Censorship and Hip-Hop
Ms. Emerson
Introduction:
Rap and Hip-Hop music
have a negative image, even right here in
The
Task:
·
As
a result of public outcry, the U. S. Senate has formed a committee to
investigate whether or not Rap and Hip-Hip lyrics should be censored. In groups
of five, you will present your arguments for or against censorship to the
Senate committee (your class) using oral presentation and a poster or a PowerPoint
presentation).
Process:
In preparing your
presentation:
1) Use the Public
Policy Analyst to assist you in researching for your presentation. Be
sure to fill out a worksheet for each step.
1. Define the problem Worksheet
4. Evaluate a policy Worksheet
5. Develop solutions Worksheet
6.
Select best
solution Worksheet
,
2) Include statistics
and other evidence (i.e. newspaper headlines or excerpts, web site information,
magazine articles) to support what you say,
3) Offer several
possible solutions to lessen the negative influences of Rap and Hip-Hop, and
4) Highlight what you
think is the best solution and why you think it is the most effective and
workable.
You will need to make a
presentation of this information to your classmates.
Your presentation should allow
each group member to speak for at least 5 minutes.
Present your findings and your
personal point of view.
Roles For
Students In Each Group:
§
-Editor-in Chief-----This student will
be in charge of the final group presentation. He will edit, correct and present
the power point and oral report. He will coordinate all activities and make
members aware of assigned deadlines.
§
-Writer-This student will write
the text and coordinate the graphics in the power point presentation. He/she
will also create a script for the oral presentation to be given to the
Editor-in-Chief for scrutiny
§
-Researcher-This student will
complete all the worksheets in the six step public policy analyst using the
Internet resources given in the section below. He will be responsible for
instructing the writer. All group members are to assist the researcher in
completing this task.
§
-Presenter-This student will have
the primary responsibility of presenting the oral report with imagination,
energy and insight, although all group members are to participate in the presentation.
§
Moderator This student will present a consensus
and proposal for best solution.
In addition, your group should be prepared to answer questions from the
audience about your research and proposal
Each group member is
thought of as a citizen from a different walk of life with different
experiences. Each person in your group will take the role of one of them. You
will research and view the topic according to your past experience.
Role
1: You are the mother or father of a child who was killed in the crossfire of a
Rap gang conflict.
Role
2: You are the producer of 50 cent’s albums.
Role
3: You are Missy Elliot
Role
4: You are Proof’s best friend????
Role
5: You are the community ombudsperson. You gather the opinions of everyone in
your community group. You present the consensus reached by your group.
Resources:
You should use the following web sites to gather information
which you must support with references and statistics. You will also find
information in books and articles. You may want to interview people in your
family or your school or your neighborhood and use their answers to support
your position
:
Article from the Witness.com on this issue
Interview with Miss Elliott on this issue
Article from the Villager.com on this issue
Article in Delhousie University’s
student newspaper on this topic
Article in Rap News Direct on this topic
An Article on Hip Hop Linguistics
An Article-“Legendary
rapper to unify hip-hop”
Hip Hop for the P.E.O.P.L.E. Website
The following
magazine articles also contain information relevant to this topic:
Please make sure you
properly cite any information you found in hard copy texts or on the internet.
You may or may not want to include names of anyone you interviewed, depending
on their preference.
