Brittney CooperMaybe 111 Be a Poet, Rapper Hip-Hop Fe.docxjasoninnes20
Brittney Cooper
"Maybe 1*11 Be a Poet, Rapper*': Hip-Hop Feminism
and Literary Aesthetics in Push
In the first decade of the twenty-first century, the number of mainstream blackfemale rap ardsts decreased drasdcally. In fact, by 2005, the Grammy Awards had
eliminated the award for best female rap ardst, due to the paucity of nominees.^
Simultaneously, hip-hop Kterature, known alternately as "street Ht," "ghetto ut,"
and "Ut hop," written by black women and marketed to young women and girls from
ages thirteen to thirty, exploded; ddes like Nikki Turner's A Hustler's Wife, sell yearly
in the hundreds of thousands (Marshall, Staples, and Gibson 28). It is not coinci-
dental that the entrepreneurial spirit that has characterized black men's rise to fame
in hip hop has been adopted by female street novelists, many of whom self-publish
their gritty urban tales. The rapid explosion of black female street-lit authors is a
cultural and literary phenomenon that demands the attendon of scholars who are
interested in the ways that black women use literature to ardculate black female
subjecdvity. It stands to reason, then, that if we want to locate narradves of women's
Mves in the hip-hop generadon, we must turn to hip hop's literature.
Sapphire's 1996 novel Push draws on the "gritty urban street chronicles" of hip-
hop aesthedcs to tell the story of Claireece "Precious" Jones, a teenager coming of
age in what William Jelani Cobb refers to as the golden era of hip hop, 1984 to 1992.^
This text predates the rise of hip-hop or street literature by several years.-̂ Sapphire's
effort to de Push, through implicit and explicit textual allusions, to the work of Toni
Morrison, Alice Walker, Audre Lorde, and Pat Parker connects these seemingly
divergent "high vs. low art" approaches to black women's storytelling. Crides have
tended to ascribe literary value to texts based on their proximity to the aesthedc
qualides of works by more canonical authors, such as Zora Neale Hurston, Toni
Morrison, Alice Walker, and Gayl Jones. Because these novelists have all drawn heavily
on blues and jazz aesthedcs in constructing their novels, literary crides idendfied
the blues and jazz as a significant unifying characterisdc of the African American
women's literary tradidon."^ This has tended to mean that African American literary
texts, pardcularly those of black women, must be beholden to the literary nexus of
jazz and the blues if they want to be considered "serious" literature.
Push acts as a bridge text between earlier generadons of black women's wridng
and the urban street dramas that predominate today. Sapphire's invocadon of hip hop
is an early portrait of a hip-hop aesthedc in prose form that offers relevance while
avoiding the pitfalls of presendsm. Further, the novel offers a cridcal model for
the ways in which hip-hop texts (might) engage with their literary forebears. Push
demonstrates the need for literary works to grapple with the polidcs, poedcs, and
aesthedcs ...
Brittney CooperMaybe 111 Be a Poet, Rapper Hip-Hop Fe.docxcurwenmichaela
Brittney Cooper
"Maybe 1*11 Be a Poet, Rapper*': Hip-Hop Feminism
and Literary Aesthetics in Push
In the first decade of the twenty-first century, the number of mainstream blackfemale rap ardsts decreased drasdcally. In fact, by 2005, the Grammy Awards had
eliminated the award for best female rap ardst, due to the paucity of nominees.^
Simultaneously, hip-hop Kterature, known alternately as "street Ht," "ghetto ut,"
and "Ut hop," written by black women and marketed to young women and girls from
ages thirteen to thirty, exploded; ddes like Nikki Turner's A Hustler's Wife, sell yearly
in the hundreds of thousands (Marshall, Staples, and Gibson 28). It is not coinci-
dental that the entrepreneurial spirit that has characterized black men's rise to fame
in hip hop has been adopted by female street novelists, many of whom self-publish
their gritty urban tales. The rapid explosion of black female street-lit authors is a
cultural and literary phenomenon that demands the attendon of scholars who are
interested in the ways that black women use literature to ardculate black female
subjecdvity. It stands to reason, then, that if we want to locate narradves of women's
Mves in the hip-hop generadon, we must turn to hip hop's literature.
Sapphire's 1996 novel Push draws on the "gritty urban street chronicles" of hip-
hop aesthedcs to tell the story of Claireece "Precious" Jones, a teenager coming of
age in what William Jelani Cobb refers to as the golden era of hip hop, 1984 to 1992.^
This text predates the rise of hip-hop or street literature by several years.-̂ Sapphire's
effort to de Push, through implicit and explicit textual allusions, to the work of Toni
Morrison, Alice Walker, Audre Lorde, and Pat Parker connects these seemingly
divergent "high vs. low art" approaches to black women's storytelling. Crides have
tended to ascribe literary value to texts based on their proximity to the aesthedc
qualides of works by more canonical authors, such as Zora Neale Hurston, Toni
Morrison, Alice Walker, and Gayl Jones. Because these novelists have all drawn heavily
on blues and jazz aesthedcs in constructing their novels, literary crides idendfied
the blues and jazz as a significant unifying characterisdc of the African American
women's literary tradidon."^ This has tended to mean that African American literary
texts, pardcularly those of black women, must be beholden to the literary nexus of
jazz and the blues if they want to be considered "serious" literature.
Push acts as a bridge text between earlier generadons of black women's wridng
and the urban street dramas that predominate today. Sapphire's invocadon of hip hop
is an early portrait of a hip-hop aesthedc in prose form that offers relevance while
avoiding the pitfalls of presendsm. Further, the novel offers a cridcal model for
the ways in which hip-hop texts (might) engage with their literary forebears. Push
demonstrates the need for literary works to grapple with the polidcs, poedcs, and
aesthedcs.
Brittney CooperMaybe 111 Be a Poet, Rapper Hip-Hop Fe.docxjasoninnes20
Brittney Cooper
"Maybe 1*11 Be a Poet, Rapper*': Hip-Hop Feminism
and Literary Aesthetics in Push
In the first decade of the twenty-first century, the number of mainstream blackfemale rap ardsts decreased drasdcally. In fact, by 2005, the Grammy Awards had
eliminated the award for best female rap ardst, due to the paucity of nominees.^
Simultaneously, hip-hop Kterature, known alternately as "street Ht," "ghetto ut,"
and "Ut hop," written by black women and marketed to young women and girls from
ages thirteen to thirty, exploded; ddes like Nikki Turner's A Hustler's Wife, sell yearly
in the hundreds of thousands (Marshall, Staples, and Gibson 28). It is not coinci-
dental that the entrepreneurial spirit that has characterized black men's rise to fame
in hip hop has been adopted by female street novelists, many of whom self-publish
their gritty urban tales. The rapid explosion of black female street-lit authors is a
cultural and literary phenomenon that demands the attendon of scholars who are
interested in the ways that black women use literature to ardculate black female
subjecdvity. It stands to reason, then, that if we want to locate narradves of women's
Mves in the hip-hop generadon, we must turn to hip hop's literature.
