Dlaya H. - ENGL 1101 - Fall 2020 - Hip-Hop Reader - PEASE - Library Guides at Georgia Southern University

Run-D.M.C. and DJ Jazzy Jeff

When I was seven, one of my favorite movies to watch was Fat Albert. It starred Kenan Thompson as Fat Albert and Kyla Pratt as Doris. Fat Albert and the gang all went top an outside party where there was a DJ DJing. Then I saw the DJ spin and scratch the records, and I asked my mom what he was doing. She said, “D’Laya that is called DJing, and it was very popular back in my day”. I still did not understand what that was until I became a teenager. I would always listen to the 90s music my parents would play in the car and jam out with it too. Pretty soon 90s music became a key part of my life, and with that, there was the knowledge of DJing. DJing started in 1943 and was heavily popularized in the 80s and 90s. Groups like Run-D.M.C., DJ Jazzy Jeff, etc. are just a few of hip hop groups that use DJing in their music.

Run-D.M.C. was a hip-hop group that consisted of the members Joseph Simons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizell aka Jam Master Jay. They have produced multiple hits like It’s Tricky (my personal favorite), Proud to Be Black, King of Rock, Mary, Mary, and many more. “While working the turntables, Kool Herc also began reciting prison-style rhymes, using an echo chamber for added effect” (18). Jam Master Jay would be the DJ scratching the records while Joseph and Darryl would be spitting on the track. In almost every music video RUN-D.M.C. has made the DJ table was always there. The videos that had the table had the most record use in the song. The scratching of the record adds an effect to the song that is different. In Down with the King, the chorus repeatedly says, “down with the king” then the record is reversed and says “king, king”. The scratching can also be used as an adlib. In Proud to be black, the record would be scratched multiple times before they would start rapping again. However, in one of the record scratches, they went with the record scratching while saying huh repeatedly with it. Using these DJ skills has paved the way for other artists too like DJ Jazzy Jeff.

I never really knew DJ Jazzy Jeff until I was 15 because I did not realize he was the one who played Jazz in the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Then I started listening to some of their music, and they become one of my favorite duos. DJ Jazzy Jeff wanted to be a DJ ever since he was a kid, and he successfully achieved that goal. DJ Jazzy Jeff teamed up Will Smith to form DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince. They got their duo and DJing ways from the other DJ groups. “Employing exquisite timing, these phrases could be repeated in varying rhythmic patterns, creating the effect of a record skipping irregularly or a controlled stutter effect, building intense crowd anticipation” (19). In the song Summertime, the beginning of the song starts with drums and Jazzy Jeff scratching the record. Then it creates a type of chill groove that goes with the rest of the song, giving that summertime feel. You do not hear a record scratch the rest of the song, but you do not need to. Now the song Brand New Funk gives you that Run-D.M.C. type of feel. “Rap relies heavily on oral performance, but it is equally dependent on technology and its effects on the sound and quality of vocal reproduction. A rapper’s delivery is dependent on the use and mastery of technology. The iconic focus of the rapper is the microphone; rappers are dependent on advanced technology to amplify their voices so that they can be heard over the massive beats that surround the lyrics” (21). On some of their songs that DJing is constant on that song, and for Will to be heard he has to be amplified by some type of microphone. DJing and being the MC works well if you have the right groove and style. Will has this fast but also medium pace on how he delivers his rhymes. This is what helped make DJ Jazzy Jeff and Will Smith become so successful.

Even though DJing is outdated today and we rarely see it anymore, it has impacted the hip hop world greatly. All the successful DJing from these groups were all thanks to the earliest DJ who founded DJing and record scratching. This added a new sound to the hip hold world and many hip hop groups and artists transformed it to make it their own. Run-D.M.C. used it to mix their groove with rock and roll to dominate the hip hop and rock and roll industry. This pulled in both blacks and whites to get into their music. DJ Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince used their DJ skills to make music that applied to teenagers. The feeling made us want to get u and bop our heads and dance with it. In conclusion, DJing was one of the greatest skills in history.

