MC's in Hip-hop music are storytellers. Whether MCs write their rhymes or improvise them on the spot, they become living archives of history that connect the past to the present. As you blog on the key words GRIOT and BATTLE, think about the ways that Hip-hop MCs use their storytelling to describe lived and imagined experiences. How can you link the MC storytelling and freestyling in the Battle to stylistic elements such as braggadocio (today called 'swagger'),'call and response,' and sampling? How does the battle in MCing relate to artistic expression in the other elements of Hip-hop?
The term battling can be found in all four elements of hip hop. MCing, as we know it today, is extremely influenced by the tradition of African griots. A griot is a storyteller from African culture who comments on history in the form of memorized song or story. According to lecture, the griot’s stories are passed down orally from generation to generation and are changed to incorporate modern ideas and events. MCs follow the tradition of African griots, as they tell stories in their music. According to Samy Alim, language and syntax were essential elements in Nelly and St. Lunatics establishing their identity as they busted into hip hop. In the film “8 Mile”, B-Rabbit gains respect from his friends by battling and by winning battles. According to lecture, in battle, sampling is used from the objects of a rival. Eminem is known for this, as sampling allows him to win over the rival before a response is possible. According to Robin Kelley, MC’s use battling as a “ritual insult, which is a verbal contest involving any number of young black men who compete by talking about each other’s mama”. Kelley talks about how the rationale of hip hop is to move the crowd, which is similar to the definition of griot, which is acknowledged as storytelling. The idea of the “battle” comes from early hip hop artists such as Afrika Bambaataa, who organized things as a way to discourage actual physical battles. The battle between Nicki Minaj and Lil Kim was fierce, as Nicki Minaj dominated the battle with her Pink Friday album.
ReplyDeleteIt is said that MCing and rapping are came from the West African tradition Griots and influenced by the African tradition a lot. A griot is a storyteller who memorized song or story by commenting on history from West African culture. According to the lecture, stories of the griot are passed down orally from generation to generation and are changed to incorporate modern ideas and events. This remind me a very interesting thing which is the way that the griot’s story are passed down is the same way with the cross talk are passed down in China. This shows that even though griot’s story and Chinese cross talk are two different immaterial cultural legacy, but the way they were passing down by generation to generation is exactly the same. Battle is a verbal contest between two different MCs who compete by some offensive words with the DJ’s freestyle turntabalism. There are many famous MCs and rappers you know much better than me. So I am not going to talk about those famous ones. What I want to introduce to you is a guy who is an American Born Chinese called MC Jin. There is a very famous battle between MC Jin versus Sean Nicholas freestyle rap battle at 106 & park from BET. It shows great stylistic elements like “swagger”.
ReplyDeleteThe art of being an MC, or “master of ceremonies”, has continued to grow as an enormous part of the Hip-hop culture, transforming from more of a hype man for the DJ, the MC has become the focal point in most minds in regards to Hip-hop. Rapping, like other elements of Hip-hop, has derived from African traditions, specifically West African Griot traditions of storytelling. (Lecture 3/5). Referring back to the Kelley article, it reminds the reader “the real negroes were the young jobless men hanging out on the corner passing the bottle, the brothers with the nastiest verbal repertoire.” (Kelley 138). When it comes to MCing, the most important element is a rapper’s flow, which is defined “as the relationship between the beats and the rhymes in time.” (Alim 550). A rapper’s flow is also considered to be their specific lyrical style.. (Lecture 3/5). A popular part of being an MC is freestyling, which are typically improvisational lyrics over a beat. A great example of the improvisational power of artists is in 8 Mile when B-Rabbit is fixing his car with Future and rhyming over the song “Sweet Home Alabama”. 8 Mile is an exceptional example to the abilities of an MC with doing his research about Papa Doc describing Clarence’s home life, which included a private school demolishing his credibility of being as hard as he comes off. You also see him sampling the music from the beginning of the movie claiming that “there ain’t no such things as halfway crooks.” This improvisational skill reminds me of one of my all-time favorite television shows, Nick Cannon presents Wild N’ Out, which reminds me of the Hip-hop version of Whose Line is it Anyway.
ReplyDeleteAs stated in lecture griots are storytellers who share real life personal experiences of growing up in crime invested neighborhoods or share updates of racial discriminations. I feel that Jay Z’s song “Hard Knock life: Ghetto Anthem” is a prime example of a true griot. Jay Z sums up a life of someone who lives in the ghetto he is able to use examples of what one may see to paint a picture of life in the ghetto for a listener. Also, the media has helped a storyteller not only rap their story but also visually show the audience like Eminem did in “8 mile.” Reading Robin Kelley’s article and comparing it to 8 mile gave me a whole different perspective in what Kelley was saying. His term “Rabbit” became clearer to me. Eminem was like the “Rabbit” used his ability to flow and “dis” is component to gain respect and as Kelley suggest used battling to show how good of a rapper he was. Just like dance many MC’s battle in a cipher and use braggudico with a call and response technique. MCing to me is like poetry but more critical. Like a poet a MC expresses their feelings about life situations or their feeling about their component in an artistic “oh no they didn’t kind of way”. Many MC’s sample their flows from other artist for example Snoop Dog sampled from Queen Latifah but some make the mistake of not giving credit to those who sampled from.
ReplyDeleteMCing, or rapping, is an art-form in which involves talking to tell a story over a background beat, often using some rhymed or thematically linked rhyme scheme (Hodges Persely). In modern hip-hop, the main attraction has moved towards the MCs, rather then the main focus being on the DJs. This transition of power started when the MC first debuted as the, “Master of Ceremonies,” for DJs during parties and concerts in which the MC’s role was to support the DJ and address the crowd (Hodges Persley). As the MCs started to spit more bars and have more intricate rhymes in late 80’s to early 90’s, the center of attention in hip-hop changed from the DJ’s to the MCs.
ReplyDeleteMCs have an array of techniques, skills, and other key elements that are essential in their art-form. The MC’s unique lyrical style is based on their flow, which is usually marked by tone, content, or speed of the bars that they spit. Influences to an MC’s flow come from the his/her hometown, whether it be the style of the beats or the style of other MCs from the same area (Alim 551). MCs pride themselves on their use of poetic language and word play that they sync to the tempo of the beat. A popular element of MCing is battling, in which two or more MCs engage in a test of skills against each other using unrehearsed, or free-styled, lyrics (Hodges Persley). In order to win a battle, it is of utmost importance that a MC knows a bit of background information about his/her opponent in order to increase the effect of their lyrical attack, as portrayed in the final battle of the movie “8 Mile”. Both flow and battles help MCs not only gain respect throughout the hip-hop community, but it also helps them to establish themselves as an artist.
Rap music is under constant public scrutiny for the dominant themes of violence, crime, and drugs that dominate the genre. However, I believe these critics take the items being discussed in the music far too literally. As presented in lecture, rapping can be linked to West African Griot traditions of storytelling. Rappers are modern day storytellers. While the stories being told are often graphic, not every rapper is living the life they depict in their songs. As Kelley puts it,” Moreover, exaggerated and invented boats of criminal acts should sometimes be regarded as part of a larger set of signifying practices. Growing out of a much older set of cultural practices, these masculinist narratives are essentially verbal duels over who is the “baddest” (Kelley 146.) The keyword here is sometimes. There are rappers who really walk it like they talk it and have the credentials to back that up, but an equally large part of rappers exaggerate for entertainment value. “Verbal duels over who is the “baddest,” are most commonly seen in battles between MCs. These battles have many similarities with the battles that occur in breaking. They frequently occur in a cipher, contain a call and response dynamic, and both have a common goal of one-upping the opponent. The MC battle also adds a vocal component. “Like preachers in Smitherman, rappers also believe that word sound (which places emphasis on how words are said, in addition to what words are said) can move people” (Alim 542.) There is frequent usage of language techniques such as: metaphors, similes, hyperboles, and alliteration present in rap. These linguistic techniques serve as a platform for a rapper to develop their own personal style and flow and deliver witty stories that are factual, exaggerated, or sometimes a little bit of both. Either way, the stories are designed to entertain.
