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Politics and Music: Class Meetings
Professor Courtney Brown
Meeting #23: Hip-hop II (Rap and Gangsta Rap)
LECTURE NOTES
SELECTIONS played in class:
Video Selections:
Lil' Kim, Christina Aguilera, Mya, Pink, Missy Elliot: "Lady
Marmalade"
Songs (lyrics only read aloud and discussed)
Tupac Shakur: "Brenda's Gotta Baby"
Puff Daddy (featuring, The Notorious B.I.G. and Mase): "Been
Around the World"
QUESTIONS and DISCUSSION: Much of today's discussion focuses
on how hip-hop can be self-reflective, not just used to vent
grievances against a hostile outside world. Can you see how Tupac
Shakur's song, "Brenda's Gotta Baby," is self-reflective?
Listen carefully to the self-criticism of the inner city community,
and his forceful use of strong language to support this criticism.
In a sense, does it remind you of how a minister might chastise
some of his or her own followers for allowing the pressures of
life to influence them to act or make decisions that may not
be in their best interest?
With regard to Puff Daddy's song, "Been Around the World," what do you see as the song's driving motivation? Listen carefully to the words. Do you see that he is pointedly addressing a class split within the African American community? What is the cause of this class split? If the rappers and the Ph.D.s addressed in the song both have money, what is the point of the angry diatribe, and what makes the two opposing groups fundamentally different? When you ponder this, think in terms of class, status (especially achieved through the routes of formalized education), and "acceptability" as defined by mainstream society.
"Lady Marmalade" is more than a racy song and sexy video. Due entirely to the new contribution of Lil' Kim, this old song has been transformed into a vehicle for a social message that has strong parallels with the one that Puff Daddy offers in "Been Around the World." Can you see the parallels? Relate this video to the clip about the "Gangstresses" that was viewed in a previous class. Do you see the same hip-hop defiant attitude? Do you also see a lower-class drive to achieve financial comparability with mainstream elites, defending the more desperate and limited means that may be available to people raised in more challenging social and economic environments? Can you hear the defiant refusal to accept moral condemnation from a disapproving (and socially distant) society?