Historia Exitosa

Matt Altstiel
12/03/06
SPAN 3512

Una historia de exito

En esta entrada quiero escribir sobre la emigracion con en enfoque sobre la experiencia Cubana. La larga historia de emigracion por la mayoria de los emigrantes es una historia de dinero y opportunidad. Aunque los primeros emigrantes llegaron a los Estados Unidos para amnestia political fuera del rieno de Espana, los seguientes emigrantes vieneron para comenzar una vida nueva. Los Cubanos, como un grupo etnico, han ganado muchos exitos en terminos politicales, economicos y culturales. Podemos ver la creciente poplacion Cubana como ejemplo de incorporar diversidad. La experiencia Cubana es probablemente differente que la experiencia de otros grupos por supuesto la vecinidad de Cuba a los Estados Unidos. Por esa razon, es importante para pensar en terminos de emigracion localizado que no existe para la mayoria de otros emigrantes.

Hoy dia hay mas de 1.200.000 Cubanos viviendo en los EE.UU., pero la mayoria viven el sur de la Florida. Esto presenta la opportunidad para formar su propia communidad y un base para resistir el gobierno oficial en Cuba. Como un grupo, los Cubanos tienen los estandardes mas altas de vida entre todos los otros grupos Latinos en esta pais. Se cobran mas, se gastan mas, y se contribuyen mas por persona que los demas. La alta numero de empresas Cubano-Americanos forman un parte clave de la economia para el sur de Florida. Tambien, los Cubanos tienen mejor representacion en el Congreso y Senado de los EE.UU. Hay lugares tales como <> en Miami que enriqezen la cultura y apoyan los emigrantes nuevos en su transicion entre su patria y su nuevo hogar. Hay communidades Cubanos en la mayoria de los estados en los EE.UU, pero nadie de ellos pueden mostrar la capicidad que existe alli.

Los primeros emigrantes mudaron a Nueva Orleans, Cayo Hueso y Houston en el parte final del siglo XVIII. Despues de la indepencia de Cuba, la cercania de Miami presento un opportunidad para comercio importante. La gran repression de dictaduras y pobreza extensiva forzo la emigracion de miles de Cubanos a Florida. Alli, ellos organizaron empresas y comenzaron su nueva vida. La presencia de un communidad grande fuera un factor por muchos otros que veian la coyuntura en el extranjero. Tambien las economias de Miami y Habana fueron compartido y fue natural para mudar. La falta de educacion, servicios sociales y un gobierno representativa fueron otros.

Despues del triunfo de la Revolucion Cubana occurio cambios extensivos en tela de vida Cubana. Los rico que han disfrutado la ventajas de poder se encontron sus puestos favorados en jeopardia. Por esa razon, la clase burgesa emigraron en alta numeros para mantener sus empresas y moda de vivir. Sin mucha dificultad ellos adaptaron a su nueva pais y anadieron a la economia local.

Los siguientes emigrantes no encontraban y realizaron la promesa del communiso en su patria. Para ellos, aunque el gobierno mejoro los servicios sociales, fueron impossible cobrar bastante para sobrevivir. La gran experimenta Cubana ha fracasado. No habia bastante empleo para satisfacer el creciente numero de habitantes en la isla. Entonces como un empuje internal, se decidieron mudar tambien. Los nuevos emigrantes no vinieron con dinero, y en muchos casos sin un nivel de educacion suficiente. Hoy dia, muchos otros llegaban por las mismas razones. Pero sobre todo, ellos quieren y encuentran la opportunidad para comenzar un vida nueva. Generalmente, la experiencia Cubana en los EE.UU. es una experiencia exitosa.

La Virgen

Matt Altstiel
12/05/06
SPAN 3512

La Virgen y la Malinche

La Virgen de Guadalupe y la figura de la Malinche son opuestos. Por un lado, La Virgen es la santa patrona de todo el pais de Mexico. Por otro lado, la Malinche es una figura intolerable, una puta sin verguenza, algo imperdonable. Pero, en los anos mas recientes habia un discussion sobre el papel de los objetos simbolicos en los pueblos Mexicanos y Chicanos. Quiero contar la historia de ambos dos y dar un analysis segun las lecturas de esta clase.

La Virgen de Guadalupe representa todos los vitudes associados con mujeres puras. La servilitud, modestia, lealtad y fe absoluta se caracteriza la Virgen. Las monjas y mujeres con morales altas refleja el espirtu de la Virgen. Como un simbolo de fe y la bendicion de la Iglesia Catolica, la Virgen es un regalo enviado por Dios. Un nativo vio el espiritu de la Virgen subiendo una montana cerca de Mexico D.F. La Virgen le dijo que fue tiempo para dejar su fe tradicional en dioses indigenas y para aceptar la religion Catolica como la unica para toda la gente. El nativo regreso contando su cuenta a los Curas. Ellos respondieron a el para entregar una rosa desde la misma montana. Por que las rosas no pueden crecer en Enero al precipice de la montana, el encontro un milagro verdadero. Despues de esa dia, la Virgen de Guadalupe y la Religion Catolica estaban partes integrales a la vida cotidiana Mexicana.

La Malinche es una figura odiosa en Mexico. La Malinche, una reina Azteca le traciono su raza y se caso con Hernan Cortez, que fue el lider de la Conquista de Mexico. Aunque ella le dio la luz a la poblacion Mestiza, ella esta considerado un simbolo negativo. Mujeres infieles, y mujeres que no obedecen las normas de sociedad son nombrados <> por la poblacion general. Ellas, en los ojos de la sociedad, seguen una vida de pecado.

Por fin, la sociedad y academicos estaban viendo estas figuras de nuevo. La Virgen de Guadalupe ahora puede representar un hieramiento de repression y control. Una vida piedosa en algunas ojos puede ser una vida aislada y fracasada en otros. Tambien, el estigma de la Malinche estaban cambiando. La Malinche puede mostrar una mujer liberada y sin preocupaciones sociales. El movimiento femenista queria reemplacer el imagen y connotacion negativa de la Malinche. Al mismo tiempo, ellas intentaban destuir la superioridad de la Virgen como modo de comportar. Es mejor, segun ellas para combinar los elementos positivos de los dos para formar una nueva imagen de la mujer Mexicana y Chicana.

Las Noticias

Matt Altstiel
11/29/06
SPAN 3512

La Noticias
E
sa entrada discute la lengua cargada que notabamos en clase con referencia a las noticias. Algunas frases tienen conotaciones peligrosos, tales como “illegal aliens” en Ingles. Esa frase refiere a trabajadores sin documentacion y un estatus como un cuidadano de los Estados Unidos. Eso grupo de personas es sin duda en grupo mas desvalorada en todos los Estados Unidos. Ellos hacen los trabajos que nadie quieren hacer y por menos dinero que el medio (average?) Estaunidense quiere cargar. En Minnesota, el Senado nego una ley para provenir mas apoyo economico para los estudiantes que no son cuidadanos. Especialmente para los hijos de obreros, cuesta mas para evitar y subir la pobreza de sus padres.

Ousama mencionaba tambien palabras como <> que vemos cada noche en las noticias. Sin informacion propia y opiniones del otro lado, ees dificil saber que es real y que es ficion. Despues los intentados de 9/11 habia un clima de odio contra musilmanes y personas que aparecen como Arabes. En Grafton, Wisconsin, un pueblo cerca de mi hogar, un hombre mato un Indio trabajando en un estacion de petroleo solamente por <>. Entonces es facil observar como las noticias afectan una poblacion local y nacional.

Tambien, quiero discuitir las diferencias entre noticias en Mexico, Espana, y los Estados Unidos. Es obvio que los estilos son muy diferentes y las temas que mencionan reflejan prioridades locales, pero la manera de presentacion es posiblemente el cambio mas grande. En los Estados Unidos, cada canel importante es parte de una compania mas grande. Las noticias como todo, son negocios. Los caneles mas populares y mas vistos normalmente tienen las noticias mas increibles (sensationalized). Pero, en Mexico y Espana la persectiva es diferente. Las noticias sirven para educar y para informar los cuidadanos. La clima de temor que suguiere los caneles aqui, no existe alla. Es mejor decir, que alli, las noticias son mas professional y positivas. El sentido de responsabilidad social es mas importante en Mexico y Espana.

Pandillismo

Matt Altstiel
SPAN 3512
12/01/06

Pandillismo

Esa entrada enfoque sobre la criminalidad de ninos que encontramos en America Latina. El numero de huerfanos, constantamente demasiado alta has cuasado un crisis humano en algunos paises. Sin nada para proteger esos ninos, es facil para aggregar como pandillas y grupos anti-sociales. Tambien, sin padres, educacion y respeto a los organizaciones institucionales es deficil para educar a esos ninos para ser buen cuidadanos. Voy a hablar sobre la presentacion sobre esa tema y tambien sobre mi experiencia cuando trabajaba como miembos de una pandilla desde Mexico D.F.

En muchos lugares de America Latina hay un nivel de porbeza demasiado alto que influye un estandard de vida muy bajo. Tambien, porque muchos de esos lugares fueron constuidos illegalmente, ellos son cuidadanos priopios de la cuidad. Es mas facil destruir un barrio (un favela) que provenir servicios de educuacion y salud. Sin servicios muy basicos y sin educacion, es bastante dificil para encontrar un puesto bien. Entonces podemos describir la economia en esos lugares como una economia informal. Su titulo cambia dia tras dia y solo gane bastante para sobrevivir para cada dia.

