14 thoughts on “Reading Questions for Rose’s “Keeping it Real””
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English 110 C – Spring 2012
English Composition
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1) The “keeping it real” defense is to prove hip hop’s role as a truth teller, mostly about the poor black urban life that people want to shove under a rug. One argument being made is that Hip hop gives a ground-level view of what it might mean to live under what are nearly warlike conditions in communities that face daunting circumstances. Another argument being made is that hip hop truly is one of the few creative and visible places where in-depth criticisms of society’s failures can be expressed. This makes people want hip hop because people think if it continues to be a place where one can “keep it real”, it might encourage more visible social commentary. Another argument is that rappers and corporate managers claim they are “just representing” society. They said it often reflects the realities that many in the audiences face and observe in everyday life.
2) The first urgent problem I am going to talk about is number two. “The constant commercial promotion of thugs, hustlers, pimps, and hoes reflects and promotes this aspect of street life. She says that rappers make this seem cool and fun. It is hard to tell a compelling story like that and not encourage other kids to join the fold. Rappers can make the thug life “cool” which is not the goal of the rappers and promotes other kids living the same life. The last thing rappers want to do is negatively influence their fans. The next urgent problem is number 3. “It denies the immense corporate influence on hip hop’s story-telling”. Rose’s problem with this is that because of hip hop’s “keeping it real” argument, it denies the capacity of corporate power over commercial mainstream hip hop to move this genre away from the diverse images of black youth and toward the stereotypical ones. The companies want to sell records, so they promote and encourage artists based on what they think will sell as many copies as possible without negative attention. The next urgent problem is number four. “It contributes to the idea that black street life is black culture itself”. Hip hop artists use the strategy “speak truth to power” which is designed to prevent the acceptance of hurtful mainstream ideas. It is important to remember that not all of the complex portraits of black life are squeaky clean. Hip hop has always included graphic and disturbing tales and should continue to do so.
3) I think that an authentic hip hop song that was “keeping it real” looked like a song with no violence. The song would have to have nothing about being poor or talking about doing drugs and having hoes. On page 146 she says that “’keeping it real’ is a strategy that traps poor black youth in a repetitious celebration of the rotten fruits of community destruction”. So an authentic song would not be about any of that stuff, but about how they got out of that place and made something of their life. It would inspire kids instead of uninspired them.
4) Conglomerate- a large corporation 134
Troubadour- A poet who writes a verse to music 134
Mendacity- untruthfulness 135
Daunting- Discouraging through fear 135
Valorization- To give something a value 137
Caricature- A picture, description, or imitation of a person or thing in which certain striking characteristics are exaggerated in order to create a comic or grotesque effect 139
Languish- grow week and feeble 140
Internalization- learning (of values or attitudes etc.) that is incorporated within yourself- 145
1. Tricia Rose’s “keeping it real” defense is to let out the reality of hip hop and black urban life and to talk openly about the hard truth that hip hop is failing to portray. One argument is that anything rappers rap about is truthful and valuable ghetto storytelling has been overused, therefore causing destruction in hip hop and to the black society (p.135). Another argument is how producers gloss over the fact that as more money is made by rapping about various “takes” of ganstas and pimps, more artists are encouraged to change themselves to fit that mode (p.143). A third example would be that hip hop is one of the few creative and visible places where in depth criticisms of societies failures can be expressed (p.136). People may hold onto this role for hip hop because they like the idea of having a way to “keep it real” and encourage things to change in society.
2. The first defense I will discuss is number one; It refers to an ever-narrowing slice of black ghetto street life. By letting commercial hip hop become a nearly constant caricature of gangstas, pimps, and hoes, we’ve become to associate black poverty with black street life. If promotions of hip hop were really “keeping it real” things would be a lot more diverse. Rapping about fear, loss, and prison is rarely heard of. The next I will talk about is number three; It denies the immense corporate influence on hip hops story telling. Vast consolidation as well as marketing and sales strategies have compounded the narrowing of what we see and hear, and are used to prove that hip hop stories come completely from the black community. They want to sell records, so they promote what will sell and won’t get negative attention. Last I will discuss is number four; It contributes to the idea that black street life is black culture itself. The distorted and exaggerated use of “keeping it real” to claim that todays commercial hip hop represents the truth of black ghetto life betrays the valuable history of black cultures role as a community. The casual and dishonest use of “keeping it real” dishonors the longer tradition of speaking truth to power.
