Music Essay Help

History of Hip Hop Music

Fall 2013

Professor Rann

Optional Final Exam

Choose one of the following questions to answer.

E-mail to instructor as a Word attachment by Friday afternoon.

1. Essay Question Number One (1-2 pages)

Choose two hip-hop songs that exhibit any of the following qualities. They can be by the same artist or different artists, on different albums or the same album.

“Positive” “Negative”

Love Hatred

Peace Violence

Joy Fear

Forgiveness Substance Abuse

Gratitude   Greed

Abundance Misogyny (i.e. Sexism)

Below is an example of how your paper should be formatted (Each paragraph is worth five points):

Example:

Paragraph #1 (Introduction): Hip hop artist (rapper and singer) Lauryn Hill examines the themes of love and forgiveness throughout her music. The qualities of love and forgiveness are especially evident in her first solo album, “The Mis-education of Lauryn Hill,” which was released in 1998 by Ruffhouse Records and Columbia Records. Each song on the album mentions love in some way, but I choose to focus on “Zion,” in which Hill describes her choice to have her first child, a son named Zion, and in which she poetically and vividly describes her love for him. Hill also powerfully portrays the theme of forgiveness in her album’s only reggae track, “Forgive Them, Father,” in which she references a Bible verse from the New Testament. Both qualities of love and forgiveness are reflective of Hill as an artist and are reflective of her work because of her proven history as an advocate for peace and also for militance in the face of injustice.

Paragraph #2—First topic: Hill’s love for her son is proven through powerful lyrical imagery. (The rest of the paragraph will explore lyrics that prove the love that hill has for her son and the different ways in which she raps [and sings] about that love.)

Paragraph #3: On “Forgive Them, Father,” Lauryn Hill partners with Jamaican dancehall artist Shelley Thunder to give a very strong indictment of fair weather friends and two-faced foes. She quotes the Bible in the song’s title, inferring that she has to rely on the grace of God to be able to forgive those who have mis-treated her. (The rest of the paragraph will discuss specific lyrics about forgiveness.)

Paragraph # 4: Conclusion (Restate the paper’s argument and main points and provide any new realizations or revelations that emerged from writing the paper.)

2. Essay Question Number Two (1-2 pages)

Choose two hip hop songs that reflect significant events in your life or a strong belief that you hold (the songs can be from the same album or different albums, same artist or different artists).  Explain the significance of the songs to the artists and their significance to your own life.

This question does not have to be answered in traditional essay form, but should have four paragraphs. Paragraph one introduces the first song. Paragraph two tells of its significance to you and an event in your life. Paragraph three introduces the second song and paragraph four tells of its significance to you and an event in your life.

If you cannot think of any past event in your life, then you can either make one up (tell a story, as long as it’s convincing) or talk about a future aspiration or a belief you hold that relates to a particular hip hop song.

[For instance, you could discuss your passion for entrepreneurship and how that relates to two songs by Jay-Z. Or you could discuss why domestic violence is an important topic for you and use two hip hop songs to prove its importance: “Love Is Blind” by Eve and “Love the way You Lie” by Eminem, featuring Rhianna, for example.] Again, each paragraph is worth five points.

My Example:

1. “Hollywood Divorce” by Outkast was released on the Idyllwild soundtrack of 2006. It features both Big Boi and Andre 3000 along with guest appearances by Lil Wayne and Snoop Dogg. The lyrics of “Hollywood Divorce” discuss each rapper’s relationship with fame in the United States, and compare it to a soured love relationship that starts off innocent and lovely and ends in bitter disappointment and seemingly wasted time. (Then I would discuss each rapper’s take on the theme “Hollywood Divorce,” i.e. Lil’ Wayne’s references to Hurricane Katrina, Snoop’s philosophical verse on fame and accusations and betrayal…)

This song is poignant to me because I experienced a situation in my life in which I was tempted by fame and had to reject it in order to save my life. I found myself singing in a reggae band in which my best friend at the time was the lead singer. Only problem was she couldn’t sing. […] [Rest of the paragraph talks more about the situation and how various lyrics of the song relate to my experience.]

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