Gangsta Culture by bell hooks

     In this weeks passage of The Hip Hop Reader (pg. 185-192), Hooks writes about how African American males are raised to be brought up in a society that knows no other life than that of hustling and violence. This "Gangsta Culture" as it's referred to, looks down on the working class, thinking that their way of making money is too slow compared to how fast they can make a few hundred bucks. Just think, a society with no real rules, doing whatever is necessary to survive in this dangerous way of life; killed or be killed if we were to go to that extreme. To have to deal with a culture that is constantly whispering in your ear that you would never really amount to anything in life, is quite a heavy load to deal with. As much as they would sometimes want to get out of it, they wouldn't be able to because first they know no other way of life, secondly they don't have the education to help them get a different career. If you don't know all the secrets to how to make it on the streets then you either wind up in prison or dead. Funny thing is, is that a lot of the prisons have many smart African American men who have the potential to make something of themselves in life. So this tells us that its not the culture that defines who we are, it's the decisions we make as a person that get us to where we want to be. Because had these men continued on with their education, they could have been successful men, without having to worry about the legalities, and the violent life, and perhaps even break the cycle of gangsta culture.

Eminem establishing his Ethos

      Marshall Bruce Mathers III more commonly known as Eminem, started his music career in 1999. He quickly gained poplularity with his debut album "the Slim Shady LP"and won his first Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. Since then Eminem has won 13 Grammys and has had 13 number one singles worldwide. Eminem's has established his ethos with his audience simply by when he is rapping he includes his audience in his music. Inviting them to feel his struggles in his personal and public life. He has won the respect of hardcore raps fans and critics, with his lyrical skill and dexterity. Which in turn, helped him overcome the border of being a white artist in a black dominated culture, and reach all the way to the top of the charts. If Eminem had not established his ethos with his audience, he would have never gotten to this point that he has reached in his life.

Marshall Bruce Mathers III more commonly known as Eminem

Writerly Biography

Hi, my name is Marina Salazar, I am 19yrs old, and I was born and raised in Corpus Christi, Tx. I have been living in Elwood, Ks now for the past 8yrs, and graduated from Elwood High School back in May of 2010. I am also a member ot the Air National Guard (Air Force), and I go this summer to complete my training. Currently, I am going to Missouri Western to pursue a career in nursing. Reading and writing have always been one of my best strengths. Although I can improve on how I need to organize what I write about, and how to lengthen my essays. As a reader, I honestly don't really have a problem, I'm the type of person that can read a novel (ex. the Harry Potter series) within 1-2 days, and remember everything. Reading is something I enjoy doing during my free time as long as the book interests me. If it's material that I'm required to read it's a bit more difficult to keep myself focused and not let my mind wander to other things. Writing would be the subject that would intimidate me the most out of the 2. Especially if I have writer's block, I just feel like an absolute idiot when I can't think of anything to write. In order for reading or writing to excite me it has to be something that I have strong opinions about or makes me think outside the box.