Hip Hop Culture of African Americans
“Hip hop is more than music; it is a culture. It is bigger than hit songs”. The words of Nelly are a genuine reflection of the reason behind the great attention and value that is given to hip-hop music, especially by the black community. The Africa American community has identified with hip-hop music as a part of their culture since time memorial. Ideally, these people are believed to be the creators of Hip-hop music. Other than that, emotional attachment in the lyrics of most of the songs that most Hip-hop music contains, the voice, projection, and the power that comes from these voices are the reasons that make the music appealing and unique in the musical industry. Through the mini-ethnographic analysis, this paper will evaluate the role and function of the voice in the construction of Hip-hop music that is a massive culture for African Americans. Ideally, making sense of the hip-hop voice in the development of African American societies can contribute to the understanding of the mini-ethnographic studies and the establishment of the African American hip-hop culture.
Hip-hop is a significant aspect of the culture of African Americans. One factor that makes this music different is the articulations, the rhythms, and the tonal variation that is heard when singing the song. Ideally, this community values this music since it not only defines them as a people, but it is a significant talent that most of these people have nurtured and can rise in the social ladder using its pursuit. I recently watched a show, Rhythm flow, in which the main aim was to promote the talent of upcoming talented artists by giving them resources and platforms to perform to live audiences and compose different songs. Since time was limited, most of the artist would write songs about their experiences in life. With each person having his or her voice, these people demonstrated the power through the lyrics of their songs. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
The size of the crowd the Rhythm flow attracted also gives evidence of the nature of the music in the aspect that it met the aesthetic needs of the audience. Johnsons explains that “The sonic development of Broadway musical has in part come about due to certain vocal pressures” (475). From the incorporation of musical instruments that enhance the rhythmic flow of the musical performances, it is evident that other than just sharing their music and message to the people, they aim at doing so while entertaining the audiences. Through specific vocals, the musicians can single-handedly reach a particular audience through the story and motivate the person in some way. In the Rhythm Flow, there was an artist by the name, Flawless Real Talk, who sings a song about Mama I made it. This song was deemed emotional following the fact that its lyrics were addressed to the family, and yet it reflected so much about the African American society. Through the tonal variations and the confidence that could be heard in his voice as he has sung, he managed to appeal to most of the audience, and people realized just how important it is to make their mothers proud and also the importance of responsibility. Through keen observation, a viewer could see how emotional most people in the audience were. In other words, the voice can impact on the emotions of the listeners and can even contribute to the creation of a revolution. Conducting this research was enlightening since I learned more than I had known about Hip-hop music, and this has given me a clear picture of the culture of African America when it comes to music.
Watching Rhythm Flow created interest in me and urged me to dig deeper into the Hip-hop culture of the African Americans in contemporary society. From this research, I learned that Hip-hop for African America was respected and valued a lot. Similar to the slavery period, it is through this platform that these people get the chance to voice their thoughts and ideas about their lives and experiences. Another issue that I came to notice is that music is the way of life to the African Americans, and it does not limit any age as people sing to the end of the road. Following these aspects of culture, the thriving black artist such as Jay Zee has opened up music and record labels in which they support and nurture young talent who will continue the hip-hop legacy to the coming generations. Roc Nation, for instance, is a black record label that has allowed most artist to share their stories with the outside world through music. In these platforms, music has become a revolutionary tool that people use to appeal for action from their audiences through its ability to cover a variety of topics. Fleeger supports that “audible signifiers of gender, class, and race in the voices that give life to Hollywood’s robot make the audience comfortable” (421). One common theme that I noticed most of the songs had was the struggle on the streets. Ideally, this community finds it hard to make ends meet since the unemployment rate is also high. Through music, however, most of these people meet their financial needs, and they also get a platform to express themselves.
My research also opened my eyes to appreciate the value that is given to music and particularly voice in the African American culture. Ideally, the influence of the use of voice in attracting listeners is an essential aspect among these people, and it has extended to the Hollywood in which they also take an active role. Signorello informs that “behavioral measurement of charismatic voice has led to a better understanding of many components that charismatic leaders use to influence their leaders” (167). Through watching the films that are acted by the Black characters, it is common to find these people singing at some point in their performance. Ideally, if they are not singing, as they practice their vocals, the background music is usually a hip-hop song that reflects their culture. From this, a person gets to learn that music, particularly hip-hop, is an essential aspect of the Black culture. The use of an interestingly sweet voice in trying to appeal to the listeners is a common aspect of the black culture. Voice has the power to determine if a person is a leader or not. In musical concerts, for instance, most leaders of the crew can be identified through the projection of their voices and the parts that they sing solos. In other cases, however, the leaders are determined by their personality and the authoritative aspect in their views. A leader can be identified by the projection of the voice, including the authority that the person commands as he or she talks.
