Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Source 1
1. Citation:
Jeffrey O.G. Ogbar, Hip-Hop Revolution: The Culture and Politics of Rap (University
2. The purpose of this source is to enlighten others about all aspects of the hip-hop genre.
This includes the history, its evolution, and topics such as rappers in the prison system
and hip-hops effect on race relations. This source has information that pertains to every
facet of our project so it does not have one particular use. I have not been able to identify
a limitation of this source due to its well-roundedness in covering multiple topics with
regards to Hip-Hop. That well-roundedness is also this sources biggest strength. Its
3. This source will definitely help in the creation of this project. I believe that I will
definitely use one quote. Regardless of the opinions surrounding hip-hops success, an
examination of the art reveals fascinating examples of how Americas popular culture has
conformed to and deviated from conventional notions of race (Ogbar, 2007, 38). This
quote fits the topic about the impact that hip-hop has had on American culture so it would
4. The author of this book, Jeffrey O.G. Ogbar, is a professor at the University of
Connecticut and is the Director of the Center for the Study of Popular Music. He received
his Ph.D. from Indiana and his interests include Black nationalism and U.S. popular
culture. Because of his credentials and interests, I believe that Dr. Ogbar is a credible
Source 2
1. Citation:
Robinson, N. (2011, October 28). Jay-Z Talks Hip-Hops Influence on American Culture.
http://rollingout.com/2011/10/28/jay-z-talks-hip-hops-influence-on-american-culture/
2. The purpose of this source is to provide an insider perspective on the effect of hip-hop
music on American culture and cultures around the world. A strength of this source is
that it is an article about the comments of a man, Jay-Z, that is a successful hip-hop artist
himself so he knows the ins and outs of the rap industry. A weakness of this source is
that it is biased because it does come from an insider and he would most likely not show
both the positive and negative effect that hip-hop has on American culture.
3. This source would be helpful to our project because it offers an insider perspective about
the cultural impact of hip-hop. One part that would be good to include in our project
would be when Jay-Z says, More specifically hip-hop had a voice. Jazz hit great notes
and things like that but hip-hop spoke directly to the people, it spoke to their heart and
credible. However, Jay-Z who the article is about, is a credible source because of his
Source 3
1. Citation:
http://www.oxfordaasc.com/public/features/archive/0806/index.jsp
In-text: (Codrington)
2. This source discusses the early stages of hip-hop and the influence that it had on
American culture during its time. Its strength is that it is written by someone that
specializes in the African American experience. Its biggest weakness is that it only talks
about the early stages of hip-hop as opposed to both the early stages and modern hip-hop.
3. This source would be helpful when we discuss the origins of hip-hop because it
specifically talks about the genre in its beginnings. It would also be a helpful source
because it discusses the things that affected hip-hop in addition to the ways that hip-hop
affected the world around it. Examples of these influences include black churches and
4. This source is credible because it comes from the Oxford African American Studies
1. Citation:
Ron Kelley, E. (2006). The Influence of Hip-Hop Culture on the Communication Skills
of
Retrieved from
https://oaktrust.library.tamu.edu/bitstream/handle/1969.1/ETD-TAMU-1773/KEL
LEY-DISSERTATION.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y
2. This source is the dissertation of Edmond Ron Kelley who was attempting to become a
doctor of philosophy. This source could be used for this project because it is all about the
effect that hip-hop has on a specific aspect of American culture, the education system. A
strength of this source is that it was very well-prepared due to the fact that the stakes
were so high for the author. A limitation and a weakness of the source is that it focuses
solely on the effect that hip-hop has on the communication skills of high school students
3. This source would not be too helpful for our project only because of its specificity. It
talks about the effect of hip-hop on the communication skills of high school students in
great depth, but thats it. Thats not even an aspect of American culture that we were
planning on talking about. If it covered a broader topic, then it would be more helpful.
4. This source is credible because it was reviewed and approved by some knowledgeable
people. These individuals included: the Committee Chair, some Committee members,
and the Head of the Educational Administration Department at Texas A&M University.
Source 5
1. Citation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxBOX8Pro7s
2. The purpose of this source is to share a persons thoughts about the influence that hip-hop
has had on American culture. A limitation and weakness of the source is that it comes
from one mans perspective as opposed to the ideas of many put together.
3. It will help my project because it focuses on the effect that hip-hop music has had, and
continues to have, on American culture which is the main point of discussion in our
project. In this video, Billy Johnson talks about how hip-hop expressed different moods,
which made people gravitate towards it, and how it changed clothing styles.
4. This source is credible because it comes from Billy Johnson Jr. who is a reporter that has
been covering hip-hop, R&B, and pop since 1991. His work has been featured on
platforms such as Vibe, Entertainment Weekly, the Hollywood Reporter, the Source, and
more.