Sapphire's 1996 novel Push draws on the "gritty urban street chronicles" of hip-
hop aesthedcs to tell the story of Claireece "Precious" Jones, a teenager coming of
age in what William Jelani Cobb refers to as the golden era of hip hop, 1984 to 1992.^
This text predates the rise of hip-hop or street literature by several years.-̂ Sapphire's
effort to de Push, through implicit and explicit textual allusions, to the work of Toni
Morrison, Alice Walker, Audre Lorde, and Pat Parker connects these seemingly
divergent "high vs. low art" approaches to black women's storytelling. Crides have
tended to ascribe literary value to texts based on their proximity to the aesthedc
qualides of works by more canonical authors, such as Zora Neale Hurston, Toni
Morrison, Alice Walker, and Gayl Jones. Because these novelists have all drawn heavily
on blues and jazz aesthedcs in constructing their novels, literary crides idendfied
the blues and jazz as a significant unifying characterisdc of the African American
women's literary tradidon."^ This has tended to mean that African American literary
texts, pardcularly those of black women, must be beholden to the literary nexus of
jazz and the blues if they want to be considered "serious" literature.
Push acts as a bridge text between earlier generadons of black women's wridng
and the urban street dramas that predominate today. Sapphire's invocadon of hip hop
is an early portrait of a hip-hop aesthedc in prose form that offers relevance while
avoiding the pitfalls of presendsm. Further, the novel offers a cridcal model for
the ways in which hip-hop texts (might) engage with their literary forebears. Push
demonstrates the need for literary works to grapple with the polidcs, poedcs, and
aesthedcs ...
Brittney CooperMaybe 111 Be a Poet, Rapper Hip-Hop Fe.docxcurwenmichaela
Brittney Cooper
"Maybe 1*11 Be a Poet, Rapper*': Hip-Hop Feminism
and Literary Aesthetics in Push
In the first decade of the twenty-first century, the number of mainstream blackfemale rap ardsts decreased drasdcally. In fact, by 2005, the Grammy Awards had
eliminated the award for best female rap ardst, due to the paucity of nominees.^
Simultaneously, hip-hop Kterature, known alternately as "street Ht," "ghetto ut,"
and "Ut hop," written by black women and marketed to young women and girls from
ages thirteen to thirty, exploded; ddes like Nikki Turner's A Hustler's Wife, sell yearly
in the hundreds of thousands (Marshall, Staples, and Gibson 28). It is not coinci-
dental that the entrepreneurial spirit that has characterized black men's rise to fame
in hip hop has been adopted by female street novelists, many of whom self-publish
their gritty urban tales. The rapid explosion of black female street-lit authors is a
cultural and literary phenomenon that demands the attendon of scholars who are
interested in the ways that black women use literature to ardculate black female
subjecdvity. It stands to reason, then, that if we want to locate narradves of women's
Mves in the hip-hop generadon, we must turn to hip hop's literature.
Sapphire's 1996 novel Push draws on the "gritty urban street chronicles" of hip-
hop aesthedcs to tell the story of Claireece "Precious" Jones, a teenager coming of
age in what William Jelani Cobb refers to as the golden era of hip hop, 1984 to 1992.^
This text predates the rise of hip-hop or street literature by several years.-̂ Sapphire's
effort to de Push, through implicit and explicit textual allusions, to the work of Toni
Morrison, Alice Walker, Audre Lorde, and Pat Parker connects these seemingly
divergent "high vs. low art" approaches to black women's storytelling. Crides have
tended to ascribe literary value to texts based on their proximity to the aesthedc
qualides of works by more canonical authors, such as Zora Neale Hurston, Toni
Morrison, Alice Walker, and Gayl Jones. Because these novelists have all drawn heavily
on blues and jazz aesthedcs in constructing their novels, literary crides idendfied
the blues and jazz as a significant unifying characterisdc of the African American
women's literary tradidon."^ This has tended to mean that African American literary
texts, pardcularly those of black women, must be beholden to the literary nexus of
jazz and the blues if they want to be considered "serious" literature.
Push acts as a bridge text between earlier generadons of black women's wridng
and the urban street dramas that predominate today. Sapphire's invocadon of hip hop
is an early portrait of a hip-hop aesthedc in prose form that offers relevance while
avoiding the pitfalls of presendsm. Further, the novel offers a cridcal model for
the ways in which hip-hop texts (might) engage with their literary forebears. Push
demonstrates the need for literary works to grapple with the polidcs, poedcs, and
aesthedcs.
Throughout the past several years, many people treated hip-hop as a brilliant resurgence of women who dominate the spotlight and charts. Traditionally, women performed specific roles in hip-hop. Women have been objectified in hip-hop through various forms of media. However, the role of women has evolved over generations to acquire an almost the same state as that of men.
This is my powerpoint which shows the history of hip hop and the artist which are associated with that sub genre. It also shows the imagery associated with Hip Hop. Lastly the Hip Hop artists that may feature in my Music Magazine.
Topic that identifies characteristics of Native American Culture and.docxVannaSchrader3
Topic that identifies characteristics of Native American Culture and how it influences/contributes to contemporary cultures and/or what factors have changed perspective regarding Native American cultural practices.
resources cited, at least 3 of any format.
Cover Page.
Minimun 4 page (excluding reference and cover).
MLA formet with proper work cited on the last page
12/ Times/ Double Spacing.
.
Topic Stem Cell ResearchAPA Format I need these topics. don.docxVannaSchrader3
Topic: Stem Cell Research
APA Format
I need these topics. don't add other contents
Table of contents:
1. Overview of stem cell research -
1 Page
2. Embryonic Stem Cells -
2 Pages
3. Adult Stem Cells -
2 Pages
4. Legal issues - 1 Page
5. Conclusion- It should be a strong conclusion
References:
Use 3 Journal Articles or newspaper articles and 2 Internet site. for example .edu, .org, .gov.
another 2 references from the academically approved books.
see for more info and references in the document
.
Topic Styles of PolicingYou are a patrol officer in a middle- to .docxVannaSchrader3
Topic: Styles of Policing
You are a patrol officer in a middle- to lower-class community, which is a suburb of a much larger metropolitan city. During the past 6 months, you have noticed an increase in what might be the beginning of gang activity in your community. You have begun to see gang-style graffiti painted on walls, buildings, and street signs. You have noticed that more young adults are gathering on street corners and appear to be dressing in clothing often associated with gang involvement. While no gang violence has occurred yet, you suspect it is not far away.
As discussed in your text, there are three distinct styles of policing. They are the watchman style, the legalistic style, and the service style.
In a single posting, describe in detail how you would address this growing problem using
each
of the policing styles listed above. Explain which approach is best, using research to substantiate your postings, citing your sources following APA format
.
Topic the legalization of same sex adoptionThese same sex adopti.docxVannaSchrader3
Topic: the legalization of same sex adoption
These: same sex adoption should be legalized and be accepted by the public
attrachments: draft and suggestions from the professor
Develop this 8 pages draft to be a 15 pages final paper
APA style, double spaced, use 10 peer-review journals as sources
.
TOPIC The Truth About Caffeine3 pages,give some statistics of neg.docxVannaSchrader3
TOPIC/ The Truth About Caffeine
3 pages,give some statistics of negative effects of caffeine
the guides to follow:
topic:
Specific Purpose:to inform ....
Introduction:(discovering +history)
Body:
I like here to give some general info about caffeine and explain the negetive effects.
conclusion:
.
Topic Media Example (article)1) as usual, do an analysis of the.docxVannaSchrader3
Topic: Media Example (article)
1) as usual, do an analysis of the logic of the article on Religion which you choose:What is the : claim, premises, whether the argument in the article is valid or sound.
2) THEN, construct FOUR valid Formal Logic argument, using information from the article. One of each of the following forms must be included:
a) Modus Ponens
b) Modus Tollens
c) Chain Argument
d) Disjunctive Argument
please link me to the essay
Pages:
1, Double spaced
.
