As you blog on this weeks keywords, MCing, Gender and Battling, begin to think through the ways that particular themes
reoccur in the oral narratives of MCs. How does place and gender shape the narratives and flows of the artists we explore?
The following questions may help as writing prompts. How does gender shape the perspective of the MC? In what ways do women
challenge the base of a male dominated art form? What type of skills does and MC need to be successful freestyler? How do
Hip-hop storylines change based on the combination of race, gender and nation?
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Week 2- Hip-hop"s Urban Griots: Spitting Rhymes of American Identity
This week, we discuss the art of MCing and battling and the ways that gender shapes the practices of Hip-hop MCs. MCing is a practice of oral storytellign linked to African griot/griotte traditions.
As you blog on this weeks keywords, MCing, Gender and Battling, begin to think through the ways that particular themes
reoccur in the oral narratives of MCs. How does place and gender shape the narratives and flows of the artists we explore?
The following questions may help as writing prompts. How does gender shape the perspective of the MC? In what ways do women
challenge the base of a male dominated art form? What type of skills does and MC need to be successful freestyler? How do
Hip-hop storylines change based on the combination of race, gender and nation?
As you blog on this weeks keywords, MCing, Gender and Battling, begin to think through the ways that particular themes
reoccur in the oral narratives of MCs. How does place and gender shape the narratives and flows of the artists we explore?
The following questions may help as writing prompts. How does gender shape the perspective of the MC? In what ways do women
challenge the base of a male dominated art form? What type of skills does and MC need to be successful freestyler? How do
Hip-hop storylines change based on the combination of race, gender and nation?
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Gender plays a huge role in politics, sexuality, sense if identity, opportunities and more in society so it comes as no surprise that it would play a huge role in Hip-hop (as Hip-hop deals with varying social, political, and economical topics) and more specifically in MCing. MCing is when a musical artist ‘raps’ lyrics over a beat to create narratives about his/her experiences, both lived and imaginary (NHP 06/11/12). The majority of MCs are male, and they tend to marginalize women into specific stereotypes in their lyrics and videos (a lot of these stereotypes can be degrading such as “bitches and hoes”) (NHP 06/11/12). The producers are mostly male. The CEOs and high stakes employees of record labels are mostly male (SAYMYNAME 06/12/12). Can women not MC? No, we have seen proof that they can with Missy Elliot, Lauryn Hill, Queen Latifah, etc. So where do women fit in MCing and Battling (Battling is when a MC engages in a test of skills against an opponent and can be sued to address ‘beefs’ between MCs (NHP 06/11/12)) ? Women must work harder in order to gain respect as lyricists or not to appear ‘soft’, and unfortunately this has caused many women to abandon the rap game. Those that are still in the rap game are normally underground and may have a following there but that is outside mainstream popular culture (NHP 06/11/12). What do they bring to the table? There is no doubt that a MC must be well-rounded, and well informed on a range of cultural, and political issues to keep their battle skills above par. But that is for every MC regardless of gender. Gender shapes the perspective of the MC, and it is obvious that women could have different perspectives than men. These different perspectives are what they bring to the table. They can try to overtly or subversively fight the stereotypes put onto females as “gold-diggers, bitches, hos” or “down sistahs” (even though this a positive term), for example look at Nikki Minaj’s video for Super Bass (NHP 06/11/12). Women can also simply bring different perspectives on social, economical, and political issues. Everyone experiences things differently and that is why it is important for all regardless of race, gender, ethnicity or sexual preference to be able to tell their story. We have learned that lyrical skill can trump race (think Eminem), but shouldn’t it be allowed to trump everything?
ReplyDeleteStorytelling to me has always been the most important part of being a successful MC. If a rapper can’t weave words and keep me interested, then I won’t keep listening. The story can differentiate if the MC breaks the traditional mold of the black male MC, which we see an example of in the Rainbow Noise video “Imma Homo”. As a rap collective made up of only LBGT MCs, the narratives and stories that they tell in their raps challenges the status quo of what is “normal” in the rap game. In lecture on 6/13 we brought up how rapper The Game doesn’t believe that there is an MC that he has collaborated with that is gay. This denial of homosexuality, the stifling of it, runs rampant in the game. To me, what Rainbow Noise is trying to do is to show you that queer rappers exist and they have skills and there is no way to hide from them. They are flipping the whole game on its head and challenging listeners and peers alike to put aside their prejudices and listen to the skill that they possess.
