Dr Boyce Craftman Analysis

English 101, Section LLC

December 11, 2013

Essay 3.2 (Hip hop) First Draft

Dr. Boyce Watkins debates with Michael Eric Dyson on whether or not hip hop artists should be held accountable for their words. Both off these men already know, all of the artist should be held accountable, however if we can put the artist to task to stop making that kind of idiotic music, will we have the power to stop that machine that has rob us blind but still put out recording artists slaves that get plenty but they are selfish and it good and bad to an extent? Dr. Watkins points out, that the fact of us and others being bombarded with these negative images of the young Black Male in the mass media, appears to be taking a heavy toll in terms of the self-image of far too many young Black people and in the way these young people are perceived in the minds of the
country, even the world, at large. Dr. Dyson on the other hand is quite right when he points out that Hip Hop is not the only source of this negativity. He also points out that much of this negativity began before the advent of Hip Hop. I personally find that the two men basically compliment one another’s view points to the extent that it feels more like a conversation than a debate. Anyway, both of the good Professors bring forth many important points and underline out many of the problems we are facing. Most of the points they bring out though, are not new to many of us, while they may be informative to some of the white students at Brown University. Our task at hand now, as before, is to come up with the solutions to these problems and nip in the bud, any further loss of the members of any of our future generations of young Black Americans. America has never and never could have existed without the African American contribution and it never will be able to. That goes for economic, military, cultural, moral and spiritual realms alike. The sooner we all, understand and operate from this premise the sooner we’ll be able to make this a place that works for everyone here.
I believe that certain rappers should take more responsibility for their controversial lyrics because what they say does influence the young people of the world in many different ways. In my paper I would like to use Tupac Amaru Shakur for example. Tupac Amaru Shakur, also known by his stage names 2Pac and briefly as Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor. Shakur has sold over 75 million albums worldwide as of 2010, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world. Most of Tupac's songs are about growing up in violence and hardship in ghettos, racism, other social problems and conflicts with other rappers during the East Coast-West Coast hip hop rivalry. Tupac became quite a sensation, earning praise for his musical and acting talent as well as condemnation for his explicit, violent lyrics. Tupac’s music shows that he was into violence and the typical gangster lifestyle.
Tupac Shakur was next to join Death Row Records after Executive Producer Suge Knight paid $1.4 million to bail him out of a New York prison in the mid-90s.
Immediately he got in the middle of an ongoing conflict between Death Row and the east-coast based Bad Boy record label. His track titled "Hit 'Em Up" was produced as a simple statement from Tupac and Death Row to Bad Boy. Before this release, Tupac was shot with five bullets and blamed the shooting on Bad Boy. Lyrics read: “Killing ain't fair but somebody got to do it...You'd better back the fuck up before you get smacked the fuck up...This is how we do it on our side. Any of you niggas from New York that want to bring it, bring it. But we ain't singin' we bringing drama. Fuck you and your motherfuckin mama.We gonna kill all you mother fucks...Well this is how we gonna do this...Fuck bad boy as a staff, record label, and as a motherfuckin crew. And if you wanna be down with Bad Boy, then fuck you too. All of you all motherfuckers fuck you, die slow motherfucker. My "44" makes sure all your all kids don't grow…West side 'til we die...Fuck 'em we Bad Boy
killin'.”
This song would make a young person think it is okay to have gang violence in order to receive respect from the people you want respect from. Instead of promoting gang violence he could have told them it wasn’t worth it. With the guidance of Suge Knight he was promoting the opposite of keeping the peace. The Executive Producer of Death Row Records was Suge Knight. Originally from the streets of Southern California, Knight believed that success stemmed from approval from within. Considering his home as the "ghetto," Knight stated: "The success comes from the streets. Before you can cross over and go to pop, the ghetto got to accept you first. Then you get kids in Utah saying everybody in Compton, Long Beach, and Watts is playing this and dancing to this. This is all right. So you gotta go with the ghetto first, period" (qtd. in MTV Productions). Knight's goal was to portray gangster life in the ghetto as the standard of life everywhere. He wanted to make everyone believe that the "hard-core gangsters in Southern California" have a good time listening, watching, and living this way, so we can too if we listen to the music and act like the stars in the music videos. However, music videos are not reality and the images of guns, sex, and violence that they contain do not lead to moral lives. When actions like the ones portrayed in the music and in the videos are carried out, there are huge consequences.
On the other hand, another song of Tupac Shakur’s showed a very different side of him and his music. The song was called “Dear Mama” dedicated to his mother Afeni Shakur, and basically to all mothers around the world. Tupac's song "Dear Mama" was released as the first single for his solo album Me against the World. It was quickly regarded as one of Tupac's best works and one of the best rap songs ever. "Dear Mama" has such emotional range beyond the genre that it was actually chosen to be preserved in the U.S. Library of Congress in 2009.
"Dear Mama" stands out as an example of Tupac's true artistry and willingness to address emotional issues that helps him stand out. Although Tupac's career was tragically brief and wrought with controversy regarding his "gangsta rap" image, he has become recognized as one of the greatest lyricists to ever rap and example of the genre's potential. "Dear Mama" was gritty and unflinching in its portrayal of Tupac's mother and her flaws, but it also recognized the difficulty of being a young single mother in her position. The song is especially unique because it places Tupac outside of the typical rapper image and exposes his vulnerability as a son. "Dear Mama" shows Tupac's emotional range and speaks to sons and mothers everywhere.
One moment this artist can talk about “We bad boy killin” and the next he shows appreciation to all mothers around the world. So do I think this artist should take more responsibility with his music? Yes, I do, because I feel as though if you are going to promote sex, gang violence, and killing you can’t turn around and promote respect for mothers over the world. As a famous rapper that people actually love, people will take what he says very seriously and think it’s cool to do. Then they will go because he said he appreciates his mother they’ll say “I appreciate my mother and dedicate Dear Mama to her”. Artist should be very careful as to what they say and how they say it, or don’t say it at all.
The reason as to why Tupac can be so different on two songs is because, the songs that Tupac wrote were primarily the way he felt about something going on in his life that had happened, or was happening. This artist was someone who would tell the truth and nothing but the truth and exactly how it was to the public eye. He wasn’t afraid to speak his mind and how he felt. You have a right to express your feelings as a human being. I think it is very important that people express themselves instead of holding everything inside. Music was genuinely Tupac’s way of self-expression.
With all that being said I have to agree with Dr. Boyce Watkins because I feel that children and young adult, and maybe even adults are absorbing what these rappers are saying. People are praising their music and embedding the lyrics in their minds to live with and act on in their everyday lives. As an artist that creates music for people to listen to and to love, the lyrics should be responsible and enlightening words not arrogant and disrespectful. There isn’t one person to blame for all rappers lyrics but what people need to understand is that this is an ongoing problem in the black community that needs to be changed.