Meeting Time 1:10-4:00 PM, M-F
Meeting Place 209 Garland
Professor Jennifer C. Lena
321C Garland Hall
Jennifer.c.lena@vanderbilt.edu
This is a seminar course in which we examine hip-hop and rap as a frame for a critical analysis of contemporary social, cultural and political forces. We’ll examine the history of this form of creative production from a sociological perspective by examining how political, social, economic and aesthetic structures impact the content or form of hip-hop music and culture, and how hip-hop effect society in return.
The Maymester schedule demands that we proceed through a semester’s worth of material in 20 days. For this reason, daily participation in classroom discussion is critical. Secondly, our seminar format requires that students take responsibility for directing the conversation, within the confines set by the syllabus. For this reason, the only method of assessment will incorporate both preparation for discussion (thoughtful reading and analysis) and attentive listening and integration during discussion. Students will prepare a memo for every class, answering at least three questions provided by the instructor. These answers must draw directly upon the assigned reading and listening exercises. They will be amended or annotated during class as a form of note taking. They are then submitted to the instructor at the end of every class period to be graded. Thus, grades will reflect the sophistication of students’ reading comprehension, their ability to construct sociological arguments, and their ability to be intellectually engaged in class discussion as a listener. Class discussion grades will separately assess students’ ability to contribute as a speaker.
Students should expect that we will consume media every day in class—either during breaks between discussion topics, or as aural support for arguments. I’ll show a few full-length movies, and some shorter selections from movies that will motivate critiques of the texts we read. Finally, students may be expected to complete “listening” assignments, in addition to the reading assignments on the syllabus. Simply put, these will be mixed CDs on loan from the professor that include songs mentioned in the readings—students will be expected to listen to the songs as an accompaniment for the texts.
Objectives:1. To understand the chronology, personalities, and events that are used to describe this art form, in the popular imagination and the scholarly literature.
2. To move toward competent, sociological thinking and discourse by engaging in informed critique of popular and academic sources.
3. To acquire an advanced sociological vocabulary, with particular emphasis on the sociology of culture, race and ethnicity and organizations and institutions.
Honesty: A complete description of the Vanderbilt University honor code is available in the Student Handbook. Each student bears the responsibility of reading this text, and asking the instructor for advice or direction should any lack of clarity exist on the nature and form of violations. Students should particularly note that acts of plagiarism may not solely include premeditated acts of deception, but may be the result of carelessness or ignorance of acceptable citation formats.
Requirements1. Classroom attendance and participation (10%): All members of the class are expected to attend every class session, having completed the class reading assigned for that session, and prepared to participate to the discussion. More than three unexcused absences will result in a failing grade for the class, without exception. Excused absences will be granted in the rare occurrence of a death in the family, or a severe injury or illness, any of which must be supported with documentation. It is the student’s responsibility to provide proof of their excuse in a timely manner. The final class participation grade will reflect attendance as well as an ability to contribute productively to discussion—raising interesting questions, responding to reading, and listening and reacting to classmates. Class participation grades are based not only on the frequency of your contributions but their substance. Useful, substantive contributions use course terms or concepts accurately and explicitly, and illustrate a comprehension of the course material and an ability to integrate the text, reader, and current events. Most valued contributions will be those prepared in advance of class, and which are supported with the use of media.
2. 18 typed memos (90% total, 5% each): On the syllabus, I have provided you with discussion questions prepared by previous students in this class. For 18 of our 19 sessions, you must answer the questions provided completely and accurately, using and citing the course texts. For each memo, I have designated certain questions Required. You must answer these questions. In addition, I have stipulated the total number of questions you must answer. Except for May 8-12, you will always have to answer at least three (3) questions. These memos must be typed. You may keep them during class, use them in class discussion, and legibly annotate them during discussion. They are due at the end of the period. No late memos will be accepted, under any circumstances, including an excused absence.
The instructor reserves the right to adjust the weighting or scheduling of assignments at any time, with due notice.Grading: A grade of A is reserved for truly exemplary work—a mastery of the readings and discussions matched with well-written and insightful text. «A memos» ask questions, even as they propose preliminary or informed answers to others. «A memos» provide substantial evidence for their claims. «A memos» illustrate that the student has not only read the assigned material, but has thought about it and developed their thought through additional research, comparison with other material on the syllabus, material from other classes, etc. Competently completed assignments will earn a B or B+. “B memos” explicitly use and define sociological terms. “B memos” cite the texts assigned and draw clear and relevant connections among them. Incomplete, messy, disorganized or intellectual irresponsible work will earn a C or C-.
«On Redmarks:» When you get a marked paper back from me, you will see that I make marginal comments on it (a description of these follows). Many marks does not necessarily correlate with low quality. Sometimes I just find your argument interesting and am putting my responses down on paper—or simply noting places where I'd love to read more of your argument, and this is a better «problem» than most. Also, I correct grammar, spelling, diction and stuff like that. I do this for your benefit and because it is my compulsion. Errors of this kind typically do not work against your grade unless: (1) they continue, without correction, for a period of time; or, (2) they make it difficult or impossible for me to understand your argument.
«On Abbreviations:» AWK: Awkward phrase or sentence.
Cite: You have made a claim without any support, where evidence is required.
Colloq: Colloquial language or slang is out of place stylistically or is indefinite in its meaning.
Eg: Provide an example.
Sp: Spelling error. I hope I never write this on your paper, because I'm a terrible speller, and so you must be really bad for me to notice. Spellcheck.
Tense: Your tenses don't agree—you change from past to future or present or whatever.
Ugh: Usually, I write this when you overwrite. This means you are adding unnecessary flourishes. Example: «Before beginning my laborious discussion of this truly important problem, I thought it wise to begin by examining the most reliable sources that I was able to locate. One source in particular was of great utility, and substantially assisted my initial attempts.» And you could have just said, «I first looked in X…» or «According to X….»
?: I don't understand the point.
?!?!: You don't understand the point.
WC: Word choice. You have chosen an imprecise or incorrect word to communicate your meaning.
«So what have we learned?»
1. Write plainly
2. Avoid unsubstantiated claims. If the facts you state are not self-evident, provide supporting evidence from an expert.
3. Spell and grammar check.
4. Avoid hyperbole and moral evaluations.
5. Don't assert opinion as fact.
6. In fact, just think. Don't claim «old» is intrinsically better than «new» (esp. values and culture). Don't assert that humans are stupid and easily manipulated or that they are automitons who make decisions and act without any societal influence/s.
