Hip Hop to Hip Pop: A critical analysis of the corporate

takeover of the Rap Industry. A study on a critical event which

changed the Rap Game, and the sociological effects this

takeover had on Hip Hop Culture and Black Culture.

By Cameron O’Connor

5776292

May 2017

Submitted as a dissertation to satisfy the requirements of the BA (Hons)

Degree in Sociology and Criminology, Coventry University.

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CONTENTS

Abstract –Pg3

Acknowledgments-Pg4

Introduction; Pg5

What is Rap

The Origins of Hip Hop

A White British working class boy and Hip Hop

The Beef (issue) with the corporate takeover of Hip Hop

Literature Review; Pg10

The Down Low

The Insiders

Hip Hop Scholars

Hip Hop: A force to break down social barriers

Methodology; Pg20

What’s the Beef?

Method Man- The Man of many Methods

Street Credibility

Findings; Pg27

From house-parties to the charts

The Golden Age of Hip Hop

The Corporate Pimps Takeover Hip Hop

The Death of Conscious Rap and the Rise of Hip Pop

From Gangsta Rap to Thug-Life

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Hip Hop a culture of no race or boarders

Analysis- Pg44

Conclusion- Pg50

Bibliography – Pg52

Abstract

This dissertation critically analyses the corporate takeover of the Rap industry in the

1990’s, and explores the sociological effects that occurred from the corporate

takeover of the rap industry on Hip Hop Culture and Black Culture. This study

explores how Rap music changed from a form of storytelling, spreading conscious

knowledge, sharing the reality of ethnic minorities living in social exclusion and

social injustices occurring in society to a form of promoting individualism,

consumerism, hyper masculinity, crime and misogyny. This dissertation also looks at

how Hip Hop culture has evolved, due to its global success from representing the

voice of Black culture to representing the voice of many culture worldwide.

Furthermore this study briefly highlights how the media seems to highlight Rap music

in a negative manor, and explores the implications this has on Hip Hop culture and

Black culture. This dissertation analyses secondary data collected from a range of

sources that relate to Hip Hop Culture and the Rap Industry. The sources used in this

dissertation come from Artists within the Rap Industry, who give their experiences

and opinions of the Rap industry, to Sociologists who grew up on Hip Hop, and have

wrote many sociological papers, articles and books on Hip Hop culture.

Keywords and themes- Hip Hop Culture, Capitalism, Consumerism,

Exploitation, Globalism, Race, Identity and Racism.

Word count- 10943

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Acknowledgments

Firstly I would like to acknowledge the help of Dr Janice Smith my

dissertation supervisor, who helped point me in the right direction to

some extremely helpful sources and shared her experiences and opinions

of Hip Hop. Secondly I would like to thank my good friend, Cherelle

Harding, a founding member of Black Conscious Coventry, for all the

discussions we had on historical and contemporary Black issues. I would

also like to thank all my family and friends who supported me, while

writing this dissertation. Most importantly I would like to acknowledge

all the conscious rappers, who continue to make real Hip Hop music and

have never sold-out.

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Introduction

The purpose of this dissertation is to give a critical analysis of the

corporate takeover of the Rap industry. This is an important field of study

in my opinion, because the takeover of the rap industry touches on many

sociological issues of today and of human history, such as capitalism,

racism, consumerism, sub-cultures, individualism, exploitation and

oppression of ethnic minorities. The words White and Black get used in

terms of Race heavily throughout this study. I would like to formally

acknowledge that Race was a socially constructed concept, as a way to

apply a hierarchy system on human beings based on nothing more than

skin colour, as a means to exploit other human beings.

WHAT IS RAP

Chuck D, who is one of the most conscious rappers of all time, has on

many occasions during interviews and while on radio stated ‘Rap is the

news for black people’ he then changed his famous line to ‘Rap is the

news for the Hip Hop Generation and young people all over the world’

(Chuck D, 1997, Pg256). Rap is an element of Hip Hop. Hip Hop was

founded on four elements;

DJing (Turntablism)

MCing (Rapping)

Breakdancing/ B-Boy/ B-Girl

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Graffiti Art

Hip Hop is an ever growing culture, and currently has evolved into nine

elements or as some ‘Hip Hop Headz’ call it, the ‘Nine pillars of Hip

Hop’;

DJing

Mcing

Breakdancing

Graffiti Art

Beatboxing

Street Fashion

Street Language

Street Knowledge

Street Entrepreneurism

It is extremely important to understand that these elements make up Hip

Hop and interlink, however one of these elements on their own is not Hip

Hop. For instance since the late 90’s, Rap has been the frontman of Hip

Hop (because it is the most marketable), and many have come to believe

that Rap and Hip Hop are the same thing. KRS-ONE another extremely

conscious rapper, breaks down the difference between the two. ‘Rap in

the world, is just a technique of speaking, without any foundation it’s

useless it takes on any kind of form because it has no structure’ (Rap city,

1993, 02:12). Rapping is just rhyming words, in this sense anyone can

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rap, but for Rap to be Hip Hop, it has to know and understand Hip Hop

culture and the elements that make up and express Hip Hop.

THE ORIGINS OF HIP HOP

Hip Hop was born in the Bronx, New York City, in the summer of 1973

in conditions of social poverty, crime and mixing of cultures due to the

range of ethnicities and immigrants that lived in the Bronx. The Bronx in

the 1960’s was one of America’s worst ghettos, with a high

unemployment rate, and a high crime rate, many youth gangs appeared

from these conditions. The Bronx was considered a war zone with many

gangs fighting over territory and drug turf, furthermore a lot of properties

were burned down by property owners to claim insurance. The Bronx was

made up of a mixture of African Americans, Latino’s (Mainly Puerto

Ricans) and recently migrated Jamaican and Caribbean Immigrants. After

years of gang violence and crime, a truce was called by two of the biggest

gangs in the Bronx, the Black spades and the Ghetto brothers. The idea

was to unite all gangs and have peace in the Bronx, this gave birth to less

of a gang and more of a movement called the Universal Zulu Nation

(Chang, 2005, Pg58). There was a historical moment in the summer of

1973, in the rec room of apartment building 1520 Sedgwick Avenue. A

girl by the name of Cindy Campbell hosted a house party which she

advertised to all the youths of the Bronx, as a way to make money and

bring together all the different cultures and ex-gangs. Her DJ for the

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house party was her brother Clive Campbell, but known on the streets as

Kool-Herc. Kool-Herc was born in Jamaica but had moved to America,

he blended Reggae Dub Sound by using a mixer with American Jazz and

Soul music. House parties like this started to happen all over the Bronx

and these house parties were where Hip-Hop was born.

A WHITE BRITISH WORKING CLASS BOY AND HIP HOP?

So how does a white British working class boy like me end up being a

part of a culture which was born in the Bronx through a mixture of social

exclusion, crime and mixing of ethnic minority cultures? I grew up in a

working class family with my parents listening to a lot of Punk, SKA and

Reggae. In the Year 2000 at the age of eight, I watched a music video on

MTV by The Wu-Tang Clan called Gravel Pit. The video contained

Dinosaurs and Hip-Hop variations of Ninjas and Cavemen (all things I

loved at the age of eight), and the lyrics contained many punch lines and

a catchy chorus. I instantly fell in love with Hip Hop and felt like it was

something for the youth of today, I started dressing and talking Hip Hop,

and made friends with people who also enjoyed Hip Hop. Since then I

have been to many Hip Hop house parties, concerts and festivals. I have

experienced the many elements of Hip Hop, I have MC’ed and DJ’ed in

the past. However I now focus on the Knowledge side of Hip Hop, as I

believe modern mainstream corporate rap has replaced conscious Hip

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Hop rap music, and is erasing Hip Hop’s origins and is damaging Hip

Hop Cultures reputation and legacy.

