HipHopQueens

Hello Everyone

In today's class we spoke about Female Rappers.

    

Queen Latifa, Nicki Minaj, Alicia Keys, Lil Kim,  Missy Elliot

     Many feminists scholars discuss about women's role in hip hop and have looked for the symbolism inside the lyrics in female rap songs.  It is argued that the woman rapper does the same as the male rapper.  Females rappers rap just like the male rappers, they use symbols in a carnavalist way, just like female rappers do. They talk about violence the same way and so on. Badman = badwoman. But some female rappers are also feminine - they wear make up, they wear very feminine outfits they don't try to be a man or to take the masculine role. She does not take it out, instead, she replace it, even though she speaks the same language as the male rapper. They invert the male rapper. 

    The male rapper brags  about the cars, the wacthes, the "bicthes". The female rapper brags about their purses, their bodies, their clothing. 

Some of the female rappers though, such as Missy Elliot and Queen Latifa back in the days take masculine outfits as a counter hegemonic move. 

Missy Elliot

Queen Latifah 90s

Black girls most of times don't fit into  the mainstream standard of beauty. They have a different body shape, they have different hair texture - they wear afros, wigs  and dread locks. So they don't try to compete with the ideal beauty type. Many times they even  invert this ideal  and mock it - such as what  Nicki Minaj does with her blond wig and with the crazy style she has.  Another style that goes out of the mainstream ideal is wearing a different  hairstyle, as mentioned above, such as wearing dread locks, afros, etc, and wearing crazy wigs and crazy make ups. 

Lauryn Hill's Afro

Alicia Keys Rastas 

Nicki Minaj's Crazy Style and Exaggerated Blond Wig

Foxy Brown's not ideal body time

Lil Kim's blond wig and volumptuous body

What I learned today that I thought to be very interesting is that within the black community girls are more satisfied with their body images when compared to the white girls, for instance. Since they have many different role models with different body shapes and images, they are more accepting of their own body image and therefore they are more self confident. 

Many of the female rappers violates how women is supposed to be - modest, submissive - by having lyrics about objectifying a women's body and mocking this ideal in a way.

Missy Elliot - Work It

Nicki Minaj - Y.U. MAD

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Female Rappers in Brazil 

 In my last post, that you can find by clicking here I wrote about Brazilian female rapper Nathy MC. 

Nathy MC

The female rappers in Brazil are similar from the American female rappers in a way that they don't follow the mainstream ideal of beauty and they keep their own personality and style in the way they dress, behave and appear in the media.

 Karol Conka

Flora Matos

\Negra Li

But I would argue that although in Brazil there is also the typical ideal of beauty as there is in the states-the super model, super skinny, beautiful blond girl - that many time the pressure is lower. In Brazil the "volomptuous" body is many times considered more beautiful than the skinny body. The majority of the men in Brazil like a girl with thick legs and a nice big ass. But many times this also brings body dissatisfaction and  health problems, since many girls take steroids and work out crazily to get the so desired perfect ass. And many exaggerate to a point that their bodies get ugly.  The Brazilian media is filled with pictures of these women with disproportionate  body images. In Brazil they even  have a competition called Miss Bum Bum (Miss butt).

Miss Bum Bum competition

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Going back to Brazilian Female Rappers. They are similar to the American female rappers in the sense that their style goes out of the norm of beauty; the ideal beauty - but the great majority of them differ from American Rappers in a sense that they talk about romantic relationships without being vulgar. They talk about  a sexy women, about a women wanting a man,  but with good attributes and with what the women has positive, the sensuality and the personality, without necessarily talking about their intimate body parts and using vulgarity and cursing in the lyrics. 

 There is so much vulgarity in Brazil already as it is, with the carnaval and with the ideal of a Hot girl and a perfect body, that the rappers in a way, use raps to oppose this idea, among other topics and themes. 