D’Laya Harris
9/18/20
DJing started in 1943 and was heavily popularized in the 80s and 90s. Groups like Run-D.M.C., DJ Jazzy Jeff, etc. are just a few of hip-hop groups that use DJing in their music. Run-D.M.C. was a hip-hop group that consisted of the members Joseph Simons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizell aka Jam Master Jay. “While working the turntables, Kool Herc also began reciting prison-style rhymes, using an echo chamber for added effect” (18). Jam Master Jay would be the DJ scratching the records while Joseph and Darryl would be spitting on the track. In almost every music video RUN-D.M.C. has made the DJ table was always there. The videos that had the table had the most record use in the song. The scratching of the record adds an effect to the song that is different. Walk this way is one of the music videos that consists of them DJing and mixing it with rock music. With DJing, they also tried to combine a different genre of music with their music. They would sample from rock and work with other rock artists. The song “Walk This Way” is an exact example of this.

At the beginning of the video, it starts off with Run DMC and Aerosmith sharing a studio and fighting to practice in the studio. Then they get an idea to combine rock music with their rap music. Once the song starts, they then show a closeup of the DJ mixing board, and Jam Master Jay working the mixing board. Meanwhile, they keep going, and they start to do close shots on Joe Perry who is playing the main guitar riff of the song. Steven Tyler (the lead singer of Aerosmith) starts throwing things at the wall to make them stop making their music. The rappers then continue to rap while using the guitar riff in the song. Steven Tyler is to represent the rock/heavy metal genre of music while Run DMC represents the rap and hip-hop genre. Steven throwing things at the wall to get Run DMC to stop represents how society views rap music. They believe rap is ghetto music and should not be combined with any type of music whatsoever.

Then Steven Tyler makes a hole in the wall and tries to regain their music dominance. He intrudes on them rapping to sing the chorus, “WALK THIS WAY! TALK THIS WAY!”. Once that happens you can see the annoyance on Joseph and Darryl’s face. The video then changes the setting from RUN DMC and Aerosmith being in the studio to Aerosmith being on stage. At the Aerosmith concerts, the camera shows a view of the audience rocking out to Joe playing the riff. However, the audience notice DMC standing in the back getting ready to burst into the concert. They go in with their rhymes and once again Steven is not happy about it. However, the audience is loving this collaboration and Steven finally decides to give them a chance.
At the end of the video, it shows Aerosmith and Run DMC both singing together and jamming out to this song. “To the contrary, the success of Run DMC’s “Walk This Way” brought these strategies of intertextuality into the commercial spotlight and into the hands of white teen consumers” (18). The audience loved having this collab together. The liked the vibe and the mix of their rhymes and guitar riff of the song. This proves that the two different genres of music can be completely different to form something amazing. This helped the rap game become more mature, and to gain a bigger audience. Rap music already had a ghetto slate because of other rap and hip-hop groups. “The bulk of the press coverage on Run DMC regarding their “forays into rock” also suggested that by using rock music, rap was maturing and expanding its repertoire” (18).

Even though DJing is outdated today and we rarely see it anymore, it has impacted the hip hop world greatly. All the successful DJing from these groups were all thanks to the earliest DJ who founded DJing and record scratching. This added a new sound to the hip hold world and many hip hop groups and artists transformed it to make it their own. Run-D.M.C. used it to mix their groove with rock and roll to dominate the hip hop and rock and roll industry. This changed the game by giving ideas to other artists by using other rock group samples. This pulled in both blacks and whites to get into their music. In conclusion, DJing and sampling music is some of the greatest skills in history.

Rough Draft

D’Laya Harris

10/10/20

“Thru Your Phone” is one of my favorite songs because it helped me get through a breakup. “Thru Your Phone” is a song about how Cardi B felt when she found out her husband Offset (soon to be ex-husband because of Cardi’s file for divorce) cheated on her. This is different from her other songs because this shows her true feelings instead of her songs talking about money, her body, or how she went from being a stripper to a rapper. You can feel the rapper’s pain through this song, and how she felt when looking through Offset’s phone. The song consists of vivid imagery, symbolism, some similes, and a metaphor.

