Hip Hop

1. Hip Hop Beyond the Beat

2. Crossing the Line ActivityStand on the side of the line which indicates your agreement or disagreement with the following statements • Hip Hop is a creative art form and a form of expression • I enjoy listening to rap music • When I hear a rap song, I pay more attention to the beat than to the lyrics • Rap lyrics contain too many references to violence and gunplay • Many rappers are just reinforcing negative stereotypes about urban youth and young black people • Rapper who talk about violence and the streets are just reflecting the violent American culture that we live in. • Musicians have a responsibility to provide to provide positive messages and images because children are listening • Consumers of music don’t want to hear music with conscientious, righteous or positive messages • Record labels would rather promote stereotypical gangster rap music because it sells more units. • Hip hop has become commodified and exploited by corporate America • Rap music as a whole is disrespectful toward women • Rap music as a whole is hateful toward gays • Rap music, like movies, is ultimately entertainment and should not be taken so seriously • Hip Hop is a culture that has the power to unify people across linguistic, racial and geographical lines • Hip Hop has the power to be voice of resistance and social change • Hip hop has become a caricature and a modern-day minstrel show

3. Reflect: • Which statements were easy/difficult for you? • Which responses from the class surprised you? • Which statements did you feel very strongly about?

4. Things to think about during the film: • If you could respond to one person in the film, who would it be and what would you say? • What person or scene made the strongest impression on you? • In the opening of the film, filmmaker Bryon Hurt says, “What I am trying to do is get us men to take a hard look at ourselves.” Do you feel he succeeded? Why or why not?

5. Watch the film:Hip Hop Beyond the Beats

6. General Discussion: • If you could respond to one person in the film, who would it be and what would you say? • What person or scene made the strongest impression on you? • In the opening of the film, filmmaker Bryon Hurt says, “What I am trying to do is get us men to take a hard look at ourselves.” Do you feel he succeeded? Why or why not?

7. List of Speakers and Quotes Part One: Think • Pick one of the speakers and quotations from the list given out in class • What is the speaker’s relationship to or role in hip hop? • What is the speaker’s view on violence and/or misogyny in hip hop? • If you could respond to the speaker’s statement, what would you say to him or her? Part Two: Pair • Compare with your partner what each of you wrote about your speaker. • Would the two speakers agree with each other? • What would they say in response to each other’s statements? • Which of these speakers most represents your view? Part Three: Share with class • We agree with _____, who says… • We disagree with_________, who says…

8. Manhood & Gender Identity • Brainstorm with a partner what boys/menshould like to do what they should be like and how they should act. Do the same for the should not side.

9. Manhood & Gender Identity • Discussion Questions: • •How do you, your friends and adults you know fit these stereotypes? How are they different from these stereotypes? • How do these stereotypes of how boys/men “should” and “should not” be influence some people your age?

10. Manhood & Gender Identity Read Article: Issue Brief: Men and Boys • How does the “Man Box” oppress women? How does it oppress men? • How do the images and lyrics in hip hop contribute to the “Man Box”? • What can boys and men do to challenge or break out of that box?

11. Manhood & Gender Identity Which of the following quotes strikes you the most? Do you agree of disagree with the speaker? Explain. “Hip hop is a man’s game.” —Suge Knight, CEO, Death Row Records “The notion of violent masculinity is at the heart of American identity.” —Michael Eric Dyson “BET is the cancer of black manhood in the world.” —Chuck D “ From a young age, [boys] are taught that real men are tough, violent, control women and cannot under any circumstances show weakness.” —Byron Hurt

13. Discussion on Manhood and Gender Identity • 1. Do you agree with Michael Eric Dyson’s statement, “The notion of violent masculinity is at the heart of American identity”? What examples can you think of to support or refute this notion?

14. Discussion on Manhood and Gender Identity • 2. Ask the group to consider the trajectory of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s career from action hero to statesman, or the career of Jesse Ventura, a professional wrestler-to-state governor. Imagine how a hip-hop artist such as Jada Kiss might be viewed if he attempted to enter into political office. How are perceptions of masculinity influenced by the economic status of the person? How are they shaped by race?

15. Discussion on Manhood and Gender Identity • 3. “We’re playing a role from the time we’re seven and we’re walking down the street and someone calls us a sissy, sucker, church boy, and we start playing that role.” In this quote, Rev. Conrad Tillard speaks about the roles that young men play to maintain the respect of their peers. Where do young men receive messages about what it means to “be a man”? In what circumstances are young men encouraged to be sensitive? What are the implications of a society that raises young men to stifle certain emotions, and project others? Why should we support young men who refuse to “play the role”.

