Sharaine's Blog

Imperialism has been a world epic for centuries. It is defined as the policy of extending a nation’s authority by territorial acquisition or by the establishment of economic and political dominance over other nations.  America has been and still is an imperialistic nation.  In the history of the US they have never minded their own business, and attended only to US affairs.  As stated in the selection “America’s Big Stick,” the US believed in”Speak softly and carry a big stick;you will go far.” This further proves the point that the United Stated believed in having dominance over other nations, and proving its authorative figure.  The Monroe Doctrine of 1823 has been abandoned.  The United States does not play by the rules of staying out the affairs of others.  The war in Iraq and the disaster in Haiti are perfect examples.  The US is attempting to be the greatest power and place US officials in high places in Iraq, and after the Haiti disaster they went there as if they were helping the cause but really had alternative motives to gain territory there.  In conclusion, America will forever be an imperialist nation.  Forever will they have influence and political dominance in other nations.

The post Civil Rights Movement and the South Africa Apartheid were both similiar and dissimiliar in some ways.  During the beginning in the early 1950s, both South Africa were fighting for one thing, equality.  They were going against the government and government officials in an attempt to fix its corrupted government.  The two were dissimilar because Americans focused on more peaceful boycotts and sit-ins.  There was the Montgomery bus boycott and the freedom riders, just to name a few, who wanted to be heard in less volatile ways.  Violence wasn’t the only answer, and America expected them to react violently when being intimidated, but their reaction was to be peaceful and show the world how unjust America really was.  In South Africa, though they too fought for justice and inequality, they had more blood shed than America, such as the Sharpeville massacre where South African police fired at African American protestors killing sixty-nine people. This event was led up bythe pass laws which were identification passes needed to be worn by the people at all times.  The pass laws was another differientiating factor from America. Though blacks and whites were separated, they were not forced to were identification badges at all times.  America and South Africa both fought for a certain cause but the results of things they did were handled in a different manner.

One may infer what is hip hop?  Hip Hop is defined as a cultural movement that began in the South Bronx of New York City in the late 1970s.  It has produced some of the wealthiest, African Americans in the world.  Hip Hop is the only genre of music that has created prosperous, African American millionaires. Hip Hop can be referred as far back to its forefathers, old school deejays.   These deejays were known to be the main driving force for this movement.  Deejay Grandmaster Flash first introduced the technique that America knows today as hip hop.  The notorious deejay African Bambaataa is also renowned for his instrumental part in the development of popular hip hop culture.  He is one of three notable originators of break-beat deejaying.[1]  He is acknowledged as the “Godfather” of universal hip hop culture, and the father of the electro funk sound   He incorporated the street gang “black spades” and the Zulu nation to further popularize the movement.  Since its emergence, hip hop has strayed away from its original roots. It has changed in both a positive and negative light. The upside of hip hop is that it has created greater venues for African Americans to succeed. Not only have African Americans made a name for themselves in the music industry, but also in other interties in the world such as art, writing, poetry, and movies  These different forms of expression became a channel of communication for African Americans.  As a result, the breakthroughs began to show the visibility of African Americans in mainstream popular culture. It paved the way for African Americans to share their story and testimony about everyday problems and struggles. Though hip hop has its strengths, it also has its weaknesses.  Modern day hip hop has given old school hip hop a whole new meaning and outlook.  What started out as disk jockeys creating beats and rhymes by looping breaks, small segments of songs emphasizing a percussive pattern on two turntables, sparked a worldwide controversy of whether hip hop is dead or not  

