med332 gangster rap, gender and authenticity
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lecture slidesTRANSCRIPT
‘It's not about a salary, it's all about reality’ NWA -‐ ‘Gangsta Gangsta’
#med332 Gangsta rap 1
3 common themes: • Violence • Gender • Race
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Los Angeles 3
Compton 4
South Central 5
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Crack 7
Crack
1985: cocaine-‐related hospital emergencies rose by 12%, from 23,500 to 26,300 1986: increased 110%, from 26,300 to 55,200 1984-‐1987: cocaine incidents increased to 94,000 -‐ US Drug Enforcement Agency
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‘When we was doin’ the shit, we just drink and fight and whatever. It wasn’t too much of no gun acZvity, you know what I’m saying? We ain’t have the money for a high-‐powered rifle. … That’s when these LA gangs really came up, like the mid eighZes and shit, and that’s when they started making all the money, and that’s when the shit got out of control. ‘Cause with the money they had the power, and with the power they got a lot of respect’ -‐ Tone Loc in Werner, 2002: p246
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Gangsta rap as subgenre Major themes: • Crime • Drugs • Alcohol abuse • Violence • Gang culture • Hatred of police • Vandalism • Promiscuity • Profanity • Misogyny/homophobia
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Ever since Daddy Rice, the original minstrel man, bought his song on the streets of Charleston, black performers who wanted to get paid found themselves in the bizarre situaZon of needing to “black up,” to project images answering to white stereotypes of black life as primal, sexual, violent— in a (parZcularly unfortunate) word, “authenZc.” As hip-‐hop gained popularity, musicians who’d actually lived something resembling the life they sang about in their song faced the temptaZon of blacking up, catering to the fantasies of the young white men who made up the majority of gangsta rap’s audience -‐ Werner, 2002: p290
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Ice-‐T ‘6 in the Mornin’’ (1986) 6'n the morning' police at my door Fresh adidas squeek across the bathroom floor Out the back window I make a escape Don't even get a chance to grab my old school tape Mad with no music but happy 'cause I'm free And the streets to a player is the place to be Goma knot in my pocket weighin' at least a grand Gold on my neck my pistols close at hand I'm a self-‐made monster of the city streets Remotely controlled by hard hip hop beats But just livin' in the city is a serious task Didn't know what the cops wanted Didn't have the Zme to ask Word Seen my homeboys coolin' way out told 'em bout my mornin' Cold bugged' em out shot a limle dice unZl my knees got sore Kicked around some stories bout the night before Possed to the corner where the fly girls chill
Through acZon at some freaks unZl one bitch got ill She started acZn' stupid simply would not quit Called us all punk pussies said we all weren't shit As we walked over to here hoe conZnued to speak So we beat the bitch down in the god damn street But just livin' in the city a serious task Bitch didn't know what hit her didn't have Zme to ask
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Schooly D -‐ ‘P.S.K. What Does It Mean?’ (1985) Influenced: Ice-‐T, Eazy-‐E, Notorious B.I.G
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• Grew up in Newark, New Jersey • Moved to upmarket area of Summit • Mother died suddenly when he was 8 • Father died of a heart amack when he
was 12. • Lived with his aunty in Crenshaw, Los
Angeles. • His high school was made up of
predominantly black kids • Affiliated with Crips • Sold cannabis • Joined army (discharged) • Robbed banks
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They say I'm violent, they should watch their T.V. They say I'm brutal, they should check their P.D. You made me, now your kids rave me I rap about the life that the city streets gave me Murder, intrigue, somebody must bleed Miami Vice is small Zme, L.A's the big league From the rollin' 60's to the nickerson "G" Pueblos, grape street, this is what I see The jungle, the 30's,the V.N.G. Life in L.A. ain't no cup of tea […] Squeeze the trigger Cops hate kids, kids hate cops, cops kill kid's with warnin' shouts What is crime and what in not? What is jusZce? I think I forgot We buy weapons to keep us strong Reagan sends guns where they don't belong The controversy is thick and the drag is strong But no mamer the lies we all know who's wrong Homeless sleep on the city streets
WaiZn' to die with nothin' to eat While rich poliZcians soak their feet In the pools at their ten million buck retreats People hate people for color of face No one had a choice in the race we were placed A brother in queens was beaten and chased Murdered cold in the streets, a goodamn disgrace Just because of his race, his life went to waste And no one went to jail when the court heard the case JusZce or corrupZon? It's all interlaced How can you swallow this? I can't stand the taste
Ice-‐T – ‘Squeeze the Trigger’ (1987)
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Fuck the police comin straight from the underground A young nigga got it bad cause I'm brown And not the other color so police think they have the authority to kill a minority Fuck that shit, cause I ain't the one for a punk motherfucker with a badge and a gun to be beaZn on, and thrown in jail We can go toe to toe in the middle of a cell Fuckin with me cause I'm a teenager with a limle bit of gold and a pager Searchin my car, lookin for the product Thinkin every nigga is sellin narcoZcs You'd rather see, me in the pen than me and Lorenzo rollin in a Benz-‐o Beat a police out of shape and when I'm finished, bring the yellow tape To tape off the scene of the slaughter Yo Dre, I got somethin to say SZll gexn swoll off bread and water I don't know if they fags or what Search a nigga down, and grabbin his nuts
And on the other hand, without a gun they can't get none But don't let it be a black and a white one Cause they'll slam ya down to the street top Black police showin out for the white cop Ice Cube will swarm on ANY motherfucker in a blue uniform Just cause I'm from, the CPT Ounk police are afraid of me! HUH, a young nigga on the warpath And when I'm finished, it's gonna be a bloodbath of cops, dyin in L.A.
