Cultural Studies of American Musics: Illmatic and the Evolution of Hip Hop Culture

“Illmatic and The Evolution of Hip Hop Culture” Comparative Studies 3686: Cultural Studies of American Musics “...being a hip hop intellectual is about excavating some of that energy from the music that you see at the tip of the iceberg but also paying attention to that huge mass of cultural and intellectual energy that’s beneath the surface.” -James Braxton Peterson Course Description: This course centers around Nas's debut album Illmatic (1994), regarded almost universally as a classic and considered by many to be the greatest hip hop album of all time. Illmatic was released at a moment that some hip hop scholars call the end of the “Golden Age,” just before hip hop culture became fully commercialized. In this May Term course, we will explore the social, political, and cultural contexts for Illmatic and discuss its significance in terms of the evolution of hip hop culture and the effects of its commodification in the music industry. Our texts will include key works in Hip Hop Studies, from Tricia Rose’s foundational Black Noise to Born to Use Mics, a book-length study of Illmatic. We will also watch key films in the history of hip hop, such as Style Wars (1983), and interact with guest speakers-- beatmakers, emcees, deejays, and filmmakers who have been actively producing hip hop culture since the so-called end of the “Golden Age.” Throughout our conversations, we will engage with the questions: How do socioeconomic conditions shape the production of hip hop culture broadly, and hip hop music specifically? How does the emergence of hip hop relate to preexisting black cultural formations? How does hip hop culture and music--Illmatic being the prime example--combine contemporary technology with traditional black cultural expression to elaborate the dystopian social conditions of urban life in postindustrial capitalism? May Term 2013 Time: MTWR 10am-1220pm Room: Hagerty 0050 Instructor: Brian Murphy Office Hours: MW 220-320pm and by appt., 476 Hagerty Required Texts (books available at SBX and various online retailers) Illmatic by Nas That’s the Joint: The Hip Hop Studies Reader, 2nd Edition, edited by Murray Forman and Mark Anthony Neal Born to Use Mics: Reading Nas's Illmatic edited by Michael Eric Dyson and Sohail Daulatzai Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America by Tricia Rose Elmatic by Elzhi (mixtape available online) Illmatic and the Evolution of Hip Hop Culture Playlist (youtube, link on Carmen under content) * Other required readings will be linked to Carmen. All required films will be screened during class or available for free online. *Website: Rapgenius.com. “Nas’s Illmatic: All the Lyrics to Every Song Explained” at http://rapgenius.com/posts/74-Nas-illmatic-all-the-lyrics-to-every-song-explained Learning Goals: * Students understand the pluralistic nature of institutions, society, and culture in the United States and across the world in order to become educated, productive, and principled citizens. * Students evaluate significant works of art in order to develop capacities for aesthetic and historical response and judgment; interpretation and evaluation; critical listening, reading, seeing, thinking, and writing; and experiencing the arts and reflecting on that experience. Expected Learning Outcomes: * Students describe and evaluate the roles of such categories as race, gender and sexuality, disability, class, ethnicity, and religion in the pluralistic institutions and cultures of the United States. * Students recognize the role of social diversity in shaping their own attitudes and values regarding appreciation, tolerance, and equality of others. * Students analyze, appreciate, and interpret significant works of art. * Students engage in informed observation and/or active participation in a discipline within the visual, spatial, and performing arts. This course investigates “the social, political, and cultural contexts of the development of popular musics in the U.S.” and meets General Education requirements for Visual and Performing Arts and Social Diversity in the U.S. We will satisfy the Expected Learning Outcomes by analyzing hip hop lyrics, sound, visual and material culture with attention to how social difference and processes of oppression shape the production and reception of hip hop music. Students will be expected to demonstrate familiarity with key works in hip hop studies and use interdisciplinary analytical tools to critically discuss, appreciate, and interpret Illmatic and its cultural significance. Throughout the course, we will enhance our knowledge of the history and evolution of hip hop culture, question our own assumptions about that culture and its values, and strive to understand why music so deeply rooted in black urban experience resonates so widely across various racial, socioeconomic, and generational demographics in the United States.  