Topic Servant LeadershipThread In our reading we explored th.docxVannaSchrader3
Topic: Servant Leadership
Thread:
In our reading we explored the concept of servant leadership. Blanchard and Hodges present Jesus Christ as the ultimate example of the servant leader, and with good cause. But consider other servant leaders found in Scripture, too, and then answer the following questions: What biblical leader would you select as another good example of a servant leader? Why? How did this leader reflect principles from both Northouse’s description and Blanchard & Hodge’s description of a servant leader?
300-500 word discussion board with APA in text citation using at least three professional sources. class text leadership theory and practice by peter g. northhouse and lead like jesus by ken blanchard and phil hodges
.
Topic Organization of Law Enforcement AgenciesDo you agree or d.docxVannaSchrader3
Topic:
Organization of Law Enforcement Agencies
Do you agree or disagree with the paramilitary style of organization of most law enforcement agencies? Defend your position. You must use current APA style. You must cite 1 scholarly-quality internet-based source/reference and 1 biblical source/reference to support your answer. Both sources must offer a specific connection to the discussion topic.
.
Topic Parents Should have a license to have childrenaprox. 500 wo.docxVannaSchrader3
Topic: Parents Should have a license to have children
aprox. 500 words
Focus on these three points
1. Childrens safety, health and happines
2. What makes a responsible parent
3.What determines a competent parent from an incompetent parent
-Include a citation page if using statistical data
.
Topic PATIENT DATA PRIVACYPerformance Improvement plan Proper an.docxVannaSchrader3
Topic: PATIENT DATA PRIVACY
Performance Improvement plan: Proper and Intense training of employees
Success of the Performance Improvement Plan
A. If this initiative is successful, what would be the financial implications for the healthcare organization?
B. How would the existing information management systems contribute to the success of your proposal?
C. What organizational processes will permit continued viability of the performance improvement initiative, if it is successful?
D. Analyze interdepartmental communication that would be necessary for continued engagement in the proposed initiative.
1.5-2 pages. APA format with references please
thank you
.
Topic Kelly’s Personal ConstructsQuestionPrompt Analyze th.docxVannaSchrader3
Topic:
Kelly’s Personal Constructs
Question/Prompt:
Analyze the 4 common elements in most human disturbance according to Kelly (threat, fear, anxiety, and guilt). Compare each of these constructs with what Scripture says regarding these particular elements.
Answer must be 300+ words and contain 2 references.
.
Topic Fingerprints.Study fingerprinting in the textbook and res.docxVannaSchrader3
Topic: Fingerprints.
Study fingerprinting in the textbook and research and discuss the topic including
–but not limited to–
fingerprint history, types and different methods used to develop and preserve prints.
In addition, research and discuss Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS).
Due Sunday
.
Topic is Domestic Violence, Both men and women being the abus.docxVannaSchrader3
Topic is:
Domestic Viole
nce
, Both men and women being the abuser
Ask a question: Identify an issue of concern or personal curiosity relating to your profession.
Identify two bodies of knowledge: Which two disciplines will be used to help answer the question?
Example: History and Sociology
Conduct a literature review: What research has been done to help answer this question?
Hint #1: Make notes in the center column (see below) as resources are identified and read.
Hint #2: Compile an annotated bibliography as you find information as this will help you keep your sources organized and references correct.
Bringing It Together: Discuss the question extensively using information from the middle column above.
Conclusion: End the discussion with a conclusion—answer the question! Please note, there are two parts to the conclusion:
Part #1: Answer your question and discuss how (if) your personal views have changed based on what you’ve learned.
Part #2: Discuss how you plan to build on this knowledge going forward.
.
More Related Content
Similar to Brittney CooperMaybe I’ll Be a Poet, Rapper” Hip-Hop Fem
Throughout the past several years, many people treated hip-hop as a brilliant resurgence of women who dominate the spotlight and charts. Traditionally, women performed specific roles in hip-hop. Women have been objectified in hip-hop through various forms of media. However, the role of women has evolved over generations to acquire an almost the same state as that of men.
This is my powerpoint which shows the history of hip hop and the artist which are associated with that sub genre. It also shows the imagery associated with Hip Hop. Lastly the Hip Hop artists that may feature in my Music Magazine.
Topic that identifies characteristics of Native American Culture and.docxVannaSchrader3
Topic that identifies characteristics of Native American Culture and how it influences/contributes to contemporary cultures and/or what factors have changed perspective regarding Native American cultural practices.
resources cited, at least 3 of any format.
Cover Page.
Minimun 4 page (excluding reference and cover).
MLA formet with proper work cited on the last page
12/ Times/ Double Spacing.
.
Topic Stem Cell ResearchAPA Format I need these topics. don.docxVannaSchrader3
Topic: Stem Cell Research
APA Format
I need these topics. don't add other contents
Table of contents:
1. Overview of stem cell research -
1 Page
2. Embryonic Stem Cells -
2 Pages
3. Adult Stem Cells -
2 Pages
4. Legal issues - 1 Page
5. Conclusion- It should be a strong conclusion
References:
Use 3 Journal Articles or newspaper articles and 2 Internet site. for example .edu, .org, .gov.
another 2 references from the academically approved books.
see for more info and references in the document
.
Topic Styles of PolicingYou are a patrol officer in a middle- to .docxVannaSchrader3
Topic: Styles of Policing
You are a patrol officer in a middle- to lower-class community, which is a suburb of a much larger metropolitan city. During the past 6 months, you have noticed an increase in what might be the beginning of gang activity in your community. You have begun to see gang-style graffiti painted on walls, buildings, and street signs. You have noticed that more young adults are gathering on street corners and appear to be dressing in clothing often associated with gang involvement. While no gang violence has occurred yet, you suspect it is not far away.
As discussed in your text, there are three distinct styles of policing. They are the watchman style, the legalistic style, and the service style.
In a single posting, describe in detail how you would address this growing problem using
each
of the policing styles listed above. Explain which approach is best, using research to substantiate your postings, citing your sources following APA format
.
Topic the legalization of same sex adoptionThese same sex adopti.docxVannaSchrader3
Topic: the legalization of same sex adoption
These: same sex adoption should be legalized and be accepted by the public
attrachments: draft and suggestions from the professor
Develop this 8 pages draft to be a 15 pages final paper
APA style, double spaced, use 10 peer-review journals as sources
.
TOPIC The Truth About Caffeine3 pages,give some statistics of neg.docxVannaSchrader3
TOPIC/ The Truth About Caffeine
3 pages,give some statistics of negative effects of caffeine
the guides to follow:
topic:
Specific Purpose:to inform ....
Introduction:(discovering +history)
Body:
I like here to give some general info about caffeine and explain the negetive effects.
conclusion:
.
Topic Media Example (article)1) as usual, do an analysis of the.docxVannaSchrader3
Topic: Media Example (article)
1) as usual, do an analysis of the logic of the article on Religion which you choose:What is the : claim, premises, whether the argument in the article is valid or sound.
2) THEN, construct FOUR valid Formal Logic argument, using information from the article. One of each of the following forms must be included:
a) Modus Ponens
b) Modus Tollens
c) Chain Argument
d) Disjunctive Argument
please link me to the essay
Pages:
1, Double spaced
.
Topic Servant LeadershipThread In our reading we explored th.docxVannaSchrader3
Topic: Servant Leadership
Thread:
In our reading we explored the concept of servant leadership. Blanchard and Hodges present Jesus Christ as the ultimate example of the servant leader, and with good cause. But consider other servant leaders found in Scripture, too, and then answer the following questions: What biblical leader would you select as another good example of a servant leader? Why? How did this leader reflect principles from both Northouse’s description and Blanchard & Hodge’s description of a servant leader?
