ENGL 1101 - Fall 2020 - Hip-Hop Reader - PEASE

Figurative language involves using phrases that are beyond the literal definition of words to have an insight into a message or point across. In expression or description, writers and authors convey meaning that is different in poems, novels, or songs. Figures of speech used are similes, hyperbole, metaphor, personification, puns, and paradox, among others, ("Figurative language -LitCharts). This paper focuses on paradox, simile, rhetorical questions, hyperbole, and metaphor figure of speech used by singer  Lady Gaga in one of her songs, “Is That Alright."

A rhetorical question is a type of figurative language in the form of a question, and the questioner does not expect a direct answer. It's mostly used to initialize a discourse and put across the writer or author’s perspective on a topic. The singer makes use of the figure of speech in the below stanza.

I want you 

To look right in my eyes 

To tell me you love me 

To be by my side 

I want you 

At the end of my life 

I wanna see your face when I fall with grace 

At the moment I die 

Is that all alright?

Is that all alright?

When one loves someone, they wish to spend time with them until the end of time, but that could not be if the lover dies first.  “Is that alright?”  is in the form of a question with no answer expected, and the singer uses it to the effect, that is, raise doubts, challenge the listener, or emphasize on opinions of the listener about the concept of love. She does not expect to get the answer but for the listener to contemplate the view. 

Similarly, metaphor is a literary device used to compare two subjects that are not similar directly (Syafitri & Marlinton, 2018, p. xx). The figurative language compares two issues by stating that one is the other. The singer compares life with laugh and love of kids in the stanza below.

Life is so simple 

A little boy, a little girl 

Laughing and loving 

Tryin' to figure out the world 

It felt like summer 

When I kissed you in the rain 

And I know your story 

But tell me again 

The singer implies that life is effortless, like little kids laughter and love as they try to discover the world when she states, "Life is so simple A little boy, a little girl Laughing and loving Tryin' to figure out the world," which is not the reality since life is not easy. She utilizes the speech figure to make it exciting and real and helps the audience imagine how her love life is and feel the scene she describes intimacy. Additionally, the singer uses metaphor in the stanza below when she states, "It's a warm celebration of all of our years," "I dream of our story of our fairy-tale ’’.   she compares the scene of the present celebration to that of previous and her dreaming to a fairy tale.  The singer compares her dream to their fairy tale, which signifies the anxiety in her real life and her present celebration of previous years to indicate how magical the present is. 

I hope you're still with me when I'm not quite myself.

And I pray that you'll lift me when you know I need help.

It's a warm celebration of all of our years.

I dream of our story of our fairy-tale

Jamiya Dawson

Dr.Pease

Composition

October 27, 2020

Figurative Language in “I Can” by Nas

         “I can” by Nas is a rap song exploring the possibilities of children in the streets. Nas raps about the different positive outcomes that could occur if children make the right decisions while contrasting them with the adverse outcomes if they choose social vices like drug use and clubbing. The song utilizes numerous figurative language to convey meaning and persuade the audience of the possibilities of life. This paper will explore metaphors, simile, allusion, and hyperbole used in the rap song to determine their significance and meaning.

          Nas uses a simile in the song to make direct comparisons in the ideas and things he mentions. Similies create a direct connection between things by the use of “as” or “like” and have a relatively straight-forward meaning. In the second stanza, Nas raps, “You can host the TV like Oprah Winfrey.” The lyrics compare the young girl’s dreams to Oprah’s reality to inspire them to pursue their goals and practice socially desirable manners. In the context, Nas warns young girls that they should be careful about their decisions and actions as they could lead to instances like contracting HIV or being raped, which could halt their dreams of becoming a TV host like Oprah. The effect of the simile is to inspire and create mental schemas in the mind of the young girls to picture themselves becoming reputable and successful people in society. Oprah is an idol for many black girls in the streets as she went through a life of hardship like the girls Nas is trying to inspire. Therefore, the comparison hits home in terms of persuasion as it resonates with the audience.

          Moreover, the rapper makes use of metaphors to create further comparisons and imagery. Metaphors make comparisons between things that are not alike but have something in common. In the first stanza, Nas raps, “Cause she smells of corrosion and death” when referring to the case of a girl that is addicted to drugs. He compared her smell with corrosion and death to mean that she smells awful to show her hopeless case. When a person is smelling of “death,” they may be on the verge of dying. In this case, comparison to death evokes strong emotions in the audience to pity the girl and learn from her wrong choices that led to the tragic ending. Another significant metaphor in the song is “She’s my Queen” at the end of the third stanza. In the context, Nas raps about the happy ending a girl could have when she decides to act her age and makes sound decisions. He explains that a girl will have the opportunity to a fulfilling life with a man who will adore her and exalt her like a queen. The metaphor holds meaning as it shows the outcome of taking control of one’s life and making the right decisions like marrying the right person at the right age. It effectively persuades the audience to make reasonable positive choices as it stretches their minds to think of the beautiful possibilities they could attain.

