MASARYKOVA UNIVERZITA FILOZOFICKÁFAKULTA KATEDRAANGLISTIKYAAMERIKANISTIKY MAGISTERSKÁ DIPLOMOVÁ PRÁCE HIP HOP: RAP MUSIC AS A WAY OUT OF AN ECONOMICAL AND SOCIAL ISOLATION OF AFRICAN AMERICANS BETWEEN THE 1970s AND THE 1990s Zdeněk Půža Vedoucí práce: PhDr. Tomáš Pospíšil. Ph.D. Brno 2006 12 Prohlašuji,že jsemdiplomovoupráci vypracovalsamostatně,s použitímuvedenéliteratury. …………………………………. VBrnědne29.11.2006 13 CONTENTS i. Introduction 4 ii. Hiphopculture: 7 iii. Otherrapgenres 8 PARTONE–THEGHETTO Chapter1 - A Dead End :Asummaryofsocialandeconomicphenomena betweenthe1920sand1990sresponsiblefor emergenceofblack urbanghettos 9 Chapter2 Fight the Power: Riots inblackurbanareasinthe1960sand1990s 19 PART TWO–RAPMUSIC Chapter1–Gimme the break beat : Beginningsofrapmusic,culturalsources forearlyrappioneers 27 Chapter2 All we got left is the beat :Blackmusicasameanofresistance 37 Chapter3–Hip Hop Rules:Constructionofarapsong 40 Chapter4–In the limelight: Rapmusicgoescommercial 48 PART THREE–GANGSTARAP Chapter1–“Gangsta” rap :AnIntroduction 52 Chapter2Originsof gangstarapanditshistory 56 Chapter3 Ay yo baby, your mother warned you about me :YoungBlack Malesasa"MenacetoSociety” 63 Chapter4 Why do I call myself a nigger, you ask me? Recontextualizationofa meaningof aword nigga 65 Chapter5 Mack daddies, pimps and hustlers:adorationof acriminalfigure 68 14 PART FOUR–MESSAGERAP Chapter1 Prophets of Rage: Messagerap 76 Chapter2–Allahu Akhbar: AninfluenceoftheteachingofTheNationof Islamonmessagerapinthemiddle1990s 80 Chapter3–MessageRappersandtheReconstructionof theBlack Community 82 Conclusion 95 Bibliography 101 Abstractin Czech 105 15 i. Introduction A primaryaimofthisworkistopresentrapmusicasawayforAfricanAmericanshowto escapefrom themiserableeconomicandsocialconditions oftheghetto,inwhichithasalsobeen created.Thisworkfollowsnotonlythedevelopmentofrap musicsince its beginningsin Americanghettos inthe middle1970stothe late1990s,butalsoexamines politicaland economical phenomeona,whichweresignificantlyresponsiblefor pauperizationoftheseurban areas andmust betakenintoaconsideration. Reducingtheareaofourresearchintoonlytwodecadeshastheits reasons:itwouldbealmost impossibletoanalyze allthestylesandgenresintowhichtherapmusichasdiversifiedtill nowadays.Themoreimportantreasonforthislimitationisthatstereotypes,whicharetodayseen astypicalattributesofhiphop,hadbeenformedanddefinedjustinthese twodecadesandlater createdthe basisforthe upcomingcultural phenomenonknowntodayas hip-hop. Atthis pointIshouldalsosetout the wayIusetheterm“hip-hop”inthis work.Thisterm, althoughitistodaysometimesusedasthe termformusicalstyle,shouldcoverawholesetof culturalareaslike rapmusic(rappingand“deejaying”),dancing(breakdancing),urbaninspired art(graffiti) andlateralsofashion,rather thanmusiconly.While inacontemporarycontext the termhiphopcanbeusedasasynonymforalifestyleofitsexponents,Iusethis termasalabelfor thecultural phenomenonasitwas mentionedabove,wherethetermrap musicrepresents justone ofitselements.However,the termrapmusicshouldbealsomore preciselyspecified.Inrapmusic there isequilibrium betweenmusic(representedwith“deejaying”)andlyrics (rapping),andthus thisworkwillexamine bothits elements. EventhoughIsuggestedthat theworkwill befocusedonarather present periodoftwo decades betweenthelate1970sandthemiddle1990s,itssecondpartwillalsoexaminerootsof rapmusic,whichwere drawnnotonlyfrom musics,developedonAmericancontinent(likegospel song,jazz,funkyorrhytm’n’blues),butalsomoreorlesssubconsciouslyfromtraditionalmusic 16 oftheancientAfrica.Thishistorical backgroundisimportantforanunderstandingbothofits elements–“deejaying”andrapping,asthese are closelyconnectedwithAfricanoralandmusical tradition. Whilerappingwasnota prominent partofrapmusicfromitsverybeginnings,its position withinhiphopculturehasquicklychanged.The mainreasonforsuchchangewastheabilityofrap musicto“toarticulate the pleasuresandproblemsof blackurbanlifeincontemporaryAmerica” (Rose,1994:2).Thisfunctionwas,however,inhistoryof blackmusicnotnew–thesame function hadgospelor jazzmusic,butrapmusicarticulatedthe problemsoftheAmericanghettosina brandnewway.Rap musicis avoiceoftheghettoandthustheareafromwhichitcoulddrawan inspirationisalmostinfinite–a specificandconsiderablylargegroupofrappers,whonarrated violent,but oftenexaggeratedtales,inwhichtheyhave praisedtheireconomicstatusandsexual powerover women,developedagenrewhichwaslaterlabeledas“gangstarap”,whiletheother groupofrappers,whichhavecreatedgenreof“message” rap,rappedabouthowtoget outofthe miserableeconomicandsocialconditionstypical fortheghettos,howtorebuildanegative stereotypes ofthe blackmanoranintegrationwithintheAmericansociety–followingexcerptis fromagroupBoogieDownProduction’s(aclassicrepresentativeofmessagerapgenre)anitsson You Must Learn (Edutainment,1992): It