The song “Mathematics” by Mos Def contains an abundance of musical elements that change throughout the progression of the song. The song begins with a distorted guitar sound. The sound is repeated at a rather quick rate, but once the bass and rap vocals are introduced, it begins to slow down and then longer bass notes are played. There is a break in the sound distortion in the middle of the songs primarily loop that lasts a few seconds before the distortion is reintroduced. In regards to the pitch of the chordophone instruments used, there is a strong contrast between the high pitch of the guitar sounds and the low pitch of the bass. In terms of tempo, the rapping is very slow in the beginning of the song, but it begins to increase at the start of the first verse. This occurs when Yasiin Bey begins to rap “Yo, check it one for Charlie Hustle, two for Steady Rock, Three for the fourth coming live, future shock.” During both verses of the song, there is roughly a 7 second loop that is repeated all the way through them. The drums are played steadily during these loops at a normal tempo, and they help to serve a rhythmic function. The loop begins with a few bass notes and after those have been played, there is roughly a one second break in the bass playing in which only the drums can be heard. Once the bass comes back in, a deeper longer note is played and then there is another quick break in the bass before a couple notes are played in quick succession. These notes are played very conjunctly and at a lower pitch. Directly after this quick note succession is when the guitar distortion sounds are reintroduced. This is the point in the loop in which there are the most instruments being utilized, and where there is the greatest number of instrument layers. The bass continues to play along with the distorted guitar sounds, but the notes are played farther apart, more disjunctly, and slower. It almost appears that the guitar distortion that ends the loop actually carries over to the beginning of the next loop for about a brief second.

Through the first verse, the articulation, dynamics and speed of the rapper are fairly consistent. One exception is around the one minute mark when Bey nearly shouts while rapping, “Cha-pow” during the rhyme, “cha-pow, who dead now.” “Cha-pow” is accented in this rhyme and it is said ferociously in a shout like manner in order to represent the theme of killing and violence existent in the lyrics.

There are also a few very subtle record scratches in the first verse. One record scratch interjects at 1:43 in the song after the guitar distortion at the end of the loop, but before the bass notes that begin the next cyclical notion.

The first chorus begins at around roughly 2 minutes and it is primarily features the samples from other artists, movies, and other forms of media. The samples, guitar, and bass used throughout the song offer an accompanimental function as they add complexity to the song. The chorus begins with record scratching that stops as “mighty Mos Def” is rapped. The record scratching then continues, but breaks yet again once the sample, “It’s simple mathematics” is played. There is then yet another very brief record scratching sequence before the sample “check it out” is introduced. Once again, the record scratching continues for a brief moment before the sample, “I revolve around science” is heard. After this sample, the sample of “what are we talking about here” is almost immediately played, without there being any record scratching in between. This sequence of rapping and samples is repeated before more samples are introduced. It is also of note that the loop from the song’s two verses is performed during this sequence. After the repeated sequence, the guitar distortion sounds become the emphasis of the song, and the sounds are played very conjunctly. These distorted sounds then continue to play in the background once new samples are introduced. The first sample is “do your math”, followed by a sample which counts “one, t-t-two, three, four”. That sample is immediately followed by the reused sample “what are we talking about here”, which effectively concludes the chorus. It can be stated that the chorus possesses a call and response because many of the lyrics and samples appear to be possible answers to each other. For example, the sample which contains counting could be a response to the sample stating “do your math”.

The second verse begins with Bey rapping “yo its one universal law, but two sides to every story.” This is similar to how the first verse began as they both start with Bey rapping alongside the start of the song’s primarily loop of instruments. The patterns of the verses in the songs are consistent and they both have minimal disruptions. While all of the rhymes and lyrics are different in the second verse, Bey retains a relatively consistent flow, pitch, and tempo all the way throughout the song. In other words, the range of pitch in Bey’s voice in the song is small. This is fairly typical of rappers in rap music as they frequently use spoken word and often do not attempt to jump from high to low, or high to low, as a singer in different genres might attempt to do.

The second chorus is identical to the first except there are extra sounds utilized at the end to conclude the song. After the part of the chorus that is identical to the first chorus, there is a brief moment where guitar distortion is heard. The distortion sound ends quickly, and right after a record scratching sequence begins. It lasts for approximately 5 seconds and it has a distinct sound from the other record scratching sequences that occur throughout the song. The song then finishes with the repetition of Bey rapping “mathematics”. Bey repeats “mathematics” at a consistent tempo, but it becomes quieter and fainter until the songs conclusion.