Students who wish to have an accommodation for disability are responsible for contacting the professor and TA as soon as possible. The Office for Disability Services (150 Pomerene Hall; 292-3307; 292-0901 TDD) verifies the need for accommodations and assists in the development of accommodation strategies. Course Elements. 200 points total. Scholarly Notes. 3 Submissions at 20 points each At the end of each week you will submit scholarly notes that discuss how each of the readings address or provide insight into your chosen theme. Here are themes you can choose, which need to be selected on first day of class: Hip Hop and Economics--Postindustrial Cities Hip Hop’s Early Years--Nostalgia and Reality Gender--Misogyny, Masculinity, and Homophobia Authority--Schools, Religion, Police Brutality Generational Differences--Civil Rights Generation vs. the Hip Hop Generation Violence, Death, Mortality Materialism and Social Status War on Drugs?--Poverty and Mass Incarceration Race, Racism, and the Myth of Post-Racial America Scholarly notes should be no less than 2 pages long, no more than 3 pages, double-spaced, Times New Roman font, with 1-inch margins, with NO SPACES BETWEEN PARAGRAPHS. To prepare for writing scholarly notes, you should take notes on each of our readings, notes that answer the questions: What is the topic of this essay? What is the argument? What evidence does it use? What are some of the key theories is draws upon or pushes against? What are its most important conclusions? What in this essay is relevant to the theme I’m researching? Then, when you write your scholarly notes, you will have plenty of material to draw on. Your scholarly notes should be a summary of the readings for that week, focused on how they might help you understand or analyze your theme and its broader contexts, or relationship to other issues. For instance, if you’re researching Generational Differences, you might find that a reading doesn’t discuss that theme specifically, but nonetheless addresses important economic shifts that occurred in the 1970s--shifts that are highly relevant to the differences between the relative abundance of factory jobs available to blacks in the 1950s compared to the joblessness that characterized postindustrial urban centers in the 1970s and 1980s. Your scholarly notes do not need to have an argument, but they should accurately summarize the focus and argument of any essay they reference. You should reference page numbers of the essays according to Harvard Style. Any quotes you include should be less than a sentence long. The goals of these assignments are for you to develop critical, careful reading and research skills and to practice synthesizing complex information into concise summaries, while relating a range of essays to one another through a central issue that is the focus of your research. Scholarly notes will receive one of three grades: ✓+ (20 points), ✓ (15 points), or ✓- (5 points). Transcription and Performance. 20 points Transcribe a verse from Nas’s Illmatic with Adam Bradley’s transcription method (available on Carmen). During the first week of class you will select your verse and write your transcription and submit it at the end of the week. By the end of the second week, you should have your verse completely memorized, so that you can focus during the third week on mastering its rhythmic delivery. At the end of the third week, we will perform our verses in class. You will have the option of performing along with an instrumental from Illmatic or a cappella (without music). Class Minutes. 20 points Each student must take Class Minutes once during the semester, and email them to me by 9pm that day. Class minutes should be detailed, typed notes on our in-class discussion, not just listing the topics covered, but highlighting important points made and key questions raised. Class Minutes must be in .doc format. Attendance and Participation. 