Main Artists Of Gangsta Rap

Programul de studii: DENUMIREA PROGRAMULUI

TITLUL LUCRĂRII DE LICENȚĂ

COORDONATOR, ABSOLVENT,

Grad didactic. Prenume NUME Prenume NUME

2016

CONTENTS

Introduction

The art form called “gangsta rap” that started as the work of a few young, underprivileged, and at times discriminated American artists is a very unique subject both from a historical and artistic point of view. Most people however listen to it for the completely wrong reasons, and on that matter most fans are fans for the completely wrong values. I firmly believe I have a unique perspective and point of view on this highly debated musical genre.

Gangsta rap in my perception is the purest, most honest type, if not the only type of contemporary poetry we are left with. This might be a lot to take in, however I strongly believe that most people who are willing to really listen, will arrive to the same conclusion. These artists reveal their frustrations and all their deep haunting thoughts and feelings, and they do this without any material expectations or financial interests. These songs are completely free of social and cultural taboos, censorship or consideration of political correctness and similar to poetry not obsessively considerate of the rules of grammar and proper spelling. You might at first believe that there’s only something grotesquely invaluable to result from such rules, but I believe otherwise, since the less you are impaired by language, social criteria and grammar correctness, the freer you are to really speak your mind, or rather communicate your thoughts. As a great scientist once said: “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler” (Albert Einstein). The less rules the more instinctual and from the heart a creation or byproduct can be. Now of course there are certain rules kept in mind, for one the rhyme and rhythm are always a sacred boundary no rapper (at least the ones worth mentioning in this paper) would dare to pass. The rhythms might differ from artist to artist, or even from song to song, however there’s always a certain musical pattern that’s being created and respected throughout the whole creation, however this is not the part of my paper I’m going to get into details regarding musicality.

The honest, non-commercial songs have a high and undisputable aesthetic, poetic and self expressive value. For those willing to hear the message that was hidden or implemented between the lines will find an honest, sometimes heartbreakingly sincere message that’s begging to be acknowledged. The exemplary creations do most certainly qualify as aesthetic, regardless of the principles we’re talking about, be it the ones set up by Dewitt H. Parker in his Principles of Aesthetics or the ones imposed by modernism.

I also believe that this is the only true voice certain underprivileged layers of society gained, and in this case it is our only way to gain a point of view in their lives and thoughts. As art is nothing but a means of communicating a message or making a statement, these songs are the ways these artists expressed their realities, and in certain ages this was literally the only uncensored channel that the public had access to. I believe quite a few of these songs go beyond the empty stereotypical hip-hop songs, and those that do have a very valuable hidden jam between the lines, that is begging to be heard and worth discovering.

Chapter 1: Origins

The controversial subgenre of hip hop music, called gangsta rap, has evolved from “hardcore hip hop” and became an outstanding genre with its own distinct features. The first album that can be integrated in this category was The Hustler’s Convention (1973) by Lightning Rod and Jaren Clark. The main vocalist Jalal Mansur Nuriddin (also a member of The Last Poets) sang about themes like street life, pimping, hustling of drugs and gang life. This however would be best characterized as the “precursor” of gangsta rap, and it was more similar to a slam poetry performance than actual rap. Despite this, many later famous gangsta rappers claim to have been inspired by the work of Iceberg Slim, like: Mac Dre, Ice T, Ice Cube and the famous hip hop group Public Enemy. In more then one way, he was the one that implemented the idea in the head of many young rappers, that there’s a possibility to poetically express your every thought and emotion.

One of the most influential precursors of gangsta rap was Iceberg Slim (born Robert Lee Maupin), who despite the fact that he had the privilege of a middle class life, and going to college, has turned to a life of crime, more precisely pimping and drug abuse. He only started writing after he “retired”, among his songs and several novels he also produced an autobiography called Pimp: The Story of My Life, which sold 2 million copies and was translated in several languages, making him one of the best selling African-American authors. All his work had a unique thing that most other black contemporary authors missed: a direct point of view. Iceberg Slim had the first hand experience of being involved in gang life and other criminal activities, making his writing very realistic and “up to date”, revealing a ruthless world of endless brutality. His autobiography was also the first look inside a life of a pimp, followed by dozens of other such works inspired by him or his success.
Besides The Hustler’s Convention he recorded another album called Reflections (1976) where he fulfilled his fan’s needs by supplying gangsta themes, more precisely passages form his autobiography to a funky musical background (supplied by the Red Holloway Quarter). Valdivia praised the record for “smarts and the intellectual and emotional depth shown here”, which, he said, was often lacking in Iceberg Slim’s followers (Laymon 1).

It is rather odd to see someone with a socially unacceptable occupation (pimp) to influence and inspire so many young minds in such constructive ways. Even more than that, he is considered the founder of the movement, even if he wasn’t primarily famous for his musical career, he inspired most of the future big figures of gangsta rap, who made this genre famous.

Another significant influence for the first legitimate gangsta rap artists came in the surprising form of stand-up comedy and movies. These were the courtesy of the famous comedian, musician, singer, film actor, and film producer Rudy Ray Moore, also known as Dolemite, the name of the character he played in the movie Dolemite (1975) and several other sequels. This very complex persona of a highly articulate pimp was developed during Moore’s earlier stand-up comedy records: “Rudy Ray Moore, whose standup comedy, records and movies related earthy rhyming tales of a vivid gaggle of characters as they lurched from sexual escapade to sexual escapade in a boisterous tradition, born in Africa, that helped shape today’s hip-hop, died Sunday in Akron, Ohio. He was 81” (Martin).

Despite the fact that he isn’t mainly considered a rapper, his contributions to the rap world are without doubt significant and decisive. During most of his performances he would speak in skatchy, often fast phase, having well written rhymes: “Very little of Mr. Moore's work in any medium reached mainstream audiences, largely because his rapid-fire rhyming salaciousness exceeded the wildest excesses of even Redd Foxx and Richard Pryor. His comedy records in the 1960s and '70s… ” (Martin).

His rapid rhymes were also featured on three albums (Eat Out More Often, The Pussy Belongs to Me and The Dirty Dozens) where he recited spicy, often sexually explicit rhymes on a jazz or R&B background. Several of his verses were about pimps, hustlers, prostitutes and players: “(also playa), informal. A confident, successful man with many sexual partners: ‘she’s so wary of playas, she’s declared herself celibate’” (Oxford Dictionaries).

Besides his very catchy verses, his song topics were the reason he had a huge influence on the gangsta rap phenomenon and many old-school rappers started out by simply imitating his work. This is the reason the comedian self-proclaimed himself “the Godfather of rap”:

Mr. Moore called himself the Godfather of Rap because of the number of hip-hop artists who used snippets of his recordings in theirs, performed with him or imitated him. These included Dr. Dre, Big Daddy Kane and 2 Live Crew.

Snoop Dogg thanked Mr. Moore in liner notes to the 2006 release of the soundtrack to Mr. Moore’s 1975 film, “Dolemite,” saying, “Without Rudy Ray Moore, there would be no Snoop Dogg, and that’s for real.” (Martin).

As simplistic as his work might seem, it spoke to many people and reached the hearts of people from very different layers, from a financial and intellectual, or rather educational point of view. One of his popular stories inspired a literary study, conducted by an aspiring Harvard scholar called Henry Louis Gates Jr: “But Mr. Moore could be said to represent a profound strand of African-American folk art. One of his standard stories concerns a monkey who uses his wiles and an accommodating elephant to fool a lion. The tale, which originated in West Africa, became a basis for an influential study by the Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr., “The Signifying Monkey: A Theory of Afro-American Literary Criticism”” (Martin). This shows us how many reactions a single creation can spark and how vast and different the list of possible interpretations can be. Just like the verses that look boastful and vulgar for someone, might represent a lyrical treasure to others and find their way to a person’s soul.

Through his work, Rudy Ray Moore also popularized, and almost reinvented something quintessential to gangsta rap, poetry, African-American rhetoric and many other parts of African-American culture as well:

When one thinks about black public speech, one must consider a cultural history wherein the very act of black speaking and also writing was subject to severe censure. Attempting to keep black folks in their place, the institution of slavery was erected and sustained by strict regulations against the kind of public rituals and practices that make an African-American rhetorical tradition possible. In the antebellum South, the very idea of an African-American “public” was a virtual oxymoron. In the North, African-American orators were often beaten and killed for attempting to exercise the liberty of free speech. Thus, to conceive of African-American rhetoric is to think first of all the ways that an American public tried to squash it (Watts 4).

I’m speaking of course about the phenomenon of signifying, the concept that was first spoken of by Ferdinand de Saussure, however I’m not going to go into further details at this point, as I believe this complex matter deserves a subchapter on it’s own, because it is worthy of way more than just a mention or a brief note.

Rudy Ray Moore’s most mentionable and most representative work is probably “The Signifying Monkey”, which he interpreted via his famous persona, Dolemite:

Now the monkey lived in the jungle in an old oak tree

Bullshitting the lion every day of the week

Well every day before the sun go down

The lion would kick his ass all through the jungle town

But the monkey got wise and started using his wit

Said, “I'm going to put a stop to this ol’ ass kicking shit!” (Rudy Ray Moore, “The Signifying Monkey”)

The monkey was the representation of the black culture, clever but in clear disadvantage, where as the lion stood for the governing power of the white population, who would always try bossing the African-Americans around, but in the end would always get the well deserved punishment and be outsmarted.

Said, “Baby, he talked about your people in a helluva way

He talked about your people ‘til my hair turned gray

He said your daddy's a freak and your momma's a whore

Said he spotted you running through the jungle

Selling asshole from door to door!” (“Rudy Ray Moore, The Signifying Monkey”)

There are also references to obvious discriminative and stereotypical remarks that the African-American culture used to become, however it is all usually written in a way that no one can concretely accuse them of any such behavior.

He let out a roar, tail shot back like a .44

He went through the jungle knocking down trees

Kicking giraffes to their knees

Then he ran up on the elephant talking to the swine

Said, “All right you big, bad muthafucka, it's gonna be your ass or mine!”

The elephant looked at him outta the corner of his eye

Said, “Alright go ahead home you little funny-bunny muthafucka

And pick on somebody your own size.”

The lion jumped up and made a fancy pass

The elephant side-stepped him and kicked him dead in his ass

He busted up his jaw, fucked up his face

Broke all four legs, snatched his ass outta place

He picked him up, slammed him to the tree

Nothin’ but lion shit as far as you could see (Rudy Ray Moore, “The Signifying Monkey”)

His tales always have at least one plot twist (if not two or more); in this one the monkey outsmarted the lion and made him face a foe he can not defeat, scoring a small but significant victory for himself, just enough to be able to maintain hope and faith in a brighter tomorrow or perhaps just a small change. I’d also like to point out the obvious: the language in several cases is somewhat rich in vulgar, censor-worthy words, however they do reflect on the African-American style of speech. We also need to take in consideration the fact that most of these artists were discriminated since they were small, raised in underprivileged neighborhoods, lacking education and a fair chance at life. People shouldn’t be surprised when something negative has a negative outcome, meaning that it’s quite absurd and hypocritical to expect these underprivileged artists to speak Cambridge level English with a flawless choice of words. However I don’t think that some words should take away about the beauty and value of a creation, in my eyes it certainly doesn’t. For me it only makes it prettier, in the sense that this somewhat limited vocabulary constantly represents (and reminds us) the unfortunate background of the author, and the ingenuity of the creation shows us that despite all that he managed to create something of undisputed aesthetics value, which became a symbol for the African-America culture.

There’s a contemporary gangsta rapper I’d like to quote who formulated my thoughts in a simpler manner:

They give us guns and drugs

Then wonder why in the fuck we thugs. (Ice Cube, “Why We Thugs”)

It’s a powerful song, which tells people they shouldn’t act surprised when the ones from unfortunate backgrounds won’t turn out as the perfect 10 according to society’s standards.

