On Miss Rap Supreme

With the proper discussion and contextualization of Ego Trip's Miss Rap Supreme, a "reality show" on VH-1, it has the potential to be a helpful instrument to shed light on gender issues within hip hop culture. I found that the show provided important historical and cultural lessons woven into an entertaining format. Of course as with any "reality show" there has to be drama between the characters *I'm rolling my eyes* but I was able to get past it. While I had been hoping for more strong femcees with some outstanding lyrical content I think that the show is a good start in cultivating women who will be at the forefront of hip hop. Yo Yo and MC Search were good hosts and they brought in a wide array of rap legends,artists and producers. I hope it doesn't go the way of say Flavor of Love, and there were moments when it looked a bit like it, because I'm glad that it was out there to combat the negative images of women in hip hop.

How many countries can you name?

58

For me this was as much of a typing test as it was a geography quiz!! It was great brain-working fun!!

I Think Very Deeply

Most Hip Hop artists have expansive vocabularies and acute observation, questioning and comparison skills. They use complex imagery and metaphor to create the "raw-est" lyrics (to use the most overused root word at the middle school where I work). Rich description, narrative, analysis, evaluation- "on wax" if you will(that's old school ;)). The challenge is to usher students into metacognition with regard to these higher order thinking skills. They too are capable of such verbal linguistic prowess but when they do it they are unaware. Reading and analyzing song lyrics while drawing parallels to their own conversations/verbal interactions (positive and negative) will help them to be more deliberate about using and understanding more varied, sophisticated figurative language.

Here's a track, "The Grudge" by The EMCs that deals with childhood situations, emotional expression and has a narrative flow in a first person P.O.V. This song could also open up a character dicussion- Is it good to hold a grudge? What about revenge? What is the artists' perspective on it? Do you agree? Why?

***insert explicit lyrics warning here- dub out the curse words or use only select, "clean" excerpts for study.

http://www.ballerstatus.com/music/551/

Hip Hop Theme 3- Wise Up, Rise Up

In Honor of Black History Month

So much of where we are going as a nation, where we are as a (hip hop) generation hinges upon our knowledge and understanding of our history. There are great examples of people, historical figures who even today are changing the world. The more I learned about the struggle of our ancestors to combat oppression, injustice, racism, sexism, hatred in general, the more I was motivated to do the same, albeit in my own way, dealing with a different context, hoping that one day I might defeat the forces that continue to obstruct the hopes and dreams of people like me.

I question whether it was something that was naturally a part of my personality or was it something that I learned along the way. I am partial to the latter because it gives meaning to the work that I do now. I can get up and go to work if there is just that sliver of a chance that my influence might encourage my students to achieve at the highest levels, despite the difficulties and see the world as it is both full of detractions and full of opportunities, and to "be the change" that they want/need to see in the world.

Hip Hop Theme 2- Stealth Wealth

I remember the game we used to play sitting on the porch at my grandparents' house in Alabama, as well as in the car on road trips, "That's MY car, that's your car." Of course the clean, sharp luxury vehicle had to mine; the old, busted, broke-down hoopty had to be my sister's (or whoever else's that was with us). We wanted to have the freshest gear- no matter how trendy- and the newest, shiniest stuff because it meant you were rich. No matter how many times our mother told us that we were rich because we had our health and our family, that reasoning never really sunk in. It's amazing how the more things change the more they stay the same! My students still engage in similar behaviors; some are harmless pretending, while others seek to embarass and belittle. Ultimately, it boils down to a perception of wealth for them. I heard a few of them talking about another student's sneakers not being "real" and how certain people don't wear designer clothes or their designer labels don't "match." Yet some of their designer clothes are at the expense of a working phone or quality time with family because it takes multiple jobs for their single parent to afford the things the child needs as well as their wants.

In my 6th grade social studies classes last year I took 10 different images and asked the students to use either the word rich or poor to describe the photo. This word association was then cross-checked with the actual significance of the photo.

Here are some of the photos I used. In each case, the photo represents wealth one way or another. So when students associate rich or poor with a photo, the key is to ask WHY? That is often where the "lightbulbs" go off!!

