1. Listening to Hip-Hop

The listening cues for hip-hop that are provided in the textbook very much analyse the genre using the elements of popular music we have collected throughout the course – melody, harmony, instrumentation, and rhythm are approached as though the music is another genre along the lines of pop song or R&B. But although this genre is deeply linked to melody-based music that came before it and developed alongside it, it is very much its own beast. The complexity of rhymes and the rhythm and cadence of the spoken word are given much more thought and emphasis in hip-hop than in any genre before or after. It would be easy to argue that, when we include hip-hop in a larger conversation about popular music, we should be adding a new element – for simplicity, we will call it flow. Below, a video from Vox thoroughly explains the complexity of flow in some of the works of the most influential rappers of our time. It may change how you listen to rap from now on.

 

 

 

2. Hip-Hop and the Black Lives Matter

Any current awareness of the news cycle in North America brings with it discussion of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. Black Lives Matter began as social media hashtag #BlackLivesMatter in the US after the acquittal of George Zimmerman, the white man charged in the shooting death of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin. The sentiment goes back to the Civil Rights Era, or, more recently, the government mishandling of Hurricane Katrina when it hit New Orleans in 2005. It is an activist movement protesting racial profiling, racial inequality, and police brutality against black people; it began in the US and has since spread to larger centres in Canada and around the world.

As we have read throughout the course, major sociological events are reflected in the culture produced at the time, and #BlackLivesMatter is no exception. A version of our textbook written a decade from now would likely highlight both the movement and the music responding to it – arguably some of the most interesting and significant music of our time.

#BlackLivesMatter has become a rallying cry in the world of hip-hop. Below, we examine some media coverage and analysis of the response and involvement of some of the biggest names in the industry.

Read about Kendrick Lamar, and how “Alright” from his 2015 album To Pimp a Butterfly became the anthem for the #BlackLivesMatter movement here.

And read a more in-depth article on the new era of protest music coming out of #BlackLivesMatter here.

 

2. The Political Voice of First Nations Hip-Hop

Although rap and hip-hop have traditionally been associated with black America, since the inception of these genres, Hispanic, Latino, and Indigenous people have also been involved in the scene. Melle Mel, one of the founding members of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, was part Cherokee. Cherokee and Chichimeca Gary Paul “Litefoot” Davis, now also a well-known actor, was the first to bring Native American concerns into rap politics.

There is an exciting movement of Indigenous hip-hop taking place today in Canada. Not entirely unlike the #BlackLivesMatter movement, the earlier movement #IdleNoMore, and the push for an inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) bring much needed attention to the issue of systemic racism and poverty facing many Indigenous people in our country. And again similar to #BlackLivesMatter, culture – in the form of hip-hop – is responding to these issues. Below, please read about three Indigenous acts who are using hip-hop to give voice to these concerns, among others. These are just three examples in a growing sub-genre, and two of the major acts hail from Saskatchewan.

A Tribe Called Red are an electronic/hip-hop-based group hailing from Ottawa, and their political activism is front and centre in their music. Read more about them here.

Eekwol, born Lindsay Knight, was born on the Muskoday First Nation. She works to challenge and bring awareness to issues facing Indigenous people not only through her rapping, but also as an academic in the province. Read more about her music here ; and read some of her academic work on hip-hop here .

This video from Noisey provides depth and insight into how and why hip-hop has become an outlet for Indigenous youth in Canada today.

Finally, some questions to consider as you wrap up your course work (again, not to be answered now, but they may turn up on the final):

Does the approach to analysis of hip-hop flow in the video from Vox change how you perceive hip-hop? Does it require us to add a new element of music? What does a new perspective on rhyme and flow do for the study of hip-hop, or popular music as a whole?

Why is the hip-hop genre used so often as a vehicle for political activism? Is there something inherent in the genre that lends itself to these messages? How does the current “legitimizing” of hip-hop (that is, the fact that it is becoming more and more mainstream) affect or spread these messages? Do you see parallels with the folk protest music of the 1960s?

 

Farewell!

Thank you for taking MUS 111.3: The History of Popular Music. We hope this historical survey has given you insight into the sounds and circumstances that merged to create the music we hear today. Perhaps you have found new music to add to your collection, or have learned more about the genres and artists you already loved. We hope you leave this course with the tools needed to think more critically about the popular music you consume every day.

If you are interested in learning more about the mechanics of music theory, we encourage you to try The Fundamentals of Music, MUS 101.3 online.

If you would like to continue exploring relationships between gender, sexuality and popular music, check out Gender and Popular Music: WGST 204.3.

Challenge Questions

If you have chosen to blog for your assignments, you may choose ONE of the following blog questions to blog on this week, for a total of 10% of your overall assignment grade. Note that there are blogging questions available for each module, and you need to complete up to two for the first deadline and up to two for the second deadline. Please see the Assignment Details and Blogging assignment pages for more information.

1. Tanya Tagaq: Research iconic Inuit throat singer and experimental alternative musician Tanya Tagaq, and answer these questions in a well-cited post: Who is Tagaq? How does her music relate to your Module 11 materials? Using several sources if necessary, describe her music to the best of your ability. Embed one track/video and provide a brief listening cue for it, based on knowledge gained in the course. List some of her main achievements, then explain why she is important to our study of popular music. #M11Q1
2. Choose your own adventure: is there a topic you have been dying to dig into on your blog, but have not had the challenge question to do it? Now is your time. Perhaps you want to analyze a video or song based on the information you have gleaned from the course. Or do you want to pick apart the influences in a current hit? Or discuss the rise of house concerts? Or something completely different? Choose a topic that interests you and provide a well-researched, well-cited analysis. Explain why you have chosen to dig into this topic, and impress us with your knowledge and critical thinking. Embed a video if possible, with a brief explanation of why you chose that video. Any popular music within the timeframe of this course is up for discussion!#M11Q2
3. Live Concert Review:Attend a live concert and write a review detailing your experience. You may only complete one concert review for the whole course. If there are multiple groups on the bill, choose only one. The concert must take place during the course and reflect the knowledge you’ve gained from the course materials. It should be the same length as your other blog posts but must describe the following features:
   1. Performer: biographies, band history, current place in popular music. Assume the reader is unfamiliar with the group.
   2. Sound: specifics of the music – harmony, rhythm, instrumentation, lyrics (if applicable) etc. Focus on one or more songs and construct a thorough description.
   3. Venue and Audience: describe not only the practical details of the environment, but how the music might inform us of the social realities of the audience and vice versa.
   4. Reflection: how meaningful was this concert to you? Was it meaningful to a broader group of people? What contributed to this feeling, or what was lacking? Use your knowledge of the history of popular music to support these feelings.
   5. Organization, Spelling, References: cite what research you use, utilizing a recognized citation method (Chicago is preferred).
   6. Proof of Attendance: take pictures of the event for your blog post and/or a selfie.

   #M11Q3