Con esos rasgos, es facil observar porque muchos padres han dejado sus ninos en la calle. Cada boca es otra responsibilidad. El libro La muerte sin llanto describio las experiencias de una enfermera en el Noroeste de Brasil. Segun el libro, en Brasil (y en America Latina en general) la poplacion mas pobre no tenia la energia de resistir y luchar para un mejor paso de vida. Esa gente mas pobre en muchos casos no tiene tanto valor para la familia que otras clases mas establizadas. Por eso, los padres no tienen mucho connexion con sus hijos, y los hijos, sin un hombre fuerte en su vida nunca aprenden como comportar.

De un edad muy pequeno, los varones forman pandillas para diversion y proteccion. Porque los calles son peligrosos, un grupo fuerte pueden dar un abiento de carino y amor entre los miembros. Al mimso tiempo, sin la influencia de padres y de mentores buenos es dificil explicar la necessidad de education y trabajo fuerte para los jovenes. Aburridos y con demasiado tiempo libre, los pandillas intentan hacer crimenes para pasar las horas. En poco tiempo, la opportunidad para ganar dinero, usar drogas y chicas son las unicas metas en la mente de un joven delicuente. Aunque al principios proviene proteccion, forman ejercitios de geurra para ganar terretorio nuevo.

En Mexico D.F. donde existe favelas grandes y numerosas con masas desoccupadas, es facil ver las razones para juntar una pandilla. Como me explico un co-empleado Pedro, <> Eso sentido es muy comun, y hay que crear opportunidades para los jovenes. Los programas para educar los ninos sin las ventajas de la clase media han logrado cierto nivel de exito. En mi opinion pero, hay que cambiar el sistema social totalmente para incluir las poplaciones mas marginalizados para parar la delicuencia y criminalidad de jovenes.

El Mexicano

Matt Altstiel
SPAN 3512
12/03/06

Emigracion y Cultura Mexicana

La emigracion hoy dia es algo de las etapas mas polemicas en todos los Estados Unidos. Afecta todos los regiones incluyendo el medioeste. Minnesota es hoy dia uno de los estados mas receptivos de immigrantes y el porcentaje de refugiados ha aumentado mucho en los ultimos anos. Aunque el numero de hispano hablantes ha crecido mucho, no podemos comparar Minnesota con otros estados como California y Tejas. En esa entrada quiero enfocar los Mexicanos y Chicanos. Cada uno tiene su propia cultura, pero originaron de la misma fuente. Tambien, esos grupos va a mantener sus posiciones como los grupos Latinos mas poderosos y numerosos en los Estados Unidos. Para entender el ritmo de immigracion desde America Latina, hay que saber sobre esos grupos etnicos.

Los Mexicanos siempre quedaban en Suroeste de los Estados Unidos. Los Mexicanos solamente vivian debajo de una bandera differente despues de el fin de la guerra en 1851. Aunque los EE.UU. les ofrecian la oferta de ser cuidadanos en su nueva pais, sus derechos por la mayoria fueron ignorados. En numero de Mexico-Americanos crecio lentamente despues de esa fecha hasta la empieza de la Revolucion Mexicana de 1910. El numero de immigrantes surgio rapidamente , y la mayoria se mudaron a Texas y California. Durante el Gran Depression, el numero de nuevos immigrantes se cayo rapidamente, y muchos mudaron hacia la frontera para emigrar a Mexico de nuevo. Al mismo tiempo, la cuidad de Los Angeles se organizo como el centro mas importante para la vida cultural, economica y gubermentale para Mexicano Americanos en todos los EE.UU.

La cercania de esos estados y su cultura mezclada apoyaron los nuevos emigrantes para encontrar su auto-definicion como Chicanos. Los Chicanos existen entre ambos culturas, representada con la frase <> Aunque originalmente, en el numero de Mexicano Americanos en Tejas estaba mas alta que California, muchos mas mudaron a los campos como obreros agricultores en el programa de <> en los anos cuarenta.
Empezando al fin de la decada de los 60’s, el movimiento de <> representa un cambio de actitudes en la communidad Mexicana. Las condiciones y tradiciones de segregacion cambiaron con nuevas leyes, y podria decir muchas reformas sucedio. Hoy dia, hay Mexicano-Americanos viviendo en cada parte de los Estados Unidos. Estados non-tradicionales como Georgia, Arkansas, Tennessee y Carolina del Norte han visto la creacion de comunidades Mexicanos por la primera vez. Aunque segregacion en estados como California, Tejas y Arizona has disminuido en los anos recientes, las nuevas communidades sufren mas peor que reciben en otros lugares, como reaccion de la populacion nativa.

Los Mexicanos, como otros grupos etnicos en los EE.UU. han mezclado su cultura natal con la cultura Americana. Pero, no podemos decir que la cultura Chicana es un crisol en el propio sentido de la palabra. Es mas decir, una celebracion de los valores positivas Mexicanas que han sobrevivido del pasado que surgen la identidad. Los Chicanos enfocaron y eligieron algunas formas culturales de la cultura popular de los EE.UU. y lo transformaron para su ultilizacion propia. La musica, el teatro, el baile, y el cine todos son instrumentos para mostrar la dualidad del Chicanismo.

The Re-Education

Matt Altstiel
12/04/06
GLOS 3900

The Re-Education by Lauryn Hill

Lauryn Hill, to me doesn’t just represent one of the best female rappers of all time, but one of the best MCs period. Her voice has to be considered one of the most expressive and emotive of any rapper. Furthermore, Hill’s ability to blend musical styles and excel in a variety of musical genres also presents her as a formidable musical talent. From an early age, Hill has been performing; whether it be as an MC, singer or actress. Few MCs have the lyrical talent to capture the harsh reality of street life, the power of love and combat political apathy within a single verse, let alone a single album. As a group member of the Fugees and as a solo artist, Hill has preferred quality over quantity as witnessed by her limited number of album releases and non-album tracks. The deep faith and conviction conveyed by Hill in her lyrical content are the mark of a multi-layered, complicated artist.

Hill began her career very early already landing a spot at the world famous Apollo Theatre in Harlem by the age of thirteen in 1988. Hill, along with fellow high school classmates and neighborhood friends, Wyclef Jean and Prakazrel Michel, comprised the now legendary group, the Fugees. While both Fugees’ albums played to the individual strengths of all three members, Hill’s commanding rap and singing voice clearly leant the group its sonic force and unique feeling. The group’s biggest landmark hits “Ready or Not” and “Killing Them Softly” feature Hill as the prominent vocalist. The second album, The Score, far superior in lyrical content and scope to its predecessor, was hailed as an incredible achievement in Hip Hop and secured two Grammy awards. As the group reached massive popularity, internal conflict prompted each individual member to peruse a solo recording career.

As a solo artist, Hill released The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill in 1998. The album showcased nearly every single skill Hill possessed in her artistic arsenal, by this point honed for over ten years. Not only did the album obliterate the previous Hip Hop record sale marks with 18 million, it garnered lavish critical praise. The African American community praised the album by showering it with 4 NAACP Image Awards. The Grammy’s provided another career highlight by awarding Hill with the distinction of five Grammy’s, the most ever received by a female artist. Part of the album’s massive popularity was the mega-hit “Doo-Wop (That Thing).” Always critical of the social climate of Hip Hop, the song’s pointed lyrics mocked the excessive patriarchy displayed within the genre.

Never content with one artistic direction, Hill released from an extended artistic hiatus in 2002 to release her MTV Unplugged album. The album marked a sharp turn from traditional Hip Hop as her voice and an acoustic guitar were the only instruments. An intensely personal collection of songs, Hill striped away the excessive production and pretense of rap by refusing to apologize for the heavy lyrical nature of the songs. Her voice, strained from a respiratory illness, lead more credibility and reality to her lyrics than through simple words alone. The album also showed the incredible self-transformation within Hill that occurred during her hiatus. Rather than be sucked into the radio Hip Hop formula, she escaped in order to find deeper meaning within her music and preserve her own individuality.

Hill’s career path, clearly tackling increasingly difficult subject matter with unparallel clarity, will most likely not be replicated. The ability of Hill to be taken seriously not only as a street smart, world weary MC, but also as a soul and reggae vocalist is a testament to her artistic talent. Furthermore, given the potential ease for Hill to succumb to the trappings of commercial success; her artistic reinventions are all the more startling. Lauryn Hill certainly did not invent Hip Hop, but her own personal and artistic reinterpretations have created a wholly unique version of the genre.

The New Revolution of Rap and the Law

Matt Altstiel
11/20/06
GLOS 3900

The New Revolution of Rap and the Law

Hip Hop, a musical style born out of urban frustration and political alienation has served as a voice for the disenfranchised and urban poor. As such, rap music has always had an uneasy relationship with American authority, be it on the local, state and federal level. One consistent target for rap artists over the years has been the police, often perceived as an extension and tool of white oppression toward minority groups. The lyrics contained within the songs “Fuck the Police” by N.W.A and “Cop Killer” by the Ice T led heavy metal group Body Count, represent but two strident examples militantly attacking established police practices of racial profiling. While one sided, each song serves as a dialogue, a protest against established conditions framed within the reality of urban American life. The songs’ production and their subsequent reactions serve as enduring discussion points into the issues of racial politics, censorship and police brutality.

