Cynthia Estremera on Obama and Hip Hop
Cynthia Estremera, a first-year student in Villanova's Master's Program in English, presented a paper titled "'My President Is Black': Social Optimism in Obama-era Rap Music" on the Hip Hop and Race panel, at the first "In Media Res" Academic Symposium (Conversations on Race, Gender, Media and Popular Culture) at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, PA. Conference dates were November 13-14, 2009.
Cindy explains, "In this paper I discussed various positive allusions to political Black leadership in the United States within contemporary Hip Hop songs. I specifically examined Hip Hop artists who presently appeal directly to mainstream audiences and have a social/cultural impact on listeners through major media outlets. Thus in order to underscore the impact of socially optimistic messaging in Hip Hop, I excluded underground artists and their material and solely focused on artists Nas, Jay-Z, Lil' Wayne, Common and Young Jeezy, some of whom have commented on the socio-political atmosphere on past recordings. My analysis excerpted portions of some songs and fully engages others that are dedicated to Barack Obama and the socio-political confidence that Black men within Hip Hop culture have engendered presently. Using critical race theory, I also explored the transitional developments of Black men’s attitudes towards politics."
You can watch Cindy present her paper on Youtube at the following links:
Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTpIXt1wAe4&feature=channel
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQQ9vzoSTq8
Cindy explains, "In this paper I discussed various positive allusions to political Black leadership in the United States within contemporary Hip Hop songs. I specifically examined Hip Hop artists who presently appeal directly to mainstream audiences and have a social/cultural impact on listeners through major media outlets. Thus in order to underscore the impact of socially optimistic messaging in Hip Hop, I excluded underground artists and their material and solely focused on artists Nas, Jay-Z, Lil' Wayne, Common and Young Jeezy, some of whom have commented on the socio-political atmosphere on past recordings. My analysis excerpted portions of some songs and fully engages others that are dedicated to Barack Obama and the socio-political confidence that Black men within Hip Hop culture have engendered presently. Using critical race theory, I also explored the transitional developments of Black men’s attitudes towards politics."
You can watch Cindy present her paper on Youtube at the following links:
Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTpIXt1wAe4&feature=channel
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQQ9vzoSTq8
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