Participation Type
Paper
Session Title
Session 10.02 Music
Presentation #1 Title
’Gangsta Rap’ and Appalachian Folk Music: Participants in an American Music History of Violent Lyrics
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
My paper will deal with the ways in which the lyrics and music of Gangster Rap songs have been stigmatized in an effort to make the genre seem pathologically violent in nature. My observation is that songs in the Appalachian Folk tradition are also very violent, though its songs are celebrated as a glorified American cultural heritage. I intend to analyze the lyrics and musicality of songs from both genres, with the intent of demonstrating how Gangster Rap has been unfairly demonized as a cultural product. I do not intend to discredit the Appalachian Folk music tradition, or criticize it in the way Gangster Rap usually is by cultural critics. Rather I intend to compare themes of violence in songs from both genres to explore the ways in which some forms of music can be seen as pathological in American society, while others are considered part of our national heritage.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
I am currently a master's student in the history program at Texas Tech University. My general scholarly interest is the cultural history of popular music in America, and how peoples' different tastes in music are informed by race and class.
’Gangsta Rap’ and Appalachian Folk Music: Participants in an American Music History of Violent Lyrics
My paper will deal with the ways in which the lyrics and music of Gangster Rap songs have been stigmatized in an effort to make the genre seem pathologically violent in nature. My observation is that songs in the Appalachian Folk tradition are also very violent, though its songs are celebrated as a glorified American cultural heritage. I intend to analyze the lyrics and musicality of songs from both genres, with the intent of demonstrating how Gangster Rap has been unfairly demonized as a cultural product. I do not intend to discredit the Appalachian Folk music tradition, or criticize it in the way Gangster Rap usually is by cultural critics. Rather I intend to compare themes of violence in songs from both genres to explore the ways in which some forms of music can be seen as pathological in American society, while others are considered part of our national heritage.
