Spaceship

Most hip hop fans would agree that hip hop and rap music get a bad rap. Ever since popularity rose in the early 90’s, people took offense to the derogatory language, anti-police views, and misogynistic references. Explicit warning labels became popular in the hip hop world to ‘warn’ people about what they were about to expose their ears to. Hip hop music and rap became popular to people who came from a lower class and urban environment. The music was real and talked about what was going on in the streets, stripped of the bubble gum packaging that covered most of the pop music favorites of the decade like New Kids On The Block. Music is a reflection of the time which can be said about all genres. In the late 80’s and early 90’s, it was finally being exposed that racism was still prevalent and strong in the United States. The police brutality against Rodney King in 1991 sparked a fire in many people and when the officers who committed the acts were acquitted, the Los Angeles Riots began. The words to NWA’s “Fuck Da Police” became an anthem for the aggressive and violent behavior. And so begins the bad reputation hip hop music and rap has had to carry on its’ shoulders ever since. Whether the song came before or not, it was a real-life representation of what was really going on in urban areas.

 
     Everyone knows there is good and bad in every genre of music. There are songs written when you question, why is this on the radio? But for some reason, someone out there appreciates it. The same can be said for hip hop. Through the evolution of hip hop since the late 80’s, we have heard quick rhymes and a good beat with a variety of subjects to sing about. It’s not that hip hop music is bad; it’s that it makes some people feel so uncomfortable about hearing the unpleasant truths in life and the things we do, but just aren’t ‘suppose’ to talk about. With those unpleasant truths, artists come and go who change the game. Style, subject matter, and lyrics change. They shift like the times. Instead of rapping about how bad life is, they rap about how bad they want to change their life and work for it by doing something. The most influential artist to do this has been Kanye West. Starting as a producer and then dropping his debut album College Dropout, Kanye began to transform hip hop music by delivering beats and lines full of soul and rapping about how having a college degree was not going to get him what he wanted in life. On his track Spaceship, Kanye encompasses what hip hop really stands for: the truth about our struggles; stereotypes, racism, working hard, and struggling to follow your dreams while working a mediocre job. 

     Although it was never released as a single, Spaceship is a favorite among Kanye West fans. The soulful beat paired with the relatable subject matter made it a hit for cult followers of College Dropout. This song encompasses what it means to relate to hip hop music and how it can motivate us. To listen to someone who becomes successful by working his ass off, even though life isn’t perfect, is refreshing. It translates across racial lines so anyone can relate. The song creates a new persona for any hip hop fan who has wanted to be successful, worked hard, and just wished they could have had a silver spoon handed to them. The song opens with the chorus, “I’ve been workin’ this grave shift and I ain’t made shit/ I wish I could buy me a spaceship and fly past the sky.” Working throughout the night and becoming nocturnal is something no one wants, but needs, to do, especially if you’re barely getting paid for it. Sometimes earning an honest living isn’t the most desirable living and we all wish we could get rich quick. 

Hard work pushes Kanye to stay motivated and focused on his dream. He writes, “Y'all don't know my struggle/ Y'all can't match my hustle/ You can't catch my hustle/ You can't fathom my love dude/ Lock yourself in a room doin' five beats a day for three summers/ That's a different world like Cree Summers/ I deserve to do these numbers.” In this part of the song, Kanye raps about how hard he worked for his success. It didn’t come easy and it took time and dedication. Kanye uses the metaphor of having a spaceship to fly you to the sky which represents dreams. Featuring the rapper GLC, his verse of the song writes, “In the mall ‘til 12 when my schedule said nine/ Puttin them pants on shelves/ Waitin’ patiently I ask myself/ Where I wanna go, where I wanna be/ Life is much more than runnin’ in the streets.” This line is especially helpful in understanding the way rap is represented in the media and how it’s not just about being violent or selling drugs on the street. You can work hard to earn a living and think about the bigger picture in life. Consequence, another rapper who enters the song for the third verse, writes, “I remember havin’ to take the dollar cab/ Comin’ home real late at night/ Standin’ on my feet all damn day/ Tryin’ to make this thing right/ And havin’ one of my co-workers say ‘Yo you look just like/ This kid I seen in the old Busta Rhymes video the other night’/ Well easy come, easy go/ How that sayin’ goes.” Consequence references when he recorded six tracks with A Tribe Called Quest and thought he was a part of the hip hop group thanks to his cousin Q Tip being a member. He raps about how he was mistaken and shouldn’t have expected it to be that easy. The 15 minutes of fame he achieved because of luck does not replace the hard work it takes to have s successful musical career. Each verse in Spaceship reinforces the importance of hard work when working towards your dreams and does so with the voice of three separate rappers with varying life experiences. 

