Talk review
I went to John McWhorter's lecture on "Getting Past Race" and did not know that his whole speach was going to be about hip-hop music and the idea of how this genre may be revolutionary. Rap music has had the youth of America in a trance so I was very interested in what he was going to say. John McWhorter is a very smart, interesting middle-aged black man. He did not seem to be one to advocate rap music, but he wasn't advocating it at all. McWhorter listens to all sorts of rap, from 50 Cent to Jay-Z to Mos Def and Talib Kwa
He does not, however, see this type of music as anything more than fun. He then preceded to shoot down this theory. McWhorter asked "how can a song with such explicit lyrics be called revolutionary?" His meaning of revolutionary was not a change in the music industry, but instead political movements and racial upheavals. McWhorter explained how many people argue that although Jay-Z and Eminem produce fun music with no real political agenda, different underground artists like Mos Def are causing ripples throughout politics and racial issues. I completely agreed with everything McWhorter had to say. He says to take a closer look at the lyrics and you will see that there really is not much of a difference between Jay-Z and Mos Def. They both say the same things in their lyrics just in different styles or beats, and neither one is causing a movement in Washington. He does not see rap music as revolutionary at all although many hip-hop advocates view it as such. He enjoys the beats and the flow of the lyrics. Although I am a big fan of rap music, nothing about it is revolutionary and none of it is causing a stir in Washington, nor provoking any political movement or racial upheavals, it is just plain old "fun" to listen to but not revolutionary. He described that he likes rap music, but does not feel that artists such as Eminem, Jay-Z, Outkast, or Talib Kwali are doing anything to stir up Washington.
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Acceptance Essays
