesn’t belong in, he raps about what he knows: being a middle class white boy who likes to party.
Kitwana’s fourth Truth is short and simply states that hip hop has been so widely associated with a Black American youth identity that it is almost impossible to imagine hip hop without that influence. Hip hop as a Black and “ghetto” art form has become so ingrained in the collective psyche that, Kitwana argues, it is near impossible to divorce the two.
What do we think of these Truths? Are there any problems with them? Should there be more? Less?
Race in Hip Hop
Should race determine recognition in rap? No. As Kitwana states in two of his truths, skill comes first and ‘realness’ is valued. As long as you have talent and can spit rhymes you are golden. The more personal the better. When rap first began it was an outlet for black youth; speaking out against the oppression and ‘the big man’. It had truth and real life experience and opinion. As long as artists today rap about the truth, a message, or real life experience with skill, they are recognized as a part of the hip hop culture no matter their race or background. Hip Hop is about truth, and one white rapper that I believe embodies this is Asher Roth, he is known widely for his song “I Love College” but I do not believe that song to show the skill he has as a rapper.
This is a song where Roth raps about the identity of a rapper and how anyone should be able to be one.
Roth raps about what actually makes a good rap, and how pop culture influences what raps become 'popular'
Wigga: white nigga, wannabe black, whites acting "too black" what does it really mean? Roediger explores it in many ways, two main ones are 1) as a white on white slur and 2) blacks using it to describe white people who embrace their culture; hip hop at its original roots.
The word wigga has taken on another meaning today as a white person trying to be black but just embarrasing themselves because they are "too white".
What is your opinion of the word wigga?
Do you find the use of wigga appropriate or not to describe a white person who is a part of the hip hop culture?
White Fan or Wigger
There is a fine line existing in rap music between being a white fan or a hip hop head and being a wigger. Whenever my father would catch me listening to hip hop (usually something relatively soft like Tribe or Mos Def) he would ask me when I was going to stop trying to be black. As a white hip hop fan I always felt guilty or even shamed by fellow white and black peers alike for listening to hip hop.
There is a more intense pressure placed on white hip hop artists. Every white hip hop artist has to be prepared at all times to justify their whiteness and their qualifications to rap (making beats is a less identity driven side of hip hop). I think that this pressure is completely justifiable. White males have enough of almost everything in this culture that it seems only fair that we are not entitled to absolutely everything, especially considering the historical context. Since almost every other subculture is acceptable for a white youth I think that hip hop is the obvious choice for rebellious young white Americans, and choosing to participate in hip hop is the pinnacle of rebellion.
White rappers have no shame. There is a whole category of white rappers who think it their place to not only hijack hip hop for themselves but to then think it their right to critique hip hop, and preach their morals. Rappers like Sage Francis, Slug from Atmosphere, and Brother Ali take it upon themselves to urge more of black music. Brother Ali, who is a very large albino man, states in a song repeatedly that "the truth is here" him being the truth. He goes on to say "we want more" speaking for all of hip hop and then declaring that he, a human as white as they can get, are the answer or the "truth" seems to me almost racist. But alas, I don't think that white rappers should be discouraged from participating in hip hop just that they should always be aware of their outsider status and have some respect for that.
White Rappers
Connor Evans
What better place to begin with White rappers, but right here, at the University of Redlands? Over the weekend, I discovered Connor Evans, a student from California with a year of living in New Orleans in the mix. Evans comes from a musical background and has just released an EP entitled, “#GreenLightLife,” with the respectable message for people to reach their own potential.
This past September, Evans was featured in an article published on Black Entertainment Television blog, one of the largest media outlets for African-Americans in the U.S. Why should the African-American community and BET’s numerous other audiences care about a White California student at the University of Redlands? Because hip hop is about the message and the expression regardless of one’s background. As Eric B. and Rakim put it in the song, “I Know You Got Soul,” hip hop “ain’t where your from, it’s where you’re at.” The kid has something to say and he’s only hoping that people, no matter what they look like, will listen.
Dvnny Seth
A juxtaposition to Connor Evan’s message-oriented rap is London-based Dvnny Seth, whose type of tea parties involve drinking codeine. Pills, bitches, and self-aggrandizing is the type of content he promotes, however, his light trap beats and lyrical flow remind me a little of Lil Wayne around the time of Tha Carter III. Dvnny Seth is about the sound, production, and appearance, representing himself as “hard” and “real,” which is an almost antithesis style to Connor Evans. Yet these two White rappers represent the scope of style within the classification.
