Week 10

This was an interesting read, the material was interesting but it was a little dense. The article went to delve into how the brand of rap dubbed "gangster rap" has had an effect on the black community. A lot of people think the lyrics are a "critique of, and criminalization of black youth" and I would tend to agree. A lot of the lyrics incite violence against police or other, often misogynistic or criminal ideas. BUT, a lot of these lyrics are just expressions of youth angst rather than credible threats. Started in LA, mainly with poor or working class African Americans but spread all over the nation with groups like NWA taking the nation by storm. Their famous song "fuck the police" drew national attention for being a highly controversial look into police brutality. But NWA wasn's set on inciting violence, rather they called themselves hood reporters who spoke on the relevant issues. Through the article they went into a ton, from frequent use of racial slurs to gender conflicts in inner city youth. Overall this brand of rap wasn't meant to criminalize behavior or spread violence but was a way for those youth in these areas to express themselves and speak about their lives.