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

The music video “Fight The Power'' by Public Enemy uses their film to illustrate an opposition. Creating an overall mood with many different camera angles and styles. The first scene pans into a stage with two artists dancing on stage with the beat created by a Dj in the back, to give off a concert type of atomsphere. The purpose of this is it to give the watcher a more realistic type of feeling about the video, like it's not just another music video. Right after this, it is switched to a street view where the artists are walking forward with a very large crowd of people following from behind holding up signs as if they were protesting something. The idea behind this part of the video is that, just like in the song, they are trying to “fight the power” or go against people who abuse their power, such as politicians. Public Enemy uses a multitude of “ingredients” of hip-hop’s roots to create this meaningful music video.

one of these “ingredients” include Dj’ing. As seen throughout the video there is a Dj in the background who is making the beat. He is even seen on occasion scratching the record, which in Rose’s “Rap Music'' is described as “...a turntable technique that involves playing the record back and forth with your hand…” (Pg.19). Even though scratching isn’t widely used today, it's still an important part of rapping and Dj’ing culture. 

Another aspect seen in this pop video is collaboration, this is easily seen because it's not just one artist in the video, both Chuck-D and Flavor Flav sing in this video, while also having Keith Shocklee as their Dj. Not only did those three individuals work together, but also the dancers they had in all black and the normal citizens all were necessary for making such a hit. Public Enemy was more just one person making music, like how it is for most rappers today. Instead it was more of a group who wanted to make powerful music together and spread a message.

In addition, one of the original aspects of hip hop called the right to write is formally present in the song “Fight The Power”. Rose describes the right to write as “to inscribe one’s identity in an environment that made legitimate avenues for material and social participation inaccessible.”(Pg.25)) . Just like how she expressed it, It is just as prevalently expressed in the music video, especially when the lyric “Our freedom of speech is freedom of death”. This quote means that they feel as if the African American community doesn’t have the same rights such as free speech, which is unjustifiable.

One of the last primary features of the early stages of rap includes sampling. Sampling has been used ever since the beginning of Dj’ing. One example is in Rose’s book she states that during Flash’s performance of the “The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel'' he uses samples from Queen’s vocals in “Another One Bites the Dust''(Pg.19). In the music video by Public Enemy, Flavor Flav used a sample from “I Don’t Know What This World Is Coming To” by the Soul Children. Sampling allowed many artists to add segments from other songs to enhance their own, while still giving credit to the owner of the small piece.

In the final analysis the Music video “Fight The Power” covers many different aspects of hip-hop history that Rose Trica shed light on in the reading  passage “Rap Music” . Such include Dj’ing, collaboration, the right to write, and finally sampling, all of these together allowed Public Enemy to create such a hit that even today, the song is still considered one of a kind. Surely rap has come a long way from where it has started, but even then it still has kept to its roots and used building blocks given by its founding fathers and mothers.

                                                               Illmatic Bars                                                       Alec Luke

The song “It ain’t hard to tell” from Nas uses metaphoric devices throughout the cipher very well. He uses everything from allusions of mythology, word play, and much more. His rapping abilities can be seen as a way to give information while also very entertaining to listen to. Nas first brings us to the 14th century sea. When Nas spits “begin like a violin End like Leviathan, It’s deep? Well, let me try again”,  he compares himself to both a violin and a Leviathan. The grouping of a violin and a Levithan(A serpent from jewish mythology) seem almost polar opposites.  What Nas described when he raps this line is that he can be as smooth sounding as the strings of an instrument while also being as dangerous or destructive as a ginormous sea serpent . He also tells us, “I drink Moët with Medusa, give her shotguns in Hell”. Medusa is an obvious reference to greek mythos, while also referencing a champagne brand “Moët & Chandon” , which was commonly referred to in different rap songs at the time. What I think he means here is by shotgunning marijuana smoke into medusa , he gets her stoned which is also very ironic, since Medusa is the one who usually “stones” people. The usage of both the Levithan and Medusa can both be seen as similar not only by both being from passed down as traditional stories with supernatural beings but also both being part or completely serpents. Nas himself can be seen in a serpent nature type of way, because at times he’s not only sly but below the radar at times.

