Reflective Blog

I came into winter term knowing almost nothing about Poetry. All i knew was that Mrs. Lewis was an awesome teacher and really helped me in the library on papers. The first day I walked in the class I knew that this class was going to be awesome. I didn't know what Poetry was at all, I even wrote a poem that i explained that I didn't even know how to write a real poem yet. On workshop days I always remember asking "how long does it have to be." Mrs. Lewis just said it didn't matter, which was awesome because i didn't know exactly what to write and i could focus more on content. In the end, Mrs. Lewis is a completely awesome teacher, along with my classmates. We worked together a lot and Mrs. Lewis got graphs and charts out to show how to work together. After I took the class, I can now recall information about many poets (I even recognized one in a movie), and realized that poetry is more than just words, but a culture.

Origins of Hip Hop

Hip hop is a musical genre which developed alongside hip hop culture, defined by key stylistic elements such as rapping, DJing, sampling, scratching and beatboxing. Hip hop began in Bronx, New York in the 1970s, primarily among African Americans,and Jamaican Americans. The beginnings of hip hop are found in African-American music and ultimately African music. The griots of West Africa are a group of traveling singers and poets who are part of an oral tradition dating back hundreds of years. Their vocal style is similar to that of rappers. The African-American traditions of signifyin', the dozens, and jazz poetry are all descended from the griots. These African Americans greatly influenced our hip hop culture of today.

Reflective Blog

After winter term, I will never forget Ms. Lewis' poetry class. It was the best class I've ever taken in my 4 years. This class was full of laughter and smiles. I entered this class not knowing anything about poetry. All I knew was that each of the lines had to rhyme or It could be written in a haiku style. After taking this class, i learned alot of different literary styles such as parallelismus memborum, Brooks style, free verse, unusual typography and using metaphors in poetry. My favorite poem was the one where we had to go to walgreens and choose an object and write about it. After writing one poem, we also had to write a boiled down version. This made me realize that poems with the same meaning can be written in a short form and still sound good! My poem of "don't be silly, wrap your willy" really taught me how to write poetry. Boiling down my poem was a difficult task, but I managed to keep it the same scructure but just less words. My perspective of poetry had changed alot. When i stepped into the classroom, i thought all we would do was workshop day poems but instead, we learned alot about different poets and used their style to write a new poem everyday. My favorite was definetly E.e Cummings because her style of writing was really interesting and humorous! Overall, I really enjoyed this class alot! :)

Reflective blog

Throughtout this class in the winter term my approach on poetry completely changed. I entered the class having very little experience with poetry and not knowing what to expect. All I knew is that I had Mrs. Lewis as a teacher, the greatest teacher in all of Seminary. When we first began writing our own poetry I was sticking to the same style. The standard, rhyme at the end of each line style of poetry. Then my approach on writing flipped when we spent a class period writing about our childhood unerneath the tables. I then realized that writing poetry came from your inner feelings, not what your teacher assigned. No other class has given me the oppurtunity to learn about rap artists in the early 80's and how the rap industry began. Learning about the earlier poets in America helped me understand the more modern poetry being released now. Poetry is more of a lifestyle than a subject to learn, and I thank you Mrs. Lewis for helping me to understand this.

ICE-T

He goes by the name of Tracy Marrow, but is better known by the name Ice-T. He began rapping in the 80's and greatly affected the hip-hop world. What made this talented artist speqcial is because he was also an actor along with his rapping career. He began to act in the mid 80's and realized he had much underlying talent on camera. Many of you have also heard the term "OG" or "original gangster. This trend actaully came from Tracy Marrow himself. Ice-T is not only famous for his terminology trends but also greatly influenced the style of dressing. He helped begin the trend of baggy clothing and such for a new approach to rapping. Ice-T put forth a new style to rapping and included a political stance with in his lyrics. You may still hear of this notorious man today in new rap releases and movies.

BIGGIE!

