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

The rap video that I chose is the music video "Black and white" by Juice WRLD. I chose this video because in it he tells a story about drugs and the effects they can have. The story is his own but is also the story for many other people. He conveys the message that shows how drugs can break someone down physically and mentally and the good and bad of drug use, the black and white.

 

Through the entire video there are shots where the focus is on people with drugs in their hands, using drugs, or under the influence of them. He says " Lord have mercy I know these percys finna hurt me" so while the partying is happening he is showing he knows that these drugs are going to hurt him he just can not control it. This scene shows everyone happily partying and using drugs then the scene flips to everyone sitting thinking about what had happened the night before staring regretfully around the room, they all seem empty. There are a lot of scenes where the camera pans around while still focusing on Juice WRLD showing all the people laying around unresponsive to anything, still damaged from the night before.

Juice WRLD shows how these people have remorse for doing drugs, the clips are close-ups of people that look sad and deteriorated after a night of happily partying and doing drugs. Rose said, " a style that cannot be easily understood or erased a style that has reflectivity to create counter dominant narratives against mobile and shifting enemy may be one of the most effective ways to fortify communities of resistance."(27) Juice WRLD is showing the black and white sides, the good and the bad of it, how people can have fun with this one night, and wake up to feel empty and damaged. His lyrics and the beat portray it so that you can hear his sadness about this enemy that even he cannot overcome.

Rappers get their feelings out by singing about things they feel strongly about and Juice WRLD felt strongly about the effect drugs can have. Rose said " the post industrial urban context of dwindling low income housing a trickle of meaningless jobs for young people, mounting police brutality, and increasingly draconian depictions of young inner-city residents, hip hop style is black urban renewal."(27) Juice relates to rose in this context because she is talking about urban problems people face, and drugs are among those. They are found in so many households and ruin so many people's lives and break so many families. The same as thirty years ago rappers are still bringing attention to real-world problems through their own words and stories.   

Juice WRLD has a funeral for himself in the video with pictures of himself and has the people that were doing drugs with him in the video earlier sitting around with faces of remorse. It is implied that he died from drugs and now, in the video, the other people that had been around him are discouraged and not as joyful as they were before. They all know that it could have been one of them instead, drugs could have killed any of them just as easlily. Juice WRLD brought attention to this real-world problem of overdosing on drugs and the mental damage drugs can do, in this video it is full of empty faces and sorrow. He mentions Prince in this song, another artist that died due to drugs, showing that it can be anyone that it affects. Both in Roses "Rap Music" and in Juice WRLD's "Black and White"  they mention that rappers get their inspiration by speaking about their real-world problems in this you can see that problem. There are so many people living with drug addictions but hopefully Juice WRLD helped influence some of them with the storytelling he did in his songs. Sadly Juice WRLD did not follow his own video and the message he was showing or else he might still be here today.

Corruption

Tate Tadsen

In Kendrick Lamar's "Black Friday" he shines a light on the things he sees going wrong inside the music industry. He compares the new generations of rappers to himself to show what has changed so we can understand the problems. The figurative language he uses throughout the song deepen the meaning he is trying to show and thoroughly portrays the feeling that he has towards the newer generations of rappers.

Kendrick Lamar brings up his main point about how the industry is broken. He says, "The whole industry been in shambles everybody fugazi, I'm just changing the channel." He uses the term fugazi because it means fake and broken and I think that is what he is comparing the newer generation of rappers with. While they are still rappers they are not in the industry for the reasons they should be. He says that he is a real rapper he is not in the game just for the money, he works on his lyrics and tries to make them better than everyone else's. Kendrick says, "and now we look at the competition as quick submission, they are tapping out before we even get a chance to miss 'em." The metaphor of tapping out is used because they get out of the rap game before he can even try to get rid of them. His persistence to make better music is helping push the fakes out of the game. When he says “I am an animal for analysts” he is comparing himself to an animal because he goes crazy over his lyrics and the meaning behind them. He focuses on his songs more than the newer generation does which is really what sets him apart and makes him real.

