This paper is about the phenomenon of Irish rap in general and about the rapper Jun Tzu in particular. His song The Bridge is being analysed in this work. Questions are: In which way is Irish hiphop music representative and what is it representative for?
Irish Rap. This term alone might take the reader a while to fully grasp ‒ and hopefully not much longer to acknowledge. Indeed, the worldwide phenomenon of rap, the musical and vocal element of the hip-hop culture, also has inspired artists on the green isle. As Mitchell states: “Hip-hop and rap cannot be viewed simply as an expression of African American culture; it has become a vehicle for global youth affiliations and a tool for reworking local identity all over the world.” (Mitchell, 2001, pp. 1f) Out of a number of Irish artists, a rapper called Jun Tzu has gained popularity over the last years reflecting Northern Irish history in his lyrics.
Today, Irish rap music is known by a broader audience than ever before. The reason is the online video platform Youtube. Over the last years, it became appealing to a mainstream audience and changed marketing and presentation habits drastically. With over 100 hours of uploaded video material per minute and more than two billion video views per day, the video portal nowadays gives artists a platform to be heard and seen on, that has never before existed. Understandably, this has changed and – through faster distribution – accelerated cultural development when it comes to rap. Artists can react to other artists’ works faster than 15 years ago and musicians do not need to publish their music by releasing a CD via a company. The probably most important effect of all: as soon as one owns a computer or even smartphone with internet access, he has a potentially limitless audience for his releases. This gives a special chance especially to Irish rappers whose music would otherwise not be distributed by big music companies in Europe, because too few people would buy the music and the marketing would just not be profitable. A major profiteer of this development is the Irish rapper Jun Tzu, who became known to a broader audience via a BBC documentary he was featured in, that had been distributed via the video platform.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- 1. Introduction
- 2. Irish Rapper Jun Tzu
- 3. The Representation of Northern Ireland in “The Bridge”
- 4. Literature and Media in the Song
- 4.2. Representation in the Lyrics (Literature)
- 4.2.1. “The Crossing” - Report
- 4.2.2. Conclusion and Vision
- 4.3. Representation in Spoken Word (Media)
- 4.3.1. Accent
- 4.3.2. Voice Samples
- 4.2. Representation in the Lyrics (Literature)
- 5. Conclusion/Summary of Results
- 6. Sources
- 7. Attachments
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper aims to analyze how the Irish hip-hop artist Jun Tzu utilizes literature and media in his music to represent Northern Ireland. It examines his artistic choices and their effectiveness in conveying a particular image of the region and its complex history.
- Representation of Northern Ireland in hip-hop music
- The role of literature and media in shaping artistic expression
- Jun Tzu's personal experiences and their influence on his art
- The impact of social and political context on artistic representation
- The use of rap music as a tool for social commentary
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
1. Introduction: This introductory chapter establishes the context for the analysis, introducing the growing phenomenon of Irish rap music and its relative lack of scholarly attention. It highlights the significance of online platforms like YouTube in distributing music and accelerating cultural development, particularly benefiting artists like Jun Tzu whose work might not otherwise reach a wider audience through traditional channels. The chapter posits the central research question: how does Jun Tzu use literature and media to represent Northern Ireland?
2. Irish Rapper Jun Tzu: This chapter provides biographical information about Jun Tzu, including his upbringing in Rathcoole, Newtownabbey, and his experiences in both Ireland and England. It explores how his identity as an Irish rapper shaped by his experiences with bullying and a sense of displacement impacted his art. The chapter emphasizes his early exposure to hip-hop, his subsequent musical career, and his diverse artistic output encompassing both rap and spoken word poetry. His unique position as an Irish artist navigating both Irish and British identities is highlighted.
3. The Representation of Northern Ireland in “The Bridge”: This chapter focuses on Jun Tzu's song "The Bridge," examining how it represents Northern Ireland's political and social landscape. The analysis centers on the "peace wall" in Belfast, a physical manifestation of the city's divided communities, and how the song uses this imagery to reflect on themes of segregation, conflict, and the lingering impact of the Troubles. The chapter also explores the broader context of using rap music as a vehicle for social commentary and protest.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
Irish rap, Jun Tzu, Northern Ireland, representation, literature, media, hip-hop, peace wall, The Troubles, social commentary, identity, cultural identity, artistic expression.
Frequently Asked Questions: Analysis of Jun Tzu's Representation of Northern Ireland
What is the main topic of this academic paper?
This paper analyzes how Irish hip-hop artist Jun Tzu uses literature and media in his music to represent Northern Ireland. It examines his artistic choices and their effectiveness in conveying a particular image of the region and its complex history, focusing on his song "The Bridge."
What are the key themes explored in the paper?
Key themes include the representation of Northern Ireland in hip-hop music; the role of literature and media in shaping artistic expression; Jun Tzu's personal experiences and their influence on his art; the impact of social and political context on artistic representation; and the use of rap music as a tool for social commentary.
Which of Jun Tzu's works are analyzed?
The paper primarily focuses on Jun Tzu's song "The Bridge," analyzing how it represents Northern Ireland's political and social landscape, particularly the "peace wall" and themes of segregation and conflict.
What sources of information are used in this analysis?
The analysis draws upon Jun Tzu's music, lyrics, and potentially other media related to his work. The exact sources are listed in the paper's bibliography (Chapter 6).
What is the structure of the paper?
The paper is structured as follows: Introduction; biographical information on Jun Tzu; analysis of "The Bridge"; a section exploring the representation in both lyrics and spoken word; a conclusion summarizing the findings; a bibliography; and attachments (if any).
What is the significance of Jun Tzu's background in this analysis?
Jun Tzu's upbringing in Rathcoole, Newtownabbey, and his experiences in Ireland and England, including bullying and displacement, are considered significant as they are believed to have shaped his artistic expression and his representation of Northern Ireland.
How does the paper utilize online platforms in its discussion?
The introduction notes the importance of online platforms like YouTube in distributing music and accelerating cultural development, particularly for artists like Jun Tzu who may not have the same reach through traditional channels.
What is the overall conclusion of the paper?
The conclusion summarizes the results of the analysis, drawing together the findings on how Jun Tzu uses literature and media to represent Northern Ireland in his music. (Specific conclusions are found in Chapter 5).
What are the keywords associated with this research?
Keywords include: Irish rap, Jun Tzu, Northern Ireland, representation, literature, media, hip-hop, peace wall, The Troubles, social commentary, identity, cultural identity, artistic expression.
- Quote paper
- Erik Lutz (Author), 2016, The Representation of Ireland in Literature and Media of Hip-hop Artist Jun Tzu. An Analysis of the Song "The Bridge", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/335446