Rudy Ray Moore was a comedian; nevertheless, he also delivered his fair share of realism:

But the lion looked up with a helluva frown

Roared so loud that little monkey fell back to the ground

The little monkey looked up and said “Please, Mr. Lion!

Please don't take my life ‘cause I got 13 kids and a very sickly wife!”

Said, “All my money to you I'll give

Mr. Lion, please just let me live!”

But the lion kicked him in his ass and broke his neck

Left that little monkey in a helluva wreck

The monkey looked up to the sky with tears in his eyes

Nothin’ he could see or nothing he could hear

He knew that that was the end

Of his bulllshittin’ and signifyin’ career. (Rudy Ray Moore, “The Signifying Monkey”)

We are faced here with another quite harsh and somewhat grotesque opposition. Even though the monkey was trying to jokingly save his life, there came a point where with tears in his eyes he realized that there’s no way out of this, this is the end. It is quite depressing to think of a creature who at one point realizes that he is at the point where all hope is lost, and any efforts to survive or make a change are completely futile, because he will inevitably get crushed and left in the dust. I don’t think there’s any need to explain why Rudy Ray Moore sometimes chose to end his tales in a more “realistic” manner since his verses are usually quite self-explanatory.

However he wasn’t considered a negative writer, just realistic at times. He gave joy and hope to thousands of people and his work continues to be an inspiration to anyone who takes the time to read beneath its vulgar layers.

Signifyin’

Signifying is a phenomenon that first appears in the thoughts of the famous linguist Ferdinand De Saussure, who determined it as an association between words, as concrete, phonological entities, and the concepts they indicate (Saussure 66). Henry Louis Gates Jr. however analyzes the difference between signifyin(g) and signifying, two concepts which are often mistaken. While signifying is a well known concept in standard English, signifyin’ carries a range of allegorical and theoretical meanings in black cultural studies.

The practice of signifyin’ is a form of wordplay in African-American street poetry which often involves rhymes and more or less playful insults. It smartly uses the difference between the denotative and figurative meaning of the words and is perhaps best described by the following definition:

signifyin'

Noun/Verb – Signifyin’ is a form of street poetry used in the African-American community. Using a rhyme structure, it often contains a series of taunts or boasts. Sometimes called “playin’ the dozens”. (Urban Dictionary.com)

The discrimination and censorship of African-American culture and freedom of speech had this direct result, since the community had to find a way to communicate and express themselves, without being killed or arrested. This meant that they had to communicate that, which can’t be spoken of, in one way or another. A great philosopher already knew the theoretical answer to this problem: “What we cannot speak about we must pass over in silence.” (Wittgenstein, 89). This essentially means that the information we can’t speak about cannot remain a secret but must be communicated in a different way. The representatives of the African-American culture found a solution by signifying, which became a sort of code between them that only they would fully comprehend. This gave them more then just freedom of speech, it gave them something that would unify them and strengthen their bond. Something only the representatives, the brothers of this race were able to share and benefit from.

Carole Boyce Davies is one of the writers who wrote about the vast concept of Signifying in her book entitled “Encyclopedia of the African Diaspora: Origins, Experiences, and Culture”. As Carole Boyce Davies said, signifying can build a community or strengthen the already existing bond between them. This gave the African-American community a feeling of belonging and unity, not just through the traditions and language they share but also through this code which was in a sense exclusive and unique. And this also gave them a sort of freedom of speech, or at least a channel of communication which wasn’t fully compromised and allowed them to freely communicate in front of a large audience, without compromising their own safety.

One of the first manifestations of signifyin’ in “mainstream” media is the performance of Rudy Ray Moore in “The Signifyin’ Monkey”:

Way down in the jungle deep, 
The bad ass lion stepped on the signifyin monkey's feet. 
The monkey said, “Muthafucka, can’t you see? 
Why, you standin on my goddamn feet!” (Rudy Ray Moore, “The Signifyin’ Monkey”)

These verses were all recited in a rhyming manner, to an instrumental background, this is one of the reasons why it is considered the precursor of modern day rap. It’s seemingly simplistic structure hides an almost immeasurable amount of depth regarding thoughts and hidden meanings, messages that can’t be conveyed into a public speech. “The Signifyin’ Monkey” has grown into a very popular and influential character in African-American culture. The many tales have depicted a monkey, who’s a “slippery” trickster. Some say that the monkey is originally a concept that dates back to the years of slavery in the United States, however there isn’t really any evidence to prove this, especially since the black culture has shared it’s tales from person to person and generation to generation, because publishing them or exposing them publicly wasn’t allowed: “It is amazing how much black people, in ritual settings such as barbershops and pool halls, street corners and family reunions, talk about talking. Why do they do this? I think they do it to pass these rituals along from one generation to the next. They do it to preserve the traditions of ‘the race’” (Wideman).

Rudy Ray Moore’s performances were the first phenomenon to find a way to “mainstream media” or to a more public audience. These also had a very strong seal of censorship upon them and all that was said had to be though over in a very strategic matter. The iconic monkey was thought to be a representation of the black population, intelligent, inventive, able to survive but underpowered in obvious ways and heavily discriminated. The lion however was the representation of the white population, more precisely the power that tried governing them and ruling their lives and owning them. The monkey, even if unable to directly stand toe to toe and defeat the lion, would always find a way to outsmart the lion and “score” small victories. This was a way to show the discriminated African-Americans that there’s always a way and there’s always hope. These small shards of hope gave the slaves something to look forward to, and more importantly something that unified them.

As mentioned earlier, the first person to write about Rudy Ray Moore’s performances in the manner of literary criticism was Henry Louis Gates Jr. He divided his study in two parts:

The first is theoretical, demonstrating how Esu-Elegbara and the Signifying Monkey “serve in their respective traditions as points of conscious articulation of language traditions, aware of themselves as traditions, complete with a history, patterns of development and revision, and internal principles of patterning and organization. Theirs is a meta-discourse, a discourse about itself.”

Part Two consists of close readings of individual texts. Mr. Gates focuses first on a group of ex-slave narratives from the late 18th century, and follows that with a section each on Zora Neale Hurston’s “Their Eyes Were Watching God”, Ishmael Reed’s “Mumbo Jumbo” and Alice Walker’s “Color Purple”. (Wideman)

This criticism is very imaginative and the author’s attitude is rather unaggressive as he discusses quite sensitive matters, like the conventions of epistolary novels. The work of Mr. Gates also offers a unique perspective on West African traditions, myths, philosophy and rituals:

Mr. Gates engages in a kind of literary archeological expedition that reminds us that the author, the W. E. B. Du Bois Professor of Literature at Cornell University, is a collector of books, one who already has to his credit a discovery, “Our Nig”, that has forced historians to push back the starting date of black novel-writing in America to 1859. In other words, this somewhat intimidating, quite serious essay in literary criticism can be enjoyed by a variety of readers. (Wideman)

It is uncommon for a study to do such a deep “digging” in a certain cultures and stay relevant, close to the subject of the research. Mr. Gates wrote such a successful work that he was compared to the famous professor of literature E.B. Du Bois, who single handedly forced the pushing back of the date of black novel writing in American history with his fascinating yet revolutionary discoveries. I can not fully stress the importance of his work and the kind of research and results it takes to force such a leap in the history of a certain culture. Being compared to such a titan of literature and cultural studies is a very meaningful accomplishment by itself.

Not all criticism to the address of Mr. Gates is positive, however I believe any presumed flaws can be treated with understanding and empathy, given the fact that he created something very unique and authentic, with many ambiguous sources and other boundaries like language and possibly some sort of political/social pressure, due to the sensitive nature of some black cultural matters

At least three times in his preface Mr. Gates remarks that the language of his book is different from the language he writes about, so different it finally may be opaque to the very folks whose traditions he's celebrating. The knowledge that he is writing himself away from his people bothers him enough to offer an apology: “If I have once again failed to do so [write a book his parents and brother can understand], then once again I apologize.” (Wideman)

Having a personal attachment to the subject, and yet being able to create such an objective and outstanding study is something quite remarkable. He objectively analyzed the roots of certain phenomenon in his own culture without the slightest shade of aggression or any other negative feelings associated with the active discrimination and enslavement of his ancestors. However morbid this might sound I believe something good came out of this discrimination, just like there’s always something good to be found in a negative situation or happening. By all means I do not imply that I encourage and agree with slavery and the discrimination of a group of people just because of their status of minorities and other differences like religion, skin color etc. but I am a helpless idealist and I can not stop myself from searching for positive outcomes and constructive results even from the worst and most disgusting acts of inhumanity. I’d like to think that this terrible treatment of an entire race was one of the vital ingredients to such linguistic and artistic phenomenon like: African-American slam poetry, rap, jazz and of course signifyin’. And it always sparks hope to see something this valuable flourish out of something negative, just like the success stories of young orphans who turned their lives around, it fills us with hope and anticipation for the future.

Mr. Gates even analyses contemporary problems and acts as a sort of middleman or translator/interpreter trying to find a solution to the cultural and linguistic differences between the black and white population:

Rather than growing closer, standard English and black vernacular seem to be splitting further apart. Blacks and whites find it increasingly difficult to understand one another. As a man in the middle, Mr. Gates asks questions all of us who write and teach should be asking ourselves. Are we part of the problem? Why is it that the more we learn, the more difficult it is to share it without retreating to arcane, specialist vocabularies? At what point do our words become an irrelevance to the people who nurtured us, whose lives we sought to touch and celebrate when we embarked on a quest for knowledge? (Wideman).

These are very difficult questions, even to ask, let alone to attempt to answer. This most likely reflects back to the public apology he wrote to his family and ancestors from whose language he might be drifting away in order to have others understand his study. Also he might feel like betraying his “roots” by embarking on such a journey of high education. I believe every student, who is somewhat obsessed or at least passionate (most of the time these two come hand in hand) about his or her chosen field of study is going to once face this problem. It is quite easy to get carried away with a certain subject, to obsess about it and soon enough have your life revolve around it. You might get to a point where your interests don’t extend to any further discussions than the given subject. This might be a harsh punishment for your environment and especially those who raised you, because this creates an involuntary feeling of alienation and disinterest from your part. This isn’t meant to negatively criticize dedicated people, I personally believe obsession is good, it is our only chance to truly enable ourselves to create, learn and gain, however we always need to reflect on ourselves and somewhat balance things out, especially in regards of those who we “owe” it to.

In conclusion The Signifying Monkey: A Theory of African-American Literary Criticism by Henry Louis Gates Jr. is a very detailed and careful work of literary criticism, and I’d like to show my respect to his tireless work and research by dedicating this part of my thesis to him, and making it a brief introduction for his work. Also I’d like to highlight the importance of his work by saying that I believe it reached such a significant level that no study regarding African-Americans in any way (culture, linguistics, history etc.) can be conducted without taking Mr. Gates’ work as a milestone or at least mentioning it.

Chapter 2: Main Artists of Gangsta Rap

As I mentioned in the previous chapter, gangsta rap had many sources of inspiration, or so called precursors like poetry, stand-up comedy, Blaxploitation films etc., however the first song that we can fully agree upon as being gangsta rap is Schoolly D “P.S.K. (Park Side Killers)”, from the album Schoolly D (1985).

Clinton Road one Saturday night
Towin on a cheeba I was feelin alright
Then my homie-homie called me on the phone
His name is Chief Keith, but we call him Bone
Told me 'bout this party on the Southside
Copped my pistols, jumped into the ride
Got at the bar, copped some flack
Copped some cheeba-cheeba, it wasn't wack
Got to the place, and who did I see
A sucker-ass nigga tryin to sound like me
Put my pistol up against his head
I said, "Sucker-ass nigga, I should shoot you dead"
A thought ran across my educated mind
Said, man, Schoolly D ain't doin no time
Grabbed the microphone and I started to talk
Sucker-ass nigga, man, he started to walk (Schoolly D, “P.S.K.”)