ReplyDeleteWhen hip-hop first emerged the MC would support the DJ by moving the crowd. This has evolved into a complete skill set of improvisation and story telling. MC’s have the skills to “rap lyrics over a beat and create a narrative about his or her experience, lived and imagined”(Persley, lecture 3/5). The style and the way a certain MC expresses their music is called their “flow.” Their flow or interpretation of a story brings us to their voice. We love certain artists for the inventiveness of their flow(Persley, lecture 3/5). This is what is so impressive about Eminem in 8 mile blows the audience away with his inventiveness in his rap. When MC’s battle it evokes the ‘call and response’ tradition of African American music. From the “Best of Jin’s Rap Battles,” one argument is “my flow tighter than your wife beater,” illustrating how the battle is to prove who is better and more machismo with their style, bragging about his flow. Battle in MCing is relatable to graffiti, breaking, and DJing in the sense that these artists try to be the best and express themselves in memorable ways. A griot is usually a male of African descent who memorizes songs that have been passed down over generation after generation. “Yet to say it is a “black” thing doesn’t mean it is made up entirely of black things”(Kelley 148). This tradition emphasizes the importance and influence of history in hip-hop music. What is fascinating about this storytelling is the use of sampling from different “music, historical, social and/or cultural records, images, etc” (Persley, lecture 3/5).
ReplyDeleteOne of the main aspects of being a Master of Ceremonies (MC) is having improvisational skills. More often than not these improvisational skills are learned through practice and battles. These battles are normally done in cyphers, and within these cyphers battles take place to see who the best MC is. In these battles MCs establish their signature flow, and this flow is what draws us to them (Lecture 3/5). All MCs have their own signature style that is easily recognizable to people who are fluent in Hip-Hop culture. These battles are similar to the way that African Griots tell stories in that these MCs are telling stories from their experiences. Depending on where the MCs are from and how long they have been immersed in Hip-Hop culture they will have their own style of speaking. By that I mean if you take a word like pimp there are many different meanings that come from that word and if you aren’t fluent in this MC lingo then you may misconstrue what exactly they are saying (Alim 535-536). Just like in the African culture how there are very few Griottes there are an extremely small number of female MCs. But don’t underestimate these female MCs; they are just as good as the males. The history of Female MCs is rarely referenced as “important” to Hip-Hop (Lecture 3/5).
ReplyDeleteA battle in hip hop is where two MCs go head to head to see who the better rapper is. In these raps the MCs go after each other with insults, put-downs, and disses. Braggadocio is a term that has come out of these rap means a combination of bragging and boasting. Many of the MCs rap freestyle during these battles. Freestyle is basically a rap the makes off the top of their head, kind of like an improv. Call and response is used in a lot of these battles, in which they listen to what the other rapper has to say and then responding to it. A griot is a West African person that was a musician, told stories, and poems. Today’s MCs are kind of like griots, in fact that they use music to tell stories in the form of a poem.
ReplyDeleteBattling has been in every element of hip-hop so far. But this week we talked about MCing, which is most common element known to our generation. Like in B-boying, MC battles happen in a cipher. The whole point of the battle is to make your opponent back down. While the individual is in the cipher battling they are mostly called rappers who are “storytellers that documents the history of people, specifically the experiences of African American in a US context” (Lecture 3/5). The rappers tell a story’s of everything and anything they have on their opponent, which is the sampling side of mcing. While rappers are in the cipher they flow, which is a style of rapping, combining everything that they sample from with word play (lecture 3/5). While most of the time rappers flow about what is really going on behind the scenes of their neighborhood, other times they just make up stories. Eminem created one of the most notable made up stories in hip-hop in our generation with the reaction of his fictitious character named “Slim Shady” (Slim Shady). Eminem used Shady as a way to joke around with violence as he rapped. While a lot of rappers do talk about violence, a majority of the time it is in a playful manner, which has been skewed by white society (Kelley 135).
ReplyDeleteThe elements of battling and MCing within hip-hop, have been influenced by West African Griots and traditions. Battling is the performance where MC’s engage in the test of skills against another MC or rapper. These battles are used to address “beefs” and issues with other artists, and can be described as the art of talking; using some rhymed or thematically linked rhyme scheme to tell a story. These oral narratives are passed down with experience and practice, they cannot be formally taught (3/5 Lecture). As mentioned in the reading, “The cipha is like Hip Hop’s classroom, where one studies to learn the tricks of the trade, so to speak,” (Alim 553). Griots and griottes have a major influence on the current techniques of battling and MCing. Griots are storytellers that are usually male, who have memorized songs that have been passed down from previous generations. Most of these griots are from Western Africa, in which the oral histories of the people and lineage experiences are memorized. The difference between these griots and rappers is that rappers are storytellers that document the history of people, specifically African Americans in the U.S. context (3/5 Lecture). You can see many examples of battling within the movie “8 Mile”, when B-Rabbit battles against many other rappers and artists.
ReplyDelete“The MC becomes a Tech-P AK-47, imagined drive bys occur from the stage flowing lyrics become hollow point shells.” This excerpt from Kelley’s article is the clear definition of flow and battle. An MC has a flow all his own that subsumes his identity as a lyrical artist. The battle is his display of his machismo in a cipher. Flow as we defined in lecture is, “tone, cadence, content and speed.” The battle is where he must use his knowledge to uphold his game. His lyrics are where he expresses playful, emotional, “evil fantastical” (Kelley) stories in order to express his creativity. Rakim in Kelley’s article explains lyrical power “For all the implicit and explicit politics of rap lyrics, Hip hop must be understood as a sonic force more than anything else.” The “hybridity”, as Kelley puts it that rap is able to embody embraces a diversity in style, music genres and ethnicities. For example, Eminem and Yelawolf are not black, but they are two of the illest rappers that Alim’s Hip Hop Nation encompasses from BET’s Cyphers. Alim talks to many of the elements that it takes to up hold one’s legitimacy in a cipher such as, “bussin, poetics, call and response,” all similar things we talked about in lecture. However, one idea that most defines an identity in my opinion is an MC’s ability of signifying and redefinition of vernacular and word choice. Booty Brown in Bring it to the Cypher talked about “glorifying defintions.” Alim explains this idea, “by making up your own words he attests, you are freeing yourself of linguistic colonization.” Tupac’s “refinition” of the word nigga (Never Ignorant Getting Goals Accomplished) is prime explame of this art form. The one thing that happens when rap goes mainstream is these redefinitions are outside of the “Black Language Space” and are misinterpreted for ignorance, poor speech or skewed meanings. This is similar to what happened to the Ghetto in Kelley’s piece. Cool and soul were used to define “essential negroeness” in other words authenticity. What these white ethnographers fail to realize is hip-hop is “tolerant of diversity” (Kelley). This diversity enables anyone to emcee and kill it in a cipher as long as they have the skill set to do so.
