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| |How religion affects rap music or hip-hop culture during colonial and missionary era |

|Introduction | |

| |This research addresses the impact of religion on hiphop culture in the postcolonial period. This topic was |

|Research Question: |pursued in order to understand the origin and reason for massive acceptance of popular culture. The term paper |

| |will establish whether there is any link that can be created between pop culture and specifically hiphop music |

|Thesis with 3 parts: |and religion. Since there is a strong link between religion and colonization as portrayed by (Amos and Estrelda,|

| |2011). A conclusion will be made on the impact of colonization on development of hiphop music. |

| |Research question: Has religion affected rap music or hiphop culture and is there any role that was played by |

| |colonization? |

| |The paper will assess the manner in which hiphop culture was influenced by religion. Hiphop culture is part of |

| |what is referred to as popular culture. It is mostly a culture that is transmitted using literal artefacts like |

| |music and other artistic presentations. This study will specifically address the concept of colonization and its|

| |impact on social disintegration. As Lidskog (2016) pointed out, in the colonial era, there are many social |

| |changes that occurred in comparison with precolonial era. As a result of colonization and what was seen as |

| |oppression, there was too much strain in distribution of social resources. This strain that was created by |

| |colonial masters to their subjects formed well defined social stratification where the subjects identified |

| |themselves on one side and the masters on the other side. |

| |Social stratification and disintegration that originated from colonization left a mark even after colonization |

| |was over. These social classes which were created by colonial masters were created in a bid to forge power on |

| |their subjects can be traced even today. Segregation of the poor subjects led to the formation of popular |

| |culture as an attempt by the solid majority to create an identity for themselves (Lidskog, 2016). In this paper,|

| |the focus will be given to the colonial period with reference to the development of hip-hop culture and how |

| |religion formed an integral part in its development. |

| |Source 1 (Amos and Estrelda, 2011) – This book addresses the issue of Pentecostalism and its impact on African |

| |colonization. The book will be used to understand how popular culture can be explained in terms of colonization |

| |and religion. In the term paper, emphasis will be given to religion and its impact on rap music. This article |

|Literature Review |explains in details the development of religion after colonization. It looks at how missionaries were able to |

|& |spread faith to different places using methods such as preaching in public places and door-to-door preaching. |

|Theory |Through the article, it can be seen that there was a challenge in the way in which religion was spread during |

| |the colonial era. In the present day, music is one approach that has been used successfully to spread messages |

| |of Christianity. |

| |Source 2 (Lidskog, 2016) – This article addresses the contribution of music on ethnic identification. Using this|

| |article, it will be possible to understand the social effects of music. The article is very relevant for this |

| |paper as it provides part of the answer to the research question. The paper seeks to bring out the relationship |

| |that exists between rap music and religion. In this case, religion can be seen as a cultural element same as |

| |ethnicity. The article will show how hiphop culture has been propagated using rap music. |

| |Source 3 (Ransom, 2013) – This article will address the idea of rap music and how it is used to focus on the |

| |past. The research question seeks to establish whether there is any link between religion and rap music or |

| |hiphop culture. This article will provide a theoretical basis on how music is used to reflect on the past. Most |

| |of the social differences that led to creation of hiphop culture were created during the colonial period. Since |

| |these are the strong ties that still form the basis for pop culture up to date, hiphop or rap music can still be|

| |seen as good way of revisiting the past and remembering the bonds that exist. |

| |In this study, the concept/theoretical perspective that has been used is colonialism. This refers to the whole |

| |activity of colonization that was carried out by colonial masters to their subjects. According to Amos and |

| |Estrelda (2011), the key point to note is that when traditional states were invaded by colonial masters, there |

| |was a massive change in socio-cultural dimensions. Colonialists came with their own cultural beliefs and imposed|

| |them onto their subjects. |

| |As a result of colonialism, one sociological dimension that was greatly affected was religion. Religion is |

| |defined by Amos and Estrelda (2011) as part of culture. Lidskog (2016) also looks at religion as a belief in |

| |existence of a supernatural being. Before the coming of colonialists, missionaries had gone to many parts of the|

| |world to spread religion. On their coming, colonialists found people who had been civilized and had already |

| |been introduced to religion. Among the African Americans, popular culture was developed by black natives, who |

| |were mostly the subjects of colonization, as a way of uniting against colonial masters. |

| |Through popular culture, African Americans we able to acquire what Lidskog (2016) refers to as ethnic identity. |

| |In order to strengthen their social identity, rap music was accepted as a symbol of popular culture. Rap was a |

| |form of cultural resistance that was applied by the blacks to share their frustrations and communicate to their |

| |“oppressors”. |

| |1. That there is a strong relationship between religion as a sociological dimension and rap music. As Lidskog |

| |(2016) pointed out, music is one way in which cultural identity can be obtained. Just like religion, music pulls|

| |people together and communicates to them in a language they can understand. |

|Results/Findings/ |2. The religion is strongly tied to colonization and therefore hiphop culture started during colonial period. It|

|Main Arguments |has been argued that hiphop culture was developed as a way of revolting against the colonisers (Lidskog, 2016). |

| |African Americans came together and formed a unified society with common cultural values. |

| |3. It is clear that the religion that was spread through missionary activity formed the basis for social |

| |disintegration during the colonial period. This social disintegration led to formation of hiphop culture. In |

| |order to maintain the culture, rap music was used to spread messages and also as a way of re-visioning the past |

| |(Ransom, 2013). |

| |One of the social developments that were started in the colonial period and has been taking shape even in the |

| |present day is the spread of religion. As the masses were being oppressed by their colonial masters, they formed|

|Discussion |different groups. |

| |Colonialists came with their religion and introduced it to the masses. Looking at the example of Africa, we can |

