the sociology of hip hop and rap music
TRANSCRIPT
The Sociology of Hip-Hop and Rap MusicSoc 215 01
Fall 2006Meeting Time 1:10-2:00 PM, M, W & FMeeting Place Wilson Hall 115
Professor Jennifer C. Lena321C Garland [email protected]
Office Hours: Monday & Wednesday 1130-1230 & by appointment
TA: Jon [email protected] direct all Blackboard and media-related questions to Jon.
This is a 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.
Objectives1. 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.
HonestyA 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.
RespectI 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.
Requirements:1. Classroom attendance and participation: 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. Class participation should reflect an ability to contribute productively to discussion—raising interesting questions, responding to reading, and listening and reacting to classmates. 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. 2. Completion of the assigned material. (20% of final grade). Satisfactory completion of the course material will be gauged through the use of pop quizzes. Pop quizzes may be given on assigned written material, music and other media that are played during class periods, or provided for viewing at other times.3. 4 exams during the regular term. (15% each, 60% of final grade) All exams will be taken as scheduled. In the unlikely event that you experience a death in the family or a severe injury or illness that you can document to the instructor’s satisfaction, exams may be rescheduled in a timely manner or replaced with an alternative assignment, at the instructor’s sole discretion. 4. Final exam. (20% of final grade) To be scheduled by the registrar.5. Email and Blackboard: I will make frequent use of email and Blackboard as a way to communicate with the class, add assignments, make changes to the syllabus, etc. Some reading and listening material will be provided on Blackboard. Students are responsible for learning how to use both email and Blackboard and for checking both on a daily basis.
The instructor reserves the right to adjust the weighting or scheduling of assignments at any time, with due notice.
Exam formatsThe instructor may choose any of the following formats for the exams: take-home, in-class or combinations thereof; multiple choice, short answer, short essay, or long essays; on written, visual or auditory material assigned or presented in class. In exchange for this degree of leeway, I offer questions to accompany the readings. These questions will guide classroom discussion and should help students prepare for exams and pop quizzes. Additional questions will be included on the Blackboard website.
GradingA grade of A is reserved for truly exemplary work—a mastery of the readings and discussions matched with well-written and insightful text. «A answers» ask questions, even as they propose preliminary or informed answers to others. «A answers» provide substantial evidence for their claims. «A answers» 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 answers” explicitly use and define sociological terms. “B answers” 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 Email attachments:If there is a need for you to email a document to the instructor or the TA, you must use Word (.doc), Rich Text (.rtf) or PDF (.pdf) file formats. No Word Perfect documents will be accepted. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that the document is received by the instructor. I will send a confirmation email as soon as I am able to open
an email attachment. Until you receive such an email from me, assume that I do not have the document.
On Redmarks: (much love to JLMartin for this)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 plainly2. 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.
Required Texts
Chang, Jeff. 2005. Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation.
New York: Picador.Schloss, Joseph. 2004. Making Beats: The Art of Sample Based Hip-Hop. Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press.
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. If you intend to drop the class, or think there is a chance you will, do not make any marks in the packet or damage it in any way or we won’t be able to resell it.
Weekly Assignments:
August 23 & 25What is Sociology, and How Does it Work (or, Building a Critical Framework)
August 23 Introduction, No reading.August 25 Becker, Howard. “Telling About Society,” a selection from Doing Things Together. Northwestern UP: 121-135.
Questions1. What is sociology? What methods does it use? What advantages or pitfalls are there to the sociological method of inquiry?
August 28, 30 (end of drop-add)Cultural Forms, Cultural Meaning, Cultural Resistance
August 28 Cosgrove, Stuart. 1984. “The Zoot-Suit and Style Warfare.” Pp. 77-85, 89-90 in History Workshop Journal. 18.Hebdige, Dick. “The Meaning of Mod,” and John Clarke “The Skinheads and the Magical Recovery of Community.” Hanna, Kathleen. Interview in Punk Planet.Brecht, Bertolt. “Emphasis on Sport.”Hall, Stuart. “Notes on Deconstructing ‘The Popular.’”Levine, Lawrence. “Slave Songs and Slave Consciousness.”August 30 TBA
Questions:What is culture? How do each of these authors conceptualize the role of culture in everyday life? What opportunities do cultural consumption and production offer for self-expression? What limits are there on self-expression?
September 1Cities and Demographic Change
September 1
Maly, 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).
Questions1. 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. 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).3. 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?
September 4, 6 & 8The Social Construction of Race (and still, space)
September 4 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.September 6 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.September 8 Rose, Tricia. “Hidden Politics: Discursive and Institutional Policing of Rap Music,” pp. 108-114.
All of the articles are from: Race and Ethnicity in Society: The Changing Landscape, ed. By Elizabeth Higginbotham and Margaret L. Anderson. 2006. Thompson Wadsworth.
Questions: 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?
September 11 & 13 What is Art? What is it made of?
September 11 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!September 13 EXAM
Questions: 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? 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. 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?5. 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.
September 15, 18, 20, 22, 25 & 27 What is Hip Hop?
September 15 Chang, Jeff. 2005. Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation. New York: Picador. Chapters 1-4.September 18 Chang Chapters 5-10.September 20 Chang Chapters 11-15September 22 Chang Chapters 16-19September 25 TBASeptember 27 Exam
Questions: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? Why might this history be contested? 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. Is there a clear line where art becomes harmful and needs to be monitored or prohibited?7. What are the major eras of rap music? What distinguishes these eras (e.g., changes in musical style, samples used, rapping style or “Flow,” etc.)? Draw a creative flowchart of the development of rap music, illustrating these periods, and important people, places, organizations, and albums/songs in each era.8. 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?9. NWA made a point of pushing the concept that it was “where you’re from” that is important. What is the role of geography or locale in rap music? How does it “predict” rap style, attitude and sub-genre? How is geographic location sociologically related to style? (Hint: think about Becker’s notion of conventions and the circulation of
resources.) 12. 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?
