Hailey R. Jenkins

Ms. Margaret Mauk
ENC 2135

7 December 2016

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          In the research that I did in preparation for this paper, I found a quote by an anonymous person that melodramatically describes how a lot of people feel about new-age country music or as some call it, “hick hop” the quote reads as follows “I hate changes. Really. How could everything be alright one day and the next day without a reason, everything just goes on the wrong side.” This seemed to happen to the genre of country music. One day, country music is a guitars and backroads, and the next day, its electronic beats, and raps. The change in the traditional old time country to a more mainstream pop/ hip hop feel is what is known as genre bending. A piece is described as genre bender and considered one when it does not conform to the typical conventions of its given genre. Genre benders can be confused with parodies, which is a genre all in itself, but there is a distinction between the two. Old country and hip hop are two genres that not many people could imagine blending, but the blend is happening regardless of their differences, somewhat like a musical Romeo and Juliet. The fusion of country and hip hop music is a strange, sometimes anger-invoking one, yet very effective at times.

 

          When one closes their eyes and thinks about old country as a music genre, one would imagine a banjo, a fiddle, a harmonica, or a steel guitar played an old white guy with a cowboy hat on. However, there is more to this genre than meets the eye, or should I say ear. Country music is a genre that began in the 1920’s in the Southeastern portion of the United States. This genre generally boasts simple ballads and dance tunes. (Country) In an interview with Rolling Stone, Luke Bryan, (a popular country music artist) explained the often simplistic tone of country music by saying “The people I want to appeal to, they are not coming to analyze it from top to bottom. They have to analyze their daily life. Every day. From the time their alarm clock goes off until the time they go to bed; they want to go to my show and not analyze anything, and not overthink. They just want to hop on the ride and leave and go.” While this genre often has simplistic music and melodies, the lyrics are far from simplistic. Some examples of country music include “Stand By Your Man” by Tammy Wynette, “Friends in Low Places” by Garth Brooks, and “I Walk the Line” by Johnny Cash. Most country songs have a heartfelt story within the lyrics. In fact, an article in the Chicago Tribune describes this convention with this quote “listen to country radio for 15 minutes and you'll find a song that hits home. And you can understand the lyrics without an interpreter or pharmaceuticals.” Usually, these lyrical stories focus on a topic that’s relatable to the people of the South Eastern United States, such as farming, military, or partying.

 

          Hip hop music is a very different genre entirely. It is also a much newer genre than country. The hip hop genre began in the 1970’s in New York City. Wikipedia describes the conventions of the hip hop genre by saying “while often used to refer to rapping, "hip hop" more properly denotes the practice of the entire subculture. The term hip hop music is sometimes used synonymously with the term rap music, though rapping is not a required component of hip hop music; the genre may also incorporate other elements of hip hop culture, including DJ’ing, turntablism, and scratching, beatboxing, and instrumental tracks.” ­­Hip hop is known to be kind of the opposite of country music in that the music and melodies are generally more complex with layers of beats, melodies, etc. and the lyrics are more simplistic, and repetitive. There are obviously exceptions to the rule, like Eminem who masterfully crafts his raps and lyrics with care and thought. However, the general lyric convention is simplicity. Some examples of hip hop songs include “One Dance” by Drake, “Anaconda” by Nicki Minaj, and “Trap Queen” by Fetty Wap.

 

          The marriage of Country music and hip hop music is infamously known as “hick hop.” One aspect that makes this fusion so important is that both of these music genres have cultures that are connected to them. These 2 cultures are so incredibly different that no one would ever expect the music genres to blend. However, while the music genres are blending, the 2 cultures are definitely not blending, in fact, the music blending is driving the cultures even further from each other. Country songs that borrow conventions from the hip hop genre generally take the rap, electronic melodies, and beats from the hip hop music. Some examples of hick hop are “Dirt Road Anthem” by Luke Bryan, “God Bless a Country Girl” by Outlaw in Me, and “Kickin’ it in Tennessee” by American Made.

 

          In conclusion, even though merging these two very different genres sounds crazy, the results can actually turn out very nice. When a genre composition bends from its expected conventions, a new genre is made. Hick hop is an example of this very process.

 

 

Sources: 

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“Country Music's Story-Telling Songs Bending Many an Ear.” Tribunedigital-Chicagotribune, 28 May 2006, articles.chicagotribune.com/2006-05-28/news/0605270207_1_country-music-television-purse-holders-songs.

 

“Country Music.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Country_music.

 

“Country Rap.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Country_rap.

 

“Hip Hop Music.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hip_hop_music.

 

Hudak, Joseph. “Luke Bryan: The Rolling Stone Country Interview.” Rolling Stone, 8 Sept. 2015, www.rollingstone.com/music/features/luke-bryan-the-rolling-stone-country-interview-20150908.

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To: Ms. Mauk

From: Hailey Jenkins

Date: December 6th, 2016

Subject: Project 1 Revision

 

First paragraph: Ms. Mauk gave me very good advice when she gave me my assignment back. The main focus of my feedback was that I wasn’t supporting my claims enough. I also seemed disconnected from the topic.  My organization wasn’t top tier either. All of these mistakes were results of being a new college writer. Now that the class is over, revising the essay was much easier.

 

Second paragraph: I completely changed my topic on this revision. When I started project 1 at the beginning of the semester, I had a lot of trouble deciding what to write about, so I chose the first thing I could think of, so I wasn’t very passionate about what I was writing. I also organized the paper better by taking more time out outline my thoughts before I wrote the paper. Lastly, I made a much bigger effort to not just make general claims, but to do more research and back up everything I say with evidence.

 

Third paragraph: I had a lot of trouble finding credible sources related to this subject, so I had to use Wikipedia a few times. As a college level writer, using Wikipedia felt very wrong. However, the other sources were even less credible.

 

 

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to revise this essay,

 

Hailey Jenkins