| |establish that Christian missionaries arrived long before colonialists. The arrival of missionaries and the |

| |introduction of Christianity led to what is today referred to as Afro-Pentecostalism (Amos and Estrelda, 2011). |

| |In the year 1906, Pentecostal church doctrines had been well planted in Africa. Due to the oppression that came |

| |with colonization, masses identified themselves with these churches as a way of showing solidarity. This brought|

| |out clearly the argument of Carl Marx when he defined religion as “Opium of the masses”. |

| |From popularization of the religion and its acceptance by the majority, it has been used by different people in |

| |an attempt to reach these masses. In this paper, we shall look at the manner in which Kanye West took advantage |

| |of the current state of Pentecostalism among African Americans. Since Pentecostalism had already been accepted |

| |as part of popular culture, Kanye West has used it to gain acceptability for his music. The music has come to be|

| |referred to as hiphop. |

| |There are several counter arguments that can be seen from different theorists. For instance, different authors |

|Counter Arguments or alternative |are looking at the idea of rap music differently. Whereas Ransom (2013) uses a unified analytical approach to |

|explanations |understand rap music, Amos and Estrelda (2011) uses a rather diversified approach. Secondly, different theories |

|(with the research, not your |address the issue of religion and hiphop culture differently. While Marxist thinkers look at religion as a |

|topic!) |technique used by people to run away from their social emotions, there are others like feminist and |

| |functionalist thinkers who have different opinions. Feminist thinkers look at religion as more of a feminine |

| |rather than a masculine obligation. Functionalists look at religion as one of the social pillars that keep |

| |societies together. |

| |A review of previous articles and research indicate that indeed popular culture developed as a result of |

|Conclusion |colonization. People of black origin felt that they had been targeted by the colonialists and wanted to form a |

| |solid culture that they would use to resist colonial oppression. Rap music was developed as a way of |

| |communicating among the blacks and also communicating to their masters. Rap music is common even this day where |

| |it has now been integrated into religion by people like Kanye West. After looking at the current society, Kanye |

| |came up with songs that will capture social acceptability. We can thus conclude that religion has shaped the |

| |identity of rap music. |

| |The direction that can has been established through research is that colonization strengthened social |

| |disintegration and religion was used for social identity. Popular culture later came to differentiate between |

| |social groups since religion was used by all people including colonizers. This is how colonization led to |

| |creation and development of hiphop culture and rap music. |

| |This research is very important in understanding the basis for popular culture and its importance in social |

| |integration. It has already been established that pop culture was developed after the social fabric was |

| |destroyed by colonization. Religion attempted to repair the mess, but was not sufficient as it lacked ethnic |

| |identity. Popular culture has succeeded up to present day because it concerns a certain group of people who have|

| |a socio-cultural connection. |

| |1. Alexander,Estrelda et al. Afro-Pentecostalism: Black Pentecostal And Charismatic Christianity In History And |

|References |Culture (Religion, Race, And Ethnicity Series). New York University Press, 2011. |

| |2. Lidskog,Rolf. "The Role Of Music In Ethnic Identity Formation In Diaspora: A Research Review". International |

| |Social Science Journal, vol 66, no. 219-220, 2016, pp. 23-38. Wiley, |

| | |

| |3. Ransom, Amy J. "“Québec History X”: Re-Visioning The Past Through |

| |Rap1". American Review Of Canadian Studies, vol 43, no. 1, 2013, |

| |pp. 12-29. Informa UK Limited |

Remember, your own words and the best you can do are ALWAYS better than a ‘0’ and an academic alert! The Writing and Learning Centre is here to help.

**Use proper APA citation throughout your paper. When in doubt, contact me or the WLC.

Your paper should be 6-10 pages, double-spaced, not including references. Use the headings provided in the chart below and ensure each section of your paper answers the section points and questions.

| |Situate your topic - ex. make a general statement about your topic that grabs the reader's interest, or use a |

| |quote or statistic (hook) |

| |Explain why and how you thought about pursuing your topic |

|Introduction |Ask a research question to focus your paper. What do you want to find out from your research? You may or may not |

| |include this question in your paper. |

| |After doing some research, answer your research question in the form of an argument with three parts. Be sure to |

| |explain why your topic is important. This is your thesis. |

| |Discuss at least three other sources related to your topic, including: |

| |Define the concept or theoretical perspective you are using |

| |Which other research articles similar to your topic have used it, and for what purposes? |

|Literature Review |Write a paragraph or two about any research related to your sociological dimension and area of pop culture. |

|Theory | |

| |Explain the three major parts of your thesis supported with examples from your sources, or the item of popular |

| |culture itself. |

|Results/Findings/ |(in the final paper write at least 2 paragraphs for each part.) |

|Main Arguments |Include pictures, graphs or diagrams that might illustrate your points |

| |Support your ideas with quotes from your sources, including material from your item of study |

| |Your interpretation - what do your results really mean? |

|Discussion |How well were you able to support your argument with research? |

| |Are there any other explanations/ counterarguments about your topic? |

| |Is there anything you wish you could have done differently? |

| |Did you have any problems researching your topic (ex. not enough information, information difficult to |

|Problems/ |understand)? |

|Counterarguments |Can you suggest any additional areas for research or any improvements to the studies you looked at? |

| |Summarize the three main components of your topic |

| |Does your research point to any conclusions? |

| |Does your data suggest any directions that you would like to pursue within your topic? |

| |Are there other topics related to your research that should be pursued? |

|Conclusion |Remind your reader: Why and to whom is your topic important? |

|References |6-10 references, APA style throughout, including the 3 studies mentioned above as well as other articles |

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