Hip Hop Represents America Blog 9

When discussing American music in a foreign country, I would discuss hip-hop and how it has evolved over time. Since hip-hop is one of the most listened to musics in the United States, it represents what America likes, particularly the younger generation. In my lecture, I will discuss the evolution of hip-hop and the rappers that are recognized as the best and most innovative.

Sampling is the most well-known attribute of hip-hop music. While many are opposed to this technique, believing it is unoriginal, hip-hoppers will disagree with this statement. Sampling is more taking from another piece of music, and adding different instruments and drums that change the feeling, as well as the whole vibe of the track. Sampling was first used in the disco days and everyone that was not into disco vibed with hip-hop because it was the anti-disco of the time. Sampling is still used today, but has become way more creative due to advances in technology. Today, drum machines used to sample music can slow down tempos, and raise pitches, which demonstrate the evolution of hip-hop music.

Noteworthy Hip-Hop Legends-

First, I would talk about how it began and how it was first recognized. A Jamaican named DJ Kool Herc came to the US and began cutting up disco tracks and putting drum and bass over them. After years of DJing, the first rap song was heard on the radio. The song was entitled "Rapper's Delight" by the Sugarhill gang. While primitive, it revolutionized hip-hop and attracted many listeners.

Another group of note is Run-DMC. Run-DMC was the first group to combine rap and rock into their music. The group consisted of two rappers and one DJ. They were big in the 1980s and still have much influence on artists today. The song that best fits what they were known for is the collaboration with Aerosmith, entitled "Walk this Way." At the time Run-DMC was big, rap and rock were complete opposites, and this song broke the barrier between the two.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Gangster rap was invented. Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, DJ Yella, MC Ren, and Eazy-E teamed up to create a group called NWA (Ni**as With Attitude). The group's main target was the police. This can be seen in their famous song called "Fuck The Police." Their music is considered very controversial and is condemned by many for its brutal lyrics. However, NWA should be recognized because they began a sub-genre of rap that is still around today. They expressed the actuality of poverty in the black ghettos and explain how they speak how they do because they feel whites do not care about them. Dr. Dre, creator of the group, is the most respected hip-hop musicians today.

The last rapper I will discuss is Tupac Shakur. 2pac, son of a member of the Black Panther party, grew up in the worst of areas and witnessed the beatings of many African-Americans throughout his life. He began his musical career by discussing political issues prevalent in society at the time, and made his first CD in 1989, which was very political and controversial. With the start of Tupac's career, he was constantly going to court for what he was discussing in his music. He continued to make music however, as well as act in movies. After going to jail for a rape charge, he was released and teamed up with Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre at Death Row records and dropped the first double-rap album entitled All Eyes On Me. He was considered the best rapper of his time, and even ten years after his death, he is still considered the best rapper ever. He recorded so much music before he was killed because he knew his death was coming, which is why Cds of Tupac's work continue to be published. Not only is he the most respected rapper, but he has sold the most rap albums of anyone. That's pretty impressive being that he has been dead for over ten years.

While not everyone in America likes hip-hop music, it continues to top the Billboard charts and is one of the best selling musics in the United States. It has changed so much over time and continues to evolve. While hip-hop is still big today, many feel that since Tupac's demise, rap has not been the same and is garbage compared to what it used to be. But even so, hip-hop continues to be listened to across America, which is why I chose to discuss it today.

