{"id":9167,"date":"2024-01-22T18:52:53","date_gmt":"2024-01-22T18:52:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.writemyessays.app\/blog\/questions\/sugarhill-gangs-apachejump-on-it-earliest-and-most-popular-song-in-the-history-of-mainstream-rap\/"},"modified":"2024-01-22T18:52:53","modified_gmt":"2024-01-22T18:52:53","slug":"sugarhill-gangs-apachejump-on-it-earliest-and-most-popular-song-in-the-history-of-mainstream-rap","status":"publish","type":"questions","link":"https:\/\/www.writemyessays.app\/blog\/questions\/sugarhill-gangs-apachejump-on-it-earliest-and-most-popular-song-in-the-history-of-mainstream-rap\/","title":{"rendered":"Sugarhill Gang’s “Apache(Jump on It)” Earliest and Most Popular Song in The History of Mainstream Rap"},"content":{"rendered":"

 Short Paper #1 Instructions<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

For this first paper, you will work on building skills both in historical primary source research using digital resources and in writing about musical sound from your own listening experience. Toward that end, this <\/span>four page<\/u><\/strong> <\/span>paper will consist of roughly two pages of information regarding a specific artist, song, genre\/style, technological development, industry practice, record label, or time period drawn from historical primary sources and an additional two pages of discussion of a specific musical recording. For this first paper, <\/span>we will focus on, and limit ourselves to, material from<\/strong> <\/span>before 1980.<\/strong><\/p>\n

As you build research and critical listening skills, writing this paper will also to help you work on make compelling connections between the contextual information you find and the sounds you hear and on communicating your discoveries and ideas in written form in a compelling way. An important note: though you want to be as accurate and careful as possible in your reading and listening, know that especially at this stage, some educated guesswork, conjecture, pondering, and wondering is just fine so long as you frame it as such.<\/p>\n

With these goals in mind. Follow these instructions and guidelines to produce your paper:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Phase A: Doing the research<\/u><\/em><\/strong>

<\/u><\/p>\n

Step 1: Choose a point of entry<\/strong><\/p>\n

Decide whether you are interested in starting by exploring a particular timespan (e.g. 1953-1955), a record company (e.g Motown), a specific artist (e.g. Big Mama Thornton), a particular song (e.g. \u201cThe Hucklebuck\u201d) or a style or genre (e.g. \u201ccalypso\u201d or \u201cmambo.\u201d)<\/p>\n


Step 2: Survey primary sources<\/strong><\/p>\n

Use these two resources to find source material:<\/p>\n

**NOTE: limit yourself to material from <\/span>before 1980<\/em><\/strong>.

Proquest Historical Newspapers (requires ASU login):
https:\/\/www-proquest-com.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu\/<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014Above the search bar, select \u201cmore\u201d and then \u201chistorical newspapers\u201d from the dropdown menu.<\/p>\n

\u2014Enter your search terms (tip: use Boolean operators, specifically \u201cAND\u201d to search for two things together, like an artist and song, and place song titles and artist names in quotation marks. For more on Boolean operators: <\/span>https:\/\/libguides.asu.edu\/c.php?g=264286&p=4312479#s-lg-box-13409255<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\u2014Sort your search results by \u201coldest first,\u201d and you can limit your date range to help organize your results.<\/p>\n

\u2014Browse away!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Billboard<\/em> <\/span>via Google:
https:\/\/books.google.com\/books?id=XikEAAAAMBAJ&source=gbs_all_issues_r&cad=1<\/span>Links to an external site.<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014Either browse by issue (organized in five year increments with a horizontal scrolling bar for individual issues)<\/p>\n

\u2014or use the \u201csearch inside\u201d feature and see what comes up (BE SURE TO CHECK \u201csearch all issues\u201d). When you click on an issue, the vertical scrolling bar will have small yellow highlights, and clicking them will bring you to \u201chits\u201d on your search results.<\/p>\n

\u2014You can limit your date range to narrow your results.<\/p>\n

\u2014Browse away!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Rock’s Backpages <\/em>curated resource collection (requires ASU Login):<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www-rocksbackpages-com.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu\/<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014You can use the search box in the upper righthand corner (and I recommend using the “advanced search” link under that box to limit your date range to before 1980)<\/p>\n

\u2014You can also brows by artist, genre, etc. using the site’s various navigation options. Notably, it also includes a collection of audio interviews, and you may use any of these interviews from before 1980 as a source.<\/p>\n

\u2014Browse away! <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The material you find could be anything you find interesting that\u2019s related to popular music and to the specific subject you\u2019ve chosen (or to a new subject you decide upon based on what you\u2019ve actually found.) Types of material you\u2019re likely to encounter include (but are not limited to):
\u2014Advertisements for records and live performances.<\/p>\n

\u2014Critics\u2019 reviews of records and accounts of live performances.<\/p>\n

\u2014Gossip columns featuring news and rumors about musicians. or record labels.<\/p>\n

\u2014Radio and TV schedules.<\/p>\n

\u2014Charts of record sales or radio airplay, and a range of related ranking systems.<\/p>\n

\u2014Interviews with musicians.<\/p>\n

\u2014Articles and advertisements featuring the latest technological developments in music technology (for both producers and consumers.)<\/p>\n

Choose three or four related items to feature in your paper.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Step 3: Choose a recording and listen critically<\/strong><\/p>\n