N.W.A’s “Fuck the Police” begins firmly within the confines of the established legal authority positing the group’s rappers as the judge and the prosecution, indicting the police through often inflammatory language. Marking a break from studied, thought provoking lyrics by such rappers as LL Cool J and KRS-One, N.W.A advocates violent street vigilantism towards police officers as a means to destruct police strategies which demoralize and create fear within the African American community. Rapper Easy – E affirms this militant view exclaiming, “Without a gun and a badge, what do you got?
A sucker in a uniform waiting to get shot, by me, or another nigga, and with a gat, it don't matter if he's smarter or bigger.”[1] Such statements, and the way they are delivered appeal to the emotional side straying away from reason. Ultimately, the emotionally frustrated lyrics echo a complete loss of faith in the Police to change internally and through normal legal means. The song ends with a rousing condemnation delivered as a sentence by “Judge” Dr. Dre in the following words: “The jury has found you guilty of bein a redneck, whitebread, chickenshit muthafucka.”[2] Dre’s sentence locates the police as a white apparatus intentionally designed to destroy urban communities.

The politics of Reaganomics and existing policing practices effectively countered the perceived threat of militant Black Nationalism and unity with increasingly severe punishment tactics. By 1988 (and still consistent today), the year of the song’s release, the incarceration rate of African American males proportional to their white counterparts was nearly 3:1.[3] At the same time, the average income for African American families had declined relative to inflation, leading to higher rates of poverty. Chang explains, “In 1983, the median white family owned eleven times the amount of wealth as a median family of color. By 1989, the gap had nearly doubled.”[4] These very real facts of urban life led to explosive confrontations between legal authorities and the populations they oppressed. The glamour of the outlaw, as an individual outside legal authority and prescribed social norms, helps outline the transition into Gangsta rap and explain its enduring social popularity. Rose offers, “hidden transcripts that attempt to undermine this power block do so by insinuating a critique of the powerful in stories that revolve around symbolic and legitimated victories over powerholders,”[5] (Rose 100). The testimonies offered by N.W.A and other Gangsta rappers give power and a sense of victory to its listeners who so desperately want to taste it.

Against this background, the hard charging lyrics condoning violence against police officers as an appropriate means of resistance, drew the ire of the legal establishment. Going far beyond the local authority N.W.A seemed to target, the FBI and Secret Service independently sent letters to the group’s record label Ruthless Records, to voice their displeasure at the song’s lyrical content. Legal authorities in Detroit arrested the group members during a live performance and police officers in the state of California refused to offer protection during live performances, ruling out the possibility for the group go on tour.[6] Whether intended or not, the song’s lyrics provided enough of a tangible threat to police officers and their families to warrant censorship efforts.

Ironically, the official protest of a protest song fed directly to the success of the group’s debut album, ensuring a wider audience to its lyrical content. Such a proactive reaction displayed by legal authority effectively reinforced the anger and frustration shared by the group’s rappers. However, the racial tensions and inequalities outlined within the song “Fuck the Police” were further exacerbated. The police, due to the violent behavior the lyrical content advocates, became even more wary of African Americans. Rather than seeking to address the problems rap music diagnosed, the legal establishment suppressed its articulation, preventing the viability of social change.[7] Put another way, “the relationship between listening to and committing subsequent acts of violence appears to more closely resemble a statistical accident than a causal equation.”[8] The unwillingness or inability of legal authority to understand the reality of urban African American life further entrenched the politics of racism. The dialogue between legal authority and Hip Hop as represented by the reaction the song provoked, highlights the function and need for Hip Hop as a means of interaction and communication with direct political authority.

“Cop Killer” by the heavy metal group Body count reflects similar lyrical content urging violent reaction as a method to counter police aggression. Furthering the trend of censorship and legal condemnation, the song suffered erasure from the album and the eventual dismissal of both Ice T and Body Count from their music label. Ice T channels “Fuck the Police” through such lyrics as: “I got my twelve gauge sawed off. I got my headlights turned off. I'm 'bout to bust some shots off. I'm 'bout to dust some cops off.”[9] The anger and hatred towards the police is tangible, collective and widespread. These feelings are significantly emphasized through multiple voices shouting the chorus, “Cop killer, I know your family's grievin' (fuck em). Cop killer, but tonight we get even.”[10] Such treatment of lyrical content focuses dislocated rage onto a principle manifestation of white social, political and economic order: the police officer.

First performed in 1991 and recorded shortly the aftermath of the Rodney King verdict and L.A. Riots of 1992, the song’s timing made it a lightning rod for social criticism.[11] The song’s lyrics continued a trend towards a “self-serving moral panic around rap music.”[12] In other words, rap music was seen as a socially dangerous and undesirable construct of American popular culture. While outright censorship never occurred, indirect economic censorship reinforced the cultural parameters that white systems of power sought to control. Rose comments that “dominant groups must prevail in a war of position to control the discursive and ideological terrain that legitimates such institutional control,”[13] The urgent condemnation of rap generated by benefactors of contemporary social arrangements allowed personal offense to become a measure of political superiority. Likewise, mass media seemed to have the implicit consent necessary to violate notions of creative license as well as artistic freedom of expression.

The aggressive backlash directed towards N.W.A and Body Count finds its roots within the racism and brutality of perceived white cultural superiority. Hamm and Ferrell point to examples such as Eric Clapton’s rendition of “I Shot the Sheriff”, numerous Great Depression era songs, as well as modern rock songs; all of which glorify anti-social behavior.[14] However, as the authors explain, “Clapton's white bread portrayal of an armed and heroic Jamaican 'rude boy' was abstract and romantic. Ice-T's shotgun -toting black U.S. gangster is too concrete, stripped of romantic pretense and lodged uncomfortably in everyday life.”[15] While both songs center on the same subject, one listening to Clapton presumably can easily disassociate lyrical characterization with the artist. Stripped of association, white artists and white musical productions are not required to exhibit the same lyrical responsibility of the rap artist. In the case of the rap artist, the listener more closely associates artist and lyrics, combining the two into a single, unitary construction. As a result, rap lyrics are not given the same leeway as Rock and Roll lyrics, allowing them the equal advantage and disadvantage as a thoroughly subversive text.

Social criticism, a key thematic element of rap takes on a definite form within “Fuck the Police and “Cop Killer”. A daily reminder of oppression and disenfranchisement, local police exercise the unique duality of enforcement and autonomy not available to the average citizen. Thus it is no coincidence that such lyrics harshly castigate an apparatus that has “collapsed categories of youths, class and race into one profile that portrays young black males as criminals.”[16] Clearly framed within this context, the militant, battle minded lyrics evoke the imagery of war against an ideological other. Inverting authority and moral supremacy challenges established social order, which is understood differently by each side of the ideological divide.

Through the discourse between rap lyrics and legal authority, attention is directed towards the creators and “perpetrators” of rap music. While more proactive and militant than many contemporary social-political statements of the time, N.W.A’s “Fuck the Police” and Body Count’s “Cop Killer”, are indicative of the general attitude of young African Americans directed at legal establishment. However, the unprecedented response and level of persecution focused on these artists has served as an enduring reminder of racial politics, censorship and brutality present in everyday American urban life. The message of these songs will continue to resurface as long as the dislocation between the lived experience of African American youth and the falsified views of the American legal apparatus remains.

Bibliography
Bureau of Justice Statistics Jail Populations by Race Chart. 2 June. 2006. Bureau of Justice Statistics. 19 Nov. 2006. <http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/glance/jailrace.htm>
Chang, Jeff. Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation. New York: Picador Press, 2005.
Cop Killer (Song). 10 Nov. 2006. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 19 Nov. 2006. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cop_Killer_(song)>
Ferrell, Jeff and Hamm, Mark S. “Raps, Cops and Crime: Clarifying the ‘Cop Killer” Controversy.” Rapping about Cop Killing. 2004. Institute for Jewish Policy Research. 20 Nov. 2006. <http://www.axt.org.uk/HateMusic/Rappin.htm>
Fuck the Police Lyrics. 2006. Lyrics Depot. 20 Nov. 2006. <http://www.lyricsdepot.com/n-w-a/fuck-tha-police.html>
Ice – T, “Cop Killer”. Date Unknown. 19 Nov. 2006. <http://it.uwp.edu/gangsters/ice-t.cop.killer.html>
Martin, Dennis R. “The Music of Murder”. 2004. Institute for Jewish Policy Research. 20 Nov. 2006. http://www.axt.org.uk/HateMusic/Rappin.htm>
Riviere, Melisa. The New Revolution of Rap. Anthropology of Hip Hop in a Global Perspective. Blegan Hall, University of Minnesota: Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN. 19 Oct. 2006.
Rose, Tricia. Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America. Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press, 1994.
[1] http://www.lyricsdepot.com/n-w-a/fuck-tha-police.html
[2] http://www.lyricsdepot.com/n-w-a/fuck-tha-police.html
[3] http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/glance/jailrace.htm
[4] Chang pg. 221
[5] Rose pg. 100
[6] Riviere, Melisa 19 Oct. 2006
[7] Hamm and Farrell “Raps, Cops and Crime”
[8] Hamm and Farrell “Raps, Cops and Crime”
[9] http://it.uwp.edu/gangsters/ice-t.cop.killer.html
[10] http://it.uwp.edu/gangsters/ice-t.cop.killer.html
[11] Riviere, Melisa 19 Oct. 2006.
[12] Martin, “The Music of Murder”
[13] Rose pg. 102
[14] Hamm and Farrell “Raps, Cops and Crime”
[15] Hamm and Farrell “Raps, Cops and Crime”

[16] Rose pg. 106

Soul Sonic

Matt Altstiel
11/21/06
GLOS 3900

Soul Sonic

In her chapter, Soul Sonic, Trisha Rose compares European traditions of progression and regression with what she calls the Black observance of repetition. By “Soul Sonic” Rose means the ways technology, orality and Black cultural practice appear within rap music. Rose defends rap music, as music, which is firmly within the tradition of other musical forms. Through various methods of analysis she asserts its viability against the criticism that rap music, is in fact, not music. Rap music, like any music, is comprised by of organization of noise. However, rap music focuses much more on afro-centric compositions of rhythm and repetition. Rap music does not lie on the same linear plane as European musical forms, which seek progression and change, but rather draw upon rhythmic dynamism and slight nuances in form to perpetuate movement.

