Journal Article

 

Journal Article Analysis

Tiffanie Cook

HUMN240-E1WW

Professor Deborah Rosenstock

September 11, 2012

       The article that was chosen was “Eminem and the Tragedy of the White Rapper”. This article has a very different outlook to white rappers. The article was written by Ian Verstegen and he writes about the differences between white and black rappers. Verstegen discusses on how he feels that so many white rapper artist fail and never get their careers up and running, but most of all he discusses the well-known rapper Eminem. Verstegen tries to figure out on what Eminem has done differently than any other white rapper, and what techniques Eminem used to be very successful in his rapping career. In my analysis for this article I will provide all of Verstegen main points and decide whether or not I agree with them, and describe whether or not I think this article is important to everyone’s knowledge.

       One of the points that I do not agree with is Verstegen states that white rap music ends up to be a bad influence for the future. When the situation is compared with mainstream Jazz or Rock and Roll, which has completely successfully co-opted the ancestral forms that were largely a black invention, one can see how enforced the situation in rap is (Verstegen, 2011). This can only be due to the much enhanced notion that rap is identical to violence and poverty in ways that other black musical forms were not. It is high time to reflect on the fact that, for the most part, rap music has been a tragedy for the white rapper and search for its causes (Verstegen, 2011).

       Another point the author brings other white rappers into the picture like Vanilla ice and Snow. White people do live in urban, black settings, they do rap and even then they are perceived as different, thus earning them the names we later scorn—‘‘Vanilla Ice,’’ ‘‘Snow’’ (Verstegen, 2011). There have been a lot of white rappers in the music industry that has succeeded in this business. The comments that were made in this article were racial to the music industry and along with the race. Verstegen wants rap music to stay in the black man’s world and not in the White man world. The audience for white rappers, on the other hand, is educated writers and journalists, even academics (Verstegen, 2011).

       I did not enjoy the article. I felt that the author was out of line on how our culture reacts to music and how he thinks that white rappers should fail. Eminem is very talented musician. The author does show that Eminem is very strong and detailed in his music and what he writes about, but he may have been in too much detail. I do not think that it was relevant to bring up the detailed in the city that he rapped about. The authors point was to bring mass media into his personal life and it was not necessary. Eminem has proven society wrong that a white man can’t make it in a black genre. He has taken the industry by storm and has conquered the black market as well, and these are the points that the author brings up that come across offensive.

       This article is not important to me or anyone else that reads this article. I feel that Eminem worked hard to get where he is at as a talented musician. In the article is does give good incites on how he r\writes his music and it shows that Eminem always has a story to tell. Just like any other song that is out there. Eminem has a different style that the popular culture enjoys. He may not show the style that everyone agrees with, but it Eminem way of expressing how he grew up and how he had to grow up in Detroit. Instead of talking about being poor and getting high or violent life, he began to rap about his personal problems with his family and the way he dealt with his fame (Verstegen, 2011).

       Overall, Eminem is a great rapper, and he blends in well with other rappers in every race. Verstegen talks about on how the other white rappers did not make it but Eminem succeeded and will continue to do so.

References

Verstegen, I. (2011). Eminem and the tragedy of the white rapper. The Journal of Popular Culture. Vol. 44, No. 4. Wiley Periodicals. Pgs. 872-889

icon analysis

    

       When thinking of icons there was three that was thought of and they are Steven Spielberg, Oprah Winfrey, and Tom Hanks. These amazing, and talented people are very unique in their own way. Each of them is common, but very different. They all share the spot light in television, or movies in some form. Steven Spielberg makes and produces the movies while Tom Hanks and Oprah played in movies he made or produced. Steven Spielberg is perhaps Hollywood's best known director and one of the wealthiest filmmakers in the world. Oprah Winfrey is known for her television talk show and her movies. Tom Hanks is known for his television series and movies.

       Choosing the right icon to talk about was a little difficult. There are so many wonderful talented icons out there. Choosing Spielberg, Hanks, and Winfrey seemed to blend for the fact they have all worked together. They all have the willingness to keep pushing. Each of these icons started small and kept pushing until they succeeded in what they wanted to accomplish in life. It is amazing how Spielberg never finished college because he saw bigger and better things elsewhere. Oprah grew up in a single family home and put herself through college to become a billionaire. Tom Hanks grew up in a broken home where he spent most of his days with step parents and he moved a lot, but he pushed his way through college and got his first shot in a television series.

      Looking at their lives makes me want to keep pushing. These icons did not start out with a silver spoon in their hand they had to keep working for what they have. People today give up too quickly, and I am sometimes guilty for that too, but I keep pushing. I know some day I will get my degree and keep pushing to succeed. I see that my icons never gave up. I know I do not want to be a movie star or a big shot movie producer, but I would like to live normal and comfortably.

Popular Culture and Management

What is popular culture, and what does it mean to you?

Generally speaking, the collective norms and values in society that constitutes for popular culture, but nowadays I feel popular culture means convenient patterns of behavior led by the government and media.

Why is an understanding of popular culture relevant in a business environment and in your present and future career?

Popular culture is the demands of the people. In a business environment this is relevant as it has a significant impact on what products and services the business will supply. For example, consumers expect the desired product or service to be excellent. If this expectation is not achieved by the business, consumers may not purchase the product and this can cause a loss in profits. Popular culture is important in my present and future career because due to technology, events in the workplace are changing and moving faster. To stay competitive, I must shift directions based on the customer requirements. Additionally, I must be computer savvy, and efficient in Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Microsoft Outlook to effectively perform in the workplace

What would you consider to be an example of a pop culture artifact? And why would you choose it?

The artifact that I chose to represent an example of pop culture is People magazine. This magazine incorporates pop culture, by displaying pictures and articles about celebrities. This magazine keeps the media informed of what is going on in tv, movies, music, as well as celebrities personal lives. I chose this magazine because celebrities have a strong influence on the media. They revolutionize how we dress, wear our hair, speak, and even have political influences.