This is most of the negative images, such as absence of males in the family; women as sex objects; males being shown as criminals; and rappers and their lyrical content, come from. ... They look at it by saying "If the African-Americans are rapping in songs about being poor and acting in movies where they are poor, they must be poor. Why else would they be making these songs and acting in movies that do not reflect themselves?" ...

• Word Count: 451
• Approx Pages: 2

Perhaps the biggest African influence is music; including jazz, blues, early forms of rock and roll, and especially rap. Elements of rap can be seen in early African songs such as James Weldon Johnson's Lift Every Voice and Sing. ...

• Word Count: 457
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

Being used as a powerful voice in America, there were messages being delivered through songs that dwelled on uplifting the African American race and addressing problems that were against blacks as well. ... Then I would go to school or go outside to hang out with my friends to debate who was a better rapper and why. ... This is due to most rappers of today that forgot about the positive message that is supposed to be delivered in the songs that started hip-hop culture in the first place. ...

• Word Count: 665
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

For example, many young women choose female rap artists like Lil" Kim and Foxy Brown as there role models. ... It is odd that a black man can make an entire album talking about sex and society approves of it, but let a black female make one song on it and she is a "ho." ...

• Word Count: 618
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

In his essay, "Cool Like Me," Donnell Alexander uses several different literary devices to prove his claim that African Americans embody all that "cool" entails, inherently. With many instances of descriptive language, narrative techniques, and structural devices, he compares the coolness of himsel...

• Word Count: 1153
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Her debut album, Songs in A Minor, is one of the first major releases by Clive Davis' new J Records, and her first single, "Fallin'," hit #1 on BET's "106 & Park" countdown show a spot held down by male rappers for the past few months. ... A piano virtuoso, she can sing and play old-school Donny Hathaway songs as well as Biggie's "One More Chance." ...

• Word Count: 1086
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

One of Mookie's friends is Radio Raheem, an intimidating man who rarely speaks but blasts his favorite song "Fight the Power" a rap by Public Enemy, on his boom box everywhere he goes. ...

• Word Count: 897
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School