Immortal Technique – “Dance with the Devil” Listening Description

Trevor Blanchard

Professor Armstrong

Rap & Society

The song “Dance with the Devil” by Immortal Technique contains a wide variety of musical elements that change throughout the progression of the song. The song begins with a piano that sounds pretty sorrowful. During this introduction to the song, there are also very faint drums and guitar chords that can be heard as well, but the piano is by far the most dominant and loudest layer. The piano and drums play for approximately 20 seconds before any more sounds are introduced. During this 20 seconds, the piano and drums loop twice meaning that each loop is roughly 10 seconds. Within this 10 second span, the spacing of the drum hits is fairly consistent. The hits are also relatively far apart and can be considered disjunct. The piano notes start off at a moderate pace and they are nearly an equal distance from one another. After the first few seconds, there is a brief pause or break in the piano notes. After the pause, the notes are played similar to the very beginning pace for another couple seconds. It is at about 5 seconds through the loop, or the midway point, that the notes begin to play faster, more closely together, and conjunctly. These notes are played in a rather quick succession for roughly 3 seconds before the notes slow down and become blended with the beginning of the next identical loop. There is no break in the music from one loop to another and the transition is very smooth. It is important to note that this first 20 seconds is a sample of the theme from “Love Story” by Henry Mancini and that the sample and original song both sound nearly identical during this entire span. While nothing is known about the meaning of the song at this point, the sampling choice was perfect as it sets the mood for the rest of the song. The piano utilized in the sample sounds graceful, but more significantly, it also captures the tragedy of both the love story in the movie “Love Story”, and the love story that is going to be told in “Dance with the Devil”. The love story in “Dance with the Devil” is tragic as the horrific actions and atrocities that are associated with the glorification, or love, of the gangster lifestyle are shown in powerful extremes.

At the 20 second mark, the song begins to change drastically. Both vocals and am extremely powerful, attention grabbing beat are introduced. Rapper Immortal Technique’s vocals are deep in pitch, dark, serious and embody the gritty nature of the song. The beat and vocals stand as nearly equals as the newest, most dominant layers in the song. The beat is played at a slightly faster pace than the piano and it remains at nearly a constant speed throughout the entire song. While there is the introduction of the vocals and beat, the piano and drums continue to follow the same 10 second loop as before. They are unchanged by the inclusion of other instruments, it is rather that the new instruments just add new levels of layering and complexity to the song.

It is about 85 seconds into the song before any new sounds are introduced. The first sound is difficult to describe, but the sound interjection is similar to the sound of shuffling a deck of cards. This lasts for only a few seconds before the songs second sample is featured. The sample uses the moans from the Lyn Collins song “Think (About It)”. In the context of “Dance with the Devil”, the moans sounds like a painful and sorrowful cry, but given the context of “Think (About It)”, the moans compliment the female empowerment portrayed in “Think (About It). While the two songs utilize the same sound in a very different way, they both use it effectively. Its use in “Dance with the Devil” could almost be used as the screams of the women who is sexually assaulted later on in the song.

At the two minute and thirty second mark, the piano and drums of the “Love Story” sample temporarily cease, and a string section takes their place. The string section uses higher pitch instruments such as the violin or viola. After about 30 seconds, the piano and drums are reintroduced and the string section subsides. Alongside with the reintroduction of the first sample, the second sample and card shuffling noises are also used again. Once again, the second sample is only used briefly, whereas the piano and drums of the first sample persist for much longer.

Around three minutes and thirty seconds in to the song there is a rare pause in the vocals, as the song transitions into a detailed story about the very specific events that occurred on the aforementioned night of the sexual assault. During the transition, the string section once again takes the place of the first sample loop. This time, the string section lasts for about 40 seconds before the piano comes in at the right time to sync up with the description of the horrible violent actions that were taking place in Immortal Technique’s story.

A little before the five minute mark, the third and final sample of the song is used. “Dance with the Devil” uses the vocals “I’m falling and I can’t turn back” of the song “Survival of the Fittest” by Mobb Deep. This sample is very fitting as both songs capture the inescapable repercussions of deviant gangster behavior. This sample also builds up to the surprising twist that the main character of Immortal Technique’s story, Billy Jacobs, unknowingly physically and sexually assaults his own mother.

