Essay: Jay-Z/Africa

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Rubric

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-What is at least one of Giddings' stated reasons for writing this essay? -What is at least 2 arguments Giddings makes and how does he support (or not support) same? -Of the 4 Africanisms (oral, spiritual, communal, & matrifocal) argued to exist in Jay-Z's work, which one is the most convincing to you that African Americans have an African cultural heritage; and how does Giddings support the claim? -Have you ever witnessed these Africanisms, or cultural values, in action within a Black community; how so? -After considering Jay-Z’s oeuvre, and that of other emcees, do you view Hip-hop as a strength or a challenge in African American communities; how so?  -What are you left wondering about; what questions remain unanswered in your mind? (required!)

It’s Giddings’s belief that Jay-Z’s work and particularly his lyrics can aid in illustrating African Cultural characteristics. These characteristics are innate to African Americans since, throughout most of U.S history, African Americans were not allowed to integrate into European American culture through practices such as slavery and segregation. Since Jay-Z is arguably one of the most accomplished hip-hop emcees’, his musical works are known world-wide, providing a framework for examining and understanding the value and contribution of hip-hop towards African American cultural core values.

Although Africa is vast and diverse with over 2000 languages, there exists a cultural unity among Africans as a result of some widely share traditions. These traditions include the adoration of ancestors, elders, and motherhood, the inseparability of spirituality and secular realms, matrilineal family organization, bride-wealth practices, and or record keeping. African American artists are compelled by core impulses to innovate Africanism culture across generations. Such impulses are articulated through imperatives as well as questions as the hip-hop culture evolves. Lastly, black culture is a derivative of African culture and according to historian James Sidbury, the idea of Africa is a creation of the socio-historic power of solemn African descendants in varied areas of the vast African migration.

Of the 4 Africanisms argued to exist in Jay-Z's work his notion of spirituality, religiosity and ethics are the most convincing that African Americans culture encompass African original culture. This is supported by Giddings when he claims that Jay-Z’s hip-hop practices such as the use of free-style ciphers. It is evident that in African culture, songs and dances were used during traditional ceremonies used to contact spirits and ancestors. Similarly, beyond the lyrics of Jay-Z’s tracks, the full depth of spirituality is experienced in his ciphers and live performances. Jay-Z mirrors the spiritual orientation manifest by Africa’s cultural perspective in his music when he personifies spiritual forces such as evil affirming the Africanist spiritual value.

I’ve witnessed these cultural values when I attend the concerts of African American artists. These performances, are naturally exciting and affirming the established tradition of viewing, embracing and engaging creativity as a communal process. The artist continually engages the audience throughout the concert performing each song according to the mood and impulse they exhibit, and it keeps the crowd hip.

Hip-hop is a strength among African America communities because these African cultural characteristics that unites them in a foreign country full of other cultures from other countries. African Americans stand out as a people although their forefathers came from different communities in African. Africanism helped African Americans fight and overcome discriminatory practices such as racism, segregation and slavery which were imposed on them. In comparison with other cultural practices brought by other immigrants into the U.S, Africanism depict positive and uniting societal values.

I’m left wondering, whether Africanism as represented by African Americans are a better portrayal of African cultural core values than those depicted by native Africans. What if due to the events that led to the scramble and consequent colonization of Africa, native Africans tried to imitate European culture while abandoning their own a generation later they are more westernized than African Americans.