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FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 2011
PAGE 15 | C The transformation of a genre
Rap entices Mason using
suburban appeal
Thom Carter | Staff Writer
Rap music is moving out of the
ghetto and into the suburbs with
rappers swapping their baggy
jeans and t-shirts for designer
duds, according to junior Kelechi
Aguomo. As a result, Aguomo said
suburban teens in areas like Mason
are becoming the target audience
for many mainstream rap acts.
Rap’s image has always been
criticized; in 2008 Barack Obama,
in an interview with MTV, said
that young African-American men
should “pull up their pants.”
Aguomo, who has listened to and
followed rap music for much of
his life, said that ten years ago, rap
was focused around rappers like 50
Cent who grew up in rough, urban
areas whose topics of choice were
violence, money, and women.
“[Earlier in the 2000s], you’d
always see [50 Cent] with a
baggy t-shirt and baggy jeans,”
Aguomo said. “He always talked
about his girls and his money, or
about fighting this person [or that
person].”
According to The New York
Times, it was Kanye West’s debut
album in 2004, “The College
Dropout,” that changed much
of what rap was about lyrically,
different to the rap Aguomo
said was prevalent a decade ago.
Instead, the article said that West
focused on topics such as class
struggle, self-doubts, a middle class
upbringing, and higher education.
Robert Christgau, a music critic
for The Village Voice, a New York
City newspaper, said that West’s
more sophisticated statements
against education instead of the
usual pro-thug statements create a
role model unlike that of any rapper
previously seen.
“His arguments against education
are as market-targeted as other
rappers’ arguments for thug life,”
Christgau said.
Along with West, Aguomo said
that other rappers such as Drake,
Lil Wayne and Kid Cudi are all
moving away from a thuggish
style and making music aimed at
suburban audiences like Mason.
“Now, newer songs are focused
toward suburban kids and stuff that
they could relate to,” Aguomo said.
Like Aguomo, junior John
Wunderle, a fan of rap who said he
prefers more obscure, underground
artists, said that a decade ago, rap
music rarely ventured outside of
urban areas where the genre first
originated.
“[Ten years ago, rap] was more
centralized in urban areas, [and]
not so much played all the time on
the radio,” Wunderle said.
Sophomore Drew Maguire, a rap
fan who said he enjoys the unique
styles of artists like Lil Wayne
and Wiz Khalifa, said that this
mainstream rap has found its way
to popular radio stations, but the
result isn’t always good, namely
when songs become overplayed.
“On the radio, they play a lot of
[rap] that gets repeated,” Maguire
said. “They’re good songs, but there
[are] better songs that no one really
knows about.”
According to Wunderle, rap’s
prevalence on the radio has made it
one of the most popular genres in
Mason.
“In Mason now, you could say
everybody listens to rap,” Wunderle
said. “Rock and rap are the two big
classes.”
After the amount of rap on the
radio, Wunderle also said that its
usage at dances has added to the
popularity of the genre and its
prevalence amongst suburban kids.
According to Maguire, this is a
major departure from rap earlier
in the decade that involved more
storytelling, instead of just rapping
about a dance such as the Jerk or
the Dougie, which are dances set to
rap music.
Along with appealing dances,
Maguire said that the appearance
of rappers is adapting to a more
suburban setting as artists such as
Lil Wayne and Wiz Khalifa shift
toward more fitted clothing.
“[Lil Wayne and Whiz Khalifa]
definitely dress a lot more like
people [in Mason],” Maguire said.
“[Their clothes] are more fitted.”
According to Aguomo, this
change in appearance is noticeable
in the lyrics also as typical rap
topics have changed from one series
subjects to another.
“[In the 2000s, rap talked about]
money and women,” Aguomo said.
“It’s cars and clothes now.”
As issues centered around
a suburban lifestyle such as
education, clothes and class
struggle leap into mainstream
rap, Aguomo said that it’s the
whip-smart lyrics of today’s best
rappers that have made the biggest
impression.
“[Today’s rappers] think more,”
Aguomo said. “Instead of talking
about money and girls, [they’re]
more in-depth.”
Senior female enters realm of rap
Ian Howard | Staff Writer
Rap, once a music
genre to promote
racial equality, is
now going full-circle
to promote gender
equality, according to
senior Nicole Frees.
In mainstream
music, female rapper
Nicki Minaj has
risen to prominence,
according to junior
Nicole Rojas. Minaj’s
photo contributed
Nicole Frees and her group Yung n Official.
first album appeared in Senior
Frees is Yung n Official’s only female rapper.
2010 at number two on
the U.S. Billboard 200.
Through female rappers like herself and Nicki Minaj, Frees said
women are advancing in hip-hop.
“It’s normal for me [to rap] because I’m big on women being
opinionated and empowered,” Frees said. “I think that girls are
rising because of Nicki Minaj; everyone wants to be like her.”
Rojas said that she is also a rap fan and that she agrees with Frees
that Nicki Minaj has opened doors for other female rappers.
“She’s really expanded the opportunities for women and shown
[them] that they have a lot of potential,” Rojas said.
Frees raps for the group Yung n Official, which consists of
brothers Phonzie Boi, F.A.M.E., T-Wiz, Hooligan and Petey. Yung
n Official has performed for many high-profile acts such as Wiz
Khalifa-collaborator Mac Miller, according to Frees. Frees said
that she joined the band soon after meeting the two co-founders,
Phonzie and F.A.M.E. who are both out of high school.
Frees said the root of Yung n Official’s stage planning success lies
in their connection with Sean Herron, the creator of Mad Hatter, a
music venue in Covington, Kentucky with a 500-person capacity.
Frees said that this friendship has helped in snagging big shows
such as opening with Mac Miller and an initial plan to open for Big
Sean.
While Frees is the only female rapper in Yung n Official, she
said she thinks her gender difference makes her stick out and have
something to work towards as an artist.
“I think [the fact that I am a female rapper] makes [my
contribution] special because it’s like [a] spotlight,” Frees
said. “[The] group spotlight...[is] kind of on me because I feel
pressure[d]…to be even better for the girls that are listening to me.”
The popularity of female rappers taking the spotlight can only
rise, according to sophomore Alexa Paridiso. Paridiso said that the
basis for this change lies in the male-dominated rap industry’s lack
of appeal to the female population.
“[Girls] can’t really relate to the guys, but [Minaj] sings about
things that I can relate to,” Paridiso said.
While there had been female rappers before Minaj, her
heightened prominence has helped her change the rap industry,
according to Rojas.
“She’s definitely different [from] a lot of [other] female artists
because it seems like [other artists’ careers] are a lot smaller, mostly
in features [for other artists’ songs],” Rojas said. “Not only is Minaj
in features, but she has her own CDs that are popular.”
Frees said that despite her similarities to Minaj in that they are
both female rappers, she is still her own artist.
“People [are] like, ‘Oh, [she’s] kind of like Nicki Minaj,’ and I’m
like, ‘No, I’m my own person,’” Frees said. “[An] artist doesn’t want
to be compared to [another person], but I think that [Minaj] is
a good influence for girls to want to do more [in music] and be
involved, and [she lets them know that] they can do it.”