Schoolly D’s song featured popular themes about the inner city thug life, weapons, violence, drug abuse and hypersexuality, all delivered in a cold, raw realistic manner. I personally believe he was among the first African-Americans with the courage to directly expose the daily problems and challenges of those living in America’s underprivileged neighborhoods. From this perspective we can safely assume that his lyrics weren’t meant to be boastful, or even if they seem like it, the ultimate goal was to expose these violent and dangerous situations, that our protagonist and millions of others have to constantly face. However such descriptions of urban realism aren’t always welcome by political and religious parties because they have the power to cause a protest or even a revolution, this is why these types of creations are always depicted in a negative way. Despite this negative criticism many enjoyed and promoted his work. Many of his songs were promoted in Abel Ferrara movies, such as “P.S.K.” and “Saturday Night”, and the popular song “Am I Black Enough for You?” in Ferrara’s King of New York.

Schoolly D was also the target of several lawsuits from the famous Led Zeppelin. One of his songs (“Signifying Rapper”) was based on Rudy Ray Moore’s iconic character, “the signifyin’ monkey”. Schoolly D’s adaption was recited over the guitar riff from Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir” song and featured in Ferrara’s 1992 movie, Bad Lieutenant. This made his song target of several lawsuits, which were thought of as unnecessary and unjust:

“Signifying Rapper” was out for five years, and there wasn't a problem. Then the film had already been out for two years and they start bitching about it. […] It cost Schoolly like $50,000. It was a nightmare. And meanwhile, “Signifying Rapper” is 50 million times better than “Kashmir” ever thought of being. […] Why sue? You should be happy that somebody is paying homage to your work” (Ferrara qtd. in Tobias).

Schoolly D’s album Smoke Some Kill (1988) also brought him a lot of negative criticism: “With its images of gun-toting bluster, mushrooming genitals and rampant drug use – backed by thuddingly dull beats – Smoke Some Kill should be played for every prospective rapper so he'll know what not to do” (Darling).

This didn’t stop Schoolly D from further depicting the thug life’s harsh realities and composing several other follow-up albums. However what’s more important is that he influenced several artists and created gangsta rap, which amounted to way more than just a musical genre or a movement. A direct “victim” of his inspiration was the famous rapper Ice T.

Ice-T

Most people think that Ice T has created the first gangsta rap song because it’s style is somewhat easier to recognize and categorize into this certain genre, however the rapper himself admits it was otherwise:

Here’s the exact chronological order of what really went down: The first record that came out along those lines was Schoolly D’s “P.S.K.” Then the syncopation of that rap was used by me when I made “6 in the Mornin’”. The vocal delivery was the same: “…P.S.K. is makin’ that green”, “…six in the morning, police at my door”. When I heard that record I was like “Oh @#!*%!” and call it a bite or what you will but I dug that record. My record didn't sound like P.S.K., but I liked the way he was flowing with it. P.S.K. was talking about Park Side Killers but it was very vague. That was the only difference, when Schoolly did it, it was “…one by one, I’m knockin’ em out.” All he did was represent a gang on his record. I took that and wrote a record about guns, beating people down, and all that with “6 in the Mornin’”. At the same time my single came out, Boogie Down Productions hit with Criminal Minded, which was a gangster-based album. It wasn't about messages or “You Must Learn”, it was about gangsterism. (Ice T qtd. in Davey D)

This is a great example of what a single, well written verse can achieve. It started a chain reaction from Schoolly D to Ice T to the N.W.A. artists which started out slowly but than spread throughout the world like a wildfire. In such terms the idea of a single creation being able to change the whole world doesn’t sound as idealistic and naïve as it usually does. I believe Schoolly D had no intention, or at least no idea of the grand effect his song might have, and now here he is being remembered as a reformer and a genuine artist.

Ice T (Tracy Lauren Marrow) was born in New Jersey and was subjected to racism from a very young age from both African-Americans (because his skin was somewhat lighter) and Caucasians. He had to learn to deal with negativity and crime from an early age. Both his parents were victims of heart attacks by the time he turned twelve. He was very fond of heavy metal music, which was most likely a direct source of inspiration for his songs. Unsurprisingly he would often read the novels of Iceberg Slim and often recite them to his friends. While he was never a direct gang member he somewhat symphatised with the crips.
From age 17 he started selling cannabis and stealing car stereos for money, however this wasn’t enough for his girlfriend and daughter so he joined the army. There he became interested in rap music when he first heard Sugar Hill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight”.

After leaving the army he wanted to stay away from gang life and so he started working as a disc jokey, choosing the name Ice T as a tribute for his number one source of inspiration: Iceberg Slim. He was first remarked for his rapping at parties, where he performed as a rapper and disc jockey however the first time he realized his talent was when he won an open mic contest. From 1982 it all went uphill when he met producer Willie Strong. He produced different variations of hip hop, however the most significant one was the one inspired by Schoolly D’s PSK: 6 in the morning.

This song had hard hitting gangsta themes, with the unique view of an ex-criminal. His lyrics delivered the cold truth about the underground life in L.A. And once he realized that this type of song is more requested and way more successful than his other songs, he started producing towards the direction of this kind of music, reality rap. These songs had typical gangsta and thug themes reflecting on the life of criminals or gang members, the struggles of living in Los Angeles and gang life, however he always took caution not to affiliate in any way either with the bloods or the crips, neither with lyrics nor with gang signs or clothing.

“6 ‘n the morning” was a single released on the album Rhythm Plays (1991) and a prequel to the song “Midnight”, as its final line is “Looked at my watch it was six in the morning”, and “6 ‘n the morning” starts off with the line “Six in the morning, police at my door”. This isn’t however a vague poetic indication, as these two songs are closely connected, and each song is quintessential for the existence and meaning of the other one. These are two brilliantly and realistically depicted episodes of a night and day from the author’s life. This shows how much work there actually is behind these songs, which aren’t only songs with great rhymes and musicality, but complete stories or episodes which relate segments of Ice T’s life. The song “Midnight” relates a night out with our protagonist and his friends in “the wrong part of town” (referring to a part of L.A. under the control of a certain hostile gang), when they get into a gunfight with a few gang members, steal a car and confront than escape the police, much like an average Tuesday for an L.A. hustler:

Midnight chillin' at A.M P.M

Coolin' drinkin' apple juice

In Evil's BM

The sound's up loud

To attract attention

Armor All-ed tires

On a lowered suspension

Nardi to steer with

Alpine deck was glowin'

Bumpin' Big Daddy

And the nigga was definitely flowin'

I was ridin' shotgun

Donald and Hen in back

Look through the tint recognized a jack

Two brothers strolled up

Talkin' 'bout "Get out"

Donald D blazed

Shot one fool thru his fuckin' mouth

Why would they step

When they know we're strapped?

I never cruise L.A

Without a gat in my lap
(Ice T, “Midnight”)

The image this song depicts is interpretable, definitely not totally clear, but I believe the author is writing about a scenario where 3 young men (himself included) are in a customized Bmw, drinking liquor at midnight, however A.M. P.M. might refer to a common convenience store, much like the 7-11 in modern America. “The sound up loud” seems to be a pretty clear message: they are blasting the tunes on the car’s stereo on a high volume, to attract attention. Yet this has a much deeper meaning: “slaves were prohibited from playing African drums, because, as a vehicle for coded communication, they inspired fear in slaveholders” (Rose 62). According to Tricia Rose, the high volume of their music isn’t just a way of “peacocking”, but a “silent” or rather loud protest against the years of slavery enforced on their ancestors and against all the wrongs and prohibitions that came together with it. She encourages us to think about the volume of music is much more meaningful, meant to symbolize “cultural priorities and sociological effects” (Rose 63). The fact that they were “Bumpin’ Big Daddy” (Ice T, “Midnight”) also gives a similar impression, as it refers to Big Daddy Kane, the rapper with many songs having rebellious and thug themes. He was also a very big inspiration for Ice T, the rapper himself said so in an interview: “To me, Big Daddy Kane is still today one of the best rappers. I would put Big Daddy Kane against any rapper in a battle. Jay-Z, Nas, Eminem, any of them. I could take his ‘Raw’ ‘swagger’ from 88 and put it up against any record [from today]. Kane is one of the most incredible lyricists… and he will devour you on the mic. I don't want to try to out-rap Big Daddy Kane. Big Daddy Kane can rap circles around cats” (Singh). Then he is wondering about the reasons the gang members had to confront them and try to take their car, when it was a well known fact that they were carrying guns, to witch he refers to with the verses: “Why would they step // When they know we're strapped?” (Ice T, “Midnight”), strapped meaning that they carry guns, and: “I never cruise L.A // Without a gat in my lap” (Ice T, “Midnight”), meaning that he’d never drive in Los Angeles without having a gun.

During the song “Midnight” (as well as in the sequel “6 ‘n the morning”), he constantly makes references to the current time:

E hit the gas

It was one past midnight! (Ice T, “Midnight”)

But would this really

Keep them psyched?

Three of us bleedin’

It was ten past midnight! (Ice T, “Midnight”)

The pigs were behind us

It was half past midnight! (Ice T, “Midnight”)

Constantly pointing out the time next to the current horrific events, works as a sort of opposition, emphasizing how fast these terrible and hollow things happen, and that the rest of the world revolves normally, times doesn’t stop, even when a handful of people are living the horrors of their lives. And the final verses:

Then somethin’ woke me up

From my dark sleep

The sound of fuckin’ police

When they’re tryin’ to creep

Broke through my door

With no goddamn warning

Looked at my watch

It was six in the mornin’!
(Ice T, “Midnight”)

These bars depict the seemingly “happy end” of their eventful night, yet, he gave away a strong indication, that the story isn’t over, the big picture isn’t yet complete. This can also be perceived as a marketing strategy, to awaken interest towards the next song, much like series lay down a small hidden jam or indication at the end of each episode, which will only be completely revealed in the next episode. This is the same way in our case, as the last verse of “Midnight” is re-engaged in the first line of “6 ‘n the mornin’” (“6 in the morning, police at my door” – Ice T, “6 ‘n the mornin’”). This shows us that the story started in the previous song isn’t over but actually in continuous action, however one song wasn’t enough to completely tell the story. And in the rap industry, story telling is a matter taken seriously, as a valuable song can’t just rhyme, it also has to tell a great story, or rather a meaningful one, both terms being obviously relative, but if these terms applied in any measure to someone, then the author was successful in the writing of the song, and implicitly (and most likely) created an aesthetic piece of artwork. Certain music critics, like Jenkins have the same opinion:

The mark of a good rapper is the ability to string words together into captivating rhymes, but the mark of a great one is the ability to weave those rhymes into stunning narratives that grip and maintain the listener's attention through the end of the song. As hip-hop has matured as an art form, writers have come along who have taken the craft to new heights with their storytelling talents. Suddenly what started out as giddy toasting over party music had evolved into something closer in spirit to the gifted griots of African history (Jenkins).

We can conclude that rap is just another means of satisfying one of our most quintessential needs: the one of telling stories, great and memorable experiences. However the fact that it has to rhyme and go together with a musical basis adds another layer of complexity to this mastery. Craig Jenkins thought very highly of Ice T’s “6 ‘n the mornin’” as he ranked it 7 on his list of 50 best storytelling rap song’s. Jenkins considers this masterpiece “a foundational document of the gangsta rap era”.

“6 ‘n the mornin’” tells the continuing of the story from its prequel and the consequences of the previous night’s shooting, drive-by and g.t.a. (grand theft auto). Ice T wakes up alarmed, hearing intruders at his door, and the 6’o clock from the title and lyrics isn’t a random number, but a very strong indication, because in the U.S. (and most parts of the world) the police usually arrest and kick in the doors at 6 in the morning, as most people are still at hope resting or starting their days.

