Hip-Hop Culture and Social Counsciousness - Reconciling Value Conflicts
by Valerie L. Patterson, Ph.D.
Core Values
Integrity, Kindness, Respect, Responsibility
These core values are reflected in the exercises, activities, and resources used throughout the module, including the following examples:
Integrity: Integrity is a core value that emphasizes staying true to your beliefs of what is right and wrong and resisting social pressure to embrace behavior and action that is counter to what you believe. So where ‘commercialized' rap music has advanced the careers of rap artists who have adjusted their lyrical content to cater to the appetite of those interested in misogyny, sexism, and violence, this module includes the lyrics, music, and visual imagery of rap artists who have chosen to challenge the pervasive use of misogyny and sexism in rap music. For example Dana "Queen Latifah" Owens, emphasizes this point in U.N.I.T.Y., a rap video that will be used in one of the exercises for this module.
Kindness: Kindness is a core value that includes being compassionate toward others. The images and lyrics that will be viewed and examined in this module will create an opportunity for students to explore the obstacles and challenges that prevent a reconciliation of misogyny and sexism with the core value of kindness.
Respect: Respect is a core value that involves showing regard for the feelings and dignity of oneself and others. The Rutgers Women's Basketball incident, the Spelman College/Nelly incident, and other resources that reveal the difficulties of female rap artists in advancing their careers, all serve to highlight the importance and significance of how misogyny and sexism conflict with the core value of respect. The Dana "Queen Latifah" Owens video Ladies First also emphasizes this value.
Responsibility: Responsibility is a core value that emphasizes the importance of being accountable for one's actions. The exploration of the societal response to Don Imus' comments about the women of Rutgers basketball team, along with the response of the women of Spelman College to the Nelly Tip Drill video will allow students to examine the responsibility of artists, producers, corporate executives, and others for the use of negative and degrading lyrics, language and images to promote/market rap music.
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