Pivotal moments in our country’s history are oftentimes represented by the music that comes out of those monumental events. While responsive and reflective songs have their own great place in American arts, it is the music compositions that shape our culture rather than become shaped by our culture that become some of the most influential works of their time. Rap music is one of the staple genres for shaping American culture by giving voice to political movements, creating protest and advancing social justice issues that are frequently overlooked for the sake of being politically correct. Read more

Triggered by the assassination of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri on February 14, 2005, which was blamed on Syria, Lebanon’s Cedar Revolution had two goals: the withdrawal of Syrian troops and the establishment of independent Lebanese leadership. On April 27, 2005, all of Syria’s 14,000 troops withdrew from Lebanon (Zimmer), but while the Syrian government did disband, the efforts to establish independent Lebanese leadership led to further discord in the nation. Mottos used in the movement were Freedom, Sovereignty, Independence and Truth, Freedom, National Unity. At the major rally of the revolution which was in Beirut on March 14, 2005, Moe Hamzeh, lead singer for The Kordz, shaved his head to display the word “truth,” one of the mottos of the revolution. Read more

Straight Outta Compton is a certified double platinum album that was released August 9, 1988, by the rap group N.W.A. (McCann 368). In this album, group members O’Shea “Ice Cube” Jackson, Eric “Eazy-E” Wright, Lorenzo “MC Ren” Patterson, Antoine “DJ Yella” Carraby, and Andre “Dr. Dre” Young describe the everyday life of the black man in Compton, located in South Central Los Angeles. The album also sheds light on a domestic war that few Americans knew the true story behind: the war against police brutality and black-on-black violence. Read more