6 in the morning, police at my door

Fresh Adidas squeak across the bathroom floor

Out my back window I make a escape

Don't even get a chance to grab my old school tape

Mad with no music, but happy cause free

And the streets to a player is the place to be

Got a knot in my pocket, weighing at least a grand

Gold on my neck, my pistols close at hand

I'm a self-made monster of the city streets

Remotely controlled by hard hip-hop beats

But just living in the city is a serious task

Didn't know what the cops wanted, didn't have time to ask (Ice-T, “6’n the mornin’”)

The rhyme scheme of the first verse is a basic but solid a-a, b-b, and the storyline is continuing, seemingly unaltered and completely unaffected by the fact that it has to be implemented in a certain number of lines and syllables. This is personally my favourite attribute about the music of Ice-t: whenever you put your headphones on and start listening, it feels more like listening to a report, audiobook or simply a story, making you completely forget about the fact that it’s “just music”. The story here is depicting a scene where our hero is rushing out the bathroom window, escaping from police, forgetting his most precious music, but always prepared with a stack of around 1000 dollars, pistols and his gold chains. The “self-made lines” and following ones seem to be an unconscious excuse, or rather reason explaining why he is so ruthless, always carrying guns, running, hustling, trying to survive, being turned the monster he is by the circumstances he has to live in. “Didn’t have time to ask” is repeated at the end of each verses last line, more precisely the second half of the last line. Its repetition to emphasize the deficit of time, time in this case symbolizing an existentialist problem, the fact that we are mortals, can’t control time, can’t stop it and most importantly do not own it or have enough of it. It is a constant shortage, for which we always try to make up, but always end up where we started, or worse. The concept and symbol of time in the two songs is a lot more significant than we first realize. First of all it appears in both titles, suggesting that the two stories are somehow closely related to that certain time or just time in general. Second, it appears as an opposition, two oppositions to be more precise: first one regarding the title, one is midnight, the other is 6 in the morning, the exact opposites, both on the clock and well time-wise. Second is the duration of the stories told, while the one from midnight only has a duration of a few hours, the one told in “6 ‘n the mornin’” takes a bit more than 7 years to finish, as it starts with the morning after his “night out” and ends after he served his 7 year sentence in jail.

Ice-T’s song is a very realistic depiction of running from the authorities, crimes, police brutality, discrimination, gang life, and ultimately survival and self reflection. The last two I consider the most important because in almost every verse he does in a way check back with himself, telling a few details about himself besides the story, which he tries to justify with the fact that he is living in a concrete jungle, struggling to survive, becoming a monster who was ready to execute any type of hustle, crime, action to be able to survive. In fewer words, Ice-T’s track represents a chaotic state of mind, and actual state of affairs in reality, and while he might be to blame for hypersexuality and slight exaggerations, he doesn’t have to exaggerate regarding the harshness of those times, especially in those neighborhoods for people of color. He definitely gets his point across as one of the few people who choose to speak about the true problems people have and lay down the hard truth. And I always assume that these exaggerations served to depict his spiritual or mental state, always showing a little bit of himself, exposing his inner war and major struggles: “‘I think all music, not just rap, has fallen into this very diluted, delusional state where everyone's singing about money, having cars and having fun when really people are losing their homes,” he says. “We’ve got wars. We’ve got unemployment. But the music doesn’t reflect that. I challenge anyone to find music on the radio that reflects that” (Ice-T qtd. in Davey D). This segment is from an interview he did several years after he wrote “6 ‘n the mornin’” yet he seems to perfectly justify his work. He was one of the first rappers to produce a song that can be labeled as “gangsta rap”, to be fair his song is a sort of foundation for this genre, which revolves around expressing the true face of the world. By world I obviously mean the world of each individual creator, the reality which everybody lives in a very subjective and different way. It would be an interesting experiment to make a handful of people from very different backgrounds write down the situation they are living in, with attention to details like: peace of mind, level of happiness, daily tasks and activities, financial status, etc., the focus being on the way they feel and the role and place they each assume for themselves in life. And between the variety of texts, I’m convinced we’d find someone like Ice-T, Easy-E, Dorris or the member of Astroid Boys, who would write about the fact that his father left when he was small, they are struggling with bills, food, jobs, education and just general survival. This same person would write about crime, broken morals, prostitution, gang wars. And ultimately he would write about the way all this makes him feel inside: broken, at war, struggling, trying to keep afloat, in constant conflict, fearful and anxious. In other words this one discriminated, poor, with no substantial education yet special person would recreate the essence of gangsta rap, which concretely is nothing more than self reflection. I believe this is what the world really needs. People who are struggling won’t want to hear a song about happiness, joy, love, good times, vacations or an abundance of material wealth. They need comfort, but comfort can’t be found in someone’s joyful song about how ideal his or her life is. They will find comfort and closure if they can sympathize with an artist, or relate to a song, and who better to offer such comforting revelations than those who tell us how they are forced to carry guns when they go to the store or relate being assaulted, assaulting, stealing and carrying a war by themselves against the world. The symbol of the “one man army” is a great and repetitive one in most gangsta rapper’s songs. This motif depicts so much in itself, even if not spoken out concretely, it is undeniably present in several gangsta creations. Even if most artists also sing about having friends, mates, brothers or gang members who back them up, the main struggle is a road they walk alone, in solitude and the real challenges they have to face by themselves, which often seems to be the weight of the whole world pressing down on their shoulders. By the interior war I’m refering to the self-development of these artists, the evolution they go through, or the struggle not to become another small time crook, homeless, a felon, dead, or worse completely forgotten. In these lines we often realise there is another motif lying somewhere way behind the lines, the one of the “Übermensch” originally belonging to the great thinker and philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, and dates way back to 1883 when his book called Thus Spoke Zarathustra (Also Sprach Zarathustra, the original title in German) appeared and was published. Before getting into more details I’d first like to state that the “Übermensch” motif is an extremely relative and situational one. It’s in German, and in English would be translated along the lines of: superman, superhuman, overman or simply more than a man. Providing an English equivalent to this concept is already problematic and highly debated, the first translation being given by Alexander Tille as “Beyond-man”, however Thomas Common who published his translation of the book in 1909, who simply rendered the concept as “Superman”. These translations however do not completely transfer the value and meaning of the word. The German prefix “über” means superiority, over/bigger/more than something, excessiveness etc. depending on the context and word it is attached to. The word “mensch” refers to a human being, not a male, so together it refers to a human who grows and develops above his or her limited situation and exceeds any (realistic) expectations. This being said I will use the term simply as “Übermensch”.

Nietzsche set this symbol as a sort of goal for humanity and the individual himself, somewhat of an unrealistic goal, or at least highly idealistic, an aspiration only the best of us might be able to reach but all of us should work towards. This term was often afterwards interpreted as having something to do with eugenics and / or Neonazism, however these are all speculations and can not be proven or argumented with any concrete references. “Behold, I teach you the overman. The overman is the meaning of the earth. Let your will say: the overman shall be the meaning of the earth! I beseech you, my brothers, remain faithful to the earth, and do not believe those who speak to you of otherworldly hopes!” (Nietzsche 3). “Übermensch” however focuses on the end goal of collectively improving the future of humanity as a race, by the improvement of the individual, yet Nietzsche never actually provided any concrete values to his term. This makes this symbol so relative, meaningful and important for all the individuals seeking self-improvement or greatness. The fact that it hasn’t got any specific values tied to its meaning is a clear statement that it is completely relative, situational and specific for each and every person.

Concretely in the case of Ice-T the “Übermensch” aim seems a vey simple and mostly achievable one. It simply consists of staying afloat, surviving, maintaining an acceptable life and existence and ultimately leaving something behind, having a legacy not being forgotten. Yet it is so hard, just to survive on the streets of L.A. requires our hero to carry guns, assault, attack, plan, run, steal and become somewhat of a monster. Despite this, I believe the result beats the process, and before accusing me of Elitism or neo-Nazism, I simply mean that the measures he takes, in order to survive are somewhat understandable. The “Übermensch” status however will only be reached by him when he can lift himself above violence, gang life and drug dealing to the position of an observer. A man with such a skillset is meant to be way more than just a pawn in the twisted and ruthless games of the narcotics cartels. He has to become the observer he always was, but now that he has lived the life and has gained all the first hand perspective and experience one could, he needs to follow in the footsteps of the monks, retreat, meditate on what he lived and convey the message into works of art, to offer comfort to those struggling, and possibly to derange those that are at peace. In this sense he already reached the status of “Übermensch”, as he said himself several years after writing “Midnight” and “6 ‘n the mornin’”: “‘Before rap came along I was actively in the streets,’ he says. ‘That was my first step into the legitimate world. Now people look at me like, “Oh I love him; he’s so respectable.” I was a pretty bad person early in my life’” (Ice-T qtd. in Davey D). This also somewhat shatters the idea of the “Übermensch”, as it has no final goal, yet I believe there’s an exception to every rule, which in fact validates it. This is however slightly besides the point, the point is that he saved himself from certain death or the life of a criminal with the mastery and practice of a true art form: rap. And he didn’t just influence his own life, he influenced the lives of many others, some who listen to his stories for shear pleasure, and others who are in the same situation, looking for a sign, a bit of guidance or simply a sign that others have walked the same path and can affirm that there is a light at the end of the tunnel to be found.

Fast forward to 1987 when Criminal Minded, the debut album of Boogie Down Productions, is released. This was considered a highly influential album, which didn’t just yet put gangsta rap on the map, but was a huge step from many perspectives: first of all because it’s message, topics and obvious value (ranked 444 on the lift of the 500 greatest albums of all time in The Rolling Stones Magazine), and second because it was the first album to have guns on it’s cover. This was a major stepping stone for rappers and African-Americans alike in the censorship-filled world of white supremacists. It’s also very interesting to see the variety of influences that admittedly led to this album, from dancehall reggae, to AC/DC or The Beatles. Heavy metal wasn’t however a strange influence, as many other gangsta rappers like Ice-T, Ice Cube and Ganxsta Zolee (Hungary) admitted to be inspired by AC/DC, Pantera, The Doors, Led Zeppelin and other such classics. Some tracks from Criminal Minded even contain samples from AC/DC and Billy Joel tracks. But despite the fact that all the songs are uniquely memorable in their own way, I’d like to dedicate some time to a certain track on this album, “Poetry”. The first thing that captivates our attention is the beat, it’s a jolly, happy, and funky instrumental basis. It might also serve as a sort of opposition for the one outspoken gangsta theme this song has, which can be found in the last line of the main lyrics: “I'd rather point a pistol at your head and try to burst it” (Boogie Down Productions, “Poetry”). The fact that this is the only similar theme might also serve as a strategy to emphasize it, being the only one there it automatically stands out and emphasizes the fact that even though this song isn’t mainly about thug topics, it is a strong representative of the gangsta rap genre.

Well now you’re forced to listen to the teacher and the lesson

Class is in session so you can stop guessing

If this is a tape or a written down memo

See I am a professional, this is not a demo

In fact call it a lecture, a visual picture

Sort of a poetic and rhythm-like mixture

Listen, I’m not dissing but there's something that you’re missing

Maybe you should touch reality, stop wishing

For beats with plenty bass and lyrics said in haste

If this meaning doesn’t manifest put it to rest

I am a poet, you try to show it, yet blow it (Boogie Down Productions, “Poetry”).

