Pretty Important

Question 1

Kelley, Lookin for the real

Answer 1

Article about social scientists discovering the ghetto:

• defines blackness in narrow male inner city view
• misses a lot… those who live normal lives, are women etc.
• takes lyrics very literally
• definition of what black people are based on moral panic, not systematic analysis

Question 2

McLeod, Authenticity within hip hop

Answer 2

Social Psychologist who looks to language to decipher meaning.

• points out that black cultural production has often been appropriated by whites (blues, jazz), and that language serves to keep out whites from stealing rap
• points out that this is also true in country music
• struggle to maintain a “pure” identity

Question 3

Wilson, Black Music

Answer 3

What is “Black Music”?

• functional
• percussive, call & response, multi-rhythmic
• Black music is somewhere between euro and African
• Black music is a way of doing something, not a thing (verbing)

Question 4

Forman, Represent

Answer 4

Article discussing race space and place

• Rappers love to call out hometowns
• possees, labels, gangs are all related
• over time more importance has been placed on the local

Question 5

Dimitriadis, live to meditated

Answer 5

Rap becoming separate from cultural practice

• from community, party to individual lyricism
• western music is more about closed narratives, old hip hop was discontinuous but is becoming more western…