In the book “Is Hip Hop Dead? The Past, Present, and Future of America’s Most Wanted Music,” the author discusses the stereotypes of hip hop, the ideology of hip hop being dead, and the new heights it took the music industry once it emerged   In most cases, hip hop is referred to as a derogatory form of music with sexually explicit lyrics and provocative content   The African American race is looked upon with disdain, because the African American males are a representation of their ethnic group  Thus, the music they produce will reflect the African American race as a whole. Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, known as the famous rapper Nas, supported this argument.  In “Nas Writes Hip Hop Obituary,” Nas suggested that hip hop has lost its meaning as a result of the content and context of upcoming rappers today  Nas believed hip hop was better off in its origin city, New York City   Once hip hop became a worldwide movement it lost considerable value.  He proclaimed that the South killed hip hop   Hip hop of the past focused more on creative rhymes and nice hooks, beats, but hip hop of today focuses more on money, cars, clothes, and other material possessions than skill   In a nutshell, Nas believes all rappers today have no individuality   Rappers of today say and rap about the same thing almost [2]as if they are commercialized.  Notable rapper of the South Young Jeezy agreed with Nas’ point of view to a certain degree.  He acknowledged that hip hop has changed from its old school ways but it is not necessarily a bad change   Change is good. A new time and day brings about a new story and a new movement.   He argued that most people who rap do not actually live what they talk about.  He rebutted Nas by saying Nas has never lived the life he rapped about, but it is all in the ways of hip hop.  Rappers are simply creating catchy phrases and lines to capture America’s interest. If so, is this form of writing still sufficient enough? The book, “Know what I mean? Reflections on Hip Hop,” written by novelist, professor, commentator, one of the most brilliant interpreters of hip hop culture today, and “hip hop intellectual” Eric Michael Dyson gives viewers the prospective of not only him but other critics and rappers in the game today   Mr. Dyson’s story is profound in itself because he can relate to the “African American experience” and the things rappers talk about today such as gangs, violence, and drugs.  He has seen it and done it all because he was once affiliated with gangs and the issues they are faced with.  This type of background is unusual for a scholar so when he speaks of hip hop he can speak from a personal opinion not biased.  In his book, he spoke of well-known artists and their ideas on this new generation of “inspiring” artists.  Jazz legend Wynton Marsalis, argues the point that hip hop is a form of adolescent “ghetto minstrelsy  Hip Hop is more than old stereotypes composed of contemporary rhymes.  Another prominent figure such as social critic Stanley Crouch proclaims that the deficits of hip hop blare beyond the borders of ugly art to inspire young teens to have even uglier behavior   Mr. Dyson argues that although hip hop’s cultural intricacy can be misled into unhealthy forms of behavior that can be said for other forms of art [3]also.  This statement could be referred as far back as incest –laden and murderous characters in Shakespeare’s Macbeth and King Lear   Simply because hip hop is viewed as negative for future generations is even more reasons for critics and others to analyze what this form of music does well and does poorly.  Some state that hip hop has taken away from all that the civil rights movement stood for, but hip hop is simply a voice for youth to use as a means to be heard merely because they are not being heard elsewhere   Because of Mr. Dyson’s close relation with the pros and cons of hip hop, it has inspired young adults to read a book not because of an extra credit assignment or mandatory reading assignment, but merely because of their interest to further understand why the hip hop culture is such a crucial part of society   This simple tactic can rebut the fact that Mr. Dyson is a very influential figure, and young adults rather listen to and read about things that are related to their lives.  This act performed by them is far better than them seeing local rappers soar through the charts.  By doing this, they are getting greater insight on what it is they are watching and why they are watching it.  Even after pointing out several key components of hip hop’s positive influence, critics and society will still publicize not only its pros but also its cons.

            In the book “Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America,” the author weighs the pros and cons of modern day hip hop.  Hip Hop is said to be a confusing and noisy component of modern day culture  Lyrics created today contain no value and are worthless  Because of this, hip hop continues to draw both positive and negative attention to itself.  Hip Hop draws negative attention to itself because of the sexual exploitation of its women.  African American women are referred to as inhumane beings in lyrics, and are placed in degrading situations in videos.  That is a con of today’s contemporary music.  Hip hop of yesterday did not disrespect women and belittle them sexually nor derogatorily.  The pro of hip hop is that it has opened greater venues for African Americans around the globe  After the emergence of hip hop, African Americans were able to become successful in other aspects of life.  Movies, art, and music are just a few of the many opportunities opened for African Americans  This movement has led to an increase in hip hop’s audience.  Old adults to young adults became intrigued by the phenomenon.  Hip hop became an influential part in the young adults’ lives.

[4]            In the journal article “The Words Have Changed but the Ideology Remains the Same: Misogynistic Lyrics in Rap Music,” the African American youth are described as the poetry of hip hop   African American youth are overlooked by society because of their race and social status.  Hip hop is merely a means of expressing the everyday struggles African American males and females experience in today’s society   Hip hop is a channel of communication that explains feelings, ideas, and emotions   Though hip hop is stereotyped as bad, some still suggest that not all hip hop is bad hip hop.

In “The Hip Hop Generation: Young Blacks and the Crisis in African American Culture,” the author affirms that hip hop has increased issues amongst young teens today   High rates of suicide, gang affiliations, imprisonment, police brutality, and the generation gap has steadily increased because of hip hop   Young adults are merely imitating the images and actions produced by music videos.  Inspiring rappers have great impacts on young adults whether their content and context is uplifting or demoralizing. 