Source 6
1. Citation:
Charity, J., Scott, D., Tharpe, F., Diaz, A., Diep, E., Davis, J., Mench, C. (2015,
September 10). 20 Rappers Who Are Influencing Rap Right Now. Complex.
Retrieved from
http://www.complex.com/music/2015/09/20-rappers-who-are-influencing-rap-rig
ht-now
2. The purpose of this source is to provide a list of the hip-hop artists that are viewed as the
most influential. A weakness of this source is that a list such as this is fluid and
ever-changing. The hip-hop artists that have the biggest influence today wont necessarily
be the artists that are influencing people ten years from now. A strength of this source is
that it is written by seven authors which provides a wide range of opinions which allows
them to produce a list which more closely resembles the diverse opinions of American
listeners.
3. This source will help our project because we plan on taking a look at the most influential
hip-hop artists of each decade. This list can provide a basis for us on who are seen as the
most influential.
4. This source is credible because Complex magazine is seen as an expert when it comes to
popular culture.
Source 7
1. Citation:
Zeigler, A. (2015, October 5). The Positivity of Hip-Hop Culture [Blog post]. Retrieved
from
https://theastoundproject.wordpress.com/2015/10/05/the-positivity-of-hip-hop-cul
ture/
In-text: (Zeigler)
2. The purpose of this source is to discuss the origins of hip-hop and how it has changed
American culture over the years. A strength of this source is that it doesnt just focus on
the positive cultural impact. It also discusses the reasons why people claim that hip-hop
has a negative impact on American culture. A weakness is that it comes from a blog site
3. This source would help our project because it fits in with our theme of the cultural
influence of hip-hop. A sentence that I believe sums up the article perfectly says, Even
though older generations do not always approve of younger generations listening to and
dancing to Hip-Hop music, everyone needs to be aware that its four components and
several sub-components have changed the way people think about music and dance; it
4. This author is somewhat credible. They have clearly spent time researching the subject
which allowed them to write this essay. However, from what I know, they have no real
Source 8
1. Citation:
Retrieved from
http://blogs.longwood.edu/turnurejr/2013/03/18/the-cultural-influence-of-hip-hop-
music-in-america/
In-text: (Turnurejr)
2. The purpose of this source, in a broad sense, is to talk about the effect that hip-hop has on
American culture as a whole. This source is limited by its length. Theres only so much
that can be fit into four paragraphs. A strength of this source is its broad topic because it
3. This source will help our project because it shows both the good and bad in terms of the
way that hip-hop affects people. The author closes by saying, Hip hop is a unique and
very enjoyable style of music if it is not taken literally and has had much more of an
impact on the community, especially the african american community, than what it is
Source 9
1. Citation:
Boylorn, R. M.. Killing Me Softly or on the Miseducation of (Love and) Hip Hop: A
http://journals.sagepub.com.librarylink.uncc.edu/doi/pdf/10.1177/1077800416667
685
In-text: (Boylorn)
2. The purpose of this source is to show people how hip-hop songs, such as Killing Me
Softly by The Fugees, were used to tell stories of about growing up, love, loss,
weakness and limitation is that these topics are only relatable to a specific group of
people.
3. This source will help our project because it focuses on influential women in hip-hop. One
line that I would include is when Boylorn says, As a black feminist, I have the tools to
critique hip hop while also participating and living in it, and recognizing its faults while
celebrating its strengths, because it connects the black feminist movement with hip-hop
culture.
4. Robin M. Boylorn works at the University of Alabama as associate professor of
interpersonal and intercultural communication. She focuses on the lived and stored
Source 10
1. Citation:
Nielson, E., & Render M. (n.d). Rap suffers poetic (in)justice. USA Today.
http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=13&sid=1f03587f-bc58-41c4-
91de-a730c531f563%40sessionmgr104&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZz
Y29wZT1zaXRl#AN=J0E277931016914&db=a9h
2. This source is about a supreme court case in which rap lyrics are used as evidence to
charge someone of criminal activity. A strength of this source is that it talks about the
discussing the role of hip-hop in the judicial system can be seen as a weakness since
3. This source will help our project because it looks at hip-hop music through a different
lens. Since we plan on looking at the genres effect on American culture, it would be
interesting to look at its role in the court system and how it has worked to dispel
prominent stereotypes. I would definitely like to include the part where it says, Since
then, it has offered countless young men and women opportunities to escape the poverty
and violence in America's urban centers. As rapper Ice-T once put it, If I hadn't had a
chance to rap, I'd either be dead or in jail (Nielson & Render, 2015). These lines speak
to the idea that hip-hop has given many young people the opportunity to get out of their
unfortunate circumstances.
author.