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The Gender Wage Gap Op-Ed

When most people think of the more significant, systemic issues that women and femmes face as a result of living in a patriarchal society, the gender wage gap is usually one of the first examples that come to mind. As of 2022, women typically earn about 82 cents to a man's dollar, which is only 17 cents more than the 65 cents recorded in 1982. While this may seem discouraging, it's essential to acknowledge women's significant progress in the workforce. However, a wage gap still exists and highlights numerous issues, not just within our job market but with our entire "hustle" culture, societal norms, and economic system. 

The article "The Enduring Grip of the Gender Pay Gap" by Rakesh Kochhar sheds light on the numerous contributing factors. While it is very well known by now that the topic is much more nuanced than companies simply choosing not to pay women as much as men, this article highlights those nuances in a way that does the conversation around the topic a bit more justice than it has been given as of late.  

One of the first points Kochhar brings up is the fact that the gender pay gap increases along with age. Younger women (between the ages of 25 and 34) typically earn about 92% as much as men within that same age range, but when following that same group of women from 2010 to 2022, the gap decreases from 92% to 84% for women ages 37 to 46 (Kochhar, 2023). There are several explanations for this, but I want to focus on how having children dramatically impacts a woman's career choices and, thus, her wages. 

The conclusion that Kochhar comes to is that the increase in the pay gap correlates with the ages at which women are most likely to start having children and raise kids, and the reasoning for that lies in much larger systemic issues. Starting with the sociological explanation, it's no secret that the expectation for women to be the primary caretakers of children has been destigmatized throughout the past few decades. More people are starting to accept that women can be providers just as much as men and men can be caretakers just as much as women; household chores and childcare are becoming gender-neutral responsibilities rather than a burden that predominantly falls onto women. However, the unfortunate reality of the situation is that women are still more likely to leave the workforce than men after they have children, and the majority of that burden still falls onto their shoulders. In fact, in 2022, it was shown that 70% of mothers in the U.S. were either employed or looking for employment. Compared to women without children, that employment rate shoots up to 84%. It also doesn't help that fathers are more likely to hold employment or be looking for a job than both childless men and mothers. Despite both demographics having children, fathers are typically employed more than mothers, regardless of marriage status. Furthermore, it also doesn't help that there are drastically more single mothers living in the U.S. than single fathers, making the gap appear much more unfair than it already was, considering how more women have to support their families on their own than men do (Korhoen, 2023).

So what is the solution? There are quite a few, and the first is learning how to disassociate specific domestic duties with gender. For as long as humans have existed, the norm has always been that women tend to the children while men work to provide for said children, and it is still a strong cultural norm in America. However, there is a noticeable shift in societal norms towards gender-neutral domestic roles. As a society, the more we progress towards dissociating those roles with specific genders, the closer we will get to a society where women are in more positions to work and earn more. 

However, another aspect of the wage gap that needs to be brought up more is how our work culture and current economic system need to accommodate the needs of parents well enough. For years, the federal minimum wage has remained stagnant at $7.25/hour, yet the cost of living in many places across the country only continues to increase. As a result, people have to work more and more to make a living for themselves, let alone to support whole other human beings. With the average 40-hour work week not even being enough to cover living costs for one person, the ultimatum most mothers have to choose is between working insane hours to keep themselves and their family afloat (at the risk of missing their children's essential development years) or work less in order to ensure that their children have a prominent parental figure in their lives. This ultimatum holds much more gravity for unmarried women with children. 

The fact that most higher paying or salary jobs offer different types of flexibility than wage jobs also contributes to the gap. Mothers will gravitate towards jobs and occupations that allow them to balance their work/home life, whereas most fathers don't have to carry that same burden. That, coupled with the insanely high childcare costs in America, makes it seem like closing the wage gap is impossible. The work culture in America doesn't accommodate people who have children, and the societal expectations placed on women to be the primary caretakers of said children result in them either working less or taking up lesser-paying jobs as a means of having open availability for their families.

