Nigga Bone Monologue

“Rap is poetry” (xii). To any avid fan of the genre, it is a statement that seems obvious. The words could easily be the musings of a listener first introduced to the art form, not the focal point of an entire work of contemporary criticism. Yet in Book of Rhymes: The Poetics of Hip Hop, Adam Bradley’s primary focus is this very point, the recognition of traditional poetic elements within rap music. With the global cultural and economic phenomenon that hip hop has become, it is easy to forget that the style of music is barely thirty years old, that scholarly criticism of it has existed for only half of that time. When viewed within this relatively new arena of scholarship, the importance of Bradley’s text is

The man sat in the booth across from me studied me with old eyes. His wrinkles which formed when he used to smile so much are no longer quite as prominent. The man’s irises were currently an icy blue, resembling the seasonal weather among the small town. This I only knew because I’ve seen him once before. His eyes were almost like a crisp auburn- resembling what was known to him as “the falling of the children”

The hip-hop genre has set standards and norms for rap throughout its development. Eminem’s “The Way I Am” and Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby” are examples of well-known rap songs written by authentic rappers. These songs conform to the conventions set for rap with their structure and literary devices and deviate from the conventions with their approach toward establishing their credibility in an original and effective manner.

Ludacris talks about the struggle in many verses in the song and uses the alliteration “hand-me down” to describe many things he had hand-me down. First was flip-flops and socks and he then rhymed that with drug dealers and rocks. Flip flops and socks are usual hand me downs but drug dealers and rocks create a gritty impactful message that allows the listener to recognize the struggle. Ludacris also makes a reference to a triple beam scale normally used to weigh out drugs with his lyrics “overall triple, overall beams”. Aside from explanations of the struggle, Ludacris raps lyrics that show he now has overcome the struggle and has a good time, primarily with girls. The song starts out with him talking about his cadillac and how clean it is, “Candy paint, Cadillac kills,” and also ends the song talking about an expensive range rover, “All black tinted up thugged out range,” showing he is very successful to have these cars. Another attribute to his success is Ludacris’s talk about his grill, “mouth full of platinum, mouth full of gold,” showing he can afford a grill of platinum or gold, no longer living the struggle. With success comes women as Ludacris doesn't fail to mention in his lyrics, “pretty ass clothes, pretty ass toes/ oh, how I love these pretty ass hoes,” and other suggestive lyrics throughout the

The study of hip hop music has been cited well throughout its growth over time. The purpose of this paper is intended to discuss hip hop culture and address cultural stereotypes associated with rap and hip-hop music, but also how its original lyrical intentions were forms of expression and art. It will begin by guiding the reader through how it originated, its influence with the African-Americans with its subculture and popularity in urban areas, its styles of evolving, the introduction of hip hop and rap to the public, the depiction it gave off with its criticisms from outsiders. An evaluation of hip hop artists songs by Sugar Hill and the Gang, Run DMC, Queen Latifah, and N.W.A. Including lyrics from the songs “Rappers Delight”, “King of Rock”, “Latifah’s Law”, and “Niggaz4Life”. In the conclusion it exposes how hip hop music is clearly for black Americans to express themselves freely and in fact did not cause violence.

Berry says that there are good types of rap and bad types by showing that few rappers actually use sexually obscure lyrics and sexist towards women. Good rap would be considered songs by artist such as Queen Latifah, Salt N ' Pepa, Yo Yo, and MC Lyte are working to dismiss the men rapper 's images of women through their own performance style and lyrics. Violence is another factor because it is associated with black urban youths where rap music is always the common denominator for in the communities. Berry gives the idea that a major part of rap music is a reality in these neighborhoods by using NWA, a.k.a. Niggas with Attitude that consists of five rappers from L.A. who rap about gang banging, drive by shootings, and police confrontations. The lead singer of the group argued that their lyrics aim to show the "raw reality of life" instead of making it people’s reality. Williams argues that rap music does not represent the beliefs and ethics of black communities but only because people overlook the positive efforts made by rappers and focus on the negative aspects. Berry demonstrate how the supremacy of white and black power are prominent through focusing on how Parales beliefs that rap just shows the lack of education, and the frustration of the ghetto, and how hating rap can be linked to fearing young black men who are the stars of rap . Ice

If my walls could speak, they would tell sad stories' they would tell of times with love and heart break, anger and misery.

