r&hh exam 1

CATEGORIES OF RELIGIOUS DEFINTION

intellectual approach

antagonistic relationship b/w religion & music + religion & science

• hierarchy: 1. science, 2. religion, 3. magic (rational to emotional)

• science = governed by natural laws

• supernatural is at the heart of every religion, but goal is to progress to science

says what religion is

functionalist approach

religion has a social function and is made up of the sacred & profane 

• sacred = the supernatural; happens thru beliefs, rituals, & community (must be protected at all costs)

• profane = can pollute the sacred

says what religion does

multicategorical approach

symbolism is the heart of religion and it’s a moral guide that helps ppl answer existential questions 

• sacred/profane = more porous than in Durkheim’s definition 

says what religion is and what it does

DIGITAL RELIGIOUS STUDIES

reciprocity

give and take between digital tech & religion

major themes

1. authority 

2. authenticity 

3. community

4. identity 

5. rituals

6. religion

third spaces

overlap between religion & digital tech

DIFFERENT FUNCTIONS OF RELIGION IN HIP-HOP

transmitter of belief systems

(belief systems)

it’s a lens to see the world (ex. five percenters see black men as gods) 

communicative link to the supernatural realm

(supernatural)

individuals & communities can connect w/ the supernatural

means of answering existential questions 

(existential questions)

ex. why am i here? why do people die?

creative medium/articulation of subjectivity

(subjectivity) 

subjectivity = self-view

2 TYPES OF SUBJECTIVITY 

complex subjectivity

acknowledges social categories, but also seeks to go beyond them (ex. I accept that I am a Black woman, but I am more than that)

dynamical self

(a type of complex subjectivity)

w/ has 2 parts

1. personal self: unique; personal differences from group

2. collective self: parts of identity = based on shared group qualities

is also a 3rd space

DEFINING HIP HOP CULTURE

tricia rose’s definition

it’s a black cultural art form (more accurate as a early defintion, bc it has expanded)

our definition

hip hop is a cultural art form that’s expressed creatively by individuals & groups to interpret & articulate their experiences + find greater significance in human existence (done thru graffiti, rapping, djing, fashion) & is now global

CATEGORIES OF RAP MUSIC

braggadocio rap

• the heart of battle rap

has 3 elements

1. self centeredness

2. bragging element → rhyming, skill set, material goods

3. vehicle of battling

gangsta rap

involves dark themes (violence, drugs) + sex; moderate to heavy beats

ex. Chief Keef

conscious rap (multi-categorical)

first, identifies a problem. then, offers a critique. some leave it here & want listeners to take action. others offer a solution.

can be intra-communal: problem within the community

1. local: where they live

2. rap: rap community they’re part of

OR

institutional: structural issues (racism, white supremacy, ex. This is America by Childish Gambino)

nina by rapsody — connect to 3 categories of rap music

1. braggadocio: “i drew a line w/o showing my body, that’s a skill” talking abt how she doesn’t have to show her body to rap like other female rappers 

2. gangsta: a 

3. conscious: “emit light, rap, or Emmett Till”; “southern trees bearing strange fruit” talking abt institutional racism. Henry Louis Gates (historian) being arrested for trying to get into his own home = strange fruit

CONNECTION VIA INSTITUTIONAL INCLUSION 

traditional approach: religious history of hip hop (sorett)

• religious diversity (christianity & islam); function 1~belief systems

• early hip hop = can hear & see the influence of black Islam (influenced by Black power movement & Malcom X) , as it evolved more christianity = present (reflects emergence of televangelists & megachurches) 

• hip hop & religion combine thru religious institutions 

winters essay

agrees w/ sorett somewhat, however argues that didn’t account for non-institutionalized. function 3~ existential questions & function 3~ complex subjectivity. function 4~ argues that its a religious orientation thats found.

our approach

the 4 functions:

1. function 1: belief systems

2. function 2: supernatural

3. function 3: existential questions

4. function 4: complex subjectivity

incorporates sorett & winters arguments

EXAM QUESTION: how Sorett & Winter bring together hip hop + religion; compare this to our approach

spirituals

centers God/jesus; not focused on material reality; desire to transcend to supernatural realm (escapism - the only way out is death)

blues 

focuses on material reality & individual circumstances; grappling with reality through song

EXAM QUESTION: In what ways are key themes drawn from spirituals & blues reflected in kanye west’s spaceship?

CREATIVITY

Winnicott (psychoanalyst)

creative process = more important than creative product; called the creative process play & said it’s how we learn identity

Questlove (musician)

said we all have a spark, but we need to concretize it by releasing a creative product into the world

Badu (artist)

said her religion is art. everything we do is attached to creativity (sewing, cooking)