Chance The Rapper is a modern Chicago hip-hop artist that has recently been growing in popularity. In Chance’s song, Paranoia, He talks about all of the problems and injustices in the black communities of his hometown, Chicago, Illinois.
In the second line of the song Chance The rapper says,
“Somebody'll steal daddy's Rollie, call it the neighborhood watch”
Chance is saying that someone will steal his father’s wristwatch. Making a reference to a neighborhood watch goes back to the Trayvon Martin case when Zimmerman shot Trayvon Martin during his neighborhood watch shift. This goes with the theme of the song because Chance talks about the racism and injustices of America and how no one pays attention to the problems of the black communities
When speaking about why the country doesn’t come into the hood or why the media doesn’t show the deep problems in the black community he says,
“Probably scared of all the refugees, look like we had a fuckin' hurricane here”
This simile is a reference back to when hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. The government took days to respond to the problem and many Americans believe it is because the hurricane mainly devastated the black communities. Chance believes that the same thing is going on in the black communities of Chicago. He is saying that if all of the violence and poverty were going on in white neighborhoods it would be a public spectacle.
Near the end of the song Chance begins to talk about the summer time and how he dreads when Summer comes. He sings,
“I heard everybody's dying in the summer
So pray to God for a little more spring”
Chance says this because in Chicago the homicide rates go up drastically in the summer time. He wants it to be springtime forever because everyone stays inside during spring due to all of the rain, thus not killing anyone. Upon further inspection this line also has another deeper meaning. In the bible, there is speak of the rapture or judgment day. This is a time when god says he will end the world in fire. In the song, Chance uses summer as a metaphor for the rapture because they are both hot. Chance is saying that everyone will die and either go to heaven or hell so we need to all pray to god that the time hasn’t come yet.
On the surface, Chance The Rapper comes off as a reckless hood rapper but in reality he is very thoughtful and caring. Chance has a soft spot for his home Chicago and wants to bring awareness to the problems at hand in our city.
Showing posts with label Hip Hop. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hip Hop. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
Broad Shoulders
Taylor Bennett is the rapper out of Chicago and little brother to 2013's breakout rapper Chance the Rapper. The song "Broad Shoulders" off of Taylor's debut album of the same name is the first song between the two siblings that has been released. Taylor trades verses with brother Chance to describe their childhood and growth from boys to men. The song's lyrics are rapped through a different perspective for each verse, with the first being Taylor as a young man , then Chance as he grows into maturity, until the last verse which is in the perspective of parents of the teenagers growing up
The biggest source of poetic language throughout the song can be seen in Chance's verse in which he says
"Head on his shoulders ain't his own...
Who forced the hand to make the clone?"
with this language Chance is observing the influence that children have on their kids when growing up and how a big of a role parents have in shaping their children thus " Who forced the hand to make the clone."
Chance induces more poetic lines with a huge nod to the iconic tragedy, Romeo and , written by William Shakespeare; one of the most famous poets of all time.
"A rose by any other text will still be Rosetta"
This line is a play on the famous line " A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet." meaning that no matter the name or reputation of a rose it would still smell beautiful. Chance's twist on the line shows that no matter the language that his wisdom flows through, it is still just as meaningful.
On the final verse by Taylor we hear the unavoidable issues that many parents face when their children reach the teenage years.
"Watch her get older and older until she don't wanna be known as your daughter
Watch him get older and older until he forgets everything that you taught him"
These lines show the the disconnect the parents and their children go through when in their teen years. How young women don't wanna be known as "Daddy's little girl" any more, and sons growing up and going through new experiences that may be against the morals he was taught from his parents.
The biggest source of poetic language throughout the song can be seen in Chance's verse in which he says
"Head on his shoulders ain't his own...
Who forced the hand to make the clone?"
with this language Chance is observing the influence that children have on their kids when growing up and how a big of a role parents have in shaping their children thus " Who forced the hand to make the clone."
Chance induces more poetic lines with a huge nod to the iconic tragedy, Romeo and , written by William Shakespeare; one of the most famous poets of all time.
"A rose by any other text will still be Rosetta"
This line is a play on the famous line " A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet." meaning that no matter the name or reputation of a rose it would still smell beautiful. Chance's twist on the line shows that no matter the language that his wisdom flows through, it is still just as meaningful.
On the final verse by Taylor we hear the unavoidable issues that many parents face when their children reach the teenage years.