ReplyDeleteDylan Woodard
ReplyDeleteThe hip hop element of MCing or otherwise known as rapping is when an artist rhymes over a beat made by the DJ or a beat that they created themselves. MC stands for the “Master of Ceremonies” even though DJ’s started in front of rappers as hip hop began. Whether telling a personal experience through their work, or freestyling, the artists have to be very familiar with a wide range of vocabulary and information on their opponent. A griot, an African storyteller, is a lot like MCs because they describe stories from their past and let the world know. In the film 8 Mile, there is a cipher where Rabbit battles his coworkers. As the lady is battling Xzibit, Marshall is analyzing what Xzibit is saying and how he is dressed so he can use these things against him when he steps into the circle. Xzibit also raps about how Vanessa’s rhymes are lame, which I believe are because he considers her just a woman in a man’s game. Several other scenes feature sampling (Sweet Home Alabama) and battling from that movie. From the video about the Lil’ Kim and Nickis dispute, Kim talks about how Nicki has stole her style without paying homage to her. Minaj battled back at Kim in her recent album with some harsh lines. Music plays a larger role in ghetto communities than most people think. It is an alternative way for expression that can help people stay away from the ghetto temptations that it offers. From the reading Kelly says “While some aspects of black expressive cultures certainly help inner city residents deal with and even resist ghetto conditions, most of the literature ignores what these cultural forms mean for the practitioners” (Kelly, 136). She is saying that this art of hip hop rap is a major deal for kids or anyone growing up in the ghetto conditions.
The belief that language holds the power to alter reality is clear throughout hip-hop. “Battle” is used to demonstrate competence of language, creation of identity, and give competitive edge to the speaker. Battling within a cipher transforms words into weapons where a speaker “both uses the language, mocks the language, and recreates the language” to prove their superiority over their opponent (Alim, 530). In the act of battling, MCs analyze their opponent and “joust from the mouth” (Alim, 553). Battles are examples of speech being used as an active tool to react to the present; to process, critique, and respond to the environment. Battles help create identities by accentuating a speaker’s strengths and allowing them to differentiate themselves from the “other” within the cipher. Ultimately, in the cipher, language means far more than just spoken words, but a creation of identity for the speaker and the listener. In the tradition of west African storytellers, or griots, MCs speak about the present by building on the past. Similar to storytellers, not everything an MC says may be part of their lived experience, yet they draw from recurring themes that have been passed down through history (Persley, 3/5). Therefore a person’s speech is full of consciously chooses words that both reflect their understanding of their own history as well their knowledge of the one they’re speaking to. Just as griots relied on a call and response relationship with the audience, battles rely on an interactive relationship between opponents which allows creative dialogue and definition.
ReplyDelete“Hip Hop, particularly gangsta rap, also attracts listeners for whom the “ghetto” is a place of adventure, unbridled violence, erotic fantasy, and/or an imaginary alternative to suburban boredom”(Kelly 46). This quote is referring to the idea of how MCs in their raps tell a story of the hardships they’ve been through or witnessed, and the listener vicariously lives through the MCs. This form of oral storytelling in hip-hop has roots in African Griots. And the two have major similarities, first both are an oral narrative that records an event lived or imagined, and second both were and is dominated by males (Lecture 3/5). The difference is that raps are more complex, from call and response, sampling, battling, to having “dat ill flow.” Call and response is according to Alim is, “the manifestation of the cultural dynamic which finds audience and listener or leader and background to be a unified whole (Alim 538). Sampling just like in breaking and djing, is when you barrow parts of another’s music move or beat. Battling also like breaking is a non-violent way of showing one another who’s it better, and who is more machismo. The rap battle also relates to breakin in that is also occurs in a cipher (Lecture 3/5). Just like in any other aspect of hip-hop the best person in MCing is the one with the best skills, swag, and flow; the flow in simple terms in the style of rapping one uses (Lecture 3/5). There are different types from the Kanye poetic, Busta Rhyme’s fast pace, to Eminem’s freestyle. Like all other aspects of hip-hop we talked about to this point, MCing has all the same characteristics. The only difference is instead of using visual, aural, or physical one is using oral to express themselves.
ReplyDeleteBattling has been discussed in nearly every aspect of hip-hop culture thus far. From dancing to rapping, this is a constant theme that shows up. Looking at the videos this week, I was left nearly in awe of how anyone can think that quickly and intelligently. In a battle one of the most important factors is actually listening to your opponent, as evidenced in the 8 Mile final rap battles, Eminem does a great job of doing just that. He studies his opponent in not only what he is saying but he pulls from outside information as well. As discussed in class, so much of hip-hop and rap specifically is storytelling. This idea is confirmed in Kelley’s piece, “…these authors reduce expressive culture to a political text to be read…but what counts more than the story is the storytelling” (Kelley, 146.) One way in which MC’s can tell their stories more clearly and uniquely to themselves is thru their “flow” or in other words their style. By forming their own personal style, fans and audiences can begin to recognize the artist’s identity and associate a specific sound or tone with that artist. In one audio clip from this week, Lil’ Kim talks about Nicki Minaj’s style and how it is similar to her own. Relating back to the idea of sampling in hip-hop, Lil’ Kim even says that she doesn’t mind having her style taken or ‘borrowed’ but she feels that she deserves the credit for it. This fine line of taking someone else’s lines or styles is often hard to distinguish between respect and theft. The act of paying homage to other artists has been a constant theme this semester, and this week it takes on a bit of a different form while remaining similar in both flow and battling.
ReplyDeleteIn writing this blog, I went away from the readings and focused strictly on the key terms, viewings, and audio examples. Flow and battle are defined differently, but are focused around each other. In the concept of hip-hop, flow is to be able to do it smoothly with no unbroken continuity. Flow was found in the 1960’s by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. Something I found that was very interesting was that Psychologists did a study and found that one’s mind can only attend a certain amount of info at a time (126 bits/ sec). Therefore, in order for flow to even happen, it’s a must that you are full heartedly performing the task with nothing else on your mind. It is also said that flow is completely based on Motivation. For example, in a freestyle you must have 100% of your attention focused on it so that you have your best shot of dropping a great freestyle that not only makes sense, but also so you don’t freeze up and pause in the middle of your freestyle. A rap battle is when someone faces off against an opponent in a freestyle. The objective and goal behind this is to obviously beat your opponent by using your originality, creativity, and flow. I feel that a rap battle is just like any other battle in the fact that your not only emotionally in it, but you give it all you got, and you have to fight your hardest to not only win, but gain respect of others. An example would be if a group got together on the streets and all battled each other to gain the rights of your hood of being the best. In free styling, to cypher means to take turns rapping (one after another, or anything cyclical). It can be different than a battle in a couple instances. One would be that in a battle you are going heads up verse an opponent and your objective is to beat him, while to cypher, you could just be in a big group taking turns free styling to just show off your stuff, and watch others that do what you do. After viewing Jin’s rap battles on 106 & Park, and the Lil Kim interview on Nicki, and the Cypher Awards, the concept that hit me the most was style. All MC’s, Rappers, and Free Stylists are all different in their own way, and have their own unique style. Jin was so impressive how he could get in his zone and drop such amazing freestyles for 30 seconds that were extremely creative. During those rap battles on 106 your not allowed to say anything explicit, and he was able to discuss explicit issues, while using a very creative style to make it acceptable. In hip-hop you have to be able to give the proper respect to your elders who were once in this career, and either brought a lot to it, or changed it in someway. Lil Kim isn’t necessarily hating on Nicki, but is just upset that she is showing disrespect towards her, that’s all. For example, Lil Kim wore a wig, rocked many different styles, and had the nickname Black Barbie, and if you look at Nicki Minaj, she also wears wigs, dresses very differently, and calls herself Black Barbie. In my opinion, it is fine that Minaj does these things, because you can still be your own person and very different from Kim, but you still have to give her the respect for what she deserves. Last, after listening to Jay Z, Wayne, Drake, Eminem, Common, and Biggie’s songs from your audio examples, I saw one similar concept. The thing I saw was that the artists all talked about life at one point being extremely hard, to how they have made it big, and life is amazing. To me, Wayne is the perfect example, and I have a lot of respect for his style. He is the only one in the game that doesn’t pre- write his raps or songs. He says that it comes natural to him, depending on the beat. When asked how he is able to record songs in his studio without writing down the lyrics first, he said that first he has to feel the beat, then depending on how the beat makes him feel, he will speak his mind on whatever he is feeling to that beat. That is not only extremely rare, but almost unheard of. If you look back at the thousands of songs he’s made in his day, you’d never ever think he recorded those off the top of his head.