Cardi’s chorus had two different similes in it. The first simile explains how her heart hurts. “My heart is beating like it’s bleeding out”. The simile is comparing her pain in her heart to it bleeding. Cardi’s heart is not literally bleeding, but it feels like she was backstabbed by the one she loved. The second simile talks about the situation from Offset’s view. “You sleeping like a baby”. Babies sleep peacefully because they do not know what is going on in the world. The baby’s parents take care of them so they can sleep. In this case, Offset does not know Cardi knows about his side piece. He is sleeping peacefully because he thinks it is just another day of him successfully cheating.

The last aspect in this song was her use of a metaphor. This line of the song shows the agony she is dealing with. “This s—is eatin’ me, you sleepin’ peacefully”. Cardi is torn up inside because she was nothing but a good partner, but Offset was still not satisfied. Offset is clueless about this situation, and while he’s knocked out Cardi is going insane. She is comparing the situation as overwhelming and having these crazy thoughts while Offset is sleeping.

Using figurative language is what makes a song worth listening to. The images paint a picture in your mind to visualize what the rapper is talking about. The symbolism shows what the rapper represents and how they are feeling. The similes and metaphors help explain their raw emotions using objects to compare. In conclusion, “Thru Your Phone” reveals Cardi’s hidden emotions using figurative language.

Thru Your Phone Essay

D’Laya Harris

10/10/20

“Thru Your Phone” is one of my favorite songs because it helped me get through a breakup. “Thru Your Phone” is a song about how Cardi B felt when she found out her husband Offset cheated on her. This is different from her other songs because this shows her true feelings. Unlike her other songs that constantly talk about money, her body, or how she went from being a stripper to a successful rapper. The song consists of vivid imagery, symbolism, some similes, and a metaphor. This helps us feel the rapper’s pain and anger through this song, and how she felt when looking through Offset’s phone.

The symbolism and imagery in this song go together. The verses show how she found out he was cheating and what is going through her head right now. “I might just cut all the tongues out your sneakers, smash your tv from Best Buy, you gon’ turn me into Left Eye”. Left eye is a reference to the late Lisa (Left Eye) Lopez of the group TLC. Left Eye and her boyfriend Andre Rison were in a fight where Left Eye kept hitting Andre out of anger. She then was mad because Andre bought all these shoes for himself, but then did not buy any for her. This shows that Andre cared more about his shoes than Left Eye herself. This hurt her so as punishment she burned the things he cared about the most. Left Eye then proceeded to burn all his shoes in the bathtub which spread throughout the whole house. She is known as the craziest girlfriend because of this situation. In Offset’s situation, his shoes and TV are the things he cares about the most. As his punishment Cardi is going to cut off the tongues of his sneakers and smash his TV from Best Buy. This would prove to offset not to mess with Cardi also making her a crazy girlfriend. Cardi puts emphasis on specific words to show how deep the lyrics are. In this case, Left eye was the word that was being emphasized to show not to mess with her. However, Left Eye also went back to Andre after this situation. Which is exactly what Cardi would do once this whole mess was over.

Cardi’s chorus had two different similes in it. The first simile explains how her heart hurts. “My heart is beating like it’s bleeding out”. The simile is comparing her pain in her heart to it bleeding. Cardi’s heart is not literally bleeding, but it feels like she was backstabbed by the one she loved. Getting backstabbed by someone you trusted the most is one of the worst pains of them all. You put all of your love and trust into that open person just for them to do you dirty and betray that trust. The second simile talks about the situation from Offset’s view. “You sleeping like a baby”. Babies sleep peacefully because they do not know what is going on in the world. The baby’s parents take care of them so they can sleep. In this case, Offset is oblivious to the fact Cardi knows about his side piece. He is sleeping peacefully because he thinks it is just another day of him successfully cheating.

