Works Cited

Duda, Karen E. “Mos Def: Current Biography 66.4 (2005) 38-44. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 23 Feb. 2015.

This source originates from the field of literature as it is a biography that is found in a book about influential persons. This book offers information on Mos Def’s diverse skill set, background, achievements, and the social consciousness of his music. As mathematics is a very socially conscious song, this information will be very useful for my project.

Dyson, Michael Eric. Holler If You Hear Me: Searching for Tupac Shakur. New York: Basic Civitas, 2001. Print.

This source originates from the field of music as it is found in the African American Music Reference archives. This source contains additional information on the social consciousness of Mos Def, but it also includes information on Mos Def’s perspective on how his music is perceived.

Jenkins, Toby S. “A Beautiful Mind: Black Male Intellectual Identity and Hip-Hop Culture.” Sage Publications, Nov. 2011. Web. 23 Feb. 2015.

This source originates from the field of music as it is found in Grove Music Online. This source focuses on the black identity in rap music, and Mos Def is one focus point. This source is useful for my project as much of the lyrics of “mathematics” discuss black culture, and are representative of the struggles of African American inner city life.

Lena, Jennifer C. “Social Context And Musical Content of Rap Music, 1979-1995” Social Forces 85.1 (2006) 479-495 MLA International Bibliography. Web. 23 Feb. 2015

This source originates from the field of literature as the genre is classified as Folk Literature on the Ebsco Host database. This song contains much information that is relevant to my project. The source does not focus on Mos Def, but it covers the different labels of music and how they represent varying ideologies. This is important as “mathematics” is indicative of the social commentary side of rap music, opposed to trying to profit off the image of the gangster illusion.

Nielson, Cynthia R. “Mos Def and Social “Mathematics” from the Remnants of the Ghetto: Giving the Numbers a Voice.” Mos Def and Social “Mathematics” from the Remnants of the Ghetto: Giving the Numbers a Voice. Percaritatem, 09 Aug. 2010. Web. 23 Feb. 2015.

This source originates from the field of literature as the article breaks down the literary elements of each individual stanza and then relates them to the social issues that are being discussed. This source is very useful for my project as it covers both the literary elements that compose the song and how they are significant to the message and delivery of the music.

Easybib.com was used to help with the formatting of these sources

I am analyzing a rap song created by a Youtube user. (riceboyliu) The song is probably not meant to be sold on albums, and it likely won’t bare any historical significance in the history of rap, but the lyrics and theme of the song could not be any more relevant to our class discussion on Friday. This entire song progresses through 12 different accents, and with striking resemblance to the Chappelle Show, it plays on stereotypes through both attire and lyrics.

In the introduction of the song, the rapper recognizes that all stereotypes are false and before making numerous stereotypical jokes, he ironically states that, “if this kid really traveled to those countries he’d realize that not all of those people act like that.” This statement represents how a stereotype cannot be well founded and that any one label cannot apply to an entire group of people because in any population there will be a large number of individuals which deviate from the stereotypes that we apply to them.

The song, much like the Chappelle clip that was featured, finds humor in the stereotypes that we can all almost instantly recognize. Stereotypes are so integrated into our culture that we rarely need to have them explained to us. For example, when the rapper impersonates a Japanese person, one can identify the stereotype before he even speaks due to his stereotypical appearance. Of course, not all Japanese people have that over the top style of moustache, constantly raise their eyebrows, and wear clothes that are representative of their culture, but those are some common stereotypes.

I think the lyrics “I can’t hear you over the sound of all this liberty” relates to the concept we discussed that many white people in America have the luxury, freedom, and ability to ignore or simply not understand the social problems that others face. This is because their privilege allows them to be mentally and physically distanced from the hardships that many face on a daily basis. It is easy to sit back and say we should help the American poor, and “poor countries”, but unless we familiarize ourselves with their situation on a more personal level and discover what is really happening, we cannot effectively solve or understand the problems of others.

The point of this song was meant to make one laugh from the humor of stereotypes, but listening to the song can help someone understand the abundance of stereotypes that exist and the funny, but often untrue and derogatory images that they portray of people from varying backgrounds.