Rap music is the by product of high technology, born out of industrial and commercial methods of reproduction. Rose therefore looks at the construction of the beat and the widespread use of sampling with regard to modern technology. Sampling reinforces afro-diasporic traditions which dissolve the past and future into an eternal present. Samples reconfigure certain elements to draw listener attention and prevent lapsing into passive listening. Breaks can be extended endlessly and seamlessly harkening back to the days of call and response compositions of ancestral Africa. The manipulation of samples can bring in elements completely severed in time and space from the original recording, fusing old with new, creating a thoroughly unique composition. Common raps on his song, “The 6th Sense”: “think about how many dead folks this art resurrected / how many different people this culture connected / who am I to judge ones perspective?” The soul sonic, as defined by Rose reflects the lyrical thoughts of Common.

Emphasis on bass and on the beat is another cultural prerogative. Various sampling devices and drum machines allow the manipulation of sound to fit sonic priorities. The 808 drum, commonly referenced in modern rap songs produces the deep, booming base characteristic of rap music. Detuning, focusing on the most dynamic rhythmic elements and “pushing levels into the red” all originate from the experimentation characteristic of Black diasporic music. Often the lyrical content within the production phase is subsumed by the thump of the bass. However, the MC serves within the process of rupture and repetition as well. The oratic tradition prevalent in African music and its North American offspring, is not only preserved, it is refined. The lyricist stutters and explores between the parameters of the beat using his or her voice as a musical instrument. Key phrases are emphasized, repeated and transformed by the skilled MC. Like the nuances of the beat and the sample, the MC has the ability to add definition in ways that European musical construction does not allow.

Traditional music training, of the Western theory of music, dismisses these innovations in favor of tonal, harmonious compositions. Following Western progress narratives, music must build to something. The climax of the song represents the paramount of musical intensity; the reliance of notated music subtracts the power of the oratic element. European musical tradition contains its notation in a limited number of notes, octaves and chords. Soul Sonic therefore looks toward rap as a form embracing the possibilities allowed by traditions of technology, orality and Black cultural practice.

Editors Note: Since I pulled an all nighter and wrote this at 5 in the morning. It might not make any sense. If you think I should re-write this, I’d have no problem doing that.

Lyricism

Matt Altstiel
11/14/06
GLOS 3900

Lyricism and the Lyricist Response Paper

After witnessing the lyricism workshop presented by Ill Chemistry, one can clearly see the correlation between theory and practice. The study of lyricism and actually producing lyrics, while mutually exclusive, provides a stronger basis for the development of both aspects. Obviously, if one listens to radio rap or Crunk, one cannot gain the same appreciation for the music as a lyrical form as one would by listening to rappers such as Mos Def or Rakim. While the practice leads to the development of a personal voice and increasingly lyrical complexity, learning about lyrical forms and studying paramount lyricists provides a format for lyrical experimentation. For instance, after one can successfully duplicate a certain MC’s flow, one can incorporate new styles within his or her lyrical arsenal. Furthermore, rap music, if done correctly follows an apprenticeship system in which the teacher passes down lyrical knowledge and the art of performance. This paper intends to provide a definition for lyricism, a discussion of both elements (theory and practice) separately, and emphasis on the correlation between the two.

Lyricism as a defined by the Dictionary is “the character or quality of subjectivity and sensuality of expression, especially in the arts.”[1] Rap lyricism, however; requires a different definition. Based on the workshop and by what this writer has learned through the years as both a rap music listener and practitioner, lyricism involves six distinct components.[2] The first of these components focuses on communication with the listener. This element refers with what type of message is being conveyed and how it is told. The second involves the story line, or narrative element of the lyrics. Does the MC present a fully developed song linking verses or choruses, or does each stand unattached without a coherent theme? The third element focuses on how the lyrics and their delivery hooks the listener. Various vocal styles, pneumonic devices, and lyrical twists are used to grab attention and focus the listener. Closely related to the hook, patterns and word play add complexity and emphasis towards selected lyrical segments. Another key element of lyricism requires that the lyrics must be able to transcend the accompanying music.[3] As the highest form of poetry, rap lyrics are firmly grounded within the tradition of not only the oral, but also the written. Lastly, the intention of the lyrics, that is, the reason while the rapper feels the need to express certain words, thematic elements, or convictions, is paramount to lyricism as an artistic form.[4]

Rap lyrics differ from traditional poetry forms on several levels. Maulpoix agrees, saying “Lyricism challenges, it is the most obscure part of the process of poetic creation and may be of our intimate relationship to language which it compels us to examine.”[5] While learning about lyricism and rap music, one can quickly gauge that rappers have much more creatively liberty than poets who follow traditional forms of rhyme and meter. For instance, internal rhyme schemes, the use of inarticulate sounds and line length can vary greatly within the sequence of a single verse. By the same token, while content is crucial to the lyrics themselves, the rhythm and tone follows a longer line of oral tradition. To sum up the former, Rose comments, “rap lyrics are oral performances that display written (literate) forms of thought and communication.”[6] Just as any good literature seeks to communicate with the reader, rap lyricists invoke intense lyrical imagery to convey messages, albeit at a much more rapid rate.

The process of learning about Hip Hop, and its best lyricists involves a number of processes on the part of the learner. The first is to gain an ample appreciation and understanding for the music and the lyricism contained within the music, just as a novice reader will not recognize the difference between good and bad literature. Rose explains, “rap is a process of cultural literacy and intertextual reference.”[7] If one only listens to the standard radio rap, often devoid of meaning, it is likely the actual practice (attempt at producing lyrics) will yield meaningless lyrical results. Furthermore, without sufficient exposure to rap music and lyricism, one cannot hope to create meaningful or coherent raps because they lack the knowledge. To give an example, one could not write a haiku if one had never read one or understood its form. As in any type of writing, the development of an ample vocabulary, familiarity with differing styles and experimentation using existing parameters leads to the formation of an individual narrative (personal style).

The studied analysis of lyrical content provides insight into the intention of any rap song, album and artist. Certain lyricists have the power “to move, to help relate, and change minds” and viewpoints.[8] Thematic elements of lyrics serve as entertainment and propaganda in a way similar any good position paper would. As an example, “8 Mile is Eminem’s originary political symbol: it represents the root cause of American working-class political weakness and suffering: the endurance of white supremacy.”[9] That is, lyrics portray a certain viewpoint and attempt to move the listener/reader to accept their position. Great lyricists can be catalysts for social change and invention. Studying individual lyrics gives the reader/listener often unparalleled access into an individual set of realities that can aid in the formation of one’s own identity or of a larger collective group identity. Lyrics and the way they are delivered allows for an instantaneous and memorable connection between artist and listener, nearly impossible to replicate in any other form of written/lyrical expression.

The workshop included a list of various lyricists who all have shaped artistic development and lyrical expression in some form. By studying and incorporating these elements, one can absorb these elements to their advantage as a potential lyricist/MC. The theatrical storytelling of Rakim, the word tricks and rapid fire delivery of Eminem, and the awe inspiring command (presence) of Brother Ali; combine together to form a cohesive guide for successful lyricism.[10]
The practice of lyricism, (the art of rhyme) involves a much more personal investment with lyricism since one intends to produce rather than simply absorb lyrics. Using the definition provided for lyricism, one attempts to convey a unique set of realities and expression. Just as it is important to familiarize oneself with the art of lyricism, it is vital to first replicate and move beyond in practice. Many listeners will often find themselves rapping along to the original lyrics of a rap song. This practice then leads to the conscious step of producing individual, uniquely original lyrics. As with any artistic process, it is a process of trial and error. According to Rehn and Skold, the production of lyrics, “represents a very clear pattern where organizing discourse that doesn’t merely represent a ‘way into’ phenomenon, but a case where organization discourse quite explicitly stands as the creation of value – not metaphorically, really keeping it real.”[11] Finding a personal style means experimentation, finding which lyrical patterns and expressions are more successful than others leads to a unique form.