7. To sum nos. 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6: Don't generalize.
Respect: I expect students to be respectful at all times. In this context, respect includes showing up to class on time, remaining awake during the duration of class, completing the day’s reading assignment, contributing to discussion in a mutually respectful and productive fashions, and turning off cell phones, PDAs, and pagers. Violations of this policy of respect will result in expulsion from the classroom.
Required TextsForman, Murray and Mark Anthony Neal (eds.). 2004. That’s the Joint: The Hip-Hop Studies Reader. New York: Routledge.
Reading packet. These will be available from the sociology office (201 Garland) at the cost of $20. If you lose or damage your reading packet, you will be responsible for buying a replacement copy.
Reading and Writing Plan:May 8: What is Sociology, and How Does it Work (or, Building a Critical Framework)Discussion of the class, introductions and reading and listening exercises.
May 9: Cities and Demographic ChangeMaly, Michael T. 2005. Pp. 8-13 in Beyond Segregation: Multiracial and Multiethnic Neighborhoods in the United States. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press.
Jackle, John and David Wilson. 1992. Selections from “Central City Decline,” in Derelict Landscapes: The Wasting of America’s Built Environment. New York: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. “Decline in Statistical Overview” (pp. 94-98), “Poverty and Landscape Change” (pp. 104-108), “The Underclass” (pp. 108-112), “Unsuccessful Government Intervention” (pp. 122-136).
Rose, Tricia. 1994. Selections from “’All Aboard the Night Train; Flow, Layering, and Rupture in Postindustrial New York,” in Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America. Hanover, NH: Wesleyan University Press. “The Urban Context” (pp. 27-34).
Lueck, Thomas J. April 25, 2006. “Graffiti Back in Subways, Indelibly This Time.” New York Times.
Questions: All four required
1. Name two global forces that produced pronounced poverty and segregation in U.S. cities (especially New York) in the 1970s. Define each clearly, and in your own words (but mention the text/s from which you drew this conclusion).
2. Name three organizations contributed to racial and ethnic segregation in the United States. Explain the role of each in your own words (but mention the source text).
3. What causes for the “permanent underclass” do these authors identify? Explain how each contributes to a cycle of poverty and neighborhood segregation (by class and race/ethnicity).
4. Define the “culture of poverty.” The culture of poverty is a theory or explanation of a particular phenomena (that you’ve just defined). What is an/the alternative explanation of the same phenomena. How do they differ?
May 10: The Social Construction of Race (and still, space)All of the articles assigned below are from: Race and Ethnicity in Society: The Changing Landscape, ed. By Elizabeth Higginbotham and Margaret L. Anderson. 2006. Thompson Wadsworth.
Taylor, Howard F. “Defining Race,” pp. 47-54.
Ferber, Abby L. “Planting the Seed: The Invention of Race,” pp. 55-58.
Feagin, Joe R. “Systemic Racism: A Comprehensive Perspective,” pp. 67-73.
Omi, Michael and Howard Winant. “Racial Formation,” pp. 74-78.
Gallagher, Charles A. “Color-Blind Privilege: The Social and Political Functions of Erasing he Color Line in Post Race America,” pp. 96-100.
Chesler, Mark A., Melissa Peet and Todd Sevig. “Blinded by Whiteness: The Development of White College Students’ Racial Awareness,” pp. 156-165.
Vera, Hernan and Andrew M. Gordon. “Learning to Be White through the Movies,” pp. 101-107.
Rose, Tricia. “Hidden Politics: Discursive and Institutional Policing of Rap Music,” pp. 108-114.
Questions: All four required
1. What are the different ways race can be defined in society? How does this challenge the understanding of race as simply a fixed, biological category?
2. What difference does it make to conceptualize race as a property of social structures versus a property (or attribute) of individuals? Relate this to Feagin’s notion of “systemic racism,” and Omi and Winant’s notion of “racial formation” and the role of law in this process.
3. How does Gallagher see color-blind racism as resulting from White people’s privilege? How does privilege influence what White people can understand about racism? In what ways does color-blind racism support the traditional American ideal that any individual can succeed if they only try hard enough (the ideology of a meritocracy)?
4. Do you think that rap music and hip-hop culture contribute to the “celebration of White privilege” that Vera and Gordon identify? Do you agree with Vera and Gordon that forms of popular culture have the ability to define who is powerful and who is powerless (support your claim with evidence and clear argumentation)? Would Rose agree or disagree, and why?
May 11: A Knuckle-dragging sub-pidgin of grunts and snarlsBBC News, April 29, 2006: “World hip-hop questions US rap.”
Rohrich, Klaus. March 5, 2006. “Success in rap music.” Canada Free Press.
Tabor, Nathan. January 31, 2006. “Jesus Sells: The Real Reason for Kanye’s Rap.” The Conservative Voice Online.
Tyrangiel, Josh. August 29, 2005. “Why You Can’t Ignore Kayne.” Time Magazine.
Hyde, Jesse. December 8, 2005. “Hip-hop’s Public Enemy: Minister G. Craige Lewis has one goal: Get hip-hop out of the church. Forever.” Dallas Observer.
Ogbar, Jeffery. “Slouching toward Bork: The Culture Wars and Self-Criticism in Hip-Hop Music.”
Questions: ALL THREE REQUIRED
1. What causes the difference of opinion Ogbar notes between those who “[provide] more substantive criticism of the social, economic, and political apparatus that create the pathology described by rappers” and those who “resort to simplistic pandering to fear and ignorance, resulting in myopic and limited understanding and analysis?” Are there sociological (not psychological or individual) causes for this difference of opinion? If so, what are they, and how do they cause this difference?
2. Ogbar argues (pg. 166) that “on one front, rappers direct criticism at their hypermaterialistic peers and, on another, distain is directed at the capitalist society at large that copiously glorifies overconsumption and materialism.” Explain both of these arguments in your own words, and using lyrics from Ogbar’s paper to support both of his arguments.
3. What is your opinion—is rap music “debased” and “degenerate?” Why or why not?
May 15: What is Art? What is it made of? Becker, Howard. “Art Worlds and Collective Activity,” pp. 1-39. In Art Worlds. (Los Angeles: U of California Press, 1982).
Dyson, Michael Eric. “The Culture of Hip-Hop.” Pp. 61-68 in That’s the Joint!
George, Nelson. “Hip-Hop’s Founding Fathers Speak the Truth.” Pp. 45-56 in That’s the Joint!