300-500 word discussion board with APA in text citation using at least three professional sources. class text leadership theory and practice by peter g. northhouse and lead like jesus by ken blanchard and phil hodges
.
Topic Organization of Law Enforcement AgenciesDo you agree or d.docxVannaSchrader3
Topic:
Organization of Law Enforcement Agencies
Do you agree or disagree with the paramilitary style of organization of most law enforcement agencies? Defend your position. You must use current APA style. You must cite 1 scholarly-quality internet-based source/reference and 1 biblical source/reference to support your answer. Both sources must offer a specific connection to the discussion topic.
.
Topic Parents Should have a license to have childrenaprox. 500 wo.docxVannaSchrader3
Topic: Parents Should have a license to have children
aprox. 500 words
Focus on these three points
1. Childrens safety, health and happines
2. What makes a responsible parent
3.What determines a competent parent from an incompetent parent
-Include a citation page if using statistical data
.
Topic PATIENT DATA PRIVACYPerformance Improvement plan Proper an.docxVannaSchrader3
Topic: PATIENT DATA PRIVACY
Performance Improvement plan: Proper and Intense training of employees
Success of the Performance Improvement Plan
A. If this initiative is successful, what would be the financial implications for the healthcare organization?
B. How would the existing information management systems contribute to the success of your proposal?
C. What organizational processes will permit continued viability of the performance improvement initiative, if it is successful?
D. Analyze interdepartmental communication that would be necessary for continued engagement in the proposed initiative.
1.5-2 pages. APA format with references please
thank you
.
Topic Kelly’s Personal ConstructsQuestionPrompt Analyze th.docxVannaSchrader3
Topic:
Kelly’s Personal Constructs
Question/Prompt:
Analyze the 4 common elements in most human disturbance according to Kelly (threat, fear, anxiety, and guilt). Compare each of these constructs with what Scripture says regarding these particular elements.
Answer must be 300+ words and contain 2 references.
.
Topic Fingerprints.Study fingerprinting in the textbook and res.docxVannaSchrader3
Topic: Fingerprints.
Study fingerprinting in the textbook and research and discuss the topic including
–but not limited to–
fingerprint history, types and different methods used to develop and preserve prints.
In addition, research and discuss Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS).
Due Sunday
.
Topic is Domestic Violence, Both men and women being the abus.docxVannaSchrader3
Topic is:
Domestic Viole
nce
, Both men and women being the abuser
Ask a question: Identify an issue of concern or personal curiosity relating to your profession.
Identify two bodies of knowledge: Which two disciplines will be used to help answer the question?
Example: History and Sociology
Conduct a literature review: What research has been done to help answer this question?
Hint #1: Make notes in the center column (see below) as resources are identified and read.
Hint #2: Compile an annotated bibliography as you find information as this will help you keep your sources organized and references correct.
Bringing It Together: Discuss the question extensively using information from the middle column above.
Conclusion: End the discussion with a conclusion—answer the question! Please note, there are two parts to the conclusion:
Part #1: Answer your question and discuss how (if) your personal views have changed based on what you’ve learned.
Part #2: Discuss how you plan to build on this knowledge going forward.
.
Topic is regional integration .First You need to find article and re.docxVannaSchrader3
Topic is regional integration .First You need to find article and resources which is related with this topic. you should write three pages about this article, resources and topic
I told assignment's structure in link that is why please check the link(file)
my native language is not English that is why if you use more simple words in assignment, it will be better
.
Topic Human Trafficking in relation to US Border and Coastal securi.docxVannaSchrader3
Topic: Human Trafficking in relation to US Border and Coastal security.
You are to prepare your paper in a word document (Times New Roman, Font 12-double space) using APA style format ("Resources" and APA info attached below). Your research paper should be
10-12 pages of content excluding your title page and reference page
. A minimum of 1
0 outside references required.
.
Topic is AutonomyShort papers should use double spacing, 12-point .docxVannaSchrader3
Topic is Autonomy
Short papers should use double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, and one-inch margins. Sources should be cited according to a discipline-appropriate citation method. Page-length requirements: 1–2 pages,
APA format and properly cited.
Will be cheched for originality through Turn it in.
.
Topic Genetic connection of hypertension to cardiovascular disease .docxVannaSchrader3
Topic: Genetic connection of hypertension to cardiovascular disease in african americans?
Needs to be specific and to address better current health disparities in specific population groups as well as the prevention of selected public health issue. Clearly and properly present the material by using relevant scientific information, statistical data, and research-based evidence from identified credible external sources.
Length: The written component of this assignment should be a minimum of 8 double-spaced pages.
References: At least
eight
references
must be included from
scholarly sources
. Quoted materialsshould not exceed 10% of the total paper (since the focus of these assignments is critical thinking). Use your own words and build on the ideas of others. Materials copied verbatim from external sources must be enclosed in quotation marks. In-text reference citations are required as well as a list of references at the end of the assignment. (APA format is required.)
Organization: Subheadings should be used to organize your paper according to the questions.
Format: APA format is required for this assignment.
I have attached the annotated bibliography with sources to be used as well as an outline for reference on how to structure the paper.
.
topic Errors (medication or patient injury)in particular stra.docxVannaSchrader3
topic: Errors (medication or patient injury)
in particular strategies for reducing medication errors
Guidelines:
Guideli
n
es
f
o
r Top
i
c
S
ea
r
c
h
St
r
a
t
egy
P
aper
T
h
e
T
o
p
ic
S
e
a
rch
S
tra
t
e
g
y
P
a
p
e
r ist
h
efi
r
st
o
f
three
r
e
l
at
e
d assi
g
n
me
n
tswhich are due in Unit 3. T
h
e
pu
r
p
o
se
o
ft
h
is i
n
itial
p
a
p
e
r is
t
o
b
r
i
e
fly
d
e
scri
b
e
y
o
u
r
s
e
arch
s
tra
te
g
i
e
sw
h
e
ni
d
e
n
tif
y
i
n
gt
w
oar
t
iclest
h
at
p
e
r
t
aintoan
ev
i
d
e
n
c
e
-
b
as
e
d
p
ra
c
ticet
op
ic
o
f i
n
t
e
r
e
s
t
.
C
O
U
RS
E
O
U
TC
O
M
E
S
T
h
i
sa
ss
i
gn
m
entena
b
l
es
th
e
s
tud
e
nt
t
o
m
eetthe
f
o
l
l
o
w
i
ng
c
o
u
rs
eo
u
t
c
o
m
e
s
.
CO
1
:
E
xa
m
i
n
et
h
es
o
u
r
ces
o
f k
n
o
w
l
e
dg
et
h
at
c
o
n
tri
bu
te
t
o
p
r
o
f
e
ss
i
o
n
al
nu
rsi
n
g
p
ractic
e
.(
P
O
#
7
)
CO
2
:
App
ly
r
e
s
e
a
r
ch
p
ri
n
c
i
p
l
e
s
t
ot
h
ei
n
t
e
r
p
r
e
tat
i
o
n
o
f t
h
e
c
o
n
t
e
n
t
o
f
pub
lis
h
e
d
r
e
s
e
archst
ud
i
e
s.(
P
Os
#
4
and#
8
)
D
U
E
D
A
TE
Re
f
erto
the
c
ou
rs
e
c
a
l
en
d
ar
f
ordue
d
ate.
T
he
c
o
l
l
eg
e
’
s
L
ate
A
ss
i
gn
m
entp
o
li
c
y
a
pp
li
estot
h
i
sa
c
t
iv
i
t
y
.
