A Study into the appeal of Hip Hop culture, focusing on Ali G

From the time of Elvis Presley and his pelvic thrusts beingness found disgusting and un-Christian, to todays icons of hip decamp stopping point, the approximately f totally outrageous part of early days farming is what young sight enjoy or bring out most appealing, which is commonly material that is very(prenominal) rebellious or subversive.For todays youth, icons such British setdian Ali G ar seen as appealing as well as offensive mainly by the older generation for their portrayal of hip- vamoose friendlyization, which is defined asA prevalent culture movement line of businessating in the USA in the 1980s, incorporating inculpation medicine, break dancing, and graffito, and the wearing of characteristically waterlogged clothesChambers DictionaryIn its main rap melody and graffiti art atomic number 18 seen as offensive callable to their unsociable aspects graffiti art is mainly done in places where it is non welcome, and rap medicine has al federal agencys been portrayed in a negative light. From the time of national Enemy and NWA (Niggaz with attitude), who were the forefront and pioneers of gangster rap music, to recent rappers Xzibit, and espy Dogg. gangster rap music (which is the main sub-genre of rap) represents violence as being an integral part of gangster behavior.The following air lyrics reflect hip hop cultureThe only reason you alive cos I aint tell the word- Represents the power rappers soak up, massacreing is represented as part of the gangster life.(Snoop Dogg-Lay Low)-LYRICS(year 2001 misogynism is as well represented as a feature of the gangster life.I never go to clubs, I never chase a bitch- skreigh a marge officed casually for females, with negative animal connotations.(Snoop Dogg-Lay Low)-LYRICS (year 2001)Rappers correspondingwise promote the phthisis of drug taking.Smoke weed every day-The intention of drugs is represented as an acceptable, and sociable thing to do.(Dr.Dre-The next episode)-L YRICS (year-2000)The common drop of expletives only adds to the ideology that the gangster life is one of being socially unsufferable, for example commonly used expletives include,Im a d accept town common raccoon so fuck all you niggers(Snoop Dogg- Back up off me)-Lyrics 2001The end point nigger all the same though they argon ignominious could be seen as racist. Though mainly from outsiders or quite a little who do not get a line the hip hop culture, because with a twist of irony it is the derogative limit given to murky people by white western society, black people subscribe to taken this term and in the majority use it the sense of stating someone who is a friend.Ure my nigga dowg, and Eazy im still wid u(Dr.Dre-Forget to the highest degree dre)-Lyrics 2001 theory it is still true the term wad be used in a derogatory term to describe black people, the same substance white people used it to decribe black people.Nigga uze a penguin lookin mutherfucker(Dr.Dre-The Chron ic)-Lyrics 1992ideologically the representations make of the gangster life atomic number 18 as true as can be perceived, tho rappers produce an image of themselves in the upchuck required to sell the records, it is true that some rappers do live the life of the music they produce. Evidence can be seen in the drive-by shooting of rapper Tupac Shakur, and soon later on the killing of rival rapper Biggie Smalls after(prenominal) thither verbal assault on each other which included Tupac call optioning to birth had sex with his wife, and in like manner threatening his life in a song.You claim to be a player alone I fucked your wifeWe gonna kill all you mutherfuckers(Tupac-Hit em up)-Lyrics 1995Yet in the same field you consider rap stars such as P Diddy who has recently changed his image to a much softer one, and does not proclaim his relationship to the gangster life. However he was portraying a completely false image as he was brought up as a rich middle course of instructio n boy, who started his vocation in hip hop as a music manufacturer for Biggie SmallsRappers do this to give them some shell of au soticity, so it is believed that what they talk about is true and real, and this makes the trip a better and to a greater extent real one. The difference in the midst of rap artists, and more mainstream pop artists even though you now have people who are merging them borders just look at Princess Superstar, is that rap artists produce talented work based upon their culture. accept DMX for example, his debut record album Its Dark and hell is hot opened at No 1 on the American music billboards. The album was given no authoritative advertising or promotion by the record label, but callable to the underground hype which was created by his sheer talent as an M.C which would most likely have been realised by his undertaking in musical battles with other MCs. Another example of underground hype shining done is Eminem who won came second in an olympic r ap battle, and by comprehend to his talent Dr.Dre signed him up and now he is a take for house name sell millions of records including the smash hits such as, Stan, and The Real refined Shady.Where as HearSay a manufactured pop band found fame through media construction, or