Flora Matos is an example - "Pretin"

Chorus ( Pretin, you drive me crazy this way, I really want to kiss you and although you may not know it, it's only me there's no other, to change your life there's only me)

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Since the semester is now coming to an end and this will most probably be my last post  here, I would like to say that at firs the idea of having to write a HipHop blog every week did not sound s0 appealing and fun to me at all. But as the weeks went by and the more I wrote about hip hop and searched for rappers, their stories, their histories, the meanings to  their lyrics and so on, the more I  liked writing this blog. I find the history of hip hop absolutely fascinating and each and everything I learned in class and in my researches are really interesting facts that I did not know about. I used to listen to hip hop, dance to hip hop and I knew a little bit about the lyrics and all, but I never stopped to pay attention to the hip hop culture and to the culture as a  "political text".  Now I look at it with different eyes, more critical and yet more passionate and I try to find meanings and symbols in lyrics more often than ever.  

I have also learned so much more about Brazilian Rappers and the hip hop culture in Brazil and I really hope that I was able to bring some new insights about one of the biggest hip hop scenes in the world, which is Brazil, and I hope that you have enjoyed all of these new rappers, Brazilian hip hop music and the new Brazilian rhythms  that I have introduced to you here in my blog.

I really appreciate the opportunity I was given to write this blog, and to learn about this captivating culture.  

Brazil zil zil

Hello Everyone, 
In this week's class we continued talking about what I have already written in my last blog here ! 
We have discussed  about color-blindness and heard different people's opinions about this ideology. 
After talking for many lectures about how black people suffer from oppression, from decriminalization, etc we have now reached the subject "white people". We concluded that white people, in comparison to blacks, are the opposite of them in the way that they  are privileged, empowered in comparison to other races and minorities. 
But since I already discussed this topic on my last post I will move on.....

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Changing the subject to Brazilian HipHop, I present you here two of my favorites: Black Alien  , Gustavo de Nikiti  and Marcelo D2!! Ive been to a couple of  their concerts in Brazil and I love their music. 

Black Alien  and Marcelo D2 used to be part of a band called Planet Hemp (a band that mixed hip hop, rock, reggae  and brazilian music all together) and they separated because Marcelo D2 followed his solo career - he is very popular all around the world, but has a style a little more unique than just hip hop - It's a very brazilian hiphp  in which he mixes Brazilian rhythms such as samba with hip hop.  Black Alien  on the other hand went on his way to follow more of the hip hop beats than anything else, although he also mixes other rhythms to his songs. But lately the band has gotten together again to perform in a couple of shows around Brazil, and they will also be a part of Lollapalooza Brazil 2013!!!

Marcelo D2

Marcelo D2 - A Procura da Batida Perfeita (In Search of the Perfect Beat)

Marcelo D2 - Desabafo (Outflow)

Black Alien

Black Alien - Como eu Te Quero (How I Want You)

Black Alien - From Hell to Ceu (From Hell to Heaven)

Planet Hemp

Queimando Tudo - Bunring it All

Dig Dig Dig

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Here's a new girl in the Brazilian Hip Hop Scene, Nathy MC - shes been having a lot of success, specially in Sao Paulo where the hip hip scene is one of the biggest in the world. She's a really good friend of a friend of mine, so I could not leave her out of my blog. Enjoy it!

A Dama e O Vagabundo (Lady and the Tramp) - Nathy MC ft. Original 

The Wagger Phenomenon

This week's reading talked about "colorblidness" which is the racial ideology that posits the best way to end discrimination is by treating individuals as equally as possible, without regard to race, culture or ethnicity.  This is relevant to this blog, since the hip hop culture is part of black culture, although nowadays it is argued that hip hop is part of culture worldwide, no matter the race. 

I always speak about my native country in this blog, so this post could not be different. In Brazil, there is many attempts to end racism and discrimination against black people. One of the attempts was to create a holiday called "Dia da Conscicencia Negra" which translates to "Black Awareness Day". This holiday is annually celebrated on Novemeber 20th as a day for people to reflect upon the injustices of slavery and to celebrate the contributions to society and to the nation by Brazilian citizens of African descent. It takes place during the Week of Black Awareness.

