McLaughlin / WR 13300 / Fall 2016

Research Essay Proposal/Exploratory Draft (20 points)

Due in Sakai before class time on Tuesday, 10/25
Directions: Complete the following proposal and exploratory draft for your research
project (you may type on a separate document, if you wish). Your proposal and
exploratory draft is due in Sakai before class on Tuesday, 10/25. I will meet with
students individually on Thursday, 10/27, to discuss these documents. To earn full
points, these items should be detailed and should reflect your careful thinking about
your project. You may wish to refer back to the Wayne Booth chapters in Sakai as
you complete this proposal.
Part 1: Research Proposal
YOUR NAME: Daniel Jimnez
I am studying the effects of inner-city life on the hip-hop genre and then that
musics effect on our youth because I want to find out how the hardships of the
ghettos influence the subject matter of that music and how that music influences
the lifestyle of our youth. This analysis will be done in order to help viewers
understand the complications of drug abuse, gang affiliation, and sexual violence.
This issue is important and timely because as idolized figures, rappers have the
power to influence the youth by how they communicate said message. To illustrate
my discussion of how this subject matter influences both the happiness of the artist
and the listener alike, I plan to focus on social movements that are correlated with
movements within the hip-hop community.
KEY SOURCES FOUND SO FAR:
MLA citation

Type of source?
News article?
Scholarly journal
article? Book?
Website? Other?
Song

What does the source offer

your project? Background?
Statistics? Theory? Argument?
Counterargument? Example?

Song

Example

T.I. Warezone. Rec. 2016.

Antwanette McLaughlin, 2016.
MP3.

Song

Example

Blanchard, Becky. "The Social

Significance of Rap & Hip-Hop
Culture." Stanford.edu. Stanford
University, n.d. Web. 25 Oct.
2016.

Website

Argument

Nas. One Mic. Rec. 2001. Chucky

Thompson, 2001. MP3.
Tupac. Changes. Rec. 1996. Deon
Evans, 1992. MP3.

Example

Another one:
Howard, Willie. "Rap: The Cry of a Rebuked People." Stanford.edu. Stanford
University, n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2016.

McLaughlin / WR 13300 / Fall 2016

Website - argument
Part 2: Exploratory Draft
1. I plan to propose to the youth of today an argument for finding positive
lessons in hip-hop songs. The hip-hop genre is interesting because it first
found widespread success with the conscious hip-hop and gangsta rap
subgenres Groups such as Public Enemy, Eric B. & Rakim, A Tribe Called
Quest, De La Soul, and NWA brought various social injustices to attention,
albeit, in different ways. Groups such as NWA used profanity and graphic
depictions of violence and sexuality to make the point that growing up in the
ghetto was tough. The other groups took a more passive approach to tackling
those conflicts, using more intricate rhyme schemes, softer instrumentals,
and less pervasive language to call for social activism and progression within
the black community. Specifically, subgenres of hip hop such as gangsta rap,
horror core, and alternative (conscious) rap speak about the difficulties of
growing up in these poverty ridden areas, where gang membership and drug
dealing are seen as the only means of escape.
2. The intended audience is the youth of today, predominantly people aged 13
to 25. Since this demographic encompasses the majority of hip-hop listeners,
they have the most at stake in this case. Because of the glamour, riches, and
fame that is associated with hip-hop artists, those artists are in a very good
position to shape the minds of said youth. For example, in the song
Changes, Tupac uses the realities of the ghettos to call for social activism
by telling the audience, and more specifically the black community, to stop
killing and selling crack to each other. This positive message will be
interpreted by younger listeners as a call to action to either act out against
said injustices or avoid the lifestyle that is depicted. On the other hand,
rappers like Future and Plies glamorize drug use and objectify women through
the use profanity and money. They create a cool image around those
choices and this is evidently reflected in the attitudes of the audience.
Perhaps my favorite example is T.I.s music video for his song War Zone.
Not only does the song touch on the police brutality weve seen against black
folk throughout the country, the video switches the roles of the whites and
blacks. This helps show how unjust some of those police killings were and
makes a supporting statement towards the Black Lives Matter movement.
3. My essay will be broken up by subgenre. This means that every subgenre,
including gangsta rap, horror core, alternative hip- hop, will be accompanied
by examples that show social commentary in lyrics. I will then analyze how
those songs impact lifestyle trends among our youth. I will then analyze the
correlation between the musics content and social movements throughout.
Its obvious that social movements influence artists lyrics, but I want to
figure out if there is a reverse relationship. SEE #2 for specific examples of
these points.
Outline:
Thesis: The hip-hop genre has taken many shapes and forms since its conception in
the late 1970s, but regardless of its aesthetic, it has always been hailed as a means

McLaughlin / WR 13300 / Fall 2016

to communicate the realities of inner-city life. But how much does inner-city life
really influence the lyrical content and how does that content affect its main
audience, the youth.
Rest of introduction: Broad overview of the development of hip-hop over time.
I.

