Backdrop: In Unit 1 we analyzed the architecture of a hip-hop track – our emotional reaction to the sound (the
harmony, the arrangement, the way the instruments are played).
Current focus: This Unit, and this paper, is focused on the archaeological quality of rap music. Hip-hop songs
tell a story – the purpose of this paper is to uncover that story.
Requirements:
-4-5 pages
-Quotes from at least one critical source (It Takes A Nation is an acceptable source.)
-Analysis of one rap song from any of the playlists we studied this unit
-Attention to the “architecture” (the “sound” of the original has its meaning, the “sound” of the new composition
has its meaning)
-As many “ingredients” as possible (see below)
Ingredients for an archaeological analysis:
-How does the history of the genre relate to the new composition?
-How does the history of the artist relate to the new composition?
-How does the history of the song relate to the new composition?
-What is the relationship between the cultural memory of the genre/artist/song and the new composition?
Note: stylistic approaches are capable of evoking cultural memory. If they don’t trigger subjective memory, the
genre has a history we can trace. Often our discoveries will deepen our understanding of the song.