Another attempt to end discrimination not only against Black Brazilians but also against people from the lower classes, is a law that was passed by the President, in which a certain number of places will always be guaranteed for people who have studied in public schools. A lot of controversies have been raised regarding this issue.

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Hip Hop:

 The reading by Jason Rodriguez "Color-Blind Ideology and the Cultural Appropriation of Hip Hop" mentions the fact that "whites do not simply consume African American art forms. They also appropriate those forms for their own purposes." In the hip hop scene, color blind ideology provides the discursive resources for individuals to justify their presence in the scene, but it also provides opportunity for whites to use their racial power to appropriate the culture hip-hop, taking the racially coded meaning out of the music and replacing them with color blind ones. 

Here's a little part of a documentary "Blacking Up: Hip Hop's Remix of Race and Identity"   about the "wigger" phenomenom (a derogatory word used to describe whites that supposedly want to be black)  by Robert Clift. - This is a documentary about influence, appropriation and individuality in Hip Hop 

The first few minutes of the Documentary

Gangsta Rap - A Prisoner's Diary

Hello Everyone!

In today's class we talked about Gansga Rap and about how rappers who have committed crimes and have been in jail are not welcomed by society but are welcomed in the hip hop community - and are even glorified for it.

 As an example we watched Alicia Keys Video Clip - the most important here is not the lyrics but the images. Alicia Keys goes to visit what it appears to be her boyfriend or husband in jail. We were showed this video as an example to how hip hop community embraces these people who are excluded from society because they have committed some type of crime and sentenced to serve jail/prison time. This clip is aired in mainstream media. 

Alicia Keys - Fallin'

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I have already spoken about Racionais MCs in this previous post. But I cannot help but talk about them again this time around.

 As I said, Racionais have used their voices, instead of violence, in a way to protest against oppression, police violence and so on. But all the members have been arrested with the charges of inducing violence. 
While serving their time in jail, they did not stop writing songs and after they were released they became even more successful than before. This is a perfect example of how hip hop community embraces these people who have served time in jail, while society oppresses them.  Even the highest levels of social classes would now listen to Racionais.

 One good example of how having been arrested and mentioning this in rap's lyrics is embraced by hiphop audiences is the song "Diario de um Detento",  (A Prisoner's Diary), which is one of the most successful raps of Racionais and in which its video clip is aired in TV channels such as MTV Brasil.

  I have uploaded the video clip below, where you can see the members of Racionais in jail and the reality of jails in Brazil - riots, fiights, people being murdered and what the everyday life in a Brazilian jail is like -and I have translated the song (which is reeeallly loong) below. So please do read the lyrics cuz it took me a long time to translate it and it is well worthy!

 We also mentioned in class how these rappers sometimes tend to get attached to religion when they are arrested. Racionais MCs always mentions Bible verses in their song. Here, towards the end, they mention the Bible again. They also compare the situation in Brazilian Jails to the Holocaust and compare the Brazilian government/ politicians to Hitler towards the end of the song.

Racionais MCs - Diario de um Detento 

(Please, again, do read the lyrics - it took me a long time to translate it in a way that it makes sense!!! AND it's really interesting-  you won't regret it) 

Diary of a Detainee

"São Paulo, October 1st, 1992, 8 am.

Here I am, one more day.

Under the gaze of bloodthirsty guards.

You do not know how it is to walk with your head under the target of an HK.

German or Israeli machine gun .

Shreds a thief just like it shreds paper.

On the wall, standing, another citizen Jose

Serving the state, a good policeman.

Starving, posing like Charles Bronson.

He knows what I wish for.

Knows what I think.

The day is rainy. The vibe is tense.

Many tried to escape, I also want to.

But from one to a hundred, my chance is zero.

Does God hear my prayers?

Will the judge accept the appeal?

I send a message there for my brother:

If you are using drugs,u're bad in my hand.

He's still with that girl.

