This thesis examines the definition and redefinition of women's images through the music of MC Lyte. My research demonstrates how MC Lyte has emerged from the male-dominated Hip Hop demoralization of women and how MC Lyte uses her music and media to empower young females. This thesis explores the history of Hip Hop and culture, and how MC Lyte has evolved and changed the way women are seen in Hip Hop. The objective of this thesis is to examine MC Lyte and how her music evolved and empowered females in Hip Hop music. This research uses scholarly works of Clenora Hudson Weems (1993). African Womanist, Gwendolyn Pough's (2004) Check it While I Wreck It, as well as the input of Tricia Rose's (1 994) Black Noise Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America. These scholarly works, not only delve into the Hip Hop world, but also the issues that plague women, feminism, and the African- American movement. This thesis analyzes lyrics from MC Lyte as a tool to clearly see the struggles and progressions that women have endured within the Hip Hop culture. It is the intent of the researcher to show how black womanhood has been defined and redefined as it emerges in black Hip Hop music and to appreciate the unity of the black female voice through the music of MC Lyte. This paper shows positive and negative attributes of black women in Hip Hop and how they responded to these attributes. This is important because it expresses how the female artists have found a way to communicate their feeling in regards to how they are viewed by larger society, and its affects. They have chosen to identify themselves with and by their music.

Orientador: Soraia Georgina Ferreira de Paiva Cruz / Banca: Helio Rebello Cardoso Junior / Banca: Sonia Regina Vargas Mansano / Resumo: Esse trabalho teve como objetivo cartografar a Cultura Hip Hop, tendo como foco o Breaking. Nossa prática foi de um exercício de nomadismo na tentativa de acompanhar as linhas que foram tecidas ao longo dos encontros com a literatura, com os grupos que se agenciam com a Cultura Hip Hop, dando visibilidade aos modos de subjetivação, de singularização, aos afetos que escaparam de determinados territórios capturados pela cultura de massa e de estratégias de controle. Nesse processo, afetamos e fomos afetados pela história do Hip Hop que nos foi sendo percebida como narrativas de processos criadores. Tais processos foram sustentados por corpos vibráteis cujas intensidades dispararam movimentos de resistência com linhas de fuga que possibilitaram a produção de modos de existência singulares em relação aqueles produzidos pelos fluxos capitalísticos. Cartografar o movimento do desejo na vontade de expandir a vida através do agenciamento corpo-cidade-ruptura, significou entender que o devir não se repete e que sempre há algo no outro que nos transforma. / Abstract: The present paper has the object of mapping the Hip Hop culture, being Breaking the focus study. Our practice was an exercise of nomadism in an attempt of following the lines drawn throughout the encounters with the literature with the groups that are influenced by the Hip Hop Culture, giving visibility to the modes of subjectivity, singularity and affections that escaped from certain territories captured by mass culture and control strategies. In this process, we affected and were affected by the history of Hip Hop that was being perceived as narratives of creative processes. Such processes were sustained by vibrating bodies whose intensities shoot resistance movements with lines of escape that allow the creation of particulars ways of existence related to those created by the capitalistic flows.. To map the movement of desire in the will of expanding life through the managing of body-city-breaking meant understand that the change does not repeat and that there is always something in the other that transforms one. / Mestre

Magister Artium - MA / This research uses the Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) approach, more specifically, the appraisal theory to analyse the online message postings by fans of the popular music artist, Beyoncé Knowles. Through their online writings, insight into their evaluative discourses is gained. This research focuses on the emotional, judgemental and evaluative stance in their writings, especially; the linguistic choices that the online fans use in order to convey their attitudes: appreciation and judgement and affect towards Knowles. In order to do such an analysis, the study considers the different Systemic Functional Linguistic (SFL) levels of meaning (interpersonal, textual and experiential metafunctions). Several questions become pertinent: What kinds of interpersonal relations and identities are implicated on the message boards? (Interpersonal metafunction). How are these expressed textually? (Textual metafunction). What kinds of experiences/fields are implicated in the messages? (Experiential metafunction). The research concludes that in terms of identity, fans tend to latch onto a Hip-Hop culture in order to create and maintain a connection to Knowles. Fans display this linguistically by writing certain words out phonetically as they would be pronounced orally. Gender boundaries are transgressed irrespective of the fans' gender. Posts also demonstrate colourful expressive responses in relation to Knowles. Whether the fan is male or female, both feel comfortable in using emotive language to demonstrate the impact which she has on their lives. In terms of appreciation fans tend to express that she has inspired and changed their lives. Attitudes explored demonstrated that a number of Knowles' fans hold positive viewpoints and therefore they would align themselves positively towards her. The element of judgement was explored from different perspectives in relation to Knowles. One, being a website which suggested that Knowles had undergone an evil transformation. For evidence, these fans used her lyrics, gestures and images selectively as a way to "prove" their arguments. As a contribution to knowledge, this research is useful in the sense that when individuals log online and leave their posts on message boards, they do not always realise the impact of the message that they leave behind. Using SFL and the appraisal theory, one is able to establish the attitudes: judgements, appreciation and affect individuals hold towards a particular topic or person (in this case towards Knowles). Through linguistically analysing message boards, one is able to connect individuals to possible identity options. In essence, the letters and words which individuals have strung together create a greater picture than what was possibly intended. Linguistically, it opens more avenues for exploration.