Questions: PICK THREE (3)
1. Is the person who “signs” the art the only one responsible for making it? How much art work does a person have to do in order to be considered “the artist?” If the artist cannot entirely control the distribution or performance of their art, and the performers change elements of the piece (say, a part of the choreography), then should we question who is the artist? Should we question if it is authentic?
2. Is innovation the creation of something entirely new? Use Becker’s conception of mobilizing resources and the role of conventions to argue that innovations are only permutations or combinations of things that already exist.
3. What are “conventions,” according to Becker? What are the conventions in hip hop? Do artists work alone, according to Becker? Why or why not? (Hint: talk about the value and constraints provided by cooperative work.) Who are the collaborating artists/support staff in hip hop? What are the support personnel for hip hop?
4. Dyson subtly implies that music such as Fresh Prince and DJ Jazzy Jeff is inauthentic (pg. 64) while Bam, Herc and Flash all agree in George’s article that they are indeed a form of hip hop. Would Becker consider this type of music (pop rap) art? What requirements does this type of music meet? Not meet? If it can be considered art, why is it not authentic? What would Bam or Flash say?
5. On p 66, Dyson refers to the word style used by many rappers. He claims, “The culture of hip hop has generated a lexicon of life that expresses rap’s B-boy/ B-girl worldview, a perspective that takes delight in undermining “correct” English usage while celebrating the culturally encoded phrases that communicate in rap’s idiom.” If this is the case and rappers are all the while speaking out against oppression and racism, what does this type of language usage to diminish stereotypes? Could it possibly perpetuate them? Could this type of rap music be a constraint on rap’s goal of raising awareness?
6. All of the artists in George’s “Hip-Hop’s Founding Fathers Speak the Truth” comment on the role of media in their art, and how in many situations the media attempted to define their music. Specifically how did the media define early rap and its variety? Was the media’s role positive or negative according to the Founding Fathers? (Hint: look on page 50 for one example.)
7. On page 52, Herc expresses disagreement with Sugar Hill Gang’s sampling of his work. Do you see a contradiction in that all of Herc’s work is also based off of someone else? Think back to Becker’s discussion of conventions of authorship, and use this idea in your response.
May 16: What is Hip Hop?Perkins, William Eric. “The Rap Attack: An Introduction.” Pp. 1-45 in Perkins (ed.) Droppin’ Science: Critical Essays on Rap Music and Hip Hop Culture. Temple University Press.
Questions: PICK THREE (3)
1. What are the social or sociological roots of rap? What social forces were present when rap was born? What are the musical roots of rap? How many of them have survived in modern rap? How have they changed or been adapted as time moved on?
2. When was rap born? Can you put a date on the birth? Can you identify it with a cultural product—a song, a dance party, a piece of graffiti? Do the authors agree on the birth “date” of rap? What is the nature of their disagreement? Why do you think they disagree? Who (what groups) has a stake in your answer to this question? Why does it matter what you choose as the birth date of rap?
3. At its advent, in what ways did rap break away from mainstream music? In what ways did rap borrow from other cultural and musical styles? Does this mean that rap is not or was not innovative? If not, then what is your definition of “innovation?”
4. What conventions exist that could make it possible for a white upper class teenager from suburbia to relate to the lifestyle such as that described in NWA’s music?
5. Can you think of any current instances of rap involving the art of dissin’? How are they similar or different to the older “dis” raps? Where did this convention come from? How is it viewed by rappers? What about by listeners? What about by rap critics?
6. If the beat is the foundation to rap as Perkins says on pg. 6, who is the real artist, the DJ or the MC? What would Becker argue?
7. Is there a clear line where art becomes harmful and needs to be monitored or prohibited?
8. Perkins states on pg. 18-19 that gangsta rap celebrates hustling, street crime and the abuse of women. Why should rap receive a negative reputation when rappers are simply stating the reality of their lives? Other genres of music (such as country) don't receive as much criticism as rap even though they also talk about what they experience. Why does rap take the wrath of critics even though rappers talk about reality?
9. Were young blacks in the early 1990s in a social no-win situation? Strengthened by Chuck D's comments on page 22, it seems as if a young black male isn't upwardly mobile, he is considered lazy and unambitious, but if he "prospers," he is criticized for being greedy and not being "real."
May 17: A Matter of Perspective? Methods of InvestigationGeertz,. Clifford. “Deep Play: Notes on the Balinese Cockfight.” Pp. 239-277 in Mukerji and Schudson (eds.) Rethinking Popular Culture: Contemporary Perspectives in Cultural Studies. California University Press.
Light, Alan. “About a Salary or Reality? –Rap’s Recurrent Conflict.” Pp. 137-146 in That’s the Joint!
Samuels, David. “The Rap on Rap: The ‘Black Music’ that Isn’t Either.” Pp. 147-154 in That’s the Joint!
Gates, David, Vern E. Smith, Patrice Johnson, Jennifer Foote, and Andrew Murr. March 19, 1990. “Decoding Rap Music.” Newsweek.
Adler, Jerry, Jennifer Foote and Ray Sawhill. March 19, 1990. “The Rap Attitude.” Newsweek.
Mills, David. July 21, 1989. “Professor Griff’s enemy: Tragic, corrupt beliefs.” The Washington Times.
Questions: PICK THREE (3), INCLUDING #1
1. REQUIRED: Why is it important from a sociological and anthropological standpoint to have outsiders, or “unbiased” and educated people examine a culture and report back on it? Can these people truly understand a culture if they are not indoctrinated under its belief system? Can an outsider appropriately interpret cultural meaning? (Hint: reread the final paragraphs of Geertz’s Deep Play for his brief take on this.) Who are the “outsiders” to hip-hop culture that might similarly provide insights? How do they gain access to the culture of hip hop?
2. Paraphrase the list Geertz provides of what makes cockfighting “deep” on page 261. Then apply it to rap music: What makes rap music deep?
3. Is rap music, like cockfighting, “a story [men] tell themselves about themselves?” (pg. 266). Why or why not?
4. “[The elite] sees cockfighting as “primitive,” “backward,” “unprogressive,” and generally unbecoming an ambitious nation.” Is rap described in this way? If so, by whom? And why does it seem important to some to stamp out rap culture to these outside individuals? (Hint: think back to the Perkins’ overview of rap/hip-hop history and the criticism rap received.)
