Hi,I'm Ashley! I'm at junior here at Simmons and I can easily say one of my favorite hobbies is music-listening to new songs, going to concerts, and comparing old and new musicians. My blog will be focusing on lyrics in popular rap and hip hop songs. Hip Hop is a genre always climbing to the top of the charts, constantly reinventing itself.
I want to find out what we get out of our music. What messages come out of the songs we listen to on our ipods, radios, MTV? So if you like hip hop stay tuned...
Posted: September 14, 2009 12:09 am | 0 comments
Tags: hip hop, lyrics, messages, music, rap
So I figured I’d dive into some lyrics from the new Jay-Z Blueprint 3 album. His album is at the top of the charts and he recently performed this one at the MTV music awards on September 13th.
I’m talking about the Empire State of Mind song with Alicia Keys. If you saw his MTV performance of the song, that should’ve clued you in on how important the lyrics were to that night. With a New York background of the 9/11 memorial beam image representing the twin towers, I started to feel how powerful the song was.
Jay-Z gives you a taste of the New York nightlife with lyrics of, “welcome to the melting pot, corners where we selling rocks…yellow cap, gypsy hat, dollar cab, holla back…”. His ego does seem to take over the introduction when he reminds us of his white lexus and what he believes to be his Sinatra-type status.
But what really struck me was the chorus lyrics where Alicia Keys beautifully sings, “ Concrete jungle where dreams are made of, There’s nothing you can’t ... more »
Posted: September 21, 2009 12:18 am | 1 comment
Tags: hip hop, lyrics, music, rap
So this portion of my blog will be devoted to what I feel is the worst in Hip hop/rap lyrics right now. If you feel there are songs more tasteless then what I'm finding please let me know!!
I thought I would start the bad off with the "You're A Jerk Song" by the New Boys. Ugh, I'm not going to lie I hate this song. The lyrics are so repetitive and annoying with the, " You're A Jerk, I know" making up most of the song's lyrical content.
Not to mention the total belittling of the female voice that's supposed to be the nagging hook of the song. " She was still half dressed" and " talkin' some little stuff while she textn"- that to me deserves a big LAME. There's a real lack of substance but what worries me is this 'song' is attracting the younger generation. Sure the 90s kids grew up with Eminem, but he sounded like he was supposed to be for the older kids. New Boys dress like their five and sound like they are as well.
Maybe I'm missing something, if you disagree please fill me in bec ... more »
Posted: October 5, 2009 1:08 pm | 0 comments
Tags: hip hop, lyrics, music, rap
So I’ve been trying to find the latest rap beef lyrics for my ‘Ugly’ segment of hip hop. There’s been some tension between G-Unit and Rick Ross, but no lyrics worthy enough for me to really break down. I’d much rather discuss the awesomeness that was VH1’s Hip hop Honors 25th Anniversary Celebration of Def Jam. First off, I love Def Jam-Method Man, Redman, LL Cool- the whole nine yards. But what a lineup the show had, some of the greatest MCs of the past and present, Public Enemy and Eminem- now I had to write something on the show.
Hip Hop Honors is more about celebrating the classics, the best lyrics in Hip Hop to date. Not necessarily underground, but some serious lyrical genius. I just couldn’t decide what song to focus on since I wasn’t going for the current stuff, so I went for the performance that gave the most hype….
I’m going to say DMX’s performance of “Party Up in Here” wins. Simply because his energy has always been crazy, and he’s been out of t ... more »
Posted: October 15, 2009 11:03 am | 0 comments
Tags: hip hop, lyrics, music
Yes it’s true. Lil Jon is set to release his long-awaited album, Crunk Rock in early 2010. Whether you love or hate him, he is back with his raunchy club going hooks that made his “What!” and “Okay!” as famous as Flavor Flav’s “Yeah boy!”.” “Killas” is set to be included in the album, and features The Game and Ice Cube.
The lyrical focus on this song seems to be society trying to change the rawness of hip hop. Jon certainly makes it clear he is all about the violence, materialism, and sexism strewn throughout the “Crunk” he created to amp up the Southern club scene.
As of right now, The Game’s lyrics in the song include, “Dear Mr. President Barack Obama, Right after you catch Osama, Tell Mr. Waso, Please let Oprah know that I won't ever stop sayin’ b**** and h**” . And Ice Cube’s bars include, “Remember a world without hip hop, Lord used to believe these b**** cops.”
These are extremely strong statements that need a lot of feedback from hip h ... more »
Posted: October 27, 2009 1:08 am | 0 comments
Tags: hip hop, lyrics, music, rap
After Jay-Z’s backlash on the autotune takeover of main stream hip hop, Redman announced on Vibe magazine website that he would be using the device for his upcoming alter-ego album, Reggie Noble 9 ½ . I have mixed feelings about the autotune. Snoop Dogg’s “Sensual Seduction” worked, but some of the T-Pain songs floating around now just doesn’t cut it. Redman clarifies to Vibe that the Reggie Noble 9 ½ album is “ not Redman…”, and that his follow up album to 1996’s Muddy Waters a.k.a Muddy Waters II will be out sometime next year, making it less obnoxious that one of my fav lyrical-slamming rappers has decided to pick up the robot-pop-making device.
link to article on new album:
http://www.vibe.com/search.html?search=Reggie+Noble
Posted: November 12, 2009 1:16 am | 0 comments
Tags: hip hop, lyrics, music, rap
Amidst all the controversy surrounding the 2009 incident with Chris Brown, Rihanna has dropped her latest single,"Russian Roulette" off her new album, “Rated R”. Based on the album cover alone, Rihanna makes it clear her new single and image will address some raw subject matter. I wanted to look at the latest single to see what kind of lyrics she and co-writer Neyo had in store for fans.
First off, the song is about a deadly game/relationship(certainly sounds like life imitating art) with a gun and a man who, “says close your eyes.” The song describes anxiety, fear, and the “scary thought/that he’s (the man) here means he’s never lost “(has never lost the deadly game).”
And by the chorus lines that conclude the song, listeners get, “ As my life flashes before my eyes/I’m wondering will I ever see another sunrise/So many won’t get the chance to say goodbye/But it’s too late to pick up the value of my life.” This could be interpreted as the singer/narrator of ... more »
Posted: November 15, 2009 5:00 pm | 0 comments
Tags: hip hop, hip hop...the good, lyrics, music, rap, the bad, the ugly