Overall, much like most rap songs, the song is played in a common duple meter. This simply means that there are 4 beats per measure. The song is also played in consonant major as there is consonance, or unity, amongst the sounds.

The song contains its fair share of syncopation as the different layers of instruments have conflicting rhythms. These primary conflicts exist between the pulse, drums, and the rapper. The layers do not serve much of a harmonic function because of the limited amount of pitches that are able to harmonize with the melody.

There is no consistent overpowering sound through the song, as the disk scratching, lead vocals, and sampled sounds all become the loudest parts of the songs at varying points. Despite this, the rapper stands out as being the loudest the most frequently, but the bass is not far behind. The drums stand out as being the most consistently quiet and subtle sounding instrument used throughout the song.

According to the bpmdatabase, the tempo of “Mathematics” is 94 beats per minute.

In relation to our class discussion on “blacking up”, I have found a  rap battle video that perfectly showcases what many conceive to be the “blacking up” of wealthy suburban white kids in modern day America. This rap battle is a great example because it features a group of what looks to be suburban white teens that just came home from boarding school to the hard streets of Beverley Hills Mansions Boulevard. In fact, Gabe Day, one of the “rappers” featured in the battle, is actually Gabe Day Lewis, the son of Daniel Day Lewis, who is an extremely successful actor that has an estimated net worth of fifty million dollars. While the viscous crew featured in the video has far from experienced the struggles of a hood upbringing similar to that of 50 cent or Tupac, it is evident in their rapping that they wish to emulate many aspects of the gangster, thug persona common to mainstream rap music. This desire exists despite the fact that the two teens are unable to hide their wealthy background while rapping. It is fairly comical how rhymes that reveal the luxurious lifestyle of these privileged kids are mixed with rhymes that follow suit of the violent, hyper-sexualized, homophobic themes that are commonplace in modern rap battles and rap music. Furthermore, the lack of a struggle of these teens shows how they attempt to share, or in the perspective of many critics of the “blacking up” trend, steal the oppressed, poor and rebellious inner city African American culture that is responsible for the creation of rap.

The rap begins with Day’s friend, or rapping rival, insulting Day’s masculinity. He states that Day is “such a bitch, look here, his water just broke.” In rap music, it is common for rappers to criticize each other by stating that the other person has female like qualities, and to declare or imply that these qualities are a sign of weakness. Day’s friend was likely copying what he has heard on rap tracks in which I presume were played on $1,000.00 speakers.

During the rap battle, the toughness of the two rappers also becomes an attacking point. Day’s friend raps, “I’ve seen you in the gym, 2 2.2s is what he presses.” This criticism may not be all that clever, but in the rap industry, flexing your muscles can help sell records and winning fist fights is one way to build “street cred”. Therefore, it is not unusual for a rapper to call out another rapper’s physical weakness to get underneath their skin and to hit them where it hurts during a battle. Later in the song, Day’s friend even directly uses the physical threat, “I’ll put you in crutches.” This violence is most frequently portrayed in rap music as taking place in an impoverished area in which African Americans predominately occupy.

One other common point of criticism of a rap opponent is to insult their sexuality. Day raps, “You told me to take a leaf out of your book and suck a dick, fucking queer.” After being called a homosexual, Day’s friend responds by calling out Day’s lack of sexual promiscuity, a concept that is constantly glorified in Rap music. Day’s friend raps, “You haven’t lost your virginity.”

It is during rhyming about drug use that Day’s friend reveals the wealthy distinctions that separate him from the poor drug users that in part make up the inner city ghetto communities that inspired hip hop. This disconnection is shown as he raps about Day’s powder cocaine use, a drug that is often too expensive to be trafficked in poorer neighborhoods. He states, “This guy thinks he’s cool because he sniffs coke.” Rappers may talk about using cocaine when they’ve made it big, but crack use and crack dealing is more often brought up when rappers, mainly African American, speak of their past struggles. Once again, these are the struggles that inspired hip hop, not the cocaine use of wealthy white suburban kids.

The awkwardness of the video finally comes to an end when the Rap battle concludes with the memorable rhyme “I’m sorry man, but for this rap shit I’d say you’re a pass, but for now brah, I’ve got to go to class” This ending is of course how the likes of Eminem, Biggie Smalls, and Snoop Dogg all finish their rap songs, by showing the importance of school attendance. These kids might only be rapping to pass time, but the enjoyment and enthusiasm of the rappers and spectators shows how white teens who can’t really relate to many of the gangster themes in rap music will happily pretend and fake it, poorly albeit, for entertainment, to imitate idols, or to feel cool.

