绿巨人视频

绿巨人视频Magazine

The Song As Struggle

By
Alyssa Cressotti
Posted
July 11, 2022
memorial for nipsey hussle

鈥淗ip hop, in a lot of ways, is a manifestation of pain,鈥 says Justin Winley, a 2021 graduate who majored in Film and Screen Studies. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a manifestation of the struggle, whether that be the day-to-day economic struggle of living in an impoverished community or the struggle against 鈥楾he Man.鈥欌

Winley, working together with Assistant Professor of Communication Studies Melvin Williams, PhD, and independent researcher Justin Causey, used that insight as the basis for an innovative academic research project exploring the role of hip hop music in conveying grief, generational pain, and other emotions that might otherwise go unexpressed among Black men. Their researched was published this past winter in the peer-reviewed Journal of Hip Hop Studies.

Listen While You Read:
Hit play to listen to our Spotify playlist of songs examined by Williams and Winley.

As part of the research team, Winley and Williams conducted an investigation, framed by critical race theory and gender role conflicts, of twenty-six rap tribute songs written by twenty-eight Black male artists in the aftermath of the killing of rapper, entrepreneur, and activist Nipsey Hussle.

鈥淲e used this hip hop cultural moment鈥 the death of Nipsey Hussle鈥攖o raise larger conversation about this epidemic of gun violence and its devastation of not only the Black community, but Black men specifically,鈥 says Williams, whose areas of research focus on Black representation in pop culture, queer studies, and media.

Hussle, the stage name of Ermias Asghedom, was a Grammy-nominated West Coast rapper who was fatally shot outside his Marathon Clothing store in Los Angeles in 2018. A community leader who was an advocate for STEM education and worked to curb gun violence, he was 33 years old when he died. Following his death, more than 50 murals dedicated to his memory appeared in LA, book clubs popped up that focused on works he had referenced in interviews and in his lyrics, and dozens of tribute songs were produced by other rappers.

鈥淲e used this hip hop cultural moment鈥 the death of Nipsey Hussle鈥攖o raise larger conversation about this epidemic of gun violence and its devastation of not only the Black community, but Black men specifically,鈥 says Williams.

The concept of tribute songs is nothing new to the hip hop community鈥攊n fact, in 1997, following the murder of Christopher 鈥淭he Notorious B.I.G.鈥 Wallace, artists Sean 鈥淒iddy鈥 Combs and Wallace鈥檚 widow, Faith Evans, released 鈥淚鈥檒l Be Missing You.鈥 A few others to mull over include Jay-Z鈥檚 鈥淭he City is Mine,鈥 Bone Thugs-N-Harmony鈥檚 鈥淭ha Crossroads,鈥 and 2Pac鈥檚 鈥淟ife Goes On.鈥

鈥淲e really wanted to examine how Black male rappers were using these rap tribute songs to commemorate the grief of being a homicide survivor,鈥 says Williams. 鈥淚n so doing, we start a larger conversation about how the Black community grieves, how Black men grieve, and how they communicate these narratives which are so vital to the grieving process.鈥

In Williams and Winley鈥檚 research partnership, the pair began analyzing nearly 30 tribute songs, each one memorializing the life and legacy of Nipsey Hussle.

They identified common themes in the tribute songs about survivorship, about anger, and about the desire to seek vengeance. They saw that Black male rap artists use the rhetorical power of rap tribute songs to engage with their complex bereavement processes, advance vital counternarratives, and offer rich criticisms of gun violence, internalized racism, poverty, and systemic oppression. They also found that artists use these songs to explore Black men鈥檚 mental health experiences in the face of repeated exposure to violence, death, and homicide.

鈥淲hen we see examples of gun violence, particularly in the Black community, it鈥檚 always a very charged conversation,鈥 says Winley. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 great about being able to do this research is that it takes those emotions into account, but it doesn鈥檛 let them rule the discourse.鈥

Photo by Chelsea Guglielmino/Getty Images

More from 绿巨人视频Magazine

绿巨人视频Magazine

We're reaffirming our commitment to cutting-edge academics, moving up in the rankings, earning grants, and paying it forward. All this and more in the latest edition of 10 Things to Inspire You.

绿巨人视频Magazine

With the help of a nearly $2M federal grant, this inaugural cohort of nursing students is poised to change the face of patient care.

绿巨人视频Magazine

Pace's Producing the Documentary course gives students a hands-on experience in filmmaking鈥攆rom pre-production, to shooting on location, editing, and so much more. Read how student Adam Ng got his feet wet (literally) this semester while filming the latest 绿巨人视频Doc.