1. Henry Louis “Skips” Gates, Jr. is significant in numerous perspectives of work, including history, literature, and journalism. Among his occupations includes being a professor and manager for the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University. He has contributed throughout these successes tremendously to the world of hip-hop. For instance, The Signifying Monkey: A Theory of African American Literary Criticism is one of the literary intellects produced by Henry. Published in 1988, The Signifying Monkey traces the origins of the cultural practice of ‘signifying’ and analyzes the texts of prominent African American signifiers and writers.
2. Kevin Donovan, or better known as Afrika Bambaataa, is a DJ that…show more content… Chuck D is a well-known American MC as well as producer. He assisted in the foundation of politically and publicly cognizant hip-hop music throughout the 1980s as the leader of the group ‘Public Enemy.’ Public Enemy, including Chuck, also consists of Flavor Flav, Professor Griff, Khari Wynn, DJ Lord, and the S1W Group. Chuck D’s afterword within The Anthology of Rap analyzes the book’s contents, noting it as a landmark text. “It provides the tools to make meaning of those lyrics in relation to one another, to think about rap both in terms of particular rhymes, but also in terms of an art form, a people, and a movement.” His outlook denoted rap as a great literature, and he took the time to explain the importance of artists listening to other similar artists and learning and growing from their styles, and how hip-hop (the culture, not just the music) is eminent in many parts of the world; it is a permanent part of a global culture. He emphasizes several analytical aspects of the content of the book and of the culture of hip-hop: the importance of its history and origins, the reference to those who started it all, the breakdown of the four elements of this culture (MCing, DJing, B-boying, and graffiti), and the timeline that defined what rap and hip-hop is…show more content… Elvis was a hero to most/But he never meant shit to me- you see/Straight up racist that sucker was/Simple and plain/Mother fuck him and John Wayne/Cause I’m black and I’m proud/I’m ready and hyped plus I’m amped/Most of my heroes don’t appear on no stamps. These lyrics come from the song “Fight the Power”, recorded by Public Enemy. It portrays a robust, vibrant request for support of black pride and generates awareness of “fighting the power” that was keeping prejudice thriving. Explicitly with these above lyrics, Public Enemy was dethroning a classic, admired white role model within modern music, in order to emphasize the self-importance of being African American and disgrace the acts of racism that were widely occurring throughout the country and