ReplyDeleteThis week’s readings compare the origins and history of battles, griots, and their stories to the conflated versions of these terms and concepts today. The origin of the battle is a traditional call and response relationship, “a communicative strategy” (Alim 539), in African American history. Its initial use was to be a demonstration of skill, but battles are consistently portrayed as verbal attacks in movies and shows today (lecture 3/5). Battles are an opportunity for exhibiting acquired skill and research. They are a space for showing inventiveness and an ability to think on one’s toes, not just tear down another artist.
ReplyDeleteBeyond this juxtaposed image of battles, the content, messages, and intelligence of MCs have taken a hit as well. Kelley, in Looking for the “Real” Nigga, states how hip-hop artists, “[claim] ownership of the symbols and practices of their own imagined community” (140) through the stories that they tell. Though these projections are often imagined in order to entertain the listener/viewer, they are often projected as real life or are said to portray a “nihilistic” view on life.
Griots are the lyrical storytellers of hip-hop. They have the ability to relay past experiences and histories or create completely new stories through their rap and rhyme. The theatrical forms of their narratives give griots the freedom to imagine and create similar to that of an author. We must be careful not to “construct” our own “ghettos” from the stories we are hearing. Rather they should provoke us, make us think, and challenge our perspectives” (lecture 3/5).
According to our lecture, Griots are storytellers, usually male, who have memorized songs that have been passed down for generations. Most Griots are from West Africa (3/5/12). In this weeks reading it explains, “narrative sequencing includes both ritualized story telling and narrative speech as a frequently occurring genre in Black American discourse” (549). What we also learned in lecture is that a battle is a performance where MCs engage in a test of skills against an opponent (3/5/12). You can link these first two terms I’ve written about together, because when most MCs battle, they’re talking about what they know, where they came from, their struggles and how they’ve come up and done more than the opponent has. Event if the information isn’t necessarily true that they are saying, they base it off of some historical influence. For example, coming up from rags to riches. When black people were hated against and basically went through hell to now being these famous rap stars. Another kind of battle MCs in free-styling is braggadocio, call and response, sampling, etc. When there is beef between two artists, for example, the all famous tupac and biggie beef, the artists will come up with mixtapes or songs “hating” on the other rapper and basically bragging about themselves and how they are so much better. When any artist is calling out another, they can use their lyrics to shut them down, which is where you get the sampling component comes from. One of the most important concepts that ties all of this together is the rappers flow. The rappers flow is defined as, “the relationship between the beats and the rhymes in time” (Alim 550). Another concept to look at is the expression in everyone’s battling and hip-hop styles. Every artist builds their own language in their work, but you tend to hear similarities in voice from certain regions. Even though you may be able to tell where some artists come from, from their sound of hip-hop or rap, each one is unique and different.
ReplyDeleteAn MC was defined in class as an artist who raps lyrics over a beat to create narratives revealing their experiences either lived or imagined (Persley 3/5/12). Most artists use some kind of rhyme scheme to tell their story either improvising in the moment or reading their script they wrote beforehand. Much of what differentiates the artists of rapping and MCing is the language they use. A rapper is known for their “flow” type or their lyrical style, marked by tone, cadence, content and speed of delivery (Persley 3/5/12). They are also known for their use of poetic type language or their use of Word Play and metaphors and simile’s. Rapper’s attempt to create their own individual flow to instill this sense of braggadocio. When they go into a battle they must have a perfected style able to compete against another. Alim states, “What’s fascinating to me about African American speech is its spontaneity, the requirement that you not only have a repertoire of vocabulary or synaptic devices/ constructionsbut you come prepared to do something in an attempt to meet the person on a level that both uses the language, mocks the langugage and recreates the language” (Alim 532). In a battle, the more information a rapper has about another rapper the more specific they can be in their verbal attack. For instance in the movie 8 Mile, Eminem’s character competed in numerous battles throughout the film. Each battle he participated in he came prepared, knowing the people he was going to battle and doing his research. He knew exactly what to say by referencing their pasts, their style and just proving the amount of skill he has. The audience recognizes an MC by their flow and style but in order to create that flow an artist must have a wide world view to reference and resources either about the person their battling or about the situation their in to be able to draw from when needed.
ReplyDeleteIn lecture we discussed flow and battle and said that battling is when rappers compete to see who is the best. This is where they’re present their flow, or lyrical style. Hip-Hop has its own language and each artist represents it differently but uses language “as a communicative strategy this call and response is the manifestation of the cultural dynamic which finds audience and listener or leader and background to be a unified whole” (Kelley 538). The African-American culture seems to focus on this commonality and music helps bring people together and presents them with an opportunity to share their ideas, desires, or frustrations. Battling usually takes place at a cipher (Lecture) and “the cipha is seen as a linguistic training field for MC’s. Several skillz are developed in the cipha—Rap delivery, reacting under pressure, verbal battling, or ‘jousting from the mouth.’ They cipha is like Hip-Hop’s classroom, where one studies to learn the tricks of the trade, so to speak” (Kelley 553). The thing about the language of hip-hop is that you can only become fluent in it if you are immersed in the culture where it stems from. A rappers flow is their way of expressing individuality and the skills they aquire are not learned in a formal setting. They must experiment and practice on their own and in rap battles to gain experience and recognition. In way, rappers and MCs are modern-day griots (Lecture). They are capturing the history of their culture and the obstacles they face today and putting them into their music to share with the rest of the world. They also share a common desire to progress and develop their skills so that they can be the best in their field.
ReplyDeleteA griot is an african storyteller. There are no doubt that hip-hop’s roots and rhyming stories have been derived from the griot. With that being said, two of the best freestylers, Jin and Eminem, are not of african descent. Freestyling and writing rhymes are art that can only be mastered from practice.
ReplyDeleteHip-hop and rapping are a lot more similar to journalism that one would imagine. The first and most important thing to journalism and rapping is telling a good story that people are going to want to listen to. Journalists and rappers write about what they enjoy, see and experience. The only difference between the two (in this facet) is that the rappers rhyme the stories they see. The 'kicker' that makes the journalist and rapper so similar is credibility. Rappers develop credibility in different ways. The first is associating themselves with artists who are already established. This can create an entire fanbase for an artist strictly related to the artist who "put them on." Another way is rapping about what you have done or seen in your experiences throughout life. Some artists just reiterate the facts of life that they have gone through and turned them into rhymes. This is a sure-fire way to gain acceptance and respect in the hip-hop community. The last way to do it is by creating a persona for your artist. Rick Ross and Nicki Minaj are the two artists who come to mind when this is the case. Nicki Minaj created an alter ego in which she records and performs her music. Nicki doesn't act like this in real life, but she knows that it will sell music and people tend to "love" her style. Rick Ross became popular in a different way. Throughout hip-hop there have been artists such as Al Kapone, Felix Mitchell, Lucky Luciano, French Montana, and others who have ripped their names off of another person or specifically a "drug kingpin's life." We talked about Biting in class, and how it is important that if you are to take somebody else's style or story, you should reach out and acknowledge to that person that you are doing this. Rick Ross did not do this, and to casual hip-hop fan, Rick Ross is more famous than the real Ricky Ross. Rick Ross had also established his career before Ricky Ross exited jail and information leaked that Rick Ross was a "C.O." or correctional officer in a prison. These bits of information could have ruined Ross's credibility, and his rhyming skill set is not capable of carrying his career solely.