3. Tricia Rose states “Sometimes, rapper’s lyrics really do offer gripping tales of loss, sorrow, exploitation, rage, confinement, hopelessness, and despair about conditions that are denied in the larger society.” (p.135) I believe hip hop should have more of this. Rapping about what you truly know, and the hardships you have gone through. I admit, some of it is catchy which is fine once in a while, but I am so tired of listening to rappers rap about smoking weed and popping bottles in the club. These knew rappers come out with one song and their lyrics are talking about all the money they make and all the hoes they’re with, when in reality they are just starting out with nothing like everyone else. Hip hop needs to be about what you have experienced, not what you want people to think you have.
4.
inoculating (p. 137)
equate (p. 139)
cachet (p. 142)
titillating (p. 146)
1.To me the defense is comprised of excuses for these rappers to continue what they are doing regardless of the negative consequences and only looking at the little bit of good coming out of what they are rapping about. Oh, and making a lot of bank. My first passage is on page 134, paragraph 2 and line 5. “The primary use of ‘keeping it real’ defense of hip hop is to prove hip hop’s role as a truth teller, especially the truths about poor black urban life that many people want to shove under the rug.” I see where they are coming from on educating the general public about these issues, but I do believe there is a difference between educating and promoting. The second section I found was on page 135, paragraph 4, and it’s the first sentence of that paragraph, it reads, “You people who love hip hop understandably want to maintain and defend the spirit of ‘keeping it real.’ Hip hop remains one of the most accessible creative forms for those who feel that most if not all other avenues for telling their own life stories have been cut off.” I believe that this is a great way to express ones feelings if they cannot do it any other way. The only problem is that some of these trouble young people try to mimic the actions they are hearing about in this music. Last but not least is the third passage on page 136, on paragraph 3, on line 1. “Keeping it real has become a genre convention as much as a form of personal story telling.” I think this is a great way to get your story out there and express your feelings, I can’ argue with that!
2. “Among these unpleasant ‘realities’ revealed through rap music’s ‘window on our urban culture,’ are black community street-based criminal lifestyles: drug dealing, hustling, gang-banging, hoes, and pimping.” Page 135, paragraph 2, line 1. First off, we don’t want our community exposed to these kinds of things, especially the young kids who are easily influenced. Not only are they exposing communities to these things they are promoting it. Next we have, “Some artists, most recently hip hop influenced crooner Akon, have lost credibility not because they lack talent but because they were discovered to be telling lies about their criminal pasts or origins in ‘the hood.'” Page 136, paragraph 2, line 8. It’s already bad enough that people are being exposed to these types of vulgarities but now rappers are just rapping about it because it’s “in” making the matters all the more worse off. Lastly Trisha says, “The keeping it real brand of aggression made popular in hip hop has destructive consequences.” Some of these consequences are made fun of in Dave Chapelle’s skits which she mentions in her text as well. This has a negative effect on that individual and other around them. This could even result in people getting hurt.
3. The authentic hip hop music that kept it real was in my opinion Tu Pac and Tupac only. He kept it real, he didn’t make up stories and he actually cared about his audience as you can see in the quote before the reading.
4. Crooner- A singer of popular ballads
Inoculating- To treat
Conglomerate- numbers of different things or parts that are put or grouped together to form a whole but remain distinct entities.
Mendacity- Untruthfulness
1. The “keeping it real” defense is to get across the truth stories of the street life, and the struggles these people face. Hip-hop is used as they story telling of the hardships, rage and sorrow these people faced in poverty. This was used as way of speaking up and telling the realities of street life.
2. Point number one combines the blacks in poverty with the street life. We have these degrading names for those who try and make a living on the streets. These people are not only blacks in poverty. Poverty is more diverse then that. Another point is using the media as a way to get the true stories of the black community out in the public without drawing unwanted negative attention. The last point is how hip hop has created the impression that black street life is in fact the same as how the whole race acts as a culture.
3. “Sometimes, rapper’s lyrics really do offer gripping tales of loss, sorrow, exploitation, rage, confinement, hopelessness, and despair about conditions that are denied in the larger society.” This quote by Rose means to me that hip- hop should state all the realities of street life. It should hold back nothing and tell the public how these people lived.
