you go boy with proving that hiphop is a substantial and very real reflection of literature!

these points:




Some critics often
>attempt to nullify its (HIPHOPS) validity as a literary genre by simply
>pointing out and dissecting a more well known offspring of hip
>hop: mainstream rap.

yes, i agree! & i believe that white america does this shit on purpose.. allows for the BS to be mainsteamed with intentions that it will keep a majority of black america subject to the lifestyle of most mainstream hiphop & keep people confined to that
but I have seen some changes (maybe kanye slipped some in)
BUT still not enough!




Others who are more aware of the
>distinctive difference between that and its simulacrum are
>less distracted by this illusion and seek to judge hip hop
>based on its own literary quality or lack thereof.

Right- and that needs to be mainstreamed
thought=provoking-conscious stuff

If one is to
>judge hip-hop based strictly upon lyrical content in
>comparison to most widely accepted literature, he would have
>to conclude that hip-hop is indeed a literary medium.

Damn right!


then u broke ir down: like by EACH TYPE of hiphop listener

never seen that before... an actual LABEL OF EACH TYPE OF LISTENER
but i feel u


At the end of the day, what
>is and what isn’t literature is based upon a group of widely
>accepted specifics and perceived absolutes. The differences
>in accepted literary critiques are the embodiment of an
>on-going battle to define what literature is.
> In hip hop music, a similar struggle exists as well. In this
>clash, there is the strictly aesthetically inclined MC whose
>sole goal is to prove his lyrical dominance by using an array
>of metaphors and similes to proclaim his greatness standing,
>in contrast to, the social awareness MC whose main intent is
>to expose all this listeners to the trials and tribulations of
>urban American society. Perhaps it is the avid listeners of
>hip-hop who butt heads upon what the idea of an MC should be
>more so than the actual artist. If you log into various
>hip-hop message boards or even those that claim to be hip-hop
>message boards you will find the structuralism vs. subject
>context argument playing itself out. Some critics of the
>strictly aesthetical punchline delivery will point out that
>artist that focus on this technique entirely become boring and
>tedious because they lack any real substantially engrossing
>subject matter. Most fans of this approach however
>appreciate it for the intrinsic wittiness and the creative
>craftsmanship it takes to pull it off efficiently.

(noddin) exactly


The
>proponents of more subjective related composition tend to
>enjoy hip-hop that introduces a complex variety of story plots
>and socially aware subject matter.

The detractors, chiefly
>comprised of punchline advocates, tend to vilify artist who
>rely more so on subject content and abstain from the
>intricately laced style of combining a whole slew of similes.

then u got specific!
im surprised of the quote about TUpac though because people still jock him to this day

and u opened me to some canibus! that was ill!

While Joyce A. Joyce and Skip Gates
>argue about the accessibility and validity of
>post-constructional theory within black literary studies,
>hip-hop critics argue whether hip hop owes it to its audience
>to be accessible or whether the audience needs to become
>intellectually capable of appreciating the aesthetical
>qualities it has to offer. Even with inherent literary
>compositional quandaries such as these aforementioned
>discussions there is still doubt to whether Hip Hop is indeed
>literature or not.


hmmmmmmmmm! this is pissin me off.... i see hiphop is poetry to a beat forreal! and it is literature
reflective of life an experiences of people-whether good or bad

>Mainstream rap on the surface looks like hip hop and somewhat
>resembles hip hop being that there is usage of a rhythmic flow
>to present lyrical content over a musical arrangement. The
>sole goal of the mainstream rap artist here; however, is not
>producing a lyrical composition that seeks to stand as one of
>worthy aesthetics or compelling subject matter but instead
>exists for other reasons. It has become preoccupied with
>themes of sexuality, violence and money flaunting that
>occasionally appears in hip hop subject matter. The inherent
>difference here is the fact that mainstream rap is inherently
>focused upon transmitting images or personas that will sell
>and are marketable to the public. Thus the chief goal of the
>mainstream rap artist is to portray a public image that
>reflects street bravado, flamboyancy, or sexual promiscuity.
>Just like Plato’s world of simulacrum it does not seek to
>function by the rules of the reality (hip-hop) in which it is
>based upon. It could care less about those basic tenets
>because it is more interested in the composition of a form
>that is profitable. This goal is totally unrelated to the
>chief goal of hip-hop itself.

whew!


> To understand stand where hip hop fits into literature as a
>culture one must first understand how hip-hop has evolved.
>Hip hop music is the offspring of an entire hip hop culture.
>Much like most other literature it is reflective of the
>culture that it is a product of. The role of the rapper in
>hip hop started as one of a hype-man solely intended upon
>accompanying the DJ. The lyrics of rappers started off as
>very simplistic rhymes and fun spirited party lyrics. It is
>true that the hip hop musical platform did not start off as a
>literary artform; however, it would eventually evolve into a
>literary artform that would detail the livelihood of a major
>segment of urban communities and give them a medium to express
>themselves creatively.

HOLLA! lol

The thing that makes it different
>from any form of literature is the style in which it
>presented.

interesting point! MISREPRESENTATION-hiphop as a whole is being MISREPRESENTED!

Hip Hop lyrics are to be dissected and discussed
>like literary text because they are literary text. The only
>question is whether those who have ultimate authority of the
>literary cannon will openly receive hip-hop as a viable
>literary art form or not.


ok- who cares what they think.. and why didnt u conclude this with a final point that in more layman terms

MISREPRESENTATION is what's keeping hiphop from being taken more seriously and considered literature

this was an excellent paper but u should have quoted more intriquing lyrics

like common or talib.. just some advice
but this was hot!
just because u gave me so much insight andu were complex and just them knowing u support hiphop with ur complexity should be enough reason to consider hiphop as literature

the only thing about this paper is that it seemed the end was rushed and it just got so complex that u wanted to end it

and i felt u should have given ur own personal opinion more but let me shut up


so what was ur grade on it? i gotta know


shouldn't say it all or it will be taken
stolen by the Devil
God's my only vacation


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