URL Link to video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYmBnE84qP0

For some background information on the subject I also used this source URL Link – http://theboombox.com/gabe-day-rappers-born-rich/

Privilege is the special treatment, rights, or benefits of an individual or group. Privilege is abundant in society, and it is statistically shown that some groups or types of individuals receive special treatment for little to no reason other than an unearned characteristic that they possess. Privilege exists in almost all aspects of society and it is inescapable. For example, economically, in America, it is shown that white persons, or even those who have the appearance of being white based upon a white sounding name, can receive preferential hiring or interview callbacks opposed to various other races after a resume submission.  This white privilege, and its existence in the form of rap music and culture is discussed in the hip hop group Macklemore’s song “white privilege”.

There has been a recent shift in the emergence of white rappers opposed to black, and Macklemore has had little fear in expressing their thoughts on what it means and the implications. Macklemore first acknowledges this shift with the lyrics, “When I take a step to the mic is hip hop closer to the end? ’Cause when I go to shows the majority have white skin”. This line introduces the idea that Macklemore is trying to convey in which white people have used their advantages to steal black culture, and to mainstream rap music to be more inclusive and suited to the interests of white people. This is represented by the fact that the rap group’s lead rapper is white and has himself stepped on to the scene and found great success without identifying with the traditions of conventional hip hop. Furthermore, the audience and fan bases who appreciate the artistry of rap are also growing vastly in numbers with many of them similarly being unfamiliar with much of hip hop’s roots.

In Macklemore’s perspective, the problems created by the mass inclusion of white rappers and fan bases are the loss of black culture in rap, and the fading out of rap’s initial foundation as the voice of inner city black youth’s rebellion against societal norms and the struggle of trying to overcome the obstacles put in front of them by those in power. Macklemore explains that this new wave of white people simply cannot understand or relate to the culture which created rap by stating, “I give everything I have when I write a rhyme, but that doesn’t change that this culture’s not mine.” Macklemore shows that this is not a question of effort or becoming more informed, but that one cannot identify as something without ever actually being a part of it. This is further illustrated by the lyrics, “Hip hop started off in a block that I’ve never been to, to counter act a struggle that I’ve never been through.”  Macklemore reiterates that because of the white privilege he has experienced, he is far distanced from experiencing the gritty, arduous lifestyle that inspired the beginnings of rap.

The privilege that one experiences will change their level of success and course in life, and Macklemore explains what his privilege has meant for him. In the lyrics, “Blessed with the privilege that my parents could send me to college, now who’s going to show the kids on the block starving”, Macklemore reveals the options that he has been given because he was born into fortunate circumstances that are a result of none of his own doing. It is because of these options he has had that he states, “Now I don’t rap about guns so they label me conscious, but I don’t rap about guns cause I wasn’t forced in to the projects.” These lyrics convey how the rapper isn’t criticized for contributing to the gangster illusion, but that is simply because he never experienced or was even surrounded by the gangster reality. This once again shows the impact that privilege can have, and also how one can often be blamed for their actions which might largely be due to a lack of privilege.

Privilege is not the only determinant of success, but it plays an undeniably large role in modern day society. Privilege can often be the advantage that propels one to success, but it can also be the disadvantage that pushes one down towards failure. Privilege will not disappear any time soon, but by understanding the privilege that we all have been given, or not given, we can begin to strive towards equality and stop oppressing individuals based upon their trivial characteristics.

“Mathematics” by Mos Def is similar to many rap songs in that it is rich with poetic and literary devices. The song begins “Booka-booka-booka-booka-booka” and the line does not possess much beyond just the repetition of the sound “booka”. These sounds then lead into a double rhyme, end rhyme, and an internal rhyme. The song states, “Beats by Su-Primo, for all of my peoples, Negroes and Latinos and even the gringos.” These rhymes are followed by an allusion and shout out to a fellow rapper’s album E-40. Yasiin Bey (Mos Def) rhymes, “Yo, check it one for Charlie Hustle, two for Steady Rock, Three for the fourth comin live, future shock.”

Yasiin Bey often uses exaggeration to prove a point. In the rhyme “Seven firmaments of heaven to hell, 8 million stories to tell”, Bey uses hyperbole to convey that there is a lot for him to say, even if there are not quite 8 million stories to tell. Later in the song, Bey twists the word length to rhyme with tenth in the bar “with the probable tenth, the universe expands length” to form a bend rhyme. The song begins to convey strong imagery when Bey raps, “My ink so hot it burn through the journal” The visual portrayed is also a hyperbole as Bey’s ink is probably just room temperature. Bey then one ups himself, as in the proceeding bar, “I’m blacker than midnight on Broadway and Myrtle” he uses hyperbole, imagery, and a double rhyme. The “blacker than midnight” both creates a clear picture for the listener and is an exaggeration. The double rhyme exists because the two syllables of both journal and myrtle rhyme with each other.