The back
cover for Illmatic
CD face
Part of the reason
for Illmatic's
acclaim was the discerning treatment of its subject matter: gang rivalries, desolation, and the ravages
of urban poverty. Nas, who
was nineteen years old when the album was recorded, realistically depicts the
darker side of urbanity, creating highly detailed first person
narratives that deconstruct the troubling lives of inner city teenagers. According to one
columnist:
|
|
...Nas was a genius introvert who rose out of the rubble of Reaganomics to bless the mic with a forward brand of introspective, redemptive
street poetry...[his] narration glorifies the emergent poetic self as the
embodiment of an elevated creative state that is potentially attainable by
most any ghetto child...[His] narrative voice
swerves between personas that are cynical and optimistic, naïve and
world-weary, enraged and serene, globally conscious and provincial...[He] was
a most worthy candidate to craft a palatable and subversive message for the rotten apple's disenfranchised youth. He
was young and observant enough to isolate and analyze the positively
formative moments of a project childhood while unflinchingly
documenting the tragedies. Throughout lllmatic, listeners are implored to embrace their hardened
upbringing as an imperative to move on to bigger and better things, both in
the intellectual and material sense.[6] |
|
The intro,
"Genesis", starts with a audio sample of Wild Style (1982), the first major hip hop motion picture. Nas
made another ode to Wild Style, while
shooting the music video for his single, "It
Ain't Hard To Tell", on the same stage as the finale scene for the
film.[7] and
Nas' famous debut appearance, "Live at the Barbeque" is played in the
background of "Genesis". On "One Love,"
Nas assumes the role of a man who writes a series of
passionate letters to a friend in prison, recounting several mutual
acquaintances and the events that have occurred since the receiver's
imprisonment. And in "N.Y. State of Mind," Nas
recounts his participation in gang violence, and philosophizes that "Life
is parallel to Hell, but I must maintain." In other songs, Nas celebrates life's pleasures and achievements,
acknowledging violence as a feature of his socio-economic conditions rather
than the focus of his life. For instance, in "Life's a Bitch," Nas, waking up, rejoices in life:
I woke up early on my born day, I'm twenty - it's a blessing
The essence of adolescence leaves my body now I'm fresh in
My physical frame is celebrated cause I made it
One quarter through life some God-ly like thing
created
The New York Times noted that Nas "imbues
his chronicle with humanity and humor, not just hardness ... [He] reports
violence without celebrating it, dwelling on the way life triumphs over grim
circumstances rather than the other way around."[8] And Time magazine praised the
"submerged emotion" on Illmatic, calling the album a "wake-up call to [Nas]'s listeners.".[8]
Evaluation:
Your work will be
evaluated according to the following rubric:
|
|
Excellent 4 |
Very Good 3 |
Satisfactory 2 |
Unsatisfactory 1 |
|
Research Public Policy
Analysis |
Problem
clearly identified and thoroughly researched All
six steps of the PPA are clearly addressed and all worksheets correctly
completed |
Problem identified and reasonably well
researched All six steps of the PPA are addressed and
most worksheets correctly completed |
Problem identified with limited research. All
steps of the PPA are addressed, but worksheets could be improved on. |
Problem
identified but research is lacking Incomplete
worksheets. |
|
Oral Presentation |
Well
organized, demonstrates logical sequencing and sentence structure. The
group is knowledgeable and can answer questions with high degree of accuracy. |
Well
organized, but demonstrates illogical sequencing or sentence structure. The
group is knowledgeable and can answer questions with a moderate degree of
accuracy. |
Well
organized, but illogical sequencing and sentence structure. The
group is knowledgeable and can answer questions with a minimum degree of
accuracy. |
Poorly
organized. The
group is not knowledgeable and cannot answer questions with accuracy. |
|
PowerPoint |
5
or more creative slides that include animated graphics and sound |
5
or more slides using color graphics, clear and annotated |
5
slides with some graphics, slides are too busy |
Fewer
than 5 slides, not clear and no graphics |
|
PowerPoint Graphics |
Image
strong enough to communicate ideas with or without text |
Image
requires text to communicate. |
Image
not clear about the message you are trying to communicate |
In
complete art assignment. |
|
Survey |
All of the required
topics are addressed thoroughly in the survey. Content is accurate and ideas are supported
well by research. |
All of the required
topics are addressed in the survey; however, some topics could have been
researched more thoroughly. Content is
accurate. |
All of the required
topics are addressed in the survey; however, some topics could have been
researched more thoroughly. Content is
accurate. |
All
of the required topics are incomplete, the survey and the research is
incomplete. |
Total Possible Points: 12 Total Points Earned: ____
1. 10 – 12 = A 3.
7-9 =C 5. 3 -0=F
2. 11 -- 7 = B 4.
4-6=D
CONCLUSION:
As a result of your research you have become more
knowledgeable about the issues involving the censorship of controversial
performers and artists. This issue has faced the nation for most of its
history, and is perhaps even more important in today’s more culturally diverse
society. No doubt your input will be important for the future of artistic
expression in the world you will grow up in. Thanks for your efforts!!
Standards:
This
WebQuest addresses the following
E1c. Read
and comprehend informational materials.
E2a. Produce a paper on information and observations.
E3b. Participation in group meetings.
E3c. Prepare
and deliver an individual presentation.
E4b. Analyze and subsequently revise work to improve its clarity and effectiveness
English
Language Arts: Standard 3
Students will read, write, listen, and speak
for critical analysis and evaluation.
As listeners and readers, students will analyze experiences, ideas, information, and issues presented by
others using a variety of established criteria. As speakers and writers, they
will present, in oral and written language and from a variety of perspectives,
their opinions and judgments on experiences, ideas, information and issues.
Social
Studies: Standard 5: Civics, Citizenship, and
Government
Students
will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of
the necessity for establishing governments; the governmental system of the