The Social History of Pop Music

Must cite from the articles I sent, and use the following materials.
In readings, film clip, and as you heard in the music from this week, we see how the struggles both before and after the riots were felt by the Black community in Los Angeles in the 1990s, and how that manifested into the hip hop and rap that was coming from within it. We hear the struggles being sung about in hip hop/rap, and about how those struggles culminate to explosive tensions in Southern California with the LA Riots. What led to these tensions? Do you think anything could have been done if the music was taken seriously by those outside of the community? (This question is completely subjective, but music, just like other art mediums can help to give us a glimpse in to what people and communities are experiencing. And there were some very loud messages attempting to be amplified.) In you conclusion, if you want to, you can address any contemporary music (so post 1990s) that you feel might mirror some of the messages echoed by that in the 1990s and earlier regarding some of the difficulties and struggles experienced. (10 points)
No formal lecture this week – you have a lot of materials to help guide you.
•Make sure that when you take notes this week you pay attention to the numerous factors that lead up to the chaos of the riots.
Reading:
“Out of Many – LA Riots 1990s” (provides historical context – read first)
Ejiofor, “The L.A. Riots as Told Through Rap and Hip-Hop” (https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/l-riots-told-through-rap-hip-hop-n751896)
Alvarez, “Epilogue” (pgs 241-244)
Pick One or read both:
Rose, “Just Keeping it Real”
Starr & Waterman, “Early Hip Hop from the 1980s & 1990s”
Media:
(REQUIRED) This is a short clip from another earlier Vh1 documentary about Hip Hop: “Gangsta Rap And L.A. Riots 1992” from Vh1, Time Machine
(REQUIRED) Read the short article and watch the 2 minute clip regarding the LA Riots here: “Black History in Two Minutes: The LA Riots”
(Optional documentary) LA 92, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaotkHlHJwo (1:53:46)
Music:
Spotify: Music from Uprising: Hip Hop and the L.A. Riots (2012)
Check out some of the music you’re reading about. They’ve got explicit lyrics, and some very problematic language, but you can still weed through it for content.
Some examples of music pre-riots:
N.W.A. “Fuck the Police.” Straight Outta Compton. Priority, 1988. CD
Ice Cube. “Black Korea.” Death Certificate. Priority/EMI Records, 1991. CD.
After the Riots:
Ice Cube. “We Had to Tear this Muthafucka Up.” The Predator. Priority/EMI Records, 1992. CD.
Dr. Dre. “The Day the Niggaz Took Over.” The Chronic. Death Row Records, 1992. CD.
Sublime. “April 29, 1992.” Sublime. MCA, 1996. CD.
Question to consider: How did Hip Hop shape American culture, society, and politics and how was it shaped by these things in return?
Key words: Hip hop, music, American consumerism, race, police profiling, history, politics, society

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