Caroline's+Inquiry+Draft


 * How do hip hop songs today relate to our current popular culture?**

Over the past thirty years, hip hop music has become one of fastest growing genres in America. It is present in all types of media whether it be in movies, television, on the radio, and it has recently even entered the world of politics. It effects what we buy, how we dress, how we walk, talk, and even behave. It seems as if hip hop has become a culture on it’s own. New hip hop artist Drake can be seen rapping on Sprite commercials and hip hop mogul Russell Simmons has started his own movement to use hip hop to empower youth to vote. Corporate America has even accepted the music genre, and has capitalized heavily by doing so. Large corporations such as Burger King, Nike, and Reebok have launched advertising campaigns using elements of hip hop. The influence of hip hop on American culture is seemingly obvious, but what are hip hop artists rhyming about today?

Hip hop is a very popular genre of music for American youth. This is illustrated as week after week, there are hip hop songs featured in the top ten on the Billboard charts. Lil Wayne, Drake, Jay-Z, and Kanye West are all names that are easily recognized. The lyrics are catchy and often appeal to what is “hot” at the time. There are common themes seen throughout hip hop lyrics today and what seems to be the motivation behind the popular songs is what is popular in our current culture. Rappers today are “spitting” about money, the party scene, appearance, sports, and even politics. All of which are subjects that are put on a pedestal in our society.

Money seems to be one of the most prominent themes in hip hop songs today. In the fifteen songs I researched, throughout most of the songs, there is a common theme of acquiring money, living the “good life” and being on top of the world. In Jay-Z’s song “Forever Young,” he raps, “Slammin’ Bentley doors, hoppin’ outta Porsches, poppin up on the Forbes’ list…. Did you get the picture yet? I’m painting you a picture of Young.” Jay-Z is commonly known as “Young Hov” and in this particular verse, he is explaining his life of luxury. He is painting a picture with his words about how glamorous his lifestyle is with lots of money and expensive cars. He even mentions being on the Forbes list, which is a list of the richest people in America. In a similar fashion, Drake speaks confidently as well in his verse on the collaborated song, “BedRock” by saying: “Girl, I gotta watch my back ‘cause I’m not just anybody/I seen ‘em stand in line just to get beside her/I let her see the Aston and let the rest surprise her…” Like Jay-Z, he mentions a fancy car (Aston Martin) and also lets his listeners know how important he is. Kanye West raps about money and cars in the song “Run This Town,“ a song in which he join forces with Rihanna and Jay-Z. It reads, “I bought my whole family whips, no Volvos….This the life that everybody ask for/This is the fast life we are on a crash course/What you think I rap for to push a f***ing Rav 4?” He is belittling two types of vehicles because these types of cars do not fit his rap superstar lifestyle. He raps in order to maintain this lifestyle, not to be seen around town in a Rav 4. These are all examples of how hip hop artists portray themselves being very wealthy and living a lavish life.

It seems for these rappers with money comes the party scene. Hip hoppers today are speaking heavily about the use of alcohol, drugs, and the club scene. In the very popular song, “Say Aah” by Trey Songz, alcohol is the motivation behind the entire song. In his chorus, which is repeated five times, he sings, “Go girl, it’s your birthday/Hold the wine, I know you’re thirsty/Say Aah (Aah, Aah, Aah, Aah), Say Aah (Aah, Aah, Aah, Aah)/We don’t buy no drinks at the bar/We pop champagne cuz we got that dough, Let me hear you say Aah….” Not only is hip hop artist Trey Songz once again flaunting the abundance of “dough,” better known as money, he is creating a vision for listeners of getting loose at the club. Since this is such a popular song, listeners are obviously relating to this type of music. Jay-Z’s song ‘Forever Young” paints a comparable picture for his fans. In his second verse, he says, “So we livin’ life like a video/Where the sun is always out and you never get old/And the champagne is always cold/And the music is always good/and the pretty girls just happen to stop by in the hood…..So let’s just stay in the moment smoke some weed drink some wine/Reminisce talk some sh*t forever young is in your mind…” There is a common theme in hip hop videos and he is easily giving you a taste of what it is like. Alcohol is abundant, the music is good, and there are plenty of beautiful women. He mentions casually sitting around drinking and smoking marijuana as every day activities. The lifestyles these artists’ lives are portrayed as a constant party with no worries. Why wouldn’t youth be attracted to this? In Eminem’s recent comeback, he brought his “A” game with his #1 single, “Not Afraid.” It is a song about getting his act together and writing music again. Though it’s a very serious and slightly different message being sent than the other popular hip hop songs at the time, he still manages to include alcohol and the club scene in his song. In the third verse, he raps, “’Cause the way I feel, I’m strong enough to go to the club/Or the corner pub and lift the whole liquor counter up/’Cause I’m raising the bar, I shoot for the moon.” He wanted to use a play on words for “raising the bar” and what would be better than relating it to alcohol and the club? Since hip hop artists include this so much in their lyrics, it seemed like a perfect fit for Eminem’s clever lyrics.