5. What makes cockfighting the “right” place to find out what being a Balinese man means? Is rap music the “right” place to look to find out what being something means? If so, what? Why is it the “right” place? Consider at least one alternative (and reasonable) “place” in your answer and explain why it is not as “right” as rap music.
6. Herc, Flash and Bam explain that new rappers had to prove themselves and build up their reputations in order to be accepted and get respect in the community. Geertz demonstrates that in primitive cultures such as the Bali village he lived in, proving oneself is also an essential element to life. Can you think of any modern day examples where proving oneself is a central concept of joining a new group? Where is it not? Are these initiation rituals markedly male?
7. Geertz mentions the number of rules that are a part of cockfighting both on page 248 and in list form on page 258. Although constraints, these rules act as a way of securing calm thus leading to self understanding amongst the crowd. What constraints do/have rappers have/had that have had the potential of deeper self understanding and self expression?
8. Money in cockfighting is said not to be the sole reason for the tradition. How could a prohibition on betting affect the ritual? How did rap being sold for profit affect the industry in the early days? How might it affect the message of rap now if it was unpaid or a far lesser paid industry?
9. Why do Public Enemy and other groups/individuals have an interest in not “allow[ing] anyone to forget that this music came from the streets and that no rappers should feel any responsibility to take it away from there” (Light, p 141)? What does this say about their feelings toward rap and its background? Do they fall of the ‘salary’ or ‘reality’ side of the argument?
10. What is your interpretation of Chuck D’s statement (quoted in Light): “Rap is black America’s CNN”? How is this statement a positive one? A negative one? Why is it important to consider what rappers are saying about their own art?
11. According to Light’s argument, who is in it for salary and who is in it for reality? Why /how does a history of the development of hip-hop lend support to Light’s argument that rap is both about the salary and the reality?
12. What about “blackness” (specifically as it is defined at the bottom of p 147/top of p 148 in Samuels) is so appealing to suburban whites? Why do they covet that reality and all the characteristics that accompany it?
13. Are “white listeners became guilty eavesdroppers on the putative private conversation of the inner city” (in Samuels)? Why or why not?
14. What are the similarities/differences regarding the role of whites in rap’s development in Light and Samuels’ arguments?
15. The title of Samuels’ article is “The Rap on Rap: The “Black Music” that Isn’t Either.” What do you think he means by this? Where can you find evidence to support your interpretation?
May 18: AuthenticityGrazian, David. 2003. Pages 6-28 in Blue Chicago: The Search for Authenticity in Urban Blues Clubs. U of Chicago Press.
Judy, R.A.T. “On the Question of Nigga Authenticity.” Pp. 105-118 in That’s the Joint!
Questions: PICK THREE (3)
1. Grazian argues that “authenticity is always manufactured…[and] it is a grand performance” (p. 11) and that “images of authenticity are idealized representations of reality, and are therefore little more than collectively produced fictions” (p. 12). If authenticity is manufactured, what makes any one product more authentic than another? If authenticity is indeed fabricated, what shape does it take in the world of hip-hop? Are there competing ideas of authenticity within hip-hop culture?
2. “The subjective quality of the concept of authenticity gives it a certain elasticity, and therefore almost anything can be regarded as more or less authentic in relations to its competitors” (Grazian, p. 13). Why is considering authenticity to be an elastic term advantageous? Can using it this way legitimize anything?
3. Rap’s history, as well as blues’ history, is firmly rooted in many African, as well as African-American traditions, does this mean Eminem and other white artists cannot be considered authentic rappers? To what degree does race play into modern conceptions of authenticity of rap?
4. Grazian asks a series of questions regarding authenticity and it creation and consumption on page 17. Paraphrase each of these questions, and then consider them in terms of rap.
5. Grazian discusses Goffman’s concept of the backstage on page 11. He says, “…when we players take refuge from these performances in our most private spaces, or ‘backstage regions’ we reveal what we imagine to be our more authentic selves to our intimates and confidants.” Can you think of modern day examples when a celebrity’s backstage was revealed to the public and had negative consequences? Would knowing about someone’s authentic self (think Michael Jackson’s possible history of child molestation) damage the way in which their art was perceived? Would you prefer not to know something bad about a performer you enjoy? Would their authentic self ruin the commercial value of their product?
6. How does Grazian describe Stanley Fish’s concept of “interpretive communities” on page 22? How would an interpretive community relate to the concept of authenticity? What types of interpretive communities exist in the rap world?
7. On page 17, Grazian says, “The search for authenticity in Chicago’s blues clubs is not so much a quest for some actual material thing, but for what participants in these clubs merely imagine to be symbols of authenticity, all manufactured, bartered, sold and consumed within a symbolic economy of authenticity- that is, a specific network of commodified signs, social relations and meanings, a world of human experience and subjectivity.” What are examples of a symbolic economy of authenticity of rap? In other words, what makes an artist successful? What types of behaviors and attitudes are embraced by society? Which are deemed unacceptable or unauthentic?
8. What is Judy’s thesis sentence or argument? Against whom is he arguing? Against what definition of nigga found in hip hop scholarship is he defining his own use of the term?
9. What are the differences between the baadman nigga and the bad nigga, discussed in Judy? Why is pointing out the distinctions between the baadman and the bad nigga important in terms of hip-hop?
10. Pick a rapper and explain his song from two perspectives—first, seeing him as a baadman and second, seeing him as a bad nigga. What are the consequences of this distinction?
11. Which does the black community need more: baadmen or bad niggers? Why?
12. On page 109, Judy says, “Keep in mind that for Spencer, the question of morality in rap is a question of authenticity; the heroic badman is a figure of legitimate moral resistance to white oppression…the badman hard core political rapper lets rap belong to a continuous tradition of community conservation as the moral response to a singular form of oppression.” He then lists MC Hammer as a member of this moral resistance--implying that he is authentic. A number of readings would posit that MC Hammer is not authentic. Think back to Grazien’s reading: why would Judy be correct in saying MC Hammer is authentic?
13. On page 114, Judy claims, “The possibility of the nigga rests on the twofold of experience and affect, and the fact that experience is essentially unfungible; it cannot be sold as is but must be abstracted and processed by the formulaic functions of transnational capitalism.” If the nigga experience is processed and sold in a way that meets expectations of the public, how can it be considered authentic?
14. On page 113, Judy refers to the “niggafication of white suburban youth.” What do you think he means by “niggafication?” What are its consequences, both according to Judy, and to you?
