Chris' Blog

Research Paper Topics

chrismgyo — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:14:19 +0000

-Life of the Notorious B.I.G.
-History of Gangsta rap
-Murders of Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls

Thesis & Transition Statements

chrismgyo — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 00:30:09 +0000

3 Thesis Statements

1. The feud between east coast and west coast rappers, although in some cases was real, was generally over-dramatized by the media and record companies.
2. Although the genre of gangsta rap originated on the east coast, it was the gangsta rap from the west coast that truly defined the genre.
3. The central message behind most gangsta rap was not geared towords violence an hatred, but instead was based on social and cultural reform.
(4. Biggie Smalls was the greatest rapper of all time.)

6 Transitions
1. Nevertheless, gangsta rap continued to thrive, even in the face of political scrutiny.
2. Similarly, Tupac Shakur’s lyrics contained many aspirations for social change.
3. For this reason, gangsta rap was banned in many areas.
4. On the other hand, west coast rappers utilized more violent imagery in thier works.
5. Hence, we refer to Christopher Wallace, as the Notorious B.I.G.
6. Oddly, rap music was very popular with middle to upper class teenagers.

State of Gangsta Rap

chrismgyo — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 00:36:52 +0000

Gangsta rap is a topic that has been studied by scholars for generations. Reaching its peak during the 90′s, this often misunderstood genre of music has changed drastically over its short lifespan.
The roots of gangsta rap are found in the music of DJs, disco, and R&B from the 1970′s, primarily in New York City. The first artist to be considered a gangsta rapper is Ice-T. His song “6 in the Mornin’” is widely considered to be the first actual gangsta rap song. Soon after, other gangsta rap artists began emerging, most notably, N.W.A. N.W.A., a group of hip hop artists and former drug dealers from Los Angeles, really began to popularize the genre of gangsta rap. N.W.A’s use of profanities and descriptions of violence caused much controversy during the early 90′s. The group broke up in the early 0′s but thier music is still some of the most popular music of the genre. Dr. Dre, a former member of N.W.A, released his firt solo album, The Chronic, in 1992. The Chronic is known as one of the definitive gangsta rap albums of the 90′s, and is known for introducing, a then unknown, Snoop Dogg. Other gangsta rappers emerged at this time such as Tupac Shakur from Los Angeles, the Notorious B.I.G., and Nas, both from New York.
Since the majority of rap music at this time was coming from either New York or California, this caused a rivalry between the two sides. East coast versus West coast rap was a major theme in rap in the 90′s, most famously publicized by the fued between Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G. The murders of these two artists further jettisoned gangsta rap into mainstream music. Since then, gangsta rap has become a mainstream form of music, with artists such as 50 cent, Jay-Z, and Eminem.
Today gangsta rap is not nearly as popular as it was during the 90′s. Artists such as 50 cent, use elements of gangsta rap along with a heavy pop influence, in thier music to try to commercialize their sound. Still, gangsta rap is looked down upon by many people. Many criticize the use of profanities, drug use, and violence in the music from the genre. Religious and political leaders have condemned gangsta rap as an entire genre. Still, gangsta rap will continue to be produced as a style of music, no matter how different is is today, then it was to back in the 90′s when the true thugs were the ones rapping.

Analysis

chrismgyo — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 12:51:28 +0000

http://drallen9.wordpress.com/2009/09/11/matt-barkley/

Matt Barkley, unlike anyone before him, is starting at the quarteerback position at the University of Southern California as a true freshman. This must put enormous pressure on him. He has to preform at a high level, and live up to the fans’ expectations, both while at only the age of 19. Drew’s analysis does a good job of getting across how difficult it is for a freshman quarterback to start in an NCAA football game. He tells how the coaches and Barkley are going to try to make it as simple as possible for the young quarterback in an effort to acclimate him to the speed and complexity of college football. Barkley’s mindset going into the Ohio State game this Saturday, shows he is obviously dealing well with the pressures put on him. Drew’s analysis also does a good job connecting Barkley’s role to past freshman quarterbacks and past USC quarterbacks. Many former USC quarterbacks played at a very high caliber and Barkley is expected to do the same.

10 on 1

chrismgyo — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 22:57:14 +0000

Ready to Die- The Notorious B.I.G. Album review

http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/192664/review/5946007/readytodie

1. Biggie’s solo debut album; lyrics and musical style very mature for a rap debut album.
2. Lyrics contain a wide range of emotions ranging from reminiscent to suicidal.
3. Rapping style ranges from funky to brooding.
4. Themes of death, sex, and drug use in songs.
5. Lyrics are straight to the point.
6. Violence prevelant in lyrics, theme of violence is the basis of most songs on the album.
7. Lyrics reflect life in the ghetto.
8. Biggie demonstrates superior rapping ability.
9. Use of gunshots, screaming, etc. are heard on the album giving the listener a sense of what life is like in the hood.
10. Definitive gangsta rap album!

List of sources

chrismgyo — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 13:43:58 +0000

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gangsta_rap

http://rap.about.com/od/genresstyles/p/GangstaRap.htm

http://www.uga.edu/womanist/rhym2.1.htm

http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/celebrity/shakur_BIG/index.html

http://www.comptonpolicegangs.com/rap-history.htm

http://www.britannica.com/blackhistory/article-9117545

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Coast-West_Coast_hip_hop_rivalry

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_gangsta_rap_artists

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupac_Shakur

http://www.comptoncity.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N.W.A

www.snoopdogg.com

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snoop_Dogg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Dre

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/50_Cent

http://uhh4d.blogspot.com/2007/03/gangsta-rap-definition-history.html

http://www.google.com/search?q=gangsta+rap+history&hl=en&safe=off&tbs=tl:1&tbo=u&ei=6MGaSrKmC5Sx8QaXnIDGAQ&sa=X&oi=timeline_result&ct=title&resnum=11