ABSTRACT WORDSMITH: EXAMINING THE ROLE HIP-HOP TEXTS PLAY IN VIEWING THE WORLD by Crystal LaVoulle Originally the voice of a silenced group of inner city Black males, hip-hop culture contains a historical road map that chronicles the experiences of its members. This study attempted to examine hip-hop through the stories of adults who incorporateaspects of hip-hop culture into their daily lives. Specifically, this study investigated, “How is hip-hop a critical element in the lives of poets, artists, and educators who are actively and intimately involved in its music and culture?” Additionally, this study will explore the following sub-questions: (1) What does it mean to be a member of the hip-hop community? (2) How does hip-hop inform the view of the world for participants in this study? This qualitative research study, framed by critical literacy, attempted to fill the void in the scholarship of hip-hop texts. Data collection included in-depth individual interviews, photo-elicited interviews and music-elicited interviews, a group interview, and cultural artifacts. Narrative inquiry and analysis served as both the process and product used to describe the participants’ lives as members of the hip-hop community. Narrative analysis allowed the construction of cipher-styled presentation of the data collected. Using participants’ lived experiences, their individual stories are molded into a concise narrative. This narrative, told by members of the hip-hop community, may provide a context for other researchers seeking to understand the influence of hip-hop on everyday people around the world.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:29:01Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2009-12-04Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:37:42Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 silva_rg_me_assis.pdf: 552705 bytes, checksum: 325bcffbf6adf0368b933b0b34164de6 (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Esse trabalho teve como objetivo cartografar a Cultura Hip Hop, tendo como foco o Breaking. Nossa prática foi de um exercício de nomadismo na tentativa de acompanhar as linhas que foram tecidas ao longo dos encontros com a literatura, com os grupos que se agenciam com a Cultura Hip Hop, dando visibilidade aos modos de subjetivação, de singularização, aos afetos que escaparam de determinados territórios capturados pela cultura de massa e de estratégias de controle. Nesse processo, afetamos e fomos afetados pela história do Hip Hop que nos foi sendo percebida como narrativas de processos criadores. Tais processos foram sustentados por corpos vibráteis cujas intensidades dispararam movimentos de resistência com linhas de fuga que possibilitaram a produção de modos de existência singulares em relação aqueles produzidos pelos fluxos capitalísticos. Cartografar o movimento do desejo na vontade de expandir a vida através do agenciamento corpo-cidade-ruptura, significou entender que o devir não se repete e que sempre há algo no outro que nos transforma. / The present paper has the object of mapping the Hip Hop culture, being Breaking the focus study. Our practice was an exercise of nomadism in an attempt of following the lines drawn throughout the encounters with the literature with the groups that are influenced by the Hip Hop Culture, giving visibility to the modes of subjectivity, singularity and affections that escaped from certain territories captured by mass culture and control strategies. In this process, we affected and were affected by the history of Hip Hop that was being perceived as narratives of creative processes. Such processes were sustained by vibrating bodies whose intensities shoot resistance movements with lines of escape that allow the creation of particulars ways of existence related to those created by the capitalistic flows.. To map the movement of desire in the will of expanding life through the managing of body-city-breaking meant understand that the change does not repeat and that there is always something in the other that transforms one.