THE BEEF (ISSUE) WITH THE CORPORATE TAKEOVER OF THE

RAP INDUSTRY

The main aim of this thesis is to highlight;

1. How the corporate takeover of the Rap industry, turned Rap from a

form of storytelling (rappers rapping their reality), spreading

knowledge (Black history, the governments oppression of

minorities and social injustices occurring in society), politics and

unity to a form of promoting individualism, consumerism, hyper

masculinity, crime and misogyny. This has led to the majority of

contemporary mainstream rap losing its Hip Hop consciousness

and its ability to spread positive real knowledge.

Furthermore there is two secondary aims I would like to highlight in

this dissertation;

2. How Hip Hop has evolved from a voice that represented black

culture to representing the voice of many cultures worldwide.

3. Why the media only highlights the negatives of Rap music, and the

implications this has on Hip Hop culture and on how Black people

are perceived in today’s society.

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Literature Review

The Down-Low

Since its birth in the mid 1970’s, Hip Hop culture and Rap music has long

been a sociologically interesting culture. This is due to the unique

sociological factors that gave birth to Hip Hop, followed by the success

and growth of Rap music. This early success lead to Rap music being

commercialised and a Hip Hop industry forming, it eventually reached

every corner of the globe and has been accepted by many countries and

cultures. The media has constantly highlighted the negatives of Rap

music over the years, and very rarely focuses on the positives of Hip Hop

or the messages/truths coming from Rap lyrics. The majority of Hip Hop

Sociology research focuses on the factors and environment that gave birth

to Hip Hop, or the negatives of the ‘Gangsta Rap’ era, or on consumption

and materialism in Hip Hop. This Literature review aims to highlight the

work that focuses on points that are often overlooked such as;

Why the majority of mainstream Rap no longer holds conscious

knowledge or historical/ political messages.

The Corporate takeover of the Rap industry.

How Rap music expanded from a voice for black culture, to now

representing the voice of many cultures worldwide.

Why does the media only focus on the negatives of Rap music?

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This literature review will be broken down into three sections, as I will be

reviewing literature from a variety of sources. The first section will be

literature from insiders of the Rap game and the Rap industry and give

their experiences and opinions. The second section will be literature from

Hip Hop scholars, these are people who look at Hip Hop through a

sociological perspective. The final section will be literature that relates to

the reasons and theories as to why Hip Hop has been embraced by many

cultures globally.

The Insiders

Chuck D is considered one of the most politically and socially conscious

rappers of all time. His book ‘fight the power; rap, race and reality’ is a

mixture of an autobiography and a sociology dissertation. He gives his

own theories and concepts from his own experiences in the rap industry,

and as an icon of Hip Hop culture. Theories explored by Chuck D cover

multiple areas in depth such as Rap music, education, the ‘black’

community, the music business, mainstream media and economic

development. ‘Many in the world of Hip Hop have begun to believe that

the only way to blow up and become megastars is by presenting

themselves in a negative light’ (Chuck D, 1997, Pg3). Chuck D is

referring to how the majority of upcoming rappers believe the only way

to break into the rap music scene is by being ‘Gangsta’. He uses the

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example of Tupac Shakur, saying that in the beginning of Tupac’s Rap

career he was very Pro-Black and about the unity of Black communities.

However Tupac found that his music was not getting much interest, he

found that the more he played the ‘bad boy’ the more interest he got, so

he took up the ‘Thug-Life’ lifestyle. Furthermore Chuck D talks about the

issue of how the media gives an unbalanced and biased portrayal of

young black men, often referring to them as ‘Gangstas’’ or ‘Thugs’ who

are influenced by Rap Music. ‘But the cold, hard truth is if a person were

to be raped, burglarized or car stolen, contrary to popular belief, statistics

prove that it would be a white perpetrator more often than a black one.

That’s not the perception you’d get living in America’ (Chuck D, 1997,

Pg13).

In the world of Hip Hop Jeff Chang’s ‘Can’t Stop Won’t Stop: A history

of the Hip Hop Generation’ is considered a masterpiece. Chang gives an

extremely detailed history, of the conditions that gave birth to Hip Hop,

through the experiences lived by DJ Kool Herc and Afrika Bambaataa,

who are two of the original pioneers of Hip Hop. Chang’s work covers

the rise of Hip Hop in the south Bronx in the 1970’s, to the Gangsta Rap

Era in the 1990’s in Los Angeles, to the mainstream consumerism Hip

Hop of the 2000’s. Jeff Chang spent over ten years interviewing DJ’s, B-

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Boys, Rappers, Activists and Gang members. This book really does

provide a detailed history of the Hip Hop generation.

Eithne Quinn’s work ‘Nuthin’ but a “G” Thang’ sheds light on the highly

controversial ‘Westcoast Gangsta Rap’ scene, it looks at the conditions

which gave birth to Gangsta Rap but furthermore critically analyses

Gangsta Rap. Quinn neither attacks nor defends Gangsta Rap but rather

looks at the sociological consequences of Gangsta Rap. Quinn looks at

how the ‘40-oz culture was a response or symbolic solution, as it were, to

the problems posed by economic disadvantage and social isolation’

(Quinn, 2005, Pg4). While the media attacks Gangsta Rap as music that

promotes drug use and criminal activity, Quinn States that Gangsta Rap

simply ‘voiced the experiences and desires of an oppressed community in

a period of economic transformation’ (Quinn, 2005, Pg11).

S.H. Fernando JR’s ‘The New Beats’ gives his experience of working in

the Hip Hop Industry as a Journalist for one of the most successful Hip

Hop magazines ‘the source’. Fernando covers all aspects of Hip Hop

culture from Graffiti to Rapping. Fernando critically defends Hip Hop

from the media and the bad press that always seems to be put on Hip Hop

culture. Fernando insists that the problem is not with Hip Hop Culture but

American culture, Fernando argues that ‘Movies like the terminator that

make million at the box office portraying fictional violence are deemed

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acceptable, while Rap songs based on real situations catch endless flack’

(Fernando, 1995, Pg85).

Murray Forman’s book ‘The Hood Comes First: Race, Space and Place in

Rap and Hip Hop’ covers a range of topics from the social conditions that

gave birth to Hip Hop, to the corporate expansion of Hip Hop and how

Hip Hop is represented in the media. Furthermore Murray has spent a lot

of time researching the corporate industry businesses of rap music, this

research has been rather crucial as it provides an insight in the shadowy

zone of Hip Hop culture. Many Scholars in the field of Hip Hop often

criticise the ‘white corporate’ takeover of Hip Hop which exploited a lot

of the young black artists. Forman counters this argument using the

example of Sugar Hill Gang who were the first Rap Group to reach

number one on America’s Billboard, who were signed to a Black owned

label group. ‘As Sugar Hill demonstrated, signing with a black-owned

Label did not guarantee that artists would receive fair and respectful

treatment; many white label owners proved to be more scrupulous and

attentive to their artists concerns’ (Forman, 2002, Pg110). Throughout

‘The Hood Comes First’ Forman keeps a balanced position and does not

take sides and instead looks at the facts and truths, he further goes on to

say ‘systematic racism that was and remains rampant throughout the

industry at large undoubtedly played a part in the white owned labels

ability to gain a foothold in the industry’ (Forman, 2002, Pg117).

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Regarding the corporate takeover of Hip Hop, Forman puts forward the

notion that regardless of whether it was a White or Black, the corporate

takeover of the Hip Hop industry, the artists would have been exploited

regardless due to the capitalistic nature of corporations.