15. “Nigga defines authenticity as adaptation to the force of commodification. Rap becomes an authentic African American cultural form against its appropriation as transnational popular culture” (Judy 114). If you examine this statement and the paragraph from which it came, what is Judy trying to posit? If popular culture is shaping what is acceptable and desired from the rap world, can rap really be considered a statement against that oppression?
May 19: Studying MeaningBecker, Howard, “Becoming a Marijuana User,” American Journal of Sociology, 59 (1953), pp. 235–242.
Radway, Janice. “Interpretive Communities and Variable Literacies: The Functions of Romance Reading.” Pp. 465-486 in Mukerji and Schudson (eds.) Rethinking Popular Culture: Contemporary Perspectives in Cultural Studies. California University Press.
Questions: PICK THREE (3)
1. How does Becker’s argument about marijuana use apply to the consumption of rap and its culture? Is there a process by which someone comes to enjoy rap? If so, does it follow the same trajectory as Becker describes in section IV, beginning on p 241?
2. If marijuana users are utilizing clues from others as to how to enjoy being “high,” can it still be viewed as an authentic sensation? (Be sure to define ‘authenticity’ as you are using it.) Consider this is terms of enjoying rap and its culture. Have you personally ever found yourself a novice at any given activity and used the cues of others to learn to enjoy it? Does this mean your basing your enjoyment on theirs, or are you realizing your own form of pleasure? If you’re not really feeling something, why does it behoove you to pretend that you do? How does all of this play into the concept of the production of rap culture? What is original and unbiased enjoyment of the art? What/who makes enjoying rap a desirable characteristic?
3. Becker claims on page 235 that “the problem becomes one of describing the set of changes in the person’s conception of the activity and of the experience it provides for him.” Apply this same standard to rap music. If the same holds true for rap music and a person’s conception must be changed, is there ever any authenticity in an interest for rap music? Is it possible that a person could enjoy the genre without relying on someone else’s experience?
4. Pick a subset of rap music – analyze it in the way Radway does those who read romance novels. Do members of this group willingly identify themselves as such? Who is this group’s “Dorothy Evans”? How do members within the group define it? What are some of the potential misconceptions about this group? Are there any surprising intentions of the group (i.e. – the romance readers reading to learn about geography and history)? Do members of this group derive anything else besides pleasure from their membership?
5. The theorists Radway writes about consider the exclusion of the reader at great length, and deem it to be a shortcoming. Is there a parallel within rap music? How included in the listener when interpreting the music/lyrics is at stake? Who does the majority of the interpreting of rap music and culture?
6. Can we consider listening to be a form of “production or construction” (Radway, pg. 467) as some theories consider reading? Or is it always consumption of some variety?
7. Why is it so difficult to truly understand how someone is interpreting any given object? What is at stake when information about personal interpretation is being disseminated?
8. On page 473, Radway claims, “The romance reader’s failure to unify action and description may, in fact, be a function of a particular philosophy of language that effectively precludes such an operation… The women believe that words have meanings that are fixed and definite. Because those meanings are essentially contained in words, the women also believe that people choose words to say what they mean.” What dangers exist for rap listeners if they share this same philosophy?
9. Radway calls romance reading a “declaration of independence” (pg 479) for women. How is listening to rap a declaration of independence? Independence from whom?
May 22: RaceTate, Greg. “Introduction: Nigs R Us, or How Blackfolk Became Fetish Objects.” Pp. 1-14 in Everything but the Burden: What White People are Taking from Black Culture.
Wimsatt, Billy Upski. Bomb the Suburbs. Pp. 7-13; 22-41; 157-159.
DuBois, W.E.B. Selections from The Souls of Black Folk.
Cadenhead, Rogers. February 23, 2006. “Actor Tries to Trademark the ‘N’ Word.” Wired News.
Questions: PICK THREE (3)
1. Consider Roger Guenveur Smith’s question (in Tate), “Why does everyone love Black music, but nobody loves Black people?” What is he getting at here? Do you agree? How does this idea appear in our culture today?
2. What’s different about hip-hop that it can affect “every other lifestyle-and-entertainment business under the sun?” Classical music doesn’t do this; even country music doesn’t come close. Is it because “blackness” is attached to it, or is there something else?
3. Tate writes, “In this sense, Everything but the Burden is also about what white people can’t see when they see Black…” How would Winsatt answer this?
4. How does Wimsatt define “the suburbs?” Understanding this is key to his argument regarding the demise of “city culture.” Why does Wimsatt spend an entire book on “bombing the suburbs”? Do “the suburbs” equate with whiteness? How does Wimsatt see “the suburbs” infiltrating hip-hop culture?
5. “The price of avoiding us is the fullness of your humanity…Your children will cuss you out in a language they learn from us” (Wimsatt, p. 12). How is the fullness of one’s humanity compromised here? What stereotypes is Wimsatt capitalizing on when he makes the second half of the statement?
6. “[Suburbanization] is one of the most important metaphors for where our heads are at these days. Everybody wants to go off with their own group, do their own thing, cut themselves off from everyone else, and cease to be accountable” (Wimsatt, p. 13). Does rap contribute to the stratification of music listeners?
7. Regarding any color listener who dons the costume of “coolness” as described in Wimsatt on page 22 – are those listeners degrading rap’s listening body or diversifying it?
8. “To be black is to feel used, unappreciated, condescended to, to be told you are ugly, stupid, abnormal, inferior, violent” (Wimsatt, p. 38). How is this conveyed in rap music? Is this claim substantiated or refuted in the lyrics and culture of rap?
9. According to Wimsatt, what is rap’s central crisis today? Do you agree? Why or why not?
10. On page 27 Wimsatt provides the last paragraph that was excluded from an article in The Source. What is Wimsatt trying to do by providing it in this article? What impact do you think it has? What differences do you think would exist in the reactions of blacks and whites?
11. Wimsatt describes a Catch 22 for white people. He says, “We cannot help blacks without undercutting their self-determination; we cannot be cool without encroaching on their cultural space; we cannot take risks without exercising our privilege to take risks; we cannot integrate without invading; we cannot communicate on black terms without patronizing” (pg 41). This makes it seem as though whites are doomed to exert their own sense of superiority over blacks forever- what solution does Wimsatt give?
May 23: Global Hip Hop, GlocalizationBennett, Andy. “Hip-Hop am Main, Rappin’ on the Tyne: Hip-Hop Culture as a Local Construct in Two European Cities.” Pp. 177-200 in That’s the Joint!