"Watch her get older and older until she don't wanna be known as your daughter
Watch him get older and older until he forgets everything that you taught him"
These lines show the the disconnect the parents and their children go through when in their teen years. How young women don't wanna be known as "Daddy's little girl" any more, and sons growing up and going through new experiences that may be against the morals he was taught from his parents.
Friday, April 8, 2016
Twenty One Pilots: Guns for Hands
Tyler Joseph, the lead singer in Twenty One Pilots, wrote the song Guns for Hands to help make the realization about how many people, especially kids, have depression and suicidal thoughts. That he is having trouble living his life while knowing what these kids are going through. It hits him even more, since he has gone through the same things that these kids are going through, and sometimes still does. He brings this issue forward, by sort of connected it to gang related problems, the usage of guns in gangs, and the guns for hands.
Tyler sings, "That you all ave guns/And you never put the safety on/And you all have plans/To take it, to take it, don't take it, take it, take it". Tyler compares the kids hands to guns and the gun's safety. in the way that they all have the power to conflict harm on themselves. The safety of a gun, is a blocking mechanism that does not allow the trigger to be pulled, not letting the gun to be fired. So when the kids aren't putting the safety on their hands, they are not taking it upon their selves to seek out help, or even just talk to someone about it. And they all have plans on pulling the trigger, to end their lives, but Tyler is telling them not to. Since they don't want to talk to someone, but obviously listen to his music, he is trying to tell them not to, to get the point across to them that there are other ways.
He later says in the chorus, "...I'm trying to sleep/But I can't, but I can't when you all/Have guns for hands". He is losing his sleep because of his thoughts about these kids. He worries about them, knowing that they can end it whenever they wanted to. Knowing that, disturbs him so much that it is keeping Tyler from sleeping.
In the third verse, He sings "We've turned our hands to guns, traded our thumbs for/ammunition". He's comparing all of these to tools. But the type of tool changes. Hands and thumbs are tools of creation that come together to work wonderfully. They are used for making things of greatness. While guns and ammunition, when put together, are tools for destruction, for ending things as people know it.
Tyler sings, "That you all ave guns/And you never put the safety on/And you all have plans/To take it, to take it, don't take it, take it, take it". Tyler compares the kids hands to guns and the gun's safety. in the way that they all have the power to conflict harm on themselves. The safety of a gun, is a blocking mechanism that does not allow the trigger to be pulled, not letting the gun to be fired. So when the kids aren't putting the safety on their hands, they are not taking it upon their selves to seek out help, or even just talk to someone about it. And they all have plans on pulling the trigger, to end their lives, but Tyler is telling them not to. Since they don't want to talk to someone, but obviously listen to his music, he is trying to tell them not to, to get the point across to them that there are other ways.
He later says in the chorus, "...I'm trying to sleep/But I can't, but I can't when you all/Have guns for hands". He is losing his sleep because of his thoughts about these kids. He worries about them, knowing that they can end it whenever they wanted to. Knowing that, disturbs him so much that it is keeping Tyler from sleeping.
In the third verse, He sings "We've turned our hands to guns, traded our thumbs for/ammunition". He's comparing all of these to tools. But the type of tool changes. Hands and thumbs are tools of creation that come together to work wonderfully. They are used for making things of greatness. While guns and ammunition, when put together, are tools for destruction, for ending things as people know it.
Friday, March 11, 2016
Stereotypical Music Video
Men and women nowadays are usually judged for their stereotypical actions. In the music video Bedrock by Young Money, Lil Wayne, and, Drake. This video shows women as sex objects and fulfilling other typical female stereotypes. The women are just around the house half naked while the men are dressed and sitting around. Women nowadays are just being used for their body and what they can do to please people.
A great example is at the beginning of the video it starts as these two girls are just making breakfast in their bra and short shorts while all the rappers slowly start to wake up or they are just chilling. Lil Wayne wakes up with at least 7 women around him just half naked while he's just shirtless then puts on a shirt on once he gets up, this shows that men and women bodies are treated differently because while the guy wakes up he puts on his shirt while he has many women around him half naked and women are just used more for their body then men are. This just shows the women are used just for their body image which is having a perfect body with a nice face and the women are just used as sex objects.
Women are used as a sex object because eventually later in the video one gets in bed with one of the rappers later in the night.Although i feel like the girls have some agency because they have to know what they get themselves into. Also half of the women there are just half naked while the men are fully clothed. Just like in other music videos, women i feel like are always in the background showing something that makes people interested and that makes the video more appealing for their viewers. I surely don't recall seeing women in music videos fully dressed not showing anything.