In conclusion, hip hop has climbed great milestones that have never been crossed before.  Hip hop has changed in the eyes of many.  This change is seen in both a negative and positive light.  Regardless of how good or bad the change, hip hop has changed.  We have to accept change. Hip hop will never be the same.

One may infer what is hip hop?  Hip Hop is defined as a cultural movement that began in the South Bronx of New York City in the late 1970s.  There are a few notable people who had great influence on the emergence of hip hop.  Old school deejays were the main driving force for this movement.  Deejay Grandmaster Flash first introduced the technique that America knows today as hip hop.  The notorious deejay African Bambaataa is also renowned for his instrumental part in the development of popular hip hop culture.  He is one of three notable originators of break-beat deejaying   He is acknowledged as the “Godfather” of universal hip hop culture, and the father of the electro funk sound.  He incorporated the street gang “black spades” and the Zulu nation to make a music epic.  Since its emergence, hip hop has strayed away from its original roots. From its lyrical content to music videos to its value, hip hop has been greatly distorted in America’s eyes.

            From a personal perspective, hip hop has changed in both a good and negative light.  Hip hop is viewed in a good light because it has created more venues for African Americans to succeed in the industry.  It began to show the visibility of African Americans in mainstream popular culture.  It allowed African Americans to share their story and testimony on everyday problems and struggles.  Upon the demolition of slavery, I feel all African Americans had a story to tell. Finally, the blacks were free from bondage and able to find jobs and resources for their day to day survival. Thus, they needed a channel of communication to get their word out. Music became that mean of communication for some African Americans. Though hip hop has its strengths, it also has its weaknesses.  Modern day hip hop has given old school hip hop a whole new meaning and outlook.  What started out as disk jockeys creating beats and rhymes by looping breaks, small segments of songs emphasizing a percussive pattern on two turntables, sparked a worldwide controversy of whether hip hop is dead or not  In the book “Is Hip Hop Dead? The Past, Present, and Future of America’s Most Wanted Music,” the author discusses the stereotypes of hip hop, the ideology of hip hop being dead, and the new heights it took the music industry once it emerged.  In most cases, hip hop is referred to as a derogatory form of music with sexually explicit lyrics and provocative content   The African American race is looked upon with disdain, because the African American males are a representation of their ethnic group. Thus, the music they produce will reflect the African American race as a whole. Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, known as the famous rapper Nas, supported this argument.  In “Nas Writes Hip Hop Obituary,” Nas suggested that hip hop has lost its meaning as a result of the content and context of upcoming rappers today.  Nas believed hip hop was better off in its origin city, New York City   Once hip hop became a worldwide movement it lost considerable value.  He stated that the South killed hip hop.  Hip hop of the past focused more on creative rhymes and nice hooks, beats, but hip hop of today focuses more on money, cars, clothes, and other material possessions than skill.  In a nutshell, Nas believes all rappers today have no individuality   Rappers of today say and rap about the same thing almost as if they are commercialized.  Notable rapper of the South Young Jeezy agreed with Nas’ point of view to a certain degree.  He acknowledged that hip hop has changed from its old school ways, but it is not necessarily a bad change.  Change is good. A new time and day brings about a new story and a new movement.   He argued that most people who rap do not actually live what they talk about.  He rebutted Nas by saying Nas has never lived the life he rapped about, but it is all in the ways of hip hop.  Rappers are simply creating catchy phrases and lines to capture America’s interest. If so is this form of writing still sufficient enough?

            In the book “Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America,” the author weighs the pros and cons of modern day hip hop.  Hip Hop is said to be a confusing and noisy component of modern day culture  Lyrics created today contain no value and are worthless.  Because of this, hip hop continues to draw both positive and negative attention to itself.  Hip Hop draws negative attention to itself because of the sexual exploitation of its women.  African American women are referred to as inhumane beings in lyrics, and are placed in degrading situations in videos.  That is a con of today’s contemporary music.  Hip hop of yesterday did not disrespect women and belittle them sexually nor derogatorily.  The pro of hip hop is that it has opened greater venues for African Americans around the globe.  After the emergence of hip hop, African Americans were able to become successful in other aspects of life.  Movies, art, and music are just a few of the many opportunities opened for African Americans  This movement has led to an increase in hip hop’s audience.  Old adults to young adults became intrigued by the phenomenon.  Hip hop became an influential part in the young adults’ lives.

  In the journal article “The Words Have Changed but the Ideology Remains the Same: Misogynistic Lyrics in Rap Music,” the African American youth are described as the poetry of hip hop.  African American youth are overlooked by society because of their race and social status.  Hip hop is merely a means of expressing the everyday struggles African American males and females experience in today’s society.  Hip hop is a channel of communication that explains feelings, ideas, and emotions   Though hip hop is stereotyped as bad, some still suggest that not all hip hop is bad hip hop.