September 29 & October 2 & 4 A Matter of Perspective? Methods of Investigation
September 29 Geertz,. 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.October 2 TBAOctober 4 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: 1. 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. 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?8. 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? 9. 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?10. 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? 11. Are “white listeners became guilty eavesdroppers on the putative private conversation of the inner city” (in Samuels)? Why or why not?12. What are the similarities/differences regarding the role of whites in rap’s development in Light and Samuels’ arguments?13. 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?
October 6 & 9Authenticity
October 6 Benjamin, Walter. “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction.”October 9 Grazian, David. 2003. Pages 6-28 in Blue Chicago: The Search for Authenticity in Urban Blues Clubs. U of Chicago Press.
Questions: 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. 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?3. Grazian asks a series of questions regarding authenticity and it creation and consumption on page 17. Paraphrase each of these questions, and then answer them in terms of rap.4. 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?5. 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? 6. How do Grazian’s and Benjamin’s definitions of authenticity differ? Be sure to define and distinguish the two in your answer. 7. Critique Benjamin’s notion of authenticity. Now defend it. Finally, synthesize your critique and defense into a final position of compromise.
October 11, 13, & 18Studying Meaning
October 11 Becker, Howard, “Becoming a Marijuana User,” American Journal of Sociology, 59 (1953), pp. 235–242.Negus, Keith and Patria Roman Velazquez. 2002. “Belonging and detachment: Musical experience and the limits of identity.” Poetics. 30: 133-145.October 13 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.October 18 EXAM
Questions: 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. 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?4. 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 is the listener when interpreting the music/lyrics is at stake? Who does the majority of interpretation of rap music and culture?5. 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?6. 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?7. Radway calls romance reading a “declaration of independence” (pg 479) for women. How is listening to rap a declaration of independence? Independence from whom?
October 20, 23 & 25Race
October 20 Kelley, Robin D.G. “Looking for the ‘Real’ Nigga: Social Scientists Construct the Ghetto.” Pp. 119-136 in That’s the Joint!October 23 Wimsatt, Billy Upski. Selections from Bomb the Suburbs. Pp. 7-13; 22-41; 157-159.DuBois, W.E.B. Selections from The Souls of Black Folk.October 25 Tate, 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.Leland, John. 1992. “Rap and Race.” Newsweek. June 29. Pp. 47-52.
Questions: 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. 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?4. “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?5. “[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? 6. 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?7. “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?8. According to Wimsatt, what is rap’s central crisis today? Do you agree? Why or why not?9. On page 27 Wimsatt provides the last paragraph that was excluded from an article in The Source. What is Wimsatt’s purpose in providing it here? 10. 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?11. 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?12. 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?13. 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 remedies avoid this problem of making blackness monolithic?14. 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?15. 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?16. 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?
October 27 & 30 & November 1Resistance
October 27 Scott, James. 1990. Domination and the Arts of Resistance: Hidden Transcripts. New Haven: Yale University Press. Pp. 17-28 & 34-44.October 30
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.November 1 Kelley, Robin D. G. 1994. “Ogs in Postindustrial Los Angeles: Evolution of a Style.” Pp. 187-194 in Race Rebels: Culture, Politics, and the Black Working Class. New York: Free Press.
Questions: 1. 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 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 or period 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?6. 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?7. 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?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.)13. 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 be an unacceptable approach to this question.)14. 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?15. 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.
November 3, 6 & 8 The Culture Industries
November 3 Hesmondhalgh, David. The Cultural Industries, Ch 1: “Introduction: Change and Continuity, Power and Creativity.” Thousand Oaks: Sage.November 6 Hirsch, Paul. “Processing Fads and Fashions: An Organization-Set Analysis of Cultural Industry Systems,” American Journal of Sociology, 77 (1972): 639-659.November 8 Rehn, Alf and David Skold. 2003. “Bling-Bling: The Economic Discourses of Hip-Hop.” The Pink Machine Papers. 11(2): 1-37.
Questions: 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 pre-selected. 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.
November 10, 13 & 15 The Industry
November 10 Negus, Keith. “The Business of Rap: Between the Street and the Executive Suite.” Pp. 525-540 in That’s the Joint!November 13 Kelley, 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.November 15 EXAM
Questions: 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? 6. 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)?7. 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?8. 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? 9. 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?
November 17, 27, 29 & December 1Sampling
November 17 Schloss, Joseph G. 2004. Making Beats: The Art of Sample-Based Hip-Hop. Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press. Chapters 1-4
November 27 Schloss. Chapters 5-8.November 29 TBADecember 1 Exam
December 4 & 6A Knuckle-dragging sub-pidgin of grunts and snarls
December 4 BBC 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.December 6 Ogbar, Jeffery. “Slouching toward Bork: The Culture Wars and Self-Criticism in Hip-Hop Music.”
Questions: 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 to support both of his arguments.3. What is at stake in the argument over Kayne West’s music? Characterize both (or several) positions, and illuminate their deeper values or interests. What does this debate suggest about the current political and social context in America?
Final Exam: Registrar will schedule
December 14th, 9 am Final ExamDecember 9th, 12 noon Alternate Final Exam