Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Old School Versus New School Hip Hop Essay Example for Free

Old School Versus New School Hip Hop Essay Benjamin Anderson Ms. Marae Bailey English 110 January 18, 2010 Old School versus New School Hip Hop Many people believe that all hip hop music is the same. They think hip hop is about the beat of the music and the fame of the rapper. However, the true difference occurs when you look at how old school hip hop became mainstreamed. Original hip hop was about the disc jockey that played the music. The music of hip hop were humble and about pleasing the crowd; while new school has become more commercial due to the involvement of major record companies. The hip hop of today is not the hip of yesteryear. Hip hop began in the streets of New York City, in the Bronx area. The local Disc Jockeys would have free parties in the local parks or at local school playgrounds for the main purpose of promoting themselves and to advertise for future parties that they were having at a club or a local community center, in which they would charge a cover price to get in. A Disc Jockey usually has couple of his friends around to help carry equipment like records crates and to help with the setup. The Disc Jockey would usually pay the guys for helping him. The setup guys also helped out during party by getting on the microphone, and saying crowd participation rhymes, this would help keep the people on the dance floor. They would later be known as Masters of Ceremonies or MCs. MCs would take light-hearted jabs at other disc jockeys and lyricists. After awhile, the disc jockey with better MCs, would bring in larger crowds, in turn, giving the disc jockey a bigger pay day! As the disc jockey and his MCs got more popular and more money started flowing in the disc jockey’s pocket, the disc jockey would be able to pay those guys strictly to be MCs, and someone else to handle setup issues. Now, back in seventies, a good disc jockey could make around $1000. 00 for playing music for five hours. Out of that money he would have to pay MCs, and he might have two to four people as MCs. The disc Jockey would have to pay the setup guys too. MCs would get paid from $100 to $200 per party. Local record companies like, â€Å"ENJOY† record saw the money making potential in this new Hip hop craze, so local record companies that were based in the New York City area, would find the hottest Disc Jockeys and MCs combination to sign on their record label. Then a person could go out and buy his or her favorite Disc Jockey or MC’s record at the local record store. Local radio stations started to play the song on air too. The Disc Jockeys that were able to get a record deal started to make more money and their MCs did too! Hip Hop music was still local to New York, until major record companies like, RCA, EMI, Polygram Records, and CBS started to buy out the all the local record companies. Now the major the record companies had worldwide distribution for the records that they sold. Hip hop was now going nationwide, and it was going to be as big as Rock and Roll. Hip hop going nationwide lead to birth to the new school hip hop. Major record companies wanted to sign up hip hop group to their label, but they didn’t want to sign the disc jockey of the group. The record companies felt that they should not have to pay someone that was not performing on the record. A lot times, a producer from the record company would strike a deal with the MCs, by telling them that they are doing all the work, and the fans are screaming their names, not the disc jockey. So MCs would get the contract and the Disc Jockey was cut loose, making this the end of Disc Jockies or MCs, and the birth of the rapper. New school rappers these were making from $100,000,000 to $200,000,000 an album. Now the rapper was headlining show and filling football stadium seats. The rapper that used to be the MCs for the disc jockey, began paying the disc jockey to spin or play music for him or her at a concert. Hip hop is now known all over the world, sung in many different languages. The lyrics of today’s hip hop rappers are not like the MCs of yesterday, Rappers now talk about how much money they are making and disrespecting women in their songs. Some rappers like tell how they made it from the drug game to the rap game, while rappers talk about the use of drugs and types drugs they prefer to use. A rapper’s lyrics often reflect the violent lifestyle of American inner cities afflicted with poverty. The â€Å"N† word is used a lot in today rapper’s lyrics In conclusion, we see that rappers remain a big part of the old and new school hip hop era and that sampling and mixing of music to create the hip hop sounds have not changed much as hip changed from old school to new. Getting the crowd hype and dancing on the floor hasn’t changed much from old to new. But, as we saw the disc jockey’s setup guy, whose original job was to set up and rap into the mike so that the crowd could focus on the music of the DJ, has grown to become to multimillion dollar money making rapper. What most people today don’t know is that it was the fall of the disc jockey, the original star of the show, which led to new school hip hop.

