Ghetto Gosepl and Hughes

Gospel is defined to be the “proclamation and redemption preached by Jesus and his apostles.” (www.answers.com) The true meaning of this word very closely relates to the meaning of “Ghetto Gospel.” Although it may seem as Ghetto Gospel is another rap song using a disdainful tone to augment its rhymes, the song actually has a hidden didactic meaning. Jesus and his apostles tried to educate the world of true essence of the surroundings and how to perceive it. Ghetto Gospel reveals a realm very often overlooked by people of today. Ghetto Gospel teaches of destitution, scorn, and severe poverty; which, in essence is the way we are to perceive our surroundings. This concept is very clearly portrayed in the verse “But you know grannys are the only other thing lil ghetto kids got.”

It’s not for nothing that some people are auditory learners while others are better at visual learning. Listening to a song and reading its poetical lyrics very often has a very different affect on its designated audience. Ghetto Gospel has very strong and thought provoking lyrics. Reading this nature of poetry evokes images of poverty, turmoil, and a strong sense of unease and unfairness that self-evidently exists in the world today. For instance, “I stop and stare at the younger…goin under.” Is a very visual lyric, creating a clear image of kids simply being the wrong crowd and doing all the so-called wrong things. Listening to this same song however, evokes very distinct emotions and feelings as compared to reading its lyrics. Listen to Ghetto Gospel, it is impossible to stop and focus on a particular lyric and think of what it can mean, therefore have a particular image. The songs does not pause, therefore it provides only superfluous feelings that the lyrics are designated to augment. Surely the music and tone suggest sorrow, and negativity; but as to having specific imagery in mind that simply does not exist. Listening and reading a song probably most closely correlates with laying a whole hand on rows of spikes. Touching each spike individually, one will feel sharp pain, yet touching all at the same time it is a completely different feeling.
“We out of the projects, jumped into another form of slavery” most likely means exactly what the verse suggests. Looking back to the times of slavery, we emphasize all of the horrors which were applied to human beings. What we tend to overlook however, is the main horror of inhumanity which White slave owners so easily applied to their Black servants. Of course it is wrong to disregard the physical abuses which slaves were subject to, however it is not what characterized slavery in essence. Being from the projects Blacks are looked upon much in the same way they were looked upon during slavery. These neighborhoods are considered of extremely low value, and people living in them are not worth much to society. Therefore “… out of the projects…” suggests that now Blacks are enslaved just they were they were a century ago, only this time without physical abuse.

Tupac and Hughes both portray death in a very strong and emotion provoking way, the major difference between the two manifestations is the accent they give to their visuals of death. Tupac presents death from a personal perspective, and defines how one should deal with it. In this version death is accented as a nostalgic disdain for acts left undone. Hughes on the other hand has a very different approach to explain death. Hughes glorifies the aspect that a life is now gone and will be remembered forever. He draws on clear images of poverty and how much more difficult it is for someone in poverty to deal with death then someone who can afford a funeral. Hughes accents all the sharp emotions such as mourning that as a society we associate with death.

“Blues is a form of music which is based on repetitive verses or notes often performed in twelve bar structure.” (www.afroamhistory.com) A traditional piece of music following blues style has a specific strict pattern of repetition, for instance every third and fourth lines rhyme with prior verses or lines. Hughes does not strictly adhere to this format however, it is very evident how he utilizes the blues style to outline his main points and evoke certain emotions.