Hip Hop Scholars

Tricia Rose’s ‘Black Noise’ is an extremely unique but highly regarded

academic study on Rap Music. Rose Grew up in the considered Golden

Hip Hop Generation, and while attending university wrote a lot of

successful sociology papers related to Rap Music. Rose was one of the

first extremely successful sociologists to write about Rap music, who had

first hand experience of Hip Hop culture. Rose’s work in ‘Black Noise’

covers Rap and the art of Rhyming’s history in regards to Black culture,

to how major labels bought out all the small independent rap labels. Rose

critically analyses every aspect of Rap in an extremely academic manor

and pushes forward many interesting theories and defences of Rap music

and Black culture. Rose highlights how the Rap industry was bought out

silently and strategically to exploit Hip Hop culture, ‘the major labels

developed a new strategy: buy the independent labels, allow them to

function relatively autonomously, and provide them with production

resources and access to major retail distribution’ (Rose, 1994, Pg7). Rose

also puts forward the concept that ‘the ghetto badman posture

performance is a protective shell against real and unyielding and harsh

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social policies and physical environments’ (Rose, 1994, Pg12). While

most authors highlight the negatives of the ‘Badman’ in Hip Hop culture,

Rose offers a fresh perspective at the reasons why people feel the need to

put on the ‘Badman performance’.

‘Hip Hop Revolution’ by Jeffrey Ogbar is another outstanding

sociological study on Hip Hop. Ogbar critically analyses many aspects of

Hip Hop culture. Ogbar puts forward arguments of how the corporate

controlled rap industry has ‘relegated black conscious ‘rebellious’ music

to the margins of commercial Hip Hop to the point where it is not existent

in mainstream rap’ (Ogbar, 2007, pg39). Furthermore Ogbar puts forward

notions of how corporate America was unable to market breakdancing

and graffiti, so instead focused on making Rap the frontman of Hip Hop

culture. Ogbar also puts forward a lot of interesting theories in regards to

keeping it “real” in Hip Hop culture and how the ‘limited expressions of

“realness” in Rap reflect the pernicious stereotypes promoted by society

at large about black and Latino youth’ (Ogbar, 2007, Pg69).

Davarian Baldwin’s paper ‘Black Empires, White desires’ features in the

Journal ‘Black Renaissance Noire Vol 2’. His study focuses heavily on

the contrasts and similarities of White and Black Hip Hop fans but

furthermore focuses on how Rap music gives an imagined false

stereotyped image of black culture. His study also gives theories of how

Rap music gives white listeners fantasies and desires of how black

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working class society is, so they can gain a sense of thrill. Baldwin’s

work offers a lot of unique perspectives on Rap music and Race within

Hip Hop culture. Baldwin puts forward an interesting theory of how

‘Corporate culture is Gangsta Culture… Gangsta Rappers have taken

white American commodities as signs of achieving the ‘American dream’

(Baldwin, 1999, Pg151).

‘The Vinyl Ain’t Final’ edited by Basu and Lemelle critically analyses

the globalisation of Hip Hop, and also looks heavily at the corporate

takeover of the Rap industry. Authors in this book put forward many

different theories to all aspects of Hip Hop. Mumia Abu-Jamal puts

forward the notion that Rap artists need to be more conscious and united

with each other, so that the art of Rapping can be seen as a conscious art

form again (Jamal, 2006, Pg24). Jamal claims that it was the ‘American

corporatism agendas that transformed rap into a gritty gutter of crime and

materialism’ Jamal, 2006, Pg23). Dipannita Basu explains how that the

four big Major record labels (Universal music group, Sony BMG Music

Entertainment, Warner Music Group and EMI Group) own over 75% of

the Rap industry, and therefore the Rap industry is controlled by

corporatism which focuses on profit instead of the best interests of Hip

Hop culture (Basu, 2006, Pg40).

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Hip Hop: A force to break down social barriers

Cecelia Cutler is a sociolinguist, and her book ‘White Hip Hoppers’ looks

at why white youth get attached to Hip Hop and take on Hip Hop as part

of their identity. Cutlers work takes a rather unexplored zone of Hip Hop

culture and sheds much light on this ‘grey-zone’. Cutler explains how due

to the commercial success of Hip Hop, ‘Hip Hop culture has gone global

and is becoming indigenized and adapted to the needs of young people in

local communities around the world’(Cutler, 2014,Pg24). Cutler puts

forward multiple theories as to why do white youth get attached to Hip

Hop culture. Cutler claims some white youth simply see Hip Hop as a

popular fashion, and that by mimicking African Americans through

‘Ethnic styling’ (Cutler, 2014, Pg30) they are giving an image of coolness

and toughness. Another of Cutlers theories is that ‘Many white male

adolescents are attracted to the very narrow definition of Hip Hop culture

as being synonymous with the gangster lifestyle’ (Cutler, 2014, Pg35).

Cutler also puts forward the notion that ‘the white British working class

experience’ contains many similarities that ‘capture the essence of Hip

Hop culture’ (Cutler, 2014, Pg37) and that these similarities, provide a

ground of understanding and sharing of experiences with African

Americans, through the medium of Hip Hop.

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Ian Condry’s ‘Hip Hop Japan’ looks at how Hip Hop culture got accepted

so widely by Japanese youth. Hip Hop is very big in Japan, all forms of

Hip Hop are on equal grounds in Japan, where as in the rest of the world,

Rap is the frontman of Hip Hop culture. In Condry’s research with

Japanese youth he notices that many of them felt a ‘connection with the

south Bronx’ to what they refer to as the ‘outsider-style’ (Condry, 2006,

Pg67). Many Japanese youth growing up in the 80’s and 90’s felt

detached and segregated from traditional Japanese society, and Hip Hop

provided them with a space to be individuals and make Hip Hop

Japanese. In Japan, American Rap and Japanese Rap are on equal

grounds neither dominates but both are appreciated. Condry also puts

forward the notion of how Hip Hop has had an educational purpose in

Japan as ‘many Japanese Artists and Fans of Hip Hop in fact make an

effort to learn about Hip Hop History and its relationship to black

Americans’ (Condry, 2006, Pg33). Through learning the origins of Hip

Hop, many Japanese Artists used the origins of Hip Hop to take a critical

stance opposing Japanese society and the Government. Condry puts

forward the notion that to participate successfully in Hip Hop, that race is

not a factor, but rather it requires the understanding of Hip Hops Origins

and is to be used in its ‘real’ form and not for corporate manipulation

towards ‘fakeness’ and materialism (Condry, 2006, Pg67).

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Methodology

What’s the Beef?

This dissertation aims to focus on three critical questions;

1. How the corporate takeover of the Rap industry, turned Rap from a

form of spreading knowledge, politics, storytelling, expression and

unity to a form of individualism consumerism, hyper masculinity,

misogyny, which has led to a majority of contemporary

mainstream Rap losing its origins as a means to spread knowledge.

2. How Hip Hop was originally used as a voice to represent black

culture and issues, but due its global success and appeal it now

represents the voices of many cultures worldwide.

3. Why does the media only seem to focus on the negatives of Rap

music, and the implications this has on Hip Hop culture and on

Black culture.

To understand what each of these questions is asking, I will clearly define

and explain each individual question and the issues they are addressing.

Question one should be considered the main question of the dissertation,

with the remaining questions as sub-questions which help support this

main question. The question is highlighting how the sound of Rap

changed, by highlighting all the differences between the before and after

of the corporate takeover of Rap music. These differences are ones such

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as how Rap lyrics were used as a form of knowledge and politics, and to

highlight social injustices within oppressed communities. Songs like

‘Thin line between Law and Rape’ by Public Enemy with lyrics like

‘took the motherland, made a slave out of my mother and man, got a

good man, sayin Goddamn’ contain messages of social injustices.

