Tricia Rose

Author and Title
NPR: News and Notes. June 11, 2007
Hi Hop's Herstory (Interview with Tricia Rose)

TIME Magazine: Thursday, December 11, 2008.
Tricia Rose, Author of the Hip Hop Wars by Gilbert Cruz


Some things I understand

During the short radio interview, Rose discusses the mainstream roles that have been available to female MCs and lyricists since hip-hop's origins. Rose identifies two primary roles for female rappers that have dominated hip-hop, both grounded in a sexual presence or orientation: the ultra sexual (Lil Kim) or the ultra, masculinized/tough. Rose discusses how alternatives to these two primary roles exist but remain outside of the commercial genre, and argues that commercialization itself has limited the participation of female rappers and limited roles of masculinity.

In the TIME article, Rose declares commercial hip-hop is dead, but points to underground hip-hop as an ailing "living force." Rose describes the illness that killed mainstream hip-hop and that is affecting the non-mainstream: saturation of commercialization to such an extent that the music no longer embodies the definition of hip-hop is.

Rose identifies American history's "particular pleasure in consuming ideas of black-ghetto-excess dysfunction" and sexual themes of domination, explaining how as the markets became more and more consolidated these primary themes came to dominate present day radio.

I appreciated Rose's argument how's hip-hop's original presence within a community resulted in music and lyrics that steered away from exaggerated sexuality and violence - you can't talk about killing a woman when your neighbors and family are surrounding you.


Some things I don't
Although I know we are studying within an academic setting, it seems weird to read about hip-hop from outside of that world. I would be surprised if there weren't more articulate and poignant criticisms that are situated closer to the music-making, and not coming from Brown University.

I wish I knew more about what Nas meant when he said, "Hip-hop is dead."


Connections to other texts or course themes
Christensen's work is very relavent for this topic - how themes like sexuality and violence become pervasive and self-perpetuating. There have been definite efforts to undo these "myths that bind us" when it comes to hip-hop - Chappelle's show was a good example of this. But... (see next question below)


Questions/Comments to Share in Class

Why does hip-hop that is less edgy seem lame? I don't want to listen to sexist and violent music, but I also don't want to listen to hip-hop that revolves around suburban values like most of the rest of the music Iisten to.

I want to hear urban and black and poor and marginalized voices (I don't mean to imply these go hand-in-hand!!) - I think music is a great way to share about the myriad of American experiences - and I know that hip-hop is not a true voice in this way - but it could be!