Believe me, the kid is cool

I took a day less or one more day, I dunno ...

Whatever, the days are the same.

I light a cigarette and watch the day go by.

I kill the time for the time not to kill me.

Man is man, woman is woman.

Rapist is different, right?

Gets punched all the time, kneels and kisses the feet,

and bleeds to death on 10th Street.

Each detainee a mother, a belief.

Each crime a sentence.

Each sentence a reason, a story of tears,

blood, lives and glories, abandonment, misery, hate,

suffering, contempt, disappointment, time's action

Mix that chemistry well.

Ready: here is a new inmate

Wailing in the hallway, in the cell, in the courtyard.

Around the field, in every corner.

But I know the system, my brother, uh ...

Here there is no saint.

Rátátátá ... must avoid

what a bastard to make my mother cry.

My word of honor protects me

to live in the country of beige pants.

Tic, tac, is still 9:40 a.m..

The jail clock goes by in slow motion.

Ratatatá another train passes by.

Filled with good people, hasty, Catholics.

Reading newspaper, satisfied hypocrites.

With rage inside, on the way to the Center.

Looking this way,  curious, of course.

No, it is not, is not the zoo

My life has not as much value 

as your phone, your computer.

Today, it's difficult, the sun did not come up.

Today there is no visit, no football.

Some fellows have their mind weaker.

They can not stand boredom, and they get into fights

Thanks to God and the Virgin Mary.

Missing just one year, three months and a few days.

There's a closed cell upstairs.

Since Tuesday nobody has opened it for anything.

Just the smell of death and disinfectant

An inmate hanged himself with a bed sheet.

What was that? Who knows? It does not count.

Would take another six from end to end (...)

Nothing makes a man more ill

than the abandonment of relatives.

Here kid, let me know: then what do you want?

The job's there waiting for you.

Get all your imported things .

Your resumee in crime and clean your ass

The thug life is hopeless.

Your face turns white on this side of the wall.

Have you ever heard of Lucifer?

He came from hell with morals

One day ... in Carandiru, no ... he is just one more.

Eating rotten meals with pneumonia ...

Here there are niggas from  Osasco, Garden D'April, Parelheiros,

Mogi, Brazil Garden, Bela Vista, Jardim Angela,

Heliopolis, Itapevi, Paraisópolis.

Nice thieves have good moral in the hood.

But for the state is just a number, nothing more.

Nine pavilions, seven thousand men.

That cost each three hundred dollars per month.

On the last visit, my nigga came around.

He brought some fruit, Marlboro, Free ...

Told be that a mo'fo from the area is back

With a red Kadett and plate from Salvador.

Posing like a big cat, he swears, he abuses

with a nine mm beneath the blouse.

Brown: "Here nigga, come here, and where are the homies at?

Remember this cururu who tried to kill me? "

Blue: "That goose sleazy mo'fo  cuckold.

He would get fucked up and leave the girl alone

The girl was a virgin and was still a minor.

Now she gives blowjobs in exchange for powder! "

Brown: "These conversations bother me.

If I'm on the street then it's fucked up ... "

Blue: "Yes, the world goes around, he can come here."

Brown: "No, now, now, my time to get out is coming

I want to change, I want to get out.

If I bump into this guy, theres has no 'pa', there's no 'pum'

And I'll have to sign the an "121. "

The morning is sunny, two of October.

Everything working, cleaning, jumbo.

At dawn I felt a chill.

It was not the wind, it was not cold.

Settling almost everyday 

There's another soon, I knew.

Loyalty is what every prisoner tries.

Achieving peace in a violent manner.

If a scoundrel screws over someone ,

Gets pointed at their face like Frankenstein

Smoke in the window, there's fire in the cell.

Fuck! It went further, maybe there's a hostage.

Most of them allowed themselves to get involved

for five or six who have nothing to lose.

Two respected robbers started discussing .

But had no idea what was coming.

Traffickers, murderers, embezzlers.

A majority of primary brat.

It was the breach that the system wanted.