In 1988, rap group Public Enemy's front man Chuck D declared that hip-hop was the "black CNN." His assertion was that hip-hop music could be used as a tool to disseminate information amongst communities that traditionally have been underserved by mainstream media outlets. In the years since, several explicitly political and activist groups have formed within hip-hop communities. Most hip-hop audience members are not, however, directly involved in such groups. My dissertation investigates the links between hip-hop music and culture and politics in the lives of audience members, exploring audience member's definitions of politics and community and examining the influence of hip-hop on these definitions. This is an ethnographic project that includes participant observation as well as in-depth interviews with self-identified hip-hop fans. Participant observation took place at two National Hip-Hop Political Convention conferences, in Austin at concerts, panel discussions, and other hip-hop oriented events, and online in an email listserv devoted to hip-hop and politics. Interviews address listening and other practices that serve to connect individual members to hip-hop communities. In addition, I asked participants to explore their definitions of "politics" and to comment on connections between music and politics from their individual perspectives. Finally, participants were asked to list issues of particular concern to them. This is an interdisciplinary project that combines aspects of sociology, cultural studies, and popular music studies. I also rely upon Patricia Hill Collins' concept of intersectionality, assuming that race, class, and gender each work together to contribute to audience members' experience with hip-hop music and culture and their sense of belonging to the hip-hop community. This project contributes to understandings of music reception as well as to understanding political affiliation and practice by exploring and describing the ways in which people register and experience music and politics in the hip-hop generation. / text

As a result of the groundbreaking success of his debut film Boyz N the Hood (1991), filmmaker John Singleton gained worldwide acclaim, the respect of major film industry figures and became the topic of both scholarly and popular culture film conversations. He also made history, becoming the youngest and the first African-American to be nominated for the Academy Award for excellence in directing. However, the lukewarm critical reception for his sophomore release Poetic Justice (1993) countered the promise many felt he had shown earlier and initiated a lack of interest in Singleton’s subsequent films, rendering him almost obsolete from any future cinematic analysis. This dissertation seeks to resurrect the discussion of John Singleton as a substantial contributor to the world of cinema by bringing attention to the voice that he has given young African-American men and women in the works that comprise what he calls his “hood trilogy,” which includes the aforementioned films and Baby Boy (2001). Specifically, the dissertation addresses this topic by examining how Singleton’s own discussion of black masculinity via film is an extension of the same conversation about maleness began by writers Richard Wright and Ralph Ellison, how the South Central Los Angeles environment has had a tremendous effect on the behaviors and attitudes of the young people that populate the area, the influence of hip hop culture on gender dynamics, and the strain often placed on black male/female relationships in urban settings. The methodological approach of the dissertation combines film, literature, music, and cultural and sociological studies in the effort to locate Singleton and these films as meaningful components in the investigation of film, popular culture and African-American history and culture. In analyzing these films that, as a result of their subject matter and setting, find the filmmaker at his most assured both narratively and cinematically, the intent of the dissertation is to confirm the potential that Singleton revealed in his debut and also bring awareness to the significant effect his work has on African-American youth culture at large. / text

Orientador: Gilberto Figueiredo Martins / Banca: Ana Paula Franco Nobile Brandileone / Banca: Francisco Claudio Alves Marques / Resumo: Busca-se, neste trabalho, reconhecer proximidades estruturais e temáticas entre o conto de Ferréz e o rap nacional, rastreando possíveis influências do princípio ético característico das produções periféricas e do lugar de enunciação desses artistas para, finalmente, analisar as marcas de oralidade nos contos ferrezianos em suportes impressos e eletrônicos. Para que tais objetivos fossem alcançados, as reflexões de Bakhtin (1990) (2011) sobre as relações entre texto e contexto ajudaram a pensar as produções periféricas inseridas na nova literatura marginal e na cultura do hip-hop; as ideias de Cortázar (2006) acerca do conto colaboraram para avaliar a produtividade de recursos do rap nacional inseridos nesse gênero literário; e os estudos de Ong (1998) sobre a "psicodinâmica da oralidade" permitiram reconhecer e analisar as marcas do pensamento fundados na oralidade presentes nos textos analisados. Então, observando que os contos de Ferréz se aproximam temática e formalmente ao rap nacional pela utilização de rimas, repetições, reiterações e de um tom combativo para abordar problemas sociais do mesmo contexto, se compreendeu a semelhança entre as funções de um MC e do narrador ferreziano como cronistas participantes de uma disputa simbólica. Parece, no entanto, haver uma oscilação entre a subversão e a apropriação dos valores hegemônicos que se relaciona com a questão do princípio ético das produções periféricas confrontado pelas concepções estéticas mais tradicionais. Sendo assim, a valorização da palavra falada como uma espécie de arma, notada tanto nos raps quanto nos contos de Ferréz, indica uma concepção da palavra como elemento estratégico