20 points I expect all students to complete assigned readings, ask thoughtful questions of each other and of our speakers, questions hat reflect an engagement or struggle with our texts. All students should attend every class session, be present, and regularly contribute to discussion. You can lose attendance and participation points for failing to meet any of these expectations, for misusing technology in class, or for consistent comments that do not reflect careful reading, listening, and note-taking on our texts and in-class discussions. If you are absent three times, 10 points will be deducted from your final grade; for your fourth absence and every absence thereafter, an additional 20 points will be deducted from your final grade for each absence. Final Essay. 40 points Your Final Essay is the culmination of your scholarly notes, in-class work, and out-of-class listening to and analysis of hip hop music. You will apply what you have learned about Illmatic and about hip hop music in an analysis of a song (or songs) from Detroit rapper Elzhi’s homage, Elmatic. You might be able to analyze one song (i.e. if you choose Gender, you might find more than enough material on Elzhi’s “One Love”), or you might need to draw on the lyrics in several or all the songs on the album to sufficiently explore your theme. Your final essay should be 5-7 double-spaced pages, with all other formatting guidelines being the same as the scholarly notes. Final Exam. 40 points The final exam will cover historical topics, social issues, and theoretical concepts discussed in readings and in class, films and videos screened, topics discussed with guest speakers, as well as the music and lyrics of songs we listen to in class. Artifacts. Up to 5 points extra credit This is voluntary and not for credit (though you can receive an extra credit point if you do this effectively). Students are invited to bring in an artifact once during the course and relate it specifically to one or more of our readings. Guest Speakers We will occasionally have guest speakers in class for what I’ll call “Inside the Rapper’s Studio,” though these speaker may be not only rappers, but deejays, producers, journalists, poets, entrepreneurs, musicians, and others actively producing hip hop culture in a variety of contexts. Students will be expected to prepare for “Inside” sessions by reviewing articles, websites, or videos related to the speaker so that they can ask informed, open-ended questions of the speaker during our Q&A. Grading Scale: A = 93-100 A- = 90-92 B+ = 88-89 B = 83-87 B- = 80-82 C+ = 78-79 C = 73-77 C- = 70-72 D+ = 68-69 D = 60-67 F = 0-59 Statement on Academic Misconduct “It is the responsibility of the Committee on Academic Misconduct to investigate or establish procedures for the investigation of all reported cases of student academic misconduct. The term “academic misconduct” includes all forms of student academic misconduct wherever committed; illustrated by, but not limited to, cases of plagiarism and dishonest practices in connection with examinations. Instructors shall report all instances of alleged academic misconduct to the committee (Faculty Rule 3335-5-487). For additional information, see the Code of Student Conduct http://studentlife.osu.edu/pdfs/csc_12-31-07.pdf.” Statement on Plagiarism As defined in University Rule #3335-31-02, plagiarism is “The representation of another’s work or their ideas as one’s own; it includes the unacknowledged word or word use and/or paraphrasing of another person’s work, and/or the inappropriate unacknowledged use of another person’s ideas.” · Always cite your sources (your instructor can help with this). · Always ask questions before you turn in an assignment if you are uncertain about what constitutes plagiarism. · Always see your instructor if you are having difficulty with an assignment. Technology Statement Cell phones and other portable electronic devices (mp3 players, PDAs, etc.,) must be turned off or silent during class. If you feel that your life circumstances warrant an exception to this policy, please speak with me as soon as possible. Computers may be used as long as they are used for class purposes and do not distract from the classroom environment. However, they must be shut down and closed for certain in-class activities, as directed by the instructor. Failure to meet these expectations will negatively affect your Attendance and Participation grade.  