Desert island album
We’ve all gotten a taste of isolation over the past year. Despite the wealth of media the internet provides us, the experience nonetheless drives home the idea of the “desert island album,” that old game in which you name a single album you would like to have if stranded on a desert island, and argue the reasons why.
For this essay I’d like you to choose your desert island rapper. If you could only listen to one rapper, who would it be, and why? They can be contemporary or old school. Make a case for them: why should we pay attention to this artist? Why should their work be included not only in places like rap-specific anthologies, but in places representative of all of English Literature? Show us why this rapper should be part of the canon of Great Works (the label this course falls under).
Your discussion may include a look at this artist’s use of poetic devices, a consideration of how their work holds up when compared to other works of literature (or, how well does their work explore the intricacies of human nature?), and how this work might be read in terms of the historical and cultural contexts out of which it was born. It can also include personal experience, anecdotes, opinion, etc. Make it lively.
Requirements: 1,750 words
Answer preview
KRS One was born in 1965, and KRS One and his peers DJ Scott La Roc and D-nice founded Boogie Down Productions when he was only 22 years. While the group’s membership would change significantly over time, KRS One was the only member who remained for long (Himes, 2). Hip Hop was the culture that drove rap music, and KRS One has a significant place in its foundation. Indeed, He asserted that ”Rap is something you do, hip hop is something we live” (Parmar 29). This shows the artists have a firm position in the development and the history of hip hop and its popularity. In the 1980s, KRS one also pioneered the stop the violence movement, with Hip hop musicians who came together on an album entitled self-destruction. This followed an incidence of a young man being stabbed in an event where BDP was one of the groups performing and the subsequent association of the hip hop culture with violence. Hence, I consider KRS One my Desert Island Rapper but as the greatest and most influential hip-hop
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Desert island album