Osumare, Halifu. “Beat Streets in the Global Hood: Connective Marginalities of the Hip Hop Globe.” Journal of American and Comparative Cultures. Spring-Summer 2001.
Kennedy, Megan Grace. January 22, 2006. “French hip-hoppers speak for a displaced, ghettoized generation.” Santa Cruz Sentinel.
Fariborz, Arian. January 17, 2006. “Algerian Hip Hop: Rap Rebellion—Loud and Proud.” Islam Online.net.
Questions: PICK THREE (3), INCLUDING #1
1. Required: How does Bennett define the term glocalization? And how does it apply to his argument about hip-hop culture? Also, define global and local as Bennett sees them. Define “localization” as Bennett uses it, and explain why localization is not “synonymous with obvious innovation” (p. 185).
2. To understand rap’s global affects one must understand the far reaching arm of hip-hop culture. Unpack the idea that Osumare presents on page 2, regarding hip-hop culture’s “self-empowered messages and attitudes that are not necessarily under the control of the music industry” and their importance (especially when it comes to the global nature of this culture).
3. Osumare cites Dakar’s hip-hop culture as posing the same “issue of ‘modern’ vs. ‘traditional’ cultures that the subculture does everywhere else” (p. 4). Describe how the “modern vs. traditional culture” issue manifests itself in the U.S. What is it about rap that allows for this?
4. Why is a postmodern export from the U.S. like rap taking such hold in other nations and manifesting itself in such organic ways? Is there something endemic to all cultures that allows this to happen? Give examples from Osumare’s article.
5. Osumare refers to hip hop as a “collective marginality” (pg 3). What exactly does this mean? What examples does he provide?
6. Osumare claims, “The hip hop passport is not a ticket to a Pollyanna Disney World, but rather it is a cultural bridge to explore other hip hop sites inhabited by young people who have their own issues of marginalization…” (11). Does this cultural bridge extend to white people? What evidence do you have to show that it does or does not?
7. “English-language popular music became highly fashionable among young people, not primarily because the lyrical content of the songs was understood but because of the counter-cultural stance that could be implied through listening to such music” (Bennett, p. 182). Could this be considered contrary to the goals of rap artists, since typically the lyrics are of significant importance? Or does this concept seem to coincide with rap music’s creation of a vital and independent listener, no matter whether the lyrics are understood? Why?
May 24: ResistanceScott, James. 1990. Domination and the Arts of Resistance: Hidden Transcripts. New Haven: Yale University Press. Pp. 17-28 & 34-44.
Forman, Murray. “’Represent’: Race, Space and Place in Rap Music.” Pp. 210-222 in That’s the Joint!
Questions: PICK THREE (3) INCLUDING #1
1. Required: What is a public transcript? What is a hidden transcript? Provide examples of each, and clearly define and distinguish them in your own words.
2. Compare Scott’s notion of public and hidden transcripts, to the concept of backstage and front stage we talked about earlier (in re: Grazian). When are the lines blurred between hidden and public? Are hidden transcripts and public transcripts always different?
3. Scott bases his argument off of situations in which the elite dictate and the subordinates must succumb (slavery, serfdom, etc.). Is this an accurate depiction of the distribution of power in popular culture (and rap specifically)? What about between racial/ethnic minority groups?
4. Create a continuum of public and hidden transcripts as presented on Scott, page 25, as it applies to an event in rap music history
5. W. E. B. Du Bois’s idea of double consciousness comes up again. What is “double consciousness” and where in rap music or hip-hop culture do we see evidence of it in play?
6. In what transcript do you think rap lies? Consider both the public and private.
7. Think back to our reading by Judy, “On the Question of Nigga Authenticity.” Can you recall his definition of the ‘bad nigger’? Scott also makes mention of it. How do the two definitions differ? Is there any significance in this difference?
8. Scott references Richard Wright’s use of fantasy to control his anger on page 38. Black Boy was published in 1945, obviously some time before equal rights between blacks and whites would be accomplished. Despite laws put into place now, however, it is obvious that things still are not ‘equal’. What new ways do you think African Americans use to express their anger and distaste at the current state of racial politics?
May 25: LA RiotsChang, Jeff. “The Culture Assassins: Geography, Generation and Gangsta Rap,” pp. 299-330; “The Real Enemy: The Cultural Riot of Ice Cube’s Death Certificate.” Pp. 331-353; “Gonna Work It Out: Peace and Rebellion in Los Angeles,” pp. 357-379 in Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation.
Kelley, Robin D.G. “Kickin’ Reality, Kickin’ Ballistics: ‘Gangsta Rap’ and Postindustrial Los Angeles.” Pp. 117-158 in Perkins, William Eric (ed.), Droppin’ Science: Critical Essays on Rap Music and Hip Hop Culture. 1996. Phil, PA: Temple University Press.
Questions: PICK THREE (3) INCLUDING #1 & 2
1. Required: On page 11 Kelley claims, “By treating crime as a mode of survival and as a form of rebellion, gangsta rappers obviously run the risk of idealizing criminal activity. However, they use the same narrative strategies- first person autobiographical accounts or the ostensibly more objective “street journalism” to criticize inner-city crime and violence.” Do these strategies work to justify their authenticity? If so, how? Do these strategies mean that rap artists are more likely (than, for example, country artists who might use the second- or third-person voice) to be responsible for the actions of the characters in their rhymes? What are the consequences of this? Are the negative consequences so great that rappers should stop discussing crime, sex, etc. in the first-person voice?
2. Required: Consider the idea of rappers as “street journalists.” Does this contradict the idea of rap lyrics as being metaphorical? How do you make sense of these two ideas? What are the consequences of each for rappers’ freedom of expression?
3. On page 318, Chang says, “If the thing was protest, they would toss the ideology and go straight to the riot. If the thing was sex, they would chuck the seduction and go straight to the fuck. Forget knowledge of self or empowering the race. This was about, as Eazy E would put it, the strength of street knowledge.” NWA clearly demonstrate excess in a number of ways. In what ways did this attitude change the conception/s of authenticity in Black expression?
4. NWA made a point of pushing the concept that it was “where you’re from” that is important. They excluded New York and made their rap essentially about South Central. In what ways did this attitude exclude rap listeners across the country? Did NWA provide a way for those in other locations to relate and maintain their hip hop connection? As current consumers of rap and budding sociologists on the subject of hip-hop, what would you say matters about rap now? Is it still where you’re from or is it something else that defines the genre?
