Semester Ending Reflections-Part One

With all the news as of late about the validity of hip hop in college or university classrooms and indeed the all out assault on liberal studies, I thought I would share some semester ending reflections from my students in AAAS-4451, "The Rhetoric of Hip Hop" class offered through the African American Studies program at the University of Memphis
Enjoy


The Mis-education of Brittany NaShay Hill:
My Journey through the World of Hip Hop
by Brittany Hill

Noise. Meaningless. Absurd. Foolishness. If one asked me to define or describe hip hop about four months ago, then this may have been few of the many words they would have heard escape my lips. Yet, that was indeed almost four months ago…

When it came to hip hop, I would not say I was completely dumb on the whole subject. Yet, I was far from the hip hop mogul. I did dip and dab in the world of hip hop here and there. Mainly indulging in songs that played on the radio. Never did I use my own personal funds to contribute to hip hop sales. Never did I let my television rest on B.E.T. Never did I find myself lost in a piece of literature that revolved around the topic of hip hop. I just did not see how it could benefit me any nor how hip hop even related to my everyday living.

As I began reading the chapters in Jeff Chang’s Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop, I found there to be much more meaning behind this genre of music that I pushed all the way to the left a long time ago. From pioneers to places to politics, my mind was exploring and learning about hip hop on a level I never sought possible. I was beginning to understand its importance, its relevance, and its overall message. I began to see why it should stay and why it should be supported.

As I viewed the videos, lectures, and articles provided to me by Dr. Andre Johnson, I found terms related to hip hop that would have never occurred to me to be related. I saw individuals who found a passion in what the media sees as a setback. I was astonished and shocked at how big hip hop really is and how much it is greatly underestimated. I can honestly say I have done a complete 360 and have found a new interest in life. A life that involves hip hop.

Ask me to define and describe hip hop and I will simply respond… Art!!


“Hip Hop Artists Influence Politics”
Chandra Wiseman

Hip-hop artist have made significant strides in society as we know it today. Several hop-hop artists used a by any means necessary to get the attention of the media. Why? Many put forth efforts to assist lower income families and to speak out against racial profiling. In the late eighties and early nineties many cities where having issues with police brutality, racial profiling, wrongful use of force and many other issues concerning cruel, racial and in-human issues used by law-enforcement. Local government agencies and politicians were ignoring the issues. Something needed to happen and soon.
NWA, KRS One, Eazy E, and Sista Souljah were among many to take on the government and local law enforcement agencies. Putting together catching tunes with strong, harsh and cold facts was phenomenal. Songs like “Fuck the Police and “Express Yourself” not caught the attention of society, but; it caught the attention of the nation capital and law enforcement local law enforcement agencies. What had been happening as well as being ignored by many was soon to become known and slow down and come close to a halt. I think much of the controversy was well worth it. Hip-hop, though not considered as music was making a difference.

There are still many in society would deny that hip-hop is a valuable style of music, however; I would beg to differ. Hip-hop is not first choice of music, but; it has earned the rights and privileges of any other forms of music. It has caught the attention of much of society and made significant differences in the history of music. I have enjoyed learning where hip-hop derived from and the meaning that what was behind it. I will take the knowledge that I have obtained and share it with others.

Hip Hop as Culture
Chelsey Lyles

The thing I love about this class is that it is not just about the music, it’s about the whole culture that surrounds rap music. Rap is the music and hip-hop is the culture. This particularly hit me when I the read the last couple of chapters of Chang’s Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop it was all about the culture like the literature (Vibe and The Source) and the coming public entities like clothing liens from Jay-Z and the Sean (Puff Daddy/P. Diddy) Combs. It was more about public perception of hip than hip-hop itself. The end of the book was somewhat open. For example, there was the book that ended with a prayer about the state of hip-hop and its future. There is some debate on whether it’ll survive as a musical medium. I think it’ll last forever for several reasons. For one thing, the culture of hip-hop has immersed itself so completely in American mainstream that it would be impossible to disentangle them. Another thing that would make it impossible for the hip-hop to go away is that it has been legitimized. Rappers receive the Grammys, they are accepted a legitimate businessman, and even have relationships with politicians (Common and Jay-Z with President Obama). Rappers are not just the rappers, they are real people with real stories, even if some people would rather not hear them. I would be the last person to claim that the current state of hip-hop isn’t murky but there is something to be said for the music that transcends music and bleeds its way into almost everything we do. I’ve always loved hip-hop and I doubt it’s going to change but this class has taught me to view it from eyes that know its past, complete with the all of it deformities and sometimes raunchiness. This class has given me the real hip-hop and only reinforced the love for a music that I grew up with and love.

