Although there is said to be a decline in racism today, “Rap Music, Race, and Perceptions of Crime” argues how there are now other policies that are racially discriminatory towards the African-American population. In this article, rap music is perceived as a way for others to create anti-black attitudes by relating it to crime (e.g., the Knox case). In Connor’s news article, he argues that in order to like rap music, you have to pay attention to the musical and textual variables of the song. The poetic, verbal, and metric accents are all natural emphases that can be found when closely listening to the flow of a rap song. In The Birth of American Music, Hannah-Jones talks about the evolution of music in America from the lyrics and meanings to the instruments used in the song. In Dissect’s S2E1, the narrator discusses Kanye West’s music journey and how his career progressed (e.g., albums, awards) and took part in shaping hip-hop sound with “Through the Wire” launching his career. In episode 2, Kanye’s production style is explained. It follows hip-hop production where sampling from old sounds/ beats are used to make new pieces. It was popular in the 80’s and coincided with the rise of hip-hop music as the fundamental element. Episode 2 also discusses the circumstances of “Through the Wire” and how it increases the listener’s connection to the rapper, encountering the perceptions of hip-hop and rap that people had at the time (violent, aggressive, criminal, etc.).
I grew up in a family that listens to a lot of rap and hip-hop so I really enjoyed these readings/ podcasts. I actually grew up listening to Kanye West’s “Through the Wire” because a lot of my classmates were really into his music. I personally never viewed rap as a violent and aggressive genre of music because I grew up in a community of color and I feel like this music spoke the truth, but when reading the first article, I saw a different perspective. Of course African American rappers would be viewed as violent and criminal through their music because they’re already categorized under those stereotype. Without truly understanding the oppression and adversity that these rappers and their communities of color face, it is easy for people with anti-black notions to continue to foster these attitudes.
Do you think rap and hip-hop would be a good art course in the high school curriculum? Why or why not?
Graciela Rivera 