4. Valorization: page 137
Languish: page 140
Troubadour: page 140
1. I “Just Keep it Real” the defence is saying how hip hop shows people the truth of how rough the street life is for young African American kids. It shows how poor young kids live in hoods that rough and hard to stay alive in every day. It is described as a warlike atmosphere. The raps often represent the real life situations that young people need to deal with on the daily. Showing these in the hip hop world brings out all the society failures, and also helps bring attention to them to different age groups.
2. The first defense is “Contributes to the idea that black street life is black culture life” The music shows the life style that some African Americans have to live while growing up. The lyrics only show the rough life that blacks live. The other defense is “The constant commercial promotion of thugs, hustlers, pimps and hoes reflects and promotes street lifestyle”. This makes kids think this life style is cool, but the rappers don’t want their fans to think that at all. They want to promote a better life style, and want their fans to want a better life style. My last defense to discuss is “Some artists, most recently hip hop influenced crooner Akon, have lost credibility not because they lack talent but because they were discovered to be telling lies about their criminal pasts or origins in ‘the hood.” These life styles are already looked down on and with rappers lying about it doesn’t help the hip hop world look any better.
3. On page 146, Rose shows that authentic hip-hop music is music that does not involve violence, drug use and prostitution. Without these the artist can talk about getting out of a bad environment and make something out of their lives. Talking about that would inspire the listeners by hearing it from their idols.
4. Languish (p.140)
cachet (p. 142)
inoculating (p. 137)
Valorization (p.137)
1. In Tricia Rose’s piece “Just keeping it real,” she brings up the term of “defense.” This defense looks like the prevailing of the truth behind these rappers stories. Understanding that it’s not all about hustling and hoes, and that they have “loss, sorrow, exploitation, rage, confinement, hopelessness, and despair about conditions that are denied in the larger society (135)”. The argument is made that the rappers have pain of what they’ve gone through and they want to get it out into the world so that people understand that these types of actions happen on a daily basis. That their is so much truth and personal experiences that they share with the world and the world should take more from that than just getting money and hoes. An argument that is being made is that hip-hop gives people a chance to express their stories, and what they’ve gone through to let the world hear what people who live in black community street-based criminal lifestyles, and the type of things their community goes through. “A good deal of hip hop speaks and has always spoken openly and in depth about aspects of black urban poverty (135).” Another argument is that people want to turn their heads and ignore the fact that these things happen that rappers rap about; “Their words reflect their lives, which regrettably, is often an unpleasant picture (138).”
2. An urgent problem that Rose brings up is the stories of black street culture do not represent all of the ghetto life. It hides the different experiences and point of view in the street culture; such as the different dialects spoken and how diverse the culture can be. “…they’re not even keeping it real about the narrow slice of black ghetto street life they claim to be representing (139).” Rose brings up the point that even what is talked about isn’t the whole story, we would hear more about the fear and loss. She brings up the point that there isn’t much “real” talk about incarceration and the impact it has on the lives of young black men. She brings up the point how the woman’s hardship in their lives is spoken about, and how they have to work two to three jobs to feed their children while the fathers in prison.
Another urgent problem that Rose brings up in her work is the constant commercial promotion of thugs, hustlers, pimps, and hoes reflects and promotes this aspect of street life. She brings up the problem that is this lifestyle is shown as being fun and cool. They should not be promoting this type of lifestyle, because the people in this lifestyle try so hard to get out of it. Tupac words it perfectly “…it might make thug life “look glorious to the guy that doesn’t live that life (142).” To the people that don’t live it have no idea what type of life these rappers had or have, and by them wanting it I think that rappers get frustrated for being trying to take on that life role, because they had to do the things they did to survive and many things they are not proud of. People may commercially promote the glamour and celebratory but they don’t show the pain these people have experience or gone through.
My last urgent problem that Rose brings up is that the term “keeping it real” is exaggerated in today’s commercial hip hop represents the truth of black ghetto life betrays the valuable history of black culture’s role as a community and the wide variety of perspectives and lived experiences. She brings up the point to unify people who feel that their points of view and life experiences are overlooked, and that hip hop has always had disturbing tales and she believe that it should continue to have those parts in the rap. “The casual and dishonest use of “keeping it real” dishonors the longer tradition of speaking truth to power (145).” It’s important to have the truth and real life experiences are present in stories that are what makes the rap so strong and empowering.