The solutions are definitely going to take a lot of work. It's going to take a lot of systemic deconstructing and rewiring in order to create a system that allows people to have children without staking their careers and livelihoods on that decision. However, two critical solutions stand out: making childcare more accessible for children who don't go to school during the day and raising the federal minimum wage to a wage that's livable for people regardless of their marital and familial status. These are not just suggestions but urgent needs that must be addressed to bridge the gender wage gap.

Works Cited:

Kochher, Rakesh . "The Enduring Grip of the Gender Pay Gap." Pew Research Center, 1 Mar. 2023, www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2023/03/01/the-enduring-grip-of-the-gender-pay-gap/. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.

Korhonen, Veera. "Number of U.S. Children Living in a Single Parent Family 1970-2023." Statista, 28 Nov. 2023, www.statista.com/statistics/252847/number-of-children-living-with-a-single-mother-or-single-father/#:~:text=Number%20of%20U.S.%20children%20living%20in%20a%20single%20parent%20family%201970%2D2023&text=In%202023%2C%20there%20were%20about,living%20with%20a%20single%20father. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.

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Kill Bill Movie Review

By Nahla White

I remember once hearing someone compare Quinten Tarantino films to Frank Ocean songs, and while that comparison might not ring as significant to the average person, when I first heard it, I immediately understood. Both Tarantino and Frank have a way of storytelling that is gripping and engaging, but also hard to pull off; they give information in small bits at a time, only filling in the blanks when it’s necessary for the audience to know something in order to convey a bigger picture. I kept this in the back of my mind as I watched the “Kill Bill” series for the millionth time and realized that the statement still held up. Tarantino’s style of directing and writing (which is arguably its most distinguished in the two films) is sporadic in a way that leaves the audience on the edge of their seat –  always eager to get to the next chapter of the story. Not only that, but the dramatic script, creative fight choreography, and amazing performances by the cast all come together to create one of the most iconic viewing experiences of the century thus far. Because the series comprises two films, I’ll be reviewing them as one just for the sake of time, even though both films have their own distinct qualities and characteristics. 

The story of “Kill Bill” follows a young woman who formerly belonged to a deadly assassination squad as she travels across the world seeking revenge for the murder of her family and friends at the hands of her former comrades. The Bride, played by Uma Thurman, slowly makes her way through each of the other five members of her former group before she ends up facing off with the titular Bill character, played by David Carradine. 

Starting off with the script, while the premise itself isn’t all that creative, the execution is what makes it stand out the most from other action films of the early 2000s. The films borrow many tropes and plot points that are reminiscent of both old kung fu flicks and westerns, and I’d say the way in which the script stands out the most is how characters drop one-liners reminiscent of said older films. There are so many banger lines in these films I can’t even begin to count them all. A personal favorite of mine comes from the first film where Hattori Hanzo (played by Sonny Chiba) is presenting a blade to Beatrix and proclaims, “If on your journey, you should encounter God, God will be cut,”  obviously in reference to the blade being his best work. The films are filled with lines such as these, and while they’re very over the top and dramatic, within the context of the film coupled with Tarentino’s directing style, they fit perfectly. 

Not only that, but as I stated before, many of the scenes and characters' backstories also pull from very common tropes seen in kung fu, western, and anime films. A prime example of this would be the entire training montage between Beatrix and her master Pai Mei, played by Gordon Liu. In said montage, Beatrix is shown perfecting multiple different styles of kung-fu as well as undergoing training exercises commonly featured in older kung-fu movies such as carrying buckets of water up and down flights stairs. It’s also important to note that Gordon Liu is also a famous martial arts actor in his own right, having starred in iconic films such as The 36th Chamber of Shaolin and Shaolin and Wu Tang.

