Annotated Bibliography Hip-Hop

Thierno Diallo

Professor Jewell

ENG 1001

30 October 2019

Annotated Bibliography Hip-Hop

DaBaby.”Intro.” Kirk , Interscope Records, 2019. 

https://genius.com/Dababy-intro-lyrics

          “Intro” is the opening track to the DaBaby’s album kirk it send a strong message that with   hard work and dedication you can outcome any challenge to reach your dreams. In the song the north Carolina rapper reminisces about his past and reflects on his rise to fame. In the song he talks about his poor upbringing and the challenges he faced to reach success. He mentions that he was broke most of his life and at one point he was living with a friend because he couldn’t afford a place. Then his debut album Baby on Baby went number one and his whole life change.His songs went viral entered the billboard hot 100 opening up huge opportunity for him like being able to perform the the 2019 BET awards which he talks about in the song. In the song he mentions that at the same time his album went number he got the bad news that his father had passed. He able to bounce back from the lost of his father and write a new album and dedicated this song “intro”to his father. Through the song he talks about his family and how its is the most important thing in his life and how he is thankful to be in a position to take care of both his friends and family. DaBaby was able to overcome the challenges he faced and reach his dream of becoming and rapper.    

 

NBA Youngboy. “Lonely child.” AI Youngboy 2 , Atlantic Records, 2019 https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/lyrics/8539990/youngboy-never-broke-again-lonely-child-lyrics

           On “lonely child” Youngboy wants people not judge a person without knowing what that  person has been through in life. The 20 year old Louisiana rapper vulnerable bars speaks to how his fame has put him on this pedestal and he feels as if this pedestal has isolated him stripping him of his human status. In the song he talks about how he misses his grandmother who raised him and that miss all the friends he has lost to gang violence. He talks about his rise to fame how he grew up with nothing and was able to make a name for himself but it was painted in a bad image people believed that he was this violent and heartless kid but . He wants people to know he has feelings and he has been through a lot of  pain in his life he’s lost friends and has had people hurt him. 

 

    Polo G .“Finer thing” Die a Legend , Columbia Records, 2019

  https://pitchfork.com/features/rising/polo-g-interview/

            On “Finer things” Polo G wants listeners to not let their past define who they become. In the song he talks about what it was like being raised in the north side of Chicago. At a young age he had to hang around gang members and sell drugs to survive. He mentioned there was no heros to look up to where he lived and how they look up to the villains. He talks about the pain he felt losing his friends to gang violence. He decided he was going to leave the streets and focus on music while in jail. He talks about how he was able to use the pain and struggles he faced and turned it into a passion to write music.He made a name for himself become a successful rapper and leave the things went through in the past. 

 

Nas. “ Hate Me Now” I Am , Columbia Records , 1999

https://genius.com/Nas-hate-me-now-lyrics

          On “ hate me now “ Nas wants the listeners to not let hate and criticism bring them down but use to make them stronger . In the song Nas recalls all the hate he received following his success in the rap industry. He talks about how people dislike him because he had flashy clothing and expensive jewelry he wore. He talks about how other rappers hated him because he was known to be one of the best rappers at his time. He states that he didn’t let this hate get to him but it made him stronger . It motivated him to work harder and make more music earning him critically acclaimed titles and huge record sales. Nas used this hate and criticism to improve his career and make himself more successful.

 

2Pac. “Keep Ya Head Up”  Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z, Interscope Records, 1993

https://theundefeated.com/whhw/its-25-years-old-tupacs-keep-ya-head-up-is-hip-hops-definitive-ode-to-black-women/

        On “Keep Ya Head Up “ 2Pac wants his listeners to respect women and embraced the strength and importance of women.In the song he talks about how women are so often stereotyped, and scapegoated in hip-hop culture but they are the ones who fuel man and make them a better person. He mentions how grateful he was for his mom and that he wouldn’t be where he is now if it was for her. Throughout the song he questions how people can hurt women and disrespect them when at least one point in their life they have been loved and taken care of by women. 2Pac states that his listeners should stand up for women and treat them well . He also wants to send a message to women to keep their heads up and keep thriving.   

 

J.Cole “Love Yourz” 2014 Forest Hills Drive , Columbia Records 2014

https://spoonuniversity.com/healthier/j-cole-love-yourz-song-has-a-lesson-for-everyoe

   In the song “ Love Yourz” J.cole delivers a powerful message that you should be grateful for the life you live. He explains in the song how he had once believed that being successful would bring happiness to his life but one he achieved it, he realized  he had lost sight of the people and blessings he had around which was what brought happiness in his life. In the song the line “No such thing as a life that’s better than yours” repeats over and over to emphasize his message that how important it is to be aware of the blessings around  you , no matter what you believe you are lacking. He talks about how there will always be things in others that you can compare yourself to and that can’t control what others have in their lives, but you can control how you view what you have. He wants his listeners to understand that money can’t bring happiness and to be grateful for the things in their lives.