However after the corporate takeover of the rap industry which slowly

began to happen in the early 90’s, the lyrics slowly started to become

meaningless. The lyrics focused more on promoting violence,

consumption of luxury goods and misogyny, an example being in the

song by Desiigner ‘Panda’ the lyrics go ‘I got broads in Atlanta, chasing

dope lean and shit sippin Fanta, Credit cards and the scammers, wake up

Versace shit, life Desiigner’. Rap also was about proving ones ‘realness’

through hyper-masculinity and consumption. Furthermore this question

highlights consumerism and materialism within Hip Hop. Consumerism

and materialism have always been a part of Hip Hop culture, however

was balanced and controlled up until the corporate takeover. When the

takeover occurred the themes of Rap were less about knowledge and

consciousness but more about materialism and consumption.

Question two aims to focus on the globalization of Hip Hop, due to its

unexpected success. The question aims to highlight how originally Rap

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music was used as a voice for black culture, but spread to represent the

voices of many cultures from Japan to Britain.

Question three focuses on how Rap music only ever seems to be

mentioned negatively in the press, yet the positivity or truths held in Rap

music never get mentioned by the media. The perfect example of this is

N.W.A’s song ‘fuck the police’ which initially was given lots of bad

press, yet all the song did was highlight the discrimination the police

were showing to young black men in the city of Compton. Within three

years of the song being released, and the beating of Rodney King, which

led to the 1992 riots of Los Angeles. ‘Fuck the Police’ could not have

been more of a relevant song which was dismissed and shunned by the

media, yet it was simply highlighting the voices and realities of an

oppressed community.

M.E.T.H.O.D MAN- The man of many methods

The research methods for this dissertation, has been secondary analysis of

published research and media content analysis of documentaries and

lyrics of songs. The reason why I used these methods is because the

period of study takes place from the mid 1970’s to the current day. There

has been many hip hop generations in this period of time. However the

main focus period of this study is from the mid 1980’s to the late 1990’s

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as this is considered the “Golden-Age” of rap music, and the corporate

takeover of the rap industry started happening in the early 1990’s.

In this period of time rap music had two homes New York and Los

Angeles. Taking inconsideration of these two facts of the time period and

location, doing any qualitative or quantitative research such as interviews

or surveys would be a near impossible task for an undergraduate

dissertation research project. Thus making the smartest research method

to be secondary analysis of published work. This option also made the

ethics to consider when doing the research a low-risk research project, as

I would have no contact through interviews or surveys. By using data

already gathered from previous research that also would have to be

conducted with ethical guidelines, this makes this research project a

safeguarded low risk project.

The idea of analyzing media content such as lyrics from songs, had

always been a part of the research method as using the lyrics from rap

songs can help make a valid point or argument. In the research phase of

this dissertation I broke down and analyzed the lyrics of fourteen songs

from over the years of Hip Hop, due to the word limit of this dissertation

I will only include six songs, which will have specific verses broken

down and analyzed which will be in the Analysis Chapter. The

documentaries watched as part of the research project were professionally

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made with an educational agenda. They contained legitimate information,

and interviews with relevant people within the Hip Hop and Rap

industries, which without the documentaries the information and data

would not have been attainable.

When finding literature to analyze I wanted to use credible, professional

data published with some form of sociological backing. Furthermore I

wanted to use data gathered from all aspects of the rap industry, from fans

to artists, I wanted every view point possible, to gather information to

build a picture to put together like a jigsaw puzzle. By using data from a

variety of different sources it allows a clearer unbiased picture to be built.

If I was to use data provided by five white male corporation owners based

on the Rap industry, it would be a complete different data pool than a

group of five female rappers. Furthermore by using a variety of sources

when similarities start to appear from different viewpoints, then this can

be considered a truth or a valid theory/concept.

Street Credibility

Hip Hop’s greatest strength and weakness in terms of researching, is that

you cannot gather or collect data from just anywhere. Hip Hop is a living

culture which is on the streets. For data to be authentic and credible, it has

to come from either personal experience of Hip Hop Culture or

interviews with people who have personal experience in Hip Hop culture.

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The publishing’s I used to gather data from, are all from reliable sources

of people who were either apart of Hip Hop culture either directly or

indirectly. A lot of the data I gathered was originally attained by the

authors through personal experience in the Rap industry or interviews

with people who were in the Rap industry. The majority of the sources I

have used, are from people who have a personal experience in that

“Golden-age” of Hip Hop and have used that experience to write about it

in a sociological perspective.

The data gathered from Chuck D’s ‘Fight the Power’ comes from

Chuck’s personal experience of over ten years in the Rap Industry. Chuck

uses his own experiences of dealing with the corporate Rap industry to

lay foundation to his theories and themes that run throughout his book.

The data in Jeff Chang’s ‘Can’t Stop Won’t Stop’ comes from over ten

years’ worth of primary research and interviews with key figures in Hip

Hop Culture. In Quinn’s ‘Nuthin But a G thang’ his research comes from

two years’ worth of qualitative research on the Westcoast Gangsta Rap

scene. Furthermore Quinn interviews Ice-T who is considered to be one

of the originators of Gangsta Rap, Quinn also interviews many Gang

members of Los Angeles infamous Bloods and Crips. Forman’s data in

‘the Hood comes first’ comes from his own research into the Corporate

Rap industry, by interviewing corporate executives and managers in the

Rap industry. Forman also uses secondary data in his book, which helped

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point me in the direction of more useful literature. In ‘Black Noise’ by

Tricia Rose, her research comes from her own experiences in growing up

in the “Golden Age” of Hip Hop. Furthermore Rose has interviewed

everyone in the Rap Industry from conscious rappers to Gangsta rappers

to ensure her data covers all perspectives. The data I used from ‘The

Vinyl Ain’t Final’ which has multiple authors, was collected in a mass

amount of ways. The authors range from multiple countries from

Germany to America, and all are involved in Hip Hop culture directly.

The data used in Kareem Muhammad’s ‘everyday people’ comes from

his ethnographic study on the Hip Hop community in Chicago.

Muhammad spent a year interviewing and observing fans and local artists

of Chicago’s local Rap scene. Cutler’s data for ‘White Hip Hoppers’

comes from her ethnographic study of white youth who participate in Hip

Hop culture. Cutler observed and interviewed many white youth on the

reasons that attracted them to Hip Hop, but as a sociolinguist she also

collected data on the way they spoke. In Condry’s ‘Hip Hop Japan’

gathered data by ethnographically following the Japanese Hip Hop scene

for two years. Condry observed all forms of Hip Hop in Japan from

underground Rappers at Nightclubs, to the break-dancers in Shinjuku

Park who would gather every Sunday.

26

Findings

From House-parties to the Charts

As I discussed in the introduction, Hip Hop was born in the South Bronx

in the summer of 1973 (Chang, 2005). In 1979 The Sugarhill Gang’s Hit

‘Rapper’s Delight’ was the first Rap song to make it into the American

Top 40’s chart (Forman, 2002). For the six years in between this gap, Hip

Hop was on the streets, it was house-parties and “Block-parties”, no one

thought about recording Hip Hop, it was more of an experience/ party

than music to record and listen to at home (Chang, 2005). The Sugarhill

Gang were from New Jersey, and when Sylvia Robinson decided to

record them and put it on a Vinyl, it was the world’s first official Rap

record. However in the Bronx where the Hip Hop community lived, they

rejected Sugarhill Gang for multiple reasons (Hip Hop Evolution, 2016).

Firstly the Bronx was angry that a group from New Jersey had took all

the “Props” for creating Rap. Secondly a famous group from the Bronx

called Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five were angry because

Sugarhill Gang had “Jacked” some of their rhymes (using someone else’s

lyrics in Rap is a big no-no, it is an unwritten rule of the Rap Game).

Thirdly the Hip Hop community rejected the idea of Hip Hop being

played on the radio or on records, much like early Jazz artists did not

27

record there music, they believed it was a live experience to be held in

public spaces (Condry, 2006).