Cameron Coggburn
ReplyDeleteMC’s play one of the biggest roles in hip hop today. Just as the Griots did in past times, they told stories through song and poems about their historical experiences. An MC’s job as the “master of ceremonies,” (lecture 3-5) is to talk about their life. They are the ones that are putting their stories and past memories into a way where people will want to listen to them. Of course they have to have a good beat but if they aren’t on their toes and lyrically their song isn’t good, no one will want to listen to it. Many of today’s rappers have such a distinct sound. You can almost tell who’s about to start rapping just by the way the beat sounds. Kanye uses a lot of 808s and snares and he is famous for that style of beat and song. Nicki Minaj, Paul Wall, Cypress Hill, all have a very distinct sound that they are trademarked for. Almost as the same as a graffiti artist, their sound is like their “tag” (lecture 2-20). Some rappers are just crazy with the amount of things they can come up with off the top of their head (free styling). If a rapper is lyrically capable of free styling and like to “battle” (lecture 3-5), a lot of times they will do heavy research on their opponent. The more info and dirt the rappers have on each other, the more they can make their insults more personal and maybe psych out their opponent. It’s just one big story when it comes to battling, usually about their opponent’s lack of money, skill, previous tracks, their upbringing, and just plain no swag. It’s all about call and response.
I am very excited about this weeks focus on MCs. As I am still new to the MC game, I am continuously learning and working to advance my skills. If there is one thing I’ve learned so far, MCing is, if nothing else one of the most freeing forms of expression. It allows you to tell a story and provide an outline of your life and experiences in such a way that people who don’t even know you can completely relate to and feel with you. Griots are storytellers, usually West African males, who have memorized songs that have been passed down by the generation. What separates Griots from Rappers, is that rappers are typically from the states and focus more on the history of the African American struggle and also often rely on freestyling as their mode of storytelling. In my opinion, freestyling is definitely the most complicated form of MCing. To be able to think quickly on your feet and tie in historical references along with a thesaurus in the back of your mind is an incredibly complicated skill—one that I am still personally working to master. Pushing further with this point, when you tie in battling to the equation, it takes even more skill because not only do you have to think quickly on your with your own freestyle, but you also have to be able to react and respond to your opponent. When looking at the history of the MC, originally the role was to be a hype man for the DJ. Today however, I would say that the MC is most definitely the most prominent of the four elements of Hip-hop. MCs have to constantly be on top of their game as far as sampling and bringing something new to the table. It is an incredibly complicated task because people and other MCs are constantly challenging your credibility and you must be able to prove yourself. Finally, with the mass abundance of aspiring artists in the game today, an MC must carry a unique swagger, confidence and flow about him to separate himself from the mold. Otherwise, he will be seen as a poser or as a “swagger-jacker” which is easily identifiable among the true Hip-hop community.
ReplyDeleteMCing was greatly influenced by African griots, or people who tell history and stories through memorized songs. Stories of the griot are passed down orally from generation to generation and are changed to incorporate modern ideas and events (Lecture). As Kelley talks about, it’s more the storytelling, than the actual story (Kelley 146). When you battle someone, it’s more of how you present your story, not what your story’s about. Battling is an important part in all aspects of Hip-hop, including MCing. Battling is when two rappers go head to head, using originality, most of the time freestyle, and braggadocio to try and come out on top and be the best (Lecture). Freestyle meaning off the top of their heads and all improvised, and braggadocio meaning a combination of bragging and boasting. A rappers flow, also known as their lyrical style, or the relationship between the beats and the rhymes, is the most important element when it comes to MCing (Alim 549). Many rappers sample from their rivals in battles, and they gain respect from other MC’s when they win battles, as you see in the movie 8 mile. As we learned in lecture, most women MC’s were thought to be “unimportant”, meaning people didn’t pay much attention to them. One of the biggest female battles, put one MC out of her place, the other coming out on top. This battle was between Lil Kim and Nicki Minaj, Nicki Minaj coming out on top with her Pink Friday album. Lil Kim thought Nicki was in the wrong for stealing her style and not giving her credit (Video). In hip-hop most artists have their own style, but it’s okay to sample it from other artists, which I feel isn’t what Nicki was doing, because as you see in a lot of her songs, she wants to be the best, and she proves that she is.
ReplyDeleteI was once lucky enough to observe a rapper laying down some rhymes in a Martini Corner club. Whether they were scripted or freestyled, I’ll never know, but my favorite rhyme (and I think that of the crowd he had gathered) was “Noah’s Ark,” and “Mozart.” Brilliant. MCs tell their stories, display their power and skill with the use of rhyme, and their “flow,” a concept which is defined in the literature as “the relationship between the beats and the rhymes in time” (Alim, 550). Rhyme schemes utilized by a skillful MC can involve complicated internal rhymes within lines, as well as rhymes at the ends of couplets and verses. Many of the cleverest rhymes (such as those presented in “Bring It To the Cypher”) are feminine, that is, they rhyme with multiple syllables, rather than just the final. My personal favorite is the use of “champion” and “Ambien,” in Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind” (2009). MC performances can be of the intensely competitive kind, similar to breakers, in the Cypher, a circle of knowledge and exchange (Alim, 552). Like all improvisational entertainers, if an MC is to win the word-battles that take place in the Cypher he or she must have not only flow, but an enormous repertoire to draw from on the fly. Self-aggrandizement (“braggadocio”) and the ability to turn another MC’s words against them are also important for winning battles. For example, Lil’Kim has recently criticized Nicki Minaj by using her own song “Stupid Hoe” against her in their feud.
ReplyDeleteHip-hop MC’s use their stories and lives to battle other MC’s. MC stands for “master of ceremonies.” I initially thought MC stood for “move crowd” and I thought they were pretty much hype men. Little did I know, an MC is a, “musical artist that “raps” lyrics over a beat to creative narratives about his/her experience” (lecture). These MC’s battle each other telling about their lives. They talk about their upbringings and represent the hood that they come from. It’s not just how they say the story, as, “what counts more than the story is the storytelling” (Kelley, 146.) For instance, they talk about “why they’re so much better” than the other MC and pretty much brag about things. This is the swagger that we talked about in class, and it’s a simple call and response mechanism. One MC starts and talks about himself and disses the other MC (which is the call) and then the other MC comes back at him and backs himself up (the response). Something that really reminds me of this MC and battle talk is the movie “8 Mile” starring Marshall Mathers AKA Eminem. This movie has a ton of battle scenes where there are many MC’s being glorified. Eminem is the best MC in this movie, as he is able to express himself through the art and flow of rap battling. It is a really unique happening and I think that every MC has probably been in a rap battle before.
ReplyDeleteBattling is one of the most important factors of hip-hop. In my opinion this is how many of the best rappers that we know today have become famous. The most famous rap battle that I can remember is when notorious B.I.G. was 17 and was out on the streets of Bedford Stuyvesant New York. He and another street artist ended up battling and Notorious came out on top. This is one of the most memorable battles ever, and when people think of battling this specific instance comes to mind. In addition there is a movie with Eminem which is called 8 mile. 8 mile is a movie about an underdog white guy from Detroit trying to put his skills to the test in the rap battle scene. He starts off slow but in the end prevails. Next are griots. Griots are story tellers who tell stories about real life scenarios which they have experienced. This is a key concept becoming a great mc. In my opinion if you have never been a griot while rapping you are not a real rapper. You must be able to share your own real life experiences with the world if you want to be considered an artist. After all these two key concepts are very important to hip-hop culture.
