"Most rap provides a description as well as a means of coping with the social and political oppression of African-Americans face in the United States."

As we head into the new millennium, hip-hop has taken America's pop culture by storm. At the forefront of the music industry, rap, a genre of hip-hop culture, has accumulated worldwide recognition for its lyrical ingenuity intertwined with its melodical backgrounds and creative beats. Its context is frequently lost between the profits generated and the negative lifestyles it glorifies, therefore many people look past its true significance within the African-American community. Given the historical significance of music in the African-American, as well as lyrics, rap is seen as a form of communication among the black youth of America. Certain artists, such as TuPac Shakur and Lauryn Hill, are known for their ability to create bonds between their community to descriptive lyrics. In fact, most rap provides a description as well as a means of coping with social and political oppression African-Americans face in the United States.

Rap, like much of African-American music, is characterized by the use of beats, rhythms, and lyrics can be traced back to African tribal communities. A griot was an African storyteller. He related his tribe's history through a story, which was accompanied by rhythmic beats. Since history was passed down orally in African culture, much of it was lost with the detrimental African slave trade. As tribes were broken apart, so was their history, but the function of rhythm, beats, and lyrics remained the same.

Sometimes music was the only form of communication between slaves during their time of captivity. It is important to recognize that, "the second feature common to all traditional West African music is that it serves an important social function. As one writer puts it, music acts a social glue', binding the people together as a group", when looking at the music of slaves in the

United States (Hebdige 30). Since the drum had been prohibited by the slavemasters, song was often the only means to convey their daily frustrations. Clarence Lusane, ajournalist for the highly distinguished journal, The Black Scholar says it best: "From the moment Harriet Tubman sang 'steal away' to signal runaway slaves that it was time to flee, music has been not only a weapon of African American resistance to racism, but part of the African American strategic arsenal of group consciousness." Not only was song an expression of the continual distresses of enslavement, but it was also an alert to the dangers of an oppressive society. Throughout time, music has played an instrumental part in uniting African-Americans against the notion of "Divide and Conquer." ("Divide and Conquer" is the term used to describe the destruction of Africa and its peoples.) Over the last three decades, African-Americans have used rap as an expression of their disappointment in America's treatment of the people who built this country.

One of the reasons rap was created in the early 1980's,was because many African-Americans were, "Denied opportunity for more formal music training and access to instruments due to Reagan-era budget cuts in education and school music programs, [so] turntables became instruments and lyrical acrobatics became a cultural outlet" (Lusane 38). Black children with no money for private training reverted back to an old tradition of entertaining themselves. In his book Die Nigger Die, H. Rap Brown describes how he obtained the name "Rap.". As a young adult, he and his friends would stand on the street corner and play a game called The Dozens. In this game the competitor would try to lyrically dismantle his opponent by rhyming words to make fun of the opponent's mother. The crowd would stand around the two competitors and the winner was determined by the reaction of the crowd. Another game that was played was called

"Signifying" which was a one-on-one lyrical contest and made an effort not to involve anyone's family. This type of rhyming turned into a form of musical expression when the music cuts were made in the public school system.

The idea of rhyming over music came from a Jamaican DJ called Kool Herc in the 1970's. When introducing a song he would rhyme over the introductory beats of the song to make it appealing to his audience. During the times of the Civil Rights Era and even before then, the radio was an essential way of passing information through the community, because the black family listened to the same radio station. But as the television was introduced and black radio stations were taken over by the new sound of disco, the radio lost its appeal in the black community. The idea of rhyming over the sound of beats was introduced by radio before it was somewhat abandoned by African-Americans and during the early 1980's the first form of rap called "emceeing" was born.

"Emceeing" was becoming an ever more popular event for black youth because it didn't cost any money, and it was a way for an individual to self-express. Each person could describe himself in a way that was unique to him. If a person was laid back, then his rhyme would probably be slower, and if a person were energetic, he would usually rhyme to a faster beat. At the neighborhood parties, an MC would rhyme on the microphone all night long and it would all be recited from the top of his head. He earned his self-respect that way and the best of the bunch were often related to super heroes. This type of lyrical ingenuity was coming forth from the epicenters of black economic poverty. Although originated from the streets of New York, the notion of musical self-expression newly called rap was taking over the streets of many African-American can communities. It was a form of bonding between the black youth of America.

As the post-civil right's racism was beginning to takes its affects, the self- expression of the black youth was changing into a reflection of their situations and atrocious environment. As the poverty rate increased to 32.7 percent for blacks between the years of 1989 and 1991, rap was became a popular means of relaying the stipulations of growing up in a oppressive society (Lusane 39). Drugs were also an integral part of the lives of the black youth in America during this time period. As the unemployment rate of low or no-skilled workers was increasing, jobs in the illegal economy seemed accessible and appealing. As the African-American communities were deteriorating economically and socially, the expression of the young black men became a creative means of voicing their frustrations towards a hopeless life in America.