I think another great example of Tarantino implementing an anime style of storytelling into his works is the entire chapter of the film dedicated to O-ren Ishii’s backstory. O-ren, played by Lucy Liu, is a fan favorite, and I think this is in no small part to the extensive amount of time Tarantino spends on building her up as the main antagonist of the first film. O-ren’s backstory is told through the medium of animation, which is fitting given her Japanese heritage, and in said backstory, her parents are brutally murdered at the hands of a yakuza boss. She eventually seeks her revenge, which sends her down the path of becoming an assassin and a crime boss of her own making as well. It's a classic villain origin story. One that is very common in many anime both past and present. Despite this section being the only animated part of the movie, and O-ren being the only villain Tarantino decides to spend such an extensive amount of time focusing on, it never feels out of place and only serves to make the film even more distinctly unique than it already was. 

Now, taking a bit of a step away from me glazing Quinten Tarantino, I’d like to draw a bit of attention to the choice of licensed music and the soundtrack. The choice to use Nancy Sinatra’s Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) as a sort of theme for the film is excellent. It’s the first song that plays and perfectly foreshadows the premise of the movie when the audience has little information about the film. A few other favorite songs of mine featured in the film are The Lonely Shepherd, composed by Gheorghe Zamfir and James Last, and The Flower of Carnage by Meiko Kaji. Each song perfectly fits the tone of the scene it’s featured in, which is a skill that not many directors can easily pull off in this day and age storytelling. I also think it’s very interesting that they brought on RZA to do most of the production for the two films. Considering how Wu-Tang Clan based a good majority of its act on the same kung-fu films that Tarantino was trying to emulate, the choice to bring him on was a spectacular one. 

And finally, with the acting, I can confidently say that there isn’t a single bad performance in the movies. Even though I did say that I think the dramatic ass script works because it’s coupled with such a sporadic style of directing, what really pulls it together is the delivery from the cast of characters, both major and minor. Focusing on Uma Thurman, she’s able to portray Beatrix Kiddo in a way that makes her seem like a far cry from the stereotypical, “badass” action woman that we’re familiar with seeing nowadays. Don’t get it twisted, she’s still badass, but the way she’s so easily able to portray moments of vulnerability, fear, sorrow, and even joy and snarkiness gives the character so much personality. It makes the film much more enjoyable to watch, and makes Beatrix a much more likable protagonist. One of my personal favorite scenes is the moment when she finally kills Bill at the end of the second film and has a breakdown in a motel bathroom while her daughter is sitting in the other room. It’s unclear whether or not she’s crying out of relief or sorrow, but the fact that the scene is up to much interpretation without leaving the audience completely in the dark is a testament to how well Uma Thurman played the character. 

And finally, the directing itself. As I mentioned earlier, Quinten Tarantino has a style of directing that fills in the blanks rather uniquely. Instead of telling the story chronologically, he starts the film in medias res and places backstories and random bits of information wherever he deems fit. While that sounds like a recipe for disaster, it doesn’t seem to take the audience out of the experience, not one bit. If anything, I think it prevents the story from becoming one note and stale. One thing I also think he does well is setting up ideas and having them pay off well in later scenes. Probably one of my favorite payoffs in the film comes from the flashback of Bill talking to Beatrix about Pai Mei. He tells her the story about how Pai Mei killed a monk by using a move called the Five-Point-Palm Exploding-Heart Technique. It is the same move that Beatrix uses later on in the film to actually kill Bill. 

There isn’t enough time in the world to truly go in depth about how amazing these films are and how intricate the storytelling is. I think I am a bit biased because on top of me loving so many qualities about these films, I remember my dad introducing me to these movies and while watching them, I could only think about him. But, even outside of my own personal bias, there’s no doubt that all the qualities I listed above are what helped it become one of the iconic action series of all time. It’s inspired so many films and TV shows since then and will undoubtedly continue to remain relevant in the eye of pop culture for many years to come. 

Works Cited:

Kill Bill Vol. 1, Dir. Quinten Tarantino, Miramax, 2003.

Kill Bill Vol. 2, Quinten Tarantino, Miramax, 2004.

