Senorita- Vince Staples “I’m focused, they stuck on that dull shit, Livin’ for that True Religion is broke shit I can spend that on a Mac with a long clip” (Vince Staples Senorita) Here Vince Staples gives a taste of the emphasis people place on guns and violence in typical “hood” areas. In the music video Senorita, Vince Staples illustrates the constant violence and many social and political difficulties that people living in low-income neighborhoods have to face. Staples also criticizes the bubble that the higher class white people are living in and how they have no regard for people born into situations less fortunate than themselves. Through the artistic presentation of his music video, Staples demonstrates how certain societal obstacles …show more content…
He walks out of his home wearing a school backpack and dressed like he is going to class. On the walk he passes by strippers, people drinking alcohol, and a drug dealer who all try to lure him away yet Staples never falters. These three are common things in the hood that suck people’s life up and ruin their dreams and aspirations. The drug dealer actually opens his trench coat to reveal the drugs but all that is there is a black hole, which represents how drugs can completely consume people and take all they have away from them. Vince uses the path of education to achieve his dream of performing music. After he escapes the strippers and drug dealers and such, he goes to a man dressed in riot gear who pays Vince money to perform on a stage. The man is presumably white and he is sweating as if he is terrified of something. He represents the music industry and how they make millions off of black artists while the executives have no regard for the actually music and just suck the profit out of the art. In fact because of racial stereotypes they are terrified of what they have gotten into but still want to make more money. Staples successfully uses education to achieve his dream of making music, yet he still has to suffer at the hands of more powerful ignorant people because of his race and his
I feel sad for Staples; he has no purpose of hurting anybody or doing whatever incorrect. In the main paragraph, I got the sensation that the narrator had truly done somewhat criminal, as he describes the lady as his "first victim. " I suppose he was about to go into details about how he attacked or murdered her in the dark alley. Instead, he clarifies that he is a softie and I consider Staples is the victim, not the female. I believe the most remarkable act he did was to whistle Beethoven as he walked down the street.
It's no secret that Kobe Bryant is one of the most talented, most skilled athletes of all time. But what sets him apart from all of his other teammates more than anything else, is his dedication for the sport. Unusually, Kobe was never a freak athlete like James and Bryant are. (LINK 1)
To achieve his objective, Staples further appeals to the audience by establishing a likable and understanding persona by concession and rebuttal, as well as light humor to make himself more charming. For example, Staples admits that for women, “the danger they perceive is not a hallucination. Women are particularly vulnerable to street violence, and young black males are drastically overrepresented among the perpetrators of that violence”. However, he wastes no time to assure that these problems don’t make up for the alienation black men feel always being treated as suspects (543).
At the time the essay was written and published, many young black men could most likely relate to Staples with what they once went through / were going through. The feeling of being the criminal in all situations was a mutual feeling for African American men, and in a small way, it still is. Another contribution to the popularity of the essay is the relevance is holds to present day. Many of the problems described in the essay are still problems today. Though the problems are less serious today than they were then, the effect they have on people is still the same.
Academic performance and listening to a certain type of music does not affect one another. Listening to Hip Hop is some students ways of trying to fit in with a certain group of friends. " The common assumption is that teens who dress in a certain way or act tough are in gangs or aspire to lives outside mainstream society, but when you talk with them, you discover that the way they dress or challenge authority in class often doesn't mean that at all” (Blagg). Among teenagers, listening to a certain type of music and dressing a certain way portrays a message, but that message doesn’t correlate with academic performance.
Staples expresses his argument with real life experiences that have caused him to be stereotyped as a black male. People often think black males are “thugs”, “muggers”, or “rapist”, Staples points out that not all blacks fall under this category, especially him. Staples was first stereotyped when he was out walking at night (because this is what he likes to do) and comes across a white female who perceived him as a mugger or a rapist. This is when he realizes that he was “indistinguishable from the muggers who occasionally seeped into the area”( Pg.301 Para. 2). Staples comes to the conclusion that “being perceived as dangerous is a hazard itself” (Pg. 301 Para.)
John Singleton’s film, Boyz N the Hood, displays the challenging upbringing of adolescents who have to live with harsh conditions around not only their home but also their surrounding town. The film compares the differences between the lifestyles of Tre Styles and his friends’, Darren and Ricky Baker. Darren and Ricky are half-brothers who are nothing alike. Singleton demonstrates the importance of male leadership in a home in the ghetto of Los Angeles by comparing the difference between the lifestyles of Tre and his friends. While many adolescents in the hood have close friendships, some form close relationships by assembling gangs and create a world of violence due to alcohol abuse, which together ultimately breeds discrimination.
For example, Staples writes: "My first victim was a woman—white, well dressed, probably in her early twenties. I came upon her late one evening on a deserted street in Hyde Park, a relatively affluent neighborhood in an otherwise mean, impoverished section of Chicago." (Staples, 1984) Staples reflects on his experiences and the impact that his race has had on them. On the other hand, Rock employs irony and sarcasm to highlight the absurdity of the situation he is discussing, and to critique the industry for its lack of diversity.
Hip Hop is seen as something inspiring, but most people see it as a way to speak out the truth about a problem. As in “Hip Hop planet” being able say the truth can sometimes worsen any situation because sometimes what we say can promote violence and whatever happens after is not in our control. The essay is about how hip hop has changed into speaking out the issues that need to be taken care of in order to maintain a proper society. McBride talked about how rappers use violent lyrics to degrade women and gays and because of this it shows how the music has evolved into something entirely different that no one would have ever expected to have changed. In James McBride's essay “Hip Hop Planet,” he argues that hip hop has a negative influence on American Culture despite people thinking of it as inspirational and how people live through different experiences in life despite of your race.
Along with the creation of music videos, hip-hop’s popularity has soared and changed in many ways. Men and women are depicted in distinct and vivid ways in the media – particularly music videos – that may subconsciously affect our views of the norms of today’s society. That is, catchy songs and glamorous music videos that society thinks are harmless entertainment actually shape our worldview and can cause people to accept false impressions of women (Shrum & Lee, 2012). For example, as Sarnavka (2003) posits, women are victims of violence in society, as well as victims of violence in media (as cited in Bretthauer, Zimmerman, and Banning, 2007).
Staples utilizes the three main rhetorical devices, pathos, ethos, and logos all to give the reader an insight into the life of a black man in society. By using these rhetoric techniques, Staples can produce reactions from the reader and accomplish his goal of bringing the reader to his level and allow them to empathize with him. By being able to use these rhetorical techniques and pulling the reader into his piece, he can accomplish his overall goal of the piece and make the audience see that even though society claims against it, there is still racism today and that it is not obvious to us because it has become a part of our
Today, the news bombards society with the idea that all police officers are racist. Media such as movies, television, video games, and music puts this concept in the heads of many individuals. A perfect example of a rebellious rap song that conveys this message about police officers is “Fuck the Police” by N.W.A. While the beat of the song might enthuse listeners, the words of the song attack police officers. “Fuck the Police” promotes violence and highly offends police officers through N.W.A.’s word choice and influence on the younger generation.
Many people contemplate on the fact that celebrities profoundly influence teens. “If T.I., Wiz Khalifa, and Lil Wayne can rap about drugs, then drugs are okay to do.” This is what parents and others think is going on in teenager’s heads. Even though a few of our actions may show it, is this truly what we’re thinking? Maybe.