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Hip Hop Rhetoric Analysis

Decent Essays

Hip-Hop is an all-encompassing term used to reference a genre of music, as well as a subculture that made its first appearance in New York City by African-Americans in the poverty-stricken South Bronx streets during the 1970’s. Hip-Hop began as a trendy medium of musical protest against the injustices suffered by Black and Latino men, but quickly evolved into a lifestyle focusing on the creative expression of emotional, and political experiences shared by ethnic cultures throughout the United States. The emergence of hip-hop culture was expected to be a trend that would disappear in a fashion similar to that of the disco movement, but rapidly became one of the most influential subcultures in today’s American society. Despite the boundless impacts …show more content…

The emergence of this song was the first time that the racism and corrupt nature of the nation’s law enforcement had been publicly addressed in music. In Hip-Hop Rhetoric, it is especially important that we focus on the reasons why such emotionally charged statements were made in the first place, instead of focusing on the negative societal response to such culturally unique perspectives due to lack of cultural understanding. The recognition of the shared feelings of anger and resentment amongst the African American community is a major step in solving the issue of alienation. Kenneth Burke, author of A Rhetoric of Motives, uses the term “identification” to differentiate between his rhetorical view and the traditional perspective described by the term persuasion. Burke asserts that “identification is affirmed with earnestness precisely because there is division… If men were not apart from one another, there would be no need for the rhetorician to proclaim their unity” (Burke 22). This supports the notion that the Hip-Hop culture aids the African American community in their search for their identity and desire to communicate and share their

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