His name of birth is Christopher George Latore Wallace, but if you've heard of this historical legend you do not know him by that name. He became known as several different names such as Biggie Smalls or Notorious B.I.G. Many critics refer to him as the savior of east coast hip-hop. The majority of hip-hop artistd were coming from the west coast and it was unheard of to see a succesful eastern hip-hop artist. This all changed when Biggie entered the rap game. Since Notorious B.I.G's death his albums have been consistently selling for years. Wallace began rapping when he was just a young teenager and would make money on the streets by exploiting his talents. He had an extreme talent to rap and began the largest feud in the rap game between the west and east. There is no doubt that Biggie Smalls in one the most famous and historical rappers to ever live. There's no telling what he'd being doing if he were alive today. R.I.P

Miles Davis

Miles Davis is considered as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. He was an African American Trumpeter and was at the forefront of jazz music. In 1944 he moved to New York City, the heart of the Harlem Renaissance. Davis is known as having the "birth of the cool" which has the objective was to achieve a sound similar to the human voice, through carefully arranged compositions and by emphasizing a relaxed, melodic approach to the improvisations. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Davis greatly influenced acid rock (example here) and funk artists such as Jimi Hendrix. Rolling Stone's Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll noted that:

Miles Davis played a crucial and inevitably controversial role in every major development in jazz since the mid-'40s, and no other jazz musician has had so profound an effect on rock. Miles Davis was the most widely recognized jazz musician of his era, an outspoken social critic and an arbiter of style - in attitude and fashion - as well as music

"Let's do the Boogie!"

Boogie Down Productions was a hip hop group originally comprised KRS-One, D-Nice, and DJ Scott La Rock. This group combined the fusion of dancehall raggae and hip hop music and their debut LP Criminal Minded contained frank descriptions of life in the South Bronx of the late 1980s thus setting the stage for what would eventually become gangsta rap. Conservative attitudes concerning hip-hop's irreverence for middle-class values such as evident in slang, clothing have impeded the process of critically analyzing an art form that has proved to be a considerable force for social change through campaigns. Boogie down's Production's "Stop the Violence" can be one of the examples. Hip hop through history has brought much needed dialogue to issue affecting America's Black community in a manner that no popular art form has, prompting the Public Enemy's Chuck D to refer to hip-hop as the "CNN" of the Black community.

Public Enemy

Public Enemy is a group of African American hip-hop artists that greatly affected the politcal enviorment in the late 80's. They were the first group in America to add a political stance in their lyrics, and also resembling a noticable pro black opinion. Public Enemy was also the first hip-hop group to achieve international support. When their music hit the internet they spread miraculously. This famous group consisted of Chuck D(leader), Flavor Flav, Profressor Griff, DJ Lord, Terminator X, and Sister Souljah. Together this group of talented artists created a legacy of hip hop rappers. Public Enemy helped to create and define "Rap metal", as well as changing the view on today's American politics.

Langston Hughes

How are the Black Arts Movement and Hip-Hop connected to one another.

Langston Hughes was a Pioneer in the Harlem Renaissance. As Du Bose Heyward wrote in the New York Herald Tribune in 1926:

Langston Hughes, although only twenty-four years old, is already conspicuous in the group of Negro intellectuals who are dignifying Harlem with a genuine art life. . . . It is, however, as an individual poet, not as a member of a new and interesting literary group, or as a spokesman for a race that Langston Hughes must stand or fall. . . . Always intensely subjective, passionate, keenly sensitive to beauty and possessed of an unfaltering musical sense, Langston Hughes has given us a 'first book' that marks the opening of a career well worth watching.

Langston Hughes was criticized early for his views on black life in the 1920s. He wrote about being a poor man in the poor part of the cities, which was not how African Americans wanted to be represented, especially during a time when black people were being noticed as a people in America. During the twenties when most American poets were turning inward, writing obscure and esoteric poetry to an ever decreasing audience of readers, Hughes was turning outward, using language and themes, attitudes and ideas familiar to anyone who had the ability simply to read. This contributed especially to the rap music movement by showing other people that they can express what they are feeling in song rather than poetry which people didn't want to read anymore. Although the rap movement didn't start until around 1970 and Langston Hughes did most of his work in the 1950s, he became a vital factor into being a predecessor of rap music.