The alternation of the first sample and the string section continues one last time at around five minutes and twenty seconds when Billy Jacobs fully realizes what is happening. This transition captures the surprise and disbelief that Billy Jacobs is experiencing.

The song concludes with 15 seconds of the beat, piano, and drums playing the same as before, but slowly fading out and becoming quieter until the point of silence and the songs conclusion.

The song “Dance with the Devil” is played in a common duple meter, as it has four beats per measure. The song is also played in consonant minor as there is consonance, or unity, amongst the sounds.

There are some elements of syncopation present between the vocals and the drums as there are accented notes that occur in between the main rhythms. None of the layers in the song serve a harmonic function, as the layers do not strive to compliment the melody.

According to Audiokeychain, the tempo of “Dance with the Devil” is 89 beats per minute.

Analysis of Literary and Poetic Devises in Immortal Technique – “Dance with the Devil”

Trevor Blanchard

Professor Armstrong

Rap & Society

Analysis of Literary and Poetic Devises in Immortal Technique – “Dance with the Devil”

The song “Dance with the Devil” by Immortal Technique uses various literary and poetic devices to convey the reality and dangers of the gangster illusion. The primary devices utilized in the song include imagery, allusion, alliteration, and point of view.

Imagery is possibly the most powerful device used throughout “Dance with the Devil”. Immortal Technique uses imagery to captivate the dark, graphic, and realistic actions and consequences associated with those who attempt to follow the gangster images portrayed in the mainstream hip-hop media.  “Dance with the Devil” is the story of the young gangster Billy Jacobs and imagery is used to convey the desires that he had which lead him on a destructive pathway. The line “He used to fuck movie stars and sniff coke in his dreams” demonstrates Jacobs yearning for the luxurious lifestyle of hyper-sexuality and drug use that he has seen through others and has begun to fantasize for himself. The escalation of his desire is further conveyed by imagery. Billy Jacobs was not content with small time hustling and this is evident by the line, “smoked until his eyes would bleed, but he was sick of selling trees and gave in to his greed.” This simple rhyme indicates how smoking so much that “his eyes would bleed” along with the petty crime of selling “trees”, slang for marijuana, was no longer enough for him to feel contempt. After giving into temptation, his egregious acts were emphasized and well described through the use of Immortal Technique’s powerful imagery that sticks with the listener. Once Billy Jacobs got to meet the real gangsters that exist in society, his reality would forever be changed. The dark picture that many face, but the media doesn’t portray, is painted through Immortal Technique’s story. Billy Jacobs and the gangsters he was with sought out and kidnapped a female in the dark, and Immortal Technique states, “The shirt covered her face, but she screamed and clawed. So Billy stomped on the bitch, ‘til he broken her jaw.” Gangsters are often portrayed as being so tough that they easily command the sexual attention of women, but this line shows how in actuality many gangsters take what they want by force, and that they don’t consider the lives of the innocent bystanders that they are severely harming. Initially, it appears that this song will follow suit of most hip-hop songs with the gangsters being rewarded for their crimes, but the twist in this song shows the harshest of consequences that one may face when they live a lifestyle of crime and disregard for anyone other than themselves. This is perfectly conveyed when the song and story’s twist is revealed, and Immortal technique provides all the details that allow the listener to visualize Jacob’s daunting realization while on the dark roof top that he dragged the women to. Immortal Technique rhymes, “Cocked the gat to her head, and pulled back the shirt cover, but what he saw made him start to cringe and stutter, ‘cause he was staring into the eyes of his own mother.” The listener likely feels chills as they realize with Billy Jacobs that he has committed one of the worst atrocities imaginable, raping one’s own mother. This connection is extremely powerful, as the progression of events is fully described, including all of the actions such as cringing and stuttering, and “staring into the eyes” that occurred that night. These visuals are sure to leave the listener as speechless as Billy Jacobs.

Immortal Technique uses several allusions to popular culture in order to help explain the corruptive and devious thoughts that circulated through Billy Jacobs’ brain. Immortal Technique explains that part of Jacob’s transition from small time drug dealing to crack cocaine was because of the influential movies that he had seen. Immortal Technique states, “Hit the jackpot and wanted to move up to cocaine, fulfilling the Scarface fantasy stuck in his brain”. While the movie Scarface does not have a positive ending, any listener familiar with the movie understands the literal and emotional highs that Tony Montana experienced, and the vast power he achieved that a vast majority of the population will never be able to even dream of. In essence, the Scarface reference is indicative of the original gangster illusion that has been shifting and changing into the illusion that exists in modern day.