Blog 8: A Different Kind of Rap

Kanye West

1) Heavy Bass

2) Sampling

3) Taking voices from other songs and raising the pitch

Rap is often criticized for its lack of creativity, as well as its repititive rhythms and melodies. However, it takes creative thinking and a mastery of drum machines, computer knowledge, as well as engineering ability to make great hip-hop beats. Kanye West is an example of this. All hip-hop contains heavy bass. West did not start this, but he does use it in his songs. Originally, hip-hop was the anti-disco and African-American's way of expressing themselves through music. The heavy bass is symbolic of aggression that used to be part of hip-hop music. West just does this because it creates more fullness to the sound of the piece, and hip-hop is dull without it. Sampling, however, is something West is known for. He will take a piece from another song, chop it up and alter it on a drum machine, and put a beat to it. Many feel this is unoriginal, but it is characteristic of hip-hop music. It recreates the piece, and changes the feeling altogether. West's sampling is different because he takes music from unordinary genres and makes hip-hop out of them. He also combines genres, which is seen on a song with rap star Common and Maroon 5's Adam Levine. And finally, taking the voice from another song and changing the pitch. Though it is done a lot in hip-hop now, West was the first to do so. He has taken voices from many different varieties of music, and combined them with other samples to make distinct beats. This shows his creativity and desire to steer away from the norm. Hip-hop is continuing to evolve, and West is known for his ability to sample. Because he is a rapper, he wants to incorporate other types of music into hip-hop. This is the reason West is considered one of the best and is respected by not only hip-hop fans and artists, but musicians worldwide. It is his ability to sample music no one would thought could be sampled that reveal Kanye's true identity and creativity.

In the two Eastern European scenes, I noticed some instruments that were more familiar to me. The first scene begins with a kid walking and two men are playing music under a tree. One instrument I noticed was what appeared to be some sort of vibraphone, which was played with mallets. The other instrument was a violin. While the man did play the violin with the traditional bow, he also done something that was foreign to me before watching the film. One string was broken and he produced a new sound appropriate for the song by pulling on it. I thought that this was a very interesting aspect to the movie and scene because I have never seen anyone play the violin this way. I felt this scene was also interesting because it was a political song. It discussed the tyranny in Romania these men suffered from.
The second scene took place around in a town around railroad tracks. It this scene, there are plenty of familiar instruments. Like the previous scene, there are violins played in the traditional way, but there are also accordions, flutes, and a bass. I felt that with all these different instruments, a fuller sound was produced. Unlike the scene before, this song had instruments that ranged from the actual sound of the instrument, as well as the range of the notes that could be played. I thought this scene was interesting because everyone circled around the musicians, which I enjoyed because I could relate to it. Whenever I go to the 3rd Street Promenade, many others including myself circle around and enjoy the entertainment of the musicians playing. It is interesting that while the music is much different intheir culture and Western culture, the instinct to crowd around musicians is the same.
And another interesting thing that I noticed in the movie is when there is a song about Auschwitz. I probably would not have been so affected by it had I not seen Schindler's List the previous week, but it opened my eyes to the knowledge that not only Jews were prosecuted and sent to the death camps. Gypsies were as well, and I felt a sense of sympathy towards a culture I know nothing about.

Blog 6 Film Questions

While watching this movie, I was able to get a sense of the instruments that these Northern Indians used. The tabla was of the common instruments that I noticed in the scenes, as well as what appeared to be a large bowl. In the first and second scene, I saw an instrument that had strings and was played with a bow. In the first scene, it is a typical rebaba, but in the second scene, a kid is playing a rebaba made from a coconut. This instrument was similar to the shamisen of Japan, but also reminded me a little of a sitar from India. The tabla-like instrument that was used in the film was appropriate being that the presenter who played Northern Indian music explained how the tabla is such a big part of N. Indian music. Another instrument I noticed were little cymbals, a member of the idiophone family.
In the film, the Gypsies absorbed the music cultures they encountered. He shows this by how he films the movie. He films it as it is: a journey. In the three different scenes, the performers are in different settings and perform differently. But doing this, the director is showing how the Gypsies have taken in from other cultures and show it through their own music.
I thought the most interesting aspect of the film was how it was filmed. It was as if we were following these Gypsies on a long journey. This gives the viewer a first-hand experience, rather than be bored from a documentary. I enjoyed seeing how the Gypsies performed and the different instruments they played. It really opened my eyes to music from a side of the world I know nothing about.

