In addition, the only way to get out of this poverty was typically illegal like selling drugs. This is interesting because it unearths volumes of information regarding the economic landscape in the inner city. The chorus of the song is “Drug dealin’ just to get by, Stack your money ’til it gets sky high (Kids, sing! Kids, sing!)” further emphasizing the fact that drug dealing was the only way to surviving in an economic landscape of the inner city.
He was still a teenager when he would steal things to support his drug habits. “At one point,
Everybody’s buying Fall Out Boy’s new album, American Beauty/American Pyscho. The Fall Out Boy boy band recently became very popular throughout America in 2014 when their song Centuries, started to hit the number 1 music charts. Originally a fairly popular band throughout the Alternative music industry, they quickly accumulated the attention of music listeners all around the world. The boys also began collaborating with singers like Wiz Khalifa and bands like Paramore or Panic!
In the “So Called Iced Cream” by Daniel Barwick and How Not to Get Into College: The Preoccupation with Preparation” by Alfie Kohn people believe extrinsic rewards will bring happiness and reduced stress into their lives, yet they ultimately end up filled with regret, and grief for everything they have sacrificed in the process of reaching their goal. Firstly, in “Enjoying the so called ‘Iced- Cream’” Monty Burns is depressed with his life despite having all the riches money can buy; similarly, in Kohn’s essay, students sacrifice their happiness and well-being in the process of gaining admission into top-tier universities. For instance, the narrator writes, “How could it be that Mr. Bums is unhappy? He has his own Xanadu, a nuclear power
Dude also described the drug culture in a way that resembled a ritualistic act- “It used to be that I’d say, ‘Well, the only reason I’m doing this is to get something a whole lot better... I’m selling dope to take care of my mama.’. But that ain’t even the truth. I’m selling dope really just to be selling.”
He knew how the drug game worked “…the streets would get him that money back, and more”(page 74). Wes without any expectations, but to make money gets himself into trouble, and “getting arrested was starting to feel routine”(page 114). Since Wes has no expectations for him, he doesn’t fulfill his true potential, while the author was pushed to his limits and beyond allowing him to exceed everyone’s
“Sweetheart of Song Tra Bong” begins with a statement about stories that the ones remembered are the ones that mix fact and fiction. The narrator is reminded of a story of Rat Kiley but remarks that Kiley is known to exaggerate and the other members of the platoon know to take Kiley’s words with a grain of salt. Already readers learn to critically examine the story for any snippet of truth. Mitchell Sanders doubted that a man would bring his girlfriend over to Vietnam, the main point that Kiley’s story rests on. This does seem unlikely considering the tendency to protect women from war yet
The Swedish documentary, Black Mixtape, traces race relations in the United States from 1967-1975. The captivating documentary includes appearances by popular African American figures like Civil Rights activist Stokely Carmichael, Black Panther Party founders Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton and Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan. The purpose of the documentary is to show America in a different viewpoint than how it is portrayed internationally. Due to the Swedish dialect throughout the film, it is evident that there isn’t a specified audience. Black Americans have struggled to obtain equality and justice in this country for decades.
Being brought up from pressure to sell drugs and be part of the gang. As shown being part of a gang from the block is where one feels the safety and protection being shown but under some circumstances which, is to sell drugs and be a member of the gang. The documentary demonstrates how there was always a war on drugs throughout the history. Furthermore, in the documentary, Michelle Alexander, the author, states “There are more African Americans
Hip-hop started to develop songs revolving around the actual selling and addiction of drugs. Moreover, many of the songs revolved around gang violence, police, and prison. Many songs coming from artists such as KRS One, Ice-T, Public Enemy, Kool G. Rap, and N.W.A. were a result of this time period. One example of the nature of this time can be illustrated by De La Soul’s “My Brother’s a Basehead” released in 1991 (Touré). The song discussed the story of rapper Posdunos’s brother who became a crackhead.
The song Dear Mama by Tupac Shakur relates to the ongoing struggle and hardships that numerous lower class single mothers endure, where Shakur describes how he learned to appreciate his mother and the sacrifices that she made for him as he became older. By formatting the lyrics with verses around a repeating chorus, Shakur was able to emphasize his personal narrative within the verses and allow for a recollection period between each verse to allow listeners to reflect on and comprehend what they just experienced. The form of Dear Mama is consistently strophic, where at the end of each verse Shakur repeats the emblematic phrase, “There's no way I can pay you back, but the plan is to show you that I understand, you are appreciated.” Appealingly,
Scenes showed that the N.W.A. crew is repeatedly abused and harassed by cops, therefore, one can’t help but draw a connection between then and now. It revealed that while the group was on break from recording, they are harassed by the LAPD, who are under instructions to search any young black men dressed like gang members. Angered by their rough treatment by the police, Cube writes the controversial track, Fuck The Police. ‘Fuck tha Police’ remains a powerful song, and Gray does an admirable job of shining a light on its still-relevant source material.” It is a protest song by the N.W.A that provoked the F.B.I. This song stood out the most from the many songs produced by the group.
I have chosen “ Uptown Funk” by Bruno Mars and “ Rock Around The Clock” by Bill Haley as this assessment ‘s topic. Basic information of two songs will be mentioned first, then similarities, differences and connections will be discussed afterwards. First of all, Bruno Mars is a songwriter and popular singer who came from Hawaii, and he released “Uptown Funk” on 2014 , it won the Grammy award for Record of the Year. It is a pop, funk boogie with Minneapolis song. “ Uptown Funk” is talking about how a guy looking good , wearing jewelry and branded shoes , talking about how hot the singer is and how rich he is also it shows the exciting social life of the singer.
Drug dealing, theft, and poverty are the main topics in Tupac 's music referring to rough neighborhoods that give little to no opportunities to improve quality of
In modern music, women are often portrayed as sexual objects and are the targets of rape culture, and this has become a regular occurrence, leaving people to not see the wrong in it anymore. The song I have chosen to analyze, Blurred Lines, by Robin Thicke, featuring T.I. and Pharrell Williams was released in 2013. It talks about a woman who has been “domesticated” by her partner and behaves like a stereotypical “good girl”, while Thicke is saying that there is nothing wrong with exploring her more adventurous sexual side by having sex with Thicke, even though she already has a partner. He cannot let her get away, and assumes that she wants him, even if she says she does not. I believe this song is written around the idea that women are mere objects that claim to not want sex when they “really do”, in the eyes of men, ignoring the idea of consent, which is unacceptable.
