Link to Hip Hop Renaissance

An audio piece on what I have learned this past semester in Multimodal Composition.

duration: 4:13

Watch Sir Ken Robinson’s speech on Ted.com

Featured songs

Yann Tiersen, “Comptine D’un Autre Été, L’après-Midi”Amelie From Montmartre, EMI Records, 2006

Gyorgy Ligeti – String Quartets, “String Quartet No. 1 ‘Metamorph’”, EMI Records, 2010

Hans Zimmer & James Newton Howard, “Aggressive Expansion” The Dark Knight – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, Warner Sunset/Warner Bros., 2008

 

After looking over the two review letters we received and the letter from Dr. Ball, it is immediately evident that the slideshow on our site is distracting and altogether unnecessary.  We should probably add a single, stagnant photograph on our page that reflects the Harlem Renaissance and hip-hop to give a visual feel for our subject without being distracting.  Furthermore, we will need to rewrite the timeline information in our piece.  We are going to work together to try and form a more conversation-style narration that is easy for listeners to comprehend.

We received comments regarding Dr. Cortez Cruz’s interview in reference to the audio quality.  This is something we tried to work on – the background static is a bit excessive – but adding a filter to remove the static also affects Cruz’s voice in an even more distracting way.

Final adjustments:  completing the transcript with Cruz’s interview, adding an additional link for references and re-recording Kayla and Breezy’s sections.

Individual progress report for our group presentation:

I have conducted, edited and narrated through the interview with MC of the Oakland, CA based hip-hop duo, Zumbi

I have written up the introduction to the audio segment and the other parts of the script that were designated to me

Interview with Dr. Duriel Harris has been set up

Audio resources have been chosen for my section of the piece:

• Black Star – “Respiration”
• Zion I – “Soo Tall”
• also, various sound effects for the section based in the South Bronx

Status: on schedule

My individual role in this particular group project is to research the history, cultural roots and development of hip-hop.  We have designated ourselves into either researching the Harlem Renaissance or hip-hop.  Kayla and Billy decided to focus mainly on the Renaissance, as Breezy and I will focus on hip-hop.  In working with Breezy, we will both look at the emergence of hip-hop in the South Bronx with the arrival of DJ Kool Herc, and the types of social conditions that existed in the city during this time.  We will quickly examine how the music exploded, and take a deeper look into the musicians and emcees that make the music what it is today.  After collaborating with Kayla and Billy, we will then draw distinct correlations between the Harlem Renaissance and modern day hip-hop.

We are each responsible for an interview, and my particular interview will be with Zumbi, the emcee from the Oakland, California based hip-hop group, Zion I.  Because he generally writes socially conscious/politically charged lyrics, I thought he would be an excellent candidate to question in regards to the music he is involved with.  These are my questions:

1)  What originally got you into hip-hop?

2)  What inspired you to start writing lyrics?

3)  How do you see your lyrics affecting or motivating people?  Do you see them as politically/socially charged?  Emotionally charged?

4)  Obviously, the music gives you a powerful voice…How are you able to utilize your lyrical ability to speak to your listeners?  What kinds of messages do you strive to put across in your music?

5)  There’s a song off your album, “True & Living” titled, “Soo Tall”.  The chorus goes:

“Young and black and proud like me
Black and proud, stop crowding me
Crowding got clouds over me
One day we’ll be soo tall”

This seems to be about your identity, it’s about social class and the desire to rise up against an oppressive force…what motivated you to write these lyrics to “Soo Tall”?

6)  This is a really broad question…but how has hip-hop affected your life?

I have contacted their agent and have the interview set for this week.  I hope to have it recorded by Thursday, and edited by the next week.  In the meantime, I will continue my research on the history and development of hip-hop.  Obviously, with a 10 minute audio clip, there needs to be a great deal of editing and compacting of information.  The more we’re able to know about the Harlem Renaissance and hip-hop, the better we’ll be in organizing our thoughts and ideas in a clean and concise way.

The following is an outline for our group presentation.  Depending on the information we each obtain from our individual interviews and the deeper we research these topics, certain points of this outline will likely change or be slightly different.  Also – once we get further into the interviews and editing the project, we can develop an appropriate introduction.

Hip-Hop & the Harlem Renaissance

I. The Harlem Renaissance

• The ending of slavery and the African American Diaspora
• New economic and educational opportunities
• Social conditions & African American identity
• Explosion of music, artwork, politics and religion

II. History of Hip-Hop

• The South Bronx
• Issues of staggering poverty and drug use in low-income neighborhoods
• DJ Kool Herc & emergence of block parties
• Explosion of hip-hop music in late 70’s and early 80’s

III. Analysis of Harlem Renaissance artists

• The poetry of Langston Hughes, Claude McKay & Georgia Douglas Johnson
• James Johnson, Fats Waller & Bessie Smith

IV. Analysis of hip-hop music & art

• Mos Def, The Roots & Zion I
• Explore social and political messages
• Graffiti art, Justin Bua paintings

V. Conclusion

• Reiterate correlations between the Harlem Renaissance and hip-hop
• Summarize cultural impact of both movements, including social and political affects
• Importance in understanding the relationship between these two cultural movements

Further notes:

• Within our research and interviews, we will look for specific short stories that can help drive the message and create intriguing elements to our audio segment, much like the stories heard in This American Life.
• Careful use of sound effects, music and narration to enhance audio quality
• Still deciding on an appropriate introduction

 

This semester in English 239 has brought forth the relationship between multi-modal composition and scholarly media.  Prior to this class, the term, “scholarly work” would have come off as being a lengthy Word document of theoretical and dry material that would have little to no interest to me.  After being in this class, I see the embrace of a technological emergence, and utilizing this technology to communicate scholarly texts.  I found this especially exciting, because my history of education has, at times, shied away from using an entertaining form of technology to bring across scholarly ideas.  Now, we are given the freedom to explore these technologies and experience how they can drive our messages.