The men's stereotypes in this is them being a ladies man and a gangster. These stereotypes are because all the guys in the video have a female with them and signing about them or with them. Also some of them like Lil Wayne can fit the stereotype gangster because he just looked like a gangster by what he was wearing and of who he is.
Women should stop being used just for their looks and actually play a scene in music videos or have a meaning. Eventually its gonna have an impact on society by women being used as sex objects or are really just there for their body image to please people and make them more interested into the music video.
A great example is at the beginning of the video it starts as these two girls are just making breakfast in their bra and short shorts while all the rappers slowly start to wake up or they are just chilling. Lil Wayne wakes up with at least 7 women around him just half naked while he's just shirtless then puts on a shirt on once he gets up, this shows that men and women bodies are treated differently because while the guy wakes up he puts on his shirt while he has many women around him half naked and women are just used more for their body then men are. This just shows the women are used just for their body image which is having a perfect body with a nice face and the women are just used as sex objects.
Women are used as a sex object because eventually later in the video one gets in bed with one of the rappers later in the night.Although i feel like the girls have some agency because they have to know what they get themselves into. Also half of the women there are just half naked while the men are fully clothed. Just like in other music videos, women i feel like are always in the background showing something that makes people interested and that makes the video more appealing for their viewers. I surely don't recall seeing women in music videos fully dressed not showing anything.
The men's stereotypes in this is them being a ladies man and a gangster. These stereotypes are because all the guys in the video have a female with them and signing about them or with them. Also some of them like Lil Wayne can fit the stereotype gangster because he just looked like a gangster by what he was wearing and of who he is.
Women should stop being used just for their looks and actually play a scene in music videos or have a meaning. Eventually its gonna have an impact on society by women being used as sex objects or are really just there for their body image to please people and make them more interested into the music video.
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Is Notorious "Big Poppa" Sexist?
Notorious “B.I.G.’s “Big Poppa” is a extremely sexist song, in the eyes of a man and a woman. The ideal man according to this song is someone who is a player and makes fast money, while the ideal woman is a seductress and uses her body as a sexual object to get money for men. In the end, the song says that the more men make the more fame that they have among themselves. With money comes with fame and fame and money comes women. The more a man seduces a woman in a sexual manner the more women will be drawn to them.
He raps , “The back of the club, mackin hoes, my crew's behind me”. This becomes a significant and striking line throughout the song, because it refers to how men in that day in age and even now treat females and see them as nothing more or less than sex objects and that their not even worth taking them to either a hotel room, their house , or even the woman’s house their good for having sexual intercourse and at that sexual intercourse in the back of the club. He continues on and says “ one of these honies Biggie gots ta creep with/ Sleep with, keep the ep a secret/ I got more Mack than Craig and in the bed. This continues to let women know that, that when you are messing with a male in the industry you become nothing to them but a sex object. You receive no respect from a man unless he wants to have sexual relations and once those sexual relations are over your passed over to the next person in the industry. Many women enjoy being a sex object to men in the industry especially men like “B.I.G”, because they know the benefits with messing with a rapper in the industry. Women do not respect their self either , because if they did then they would not let men such as “Biggie” and his crew screw them. As a women you should never allow a man to discriminate you whether it's through a song or not and it becomes worst , because these women still allow these men to enter their sexual parts into their bodies , but cried about it when it’s all over.
He continues, “Got enough to feed the needy/No need to be greedy/I got mad friends with Benz/C-notes by the layers.” This gives off the “hoodness” of this industries and how it displays among the men that he is around that he has more money than the average person expect his friends in which he put on in this business. Biggie continues and states “ If you got a gun up in your waist please don't shoot up the place/ Cause I see some ladies tonight who should be havin my baby Bay-bee”. This line is striking, because it lets you know that the only thing the industry values is money , their lives and women. Nothing else matters when your life is put on front street and you have no other choice but to survive, in this game you either live or die.
This song connects to this generation and many generation before hand , the reason being is that artist like Biggie Smalls has set the pathway and foundation for other rappers , artists , even men and women and it gives them the ideal of how a man and women should act and what they reputation is when it comes to society as a whole. Most African-American men and even rappers look up to a legend of Biggie as such , Biggie gives off the style that you can be bigger and size and rock the mic , have all the chicks you please , have multiple sex partners , fall in love and be successful while doing all of that and then some.
