Welcome back to Parsons Playlists! Today’s playlist is curated by Music Library student assistant Nikoloz (class of 2026) and features some hip hop selections.
Editor’s note:Arachnophonia is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.
This special edition of Arachnophonia features contributions from students in Dr. Joanna Love‘s MUS 235 class: “I Want My MTV: Music Video and the Transformation of the Music Industry.”
In Rap Music and Street Consciousness, Cheryl L. Keyes tracks the development of rap music in the United States from the early 1970s to 2000. Employing the perspectives of ethnomusicology, folklore, and cultural studies, Keyes brings in views from a variety of critics. The book is divided into two parts. Part 1 explores the sociocultural history and aesthetics of rap music. Part 2 provides critical perspectives of rap and explores the representation of rap in popular culture.
Keyes details the start of hip-hop and rap as a youth movement that evolved in the Bronx, New York, in the early 1970s. She defines rap music as a “musical form the makes use of rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular, which is recited or loosely chanted over a musical soundtrack” (1). In its beginnings, the movement was comprised of disc jockeys, emcees, break-dancers, graffiti writers, and style of urban street culture. In her research, Keyes focuses on disc jockeys and emcees. Hip-hop began with the mixing of pre-recorded hits on two turntables and as it became more competitive, artists started to hire MCs to do vocals over the tracks. The rhythmic aspects of hip-hop caught people’s attention and brought this new style into mainstream media. “Rapper’s Delight” (1979) by Sugarhill Gang became a commercial hit and catalyzed rap’s entry into the popular music industry. By the late 1980s, rap had become a billion dollar enterprise.
With commercial success came harsh criticism and controversy. Many critics often saw rap and violence as synonymous. The media and the right-wing politics of the 1980s amplified the perceived negativity surrounding rap and hip-hop. Ronald Reagan’s rhetoric and ideas spurred division between black and white communities and these sentiments were reflected in the media’s portrayal of African American and Latino youth communities as fraught with violence, crime, and drugs. Rap emerged to combat the negative narrative being placed unfairly upon these communities. Attacks on rap continued, as gangsta rap particularly came under censorship. Critics disputed the artistry of rap; some questioning the sampling of musical tracks rather than the creation of newly inspired works. In Keyes’ work, she situates rap and hip-hop within the context of urban street culture. She defines ‘streets’ as “a subculture of the urban milieu that operates by its own rules, economics, lifestyle, language, and aesthetics” (6). ( A deep understanding of street culture is needed, she states, to mold the discussion of rap and hip-hop.)
Chapter 8, “Visualizing Beats and Rhymes,” will prove most valuable for my individual research. Keyes briefly starts out the chapter discussing how music videos are used as marketing and advertising tools for artists. They serve as a platform for artists to re-envision their music. The first part of the chapter, which I will draw some useful information from, provides a model for analyzing how black youth culture is encoded in rap videos. The second part of the chapter details the video-making process from an interview with director and producer J. Kevin Swain.
In Chapter 8, Keyes introduces the idea of iconic memory, which she defines as “the referencing of place, historical events, and music familiar to hip-hop viewers” (211) and says is unique to rap. Key aspects of iconic memory include visualization of “illustration, amplification, and disjuncture” (212). She focuses some of her discussion on gangsta rap music videos in particular, which is useful since I will be analyzing N.W.A, whose music classifies as gangsta rap. Keyes notes how gangsta rap music videos tried to capture the reality of life in the hood, focusing heavily on the relationship between black youth and the police. Although some critics say N.W.A glorifies violence — which is the reason MTV actually refused to air the “Straight Outta Compton” music video initially — rappers argue that it simply depicts the harassment young black men experience in their everyday reality. She quotes Ice Cube, a member of N.W.A. saying “‘We deal with reality; violence is reality’” (216). “Fuck tha Police” and “100 Miles And Runnin’” were also direct references to police harassment and the repression in young black communities. An important point is how the ‘streets’ influence rap music videos. In the introduction, Keyes notes how video director Hype Williams said that urban street culture informs his directing. “‘The ‘streets’ reflect in all that I do; the camera [lens] is an extension of that’ (1995)” (5). This idea, along with her idea of iconic memory will help shape my discussion when analyzing “100 Miles And Runnin’” and other N.W.A. music videos.
