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

Visual Analysis

The “A$AP Forever” music video, performed by rapper A$AP Rocky demonstrates several aspects of hip-hop history, the most obvious and detailed being an urban experience, as it reveals several shots of the rapper’s hometown of Harlem, NY. The video also presents many of the urban influences on the lives of the artists featured in the video. For example, the first instance I notice is the clothing and fashion details. A$AP Rocky is not just a rapper, but also a fashion icon. Throughout scenes in the video, he can be spotted wearing very expensive and very loud clothing, such as a yellow jacket designed by Raf Simons.

This sense of style has been heavily influenced by his hometown and state, and is on full display in the “A$AP Forever” music video. For instance, New York is home to one of the largest annual fashion week shows in the world, and the city is filled with some of the most prestigious designer clothing brand shops, such as Chanel or Prada, as well as being home to where a large percentage of hip hop originated. This is expressed in Rose’s “Rap Music”, as she discusses that “it was not long before similarly marginalized black and Hispanic communities in other cities picked up on the tenor and energy in New York hip hop.” (26) The jewelry they have on and the hairstyle they all have also represents the city life. Expensive jewelry and high-end looks are a luxury inspired by urban experience.

Another obvious aspect of the origin of hip-hop present in this video is the graffiti that shows up in multiple camera shots. Graffiti on the bridges throughout Harlem, graffiti on the walls of the city, and even on the four-wheelers they are driving. This appeals to the urban setting as much as the subtle fashion sense in the video. Graffiti is not typically seen much of anywhere aside from the city and urbanized areas. The graffiti shown in this music video seems to read “A$AP” as well as “Always Strive And Prosper”, which is what the group of A$AP stands for, showing the group leaving their mark among the city, although it is normally done by gangs and criminal organizations. This even being relevant in Rose’s writing, she states that “graffiti and rap were especially aggressive public displays of counter presence and voice.” (25)

The camera angles are also a very important aspect of the video, as the camera seems to constantly loop in a circle type of motion. It starts low to the ground and spins, ending up in a bird’s-eye view, and then spins back into the ground, and this cycle repeats nonstop throughout the entire video. This represents Rocky’s desire and ability to make it out of the slums of Harlem. The lowdown angle represents the lowest point in his life, the rough parts of town, etc. Then eventually makes it up to the sky view, representing the rise of Rocky and the rest of his rap crew.

Visual Analysis Final

A$AP is a rap crew that represents much more than just music. Multiple members of the group voice their opinions on equality, approaching the best way to help countries and people in need, as well as rights movements for females in the United States. They are a group that use their fame and their expressive personalities for the greater good. In Rose’s “Rap Music”, she illustrates this by saying “The power of rappers’ voices and their role as storytellers ensured that rapping would become the central expression in hip hop culture. . They spoke with authority, conviction, confidence, and power. . .” (20) These words demonstrate A$AP’s, as well as many other rap groups’, ability to grasp the attention of the public and the change they can make.

Language Analysis

Phil Johnson

What Is Seen In The Mirror

Lil Wayne’s hit track featuring Bruno Mars, “Mirror”, released in 2012, is a song that figuratively demonstrates what Lil Wayne sees in himself through the mirror on his wall. He uses his lyrics in a way throughout each verse to demonstrate what he sees in himself, then ending each verse by disclosing that it is Wayne himself in the mirror.

Figurative language is used steadily throughout the song in many forms, and in lyrical ways for which Lil Wayne is known. He speaks ironically to show not only what he sees in the mirror literally, but also what he sees figuratively in himself. He uses examples of repetition, assonance, etc. He states in the first verse “Look at me when I’m talking to you. You looking at me when I’m looking through you.” As well as “ But I’m with you when you’re all alone, and you correct me when I’m looking wrong.” later in the song. He is saying that the reflection in the mirror is looking back at him while he is looking straight through it, seeing the emotions, the pain, and anything else that he sees in himself internally.

