Hello! Since we ran out of time, Kim and I thought we would post one of our last questions that we didn't touch on in case anyone wanted to discuss it. If you didn't speak in class, now's your chance to let us know what you think!
Many rappers talk about their experiences of alienation, unemployment, police harassment, and social and economic isolation through their language, style, and attitude. Does this still apply to rappers today? What purpose do they serve in representing themselves and their communities? What hardships do they face?
One example I was going to mention in class is that Lil Wayne makes offensive remarks about the police in his lyrics (I’m not talking about his Mrs. Officer song). However, when he was twelve years old he was actually saved by an off-duty officer after he accidently shot himself at home alone. Lil Wayne mentioned it an interview about his album Carter II.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2009/04/how_a_big_cop_saved_a_young_li.html
I wouldn't want to judge and say that all rappers are exaggerating about their hardships growing up. I wasn't there and didn't see what happened so I couldn't 100% say that they suffered or struggled as much as they front. However, I do think the road to fame, for just about anyone, is full of struggle. You have to work day in and out to climb that tricky ladder and be willing to do desperate and often crazy things to further your career. I think anyone who is famous, rappers included face forms of isolation, prejudice and hardship. But that's the price of notoriety and money. A bit like selling out your soul, but if you're willing to take it, then you're earned it.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure there was a lot of alienation and such before they made it, but afterwards they are probably more socially accepted than they were before (at least today). The language, style, and attitude are pretty common today. Pretty much everyone I've met here likes hip-hop. It's not some underground thing. I do not know if the police harassment situation changes once they become famous, though.
ReplyDeleteIt's really hard to say which rappers may have faced any "hardships" and which ones have not, mostly because, as far as I can tell, new ones are constantly popping up. How can anyone keep up with all of these new rappers' 'street cred' when they're busy flying on and off the radar. I think part of the problem with rap these days is that no one has really stuck around long enough to make a real impact on the genre. It seems like a lot of current rappers do not have the same street experiences that this genre was born of, but instead you have a bunch of guys who want to make money, and lots of it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what everyone is saying, and I think that it's important to remember that this isn't exclusive to rap. It may sounds judgmental or overbroad, but I think that all artist exagerate their experiences and struggles in their persuit of fame. There is a sense of competition when it comes to who came from where and what and how low were you because I've been lower and now I'm higher.
ReplyDeleteIt is true that some rappers exaggerate or even make up their hardship stories just to attract more audience. This phenomenon originates from how hip hop culture caught the public's attention. At first, many suppressed black artists stood out and make songs that expressed their concerns, anger, despises against the status quo or the authorities. They were not using it as a channel to get them famous, they really want to raise attention to people who experienced similar problems and wish to unite them and fight for change.
ReplyDeleteHowever, when their music became popular and fans start to follow these artists, people see how they got success from complaining about the society, so followers just copy what the big names did and try to profit from it. Right now, most hip hop artists have lost the core theme of what the culture started with.