Blog 5 Modern Day and Age Influences

Real life situations are often depicted in movies, music, and music videos. It targets an audience that is not as well aware about current problems within the world and can ultimately be positive. The media can be used, as it has been for years and years, to show what we as Americans take for granted. These are two example of how the real life influences the media and in turn these representations influence society.
One example of a song that discusses the issue of blood diamonds is Kanye West's "Diamonds are Forever." The cruelty and child labor in Sierra Leone influenced this artist to make this song and expose the horrors of blood diamonds. Kanye West is of the most known hip-hop artists and hip-hop itself has a huge influence on America and the entire world. So West uses his popularity in order to describe a terrible situation that is going on in Africa that many do not know about or care anough to do something about.
Another example of exposing the horridness of blood diamonds is the recent movie entitle "Blood Diamond." While this movie was indeed "Hollywoodized," it does reflect upon an actual situation occuring in Africa now. It exposes to the world the poverty and slavery that is still affecting the Africans. It shows the savagery that is not imaginable in this country, and by doing so, it leaves us with a sense of selfishness. In doing so, it influences society to try to make a difference in the world.

Blog 3 Polynesian Dance Comparisons

While the two videos both played Gamelan music, they were very different. When watching the videos, one notices the difference in setting. The Ratna Ayu performance was in a relatively new looking theater, while the Balinese Gamelan was performed on the beach, a more traditional setting for this musical event. The dress of the performers in California was very extravagant and exaggerated. This was most likely to attract the audience to Polynesian culture. The performers in Bali were not dressed as fancy. Instead, they were wearing mostly plain white. In the Bali video, there were not even dancers as opposed to the performance in California. Another interesting aspect of the two videos is the separation of the audience and the performers. In the California performance, the Polynesian dancers are on a stage and are distant from the audience. In the Bali performance, there is no stage and those who were watching could view the performance right next to the performers. This is significant because being near the performers adds on to the specialness of the performance, as well as involves the audience more. The two videos demonstrate the difference between Polynesian and American culture.

Insider, Outsider

1.
While attending the University of Washington, I felt as though I was one with all of the students. We were all Huskies, and yet I felt like an outsider even so. While at the UW, I experienced criticism, lack of respect, and unacceptance simply because I was from Los Angeles and not Washington. Another instance where I have felt like an insider as well as an outsider is when I went to a party with my friends from private schools. I never felt any awkwardness because I went to public school until I was at the party. While I knew quite a few people there, the party was nothing like a public school party. So I felt like an outsider, even though I was accepted there.
Being half Jewish and half Christian, I have never been able to associate myself as one or the other. However, I consider myself more Jewish because I never went to church and celebrate Chabat frequently. But even though I feel I am more Jewish, my mom's side of the family celebrate Christmas every year and so this accentuates the Christianity I have in my blood. However, I look at Christmas as a time to be with family and not as a religious event. I participate in Chabat because of my beliefs, and so Judaism is part of my identity. Music has played a role in this context because at Chabat, we sing and say the prayers. I feel that this is the most important part of the dinner and so I believe music plays a huge role in this context.
The high school I attended was around 70% African American and Caucasions were the minority. Because of this, I was able to experience something most people will never be able to do. I learned much from being in this environment, and what I learned shaped me and continues to allow me to be accepted by different cultures. Music is a huge factor in this instance. A person's ethnic background obviously does not determine musical taste, but it is often the case that people like music from their own culture. I was able to connect to African Americans through my love for hip-hop and my production skills. Going to this multi-cultural school has allowed me to learn about other cultures and has expanded my musical taste as well.

2.
When I was younger, my friend's father would come to school and perform African music. He would drum and sing, but dancers accompanied him as well. At this age, I was too young to understand the cultural significance of the dress and body movements, but looking back on this event, I remember how much more there was to the performance than just music. The dancers were all women and would dance to the rhythm of the drums while clapping as well. All the drummers were male and danced back and forth while drumming. The outfits were so strange to me at the time being that they were tattered clothes made from animal hinds. The painted faces were also strange to me, but it was all part of the act. I appreciate being able to experience this in my life, but feel that I have no idea about African song and dance. I can enjoy it, but I will never have the first hand perspective of an African as he drums and dances. While I listened to the music, I had no idea what any of the words meant, but still enjoyed the singing and drumming. The music itself reflects a part of African culture that is so foreign to Americans. I am just glad I got to experience part of their culture.