P
OI
N
T
S
P
OSSI
B
L
E
T
h
is assi
gnm
e
n
tis
w
o
r
t
h
1
5
0
p
o
i
n
t
s
.T
h
e
c
o
lle
g
e
’s
L
a
t
e
A
ssi
gnm
e
n
t
p
o
licya
pp
li
e
stot
h
is a
c
ti
v
i
t
y
.
R
EQ
U
IRE
M
E
N
T
S
Y
o
u
will be assigned a group in unit 2 (located in the team collaboration tab) to formulate an
ev
i
d
e
n
c
e
-
b
as
e
d
p
ra
c
ticet
op
ic
o
f i
n
t
e
r
e
s
t
that will be used to complete the unit 3 and unit 5 independent assignments, as well as the group PowerPoint presentation in unit 7.
T
hepaperw
i
l
l
i
n
c
l
u
de
t
he
f
o
l
l
o
w
i
ng.
a.
C
l
i
n
i
c
a
l
Q
u
e
s
t
i
on
a.
De
scr
i
bep
r
o
b
l
em
b.
Si
g
n
i
f
i
c
an
c
eof p
r
o
b
l
em
i
n
t
e
r
m
sof out
c
o
m
esor
s
tat
i
s
t
ic
s
c.
Y
our
P
IC
O
Tque
s
t
i
on
i
n
s
u
ppo
r
tof t
h
eg
r
o
up
t
op
i
c
d.
P
u
r
po
s
eof
y
o
urp
a
per
b.
Le
v
e
l
sof
E
v
i
d
e
n
c
e
a.
T
y
peof que
s
t
i
ona
s
k
ed
b.
B
e
s
t
e
v
i
den
c
e
f
oundto
a
n
s
werque
s
t
i
o
n
c.
S
ea
rc
h
S
t
r
a
t
e
g
y
a.
S
ea
rc
h
t
e
r
m
s
b.
Data
b
a
s
esu
s
ed
(y
ou
m
a
yu
s
e
G
oo
g
l
e
S
c
h
o
l
ar
i
n ad
d
i
t
i
onto
t
he
li
b
r
a
r
y
d
at
a
ba
s
e
s;
s
ta
r
tw
i
th the
L
i
b
r
a
r
y
)
c.
Re
f
i
ne
m
entde
c
i
si
ons
m
ade
d.
Iden
t
i
f
i
c
at
i
onof two
m
o
s
t
r
e
l
e
v
a
n
ta
r
t
i
c
l
es
d.
F
o
r
m
at
a.
Co
rr
e
c
tg
r
a
m
m
arand
s
pe
l
l
i
ng
b.
U
s
eof hea
d
i
n
gs
f
orea
c
h
s
e
c
t
i
on
c.
U
s
eof
A
P
A
f
o
r
m
at
(
sixthed
i
t
i
on)
d.
P
a
g
e
l
en
g
th:three to fourp
a
ges
P
RE
P
A
RIN
G
T
H
E
P
AP
E
R
1.
Pl
e
a
s
e
m
a
k
e
s
u
r
e
y
o
udo
n
otd
u
p
l
i
c
atea
r
t
i
cl
es
w
i
t
h
i
n
y
ourg
r
o
u
p.
2.
P
a
p
er
s
ho
u
l
d
i
n
cl
udea
t
i
t
l
epa
g
e
a
nda
r
e
f
e
r
en
c
e
p
a
g
e.
D
IRE
CT
I
O
N
S
AN
D
A
S
SIG
N
M
E
N
T
C
R
I
T
ERIA
A
s
s
i
g
nme
n
t
C
r
i
t
e
r
i
a
P
o
i
n
t
s
%
De
s
c
r
i
p
t
i
on
Cli
n
ic
a
lQ
ue
s
t
i
o
n
45
30
1
..
Topic differences between folk guitar and classic guitar.Minimu.docxVannaSchrader3
Topic: differences between folk guitar and classic guitar.
Minimum of 1500 words. Double-spaced. Cite ALL sources appropriately. Use MLA or APA (or any other accepted publication) for citation standards.
This is a research paper. Do not plagiarize materials. Use quotes and cite other people's work whenever it is appropriate. Do your best to be creative and original with your writing style rather than "regurgitate" information to me. You may be as creative as you like (graphics, photos, audio) as long as your paper is concise, has proper flow and informs me of something about the guitar.
.
Topic Death Investigations. Review homicide investigation as de.docxVannaSchrader3
Topic: Death Investigations.
Review homicide investigation as described in the textbook and through research including
–but not limited to–
types of wrongful deaths, the preliminary investigation, dying declaration, estimating time of death, gunshot wounds, autoerotic death investigation, and suicide investigation.
Submit to the Dropbox before midnight
Sunday
.
.
Acetabularia Information For Class 9 .docxvaibhavrinwa19
Acetabularia acetabulum is a single-celled green alga that in its vegetative state is morphologically differentiated into a basal rhizoid and an axially elongated stalk, which bears whorls of branching hairs. The single diploid nucleus resides in the rhizoid.
Honest Reviews of Tim Han LMA Course Program.pptxtimhan337
Personal development courses are widely available today, with each one promising life-changing outcomes. Tim Han’s Life Mastery Achievers (LMA) Course has drawn a lot of interest. In addition to offering my frank assessment of Success Insider’s LMA Course, this piece examines the course’s effects via a variety of Tim Han LMA course reviews and Success Insider comments.
Model Attribute Check Company Auto PropertyCeline George
In Odoo, the multi-company feature allows you to manage multiple companies within a single Odoo database instance. Each company can have its own configurations while still sharing common resources such as products, customers, and suppliers.
Macroeconomics- Movie Location
This will be used as part of your Personal Professional Portfolio once graded.
Objective:
Prepare a presentation or a paper using research, basic comparative analysis, data organization and application of economic information. You will make an informed assessment of an economic climate outside of the United States to accomplish an entertainment industry objective.
Safalta Digital marketing institute in Noida, provide complete applications that encompass a huge range of virtual advertising and marketing additives, which includes search engine optimization, virtual communication advertising, pay-per-click on marketing, content material advertising, internet analytics, and greater. These university courses are designed for students who possess a comprehensive understanding of virtual marketing strategies and attributes.Safalta Digital Marketing Institute in Noida is a first choice for young individuals or students who are looking to start their careers in the field of digital advertising. The institute gives specialized courses designed and certification.
for beginners, providing thorough training in areas such as SEO, digital communication marketing, and PPC training in Noida. After finishing the program, students receive the certifications recognised by top different universitie, setting a strong foundation for a successful career in digital marketing.
Introduction to AI for Nonprofits with Tapp NetworkTechSoup
Dive into the world of AI! Experts Jon Hill and Tareq Monaur will guide you through AI's role in enhancing nonprofit websites and basic marketing strategies, making it easy to understand and apply.
Biological screening of herbal drugs: Introduction and Need for
Phyto-Pharmacological Screening, New Strategies for evaluating
Natural Products, In vitro evaluation techniques for Antioxidants, Antimicrobial and Anticancer drugs. In vivo evaluation techniques
for Anti-inflammatory, Antiulcer, Anticancer, Wound healing, Antidiabetic, Hepatoprotective, Cardio protective, Diuretics and
Antifertility, Toxicity studies as per OECD guidelines
Unit 8 - Information and Communication Technology (Paper I).pdfThiyagu K
This slides describes the basic concepts of ICT, basics of Email, Emerging Technology and Digital Initiatives in Education. This presentations aligns with the UGC Paper I syllabus.
45. useable�past.
1. Though rapper Nicki Minaj has risen to prominence since
early 2010, winning multiple Grammy
Awards, the awards show still does not give awards in the best
female rapper category. The BET (Black
Entertainment Television) Awards show does.
