Preview

Disturbing Similarities Between Gangsta Rap And Spike Lee

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
120 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Disturbing Similarities Between Gangsta Rap And Spike Lee
I think this comparison was made because there are some disturbing similarities between the two about how hip hop is immensely popular with white youth and how blacks are portrayed in a demeaning fashion. Spike Lee, a prominent commentator recognized this and criticized gangsta rap as a modern day minstrel show because they presented themselves in a stereotypical, unsophisticated, and ignorant manner purely for the entertainment of others. However, with that being said, I can see the other side of this argument. It could also be argued that gangsta rap merely describes the realities of the city life, and that these rappers are only portraying a character which acts in such ways they do not certainly approve of or
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Comparing Slavery In Hip Hop And Rap Music
    • 121 Words
    • 1 Page

    Comparing Slavery In Hip Hop And Rap Music

    Hip Hop became a very communal genre of music now a days. It is quite similar to Slave Narratives in different aspects such as the use of symoblism and coded mataphores. Symbolism is very essential in spirituals whereas the purpose of metaphores is to make an emotional link with the persons who listen. Moreover, Hip Hop culture and slaves share an identical mindset. (Eyerman, 2004, p.317)…

    • 121 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Southern Influences On Timbaland's Hip-90s Hip Hop Music
    • 306 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Southern Influences On Timbaland's Hip-90s Hip Hop Music

    Timbaland quickly made a name for himself in the late-'90s hip-hop game as not only an inventive producer with an eccentric sense of beat construction but also as one of the most commercially proven producers. This unlikely synthesis of eccentricity and commerciality made him a hot commodity by the end of the '90s as America's top MCs -- Nas, Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z -- paid…

    • 306 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Latin Word Nigger In Hip Hop Music
    • 757 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Latin Word Nigger In Hip Hop Music

    The genre of hip hop music inspires use of the generalizing term “nigger”. Hip hop music allows the term “nigger” to be a normal thing to say. When nigger is used in a song it gives people of every race an excuse to use it. Certain words from song only can end up in a person’s vocabulary. In the song “Real Nigga Roll Call” by Lil Jon and The East Side Boyz, the variation of the word “nigger” is used over 95 times. After hearing nigger over 95 times in one song, the word is going to stick. Rappers should take responsibility for music they put out in the music industry. Rappers could be more positive and help a lot more people out. An…

    • 757 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Similarities Between Tupac And Biggie
    • 707 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Similarities Between Tupac And Biggie

    In this essay I will be comparing the differences and similarities between Tupac Amaru Shakur and Christopher Wallace also knows as “Biggie” who both are male rappers and reined a pretty short but yet famous mid 90’s career in the music industry. I first would start off with Notorious B.I.G and his differences from Tupac. Biggie is from Brooklyn, NY, he was the only child raised by his mother Voletta Wallace, who lived in the poverty-stricken projects of Brooklyn. Biggie took to his surroundings at young age by transporting and selling drugs and also raising his daughter who he didn’t get to see much. After an incident that involved him and his friend, Biggie was spared by his friends loyalty to him by taking the fall for felony gun and drug charges; which then drove Biggie to put his all into his music and then caused him to meet his soon to be manger/business partner/best friend/ Sean Comb also knows as Puff Daddy and many various names.…

    • 707 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Biggie vs Tupac
    • 1711 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Biggie vs Tupac

    Throughout the nineties there was an movement in hip hop, the infamous East coast rap vs West coast between rap musicians. It was a separational movement that caused both sides to end the lives of two most influential rappers in the music industry, Notorious B.I.G and Tupac Shakur. Both rappers with similar backgrounds have changed the music scene completely with one sudden movement. Known mainly for their rivalry against one another and compared because of the backgrounds, these two artist had quite a distinctiveness to one another. Notorious B.I.G and Tupac Shakur are great influential artist in the music industry and had similar backgrounds but distinctive enough to cause a separation that influenced the music industry then and now.…

    • 1711 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Tupac vs Biggie Essay Example
    • 1058 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Tupac vs Biggie Essay Example

    To gaze into the lyrics of both Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur is like living in the ghettos of New York City where violence never stops. Both of these artists grew up seeing and living a life filled with violence. Gunshots and drive-byes, death and murder were a daily occurrence. Although the lyrics of both artists are simply telling their life stories and how hard it was to grow up in their “hoods” they contain vulgar, hateful, and sexual verses that send the wrong message to their listeners. Whether these listeners are teens or adults, white or black, they are continually sending notions of hatred and fear through their lyrics and actions. Ultimately, their lyrics, actions, and creation of the East coast West coast rivalry began promoting violence to whoever hears, listens, or watches them.…

    • 1058 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Grease And The Outsiders Comparison
    • 1011 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Grease And The Outsiders Comparison

    Although I thought they were two very different movies. To my surprise, 'Grease' and 'The Outsiders' do have some very similar characteristics. Even though the genres are different, they have similar themes. Not surprisingly, sound and lighting had almost no similarities. However; camerawork is very similar at various points of the two films.…

    • 1011 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Changes Tupac Analysis
    • 1851 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Changes Tupac Analysis