Furthermore, Immortal Technique uses alliteration to show the realistic negative experiences the victims of gangster violence have that often do not sell, or are not told. One example of alliteration is featured in the line “When they were done and she was lying bloody, broken, and bruised, one of them niggas pulled out a brand new twenty-two”. The repetition of the b sounds in “bloody, broken and bruised” is not only appealing to the ear of the listener; it also shows the trauma that victims of gang violence are exposed to.

Lastly, the song uses varying points of views that add meaning to the song and differentiate it from a vast majority of songs within the rap genre. Immortal Technique often uses a third person point of view when describing Billy Jacobs troubled upbringing, but he jumps into the story in the first person to describe his personal relations with Jacobs or his thoughts about him. In addition, Immortal Technique will shift into the second person, often acting as if Jacobs and the listener is the same person, as to possibly give his advice to anyone who shares Jacobs’ mindset. At the beginning of the song, Immortal Technique describes Jacobs’ family in the third person and states, “Nigga never had a father and his mom was a fiend.” This unfortunate family upbringing begins to explain how one can feel unhappy with their present standing in life and look to outside sources, such as media that perpetuates the gangster illusion, as a means of greater satisfaction. Immortal Technique uses the first person to describe his problems with gangsters that don’t accept their own failures. Billy Jacobs sold out others in order to get a reduced sentence and Immortal Technique reflects on this in the first person by stating, “me and niggas like this have never been equal, I don’t project my insecurities on other people.” Finally, Immortal Technique advises the listener to avoid the temptations of the gangster lifestyle in the second person, as he believes that evil will follow someone after unrighteous actions, even if they face no other consequences. In reference to the devil, Immoral Technique declares, “He could be standing right next to you, and you wouldn’t know, the devil grows inside the hearts of the selfish and wicked.”

In conclusion, Immortal Technique’s use of literary and poetic devises reinforces the idea that the gangster lifestyle really is an illusion, and that its glamorization in media such as hip-hop is grossly misrepresentative of the harsh realities that actual gangsters face.

 

Review of Literature for Mos Def – “Mathematics”

Trevor Blanchard

Professor Armstrong

Rap & Society

April 3 2015

Review of Literature

            The references and sources that I have researched provide me with sufficient knowledge and information to analyze the relationships between the musical elements of the song “Mathematics” and it’s socially reflective lyrics. The sources contain useful material relating to the musical sounds of “Mathematics”, the varying ideologies within the rap genre, the relevant background of the rapper Mos Def, the literary elements present in the song, and the various instances of social consciousness that occur throughout the song. “Mathematics” shows little reservation in revealing and discussing the hot button issues that persisted throughout the 1990’s, and consequently my research has been heavily based around the social issues that Mos Def has made his mission to address. These issues primarily include racial inequality, inner city crime, and the ineptitude of government.

It is important to understand the background of Yessin Bey, “Mos Def”, in order to fully comprehend the context of “Mathematics” lyrics, and the qualification of Bey to rap about the social and political issues that he acknowledges throughout the song. One of my most insightful sources regarding this subject is a book written by Karen Duda that contains a collaboration of biographies about various artists, one of which being Mos Def. This biography includes details about Mos Def’s progression as an artist, and the impact that his upbringing has had on his musical style and ideology. For example, the source mentions the impact that his Muslim background has had on his social activism. Mos Def’s social activism is highly relevant to my analysis of “mathematics”, as social progression is one of the goals of the socially consciousness lyrics expressed in the song.

There are two main types of rap that exist within the rap genre. There is the reflective side of rap and gangsta rap. The journal “Social Context And Musical Content of Rap Music” illustrates the parts that composes a rap song and how the composition determines whether or not a song falls into either of these categories. The journal conveys that placement into one of these categories is highly influential to the reinforcement level of black masculinity and negative African American stereotypes in a particular rap song. This information has helped me to determine that the lyrical content of “mathematics” may be reflective and comment on these stereotypes, but that it views these associations as damaging and not as a source of pride or boasting.