ReplyDeleteAs seen in lecture on 3/5 an MC is a “master of ceremonies”, and they rap lyrics over beats about creative narratives from their life experiences. MCs are griots and rappers. The difference between the two is that griots are storytellers that are usually male, who have passed down songs from generation to generation, and the majority come from West Africa (lecture 3/5). Rappers are storytellers as well, but theyir lyrics share the experiences of African Americans in a U.S. based context (lecture 3/5). Free styling or improvisation of lyrics is a huge part of MC life, as the lyrics are not always prepared ahead of time. When MCs freestyle they bring their own flow to the verses. Flow is a lyrical style of rapping and it is usually marked by tone, cadence, content and speed of delivery (lecture 3/5). I think flow is what sets all rappers and MCs apart from one another. Flow makes the best rappers stand out and become well known. In the text, Bring It To the Cipher, we learn a lot about different stylistic ways rappers identify themselves and become known. For example, one style that we have seen through out the entire semester is call and response. Call and response is the “cultural dynamic which finds audience and listeners or leader and background to be a unified whole” (Alim, 538). This allows the audience to “become both observers and participants” in the event, which is important as it lets the audience feel they are part of the act “Alim, 538). Poetics, narrative sequencing and flow were also very interesting to read about, because they clearly separate one artist from another.
ReplyDeleteMCs use their storytelling in a variety of ways to explain their experiences, whether they are actual events or imagined scenarios. Story telling in hip-hop can be linked back to a plethora of African American traditions. As we learned in Monday’s (3/5) lecture, some of these include West African Griot, blues artists, jazz music, and 1960’s poetry. Many critics will hesitate to draw these comparisons because they only associate hip-hop with violence and excessive material consumption (lecture) but when broken down, the genre is much more than it’s perceived stereotype. By telling these stories through hip-hop, many MCs are making their place in history. This can take place through a lyricist who is highly talented at writing or an artist who is primarily known for his or her free-styling ability. Many free-stylers often compete in a battle, which is a back and forth contest to see which MC can top one another. The competitors will use “the language, mock the language, and recreate the language” (Alim, 530) in any ways necessary to become the victor. This can be done in the way of word play, the poetic language, sampling, or a variety of other techniques. The content of these battles are mostly based on braggadocio, but another common theme here is to diss or undermine the opponent. As seen in this week’s film 8 Mile, Rabbit (Eminem) is constantly judged by his peers for the content of his skin color but through successful and impressive battles he slowly gains credibility until he finally wins the championship battle over his archenemy.
ReplyDeleteBraggadocio directly relates to storytelling and freestyling. The ways MCs use braggadocio vary from artist to artist, and braggadocio directly shows an MC’s style, flow, and overall presence. Therefore, when Griots and rappers are storytelling or freestyling, the braggadocio, call and response and sampling they use, all represent them as an artist. The call and response from the MC to the DJ (or MC to the beat) can be done in different ways, and a MC can sample anything from previous songs, movies, or really anything for that matter (lecture). In my opinion, the battle in MCing is the ultimate way of seeing an MC’s true artistic expression, especially if it is a freestyle battle. When freestyling, it is all in that specific moment and is a true test of what a MC can do. Freestyling puts an MC in he or she’s purest form and exposes an artist’s individual style. When relating “the battle” to artistic expression in other elements of Hip-hop, I feel both have very similar characteristics. When battling, it’s all about thinking on your feet and taking all your knowledge to try to come up with the best verse you can. The same can be said when a MC writes his rhymes or when a producer produces a beat. Though the MC and producer are not creating through improvisation, they are still taking the same knowledge and artistic thoughts to come up with whatever they are making, just not as quickly. Without that knowledge and style, nothing is getting written or produced.
ReplyDeleteEvery MC has his or her own style, or flow, and it is a central part of his or her identity as an artist. Talented MCs create their own distinct flow to differentiate themselves from the others. They use key elements of word play, battling through call and response, poetic language and sampling (Lecture 3/5/2012). It’s not difficult to distinguish particular artists from one another based on their style and flow and to recognize the creativity and talent of their rhymes. However, the art does not get enough credit for its use of true poetry. In his article “Bring it to the Cypher,” Alim breaks down the use of language in hip-hop by rappers to show that many rhymes are complex and multidimensional. For example, he references Talib Kweli’s “The Truth” lyrics and reveals his ability to rhyme multiple times in one line. With this skill, Talib creates a rhythm and flow that is unique to his style. The battle or use of call and response is another very popular element in hip-hop, but it is not only found inside the cipher during a battle. Alim discusses the call and response of artists through their own songs. For example, Jay-Z uses “Minute Man” to respond to Destiny’s Child’s questions in “Independent Woman” by sampling their use of the word “question” with the same tone and rhythm (Alim). This sort of creativity adds to an MC’s particular flow and status as a talented artist.
ReplyDeleteIn lecture we discussed griots, who are storytellers who share their experiences about growing up in an urban environment and rap about their struggles. Also, the term battling can be used in most if not all forms of hip-hop. There is always a call and response action involved. Whether it be with dance, MCing, DJing, or even with graffiti, all of these forms of hip hop can be related with that call and response battle. Within these battles the term braggadocio or what we would now call “swagger” takes a huge role. If you have that swagger or confidence to one up the other person in whatever battle you are in, you will most likely lose. The popular battle when we think of hip-hop battles, is the MC battle. One of my favorites is from the movie 8mile starring Eminem. In this movie the main character “Rabbit” is trying to prove himself as a rapper, and to do this he has to perform in the rap battles against other MC’s. My favorite scene is the final battle. He does his homework and goes after the opponent with some personal things, like “his real name is Clarence and he went to a private school.” He attacked his “street credit” by saying these things. He also knew everything his the opponent was going to say against him so he ended up saying those things about himself leaving the other MC with nothing to say. Rabbit obviously planned what he was going to say but he delivered it with swagger and that freestyle flow that made it sound so good.
ReplyDeleteBattling and hip-hop are two terms that go hand in hand. Looking back over the history of hip-hop and what it has become today, there are numerous accounts of MC’s putting their skills to work against another MC, a battle. Although the term “battle” can bring about some negative connotations that is exactly what it is. In instances of a hip-hop battle the competitors per say are putting their materials on display directly up against their oppositions’. Rappers often have some materials they had put down or thought of prior to the battle, but due to the call and response nature of a hip-hop battle lots of the materials used in a battle are thought up on the fly or in response to a statement their opponent had made. In the film “8-Mile” Marshall Mathers, Eminem, is involved in numerous MC battles through out the movie. By winning these battles his notoriety grows along with the amount of respect other artists had for him. Which is the underlying point of a battle, to one-up your opponent and essentially win the battle and the respect of your opponent and anyone else involved. Griot is also a term that is ever present in lots of hip-hop pieces. The definition of a griot is a West African story-teller, praise singer, poet or musician. A great example in my opinion of griot is in the song Juicy by Notorious BIG. The entirety of the song is about him overcoming his personal struggles in life and his eventual rise to success out of essentially nothing.
ReplyDeleteA “griot” was a West African storyteller who must have the ability to incorporate real life experiences, current events and African history into a story that was orally passed down to generations. “Rapping, like other elements of Hip-hop, has derived from African traditions, specifically West African Griot traditions of storytelling” (Lecture,3/5). Hip-hop emerged in New York City ultimately from individuals from neglected black and Latino communities expressing their sufferings from poverty, lack of social opportunities, and lived experiences through rapping lyrics to beats. “MC’s have an acquired set of skills to rap lyrics over a beat and create a narrative about his or her experiences both lived and imagined” (Lecture,3/5). The link between MC storytelling/freestyling in a battle and the stylistic element such as ‘swagger’ is that these MC’s have develop a personality that is confident and aggressive when performing in order to get their point across, put the opposition down, and get the audience on their side. “Narrative sequencing includes both ritualized storytelling and narrative speech as a frequently occurring genre in Black American discourse” (Alim,549). Whenever I think about battles 8 Mile always comes to mind and especially the final battle between B-rabbit and Papa-Doc because of the amount of intelligent skill it took for Eminem’s character to flip the script and respond to all of his oppositions dises before he was even called upon to by freestyling: “this guys no mother fuckin mc I know evary thing hes gotta say against me I am whith I am a fuckin bum I do live in a trailer with my mum, my boy future is an open tum - I do have a dum friend named chedder bob who shoots him self in his leg with his own gun, and I did get jumped by all 6 of you chumps…but I know something about you…”(8 Mile); leaving the opposition with nothing to respond with when called to. This scene clearly demonstrates the way MCs use their storytelling to describe live and imagined experiences in relation to this week’s key words: Griot and Battle.