ReplyDeleteWhile the specifics of the narrative might be different, the overarching ideas are still the same. The common themes of bragging, sexual conquests, word play, etc still play a pivotal role in Rainbow Noise’s song (Lecture Notes 6/13). Instead of heteronormative situations we are told the same stories through a queer lens. This same strategy to subvert the norm of the rap game can be heard in the raps that female MCs put out. Nicki Minaj’s super bass video switches the roles of rapper and video girl, putting Minaj in the position of power while the men are subject to the ogling of the masses (Minaj “Super Bass”). Challenging the status quo in this way makes it so that Minaj can empower herself and other women in the hip hop game and show that men aren’t the only ones who can sexually exploit the opposite gender.
When we think of the emcee, we immediately think of a male. As we’ve learned, black male emcees are the most prolific in today’s Hip-Hop scene. Unfortunately, for women this has been the norm since the birth of Hip-Hop. Women are forced to be misogynistic representations of male desire. A female emcee is left with few choices to ensure her place in Hip-Hop and that’s a. mimic the male emcee or b. use a male emcee for accreditation. As Marcyliena Morgan states in “Shredding the Veil,” “It is within this fully charged context that women in hip-hop forge an identity and presence that is consistently feminist, progressive, passionate, and sexual. Many of our favorite female emcees have had to succumb to this notion. Da Brat, Queen Latifah, and Lady R.A.G.E. all have seemed to take on the hardcore bravado of a man to demand respect and have been successful in receiving it. Meanwhile, Lil Kim had used the Notorious B.I.G., Foxy Brown used Jay-Z, Eve utilized DMX and more recently Nicki Minaj uses Lil Wayne for backing of skills and street credibility which has enabled them all to have success.
ReplyDeleteWhat we tend to see what female emcee’s do as they gain success are spin the role reversals and redefine their given titles as being “bitches, hos and gold-diggers”. Without a doubt, women are treated as sexual objects like Jay-Z’s “Big Pimpin’ or Nelly’s “Tip Drill”. In many videos like these, women are presented in a provocative manner, in lingerie/swim suits, and either dancing or acting in manner that suggests sexual innuendos. Many female emcees embrace their sexuality, but have the men take the role as a “video ho” and are treated in the same manner similar to Nicki Minaj’s “Super Bass”. Other examples are like when Lil Kim refers herself to “That Bitch” in her song “Queen Bitch”. Yet, she has used the misogynistic objectifications to her advantage and let her sex sell in her prime. Whether or not she was misrepresenting woman or paving the way for more female artists, as music listener’s we can at least say there was a discussion of the female emcee, which is deserved.
Battling, like any sport, art or craft takes work, time and practice. Battling isn’t something that can’t be learned in a classroom or nonetheless be taught. As seen in the film 8 Mile, it takes skill, research on the opponent and creativity. To be a good battle rapper one needs practice. This can be amongst friends in a cypher or battling as means of practice. Battling is the same as a debate, but it is rhymed. Battle rappers will maker their claims about said opponent. Then the next rapper will make claims and disprove the previous claims with facts, metaphors or other means of degradation to their opponent. The most interesting thing about battle rapping is that it the battle is there. Despite gender or race, whichever rapper has the most compelling lyrics wins.