Lyrical content can dictate the lyrical form. It is from the knowledge provided by life experience and the lessons one has learned that helps determine the subjects that are important to the MC. Developing these thematic elements allows the MC to execute the elements of lyricism. Namely, how the MC communicates, hooks, and tells a story to the listener. The passion, or lack of passion one feels for a certain subject becomes manifest in the production of lyricism. If a thematic element matters to the MC, the production of lyrics becomes much easier and helps eliminate bad writing. Carnage explained that the lyrical content and intention for writing helpz answer the questions: why do I rap, why do I feel compelled to perform, and what makes my message and viewpoint unique?[12] Rose comments on the production of lyrics as a “critical part of a rappers identity, strongly suggesting the importance of authorship and individuality in rap.”[13] Once again, lyrical content and self identification are often subject to trial and error. The participation between listener (learner) and lyricist (producer) is a crucial reciprocal relationship. The give and take, accepting change and criticism allows the MC to further hone their style and narrative voice. In theory, the more one practices and performs, the better lyricist they will be.

Lyrical form can add and transform lyrical content. The parameters of the beat allow for different types of flow, rhyme and meter. The beat also compliments (or should) complement the lyrical content being expressed by the MC. Experimentation with form can keep lyrical content organic and fresh. Internal rhymes and increasingly intricate rhythmic patterns can be learned from the study of rap music, but can only be successfully employed through the actual production and practice. Desdamona reflected that free form accapella performance loosens the form and can reveal new patterns and word play.[14] At the same time, even thinking about the form will create lyrics within the mind of the MC. A beat or sound will trigger certain emotions, compelling the production of lyrics.

As previously alluded to, the apprenticeship involved in Hop Hop in all its forms, links theory with application. From learning about lyricism and rap music, one gains the curiosity to produce lyrical content and perform those lyrics. The apprenticeship means that one must have ample knowledge learned about its history, (paying dues, enduring artistic struggle) in order to gain access to the knowledge accumulated by a Hip Hop elder. Given the resources and attention of the apprenticeship, one takes learned knowledge and expands upon it creating new knowledge. Thus while the theory and practice of lyricism remains distinct elements, the give and take between the two makes them closely related and cohesive components.

Bibliography

Free Dictionary by Farlex. Lyricism. 2000, 2003. 10 Nov. 2006.

Ill Chemistry. Lyricism and the Lyricist. Carlson School of Business Management, University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN. 7 Nov. 2006.

Maulpoix, Jean Michel. About Lyricism. March 2000. Jean Michel Maulpoix and Cie. 14 Nov. 2006.

Rehn, Alf and Skold, David. Makin it and Keepin it Real. Stockholm, Sweden: INDEK Royal Institute of Technology Press, 2005.

Rose, Tricia. Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America. Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press, 1994.

Scott, Jonathan. The Staying Power of Rap. 21 Oct. 2005. Chicken Bones: A Journal. 13 Nov. 2006.

[1] http://www.thefreedictionary.com/lyricism
[2]
[3] Ill Chemistry 7 Nov. 2006
[4] Ill Chemistry 7 Nov. 2006
[5] Maulpoix, :www.maulpoix.net/lyrismea.htm
[6] Rose pg. 88
[7] Rose pg. 86
[8] Ill Chemistry 7 Nov. 2006
[9] Scott, http://www.nathanielturner.com/stayingpowerofrap.htm
[10] Ill Chemistry 7 Nov. 2006.
[11] Rehn and Skold pg. 5
[12] Ill Chemistry 7 Nov. 2006.
[13] Rose pg. 95
[14] Ill Chemistry 7 Nov. 2006

Rap on the Radio

Matt Altstiel
11/09/06
GLOS 3900

Rap on the Radio?

When one listens to the radio, one is usually struck with the slick formatted productions, the incessant list of shout-outs and the amount of collaboration. The producers running the Hip Hop game today not only have their names prominently featured within an album’s liner notes, but within the individual songs themselves. Many rap records feature a slew of different producers, all lending a somewhat different vision in sound. Interestingly, some of Hip Hop’s most illustrious duos have been rapper/producer combos. In groups such as: Pete Rock & CL Smooth, DJ Hi-Tek and Talib Kweli; it is no coincidence that the producer’s name appears first.

For me the role of the producer has always been somewhat enigmatic. As a rapper with the ability to record my own music on my own computer, I have always wondered how studio production would change my overall sound. Producer Will Ways helped answer some questions, but created new questions in the process. For example, the creative end and the business end, while distinct, are virtually inseparable. I realized that while I have written many lyrics, recorded over fifty songs and created many completely unique beats, I do not actually own any of these. Copywrites, royalty agreements and publishing agencies have assumed paramount importance in the Hip Hop industry.

Ways showed a true passion for making beats for Hip Hop music, that is, the meat and the bones of any good Hip Hop song. I liked the process he used to show how he began with a foundation beat and gradually added distinct elements. As with an individual rapper, the beat projects a certain image. The beat coupled with delivery creates a certain mood and intends to give the listener a certain feeling. Ways believes any good beat should to a climatic sound and continually draw the listener through all of the dynamic elements of the track. Moreover, the producer must be flexible to incorporate what the artist has already created and adds to the overall value by masking artistic flaws. However, it is quite obvious that ways producer heavily formatted commercial music, as the emphasis on both content and delivery is largely neglected. Ways assumes that the average listener is not trying to draw a message out of a Hip Hop song and is just looking for a party track to vibe with.

Ways spent a good deal of time explaining the business end of production and in turn, much about the nature of the Hip Hop business itself. He stressed the importance of getting published, copywriting music and establishing creative legality. Patent law, so to speak, allows for back royalties, but really only ensures the allowance of court action. Therefore, as a producer, or for that matter, as an artist, it is critical to enter into contractual agreements between artist and producer, in order to decide who receives what of the financial pie. Similarly, royalty points and royalty agreements are all a matter of negotiation. Ways explains, “the business element of Hip Hop is almost important than the creative end.” The nature of the business allows for separation between the legal and moral aspects, with Ways learning the hard way the importance of industry practices.

Listening to Ways’ previous productions, one cannot argue with the positive change in recording quality. The vocals come off clean and distinct, the delivery matches the beats, and climatic elements of the beat help propel the track forward. Clearly, in order to be taken seriously as a rapper, one must find a producer who truly complements that artist. However, while the insight Ways provided is invaluable, I almost questions ways intention for producing music in the first place. Which came first, the passion for the music, or the drive to make money?

A Bad Rap?

Matt Altstiel
6/11/06
GLOS 3900

A Bad Rap

The thematic elements of violence and mistrust for legal authority by now represent common currents within the Hip Hop genre. Starting in the late 1980’s, many rappers began to write and celebrate their violent, oppressive city environments. Such a trend continues to this day, however; the groups N.W.A and Ice T helped usher the new genre of “Gangsta Rap.” The violent street imagery, thuggish bravado and utter disrespect for legal authority drew legions of fans and the ire of the law enforcement community.

Already thematically discussed in such songs as “Illegal Search” and “Who Protects Us from You?”, tracks like “Kop Killa” and “Fuck the Police” take a much more militant stand against law enforcement. While highly popular, such songs did incite violent anti-social behavior and increase the level of mistrust between people and their government. As a retaliatory measure, the law enforcement community refused to police any N.W.A. concert, preventing the group from organizing a tour. Racial profiling continues to this day and has not abated in part due to the actions promoted by Hip Hop lyrics.

The lyrical content of Hip Hop songs began to be directly targeted as obscene or insightful speech, neither of which are protected under the First Amendment. The court cases targeting As Nasty as They Wanna Be and 2pacalyse Now represent watershed cases in the regulation of the music industry, particularly in Hip Hop. Both cases upheld the right for rappers to explore subject matter that challenged the parameters of speech. Interestingly though, similar thematic elements discussed in Rock, Country and R & B lyrics have never provoked court cases against the record label and artist. Both cases highlight fundamental questions: Can lyrics drive an individual to commit socially unacceptable acts? should the music industry be regulated to prevent certain messages from escaping?, and how should decide what is deemed obscene?

Particularly interesting are the relation of the “Hip Hop Cop” to the Hip Hop community itself and the existence of “The Binder”. Based on the two above paragraphs, this represents a logical continuum for the law enforcement community. The Hip Hop Cop, an individual who loves the culture and knows many prominent musical artists, nevertheless performed extensive surveillance into their activities. In his own words, he reflects that while there is a level of comfort that exists between him and rappers, it is certainly not an open, friendly relationship.
The sometimes insightful speech of Hip Hop, the escalating number of arrests, and violence between rap cliques all point to the need of a special task force binder to track its members.

However, the Binder once again showcases the sometimes contradictory nature of Hip Hop, the difference between theory and practice. Many of the included artists have no formal arrests or are included for outdated offenses. While most citizens have old records expunged, the rap binder offers no such amnesty to its occupants. White rappers such as Eminem and Everlast, who have numerous legal offenses, are not included within the binder. Once again, does the binder represent another step in racial profiling?