ReplyDeleteIn hip-hop, MC’s are known as the urban griots; griots being storytellers. The urban griots use their oral practices as an outlet to speak against inequality and document such events. The term MC refers to “Masters of Ceremonies”. (Lecture 3/5) Essentially, the “ceremony” is known as the battle. In a battle, there is a cipher (the audience is in an enclosed circle), and two MCs in the middle, competing to see who is the best. An MC is a musical artist that ‘raps’ lyrics over a beat to create narratives about his/her experiences, both lived and imagined. (Lecture 3/5) To be the best, a MC must possess proficient skills in improvisation, call and response, and braggadocio. Battles are based on boasting (braggadocio) and are heavily supported by improvisation. The more information a rapper has about another, the more specific they can be in their verbal attack in the battle. (Lecture 3/5) For example, in 8 Mile starring Eminem, at the end of the movie, “Rabbit” knew a whole bunch of things about Papa Doc and basically stripped him down by attacking his ‘street cred’ and dissing him about going to a private school. Many of the time, battles are used to address “beefs” with other rappers; once again an example is the final battle in 8 Mile. On the other hand, there are ciphers that provide MCs to solely show their skills without the verbal attacks directly, like the BET Awards 2011 Ciphers. Even though many MCs lyrics are sometimes skewed, many of them memorize lineage, experiences, and the history of their people, (Lecture 3/5) and regurgitate their stories; making them griots. Many of their flows, beats, and lyrical styles are sampled and recycled in order to keep them “alive”.
ReplyDeleteThe term MC refers to “Master of Ceremonies”. The MC is a musical artist that “raps” lyrics, free styled or written, over a beat to create narratives about their experience, both lived and imagined (3/5). The MC, who used to support the DJ, is now dominating the hip-hop industry. This has not always been the case. MC and it’s art of storytelling goes back to African roots. Griots or Griottes are story tellers that are usually male who have memorized songs and stories that are passed down generation to generation. Most griots are oral historians and memorize the lineage, experiences and context. Some may even rely on free styling. This connection between African griots and modern day MC rappers is obvious. Griots are traditional storytellers, as well as MCs are today. MCs tell stories through their raps, and many rappers will include their experiences (both lived and imagined). In order for an MC to be able to beat a fellow rapper in a freestyle battle, a lot of knowledge has to be present because free styling is hard, and if you don’t know your history or current news, your flow may not be as powerful. This knowledge of history is very similar to the griots and how they are described as “oral historians”. The way a MC raps his/her lyrics and stories is the rapper’s “flow” Flow is lyrical style that is usually marked by cadence, content, and speed of delivery. The more fluent, clear, and rich content a rap has, the more “flow” you’ve got. The more flow a rapper has, the more swagger he/she has. Chanting phrases like “throw your hands in the air” initiate a call and response from the audience. It makes a rapper appear more confident, cool, and “swagged out”, especially if the rappers have flow. MCs are musical artists that are no different than any other artist in the Hip-hop industry. Every MC has their own original style that their fans recognize them for, much like graffiti artists. Graffiti artists have their own style and flavor, just like a MC does.
ReplyDeleteOne of the most intriguing aspects of Hip-hop is battling. No other form of music — or art — calls for verbal abuse of an opponent as the main objective of the sport. But while the object may be to prove street dominance over another battler by listing reasons why they are better it comes down to the audience to judge the winner. To do this an artist must have a flow that not only accentuates their linguistic skills, but also is superior to all challengers. In addition to needing these skills battlers must be able to come up with their lines on the fly as there is very little time to prepare for a battle. Once you enter the cipher it’s up to the rapper to show his audience that he is the best. This is done by not rapping to one’s opponent, but by appealing their lines to the crowd. Call and Response is one major factor in swaying the judges. Getting the audience involved allows for more interactive showing which can get the crowd on the side of one battler or another
ReplyDeleteThe MC, aka the Master of Ceremonies, is an artist that “raps” lyrics over a beat to create a narrative about their experiences, both lived and imagined (Lecture). A song from that shows this very well is Juicy by Notorious B.I.G. He is giving his experience of how he rose from the ghetto and poverty to being famous and living rich. These MCs who rap over beats can rap in two different fashions. One is to write down the words beforehand then perform as a script or to freestyle on the spot with no script to go from. The idea of MCing can be traced back to Griots, who are usually male storytellers who memorized songs passed down from previous generations (Lecture). Griots are mostly from Western Africa. Some key elements to rapping/MCing are battling and flow. A rappers flow is the style or way that they rap. In the Alim article, it says in regarding to flow “The key is that there must be something recognizable in the pattern of one’s timing, and it must be fresh and innovative to capture people’s attention” (551). As for battling, it is defined as a performance where MCs engage in a test of skills against another opponent (Lecture). The more info a rapper has on their opponent, the more specific their attack can be. A great example of this is in the movie 8 Mile. B-Rabbit enters a battle and destroys his opponent because he did his homework by gaining knowledge about his opponent. The battle for an MC is comparable to other elements of expression in hip hop because like graffiti or bboying, it is done on the spot with no script to go off of.
ReplyDeleteMC’S (or Masters of Ceremonies) are easily the most relatable element of Hip-hop. Even the first day of class when asked if anyone partakes in any Hip-hop activities, the most common one was MC’ing. This reliability is due to the fact that MC’s have their roots in African griot culture. MC’s typically tell stories with their lyrics, which are usually rhymed and spoken to over beats. This speaking over beats has its history in Jazz, Blues and many other forms of African-American music culture.
ReplyDeleteBattling is a common element in Hip-hop, and often MC’s partake in battles against other MC’s to show that they are the best of the best. These battles require much preparation and often MC’s come to the battles already knowing much about his or her future opponent (lecture 3/5). Whilst battling, MC’s partake in braggadocio, often slandering the opponent.
The figureheads of Hip-hop are the MC’s. Ask anyone something about Hip-hop and most likely they will think of names like Tupac, Jay-Z, Ice Cube, and Lil Wayne. Not surprisingly these are rappers, (another name for MC’s).
Being an MC is not an easy experience. One must be willing to put in the work to know how to battle, and also how to be lyrically creative enough to stay at the forefront of popularity. However, this hard work ultimately pays off as the MC is face of Hip-hop.
You can link that idea of an MC in hip hop to a griot, or West African storyteller. Their functions are very much the same in that both learn oral histories of people and pass those stories on, as well as entertain those who receive the stories. The stories passed down can be lived or even just myths. You have to educate yourself on what the rap is about to find out for yourself if the story is real or not.
ReplyDeleteOne of the most obvious ways to distinguish a good MC from a bad one is seeing how well they pick up knowledge and use it when improvising. Eminem shows how he is a good MC throughout the movie, “8 Mile.” Not only does he freestyle to the tune of “Sweet Home Alabama,” but he also participates in battles and uses information he learns that he knows the crowd will find interesting also to put down the other MC he is battling. The improvisation and storytelling relayed by the MC is connected with certain stylistic elements. One of these elements is call and response, which entertains the audience more as they get involved in the rap, too. MCs have figured out how essential call and response is to keeping up a good reputation. As Daniel and Mitherman said, “As Black American culture stresses commonality and group experientiality, the audience’s linguistic and paralinguistic responses are necessary to co-sign the power of the speaker’s rap or call” (Alim, 538-539). Braggaodcio, or boasting, is also a key element of a rap battle. It is another way for the MC to entertain the audience and keep up his reputation.