2. Here I’m using Cobb’s periodization: “the Old School, 1974-
1983, the Golden Age 1984-1992, the
Modern Era, 1992-1997, and the Industrial Era, 1998-2005”
(41).
3. Although Omar Tyree is considered an early novelist in the
street -it tradition, Sistah Souljah’s novel
The Coldest Winter Ever (Simon & Schuster, 1999) is
considered the inaugural text in black women’s street
literature.
4. There has been a longstanding debate among black feminist
literary critics about whether a coherent
African American women’s literary tradition exists. For further
reading, see Barbara Smith, “Towards a
Black Feminist Criticism,” Conditions: Two 1 (October 1977):
25-44, and Hazel Carby’s response in
Reconstructing Womanhood: The Emergence of the Afro-
American Woman as Novelist (New York: Oxford UP,
46. 1987). A range of texts also clarified the importance of jazz and
blues to African American literary traditions.
See Houston A. Baker, Jr., Blues, Ideology, and Afro-American
Literature: A Vernacular Theory (Chicago: U of
Chicago P, 1987). See also Deborah McDowell, The Changing
Same: Black Women’s Literature, Criticism,
and Theory (Bloomington: Indiana UP, 1995).
5. Complete lyrics at Kurtis Blow, “The Breaks” (1980), Lyrics
Depot, 2008, Web.
6. Parody is an (often indirect) reference to and revision of a
prior text with the intention of disagreeing
with and or critiquing the premises of the text. Pastiche eschews
the negative critique (Gates xxvi). Unlike
parody, which is a “motivated” form of Signification, pastiche
is an “unmotivated” form of Signification
that “can imply either homage to an antecedent text or futility in
the face of a seemingly indomitable mode
of representation” (xxvii).
68 AFRICAN AMERICAN REVIEW
Notes
Cooper_Cooper 5/23/2014 6:34 PM Page 68
47. 7. Post-soul aesthetics encompass hip-hop music and culture but
is not limited to hip hop. Because
Push draws on soul music, using post-soul here fits within the
aesthetic trajectory of the novel, while not
precluding a primarily hip-hop analysis. For further discussion
of the post-soul aesthetic, see Neal 1-22.
8. Precious’s spelling of Ms. Rain’s name is inconsistent in the
text, due in part to her progress toward
literacy. Sometimes the name is spelled “Mz. Rain,” or
alternately “Ms Rain” or “Miz Rain.”
9. Queen Latifah actually would not have been a major rap
figure based on the timeline given in the text.
She released her first album in 1989.
Chang, Jeff. Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop
Generation. New York: St. Martin’s, 2005.
—-, ed. Total Chaos: The Art and Aesthetics of Hip-Hop. New
York: BasicCivitas, 2006.
Cheney, Charise. Brothers Gonna Work It Out: Sexual Politics
in the Golden Age of Rap Nationalism. New York:
New York UP, 2005.
Cobb, William Jelani. To the Break of Dawn: A Freestyle on the
Hip Hop Aesthetic. New York: New York UP,
2007.
48. Cole, Johnnetta Betsch, and Beverly Guy-Sheftall. Gender Talk:
The Struggle for Women’s Equality in African
American Communities. New York: One World/Ballantine,
2003.
Dubey, Madhu. Signs and Cities: Black Literary
Postmodernism. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 2003.
Gates, Henry Louis, Jr. The Signifying Monkey: A Theory of
Afro-American Literary Criticism. New York:
Oxford UP, 1988.
Harris-Perry, Melissa V. Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes and
Black Women in America. New Haven: Yale UP,
2011.
Henderson, Mae Gwendolyn. “Speaking in Tongues: Dialogics,
Dialectics, and the Black Women Writer’s
Literary Tradition” African American Literary Theory: A
Reader. Ed. Winston Napier. New York: New York
UP, 2000. 348-68.
Kelley, Robin D. G. Yo’ Mama’s Disfunktional: Fighting the
Culture Wars in Urban America. Boston: Beacon,
1997.
Mansbach, Adam. “On Lit Hop.” Chang, Total Chaos 92-101.
Marshall, Elizabeth, Jeanine Staples, and Simone Gibson.
“Ghetto Fabulous: Reading Black Adolescent
49. Femininity in Contemporary Urban Street Fiction.” Journal of
Adolescent and Adult Literacy 53.1
(September 2009): 28-36.
Moore, Jessica Care. “I’m a Hip Hop Cheerleader.” YouTube. 5
Jan. 2011. Web. 2 Jan. 2014.
Morgan, Joan. When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost: A
Hip-Hop Feminist Breaks It Down. New York:
Touchstone, 1999.
Morrison, Toni. Jazz. 1992. New York: Vintage Books, 2004.
—-. Love. New York: Knopf, 2003.
Morrison, Toni, and Cornel West. “Blues, Love, and Politics.”
The Nation 278.20 (24 May 2004): 18-28.
Neal, Mark Anthony. Soul Babies: Black Popular Culture and
the Post-Soul Aesthetic. New York: Routledge,
2002.
Pough, Gwendolyn D. Check It While I Wreck It: Black
Womanhood, Hip-Hop Culture and the Public Sphere.
Boston: Northeastern UP, 2004.
Rountree, Wendy A. “Overcoming Violence: Blues Expression
in Sapphire’s PUSH.” Violence and
Aggression. Ed. Nandita Batra. Spec. issue of Atenea 24.1 (June
2004): 133-43.
50. Sapphire. Push. New York: Vintage Books, 1996.
Smith, Danyel. “Black Talk and Hot Sex: Why ‘Street Lit’ is
Literature.” Chang, Total Chaos 188-97.
Wall, Cheryl. Worrying the Line: Black Women Writers,
Lineage, and Literary Tradition. Chapel Hill: U of
North Carolina P, 2005.
Westbrook, Alonzo. Hip Hoptionary: The Dictionary of Hip Hop
Terminology. New York: Broadway, 2002.
“MAybE I’LL bE A PoEt, RAPPER”: HIP-HoP FEMINISM
ANd LItERARy AEStHEtICS IN PUSH 69
Works
Cited
Cooper_Cooper 5/23/2014 6:34 PM Page 69
Contributors
Kristiana Colón is a poet, playwright, actor, and educator living
and working in
Chicago. She has served as an adjunct English and humanities
professor at Chicago
State University, Malcolm X College, and Tribeca Flashpoint
Academy. Colón has also
performed on HBO’s Def Poetry Jam. The poems “safe word”
and “stranger fruit,”
appearing herein, will also be published in her forthcoming
51. promised instruments
(Northwestern UP).
Brittney Cooper is an assistant professor of women’s and
gender studies and
Africana studies at Rutgers University. She is also co founder of
the Crunk Feminist
Collective blog.
Curtis L. Crisler was born and raised in Gary, Indiana. His
books are Pulling Scabs,
Tough Boy Sonatas, and Dreamist: a mixed-genre novel. His
chapbook Soundtrack to
Latchkey Boy was recently released by Finishing Line Press.
He’s been published in
many magazines, journals, and anthologies. He is an assistant
professor of English at
Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW), and
a Cave Canem fellow.
Gail Dore is a retired teacher living in Johannesburg, South
Africa. Her passion for
writing is equaled only by her interest in the diverse tribal
customs and cultures of
the South African people. In her stories, she uses lesser -known
facts and beliefs to
illustrate the simple beauty of precolonial Africa.
Sara Hakeem Grewal is a Ph.D. candidate in the department of
comparative litera-
ture at the University of Michigan. Her academic interests
include Urdu and Persian
poetry, translation, lyric theory, and historical poetics.