3. Based on Rose’s piece ” Just keeping it real” I think that authentic hip hop music looks like the hard to hear pain and loss of rappers. The raps that make you think about how fortunate you are to not live in that type of community, and how fortunate we are for people to share their hardships with the world. I chose a passage to support authentic hip hop: “Keeping it real is not just about telling one’s truth; it is also about how a ‘keeping it real’ attitude is wedded to a valorization of aggressive and self-destructive actions that have consequences–and how the attitude itself often creates the conditions to which it claims to be responding. The defense that anything rappers rap about is truthful and therefore valuable ‘ghetto’ storytelling has been overused in ways that are destructive not only to hip hop itself but also to black communities and society at large (137).” This passage represent authentic hip hop music very well in which that this music should be responded too, its such powerful moving stories about life in the ‘ghetto ‘that they should have extreme responses to such huge issues.
4. Valorization: To provide for the maintaining of the value or price of (a commercial commodity) by a government’s purchasing the commodity at the fixed price or by its making special loans to the producers.
Rhetoric: The undue use of exaggeration or display.
Tokenized: Something serving to represent or indicate some fact, event, feeling, etc.
Voyeuristic: A person who obtains sexual pleasure or excitement from the observation of someone undressing, having intercourse, etc.
Astute: Having insight or acumen; perceptive; shrewd.
1. Companies and producers use the “keeping it real” argument to prove hip hop’s role as a truth teller. One argument is that they are just representing or mirroring society. Rose shows this by using a quote by Alfred C. Liggins III, CEO of Radio One. He said that his radio stations played “hip hop music which often reflects the realities that many in the audiences face and observe in everyday life” (p.138). Rose also shows this in a quote from Russel Simmons. He said “poverty creates these conditions and these conditions create these words” and that “the rap community always tells the truth” (p.143). He used the “keeping it real” argument to hide the corporate influence over hip hop music, trying to show that it is a reflection of reality. Another argument is that hip hop artists are reality’s troubadours. Rose shows this with a quote from Robert Morgado of Warner Communications. He says “Rap music provides a window on our urban culture…To listen is to hear from a population desperately in need of attention, slipping headlong into despair and destruction” (p.135).
2.
– The stories of black street culture that hip hop describes do not represent all or even most of ghetto life. Rose says that if hip hop truely represented ghetto life, there would be more rhymes about homelessness, drug addiction, fear, loss, and incarceration. There would be stories about women working two and three jobs to feed their children, and outrage over police brutality and unemployment.
– The commercially promoted depiction of street life as cool and stylized promotes the destructive aspect. Rose says that once black street life takes hold in mainstream hip hop, it is part of a celebrity driven culture and is no longer a reflection of life. It is an agent of creation and reproduction. Showing video after video and song after song cultivates street culture. It is a form of affirmation and glorification.
– The “keeping it real” argument denies the corporate power over commercial hip hop to move it towards stereotypical images of black street life. Rose says that record companies claim to be middle men distributors, but are really product makers and only want to market songs that will sell and won’t cause too much negative attention. Because of this, they have significantly narrowed the variety of topics in hip hop music down to very stereotypical ones.
3. Authentic hip hop that is “keeping it real” should portray a wide variety of experiences of black youth. It shouldn’t be just stereotypic stories about gangs and violoence. It should tell stories that empower black youth. According to Rose, “it has to be forced open to honestly reflect the full range of blacks youth’s, realities, experiences, desires, vulnerabilities, sacrifices for common good, demands for justice, longings, and hopes” (p. 146-147).
4.
– “just keeping it real” = talking openly about undesirable or hard-to-hear truths about black urban street life (p.134)
– mendacity = telling lies (p.135) ”
– valorization = to enhance the value or status of something (p.137)
– troubadour = a traveling singer (p.134)
– cachet = expression of approval (p.142)
1. Tricia Rose describes that “Just keeping it real” is used as a defense by artists, producers, and media companies. It is used as a defense to justify what they are rapping about. An argument made is that it is used as a way for hip hop artists to tell the truth about urban life and their background. Another defense is used by producers to defend the fact that more rappers are conforming to that mold because of the amount of money that is being made in that industry.
