Author: Johana (Page 1 of 6)

I decided to do this project in the genre of a slide show because videos are a way of informing people and educating them in an accessible way while also asserting images, videos, and voiceovers. In my case, my audience consists of women mainly, therefore, informative videos are very likely to get their attention. I understand that everyone’s case may be different. In the example of Nicki Minaj, she always felt pressured and intimidated by the male rappers at the beginning of her career. However, she stood strong and gave her all to express her talent which led to opening windows for other women in rap. Of course, not every woman’s career is in the music industry so their situation will be different. After watching different kinds of slideshows, I end up with so much wisdom and knowledge, so I’m hoping this one will also be inspirational and teach everyone about ambitiousness and women empowerment. Looking back I believe my main point about Nicki Minaj being a perfect example of an ambitious and talented woman.

Unit 1: Portrait of a Word

My family is from Honduras which is located in Central America. Everyone calls me Morena. Morena means dark-skinned brunette, but to us, Morena just means dark-skinned. I am the middle child and so when I was born I was a different complexion compared to my older sister, who has lighter skin. My family has been calling me Morena for as long as I can remember. This name is unique to me because it reminds me of how different I look between my sisters and me. In other Hispanic countries, people may think Morena is an offensive word, however, it isn’t offensive to my family or me. 

As I was growing up, I learned more about the meaning of Morena and why they called me that, to begin with. One day, I asked my mom and dad why everyone at home referred to me as Morena, but in school, I was Johana. They told me it just meant dark skin and that I was darker than my older sister so my dad started calling me Morena and so everyone in my family got used to it and continued. I learned that in some Hispanic countries, calling someone Morena is very offensive. However, it is a common girl’s name in Argentina and is also an Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish feminine name. 

Using the word Morena by calling someone that indicates membership in the Spanish community. It is a nickname in my community of Hispanics that only means dark skin and nothing offensive. If there were someone outside of my community such as a white or black or Asian person that called me Morena, I wouldn’t feel away or think that they shouldn’t use the word, because it is just my nickname. There may be some people in different communities that may believe no one outside of the community isn’t allowed to say Morena due to it being an “attacking” word. I think people who aren’t Hispanic or who don’t speak Spanish should know about this word, Morena because it’ll give them an understanding of its history. Knowing where the name originated from, who used it, who uses it now, who believes it is a negative term, etc. 

When I was seven years old, I remember I went to a distant cousin’s birthday party. There were a lot of kids there being that the birthday girl was also seven years old. I remember talking to her and her mother yelled out “Morena, donde estas?” Which means “Morena where are you?” I was very confused because she looked angry and I had just met her so I didn’t know why she could be so angry with me. Then she looked past me and continued calling out “Morena.” It then started to make sense that she was calling someone else. I asked the birthday girl who Morena is and she said it was her sister. Her sister was four years old at the time and was running up and down the party. I felt excited knowing there was someone else with the same nickname as me so I started looking for her too. I finally saw her and she was also dark skin compared to her sister. I went to my mother with joy telling her about the other Morena and this experience was something I won’t forget. 

Now that I am a young adult, my family continues to call me Morena. I learned to appreciate the name and understand that it is who I am, so I shouldn’t feel ashamed or embarrassed. Morena to me is truly unique and a beautiful name. Because my family members have been calling me this name, I believe it’s so important and is a great deal to me. Although some may find it offensive, it is a name and it is my nickname which I love.

Unit 2: Feature Article

Female Mogul 

   There are a couple of things I admire more than women standing up for themselves. One of them is having the ability to determine their own choices and encouraging self-worth in other women. Being able to show the world your many talents is a beautiful thing, but also supporting other women to do the same is an inspiring act. Women empowerment is very important and a strong force that the world needs, especially in the music industry.