The last aspect in this song was her use of a metaphor. This line of the song shows the agony she is dealing with. “This s—is eatin’ me, you sleepin’ peacefully”. This line is the line towards the closing of the song. The way she raps this line has a buildup leading to the big climax. This s—is eatin’ me does not refer to actual waste eating Cardi. When something is eating you, it means something is bothering you to a point where you can not move past it. It could be a breakup, stress, cheating, finding out someone cheated, money issues, etc. An example would be how I was feeling yesterday. Yesterday, I called my friend because I was stressed about my work. I told her the stress of my schoolwork is eating me up.

Using figurative language is what makes a song worth listening to. The images paint a picture in your mind to visualize what the rapper is talking about. You can visualize the horror Cardi has seen through what she has found on his phone. The symbolism of referencing another rapper represents the revenge of what Cardi can do so Offset can also feel emotional pain. The similes and metaphors help explain their raw emotions using objects to compare with her feelings. The similes represent the disappointment and hurt in Cardi B. While the metaphor represents the anger side of Cardi B. In conclusion, using figurative language in “Thru Your Phone” thoroughly explains how it is needed to explain true emotion.

D’Laya Harris

11/1/20

Nicki Minaj and Cardi B are two of the most successful female rappers in the hip hop game right now. They both have some similarities and differences which has influenced both of their careers. Nicki and Cardi both use their sex appeal to boost their sales in music. They even had a feud at one point because of how successful Cardi was becoming. Nicki is known as the Queen of rap at least in this decade. People were afraid she would steal her thunder.

Nicki and Cardi both are known for looking sexy in their videos. Nicki Minaj’s music videos constantly have her dressed in skimpy clothing revealing all her assets. In her music video “Good Form” Nicki is seen in a pool wearing a see-through outfit and has her butt out. In Cardi’s recent video “WAP” Cardi is seen wearing a leopard print outfit that has her breasts cut out and her butt out. These two videos have over two hundred million views alone. If they were dressed normally it probably would not have sold as much.

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Nicki is known for her major sex appeal in almost all her videos. Her body is what makes people notice her instead of her verses. Her humungous butt is shown in the majority of the shots making the fans awe over it. While Cardi’s butt is not as big as Nicki’s, she proudly shows it in her videos. Both artists twerk to make it shake which is a heavy influence all over the world. Guys and probably girls too love looking at it shake, and girls also mimic the twerking.

Sex appeal rough draft

Male rappers have been using women in their music videos to gain popularity and views. The use of the sexualization of women boosted their sales in music This eventually became a common trend in the hip-hop world and is still used today. Constantly having these perfect models in the music videos was degrading to women especially black women. However, recently some rappers have taken this and use it to their advantage. On the other hand, there are other hip-hop artists who prove they do not need to dress scandalously to be successful.

Lil’ Kim was the main female rapper to pave the way for the other female rappers today. She was a part of the Junior M.A.F.I.A. and rose to fame in the 90s. She was known as Queen B and everyone fell in love with her rhymes. Lil’ Kim is known for her explicit verses and her sexual styles. In her videos and appearances, she is always seen wearing a bikini with a coat, see-through clothing, corsets, etc. In Lil’ Kim’s “No Matter What They Say”, she is seen wearing a sparkly gold bikini, a heart outfit showing her curves, and a black corset set. This video was a message saying that she did not care about what society said about her, and the only thing that mattered was what she thought about herself. This is an empowering way for Lil’ Kim to show society they can dress sexual for their benefit, and not the males. Following her footsteps, two decades later would be Nicki Minaj.