Discussion and Assignment Schedule (Each day, I will assume that you have already read, thought about, and taken notes on the readings scheduled for that day) Week 1: Hip Hop in Historical Context Monday, May 6 Rose, Introduction Rose, Chapter 1: Voices from the Margins: Rap Music and Contemporary Black Cultural Production Frith, The Industrialization of Music Hardt and Negri, Postmodernization, or the Informatization of Production Sign up for research theme, verse to transcribe, and class minutes, fill out Carmen profile Tuesday, May 7 Rose, Chapters 2: All Aboard the Night Train: Flow, Layering, and Rupture in Postindustrial New York Castleman, The Politics of Graffiti Chang, Zulus on a Time Bomb Pabon, Physical Graffiti Mansbach, The Stupidity of New York’s Long, Expensive (And Ongoing) War on Graffiti Videos: Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, The Message KRS-ONE, Out for Fame Artifacts, Wrong Side of the Tracks J. Period ft. Black Thought, The Rage is Back Freestyle Heather B. ft M.O.P., My Kinda Nigga Aaron Draplin’s Favorite Signs clip on youtube.com Film: Style Wars Wednesday, May 8 Rose, Chapter 3: Soul Sonic Forces: Technology, Orality, and Black Cultural Practice in Rap Music George, Hip Hop’s Founding Fathers Speak the Truth Kelley, Lookin’ for the ‘Real’ Nigga: Social Scientists Construct the Ghetto Bradley, Rap Poetry 101 Videos: Masta Ace, Jeep Ass Niguh Ski Beatz, The Making of Dead Presidents Jay-Z, Dead Presidents Camp Lo, Sparkle and Sparkle (Mr. Midnight Mix) Mic Geronimo, Masta I.C. Thursday, May 9 Rose, Chapter 4: Prophets of Rage: Rap Music and the Politics of Black Cultural Expression Baldwin, Black Empires, White Desires Perry, My Mic Sound Nice: Art, Community, and Consciousness Transcription of Illmatic Verse due Scholarly Notes #1 Due at the beginning of class Week 2--Reading Illmatic Monday, May 13 Forman, General Introduction Neal, Postindustrial Soul: Black Popular Music at the Crossroads Nama, It Was Signified: ‘The Genesis’ Daulatzai, A Rebel to America: ‘N.Y. State of Mind’ After the Towers Fell Film: Driven: Nas Tuesday, May 14 (Born) Ramsey, Jr., Time is Illmatic: A Song for My Father, A Letter to My Son (Born) Peterson, ‘It’s Yours’: Hip-Hop Worldviews in the Lyrics of Nas Perry, Global Black Self-Fashionings: Hip Hop as Diasporic Space Peterson, ‘Dead Prezence’: Money and Mortal Themes in Hip-Hop Culture Film: La Haine Wednesday, May 15 (Born) Hill, Critical Pedagogy Comes at Halftime: Nas as Black Public Intellectual Boyd and Nuruddin, Intergenerational Culture Wars: Civil Rights vs. Hip-Hop (Born) Neal, ‘Memory Lane’: On Jazz, Hip-Hop, and Fathers Alim, ‘Bring It to the Cypher’: Hip Hop Nation Language Videos: Little Brother, All For You Elzhi, Kiddo Thursday, May 16 Scholarly Notes #2 Due at the beginning of class (Born) Dyson, ‘One Love,’ Two Brothers, Three Verses (Born) Gaunt, ‘One Time 4 Your Mind’: Embedding Nas and Hip-Hop into a Gendered State of Mind Rose, Chapter 5: Bad Sistas: Black Women Rappers and Sexual Politics in Rap Music Morgan, Hip Hop Feminist Week 3--After Illmatic Monday, May 20 (Born) Glaude Jr., ‘Represent,’ Queensbridge, and the Art of Living Forman, ‘Represent’: Race, Space, and Place in Rap Music (Born) Bobbito, Streets Disciple: Representing Queensbridge, New York... McLeod, Authenticity Within Hip-Hop and Other Cultures Threatened with Assimilation Rose, Epilogue Videos: Digable Planets, Where I’m From Jay-Z, Where I’m From Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, Much Better Off Elzhi, Love It Here Elzhi, Concrete Eyes Film: Juice Tuesday, May 21 Perry, ‘It Ain’t Hard to Tell’: A Story of Lyrical Transcendence Shecter, The Second Coming: An Interview Life, 5-Mic Review Tate, Hip Hop Turns 30: Whatcha Celebratin For? Hill, Scared Straight: Hip Hop, Outing, and the Pedagogy of Queerness Video: Sampling Soul Wednesday, May 22 Tate, An Elegy for Illmatic Hampton, Born Alone, Die Alone Mansbach and Coval, All the Words Past the Margins Kitwana, The Challenge of Rap Music from Cultural Movement to Political Power Thursday, May 23 Scholarly Notes #3 Due at the beginning of class Illmatic Verse Performances Choose Song to Analyze from Elmatic Bartlett, Airshafts, Loudspeakers, and the Hip-Hop Sample Schloss, Sampling Ethics Watkins, Black Youth and the Ironies of Capitalism Videos: Raekwon ft. Nas, Verbal Intercourse Listening: Elzhi, Elmatic (album) Podcast: ?uestlove and 9th Wonder on Hip Hop Sampling Soul Week 4--Living Hip Hop in Dead Cities Monday, May 27 Memorial Day--No Class Tuesday, May 28 Lena, Voyeurism and Resistance in Rap Music Videos Videos: Elzhi, Memory Lane Elzhi, Halftime Elzhi, It Ain’t Hard to Tell dead prez, Hell Yeah! Film: Detropia Wednesday, May 29 Smith, ‘I Don’t Like to Dream About Getting Paid’: Representation of Social Mobility and the Emergence of the Hip-Hop Mogul Negus, The Business of Rap Hess, The Rap Career Listening: Elzhi, Elmatic (album) Thursday, May 30 Final Exam Final Essay Due in Carmen Dropbox by 5pm on May 31