    Rap music effectively shows the conditions of the "hood" and helps to open the eyes of the listeners that life for everyone isn't easy and worry-free. In the song "Changes" by Tupac Shakur, the rapper illustrates an image of the common inner-city urban street. In his lyrics, Shakur describes a scene where white and blacks are enemies, and crack sellers are around every corner. Yet, even though these lyrics talk about the violence in the streets, it talks about needing to make a change within the society. Shakur raps "We need to make changes, Learn to see me as a brother instead of two distant strangers. And dats how it's supposed to be. How can the devil take a brother if he's close to me, uh, I love to go back to when we played as kids, but things change, and that's the way it is." In the previous lyrics Tupac is encouraging peace within the community. He is encouraging whites and blacks to see each other more as individuals rather than two different enemies, but in the end he says that is just the way the life is (filled with hatred). The ability that the rap and hip-hop genre has to expose how life really is in the ghetto not only can promote change, but it helps to show people of all socioeconomic backgrounds that life everywhere isn't truly kosher. Many of the rap lyrics composed by various artists focus on the neighborhoods that they live in, not generally depicting masculine views, but talking about how harsh urban life really…

    • 1851 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Hip-Hop Comparison: Growing Up In The 90's
    • 735 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Hip-Hop Comparison: Growing Up In The 90's

    Growing up in the 1980’s and the 90’s I became a huge fan of Hip-Hop music. My friends and I used to sit around for hours listening to our favorite rappers on the radio and watching the videos on television. We would argue for hours about who was a better lyricist and why. Now as I have grown older and the music I have grown to love and still listen to has changed, I find myself asking a very good question. What has changed in Hip-Hop from the time I was started listening to now? The answer is as complex as it is simple, the music itself has changed. The Hip-Hop music of today seems to be more commercial as opposed to being artistic and message driven.…

    • 735 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Thug Culture Is Destroying Black America
    • 846 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Thug Culture Is Destroying Black America

    Though many have protested that “gangsta rap” is to blame for its influence in the violence, female discrimination and violent behavior that take place throughout America, others argue that it is simply the other way around, implying that the artist is influenced by his own personal experience of being a part of and/or bearing witness to violence, drugs and crime that have taken place around him thus influencing him to express himself through lyric and rhyme becoming “gangsta rap”. This leaves us to question does gangsta rap music encourage violence or does violence influence what the artist raps about?…

    • 846 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    The Influence of Hip Hop on the Black-American Culture
    • 1331 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The Influence of Hip Hop on the Black-American Culture

    Hip Hop as a musical genre has gone through much change not only in the content of the music, but the message conveyed and how many would say it has in some ways defined black culture in the last 20 years. A significant amount of hip hop music nowadays is geared towards painting this unrealistic image of hyper-materialism, sexism, and violence that ultimately assists in dragging black culture down, and the people as a whole. You look at hip hop artists like 50 Cent and Lil Wayne who is reinforcing this thuggish persona, making music revolved around money and drugs and it paints a bleak picture for young blacks. These young impressionable youth view this way of life as the “norm”, and the ghetto pathology seen as an authentic part of black culture, even though it does nothing more than demean a multitude of black people.…

    • 1331 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Bergman Homework
    • 405 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Bergman Homework

    They are similar because white people expressed identification with what people believe hip hop is an “African American cultural form. What is different though is that I don’t think anybody is using white racism for liking hip-hop everybody just enjoys the music.…

    • 405 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Hip Hop Planet Analysis
    • 801 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Hip Hop Planet Analysis

    In James McBride article “Hip Hop Planet”, he introduces the reader to many issues that are affecting society, including violence, social class, and racism. McBride ensures that he includes hip-hop’s history, in order to explain that the musical genre began as an attempt to avoid or prevent teen gang involvement. Additionally, social class is present in hip hop culture because many of the artist's success determined by the resources that they have when beginning their career as a DJ. Lastly, race is revealed to play a large role in hip hop culture due to the fact that many rappers include lyrics about racial injustices, as well as tension between people of different cultures. Although McBride introduces different arguments throughout his essay,…

    • 801 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Women In Hip Hop Culture
    • 567 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Women In Hip Hop Culture

    Hip Hop has gotten too hard core, it’s only about misogynist and materialism. Back in the day rappers had more to talk about than guns, money, jewels, cars and women. In today’s Hip Hop, it glorifies the ghetto, gangs, guns, money and jewelry which reinforces the tradition of the black stereotypes. Gangster rap is described as the angriest type of rap music where it glamorizes sex and violence. N.W.A was one of the most controversial rap groups in the world of hip hop who are known as the creators of “gansta rap”. The group was an influential force in the Hip-Hop culture because of their harsh music which questioned the government and the police. In all Hip-Hop music video you will always see a female flaunting her assets. These women are often called…

    • 567 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Gangsta Rap Thesis
    • 1513 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Gangsta Rap Thesis

    In the 1980s, we saw many different genres of music emerge, genres such as Pop, Rock, and R&B. But a new genre emerged that sparked a lot of controversy: “Gangsta Rap” otherwise known as Hip Hop. Rappers/Rap groups such as NWA, Run DMC, Big Daddy Kane, and more changed the industry with catchy tunes and lyrics that talked about hard topics like slavery, violence, and police brutality. These lyrics sometimes caused major conflict, whether between races or with civilians and police. Hip Hop was very controversial in the 80s. “Gangsta rap” has caused a lot of controversy, many people protested this music in the late 80s and 90s due to the message within its lyrics and what those lyrics conveyed. Many accused “Gangsta Rap” for promoting things such as crime, killings, profanity, drugs, sex, racism, and more. But Gangsta rap doesn’t influence this type of lifestyle; it’s telling a story/conveying a message of the individuals who wrote the lyrics.…

    • 1513 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More