Rappers began to assert the same rights that were insured by the First Amendment. They began to speak their minds profusely and relate their lives according to, "Living in a post-industrial, Reagan-molded, increasingly racist, anti-immigrant, less tolerant, more sexist, Jesse-dissing, King-beating, Quayle-spelling, Clarence Thomas-serving America, too many young blacks [finding] too little hope in the current society" (Lusane 39). Rap served as a threshold of anger and disappointment, by allowing the music to interconnect the thoughts of African-Americans. Today, the same type of reasoning towards rap is enticing to the black youth of America.

In order to express the feeling of frustration and defeat in their communities afflicted by violence and drug use, rappers use their lyrics to speak to their counterparts. For people who are

not directly in contact with these communities, rap may provide negative connotations that seem intimidating or even dangerous. In actuality, their intent is not to impose on the thoughts of others, but to share the way they perceive which is made up of what they have experienced and how they have reacted to what they have seen. Rappers often view their lyrics as a way to deter others in their same position from failing into a similar lifestyle. As an effect, those that do not experience that reality interpret rap and use it as a scapegoat to explain the primary causes of social problems.

If looked at in depth, the actual music business doesn't provide drugs or gangs for the community, but it does reflect a side of society which is unappealing to all. It's important to concentrate on the perpetuation of "drug-fueled" gangs affecting America's cities in order to make a complete analysis on the involvement of rap with drugs and gangs. The San Jose Mercury News did a special report about government involvement with drugs in the black community in August of 1996.

The origin of drugs in the black community is much deeper than controversial rap, but rap is often used as a cover-up for the real issues at hand. Rap is an effort to bring the world's attention to the adversity African-Americans face in their lives in a corrupted America.

TuPac Shakur used his musical power as a rapper to voice his opinions on the world as he saw it, as a young black man in America. Although he was conveyed as the "ideal" gangsta rapper, TuPac fell short of a gangsta life. He portrayed a lifestyle that was easy for many to relate to their own lives, which made him a popular man in the black community. He had problems trying to survive in a society determined to make him fail, like many black men, but he turned his situation around to become a community server.

TuPac's adolescent years are reflected in the music that he presented to the world. His mother was a member of the Black Panther Party and when she was pregnant with him, she was on trial for conspiring to blow-up department stores in New York. Fortunately for TuPac she was acquitted of the charges one month before she gave birth to him. His childhood was filled with the notion of "black power". But when TuPac reached the age thirteen his life had taken a turn for the worse. His mother had acquired a serious drug and alcohol problem. By the time he was fourteen he had lived with many different people and had the opportunity to go to the Baltimore School of Arts, where he learned art, poetry, music, and a way of expressing himself. He ran out of places to go, so he ended up living with his mother again. She was pregnant again and her drug problem was increasing steadily. He couldn't stand to see his mother, an intelligent black woman, be subjected to a life of drugs and poverty. He felt that his only way of escaping his life was to get on a bus and move to California.

He lived in Mann City, an area north of San Francisco, where he attended public school and felt a sense of insecurity. He was angry that his mother's drug use had him resort to a whole new lifestyle. The children at his new school made fun of him because of his love of poetry and

the fact that he wasn't a sports star. He hated himself, but as time went on he did see his way through tough times and managed to find a brighter way to look at life.

TuPac began his music career as a road manager and dancer for the rap group Digital Underground. The next year he got signed by Interscope, which at the time was small in comparison with its recent world-renowned credibility as a record company. His first Album was called "2Pacalypse Now" which described the violence between young black men and the police force. In a 1995 deposition that TuPac gave, he was asked to interpret several verses of off of his first album. TuPac related that in one of his songs, "Brenda's Got a Baby", he was trying to make a political statement. He says,

This particular song was in reference to twelve-year-old girl who threw her unwanted baby into an incinerator. The girl had been impregnated by her cousin. TuPac felt the need to disclose this type of information in his music as a wake-up call to the atrocities that affect his community. And though TuPac was characterized as gangsta rapper, in actuality he could be considered a news source for the lifestyle of young black people in America. He related the terrible sides of being a member of such a socially distressed community, but he was a necessary spotlight on the truth for many ignorant African-Americans. Even after his violent and controversial death, TuPac remains a needed part in the spreading of knowledge of his people's conditions.

In his newly released song, "Changes" he speaks directly to black youth in America. He speaks about the government shipping in drugs for blacks to sell to each other and allowing children to buy guns and kill each other. He says, "We got to start making changes learn to see me as a brother 'stead of two distant strangers. And that's how it's suppose to be, how can the devil take a brother if he's close to me." He is asking his community to become united in a brotherhood that is unpenetratable by corrupted whites. He voices his political opinion when saying, "We're not ready to see a black president", because the majority of young black men are in the prison system. He gives the impression that eventually the black community will be able to see a political upheaval, but it takes an acknowledgement of the problems that are currently confronting his community. He believes that change has to come from within, because the system is corrupt and they have no reliability, nor care about the responsibility owed to the destructed black communities. He makes a final plea for blacks to change their lives and recognize the problems, so they can be ameliorated.