NWA – ‘Fuck tha Police’ (1988)
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We’re telling the real story of what it’s like living in places like Compton. We’re giving the fans reality. We give them the truth. People where we come from hear so many lies that the truth stands out like a sore thumb.” -‐ Eazy-‐E in Werner, 2002: p290
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Eazy-‐E -‐ ‘Boyz In The Hood’ (1987) 22
Gangsta changed rap 23
�Ice Cube – ‘The Nigga You Love To Hate�’ (1990) AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted
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Ice Cube – ‘Bop Gun’ (One NaZon) (1993) Samples ‘One NaZon Under A Groove’ by Funkadelic
Dr Dre – ‘Let Me Ride’ (1992) Samples ‘Star Child (Mothership ConnecZon)’ by Parliament
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If hip-‐ hop were film— the metaphor isn’t much of a stretch, given that many rappers are o{en playing tough-‐ guy roles— there would be only two schools: one centered in Los Angeles, the other in New York. Los Angeles would produce the big-‐ budget acZon dramas that rake in millions; New York would create the art films that excite criZcs and film students and fill Greenwich Village art houses -‐ Toure in Werner, 2002: 292
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Boogie Down ProducZons – ‘Love’s Gonna Get You’ (1990) 29
Ice Cube – ‘My Summer VacaZon’ (1991) 30
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Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC)
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Freedom of Speech, that's some motherfuckin' bullshit You say the wrong thing, they'll lock your ass up quick The FCC says "Profanity -‐ No Airplay"? They can suck my dick while I take a shit all day Think I give a fuck about some silly bitch named Gore? Yo PMRC, here we go, raw Yo Tip, what's the mamer? You ain't gexn' no dick? You're bitchin' about rock'n'roll, that's censorship, dumb bitch The ConsZtuZon says we all got a right to speak Say what we want Tip, your argument is weak Censor records, TV, school books too And who decides what's right to hear? You? Hey PMRC, you stupid fuckin' assholes The sZcker on the record is what makes 'em sell gold Can't you see, you alcoholic idiots The more you try to suppress us, the larger we get
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Lesson 2 : Gently place the balls into the mouth and .. HAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.. get it all baby .. get it all baby .. get it all baby .. "what you want me to do with it?" don't mamer just don't bite it she swallowed it .. suck this dick for daddy she swallowed it .. usin' that lips she swallowed it .. it's the world's biggest dick "what do you want me to do with it?" don't mamer just don't bite it Slow is the tempo Now talkin' but an info So peep it up here goes the info This is the bitches and the ho's crew She get it as much we make bets on who's the ho's we'd love to go through And for the shit that she does give her a drum role Because the dumb bitch licks out the asshole
NWA -‐ ‘She Swallowed It’ (1991)
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Rodney King 9 Mach 1991 38
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Rap backlash (sort of…it was rock really) ‘Cop Killer’ blamed for riots (rather than the ‘not guilty’ verdict in King case) 41
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Snoop implicated in drive-‐by shooZng of a former gang member, Philip Woldemariam (Aug 1993) following altercaZons during the filming of a music video
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Time Warner peZZoned at shareholder meeZngs
Summary • Rap music has had its criZcs (glamorizing violence, drugs, axtudes
towards women) • Internalizing white stereotypes for entertainment? • QuesZons of authenZcity – came back to haunt some (Snoop) and record
labels start to think twice about funding gangsta rap • Musical cycle starts to fragment following East vs West bamle
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Images • AppleDave (2008) Smoking Gun • Jondoeforty1 (2008) Los Angeles Skyline Dodger Stadium Sept 19 2008 • duncan c (2010) Fuck the Police • Marco Gomes (2009) Crack
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