The ideology of rap music is the focus of the article “A Beautiful Mind: Black Male Intellectual Identity and Hip-Hop Culture.” The article also defines what distinguishes Mos Def as being socially conscious, or a “knowledge producer”, opposed to being a stereotypical rapper that only appeals to the gangsta illusion. The source also evaluates the merit and adept writing style of Mos Def. Through this evaluation, the meaning and significance of the social commentary in “Mathematics” lyrics are broken down in each individual stanza. The source does a masterful job in not excluding any analysis of the key social issues that Mos Def raps about. Some of the issues that are broken down by the lyrical analysis include inadequate education, increased government tracking, growing incarceration rates, and poverty.

In the book Holler If You Hear Me: Searching for Tupac Shakur, Mos Def responds to the changing rap industry, and his label as a socially conscious rapper. Mos Def surprisingly devalues the label of “socially conscious” and he refutes that there should be a disconnection between him and other rappers that promote different lyrical content. The book conveys that Mos Def desires unity in rap music and that everything should not be limited to black or white. This philosophy is present in Mos Def’s lyrics, as he attempts to unify the listeners against the social injustices that we are all up against together. It is shown that Mos Def does not take up any issue with gangsta rap, he just does not wish for it to be all that is shown in the media.

While the rap industry has shifted to vastly showing gangsta rap over meaningful rap, the article “Hip-Hop Is For Everybody: Examining the Roots and Growth of Hip-Hop” reveals that Hip-Hop is becoming much more inclusive to people of all demographics and races. The article indicates that Mos Def believes that collectively “we are hip-hop” and that the problems within the rap industry do not revolve around the shift away from the reflective voice of oppressed minorities, but rather the problems stem from the pressures that rappers face to present a stereotypical image. Interesting enough, the article also covers the documentary Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes, in which the themes of black masculinity in hip-hop are addressed. Once again, “Mathematics” presents these stereotypes as a problem caused by external forces that must be overcome, not celebrated.

The article “Hip-Hop As Disaster Recovery In The Katrina Diaspora” covers the natural disaster of Hurricane Katrina, the government response, and the subsequent reaction of rappers to the government’s response efforts. Mos Def is one of the rappers listed in the article, and similar to many of the government criticisms prevalent in “Mathematics”, he vocalizes his frustration with government incompetence and discrimination. Furthermore, he states the ramifications that government actions have against minorities and the poor as he pursues the role as a truth-teller of social and political issues that he has maintained throughout his career.

The source “Political Rap: The Music Of Oppositional Resistance” focuses on the analytical themes that dominate rap music. There is a lot of overlap between these themes and the themes present in “Mathematics”.  This overlap includes criminal justice discrimination, racial genocide conspiracy, lost economic opportunities, educational bias, and police brutality. The article is also very thorough as it possesses many relevant statistics that support the article’s argument of rap music as a median to fight social issues. This information will be very useful in helping me to explain the resistant messages in “Mathematics”, as I will be able to support their existence with specific data and statistics.

The book 5 Grams: Crack Cocaine, Rap Music, And The War On Drugs, as the title suggests, discusses the connection between criminality, crack, and rap music. The source illustrates the inequality in the justice system as a result of biased drug sentencing based upon race and socioeconomic status. This information is relevant to my analysis of  “Mathematics”, as the song emphasizes the necessity that many impoverished persons feel to sell drugs to make a living, and consequently, the harsh and racially biased sentences that the dealers face when arrested.

The diversity of information provided by these sources enables me to give a well-rounded analysis of the sounds featured in “Mathematics” and how they complement and enhance the meanings found throughout the song. I now have a sufficient enough understanding of Mos Def’s background and intentions, the social issues addressed in the lyrics, and Mos Def’s ability to add meaning through literary devices for me to fully understand the necessary context and information required to grasp and discuss the density of the messages present in “Mathematics”.

 

Works Cited

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

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

Flores, Lucien J. “Hip-Hop Is For Everybody: Examining the Roots and Growth of Hip-Hop.” RSS Student Pulse, 2012 Web. 02n Apr. 2015.)

Jeffries, Michael P. “Contemporary Sociology 2 (2013): Academic OneFile. Web. 19 Mar. 2015.