Hype Williams, a prominent rap music video director
Although Chapter 8 aids in my specific analysis of N.W.A.’s music videos, other chapters in the book can provide me, and other researchers, with more contextual context and historical discussion. For example, in Chapter 4, “Expanding Frontiers: Rap Music, 1990-2000,” Keyes discusses censorship of gangsta rap and the wave of concern over First Amendment rights. Also, in Chapter 6, “Issues, Conflicts, and Conspiracies: The Hip-Hop Nation at the Crossroad,” Keyes’ discussion of how materialism plays a role in shaping hip-hop culture will be valuable in my analysis.
N.W.A.’s “100 Miles And Runnin'” music video
As Keyes describes herself, the “nature of this work” is “multifaceted” (13). She was a university student when she began her research and explored aspects of rap and hip-hop by bringing in the voices of critics and artists alike. While other works could perhaps provide a more detailed look at specific topics, Keyes offers a comprehensive base for further research into the musical, visual, cultural, and social aspects of rap and hip-hop. Further, the book contains a “Glossary of Common Rap Music Terms” toward the end. This tool can be helpful to anyone studying the genre.
Author of “Rap Music and Street Consciousness,” Cheryl Keyes
Keyes herself is a black, female researcher who is an outsider in the music industry. In the introduction to this book, she notes how her position as an outsider — and an insider because of her race and gender at times — helped frame her research and fieldwork. By disclosing the positive and negative ways her information gathering was affected by how she was perceived by those in the music industry, Keyes gives an honest account and recognizes her work’s strengths and limits.
Editor’s note:Arachnophonia is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.
This special edition of Arachnophonia features contributions from students in Dr. Joanna Love‘s MUS 235 class: “I Want My MTV: Music Video and the Transformation of the Music Industry.”
“‘Let Me Ride’: Gangsta Rap’s Drive into the Popular Mainstream” is the third chapter in Loren Kajikawa’s book Sounding Race in Rap Songs. The chapter focuses on how lyrics, imagery, and sound worked in tandem in LA-based gangsta rap. Kajikawa compares Dr. Dre’s work with gangsta group N.W.A. with singles from his solo career to identify the changes in sound, production, and aesthetic choices that allude to different ideas about race and politics.
Kajikawa beings the chapter by quoting Robin D. G. Kelley’s thoughts on the badass attitude emulated by rappers, especially during the Los Angeles Uprising in 1992. He explains that the purpose of inflating their personalities for being violent trouble makers, rappers were able to stand up to the powers and challenges that were oppressing them. This confidence allowed rappers to comment on issues such as police brutality, racial profiling, poverty, and the criminalization of black youth. With this in mind, Kajikawa hones in specifically on the aesthetic changes in Dr. Dre’s music and videos to see the development of such critiques.
Kajikawa quotes Murray Forman to explain that “rappers often cultivate and aura of authenticity tied to their respective ‘hoods.” N.W.A. does this with Compton, California to reflect the experience of the black community in LA. Kajikawa states that the conditions of the neighborhood N.W.A. identifies with offers insight into the decisions the group made in the making of their music and videos. From factories closing and laying off employees in the 60s, to rapid population increases in the 70s, to deindustrialization, LA was incredibly vulnerable and enabled by the mobility of capital. With the rise of the automobile industry and the construction of the freeway system, the excitement of newly accessible opportunities hid the isolation and dilapidation of poorer LA neighborhoods, like Compton. As a result, gangsta rap drew inspiration form the crime, violence, underground drug trade, and overall chaos in their community. These issues lead to an aggressive response by the LAPD, who sought to control the violence and sale of drugs with tactics such as search-and-seizure round ups and intimidation. N.W.A.’s adoption of the gangsta persona in their music served as an outlet to use the system that was working against them to make money.