However, “U Ain’t Gonna Take My Life” embodies a sense of realism that further cements the views articulated by Betts. In that, Ice cube reflects on a life where he is constantly under scrutiny. The institutions that are installed to protect him and those of similar social standing do not protect him. In fact, they are the same institutions that threaten his way of life. For example, “You see me in a Range Rover, now you gotta pull me over But where oh where is the ticket? You got your hand on your gun cause you’re wicked.” Ice Cube reflects on the way that that officers come up short in their pledge to serve and protect by exercising violence against African Americans. Pulling over African Americans not for wrongdoing but rather for the color of their skin. The song is built using naturalism and does reflect the tough existence of most African Americans because of a police force that is yet to embrace social equality. While Ice Cube takes the moral high ground in his criticism, one thing that he fails to acknowledge is that he is much to blame for the actions of the officers. Rather than plead for support, he does take an aggressive approach while at the

“You do seem much more relaxed Alex. Let us back in.” He squeezed back past to his seat.

As the ‘golden age’ came to an end at the start of the 1980s, a new type of hip-hop was developed, it’s called “gangsta rap” and was created by artists such as N.W.A, Schoolly D and Ice T. This variation of rap was different because of the violent lyrics and inappropriate

Brian he sighed contentedly. The only sound in the room was our combined labored breaths and the loud hum of the air-conditioner. The room was cool, but the warmth of Brian's body felt sweltering against my already heated skin. Unfortunately for me, the euphoria of our tryst wore off way too soon. Letting my physical attraction guide my actions and over-rule my rational mind, left me confused. I couldn't help but wonder what the hell I had just done? Acting recklessly was not like me, and having sex with my ex-fiancé carried too many repercussions to count. This was the man who destroyed my faith in happily ever after not that long ago. The same man, who if I allowed him to get any closer, could somehow find a way to hurt me all over again.

His eyes shone as if caught in the beam of a headlight. The noise wasn’t him. He was as quiet as a field mouse with asthma and a broken leg.

And a bottle full of lean and a model on a scheme, yup These days of frustration keep y'all on tucking rotation”. In those lines Kendrick Lamar was talking about riots in the hood, gun violence, also selling drugs in those few line Kendrick Lamar talked about many of the struggles in the hood. Nothing negative was said by the media it was just positive things being said.

In this report, I will present a discussion of rap music so as to review the origins of this style of music and the reasons for its growth in popularity. Music is the art of arranging tones in articulate sequence in order to produce a continuous and unified composition of sounds and vocals with rhythm and harmony. Rap music encompasses all music produced using samples, incorporating a dominant beat, and quick rhymes. Although rap music today is a global phenomenon among the youth, I will focus this discussion on American rap music. This analysis will attempt to put rap music within postmodern and socio-cultural contexts.

Like Kamasi Washington, Kendrick also has a new album out called To Pimp a Butterfly and recently performed in New York. Thoughout his career, he has never been afraid to experiment and take risks with all aspects of his music. Instead of rapping over trendy beats and spitting simple bars, Kendrick threw it back to funk, R&B, and soul in his production and utilized unique rhyme schemes, repetition, and narratives in his lyrics. Also, Kendrick displayed a wide arrange of deliveries and cadences to intensify the impact of his message. For example, he utilizes an aggressive flow and angry voice infliction on “Blacker the Berry” to express his frustrations with racial hypocrisy in society, while on “You Ain’t Gotta Lie” he employs a friendly and smooth flow and high-pitch voice to create a very chill and endearing track to listeners. Hence, I hope to tackle the social issues I bring up in my project by using narratives, repetition and creative delivery methods like Kendrick.