From my ethnographic research, I realized that the Africana Americans can sing in very high notes. Singing in high pitch is something that most musicians have not been able to do due to the strain that is felt at the throat of the singer. Even so, most of the singers of African American descent have been able to sing the songs at this pitch. Also, their incorporation of the tonal variation in the music they sing has been effective in enhancing the aesthetic aspect of their music. Ideally, most concepts of the music have been described as creative and impactful on the listeners. High pitch singing tends to be impressive to the listeners since it comes with an unexpected effort that most people will respect and appreciate. Ideally, the individuals in the society who know and love music can attest to the fact that singing in high pitch is not comfortable for most people. Singing is an art that not most people can identify with. Even so, the African American community have been known to sing to the point that even the people who do not love music get attracted to the platforms. Other than the lyrics of the music, these people find vocals and power to appeal to their audiences through the voices they use to communicate with people. Harkness explains that “their voices used to sound passionate and sad, but now they don’t. Even when they sang happy and cheerful voices, there used to be sadness in their voices” (31). These people can sing and create an expression of the emotions that they are feeling through the voice. After overcoming their past dark history, African Americans gradually change the mood of their songs to reflect joy and happiness, and they send the same impact on the listeners of their songs.
Hip-hop presently acts as the most sold and listened to music due to the positive energy that is spread through these songs. Unlike before, when the lyrics and the voices of the artist sounded threatening and violent, the music in contemporary times has incorporated aspects of positivity, such as encouraging hard work and promoting peace. Through the protection of the voice and the vigor at which the messages are shared, the listeners learn that the world is harsh and no one has any option other than becoming successful in life. Through the determination that is felt in this voice, the ears that listen to this music are also elevated to work hard and face whatever they are doing with the same kind of motivation and determination. Johnson supports that “programs are designed to meet the industry standards and the audience expectations” (479). Research has it that the contemporary audience aims at gaining some informative and motivation from listening to music. Taking advantage of the available viewers, the African American musicians are gradually feeding the audience with the right amount of knowledge that they desire and that music, which leaves them feeling powerful and influential.
Other than voice is the center of any musical performance, sound is also used to determine mood and emotional effect that the listeners are likely to get from the performance. Depending on the storyline of the song, the voice can tell if it is a happy song or of it is a sad song. Using actions and facial expression as the complements, the voice that is used in singing a song has a lot to do with the audience’s response to the song. Weidman explains that “One is the idea of voice as the guarantor of truth and self-presence, from which springs the familiar idea that the voice expresses self and identity and that agency consists in having a voice” (39). I noticed that most of the African Americans have more stories to share through their voices. I was watching a show that is held by the African American community called Wild n Out. Ideally, these people find fun through practicing their talent of raping, and they do freestyles. On this show, an individual gets to learn that the use of voice determines the joke, as well as the fun that the audience understands. Some of them even mimic musicians and other important person’s in their society, and they make fun of it. Arguably, this society has established a way of having fun through their music, and instead of dwelling on their dark history, they have managed to grow through Hip-hop music. This concept is shared within society since it is a way of building the community positively. This show creates a platform in which these people can talk about the events that occur in society and express their thoughts and opinions on sensitive matters such as races and color and, at the same time, find fun in it. What determines the difference in the views of different people on such issues as gender and race is the voice. Ideally, the impression and the tone of the voice that a person uses in addressing an issue has a lot to tell about the person’s beliefs and opinions about the subject.
Conclusively, the concept of voice has given the African American community a way of identification. Ideally, through music, these community has directed the energy, passion, and dedication to the production of music, and through this, they have found a way of living. These people have also gained popularity through this form of music in that they have invested in offering support to the youths who are interested in the continuity of the music. The voice that most of them use in the performance of this music is a reflection of why they attract large audiences in their performances. The vigor and the power that is felt from the projection of their voices is an indication that most of these artists know their audience. Most importantly, the audience is attracted by the lyrics of these songs since most of them are telling stories that are interesting while others are encouraging and motivating to the listeners.
Works Cited
Fleeger, Jennifer. “When Robots Speak on Screen: Imagining the Cinematical Ideal,” in The Oxford Handbook of Voice Studies, eds. Nina Sun Eidsheim, and Katherine Meizel (Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press),419-436.
Harkness, Nicholas. “Transformations of Voice,” in Songs of Seoul: an ethnography of voice and Voicing in Christian South Korea (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2014), 29-49.
Johnson, Jake. “Building the Broadway Voice,” in The Oxford Handbook of Voice Studies, eds. Nina Sun Eidsheim, and Katherine Meizel (Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press), 475-491.
Signorello, Rosario. “Voice in Charismatic Leadership, “in The Oxford Handbook of Voice Studies, eds. Nina Sun Eidsheim, and Katherine Meizel (Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press), 165-189.
Stoever, Jennifer Lynn. “Introduction: The Sonic Color Line and the Listening Ear,” in The Sonic Color Line: Race & the Cultural Politics of Listening (New York: New York University Press, 2016), 1-28.
Weidman, Amanda. “Anthropology and voice.” Annual Review of Anthropology 43 (2014): 37-51.