Wayne, also known as Dwayne Carter, states in his second verse that “I see the truth in your lies; I see nobody by your side.” This is his way of saying he knows himself; he knows the reasons behind the lies he tells, and he knows the little bit of truth behind them. He’s also saying in this line that he sees himself standing alone. Lil Wayne has an interesting way of meaning exactly what he is saying on the surface while also having a hidden, deeper meaning to his lyrics at the same time. He isn’t the only person to speak figuratively in this song, however. Bruno Mars, who is responsible for performing the hook in “Mirror”, sings “Through my rise and fall you’ve been my only friend” throughout the track. This line is used to show isolation. Showing that throughout life, through the good times and the worst of times, Wayne has himself. Although he may not have outside support or many close people in his life, he tells the man in the mirror that he has always been a friend.

The use of figurative language throughout this song is Lil Wayne’s way of communicating what he sees within himself. He demonstrates feelings of guilt, love, pain, and a lack of satisfaction throughout the song that he sees in the mirror. Wayne wrote the song this way to show that he cannot feel these emotions inside himself through the first person, but he must look at himself through the third person perspective to be able to find the flaws and emotions within himself.

Language Analysis Final

Phil Johnson

What Is Seen In The Mirror

Lil Wayne’s hit track, “Mirror”, featuring Bruno Mars, released in 2012, figuratively demonstrates what Lil Wayne sees in himself through the mirror on his wall. Using his lyrics in a way throughout each verse to demonstrate what he sees in the mirror, then closing each verse with the realization that it is himself in the reflection. Wayne is known for having lyrical talent to tie his words together in his songs, both literally and figuratively.

Lil Wayne is one of the most successful rappers of this generation. Part of this is due to his ability to use words with multiple meanings, leaving his audience to not only pay closer attention to his word choice, but also attempting to determine Wayne’s true meaning for what he is saying. One of the first examples of this in the song comes in the first lines. Wayne includes in the intro, “You think that you’re on your way, life lined up on the mirror, don’t blow it.” Although this line could be interpreted literally in terms of not messing up one’s life, it also uses wordplay of “blow”-a common slang term for cocaine, as well as adding “lined up” creating the imagery of doing lines of cocaine.

Wayne demonstrates this lyrical talent just lines later, stating, “I see the blood in your eyes, I see the love in disguise.” There are several ways this word choice could be interpreted. Lil Wayne could be discussing his drug problem, saying that he sees his bloodshot eyes after getting high, but the line could also serve as a double entendre, talking about his affiliation with the Blood gang. The reference to love in this line could be interpreted as he sees his love on the surface, the surface being in the mirror, but underneath filled with shame, disappointment, even hatred in himself. On the flip side, one could interpret his words as his “love” is a form of deception, a synonym of disguise. He claims he sees his love “in disguise” which could be wordplay for a self-hatred disguised as a feeling of love. In the third and final verse of “Mirror”, Lil Wayne says, “I even look good in the broken mirror.” This quote also could be taken literally, describing his physical appearance in a mirror that is shattered, and saying that he looks so good, even a broken mirror can’t distort his beauty. In the figurative sense, however, Mr. Carter could be very unhappy with the face in the mirror since it reminds him of his foolish choices, but when the mirror is broken, it shatters the image that he hates seeing, and helps him envision a more cheerful or positive life. Although the listener will never truly know the real meaning of the words Lil Wayne uses, it is extremely interesting to analyze his lyrics and find all the possible meanings to his use of figurative language.

Another effective form of figurative language in Wayne’s song is the consistent use of personification. Bruno Mars, who delivers the song’s hook, addresses the mirror on the wall, speaks to it, and gives it the physical qualities of a human. Mars states, “Mirror on the wall, here we are again. Through my rise and fall, you’ve been my only friend.” He addresses the mirror as a friend, and implicitly suggests that the mirror determines what is his “rise” and what is his “fall”. He goes on to continue the hook saying, “You told me that they can understand the man I am, so why are we talking to each other again?” Although from the literal point of view, he is conversing with the reflection in the mirror and not the mirror itself, the mirror in the song possesses human qualities that suggests the use of personification.

The use of repetition, or anaphora, is used briefly in “Mirror.” Lil Wayne is describing the qualities and emotions that he sees within himself. The song states, “I see the blood in your eyes, I see the love in disguise, I see the pain hidden in your pride, I see you’re not satisfied, I don’t see nobody else, I see myself.” Wayne’s continuous use of the phrase “I see. . .” is an effective use of figurative language to emphasize what he envisions within his own character.