First Is Forever

Matt Altstiel
10/10/06
GLOS 3900

First is Forever

Of the holy trinity of Hip Hop innovators: Afrika Bambaataa, DJ Kool Herc and DJ Grandmaster Flash, it is Flash that should receive the most credit for Hip Hop as a form of musical expression. Instead of simply listening to music, Flash analyzed every aspect, elevating his expertise into a science. DJ Grandmaster Flash rightly has the distinction of transforming the DJ from a party thrower into an artist, the turntable from a record player into an instrument, and the MC into a rapper. While DJs came before him, the techniques and style Flash patented revolutionized not just Hip Hop, but the entire music industry. Through his technical wizardry, foresight, and recruitment of gifted rappers to augment his soundscapes, Flash set the tone for Hip Hop’s classic era.

Born in Barbados in 1958, under the name Joseph Saddler, Flash moved to the Bronx carrying with him a love for electronics and electrical devices.[1] He fiddled with these devices taking them apart trying to put them back together in order to find out their components worked. As a result of his tinkering, Flash, by his own admission, “was public enemy number one back then to my mom and my sisters.”[2] Unable to buy the electronics he needed to experiment with, Flash would scour the abandoned lots and cars of his neighborhood hoping to use and revive their discarded parts. Sensing real talent, his mother sent him to Samuel Gompers Vocational High School. Here he learned the significance of resistors, capacitors, meters, and waves, figuring out how to construct an effective sound system. Like many future Hop Hop artists, Flash “transformed obsolete vocational skills from marginal occupations into the raw materials for creativity and resistance.”[3]

Around this time, the now famous jams of DJ Cool Herc, Pete DJ Jones and DJ Grandmaster Flowers revived the Bronx party scene. Rather than partake in the dancing, the drugs, and the women these parties offered, Flash would chill in the back and watch the DJs at work.[4] The music of DJ Kool Herc resonated strongly with Flash, but the effortless style and precision of Pete DJ Jones drew Flash to seek apprenticeship with Jones instead. Employing two turntables and two duplicate sets of records Jones could prolong the songs he was playing. Flash recognized the same concept could be used to combine and extended the breaks he loved from Herc’s musical choices. The concept of precuing the music in his headphones also allowed Flash greater control over his DJing.[5] These early lessons laid the foundation for Flash’s future turntable discoveries.

Spending countless hours in his bedroom, his ears glued to the turntables, Flash created several startling DJing innovations. By using two duplicate copies of the same record, marking the precise start and end of the break with a magic marker, Flash could continually cue and recue the break without lifting the needle. This eliminated the guess work that made Herc’s performances sound sloppy and could transform a break of as little as five seconds, into a continual break lasting minutes.[6] Dubbed the Quick Mix Theory and the Clock Theory by Flash, these techniques changed DJ’s from passive to active actors upon the music.[7] Along with these innovations Flash produced effects like: Cutting (repeating phrases and beats by moving the record back and forth); Back Spinning (another process for repetition involving spinning both records backwards to a beat or phrase; which repeats it); and punch-phrasing (playing parts of a vinyl on one turntable in quick volume surges simultaneously while the other vinyl plays on the other turntable).[8]

While perfecting his DJing techniques and performances aspects over a three year period, Flash kept his innovations largely a secret, exposing them only to a privileged few number of friends and family. Finally in 1975, he decided his musical experiments had waited long enough. Unprepared for and unimpressed with this new sound, the Bronx party crowd refused to dance. Without the vocals of the original songs, the breaks alone were not enough to compel the crowd to dance.[9] Nevertheless, Flash had turned the DJ into a performance artist and turntablism into an art. Later on “Flash was the first to debut track DJing skills like mixing records behind his back or beneath tables, and kicking mixing faders with his feet.”[10] Such performance techniques helped form the arsenal of any modern, good performance DJ.

In the meantime, however; an additional component was needed to drive the crowd and divert attention solely from Flash, vocals. The intricate breaks Flash had perfected changed the nature of the MC, requiring the MC to get a message across to the audience. Flash offered any MC a chance to spit over his beats to wow the crowd as a sort of early precursor to the open mic concept. Certain MCs such as Cowboy, Mele Mel and Kidd Creole were naturals at rocking the mic and driving crowds into a frenzy. These rappers became staples of Grand Master Flash’s sets and pioneered phrases like: “Say ho”, “Throw yo hands in the air, and wave em like ya just don’t care,” and "Clap your hands to the beat!”[11] Nearly every Hip Hop record made since then utilizes at least one of these phrases. Recognizing the importance of interplay between the DJ and the MC, Flash helped choreograph increasingly difficult and intricate shows. Flash explains, “I got ridiculed for a couple of years. ‘You’re the guy that ruins records!’ But all the DJs had to change their style,”[12] Flash and his MCs, now known as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five increased the popularity of the Hip Hop scene, and, of its mecca, the Hip Hop club. Luring audiences away from other major DJs of the time, Flash succeeding in bringing both crews and crowds together for wild battle showdowns, which in turn help Hip Hop’s popularity explode.

Hip Hop’s popularity burst onto the nation’s consciousness with the first commercially successful rap single, Sugar hill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight.” However, it was Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five’s album The Message, that vaulted Hip Hop into respectability as an independent form of music. While much of this classic album lends itself towards the familiar party vibe heard in very early Hip Hop, it represents one the first albums to feature exclusively turntablist tracks.[13] For the first time in Hip Hop, attention was diverted away from the actual music and towards the song’s lyrical content. Many future Hip Hop songs drew from “The Message” by reusing its themes of urban dislocation and frustration. Peter Relic reflects, “The tracks on The Message, retain the vigor a music that had yet to be fully commodified; made at a time when Hip Hop was roundly dismissed as a fad, and stand as a monument to what made Hip Hop great in the first place.”[14] Indeed, The Message remains as innovative and fresh as any classic pre-1985 album ever made.

In 1985, Grandmaster Flash recorded another seminal album entitled They Said It Couldn’t Be Done. According to Peter Relic, this album “was one of the earliest Hip Hop releases on a major label, setting the stage for Elecktra’s later greater success with Brand Nubian and Missy Elliot. Furthermore, “it stands as a close to Grandmaster Flash’s initial run as a hip hop original.”[15] While Flash’s pioneering human techniques were generally replaced by mechanical studio effects such as a sampling, these effects sought to mirror the sound and style of Grandmaster Flash. The resurgence of the art of turntablism marked a return to prominence for Flash, as he was given credit for the lengthy number of innovations he had created in order to make Hip Hop music possible. Ever the pioneer, Grandmaster Flash and his group the Furious Five, became the first Hip Hop group nominated for admission into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.[16]

Judging his lengthy career and many stylistic innovations which revolutionized Hip Hop, one can respect Grandmaster Flash’s place within the Holy Trinity of Hip Hop pioneers. His numerous DJing techniques changed the role of the DJ forever, making turntablism an essential element within Hip Hop. His extended break sequences now known as instrumentals allowed the MC to become a rapper, and party slogans to change into important messages. Flash helped bring Hip Hop to the national consciousness and ensure its survival as more than a passing fad. His albums The Message and They Said It Couldn’t Be Done should be required listening for any Hip Hop fan interested in this genre’s origin. His group, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five created much of the current lexicon of Hip Hop and established parameters for Hip Hop performance. Flash’s innovative career continues to influence Hip Hop and in the words of Q-Tip “Keep it movin.”

Bibliography

Chang, Jeff. Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop. New York, NY: Picador, 2005
"Grandmaster Flash Interview." Fresh Air. NPR. WHYY, Atlanta. August 29, 2005

Grandmaster Flash Biography. 2002. Sing365.com. 8 Oct. 2006


Miles, Milo. Grandmaster Flash: Biography. 2004. The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Rollingstone.com. 8 Oct. 2006 <http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/grandmasterflash/biography.>

Relic, Peter. “Album Liner Notes from The Message.” 2005. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. The Message. Sugar Hill Records, 1982.

Relic, Peter. “Album Liner Notes from They Said It Couldn’t Be Done.” 2005. Grandmaster Flash. They Said It Couldn’t Be Done. Elektra, 1985.

Rose, Tricia. Black Noise. Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press, 1994.



[1] Chang, Jeff. Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop. P.112.
[2] NPR “Fresh Air” August 29, 2005
[3] Rose, Tricia. Black Noise. P. 34-35
[4] Chang, Jeff. Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop. P. 112
[5] Chang, Jeff. Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop. P. 112-113
[6] Grandmaster Flash Biography. 2002. Sing365.com.
[7] NPR “Fresh Air” August 29, 2005

[8] Grandmaster Flash Biography. 2002. Sing365.com.
[9] Chang, Jeff. Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop. P. 113
[10] Grandmaster Flash Biography. 2002. Sing365.com.
[11] Chang, Jeff. Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop. P. 113
[12] Chang, Jeff. Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop. P. 114
[13] Miles, Milo. Grandmaster Flash: Biography. 2004. Rollingstone.com
[14] Relic, Peter. “Album Liner Notes from The Message.” 2005.
[15] Relic, Peter. “Album Liner Notes from They Said It Couldn’t Be Done.” 2005
[16] Relic, Peter. “Album Liner Notes from They Said It Couldn’t Be Done.” 2005

Una Cultura en Verdad

Matt Altstiel
5/10/06
Garza

Breve análisis de la cultura de Hip Hip

Aunque una persona aprende una cultura, es importante para
reconocer que una persona puede crear una cultura nueva para si mismo. Un
punto clave para observar, en muchos casos una cultura alternativa puede
ser, después de mucho tiempo una cultura popular y dominante. Además, una
cultura popular puede cambiar en forma para lograr estatus de la cultura
elevada. Usando las normas de esa época, uno puede seguir la línea de la
cultura de Hip Hop, en los Estados Unidos, y también en el mundo.