Eunice Hargett was born in Cove City, North Carolina
(population 402). She is an
52. assistant professor of English at Broward College in Davie,
Florida. Her latest book,
Lessons from a Dirt Road: A Memoir in Poetry, will be
published in 2014.
Casey Hayman is a doctoral candidate in the English department
at the University
of Massachusetts, Amherst. His research and teaching interests
include contemporary
African American literature and popular culture, intersections
of black music and
literature, and hip-hop studies. His essays can be found in The
Massachusetts Review
and MELUS (forthcoming).
R. Scott Heath is an assistant professor in the department of
English at Georgia
State University, where he specializes in African American
literature, black popular
culture, and speculative race theory. His book Head Theory:
Hip_Hop Discourse and
Black-Based Culture is under contract with Oxford University
Press. His next mono-
graph is provisionally titled Automatic Black: Technologies of
Race and Futurism.
Candice M. Jenkins is an associate professor of English at
Hunter College, CUNY.
Her first book, Private Lives, Proper Relations: Regulating
Black Intimacy (U of Minnesota
P, 2007), was awarded the William Sanders Scarborough Prize
by the Modern Language
Association in 2008. She is currently completing a new
manuscript exploring black
middle-class embodiment in post-civil rights-era African
American fiction, and
54. BasicCivitas Books, 387 Park Avenue South, New York, NY
10016-8810.
Books published by BasicCivitas are available at special
discounts for bulk purchases in
the United States by corporations, institutions, and other
organizations. For more infor-
mation, please contact the Special Markets Department at the
Perseus Books Group,
2300 Chestnut Street, Suite 200, Philadelphia, PA 19103, or call
(SOO) 810-4145, ext.
5000, or e-mail [email protected]
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Rose, Tricia.
The hip hop wars: what we talk about when we talk about hip
hop / Tricia Rose.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-465-00897-1 (alk. paper)
1. Hip-hop-Social aspects- United States. 2. Rap (Music) -
Social aspects- United
States. 3. Social change-United States. 4. Subculture-United
States. 5. African
Americans-Social conditions. 6. United States-Social
conditions. 1. Title.
HN59.2.R682008
305.S96'07301732-dc22
10987654321
2008031637
55. THE
HIP
HOP
WARS
What We Talk About When
We Talk About Hip Hop
- and Why It Matters
TRICIAROSE
8
CIVITAS
ilCX)KS
A Member of the Perseus Books Group
New York
Introduction
I'd like to say to all the industry people out there that control
what we call hip hop, I'd like for people to put more of an effort
to make hip hop the culture of music that it was, instead of the
culture of violence that it is right now. There's a lot of people
that put in a lot of time, you know the break-dancers, the graf-
fiti artists, there's people rapping all over the world . ... All my
life I've been into hip hop, and it should mean more than just
somebody standing on the corner selling dope-I mean that
mayor may not have its place too because it's there, but I'm
just saying-I ain't never shot nobody, I ain't never stabbed
nobody, I'm forty-five years old and I ain't got no criminal
56. record, you know what I mean? The only thing I ever did was
be about my music. So I mean, so, while we're teaching people
what it is about life in the ghetto, then we should be teaching
people about what it is about life in the ghetto, me trying to
grow up and to come up out of the ghetto. And we need every-
body's help out there to make that happen.
-Melle Mel, lead rapper of and main songwriter for the
seminal rap group Grandmaster Flash and the Furious
Five, in an acceptance speech during the group's
induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, March
2007
H IP HOP IS IN A TERRIBLE CRISIS. Although its overall
fortunes have risen sharply, the most commercially promoted
and fi-
nancially successful hip hop-what has dominated mass-media
out-
lets such as television, film, radio, and recording industries for
a
dozen years or so-has increasingly become a playground for
carica-
tures of black gangstas, pimps, and hoes. Hyper-sexism has
increased
1
2 THE HIP HOP WARS
dramatically, and homophobia along with distorted, antisocial,
self-
destructive, and violent portraits of black masculinity have
become
rap's calling cards. Relying on an ever-narrowing range of
57. images and
themes, this commercial juggernaut has played a central role in
the
near-depletion of what was once a vibrant, diverse, and complex
pop-
ular genre, wringing it dry by pandering to America's racist and
sexist
lowest common denominator.
This scenario differs vastly from the wide range of core images,
at-
titudes, and icons that defined hip hop during its earlier years of
pub-
lic visibility. In the 1980s, when rap's commercial value began
to
develop steam, gangsta rappers were only part of a much larger
iconic tapestry. There were many varieties of equally positioned
styles of rap-gangsta as well as party, political, afrocentric, and
avant-garde, each with multiple substyles as well. However, not
only
were many styles of rap driven out of the corporate-promoted
main-
stream, but since the middle to late 1990s, the social, artistic,
and po-
litical significance of figures like the gangsta and street hustler
substantially devolved into apolitical, simple-minded, almost
comic
stereotypes. Indeed, by the late 1990s, most of the affirming,
creative
stories and characters that had stood at the defining core of hip
hop
had been gutted. To use a hip hop metaphor, they were driven
un-
derground, buried, and left to be dug up only by the most deeply
in-
58. vested fans and artists.
Gangstas, hustlers, street crimes, and vernacular sexual insults
(e.g.,
calling black women "hoes") were part of hip hop's storytelling
long
before the record industry really got the hang of promoting rap
music.
Gangstas and hustlers were not invented out of whole cloth by
corpo-
rate executives: Prior to the ascendance of corporate
mainstream hip
hop, these figures were more complex and ambivalent. A few
were in-
teresting social critics. Some early West Coast gangsta rappers -
N.W.A., and W.C. and the Maad Circle, for example-featured
stories that emphasized being trapped by gang life and spoke
about
why street crime had become a "line of work" in the context of
chronic black joblessness. Thwarted desires for safe
communities and
meaningful work were often embedded in street hustling tales.
Even-
Introduction 3
tually, though, the occasional featuring of complicated
gangstas, hus-
tlers, and hoes gave way to a tidal wave of far more simplistic,
dispro-
portionately celebratory, and destructive renderings of these
characters. Hip hop has become buried by these figures and "the
life"
associated with them.
59. This trend is so significant that if the late Tupac Shakur were a
newly signed artist today, I believe he'd likely be considered a
socially
conscious rapper and thus relegated to the margins of the
commer-
cial hip hop field. Tupac (who despite his death in 1996 remains
one
of hip hop's most visible and highly regarded gangsta rappers)
might
even be thought of as too political and too "soft." Even as he
ex-
pressed his well-known commitment to "thug life," his rhymes
are
perhaps too thoughtful for mainstream "radio friendly" hip hop
as it
has evolved since his death.
This consolidation and "dumbing down" of hip hop's imagery
and
storytelling took hold rather quickly in the middle to late 1990s
and
reached a peak in the early 2000s. The hyper-gangsta-ization of
the
music and imagery directly parallels hip hop's sales ascendance
into
the mainstream record and radio industry. In the early to middle
1990s, following the meteoric rise of West Coast hip hop music
pro-
ducer Dr. Dre and of N.W.A., widely considered a seminal
gangsta
rap group, West Coast gangsta rap solidified and expanded the
al-
60. ready well-represented street criminal icons-thug, hustler,
gangster,
and pimp-in a musically compelling way. This grab bag of street
criminal figures soon became the most powerful and, to some,
the
most "authentic" spokesmen for hip hop and, then, for black
youth
generally.
