In my thesis statement I hope to incorporate these differences which can be partially attributed to the technological advances, as well the people who are connected to them.
There is a noticeable shift of smooth rap music, starting with Tupac that slowly changes to a more upbeat, vulgar feel like Lil Wayne which are due to technological advances and cultural changes. The noticeable changes that we can hear include the emotion in the music, the topics discussed, the rhythms and the language used.
Works Cited
Adamu, Mosheh. "A HipHop Paradigm Shift." Scribd. Scribd, n.d. Web.
Baraka, Rhonda. "Gettin' Back To Basics." Penn State WebAccess Secure Login:. Billboard, 6 Apr. 2001. Web.
Clayton, Mahogany. "A Shift in Hip Hop: What Kendrick's Verse Didn't Do." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 11 Aug. 2014. Web.
Hess, Mickey. Is Hip Hop Dead?: The Past, Present, and Future of America's Most Wanted Music. N.p.: Praeger, 2007. Print.
Johnson, Maurice L. A Historical Analysis: The Evolution of Commercial Rap Music. Florida State University Libraries. Jonathon Adams, 2011. Web.
King, Brandon. "The Beef Between 90s Hip Hop & Millennium Hip Hop." Hip Hop Golden Age. N.p., 05 Oct. 2016. Web.
McNulty-Finn, Clara. "The Evolution of Rap." Harvard Political Review. Harvard Political Review, 10 Apr. 2014. Web.
Soerensen, Maria. "Hip-hop and Rap Music in the 21st Century." Storify. N.p., n.d. Web.
I would definitely say this shift is significant enough to be covered. Music can be a snapshot of current attitudes of society, so analyzing this shift will give you a lot to work with. Plus, we just read the essay about shifts in sexism which I thought would be very difficult to accomplish, and yet it was done. This gives me confidence that your topic will have a lot of potential. I think by specifying the genres of music you are giving a specified approach that works rather than just saying "music has changed."
ReplyDeleteMany people, and many hip-hop songs themselves, say that hip-hop is dead. This shift in lyrics in Hip-Hop can definitely be traced through the last few decades. I feel like you could also discuss the shift in music (the instrumentals that accompany the songs) and how it has evolved from catchy beats to just loads of bass.
ReplyDeleteIt may be helpful to analyze whether or not the art of lyricism has taken a toll as well. Trap music is more of a cycle of three or four words than actual lyrics. I think you should narrow your thesis a little bit because you are going to have to create a very specific timeline and provide a lot of evidence.
ReplyDeleteGreat topic selection, really focusing on a specific time period and a specific paradigm shift. Be sure to also include what makes this shift important/significant and why it mattered to our society at the time. Since this paradigm shift occurred in the past, you could also talk about shift impacts our society today (do we still feel some of the effects?).
ReplyDeleteMcKenzie, I think your classmates gave some useful feedback, so let me chime in a few more thoughts:
ReplyDelete1) While NWA was a prominent early group in rap, the genre has roots in other areas as well, so you might consider specifying why you're starting with them. (It also brings up discussions of East Coast vs. West Coast rap in early origin of the genre, which you didn't really mention.)
2) I agree with Charles that you might be able to narrow your focus and refine your the wording of your thesis even more. (It seems like it could be difficult to adequately cover every aspect you mentioned.)
Thanks!