‘Rappers Delight’ was a very disco themed party song, although Rap at

house parties started off with party themed rhymes, by the time ‘Rappers

Delight’ had been released in 1979, “real” Rap back in the Bronx had

evolved into a way of telling stories about growing up in the Bronx. In

1982 Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five decided they wanted to

show the world what “real” Rap was about and released the song ‘The

Message’. The song was a social commentary on growing up in the

Bronx, and raised the issues of drugs, poverty and crime that was

occurring in the Bronx at that time. However due to their only being one

Rap record label, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five had to sign to

the Sugarhill Label. Following Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five’s

record ‘The Message’ many other groups and artists like Afrika

Bambaataa, Too $hort and Whodini released songs. All the songs were

released on independent labels, as all the major record labels thought Hip

Hop would just be nothing more than the latest “Fad” (Forman, 2002).

Although ‘Rappers Delight’ was the first official Rap record, it was

rejected by the Hip Hop community. If you ask someone from the

generation that gave birth to Hip Hop from the Bronx ,they will tell you

the first Rap record was by Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five (Hip

Hop Evolution, 2016).

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There is two important points I would like to highlight, firstly the fact

that the Hip Hop community initially rejected the idea of Rap being

commercial shows that there is already two opposing sides. The Rap

industry which I would say is Sylvia Rose and The Sugarhill Gang who

exploited Rap (and literally stole their Rhymes) from the South Bronx to

gain commercial success. Then there is Grandmaster Flash and The

Furious Five who represented the Hip Hop community. The second point

I would like to highlight, is the idea that the Hip Hop Community initially

rejected the idea of Hip Hop being commercial. Hip Hop was a way of

living in the poverty and chaos of the Bronx. In my opinion the Hip Hop

community realised through being exploited by the Sugarhill Gang, that

Hip Hop could be a way to escape poverty. However it is clear that from

day one there was those who wanted to exploit Hip Hop and those who

wanted to protect Hip Hop.

The Golden Age of Hip Hop

The “Golden Age” of Hip Hop has no official time length designated to

it, everybody in the Hip Hop community has different opinions on when

it started and finished. In my personal opinion the “Golden Age” of Hip

Hop starts from 1985 and finished in 1999. Furthermore in my opinion

29

there is four different stages/groups/sound-styles that made the “Golden

Age”;

Firstly you had the late 80’s artists like Rakim, Big Daddy Kane,

Gang-Starr and Slick Rick. These artists were master Lyricists who

focused heavily on mixing word play, punchlines and metaphors

with stories of the Ghetto.

Secondly you had conscious artists like Krs-One, Public Enemy,

Common, The Fugees, A tribe Called Quest, and De La Soul.

These type of artists started appearing during the end of the 80’s

and throughout the early 90’s. These artists focused heavily on

raising consciousness through Hip Hop.

Thirdly you have the Rock-Rap artists like Run DMC, Beastie

Boys and LL Cool J. These type of artists started appearing in the

early 90’s and could be considered early commercial Rap music.

Finally you have the early Gangsta Rap group, artists like Ice-T

and N.W.A. Early Gangsta Rap focused on the realties and stories

from the “Hood”. This group also could contain artists like Biggie

Smalls and Tupac, however they have a different sound and style

to the early Gangsta Rap artists.

It must be noted that there are many other artists who fit into one or more

of the above boxes, however it is my opinion that it is these four Groups

and different styles that made the “Golden Age” of Hip Hop. This

30

“Golden Age” was able to exist, due to the diverseness and freedom of

artists and the creativity and skill in the lyrics. There was no real focus on

being commercial, it was more about being the best lyricist and spreading

knowledge of Hip Hop. It was during this “Golden Age” that Hip Hop

started to get lots of support, not only national but global, and major

record labels started to think Hip Hop might just be more than a “Fad”.

The Corporate Pimps Takeover Hip Hop

‘Hip Hops influence has made an indelible mark in Popular-Culture.

Some view this as a portentous sign of Hip Hops decline and corruption’

(Ogbar, 2007, Pg38). There is no official record of when the Rap

industry takeover occurred, some authors suggest it started occurring as

early as 1988 (Rose, 1994) while others say not till the early 90’s

(Fernando, 1995). However all authors, “Hip Hop Headz” and conspiracy

theorists agree that the corporate takeover was fully completed by 1995.

The world of Hip Hop was about to make a lot of money, and the four

major record labels (Universal Music Group, Sony BMG Music

Entertainment, Warner Music Group and EMI Group) wanted a slice of

the pie (Basu, 2006, Pg40). However many Rap artists did not want to

sign to the major record labels, as they felt they were “selling-out” the

authenticity of the “Ghetto” (Forman, 2002). ‘The major record labels

developed a new strategy: buy the independent labels, allow them to

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function relatively autonomously, and provide them with production

resources and access to major retail distribution’ (Rose, 1994, Pg7). The

major record labels now owned 75% of the Rap musical market and to

keep the “Ghetto Rootz” employed ‘Black titular CEO’s’ (Basu, 2006,

Pg40) who projected the Hip Hop community image and “Vibe”, but

were really nothing ‘more than servants to the White Corporations who

owned the “independent” labels’ (Chuck D, 1997).

‘Black culture became marketable in the 80’s, white corporations found

they could make Big Bucks off it’ (Chuck D, 1997, Pg9). White

corporations and businesses have long exploited Black culture. The

“Elvis” effect: ‘Black folk make music, and Whites remake it and make

Big Bucks’ (Condry, 2006, Pg33) is a prime example of how white

corporations have been exploiting Black culture. ‘America and the

Western World have raped entire races of people of their god, religion,

culture and language and have raped continents of their resources and

their progeny’ (Chuck D, 1997, Pg13). While many people blame white

corporations (due to owning 75% of the Market) for taking over and

exploiting Rap, the independent labels which were independent and black

owned also exploited Artists through signing contracts. ‘Signing with a

black-owned Label did not guarantee that artists would receive fair and

respectful treatment’ (Forman, 2002, Pg110). Due to the costs of setting

up a record label and being able to gain distribution deals, the Hip Hop

32

community struggled to set up any major “real” independent labels (Def

Jam which is believed to be a “Real Hip Hop” label was owned by

Universal Music Group). This is how the Rap Industry took control over

the “Rap Game”, they had the money and the distribution deals, and were

focused on commercialising Rap to make money. The Hip Hop consumer

market was now made up of around 70% white people, and conscious

Rap was not popular with White people in the early 90’s. Instead they

were more interested in Rock-Rap and Gangsta Rap. The Rap industry

applied a ‘cookie cutter’ filter to signing new artists, where it was not so

much about how good the lyrics or “Flow” was but rather that they fit the

marketable image that would make money (Rose, 1994). In this sense the

Rap industry does nothing more than Pimp out Rappers to mainstream

commercial America, for money and with no care for Hip Hops origins or

it as an art form.

The Death of Conscious Rap and the Rise of Hip Pop

Nothing so disturbs the twisted labyrinths of white supremacy than black

creativity, artistry and productivity (Abu-Jamal, 2006, Pg25).With Black

consciousness rising comes Black empowerment, with Black

empowerment comes Black Success, and with Black Success comes

Black money. White corporations did not want to start losing money to

black corporations and as white corporations owned 75% of the market

they had the power to control who they let into the Rap Game. Gangsta

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Rap by 1996 was America’s favourite musical Genre (Forman, 2002) and

many Rap artists believed the only way ‘to blow up and be megastars is

by presenting themselves in a negative light’ (Chuck D, 1997, Pg3).

America loves the “Rags to Ritches” story, it is the American Dream.

America also loves guns and violence, as popular movies in the 80’s and

90’s proved like the Terminator, Scarface and the Godfather. Put Rags to

Ritches and Gangsters together, and you get Gangsta Rap an extremely

marketable genre.

