Poetry and Music as Social Commentary:

Hip Hop and Tupac

Kool Herc - Father of Hip Hop and Rap

Born Clive Campbell in Kingston, Jamaica in

1955, he is credited with first extending the

breaks in songs by using two

turntables playing the same song.

Kool Herc - Father of Hip Hop and Rap

His block parties in the

Bronx, New York in the

1970’s were legendary.

His style included rhyming

over instrumentals as well

as Jamaican toasting which

directly influenced modern rap dj’s.

Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper's Delight”

was first mainsteam rap hit, reaching #36 on Billboard Music

Charts in 1979.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6gD_CwF5YM

The Message by Grand Master Flash

and the Furious Five was the first

rap record to openly address socio-economic and

political issues.

Watch the video on You Tube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3kRuJhIVIo

It's like a jungle sometimes, it makes me wonder How I keep from going under

Broken glass everywhere People pissing on the stairs, you know they just don't care I can't take the smell, I can't take the noise Got no money to move out, I guess I got no choice Rats in the front room, roaches in the back Junkie's in the alley with a baseball bat I tried to get away, but I couldn't get far Cause a man with the tow-truck repossessed my car

Don't push me, cause I'm close to the edge I'm trying not to loose my head It's like a jungle sometimes, it makes me wonder How I keep from going under

Kurtis Blow, the first rapper to

appear on national television (Soul Train), released "The Breaks" on Mercury Records

in 1980. The record went on to sell more than a million copies.

If your woman steps out with another man(That's the breaks that's the breaks)And she runs off with him to JapanAnd the IRS says they want to chat

And you can't explain why you claimed your cat

And Ma Bell sends you a whopping billWith eighteen phone calls to Brazil

And you borrowed money from the mobAnd yesterday you lost your job

Well, these are the breaksBreak it up, break it up, break it up

After the success of early rap artists, rap became a profitable cultural influence: Hip Hop. Record companies like Def Jam and artists like Run DMC, the Beastie Boys allowed it to become a permanent part of mainstream American Music.

Since the late 1980’s, Hip Hop and Rap have influenced

language – def, dis, aightclothing – throwback jerseys tv - CRIBS

Hip Hop and Rap are Known For: Gangsta RapSelf-prideRenewed ActivismSampling MusicMisogynistic LyricsUnifying Cultural Force

Tupac Shakur:

Lesane Parish Crooks was his birth name.

He was born June 16, 1971 in Brooklyn New York

Married briefly; no children

Born after his mother successfully defended herself against federal charges.

Attended Baltimore School for the Performing Arts where he excelled in acting and dancing.

While still a teen, his family relocated to California. He drifted into gang life and was arrested nearly 20 times before he was 20 years old.

In 1991, he became a dancer for the group Digital Underground and soon released his groundbreaking cd, 2 Pacalypse Now.

Throughout his life, he was shot a number of times, served time in jail for assault and for sexual assault.

He also starred in the movies Juice and Poetic Justice.

In 1996, Death Row Records CEO Suge Knight secured his freedom from his prison sentence with a 1.4 million dollar bond.

Tupac died Sept. 13, 1996 at University Medical Center, in Las Vegas, NV after being shot.

Since his death, Tupac has sold over 60 million records and had at least 10 movies made about his life.

"If you walked by a street and you was walking on the concrete and you saw a rose growing from the concrete, even if it had messed up petals and it was a little to the side you would marvel at just seeing a rose grow through concrete. So why is it that when you see some ghetto kid grow out of the dirtiest circumstance and he can talk and he can sit across the room and make you cry, make you laugh, all you can talk about is my dirty rose, my dirty stems and how I am leaning crooked to the side, you can't

even see that I've come up from out of that."

1. What kind of cultural influencesimpacted the life of Tupac Shakur?

2. What about the significance of the rumors surrounding his death? Does this add to his influence as a poet and literary figure?

3. What about the self-fulfilling prophecy in his lyrics about his death?

4. Were his lyrics a positive or negative influence on youth and the hip hop culture? Elaborate and give examples.

5. Look at the lyrics for “Brenda’s Got a Baby.” What are some poetic elements that the song contains? Be specific and give examples. What is the theme of the poem? What are some details we learn about Brenda’s life? Why is it significant that he calls her Brenda?

Watch the video on You Tubehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrvTjleqF1w

I hear Brenda's got a babyBut, Brenda's barely got a brainA damn shameTha girl can hardly spell her name(That's not our problem, that's up ta Brenda's family)Well let me show ya how it affects tha whole communityNow Brenda never really knew her moms and her dad was a junky Went in death to his arms, it's sadCause I bet Brenda doesn't even knowJust cause your in tha ghetto doesn't mean ya can't grow