Missy Elliott was an idol to many females out there. Not only was she plus-sized, but she also decided that dressing sexually was something she would not do. She did not appeal to the sexual trend, but her lyrics said otherwise. She did not need to reveal herself to become famous. Her choice of fashion and interesting videos caught the attention of everyone. However, with this, her lyrics are as sexual as Lil’ Kim’s and Nicki’s. In Missy’s video “Work It” she is seen wearing tracksuits, jeans, and a t-shirt. The dances in this video appeal to the lyrics she is rhyming. “ Love the way my ass go bum-bum-bum-bum, Keep your eyes on my bum-bum-bum-bum-bum, You think you can handle this badonkadonk-donk, Take my thong off and my ass go boom, Cut the lights on so you see what I could do”. Missy and the dancers show off their butts to a dude in a car on a parking deck. They dance and shake their butts while Missy is rapping this verse. In “Tempo”, Lizzo and the dancers use their sex appeal to empower plus size women. However, Missy decided not to dress up like them and instead wears a tracksuit.

Female Empowerment

Male rappers have been using women in their music videos to gain popularity and views. The use of the sexualization of women boosted their sales in music. This eventually became a common trend in the hip hop world and is still used today. Constantly having these perfect models in the music videos was degrading to women especially black women. However, recently some rappers have taken this and use it to their advantage. On the other hand, there are other hip-hop artists who prove they do not need to dress scandalously to be successful. Although the hip-hop industry is primarily dominated by males, there have been and continues to be a substantial number of females who have also demonstrated proficiency in this music genre as well. In particular, Lil Kim (Kimberly Denise Jones), Nicki Minaj (Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty), and Missy Elliott (Melissa Arnette Elliott) are 3 female hip-hop artists who have or had become iconic musical figures, even given the fact that much of their material would be considered to be explicit.

Lil’ Kim was the main female rapper to pave the way for the other female rappers today. Lil’ Kim looked up to earlier female rappers before her. These include MC Lyte and the lady of rage. She was a part of the Junior M.A.F.I.A., a mistress of Biggie, and rose to fame in the 90s. She has sold over 15 million albums worldwide. Some of the awards she has received include a Grammy, a VH1 hip hop award, an icon award. She was known as the Queen B and everyone fell in love with her rhymes. Lil’ Kim is known for her explicit verses and her sexual styles. In Lil Kim’s “Queen Bitch” she talks about herself, Biggie, violence, and Junior M.A.F.I.A. “Bet I wet cha like hurricanes and typhoons. Got buffoons eatin my pussy while I watch cartoons”. In her videos and appearances, she is always seen wearing a bikini with a coat, see-through clothing, corsets, etc. In Lil’ Kim’s “No Matter What They Say”, she is seen wearing a sparkly gold bikini, a heart outfit showing her curves, and a black corset set. This video was a message saying that she did not care about what society said about her, and the only thing that mattered was what she thought about herself. This is an empowering way for Lil’ Kim to show society they can dress sexually for their benefit, and not the males. Following her footsteps, two decades later would be Nicki Minaj.

Nicki Minaj is of the most successful female rappers in the hip-hop game right now. She calls herself a black barbie which was adopted from Lil’ Kim. Nicki also uses her sex appeal to boost her sales in music. Nicki Minaj’s music videos constantly have her dressed in skimpy clothing revealing all her assets. Her lyrics are also very sexual along with the clothes she wears in that video. In her music video “Good Form”, Nicki is seen in a pool wearing a see-through outfit with her butt out. The lyrics in the song is about sex and having the male eat out her private part because it is “good for him”. Another song would be “Trini Dem Girls” which celebrated Caribbean girls. “Put it in his face like a cop badge. He wanna pound it like a hashtag. He gonna have to get the wash rag. If he shoot it up, I'm gonna bust back”. These lyrics are talking about her and someone else having sex and finishing. Like Lil’ Kim, Nicki uses her sex appeal for her pleasure while also appealing to the male audience. However, Nicki didn’t want to be as sexual as she is. “When I grew up I saw females doing certain things, and I thought I had to do that exactly,” she says. “The female rappers of my day spoke about sex a lot . . . and I thought that to have the success they got, I would have to represent the same thing. When in fact I didn’t have to represent the same thing” (Nicki Minaj and Friends Cover Vibe Magazine, 2010). It was her idols who made her think she had to do this to be successful. Since it did help her rise to fame, she just stuck with it. There are plenty of rappers who use their sex appeal, but what about the ones who do not? One of those icons would be Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliot.