Bey once again presents imagery when the song continues “Hip-Hop past all your tall social hurdles” While the song does refer to any physical hurdles, the usage of the word hip-hop and the association of hurdles with jumping still creates the visual of someone hopping over a hurdle. There is also an internal rhyme between “all” and “tall” within the line. The next line “like the nationwide projects, prison-industry complex” contains a simple rhyme, assonance, and consonance. The “pr” sound of “projects” and “prison” is representative of the consonance, whereas the “ects” and “ex” sounds of “projects” and “complex” are indicative of assonance.

The song first uses a double entendre in the line “Broken glass wall, better keep your alarm set.” A Broken glass wall is the literal interpretation, but the glass wall effect is a second interpretation that refers to a barrier that prevents women or minorities from reaching a job with a promotional latter. Another double entendre is featured short after in the verse. When Bey raps, “say evacuate your sleep, it’s dangerous to dream”, dreaming can be interpreted as both the physical act of dreaming and the desire to achieve ones boldest ambitions.

The following line in which Bey raps “But you chain cats get they CHA-POW, who dead now” utilizes simple rhyme, alliteration, and onomatopoeia. The repetition of the C sound in “chains”, “cats”, and “CHA-POW” create the alliteration, and “CHA-POW” is an example of onomatopoeia because the action is read as it sounds.

Later in the song, Bey makes an allusion to the infamous crack dealer Rick Ross when he references him in the line “Nearly half of America’s largest cities is one-quarter black, That’s why they gave Ricky Ross all the crack” Bey is able to better put his spin on the crack epidemic of the 1990’s by referring to one of the most well-known drug dealers throughout history. Bey once again uses allusion to prove a point in the line “I guess, Michael Jackson was right, You Are Not Alone.” This time he uses the pop culture icon Michael Jackson to grab the reader’s attention and to further demonstrate his arguments.

The bar “Full of hard niggas, large niggas, dice tumblers, Young teens and prison greens facing life numbers” contains two internal rhymes and assonance. The “ar” sound used in both “hard” and “large” creates assonance. The rhyming of both of these words in the middle of the line creates an internal rhyme. The rhyming of “teens” and “greens” is the second internal rhyme that takes place in the bar.

The song features a double rhyme in the line “Crack mothers, crack babies and AIDS patients, Young bloods can’t spell but they could rock you in Playstation.” This line is also when Bey shifts to more frequently using the second person.

In the chorus, the line “one t-t-two three four” contains consonance. It is surprisingly the disk scratching that creates the repetition of the “t” sound. Also in the chorus, the sample that states “do your math” is said twice in succession and thus is the literary device of repetition. Repetition is used once again in the next verse when Bey raps, “Four MC’s murdered in the last four years, I ain’t trying to be the fifth one” This time, repetition comes forth as the product of using the number four to describe the amount of MC’s murdered and then using four a second time to state how many years have passed since the beginning of the murders.

Bey alludes to an old public service announcement when he asks, “It’s 10 P.M., Where your seeds at?” In the following bar, “he on the hill puffing krill to keep they belly filled” an internal and end rhyme are used. The rhyming of “hill” and “krill” represent the internal rhyme, where the rhyming of “hill” and “filled”, which is at the end of the bar, demonstrates the end rhyme. The next line, “Light in the ass with heavy steel, sights on the pretty shit in life” uses alliteration as “steel” ,“sights”, and “shit” all begin with the letter s and are in close proximity to each other.

Bey does not stand out from many rappers in that he also uses slang terminology frequently. In the line “You best believe you gotta find a new ground to get cream”, the term cream is slang for money, and the meaning Bey is trying to convey can be lost if one is unfamiliar with the slang term.

There is one last double entendre near the conclusion of the song. In the bar, “Numbers is hardly real and they never have feelings. But you push too hard, even numbers got limits” it is known that numbers have mathematical limits, but Bey is also stating that people who are considered numbers have a tipping point, or limit, as well.

Bey uses the literary device of cliché when he references a commonly used saying by inquiring, “Why did one straw break the camel’s back?” The use of cliché by Bey can create a feeling of familiarity with the listener as this expression is probably something that they have heard before. The final verse of the song concludes with the double rhyme of “secret” and “underneath it”, in the line, “Here’s the secret: The million other straws underneath it, it’s all mathematics”

The song “Marshall Mathers” by Eminem relates very closely to our class discussion on gender roles and gender stereotypes. The song reiterates the reoccurring theme in rap of the importance of toughness and heterosexuality for men, and the association of the term “bitch” with women.

