Running head: Life on the Streets 1

Life on the Streets

Maribel Terrones

University of Texas at El Paso

Professor Andrea Lora Castillo

RWS 1302
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Street Life

Growing up in a community that is known for a dangerous upbringing and to not

succumb to its dangers is considered a success. Through the use of music, hip-hop to be specific,

tells stories of these hardships. With the usage of music to help illustrate some of the ideas that

happen in everyday life, it generates an image of a danger that is at every turn and is seen as a

success to leave the pressures of a negative outcome behind. Through the use of an article from

Chicago Politics & City Life: Dispatches from The Rap Wars by Forrest Stuart and Biggie

Smalls song Juicy and Tupacs song called Changes, the illustration of leaving behind the

negative pressures of street life is projected. The use of these genres shows both ends of the

spectrum with negative outcomes and positive outcomes.

Audience and Purpose

Taking a look at the first piece, an article written by Forrest Stuart Dispatches from The

Rap Wars evokes the emotion of a clear understanding of how dangerous life on the streets

maybe. Dispatches from The Rap Wars was recently written. Due to this it is able to relate to the

most current experiences and ideology within a community. Within this article it is clear that

Forrest Stuarts participation in street life is to get a further understanding of the inner workings

of life on the streets. Beside taking interviews from well-known street personal, Stuart goes

further to try and get the understanding of why youth within a low income setting fall into the

traps of a hard life. Due to Stuarts participation in part taking in the influences of street life it

creates a better understanding to see how theses influences take hold in the lives of people who

live within the community. The intended audience for this article is for people who have young

children or children who are about to enter into adulthood in low income settings. By informing
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adults within a community a pathway for communication can be built. Taking a lead role in how

to prevent the dangers of street life could change the outcome of ones success.

As for the musical genres both songs are used by younger generations that are being

brought back to life. Not by mistake these songs, although older, both relay the same message of

living pass stereotypes and succeeding in getting passed the negative obstacles from lower

income settings. Both artists Biggie Smalls and Tupac demonstrate the picture of overcoming the

struggles of negative influences by using music to reach out to communities and show that there

can be success form a person no matter the point of origin. Unlike the article, Dispatches from

The Rap Wars by Forrest Stuart, the music of Biggie Smalls and Tupac are meant for young

adults. Due to the popularity of hip-hop music amongst young adults it is more likely that hip-

hop is able to reach the minds young adults and influence their choices.

Both the article and musical genres are at the opposite ends of the same spectrum. The

article from Forrest Stuart shows the experiences from living life on the streets and the

consequences from making poor choices and what influences the poor decision making within a

certain environment. However, the musical elements that take part project the image of success

and play the role of the optimist within the negative sphere. Due to the manner in how each

genre is presented each one is viewed differently. Forrest Stuarts article takes a considerable

amount of time to get through and has many other viewpoints rather than just one. Whereas, the

music form Biggie Smalls and Tupac take much less time and one have one narrative.

Both of these forms of genre aim to inform their audience of difficulties of life on the

streets and the different outcomes within a community. Within the article its purpose is to help

illustrate the image of a dangerous lifestyle of life on the street and to inform the dangers that

could result in an influence in decisions and actions. In the terms of the songs purpose they are
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used a larger scale of advocating the voice of the community. Although both genres share the

same general concept of life on the streets each are structured differently. The article uses the

perceptions of others and the author of the article to help give a clear view. Within the article,

Dispatches from The Rap Wars it takes on the tone of a seriousness along with the notion of

educating its intended audience. The vocabulary that is used takes on a level of familiarly and

comfort. All the while using and analyzing street slang to allow a for better experience of street

life. In the article the author uses abstract images of famous rappers or images of young adults

standing in a street that are splashed with a multitude of colors to highlight the issue of dangers.

This creates the bridge of how music intertwines within a community. Music takes on the

pathway for communication between its community members, There is no real reason this kid

should know this much about gang presence on the South Side, because hes from another side

of town. I asked these kids how the hell they knew all this. They looked at me like I was an idiot.

