Hip Hop and the Black Urban Experience Essay -- Music Essays

Hip Hop and the Black Urban Experience From its conception, hip hop has been branded as music for uneducated street hoods. But, the debut album of the obscure group, Midnight Voices, shatters this stereotype with its thought-provoking commentary on the Black experience in urban America. Featuring saxophone, keyboards, guitar, bass, and percussion, along with the scratches and cuts typically found in rap, Midnight Voices delivers its urgent message of racial injustice with its equally impressive music. The group merges the styles of hip hop and funk to create a refreshing alternative to mainstream rap, which is often characterized by the repetitive sample of beats. In doing so, the band effectively expresses the lyrical content of the songs through its music, and succeeds in creating a complementary blend of provocative lyrics and musical ingenuity. True to the mysterious character of their name, Midnight Voices opens the album with a curious chant titled â€Å"If You Knew Us.† Beginning with a gradual fade-in, the group chants the puzzling phrase â€Å"If you knew us, then uh . . .† repeatedly and without any musical accompaniment. A steady rhythm is maintained throughout, even when the Voices modify their chant by including their names. After the chant is repeated a few more times, the group throws in yet another mysterious line, which further heightens the listener’s curiosity. The line, â€Å"If you knew the voices, then uh . . . you would know the world and uh . . .† provides a hint to the listener of the social commentary to come. The chant then returns to its first verse, and slowly fades out. This short piece serves as an introduction to both the group and the general message of their music and album. The dr... ...n to the musical background. By not using any fancy accompaniment, the group shows that the power and effectiveness of their music need not necessarily be enhanced by any studio tricks commonly used in today’s hip hop and popular music in general. Wylie even comments on the effectiveness of this simplistic approach in raising issues to his listeners: â€Å"R you ready for the relevant rapper/rampaging never running/with knowledge I’m stunning/and gunning/down ridiculous rhymes/that rely on Romper Room beats/no knowledge? Why?† Throughout the album, Midnight Voices manages to dispel the popular belief that hip hop is not â€Å"real† or â€Å"respected† music. Through the group’s gripping lyrics and original music, Midnight Voices has succeeded in proving that rap should be recognized as a unique cultural expression, as worthy of respect as any other art form out there.

Jack London’s The Call of the Wild: A Review Essay

In Jack London’s novel The Call of the Wild, the main character, Buck, has developed from a house dog to a sled dog. Buck, being forced to adapt in order to survive, has made him become the leader of the pack. When Buck was being attacked by the man in the red sweater, â€Å"He saw, once for all, that he stood no chance against a man with a club. He learned the lesson, and in all his afterlife he never forgot it† (11). This shows that eventually Buck realized that he had to learn to respect the club. Also, Buck learned that he is not able to beat everyone, he must accept defeat sometimes. And once he would respect the club, the club wouldn’t hurt him. With Buck pulling the sled every single day, â€Å"his muscles became as hard as iron, and he grew callous to all ordinary pain† (25). Buck is developing and is becoming stronger to pull the sled. Also, the pain in Buck’s feet have disappeared since he is so use to having the same monotonous running every day. Later in the book, Buck was able to pull a 1000 pound sled. This shows that Buck has truly developed into a sled dog, because a house dog would never be able to achieve that. Also, being able to pull a 1000 pound sled means that he has grown stronger from all the running that he has done over the last few months. With him getting stronger and learning to respect the club, Buck has truly turned into an incredible sled dog.

My Life And School Influence My Career Path - 907 Words

My experiences in life and in school influence my career path, academic goals, and how I become who I am as a person. Personally, I would not trade the uncertainties, grievances, and challenges that has stricken my life for anything. From the death of my father and to my victories academically, my journey is quite unique and I love it because it provides me with a story to share. One of my favorite quotes comes from an old African proverb, â€Å"Until the lion has a historian, the hunter will always be the hero.† The proverb explains the purpose of hardship as a way to share how to overcome and not let your demons control your fate. My story truly began the day that my father passed. I will never forget how blue and clear the sky was. It was like heaven was beaming with joy because they added a new angel while I was mourning the loss of my best friend. 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