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Dr Seuss’ Horton Hears A Who and Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories Es

Everyone is Important in Dr Seuss’ Horton Hears A Who and Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories In many of Dr Seuss’ children’s books, a character is struggling to get his voice heard. For example, in Horton Hears A Who and Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories, there are characters that couldn’t get anyone to listen to what they have to say. These characters teach us that no matter how big or small, everyone is important. Horton had thought he heard a sound but didn’t see anyone. Nearby was a very tiny speck of dust flying aimlessly throughout the air. Horton realized that someone must be living on that speck of dust! He immediately takes action and makes up his mind that he is going to save this person because, â€Å"a person’s a person, no matter how small.† (6) No one else would believe him though. Horton knew what he had heard but didn’t know how to get the others to believe what he had to say. One of the most important lessons throughout the entire book is that Horton didn’t give up on the Who’s even though everyone thought he was crazy. The little town of Who’s were counting o...

Monday, January 13, 2020

One Door Closes as Another Door Opens

One Door Closes, as another Door Opens Growing up in San Diego, California in a full blooded Portuguese family, complete with the grandparents from the old country and the western more contemporary parents was a very colorful upbringing. My grandmother and mother had many old wives sayings and tales that were the foundation of they way the reacted to life. Although raised in the fear and guilt that is known as the Catholic religion, my mother always reminded me that even when something bad happens, something good will come of it. Now in my Christian life, our Pastor Aaron refers to it as â€Å"When one door closes, another will open in its place†.In this reflective paper I will describe how my life experiences, some which were tragic and traumatic and closed that chapter in my life, many times a new door opened, usually with a more positive outcome. Child molestation, becoming a widow at 26 years of age, and alcoholism are just a few of the obstacles I endured in my life. I wi ll explain how some wonderful experiences evolved from these obstacles. I was raised in family of four daughters. I was the second youngest and considered the middle child. My two older sisters were seven and eight years older than me.My mother use to say it was like raising two daughters, two at a time. By the time my older sisters married and moved out, my younger sister and I were just starting adolescence. My siblings and I cohabitated in one small bedroom with two sets of bunk beds in our small two bedroom home. My father was a hard working painting contractor and my mother was a stay at home housewife. My father drank everyday, and my mother spent her days meticulously cleaning our home. My childhood memories were full of large family get togethers with aunts and uncles and all the cousins, grandparents and other Portuguese friends.The women would cook cultural cuisine and the men would play cards, gather around and play musical instruments like the guitar, mandolin, and drums . My father played the spoons and bones that were carved from ivory. My father was the comedian, center of attention, and the guy who would put the lamp shade on his head after a few beers. I have shared that personality trait with him since I was very young. My sisters and I would sing and dance for the large gatherings. As a young girl, maybe eight years old, I remember reading a National Geographic Magazine article about Oregon.I told my mother I was going to live there some day. The tall trees and the mountains of green versus the San Diego hills of houses piled on top of one another, was very pleasing to me. Even at that young age, Hollands’ personality theory of career satisfaction (Witt and Mossler, 2010) was apparent. My need for self expression came out through drawing pictures of those beautiful mountains and sharing them with my friends and family. I was already leaning towards the artistic and social aspects of his theory. When I was around 11 years old a neighbor who was in his forties sexually molested me.His wife could not have children, so they would invite me and my younger sister for sleep overs. She had no clue the molestation was happening. She was always so sweet and caring to us. I was so terrified to go over there any more that I started making excuses. Having to give up my interaction with her is my first memory of a door closing. I started to become rebellious as the anger and resentment ate me up inside. Alcohol became my escape at the early age of 12. I would sneak vodka from my dad’s liquor cabinet, and take it to middle school to put in my lemonade at lunch. My world was closing in all around me.It was in 8th grade that I had an art class that opened another door to me. I would engulf myself in that class everyday and work hard on projects at home. I had found a release for the anger, and a way to channel it into something positive. I was modifying my behavior without realizing it. Art became a prevalent part of my li fe. I would write poetry which was my form of a journal and I would draw for hours on end. It was in high school where I met my first love. I had run away from home after an argument with my parents and stayed at a friend of my younger sister’s house.His parents were understanding and let me stay there for a week. My parents knew where I was at, and they probably welcomed the break from me, as much as I did from them. I fell head over heels for him. The closeness and love was so wonderful. I had not been that happy since I was a little girl. We stayed together for two wonderful years. I began to trust again which opened another door that was once closed. I graduated high school with a 4. 