Lesson 2

"Don't push me cause I'm close to the edge
I'm trying not to lose my head, ah huh-huh-hu..."

As I walked into class on Tuesday afternoon, I hoped for some kind of distraction from the horrible week I went through. That's exactly what i got! Walking in, I smiled Instantly. The music video for Grandmaster Flash, called The Message was playing on the projector, a song that i haven't heard in ages, completely lifted me from my bad mood and made me excited and happy for the lecture to begin!
What was interesting for me was to learn about the history behind this song and its meaning. The song represents the Hip Hop scene circa 1982 and how tough inner city life is for the lower class society, and from what i understood, focusing on the African American scene. Its amazing to see how with the times and the generation change, music has also shifted. I never payed attention to this shift until i saw the difference between the video for "The Message" and Jay-Z and Alicia Keys video for "Empire state of mind".
  Growing up, i was exposed to all the classics, Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, Leonard Cohen, Janis Joplin, the Doors, Pink Floyd, Air Supply. At the age of 3 i was singing to Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra, Temptations, Aretha Franklin, and the Supremes. Music was my "savior" it was my best friend growing up, and i could really relate to the lyrics and what these amazing artists were trying to convey. That was my culture! So when i became older, i made sure not to lose my love for these artists that in my eyes, are one of a kind.
When we started to discuss culture and how its never static, it was clear that it also applies to the entertainment and music industry. With a focus on Hip Hop, rappers are clearly changing the way they express themselves and their culture. Rap music is a big deal within our generation. How our parents where once listening to the Four Tops and The Supremes we are now listening to Mary J. Blidge, Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, and more! Not only has these artists changed in the way they look, but also how they perform, how they market themselves, and how they are constantly trying to appeal to a larger audience base outside of the African American margin.
This change is hegemonic. Its managed to influence every aspect of society, including how individuals live, there moral values, their customs, and even how they choose to make or spend money. The in class definition sums up the hegemonic system by "its ability to absorb non-hegemonic discourses, even when they are antagonistic to it. This system can adapt itself to change through partial reincorporation of attempts that threaten to undermine it, and through naturalizing these attempts in order to verify that they will not lead to more substantial and fundamental changes.

Its quite clear that the sentiments  behind these artists, rappers, are no longer focused within their lyrics but are now hiding within the style of what they wear and how they hold themselves while performing.

-A classic that will never get old! Gangsta Paradise by Coolio!