Tricia Rose: Violenc Violence In Hip Hop

Discussion Assignment 4 The introduction shows that there is something deeper in hip hop other than diamond chains, nice cars, nine millimeter hand guns, and gang signs. Hip hop has roots that most MC’’s feel has strayed over the years. Not only has it strayed but original hip hop is not as popular as it once was. Hip hop has become a culture, that open doors of different avenues of artistry. Hip hop has done so much into emphasizing the importance of art and movement that there is a number of people that will keep us reminded what hip hop really was. These lyrical stories about “ghettos” and dope selling has become something praised about instead of rejected. The term “hip-hop is dead” has been circulating through the industry for years now. Big name rappers have said they are the ones to revive it, but according to Tricia Rose, they themselves are the intruders.
Violence in hip-hop became widely popular in the mid nineties.
i think what Rose was trying to emphasize is that music cannot directly be linked to the actions of listeners. though she does not agree with the message that these lyrics portray, to say that they are solely responsible for the actions of youths or weak minded individual is premature and very unlikely. Crack, war against police, drug trade a automatic weapons are major themes in a lot of big named artist in the industry today. rap has reached the point that its poetic roots has become so obsolete that mediocre lyrics can be a main stream heavy rotated song. what she is trying to stress however is that this is not hip-hop. people generalize and cannot comprehend that there are different genres inside its own genre. there is more unique music behind the glamour but the attention is only toward the most thuggish, richest, arrogant rappers instead of the smart, lyrical, socially conscious
rappers. Another problem with hip hop is the miscommunication between lyrics and they are interpreted. some of these rappers have been oppressed and put in poverty, some with only one parent in slums that are prone to violence because the environment the government has placed them. police are common themes and for some reason. it is not unlikely to hear that the police have been mistreating and abusing authority, especially towards minority youths. TuPac, N.W.A., beastie boys, ice t, all has their own version of rants against police. drug and police war were prominent as police cracked down on drug and hustlers are loosing there means of making a living. unfortunately there have been some “crooked” police officers who abuse their authority so much that instead of arresting law breakers, they use them and extort them for money.most of these songs are about experience that t\rappers have gone though and most of them are negative. expressing life in the ghetto is one thing, but hip hop should be about the come up from the ghetto. rappers are seen as ghetto thugs who lived a disfunctional life. the image of hip hop reflecting the image of people that surround that have nothing to do with its change. Rose is crying out for help. she is asking for the revival of hip hop as it once was. hip hop has a unique historical culture that is being washed away slowly. there are no more pioneers that are relevant. they are respected but not enough where entertainers wont stop destroying an art.