Tupac Amaru Shakur

Tupac Amaru Shakur played a significant role in the black arts movement in the later 90's. People of all races were affected and moved by Tupac's political and social lyrics. He gained respect for the African American community by writing about the ghetto, and hardship he experienced growing up. Shakur became a major target of lawsuits and experienced other legal problems. Tupac was shot five times in 1994 and died six days after the incident. Tupac Shakur was an extremely talented artist that greatly affected America's political world and our society. Some believe that the government was involved with Tupac's death because he had such a strong outlook on the young citizens of America. Shakur created a significant change in rap and is greatly appreciated. Tupac Amaru Shakur may not be alive today, but his fame continues to grow. R.I.P

James Brown

70’s music marked a time of great experimentation, as new media outlets helped bring different cultures and audiences closer together than ever before. Rock music was expanding. There were many new genres such as hard rock like Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. Other parts of the country, the underground punk started entering the mainstream due to the success off the Ramones, Sex Pistols, and the Clash. Other genres such as the village people and the Bee Gees were also really popular. During the black arts movement, hip-hop music and culture have caused numerous of controversy and forged their way into a marginal position along side that of popular culture. Through rhythm and poetry, hip-hop has endeavored to address racism, education, sexism and drug use.

During the 70’s, The Black Arts Movement gained force and generated controversy. Many things were booming during this period. A black arts repertory theatre/school in Harlem was intended to awaken black people to the meaning of their lives. Black artists were also called upon to be morally and culturally responsible to black people for their work. James brown is a really famous artist during the Black Arts Movement period. “Say it Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud” is a funk song written and recorded by James Brown. It is notable both as one of brown’s signature songs and as one of the most popular “black power” anthems of the 1960s. He proclaims that “we done made us a chance to do for ourself/we’re tired of beating our head against the wall/workin’ for someone else” This song means “Say it loud” with “I’m black and I’m proud!” It explored similar themes of black empowerment and self-reliance.

NWA

In today's class we watched a video of NWA's music production of "Straight Outta Compton." NWA played an important role in the 80's in the movement of African American music. NWA was known as the most dangerous group that existed, partly due to their most famous song hit, "Fuck tha Police." Not only did this song extremely aggravate the local police in Compton, but it shocked the public that they would present a song so outrageous. The album "Straight outta Compton," became a double platinum sales status for the first time with no support or public playing. Many famous critics such as the "Rolling Stone" magazine, named this album one of the most crucial albums to ever be published. NWA was one of the first to groups to publicly expand on African American violence and the truth within gangs in America.

Our plan on our project

For the up coming weeks, our poetry class will be using blogger and goggle docs to work on our project on answering the question: How are the Black Arts Movement and Hip-Hop connected to one another. My group, VanKyDan will be showing providing numerous artists that affected the black arts movement. For our plan, we have this right now. This will be constantly changing, so we will be updating our outline each year.

I. Talk about artists that affect to the black arts movement.

• We will show how these artists inspired the society during this time period: James Brown, 2 pac, Biggie Smalls, Rick James, Boogy-Down Productions "Stop the Violence", Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston and Jay-Z.

Sources:
htttp://www.jstor.org/pss/3042308 (Article: the black arts movement and hip-hop)


II. Introduction of olden music (60's/70's music) vs modern music (right now)

• Talk about the kind of music and show examples

Sources
- links of 70's/80's:
* http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?p=38182750 = people's opinions on 70's music
* http://www.spinner.com/2009/09/30/70s-music/ = description on 70's music

- music at this time of period:
* www.mtv.com
* www.billboard.com

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This is Kyle, Vanessa and Dan Nelson's blog.
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