Kendrick Lamar does a lot for his music he says, "Don't mention my 10,000 hours in training while juggling gangbanging my balance was tremendous." He uses the metaphor of balancing because he showed hard work and determination to achieve what he has in the rap game. He had to balance making time for rapping and his gang life unlike the rappers who he is talking about who have not made as much effort. This is what sets him apart from the newer generation he says, "Mr. valevictorian studied the game before them, listen to you with boredom, baby rappers abort them, to the grave I deport them, corporations extort them" He uses the metaphor baby rappers because the newer generation are all much younger and possibly because they have lil in front of their rap names. He is sending them to their “grave” because they cannot keep up with him, he is better and making their songs obsolete. In the same Idea, I think that is what he is saying in his title “black Friday”. He could be using the title as a symbol for black Tuesday, the day of the stock market crash. He is saying he is going to make the newer rappers career crash because of his superior skill and lyrics he has it will drive them away. He is not scared of the newer rappers because he says, “you are racing against the tortoise, pace myself it is important.” He compares himself to the tortoise because it means slow and steady. He will not burn out like these newer rappers he paces himself and will be there forever until ultimately, he beats all of them.

He mentions that the rap industry is now just about money and there is a danger that comes along with that. He says, “It is like an 8-ball to the face nowadays, I’m laced nowadays my gun is off the waist nowadays.” The gun of the waist means he feels threatened for his life, when you take the gun off your hip it is because you plan to use it as many rappers ended up doing. Rappers would do this if they were being challenged by other rappers. He took part in this too he says, “Murder my allegations and burning my finger traces.” He says murdering his allegations, but he is just saying he disproves them. By burning his finger traces he is destroying anything that would say he was there at the scene of the crimes. The industry is dangerous he compares it to an “8-ball to the face” comparing the rap game to a fatal amount of drugs.

Throughout the song, Kendrick uses many metaphors to compare himself to what the music industry has become. He puts emphasis on himself as a good rapper unlike the new era of rappers and uses figurative language to show his true feeling on the matter. The song is filled with different comparisons that make the listener understand the situation he is in. The amount of time he puts into his lyrics enhances the song to a different level than it would be without.

Tate Tadsen

Double-Sided

In the rap industry, Kanye West and Eminem are both very discernable. While both artists are very popular and compared to being the best at what they do but they have come to that position in very different ways. Kanye and Eminem broke their way into the game from being nothing using their own unique styles and skills to create a name for themselves in the rap industry. Kanye and Eminem were very influential to the progression of rap music, both paved the way for new rappers by changing the rapper’s views on what their music could be made in to. They made their own way to fame changing the rules to climb to the top. They both used their unique talents and skills to make their sound one of a kind but each focused on different aspects of their music to make themselves eminent. They both focus on opposite ends of the music but they both ended up making a name for themselves and causing change to happen.

Eminem focuses mainly on the lyrics and flows in his songs instead of the beats and background sound. Eminem is unlike any other rapper though, he can rap with the best. He is a lyricist, a poet, and he has a way with words that makes his sound one of a kind with no other rappers coming close to what he can do. Edward Armstrong says, “detailing the dimensions of Eminem’s annunciations of authenticity through his words.” Eminem’s lyrics are authentic to him, this gives him an identity that no one can follow. This is how he came to where he is now, his skill with words is what has made him as popular as he is even today. Even at the beginning of his career, he was much bolder with his lyrics than other rappers were willing to be. He delivers his lyrics with speed and an extremely tight flow in all his songs while still being an amazing storyteller.

We all can hear about and understand his personal struggles and feelings when we hear his songs and that is what appeals to some people. He says in his song Beautiful, “In my shoes, just to see / What it’s be like, to be me/I’ll be you, let’s trade shoes / Just to see what I’d be like to/Feel your pain, you feel mine/Go inside each other’s minds.” He makes the listener connect to him and feel for him but it also sounds amazing. The fact that he can share his own issues, ideas, and views with such diverse vocabulary and speed while keeping an insane flow makes his songs that much better. In his songs like Rap God, he has incredible speed, but he is still able to keep the story and flow. Without the craziest beats behind his lyrics, he still has had over thirty top ten songs in his career proving that his sound and lyrics do not need any help.