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The Art of Story Telling: An Insight to Kendrick Lamar

By Nahla White

When I think of some of the greatest concept albums to come out of the 21st century, it’s impossible to neglect mentioning the works of the great Kendrick Lamar. Across all five of his studio releases, Kendrick has been able to craft a reputation for himself of being a masterful storyteller and an even more masterful musician, and nothing displays this more than his 2015 magnum opus: To Pimp a Butterfly (TPAD). 

Following three years after the release and massive success of Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, TPAD serves as another book in Kendricks life, with each chapter (song) recounting his personal experiences, inner thoughts, and opinions about the world he lives in. And while Kendrick's album does contain much insight and commentary about issues relating to capitalism, the exploitation of Black music and culture, and the mistreatment of Black people in America, his personal testimony is often overshadowed by the previously listed qualities and is sometimes outright ignored by people who tend to want to search for deeper meaning within the album. Today, I want to look into why this happens and shed more light on the deeper, more personal aspects of the album that are often obscured in interpretations of the work. Rather than going through the entire album, I’ll be focusing on four of my favorite songs and their place in the overall story.  

“I’ll Wesley Snipe Your Ass Before Thirty Five.”

Starting with what I believe to be the best song on the album, “Wesley’s Theory” provides a rather deep and introspective outlook on the effects of becoming a mainstream rapper. Within the story of the album, Kendrick recounts the aftermath of Good Kid, M.A.A.D City's success, with the first verse of the track expressing the excitement he felt upon making it big in the industry. Through lines such as “When I get signed, homie, I’ma act a fool,” and “Uneducated, but I got a million-dollar check like that,” we hear the narrator of the song flaunt his success by indulging in things that he once saw as unobtainable. 

The following hook that goes “We should never gave you niggas money” describes the sentiment most White people (and even many Black folks) have towards this generation of "new money". Similar to the topic of reparations, many people retain ideas of African Americans being undeserving of such wealth because they believe we’d spend it on unimportant things. There is this overarching theme of reflection throughout the album, with Kendrick reflecting on the poorer decisions of his past, and he admits that his eagerness to spend money is one of them. 

Another impressive storytelling device that I feel Kendrick doesn’t get credited with enough is his ability to rap from different perspectives, especially through the use of voice modulators and vocal impressions. The last section of the song is told through the perspective of Uncle Sam; an allegory for America’s capitalism. A particular section in the verse, I think, perfectly summarizes the entire point Kendrick was trying to convey with this opening track:

“Christmas, tell ‘em what's on your wishlist

Get it all, you deserve it Kendrick

And when you hit the White House, do you

But remember, you aint pass economics in school. 

And everything you buy, taxes will deny. 

I’ll Wesley Snipe your ass before thirty-five.”

Uncle Sam sort of acts like the devil on Kendrick's shoulder, coaxing him to indulge in his desires despite the financial repercussions that come with it. While the commentary on capitalism in this song is worth talking about, I think it's just as crucial to focus on the ways it personally impacted Kendrick’s life.

Which leads me to my next song… 

“King Kunta, Black Man Taking No Losses.”

King Kunta is the third track on the album, and it is here where Kendrick reveals his intentions behind the title of the album.

Kunta Kinte was a character featured and popularized in Alex Haley’s novel Roots. With the accounts of Kinte’s life supposedly being passed down through Haley’s family via oral tradition, one of the most memorable events in his life is his refusal to accept the slave name that was forced onto him. Due to his defiance, Kinte’s foot was cut off, hence Kendrick’s reference of: “Now I run the game, got the whole world talkin’. King Kunta, everybody wanna cut the legs off him.”

The juxtaposition between the word king and the name Kunta is supposed to portray the way in which Kendrick feels like a slave to the system. Despite having the fame, money, and likability that he had always desired, he ultimately recognizes that he’s fallen  victim to the game all the same. He feels like he’s being pimped out by the rap industry as a whole, hence the name To Pimp a Butterfly. 

However, despite this knowledge of his exploitation, this doesn’t stop Kendrick from continuing to indulge in his lifestyle, and that also doesn’t stop him from using his own power and influence to exploit others. 