I hope the bad language does not offend, here is a link to the song –  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYcjMEg1Pm8

The song “George Bush doesn’t Care about Black People” by The Legendary K.O. relates very closely to our class discussion on Friday. A large part of our class discussion included the government’s failed efforts to improve low quality and inferior inner city neighborhoods and communities for the benefit of the areas low income individuals. While the song focuses more on the failure to help the black poor specifically, the large community of the black poor in the inner city did similarly contain inferior infrastructure as well as represent the government’s failure to reduce the gap in class inequality. Also tying back to our class discussion, the concept we covered which states that too many African American’s moving into a neighborhood will often push many white home owners out might partially be able to explain how the sector became predominantly occupied by one race.

In class, we discussed how government spending on programs designed to improve neighborhoods often fails to actually benefit the poorer communities. This is not because the infrastructures never get improved, or because the value of the neighborhoods doesn’t rise. It is, however, the increased value and desire of others to live there that pushes the poor away. In essence, money is spent to improve the lives of the poor in inner cities, but the poor cannot afford the higher living rates that are a result of an improved community. Property, and rental rates are sure to rise in coincidence with neighborhood improvements, and schools and other public places may become privatized or more exclusive.

The frustration of The Legendary K.O. for the apparent prioritization of the rich and white is encompassed multiple times throughout the song. This clever play on a Kanye West sample reinforces their perception of inequality. “I ain’t sayin he a gold digger (when I’m in need), but he ain’t checkin for no broke niggas.” This verse illustrates that in their time of need; the African Americans of New Orleans were overlooked and went unsearched for.

Inner city crime was another point of discussion in class, and it is also another topic that The Legendary K.O. feels represents racial inequality. The song portrays a survivor doing what he must to keep his family alive by scavenging a store for food as any desperate person would, but the line; “the news said police shot a black man trying to loot” depicts that cops single out individuals based on race, are counterproductive, and excessively violent towards black people. The song implies that it is impossible to reach socioeconomic class equality when there is not a foundation of racial equality. Overall, both the song and our class discussion reveal how gaps in equality are not easily breached, and how ineffective financial planning, natural disasters, and racial inequality are all difficult obstacles to overcome.

Website Url – Source for lyrics – https://www.musixmatch.com/lyrics/The-Legendary-K-O/George-Bush-Doesn-t-Care-About-Black-People

The song “mathematics” by Mos Def is similar to most songs in rap, as it contains a variety of samples. According to whosampled.com, the song possesses a whopping 9 samples of previous songs. The song uses many of these samples to convey or further express the meaning of the lyrics in “mathematics”. For example, the line, “It’s 10 P.M. , where your seeds at? What’s the Deal?” alludes to the Wu-Tang Clan line, “It’s 10 o’clock, ho, where the fuck’s your seed at?” The reference could even be traced further back to a popular 1980’s public service announcement that asked, “It’s 10 P.M., do you know where your children are?” The reference is significant as it reinforces the idea that the streets aren’t safe, which is a large part of Mos Def’s social commentary on the difficulty of inner city life. This sample is also fits in very well with the previous line, “eight-year old’s getting found with 9 mils.” The first line paints a gruesome picture of the problems facing adolescents and the second line follows it by possibly making the listener think of the dangers their own children might be facing. The reference adds even further to the personal element as many listeners at the time of the song’s release were probably familiar with the 1980’s service announcement. The song also refers to the line”6 million ways to die” from the song “Serial Killa” by Snoop Dogg.  Mos Def expands on the line, writing, “Yo it’s 6 million ways to die, from the seven deadly thrills.” I believe this reference in combination with the reference to the seven deadly sins shows Mos Def’s perception of the dangers of  crime, and its strong temptations. This reference is also well placed as it surrounds lines of the song which talk about “MC’s murdered” and “Three strikes”(a term that describes 3 criminal offences that result in life in prison). Overall, the song “mathematics” is packed with social commentary, and the song uses samples to help support Mos Def’s perspective.

Sources

Shmoop Editorial Team. “Mathematics Lyrics.” Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 17 Feb. 2015.

The rap song “Mathematics” was released by Mos Def in 1999. The solo album’s track was a commercial hit that remains one of Mos Def’s signatures.

The dominant layers and instruments used include the rapper’s vocals, bass, drums, various samples, disk scratching, and heavily modified and edited guitar sounds. In the song, the guitar, a common chordophone instrument, plays a small role, but the effects makes it difficult to recognize the timbre of the instrument.