 

In my high-school art class, I developed screen prints of my favorite musicians.  One of my pieces depicted Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson, the drummer from the Philadelphia based hip-hop group, The Roots. After posting images of my screen print online, I was surprised to find that ?uestlove had taken notice.

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Kairos

For submissions to Kairos, the requirement is webtexts.  They are looking for digital pieces which integrate multi-modal scholarship compositions designed to be challenging, creative and cutting edge.  Through the five provided examples (minus Daniel Anderson with the dead link), it is clear that the use of digital media and exploration of non-linear and creative interfaces is key.  By skimming through the provided examples, I can see how the accepted submissions live up to what Kairos stands for.

In the “About” section on the Kairos webpage under, “What is Kairos?”, it reads:

“[...] the mission of Kairos has been to publish scholarship that examines digital and multimodal composing practices, promoting work that enacts its scholarly argument through rhetorical and innovative uses of new media.”

I found Joyce Walker’s example most appealing as it incorporates a moving bus included with text under each image.  While the site is loading, a prompt reads, ”Please wait for the bus”.  Very clever, very fresh and an intriguing piece…this is certainly an innovative submission and definitely lives up to the Kairos standard.

Computers & Composition

Much like Kairos, C&C is asking for in-depth, scholarly research-based pieces that involve rhetoric and pedagogy.  Like Kairos, a call for innovation in the multi-modal arena, especially in terms of education and developing a “virtual classroom”.  Another similarity is the web-based texts that are required in submitting to C&C.  Within the specific guidelines, it reads, “No purely text-based submissions such as Microsoft Word (.doc) or other word processing documents.”  They are looking for innovative and creative projects that have a strong researched based argument and creative appeal.

By looking through the sidebars on the website, I came across a piece titled, Plagiarism and Technophobia. This particular page hits all the requirements asked by the C&C in regards to submissions.  Though it is mainly text, the author includes images and design to build a professional look and an intriguing, attention grabbing introductory page with hidden links.

TheJUMP

Though the “About” section and “Submission” page on TheJump website are significantly shorter than on Kairos and C&C, the overarching purpose is related to both.  The site states that it is, ” providing an outlet for the excellent and exceedingly rhetorical digital/multimedia projects” and is “providing a pedagogical resource for teachers working with ‘new media.’”  However, the submission guidelines seem much less rigorous and open-ended.  I also notice that the majority of submissions are youtube videos.  I have to say, I am impressed by many of the submissions and enjoyed the “Communism” piece under the “Sample Submissions” section.

For the submission values, TheJUMP pushes for quality work and how their message is conveyed through the design and production choices of the pieces.  After watching a few of the examples, I see these pieces as matching up and even exceeding the expectations of the submissions on TheJUMP.

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After reviewing the submission values on the three separate sites and comparing them side-by-side to the values/criteria created in class, I find numerous similarities between them.  For example, messages as conveyed through the design and quality of the piece.  How is the purpose of the message conveyed in the production of the multi-modal composition?  Another strong similarity is creative realization.  Like our values, in all three sites the guidelines ask for new innovations and fresh ideas to help push these compositions in the scholarly field.

Clarity and organization were two major factors we discussed in designing our in-class values.  In the three sites, their submission requirements ask for unique approaches in web-based design that breaks away from the mundane word processing document.  Creating a multi-modal piece that is both visually/aurally stimulating while simultaneously meaningful in a scholarly light can only be achieved through proper organization and clarity.  The argument needs to be evident and well developed.  All of which were discussed in class and within the websites.

While viewing the example, Words are the Ultimate Abstraction by Robert Watkins, I found the evaluation criteria from Shayla, Katie H. and Katie E. to be most relevant and productive.  Because this is a video that includes still and moving images, narration and music, one must take into account the quality of the media project, the content and the creative realization.  Though the purpose section of this particular evaluation criteria is a bit generic (though effective), the audience section seems very relevant for the Watkins example.  It’s clear that this piece is directed to a very specific audience, and noting whether the work is able to connect with the intended audience is of the utmost importance.  Finally, organization.  The arguments presented in the Watkins video are central to the message and are only effective with good organization.  I feel that this point is vital to include in an evaluation as the power of the message and argument is dependent on the effectiveness of a piece’s organization.

Purpose
• How
• What
• Why
Content
• Creative Realization
• Does the form fit the content?
• Quality of Media
Audience
• A text that connect with you as a group/audience
• Reader-friendly
• Usability is appropriate to the audience
Organization
• Organization of ideas should be clear to reader and relevant to the purpose
• Clarity of argument, if there is one, and backing up your argument