KRS-One starts of the song by attributing himself the role of the teacher, who is about to teach a lesson, which refers to the up coming verses. He makes it clear that his verses contain something valuable, making references such as “this is not a demo”, demo being a taped demonstration of a rapper’s songs sent to a producer to try and sell his music, more precisely to close a deal with the producer. Than he jumps to the statement which makes this song so interesting for me, and so groundbreaking: “I am a poet, you try to show it, yet blow it”. This is a fascinating turn of events, as this is the first time a genuine gangsta rapper refers to himself (in a song) as a poet, even more than that, he states it with confidence and pride. I can only describe this well enough with a metaphor: it is exactly like the point where psychology discovered the unconsciousness and “separated” it from the consciousness. By the unconsciousness I am referring to the fact that all valuable rappers are poets at certain points of their career, and by the consciousness I’m referring to the state of being a rapper, well a gangsta rapper in this case, the brain being illustrated by the brain, which contains both the unconscious and subconscious layer of creation and creativity. This is literally the first time in gangsta rap history that a rapper called himself a poet, making people realize that rappers, at least the good ones have always been poets, they just haven’t realized, or didn’t dare to say it out loud: “‘I guess you consider us poets,’ says Ice-T. ‘I would say competition poetry — a verbal gymnast — because a lot of the great poetry doesn’t rhyme and here rhyming is essential’” (Ice-T qtd. in Davey D). Ice-T shares the same perspective, however this interview was hosted several years after the revolutionary album of The Boogie Productions.

I believe that the fact that KRS One sets himself as a professor, isn’t a coincidence. The lesson he is trying to teach us is that rap music is a lot more valuable than we might think, and should be threated with a lot more dignity and care than some “artists” do. This is a timeless message, and it seems to be more and more crucial to listen to and consider, especially with the current state of affairs in the rap industry. This song makes me think that KRS One was a type of prophet, who even back then was able to foresee the infuriating quantity of hip hop songs produced in the future without any significant message, it’s two main ingredients being autotune and a shallow, meaningless topic, which brings certain songs approximately to the level of, well mashed potato.

The fact that KRS One actively avoids the use of any type of curse words or vulgar language is alone a message, personally I interpreted it as the will to execute the purification of gangsta rap. Yet I do not necessarily believe that curse words are these impurities, I believe the main impurities are the lines that might rhyme but haven’t got a meaning to convey. I believe The Boogie Productions were between the best at practical writing, by which I mean that they always kept the shortest possible text to express a certain message. They do not go on for 7 to 8 verses like Schoolly D or Ice Cube did, they stick to a relatively short song with 3 to 4 lengthier verses. The other interesting fact is that they managed to awaken people’s interest, mostly by not even telling a story, at least not a linear one like Ice-T does in his “episodes”. This means that they focus more on the message they want to communicate, clearly in a successful way, given the fact that between all these story-telling rappers they were able to draw attention without using the same tools. The message is obvious, this is a type of revolution (between the lines of a genre which in itself is a significant revolution) or rather a reform, which gives a new direction to gangsta rap, in the form of a text purified of any surplus and focusing on the singer in the role of a poet. I believe this fresh approach to gangsta rap has changed the perspective of numerous singers and inspired hundreds of potential artists, after all being a poet is a precious title, given that poets are the messengers of humanity. They are the ones who could describe love, enable you to feel a distant breeze, taste an unknown food, love a person who never existed or make you imagine a bright new future.

You seem to be the type that only understand

The annihilation and destruction of the next man

That's not poetry, that is insanity

It's simply fantasy far from reality

Poetry is the language of imagination

Poetry is a form of positive creation

Difficult, isn't it? The point? You're missing it

Your face is in front of my hand so I'm dissing it. (Boogie Down Productions, “Poetry”).

At the end of the first verse they embrace poetry as this very positive, blissful tool for construction and creation. Yet these lines seem to be a bit more direct than a simple self-expressive text, and as it typically is in the music industry, there’s more to it. A significant influence behind these verses is the rivalry between the rappers from Bronx and Juice Crew (representing Queensbridge, Queens). Both parties claimed that rap was born and cradled in their own hometown and area, the album Criminal Minded served as a response to the claims of Juice Crew. However I also feel like there’s a certain disapproval of the ways Juice Crew create gangsta rap, perhaps the fact that they seem to exclude the P. (poetry) out of R.A.P. (“rhyme and poetry”). The last four lines of these words are an accusation towards Juice Crew and the fact that they create diss records, however there’s quite a paradox here, because by implementing this message into his poem, KRS-One created a paradox, as he was dissing someone for the diss tracks he creates.

As for why I fell in love with Boogie Down Productions’ poetry, the answer is simple. I might be criticized for being very subjective when it comes to art-appreciation, but I believe all of us are to a certain, mostly large extent. For me it’s enough to have one single verse, or two short lines which can be clever, well thought intelligent or speak to my heart. One great rhyme, and my appreciation and interest are won over. I’ll give you an example with the first time I encountered a few young contemporary artists from wales, called Astroid Boys, but do keep in mind that these were merely my first impressions. First I didn’t think much of them, mostly regular bass boosted instrumentals, towards a slightly more aggressive direction, flawless accent, that which us non-native speakers only dream about having, heck we’d sell our soul like Ozzy Osbourne and Jimmy Hendrix presumably did, and still to no use as we’d never get to that level of phonetic greatness Than, the second song I heard from them offered me something worth listening to in that given moment:

I dont like footy, but i still kick it.

I did it for the nookie, like limp bizkit.

I call them bookies, man are all bidding.

but im a surviver beyonce's women. (Astroid Boys, “Taylor Swift”)

As I heard this I thought to myself: what a lovely little wordplay! I found myself some “tune out” music I could listen to: decently rhyming, simplistic and light hearted. Now let me tell you, that I have been very wrong and learned not to jump so fast to conclusions and judge an artist by a single verse, yet this isn’t the part of my paper where I will be talking about these aspiring modern street artists.

I wrote down all this because there is a similar verse at KRS-One that got me just as hooked, loved at first sight as some might call it, however I didn’t quite understand the meaning of the verse in it’s whole complexity at the first encounter, it took quite a few times to listen to it:

So what's your problem?

It seems you want to be KRS too

From my point of view, backtrack, stop the attack

Cos KRS-One means simply one KRS

That's it, that's all, solo, single, no more, no less. (Boogie Down Productions, “Poetry”)

The exact part that got my attention was the second line of this verse, where he smartly placed “Krs too” too being interpretable in two different ways: as the number two, and as the adverb too. Keeping in mind that this isn’t a written poem, but one that is sang to an audience, this wordplay adds a whole new layer of complexity to this matter, as both interpretations would be slightly similar but convey the same meaning in the big picture. It is a rare moment of poetic brilliance which was definitely thoroughly planned and laid out in a genius way, in my opinion fully deserving my instant appreciation towards their work.

N.W.A.

Perhaps one of the biggest and most significant moment in the history of gangsta rap was the release of the first blockbuster gangsta-themed album: “Straight Outta Compton” (1988) by N.W.A. But before we plunge into the effects and responses produced by the album, let’s first analyze this classic and well known gangsta-rap group. The full lineup back in 1988 consisted of: Arabian Prince, MC Ren, Ice Cube, Eazy-E, DJ Yella, Dr. Dre, some of them still active in the present, yet they were only active as a group between 1986-1991 and 1998-2002. The first thing that ignited a lot of controversy was their name, N.W.A. which was an abbreviation for Niggas with Attitude. The N word was as much of a restricted word and taboo as it is in the present day, so naturally this band name came quite as a shock. The attitude was referring to the fact that they are the ones from the African-American community who are different, do things differently, will stand up against discrimination and poverty and will fight for a change. These young street artists were mostly hustlers and drug dealers before they became successful rappers. The one thing that united them was the harsh streets of Compton C.A. This was (and still is) known as one of the cities with the highest crime rates and the most notoriously dangerous streets. The rate of crime wasn’t actually skyrocketing until around 1985 when crack cocaine has become very popular, thus significantly increasing the numbers of robberies and suicides, which also caused a peak in the activity of the police, and in police brutality. I believe we can safely assume that the “crack epidemic” was one of the direct sources that inspired or rather motivated N.W.A. to release “Straight Outta Compton”.

Dr. Dre and “Straight Outta Compton”

N.W.A. promised changes and they delivered, with the first album they released being a huge “overnight” success and probably the one biggest and most significant factor that pinned gangsta rap to the map. This album has also got a sort of historical and socio-psychological value. In my eyes it was always partly like reading a very honest diary or interview. It’s probably the best way tool to draw a picture in our minds about how living during and after the introduction of crack cocaine. And this doesn’t just offer an informative type of value regarding raw facts like how many people died of overdose and etc. This is one of the only magic mirrors in which you look and gain a peak into an event through the eyes of one’s soul. N.W.A. described the way life was in Compton with a harsh sense of truth. Between trying to survive the crimes produces by the Bloods and the Crips and the ones executed in the name of crack, these artists locked themselves in their basements and completely unloaded their thoughts, emotions, struggles and most importantly realities on paper, and than in the studio. Such honest, self-expressive pieces of artwork are always very likeable form my perspective and grow close to my heart, these Compton verses however have their own problematic personality. I’ve always seen them with a sort of defense mechanism, much like people use when out with friends, family, and strangers. For the sake of my argument, I’d like to call it a mask. There’s only one difference between the mask these songs are attributed and the ones we attribute to ourselves, we use different ones, depending on whose company we’re enjoying while the disguises these songs wear are the same at all times, yet it depends on the people and their certain intellectual levels whether and to what extent they are able to see through it. Both disguises hide one thing: the true self, and implicitly the values and defects of the disguised entity. The disguise of these songs consist of the following factors: thug themes (only part of it’s function is that of a mask), strong language, hypersexuality, exaggerated oppositions, parallels and hyperboles, etc. I’d like to mention however that many of these serve more than just one role, for instance hypersexuality and hyperboles can also be used to create poetic constructions and / or underline the importance of certain factors. It’s weirdly similar to the human auto-defensive mechanism really, if you are willing to acknowledge the fact that there is a mask and discover it, you will eventually see past it. I believe we find ourselves in a similar situation while we listen to “The Message” by Dr. Dre featuring Rell and Mary J. Blige. Dr. Dre came up with this song on his album 2001, however I believe the album, which was a dominantly gangsta themed one, works here as a sort of disguise. This one song is however the essence, and it vastly sticks out from the others, furiously demanding to be heard and acknowledged. The intro makes it clear that we’re dealing with something a tad different from the other songs:

This one is for my brother, Tyree, R.I.P

A message to God. (Dr. Dre, “The Message”)

The instrumental background is a calm, yet lively one, with a slight oriental feeling, that by itself (perhaps in a different context) could bring tears in other people’s eyes, perhaps the context doesn’t even matter for the ones that look behind the thug topics, as it made me shed a few. The song is a tribute for Dr. Dre’s fallen half-brother Tyree Du Sean Crayon, who was murdered in a street fight. Dre also pays his respect to Eazy-E, his friend and late N.W.A. member. But being inside the initial disguise, and relative safety of the album and being less exposed, he cuts straight to the point in the first verse:

Since you finishing em early, what possessed you to start him?