0 GPA and wanted to join the military. That dream would change when I met my first husband. Mac and I met at a co op softball game that some friends took me too.He was muscular and athletic. We flirted a bit. I started to have those warm fuzzy feelings again. We moved in together after dating for 6 months. My parents were furious, but I was an adult. He had been to Oregon for a summer and I was fascinated with his stories. That same year we loaded up the Volkswagen bug and headed to Oregon. Mac wanted to be a fisherman so we moved to Newport. We gave birth to our daughter April in 1976 and my son Smokey in 1977. Life was hard but we managed to get by. In 1980, Mac had decided he wanted to go to Alaska for a season because the money was much better up there.He left in May of that year, came back to see me and the kids for my birthday in June and headed back up in August. That was the last I saw of him. He drowned on Labor Day weekend, 2 days before April was to start Kindergarten. Smokey was 4 years old. Needless to say, the children and I were devastated. How were we going to live and how on earth was a 26 year old mother of two going to survive? I moved inland to the Willamette Valley and started our new life. It was then that my career in the food and beverage industr y came into play.I had worked a few waitress and bartending jobs part time, but now I had to make all the income to support us. Mac hadn’t paid much into Social Security so that check was more like a stipend than enough to live on. I worked and worked sometimes 2 and even 3 jobs to get by. I finally got a great fulltime, good paying job at the Red Lion Inn as a pantry chef. This door helped to strengthen my artistic and social characteristics even more. Creating beautiful food was an art form and the plate was my canvas. All the colors and placement of the final product was very satisfying.Having a network of co workers really enhanced my social life. I was moving on and becoming the person I wanted to be†¦.. happy. My children were now in high school and growing into their own wonderful beings. I also worked 2 nights a week as the Karaoke hostess at the Inn. That job was a great outlet for my self expression and social life. I gained the courage to audition for a local band and became the lead singer and keyboard player. Another door opens. Both of my children graduated and moved on. My daughter went on to Oregon State University and my son went to work installing home and auto audio systems.I moved back to the coast because my younger sister, who had since moved to Oregon, was going through a rough time. Her husband was losing his battle with cancer. He died later that year. It was while living in Waldport, Oregon, that I posted an ad in the matchmaker section of a local newspaper. I was lonely. It was there that I met my last husband. We dated for a while and life seemed pretty good. We ended moving in together where he owned a home in Lebanon. So back to the Valley I went. I obtained a job as a teacher’s aide working in the title one program with elementary school students.I also coached the high school cheerleading squad. Life was going well†¦or so I thought. My husband became very controlling and pressured me into getting a better paying job. He had a great job and money was never an issue, but he was extremely materialistic. He convinced me that I should become a Realtor, so I took the course, received my license and sold real estate for 8 years. The verbal and now physical abuse had escalated. I finally packed my bags, filed for divorce and moved out. That door slammed shut! By now I had become pretty numb to bad things happening in my life which I had little or no control over.Once again alcohol reared its ugly head in my life. This went on for about a year when I finally decided I had had enough. I started writing my thoughts again and decided I am going back to school. I was 52 years old. I enrolled at a local community college and focused on academics for the first term. Then I signed up for a couple of art classes and that became the door that opened up my life so dramatically and positively. My creative juices were flowing again. I had my self- confidence back, and I was expressing my artistic and so cial self again.I entered several of my works in art shows and won a few awards. I felt like I was back on top. I believe that even though I had some terrible life experiences that I will never forget, they all opened up doors for me to grow and become the woman I knew God had created me to be. â€Å"Divorce often leaves emotional scars that last a long time. Both men and women usually experience emotional challenges after divorce, including loneliness, lower self-esteem, worry about the future, difficulty forming new relationships, fear of failure in new relationships and depression (Amato, 2006).I can honestly say I have experienced all the above mentioned, but I am learning to cope effectively and the impact has lessened for me. My goals for my future are emphasizing the importance of an education to my grandchildren, accomplishing and receiving my Bachelors in Fine Arts with the focus on Early Childhood Education and using what I have learned to teach art to children and to vol unteer teaching art to senior citizens.I feel with my artistic and social personality characteristics as explained by Holland’s theory, (Witt and Mossler, 2010) that I will have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of children. Art and the expression of art have saved my life†¦numerous times. Another door that has opened for me is very exciting. I have reconnected with my first love from high school on face book. He still lives in California and we talk and text everyday on the phone. He will be visiting me soon. We have rekindled our love and I truly believe that we are going to be together again.With all I have learned from my past relationships I feel this will be the best ever! â€Å"Relationship history is not your relationship future (David Niven Ph. D). Your Relationship future is not limited by your experiences of the past or by your disappointments of the past. You can learn from your experiences and avoid mistakes of the past. † In conclusio n, I have learned a great deal about myself through my life experiences. I know that I am a strong, resilient individual.I have had numerous negative circumstances happen in my life, several of which were beyond my control. I did manage to survive them all, and grew from this multitude of trials and tribulations. Wisdom has prevailed and blessed my soul and heart. I embrace the adventures that lie ahead. â€Å"When one door of happiness closes, another opens: (Helen Keller); but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us. † I have learned to move forward through the open door and to welcome all that it has to offer.