Colin McGuire - Panel Discussion
In the discussion panel this week, Alex and Melissa discussed the importance that there is much more to hip-hop and rap than meets the eye. It is much more than just music and the popularity contests of these “iconic� rap artists controlling the industry. For many it is a way of life and a culture. Unlike these “artists� that are producing this mainstream “bad rap� music, Alex and Melissa explained that those that live and breathe true hip-hop and rap are musical poets. These musical poets produce the “good rap� music, but it does not get played on the popular radio stations. It is forced to remain underground because major corporations buy all the air time to ensure their bad rap is played. I found it interesting that hip-hop is considered the culture and rap is the literature. The lyrics of the “good rap� contain information pertaining to the artists, like where they are from and the events that have shaped their life. Hip-hop and rap bring the community together and addresses issues of the society.
This was all really interesting to me. I had previously presumed rap and hip-hop were perhaps rivals. But learning that they are connected and in fact a part of each other was very interesting. I prefer hip-hop over rap, but then again we are only exposed the “bad� stuff on the radio. The panel discussion was interesting and informative this week. It was nice to learn from people involved.