The re-emergence of Black Nationalist thought in black popular culture is most evident in the music of such rap groups as Public Enemy and Wu-Tang Clan. Together with groups such as Brand Nubian, and X-Clan, Public Enemy and Wu-Tang Clan have played a central role in introducing the tenets of Black Nationalism to what Michael Eric Dyson has termed 'the hip-hop generation'. Public Enemy and Wu-Tang Clan utilise highly selective 'sampling strategies' that draw upon a wide variety of Black Nationalist ideologies. This thesis aims to examine the impact of these groups' pluralistic 'sampling strategies' on various monolithic traditions of Black Nationalism and to consider the effect of these strategies on the formation of nationalist communities in hip-hop music and culture. Chapter One provides a methodological context for understanding rap within the context of African American cultural criticism. This chapter begins by providing an overview of the assimilationist and separatist responses to and perspectives on black marginality in the United States. Discussion then moves to an analysis of the founding principles of African American Studies, before finishing with an examination of the way in which Black American critics have interpreted rap. Chapter Two provides a comparison of the different ways in which the key notions of appropriation and authenticity as they pertain to black music and to hip-hop are addressed within African American and Black British cultural criticism. This chapter argues that the Black British approach, rooted as it is in `diaspora aesthetics' provides a more useful approach both for the globalisation of rap and the globalisation of blackness than the essentialism of African American critics. Chapter Three offers a comparative analysis of the respective linguistic and discursive strategies employed by hip-hop nationalists and their gangsta counterparts in their construction of community and identity. These hip-hop communities are highly selective in the language they use to describe themselves and others. The choices that these artists make, moreover, say a great deal about their specific takes on notions of identity. Chapters Four and Five provide detailed case studies of Public Enemy and Wu-Tang Clan's distinctive takes on Black Nationalism. These chapters contrast Public Enemy's 'sixties-inspired nationalism', which is steeped in well-established histories of black resistance, with the Wu- Tang's playful postmodern approach to Post-Nationalism expressed most obviously in their use of Hong Kong-made kung fu cinema of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Chapter Six provides a summary of the points outlined in previous chapters and considers the potential futures for Black Nationalism(s) in the wake of the destruction of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

Use of high percentage of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) material in Hot Mix Asphalt is one of the several sustainable construction alternatives being considered by many Departments of Transportation (DOT). Use of RAP in HMA helps in reducing the consumption of virgin aggregates and binder and construction cost and conserving energy. Although most of the US state agencies allow the use of 30% or more RAP in the design of Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA), the current average RAP usage is only about 10 to 20%. This is because of the uncertainty about the performance of HMA mixes with a high RAP content. Several factors influence the performance of the HMA mixes with a high RAP content. Recent research has shown that the use of a high RAP content in HMA with rejuvenators is successful in reducing the stiffness of the RAP mixes, and thereby improving their performance. The present work is carried out to explore the feasibility of using a high RAP content of 50% in a binder layer HMA with the addition of rejuvenators. Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity (UPV) test was carried out to compare the stiffness of the RAP mixes with and without the addition of rejuvenators. Moisture Induced Stress Test (MIST) was conducted to study the effect of moisture damage on the HMA mixes with high RAP content. The Indirect Tensile Strength Test (ITS) was used to determine the strength of the HMA mixes with high RAP content. In addition, creep compliance and Semicircular Bend (SCB) tests were carried out to determine the cracking potential and fracture strength of the mixes respectively. The addition of rejuvenators was found to significantly reduce the stiffness of the mix with high RAP content. The predicted complex shear modulus (G*) obtained from the Hirsch model and performance grading tests on extracted binders confirmed the effectiveness of the addition of rejuvenators in reducing the stiffness of recycled asphalt binder in the recycled mixes.

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of hip-hop culture on the communication skills of students as perceived by teachers at three high schools in Houston, Texas. Hip-hop culture consists of: rap music, breakdancing, graffiti art, and deejaying. Hip-hop is currently one of the most popular forms of music and represents the dominant culture of today's inner-city youth. The researcher issued written surveys to 30 teachers in Houston, Texas. The high schools selected for this study were: Yates High School (Houston Independent School District), Wheatley High School (Houston Independent School District), and Eisenhower High School (Aldine Independent School District). Two teachers were also interviewed for the study. The final part of the study was the production of an educational hip-hop CD by the researcher. The literature review focuses on the history and practices of hip-hop in regard to language. Once the surveys were received and the interviews were completed, the researcher compiled statistics regarding the background information of the participants and the level of influence that each teacher felt that hip-hop culture has on students. The major findings of the study were: 1. Hip-hop culture heavily influences the oral language and written communication of students based upon the opinions of teachers at selected high schools in Houston, Texas. 2. Hip-hop can be used as a tool to supplement the teaching of various academic concepts as evidenced by the practices of teachers at selected high schools in Houston, Texas. Based on the findings of the study, the researcher recommends: 1. Teachers should acknowledge hip-hop culture and allow students to express their interest in hip-hop culture in the classroom. 2. Teachers should find ways to incorporate hip-hop culture into the curriculum to arouse students' interest in learning. For instance, allow students to learn from listening to educational rap songs. 3. Teachers should find ways to use hip-hop culture in the classroom to improve the acquisition and retention of academic concepts. Examples could include allowing students to write rap songs about academic concepts.

1999 u.d.T.: Kage, Jan: HipHop

Zugl.: Berlin, School of Audio Engineering, Bachelorarbeit, 2007.

Thesis (M.A.)--Villanova University, 2009. / English Dept. Includes bibliographical references.

Zugl.: Madrid, Univ., Diss., 2007

Zugl.: Giessen, Univ., Diplomarbeit, 2005 / Lizenzpflichtig

Stuttgart, FH, Diplomarb., 1999.

Thesis (M.A.)--Brigham Young University. Dept. of French and Italian, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 105-108).