Lil Wayne, formally known as Dwayne Carter, is very famous largely due to his unique ability to use literary devices to express his thoughts and ideas in his songs. This ability is on full display in his single “Mirror” featuring Bruno Mars. His use of imagery, repetition, and play on words appeals to the audience. He demonstrates real world problems and emotional appeal in his songs, which is not only extremely impressive, but very effective.

Compare & Contrast Final

Phil Johnson

Lyricism vs. Soundcloud in Hip Hop

It seems to change every day, the definition of what a talented hip-hop artist is. Although the perception of hip-hop as a whole has altered, from an R&B style to today’s mumble rap sound, the meaning of the ideal hip-hop artist is still up in the air. The 1980s, widely referred to as the “golden age in hip hop”, saw the innovation of Run-D.M.C, the emergence of artists such as LL Cool J, Ice-T, Big Daddy Kane, bringing the “gangsta” rap persona to hip-hop. Over the next decade, hip-hop and/or rap climbed up the ranks in the music industry. According to “The Atlantic”, 1991 was the first year in which a “rap group” claimed the “top spot on the Billboard 200.” (Thompson, 2015) This was the first time in 45 years of Billboard history that they had published a rap album on the charts- a momentous achievement for the music industry.

From the year 2000 to the present day, hip-hop has continued to evolve. With artists such as Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Tupac, and Nas taking over the 2000s, rappers’ talk of materialistic items in their songs became even more prominent, and with rap really arriving on the scene, these artists began to reach a status of celebrity nobody had seen in hip-hop. The artists previously mentioned are some of the more classic, older rap artists; people typically refer to them as the era of “old hip-hop.” However, these artists do have quite a bit in common with the new generation of rappers. All of their music is directed at the same demographic, they are all categorized as hip-hop artists, and tell their life story through music. Despite all their similarities, the older artists and the SoundCloud rappers of today are heavily divided by fans, creating what is referred to as the “war of hip-hop.”

Mumble rap, otherwise known as “SoundCloud rap”, as defined by Wikipedia, is a “loosely defined microgenre” of hip-hop which spread heavily on the “online audio distribution platform,” known as SoundCloud. Mumble rap did not truly materialize until the 2010s, and has taken hip-hop by storm. This decade features several up and coming mumble rappers, one of the most notable being Future, an original mumble rap purveyor, who defended the style of music in an interview with HiphopDX in 2012, stating, “When I freestyle I know there are bits you don’t really understand, but that’s what you like it for- that’s what it’s all about to me, that’s art.” It is an unorthodox method of performing music, and yet is somebody’s form of expression; it is their craft. According to ArcGIS, other artists to defend mumble rapping include Krayzie and Bizzy, members of the original Bone Thugs N Harmony group, who told DJVlad back in 2017 that mumble rapping today is different than it was in the 1990s. They claim it is a result of their fast-paced style, and that it “serves as a barrier” to prevent their new listeners from understanding all the lyrics. Only after listening a “plethora of times” is a listener able to sincerely understand the “intricacy and extended metaphors” contained in the songs. (Mahesh, 2019) They described it as an incentive to listen to a track or an album repeatedly.

The term “mumble rap” is viewed as derogatory towards hip-hop artists and rappers. It has the type of negative connotation that implies a person does not have any rhythm to his/her sound and often leads to the assumption of a person being untalented. Many rappers, understandably, take offense to this term, such as notorious 2000s rapper, T.I. He pointed out in an interview with Elliot Wilson, “Did you understand everything O.D.B was saying?”, as well as, “Your momma and daddy didn’t understand what James Brown was saying.” He was making the point that although today’s artists may not be particularly easy to understand, even the artists of decades ago, such as James Brown and O.D.B. (Ol’ Dirty Bastard) were not perfectly articulate in everything they said throughout their songs either.