Eminem: Elvis of Hip Hop
Elvis was accused by those who see music from a racialist standpoint as a cultural bandit, because rock and roll was originally a black musical art form. In the last decade the same racialist stance has been taken against Eminem. Those who have been Eminem’s largest critics like The Source, claim that since hip hop is primarily a black youth subculture, black rappers rather than white ones should be the ones making money from the industry. The owner of The Source also claims that hip hop is losing its soul, and that the culture is at risk of colonization like that of rock and roll with Elvis. On the other hand new racial politics have emerged more recently claiming an inclusive America.
Eminem undoubtedly has talent but he is why has his CD’s gained rocked profits in the industry. One theory is that American white supremacist culture supports mediocre white in black in areas dominated by blacks to enjoy the area that the white artist is involved in like European fans for European players in the NBA.
Here Eminem is claiming to be more real then his opponent based on class rather then race.
Talking with the Native Hip Hop Artist and then seeing them preform was a pretty eye-opening experience. I enjoyed the positive and optimistic messages these rappers live by. Here are some photos of Quese IMC and Shock B choppin it up at lewis. Good job everyone in the crowd, the place was poppin!
Alright, so this was a big week for our class. Not only did we get to delve into discussion with three authentic and immensely talented native american hip-hop artists, but we also got to see them put on quite the show on our campus. However, perhaps what fascinated me most about the class discussion and the concert was the striking similarities between Culture Shock Camp Members and Tha Native when they spoke of cultural oppression and shared stories of growing up, but then when presenting their art forms, I felt as if Culture Shock Camp and Tha Native created music that was vastly different from one another's. Micah and I had to do some in depth research on each artist
Alright, so beginning with Quese IMC. I see this cat as essentially a native american form of say Talib Kweli. Super conscious and creates his music with the intention of causing thought and even potentially sparking movements. Movements for understanding of different cultures, equal rights, racial and cultural pride, etc. Like he said to us he doesn't drink, doesn't smoke, and seems to steer clear of any type of intoxicants, since he considers them the white man's way of poisoning his people. In fact he even organizes and speaks for groups that reach out to youth about alcohol, etc. He speaks of his own identity being a native american of seminole and pawnee blood and the oppression and and problematic themes in Native americans lives both then and now. Another extremely interesting aspect of his music is the quotations he using to begin and end many of his tracks. This cat is aware, prideful, and inspiring, and anyone who listens to any of his songs will immediately recognize his incredible passion for his heritage. He's always a genuinely nice dude from the conversations I had with him. If you are interested in learning more about Quese IMC, hit this link up http://www.queseimcmusic.com
Ok, so Short Dawg, Shorty, Sandman, and now most recently tha Native. For those of you who listened to some of his music via this blog, or went to the concert, I think it's safe to say this dude has very little in common to Quese IMC musically. If Quese IMC reminds me of a Tailb Kweli like character, then Tha Native reminds me more of a Dr. Dre in the 1990's. I am not just saying that because Tha Native makes explicit marajauna references, but instead because they both posses boastful styles on the mic, slow but very sturdy rhythm, and they both seem to rhyme over bass heavy and often funk influenced what could be called "west coast" flavored beats. His lyrics are less movement oriented, and seem to be more focused around his everyday life and how he deals with it. He is not living a sober life, traveling around preaching movements. But instead he is attracting a whole different demographic within the Native American culture. He indulges in the occasional drink and smoke and even speaks in some of his music as his darker days as an alcoholic. I feel that Tha Native provides native american hip hop fans with music that allows them to listen to some honest everyday stories of a regular guys struggle(who just happens to also be a Native American). Although Tha Native does focus heavily on his people's culture, there is much more to his music than just Native pride, every song involves pieces of him personally.
Quese IMC and Tha Native undoubtably both represent Native American Indigenous Hip-Hop. However, these artists proved to me how large the sub-genre of Native American Hip-Hop is. What I initially thought was a tiny little sub-sect in a sub-genre now appears to me to be a large and thriving subculture. Anyways, what other differences do you guys see in these artists music? Which one do you think represents Native American Hip-Hop the most fairly? What surprised you guys about the show, or the discussion?