whereas the winner of pop idol will also find fame in the same way. The concept by Nigel Lythgoe is an exceptionally creative one, but it would obviously not work for rap artists because of the different image they potray which is wherefore they appeal to their taper consultation. It is clear evident that some pop artists are not manufactured and work through in the regular way of having talent, a bit of luck and a gap in the market. Take the Beatles for example who were friends who started playing with each other, and then got signed up.Even though rappers are being racist their main target audience has effect teenagers from white sub-urban areas in America. They target the E socioeconomic group but a ppeal to the students of the families in the B/C socioeconomic group, because of the rebellious and unacceptable statements they make, and the fact that they take their audience on a fantasy check of the ghetto- a forbidden zone of killers, drug dealers, whores, pimps, and gun shootings. It could be express they allow them the offer of escapism in which they give a bechance to see the gangster world from a safe distance creator congresswoman C. Delores Tucker and Harlem minister Calvin Butts helped to try to boycott hip hop records, but this had done null more than to reinforce and help target the main target audience due to the outrage it caused. They complained about the use of the Nigger word on American TV, but this sis nothing to appeal to the target audience of the music as Def Jams Co-Producer says best- whatever they try to do only fuels the fireRussel SimmonsAli G is also seen as offensive character because of his misogynistic comments, and his racial portrayal of the c haracter Ali G compete by Sacha Baron Cohen who is a Jewish, Cambridge graduate. The idea behind his visualizes and character is that he is a white man (who he actually he is) pretending to be from an Asian origin(he refers to an uncle Jamal, and his skin is slight tan brown), which is where the name Ali G comes from. He impersonates an ignorant misogynistic black man. He wears Tommy Hilfiger muged clothing, which from the 90s created links to hip hop culture through gangster rappers such as Snoop Dogg who wore the label, and gave the brand name a street cred) and Wu-wear which is another(prenominal) brand name clothing of the group Wu-Tang Clan who are a gangster rap group.Ali G also has a goatee which has socially become more hip and popular with youth culture, and the big everywheresized gold mountain chain he wears around his neck. His set phrase is full of colloquialisms and references to urban street culture ie skunk aiiggh innit. There are numerous variations to the ide a of his origin and who he is trying to represent, and as Sacha never gives audiences we are left guessing as to where the humour lies.He first started his comedic career, after having graduated from Cambridge, by starting a comedy club with his brother. They played two acrimony Jews doing a song callight-emitting diode Shitzving ( Yiddish for sweating) where they complained about being hot whilst stripping to their underwear. here(predicate) he is taking humour out of his own culture, which could be seen as racist, yet as it is his own culture it is not. When he does the same out of a section of British people, it is seen as racist.His big break came when he created the character Ali G reporting on Yoof issues for the 11 o clock show. This was a humorous topical programme which was a hybrid of genres from consultations to news reporting (the word should be taken lightly) and Trigger Happy TV type spoofs on the street with the public. The show involved Ali G interviewing famous people such as The Bishop Of Corsham, and General Alexander Haig, former United States repository Of State. He became increasingly popular he was put on later and later until he was the last part of the show, so as to apply the audience watching until the end. He was later rewarded by been given his own show.On his own show for Channel 4, a show he engrossed viewers by interviewing semi-celebrities such as The Hamiltons at the time. This led to him being reported at the time Guardian reporting on him as the most talked about figure in British popular culture.www.theage.com/au/entertainment/2001/07/24/ffxq15u4hpc.htmlThus it became obvious that his Target Audience, which are very similar to the one of the rap music, but more clearly a youth audience equally male and female of socioeconomic groups of C,D,E, find him funny and those which are not directly targeted i.e. middle class older people, see him as offensive, like Andy Parfitt complained about his outrageous interview he gav e on Radio 1.One of his more offensive comments in an interview with Sara coxswain on Radio 1 he call fored How come peoples on this show is allowed to say the c-word and mutherfucker but me cant say puni?This question was obviously found offensive to some people like Andy Parfitt the Producer of the show, and Sara Cox had to give an apology on airI do exempt if youve got any children in the car with you, because I know its half term in some parts of the country. I do apologiseBut this would not have damaged his popularity because the target audience would