While Kanye does work on his lyrics, he is more known for his skills as a producer. Kanye's sound is never the same he has his love and knowledge of music to use samples and make his own beats. Cody Dyer says, “Throughout his discography, sampling has been a part of West’s musical identity.” It is part of his identity that he is known for his sampling and beats in his songs that are not like others. His skill in doing this has made his songs some of the best because they are different than what other people are doing. He creates new sounds and beats for his albums that are never the same which diversifies him from other artists.

While his lyrics still have meaning the thing that really impresses listeners are his beats. He likes to keep the people wondering what he is going to do, at the beginning of his career the sounds in the rap industry were in a set order and he went against the grain with his own style. Ruben Ayala says “Kanye’s use of beats from classic artists like Chaka Khan, and Marvin Gaye, but also Hip-Hop artists like Lauryn Hill and Outkast in “The College Dropout” was certainly new and it gave it an old but new sound.” During the time when Kanye began, it was all samples of other rap songs and electric drums, it all followed a similar pattern. Kanye was the one to change that and bring in the new sounds to the game. The fact that he could rap to almost any genre of samples that he took made him different and exciting to all his listeners. His persistence with not following a pattern makes the beats he develops one of a kind and some become more popular because of that fact.

Eminem and Kanye both have different styles and focus on different things but they both also have changed the rap industry in a similar way. Eminem has added boldness to many new rappers and led the rap industry to have stronger lyrics, flows, and voice in their songs. Kendrick Lamar said in an interview “Eminem is genius. I don’t think anybody’s matching him now. He definitely influenced my style.” Many current artists have Eminem to thank for their style and success, Eminem made the lyrical side of the song improve from where it was when he first started. 

Kanye made an influence as well, same as Eminem it was a different sound when he started to what it is now. Ruben Ayala said in her writing “Certain albums would not sound the way they do without Kanye’s input and influence. Kanye’s influence will continue to spread as long as the next generation of rappers come along.” He changed the sound as soon as he entered because he used samples from genres that had not been used before. He pushed soul beats and jazz sounding beats into his song and eventually into the mainstream of Hip hop. A different article says, “West’s music has always been ahead of its time, “album’s such as “808’s and Heartbreaks” and “Yeezus” were criticized at the time of their releases but later embraced by critics after seeing their influence.” Listeners and other rappers didn’t think the new sounds would work at first but as they listened to what he had done it grew into something that other rappers tried to replicate themselves. He made other sounds work that no one had thought of which would permanently change rap for the better. The sounds he created were ahead of his time and are more widely used now because of his influence. It led to rappers being more experimental with their beats and not just following a similar process each time. Both Eminem and Kanye broke the rules of rap but were rewarded with fame and fortune. With their unique differences that helped shape the new sound for rap, they have improved the world of rap for the better.

The music industry is full of norms and rules that rappers are prone to follow because that is what they believe will make them even with the competition. The rappers discussed didn’t follow that, they both broke the rules and went against the grain when it came to their music. This is what sets them apart from their competition and makes them better. Rappers cannot make an influence or change the game without being different and trying something new. Kanye used his beats and Eminem used his lyrics and stories but they are both on different sides of music, but both can change the popularity of the song. These artists focused on their side and not the other but what makes them similar is they excelled in it and made it into something which influenced the whole industry and made them progress and all the newer generations of artists in this genre work harder for the ability to have a good song.

Works Cited

Armstrong, Edward G. “Eminem's Construction of Authenticity.” Popular Music and Society, vol. 27, no. 3, 2004, pp. 335–355., doi:10.1080/03007760410001733170.

Ayala, Ruben. “What Would Hip-Hop Sound Like Without Kanye West's Influence?” Medium, Medium, 27 Feb. 2018, medium.com/@rayala4435/what-would-hip-hop-sound-like-without-kanye-wests-influence-645046153a72.

Dyer, Cody. “Kanye West Has Redefined Rap Music.” The McHenry Messenger, themchenrymessenger.com/kanye-west-has-redefined-rap-music/.

Gelenidze , Remy, and Remy Gelenidze. “Young Rappers Influenced & Inspired by Eminem, from Kendrick to Chance The Rapper.” Southpawer, 16 Jan. 2019, southpawer.com/2015/05/13/young-rappers-who-look-up-to-eminem/.