Bringing It All Together
by Jerrica Rucker

Hip Hop is arguably one of the most amazing phenomena ever to grace American history. A professor recently said that the beauty of the role that art plays in the lives of humans in spite of cultural differences. Hip Hop is an art form that has illustrated what African Americans can achieve collectively. The predominantly black generated culture left a footprint in the social dynamics of the American culture and can be—in my opinion—compared to other African American movements such as the Black Arts Movement and the Harlem Renaissance. It documents a period of growth and strength amongst the young black community that let outsiders know that they, too, can accomplish greatness.

The most notable or memorable statement made about hip hop this semester was the lecture that stated:
Historical perspective in African American discourse is used as a way to motivate audiences to look to their own culture for inspiration, wisdom, and strength in order to survive and grow in a racist America. Throughout history in America music has always been one of the few ways African Americans have been able to express themselves freely. It has been used to articulate their deepest and most enduring feelings and certainties. Some scholars have stated that it is in the secular song where the record of African American people’s consciousness can be found. Hip Hop is an extension of this legacy.
This, to me, sums up the gravity of the impact Hip hop made in the African American communities. This allows me to put the hip hop culture into the category with the black literary writers that have captured important aspects of the African American communities in a way that gave the world a genuine view into their lives while creating a sense of unity amongst fellow African Americans. Hip hop is an art that brought blacks together to produce positivity and unity. I am infatuated with the boost Hip Hop gave the morale of blacks across the nation.

I am walking away from this class equipped with the knowledge needed to continue my personal studies of the culture. After taking this class, I feel that I can now make more informed judgment calls about the current hip hop industry which will help me in my endeavors to become a hip hop blogger or—if I’m lucky—a writer for a magazine such as XXL. I have a more thorough appreciation for hip hop and the things it has accomplished since its birth.

Rachel Wacker


This week’s discussion question really made me pause and reflect. So many times a student we are in such a rush to complete all required assignments at the end of a semester that they never give much thought to what they have learned. I believe this to be one of the most influential classes in my time here at the University of Memphis because it has opened my eyes to a perspective that I have been lacking in my study of African Americans. To really understand a cultural trait, you must begin at the roots, and that is what this class has enabled me, the student, to be able to do. The gradual progression through the history of hip hop has led us to today.

The beginnings of hip hop are quite the antithesis of what the average person would believe it to be. What we know today as hip hop is a far cry from passionate representation of the struggles that were endured in war torn and politically corrupt countries. The evolvement of the genre has signified the changes in society and the altering of priorities for many. It is not until one takes the time to study the beginnings that one can truly appreciate the intent. This is by far the case of hip hop. I would not necessarily be drawn to the genre today, but have throughout the semester grown to admire and appreciate the historical factors pertaining to the early work of hip hop.

My personal favorite reading of the semester was the article “Sacred Cows Make great Hamburgers: the Rhetoric of Graffiti” by Frank J. D’Angelo. I actually printed this article and placed it in my files marked “teaching tools” to hopefully one day integrate into my English classroom. So many times students find the basic literary terminology boring and lacking relevance. This gives a new perspective on what some would call “archaic English.” There is no better way to teach than to use applicable and relevant knowledge as a format for learning.

I walk away from this class, and soon the University of Memphis with a greater appreciation of differences in others and a deeper respect for perspectives that vary from my own. Where some do not believe that a study of hip hop could advance my educational experience, I am evidence that they are wrong. I just read an article this week on about a university that is going to offer a class “Sociology of Hip Hop: Jay Z” and the professor that will be teaching the class explained it so well, “his class confronts topic present in any sociology course: racial and gender identity, sexuality, capitalism and economic inequality.” This class has also offered a great deal of knowledge in these areas that are applicable to everyone’s daily life. This has been a class that has dealt me a great dose of reality and I can’t say enough thanks.