Tricia Rose’s analysis was really interesting. It made think
back about my interactions with rap music. When she mentioned things about the
setting of the videos (always with their posse in their old neighborhood), I was able to connect that back to what I’ve
seen and understood it better. I loved her analysis of specific lyrics like
Salt ‘N’ Pepa’s “Tramp.” Often music is just in the background, so actually
stopping to really listen to the lyrics gave it an entirely new dimension. These
women were making a social commentary.
However, this book is old. Not old, old, but people born in
the year it was published can now legally buy alcohol. A lot has seemed to
change in the past 21 years. When Tricia Rose talks about how empowering female
rappers are and how, as a whole, there rap is a critical cultural narrative,
lyrics like the ones in Nicki Minaj’s “Anaconda” float in my head. I’ll admit that rap is not my genre of choice,
but I cannot think of one popular female rapper that contributes to the
dialogues Rose mentioned.
So what happened? Why are rap lyrics no longer talking about
anything substantial? Is this just a
side effect of the music industry’s bottom line? I would love to hear Rose’s opinion on all of
this, a Black Noise 2. There just
seems to be something that happened between 1994 and 2015 that needs to be
explained.
I thought about this point, too. As we discussed in class, many rappers (or artists in general) don't write their own music. Female empowerment is getting to be a hot topic again, so I'm sure many writers don't want to address that situation for fear of the song not being taken by the public as it was intended. Even if female rappers have something strong to say, who would listen? I guess it's just a question of if society is ready to actually LISTEN to music again. In this day, it seems a lot of music is for pleasure or satire, but not really something powerful and pointed.
ReplyDeleteWhile I agree that the lack of female rappers is apparent, there are still female rappers who rap about things that matter. Snow Tha Product is one example, she speaks to female empowerment and rejecting misogynistic roles in rap. Her verse at the end of this song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmbvQLrjUas&spfreload=10) is a rejection of the misogyny within the lyrics and content presented by the other male rappers (probably don't watch it around other people, it's petty inappropriate). Another one would be Jackie Hill, a Christian rapper on the Humble Beast label (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hl5UU_lkLOE) Her songs pass along her religious message, and she is an amazing lyricist. As far as substantial lyrics are concerned, there are still popular rappers with a message. Big K.R.I.T. recently released an album in which he creates, explores, and destroys a metaphorical planet to convey messages about faith and love. In Kendrick Lamar's new album, there is a deep exploration into what it means to be African American today. On the flip side, artists like Lil Wayne, Young Thug, and others with no content continue to be popular. It's not that substantial lyricism isn't there, it's that the less lyrical songs gain popularity more quickly for different audiences.
ReplyDelete