Another form of figurative language Nas uses are metaphors multiple times in order to use colorful phrasing then just saying what he means with bland and boring words. Metaphors allow him to attach words or phrases together that don’t normally work together to achieve a good sense of flow and rhythm while still getting his point or message across. Instead of saying plainly “I freely give knowledge to my crew”, he instead performs the lyric “Wisdom be leakin' out my grapefruit, troop”, this play on words allows him to use rhyme to illustrate the message of him being very knowledgeable in street and urban culture. A line that is similar with this message is when Nas sings “This rhythmic explosion Is what your frame of mind has chose I’ll leave your brain stimulated, niggas is frozen”, yet again Nas’s knowledge that he distributes stimulates people’s “grapefruit” so much that they are astonished. Nas does not rap about pointless things just to entertain an audience or to make money. He raps for the ability to inform the people how life can be unfair, among some other things. He often discusses how street life is in his music. This is especially made apparent when he tells us “Not stories by Aesop”. Those specific stories help teach how to deal with moral dilemmas, like making every second count, never giving up, or even good things aren’t for free. Nas’s stories however are ironic when compared to Aesop’s. Nas’s are how doing good deeds doesn’t always get rewarded in the end and that people who seek to do evil don’t always get punished in the end. Most people would disagree with the rapper’s way of thinking but then again not everyone has dealt with it first hand by living on the streets like Nas and so many others have. All these lyrics all really equate to one thing, whether it be street smarts or knowledge of rapping, Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones is a teacher to others wanting to learn.

Crime in Rap VS Lyrical Rap    

Crime seems to be always abundant when listening to mainstream hip-hop. Being one of the most popular genres of music, it can be seen troubling how normal crime has become a part of many popular songs. A sub genre has even emerged called Gangsta Rap due to the repetitive use of allusions to crime. YNW Melly’s “Murder On My Mind” is a perfect example of this, especially when he spits “Got Molly mixed with promethazine 'cause every time”. He references different illegal activities or things multiple times during most if not the whole song. In the last quote he admits using molly (MDMA) which is a drug highly used for it’s euphoric effects as a party drug. Other than drug abuse being a common theme with Gangsta rap, there is also a more darker side to this rap.  Murder is a often topic in these types of songs as grim as it is. You would think admitting to the desire to commit homicide  or that you already have committed such a crime would not be a thing rappers did, but you would be wrong. YNW Melly was actually arrested in 2019 for murdering two people. He actually admitted doing this a year before in the song earlier referred to. The specific lyrics are “I didn't even mean to shoot him, he just caught me by surprise, I reloaded my pistol, cocked it back, and shot him twice ,His body dropped down to the floor and he got teardrops in his eyes” . Although he says he didn’t intend to kill the guy, he still committed the crime and is serving time for it still today. 
There are many rappers who rap about the morally wrong thing but that doesn’t mean they are all like this. Childish Gambino is a great example of this, in his songs he sings about his upbringing, social, and political problems. A song that demonstrates these qualities is “This Is America” . Even though this music video displays people getting shot, this song has more of a message behind it or a problem that needs to change. Most likely, one of the most well-known lyrics from it is “This is America, Don’t catch you slippin’ now”, right after he says this for the first time in the video he pulls out a gun and shoots someone who is blind folded in a chair. As grizzly as this is, it is not just a needless part where he is just trying to show off. He conveys a message of violence due to the gun problem in the United States as well as police brutality. Both songs include parts with murder in them, but they are completely different in the aspect of meaning  behind the each song.
 

Hip-hop has developed in a multitude of ways from when it first became a thing in 1973. When Hip-hop first emerged it was all metaphoric and very lyrical. Artists told stories with life lessons from what they have learned and dealt with in life. Today is a bit different. Rap has had more literal meaning and messages behind it’s lyrics. Instead of using metaphoric devices, they speak in a literal sense. Nas and The Roots are very good examples of rappers who lyrically story-tell with their messages still holding weight today. Well-known artists today that are just more “say what they mean” or “get to the point” style in rap are people like Lil Uzi Vert and Lil Baby. It is easily seen that rappers today and then ones from the past are quite different when it comes to the why they write their music. 