Gender has had an impact on Hip-hop narratives since the beginning of mainstream Hip-hop. Besides the gender roles that have been established over the years in music videos, we also see gender having influence on MCing. MCing is when an artist raps over a beat to create narrative (NHP 06-11-2012). Being a male dominated art form, it has been a difficulty for female MCs to get their names out there yet alone sign a record deal. In many of the Hip-hop music videos that were made back then and presently a lot of artists have somehow created a different identity for women. They have created female stereotypes that have remained prevalent in their narratives (NHP 06-11-2012). By using demeaning terms such as “bitch”, “ho” and “gold digger” they have degraded women as promiscuous and lacking self-respect (NHP 06-13-2012). These notions have definitely shaped the perspective of the MC by creating this idea that MCing is a “male sport” and the only role women have to play in the Hip-hop world is to serve as video vixens and accessories to men, and nothing more. Although this is very untrue, there some male MCs and male, record label moguls out there that seem to think this way and that’s part of the reason why female MCs have to work harder to gain respect regardless of their skill (Say My Name Video). Despite the difficulties, women have been working hard to challenge these stereotypes. By contesting sexual objectification and addressing the lack of female agency they have shown that theirs skills and ability to rap should be more important than their bodies (NHP 06-13-2012). Just like race influences the way an artist is accepted in the society, gender also plays a similar role. When these to combine with nation, narratives change based on race, gender and place of origin. The same struggles a black male MC faces differs from that of black female regardless of where they’re from. Their Hip-hop storylines would be different because women have different perspectives on the economy, politics and life in general. When race plays into that we can also conclude that the rights that black women have contrasts from the rights black men have. Due to the hardships in the music world, many female MCs have chosen to remain underground and they battle other MCs, male or female, to show off their skills (NHP 06—11-2012). Battle is a performance where MCs engage in a test of skills against an opponent (NHP 06-11-2012). Personally, I believe the real talents in Hip-hop remain underground because those artists are still “true to the game” (Grand Master Flash) and they are not busy selling into the stereotypes created by the mainstream.
DeleteMCing stands for master of ceremonies. In hip hop the MC is the one who is rapping over the beat. However the MC does more then just rap over a beat it is the MC’s job to tell a story to the audience while he is rapping. This form of story telling is derived from African Griots (Lecture 6/11). MC’s skills are measured in their lyrical content as well as their ability to flow. To be an MC it helps if one is quick on their feet and knows many references from where to draw material from. One of the best ways for MC’s to practice is through battling. Battling is when two MC’s come together and test their skills on one another by dissing each other. Battling develops many skills in MC’s; it helps develop “rap delivery, reacting under pressure, and verbal battling” (Alim).
ReplyDeleteGender plays a role in hip-hop in the way that women are stereotyped. Women in hip-hop are stereotyped in very conflicting ways. On one hand they can be portrayed negatively as “bitches” or “ho’s” but they can also be portrayed as good to an audience. Sometimes rappers will make odes to women that lift them up or thank them. Often one rapper can be found rapping about both sides of the women stereotype in hip-hop such as Mac Miller in his songs “Wake Up” and “I’ll Be There”. In “Wake Up” Mac talks about women as property and objectifies them. In “I’ll Be There” Mac talks about his love of his mom and how we should all treat our mothers well.
Gender has been one of the aspects of hip hop culture that has been stagnated from the very start because very few women have broken this barrier that disassociates them into the rap game. According to the film, “Say my name” Rah Digga, Roxanne, and many more women struggle to make it into the industry, yet alone become successful. Even the more notable female artist such as Da Brat, Lil’ Kim, and Missy Elliot went through adversity their whole careers simply because even though they were black being a woman that had the ability to rap was considered the ultimate minority.
ReplyDeleteSimilar with rapping/MCing, women are often get neglected when it comes to their lyrics because men in the industry do not look at them as rappers, but as sexual objects and “the gold diggers” a term used to degrade women as promiscuous and without self- respect (June 13th Lecture). Therefore, the margin of error for women has to be almost none to even get recognized. For example, Lil’ Kim says “since nine-six a chick been on TV Like, MTV and, BET so TRL and, 106” (Audio Reference). As seen, Lil Kim gives herself credit and acknowledgment as one of the only females to be television as much as her, which again, shows how much praise hip hop artist are truly given. Same goes for battling. When a female artist is battling a man, he could be insulted because demographically males are more superior than women in the hip hop culture. Most male artist (the wide majority) would not give female artist a chance, therefore making it difficult for women to even appear on the map.
Bradley McDougald
ReplyDeleteTo begin this week’s blog, three key words will be examined- gender, MCing and how it relates to gender and battling.
