Narrative storytelling is often associated with literature, but Murs’ song “Walk like Man” perfectly conveys how important effective storytelling can be in rap music as well. In this song, Murs tells the story of his friend who is shot and killed, and then how a year later he decides to exact revenge with a killing of his own. This song contemplates whether revenge, or whether more specifically violence, can be used a resolution to conflict and one’s own issues. Murs is able to show the temptations of revenge, and the unanticipated feelings of remorse through exceptional story telling. The progression of events in Murs story is logical, relatable, and leaves a gripping impact with the listener.

The relatability of “Walk like a Man” is what allows the listener to feel connected to the song, and to understand and not villainize Murs for his actions. Murder is a hard thing to justify, but Murs shows how the right circumstances can make it appear like the right thing to do. If Murs had started the song by talking about how he had simply killed someone, the listener probably would have placed a lot of negative judgement on him, and additionally they likely would not have wanted to hear out his entire story. Instead, Murs states in the beginning, “if shootin’ is the solution, then you’re not that clever”. This presents how Murs began with a clear mindset, one that the majority of a relatively peaceful society would agree with. Murs then reveals how extreme pressures can change a philosophy that one had deeply believed. This is expressed by the story of him and his friend driving around and trying to confront some girls. This scenario is pretty typical of any one in society and sets up for a believable twist. This is exactly what happens, as Murs and his friend are then confronted by a gangster and a violent escalation results in gun shots and the death of his friend. It is well known the power of losing someone close to you, and this is shown by the lyrics “I remember his face (the killers), but what I remember most, was when I got to my knees and held my nigga close”. These lyrics convey the powerful emotions of sadness that Murs experienced that made him crave vengeance so strongly. It is not unlikely to believe a listener would also want to exact revenge on someone who killed their friend if given the opportunity. Murs then effectively sets up this opportunity in his story. It is important to have a believable transition, or the message of the song will lose its significance as the story loses credibility. Murs adds believability to encountering the killer again by using a logical setting. Murs states how he was on the side of town that the killer was because he was meeting up with his friend Isaih, who also lives on that side of town. Here, it was by plausible chance that he saw the killer walking outside. After Murs was granted the perfect combination of desire for vengeance and opportunity, it is no surprise to the listener that he states, “I pressed the heat against his cheek, then I squeezed two times for the homie, rest in peace.” While the listener probably understands Murs’ vengeance for his friend as a justification for murder, Murs also appeals to those who disagree with the justification of murder under any circumstances by ending the song with the remorse that he feels after the fact. The song “Walk like a Man” is both powerful and able to convey its meaning due to Murs’ understanding of Narrative storytelling, and his ability to recognize the importance of using logical sequencing of events and relatability when telling a story.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.