For the wider audience in America, which relies on mainstream
outlets for leaming about and participating in commercially
distrib-
uted pop culture, hip hop has become a breeding ground for the
most
explicitly exploitative and increasingly one-dimensional
narratives of
black ghetto life. The gangsta life and all its attendant violence,
crimi-
nality, sexual "deviance," and misogyny have, over the last
decade es-
pecially, stood at the heart of what appeared to be ever -
increasing hip
hop record sales. Between 1990 and 1998, the Recording
Industry
4 THE HIP HOP WARS
Association of America (RIM) reported that rap captured, on
average,
9-10 percent of music sales in the United States. This figure in-
creased to 12.9 percent in 2000, peaked at 13.8 percent in 2002,
61. and
hovered between 12 and 13 percent through 2005. To put the
impor-
tance of this nearly 40 percent increase in rap/hip hop sales into
con-
text, note that during the 2000-2005 period, other genres,
including
rock, country, and pop, saw decreases in their market
percentage. The
rise in rap/hip hop was driven primarily by the sale of images
and sto-
ries of black ghetto life to white youth: According to
Mediamark Re-
search Inc., increasing numbers of whites began buying hip hop
at
this point. Indeed, between 1995 and 2001, whites comprised
70-75
percent of the hip hop customer base-a figure considered to
have re-
mained broadly constant to this day. j
I am not suggesting that all commercial hip hop fits this
descrip-
tion, nor do I think that there is no meaningful content in
commer-
cial hip hop. I am also not suggesting that commercially
successful
gangsta-style artists such as Jay-Z, Ludacris, 50 Cent, T.I., and
Snoop
Dogg lack talent. It is, in fact, rappers' lyrical and performative
tal-
ents and the compelling music that frames their rhymes-
supported
by heavy corporate promotion-that make this seduction so
powerful
and disturbing. They and many others whose careers are based
62. on
these hip hop images are quite talented in different ways:
musically,
lyrically, stylistically, and as entrepreneurs. The problems
facing
commercial hip hop today are not caused by individual rappers
alone; if we focus on merely one rapper, one song, or one video
for
its sexist or gangsta-inspired images we miss the forest for the
trees.
Rather, this is about the larger and more significant trend that
has
come to define commercial hip hop as a whole: The trinity of
com-
mercial hip hop-the black gangsta, pimp, and ho-has been pro-
moted and accepted to the point where it now dominates the
genre's
storytelling worldview.
The expanded commercial space of these three street icons has
had a profound impact on both the direction of the music and
the
conversation about hip hop-a conversation that has never been
just
Introduction 5
about hip hop. On the one hand, the increased profitability of
the
gangsta-pimp-ho trinity has inflamed already riled critics who
per-
ceive hip hop as the cause of many social ills; but, on the other,
it has
encouraged embattled defenders to tout hip hop's organic
connec-
tion to black youth and to venerate its market successes as
63. examples
of pulling oneself up by the bootstraps. The hyperbolic and
polarized
public conversation about hip hop that has emerged over the
past
decade discourages progressive and nuanced consumption,
participa-
tion, and critique, thereby contributing to the very crisis that is
facing
hip hop. Even more important, this conversation has become a
pow-
erful vehicle for the channeling of broader public discussion
about
race, class, and the value of black culture's role in society.
Debates
about hip hop have become a means for defining poor, young
black
people and thus for interpreting the context and reasons for
their
clearly disadvantaged lives. This is what we talk about when we
talk
about hip hop.
The State of the Conversation on Hip Hop
The excessive blame leveled at hip hop is astonishing in its
refusal to
consider the culpability of the larger social and political
context. To
many hot-headed critics of hip hop, structural forms of deep
racism,
corporate influences, and the long-term effects of economic,
social,
and political disempowerment are not meaningfully related to
rap-
pers' alienated, angry stories about life in the ghetto; rather,
64. they are
seen as "proof" that black behavior creates ghetto conditions.
So
decades of urban racial discrimination (the reason black ghettos
exist
in the first place), in every significant arena - housing,
education,
jobs, social services-in every city with a significant black
popula-
tion, simply disappear from view. In fact, many conservative
critics of
hip hop refuse to acknowledge that the ghetto is a systematic
matrix
of racial, spatial, and class discrimination that has defined black
city
life since the first half of the twentieth century, when the Great
Black
Migration dramatically reshaped America's cities. For some, hip
hop
6 THE HIP HOP WARS
itself is a black-created problem that promotes unsafe sex and
repre-
sents sexual amorality, infects "our" culture and society,
advocates
crime and criminality, and reflects black cultural dysfunction
and a
"culture of poverty." As hip hop's conservative critics would
have it,
hip hop is primarily responsible for every decline and crisis
world-
wide except the war in Iraq and global warming.
65. The defenses are equally jaw-dropping. For some, all expression
in commercialized hip hop, despite its heavy manipulation by
the
record industry, is the unadulterated truth and literal personal
ex-
perience of fill-in-the-blank rapper; it reflects reality in the
ghetto;
its lyrics are the result of poverty itselrz And my favorite, the
most ag-
gravating defense of commercial hip hop's fixation on
demeaning
black women for sport- "well, there are bitches and hoes." What
do fans, artists, and writers mean when they defend an
escalating,
highly visible, and extensive form of misogyny against black
women
by claiming that there are bitches and hoes? And how have they
gotten away with this level of hateful labeling of black women
for so
long?
The big media outlets that shape this conversation, such as
TimelWarner, News Corporation, Bertelsmann, General
Electric,
and Viacom, do not frame hip hop's stories in ways that allow
for a
serious treatment of sexism, racism, corporate power, and the
real
historical forces that have created ghettos. When well -informed,
progressive people do get invited to appear on news and public
af-
fairs programs, they wind up being pushed into either "pro" or
"con" positions-and as a result, the complexity of what they
66. have
to say to one side or the other is reduced. Although the
immaturity
of "beef" (conflict between rappers for media attention and
street
credibility) is generally considered a hip hop phenomenon, it
actu-
ally mirrors much of the larger mainstream media's approach to
is-
sues of conflict and disagreement. Developing a thoughtful,
serious, and educated position in this climate is no easy task,
since
most participants defend or attack the music - and, by
extension,
young black people-with a fervor usually reserved for religion
and
patriotism.
Introduction 7
Why We Should Care About Hip Hop
The inability to sustain either a hard-hitting, progressive
critique of
hip hop's deep flaws or an appreciation for its extraordinary
gifts is a
real problem, with potentially serious effects that ripple far
beyond
the record industry and mass-media corporate balance sheets.
We
have the opportunity to use the current state of commercial hip
hop
as a catalyst to think with more care about the terms of cross-
racial
67. exchanges and the role of black culture in a mass-mediated
world.
Indeed, we should be asking larger questions about how hip
hop's
commercial trinity of the gangsta, pimp, and ho relates to
American
culture more generally. But, instead, we have allowed hip hop
to be
perceived by its steadfast defenders as a whipping boy (unfairly
beaten for all things wrong with American society and blamed
as a
gateway to continued excessive criticisms of black people's
behavior)
and charged by its critics as society's career criminal
(responsible for
myriad social ills and finally being caught and brought to trial).
Npt
much beyond exhaustion, limited, and one-sided vicious
critique,
and nearly blind defense is possible in this context. Very little
honest
and self-reflective vision can emerge from between this rock
and
hard place.
Why should we care about hip hop and how should we talk
about
it? Serial killer, whipping boy, whatever, right? It's just
entertain-
ment-it generates good ratings and makes money for rappers and
the sputtering record industry, but it doesn't matter beyond that.
Or