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

Kish Zenia. “My FEMA People”: Hip-Hop AS Disaster Recovery In The Katrina Diaspora.” American Quarterly 61.3 (2009):671.Publisher Provided Full Text Searching File. Web. 03 Apr.2015

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

“Political Rap: The Music Of Oppositional Resistance. “Sociological Focus 39.2(2006): 133-143. SocINDEX with Full Text. Web. 19 Mar. 2015.

 

Relating Biggie Smalls “Ten Crack Commandments” to class discussion on black masculinity

Black masculinity is both socially and historically constructed. The continued oppression of African Americans is revealed by the often inferior education, unequal employment, and disparities in incarceration rates that they continue to be challenged with daily. These inequalities are heavily a byproduct of racial discrimination. This is shown by the drastic differences in unemployment and incarceration rates that remain existent, despite when all factors outside of race are accounted for as being equal. Many of the derogatory stereotypes that plague African Americans can be correlated with the social injustices that were previously listed. For example, the stereotype of laziness can be attributed to a high unemployment rate, and similarly, low intelligence can be linked with inadequate schools and education.

Regardless of the negative, brutish image portrayed of Africans and African Culture, ever since the era of Jim Crow, there has been a large white audience that has enjoyed witnessing the embodiment of African stereotypes for the purpose of humor. While thankfully not very many whites still go into black face to imitate African Americans, there is still a large demographic of white youth that attempt to copy the appearance of black stereotypes. While our society has moved away from the ridiculing of pickanninys and the Uncle Tom stereotypes, there is still an obsession with the black stereotypes commonly perpetuated by rappers. Many of these stereotypes can be classified under the portrayal of black masculinity in popular culture, or more specifically hip hop. The term black masculinity includes the perceived dominant image of African Americans as hypersexual, homophobic, violent, and criminals. The success of the rap song “ten crack commandments” by Biggie Smalls is indicative of the positive response that is frequently awarded to rappers that glorify African American stereotypes.

The song features rhymes that illustrate the glorification of black masculinity stereotypes such as criminal behavior, violence, homophobia, and the objectification of women. The basis of the song is about dealing crack, an epidemic during the 1990’s that often resulted in great wealth or harsh prison sentences for countless dealers. The existence of rap music in communities where drug dealing is more commonplace, in combination with the fact that rappers are predominantly black, has resulted in many people believing African Americans have a greater likelihood of being drug offenders than what exists in actuality. Songs like the “ten crack commandments” feed into this stereotype, as rappers who are public figures with proven influence are able to express pride in the drug dealing behavior that is collectively considered deviant by those of any race. Smalls raps, “Follow these rules you’ll have mad bread to break up.” Smalls supports the stereotype of criminality for African Americans by using the allure of wealth, “bread”, as a justification for breaking the law.

Smalls demonstrates blatant homophobia in one of the few instances he mentions sexuality. Smalls raps, “money and blood don’t mix like two dicks and no bitch.” This rhyme manages to promote both the stereotypes of homophobia and hyper-sexuality amongst African Americans simultaneously. The homophobia is more obvious as he clearly states two guys, “dicks”, don’t belong together unless a girl is present. This, however, suggests the promiscuity of having two guys, “dicks”, and one girl, “bitch” is perfectly fine and natural.

The only other time Smalls mentions sexuality is in reference to the sexual activity of an unknown woman. Small’s reinforces the stereotype that due to the barbaric sex drive that African American males are perceived to possess, black men only seek out women for the sexual pleasure that they can provide. Smalls supports the stereotype by rapping, “Heard she suck a good dick.” Smalls gives very little detail about this girl (she isn’t even named), but he makes sure that her sexual behavior is well known.

Biggie Smalls is never one to shy from sharing his violent past and intentions, and “the ten crack commandments” is certainly no exception. Once again, Biggie Smalls uses the desire to obtain money as the selling point for his actions. Smalls states, “I done squeezed mad clips at these cats for they bricks and chips.” Smalls glorifies that his violence is what has enabled him to become wealthy despite residing in the projects. Many believe that Small’s rhymes truthfully depict that the only way for black youth to escape the projects is by engaging in violence, drug dealing, or other unlawful behavior. This constant representation of the gangster image in only one light perpetuates the misinformed conceptions that this is the typical lifestyle of all African Americans.