Para definir que es cultura, los expertos emplean rasgos tal como:
la comida, la vestimenta, la tecnología, la economía, las actividades
individuales y familiares, la comunidad y el gobierno, el bienestar, la
religión y la ciencia; y muchos más. Estoy de acuerdo de todo eso, pero
quien puede decir que es una cultura popular y que es una cultura
alternativa. Cuantos miembros o aficionados es necesario para averiguar que
es algo verdadero o no. En el caso de Hip Hop, no podemos mencionar cosas
como un sistema de transportación, ni una religión o gobierno. Pero, en Hip
Hop existe un lenguaje llena de jerga regional, un estilo único de danza,
algunos géneros de música, y un estilo escrito que se llama graffiti.
Podemos ver los efectos de Hip Hop ínter mezclado en la vida cotidiana.
Como la música Rock en el pasado, es difícil separar un modo de vida con la
música.

Es interesante ver también que en la sociedad de Hip Hop hay
diferentes niveles de conocimiento y recognicion. En muchos casos,
especialmente en el opinión masiva de las generaciones mas viejos, Hip Hop
no están visto en buenas terminas, también una problema del elitismo
adentro de Hip Hop. Por ejemplo, hay un gran énfasis para segregar los
aficionados y practicantes. Es decir, los que crean la cultura y los que
compran. Aunque es una cultura popularismo hoy día, Hip Hop ha puesto mas
atención concentrando al individualismo que otras culturas. Copiar es
robar. También, hay unas elites, los que pertenece a la escuela vieja que
protegen las normas y los rituales asociados con Hip Hop. De esa manera,
aunque un crítico de arte clásico no ve graffiti con mucho gusto, una elite
de graffiti puede comentar que es sobresaliente, y arte; igual que no es
arte.

La cultura es algo que podemos observar, y aprender por
experiencia. Igual en Hip Hop hay dos modos para aprender esa cultura. Una
manera es tras la enseñaza de un mentor que puede mostrar y explicar los
códigos. Otro manera es por medios de comunicación masivos. Esto también
surge la pregunta, ¿cual es verdadero y cual es falso? ¿Hay un paso para
reunir estos opuestos? En mi opinión, el medio ambiente, un clima políticas
o experiencias vividas puede crear a cultura alternativa. Los primeros
practicantes forman una base de sabida dura y pueden asegurar la pureza de
esa cultura al principio. Pero, después, una va a lograr la consciencia
popular o va a perder su relevancia. En las manos de medios de
comunicación, es seguro que la cultura original va a cambiar, pero es
verdad también que esto crea nuevos fuentes y estilos para incorporar.
Otra rasgo fascinante de Hip Hop es su origen regional y racial.

Desde al principio, Hip Hop fue fundado en el Sur de Bronx, en Nueva Cork,
por los morenos. Ahora, casi todo el mundo ha cambiado Hip Hop para
expresar sus sentimientos y esperanzas. Un medio de comunicación, y una
cultura basada en un contexto único ahora reflejan millones de historias y
situaciones. Dentro de un punto de vista Antropológica, es difícil para
definir donde Hip Hop empieza y donde termina, pero podemos decir que si es
una cultura real, no una cultura alternativa.

Historia Obra Final

Matt Altstiel
27.04.06
Historia

Grande Ensayo

Según el artículo La sociedad, escrito por Santos Julia, el concepto de España como un país sumamente atrasado y fracasado antes del desarrollo al fin de la dictadura de Franco necesita ser reexaminado. Los expertos han descubierto nuevas ventanas para ver la época antes de la guerra Civil Española. También, según el artículo es falso para decir que antes del tarde Franquismo, España no ha sido listo para la democracia por una falta de determinación ni de una tradición democrática. Antes, han considerado los factores: grandes ciudades, una clase media masivo, consumo duradero, producciones de bienes de segunda y tercera nivel, y grandes masas de jornaleros libres. Aunque son importantes para crear una atmósfera para la democracia, todos existen para un extenso mucho antes del tarde Franquismo. Además, la democracia funciona de verdad durante la segunda republica aunque no fuera tan fuerte y sostenible como ahora. Por muchas razones es importante para ver España hace setenta anos en el pasado, en una nueva luz.

Primero, este articulo examina y comenta sobre los condiciones en el primer parte del siglo XX. Como han dicho muchos expertos politízales, España hubo un país rural, sin la capaz para industrializarse. No existió un mercado nacional ni modos para conectar la industria como en todo el resto de la Europa occidental. Además, su estructura del gobierno no siguió las grandes tradiciones de democracia porque España era una Monarquía hasta 1931 y con poder casi absoluto. Hubo una sistema del turno que solo pretendo ser un gobierno con intereses sobre la voluntad de la gente nacional. El gobierno protejo los interés de la oligarquía y favoreció los latifundistas sobre todo. Hubo un alta nivel del analfabetismo y una grande populación de campesinos que viven solamente al nivel de supervivencia.

Todas esas versiones de España son un parte correcto, pero realmente no representan la realidad durante esta época. España realizo grandes cambios económicos y sociales sin un precedente antes en su larga historia. Aunque fue mas luego que el resto del Europa occidental, España siguió una trayectoria de modernización y cambio. Primero, el nuevo énfasis de edificios para el bienestar como hospitales, escuelas, mercados y espacios para el ocio mostró una determinación para mejorar las ciudades y condiciones sociales. Los ciudades y zonas urbanas sintieron un gran transformación entre los anos 1900 y 1930, en que muchas ciudades la populación creció cien por ciento. Muchos campesinos mudaron al campo a la cuidad para empezar una vida nueva con la esperanza de encontrar empleo y para tener acceso a los servicios públicos. Madrid y Barcelona, por la primera vez en sus historias modernas llegaron a ser ciudades importantes en toda Europa.

La idea de el experimentó del Industrialización fracaso en España el desarrollo del Instituto Nacional de Industria es una mentira. Expertos dice que, como en Inglaterra, donde nació la Revolución Industrial, hubo una cara oculta del Industrialización. Es para decir que los sectores líderes, grandes empresas de industria solo representan mucho menos de la mitad que cobro la industria nacional de España. Empresarios de pequeña y medio tamaño señalaron la llegada de industria permanente. Esos sectores llegaron primero, como otros países, y luego creció una clase importante de obreros industriales. El sindicalismo fue un otro aspecto de una creciente sociedad industrializada. Industrias como química, obras públicas, y electricidad formaron una basada fuerte para hacer una economía industrializada.

Otro ingrediente importante para la democracia es una sociedad que permite libertad en todas maneras de expresión. Esta época, que se llama la <> representa uno triunfo en literatura, arte, music y otras modas de expresión. Esta época fue la época de Picasso, Dalí Ortega y Gasset, y otros sumamente importante en la riqueza cultural de España.

Entonces la guerra civil, ni el Franquismo fueron inevitables, como el fin de una trayectoria del fracaso. En vez de ahora, la guerra era una batalla entre fuerzas reaccionarias que quisieron que España regrese a su nivel antes, en que ellos tenían todo el poder concentrando en pequeñas manos. Ellos supieron bastante bien que solamente derrocaron su poder con más acceso a los demás en el sistema políticas de España que estuviera cambiando para asegurar derechos en la moda de otros países Europeos. Los actores sociales como el ejército y la iglesia protegieron los intereses de la clase alta fueron los únicos que pudiera cambiar la trayectoria del cambio y transición a una fuerte democracia.

Después de la terminada de la guerra, convirtió España en un país sumamente más fracasado y frustrado que antes. La llegada de la democracia ha puesto mucho mas afuera debajo del Franquismo que antes. Es seguro que los mecanismos fueron destruidos y solo quedaron los rasgos politcales antiguos. No hubo una democracia si la gente vivía en miedo para expresar sus sentidos, ni si la fuente de oposición fue encarcelados o mas peor fusilados. Todos los partidos politízales que participaban antes fueron expulsados y declarado ilegal. Las elecciones fueron ilegales y cuando hubo, fueron falsificadas. La vieja gobierno huyo para al extranjero sin la posibilidad de regresar. Todas las fuentes de la media pasaron en las manos del estado que lo utilizó solo para sus intentos. Libertades como la habilidad de divorciarse y la habilidad para practicar otras religiones fueron terminadas también.

Además, en los anos siguientes de la terminada de la guerra, España sufro una gran crisis con su economía. Porque era un gobierno fascista no pudiera lograr el apoyo que necesito de otros países más ricos para aumentar su economía. Hubo necesario para racionar bienes en una sistema menos capitalista, y mas como una economía atrasado que parece mas al comunismo. La clase alta todavía disfruto su puesto y ganaron más recursos del estado. Los campesinos, ni los obreros pudieron encontrar empleo suficiente. Por resultado, hubo una gran falta de bienes y dinero para consumir. La mayoría vivieron en pobreza e industria y progresa que ha ganado España en los anos primeros del siglo XX, desapareció. Un embargo fuerte crearon la necesidad de nuevos empleos intérnales dentro de España, pero por lo general no satisficieron la demanda consumidor. Es decir, aislado de todo los otros países, y sin un sistema económica que funciona bien, España ha sido mas pobre, y mas atrasado que en los anos primeros del siglo XX.