“Killed my Homeboy and God Spared Your Life.” 

“These Walls” is the fifth track on TPAB and acts as the bridge that connects this album to Good Kid, M.A.A.D City. 

Upfront, These Walls is a funk inspired, upbeat track where Kendrick utilizes numerous metaphors and allegories to talk about sex. Even the use of the words “these walls” is supposed to represent the walls of the female genitalia, but peeling back the surface reveals so much more that the song has to offer. 

This is where we, as the audience, start to see aspects of Kendrick’s depression and survivor’s guilt begin to manifest. Along with being an allegory for sex, the “walls” Kendrick raps about also represent the mental barriers that he finds himself trapped in as a result of his fame and the expectations he has to live up to. Feeling isolated from his community and within his own mind, he turns to sex as a means of distracting himself from his depression; a coping that doesn’t seem to be working very well. 

The song takes a rather interesting and dark turn during the last verse. For context: The ending to Good Kid, M.A.A.D City’s “Swimming Pools” is about one of Kendrick’s childhood friends being gunned down seemingly out of nowhere. This happens when Kendrick is 15 years old. Fast forward to the events of “These Walls”, and while Kendrick is back visiting his home city of Compton, he ends up sleeping with the girlfriend of the man who killed his friend as retaliation. 

“Killed my homeboy and God spared your life

Dumb criminal got indicted same night

So when you play this song, rewind the first verse

About me abusing my power so you can hurt

About me and her in the shower whenever she horny

About me and her in the after hours of the morning”

While feeling like he’s been cheated by the system, Kendrick uses his own power and influence to manipulate and exploit others, ultimately allowing the cycle of exploitation to continue. 

“A Friend Never Leave Compton for Profit.”

What I consider to be the first of two climaxes and the emotional peak of the album, “U” (the sixth track on the album) acts as a hate letter from Kendrick to himself. During his downward spiral, Kendrick finds himself in a hotel room drinking away his sorrows while contemplating on the least admirable qualities about himself. His feelings of survivor's remorse and self hatred start to manifest in the repetition of the lines “Loving you is complicated.” 

In this, he raps about all that happened during his tour of Good Kid M.A.A.D City, reminiscing on the numerous friends that he had lost due to violence in Compton. He expresses guilt for seemingly leaving his friends and family behind to die while he was living a life most people could only dream of. 

"You ain’t no brother, you ain’t no disciple, you ain’t no friend.

A friend never leave Compton for profit,

or leave his best friend, little brother

You promised you’d watch him before they shot him."

I feel like this is the song most people seem to overlook in terms of their interpretations of the album. Black art is constantly politicized regardless of the artist's true intention for the piece, and while there is much political commentary to be found throughout the album, “U” holds the key to understanding that this truly is a story about Kendrick’s personal journey. 

“I Remember You Was Conflicted…”

 It's difficult for many folks to conceptualize that Black people are allowed to live lives that don’t revolve around our struggle, even though our struggle plays a huge role in how we live our lives. Despite TPAB walking this fence almost perfectly, the credit is almost never given where it’s due.

 I personally believe that this, in part, has to do with society's obsession of finding “value” in Black art and music. With Rap making its way into the mainstream and becoming the new Pop music, most people detest the mainstream Trap sound that the genre is often reduced to. It further affirms the numerous negative stereotypes people have about Rap and thus rids the genre of any nuance or diversity. As a result, critics typically gravitate towards music that they deem as “introspective” or “valuable”, completely disregarding stuff that would be considered “stereotypical” Hip-Hop. 