The song pays homage to many successful artists of multiple genres by combining samples of their music with original sounds and lyrics. The disk scratching sequence during the bridge features most of the song’s samples. During the samples, the vocals of numerous people are heard, but there is never any voice overlap.

The harmonic character is played in consonant major. There is unity amongst the sounds and the song does not showcase much dissonance. The rapper stands out as the loudest part of the song, but the bass is also relatively loud. The percussion is quieter and more subtle. The song frequently switches focus between sounds. The disk scratching, lead vocals, and sampled sounds all become the loudest parts of the songs at varying points.

In reference to the meter, the song is a common duple, and there are 4 beats per measure. According to the bpmdatabase, the tempo of “Mathematics” is 94 beats per minute. This speed is close to a majority of their songs, with 80 being in the lower range, and 120 beats per minute on the higher side of the spectrum. The different layers have conflicting rhythms, and syncopation occurs frequently in the song. The primary conflict is between the main beat, drums, and the rapper.

The drums, a common membranophone instrument, provide a rhythmic function throughout the song.  The layers of the song do not provide a harmonic function because there are limited pitches to harmonize with the melody. The guitar, bass, and samples serve an accompanimental function because they add more complexity to the song.

Within the lyrics, “Cha-pow, you dead now”, the “cha-pow” is accented, as it is spoken with more emphasis than the other lyrics. The pitch, however, stays relatively constant with the rest of the song. The rapper is fairly clear in his speech and does not slur heavily. Mos Def also tends to put a stronger emphasis on the pronunciation of the last word(s) in many of his rhymes like “cash cow”, “crack”, “die” and “9 mils”.

The song refrains from using the swing elements often associated with jazz. The song does not utilize unequal swung notes, and it eludes a jazz rhythmic feel.  Throughout the song, there is a call and response between different musicians or instruments. In segments that feature samples, the lyrics “its simple mathematics”, “check it out”, and “what are we talking about here” transition well and sequentially appear as possible responses to each other. These lyrics and rhythms can also be considered motives as they are repeated throughout the song.

“Mathematics” contains an introduction, two verses and two choruses. After the introduction is performed, the song alternates between verses and choruses. The melody of the song is simplistic as it is primarily spoken word and samples. Instead of having varied pitches throughout the melody, the melody becomes more interesting because of the timbre of Mos Def’s rapping. The contour is also relatively basic as there is not much activity that occurs in the melody of the song in terms of change in pitch. Consequently, the leaps in pitch are all fairly small. Due to the fact this is a rap song; the range in Mos Def’s performance is relatively small. There are simply not many very high or very low pitches in his rapping. Furthermore, there are very few interval changes throughout the song, and the ones that are present are small, and thus the melody can be classified as conjunct.

Website Sources

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/mosdef/mathematics.html

http://bpmdatabase.com/browse.php?artist=Mos+Def

My four line stanza rhymes in an A A B B pattern. The stanza contains an allusion to World War II, and the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima.

During the Hiroshima apocalypse,

A civilization was blown to bits

Destruction fueled by radiation,

A result of man’s creation

Almost every rap song is filled with poetic and literary devices, and “mathematics” by Mos Def is no exception. I was surprised by the large variety of rhyme styles and I had thought this song would predominantly use perfect rhymes.

The bar “He on the hill pumping krill to keep they belly filled” uses an imperfect, perfect, and masculine rhyme. The bar starts using a perfect rhyme, hill and krill, but then uses a masculine rhyme where only the beginning of filled and krill rhyme. This also makes the rhyme an imperfect, or half, rhyme.

The song also contains a multi-syllable rhyme. There are multiple syllables that rhyme between “poverty” and “economy” in the verse “Bubbling crack, jewel theft and robbery to combat poverty, and end up in the global jail economy”

“Mathematics” also uses the literary device of alliteration. The alliteration is featured in the “st” and “s” sounds in the line “Stiffer stipulations attached to each sentence”. I have personally found that alliteration makes songs more catchy, much like rhyme, and that it can be responsible for a song getting stuck in my head.

The website http://genius.com/Yasiin-bey-mathematics-lyrics was used to reference lyrics.

