History 271
Devine
Fall 2004
Paper
Assignment #2 (OPTION B) – Nelson
George, Hip Hop America
THE ASSIGNMENT: You do not have to read the
entire book (although you are certainly welcome to
read the whole book, and some of you who have an interest in hip hop culture
may actually want to read the whole book.) For the purposes of the quiz and the paper assignment, however, you
may skip chapters 2, 6, 7, and 9.
This paper is due 2 December (the last day of
class).
Essays must be at least FOUR FULL PAGES and
not more than six full pages. They should be typed
in 12-point font and double-spaced with one-inch margins all
around. If you did not submit a Coming of Age in Mississippi paper,
you must turn in this paper. You may
email me a copy of your paper as an attachment.
If you are quoting directly from the book,
cite the author and page number in parentheses within the body of the text,
i.e. (George, 47). All direct quotes from the book MUST be in quotation
marks and must be cited. Paraphrases of ideas drawn from the reading MUST
also be cited.
Please number your pages (If you are
using Microsoft Word, you can do this most easily by pulling down the “Insert”
menu and clicking on “page numbers.”) Please give your essay an appropriate or
interesting title (clever titles involving puns are always welcome; “Paper 2”
is not a good title). If you have any
questions or are in any way unsure about what the questions are asking, be sure
to speak with Dave or me via email or in person.
See the “On Writing Papers…” section of the
syllabus for further information on the paper assignment. The syllabus is available on line at:
http://www.csun.edu/~twd61312/271syl2004.htm
Choose ONE of the following:
1. A
well known critic of rap music and hip hop culture has recently offered the
following observation:
“Hip hop is a cultural form that was
originally created by African Americans and was once owned and controlled by
them. More recently, however, the
culture has been hijacked by white music executives who have transformed its
message into a glorification of violence, crime, drug abuse, and misogyny. As a
result, the white establishment in the music industry has perpetuated false and
negative stereotypes of black people.
This has proved damaging not only to the African American community, but
the nation as a whole.”
To what extent does what you have read
in Nelson George’s Hip Hop America support or undermine the views
expressed in this statement?
[HINT: If you choose to answer this
question, you must indicate in the first paragraph of your essay what
position your paper will take. (This is your thesis statement.) For example, you might take the position
that the statement completely contradicts what Nelson George says in Hip Hop
America; you might say that George would agree with some of what this
critic has to say, but not all of it; or, you might say that this critic’s
views on hip hop and Nelson George’s are identical or at least pretty much the
same. The position you decide to take
is less important than how effectively you back it up. The rest of your paper should demonstrate to
the reader why your thesis is correct. If you believe this critic’s statement
contradicts what Nelson George has to say, tell the reader what George does
say and explain why he would disagree with this critic. If you think George would agree with the
critic, offer examples from the book where George makes a similar
argument. Whatever you do, don’t write
a paper in which you tell the reader whether you agree with the
critic – the point is to argue whether Nelson George would agree or not.]
2. Nelson
George has written a history of hip hop culture. He discusses its origins, the
influences that shaped it (both musical and cultural), the businesses that grew
up around it, and how it became more than simply “rap music.” After reading his book, to what extent would
you agree with the statement:
“Hip
hop culture is just another name for black ghetto culture.”
[HINT: In the first paragraph of your
paper, you should state a position – agree, somewhat agree, disagree, somewhat
disagree, completely disagree. Then, in
the rest of the paper, explain to the reader why you have taken this
position. It will be important to draw specific evidence from the book to help
support your position. Your task is not simply to tell the reader what
you think; rather, you should show the reader why your position is best
supported by the evidence in the book.]
3. In
reviewing Nelson George’s book, Hip Hop America, one highly regarded
music critic has remarked, “I thought one of the real strengths of the book was
how George illustrates crack’s effect on gangsta rap.”
What was crack’s effect
on gangsta rap, and, more broadly, what effects have illegal drugs like crack
had on hip hop culture?
[Hint: To answer this question, you
must come to your own viewpoint about what the effects of crack and other drugs
have been. This viewpoint is your thesis
statement and it should appear in the first paragraph of your
paper. In the body of your paper, you
should draw on what you have read to show the reader how crack affected
gangsta rap. You should also show
the reader how crack and other drugs have affected hip hop culture more
broadly. To do this, you must give
specific examples from the book and explain to the reader the relationship
between drugs and hip hop. Has the
relationship been productive or destructive?
Has drug use guaranteed success and helped artists’ reputations or has
it produced failure and loss of reputation?
How has the public perception that hip hop and drug use are related
affected hip hop culture? Regardless of
how you discuss this issue, you must use evidence from the book to back up what
you are arguing.]