   The rap game has never had a female mogul since 2009. Nicki Minaj is the queen of versatility and undeniably talented. As the reporter, Vanessa Grigoriadis, from the New York Times Magazine stated, “Minaj has become an expert at modeling the ways that women can wield power in the industry. But she has also drawn attention to how power can be embodied by a woman standing up for herself and speaking her mind.” In the statement, Grigoriadis expresses one of the many impacts Nicki Minaj has asserted in the world; aside from being lyrically gifted, she emphasizes the significance of power in womanhood. Grigoriadis is accurate and we’ve seen in many events where Nicki Minaj has spoken and showed the importance of gender roles in the public eye, especially in the music industry. Furthermore, she’s always persuaded women to be ambitious, never depend on a man, and always work for themselves. Nicki Minaj has taught young girls and young women to stay in school and never give up on their dreams. In addition, she carries this advice throughout the work that she provides to her fanbase and listeners. 

   An undeniable skill we’ve never seen before always intrigues us, especially in music, specifically Rap and Hip-Hop. Skills such as rapping the fastest, switching up flows in one verse, and even the important word choice. Rap/ Hip-Hop has developed throughout the 90s, early 2000s, and present days. When we listen to rap music, it’s usually a male artist. If we’re asked who’s our favorite rapper, we mainly think of a male rapper. Since 2009, there hasn’t been a female leader or mogul in the rap industry. Nicki Minaj has the longevity of the highest-selling female rapper. Because we’re so used to males “dominating” the music industry, I find it supreme that Minaj has changed that perspective and showed the world that women can also be dominant. She has proved her talent through the work she puts out to the world like being versatile and working with artists of different genres such as Latin, country, and pop. Not only has she featured on many male artists’ songs and impressively showed her lyrical strength, but Minaj also influences women and young girls to go after what they want and to never depend on anyone, especially a man. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olWhr_bstNU

   In this interview with TIME, Nicki Minaj opens up about her life as a celebrity, the importance of being a boss as a woman, and being unapologetic in her career. Aside from the interviews, Nicki Minaj expresses her talent and addresses her accomplishments as a female rapper and woman in the Rap/Hip-Hop industry. In her most iconic verse in the song “Monster” with the three most legendary male rappers, Kanye West, Jay-Z, and Rick Ross, Minaj raps “You can be the king, but watch the queen conquer.” She wants us to know queens are just as powerful and important as kings. In her case, she is just as capable as the males in the rap game. In another song from her Pink Print album, “Want Some More,” she raps “You seen that list? It was me, Baby, Jay-Z, and Diddy.” The list she refers to is the Hip Hop Cash Kings where she was placed as the #4 top earner, making her the first female rapper on the list.

The-passion-of-nicki-minaj.html  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olWhr_bstNU 

Songs mentioned- ‘Monster’ by Kanye West and ‘Want Some More’ by Nicki Minaj

Reflection

When I started this course, I didn’t expect to learn and appreciate more about myself than I did before. When doing the Unit 1 assignment,  I wasn’t sure about what to write and was confused about the task. Now that I’ve completed all assignments, I can see I learned more about myself and my creative side. The work I’ve submitted before compared to now is different. I see growth in my work and more effort than in the beginning. My least favorite assignment would have to be the first one from Unit 1 because I couldn’t think of a unique phrase or word. What I first submitted was wrong and had to think about what word mattered to me, so I had to rewrite the assignment later on in the semester. My favorite assignment would have to be Unit 3 because it wasn’t a typing or writing assignment, I had to bring out the creative side of me and it was really fun doing so. As the genres changed, I think I went more in-depth about my topic. It wasn’t just about my admiration for Nicki Minaj, it turned more into women’s empowerment. When I first started Unit 3, I thought about doing a TED Talk on how important women’s empowerment is and telling the different examples Nicki Minaj gave that example. However, I thought more into it and didn’t think people would want to hear me talk for about 8-10 minutes, so instead, I decided to make a short film to not only tell but to show everyone including other women, and young girls, etc. A challenge I encountered in this course during this semester was the understanding of the Unit 1 assignment. I read over the example of “fuku” in The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. This helped me understand the assignment more and so I had to rewrite my final draft of Unit 1.