5. A theme that appears over and over again is the idea of hip-hop as a way of life, not just a variety of music to be listened to and consumed. Give a few examples of this phenomenon from the selections from Chang. Find reasoning in Chang’s book to support the formation and practice of this culture.
6. On Chang, page 337 Davis questions Ice Cube about forming alliances. Is rap about forming alliances within the community and excluding others? How do you think forming the alliances Davis suggested would have helped/hurt rap and its perception? Reflect on this issue as it is explored in Wimsatt. What kind of community does he conceive and what are alliances made of? How is exclusion practiced?
7. In your opinion, who is responsible for the violence that occurred during the late 80’s and early 90’s, and specifically the riots in ‘92? Who had the power in this situation? How did you come to that conclusion, and what evidence from Chang’s argument have you used to arrive there?
8. On page 121, Kelley argues that “masculinist narratives” are “not meant as literal descriptions of violence and aggression,” but later on the same page he quotes Ice Cube claiming that rappers are “street reporters.” Which is it? Are they both? What are the consequences of these dueling narratives of meaning?
9. In the early pages of his article, Kelley talks about the propagation of misinformation by the media about the hip-hop world. Do you think this misrepresentation is purposeful? If so, why? Is ‘the truth” about rap hard to discover or does the media just not care? What is their motivation in disseminating misinformation?
10. Kelley spends a significant amount of time deconstructing a sampling of lyrics, and explaining to the readers how to interpret them. Do you think this interpretation is correct? How is this related to the question of interpretation opened by James Scott and Janice Radway?
11. “Cube and other gangsta rappers hold up the illicit economy as a mirror image of American capitalism” (Kelley, p. 130). Explain what Cube means—how is capitalism a form of “gangster” activity? Does this idea or its legitimacy surprise you at all? Is this always the goal when referring to the “illicit economy” in lyrics?
12. Kelley spends significant time highlighting the “militarization of the urban landscape” and “the criminalization of black bodies,” and ultimately considers music as a “weapon in the battle over the right to occupy public space.” Is rap music the only way for this community to assert its right to exist, and be seen/heard? Are there other alternatives? If so, why do you think this resistance came in the form of rap music and hip-hop culture? (Hint: Be sure to make use of James Scott in your answer. Identify the “public” and “hidden” transcripts in rap music, and in light of Kelly’s analysis of it.)
13. Draw connections between Kelley’s interpretation of the changing use of “nigger” and “nigga” and those of R.A.T Judy in On the Question of Nigga Authenticity. Are their thoughts on the evolution of the word similar? How are they different? (Hint: be as specific as possible.)
14. On page 28 Kelley considers the status of the pimp. Is the pimp still “exalted” today? What is the current definition/role of the pimp? What strides have women made that counteract the status of the pimp? Has the perception of women changed since the publishing of this article? (Hint: You might watch the documentary American Pimp (1999, Dir. Hughes brothers) for some insight. Drawing only upon stereotypes will suffice only as a partial answer to this question.)
15. On page 14, Kelley says, “Most gangsta rappers insist that the characters they rap about epitomize what America has been and continues to be.” Consider what you know about the history of America. What values/ behaviors are similar between rap and the history of the country? Do you even agree with Kelley’s statement? Why or why not?
16. Public space and the battle over it is an important topic Kelley mentions. In what ways have African Americans made a space for themselves? What function does this space serve, according to Kelley? Think about Scott’s argument and use his ideas to support your argument.
17. Consider the term “Nigga” as a form of empowerment. What other words in the English language have been transformed to empower the communities they are typically used to insult and degrade? What does this suggest about the power of language? Use Scott in your answer.
May 26: LA Riots and Resistance, ContinuedBoyd, Todd. “Check Yo Self Before You Wreck Yo Self: The Death of Politics in Rap Music and Popular Culture.” Pp. 325-340 in That’s the Joint!
Assorted Authors. “Three Days of Hell in Los Angeles.” A Series of Reports prepared by the EmergencyNet News Service (ENN) in “real-time” as the events were unfolding.
“The Rodney King Case and the Los Angeles Uprising.” UCLA Film and Television Archive.
“A Brief Look at the 2 Trials against the Officers who Assaulted Rodney King.” Prepared by Kate Stone.
Questions: PICK THREE (3) INCLUDING ONE THAT YOU WRITE AND ANSWER
1. Boyd’s title suggests that there has been a “death of politics” in popular culture, particularly, rap music. Explain his argument in your own words, and provide support for it. Be careful to define what he means when he refers to “politics.” What does his definition include (as “legitimate political action or thought”) and what does it exclude? Argue that one facet of politics excluded in Boyd’s definition is an oversight…which is to say, argue that it is an important dimension of politics, especially when it comes to rap music.
2. Most of you don’t remember (or remember poorly) the LA riots of 1992. Imagine that you were learning about the riots only by listening to the lyrics and sounds of rap music about the riots (or the general issues addressed in descriptions of the riots). What causes and effects of the riots would you be left with? Is this a partial history? If so, what are the consequences for your generation?
May 29: The Culture IndustriesKnight, Frank H. “The Economic Organization.” Pp. 454-457.
Hirsch, Paul. “Processing Fads and Fashions: An Organization-Set Analysis of Cultural Industry Systems,” American Journal of Sociology, 77 (1972): 639-659.
Questions: PICK THREE (3) INCLUDING ONE YOU WRITE AND ANSWER
1. What are the differences (biographical, in terms of expertise, in terms of job description or goals) between professionals in the managerial subsystem and the technical or creative subsystem of a firm?
2. What is “demand uncertainty” and what are its causes?
3. Hirsch argues that the role of consumers in the process of distribution and innovation of cultural products is to rank order the styles and items that are preselected. Does he justify this statement? Do consumers possess any agency in the creation and availability of cultural products beyond ranking items selected for them?
4. Pick one of the three strategies Hirsch argues that cultural producers use to manage uncertainty: reliance on contact personnel, over-production and differential promotion, and co-opting mass media gatekeepers. Describe this strategy in your own words, and specifically how it helps firms manage uncertainty.
May 30: The IndustryKelley, Norman. “Rhythm Nation: The Political Economy of Black Music.”
Krasilovsky, M. William and Sidney Shemel. 2000. This Business of Music: The Definitive Guide to the Music Industry. 8th Edition. New York: Billboard Books. “Recording Artist Contracts,” pp. 13-31
Questions: PICK THREE (3) INCLUDING ONE YOU WRITE AND ANSWER
1. Explain (in your own words) Kelley’s argument that the relationship between black music and the “Big Six” a postmodern form of colonialism.