We made a vow – later we’ll regret til death do us part

Lord, I thought we was made for each other

You shouldn’t connect those, made to be taken away from each other

Now what I’m supposed to do? I’m only half the man that I was

I’ll never last, cause my better half is up there with you

You knew what you was doing when you made us, so with all due respect

You coulda forgave him, you didn’t have to take him (Dr. Dre, “The Message”)

Such a message becomes even more emphasized, powerful and tragic (hypothetically speaking, in case there was a scale to measure tragedy) when it comes from the mouth of a gangster, who usually delivers hard lyrics and always keeps a serious face, seemingly unable to show or feel emotion. Here however he lets it all out, feeling like he unloads his suffocating sadness and shares it with everyone, and it feels like a cold shower on the back of my spine. Dr. Dre starts his song with a direct exclamation towards God, telling him that he feels wronged, because he vowed to ride together with his brother, in good and bad, ‘till the hour of death, and now his brother was taken from him, way ahead of time. He depicts a clear image of how he feels: like his better half got ripped out of him, and is now abolished, lost irrecoverably, goner. Than he goes on and makes something escalade, that I thought was already at its peak:

I’m feeling like my whole world is blinded, wondering why

Crying, pouring out my heart, pouring out liquor behind it

We fought like brothers, something we never should do

We coulda used time spent arguing telling the truth

He had talent too – I had plans on watching him grow

Don’t know what hurts more, seeing him leave, or watching him go. (Dr. Dre, “The Message”)

He is drowning his sorrow in liquor and expressing all the things he regrets: arguing with him, being untruthful and not being able to see him blossom into his full potential. Yet the punchline, the genius creativity manifests itself in the last line of this verse (“Don’t know what hurts more, seeing him leave, or watching him go”). As far as word on the street says and according to the movie “Straight Outta Compton” (2015) Dr. Dre’s brother was injured in front of him, meaning that he was there when he died (left) and watched as the ambulance took him (watched him go). This lines reminds us of the famous “hate to see you leave, love to see you go” saying, which is a remark towards attractive women. This however makes the situation even more heartbreaking, tragic and grotesque, putting things in prospective, in an extreme opposition where as one watches a woman walk away and our lyricist watches his brother’s spirit leave his body and his body being taken away, all at the same time. It’s absurd to think that both meanings of this popular saying can be true, in the same universe, in the same time and it’s incomprehensible that a human can feel so light and joy when another on feels such a pressing and horrible sorrow.

This song could also be read as a complete farewell speech, as Dr. Dre covered the two other main stages of loss: denial and taking care of his or her responsibilities:

You's a soldier, you're probably packing heat up there

Met up with homies from the street, and got deep up there

If you only knew the way I felt before they ruined the crew

I thought I learned from Eazy, now I'm going through it with you

We lost a thug, a son, and a father

I spoke to your son, the other day, and told him Uncle Dre got him

The Lord must be accidentally pulling your file

Cause I'm still paging you, 911, straight in denial

Prayin' you get it, but no man can choose the card he was dealt

You either quit, or you gon' play it like you get it. (Dr. Dre, “The Message”)

Dre also mentions his hope, and belief that there is a heaven, where his brother and other fallen comrades can rejoice, and enjoy their eternal rest. The pager message “911” means that there’s an emergency and the person is required to call back immediately, this was popular back in the days of pagers. It is also a twisted and clever metaphor that implies Dr. Dre feeling so depressed because of the loss he went through, that he reaches out to the one person who is always there for him, Tyree himself. We can only imagine how devastating it must be to not get a call after every sent message, and to repeatedly get to the realization that the person whose call you’re waiting for, is the same person you’re grieving.

I'm anxious to believe in real G's don't cry

If that's the truth, then I'm realizing I ain't no gangsta

It's just not me, but you know I'mma always ride wit you

I miss you, sometimes I wish I just died with you. (Dr. Dre, “The Message”)

The last 4 lines of the song are the final blow, somewhat of an emotional overkill, because by now I’ve reached quite an emotional low. The O.G. himself falls into tears, giving up his gangsta status, and in the end wishing he was dead and rejoiced with his fallen brother. A straight message, no additional interpretation needed. However I’d like to emphasize the depth and quality of emotions this work of art has had on me. It was a shocking impact, the beats together with these honest and tragic verses seem to crawl deep under my skin like an Egyptian scarab, reaching into my soul, singing a song about loss, fallen heroes, tragedy, denial and grief. I’m well aware of the fact that our society doesn’t consider this poetry, but I do feel my insides in tears, like I was bleeding. I see Dre in front of the ambulance and the liquor store, I imagine him avoiding the funeral, the large public, the whole family, and ultimately I feel a great loss, the loss of a soldier, a friend, and a brother, a person I never actually met, I never even knew or heard about him, but this tribute created an earth-shackling void inside my chest and now I feel like I miss him, and ultimately I grief for him.

“Straight Outta Compton”

As I previously mentioned, “Straight Outta Compton” is probably the most significant album in the history of gangsta rap, and possibly in the whole world of hip-hop. It is the one major, cataclysmically-impactful album that completely changed the rap scenario. If I’d be allowed to use a comparison, I’d most likely say it’s somewhat similar to Shakespeare’s plays, for 3 main reasons: it completely changed and renewed scene writing, there will never be another great playwright who wouldn’t regularly compare his work to these classics (while seeking the path to greatness), and it’s immortality is assured through constant citation and revisitation. In all fairness, I’m not completely sure on how many playwrights talk or write about Shakespeare, but as far as I know in the world of rap, there isn’t one single artist known by me who I haven’t heard at one point comparing themselves to the artists from N.W.A. or at least mentioning them. This album also had a very big significance, not just from an artistic or aesthetic point of view, but also in cultural terms. It was the first real occasion for African-Americans (especially those living in extreme poverty) to make their voice heard, and they used it and gave the world the purest possible artistic manifestation, which simply contains everything from their feelings, to aspirations and flaws in the current social system. This self expressive, poetic and existentialist masterpiece summarises how life in the “bad neighbourhoods” of L.A. during the crack outburst really was, the magic however is within the perspective: you do not feel like you are there yourself, you feel like being inside the mind of our young poets, seeing through their eyes, feeling with their hearts and struggling with their own two hands. For me this album has always been the founding document of gangsta rap.

The title in itself (“Straight Outta Compton”) is an unfinished sentence, or exclamation in our context, as the N.W.A. members consider it imperative for any listeners to know that they come right off the crack-rid, crime infested streets of Compton. Some people might believe that this is just way for them to seem “hard”, dangerous or gangster, and such assumptions aren’t completely wrong. I believe it is sage to assume that anyone who survived his first 20 years on the streets of Compton, has quite a mental and physical resilience, and can rightfully be considered a person with a strong character. Then again being gangster or a hustler is something completely different. There is a very significant level of gangsterism present in this album, with most of it’s songs having typical thug themes. These topics are combined with a significant and subtle dose of social criticism, bringing current problems to the table, like: drug abuse, unemployment, high crime rate, police brutality, etc. They were the first hip hop group to add background noises like gunshots, sirens, car crashed as a basis to their musical instrumentals, making the songs somewhat more realistic. This has also been subject of negative criticism, according to which they weren’t trying to reflect on themselves and reality, but simply glamorize gangsterism, violence, hypersexuality, drug abuse and gang life. Ice Cube and Mc Ren were the main targets of lyrics-oriented criticism, as they were the ones who wrote most of the verses.

The first song is entitled after the album (or perhaps vice versa): ““Straight Outta Compton””. A chilling, yet bloodboiling musical basis, fast phased and energetic. The cavalcade of unforgiven lyrics starts with a warning: “You are now about to witness the strength of street knowledge” (N.W.A., ““Straight Outta Compton””). There are 4 of them singing in this song (Ice Cube, Eazy-e, Mc Ren and Dr. Dre) and Ice Cube starts off, in a ruthless, unforgiving manner, giving me the feeling that he ignited the spark that gave fire to the building that spread across the whole west coast, completely changing the direction of rap. And he managed to do it with his first two lines:

“Straight Outta Compton”, crazy motherfucker named Ice Cube

From the gang called Niggas Wit Attitudes (N.W.A., ““Straight Outta Compton””)

As Complex Magazine wrote: “In two bars, Ice Cube gave you the setting and the character, and conveyed it with the visceral directness that would become a mark of gangster rap from that point on. Since this time, every gangster rap record is a variation on these two immortal themes: a violent setting and an unreliable, even psychotic, narrator” (Iandoli, Drake & Kamer). This was also considered a type of guarantee, that the following song will be quite a shocker, laying down some hard bars about the truth, no making things look prettier, no regards for that nonsense in Ice Cube’s verses. This type of “intro” became a guarantee for truth and it is used in many other genres ‘till this day. Another variation of this, or a sort of opposition is when certain artists tell us in the intro that “it’s all light hearted” or something along the lines of no personal harm meant for anyone, afterwards they lay down the coldest most ruthless beats and most uncomfortable truths imaginable in the current society. This works as an opposition, making us expect something “light” but instead: “I got a 16 bar that will level out your life” (Cardif (Astroid Boys), “Fire In The Booth”). This is a method often used by Astroid Boys and many other artists. And the promised lyrics are delivered:

When I'm called off, I got a sawed-off

Squeeze the trigger and bodies are hauled off

You too boy if you fuck with me

The police are gonna have to come and get me

Off your ass, that's how I'm going out

For the punk motherfuckers that's showing out

Niggas start to mumble, they wanna rumble

Mix em and cook em in a pot like gumbo

Going off on the motherfucker like that

With a gat that's pointed at your ass

So give it up smooth

Ain't no telling when I'm down for a jack move

Here's a murder rap to keep y'all dancing

With a crime record like Charles Manson (N.W.A., ““Straight Outta Compton””)

Unforgiving, cold-blooded, and uncomfortably truthful. These are the 3 attributes I would use to describe Ice Cube’s verse together with the instrumental and the way he sings it, or rather raps it. His attitude has a very big significance in the message that he’s trying to get across. He makes us feel like he channelled all the fear, frustration, anger, hopelessness and rage that he accumulated because of the flawed society and city of sins he lives in, into this one single moment, in which nothing else matters, to which every decision in his life has led him, and most importantly in which he might make a difference, bring change and accomplish something. These young artists have never had much of a formal education, and I am convinced that they have never been introduced to classic poetry, thus making them perfect subjects for the question about which I have always wondered. Is poetry, or at that matter art of any sort, a completely natural occurrence? Is it a set cornerstone in the evolution of humanity? I can’t answer that question with complete certainty, but I believe it is, and N.W.A. is the proof. As I have already mentioned these rappers were never introduced to classic poetry, having virtually no real knowledge of the beauty of Shakespeare’s, Poe’s or Neruda’s rhymes. Their only similar sources of inspiration consisted of Iceberg Slim, Rudy Ray Moore and other similar African-American artists. Yet, in a habitat where seemingly no classic culture or art form could reach them they inevitably created their own. In this sense they haven’t reinvented poetry, they created it. An authentic, aesthetic, cunning and bold type of street poetry. Yes, they talk about crimes and drugs, they rap and preach about hypersexuality, and they bloody sure curse, threaten and boast. However, what do we expect from a couple of hood-boys (in street slang), who were forced to become thugs, living in such conditions. And by no means am I trying to make excuses on their behalf, because they don’t need any. This does not belittle their creations, not even in the slightest. Poetry is only authentic and true when it’s creator truly speaks his heart out. Anyone can create a couple of rhyming sentences and throw around some big metaphors about love and respect or anything of that sort. But ripping a piece out of your soul, molding it into something authentic and “throwing” it out there to be criticised and minced takes real courage. This is the only way for them to reach a cathartic moment, by unloading all this negativity that was supressed for generations. Moreover, I believe it’s hypocritical and downright infuriating for anyone to expect other topics from poets who in real life are gangsters and thugs and have been so for the most part of their lives. Let’s not plunge into the lion’s den and expect mercy.