2. Rose talks about the constant commercial promotion of thugs, etc. and how hip hop and rappers make this lifestyle seem cool and fun. She also talks about how commercial hip hop has made black poverty and black street life seem as though they are one in the same. Finally she discuss that some artists lie about their criminal backgrounds and their lives on the street. This makes them seem a lot less credible. The examples Rose gives make sense and I can see why she has a problem with the “just keeping it real” defense.
3. I think a hip hop artist that is “just keeping it real” is someone who raps about their own past and experiences that have actually happened to them. “Keeping it real has become a genre convention as much as a form of personal storytelling.” (pg 136) Rose is saying that pretty much an entire genre has been built around artists rapping about real life experiences.
4. Caricature (pg 139) a picture or description that exaggerates the peculiarities or defects of persons or things
Cachet (pg 142) an official seal
Valorization (pg137) to provide for the maintaining of the value or price of a commercial commodity
Conglomerate (pg134) anything composed of heterogeneous materials or elements
1. The defense for hip hop music to portray black people’s lives as thug and violent is because that’s what people want to hear. People are not interested in racism and poverty when they are listening to rap music. The recorded dealers listen to the profits and when they go up they stick to it. Rap artists themselves put up a defense for it too when they lie about their past making them sound like they lived a ghetto life on the streets dealing drugs, like Akon who lied about his past. People who listen to the music do not want to recognize that there is a problem going on with the black population and they just want to believe the stereotypes that they are all the same, but really there is a certain amount of the population that are making something with their lives or they could be struggling mothers at home trying to raise kids making sure they stay off the streets.
2. The constant commercial promotion of thugs, hustlers reflects and promotes this aspect of street life creates a problem because it makes it seem fun and the cool thing to do for younger black kids to do. Tupac had to deal with the dilemma of whether or not to rap about cool the ghetto life is or how nasty and cruel it can be and how it isn’t the life a young black person should pursue. The corporate power over mainstream media has a large control over what rappers with rap about. The raps about violence and drugs sell more than that’s what they will demand so it is hard to go against the people who are paying you. People want to portray black people as criminals and thugs so they can be blamed for actions they did not commit just like they always were throughout history and the rap music is not bring any more freedoms and progress to the intolerance they suffer from.
3. An actual rap about keeping it real would be a rap like Ludacris’s song Runaway Love that tells a story about a girl who suffers from domestic violence and her drug addicted mother who does not believe her problems. This song shows what black people suffer through and that is not broadcasted in the media because people do not want to believe it. When Ludacris’s song Money Maker won the award and not Runaway Love it just proved what people want more.
4.inoculating- p. 137
facet- p. 146
1. The “keeping it real” denomination is used as a defense for revealing the hardships in life when growing up in the ghetto or violent communities. I think that Rose is trying to get across that this denomination is being abused to make money not only for the rapper but the corporation that has signed them. On page 141 into 142 Rose states how the “keeping it real” line is used way to often so that rappers and corporations are justified to rely on the voyeuristic (characteristic of a pleasure) fantasy about, “…black people as pimps, hustlers, and gang-bangers to sell records.” (Rose, pg142). Rose is stating that not all of these hip hop/rap type songs are of real life experiences and are made out to be more gangster glamorous.
2. One of the urgent problems is referring to the ever narrowing portion of black ghetto street life. In songs like “Runaway Love” by Ludacris where he tells the story of these young children being abused in physical and sexual ways is something realistic and believable. The at the 2007 Grammy Awards he wins Best Rap Song for “Money Maker” a song that encourages women to shake their bodies in hopes to get money from it. A song like “Money Maker” gives false reference to real life and makes it more evident that the mainstream is dominated by seductive images of hustling, sex for money, and the gangsta life. Another urgent problem with the defense is that it denies corporate influence on hip hop’s story telling. Rose expresses on page 143 that the goal is to sell records and that corporations release artist’s music based on two crucial factors, “…what they think will sell as many copies as possible and what they think won’t cause to much negative attention, friction, or resistance from society and government.” Using the “keeping it real” defense allows corporate to say they do not influence what and how the content is expressed. The urgent problem that I feel is extremely crucial is that this defense gives way that people will think black street life is what black culture is about. Rose claims on page 145 that, “…it is important to remember that not all of these wider, more complex portraits of black life are squeaky clean or politically progressive…” In basic we need to look beyond the words of a song in order to uncover the real story.