Notify the medical institute, the big day arrived.

It all depends on the yes or no of one single  man.

Who prefers to be neutral on the phone.

Ratatatá, caviar and champagne.

Fleury left to have lunch, they dont give a fuck about my mother!

Dog killers, tear gas ...

whoever kills the most thieves wins a prize! 

The human being is disposable in Brazil.

Just like a used pad or a sanitary napkin

Jail? Of course the system didn't want it

It hides what the soup operas do not mention.

Ratatatá! Blood flows like water.

Ear, nose and mouth.

The Lord is my shepherd ...

forgive what his son did.

He died face down in Psalm 23,

no priest, no reporter.

unarmed, helpless.

HIV infection in the dog's mouth.

Corpses at the wells in the courtyard.

Adolf Hitler smiles in hell!

The government super hero is cold, does not feel sorry.

Only hatred and laughs like a hyena.

Ratatatá, Fleury and his gang

go swimming in a pool of blood.

But who will believe in my statement?

October 3, Diary of a prisoner/detainee. "

**Racionais MCs are amazing at what they do. Their lyrics are always touching and that's why they are so successful in Brazil!! They are my favorite rappers of all time!!!

One last thing that I NEED TO SHARE WITH YALL. Today we had to work in pairs and I was paired up with my friend Lior who introduced to me an AMAZING website to help you find out the meaning of rap music  the website is called rapgenius.com and you can go to it by clicking here  ! Thanks LIOR!!!

Hope you enjoyed today's blog -- see u next week**

Music Has No Color

In today's class we started watching the movie The Art of Rap which is a documentary by Ice-T where he interviews different American Rappers and talks about the art of writing and performing rap verses. My favorite part of the movie so far was when he interviewed Eminem! He is one of my favorite rappers and as Ice-T said "who would have thought that one of the greatest rappers of all time would be white?" Whitey Mighty! I love Eminem.

 Eminem has struggled a lot for being a white rapper. This in itself is going out of the norms so in my opinion he follows the history of hip hop always going out of social norms. Usually we connect rap to black culture and most of hip hop artists are black, but Eminem is white and one of the best rappers out there.

Here's the part where he is interviewed in the documentary:

"Rap is everything to me, my world, it's what I do...it gives me a voice and strength" (Eminem)

Eminem- Superman (My favorite song by him)

The Real Slim Shady (one of his most famous raps)

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Brazilian HipHop: In Brazil Rappers are also mainly black as it is part of black cultures worldwide. But just like Eminem, one of the most well-known rappers in Brazil is white! I already spoke about him a few weeks ago, in this post here. His name is Gabriel O Pensador (Gabriel the Thinker) and he has been around since the 90's and he is not only known for his music but also for his knowledge and his rhymes. 

Gabriel O Pensador 

Gabriel o Pensador 2345678

Cachimbo da Paz (Peace Pipe) - Gabriel O Pensador 

This lyrics talk about an Indian who was arrested for smoking weed and doesn't understand how he can put in jail for a Peace Pipe when there's so much violence going on everywhere 

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A more recent artist that is very famous in Brasil, well known for his Rap and will also participate at Lolapalooza (a music festival that happens in different parts of the world which includes many artist) is Criolo. Criolo is also a white rapper who goes out of the norms. He has a different style of rapping and his music mixes rap and soul. He has gained best revealing artist award in Brazil and his fan base is growing each day. 

Criolo

Criolo - Subirusdoistiozin 

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To finalize today's post, I present you guys EMICIDA - he is considered a master at rapping in Brazil. Since the documentary we watched today talks about the art of writing and performing rap verses, I could not leave him out of the post.  Emicida is a combination of the words MC and homicide because of his frequent victories in the battles of improvisations, and his friends would call him a 'killer' because he 'kills' his opponents through rhymes.

Emicida

Emicida battleling against Gil - you might not understand it because it is in Portuguese, but you can hear the audience cheering 

 

Emicida rapping in UK - Brazilian Rappers going International 


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