Hip Hop nationalism is interchangeable with Hip Hop consciousness.

‘Hip Hop nationalism, like Black Nationalism generally, provides an

imaginative map and inspirational territory for African Americans who

wish to both end the institutionalized legacy of slavery and to create self-

sufficient organically based organizations’ (Decker, 1993, Pg55). Why is

Hip Hop consciousness important, because ‘Rap Music is a black cultural

expression that prioritises black voices from the margins of urban

America’ (Rose, 1994, Pg2). Although slavery ended in America in 1865,

segregation existed up until 1964. Furthermore since 1964 many black

communities have experienced forms of oppression through systematic

institutionalized racism, police brutality, poverty, crime and drugs (many

Hip Hop conspiracy theories claim the Reagan/ Bush presidency’s filled

the ghettos with Guns and Drugs as a form of social cleansing).

‘Conscious Rap engages in symbolic and ideological warfare with

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institutions and groups that symbolically, ideologically and materially

oppress African Americans. In this way, Rap music is a contemporary

stage for the theatre of the powerless’ (Rose, 1994, Pg101). Conscious

Rap is important for the black community, as it is a way of remembering

and spreading the history of African Americans. In contemporary

America the educational system teaches a ‘White-washed human history’

(Chuck D, 1997) and Rap is a way of breaking the false truths taught in

this system. ‘Conscious rappers not only uncover but update a recent

history of racial struggle for todays black youth who otherwise would

have no or little access to this empowering past’ (Decker, 1993, Pg55).

Conscious rappers in a sense are the purest form of the Hip Hop

community, they are not concerned with projecting a “Thug” image or

being “Filthy Rich”, instead they focus on raising consciousness of the

Hip Hop community, so it is not swallowed by the corporate greed of the

Rap industry.

The Rap industry made Gangsta Rap become so popular and mainstream

in the late 90’s, that conscious Rap hardly existed in commercial music

(radio and music charts) and was forced to the underground Rap Scene

(Ogbar, 2007, Pg39). The Rap industry was being controlled by mainly

white upper-class men, who had no interest in the roots, sound and image

of Hip Hop, but rather made rap music ‘into a corporate arena where

copyright, publishing, merchandising, touring, collection of royalties as

35

well as record sales constitute the bedrock for culling profit from musical

production’ (Basu, 2006, Pg40). This is considered to be the corporate

takeover of the Rap industry. Although the Rap industry which as I

discussed earlier, came from the exploitation of the Hip Hop Community

this was the early signs of the corporate takeover. During the “Golden

age” of Hip Hop, Rap was able to thrive with freedom on independent

labels or before the “Cookie Cutter” filter was applied to the Rap

industry. ‘Thus the framing of Hip Hop to the masses, of shaping its

cultural course and global imagery, is troublingly beholden to commercial

interests and professionals whose social perceptions and ethical codes

have an ignoble history of representing “Blackness” in the worst possible

ways’ (Basu, 2006, Pg40). With the Hip Hop community pushed to the

underground, the Rap Game was controlled by the Rap industry. The

music being produced is what I like to call (any many others in the Hip

Hop Community) Hip Pop as it is not “Real” Hip Hop music, but rather

music controlled by corporate companies who do not care about the

origins of Hip Hop, and would rather see their marketable popular money

making Cookie Cutter Hip Hop.

From Gangsta Rap to Thug-Life

By 1997 Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls were both dead, due to gun

crime. Gangsta Rap was the most popular music form, Gang Culture was

thriving and the Rap industry was making over an estimated billion

36

dollars a year, with multiple singles and albums going Gold or Platinum

(Forman, 2002). The “cookie cutter” filter ensured that only selective

artists would make it big, and make the Rap industry lots of money.

Conscious artists remained underground with very few getting

commercial exposure. ‘Gangsta Rappers fashioned stories about armed

conflict and going out in a blaze of glory, often conveying a sense of the

casualization of violence that would shock and excite both fans and

critics’ (Quinn, 2005, Pg55). Gangsta Rap started with groups like

N.W.A who were not promoting violence and gang life, but simply

‘voiced the experiences and desires of an oppressed community in a

period of economic transformation’ (Quinn, 2005, Pg11). To ‘Black

artists degrading and reducing Rap music to mainstream stereotypes of

hypersexual, bodacious, Gang-Banging, Hummer-riding, Gun-toting,

strip club going, rapacious and patriotic consumers of Big Brands and

Big Booties’(Basu, 2006, Pg41).

In 1989 when ‘Fuck the Police’ by NWA was released, the media

rejected the song, saying it was nothing more than criminal music that

promoted violence against the police. The media always attacked the

Ghettos but never looked at the root causes of issues in the Ghetto.

‘Movies like the Terminator that make millions at the box office

portraying fictional violence are deemed acceptable’ (Fernando, 1995,

Pg85) yet when a group from Compton release a song based on real

37

situations, which ‘Tapped into the hatred, fear and profound distrust of

the criminal justice system, arising from the lack of redress, everyday

experiences of intimidation, and profiling of Black youth’ (Quinn, 2005,

Pg54) it is rejected as nothing more than criminal music. Just as the social

conditions that gave birth to Hip Hop in the Bronx, similar conditions

gave birth to Gangsta Rap in Compton. Black youth in Compton ‘had

time on their hands, no money, and few legitimate prospects, some joined

street gangs; some participated in the burgeoning underground drug

economy; and some turned their energies to the local music scene’

(Quinn, 2005, Pg48). The media constantly attacked Gangsta Rap when it

was in its early days, and failed to recognise the conditions that gave birth

to Gangsta Rap. ‘The youth grew up in a milieu of dog eat dogism, of

Americas retreat from its promises, of Reganism, and white, right wing

resurgence. In that sense, raps harshness merely reflects a harsher reality

of lives lived amidst broken promises’ (Abu-Jamal, 2006, Pg23). It was

the social conditions that America had created that gave birth to the

“Gangsta” not African American youth being criminal minded as the

media liked to highlight. ‘The Ghetto Bad-man posture performance is a

protective shell against real unyielding and harsh social policies and

physical environments’ (Rose, 1994, Pg12).

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After the Corporate takeover of the Rap industry, ‘by the mid-1990s,

materialism, licentiousness, dumb misogyny, and black-on-black violence

had become the main themes of the genre’ (Cutler, 2014, Pg34). Gangsta

Rappers had to now prove ones “Realness” through how much of a “Bad-

Man” or how “Gangsta” they were. ‘Rappers celebrate thug behaviour as

an expression of their authenticity. Out of this thug appeal the celebration

of being a “Real Ni**a” has become common. In fact, Thug has become

synonymous with being a “Real Ni**a” (Ogbar, 2007, Pg49). In my

opinion the corporate takeover of the Rap industry has led to two crises

for young Black youth. Firstly, that to prove ones blackness or that they

are authentic they need to exhibit a thug-lifestyle to prove they are a

“Real Ni**a”. Whereas with conscious Rap there was no need to prove

your authenticness, as you was spreading conscious knowledge of

Blackness. Secondly I would like to highlight how the Rap industry

reinforced the stereotype along with the media that all young black men

are Thugs. ‘Visual and aural representations of Hip Hop play a prominent

role in shaping the publics imaginations and perceptions of black youth’

(Basu, 2006, Pg27). The Media’s negative focus on Gangsta Rap, has

collapsed categories of youths, class and race into one-profile that

portrays young black men as Thugs. The Rap industry makes millions of

dollars by promoting young black men as Thugs, and making it seem cool

to use crime to gain the American dream. Young black youth then see

39

these “idols” and mimic there behaviour, as because it is mainstream it is

considered popular. The media then blames black youths for the majority

of the crime and dubs ‘Hip Hop’ as thuggish, yet no blame to the Rap

industry is passed, yet they are making millions of dollars by only signing

Gangsta Rappers. ‘The media’s biased and unbalanced portrayal of black

images has helped create the impression that black people commit the

overwhelming majority of crime in America. But the cold, hard truth is

that if a person were to be raped, burglarized or car stolen, contrary to

popular before statistics prove that it would be a white perpetrator more

often than a black one. That’s not the perception you’d get living in

America. (Chuck D, 1997, Pg13).