Hip-hop has developed in a multitude of ways from when it first became a thing in 1973. When Hip-hop first emerged it was all metaphoric and very lyrical. Artists told stories with life lessons from what they have learned and dealt with in life. Today is a bit different. Rap has had more literal meaning and messages behind it’s lyrics. Instead of using metaphoric devices, they speak in a plain sense.  Basically, they rap without any creativity, though putting aside the art of creating lyrics and rhymes.
Nas and The Roots are very good examples of rappers who lyrically story-tell with their messages still holding weight today. These two both use much figurative language in their music, which makes their music more witty lines. Well-known artists today that are just more “say what they mean” style in rap are people like Lil Uzi Vert and Lil Baby. Both of these are fairly popular with our youth today with most teenagers and post-teenagers listening to them, as long as they have an interest in rap to begin with. It is easily seen that rappers today and then ones from the past are quite different when it comes to why they write their music. 
As earlier mentioned Nas is quite the metaphoric scholar when it comes to his tracks. These metaphors heightens his music to such a degree that it allows people all of ages to enjoy it. His music tells stories conveyed through figurative language. “N.Y State of Mind” was released around 26 years ago and still holds much value today. Lyrics like “Of pain, I'm like Scarface sniffin' cocaine”, amplify his due to them being both a simile and allusion, instead of just plain out stating that he snorts extreme amounts of coke. This shows how talented Nas is to think of such a reference to a movie from 1983 that perfectly describes how he feels about the illicit drug. Another line of the song with figurative language is “I never sleep, 'cause sleep is the cousin of death” is a classic lyric that is both very real but also an exaggeration. In this scenario he is talking about people who act in illegal activities and how they always have to be on their guard, police or any other gangster that has a problem with the person. they always have to have one eye open. If you’re caught sleeping you are an easy target waiting to be taken out. All these different lyrics that were shown illustrates how flexible Nas was with combining his rhymes and metaphoric devices together to create something truly all ages can appreciate. 
An old-school hip-hop band similar to Nas in the sense of how they put their lyrics together is The Roots. They are a bit older than Nas, founded in 1987, with their music still being listened to today. “What They Do” is a fantastic song that deals with how hip-hop has changed in a negative way since it has begun. Just like Nas, and other older hip-hop artists, The Roots use much metaphoric language like when they spit “And my mental thick, they hit my head like brick”. This comparison between the life of being in a band and a brick shows how difficult it can be on someone’s “mental” living said life. It is not all glitz and glamor as many people think it is. Lots of work goes into the job and most people probably couldn’t keep up with the pressure of performing. 
 