While looking into why this is, I also stumbled across another theory as to why people can’t seem to divide the personal from the political. John Lawrie’s article “I Remember You Was Conflicted”: Reinterpreting Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly points towards the works of Henry Louis Gates Jr., and his theory of how much Black art during the duration of 20th century (and even now) was created as a form of retaliation:

“This broad methodological practice, however, forces one to examine all African American music as fundamentally political, regardless of its intent.” (Lawrie, 2016)

At its roots, Hip-Hop was originally created as an alternative subculture, serving as a means of finding joy, community, and happiness despite the many socioeconomic disparities most Black people were subjected to. In a time and era where simply being Black was frowned upon, any sort of triumph was seen as an act of defiance towards the norm of White culture and supremacy, which is why Hip-Hop was immediately rejected by the masses at the time of its emergence. 

Despite Hip-Hop being mainstream, many people still hold onto this concept. It's the same reason why non-Black people compare me to the Black Panther’s whenever I wear my afro on the street; the Blackness and the Black experience has historically been politicized, and TPAB has been subjected to the same treatment. 

Works Cited:

Bassil, Ryan. “The Narrative Guide to Kendrick Lamar’s ‘to Pimp a Butterfly.’” VICE, 24 Mar. 2015, www.vice.com/en/article/rzvbwe/the-narrative-guide-to-kendrick-lamars-to-pimp-a-butterfly-2015. Accessed 11 Feb. 2024.

Eastaugh, Sophie. “‘Don’t Call Me Toby:’ the Story of the Slave Who Fought Back.” CNN, Cable News Network, 4 Aug. 2015, www.cnn.com/2015/08/03/africa/the-story-of-kunta-kinte-the-slave-who-fought-back/index.html. Accessed 11 Feb. 2024.

“Hip-Hop.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., www.britannica.com/art/hip-hop. Accessed 11 Feb. 2024.

Lamar, Kendrick. “Swimming Pools (Drank) - Extended Version.” good kid m.A.A.d city, Spotify, 1 Jan. 2012, open.spotify.com/track/5ujh1I7NZH5agbwf7Hp8Hc.

Lamar, Kendrick. “To Pimp a Butterfly.” Spotify, 16 Mar. 2015, open.spotify.com/album/7ycBtnsMtyVbbwTfJwRjSP. Accessed 11 Feb. 2024.

Lawrie, John. “‘I Remember You Was Conflicted’: Reinterpreting Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly .” Sydney Undergraduate Journal of Musicology , vol. 6, Dec. 2016, pp. 40–54, https://openjournals.library.sydney.edu.au/SCM/article/view/11550.

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A love letter to my dad (3)

The Amazing:

Moving on to my last entry on the topic of Hip Hop. 

This one is going to be a bit shorter and a lot more personal. 

As I write this, tears still stain my face from the events of earlier today. My daddy just died and all I can think about while writing this is just how much he gave to me. 

He was there when I needed him the most. For every time I got stuck in the snow or when my car broke down. When I was in my first accident. During my first break up. When my grandfather passed. 

I can’t count the amount of times when I’d call and he’d answer. 

One of the things that dawned on me while writing this was one of his best gifts of all: Hip Hop. 

Without him, I wouldn’t love the genre the way I love it now. From the days of sitting in his lap as he made beats on his keyboard, or all the times I would be forced to listen to MF DOOM and Wu-Tang in the back of his car during after school rides, ever since I was born he surrounded me with Hip-Hop. 

It was through him that I found a passion for music. Through him, I began learning how to make my own music, producing, recording, and editing all like he used to. Hip Hop has shaped my life in more ways that I can even count, and it's all because of his love for it that he passed on to me. And for that, I thank him. 

Love you, forever and always.

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A love letter to Rap (2)

The Bad:

This is the part I hate talking about the most. Not because I don’t like dissecting and critically analyzing the media I consume, but because it feels like a sorta “gotcha” moment for White folks. 

It’s no surprise that Hip Hop, and more specifically Rap as a whole, has a huge issue with misogyny and materialism. While the misogyny thing has always been around within Rap, I want to focus on the shift towards glamorizing materialistic lifestyles. 