3. I think the song “Runaway Love” is almost an authentic hip hop song that “keeps it real” because it does bring the issue of domestic violence and sexual abuse to the public eye but makes it seem that every person has the opportunity to runaway from this problem. Although I had to come to this thought after thinking about the lyrics it still seems to be one of the most authentic, “real” songs that I have heard in this 21st century of music.
4. mendacity pg 135, myriad pg 135, valorization pg 137, inoculating pg 137, voyeuristic pg 141.
1) Tricia Rose’s “Keeping it Real” defense exposes the reality of urban black life, and the struggles they face on a daily basis. There are many arguments made throughout the chapter, including the fact that hip hop is one of the only visible places where troubles of our society and the hardships of real people exist. This makes hip hop relatable which keeps people listening. Another example is that as each year passes, producers seem to put the hard, fast-paced, “gangster” lifestyle on a pedestal and really urge performers to accomodate to that style of entertainment.
2)Rose is constantly talking about how rappers today may not be credible because they are untruthful about their every day lives and struggles. Rose also talks about the constant promotion of drugs, alcohol and violence and how current rappers use this as a getaway, and/or to have fun. She also talks about the idea that black urban life is seen as the entirety of the black culture.
3) Based on Tricia Rose’s “Keeping it Real”, I believe that authentic hip hop is the type that goes beyond talking about drugs, violence and “bitches and hoes” as a form of entertainment; the type that makes you stop and think about how fortunate you may be to not have to endure these types of situations daily.
4)Valorization (pg.137)- To ascribe value or validity
Cachet (pg.142)- The state of being respected or admired
Mendacity (pg.135)- Untruthful, lying
1. Tricia Rose believes that “just keeping it real” is used as a defense by the media, producers, and the artists to show the real truth behind the lyrics in a song. The songs involve gangs, violence, selling drugs, and other frowned upon activities. Although these things may be frowned upon the majority of the artists have lived a similar lifestyle. The arguments being made are that “a good deal of hip hop speaks and has always spoken openly and in depth about aspects of black poverty…,” (135) this means that even though some rappers may have not experiences first hand what they rap about, that it still does go on and there are people who live that lifestyle. Another argument being made is that “hip hop truly is one of the few creative and visible places where in-depth criticisms of society’s failures…can be expressed” (136). This being said, rappers have the chance to voice their opinion about society whether it seems socially acceptable or not. Hip hop gives them an opportunity to voice their true opinion which in a sense contributes to them “keeping it real.” A final argument is that “hip hop may be the vehicle by which they escape lives of hopelessness, injustice, and poverty” (138). This argument is saying that a lot of people use hip hop as an outlet to express their emotions and their struggles, without this opportunity to “keep it real,” people’s lives may lead them to suffer more.
2. One problem that Rose names is that hip hop “refers to an ever-narrowing slice of black ghetto street life” (138). She believes that these lyrics and raps “do not represent all or even most of black ghetto life” (139). Tricia Rose feels that there is more to the black ghetto life than what is just portrayed in hip hop music, including homelessness and the effects of drug addiction, as well as fear and loss. Another problem is that “the constant commercial promotion of thugs, hustlers, pimps, and hoes reflects and promotes this aspect of street life” (138). She thinks this is a problem because hip hop is portraying those things to several people including children. These things being portrayed to young children teaches them inappropriate things and they start to think they are acceptable because they are displayed so often. A third problem is that hip hop reflects “images of black people as colorful and violent criminals, drug dealers, and sex fiends…” (138). Tricia believes this is a problem because hip hop is making black people all out to be similar and people are generalizing them based on what they hear in the media.
3. Based on what Rose writes, I think that authentic hip hop that “keeps it real” should portray more aspects of life in the black ghetto. Rose is upset because it portrays the negatives and the violent aspects and not enough of the other aspects. Hip hop should also be written truthfully and artists should write about there experiences or ones they have witnessed first hand, not what they think life might be like. An example Rose uses is Ludacris and the song “Runaway Love.” Although he write about other aspects involving the gangs and drugs, this song portrays the struggles of girls who suffer sexual abuse and domestic violence. This would be an example of a hip hop song that actually “keeps it real.”