     Stereotypes and racism are addressed in many different hip hop songs which can make people uncomfortable. No one wants to talk about the bad stuff that exists in the world because you can’t be in denial about what’s really going on if people are talking about it. Any person can relate to being stereotyped for one reason or another and many others can relate to being stereotyped because of their race. It is a part of life that exists, but no one wants to talk about. Kanye addresses the issues in Spaceship. He writes, “So if I stole, wasn't my fault/ Yeah I stole, never got caught/ They take me to the back and pat me/ Askin' me about some khakis/ But let some black people walk in/ I bet they show off their token blackie.” Kanye addresses a deep underlying issue with the beginning of this line stating that it’s not his fault he stole. He could be referencing to society and how African-Americans have been victims of the system and forced to behave in certain ways because of their environment. He then states how his manager is racist, but doesn’t want anyone to know it. He is an employee at a clothing store and states he is the only black person who works there just so his manager can prove he’s not racist, even though he really is. This underlying theme in the song can be related to everyone’s life, whether they want to admit it or not. The person you know who says racist things but insists they aren’t racist, because they have black friends. The person you know who makes fun of gay people but insists they aren’t homophobic. The person you know who makes fun of obese people, but insists they do not judge heavy people. There are so many ways this part of the song represents the truth about hip hop and the things people don’t want to admit about themselves, or the people they surround themselves with. It may only be one part of the song, but Kanye exposes stereotypes and racism in Spaceship by reflecting on his personal experiences in a poetic way.

     One of the reasons Spaceship is a powerful song and communicates what it means to be hip hop is because it encompasses every spectrum. It goes from exposing social issues to rapping about money, sex, drugs, and violence, which is what people who don’t know hip hop think it stands for. Again, things a lot of people want, but don’t want to admit they want or talk about. These are the reasons why hip hop has a bad reputation and what causes people to think there is no depth or emotion to the music. Kanye opens Spaceship by writing, “If my manager insults me again I will be assaulting him/ After I fuck the manager up then I’m gonna shorten the register up.” The first two lines of the first verse talk about violence and stealing which makes it sound like this is something Kanye is really going to do. However, the difference is that he is rapping about it instead of doing it. There are people out there who do that and can relate to the song which is why people attach the stereotypes to African-Americans. It gives some people who listen to the song and already believe in those pre-existing stereotypes validation as to why their beliefs are justified. 

     GLC refers to violence and drugs in his verse and writes, “Police watch me smoke my weed, count my G's/ Got a lot of people countin' on me/ And I'm just tryin' to find my peace/ Should of finished school like my niece/ Then I wouldn't finally wouldn't use my piece, blaow.” He talks about smoking weed and counting money which sounds like he’s a drug dealer. He then goes on to talk about how if he had gotten out of his environment, he wouldn’t be resorted to using his gun, which represents violence. Consequence writes, “No more broad service, cars, and them TV shows/ I all had that snatched from me.” He references female escorts, or groupies, cars, and fame. Other things people think about when they think about rap and hip hop. With these lines in the song, drugs, violence, sex, and cars are referred to and reinforce the way people think about hip hop music standing for things of sin, or non-Christian ways.  

     Spaceship serves as an example of how a song communicates the identity of hip hop music. In the deepest form, the song addresses underlying social issues, but most of all, sends the message of hard work. It is motivating for many reasons. One reason is because nothing will make you more successful than working hard. You may get lucky, but it is not a replacement for being successful. There isn’t a magic spaceship which can fly you to achieving your dreams. Anything that comes easy can be taken away just as easy. Despite the stereotypes, judgment, or struggles you may face, you just have to work a little harder to get what you want. This is what the song is truly about. However, people use the same stereotypes the song talks about to make judgment about the song and others like it. The song reinforces people’s existing stereotypes about hip hop and rap music by referencing violence, sex, money, and drugs. If more people analyzed the reasons why these subjects are in many hip hop and rap songs, there would be a better understanding of what hip hop music really stands for. It would be discovered that materialism and looks are what are valued by society and all music addresses these issues in their own way. Hip hop music is misunderstood because what it’s really about, and what people think it’s about, do not have the same message. 

Others who identify with hip hop music as a representation of their own struggle are not comfortable with the way it is represented. Commercial radio songs about nothing other than money, sex, and drugs, are what are played on popular radio. What is popular is how society defines a genre because it is what they know. Even if this was what hip hop music really was about, what’s wrong with that? Society has created people who appreciate materialism, engage in sexual activity, and do drugs by using the media as an outlet to represent these things. You can see this in advertisements, television, movies, and of course, music. But it’s not just hip hop music; it’s all music. So why is it that a country song singing about being an alcoholic or having a big truck is okay to listen to, but hip hop music rapping about smoking weed and having an expensive car is a negative thing? It all comes full circle back to racism and stereotypes. Society is comfortable with white people talking about this stuff, but not black people. The minute rap artists talk about the ‘bad stuff,’ it just reinforces people’s pre-existing stereotypes because of race. There’s something very wrong about the way society is and nearly impossible to change.