This is a paper I wrote a year ago for class..just thought I share it..since it does relate to the board somewhat

Perhaps one of the most compelling questions amongst modern literary critics may be whether Hip Hop can be considered literature or not. Like literature it posses intrinsic aesthetic qualities; however, unlike most literature it is performed chiefly through a vocal medium accompanied by a melody. The fact of it being a music genre itself raises questions amongst many critics about whether it can be validly looked upon as a legit literary form. Some critics often attempt to nullify its validity as a literary genre by simply pointing out and dissecting a more well known offspring of hip hop: mainstream rap. 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. Ultimately, this argument is one that can only be determined by examining what exactly does it takes for a specific art form to be a considered as a literary art form. 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.
In hopes of determining whether hip-hop is literature or not one must first define literature itself. According to the Russian formalists, literature defamiliarizes itself with the common vernacular. Consequently, they also believed that literature itself should be judged separately from any other outside factors such as; politics, culture, and government. Harold Bloom, much like the formalist, believes that literature has certain intrinsic aesthetical qualities that it should be appreciated for. He believes that cultural mantras shouldn’t interfere with the aesthetics of any given work. Now this doesn’t necessarily stand as an anti-social influential sentiment but it sure is not one that is pro-social constructionist. Opposing this notion of strict constructional literature are people such as Terry Eagleton who believe that literature in fact is reflective of the culture in which it is spawned from. He would assert that literature, in fact, has the power to persuade people to conform to certain ideologies whether it is national or cultural. Literature itself has many forms of production. Most commonly it is found in textual form; however, it has been presented in the oral form in several instances. The most notable occurrences are that of tribal societies that don’t keep a written history. Some critics expect literature to portray a specific strict constrained image while others are a little bit more inclusive. 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. 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. Perhaps the most renowned subjective contextual rapper of his time is Tupac Shakur. He is a great example of the ongoing critical analysis battle of hip-hop. Here is a typical antagonist critique of his delivery, “His juvenile lyricism, repetitiveness, hypocritical actions, re-used topics, and an overall lack of lyrical consistency and complexity is what truly keeps me from even giving him a chance”. This critique is mostly typical of those more formalistically inclined listeners who listened to hip hop solely for the use of slick punchlines. His proponents would argue the fact of his ability to relay the struggles of black inner city youth or his ability to captivate his audience by being a lyrically contradictory anomaly. On the other side of the spectrum there rests an MC by the name of, Canibus, who is renowned for his exceptional ability to piece together intricate metaphors and witty punchlines as seen in the lyrics of the first stanza in a particular piece entitled Levitibus,” I wanted some power of the chakra / with mofulean darkness describing what I see in the process / stone statues surrounded by Neolithic objects / ceoglyphs on the Pompa / a dose of the palamine, niggaz will feel like a dream / the dream state is the playground for the supreme / critics attempt to follow a trend / today they call me a Charlotten but tomorrow I will be a God of men / to create a universe all I need is 1000, trillion, trillion degrees / so with 22, betatrons in the cloud chamber / keep the noise down so I don’t arouse my neighbors / got a message from the falcon in the snow man another note in a Coca Cola can / showed the whole planet in coded program encrypted by a pro-scan modem with a lowband / hold up, let me load it in.” The most obvious antagonistic critique of his particular style is its inaccessibility to most listeners due to its complex usage of metaphors. These particular hip hop paradigms mirror many literary exchanges that happen throughout literary circles on a daily basis. 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.
Many believe hip-hop isn’t literature for various reasons. Some would argue that it contains too many colloquialisms and that much of the material in the genre is self contained promotion. Others would point out that it is indeed a musical form and that it mainly functions as an agent of musical entertainment. Indeed there is a conflict as to whether literature is restricted to just a strict textual form. This is one reason in which many other potential forms of literature such as; comic books, are not widely accepted in all literary circles. It ultimately boils down to being a question of literary integrity. This is a question in which the critic asks, “Does anything that is predominately inclusive in this art-form strip it of its literary integrity”. Some feel in the case of hip-hop that the answer is yes. Questionable lyrics always come to the forefront. One might wonder whether a genre oversaturated with misogynistic and violent lyrics can be valued as something worthy of literary appraisal. Indeed the root of this claim rests upon a perception that the art of hip-hop isn’t rested upon any literary tenants but instead more so upon the previously mentioned lyrics and musical composition. The answer to this question is not so simple being that there are many forces acting upon this argument.
One particular entity that makes it problematic to consider hip-hop a literary genre is its simulacrum: mainstream rap. 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. The simulacrum ultimately could care less about any intrinsic quality or at least trying to preserve it. It just seeks to preserve its purpose. This purpose is to make more money. Some of the mainstream record artists openly confess their non-allegiance to hip hop and their utilization of the mainstream rap platform for financial gain, such as seen here from the comments of mainstream rap recording artist Project Pat,” Let me explain something to you. Memphis, us, Hypnotize Minds - we're not in this for the hip-hop. No way. We're not hip-hop rap. We're into the reality shit, trying to make the money shit. It ain't even about the rap; it's about the cheese. If the cheese don't flow, we lay the pens and papers down. And the drum machines will go in the car. If it ain't about no money, we don't even want to hear nothing about it. That's just being real. A lot of folks tell me I'm a rapper, but I feel that I'm not. But if that's what they want to make me, I'm for the people. It's cool. But Hypnotize Minds is not a company of rap, even though that's our business”. With sentiments such as these, it is not hard to understand why literary critics may believe that hip-hop isn’t literature. If monetary gain was the prevailing drive behind hip-hop, then one could not argue against it having very little literary integrity; however, it is clear that this is the chief principal of its simulacrum. If every hip hop artist indeed held these ideas to be true then there would be a lack of regard and respect of the intrinsic literary qualities that hip-hop does indeed posses. Hip Hop would then be its simulacrum: mainstream rap. However that is not the case.
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. Artist would become expected to present their audience with a poetical medium that cleverly used metaphors and similes, tell a captivating miniaturized short story, or present an evaluation of their social experiences. Much like national literature it is reflective of the culture, which includes the dialect and lifestyles, of the people it represents. The thing that makes it different from any form of literature is the style in which it presented. It does not make it any less literary. If hip-hop isn’t literary because of its colloquial discourse, then can the same be said for Uncle Tom’s Cabin, a novel that is regarded as the finest literary specimen of the nineteenth century? Style and presentation accounts for all the different genres and modes in literature that currently exist. It is more than obvious that hip-hop does indeed contain textual composition similar to that of other literature. This is the chief reason why many literary compositional arguments appear in hip-hop. 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.