Battle is related to any element of hip hop just as it is related to MCing. The cipher is the stage for physical battles, such as battles between DJs, breakers, or MCs. Public space is the stage for graffiti artists.
A griot is traditionally an Aftrican story-teller who would recite history or other stories to the surrounding community (Dr. Hodges Persley, lecture). MC’s in hip-hop culture resemble griots because they “become living archives of history that connect the past to the present” (Dr. Hodges Persley, Blog Prompt). Yet, a modern MC is not merely telling his story but “draws of Afrodiasporic traditions, [like griots], popular culture, the vernacular of previous generations of Southern and Northern black folk, new and old technologies, and a whole lot of imagination” (Kelly, 150). One way this mode of the MC’s storytelling comes out is in “battle”, where one not only tells one’s own story but also negatively tells another’s story (“Best of Jin’s Rap Battles”, Youtube). Through this battling, similar to a grammar school brawl, an MC can lose or gain respect in the community whether or not the MC is actually benefitting that community (8 mile). Battling falls away from the griot’s traditional purpose of story-telling to preserve culture and becomes a mere rhetorical performance which moves the MC to a seemly higher pedestal of power or a more public recognition of linguistic girth (Alim on Hip-hop language). An MC engages in battling in order to gain respect, the chief end of the hip-hop man (Lil’Kim speaks on Nikki Minaj, Vimeo.com/12325775). In battling and raping an MC can use other elements in hip-hop like the music knowledge of the dj, the public stance of the graffiti artist, improvisation, and sampling to create a verbal expression of one’s own swagg’n myth (Bernard, blog 2/29).
ReplyDeleteIn the early stages of hip-hop, the MC (master of ceremonies) was once a complementary medium, exchanging with the DJ and the live audience (Lecture 3/5). Today, the MC is a focal point in hip-hop, typically taking the limelight while other aesthetics of hip-hop largely compliment an MC. Contemporary relevance of the MC/rapper would seem inevitable given its West African griot traditions, being that of predominantly male storytellers. It's hard to overlook the congruence of these griots with the present day MC's, being mostly male and certainly explaining the narratives of urban plight while expressing individuality. Furthermore, an MC's individuality may come from several forms of delivery in his/her rap. The tone, cadence, speed, and content can all attribute an MC to a certain style or even associate them with a certain geographical area. Robin Kelley would state, “rapping is used as a device to explain the raw “ruffneck” reality of urban life” (Forman Neal 145). Rapping and Mcing was also a territorial device often seen in the form of a cipher, or rap battle (3/5). These ciphers would showcase individual talent, usually by the art of freestyling, which relies on an arsenal of technique and improvisation. The ability to think on one's feet, comment on an opponent, and express individuality are requirements for a successful MC in a cipher space There is a wide range of MC's from many different areas, mindsets, and agendas that certainly promote the polyculturalism of hip-hop and culture around the world. Whether it be Mos Def's social conscious swagger, or the club crunk of Lil Jon, these varying styles all stem from a past of griot tradition and progression from a DJ sidekick to a headlining act.
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ReplyDeleteI have a lot of respect for MC’s and what they do. The definition of MC is, “A musical artist that raps lyrics over a beat to create narratives about his/her experience, both lived and imagined” (Lecture notes, Mar. 5). It amazes me when you listen to some artists and can hear there stories in such a poetic way. Nas is one rapper that comes to mind when I think of someone who could rap about such meaning in his life and what goes on around him. I really dislike when people say that hip-hop is just beats and gibberish. If these people actually listened to what some of these rappers are saying and how they go along with the beat, it would be a different story. This act of storytelling all started with the Griots. These are, “storytellers, usually male, who have memorized songs that have been passed down for generations” (Lecture notes, Mar. 5). Most of these people were from West Africa and griots have been passed down from generation to generation. This can be noticed in MCing today because some rappers will bring back old history and beat types in their songs. I feel it is an art form when you do get to the topic of battling. It is often useful to have information on your opponent’s background and the more you know the better. These rappers then can use this idea of griots because they can then tell a story about that person and it will help them to get ahead in the battle. This point can be seen in the movie 8 mile when Eminem goes blank on the stage and the next time he went on stage, his new opponent brought that up to try to get in his head. It is interesting when the text states, “On the flip side are authors who insist that rap music is fundamentally the authentic, unmediated voice of ghetto youth” (Foreman and Neal). This is a good point because it is pointed out how rap is an outlet for these young people to get their points across.
MC: Master of Ceremonies. I had never heard of this term before lecture on Monday, and I am now extremely fascinated by it. Like I have said before I am not familiar with all the aspects and dynamics of music, but I find myself beginning to change the music I listen to as each week passes. After watching the BET Awards 2011 MC Ciphers (which I had no idea what a cipher was previously), I am in love with the sound and tone of each video I have been watching. The flow each artist has is what sets them aside from their opponents. Even when artists sample other artist’s lyrics or rhythm, to me the one sampling it always tops it. With the artist knowing his type of flow and style, he knows what to sample and how to make it better than the original. Having a good flow, I think is more important than your lyrics. The only battle I have ever heard of was the battle between Mariah Carey and Eminem. I was pretty young when this came out, and of course I had no idea what was going on at the time, but now it’s so harsh. Battles amaze me; just to be able to let words flow and to know how to top the opponent to me would take a lot of talent. It’s just like comeback’s, but taken to the extreme. Also I think its ironic how I had never heard of lil’ Kim prior to this class, but Nikki Minaj; a whole different story. I don’t know if it’s because I am kind of music challenged, but I think it’s funny they have beef with each other. Sounds like girl drama to me.
ReplyDeleteThe article I enjoyed the most was, “Bring it to the Cypher”: Hip Hop Nation Language. Although I enjoyed it, I don’t really see how it correlates with Flow and Battle. One thing that I found myself laughing at was the fact that the “Fro” came into play in this article. Harold Cruz quotes, “Thus, once associated with feminine chic, the Afro suddenly became the symbol of black manhood, the death of “Negro” and birth of the militant, virulent Black man.” (pg. 142) I think it is hilarious that just by means of a hair style can change your image and give you so much more respect. The one thing my family always talks about their past is the hair style. Never the fashion, possessions, or “status”, but always the hair. I always thought this was meaningless, and could never figure out what the big deal was; this may be because hair is nothing to my generation. But after reading this article I completely get it. Times have changed so much, and come to find out it was always the little things that mattered; maybe as the generations continue to change, this will come back into play.
As we discussed in class flow is the “rappers’ lyrical style., usually marked by tone, cadence, content and speed of delivery.” (lecture 3/5). When I think of flow I automatically think of it as being a rapper’s identity through the emotion he or she produces through their execution of their performance and sound. We discussed how each artist eventually creates their own “flow” that can differentiate them from other rappers. This is also the way in which they relay their message to the audience. Their flow is what captures the audience’s attention. In H. Samy Alim’s article “Bring it to the Cypher”: Hip Hop Nation Language he discusses the meaning and purpose of one’s “flow” when he says, “Flow relates directly to narrative sequencing because it impacts the telling of the story to a great degree. Flow can be defined generally as the relationship between the beats and the rhymes in time.” (Forman and Neal 550). This description of “flow” also speaks to the African tradition of the griot or oral storyteller. We learned in class that the griot derives from African traditions and that the job of the griot is to pass down stories orally from generation to generation. The MC does this by telling the stories of their own lives or stories they have heard from others through their lyrics. In Robin D.G. Kelley’s article Looking for the “Real” Nigga he speaks on the importance of reporting your own stories. He uses the “underclass” as an example and explains how people have tried to come in and study their “culture” and end up reinforcing stereotypes. He says what is missing is the stories from the people who are being reported on. MCs do this. They report about their experiences whether it be good, bad, or just telling the story for the fun of it.
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