Write a 4-5 page analytical argument (a close reading) of ONE song. Your paper should be based on the song analysis process we’ve developed, but you MUST unify those disparate analyses under a main argument. Your whole purpose in any of these papers is to argue – find something worth saying about a song of your choice, and spend 4-5 pages defending that claim.

Question:

1.) Rap has always been preoccupied with the “real.” Rappers are obsessed with “keeping it real,” and critics have followed suit. As we discussed in class, a good deal of what we call “conscious” and “gangsta” raps break down into one of two categories: a.) either nonfiction, essay-istic, social analysis or b.) REALIST art. While there is an important difference between an “essay” and a “realist” work of art, we also can notice similarities: both approaches aim to see the world truthfully, to represent it truthfully (and realistically,) and often both aim to make a CLAIM about the world (in other words – they offer a clarity of meaning). 

As we are seeing, however, not all rap should be considered realist. In this paper, we want to examine WHY. There are a number of motivations we might consider – reasons why rappers would abandon a “realist” approach to art making. Choose ONE song that, you think, should NOT be considered realist. 

The body of your paper should show HOW it isn’t realist. Your thesis should attempt to claim WHY it isn’t (why did this artist address this subject matter in this particular way?)