Music, they said (Stuart 2016). However, when taking a deeper look into the structure of the

songs by Biggie Smalls and Tupac both are presented differently in comparison to the article.

The songs Juicy by Biggie Smalls and Changes by Tupac both send the message of

overcoming the adversities of coming from dangerous upbringings. All the while neglecting the

temptations of becoming a part of the dangers in the community. Looking at the songs by The

Notorious B.I.G. (Biggie Smalls) and Tupac their main audience was their peers, which allows

this genre to take on a more explicit tone. By using this type of language, it allows the young

adults within a certain community to have a better understanding due to the common use of

profanity. The specific use of this type of language acts as if the artist is specifically talking

towards the youth community. Within the songs both creators use a descriptive language that

helps paint a picture in the mind of the listener to create an influence over actions. Both genres
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however different in presentation, look at the slim success rate of emerging out of these low

poverty settings but illustrates that hard work makes all the difference.

Rhetorical Issues

Each genre uses the experiences of people who have taken part within the said

community. These personal accounts allow the audience to hear the actual experience rather than

just hearing the thoughts of someone who has not been a part of a community with dangerous

influences.

Ethos

Within the article, Dispatches from The Rap Wars the author establishes creditably by

enlisting the that he, himself, will take part in street life for a considerable amount of time. 18

months to be exact. My 18 months inside one of Chicagos most notorious gangs (Stuart

2016). By becoming acquainted with local members of a gang, Forrest Stuart recounts the

experiences that were set in motion. This establishes credibility due to Stuart receiving

information from experience. In the second genre, the creators of Juicy and Changes both

come from rough communities. Both artists talk about personal accounts and influence the youth

community to not settle for what is ok, but to aim higher. You know very well who you

are/Don't let em hold you down, reach for the stars (Smalls 1994).

Pathos

The article appeals to the audience due the fact that he uses personal narratives to show

the hardships of life on the streets. Forrest Stuart also puts his feelings into the article when

describing the different experiences that he that endured. Stuart recalls his experiences and at

times feared for his life. Stuart describes within his article that there was a bounty on anyone

who associated themselves with the very gang that he was interviewing. At this point he leaves
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to end his article due to fear. In the songs, they both appeal to the hardships that both Biggie and

Tupac had faced in their time growing up. Whether it may have been the stereotype of a race or

the influence of negative obstacles, the use of the personal narratives appeal to audience. The

penitentiary's packed, and it's filled with blacks/But some things will never change (Tupac

1992).

Logos

Within both of the genres evidence strongly suggest that in both of the genres authors

have a knowledge or engaged within the struggles of street life. Both genres argue the issue of

difficulties of growing up in neighborhoods where danger is always present. However, in

Dispatches from The Rap Wars some of the interviewees understand the toll of street life and try

to leave only to comeback to say that one cannot really leave.

Structure and Delivery

Due to both genres delivering the same message of difficulty of life on the streets, the

article starts off by presenting what lead up to the idea of taking on the experience of street life.

It is not until bit after that the author grabs the attention by connecting with the youth. Once

Stuart begins going on outings with the gang members the article takes off. In the music by

Biggie Smalls and Tupac both start by stating the problems. Within Tupacs song Changes,

what grabs the attention is how the song starts off by asking the question, Is life worth living

should I blast myself? (Tupac 1992). However, in Biggies song he talks about dedicating his

album to all those who doubted him. Stating the what exactly is on these artists mind catches the

audiences attention due to the artists influence in music.

Conclusion
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Taking a look at both genres it is clear that both pieces have achieved their goal in

explaining the hardships and obstacles that is to expected in the struggles of life on the streets.

Both pieces represent each of the opposing ends of the spectrum. One tells the story of success

and the other tell the story of the never-ending cycle of dangers. However, each piece contributes

vital parts of information to help demonstrate the difficulties of street life.

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Reference Page

Stuart, F. (2016, September 19). 18 Months Inside a Chicago Gang. Retrieved February 02,

2017, from http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/October-2016/Chicago-

Gangs/

The Notorious B.I.G Juicy

Tupac Changes