seems to me that in a school that's ebony African history should be pumped up steadily, but it's not and this has got to stop, See Spot run, run get Spot Insulting to a Black mentality, a Black way of life Or a jet Black family, so I include with one concern, that You must learn Therebellious,antisocialandsometimesalsoviolentcharacter,whichwastypicalfor both genres,attractedmuchnotorietynot onlyfroma general public(representedwithparental, religious,feministorcivilrightsgroups) butthe FBIaswell.Iwill analyzethesegenresinmore 17 detailinPartFourandpartFiveofthiswork,because boththesegenres represent twomost notable approachtoadvancementofthe blackmanfromitsmiserable positionandhave significantlyinfluencedtheimageof contemporarymusic,whichwill bediscussedintheendof thiswork. Oneofthemostcriticizedaspectsofrap musicwasitsstressonmaterialism,whichwas explicitlypresentedinoverwhelmingnumberofraplyrics,justlikeina song In the Ghetto (Let theRhythm Hit‘Em,1990) byrappersErikB.andRakim: No more props, I want property, in every borough Nobody’s stoppin me, because I’m thorough Rhymes I make gimme real estate for me to own Iwill trytoshowthatthematerialism,forwhicharecontemporaryrapstars criticizedbyboth whiteandblackcommunities,is atypicalfeatureofhiphopculturesince its beginningsandhas alsoitsreasonablehistoricalandsocialexplanation. ii. HipHopculture Becausethe mainpurposeofthisworkistoanalyzerapmusic,itshistory,development, culturalsourcesanditsimpactoncontemporaryAmericansocietyIshouldalsoplace rapmusicin 18 a proper culturalcontext,whichisinthiscasehiphopculture.Iwouldliketoalsobrieflydescribe alsoitsremainingelements–breakdanceandgraffiti,whichweredevelopedtogetherwiththe emergenceofrap music,howeverduetolimitationsofthisworktheycan beexplainedonlybriefly inthis chapter. Alltheseelementsofhiphophavecreated“newkindoffamiliesforgedwithintracultural bondsthat,likethe socialformationofgangs,provideinsulationandsupportinacomplexand unyieldingenvironmentandmayserveasthe basisfornewsocialmovements”(Rose34).These newfamiliesweregroupofdancers(likeRockSteadycrew),crewofgraffitiartists andthanlater musicgroups.Theseartisticformsshareseveralcommonfeatures: 1) averystrongtieswithurbanbackground 2) individualityanduniqueness 3) andrebellious,antiestablishmentandprovocativecharacter Breakdancing Thisartistic formofhip hopculture,was justlikerapmusic,arebellious answertodisco, whichdominateddancingfloorsacrosstheUnitedStates inthelate1970s.Whilediscodances stressedtocontinuityandcircularity, breakdancinghighlights(justlikerapmusicdoes)and extends breaksinandbetweensongs.AccordingtoRose“atthese breakpointsinthe DJ’s performance,thedancerswould breakdance ,executingmovesthat imitatedtheruptureinrhytmic continuityasitwashighlightedinthemusical break”(Rose 47).Whenthisstyleofdancingwas inventedintheBronx,it wassetofseveralmovesandspecific footwork,butthiswasquickly changedandavariousnumberofacrobaticmoveswereaddedincludinghandstands,headstands, freezes,headspins,windmills,backflipsanothers,whichwerearesultof thecompetitivespirit, whichistypicalnotonlyfor breakdancing,butforthewhole hiphopcultureaswell.First breakdance crewsusedtocompetewitheachother,whichforcedindividualdancerstoimprove theirtechniqueanddevelopanownstyle.Thestylecouldalsobecomesodistinguishedfromthe 19 styleofthe otherdancersandbringitsinventoranappropriatenickname -CrazyLegs,Frosty Freeze,KenSwiftetc.Eventhoughthesedancerstriedtomainlypresentthemselves,the competitionstheywere takingpartin,werecompetitionsofdancecrews,representinga particular neighborhood(incaseofRockSteadyCrewitwastheBronx,Rockwell Associationwas representingManhattan) –andthewinningsidewasdeterminedbythedancer(s)whocould outperformtheother bydisplayinga setofmore complicatedandinnovativemoves(Wikipedia). Graffitiart Thesegatheringwereoftenalsoanoccasion,wherealsograffitiartistweremeetingtogether andcomparedeithertheir“alreadydone pieces” ortheirfuturelayouts.Ithinkthatgraffitiart is themosttypicalurbanart,whichreactsnaturallyonthe post industrialrealityofanurban background.Originsofgraffitiwill alsoshowitsoriginal purpose.Graffitihas itsoriginsina tag TAKI183,whichwasasignofafootmessengernamedPanayiotakis(thenumber183standsfor hisstreetnumber),whowasonhiseverydaytravelingthroughNewYorkcityleavingthissignon wallsandsubwaytraincars.This taggingwasthewayhowtoexpressone'sownexistenceinan urbancomplex,whosecomplexityis partiallyforlossofanownidentity–“thegoal of mostartists atthis point wascalled"gettingup" andinvolvedhavingas manytagsandbombsinasmany places as possible”(Wikipedia). Thistaggingwasfollowedbymanyothers,andjustlike breakdancing,it wasquickly developedintomore profoundartisticform.Original tagswereslowlyreplacedbymoreelaborate graffiti,whichwere bigger,theirshapesweredistortedandtheycontainedmanycolorsand