Cultural Connections: Applying Cultural Features in Contemporary Rap Music

Cultural Connections: Applying Cultural Features in Contemporary Rap Music.

I need an explanation for this Music question to help me study.

Select a rap song or songs that were released in the last 6 years.* Avoid R&B or pop songs. The emphasis is on rapping performances for this particular assignment. Identify four different African American oral traditions discussed in Chapter 4 and lecture: toasting, boasting, ritual insults/playing the dozens, and call-and-response technique. I stress that you should select a rap song (or songs) that has more rapping elements than R&B- or pop-singing styles. To complete the assignment you might have to use more than one song and more than one artist. Start looking for potential songs early but wait until you get a sense of how your instructor addresses these oral traditions in class. The assignment is not due for a while.

• (5 points each): Follow the template attached to these guidelines below. Select the specific lyrics that address the verbal art form in question. Explain your rationale in [brackets]. NOTE: if you use genius.com or some other website or source, you must acknowledge whomever you are paraphrasing. Therefore, include a Works Cited page.
  • LEARNING OUTCOME: Completing this portion of the assignment students will apply what they have learned about African American narrative and verbal art tradition recast in a modern context. Students will gain an understanding of the symbolic expressions and narrative conventions that are used in hip hop lyrics.
  • *Here is a suggestion. Students tend to neglect women artists. For the sake of diversity (and to make your essay stand out among the most commonly selected artists) examine the lyrics of female artists, for example, M.I.A.’s 2012 song, “Bad Girls.”

  Follow the format of the attached file.

Rubric

Cultural Connections Rubric

Cultural Connections: Applying Cultural Features in Contemporary Rap Music