Missy Elliott is an idol to many females out there. She has 4 Grammy’s and has been inducted into the songwriters hall of fame. Not only was she plus-sized, but she also decided that dressing sexually was something she would not do. She did not appeal to the sexual trend. She did not need to reveal herself to become famous. Her choice of fashion and interesting videos caught the attention of everyone. In Missy’s video “Work It” she is seen wearing tracksuits, jeans, and a t-shirt. “Wearing what appeared to fit like an oversized thick rubber black trash bag, large gold hoop earrings, and dark-red sunglasses attached by a gold head piece in the music video of her 1997 worldwide chart-topping hit song The Rain, Missy Elliott has continued to challenge the stereotypical, sexualized image and fashion of women in hip-hop” (White 619). In Lizzo’s song “Tempo”, Lizzo and the dancers use their sex appeal to empower plus size women. However, Missy decided not to dress up like them and instead wears a tracksuit. However, with this, her lyrics are as sexual as Lil’ Kim’s and Nicki’s. The dances in this video appeal to the lyrics she is rhyming. “Love the way my ass go bum-bum-bum-bum. Keep your eyes on my bum-bum-bum-bum-bum, You think you can handle this badonkadonk-donk, Take my thong off and my ass go boom, Cut the lights on so you see what I could do”. Missy and the dancers show off their butts to a dude in a car on a parking deck. They dance and shake their butts while Missy is rapping this verse.

When society looks at these successful female rappers, they see them as self-objectifying women trying to please men. However, them self-objectifying themselves can be a positive thing. Instead of them trying to please the male audience it can please the female audience. Nicki Minaj’s song “Feeling Myself” is about knowing you are all that physically and sexually. “He just wanna taste, biggin' up my ego, ego, ego, ego, ego, ego, ego, ego, ego. Ridin' through Texas, smokin' all off. Talkin' bout that high-grade, baby hold up I can heal your migraine”. When females listen to this song, they relate the lyrics to themselves. Maybe that female knows she looks good and always has her lover coming back for more. In Missy Elliot’s song “WTF (Where they from)” she talks about her body, men being attracted to it, and how no one can compare to her rap skills. This is one of my favorite songs by Missy because I can somewhat relate to it. As someone who is not skinnily talking about how thick her body is making me feel good about my body.

Society does not want to accept women sexualizing themselves because it is self-objectifying. Instead, we should start seeing it as a choice. Lil’ Kim had absolutely no shame, was extremely explicit, and is still known as one of the best female rappers of all time. Nicki Minaj however has some shame for what she did. On the contrary, her being a sex icon has empowered females to be sexy and feel good about themselves. She could have decided to back out and dress like Missy, but she did not. Missy Elliot showed society you can look just as good wearing tracksuits and baggy clothing while still being beautiful enough to attract a lover. Missy can still put it down and show it out when she needs to. She had plenty of times to dress like Lil’ Kim and Nicki Minaj, but she chose not to. Many people look up to these artists and feel empowered by their music. In conclusion, society should let women choose whether they want to feel sexy or be sexy. There are of course varying perspectives when considering the impact these artists have on people, but each person has the freedom to choose whether or not to listen to their music.

Works Cited

Vibe. “Nicki Minaj & Friends Cover Vibe Magazine.” Vibe, 24 Feb. 2015, www.vibe.com/2010/06/nicki-minaj-friends-cover-vibe-magazine.

White, Theresa Renee. “Missy ‘Misdemeanor’ Elliott and Nicki Minaj: Fashionistin' Black Female Sexuality in Hip-Hop Culture-Girl Power or Overpowered? - Theresa Renee White, 2013.” SAGE Journals, journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0021934713497365.