After establishing the roots and influences of N.W.A. and gangsta rap in general, Kajikawa transitions to more of a musical analysis of Dr. Dre’s work with and without N.W.A. In the song “Straight Outta Compton,” Dr. Dre samples a backbeat from the Winstons’ and includes a syncopated snare and bass loop that sounds similar to the commonly sampled “Funky Drummer” by James Brown. Dre includes numerous repeating sounds, 16-count hi-hats, and various instruments like guitar and a horn drone. Though some of the sounds appear to be sampled, Dr. Dre preferred to have studio musicians recreate preexisting parts of songs to allow him more control over the tracks.
Overall, Dre’s production of the song results in a punchy and staccato sound with a noisy beat. The instrumentation, combined with the inclusion of nonmusical sounds like gunshots, sirens, and screeching tires. reflects the lyrics extremely well, as the group raps about the violence and injustices they have experienced in Compton. The music video adds another layer of intensity to the song, matching the beat with jump cuts and shocking imagery. The video depicts the daily struggles of the members of N.W.A. and the black community in Compton in general, highlighting the LAPD’s harsh tactics. Shortly after the release of N.W.A.’s second album in 1991, Dr. Dre split from the group to focus on his solo career, which lead to a change in his sound.
Dr. Dre’s solo album, The Chronic, was released in 1992. Kajikawa notes the harsh shift (and dismissal) of Dre’s past music with N.W.A. Dre openly critiques his former partners in a way to prove his authenticity over theirs. Kajikawa uses “Nuthin’ But A ‘G’ Thang” and “Let Me Ride” to illustrate the changes in sound and production that Dr. Dre implemented. When considering the musical style and visuals of the accompanying videos, there is an obvious shift away from the violent struggles of life in Compton and a focus on the lifestyle and celebration of freedom and mobility. However, Kajikawa notes that the change in tone are found primarily in the music and imagery, as the lyrics still touch on a lot of the same themes. Ultimately, Dr. Dre’s solo album illustrates his success and momentum in society in a way that allowed listeners/viewers to identify with it.
Musically, Dr. Dre’s solo work took on the style of G-Funk, a term adopted from George Clinton’s P-Funk collective. This “freaky” sound drew inspiration from Leon Haywood’s “I Wanna Do Something Freaky To You,” which included a chiller groove and distorted guitar. Dr. Dre recreated (not sampled) the relaxed groove to loop in “Nuthin’ But A ‘G’ Thang.” By adding more percussion, the song lends itself to a danceable feel, which may have helped widen Dr. Dre’s audience. Additionally, Dre often used a Minimoog synthesizer (see photo). Since the use of synthesizers was huge in New Wave and pop music at the time, his music was likely able to transcend demographic lines. The delivery of the vocals in both “Let Me Ride” and “Nuthin’ But A ‘G’ Thang” are also drastically different, departing from the shouting of lyrics heard in N.W.A.’s music to a more conversational and sensual type of rapping. By adapting gangsta rap into “gangsta cool,” Dr. Dre also opened the door to radio play for his music.
Visually, Dr. Dre presents himself to be in a much different position than he was when he released music with N.W.A. In “Let Me Ride,” he illustrates his success by cruising around LA in a convertible, as opposed to being on foot. Instead of tense jump cuts, the video features fades in and out, matching the relaxed nature of the beat. Though some critics claim that The Chronic depoliticized gangsta rap in some ways, Dre definitely knew how to produce music that audiences would want to listen to.
In both eras, it is clear that Dr. Dre signifies different musicians and relevant cultural topics in his music via sampling and his lyrics. I found this source extremely helpful in gaining a better understanding of the regional history of rap, as well as the influences that shaped the nature of the lyrics and style heard in much of the rap music during the 80s and 90s. My paper aims to compare the ways in which different rappers have used music and videos to comment on issues surrounding racism, and this chapter offered a musical analysis that will help me better analyze the musical elements of other rap songs. Additionally, learning more about how Dr. Dre recreated songs as opposed to sampling straight from the track furthered my knowledge regarding how new artists pull from older artists to create something with a deeper meaning. Sampling continues to be a huge part of rap music today, so knowing more about the process and intentionality of it all is significant in understanding why certain samples are included in songs. Ultimately, I believe this source could help students looking to establish a deeper understanding of the musical styles and aesthetic choices of gangsta rap, as well as help students learn more about the significance of these deliberate choices.