II.

III.

IV.

Alternative hip-hop
a. Overview of history (Ex: 1980s-present day, made popular by groups
such as Public Enemy, De La Soul, and Tribe Called Quest)
b. Description of methodology (Minimal vulgarity, varying rhyme
schemes, soft-spoken, positive take on social issues, light
instrumentals)
i. Lyrics (Love, social progression, inequality)
1. Example 1 (Stakes Is High De La Soul)
ii. Production
1. Example 1 (Paid in Full Eric B. & Rakim)
iii. Acts associated
1. Example 1 (De La Soul aesthetic)
c. Social trends correlated with the genre (Not sure)
d. Effects of subgenre on audience
Gangsta rap
a. Overview of history (late 1980s present day, made popular by N.W.A,
Tupac, Wu Tang Clan, and Biggie Smalls)
b. Description of methodology (Zero censorship, pervasive content, dark
melodies and heavy instrumentals)
i. Lyrics (Graphic depictions of drugs, violence, and sex)
1. Example 1 (Shook Ones Mobb Deep)
ii. Production
1. Example 1 (Method Man Wu Tang Clan)
iii. Acts associated
1. Example 1 (Wu Tang Clan aesthetic)
c. Social trends correlated with the genre (Police brutality)
d. Effects of subgenre on audience
Horror core
a. Overview of history (1980s present day, popularized by Eminem and
Immortal Technique)
b. Description of methodology (Dark sense of humor, violent depictions,
and even a greater lack of censorship)
i. Lyrics
1. Example 1 (Dance with the Devil Immortal Technique)
ii. Production
1. Example 1 (Diary of a Madman Gravediggaz)
iii. Acts associated
1. Example 1 (Slim Shady aesthetic)
c. Social trends correlated with the genre (Not sure)
d. Effects of subgenre on audience
Trap
a. Overview of history (1990s present day, Popularized by Wocka Flocka
Flame. Young Thug, and Future)

McLaughlin / WR 13300 / Fall 2016

V.

b. Description of methodology (Incomprehensible lyrics, heavy drug

references)
i. Lyrics (Lacks social commentary, glamorizes money, women,
and drugs)
1. Example 1 (Xanny Family Future)
ii. Production (Heavy use of synthesizers, auto-tune, and cinematic
strings)
1. Example 1 (Best Friend Young Thug)
iii. Acts associated
1. Example 1 (Young Thug aesthetic)
c. Social trends correlated with the genre (Not sure)
d. Effects of subgenre on audience
Counterargument (Ex: Instances in which upbringings have no influence
on subject matter and in which subject matter has no influence on the
listeners)

4. So far Ive mostly focused on finding the most lyrically dense songs to further
my claim. Songs like One Mic, Changes, and Warzone are good
examples, but I want to find at least 2 songs for every genre. My audience
will expect me to reference specific lyrics in songs to real-life events. So, I will
have to find statistics on police brutality, gun violence, sexual violence, gang
affiliation, and poverty in inner-city ghettos. Also, they will expect reputable
scholars to agree with my claims. However, I have not found any useful
scholarly articles on my topic yet. Some people who might disagree with me
include music fans who oppose the graphic nature of mainstream rap. These
people fail to read between the lines and will likely call out the use of
vulgarity as an unintelligent way to communicate a point. However, I would
argue that there are many way to express a claim and these methods are all
influenced by your background.
5. I worry that my topic isnt appropriate for this kind of essay. Relating this to
happiness is hard because its obvious that social struggles influence
happiness, but making the argument that the music itself influences
happiness is tough. For that, I would have to have scientific evidence to back
up that claim, but I want my paper to be exclusively an analysis of the genre
and its effects. (That mightve been confusing to read Ill explain better in
person) I also feel like I wont be able to find a decent amount of scholarly
articles on the topic and that I wont be able to correlate specific hip-hop
genres with specific social trends (as highlighted in my outline).