Hip- hop and rap are both male dominated and always have been. For a female to become a popular MC and express her lyrical skills it must be done in a masculine manner. Female MCs must come across just as tough as male MCs, this is why females share similar physical gestures to male MCs. For example, in the Queen Latifah song “Had It Up to Here” she stated, “How dare those who talk we can't have them, some make me wanna go out with the bat and a magnum” (Queen Latifah 1991). Here she is talking about how tired she was of being told she cannot do certain things because of her sexuality and how she plans to take action into her own hands with a bat and gun. This is the same kind of violence men were rapping about and getting respect from their listeners.
A freestyle battle is a craft that most people cannot do, not because a lack of their rhyming skills but because they do not possess a well rounded amount of worldly knowledge. Along with a wide range of knowledge one must have includes a rather large vocabulary and be able to articulate the words together well.
Battles between rappers used to be “off the top of the head” style, also known as improv rapping, which is done fresh and for the first time. In recent years rappers have begin to prepare raps and then spit them in the battle as if they were free styling and flip it, then it is because the rap was usually prepared beforehand and not on the spot. Hollow Da Don, a battle rapper from Queens, is known for his sharp and quick comebacks that his competitor says about him. This is how he has gained so much respect and credit in the battle world. In the video “Hollow Da Don- Best rebuttals” it shows his best comebacks from previous battles and this one stuck out, “(Big T)- You’ll be like Drake in Degrassi, not because your both light skinned and real square, but you’ll just be another rapper who acts in a wheel chair. (Hollow Da Don)- … Queens niggas keep it thorough so you know crooks around, and he right about that wheel chair, because that’s the only way imam get pushed around” (Youtube 2012). This skill is rare for newer battle rappers because of the rehearsed material from the new age battle rappers. This is what battling is all about, taking what the person says about you switching it around and making it work for yourself as well as one upping the competition.
Gender and race in MCing, well not just MCing but in Hip-hop, is an important topic. Gender in Hip-hop (especially mainstream) is usually one-sided. We see a lot of male MCs and very few female. When a female does show up on the scene they rarely make it long (NHP, 6/11). If you look at female artist like Missy Elliot, Queen Latifa, and Eve three women known for their MCing skills they definitely have a short timeline in which they were in the limelight. Yes, Queen Latifa is still out there but she is making movies and not music anymore (that I know of). Like we saw in the Say My Name video women are trying to make a name for themselves in Hip-hop but it’s a lot harder for them than it is men. Like the woman from Detroit that was in 8-Mile, when she was getting deals and what not the men started getting mad at her and a grown man beat her when she was just a teenager because of it. Most of these women want to get in the game because they want to help change the way women are looked at in Hip-hop. It’s hard to do it alone though because men rule even the production side of the business (Say My Name, 6/12).
ReplyDeleteBattling is an interesting part of Hip-hop, to me maybe one of the most fascinating. It doesn’t just have to be MCing, I think dance battles and graffiti and so on are amazing to watch because it’s interesting to watch people feed of each other. It’s like acting but especially improvisational acting and where you have to be practiced and prepared for it. In MCing you have to know whom you are going up against, what their style is and information about them. MC’s need a multiple of skills for everything not just battling. They need to have a world view (NHP 6/11). In dance it’s the same way but you need to study their style and technique more to know what kind of things you are going up against.
MCing stands for master of ceremonies (Lecture 6-11), and in hip-hop it not only stand for rap with the beat but also means express Mc’s thought by means of lyrics. To me, storytelling skill and flow are two most important aspects for a successful MC. Flow determines if I like this song or not when the first time I listen to it. Then the lyric part is the soul of the song. A good MC should have their own ideology, and telling a story to support their thought and ideology is wonderful way to rap. Slick rick was a good example of a good storytelling MC, and his “Children story” was a classic storytelling song in hip-hop history.
ReplyDeleteGender is a boundary in social and every single career. However, “Rap is what we do, Hip-hop is how we live” (Krs-One), both of them are nothing to do with gender. Actually women still act a negative role in this industry as “gold digger” and “ho”. (Lecture 6-12) I think it was just stereotype and unfair. Women should earn more respect in Hip-hop culture. There are many female rapper doing not bad in this game like Missy Elliot and Lil’ Kim.