         Nas also uses allusion in the line “Singing songs, Lena Horne, but the younger version” to pass an indirect reference to the personality. An allusion is a reference to something with the intent of providing further meaning (Britannica par. 1-2). By referencing Lena Horne, a renowned media personality who is massively successful in different arenas like acting, singing, and civil rights activism, Nas means that the young girl’s potential in the song. The line’s context indicates the tragedy that befell the girl, hanging out with the wrong company that later influenced her into drug use. Therefore, the allusion in the line means that a promising and prosperous future could get compromised when one chooses the wrong company. The allusion evokes imagery that compels the audience to feel remorse for the girl and vow to make better choices to avoid wasting their dreams and ending up like the girl.

         Furthermore, Nas uses hyperbole to emphasize his words in the song. Hyperbole often exaggerates a context to emphasize an issue in a piece of work. In the line “Africa was almost robbed naked,” Nas exaggerates the robbery in Africa to mean that the theft of Africa resources was unimaginably brutal. In the stanza, Nas raps about how the European powers invaded Africa and became mesmerized by its resources, cultures, and organization. Leaders like Alexander the Great came to Africa to witness for themselves the greatness of the land. However, rather than treasuring it, the Europeans started to steal mercilessly, leaving it impoverished and deprived. While Nas is referring to the act of stealing in the hyperbole, he is also driving the meaning that the black race is rich and gifted in many ways that people are mesmerized and perhaps want to take advantage of at an opportune moment. Therefore, he indirectly implores the young black children to use their gifts to exploit their potential and keep their guards up to avoid any possible exploitation by malicious people.

        Conclusively, Nas uses figurative language to drive meaning in his lyric as a form of inspiring and persuading his audience to follow his advice. He uses simile, metaphor, allusion, and hyperbole to create explicit and implicit meaning in his contexts showing the possible outcomes when young people make good and bad life choices. I resonate with the song because it relates to some vicarious experiences I have had in the past. I have observed different people in my community, role model models, and celebrities making good and bad choices that led to beautiful and awful experiences, respectively. Nas’ objective is to persuade the audience to learn from the examples he cites in the song. Nas’ delivery through figurative language is compelling as it implores the audience into their imaginative self to see the possibilities of the life choices in the song. 

 

Jamiya Dawson

Dr. Aaron Pease

Composition 

December 2, 2020

 The Venus Hip Hop and the Pink Ghetto; Negotiating Spaces for Women

 

      Being a woman, regardless of race, status, and age, is tough. Society has standards that control every aspect of a woman's life. Women face discrimination, violence, sexual objectification, sexual harassment, and inequality (Ferguson 24). Hip hop genre of music is predominantly male-dominated. Female artists and producers do not have it easy; there is always a conflict of whether to show manliness or display sexiness, a common feature of hip hop music. Male hip hop artists sexually objectify and discriminate against black women. This has led to hip hop female artists coming out strongly to counter-attack this discrimination through feminism.  This essay compares and contrasts women's objectification and feminism issues in Hip Hop music using Imani Perry's "The Venus Hip Hop and the Pink Ghetto; negotiating spaces for women

 

Women Objectification

         For women to succeed in the 90s, it required that they show manliness as this was a male-dominated genre. Artists would appear in baggy clothes, which led them to be referred to as lesbians. In the 1980s and mid-90s female hip hop artists would refer to themselves as sexy, but it did not clearly show that women were sexual objects to be desired sexually. However, come the twenty-century, women realized they could market their songs by displaying women as sex objects, which led to the combination of the “hoe persona” created for video purposes and rappers' true identity. The influence to use sexuality to stay relevant in the hip hop industry was too much in 2003; a female artist who did not use their sexuality was rare. Women's beauty standards were set to being slim, having heavy makeup, and fake eyelashes. This led to artists such as Miss Eliot engaging in weight loss programs so as to suit the description of the ideal female artist (Perry 156).  Currently, female artists come out as “badman women” that are showing a combination of both feminine and masculine characteristics. Artists will appear as sexy in their music videos but use Manish language (Perry 157).

        Lil Kim comes out as a badman woman acting out the song – player's anthem by junior M.A.F.I.A. Lil Kim is displayed as a reversed masculine actor endowed, with women celebrating him, cars, and guns in her purse.

 Bitches squeeze your tits

Niggas grab your genitals

Proteins and minerals

Exclude Subliminals

Suga-T, rhymes:

This is the pickup line

 I got the big up mind

I'm steppin' to you like a stickup...

 I be outta control I see what I want, and I roll

          She comes out as a sexual being, the image that is expected of female mc in the hip hop industry. Lil Kim is, however, seen to presume both the feminine and traditional masculine roles in the song. She says: "One arm is on my steerin' wheel and the other arm around my nigga / His pockets fat don't get offended / somebody gotta make it, so somebody gotta spend it / I take it from the boardroom to the boulevard/Trippin' hard I play a nigga like I play a card." She comes out as a materialistic woman using men for their money; she drives the car, which traditionally is a man's responsibility.  The badman women are feminine and use this femininity to control man space, which threatens the men even more.