Although mumble rap is a hot topic in hip-hop at this point in time, very lyrical artists do still exist in rap music. Eminem, known to be a wordsmith with his lyrics, addresses this ability in his book, The Way I am, published in October, 2008. He discusses his childhood, telling how he used to read through the dictionary for hours. Saying he wanted to “have these words at my disposal at all times whenever I need to pull them out.” He also discussed in his autobiography that he kept a box where he stored scraps of paper with words and/or phrases that he had written over time. Eminem also discusses in his autobiography how he had to master the art of “bending” the words in his music, stating, “You just have to figure out the science to breaking down words.” Rappers that have this mindset and thought process in terms of songwriting are typically more lyrical and have more fluidity in their music.

One artist that seems to have made an attempt to put the new school rappers in their place is J. Cole, seen as one of the most lyrical artists of the 2010s. On his album “KOD”, released back in 2018, he seemingly takes shots at the mumble rap community through his lyrics. He sings, “Congrats you made it out your mama’s house”, a clear reference to SoundCloud rappers. Since SoundCloud is a free application that anyone can post music on, many rappers who end up making it big in the industry started young, posting tracks to SoundCloud in their childhood homes. He goes on to say a couple lines later, “Cause that’s the way we eat here in this rap game. . . I hear your music and I know that rap’s changed.” This pair of lines stating that J. Cole has been in this industry for a while, when compared to the new coming talents, and that when he hears this new generation of rappers perform, the decline in creativity within the industry is visible.

Regardless of one’s personal opinion, mumble rap ( or “SoundCloud rapping”) is prominent today, and is this era’s version of hip-hop. Several artists have addressed the hatred and criticism towards this generation’s rappers, saying that it is natural for genres of music to experience dramatic change. Kendrick Lamar, according to Medium.com, said in an interview with Forbes that he “wants hip-hop to continue to evolve.” He went on to say in the same interview, in reference to this generation’s rappers, that as long as “you be who you are, but respect who got us here, that is how you continue to evolve.” In an interview with Rolling Stones, newly popularized rapper 21 Savage was asked to speak about the people who consider him a mumble rapper. He said, “They don’t understand my slang or my accent.” He also stated that this group of people doesn’t know “how to categorize it, ‘cause it’s art.” He says that the people who are categorizing him as a mumble rapper “are just trying to bring (his music) down.” (Angrisano, 2018) Throughout this era’s “war of hip-hop,” the one clear message is that the industry of hip-hop has taken such a dramatic turn simply because of new, upcoming artists just being themselves. Whether it is 21 Savage’s slow, sort of eerie sound to his songs or a rapper’s voice being oversaturated in autotune, the sounds and lyrics behind their music are authentic to their own distinct personality.

Similar to that of politics or sports, the “war of hip-hop” will continually have extreme supporters on both sides of the debate, people in support of true lyricism and people in support of the new age hip-hop, or mumble rap. Is one a true definition of the hip-hop genre over the other? Not necessarily. They are both forms of expression in music, and both have their own origins. Both should be appreciated as works of art in their respective ways. Lyricism did, in a way, pave the trail for mumble rap in hip-hop, but that does not translate to lyricism being the superior form of the microgenre. Mumble rapping has its own traits that attract large audiences and is unique to music in its own ways. When the sun sets, both lyricism and mumble rap are relevant today in music, and have influenced individuals across the globe.

Works Cited

Eminem, & Jenkins, S. (2008). The way I am. Köln: Kiepenheuer & Witsch.

Angrisano, A. (2018, December 08). Mumble Rap: Trash or Artwork? Retrieved December 01, 2020, from https://medium.com/@angrisanoaniello/mumble-rap-trash-or-artwork-cf9140831cde

Washington, B. (2018, May 01). J. Cole Puts Mumble Rappers In Their Place On His New Album 'KOD' Outro, '1985'. Retrieved December 03, 2020, from https://thesource.com/2018/04/20/j-cole-puts-mumble-rappers-in-their-place-on-his-new-album-kod-outro-1985/

Adam de Paor-Evans Principal Lecturer in Cultural Theory / School Lead for Research and Innovation. (2020, November 11). Mumble Rap: Cultural laziness or a true reflection of contemporary times? Retrieved December 03, 2020, from https://theconversation.com/mumble-rap-cultural-laziness-or-a-true-reflection-of-contemporary-times-85550