La fuente de la educación también cambio mucho y rompió las tradiciones democráticas educativas. El sistema de educación paso de las manos del estado que ha implementado un régimen liberal para enseñar a muchos temas. La iglesia católica resumo su carga de enseñar otra vez de bajo del franquismo. Con esa tipo de educación, una diversidad de opinión fue totalmente prohibida. Alegencia al partido Falange y a Franco fue mandí torio. Los profesores no pudrieron enseñar una historia de la Segunda Republica ni discutir temas como la democracia. Entonces, después de muchos anos, la tradición y la sabiduría democrática fueron perdidas. Por parte de su educación, todos recibieron una educación católica en que fue necesario para ir a la misa cada fin de semana. Además, el tipo de enseñaza se diferenció a hombres y mujeres; y aumentaron la desigualdad entre ambos sexos.

La situación política, económica y social cambió cuando Franco recibió la recognicion de los Estados Unidos y con la iglesia Católica para fortalecer su gobierno ante-democrática. Estos pactos permitieron la supervivencia de Franco y su gobierno con el apoyo económico internacional. Por la primera vez, llego al nivel que logro anteriormente industrial. Pero, los aspectos sociales y politízales pertenecieron a tiempos antiguos. Sus primeros planes económicos fracasaron y resulto en la devaluación de su dinero. Todavía un país sumamente rural, Franco introduzco medidas para convertir la economía en un poder industrial.

Solamente por la gran ayuda de fondos internacionales y tecnócratas, llego a ser España mas desarrollado. Entre 1957-1973, ha experienciado grandes cambios sociales y económicos como el primer parte del siglo. El sindicalismo regreso, y huelgas representaron un nivel mas desarrollada. Con más recursos para la gente, las llamadas para la democracia aumentaron. Pero, sin duda, con un estado reprimido contra las libertades todavía estaba difícil para introducir cambio política.

En su obra, La sociedad, Santos Julia ofrece crítica a los expertos que dicen que España no pudiera llegar a ser una democracia sin los cambios que aparecieron al final de la dictadura Franquista. España tenía los recursos y mecanismos para empezar una tradición democrática mucho antes. Pero, las fuerzas ante-democráticos fueron los vencedores de la guerra y tardaron la llegada democrática por muchos anos.

Ensayo #2

Matt Altstiel
25/04/06

Sr. Núñez

2. La futura de la Unión Europea es una futura lleno de incertidumbre y con muchos retos para considerar. La próxima década va a decir el éxito del experimento europea, un experimento ahora con veinte cinco países sumamente diferentes. El dicho <> de la Unión Europea es un indicación de la pluralidad de etnicidades, lenguas y regiones que compone este coalición. El número de etnicidades que hay en Europa solo va a aumentar. La inmigración, legal e ilegal representa uno de cuestiones más polémicas ahora mismo. Los inmigrantes, (y hay muchos con una falta de educación de lugares muy pobres como el subsaharanio) toman los empleos mas bajos de la sociedad, que nadie le quiere hacer. Pero, al mismo tiempo, los inmigrantes, muchos que no son ciudadanos, sacan los recursos sociales de estados patrimoniales sin recomprensión. En muchas zonas, ya existen concentraciones de gente demasiado altas, que solamente están más atascados en el futuro. También, los nuevos inmigrantes cambian fundamentalmente los valores y rasgos culturales de sociedades singulares, porque no ellos integran fácilmente.

Muy parecido a la inmigración, es la emigración interna dentro de Europa. Hay una ley que asegura la libertad de bienes y personas sobre las fronteras de UE. Entonces, muchos mudan desde las zonas más pobres a las que son más ricas. A las mismas circunstancias como muchos nuevos inmigrantes, ellos utilizan los recursos del estado y solamente envían el dinero que cobran a sus países natales.

Después de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, muchos países Europeos crearon un gobierno de bienestar que provenía muchos servicios gratis al público. Por la mayoría funciona muy bien porque todos disfrutan un nivel de vida muy alta. Al mismo tiempo, esta mezcla del capitalismo y socialismo no estimula innovación en tecnología ni en negocios. Por resultado, Europa y la Unión Europea tienen muchas empresas y fábricas muy atrasadas que no compete en el mercado mundial. No hay un clima de competición necesario para introducir nuevas técnicas industriales. Los Estados Unidos también intentan a negar la cohesión de la economía de la Unión Europa con sus tarifas e impuestos contra bienes Europeos. Además, los EE. UU quieren cambiar la estructura de la UE con sus sugerencias a los instuticiones financieros como el Banco Mundial y el Fondo Internacional Monetario.

La Unión Europea creyó muchos fondos para programas muy diversos. Programas como el PAC y el OMC apoyan muchas pequeñas agrícolas y rancheros. Hay otros que comparten el dinero de los países ricos, con los estados pobres para hacer inefrastructura. Además, todos los nuevos países tienen un PIB y nivel de vida debajo de todos los estados viejos de la UE. Aunque España e Irlanda representan ejemplos en que los fondos han mejorado su nivel de vida, hay otros ejemplos como Grecia que no se ha convertido en riqueza. Para provenir tantos fondos, el UE requiere mucho dinero y una cuestión que logro mucha atención es este: ¿habrá suficiente dinero para cobrar todos los gastos?

El fracaso de la Constitución Europea mostró un nivel muy alto del euroscepticismo en los países más ricos en la UE. Países como Francia y Dinamarca rechazaron la constitución por algunas razones aparte de razones económicas. Cualquier país Europea tiene su propia historia y su propia cultura, y en la mente de algunos ciudadanos, afirmar la constitución es el mismo que perder su propia independencia. También, existen bloques regionales y alianzas económicas entre países como Francia y Alemania que son tratados especiales y exclusivas. Países importantes y ricos como Suiza y Noruega que no quieren compartir su riqueza el resto de la Europa interrumpen la contigüidad de la UE.

Para el futuro, muchas críticas predicen que la UE va a crecer para incluir más países en el este de la Europa. Si el número de los países se agrandara otra vez, fortalecería a Europa o señalizaría el caído de la UE? Países ex-comunistas como Rumania, Bulgaria y Albania tiene muchos recursos que pueden añadir, pero también vienen con las cargas de gobiernos fracasados, abusos a los derechos humanos, y economías muy atrasados. Los estados Balcanos va entrar en los anos siguientes, pero todavía hay mucho conflicto entre grupos étnicos. Un ejemplo clave es Turca. Si la Unión Europea acepta a Turca, entra un país sumamente grande en términos de la población. Tiene un población muy joven, sin recursos educativos, pero sobretodo un población Musulmán. Además, ¿quien se define el límite del continente y cuales países componen Europa? En fin, hay que resolver muchos problemas y retos para que la UE pueda sobrevivir, y más, florecer.

Noche Del Boca Arriba

Matt Altstiel
04/06

Realidad confundida

El cuento “La noche boca arriba” representa una obra de ficcion surrealista que juega con el percepcion y la realidad. Al principio, el protagonista aparece como un ser humano del siglo viente en una ciudad moderna y europea, pero este imagen cambia drasticamente al pie de la cuenta. El segundo parte se compone sobre un personaje precolombiano que esta ocultando a los Aztecas. El hombre, un personaje sin nombre entra el cuento subiendo una motocicleta alrededor de anchas avenidas con edificios enormes y arboles madurezes. El hombre, quien se pone distraida no se da cuenta de una mujer cruzando la calle hasta el ultimo momento y para evitar a ella, cae al suelo con su moto. Los paramedicos llegan a la escena del accidente y llevan el hombre al hospital, pero antes, el se cae en un dismayo. Durante de su dismayo y su descanso, suena que el es un indio del tribu Moteca que esta huyendo de la guerra florida, una ceremonia religiosa de los Aztecas. Algunas veces, el hombre se levanta sobre su pesadilla pero cada vez la realidad es mas confundido. Por fin, el esta capturado por los Aztecas, y en este momento es claro que su realidad es como un indio en tiempos precolumbianos.

Para el autor, la linea entre realidad y irrealidad es un linea sumamente borroso. Los personajes siempre estan cambiando y viajando en differentes tiempos y lugares. Originalmente, hay un choque claro entre la realidad del hombre moderno y su experiencia tortudada de un Moteca en tiempos precolumbianos. Gradualmente, Cortazar intraduce mas detalles y gasta mas tiempo sobre la segunda historia. Aunque el hombre se trata de huir a su destino, por fin el es superado por la inevitablidad de su muerte. Julio Cortazar incluya personajes secundarios en su historia, pero realmente la enfasis esta concentrada sobre el protagonista y su experiencia. Este cuento representa el estilo del <> porque describe situaciones absurdas junta con situaciones mudanos. Este historia describe el conflicto entre los dos mundos y realidades que existe en America Latina. Uno es un mundo moderno con influencia de Europa y el otro es el mundo del Mestisaje y de los pobres Indios. Entonces, hay una lucha para sobrevivir en y entre ambos mundos peligrosos y llenos de incertidumbre.