These lines however aren’t as “plain” as in some people’s eyes. Gangsta culture has just as many symbols and references (for the most part) as the classic culture does. One of the main symbols in this verse is the one of the shotgun, the fact that he is strapped. He refers to the shotgun as a “gat” and as a “sawed off”, meaning that the barrel of the gun was cut off, in order to be able to hide it in a more discrete way. Shotgun, or rather the action of carrying a shotgun represents a symbol for knowledge in gangsta culture. It implies the fact that the carrier is smart enough not to wander around in certain (contested) territories without proper preparation and protection. I quite fancy this well written metaphor for knowledge. And this exact, cleverly constructed metaphor will be referenced by other N.W.A. members in future songs, for instance in “Natural Born Killers” by Dr. Dre: “I told you last album – // When I got a sawed off, bodies are hauled off” (Dr. Dre, “Natural Born Killers”)

The “richest” part of Ice Cube’s verse however can be found in the final part:

Me you can go toe to toe, no maybe

I'm knocking niggas out the box, daily

Yo weekly, monthly and yearly

Until them dumb motherfuckers see clearly

That I'm down with the capital C-P-T

Boy, you can't fuck with me

So when I'm in your neighborhood, you better duck

Cause Ice Cube is crazy as fuck

As I leave, believe I'm stomping

But when I come back boy, I'm coming “Straight Outta Compton” (N.W.A., ““Straight Outta Compton””)

The first 3 lines are a clever reference to the top music charts, well to the fact that he will be number one on them, while he crowds the vision of his adversaries. He clearly states that he is from Compton, which he considers the Mecca of gangsta rap, and he expresses this through the clever usage of consonance in order to make his verses rhyme. As for the grand finale, he re-assumes the role of the psychotic criminal, threatening to execute a drive-by and stomp on the gas pedal and speed off. The term drive-by refers to the action of slowly driving along with a car while the passengers shoot the targets from the moving car. It’s no accident that he mentioned it, as a very large percentage of murders in Compton were provoked by drive-bys.

Regarding metaphors, Mc Ren’s one has a quite vividly colored one, protesting against censorship:

I'm a bad motherfucker and you know this

But the pussy-ass niggas won't show this

But I don't give a fuck, I'mma make my snaps

If not from the records, from jacking or craps

Just like burglary, the definition is jacking

And when I'm legally armed it's called packing (N.W.A., ““Straight Outta Compton””)

Bad (derived from badass in this scenario) in street terms refers to someone who is notoriously good at what he is doing, in this case at rapping, however the corporations refuse to show this, as they censor the content Ren provides them with. This is also a threat towards these corporations as he clearly warns to return to assuring his survival through means of theft and dice games, in case he is unable to provide for himself from his records. The last two lines where he explains two widely known street-terms is most likely a type of diss, towards those listeners who aren’t familiar with such terms. Being something used on a daily basis, explaining them creates an obvious ironic mock, making the “unwanted” layers of listeners feel uncomfortable.

Last, yet most definitely not least, Eazy-E spits (street slang for rapping) a verse, to conclude the song. He delivers the same ruthless style, presenting us with the uncomfortable truth, yet he attracts are attention especially at the end, with a very clever metaphor:

Ruthless, never seen like a shadow in the dark

Except when I unload

You see a spark and jump over hesitation

And hear the scream of the one who got the lead penetration

Feel a little gust of wind and I'm jetting

But leave a memory no one'll be forgetting (N.W.A., ““Straight Outta Compton””)

The first and most obvious interpretation to these verses implies the fact that Eazy is a very silent, vicious assassin, whom victims only hear when he unloads his gun and the gun powder provokes a spark. The lead penetration refers to the bullet that penetrated his victims flesh, just second before Eazy disappears into the night, leaving a memory that no one will forget. Yet something doesn’t add up, especially as the last verse is just too simplistic and obvious. So after a more detailed listening to the song, you finally realise that ruthless isn’t an adjective, it also functions as a term referring to his musical career (it’s the name of his record label). The unloading isn’t referring exclusively to shooting a gun, but to unloading the inner thoughts and frustration his struggling with, laying them on paper and singing them out. The lead penetration refers to the impact of his music, the lead meaning that his message is so sharp and accurate, that the ones hit by it will scream, like the fans on his concerts, who implicitly will be left with a memory that is completely unforgettable.

Personally, I find it extremely comforting to hear music that reflects reality. Listening to a beautiful lie, a comforting untruth doesn’t offer any pleasure for me, at best it makes me feel anxious. I find value and worth in the unpleasant truths of life, those that aren’t promoted in the mainstream media. True artistic manifestations strip down the soul of the creator, investigate its content, and expose the thoughts that hold them back from sleeping at night, that provoke fear, insecurity and rage. True courage is required to expose emotions of similar depth and it’s respectable that they took them like a shard of matter and manipulated its form and texture, creating truth, beauty, authenticity, and offering us, listeners with deranged minds, comfort and aesthetic pleasure.

Chapter 3: Poetics and Aesthetics

According to a comprehensive dictionary, a poem can be defined as: “a piece of writing that usually has figurative language and that is written in separate lines that often have a repeated rhythm and sometimes rhyme” (). This is merely a generic definition, which does not even partly cover the vast definition of a poem, as it is so much more than a written text in verses, that offers ambiguous meanings and occasional rhymes. It is a highly valuable shard, thorn from the soul or unconsciousness of the poet and converted or rather, translated into an understandable language, that reveals that certain part of the artist’s soul, representing his thoughts, fears, emotions or any other inner experiences. Perhaps the definition of poetry offers more justice: “something that is very beautiful or graceful” ( Merriam-webster.com ). Unarguably, a short definition, yet it covers the essence of poetry. Poetry in my opinion has one single objective, that of offering beauty to the reader. Beauty however is a very relative and situational term. And the tools with which a poem can offer beauty are several: feelings of joy, depressing sadness, crippling fear, or the painting of astonishing mental images.

On the other end of the spectrum, regarding aesthetics, we do not have such a significant difference between the poetic and aesthetic criteria’s of artwork. I believe it’s much the same criteria, however they are applied to two different things: while poetic criteria is applied to the verses itself, the aesthetic criteria is applied to the experience the verses or song gives. Dewitt H. Parker might have said it best: "Let me state at the onset that "aesthetic" should not be understood as a simple quality, like yellow, which can be abstracted from the experience qua mental event the way we abstract "yellow" from a yellow object, primarily because, as I argued earlier, an experience is generically different from a physical object like a pumpkin; the former is an event, the latter is a substance." ( Dewitt H. Parker, 39) . This refers to the fact that an object can’t be aesthetic, only in a certain context, putting it in a better way, only an experience can be aesthetic. To simplify the thesis for the sake of my argument, a work of art can only be aesthetic if by witnessing it you are offered beauty and are left with a pleasant experience or memory. In this sense, and especially regarding music, aesthetics is a lot related to emotions. Emotions can offer a beautiful experience for our consciousness, however not just the positive emotions like joy, happiness and a sense of accomplishment, the negative emotions as well, like sadness, loss, grief or even those of frustration and rage. One of the most genuine rappers, who is an outstanding example for both poetic and aesthetic principles is Kendrick Lamar.

Kendrick Lamar (1987-present)

Born Kendrick Lamar Duckworth, he is one of the most poetic rappers, especially in terms of word and rhyme constructions and vocabulary, and also one of the rappers I listen to with the most pleasure, yet not for the above mentioned reasons. He has a unique talent for a very specific type of “translation”, that of emotions and feelings into verses. He reaches into himself, analyzing his most hidden feelings and somehow, through great mastery, forges them into lyrics that will pierce your heart and create an out of body experience, which gives you the feeling that you were standing right in his shoes. To depart on a similar road when writing a song is extremely risky for an artist, as arriving to the destination isn’t a guarantee. The success of reaching someone’s heart with a message or an emotion is very relative. It depends on the person’s taste, views, culture, experiences, current state of mind and countless other factors. There might simply be thousands of people who can’t relate to a certain situation, and just one that is able to sympathize and fully understand, thus leading to an “unsuccessful” record. However taking great risks often leads to great results, as in Kendrick’s case. Not only has he managed to be a rapper in our days who has kept his topics far from the mainstream hip hop’s requirements and managed to remain with an intact artistic integrity, he also is a very well sold rapper with a constant place in the top charts. The accomplishment alone of “beating them at their own game” without actually sinking on that level, from a lyrical and artistic point of view, is alone extremely impressive. A good example of his creations is his song called “Poetic Justice” (2012) featuring Drake.

I recognize your fragrance, hold up, you ain't never gotta say shit, uh

And I know your taste is, a little bit hmm, high maintenance, uh

Everybody else basic, you live life on an everyday basis

With poetic justice, poetic justice

If I told you that a flower bloomed in a dark room, would you trust it?

I mean I write poems in these songs dedicated to you when

You're in the mood for empathy, there's blood in my pen (Kendrick Lamar, “Poetic Justice”)

The first remarkable thing about this song is the musical basis. It provides a very pleasant, positive type of beat with a soft female backup voice. This song, at least in my interpretation is proof of Kendrick’s love towards a certain girl. The first verse expresses his physical attraction and adoration towards this mysterious lady, showing it by the fact that he would recognize her even by her sweet, yet expensive fragrance. The materialistic adjectives function as metaphors, expressing the uniqueness and rarity of the girl, they are in reality a reflection towards her inner and outer attributes. The tittle of the song gives us the same indication that this is more than a love song . It’s first meaning is the obvious, the concept of a just and ideal distribution of punishment and reward in a certain fictional or poetic realm. In Kendrick’s case however this is a very complex metaphor, which we can only find out from his verses:

With poetic justice, poetic justice

If I told you that a flower bloomed in a dark room, would you trust it? (Kendrick Lamar, “Poetic Justice”)

The dark room is Kendrick’s hometown, Compton, the notoriously dangerous part of C.A. The blooming flower is Kendrick himself and his evolution. He wants to reassure the lady of his heart that despite coming from a background with no realistic chance to improve, he bloomed, blossomed, changed his ways, and most importantly grew into something that was thought impossible for someone in his position, or soil for the sake of his metaphor.

In his second verse, which is actually the 3rd and final verse of the song, he metaphorically states that his intentions of love go far beyond the physical realm.

Every time I write these words, they become a taboo

Making sure my punctuation curve, every letter here's true

Living my life in the margin and that metaphor was proof

I'm talking poetic justice, poetic justice

If I told you that a flower bloomed in a dark room, would you trust it?

I mean you need to hear this, love is not just a verb

It's you looking in the mirror, love is not just a verb

It's you looking for it, maybe, call me crazy, we can both be insane

A fatal attraction is common and what we have common is pain ( Kendrick Lamar, “Poetic Justice” )

He starts off by stating his proud status of poet, and also talks about his importance as a poet in today’s scenario of mainstream, contentless hip-hop. His most beautiful metaphor is the one of “ love is not just a verb”, which basically refers to the fact that love means so much more than a certain action, the primal, instinctive act of sex. The motif of the mirror refers to self-reflection, the fact that they need to look inside themselves to realize what their true intentions are, and implicitly that he already has, reason why he has developed this fatal attraction that brings them together. There is some wordplay present, which could lead to many other interpretations, this however is the one that best fits the context.

Another significant work that’s proof of his mastery of self expression is the song called “U” (2015). This song acts as a complete opposition towards his first single on the album called “I”. The musical background makes us feel the sad, depressing and heavy connotation of the song from the beginning. Before starting the analysis I’d like to state the fact that reading it’s verses isn’t by far equal as an experience to hearing the actual song, as his voice and attitude communicate many other things besides the text. The songs intro is a repetition of a single line, with a pressing sadness and despair in his voice: “Loving you is complicated, loving you is complicated” ( Kendrick Lamar, “U” ). It acts as a statement, pinning down from the beginning of the song the fact that it is a complete opposition to the song “I” and it’s message.

I place blame on you still, place shame on you still

Feel like you ain't shit, feel like you don't feel

Confidence in yourself, breakin' on marble floors

Watchin' anonymous strangers, tellin' me that I'm yours

But you ain't shit, I'm convinced your tolerance nothin' special

What can I blame you for, nigga I can name several

Situations, I'll start with your little sister bakin'

A baby inside, just a teenager, where your patience?

Where was your antennas, where was the influence you speak of?

You preached in front of 100,000 but never reached her

I fuckin' tell you, you fuckin' failure—you ain't no leader!

I never liked you, forever despise you—I don't need you!