          In contrast, Boss and Dee, however, argue that for women to be taken seriously, they must appear as subjects and not objects. For them wearing clothes termed as sexy was a way of objectifying men, and they would rather take pride in how their voices sounded. They argued that agreeing to wear push up bras and tight pants was a sign the female artists did not have good lyrics. Women objectification deprived women of recognition by how good their music was; it appeared like they only survived in the male-dominated industry due to their sexuality. Boss and her friend Dee resorted to using power, violent language, and revolutionary tricks to show they are talented rappers (Perry 156).

         Suga-T and Lil Kim's use of something meant to destroy them for their gain inspire me to always look for the good in any situation.  Being aware of one's sexuality is a powerful tool for every woman as it prevents slut-shaming and builds one confidence. Boss and Dee's arguments of letting skills speak for you is an essential tool for women. Women are capable of succeeding on their own without the help of men.

 

Feminism in Hip Hop

          As earlier stated, women are often discriminated against because of their gender. People always question whether women in the hip hop industry write the lyrics for themselves but do not question male lyrics' authenticity (Perry 174). It is true that some female rappers use other people's lyrics but men also do. However, it is the female rappers that face this question when critiquing their artistry. The question should not only apply to women alone but all rappers irrespective of gender. Discrimination against black women is more heightened, often you will see the light-skinned women in the videos showing their faces, but for the black women, they focus on showing their rounded behind (Perry 177). Kinky curly hair is also not shown, instead, they show women with straight-haired-wigs or hair tightly pressed to the skin. To curb this discrimination against women, there have been different waves of feminists from way back in the 1980s. Some female feminist artists include Salt N-Pepa, Miss Eliot, Queen Latifah, Alicia keys, mc Lyte, Eve. Each of the above artists has supported feminism in their ways.

In her song “my bitches” Eve uses the word bitches for women's empowerment, as opposed to how it is used to slut-shame women (Perry 173).

My Bitches

My Bitches that'll stay in school

 My Bitches

 My Bitches that can keep a job

          The use of Bitches in this song contrasts with Jayz's song “bitches and sisters'', Jayz says that sisters are better than bitches. In his song, Jayz shows a woman's role as a housekeeper responsible for cleaning and cooking, sisters do all these roles but bitches do not which makes them better than other women, he says that is what men prefer. In contrast, Cardi B, in her song WAP, says she does not cook or clean but still has a ring. The song serves as an encouragement for women not to follow patriarchal standards to get men. WAP also emphasizes female sex liberation, female power during sex, and female pleasure.

          In Alicia Keys's song "Fallin,” her hair is plaited to cornrows; she is going to visit her boyfriend in prison. In the video, imprisoned women are shown working, which serves as an inclusion to the society. Normally hip hop music views prisoners as part of the society but does not emphasize the women imprisoned. On the bus, she is together with other women, also going to visit their spouses in jail. This song sheds light on female prisoners' involvement in illegal activities due to the influence of spouses. It also shows black women as spouses to many black men prisoners, issues that are often overlooked.

          India Arie, in her song I'm not the girl in your video, criticizes how women are portrayed in music videos. Videos often show black women with tiny waists, big breasts, big bum, and very long hair, which is not the real picture of how black women look. She encourages people who might not have this body type to love themselves unconditionally because they are queens. She says the value of a woman is not determined by how they look or what they are wearing. Arie, however, does not condemn women who sexualize their bodies, which is what feminism is about, not controlling what women decide to do with their bodies. Arie, however, says she will not embarrass her family by wearing a skirt above calf length while on stage.

           Every career has its code of dressing, female artists are required to look sexy and presentable by their managers/ for themselves. This brings about a conflict of how to dress properly. How wearing short dresses, showing cleavage, big behind, can be separated from women objectification to a pure sense of style and desire to be attractive. People should understand how to separate artists’ feminist messages from their sexist wear during performances. This means that to understand artists one should analyze them deeply and not just judge them by what we know and have been taught.

           The different instances displaying feminism shows that feminism is striving for equality for every woman. Women can use misogynistic words such as bitches as compliments, as Eva shows in her song “my bitches”.  They should also be comfortable with their nudity, strive for sexual liberation and satisfaction. Again, women can be different, not cook and clean and still get married to always be true to themselves and not leave their lives to please men. A woman's worth is not attached to the clothes they wear and the body type they have. No woman should impose her personal choices on other women.

 

Conclusion

           Women experience discrimination regardless of their race, status, or age. Men objectify them for sexual purposes. Women with long hair, a light complexion, a big bum, big breasts, and a tiny waist are the set beauty standards. This, however, is not the case with most women, which leads to esteem issues. Female hip hop artists address this issue by singing antisexist songs and also talking roles traditionally carried out by men. To thrive in the hip hop market female artists may choose to be badmen women like Lil Kim and Suga-T or trust the prowess of their lyrics like Boss and Dee. Since the early 1980s, hip hop has had numerous waves. The feminist artists address issues affecting women each in their specific ways but have a common goal to improve women’s image, stop inequality, and discrimination against women.