Completing assignment 3 was the most interesting assignment we had to complete all year. I really liked how I was able to focus on something I love which is music. Also, being able to focus on my favorite artist was even better because it made me want to write the paper and make it the best that it could be. It was a little hard putting everything together in one paper because there was so much I could have written about. Also, I did not know who else to compare his album to because the 90s had its share of gangster rappers. I also like how much time was given for the assignment, given that it is the end of the semester, I have been very busy with other assignments as well but given the time we have had I was able to complete the assignment and put a lot of effort into. For future reference, I would keep this assignment and keep everything the same. It was also perfect timing because at a recent music festival, Tupac was the subject of much controversy even though he is dead. He was brought back to life as a hologram and was able to perform amongst old friends like Snoop Dog. I was able to add this to my argument because you do not just bring back a mediocre rapper, you bring back a great and talented one. This also showed that his music is still relevant in todays world, I was very happy to be able to complete this assignment and I think this class has showed me how to manage my time properly and how to have a great paper. I have gotten that I need to have as many people review my work as possible because that can only make it better.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Monday, April 9, 2012
Thesis Statement for Assignment 3
Through his raw and truthful lyrics about the so called “thug lifestyle” the songs on All Eyes On Me successfully combat racial and political dilemmas to reach out to the public through the use of gangster rap.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Research Sources
Gabrielle Williams
Ms. Downer
English 102
4 April 2012
Secondary Sources
1.
The Wild, Wild West: Images of California in Contemporary Rap Music
Heather J. Mayne
California History , Vol. 79, No. 1, Literature and the Arts in California and the Pacific Northwest (Spring, 2000), pp. 70-75
This article mentions Tupac's album and describes how some of the songs portray California life. I will use this to talk about how his album describes life in California through his eyes.
2.
Slouching toward Bork: The Culture Wars and Self-Criticism in Hip-Hop Music
Jeffrey O. G. Ogbar
Journal of Black Studies , Vol. 30, No. 2 (Nov., 1999), pp. 164-183
Published by: Sage Publications, Inc.
Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2645846
This article critiques Tupacs album. I will use this to talk about negative views on his album.
3.
Rap's Unruly Body: The Postmodern Performance of Black Male Identity on the American Stage
Annette J. Saddik
TDR (1988-) , Vol. 47, No. 4 (Winter, 2003), pp. 110-127
Published by: The MIT Press
Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4488512
This article describes Tupacs album and offers positive feedback. I will use this for supporting my argument.
4.
Neal, M. A. (2003), Tupac's Book Shelf: “All Eyez on Me: Tupac Shakur and the Search for a Modern Folk Hero,” W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for Afro-American Research, Harvard University, April 17, 2003. Journal of Popular Music Studies, 15: 208–212.
This talks about how his album made him a modern hero in the rap world. I will use this for strengthening my argument.
5.
Only God Can Judge Me”: Tupac Shakur, the Legal System, and Lyrical Subversion By
Josh Nisker
This article talks about Tupacs legal struggle while making the album and how it influenced some of the songs. I will use this as background and for strengthening my argument.
6.
