Assignment:
Hip Hop Movies suggested to watch:
Enter the Dragon (1973): Wild Style (1982): Scarface (1983): Beat Street (1984): Breakin (1984); Krush Grove (1985) : Rappin (1985) ; Boyz in the Hood (1991); Juice (1992); Who's the Man? (1993): Fear of A Black Hat (1993); CB4 (1993) ; Strapped (1993); Menace II Society: Jason's Lyric (1994); Dead Presidents (1995); Friday (1995); House Party (1990): New Jack City (1991); House Party 2 (1991) ; Poetic Justice (1993); Above the Rim (1994); Fresh (1994): Clockers (1995): Higher Learning (1995); Panther (1995); Don't be a Menace to South Central...(1996); Set it off (1996); Rhyme & Reason (1997): Gang Related (1997); Belly (1998); In too Deep (1999); The Wood (1999); The Matrix (1999); Love and Basketball (2000); Romeo Must Die (2000); Next Friday (2000); How High (2001); Baby Boy (2001); 8 Mile (2002); Paid in Full (2002); Crash (2004); Get Rich or Die Tryin (2005); Waist Deep (2006): Hustle & Flow (2005); Are we There Yet? (2005): The Longest Yard (2005): Notorious (2009): Beats, Rhymes & Life: The travels of A Tribe Called Quest (2011):
Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap (2012); Caught on Tape (2013): Rode Along (2014); Straight Outta Compton (2015); Love Beats Rhymes (2016); All Eyez on Me ( 2017) ON Netflix: The Get Down ( a series 2016-17); BODIED (2017); Roxanne Roxanne (2018) Rapture (2018); BEATS (2019); Hip Hop Evolution (2020) Netflix
In viewing/analyzing this course's songs & films students should be guided by the following set of questions:
1. What is the Song/film explicitly about and WHAT IS GOING ON IN THEIR AND THE LARGER U.S. SOCIETY?
2. What are the central issues and ideas raised as the plot or rhyme unfolds?
3. Who are the central characters and in the film/song and are their views fully developed or are they a stereotype or caricature?
4. What particular points of view are being expressed about race and racism? On ethnicity. gender, Family, social class, and other social issues? What other values and beliefs are being probed?
Whose or what point of view is being privileged (i.e., that is presented in an exclusive manner or developed in a way to win audience identification with it).
5. How are these issues/ideas/viewpoints manifested on the individual, group, and community Levels in the song or film? How are individual characters in the film/song linked to family, small groups, and their community?
6. What relationship is there between the song or film's content and the historical period in which it is made?
7. Is the song or film catering to the interests/prejudices of a particular audience or is it attempting to be more universal in its appeal?
8. Does the song or film attempt to cast light on social differences? Does it promote tolerance or Intolerance of cultural diversity? What value judgments are being expressed?
9. Is there any expression of religious. ethnic. political, and class solidarity and for what aims?
10. How does the song or film define human nature? To what extent is human society portrayed as predatory competitive (Social Darwinist) or one based on cooperation, mutual respect, and Mutual aid?
11. If oppressive conditions exist for some of the song MC's or film's characters, how is that oppression resolved? What cinematic devises (narrative style, lighting, sound, casting, editing et.al.) does the director, producer, song writer use to accentuate certain ideas, feelings, etc. for the viewer?