Better Player Essays - African-American Culture, Rapping, Reggaeton

Better Player Essays - African-American Culture, Rapping, Reggaeton Better Player Many different genres of music express different feelings and ideas about social behaviors. Even if the ideas are not commonly accepted, artists can use their music to express themselves. One type of popular music that does just that is rap. The beginnings of rap are believed to have stemmed from African rhythms, which were used as a form of communication by the native peoples. Rap evolved and gained in popularity in the 1960's when a few revolutionary DJ's, including Kool DJ Herc, DJ Lovebug Starski, and DJ Hollywood, began to work block parties in the Bronx. They would bring in large speakers, hook them up to a turntable and play two of the same record at the same time, repeating the same section of the vinyl over and over by scratching it. Other performers would chant and yell to the crowd. In 1979, music companies recorded rap for the first time. Such acts as The Sugar Hill Gang, The Fatback Band, and Grandmaster Flash were among the first to gain popularity. The early popularity of rap was hindered by an inability to reach new audiences. After much controversy, MTV began to run videos by black artists. These artists were showcased primarily on the new program Yo! MTV Raps. The rhythms and the lyrics attracted a spectrum of listeners, from inner-city minorities to suburban upper-class whites. Even with rap musics relatively large following, it is not commonly accepted by our society because many of todays rap artists use crude and offensive themes for their songs. Some rap artists even express how they feel about sex roles through their music. One such song by Too Short, Better Player, demonstrates how he truly feels about women. Although his feelings do not represent the whole rap community, many do accept and express them. Too Shorts song describes how no one is a better player than him. When he refers to player, he is talking about how smooth he is with women and how he is able to make them do things that he wants them to do. He refers to women more as possessions than as people often. One example of this is when he says, chilling at the club with all your women, which sounds like he owns the women and that they are not there on their own free will. The main theme of this song is that women are powerless creatures who are only good for one thing, sex. He proves this when he says, I be f*****g hoes every day of the week. He looks at sex from a different perspective than the average person. To him, sex is just something pleasurable with no relation to love. He also doesnt believe that sex should be reserved for one person after marriage. He demonstrates this when he says, I get some new hoes and do it again. The idea of dominance over women is also apparent when he refers to them as bitches and hoes. Most people would take serious offense to being called things like bitches and hoes, but it is an everyday thing among many rap artists. Although many people agree with Too Shorts standpoints on women, these ideas do contradict current social values. Current values hold women as equals to men, and sometimes even higher than men. Women have been held as low class citizens for many years, and if anyone should understand how this feels, African American rappers should. Maybe growing up in ghettos and being around drugs have caused these rappers to have so much disrespect for themselves that it seems nature to disrespect the opposite sex.

Interesting Quotes From Novel Alas, Babylon

Interesting Quotes From Novel 'Alas, Babylon' Pat Franks classic novel Alas, Babylon  is filled with provocative quotes. Published in  1959, the book  takes place in Florida and is  centered around the Braggs. One of the first novels of the nuclear age, Alas, Babylon has a distinctly  post-apocalyptic bent. With this roundup of quotes, categorized by chapter, familiarize yourself with the prose that made this novel so unique.   Chapters 1-2 Urgent you meet me at Base Ops McCoy noon today. Helen and children flying to Orlando tonight. Alas Babylon. (Ch. 1)Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour is thy judgment come. (Ch. 2)Sure. Time-on-target. You dont fire everything at the same instant. You shoot it so it all arrives on target at the same instant.  (Ch. 2) Chapters 4-5 Peewee may be a mouse aboard ship, but hes a tiger in a Tiger. If I sent him up with orders to shoot down the moon, hed try. (Ch. 4)So here comes our local Paul Revere, he greeted Randy. What are you trying to do, frighten my wife and daughter to death?  (Ch. 4)Ben Franklin, staring to the south, said, I dont see any mushroom cloud. Dont they always have a mushroom cloud?  (Ch. 5)Edgar hesitated. To refuse to cash government savings bonds was fiduciary sacrilege so awful that the possibility never before had entered his head. Yet here he was, faced with it. No, he decided, we dont cash any bonds. Tell those individuals that we wont cash any bonds until we find out where the government stands, or if.  (Ch. 5) Chapters 6-9 As Chief Executive of the United States, and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, I hereby declare a state of unlimited national emergency until such time as new elections are held, and Congress reconvenes. (Ch. 6)Whos winning? Nobodys winning. Cities are dying and ships are sinking and aircraft is going in, but nobodys winning.  (Ch. 6)In four months, Randy said, weve regressed four thousand years. More, maybe. Four thousand years ago the Egyptians and Chinese were more civilized than Pistolville is right now. Not only Pistolville. Think what must be going on in those parts of the country where they dont even have fruit and pecans and catfish.  (Ch. 8)I think most of us sensed this truth, but we could not accept it. You see, no matter how well we understood the truth it was necessary that the Kremlin understand it too. It takes two to make a peace but only one to make a war. So all we could do, while vowing not to strike first, was line up our lead soldiers. (Ch. 9)It was a w olf, Randy said. It wasnt a dog any longer. In times like these dogs can turn into wolves. You did just right, Ben. Here, take back your gun. (Ch. 9) Chapters 10-13 No. A company under martial law. So far as I know Im the only active Army Reserve officer in town so I guess its up to me.  (Ch. 10)The end of the corn and exhaustion of the citrus crop had been inevitable. Armadillos in the yams was bad luck, but bearable. But without fish and salt their survival was in doubt. (Ch. 12)Ben Franklin was credited with discovering a new source of food, and was a hero. Peyton was only a girl, fit for sewing, pot washing, and making beds.  (Ch. 12)It was proof that the government of the United States still functioned. It was also useful as toilet paper. Next day, ten leaflets would buy an egg, and fifty a chicken. It was paper, and it was money. (Ch. 13)We won it. We really clobbered em! Harts eyes lowered and his arms drooped. He said, Not that it matters. (Ch. 13)