The Making of All Eyez On Me
XXL Magazine
This article goes in depth talking to other artists on the album. It goes through each song as they were making it. I will use this as background.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Gangster Rap
I am really interested in the rap/ hip-hop genre of music. My favorite rapper is Tupac and even though he is dead and gone I feel his music still helps to change lives and help get people through rough times in their life. The album feature many relevant rap artists that also had a lot to say about the times. He is still one of the most talked about rappers of all time and has been named the *6th greatest artist of all time by Rolling Stone Magazine. The album was produced by Death Row records which was owned by Suge Knight. It was his best selling album, with many singles making it to the Billboard Hot 100. It sold 566,00 copies in the first week that it was released. It also won the 1997 Soul Train Rap album of the year. It was 5x platinum just after two months and was later certified as 9x platinum in the United States. It was one of the most talked about albums mentioned by many credible music magazines such as: Rolling Stone, Spin, Entertainment Weekly, Q Magazine, Musician, Rap Pages, and NME. Also many of the songs from this album were put on Tupac’s greatest hits album after he passed away. Other gangster rap albums of the time were OG: Original Gangster by Ice-T, The Chronic by Dr. Dre, Pretator by Ice Cube and other albums by his friend turned enemy Biggie Smalls. My basic claim would be Tupac’s All Eyez On Me is a good gangster rap album. A more developed thesis for my paper could possibly be Through his raw and truthful lyrics about the so called “thug lifestyle” the songs on All Eyes On Me successfully engage social and political dilemmas to reach out to through the use of gangster rap.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Writing Assignment 2
Writing assignment 2 was a lot easier than writing assignment 1. Not because of content but because we were actually allowed to write about something that interested us rather than write about something that we do not care about at all. It also was a learning experience for me. I knew that I wanted to know more about drugs and how they play a role in professional sports but I probably never would have took the time to actually look more into the topic. This paper required a lot of research but it was all helpful. At first I was a little confused on why we wrote our thesis before we had any part of our paper due but then when it came time to write my paper it made it a lot easier. Because the thesis basically lays out what you are going to discuss in the paper I knew exactly what to say and when to say it. In your future classes I would continue to use the format you did because not only did it help with the layout but it also helped with he sources we had to put in our paper. Hopefully, my paper was as interesting to read as it was to write. I was informed of many things I did not know before hand, like the influential people that supported cocaine before its effects were known. I like how you left the topic pretty much open for our choosing. Out of all the research papers I have completed in school I think I got the most out of this one because I was finally polished enough to wear I could put the information I found together in the appropriate way and I was able to argue without attacking the opposing side. Overall, this was a good assignment to have.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Counter Argument Paragraph
In my opinion testing for cocaine use in high-intensity sports should be increased and required in order to prevent growing rates of use amongst college athletes, establish a “performance enhancer” free league, and increase the health/well being of athletes at all levels, but there are some people that would disagree. Authors such as Goodwin, Morris, and Murray have completed a significant amount of research on cocaine use in sports. They do agree that cocaine is a problem, but their opinion on testing is quite opposite. Goodwin takes a more bold stance stating that "cocaine is not the problem, it is behavior." By focusing on behavior Goodwin overlooks the deeper problem of the effects cocaine have on a persons behavior. As for the others, they know cocaine is bad but they would rather not waste money on testing when they say cocaine will still be around. I'm of two minds about the subject. On one hand, I agree that it will take awhile before we even see any progress being made. On the other hand, I'm not sure if not testing would be a solution.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Responding to Articles from the Bibliography
The topic of my paper is cocaine use in sports. I found one of the articles that I will use for background to be very interesting because it focused mainly on cocaine and its origins. Cocaine comes from the coca plant that is native to the eastern slopes of the Andes. The leading producer is Colombia, which is currently producing 80 percent of the world’s cocaine. Cocaine increases the levels of dopamine, which is associated with pleasure and movement. The excess amount of dopamine is responsible for cocaines effects. Long term effects include loss sense of smell; nosebleeds; problems with swallowing; hoarseness; and a runny nose. The stimulating effects of the drug increase breathing which increases oxygen intake. This allowed the native workers to perform their duties in thin air at high altitudes, and in time science figured out how to maximize strength and the effect of the drug in the coca leaves. I found it interesting that Sigmund Freud, a famous psychologist, was an advocate for the drug in the beginning. He thought it could cure depression and sexual impotence. Also, John Pemberton used cocaine as the main ingredient in Coca Cola in 1886. Other famous people that promoted the drug were Thomas Edison and Sarah Bernhart. Because the drug was positively promoted it was accepted by the general public as well. People began noticing strange behavior in people that abused cocaine for long periods of time. Coming down from the drug causes depression for the person and they can become desperate for the drug and will do just about anything to get it. Once the dangers of cocaine became known prohibition set in and it was outlawed in 1920 by the passing of The Dangerous Drug Act of 1920. And here we are today with the drug still creating problems especially in sports.
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