Hip Hop a culture of no Race or Borders?

‘Raps about children, Music, People, like Races, getting together, Black

and White nothing separate, joining together, it doesn’t matter what

nationality you are, your together in Hip Hop’ (The Lowdown: Rapping,

1989). That’s a White British boy’s response when asked what Rap music

is in 1989. How is Rap music, which was born in the Bronx New York,

been able to spread globally and connect with youths worldwide? Due to

the word limit on this dissertation, I will focus briefly on how Hip Hop

Spread to three Groups;

1. British youth

2. Japanese youth

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3. American White youth

Firstly in England, Rap arrived in the early 80’s. It was taken too

instantly by British Black youth and White British working class youth

equally. ‘The essence of Hip Hop culture, directly bespeaks the white

British working class experience’ (Cutler, 2014, Pg37). In British

working class society, music has long linked the gap between Black and

White; with genres such as Reggae and Ska. Many young British (Black

and White) people identify with the struggles of African Americans and

see Hip Hop as a medium for expressing their own experiences with

marginalization (Bad means Good, 1987). Furthermore many British

youths seen Hip Hop as something they could call their own, and as a

way to express themselves through the different forms of Hip Hop. Most

British Rappers started off mimicking an American accent, however as

there confidence grew they embraced there British accent and used that

instead. British Hip Hop Culture thrived during the late 80’s and 90’s

with artists like London Posse, Blak Twang, Skinnyman and DJ Tim

Westwood. Since the late 90’s British Hip Hop culture has become a

completely underground movement (due to the emergence of Garage and

then Grime), however American Hip Hop still has much commercial

success in England.

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Hip Hop in Japan is quite unique to many other countries, in the sense

that Rap did not dominate, all four elements are equal in Japan. It was

actually the breakdancing in the movie Footloose from 1984 which

introduced Japan to Hip Hop (Condry, 2006). ‘When Breakdancing

appeared in Japan, the people initially influenced did not fully understand

the movement’s roots in New York City and African American Culture,

but they were nonetheless attracted by its newness (Condry, 2006, Pg63).

Many Japanese youths during the 80’s and 90’s felt like outsiders to their

own society and many felt like they could relate to the ‘Outsider-Style’ of

the south Bronx. Hip Hop gave many Japanese youth an identity and

‘many Japanese artists and fans of Hip Hop made an effort to learn about

Hip Hop History and its Relationship to Black Americans’ (Condry,

2006, P63). Through learning the origins of Hip Hop, Japanese artists

took a rebellious stance against the Japanese Government and society,

and used Rap as a critical way to put the views of Japanese youth across.

‘The Spread of Japanese Hip Hop is also leading to a deepening

appreciation of American Hip Hop, and it seems likely that one will not

replace the other, but that they will grow in popularity together’ (Condry,

2006, Pg33).

It is believed that 70% of the Hip Hop Consumer market in America, is

made up of White people. In America there are multiple reasons as to

why white youths from working class but mainly middle class families

42

get attached to Hip Hop Culture. Rap has had a ‘trickle up effect, from

the streets to the suburbs’ (Quinn, 2005, Pg9). As discussed earlier

America considers Violence and Rags to Ritches to be popular culture.

‘Gangsta Rap deals in fantasy and evil, constructing marketable stories

that tell as much about its white teen listeners desires as about its

practitioners’ (Baldwin, 1999, Pg132). Some suburban white teens

listened to Hip Hop as a fantasy to escape their normal lives, while others

used Hip Hop to understand the historical struggles of African Americans

and what it was like to be black in America (Cutler, 2014). Furthermore

other American white Teens use Hip Hop as a way to ‘Ethnically style’

(Cutler, 2014, Pg30) themselves, as they want the cool image of African

American rappers.

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Analysis

In this chapter I will critically analyse a verse of lyrics from six Rap

songs. The six songs shall be;

1. Boogie Down Productions- Who protects us from you (1989)

2. Eric B and Rakim- Juice (Know the Ledge) (1992)

3. Mos Def- Mathematics (1999)

4. 50 Cent- Heat (2003)

5. J.Cole- Crooked Smile (2013)

6. Desiigner- Panda (2015)

The purpose of this analysis is to show how Rap has changed over the

years and to analyse what the rap songs are about and the messages

behind them.

The first is by Boogie-Down Productions called ‘who protects us from

you’. The Song is from 1989 and is considered to be a part of the “Golden

Age of Hip Hop”.

Well, back in the days of Sherlock Holmes

A man was judged by a clue

Now he's judged by if he's Spanish,

Black, Italian or Jew

So do not kick my door down and tie me up

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While my wife cooks the stew (You're under arrest!)

Cos you were put here to protect us

But who protects us from you?

The lyrics are aimed at how ethnic minorities are treated and harassed by

the police, and it raises the critical question of who protects ethnic

minorities from police harassment. Krs-One the MC of Boogie-Down

Productions, shows clear rhyming skills and is highlighting a critical

issue in a story format. He also highlights how ethnic minorities are

assumed to be criminals in society.

The second song is by Eric B and Rakim called ‘Juice (Know the Ledge)’

and was released in 1992. Rakim is considered one of the greatest MC’s

of all time.

I'll chill like Pacino, kill like DeNiro

Black Gambino, die like a hero

Living on shaky grounds too close to the edge

Let's see if I know the ledge!

Shells lay around on the battleground

Dead bodies are found throughout the town

Tried to put shame in my game to make a name

I'm-a put it on a bullet, put it in your brain

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Rakim is known as one of the greatest MC’s for his hardcore style and

punchlines. His lyrics contain many references to mafia films, which

reverts back to America’s fascination with violence and crime.

Furthermore Rakim is giving a social commentary on the violence and

gun crime that is occurring in his city.

The Third song by Mos Def is ‘Mathematics’ released in 1999, this is

what some believe to be one of the last songs from the “Golden Age” of

Hip Hop. Furthermore Mos Def is regarded as one of the best conscious

rappers of all time (This is one of my favorite Rap songs).

Like I got, sixteen to thirty-two bars to rock it

But only 15% of profits, ever see my pockets like

Sixty-nine billion in the last twenty years

Spent on national defense but folks still live in fear like

Nearly half of America's largest cities is one-quarter black

That's why they gave Ricky Ross all the crack

Sixteen ounces to a pound, twenty more to a kilo

A five minute sentence hearing and you no longer free

40% of Americans own a cell phone

So they can hear, everything that you say when you ain't home

The lyrics in ‘Mathematics’ touch on multiple issues. Firstly on how

record label contracts take the majority of profit from Rappers. Secondly

how the government spends so much money on national defense, yet

46

crime and drugs still plague the majority of cities. Mos Def also implies

that it is the government who gave the drugs to communities, so that they

can lock young black men up in jail, he finally implies that the

government also spies on people through cell phones.

The Fourth song is ‘Heat’ by 50 Cent released in 2003. In my opinion 50

cent is the ideal rapper for the corporate Rap Industry, he was a former

street Hustler turned rapper and is the living proof of the American “Rags

to Ritches” Dream.