This started a discussion about how we think of wealth as material wealth. Most kids know or at least have heard that there is more to being rich than having $$, but if they never truly examine their own judgements (now) the "you'll understand when you grow up" part of it all may never take hold. While they are inundated with images of celebrities who have all of their money on display (in some rap videos quite literally, even though it usually isn't the artist's money), as I felt we were as children too, what is the alternative to balance it out? For me it was my parents and teachers and other adults who weren't exactly filthy, stinkin' rich, but still had nice stuff, went to amazing places and did big things.

Now that I think about it, most of the people I know with massive net worth do not wear it and flash it for all to see. You would not (necessarily) be able to tell how much money they have by looking at them or what they drive... maybe you could if you knew where they lived... but kids have already internalized that money is power (all I can hear is Lil' Kim "first you get the #$%&* money, then you get the @#$%$^& power... @#$^%&*& respect you). So to them you can have power if it seems like you have money. On one hand, I do not want to discourage them from earning money but on the other, I think reinforcing their desire to (somehow) become a millionaire without a recognition of how they are already wealthy would be reckless and short-sighted. Now this sounds idealistic but everyone is rich in one way or another, and I feel that if we can identify our wealth we can also strive to attain even greater (read: meaningful) wealth whether tangible or not.

Education is my currency. It can never be taken away and it continues to grow exponentially. Its value is immeasurable and its impact is revolutionary.

The headline caught my eye... but not for the right reasons!

...but the article did not have the same tone I thought the title implied.... (as in "blame"). It hearkened me back to claims that (certain types of) music caused people to kill others and/or themselves or do other unspeakable acts... but it wasn't about that... but it still got me to thinking about the labels placed on music to prevent young people from hearing their explicit content- allegedly so as not to corrupt them- that have historically leapt off the shelves in spite of or perhaps as a consequence of the label... and then of course my mind went to get all defensive... and then I read the article...

Woman's seizures caused by listening to hip-hop artist
on the front page of MSN.com

Sean Paul’s songs sparked woman’s seizures
Post-brain surgery, the 25-year-old can safely listen to her favorite artist
title of the article after clicking the link


Associated Press
updated 8:53 p.m. ET, Thurs., Jan. 17, 2008

GARDEN CITY, N.Y. - Now that surgeons have operated on Stacey Gayle's brain, her favorite musician no longer makes her ill. Four years after being diagnosed with epilepsy, Gayle recently underwent brain surgery at Long Island Jewish Medical Center to cure a rare condition known as musicogenic epilepsy.

Gayle, a 25-year-old customer service employee at a bank in Alberta, Canada, was suffering as many as 10 grand mal seizures a day, despite being treated with medications designed to control them. The condition became so bad she eventually had to quit her job and leave the church choir where she sang.

Eighteen months ago, she began to suspect that music by reggae and hip-hop artist Sean Paul was triggering some of her seizures. She recalled being at a barbecue and collapsing when the Jamaican rapper's music started playing, and then remembered having a previous seizure when she heard his music.

Her suspicions were confirmed on a visit to the Long Island medical center last February, when she played Paul's hit "Temperature" on her iPod for doctors. Soon after, she suffered three seizures.

"Being that the seizures could be triggered by the music, this was a very interesting opportunity to study Stacey's brain," said Dr. Ashesh Mehta, the hospital's director of epilepsy surgery.
During the first surgery, doctors implanted more than 100 electrodes in the right side of her brain to pinpoint the abnormal area of her brain.

The surgeons followed that procedure with a second surgery to remove the electrodes, along with parts of her brain suspected of causing the seizures.

"We used the latest techniques, including image guidance, to pinpoint the areas of abnormality, and the operating microscope to perform the procedure during a four-hour operation," Mehta said.

Within three days, the woman was released from the hospital and has not experienced a seizure since.

"I always live each day like it's my last," she said. "I want to show others that life does not end at epilepsy. I know I have what it takes to succeed."

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

This is a story of inspiration on two levels. First off, Stacey Gayle is successfully living with epilepsy. Secondly, her love of Sean Paul who is a reggae artist (with hip hop flair ;) noted in the title) was the key to her treatment... music gave her (and her doctors) the information needed to hope for and realize a better life. I couldn't have gotten that from the title at all!! But I wonder how many people saw it, had the same thoughts I did, but didn't read the article...