Monday, December 7, 2015
Satire in Music
Maeve Levy
December 6, 2015
Satire in Modern Music
Many teenagers who listen to pop music can become very quickly obsessed with a song once they see it is becoming popular. Although, what most people don’t do is actually listen to the lyrics where you can see these songs are openly bashing the media and today’s celebrities. The song “Royals” by Lorde was a big hit almost 2 summers ago with her catchy tune and smooth voice. The lyrics openly talk about how today’s celebrities are obsessed with materials, possessions, and their image. The satire is shown here with irony in this situation because she criticizes fame and fortune, but the song was number one on the top 100 for nine weeks. Here you can listen to the song if you want to hear for yourself.
Another song that shows satire is one that could be said to be one of the most popular songs of its time. With over 2 billion views, this music video and song broke the charts. This song, Gangnam Style by Psy is a song and dance that many people enjoyed to recreate and play along with, but, what many American’s didn’t put together because of the language barrier, was the way Psy was mocking his country South Korea. The music video shows it more with showing the materialists and fake girls and how money obsessed everyone seems to be. This shows satire very clearly because it is a very exaggerated song and video exposing and criticizing the country of South Korea.
Hip hop Parody
Hip hop is a cultural movement that formed during the early 1970s among African Americans residing in the South Bronx in New York City.It became popular outside of the African American community in the late 1980s and by the 2010s became the most listened-to musical genre in the world.As we all know Kanyne West is married to Kim K. in 2014 and 10 years ago he wrote a song called gold digger and as i listen to again in 2015 it seems that he rapped his future...don't you think listen to it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vwNcNOTVzY. Now let's analyze it ¨My psychic told me she have a** like Serena Trina, Jennifer Lopez..¨ now let's take a good look 👀👀
(sip my tea) interesting very interesting. Now the title gold digger!The next shocking line ¨if you fuc**** with this girl you better be paid¨. we all remember Chris Humphries the basketball player for the who played for the Brooklyn nets(at the time) who loved his dear beloved wife aww<3. Well that 2 million dollar ring that she didn't want to give up because its ¨apart of her net worth¨(for a marriage that only lasted 72 hours) wow now i know i don't have to explain. Kanyne don't care he'll still love her,buts that's none of my business ☕️ i already know what's next 1:01😂😂
(sip my tea) interesting very interesting. Now the title gold digger!The next shocking line ¨if you fuc**** with this girl you better be paid¨. we all remember Chris Humphries the basketball player for the who played for the Brooklyn nets(at the time) who loved his dear beloved wife aww<3. Well that 2 million dollar ring that she didn't want to give up because its ¨apart of her net worth¨(for a marriage that only lasted 72 hours) wow now i know i don't have to explain. Kanyne don't care he'll still love her,buts that's none of my business ☕️ i already know what's next 1:01😂😂Tuesday, October 13, 2015
Fantasia Barrino Story : Life is Not a Fairy Tale
At the age of sixteen a lot of issues come up as being teens , especially with us teen girls who have full figured body’s like were 21. One of of those challenges Fantasia had occurred.
In the year of 2009 August 19th to be exact , Lifetime Movie presented the Fantasia Barrino Story : Life is Not a Fairy Tale. This movie is about a teenage girl who is a very known artist to this day who dropped out of high school and was raped by a fellow student and end up conceiving a child with her boyfriend Rodney. Rodney was the brute and mammy of all evil. He made sure that she had everything she wanted and needed , but at the same time threw her down every possible chance he could. Life with Rodney for Fantasia was bitter , but yet sweet.
Fantasia is human just like the rest of the world and what sticks out as a sore thumb for her is that she drop out of high school. In 2009-2010 42,000 or 15 percent of 19-to-24 year old youth in the city of Chicago did not have a regular high school diploma. Even though Fantasia is not from Chicago she is still apart of the category who have dropped. That's the stereotype that people see African Americans as. In this movie Fantasia was very fast and got pregnant at the age of 16. That's what most people betray as African- American young teens to be, especially in the 21st century. Im proud to say that I am not part of this generation or any other generation who ended up 16 and pregnant. Many people doubted Fantasia , just like many people doubt African-Americans today as a whole. Fantasia pushed passed the negativity and became something in life and what she became is the winner of American Idol and became very successful whose net worth is worth 5 million dollars. Many people see the negative side of African- Americans but never focus on their success , but Black Lives Do Matter.
Friday, August 22, 2014
The objectification of woman
lil wayne "she will" feat. drake , This song shows how men objectify woman. Most of the time talking about getting girls, and having woman as bystanders and somewhat like servants. "now jump on that d*** and do a full split". is the first line just objectifying woman for sex.
Friday, August 1, 2014
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