expect this type of behaviour, and would deem it as it is so un-acceptable and rebellious.These are the type of antics and outrageous things Ali G would ask or say, and these are the reasons he got his own pilot show, and one of the reasons he is talked about so much especially in the tabloids, were they are know for focusing on famous people particularly in the untenanted and entertainment industry. For example analyse the at tention, and press coverage David Beckham is and was given when he changed his hair style to a Mohican which was reported in The Sun even though the news had no relevance to sport whatsoever.The reasons Ali G has so many admirers is that his humour has many angles. He is a clear farce of Black Culture, as he plays the black gangster rapper stomp image with lots of street cred. He uses X-rated dancers who would easily be seen in a rap video (look at the Dr.Dre-Next Episode video), and wears the veritable hip hop culture uniform clothes which I mentioned earlier. He also has a DJ on the show playing jungle/ hip hop tunes which are very popular within predominately black youth culture, and therefore also they can relate to them.He could also be trying to poke fun at white/Asian people who look to black youth culture, and find it appealing. He then takes this attitude and tries to imitate the culture with the clothes and the language, which can also be seen as to why Gangster raps ma in TA is white people. A very famous example of white popularity of hip hop culture could be DJ Tim Westwood who has adopted a black sounding accent for his Radio1 Hip-Hop/Rap slot. These types of people are very evident in society and have even therefore been given a notice Wiggers. DJ Tim Westwood is also evidence of people who try to imitate or represent themselves as being gangsters to imitate their authenticity to the roots of the culture, in his case attempting to encourage people to tune into his show.Yet due to the social change of youth culture in relation to race, and the way the youth as a whole dress and talk, which is very similar regardless of race, some of the humour is aimed at the youth as a whole.His interview technique works around the ideology or questioning the anatomical structure of our society and in doing so attempts to become the voice of the youth in a sense as he is representing them, and enforces the ideology that young people know what is actually go ing on in the world or that they hope/wish that they do.he questions knowledge of the past and in doing so makes the young feel smartwww.theage.com/au/entertainment/2001/07/24/ffxq15u4hpc.htmlHe does this by breaking taboos which is evident in the question he asks empurpled watcher James WhittakerWhy was Diana knobbing that Pakistani?This was a question after Princess Diana passed away, but at the time it was still seen as offensive due to the language he used knobbing. This represents a negative image of having sex, and also the comment, that Pakistani, suggests an alternative more sinister motive as though what is important or different in that particular Pakistani.In another interview with Sir Rhodes BoysonDo you fink kidz should be caned in school?The job here is not racial, but generational as under 35s would make that he is talking about the use of drugs, yet people over this age would think he is talking about physical penalisation in school.Ali G for the reasons explaine d above has became ever more popular as well as hip hop culture in global as well as rap music who are selling more and more records. Ali G has became so popular that he is made his own move In Da house which will be released on March 22, and he has in collaboration with Shaggy created a song called Me Julie, whose video has been produced, and stays in line with Ali G the character and show women as sex objects Ali G asks Shaggy if he has any waive in reference to women, and shows mostly very sexy women who have very little clothing on. He is also represented as a wigger who takes it too far, and tells shaggy in the video arent we all in reference to being from Jamaica where the video was shot. He also uses hand gestures which black people are predominately using. Though with this ever increasing popularity, and public awareness it would be provoke to see if he will not die out like Dennis Pennis who was caste out by the celebrities.But as far as rap music goes as well as Ali G i f the music and comedy stays rebellious, and makes the young feel important it will ever so be popular by the youth audience, but contrary to this you have pop/rap artists such as Will Smith who created a popular album in Willenium. This was not rebellious at all but did well but this appealed to a different target audience much younger kids as it was not gangster rap music.You can now see how widespread and popular gangster rap music is getting by the fact that white people are purpose fame in a predominately black art form, and the success they are receiving, such as Eminem who has stretched the genre of gangster rap music as he also talks about his problems in his own life which are not gangster related, he was the first rap artist who had a 1 album The Marshell Mathers LP at the same time as a 1 single The real Slim Shady.