If there's beef cock it and dump it

The drama really means nothing to me

I'll ride by and blow ya brains out

There's no time to cock it, no way you can stop it

When niggas run up on you with them thangs out

I do what I gotta do, I don't care I if get caught

The DA can play this motherfucking tape in court

I'll kill you

I ain't playing, hear what I'm saying, homie, I ain't playing

Catch you slipping I'mma kill you

The lyrics in this song show clear signs of hyper-masculinity, Gun Crime

and no respect for the Law. All the lyrics are basically death threats, and

50 cent saying that he is the most Gangsta Rapper and he is not afraid to

47

kill. This song has almost no consciousness to it, and it is clearly a

product from the Rap Industry as it holds no values from Hip Hop’s

origins.

The Fifth song by J.Cole ‘Crooked Smile’ Released in 2013, is a sign of

conscious Hip Hop re-entering mainstream Music again. J.Cole is

considered to be one of the best modern conscious rappers, tackling many

issues of today’s society in his songs.

They tell me I should fix my grill, 'cause I got money now

I ain't gon' sit around and front like I ain't thought about it

A perfect smile is more appealing, but it's funny how

My shit is crooked - look at how far I done got without it!

I keep my twisted grill, just to show the kids it's real

We ain't picture perfect, but we worth the picture still

I got smart, I got rich, and I got bitches still

And they all look like my eyebrows; thick as hell

Love yourself, girl, or nobody will

J.Cole is tackling many anxieties and issues people face today about

being picture perfect, and that celebrities must look perfect because of

their success. He also addresses the issue of self-love, that people feel the

need to change themselves to impress others. He makes jokes and

personal references about himself, saying he has become successful even

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with flaws that stop him being considered picture perfect.

The Final song ‘Panda’ by Desiigner released in 2015, is apart of new

genre of Hip Hop, called Trap Music. Trap Music in my opinion is the

Rap Industry’s latest Cookie Cutter Filter, as Trap music is basically

about selling drugs to get rich (Trappin).

I got broads in Atlanta

Twisting dope, lean, and the Fanta

Credit cards and scammers

Hitting off licks in the bando

Black X6, Phantom

White X6 looks like a panda

Going out like I'm Montana

Hundred killers, hundred hammers

The Lyrics to Trap music is based on catchy repetitive hooks and uses

heavy street lingo. The lyrics build no real story or contain no

consciousness, the lyrics promote crime, violence and consumption of

high end luxury goods.

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Conclusion

This dissertation’s aim was to highlight how the corporate takeover of the

Rap industry, changed Hip Hop and the sociological effects this had on

Hip Hop Culture and Black Culture. By analysing credible secondary

data, I was able to gain an insight and multiple perspectives of Hip Hop

cultures birth, and rise and fall of the “Golden Age”. I highlighted

through many authors how corporations took over and exploited the Rap

industry and marginalised conscious Rap to the underground. I explained

in detail the importance of conscious Rap to Hip Hop Culture and Black

culture, and how conscious Rap is an important educational tool. I believe

I have sufficiently answered the three questions I aimed to answer in this

dissertation. I have gave a detailed explanation as to how Hip Hop was

turned into Hip Pop.

American Hip Hop has the power to unite people globally, and spread

knowledge of history, oppression, racism and can be used as an

educational tool. The issue is with the Rap industry, that is in control of

Hip Hop, the images Hip Hop are giving off are not what Real Hip Hop is

about. Hip Hop’s origins have been lost through the corporate takeover of

the Rap industry. Although conscious Hip Hop exists on an underground

level, the majority of mainstream Hip Hop is actually Hip Pop (as it is

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controlled by corporate industries who are interested in money over Hip

Hop culture) and is promoting false stereotypes of not only young

African American men, but also what Hip Hop is about. With Artists like

Kendrick Lamar and J.Cole gaining more and more commercial success, I

believe conscious Rap can return to the mainstream industry again.

However I do believe the rise in “Trap Music” the latest “Cookie Cutter”

filter by the Rap industry, is a plan to counter the return of conscious Rap.

I believe future research in the Field of Hip Hop Sociology, should look

at ‘Trap Music’ to confirm if it is another attempt by the Rap industry to

push conscious rap back to the underground.

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Bibliography

Abu-Jamal, M. (2006) ‘A Rap Thing’ in The Vinyl Ain’t Final: Hip Hop

and the Globalization of Black Popular Culture. Ed. By Basu, D,

Lemelle, S. London: Pluto Press.

Baldwin, D. (1999) ‘Black Empires, White Desires: The Spatial Politics

of Identity in the Age of Hip Hop’. Journal of Black Renaissance Noire

Vol 2 (2nd edition) 139- 159

Basu, D. (2006) ‘Hip Hop: Cultural Clout, Corporate Control, and the

Carceral Cast’ in The Vinyl Ain’t Final: Hip Hop and the Globalization

of Black Popular Culture. Ed. By Basu, D, Lemelle, S. London: Pluto

Press.

Boyd, T. (2003) The New H.N.I.C: The death of civil rights and the reign

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Chang, J. (2005) Can’t Stop Won’t Stop: A History of the Hip Hop

Generation. London: Ebury Press.

Chuck D. (1997) Fight the Power: Rap, Race and Reality. Edinburgh:

Payback Press.

Condry, I. (2006) Hip-Hop Japan: Rap and the Paths of Cultural

Globalization. California: Duke University Press.

Cutler, C. (2014) White Hip Hoppers, Language and Identity in Post

Modern America. Abingdon: Routledge.

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Decker, J. (1993) The State of Rap: Time and Place in Hip Hop

Nationalism. California: Duke University Press.

Fernando, S. (1995) The New Beats: Exploring the Music culture and

Attitudes of Hip-Hop. Edinburgh: Payback Press.

Forman, M. (2002) The Hood Comes First: Race, Space and Place in

Rap and Hip Hop. Middletown: Wesleyan University Press.

Muhammad, K. (2015) ‘Everyday People: Public Identities in

Contemporary Hip Hop Culture’. Journal of Social identities: Journal for

the study of Race, Nation and Culture Vol 21 425-443.

Ogbar, J. (2007) Hip-Hop Revolution: The Culture and Politics of Rap.

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Quinn, E. (2005) Nuthin’ but a “g” thang: The Culture and Commerce of

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Discography

50 Cent. (2003) Heat. California: Interscope Records

A Tribe Called Quest. (2016) We the People. New York: Epic Records.

Boogie Down Productions. (1989) who protects us from you. New York:

RCA Records.

Desiigner. (2015) Panda. New York: G.O.O.D Music.

Eric B, Rakim. (1992) Juice (Know the Ledge). New York: MCA

Records.

Fetty Wap. (2014) Trap Queen. New York: 300 Entertainment.

Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. (1982) the Message. New

Jersey: Sugarhill Records.

J. Cole, TLC. (2013) Crooked Smile. New York: Dreamville.

Kendrick Lamar. (2015) I. California: TOP DAWG ENT.

Mos Def. (1999) Mathematics. New York: Rawkus Records.

Rich Gang. (2014) Lifestyle. New Orleans: Cash Money Records.

Sugarhill Gang. (1979) Rapper’s Delight. New Jersey: Sugarhill Records.

N.W.A. (1988) Fuck the Police. Los Angeles: Ruthless Records.

Public Enemy. (1994) Thin Line between Law and Rape. New York: Def

Jam Recordings.

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Filmography

Bad Meaning Good (1987) Directed by Sue Davidson [FILM]. London:

BBC.

Hias74 (2014) KRS ONE on the difference between Rap and Hip Hop

(1993, Rap City). [YouTube Clip] Available at

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nd-JoUae8M (Accessed 5/01/2017)

Hip Hop Evolution (2016) Directed by Darby Wheeler [FILM].

California: Netflix.

Hip Hop World News (2016) Directed by Jaimie D’Cruz [FILM].

London: BBC.

The Lowdown: Rapping (1989) Directed by Frances Parker [FILM]

London: BBC.

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