In studying the use of language and its impact on the world’s perception of the Hip-Hop movement, I have come to many interesting conclusions. I have studied Hip-Hop love narratives and the forms with which they are presented, finding that Hip-Hop artists use different methods of presentation in order to speak about love while maintaining socially acceptable urban identities.

I have studied the gangster rap genre and found that members of this genre reject the inferior social class status placed upon them by redefining the negative characteristics imposed by the majority class, showing that majority class to possess the same “gangster-like” qualities. I have studied underground Hip-Hop and found that many rappers focus their use of language to denounce parts of the Hip-Hop movement that have assimilated with mainstream society. (more…)

  Rating:
  Release Date: February 8, 2005
  Website: One.Be.Lo Website
  Label: Fatbeats

OneBeLo “Sonogram” Album Review
Underground hip-hop just isn’t understood like it used to be. Nowadays, it’s almost as popular to be underground as it is to be pop. Hip-hop fans are realizing the difference between the hip-hop we see on MTV and the real stuff, and are now finding it fashionable to listen to the more introspective side of the art form and its culture. While this is good, I do think this acknowledgement has created another major genre of hip-hop, one that exists in between underground and pop. (more…)