Hip-hop has developed in a multitude of ways from when it first became a thing in 1973. When Hip-hop first emerged it was all metaphoric and very lyrical. Artists told stories with life lessons from what they have learned and dealt with in life. Today is a bit different. Rap has had more literal meaning and messages behind it’s lyrics. Instead of using metaphoric devices, they speak in a plain sense.  Basically, they rap without much creativity, though putting aside the art of creating lyrics and rhymes.
Nas and The Roots are very good examples of rappers who lyrically story-tell with their messages still holding weight today. These two both use much figurative language in their music, which makes their music more witty lines. Well-known artists today that are just more “say what they mean” style in rap are people like Lil Uzi Vert and Lil Baby. Both of these are fairly popular with our youth today with most teenagers and post-teenagers listening to them, as long as they have an interest in rap to begin with. It is easily seen that rappers today and then ones from the past are quite different when it comes to how they write their music. 
As earlier mentioned Nas is quite the metaphoric scholar when it comes to his tracks. These metaphors heighten his music to such a degree that it allows people of all ages to enjoy it, though most youth today do not know about him. His music tells stories conveyed through figurative language. “N.Y State of Mind” was released around 26 years ago and still holds much value today. Lyrics like “Of pain, I'm like Scarface sniffin' cocaine”, amplify his due to them being both a simile and allusion, instead of just plain out stating that he snorts extreme amounts of coke. This shows how talented Nas is to think of such a reference to a movie from 1983 that perfectly describes how he feels about the illicit drug. Another line of the song with figurative language is “I never sleep, 'cause sleep is the cousin of death” is a classic lyric that is both very real but also an exaggeration. In this scenario he is talking about people who act in illegal activities and how they always have to be on their guard, police or any other gangster that has a problem with you personally. They always have to have one eye open. If you’re caught sleeping you are an easy target waiting to be taken out. All these different lyrics that were shown illustrates how flexible Nas was with combining his metaphoric devices together to create something truly people can appreciate. 
An old-school hip-hop band similar to Nas in the sense of how they put their lyrics together is The Roots. They are a bit older than Nas, founded in 1987, with their music still being listened to today. “What They Do” is a fantastic song that deals with how hip-hop has changed in a negative way since it has begun. Just like Nas, and other older hip-hop artists, The Roots use much metaphoric language like when they spit “And my mental thick, they hit my head like brick”. This comparison between the life of being in a band and a brick shows how difficult it can be on someone’s “mental” living said life. It is not all glitz and glamor as many people think it is. Lots of work goes into the job of being in a band and most people probably could not keep up with the pressure of performing. Like earlier stated The Roots is a group where they all work together to perform music, this is a bit different then Nas. He is just a solo artist. Also, when comparing them both, it can be seen that The Roots are very active in racial politics from making songs about it and even podcasts or just posting videos about it on different forms of social media. Nas however for the most part just will make a song about racial problems. Although there are distinct differences in music artists, they are still very similar with their construction of their lyrics by putting all types of metaphors in it to further enhance their music.
A rapper who more aligns with what is popular in today’s youth would be Lil Pump. He has become widely popular after dropping “Gucci Gang” which came out in 2017 and also  became a Certified Platinum - XXL . With music so widely popular like how Nas’s was during his time you would think they craft their lyrics in a similar way. This is simply not the case, Lil Pump is very much different from both Nas and The Roots. As previously explained, he is more of a “say what he means” type of rapper. He doesn’t use much figurative language at all if any in his music. Youth consider most of his songs party music. Throughout the whole song that was referred to earlier he repeats the same line, “Gucci gang” , around 42 times. A lot of people could agree creating a song like Lil Pump was not very creative, even with this being said the song was widely popular when it came out to the public. His music doesn’t have much meaning to it other than just to talk about how much money he has. The one of the only creative aspects of his music is the rhymes he sparingly uses. He does however use many background lyrics unlike Nas and the Roots. Like for example “I can't buy no bitch no wedding ring, ooh (Nope)” He almost uses it in every line of the song in fact. Another issue with Lil Pump’s rapping is that it has been said that the song he collabed with Kayne West with , “I Love It”, was written by Smokepurpp. This is called ghost writing, it is seen as taboo in music and often frowned upon. It is stated that “The goal of ghostwriting is to present something in a style that is believable enough to be credited to the performer”1.  This further proves that Lil Pump is not as talented as Nas or The Roots, because he doesn’t use many metaphoric devices if any at all in the songs he writes himself and even uses a ghostwriter to write songs for him in some others.
Another rapper who lacks the use of metaphoric language is Lil Baby. Yet again he is another popular artist for today’s youth that most likely not many adults know or like. A strange similarity between both newer rappers is that they both have “Lil” in their name. Lil baby got his name from when he was hanging out with a bunch of older people so they gave him the nickname “Lil Baby”, while Lil pump was just randomly thought up of. “Woah” is one of Lil Baby’s songs from the album “My turn”. In this song he barely uses any style of figurative language, he only does when he is trying to brag about something which is completely in contrast to how old-school rappers(Nas and The Roots) used them. An example of him doing exactly this in “Woah” is “Hundred thousand in my mouth like, "What's happenin'?"”, like I said earlier this is purely just to flex about how much money he has. He simply explains that his teeth are even worth money, this is because of course he put diamonds in them to be flashy. Other than that one metaphor, he just raps about different material items that he has that you would expect from an artist similar to him in the same genre.
Even with all this being said, music is subjective. There are no  bad songs. As long as at least one person likes the song then it is a good one to at least them. Even though rappers like Lil Baby and Lil Pump both don’t use much metaphoric devices to amplify their bars, they still have talent, just like how the old-school artists do, although the new-school does not go above and beyond when using it. Most people could not do what they both do and that is a feat on its own. Rhyming is not an easy task. All artists that were compared should not be put above another. The only thing that can be said is that The Roots and Nas both used more of their talent than the other two artists when it comes to making music due to their ability to use word play and figurative language to make their music more appealing to the ear.

Worked Cited (Secondary Resource) 
Potash, Peter, et al. Evaluating Creative Language Generation: The Case of Rap Lyric Ghostwriting. 2016. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,shib&db=edsarx&AN=edsarx.1612.03205.1