Battling was my favorite part of Hip-hop culture because Jin was my idol (when I saw he got like seven champions in a row on BET 106&park) when I was in junior high school. I think battling is a kind of talent which not every could get. Many great rappers was great battle MC like Gza and Eminem. Battling requires the wonderful freestyeling skill, when you rap over the beat without the pre-written lyrics, you should come up with which word you should use, you should come up with some punchlines and wordplays in like three seconds. It is a high-level skill for a rapper.
MCing is an ever evolving art form. However, there are aspects of MCing that have remained the same since its inception; specifically what shapes the narratives and flows of the artists that we explore. Things like space, place, and gender all effect the stories that become the narrative of an MC. MCing is an art form that, throughout history, has been dominated by African American males. Much of their narrative is influenced by things such as the cities and neighborhoods in which they grew up, and the culture of struggles of said areas. However, MCing has opened up to other members as well, including females, other races, cultures and nationalities. Seeing as they are minorities within the MCing community, however, it has been tougher for them to be successful. Therefore, there have had to work harder to develop flows and lyrics that are on point, which has often become a common theme within their specific narratives.
ReplyDeleteSome may say that women MC's challenge the base of what has mostly been a male dominated art form, or that in some way takes away some of its credibility or bravado. I don't believe this is the case. I personally feel hip-hop has become something that, when the lyricism is on point, can encompass individuals of all races, nationalities, cultures, or either gender. Female MC's are an integral part of what hip-hop has become and I doubt that will soon change.
Any MC, no matter their gender or race, has to have a certain set of skills to be successful. They have to have catchy, witty, intelligent, or insightful lyrics that keep their listeners interested and often times, they have to be a good freestyler. Freestyling is an integral part to hip-hop and has been since its beggining.
The term MC refers to “Master of Ceremonies.” In the world of Hip-Hop however the term MC refers to a musical artist who raps lyrics over a beat to create a narrative of his/ her life experiences (NHP Lecture 06/11/12). Furthermore, MCing is now the predominant role in Hip-Hop today. People today do still recognize famous DJ’s but more so they recognize MC’s for their performance and song quality. Nonetheless, MCing was a term coined most famously by DJ Kool Herc and later represented by the first known MC Busy Bee (Hip-Hop Timeline).
ReplyDeleteGender in Hip-Hop is a major discussion whether it is about the man vs. women MC mentality of whether it is about the cultural differences that women and men have within the Hip-Hop culture (NHP Lecture 06/11/12). Hip-Hop is seen as a masculine activity, especially when you get rappers talking about killing, having sex with “hoes”, and so on and so forth. Although it is a heavy masculine activity you still see women who rap and do it well. For example, Queen Latifah, Missy Elliot, or Nicki Manaj all three women rappers who are exceptional and popular. Women in Hip-Hop has always been seen as a “hoe” relationship where the women is begging almost for scraps from the male MC’s. However, this is not always the case.
Battling is the form of arguing or proving ones lyrical ability in a Hip-Hop fashion. In other words a battle is a performance where MC’ s engage in a test of skills against an opponent (NHP Lecture 06/11/12). Some rappers prefer to attack their opponent and their weaknesses while other prefer to talk about themselves and boast how much more they have than the other one does (NHP Lecture 06/11/12).
MCing is the art of talking, often with a rhyming theme telling a story over a beat. (NHP Lecture 6-11-12). MC's are both male and female although the position of the MC is largely dominated by males. To be a successful MC, especially when it comes to free styling and battling, you need to have a vast knowledge of the world. This allows you to reach out to more people and create creative and unique lyrics. When it comes to a battle the more information about the opponent the more specific he or she can be in verbal attack. (NPH Lecture 6-12-12). Also to be a successful MC, one must have skills similar to an actor or any other performer, since being a MC is a type of performance. These skills include dealing with stage fright, speaking clearly, confidence, and appealing to the crowd just to name a few.
ReplyDeleteThe story lines that come up from MCs are based on experience or making statements about politics or other MCs. This is very similar to the African Griot who told stories to pass down information about their people. (NPH Lecture 6-11-12).