16. Discussion on Manhood and Gender Identity • 4. In a scene from Daytona, Florida a group of young women are asked how they feel when they are called derogatory names because of how they are dressed. One woman responds, “It’s not really directed towards you personally. I know he’s not talking to me. I know what I am.” At the same time, one young man explains, “You know who are the b***s cause you see how they are dressed…sistas don’t dress like that.” If mainstream hip-hop has put manhood in a box, how has the music reinforced a limited view of what it means to be a woman?

17. Discussion on Manhood and Gender Identity • 5. Rev. Conrad Tillard argues that, “we have to challenge this notion that it’s ok for black males to die early.” Do you believe that Americans have become desensitized to images of violence against black men? If so, how have we arrived at this point? Can hip-hop artists describe the realities in their communities and also challenge that notion? How can communities challenge that notion?

18. Gender Violence • The chorus of a rap song is often (and accurately) referred to in slang as “the hook.” • In pairs write down “hooks” that you know from current or past rap songs. • How did you remember the hook? What makes a hook easy to remember? • What is the overall message of the hook? If people are singing along with it, what are they saying? • Do you think people think about what the lyrics mean when they sing along with them?

19. Gender Violence Dr. Dre • Dr. Dre’s The Chronic was wildly popular, considered by many to be a hip-hop classic and often referred to as the album responsible for ushering in the era of gangsta rap. • He preformed a song called “Bitches Ain’t Shit,” with Snoop, Daz, Kurupt, & Jewell • The song was degrading towards women and expresses violence towards women. Analysis by Saul Williams, poet and actor “Beats are extremely, extremely powerful. When the beat drops, you nod your head. Like yes. The affirmative. Dr. Dre puts out The Chronic. All of a sudden the beats are so hypnotic and the lyrics are like ‘Bitches ain’t shit,’ and we start making excuses. ‘Oh, I just like the beat. I just like to dance to this. I really don’t care about what he’s saying.’ And so over time we built up a tolerance for bullshit lyrics.” • Do you agree or disagree? How does the force of the music deliver the lyrics more powerfully? • In the film, rapper Jadakiss argues that these kinds of lyrics are “what people want to hear” and that even women are some of the main people dancing and singing along. Do you agree? Why?

20. Gender Violence Queen Latifah • Queen Latifah has been one of the few and most prominent women in hip-hop, and “U.N.I.T.Y.,” one of her biggest songs, could be considered a direct response to the misogyny of Dr. Dre’s hit song. • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8cHxydDb7o&ob=av2e

21. Gender Violence • What is the hook? Is it catchy? What is the message of the hook? • In the first verse, whom is Queen Latifah addressing? What is her message to them? • In the second verse she calls out men who domestically abuse their partners. What is her message to them? • Read “Issue Brief: Gender Violence and Homophobia” • If Queen Latifah were to include some statistics or factual information to back up what she is saying to men who abuse their partners, what would she say? • In the last verse, Queen Latifah speaks directly to women. What is her message to them? • This song was very popular when it came out. Would a song like this be equally appealing and commercially viable now? Why or why not?

22. Homophobia & Gay Rappers in Hip Hop Byron Hurt posed the following question to rapper Busta Rhymes in the film: • “Would a gay rapper ever be accepted in hip-hop?” Respond using the following sentences: • A gay rapper would/would not be accepted because … • A major record label would/would not promote a gay hip-hop artist because … • If a gay rapper were the best rapper, … • Busta Rhymes refuses to address the question because … • The lack of a gay presence in hip-hop is/is not surprising because …

23. Media Literacy • Brainstorm as many places and spaces as you can think of where images of hip-hop can be seen and hip-hop music can be heard. • Television Dances • Films Clothes • Commercials ETC… • Billboards • video games • Magazines • news • characters in books

24. DiscussionGender Violence and Homophobia • 1. Hurt describes his work as an anti-sexism trainer that led to an increased sensitivity to degrading lyrics in hip-hop music. Can you recall an incident, or series of experiences, that lead you to become more sensitive to how certain groups are talked about or portrayed in media? How have those experiences shaped your consumer choices?