de fortalecimento do grupo e, portanto, a ideia de que uma escrita mais articulada ao coletivo e menos à voz de um artista criador seja mais eficiente neste contexto / Abstract: The aim of this work is to recognize structural and thematic proximities between Ferrez's tale and national rap, tracing possible influences of the ethical principle characteristic of the peripheral productions and the place of enunciation of these artists to finally analyze the marks of orality in the short stories printed and electronic media. For such goals to be achieved, Bakhtin's (1990) (2011) reflections on the relationships between text and context helped to think of peripheral productions embedded in the new marginal literature and hip-hop culture; Cortázar's (2006) ideas about the short story collaborated to evaluate the productivity of national rap resources inserted in this literary genre; and Ong's (1998) studies on the "psychodynamics of orality" allowed to recognize and analyze the orality-based marks of thought present in the texts analyzed. Then, observing that Ferréz's tales thematic and formally approximate national rap by the use of rhymes, repetitions, reiterations, and a combative tone to address social problems of the same context, we understood the similarity between the functions of an MC and the narrator ferreziano as chroniclers participating in a symbolic dispute. It seems, however, that there is an oscillation between subversion and appropriation of hegemonic values that are related to the question of the ethical principle of peripheral productions confronted by more traditional aesthetic conceptions. Thus, the valorization of the spoken word as a kind of weapon, noted both in the raps and in Ferréz's short stories, indicates a conception of the word as a strategic element for strengthening the group and, therefore, the idea that a more articulated writing to the collective and less to the voice of a creative artist is more efficient in this context / Mestre

Esta pesquisa propõe uma revisão do conceito de estética, que, para além, de um conjunto de regras de categorização da arte, pode ser compreendida como expressão dotada de sensibilidade capaz de provocar reações ainda que momentâneas, voltadas para a experiência afetiva, emotiva e sensorial do espectador. Isso se deve, especialmente, porque o conceito de estética precisou se adaptar às novas formas de expressão como a fotografia, o cinema, as performances, instalações e, agora, a incorporação dos dispositivos eletrônicos não apenas na divulgação, como também na produção de sensibilidades. O mundo mediado pelos meios de comunicação eletrônicos e que se torna ainda mais presente na era digital vê o espírito de vanguarda e constante transformação, desloca-se das artes ditas primárias para a expressão tecnológica. No campo das artes, a grande novidade a partir do último quarto do século XX, foi a valorização da arte de rua, do retorno ao coletivo e ocupação do espaço público, especialmente com a arte da periferia, sintetizada na cultura hip-hop, que sempre se utilizou dos dispositivos eletrônicos de forma subversiva, tanto na produção como na divulgação de sua expressão cultural. Arte da periferia, que vem sendo reconhecida como uma das tendências criativas mais importantes deste início de século, como fenômeno orgânico, pulsante e visceral, além de uma forma autêntica de fazer política conectada com as experiências sociais de grandes massas urbanas segregadas, gera soluções originais, criativas, sustentáveis e autônomas. O hip-hop é uma arte de rua e para a rua, voltado para a ocupação do espaço público, para expressão do corpo, desde o flash mob à street dance, passando pelos graffitis e a pichações, o rap e o funk com seus \"pancadões\". Um fenômeno cultural surgido nas periferias dos grandes centros urbanos do mundo inteiro. Estética do improviso, da criatividade, da bricolagem, da mixagem, da colagem e reelaboração de elementos de outras artes, que utiliza a transgressão como estratégia de explicitação das diferenças. / The purpose of this research is to review the concept of aesthetics understood not only as a set of rules for categorizing art. Aesthetics can also be understood as a form of expression endowed with sensitivity and capable of provoking reactions related to affective, emotional and sensorial experience of the viewer, although the reactions could be momentary. In a certain way, this happens because the concept of aesthetics has been adapting to deal with new forms of expression such as photography, cinema, performances, installations and, more recently, the incorporation of electronic devices, which plays an important role not only in the dissemination but also in the production of sensitivities. In the field of arts, the great novelty of the last quarter of the twentieth century was the valorisation of street art, the return to the collective and occupation of public space, especially with the art of the periphery, synthesized in hip-hop culture, which has always used subversive electronic devices, both in the production and in the dissemination of its cultural expression. Periphery art, which has been recognized as one of the most important creative trends of this century, as an organic, pulsating and visceral phenomenon, as well as an authentic way of doing politics connected with the social experiences of large segregated urban masses, generates original solutions, creative, sustainable and autonomous. Hip-hop is a street and street art, focused on the occupation of public space, for expression of the body, from flash mob to street dance, graffiti and graffiti, rap and funk with their \" pancadões \", all of them part of hip-hop aesthetics, as a cultural phenomenon that appeared in the peripheries of the great urban centers of the whole world. Aesthetics of improvisation, creativity, DIY, mixing, collage and re-elaboration of elements of other arts, creating syncretism and cultural hybridism, in addition to using transgression as a strategy to explain differences.