As I discussed in the last post, Hip Hop started off with a rather radicalist, anti-capitalist sort of mentality, with many people both then and now priding themselves in coming from and making it out of struggle. They acknowledged that the socio-economic position most Black folks find themselves in was in part due to systemic oppression that they faced. To overcome that struggle and oppression, even if it was on an individual basis, was something to be celebrated considering how many don’t make it out at all. 

Towards the 90s is when we start to see the cultural shift that favored much more materialistic and glamorous lifestyles. As Rap started to become more commercialized, it began to drift away from many of the core themes and ideologies that the genre was founded on. While I don’t think there is anything inherently wrong with this, now more than ever am I starting to see the ways in which this negatively impacts our culture. 

Celebrity culture as a whole is toxic, and even more so are the images of success and fame that are often advertised with their lifestyles. It makes financially insecure people eager to obtain the same wealth and status that they have without them realizing that the chances of them getting that money is slim to none. 

Not to mention just how celebrity drama is used as a sort of tool or distraction from real world issues. I won’t get too deep into this point because I could be here all day discussing this, but the gist of it is that everything ranging from Rap beefs, to overhyped album releases, and rapper controversies take the eyes of the public away from issues that actually matter. Take the genocide that is happening in Palestine for example. Despite Gazans being under siege for about 4 months now, there are still a lot of people that would rather focus on the latest Nicki Minaj and Megan Thee Stallion beef rather than directing their attention to the humanitarian crisis that's happening in the Middle East. 

Though there are many other issues in the culture and genre, this is one of them that rare gets discussed and something that I would like to hear a lot of other members of the Hip Hop community talk about.

[bloggingproject]

A love letter to Rap music (Part 1)

I don’t think I can remember the very first time I’ve ever heard a Rap song. For as long as I can remember, Rap has been a part of me, as corny as that sounds. 

The sound, the culture, the feeling is indescribable. The rush when I finally rap one of my favorite verses correctly for the first time, or the “stank” face everybody makes when they hear a cold ass beat are things that are universal in the Hip Hop community, regardless of what subgenre or culture you belong to within the overarching culture. It's the things that the majority of people outside of the culture overlook whenever they observe, commentate, or even try to indulge in the culture surrounding Rap and Hip-Hop as a whole. 

Over the course of these next few blog posts, I want to talk about everything Hip Hop, encompassing the good, the bad, and the best of what the culture has to offer. 

The Good: 

One aspect about Hip Hop that has been lost to time nearly is its rather radical and revolutionary political ideologies. To give you a rundown, Hip Hop is composed of different elements: DJing, MCing, Breaking, Art, Poetry/Writing, and Self Conceptualization. The Self Conceptualization aspect is the one I want to focus on the most. 

This is a movement that was born on the coattails of the Black Panther party and only a little over a decade after the Civil Rights movement. Pretty much any and everything associated with Blackness was considered criminal, and Hip Hop was no different. 

Though it may not seem like it now, Hip Hop was a sort of counterculture in the same way that punk and goth is seen today. Whether it was  art, music, literature, and fashion, many people used numerous different forms of self expression to voice their distaste for the racist and capitalist systems that kept Black folks and other minorities oppressed. Looping this back around to the Self Conceptualization aspect of Hip Hop, it was also just a way for people to express their thoughts, feelings, and emotions in an artistic manner. 

When focusing on the music, many different classic artists and groups can be observed rapping about controversial topics in their music, with the most notorious examples being N.W.A, Public Enemy, 2Pac, and A Tribe Called Quest just to name a few. 

Along with being an excellent form of self expression, it also allowed for a sense of community and culture to exist for those who felt as if they’d had their culture stripped away from them. As an African American woman, myself along with many other AAs have always felt a sense of confusion and emptiness in regards to our culture. Very rarely is African American culture viewed as such because it is often appropriated in such mass that it just becomes American culture; the default. Growing up apart of Hip Hop culture, I was so used to it being seen as just another genre of music, or even worse, constantly being demonized by the media and general public. It was only until I grew much older that I realized just how influential Hip Hop has been in my life and I’m proud to say that it’s a part of my culture.