Eminem, also known as Slim Shady, is not a very large person. He may not be in poor physical condition, but despite not having large muscles, he supports that violence and strength are stereotypes which are often associated with men in everyday society. Eminem expresses his “beef” with many other people in this song, and he continuously begs for the opportunity of a violent encounter. He stated, “I’ll knock you fuckin faggots the fuck out. Ask ‘em about the club they was at when they snuck out…” He portrays the men who fled when they sensed forthcoming violence as cowardice and weak. While everyone has different perspectives on how to deal with conflict, it is still often expected for many men in our society to stand up to their fears by fighting each other, where as it is expected for women to passively work things out.

I don’t consider Eminem to be a homophobic person, or someone who discriminates based upon sexuality, but I can understand how one could view his language as being conflicting with my beliefs. Eminem uses many terms considered to be derogatory to homosexuals, and he often uses the feminine actions of men as a point of criticism. I believe he uses these terms to vent his frustrations against specific persons and not as a stab at the entire gay community. However, the line “Slim Anus, you damn right, Slim Anus, I don’t get fucked in mine like you two little flaming faggots!” appears to be a direct jab at these persons specifically due to their alleged sexual actions.  I think this shows the adversity that people can go through based or whether or not they carry out a heterosexual appearance, and how any sexual orientation that deviates from the norm is considered to be inferior or a weakness.

The term “bitch” often seems to be linked strictly to the behavior of females. While there is no set definition in place for what makes us label women as bitchy, the label is frequently given based upon a variety of things relating to women. Women can be called a bitch based upon their posture, the tone of their voice, their actions, or just their facial expressions. While men are not excluded from being completely similar to women in any of these regards, they seldom receive this label. A man may even be considered assertive or a good leader for behaving in the same way that gets a woman called bossy or a bitch. Eminem calls women bitches seemingly without much consideration, as if the terms were interchangeable. I believe that when Eminem asks, “which is it bitch, Mrs. Briggs or Ms. Mathers” the listener feels more opposed to Eminem’s mother because of a label that she receives for being a disliked female. After viewing the pictures brought in class on the day of discussion, I find it to be very similar to the song that the women who appeared to be less friendly were also described as bitches.

The song “Modern Day Slavery” by Joell Ortiz featuring Immortal Technique and DJ GIJOE reflects upon the parallelisms of past American Slavery and the slave like lifestyle that is common in present day America. The song claims that slavery and other types of discrimination are still existent, and that they have only experienced a change in form. This is evident by the lyrics “aint nothing changed except the chains that restraining our physical frame.” These lyrics allude to the past barriers of chains that physically restrained slaves and they also state how slavery remains present in more than just directly visible ways.

Joell Ortiz declares that “mentally we still living the same”. This relates to our class discussion on Wednesday as we considered the persistency of discrimination through early slavery, the progressive era, and up through the civil rights era and beyond. We discussed how people continued to justify discrimination and slavery even though other surrounding circumstances were changing rapidly and many of the arguments seemed illogical. The song describes how those with power are still oppressing minorities and it also contemplates how atrocities are being understated and declared unproblematic. The lyrics “Cuz cops hate blacks, and Hispanics they draw gats” show the unjustified violence that countless minorities have been unable to escape. The song also illustrates how those with authority can make claims against minorities without having to deal with any of theconsequences. The lyrics contain much relevance to the recent Treyvon Martin case, and“I don’t see how a wallet can be mistaken for a cannon, so please don’t let em play us no more” illustrate the egregious errors in judgment that the police can make which leave minorities feeling taken advantage of. The song shows how it is normal in both past and present, for minorities to be discriminated against, and then for the discriminator to be unprosecuted or even supported.

The lyrics “we pay the devil rent for living in hell” are used to represent the oppressive capitalistic nature of America that leaves many paying for poor treatment. This relates historically to the treatment of slaves, and even the free African Americans in the 18th and 19th century. Slaves and free African Americans would be told that they could work for their freedom, but in actuality would only be the victims of white’s manipulation. It was often true that no matter how hard a slave, or free sharecropper worked, that because of the white land owner’s math, they would perpetually end up in the red.

The song “modern day slavery” and our class discussion both explain the lingering and consistent effects of discrimination and the desire for those in power to justify their oppression of those who are considered inferior.

Source of lyricsWebsite URL – http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/joellortiz/moderndayslavery.html