Choose a specific musical recording produced and released in roughly the same timeframe as the primary source material you\u2019ve found. Your recording should be related to your primary source material, and that connection can be quite obvious. Perhaps it is the very same recording whose chart position you\u2019ve been tracking across several weeks or months of <\/span>Billboard <\/span><\/em>issues, whose reviews you\u2019ve read, and\/or prominently featured in the advertisements you\u2019ve collected. It could also be one example of an artist whose touring schedule you\u2019ve followed through advertisements and accounts of live events in newspapers or with whom you found an interesting interview. Maybe you\u2019ve chosen to focus on an interesting development in recording technology or in the music industry, and this recording features a particular new technique or comes from a new record label profiled in a couple articles you found.<\/p>\n

Listen to this recording multiple times, and think about why you find interesting. Does it exemplify a particular genre or a specific artist\u2019s unique style? Was it a major hit that has since faded from memory and whose popularity is baffling to you? Does it feature a new production technique or technology? As you listen multiple times, approach each listening with a particular goal. For example, you might choose to focus on the guitarist\u2019s use of pitch bending and then specifically on pitch bending during the song\u2019s bridge. You might want to really dive into the call and response between a singer and instrumentalist. Perhaps, there is an influence of another musical style that you want to identify and explore (e.g. clave rhythms in rock & roll music).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Phase B: Write your paper<\/u><\/em><\/strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n

Everyone\u2019s writing process is a little different, so I won\u2019t offer the same type of step-by-step instructions here. Rather I\u2019ll offer you a few pieces of advice:<\/p>\n

\u2014Use your introduction (your first paragraph, for a paper this size), to explain the theme and the connective threads that tie your paper\u2019s two sections together. In addition, try to avoid opening your paper with a very broad sentence like, \u201cSince the dawn of time, musical sound has served compelling purposes.\u201d Rather, start with an interesting quotation, anecdote, or element that is specific to your paper and will peak readers\u2019 curiosity.<\/p>\n

\u2014Organize each of your paragraphs around a single topic or claim: the paragraph\u2019s \u201ccontrolling idea.\u201d Present this controlling in the paragraph\u2019s first sentence (its \u201ctopic sentence\u201d) and then explore it more fully by presenting the primary source material you\u2019ve found, listening observations you\u2019ve made, etc. Then, connect this specific paragraph\u2019s focus back to your paper\u2019s overall topic, ideally in a way that sets up a smooth transition to the next paragraph.<\/p>\n

\u2014If you\u2019re not used to writing about musical sound, use the listening guides in your book as a model*. What sorts of analysis and description in these listening guides do you find most evocative and compelling? What parts of the authors\u2019 language do you find accessible and which parts are confusing and alienating? Learning to write about music, like learning to play it or produce it, involves a lot of repetition and a lot of trial and error as you gradually develop your own style and your own voice, so don\u2019t be too discouraged if you struggle with it at first. We\u2019ll spend class time over the course of the semester discussing strategies for writing about music, and getting a sense of what each of your writing is like through this paper will help me decide what aspects of writing we should focus on.<\/p>\n

*One exception: your textbook will at times give a chronological “blow-by-blow” of an entire song, and I would discourage you from doing the same. Instead, synthesize your thoughts on specific aspects of the song that you find interesting (e.g. vocal style & timbre, unusual instrumentation, allusions to an older style or artist, a particularly striking section or a notable repeated riff, etc.) Your discussion of these aspects of the song need not be in chronological order but in any order you think makes the most sense for the flow and clarity of your writing.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Technical Stuff:<\/u><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014Paper should be a minimum of four <\/span>full <\/span><\/em><\/strong>pages in length. Double spaced, 12-point font (Times New Roman, Arial, Cambria, or anything else reasonable and readable is fine,) 1-inch margins.<\/p>\n

\u2014There is no need for a title page, but please place your name, and \u201cShort Paper #1\u201d in the header (please actually place this in the header at the top of the page rather than in the paper body).<\/p>\n

\u2014Please include page numbers.<\/p>\n

\u2014Citations should be in Chicago Manual of Style<\/em> <\/span>format. Here is a link to the 17th edition through ASU Library:<\/p>\n

Chicago Manual of Style<\/a><\/p>\n

Here’s also a helpful link with advice on citing contemporary social media (which includes 17th ed. Chicago formats)
https:\/\/gouldguides.carleton.edu\/citation\/social<\/span>Links to an external site.<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Writing Resources:<\/u><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/u><\/em><\/strong>Here are links to some very helpful handouts on writing mechanics and style from The Writing Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (note: I used to work there and made extensive use of these handouts, so these will give you particular insight into my perspective on the craft of writing.)<\/p>\n

If the writing advice I offered above feels insufficient, these handouts will delve further into the concepts I mentioned. You\u2019re also always welcome to work with me during my office hours to improve your writing.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Introductions<\/p>\n

https:\/\/writingcenter.unc.edu\/tips-and-tools\/introductions\/<\/span>Links to an external site.<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Paragraph Development<\/p>\n

https:\/\/writingcenter.unc.edu\/tips-and-tools\/paragraphs\/<\/span>Links to an external site.<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Transitions<\/p>\n

https:\/\/writingcenter.unc.edu\/tips-and-tools\/transitions\/<\/span>Links to an external site.<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Conciseness<\/p>\n

https:\/\/writingcenter.unc.edu\/tips-and-tools\/conciseness-handout\/<\/span>Links to an external site.<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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