2. Kelley argues that the war for control of black music was won years ago by corporate America, aided and abetted by a black leadership that never understood the cultural and economic significance of its own culture. Who are these leaders in the black community, and what are they guilty of?
3. Kelley argues there is a structure of stealing in music. What does it include?
4. Compare and contrast the resources of major and independent firms, according to Kelley.
5. What is the most important fact a new artist would learn from reading Krasilovsky et al. Why do you feel this is critical information?
May 31 Marketing Rap MusicNegus, Keith. “The Business of Rap: Between the Street and the Executive Suite.” Pp. 525-540 in That’s the Joint!
Questions: PICK THREE (3)
1. According to Negus, what is the significance of “the street?” What is the difference, according to Negus, between “taking it to the streets” and “bringing it from the streets” (pgs 534-536)?
2. Negus discusses the ways in which Black industry is separated from non-black music in the recording business. How does this separation parallel other segments of African American culture that you’ve learned about this semester?
3. What defense does Negus (or Tricia Rose) give against the statement, “the idea that the integrity of rap is undermined because a large part of consumption can be located within the white suburb…” (531)? What does their response say about authenticity and rap? (Hint: think back to the idea that rappers now cater to their audience, rather than saying “what’s on their minds.”)
4. On page 538 Negus says, “That rap musicians have managed continually to redefine the style itself while crossing social and cultural barriers, both within the U.S. and beyond is a process which has occurred despite, rather than because of, the ways in which the recording industry has sought to organize the production of contemporary popular music.” Think about the ways rappers have crossed the boundaries; what examples can you provide on top of those Negus mentions? More importantly, what importance does this redefinition have to African American culture/history?
5. Negus closes by highlighting the continual metamorphosis rap has undergone throughout its existence. Do you believe these redefinitions are voluntary or necessary responses to pressures of the music world and the social sphere in which it exists?
June 1: Capitalism and Rap MusicWatkins, S. Craig. “Black Youth and the Ironies of Capitalism.” Pp. 557-578 in That’s the Joint!
Watts, Erik K. “An Exploration of Spectacular Consumption: Gangsta Rap as Cultural Commodity.” Pp. 593-610 in That’s the Joint!
Lena, Jennifer C. Forthcoming (in Italian) 2006. “Measures of Diversity: Lessons from Rap Music, 1979-1995.” Studi Culturali.
Questions: PICK THREE (3) INCLUDING #1
1. Required: Many rap fans bemoan the “corporatization” of rap music, and wax poetic about the higher quality and greater authenticity of “independently produced” rap. Critique this line of thought, using the readings for today.
2. Define detournement and explain how Swendenburg uses it to describe rap’s habit of sampling. How does detournement for rappers differ from that of punks and situationalists according to Swedenburg? Can you think of other ways in which rap practices detournement? Or how other genres and groups of people practice the “theft” of rap and its culture?
3. According to Swedenburg, “rap practitioners assert an identity politics that often seems essentialist, separatist, and even supremacist, while simultaneously working effectively to forge new trans-racial identities and solidarities” (page 588). How does this supremacist attitude work against them? Would rap as a genre be as successful as it has been if they had had a tone of solidarity rather than isolation? In what ways would that type of rap had affected the public script?
4. Develop working definitions of nationalist, conscious, and gangsta rappers and add to them as you work through the article. What are the motivations of the artists that fall into these categories? What topics are they rapping about? How are they the same, how are they different? How does each group contribute to the hip-hop community?
5. Consider rap as a commodity. Do all varieties of rappers commodify their music somehow? If so, how? If you feel that some resist commodification, how do you feel they accomplish this?
6. Revisit the idea of white kids listening to rap “because they want to be black”. How has your perception of this concept changed throughout the course? Does it surprise you that Swendenburg makes a case for blacks rappers wanting to include and “[forge] cultural/political alliances with sympathetic whites” (p. 585)?
7. Swedenburg highlights the topic of “crossing over” of rap music into the white world, and visa versa, as well as the global acceptance of rap. Keeping in mind that this article was written in the early 90’s, how do you think this “crossing over” is experienced today? Has it continued? In the same form, or has it varied?
June 2: Rapping it UpKelley, Robin D.G. “Looking for the ‘Real’ Nigga: Social Scientists Construct the Ghetto.” Pp. 119-136 in That’s the Joint!
Questions: PICK THREE (3) INCLUDING #1
1. Required: Why do sociologists ask the particular questions that they do? Why do they arrive at certain kinds of answers (and not others)? In other words, what are the general causes for patterns in social science research, and how are investigations into black culture and black spaces unique?
2. What are the three main mistakes social scientists make, in Kelley’s opinion? What are your reactions to Kelley’s assertions about the way in which social science presents the culture of the underclass? How have readings from this semester supported or refuted this concept? Is underclass culture always analyzed and presented this way? Can you think of counterexamples?
3. Kelley argues that both “culture of poverty theorists” and “progressive social scientists” treat blackness as a monolith. Please explain how each does so, in Kelley’s opinion. What remedies does Kelley suggest? In your opinion, would his recommendations avoid this problem of making blackness monolithic?
4. Kelley takes issue with the way anthropologists and ethnohistorians have related behavior to culture, making the two terms synonymous. First, define and distinguish both. In your opinion, what is a better way to approach the definition of culture? How can you go about understanding a culture that you are not a member of? Why are the pitfalls that Kelley criticizes difficult to avoid?
5. Does Kelley ask that black culture be analyzed apart from the context of racism and poverty? Is this possible? Throughout the semester we’ve categorized much of rap as the black man’s method of asserting himself over “the man” and white oppression--should this categorization be rethought? Are we short-changing the study of rap by doing this?
6. How is Henry’s satire on cultural analysis (p 121) different or similar to the cultural analysis of the underclass?
7. Kelley points to the commodification of black culture in the utilization and categorization of terms like “the dozens” and “soul.” Do we do this with any other cultures? Can you provide an example of this? What are the consequences (for Kelley’s argument) of finding examples outside of rap and/or black culture?
8. Was Gwaltney’s analysis of black culture more legitimate because he was blind or because he was black? How did each attribute work in his favor? Could they be disadvantageous? How might have his choice of subjects skewed his results? What lessons does this example provide to the sociologist interested in studying hip hop culture?
