Writing Resources
Songs are used to express one’s emotions while motivating them like slaves did when they had to endure hard work In addition songs can serve as a clue into history like the songs that were created during the time of slavery in the 1950s Craig Werner in chapter one of Understanding Black American Aspects in Hip Hop Cinema claims that the Blues is tied to the reality of living in a culture that routinely made life dangerous for its Black citizens but one in which Blacks nonetheless found ways to reach a passionate detachment 5 Blackman In Effect by Boogie Down Productions raps about the disadvantages of being Black and how it is important for the Blacks to start ending these unfair shortcomings by educating themselves and reteaching the society Blackman In Effect and its lyrics relates to the theme of understanding the importance of history s origin while urging the young African Americans to actually learn in school instead of memorizing facts to pass the class and the power of knowledge which is validated through the ideas of acknowledging oneself from the three step processes of the blues the advocacy found in S Craig Watkins article and the urge for change expressed in the documentary Rap Looking for the Perfect Beat The purpose of the blues music as Watkins describes is to encompass a philosophy of life Sanchez