4. Conglomerate (134)
Voyeuristic (141)
Troubadour (140)
Mendacity (135)
1. Tricia Rose describes that “Just keeping it real” “refers to talking openly about undesirable or hard-to-hear truths about black urban street life” (134). It ‘s used as a defense by all forms of media, including artists and producers alike. The defense justifies what all rappers supposedly rap about in their songs such as, living in the ghetto, drugs, violence etc. Regardless if the rappers have actually lived this lifestyle, they feel as though songs about those things are what sell. On page 134, Rose writes “the primary use of ‘keeping it real’ defense of hip hop is to prove hip hop’s role as a truth teller, especially the truths about poor black urban life that many people want to shove under the rug.” I believe that a great number of rap songs are truthful and the rappers have actually gone through the hardships that they rap about, but I’m not naive enough to think that rappers don’t lie like the rest of us.
2. Rose’s number two urgent problem says “the constant commercial promotion of thugs, hustlers, pimps, and hoes reflects and promotes this aspect of street life” I think this is a problem because when this point of view is the ideal setting for a rapper, it encourages rappers who aren’t thugs, hustlers or pimps to pretend to be something they aren’t. The number four urgent problem states ” it contributes to the idea that black street life is black culture itself”. This problem “dishonors” the real black history with the new thug-life way of living. People assume that thugs, gangsters and hoes are all that black people can be. They don’t understand that that is just a small percentage of the black community. The number 5 problem Rose mentions says, ” by reflecting images of black people as colorful and violent criminals, drug dealers, and sex fiends, this defense is intended to protect the profit stream such images have generated; at the same time, however, it crowds out other notions of what it means to be black and reinforces the most powerful racist and sexist images of black people”. I think this is a real problem because people do not get the true image of black people. They are portrayed negatively in the media, and the media has a large influence on peoples opinions.
3. Rose says “Sometimes, rapper’s lyrics really do offer gripping tales of loss, sorrow, exploitation, rage, confinement, hopelessness, and despair about conditions that are denied in the larger society.” I believe real hiphop must have these qualities. It must have real emotions and stories and have depth. The lyrics can’t conform to what the public wants, it has to be real and from the heart to actually mean something.
4.
inoculating
valorization
troubadour
1. The defense made for “keeping it real”, is that hip-hop tells the truth and voices the oppression in black urban areas. On the rapper’s side, the argument that “keeping it real” is to show strength and fearlessness against the media and other mainstream outlets, “Rap music is the voice of America…and how dare America not give us the opportunity to be heard.” (p. 133). On Ms. Rose’s side, she claims that “keeping it real” has become a stage act, and that it has it has become a social norm for currents rappers to try and recreate this violent bravado, “keeping it real has become a genre convention as much as a form of personal storytelling.” (p. 136). Keeping it real began as, “representing a particular black ghetto street life and being truthful about one’s relationship to that life.” (p. 136), and has now simply become, “a catch-all defense of everything that comes out of a rapper’s mouth, no matter how manufactured, invented, distorted, or insanely stereotypical it may be.” (p. 137).
2. The most pressing “urgent problem” that Rose repeats throughout the article is that rappers have made “keeping it real” and commercial defense for their lyrics against misrepresenting the youth and lifestyle they are supposed to connect to. This illusion feeds into the thought that rappers are tough, fearless, and more than not, violent. This feeds in to the second problem, creating stereotypes of black urban life, not only making commercial rap “less real” but also creating false and restricting images for those who hip-hop is supposed to represent. Rose’s last argument, is that “keeping it real” was originally to go against censoring media and corporations, but now the very same organizations are using the term to make money and uproot any argument against them and their “less real” raps.
3. I believe, in regards to Rose’s article, that “keeping it real” in authentic hip-hop was not about violence but defense against the hardships of true inner-city life, and to give listeners not only a connection and understanding, but also hope that they can one day make it out of poverty without losing their pride or integrity as the original rappers did, “There’s a bad part because the kids see that and they mimic you…I’m doing it for the kid that really lives a thug life and feels like it’s hopeless…I think I am being responsible, but it’s hard.” (p. 133).
4. Conglomerate 134- a corporation consisting of a number of subsidiary companies or divisions in a variety of unrelated industries, usually as a result of merger or acquisition.
Myriad 135- a very great or indefinitely great number of persons or things.
Sporadically 135- appearing in scattered or isolated instances, as a disease.
Valorization 137- to provide for the maintaining of the value or price of (a commercial commodity) by a government’s purchasing the commodity at the fixed price or by its making special loans to the producers.