Hip Hop Research Proposal 23z48

Dietel-McLaughlin / WR 13300 / Fall 2012 Research Essay Proposal Tim Coen Research Question: If hip-hop contains so much explicit material and is so highly criticized, why is it such a popular, mainstream genre? What makes it a legitimate genre? Why do we listen to hip-hop? Working Thesis: Due to its main audience, adolescents, hip-hop/rap music is recognized as a legitimate musical genre because it incorporates a theme of struggle and hardship, a theme that adolescents relate very well to. Possible Main Points in of Your Thesis: 1) Hip-hop/rap music is the modern genre that represents the history of African American music, and the relatable theme of struggle in hip-hop has been present throughout African American music history. Evidence: Rap has derived from the earlier African American genres of Spirituals, Jazz, Blues, and R&B. Rap continues the themes and messages that those previous genres embodied. 2) As Hip-hop evolved and changed, becoming what is known as “gansta rap”, the genre became even more popular and successful. More people began to listen because gangsta rap spoke of the adversity of the ghettos and the rough times people faced, a topic that rap’s growing audience was familiar with. Evidence: Artists such as Ice Cube, Run DMC, LL Cool J and others rose to fame, all of who were “gansta” rappers. Their spike in popularity signified the growing audience of rap music. 3) The East Coast vs West Coast Rivalry brought about the highest media attention for hip-hop, highlighting two paramount artists, Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G. With the publicizing of the feud between the two rappers, more and more listeners drew to one side or another, ing the artists associated with each coast Evidence: Despite the rivalry, this time period in hip-hop history was called the “golden era” of hip-hop. The rivalry brought about extreme mainstream exposure to hip-hop, and thus its fan base rose again. Possible Objections to Your Thesis: 1) Hip-hop compared to other African American historical genres is still a glorification of controversial practices and morals. Evidence: The lyrical content of the hip-hop is much more explicit than that of Jazz, Blues, or R&B Flaws: The lyrics may be different, the overall message and themes behind the lyrics has remained constant through Jazz, Blues, R&B, and now Hip-hop; that theme is one of fighting oppression and coping with hardships.

2) The East Coast vs. West Coast rivalry may have served as extreme media exposure for hip-hop, but the rivalry gained attention for all the wrong reasons; the back-and-forth insults, violence, and sometimes casualties was what captured the attention of the media. Evidence: The rivalry was highlighted by a fight between two distinct hiphop artists, and both of those artists were killed as a result of the feud between each other. Flaws: If it were not for the success of both Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G., the rivalry would not have demanded such attention. Each rapper had established themselves as the faces of that era of hip-hop, and the fight between them brought out the loyalty of their respective fans. A Few Possible Sources 1) “’I See Death Around the Corner’: Nihilism in Rap Music” by Charis Kubrin 2) “Controversial Rap Themes, Gender Portrayals and Tone Distortion: A Content Analysis of Rap Music Videos” by Kate Conrad, Travis Dixon, and Yuanyuan Zhang 3) “African American Music: a Chronology: 1619-1995” by Hansonia L. Caldwell 4) “The Words Have Changed But The Ideology Remains The Same: Misogynistic Lyrics in Rap Music” by Terri M. Adams and Douglas B. Fuller

Exploratory Draft In this research paper I plan to speculate about the causes for the popularity of hiphop/rap music. As the critics of hip-hop have noted, rap contains a decent amount of explicit lyrics and controversial messages, but it has still enjoyed extreme mainstream success. As a listener and fan of hip-hop, I want to explain to those who don’t enjoy hiphop why hip-hop is legitimate musical genre, and why it so popular. The intended audience of this research essay would be those who don’t have an interest in hip-hop, those who are sick and tired of hearing this supposedly awful music on main radio and wonder why hip-hop music is among today’s popular music. This essay will hopefully make that audience realize that hip-hop has been an essential part of African American music history, and that the explicit lyrics are not what is important about hip-hop, but rather the themes of struggle and dealing with adversity within hiphop. The sources I’ve found are multiple scholarly articles that focus hip-hop’s place in African American music history, key factors and elements that make hip-hop unique, trends in lyrical content of hip-hop music, and some of the major artists of hip-hop. The material these sources provide will help evidence and reasons why hip-hop is so popular and successful today. There is only one concern I have in forming this essay. Some of the material could be subject to misunderstandings, and some may sound like inappropriate stereotypes. As a part of the key details that form this essay, how do I present that material and avoid sounding racist?