Macklemore Otherside Analysis

If they see rappers calling females out of their name with big chains and expensive cars throwing all their money in videos, then they look up to the guys they see in those videos and are going to buy in to what their seeing and hearing on the radio, on TV, on the internet, on the streets and in school regardless if it’s true just like advertisement. Even though many of the rappers that rap about misogyny sound like they live what their saying, many don’t actually believe what they’re saying they’ll still say it anyway just to get a paycheck. Yet what a lot of the public fell to realize is that rap is about business and making money and they’ll do whatever it takes to increase their profit. Yes, a lot of what these big time record labels put out is wrong on many levels, but when their banks accounts have a lot of zero’s, they can care less about how their music is affecting young people. This situation is very multi-sided to say the least which is why I feel this article deserves to receive the Most Controversial Issue

For example, Smash Mouth writes,”i ain’t the sharpest tool in shed/ She was looking kind was looking kind of dumb with her finger in her thumb.”(Smash Mouth) This lyric describes the singer’s personality. He might not be the smartest person and people might judge him, but The singer is smart enough to make his own decisions. This is a great example of a hypole. Another examples of literary devices in the song is,”Fed to the rules and I hit the ground running.”(Smash Mouth) This lyric is an example of personification. It’s personification because it’s giving human traits to the rules. The lyric give detailed information about the singer listening to the rules, but people make fun of him for listening to every rule. That will not stop him for doing his best.

The public views musicians are some of the most influential people they know, which is why many of them try to maintain this positive image for their audience. The inspiration for many hip hop artist today, Tupac Shakur is a prime example of one who was able to pull himself out of a dark place. Throughout his life, Tupac has faced many obstacles, the largest being his family. Associating with the Black Panther several members Shakur’s family has dealt with the law. His godparents killing a state trooper and teacher and stepfather wanted on the FBI’s Most Wanted. Although not entirely similar, Michael Jackson also had vast amounts of obstacles in his life. From a young age, Jackson had utilized his talents with his brothers to from the band the Jackson 5. Allegedly, he would often be overworked by his father to push for more popularity for the boys. This lack of a childhood contributed to him putting sums of money in his theme park and even being accused of being a pedophile for the degree in which he was around children. Regardless, both had one thing in common. They fought. Unlike the people stated before, these people decided that they did not want to become their obstacles. They did not want to become the people who were a bad influence on them. As a result, they decided to do everything they could.

Millions of people in the world listen to music for all different reasons. Most people all over the world listen to different genres of music in order to relax, but not too many people pay attention to the actual lyrics of a song. If you listen to the lyrics of a song you will realize that many songs have important messages or themes to them. An example of this is the lyrics of the song “Changes” by Tupac Shakur. If you listen to this song, you will realize that Tupac raps about not only the problems that African Americans face from society, but also the struggles that poor people in society have to endure and overcome. Many

Have you ever heard about how an artist gets his work copied by another artist? It could either be a popular artist who has their work plagiarized by another lesser-known artist.

For many years, the youth have been known for singing along to their favorite song and taking that song as whole and using it as their motto for life. It may seem that sometimes these kids do not know what is being said in the music but this shows that they do know what the lyrics are saying. According to Franklin B. Krohn and Frances L. Suazo in their article “Contemporary Urban Music: Controversial Messages in Hip-Hop and Rap Lyrics,” many teenagers and minority groups view rappers as their spokesmen because of their ability to speak in street language and bluntly express their frustration (Krohn, 1995). Unfortunately, hip hop lyrics usually tend to talk about drugs, sex and violence leading kids to think that everything they hear is okay and that is how they have to live their life. Yet, there are artists out there who take their lyricist skills to give positive lyrics and messages in their music, but these songs are not often played in the mainstream.

While this song does convey a large and important message, what gives it its power is the situation our society is in right now. It is not hard to reflect on Macklemore’s song and realize all of the things he described are still very much in our world even today. People still hold physical possessions at an untouchable esteem, and practically worship brands.

Whether you love it or hate it Rap music has come to be one of the most popular, yet arguable, music genres of the past decades. Today’s rap music has changed enormously since the 1970’s. Rap music was about having fun, being able to express what youth were feeling and a way to keep youth out of trouble. Rap songs usually use explicit and demeaning lyrics, which has huge influence on the youth of today. While rappers say that they’re plainly rapping about reality. They often use violence, the use of drugs and Guns as the main tool to tell the story of their lives and show how hard it is growing up in their neighbourhood. This surely does not set any good examples for the young men and women, listening to this trash and singing along with the

When you listen to most rap music a leitmotif of drug use and glorified alcohol consumption can be heard on most Hip-Hop artist’s albums. Macklemore is a self-proclaimed abuser of these vices. Unlike most he does not elevate these depravities but speaks of his struggles overcoming their drowning influence. In the song “Starting Over” he expresses the disgrace he feels when he relapses. Macklemore painfully illustrates this shame with the verse “Feeling sick and helpless, lost the compass where self is / I know what I gotta do and I can’t help it / One day at a time is what they tell us / Now I gotta find a way to tell them”(“Starting Over”). He explains that he knows what needs to be done to overcome this evil; nonetheless because of his dependence he has become lost, and is ashamed to say he has a problem. In his song “Neon Cathedral” he discusses how going to

The Black Power Mixtape follows momentous events between 1965 and 1975. It is directed by two Swedish directors, and their nationality is very important for the layout of the film. The film takes place during the Civil Rights Movement, and included leaders such as Stokely Carmichael, Angela Davis, Malcolm X, and Medgar Evers. This was also during the time of the Vietnam War, whom Sweden saw a useless war. The heads of this country were the Nixon Administration, and Lyndon Johnson’s administration.

When I got a little bit older, a littler bit smarter, and a little bit wiser, I started to question myself and my identity, as well as Hip-Hop and the identity portrayed within the mainstream media. It seemed as though everything had to have a hardcore exterior. To be understanding, sensitive, or romantic seemed to be weak, while credibility was earned by talking about guns, drugs, pimping women, and dirty money. In an article regarding two underground DVDs called Straight Outta Hunters Point and Hood 2 Hood, Darren Keast put this idea best, "The storytellers are driven by the same motivation – proving that their block is the hardest, and that they are the hardest on the block." This is precisely what is portrayed in most mainstream rap – a market flood of bragging and boasting about doing illegal or despicable activities.

With rap singers bragging about experimenting with drugs, their new Nike shoes, or the fight they got into last week it seems to become obvious where teens

Music is subjective which means people will often voice their opinions on it, and undoubtedly one of the most controversial genres that has sparked a barrage of disapproval is rap. It is believed and further encouraged by the media that rap music promotes a bad lifestyle. With corruption being apparent around the world it is easy for the media to put the blame on a genre of music that is filled with explicit lyrics about violence, drugs, and rebellious subject matters. However, further investigation will reveal that because of its accurate depiction of reality, and wide variety of categories, rap music does not encourage an unhealthy lifestyle.

to music critics Jackson’s album Thriller seemed to be inspired by “a mixture of several genres

Songs such as “John” by Lil Wayne and Rick Ross, and “Crack” by 2 Chainz influence behaviors such as shooting people and selling drugs. “John” talks about how they have an AK-47 in their trunk and Lil Wayne says load it up and “hit them where it hurt.” Later in the song Lil Wayne says, “You know the rule, kill them all and keep moving.” This means just shoot and act like nothing happened. In 2 Chainz’s song he talks about how he is standing on the corners selling crack, cooking it in his kitchen, and has over one thousand grams of it on him. The future generations of America are listening to this stuff, and it is corrupting their minds.