Monique Sternik
When reading Kevin Young’s article “Final Chorus: Planet Rock” and Aisha Durham’s “The Stage Hip-Hop Feminism Built: A New Directions Essay”, I found various similarities between the two publications. Both expressed high remarks to the genre of rap and the origination of many lyrical masterpieces, such as NWA’s “F*ck tha Police”. However, Aisha Durham’s focused primarily on hip-hop feminism and how they are asking new questions on representation in the hip-hop genre. Durham constantly addressed that many women are staying on the sidelines on a stage they or “we” built. However, that is no longer the case. Many are fighting against the gender norms of the music industry. Fortunately, “Hip-hop feminism’s professed goal of giving us a more elastic way of talking about gender relations can provide a useful lens with which to view this continuing reliance on normative notions of respectability as the primary way to understand gender and sexual politics in the public sphere.” (726) This is why many artists are now “coming out” to the world and expressing their beliefs whether they get hate or not. Additionally, I found it interesting that both readings discussed the importance of body language in hip-hop. Young expressed there is “a realization that the voice can be physical, and that speech isn’t just spoken but uttered by a body language or by black wax” (322) This is why records are so important in the genre. Additionally, “Newer studies in hip-hop feminism focus not only on text-based cultural criticism but also increasingly on performative, ethnographic account that describes hip-hop as embodied lived culture.” (727) How an artist performs has meaning and brings more light to what they are speaking. These prophets of rage are not only sticking up for themselves but sticking up for freedom.
When reading Kevin Young’s article “Final Chorus: Planet Rock” and Aisha Durham’s “The Stage Hip-Hop Feminism Built: A New Directions Essay”, I found various similarities between the two publications. Both expressed high remarks to the genre of rap and the origination of many lyrical masterpieces, such as NWA’s “F*ck tha Police”. However, Aisha Durham’s focused primarily on hip-hop feminism and how they are asking new questions on representation in the hip-hop genre. Durham constantly addressed that many women are staying on the sidelines on a stage they or “we” built. However, that is no longer the case. Many are fighting against the gender norms of the music industry. Fortunately, “Hip-hop feminism’s professed goal of giving us a more elastic way of talking about gender relations can provide a useful lens with which to view this continuing reliance on normative notions of respectability as the primary way to understand gender and sexual politics in the public sphere.” (726) This is why many artists are now “coming out” to the world and expressing their beliefs whether they get hate or not. Additionally, I found it interesting that both readings discussed the importance of body language in hip-hop. Young expressed there is “a realization that the voice can be physical, and that speech isn’t just spoken but uttered by a body language or by black wax” (322) This is why records are so important in the genre. Additionally, “Newer studies in hip-hop feminism focus not only on text-based cultural criticism but also increasingly on performative, ethnographic account that describes hip-hop as embodied lived culture.” (727) How an artist performs has meaning and brings more light to what they are speaking. These prophets of rage are not only sticking up for themselves but sticking up for freedom.
There
are two songs I want to add to our playlist, J Cole’s “Lights Please” and “None
of Your Business” by Salt-N-Pepa. I really feel “Lights Please” speaks for many
African American Men in the genre and how reality if often against them. J Cole
speaks on the negatives of stardom and how many problems are still occurring in
the world today. In “None of Your Business”, Salt-N-Pepa expresses the daily challenges
of being a woman and the lack of respect we get daily. This song speaks high
truth and shows women the importance of self-praise and independence.
Lights
Please: J Cole https://youtu.be/-dyPeGDeS3o
None
of Your Business: Salt-N-Pepa https://youtu.be/r2j-djuqUeY
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