In “The Hip Hop Generation: Young Blacks and the Crisis in African American Culture,” the author affirms that hip hop has increased issues amongst young teens today.  High rates of suicide, gang affiliations, imprisonment, police brutality, and the generation gap has steadily increased because of hip hop   Young adults are merely imitating the images and actions produced by music videos.  Inspiring rappers have great impacts on young adults whether their content and context is uplifting or demoralizing. 

In conclusion, hip hop has climbed great milestones that have never been crossed before.  Hip hop has changed in the eyes of many.  This change is seen in both a negative and positive light.  Regardless of how good or bad the change, hip hop has changed.  We have to accept change. Hip hop will never be the same.

My freshman journey has been quite an experience.  Coming into the Wise program was indeed an honor and a privilege.  We are composed of the “Talented Ten” as stated by W.E.B. Dubois.  We are expected to meet the expectations required of us from this high-tech curriculum.  We are forced to think outside the box, and this adjustment has been easy for me because of my two professors, Professor Underwood and Professor Peterson.  My interaction with these two professors has been indescribable.   Professor Underwood has given us every opportunity to succeed and mature into the scholars we are.  From the extra credit films to the extra credit reader documents, I always had the chance to receive the grade I wanted in History.  I commend Professor Underwood for her diligent efforts and enthusiastic attitude in class despite our little attentiveness during her lectures.  She really made me want to learn more about what it was she was covering, because she would put it in simpler terms that my classmates and I could understand.  That is an effective way of teaching because if we understand what it is she is trying to get across we can ask more questions and the lecture would be more productive as opposed to her simply lecturing the whole time and we really are not getting anything out of it.  During my matriculation in this course, I have learned more on worldwide issues.  Prior to enrolling in Professor Underwood’s class, I did not half of the things she has lectured us on.  I have gained further insight on the Apartheid that occurred in South Africa, the New World, the Trans-Atlantic Slavery, and the Spanish-American War just to name a few.  I am leaving this course with so much more information, but that is a good thing.  When you leave out with more than what you came in with, it shows your maturity and growth as a young adult.  Those things have played an important part in my scholarly thinking as well as furthering my writing skills and completing the research paper that we had.  When composing any type of paper, particularly a research paper, it causes you to come out of this certain zone and dig deeper and further to the root of what it is you are researching.  The thing I also admire about Professor Underwood is that she has never forced anything on us.  If we came to class it was because of our own free will, if we went see a film the History department was playing it was on our own free will, and in the case of our research paper, we were able to research anything in history that we wanted, which again was our own free will.  She helped those who wanted to help themselves.  It was all about what I put into the class and what I got out of it.  By allowing us to choose our own research topic, we were less likely to become bored while researching.  Had she picked us a topic we may have only did enough to get a passing grade and not our full potential.  Personally, I felt that was a great idea, because we do tend to write more scholarly when referring to something that interests us.  While doing my research, I always had the help of both my professors.  One of the main things that stood out to me was that we had to submit both a proposal and rough draft.  The proposal is a great tool to use in terms of the research paper. It greatly helped to keep me on track during this process.  After submitting the proposal, I was able to get more feedback on what it was I needed to add and take out.  This paper was a great time saver, because it made my rough draft less time consuming and stressful.  Although I had all the sources there that I needed to utilize I still did not put forth my best effort.  The course was gradually winding down and I guess I caught the “spring fever.” I just was ready to turn in the paper and receive a passing grade on it and be done with the whole research process.  I could have done a whole lot better on my research because I was interested in learning more about hip hop and the changes it has been through but the enthusiasm and energy had slowly slipped away from me.  Overall, I think I have had a great experience in my history class.  It has taught me what it is I should and should not do as I matriculate through college.  I think I became too comfortable in the skin I was in.  After completing numerous extra credit assignments, I used them as a crutch.  I did not take the research paper serious because I figured the extra credit would come through and pull my final grade up.  That was definitely not a good attitude to have, but as stated earlier everything has been a learning experience for me.  I have come to the conclusion that my best work should be put forth up until the last day of class.  I really have enjoyed CHIS 202, and I wish Professor Underwood was teaching another course I am required to take because I really am going to miss her as I continue through this college journey.  I know I have formed a relationship with her that will sustain me throughout my four years here at Clark Atlanta! I will most definitely get her to write me a letter of recommendation one day!