25. DiscussionGender Violence and Homophobia • 2. Media educator Sut Jhally suggests that, “hip-hop culture is not separate from the rest of American culture…the objectified female bodies are everywhere.” If hip-hop music is an attempt to hold a mirror up to American society, what can we learn about the value • of women’s bodies in mainstream media?

26. DiscussionGender Violence and Homophobia • 3. Professor Jelani Cobb argues that, “music videos have taken a view of women of color that is not radically different from the views of 19th century white slave owners.” What “view of women” is Cobb describing? In what other ways can you identify the legacy • of slavery within hip-hop culture?

27. DiscussionGender Violence and Homophobia • 4. Dr. Beverly Guy-Shefthall states, “Generally speaking, Black people do not believe that misogyny, sexism and violence against women are urgent issues. We still think that racism, police brutality, black male incarceration are the issues that we need to be concerned about.” Why do you think sexism has taken a back seat to other forms of oppression in certain communities? What would it take to elevate the importance of combating sexism in all communities?

28. DiscussionGender Violence and Homophobia • 5. While images of homosexuality have become increasingly common in mainstream media, homophobic slurs continue to be found throughout hip-hop lyrics. Why do you think hip-hop has become one of the last art forms to allow an openly hostile stance on • homosexuality?

29. Media Literacy: Homework Pick media outlet that you will research, view and bring in examples to report on Use the following guide questions: • What type of media is being used? • Who or what aspect of hip-hop is being presented? • What stereotypes are being reinforced (or invalidated)? • Is the image positive or negative? In what ways? • What are the lyrics and images communicating to the viewer/listener? • Who is the target audience? How might they receive the images? • Who produced and funded the image? How much input do you think the hip-hop subject had in producing the representation? • Who would benefit from this image? What product or service is being sold with the help of this image?

30. Media Literacy: Homework • Hurt explains that in approaching the subjects he interviews and in presenting his critique “it was important that people know me as somebody who really loves hip hop and not someone trying to dis hip hop.” He also begins the film with a disclaimer to emphasize that he is critiquing hip hop from the point of view of a participant, hip-hop community member and insider. Use these guide questions to discuss Hurt’s statements: • Why does Hurt feel it is important that he make this disclaimer to the viewer? • How do his disclaimer and his explanation for his critique of hip-hop affect how you, as a viewer, receive the points he is making? • How do you think his insider position affected the responses he received from his interviewees? • Who else do you think he should have interviewed or included as a voice in the film? • What other questions would you have asked the interviewees if you were behind the camera?

31. Discussion: Media Literacy • 1. Who do you feel bears the greatest responsibility for the images in hip-hop videos—directors, artists or record company executives? What responsibility do viewers carry? In what ways might viewers hold these players responsible for images they deem • unacceptable?

32. Discussion: Media Literacy • 2. Jada Kiss argues that most violent lyrics are for entertainment and should not be taken literally, much like action movies are accepted as fantasy. Does all violent imagery (action movies, hip-hop videos, news clips) feel the same to you? What is the line between violent imagery and entertainment?

33. Discussion: Media Literacy • 3. Should artists create socially responsible work? Why or why not? Are artists of all ethnic backgrounds held to the same standards when it comes to creating responsible art? Where might those differing expectations come from?

34. Discussion: Media Literacy • 4. When speaking of white fans, rapper M-1 argues that their appreciation and understanding of hip-hop is “as put on as baggy jeans”. In another scene, a young white woman explains that interest in the music, “appeals to our sense of learning about other cultures,” but that it also reinforces stereotypes about African Americans. What are the implications when a musical genre serves to represent an entire community?

35. Discussion: Media Literacy • 5. Filmmaker Byron Hurt defends his critique of hip-hop by saying that he is also a fan. How would you have felt if the filmmaker was not a fan? Was not African American? Was a woman? How does Byron’s onscreen identity impact your reaction to his critique?

36. Discussion: Media Literacy • 6. What did you learn about the record label’s influence over the types of artists that are signed and heavily marketed? Do you think that record companies base their decisions on economics, politics or aesthetics? What are some of the effects of those decisions?

37. Discussion: Media Literacy • 7. Consider the quote by TalibKweli: • “ We have trusted the media and the corporations to define what hip-hop is…. We have never let the media define us, so why are doing that now?” • Who do you think Mr. Kweli is referring to when he says “we?” • In what ways are each of us involved in supporting the mainstream definition of hip-hop?