Esta pesquisa propõe uma revisão do conceito de estética, que, para além, de um conjunto de regras de categorização da arte, pode ser compreendida como expressão dotada de sensibilidade capaz de provocar reações ainda que momentâneas, voltadas para a experiência afetiva, emotiva e sensorial do espectador. Isso se deve, especialmente, porque o conceito de estética precisou se adaptar às novas formas de expressão como a fotografia, o cinema, as performances, instalações e, agora, a incorporação dos dispositivos eletrônicos não apenas na divulgação, como também na produção de sensibilidades. O mundo mediado pelos meios de comunicação eletrônicos e que se torna ainda mais presente na era digital vê o espírito de vanguarda e constante transformação, desloca-se das artes ditas primárias para a expressão tecnológica. No campo das artes, a grande novidade a partir do último quarto do século XX, foi a valorização da arte de rua, do retorno ao coletivo e ocupação do espaço público, especialmente com a arte da periferia, sintetizada na cultura hip-hop, que sempre se utilizou dos dispositivos eletrônicos de forma subversiva, tanto na produção como na divulgação de sua expressão cultural. Arte da periferia, que vem sendo reconhecida como uma das tendências criativas mais importantes deste início de século, como fenômeno orgânico, pulsante e visceral, além de uma forma autêntica de fazer política conectada com as experiências sociais de grandes massas urbanas segregadas, gera soluções originais, criativas, sustentáveis e autônomas. O hip-hop é uma arte de rua e para a rua, voltado para a ocupação do espaço público, para expressão do corpo, desde o flash mob à street dance, passando pelos graffitis e a pichações, o rap e o funk com seus \"pancadões\". Um fenômeno cultural surgido nas periferias dos grandes centros urbanos do mundo inteiro. Estética do improviso, da criatividade, da bricolagem, da mixagem, da colagem e reelaboração de elementos de outras artes, que utiliza a transgressão como estratégia de explicitação das diferenças. / The purpose of this research is to review the concept of aesthetics understood not only as a set of rules for categorizing art. Aesthetics can also be understood as a form of expression endowed with sensitivity and capable of provoking reactions related to affective, emotional and sensorial experience of the viewer, although the reactions could be momentary. In a certain way, this happens because the concept of aesthetics has been adapting to deal with new forms of expression such as photography, cinema, performances, installations and, more recently, the incorporation of electronic devices, which plays an important role not only in the dissemination but also in the production of sensitivities. In the field of arts, the great novelty of the last quarter of the twentieth century was the valorisation of street art, the return to the collective and occupation of public space, especially with the art of the periphery, synthesized in hip-hop culture, which has always used subversive electronic devices, both in the production and in the dissemination of its cultural expression. Periphery art, which has been recognized as one of the most important creative trends of this century, as an organic, pulsating and visceral phenomenon, as well as an authentic way of doing politics connected with the social experiences of large segregated urban masses, generates original solutions, creative, sustainable and autonomous. Hip-hop is a street and street art, focused on the occupation of public space, for expression of the body, from flash mob to street dance, graffiti and graffiti, rap and funk with their \" pancadões \", all of them part of hip-hop aesthetics, as a cultural phenomenon that appeared in the peripheries of the great urban centers of the whole world. Aesthetics of improvisation, creativity, DIY, mixing, collage and re-elaboration of elements of other arts, creating syncretism and cultural hybridism, in addition to using transgression as a strategy to explain differences.