His music is a testimony of the life he lived as a black man in White America. He knew his rhymes were representative of black males across the nation and his popularity was proof of his musical ingenious. His lyrics continue to touch the hearts and minds of a community searching for answers to the social problems that are so prevalent in the youth. TuPac replied with his thoughts that were a reflection of the adversity he faced in his life. Like many other African-Americans, TuPac related political and social oppression through his lyrics.

Another artist whose work shows us how rap reflects the impending issues facing the black community is Lauryn Hill. As the first rapper to receive a Grammy for album of the year, she has made her mark in the music industry. Her solo album, "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill," is an effort to change the world. She takes a stand in what she describes as a "constant spiritual war" (Toure 47). She speaks of the social injustice her community faces, but also gives women a strong representative of the turmoil they face in their lives. Her main purpose as a talented musician is to save the souls of her people by becoming like a griot, conveying messages in a story like format through her songs. As a black woman in America, she has assumed a challenge of infinite degree.

As a child, she grew up listening to her parent's records of classic soul. She was attracted to their smooth tranquility and dismal sounds. Her home was filled with the sounds of father who sang at weddings, a mother who studied the piano, and a brother who played the sax, the guitar, and the drums. At the age of thirteen, Lauryn was singing in front of an audience at Showtime at the Apollo. While still in junior high school, she met Wyclef Jean and Pras, the two other members of her past musical group The Fugees. She co-starred in the movie, Sister Act 2 , and reasserted her singing talent. Her childhood did not affect her life in a negative way, but her adversity came from finding a balanced life in a corrupted America within music and God.

Lauryn Hill pays close attention to the social oppression blacks face in America, but she provides an individual solution to the survival of her people. In her song, "Final Hour", she says,

She encourages her community to let God be an essential part of their lives, instead of the devil. The 73rd Psalm asks God why he allows his people to be mistreated by the impious, and it provides an answer. Lauryn relates this answer, by telling her people to keep their eyes on Judgement Day, because God will stay by their sides if they ask him to. Suggesting that they not pay close attention to the here and now world, but instead to focus on a spiritual guide through a world so unfair and lead by the impious. Because she believes the importance of money and power are irrelevant in the eyes of God, she wants this message to be relayed to all of the people that subject themselves to a life centered around money and power. She warns her people to save themselves before Judgement Day comes and it is too late. Spirituality has undoubtedly been a way to filter out the negative feelings of a life filled with social and political oppression. Lauryn uses her musical capability to show others a way to channel the negative energy obtained from living in a corrupted world.

In her song dedicated to her son Zion, she discusses her own issue with abortion. She was faced with a decision that affects many young women in America today. She looked to God for the answer to her dilemma of giving up an already successful career to have a child or giving up a life she had created. As a result, an angel speaks to her and she decides to keep her child.

She thanks God in this song for allowing her to give birth to the "reflection of His grace." Zion is the joy of her life and as a sign from God has allowed her to move from a darker space in her life to a brighter one. She encourages women with the same type of questions to look to God as a source for a solution, because historically, spirituality has brought black people through the storm. To the younger generation, she provides a song for females to pride themselves on, so they don't become victims of an unwanted pregnancy. Lauryn does not want her black sisters to become another statistic.

"Doo Wop (That Thing)", a number one single for Lauryn Hill, provides a sense of self-pride for young black women in America. She says explicitly in her lyrics,

She encourages all women to gain respect for themselves and to stop letting men take it away from them. In her music, Lauryn is making a universal appeal because she has expanded her mind to see that many of our plights are the same across the world. She says this because she has been through the same types of situations and losing one's soul is not a solution to the way men treat women. In this song she also dedicates a verse to men. She tells black men to start taking responsibility for their communities. She expresses to them that it's time to become men, which consists of taking care of their children and ending domestic violence. Both of these factors play a big role in the African-American community. Lauryn tries to give direction in this song to young black men and women.

In this particular album, Lauryn Hill takes on the characteristics of a griot. She relates the history and the current conditions of her people through lyrics and beats. She has given women a renewed sense of purpose in the African-American community. With her extensive vocabulary and incredible ability to rhyme, Lauryn has reached the top of the music industry. And though her music is guided towards African-Americans, it touches the hearts and souls of people all over the world.

TuPac Shakur and Lauryn Hill are probably two of the most recognized and celebrated rap artists in the music industry. The black community takes pride in their musical capabilities, but also attributes a new sense of self-pride to the lyrics that have guided many African-Americans to the truth. It's been a long time, since someone has taken over the fight that the Civil Rights era left behind. Subtle racism still exists through political and social oppression in the lives of African-Americans. Lauryn and TuPac use their verbal ammunition to warn their people of the racism that continuously affects their communities. They use rap as a venue to communicate the problems that are affecting their streets, because they know music is a voice that many African-Americans will acknowledge.

For the black youth in America, rap remains a way to fight the powers from above. Rap has gained an audience that is physically, mentally, and spiritually stronger than any group of Americans, but now the goal is going to change. Rap is going to come to a climax, where the strength of its followers will become a powerful force in America. As more and more African-

Americans catch on to the themes of their musical brothers and sisters, the strength of the community will be enlightened by the experience of a dawning new age. Rap has and will continue to pump the vitality of an oppressed people through its musical resourcefulness.