“The Next Movement” is a hip hop song that was released by The Roots in 1999.  The song was featured on their album “Things Fall Apart”. The song uses a variety of layers and instruments that include the rappers vocals, background vocals, drums, a clap, bass, and disk scratching. The song does not have a main melody line, instead the rapper’s vocals are more the main focus point of the song. The background  vocals fill space and utilize the accompaniment function. The disk scratching, drums, and clap assist with the rhythmic function as they help move the song forward. The song does not feature a call and response. The speed of the layers in the song is relatively slow and constant.

The song possesses a common duple meter. The motives that are repeated often include the lyrics, “We got the hot-hot music”, “The hot music”, and “it’s the next movement”. A disc scratching sequence is also often used multiple times throughout the song. I think the repetition helps illustrate the points the rap group is trying to convey with their music. The song has no swing elements and is played using straight quarter beats. The tempo is around 95 beats per minute. I believe there is syncopation created between the disk scratching and the main pulse of the song. Outside of the disk scratching. I could not find any other instances of syncopation. There is relatively simple rhythms in the bass line, drums, clap, and background vocal sections.

The harmonic character is played in consonant major because all of the sounds are unified. The rapper is the loudest part of the song, with the bass line following. The quietest part of the song is the background vocals. While the background vocals are not very loud, they add traces of a melody. The rapper speaks clearly throughout the song with minimal slurring. The rest of the instruments are played using short punchy notes.

While the song does not have a typical melodic line, the rapping is the closest equivalent.  Most of the rapping is done in spoken word outside of a few small interval changes. Consequently, the melodic range of the rapping is very small. The song begins with an introduction that leads into the chorus. The songs then alternates between verses and choruses. In total there are two verses and three choruses. The verses sound similar in terms of instrumentation but contain unique lyrics. The choruses appear to be the exact same.

Songs Sampled

1. Baby I’m a Want You – The Fatback Band

2. Funky Drummer – James Brown

3. C.R.E.A.M. – Wu-Tang Clan

4. On and On- Erykah Badu

5.  A Who Seh Me Dun –  Cutty Ranks

6. Criminology – Raekwan feat. Ghostface Killah

7. Body Rock – Mos Def feat. Q-Tip and Tash

8. John Blaze – Fat Joe and Big Pun feat. Jadakiss, Nas, and Raekwon

9. For All My Niggaz & Bitches – Snoop Dogg feat. Tha Dogg Pound, The Lady of Rage, and Lil 1/2 Dead

Works Cited

Burtle, Adam. “Radical Contextualization: An Anthropology of Mathematics.”Structural Violence. Structuralviolence, 13 Apr. 2013. Web. 01 Feb. 2015.

This article is very recent and it has strong analysis of the social meanings in Mos Def – Mathematics. The article uses quotes from individuals, and it also references the work of other authors while breaking down the song.

Nielson, Cynthia R. “Mos Def and Social “Mathematics” from the Remnants of the Ghetto: Giving the Numbers a Voice.” Mos Def and Social “Mathematics” from the Remnants of the Ghetto: Giving the Numbers a Voice. Percaritatem, 09 Aug. 2010. Web. 01 Feb. 2015.

This article was written in the last 5 years, cites various sources, and  provides detailed information that specifically relates to Mos Def, and the song “Mathematics”.

 Shmoop Editorial Team. “Mathematics Meaning.” Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 01 Feb. 2015.

This Article is reliable and contains good information, but it also has a few drawbacks. The content was published back in 2008, but the information provided is still relevant to today. The website predominantly uses the U.S. Census and individual’s quotes as sources of information. These are two great types of sources for the article, but more sources could have been used.

Steele, Chris. “How Does Yasiin Bey’s Mathematics Add Up Now.” » CounterPunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names. CounterPunch, 26 Feb. 2014. Web. 01 Feb. 2015.

This article uses a lot of facts to compare the social issues that inspired the song “Mathematics” and how relevant the issues are in modern day. The article was written within the last year, and it quotes information from a variety of sources, The articles largest flaw is that it doesn’t take itself extremely seriously, and that it occasionally mentions some facts that are hardly relevant to the song.

 Administrator. “Songs as Poetry: Hip-Hop, Meaning, and Mos Def’s ‘Mathematics'” The Philippine Online Chronicles. Philippine Online Chronicles, 13 May 2010. Web. 01 Feb. 2015.

This article is well written and it has a lot of good information, but it has one crucial flaw. The article cites sources whenever it borrows information, but the name of the author is not available. The ,website, however, still manages to have an insightful analysis of “Mathematics”.