The first article Dunbar’s article “Rap music, race, and perceptions of crime” argues that scholars who have studied rap music have concerns about people who criticize the genere. They also suggest the criticism is linked to stereotypes of young Black men in the United States. The second article “How to Listen Musically to Rap” by Connor argues that people who criticize rap often do not listen thoroughly to the genre. They are not actively listen to the music, where you can hear the difference in accents, flows, and rhythms of each song; it is not all about the lyrics when it comes to rap music. For the podcast, “The Birth of American Music” by Morris, he first talks about the different types of black music that has been produced throughout history. Many of the songs he mentioned he also talked about how they were filled with struggle and the want for freedom. The “Kanye West: The Elephant in the Room” podcast talks about how kanye grew up and his success in the music industry. The second podcast talks about the song, “Through the Wire,” which put kanye into fame and later on game him complications in life.
From a personal experience, I have always loved rap music and even grew up with it. I remember my father and I cruising after my soccer games listening to Eminem and 50 cent. It was nice to listen to difference in tones of voices and the beats they produced. I found this music a way of becoming the most unique artist one can be. Rap music is so different and allows artists to try all different types of mixes and rhythms. For example, Travis scott’s songs vary from song to song; one of this songs even sounds like it could be more than one song.
Why do you think people who do not actively listen to rap music are so easy to judge the music that is produced?
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