Hip hop also includes the element of fashion and influences today’s youth on what they wear. There is an overall style for hip hop artists which fans can see, but trends in fashion can also be found in the lyrics of their songs. In Young Jeezy’s song “Hard” featuring Rihanna, he makes a few different references to clothing. He raps, “All black on/Black top shades/Black top maybach/Ima rock this sh*t like fashion/As in goin they say to stop/And my runway never looked so clear/But the hottest b in heels right here…” He wears his fancy black sunglasses to match his fancy car. He also even gives a little fashion tip to women, suggesting heels are something that can make you look hot. Kanye West has a similar tip to give women in “Run This Town,” where he raps, “Reebok baby, you need to try some new things/Have you ever had shoes without shoestrings?/What’s that Ye? Baby these heels…” Both rappers are suggesting women wear heels and Kanye West is dissing Reebok shoes. In Jeezy’s final verse in the song “Hard,” he gives more insight on his wardrobe, “See my Louis tux, Louis flag, Louis frame, Louis belt/What that make me Louis mane?/I‘m in a white party wearin‘ all black…” The hip hop artist is referring to Louis Vuitton, a very high dollar fashion label. He also comments again on wearing all black, which is apparently a trend he is setting. In the exact same fashion, Jay-Z mentions wearing black in his verse on the popular song “Run This Town.” His verse reads, “All black everything/Black cards, black cars/All black everything.” Hip hop artists are obviously on the same page, and it is “cool” to wear black. Everything worn should be black.

Hip hop artists are also talking about one of the most popular interests of American popular culture and that is sports. This is also something that ranks very high for our culture. We often put athletes and associations such as the NFL, NBA, and MLB on a pedestal, alongside hip hop artists. It would only make sense for these artists to add sports references in their lyrics. Rapper Jay-Z doesn’t only talk about sports in his rhymes, he is even a part-owner of the New Jersey Nets. In the popular song “Empire State of Mind” by Jay-Z featuring Alicia Keys, rapper Jay-Z mentions many sports teams and players. In his first verse, he says, “Still sippin Mai Tais, sittin’ courtside Knicks and Nets give me high-5’s…” Once again, he’s sitting in the best seats in the house, sipping on expensive liquor drinks, and getting high fives from famous athletes. Not only is he presenting an elegant lifestyle, but he is also presenting a relationship with sports’ teams, particularly the ones in New York, which is what the song is about. He later adds references about the Yankees and in his last verse raps, “If Jeezy’s payin’ LeBron, I’m payin’ Dwayne Wade.” He mentions one of the most famous names in hip hop (Young Jeezy), other than himself and adds two of the biggest names in the National Basketball Association (LeBron James and Dwayne Wade). Jay-Z combines two of the most prominent aspects of our culture into one: hip hop and sports. Lil Wayne also does this in his song “Right Above It” in his verse saying, “Ball on automatic start/I could had it to Drake or do a quarterback draw/Wildcat offense, check the paw prints…” He is referring to himself as a quarterback and Drake, the other voice on the song, as his teammate. Listeners are probably able to understand these lyrics because of our culture’s emphasis on sports.

Recently, politics have even been showing up in rap songs. After President Obama was elected, Young Jeezy came out with a song, “My President is Black” and since then, artists have incorporated word play about politics. In “Right Above It,” Lil Wayne refers to himself as the president of hip hop, saying, “Hip-hop, I’m the heart of that, b*tch nothing short of that/President Carter/Young Money Democrat.” Lil Wayne, who’s real name is Dwayne Carter, is saying he is the heart of hip hop, therefore he is the president. He is also claiming to be a democrat of Young Money, which is his record label. Young Jeezy also mentions politics in “Hard” by comparing himself to Barack Obama. In his first verse, he says, “Soon the red dogs will give block back to the presidents/I used to run my own block like Obama did/You ain’t gotta believe me, go ask my momma then/You couldn’t even come in my room/it smelled like a kilo…” He, however, doesn’t mean running the block politically, he means running his block as a drug dealer of cocaine. Even still, this illustrates how hip hop artists are incorporating different aspects of politics and politicians in their rhymes.

Hip hop artists at the current time seem to all be talking about the same things that are important in our culture today. They use clever word play and rhymes to incorporate things that their listeners can relate to, or better yet, dream of. There is a constant emphasis on money and living the good life. It seems through these lyrics hip hop artists never face a dull moment and are cruising in the most expensive rides, constantly attending clubs and highly publicized sporting events, wearing the hottest fashions, and making their mark like the President. With all the common suggestions made about the lavish hip hop lifestyle and connections to the "cool" things in our society, there is no wonder why hip hop is one of the most popular genres of music today.