The world don't need you, don't let them deceive you

Numbers lie too, fuck your pride too, that's for dedication

Thought money would change you, made you more complacent

I fuckin' hate you, I hope you embrace it

I swear ( Kendrick Lamar, “U” )

It is such a rare case to see a complete verse being so relevant that you can’t afford to skip a single line while analyzing it. This verse expresses the suffering and pain Kendrick is going through, as being considered the savior of rap can often be an overwhelming role to assume. Yet the real fact that’s killing him inside is the situation his sister is in. She got pregnant as a teenager and Kendrick finds it ironic, or better said the dark humor of life, that he was able to influence thousands of people, yet miserably failed to be a positive impact on his sister’s life, blaming himself and his absence for his little sister’s mistakes. It’s rare even in rap terms to see someone being so ferociously hard on themselves. The last part of the song represents the voice of his consciousness, the fact that he doubts and hates himself are the reason for his consciousness so mercilessly tearing him apart. There’s another very rare occurrence in this song, called a bridge. In the middle of the song, it takes a complet turn, represented both lyrically, musically, by the attitude of the singer, and visually in the music video:

Lovin' you, lovin' you, not lovin' you, 100° proof

I can feel your vibe and recognize that you're ashamed of me

Yes, I hate you, too ( Kendrick Lamar,”U” )

This is a battle between his consciousness and unconsciousness, being in a drunk state (as he struggled with alcoholism) his unconsciousness is trying to take over, and succeeds as his more or less looses his memory of the following events.

You the reason why mama and them leavin'

No you ain't shit, you say you love them, I know you don't mean it

I know you're irresponsible, selfish, in denial, can't help it

Your trials and tribulations a burden, everyone felt it

Everyone heard it, multiple shots, corners cryin' out

You was deserted, where was your antennas again?

Where was your presence, where was your support that you pretend?

You ain’t no brother, you ain’t no disciple, you ain’t no friend

A friend never leave Compton for profit or leave his best friend

Little brother, you promised you’d watch him before they shot him ( Kendrick Lamar, “U” )

The beginning of the 2nd verse represents the complete transformation from the conscious to the unconscious state. There’s a great suggestive representation of this in the video, where his reflection leaves the mirror. His attitude shows us that he feels like the whole world is restin on his shoulders. He blames himself for everything. His pursuit for greatness has become pathetic and meaningless, as in the main time people in Compton kept suffering, and his best friend was murdered, whom he promised to support and protect. A large part of this is caused by the fact that he never got to say his goodbyes in person, he expresses this in a very cleverly constructed wordplay:

Where was your antennas, on the road, bottles and bitches

You faced time the one time, that's unforgiven

You even Facetimed instead of a hospital visit

Guess you thought he would recover well

Third surgery, they couldn't stop the bleeding for real

Then he died, God himself will say "you fuckin' failed"

You ain't try ( Kendrick Lamar, “U” )

He labels himself as a failure because he only talked to him through “Facetime” a popular app, and hasn’t even tried visiting him personally. And as if it wasn’t enough, he escalates this suffocating feeling of depression with the third verse, which is so heartbreaking that he doesn’t even sing it during his live performances:

I know your secrets nigga

Mood swings is frequent nigga

I know depression is restin' on your heart for two reasons nigga

I know you and a couple block boys ain't been speakin' nigga

Y'all damn near beefin', I seen it and you're the reason nigga

And if this bottle could talk *gulp* I cry myself to sleep

Bitch everything is your fault

Faults breakin' to pieces, earthquakes on every weekend

Because you shook as soon as you knew confinement was needed

I know your secrets, don't let me tell them to the world

About that shit you thinkin' and that time you *gulp* I'm bout to hurl (Kendrick Lamar, “U”)

Kendrick expresses his depression, with which he has been battling for years, in parallel with alcoholism. The following verses express the pressure fame puts on him, as from one side he is pressured by the expectations of his fans, and from the other side by the old friends from Compton, who he knows for a fact think that money has made him superficial and thus can’t talk to them and has to avoid his hometown. The occasional sound of him taking another sip is a very clever and suggestive symbol, implying that there is something so dark there that he can’t even spell it out, which actually is just the alcohol and his notorious alcoholism. The emotional peak of the song, however is still yet to come at the end of the last verse:

I'm fucked up, but I ain't as fucked up as you

You just can't get right, I think your heart made of bullet proof

Shoulda killed yo ass a long time ago

You shoulda feeled that black revolver blast a long time ago

And if those mirrors could talk it would say "you gotta go"

And if I told your secrets

The world'll know money can't stop a suicidal weakness (Kendrick Lamar, “U”)

His unconsciousness is questioning whether he is worthy of success or not. It heavily suggests that he should have listened to his suicidal thought with which he has been struggling for years. His reflection, which is his unconsciousness is telling him that he should have committed suicide a long time ago, as his secret inner struggles were never a secret in front of his true self.

This kind of mastery of rhymes and wordplay combined with offering such an authentic, deep and relatable emotional trip is extremely rare, almost unique. The verses prove themselves regarding the poetic expectations, no need to explain, and the experience and feelings this piece of art offers is authentic and definitely aesthetic, in the sense that it achieves it’s goal of making the listener feel his pain and sorrow, showing that everyone has his or her hard times. Only a small part of Kendrick’s work is enough to show that his creations are both poetic and aesthetic. Such a unique talent in rap is almost unpaired, the only rapper who I witnessed having similar skills regarding metaphors and wordplay, and being able to offer such a heartbreakingly sincere emotional foray was the classic himself, The Notorious B.I.G. Both artists are perfect examples of the potential aesthetic experience that gangsta rap is capable to offer.

Chapter 4: Sales Records

Sales do not matter too much, at least according to my opinion, when we are talking about a rap record’s quality. The only thing it might reflect relatively accurately is the popularity of the song, and implicitly the number of people that the message reached, keeping in mind the different possibilities of music sharing, depending on the period of time we are speaking about. It is however interesting to see the receptivity to a certain concept or idea that a track has. It does say a lot about the average listener as well, you might find a very meaningful song that is extremely popular, which is a good sign of a mature audience, yet you might stumble across a genius track with a hidden message that sadly is not being discovered, resulting in a significant lack of sales. However, as I mentioned, this does not belittle the worth of a song, it simply shows us the type of audience our authors were blessed with. The following table represents the success in terms of units sold of a few gangsta rap albums, at least the ones that have publicly released their charts.

As the table shows, some of these albums had quite a big financial success and were quite popular. Yet, large sales don’t always mean success, and obviously this doesn’t mean that it’s a worthy, poetic album, this however is a different subject. The financial success of an album is however largely represented by sales, however to be able to paint an accurate picture, we need to have an element to compare it with, let’s say from mainstream hip hop. The problem however is that the present policies of secrecy regarding the exact number of sales are quite well kept at Nielsen Music or any other major company that compiles and keeps tracks. The only time we get a fairly exact number of sales is when an album reaches platinum, or at shady internet articles, that claim to be able to illegally provide the correct information. The unreliability of these sources have made me decide not to create a chart of the presumed sales, however for the sake of proving my point, I shall replace this with the top rap album sales up to this point ( June 11, 2016) based on the sales compiled by Nielsen Music.

Original Broadway Cast – “Hamilton: An American Musical”

Drake – “Views”

Kevin Gates – “Islah”

Kevin Gates – “Murder For Hire II”

Kendrick Lamar – “Untitled Unmastered”

G-Eazy – “When It’s Dark Out”

Mozzy – “Mandatory Check”

Kendrick Lamar – “To Pimp A Butterfly”

NF – “Therapy Session”

Juicy J, Wiz Khalifa – “TGOD Mafia: Rude Awakening”

The Lonely Island – “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping”

Fetty Wap – “Fetty Wap”

Lil Dicky – “Professional Rappers”

Drake – “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late”

Future – “DS2” ( Dirty Sprite 2 )

Despite the fact that this list doesn’t show us the exact figures, it offers a pretty good representation of the musical preferences of the large public. With the exception of G-Eazy (certain texts he has written) and Kendrick Lamar’s two albums, I would not even dare dignifying the rest of the artists with any type of commentary, especially in an academic paper. However, if I was to comment on these mainstream songs, I’d briefly express my disappointment with the predominantly shallow, contentless, materialism that is being promoted and shoved down people’s throats with brilliant marketing schemes and social media promotions. The fact that there are two worthy artists present in the top 15 (for now at least) represents a beacon of hope in my eyes. There might still be a hope for the current tragic state of contemporary rap. These topics that have invested the main rap topics in the past few years are a result of rap’s escapism being transformed into mindless, cartoonish materialism. For some wicked reason, this has substituted the escapism people found in rap. By escapism, I am referring to the fact that rap together with it’s topics functioned as a portal, which for the duration of a song would take the listener from his mundane life into a realm described by the certain artist. For a reason unknown for me this has disappeared and has been replaced with this sickening materialism, which still acts as upon the same escapist principles, however instead of an imaginative fictional world, transports the audience to a pointless, absurd parallel universe where the singer apparently hasn’t got any task besides that of wasting outrageous amounts of money on parties, champagne, designer clothes, trips around the world, strippers and whatever else he finds that has an unobtainable price. I do understand that people sometimes get to a point where they are sick and tired of working every day, every week and all year just to be able to provide the bare minimal, and a parallel universe where you got seemingly infinite supplies of money sounds more than appealing, yet this is not the way to go about it. Money and materialism are the root of all problems, not the solution for them. This toxic materialism managed to infect the world of rap and change it’s main topics from survivalist, existentialist and gangsta themes, to pointless celebrations and purely financial topics. However the rappers aren’t the ones to blame, it’s us, the audience that let’s them get away with such musical abortions. If we tolerate, even more than that buy such ratchet creations, it’s no wonder that an artist won’t waist his time composing a deep, meaningful, possibly existentialist verse, when he can get the same recognition with a shallow one. I find it awfully interesting how this materialism and change of values in our lives is reflected in the direction of rap music, and several other parts of life.

Despite the slightly pessimistic tone of my previous thought, I would like to highlight the fact that it was formulated in regards of mainstream rap music. Most of the rappers who are poetic, aesthetic and philosophic are the ones who struggle for recognition, those who are climbing the ladder of success, and in a completely non-personal manner, I honestly hope they never completely make it, and keep struggling, hustling and trying their best to artistically prove their worth, continuing creating such valuable artworks that will never be properly understood and perceived by the average audience.

The fact that there are a couple of such artists even between the mainstream hotlists is a very promising sign, affirming that rap isn’t dead or extinct, just on a slight low. However, keeping an optimistic attitude and hoping that this is the rain before the rainbow is the only thing that we can really do, besides supporting those who are worthy of it.

Conclusion

In conclusion I believe that gangsta-rap is one of the most authentic types of contemporary poetry. It’s ruthless honesty and self-expressiveness offers a unique perspective which often feels like a rollercoaster of emotions, leaving us with an authentic and truly aesthetic experience. There is a significant part of gangsta rappers, who haven’t had much of a contribution to the realm of rap, besides promoting mindless brutality and criminal lifestyle, however these type of creations are common in every branch of art, and make the true artists that much better and more significant. The main reason for gangsta rap not being considered an authentic branch of art is simple, at least from my perspective: people prefer hearing a comfortable lie, instead of the bare uncomfortable truth. It’s so much simpler to hear about a materialistic overly-happy, yet impossible situation than about the truth. Most people refuse to embrace the dark side of the world, the fact that there are people giving up on life, being murdered and loosing their family every day, every minute, even now as we speak. This is the role of gangsta rap, to offer a perspective mainstream music refuses to cover. For me it’s comforting to hear that there are genuine artists, who aren’t just completely aware of this painful, reckless side of the world, they have also lived it and wish to share with the world the one precious thing that it’s missing: the truth. The poetic means that these modern street-poets use to convey their reality into a message is a major bonus, as it also appeals to us from an aesthetic perspective. Thinking about gangsta rap in these terms is the most realistic way of perceiving it: a ruthless truth delivered in beautifully rhyming, musical verses. This value, in combination with gangsta rap’s unique poetic and lyrical treasures, qualify gangsta rap as worthy of academic consideration.

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