... economic behavior (drug-dealing), the disadvantaged set up their own protective hierarchies. Rap becomes the genre in which these institutions are romanticized. Eazy commands the new social order, ruling through a combination of formal and informal coercion. The gangster establishes his presence in the community, demanding others recognize his arete: "My identity by itself causes violence," Eazy says in an early track. Armed with "gats," and "sawed-offs," the gangsta-king promises punishment and war to those who would challenge his reputation. That many disadvantaged youths identify with Eazy and the former N.W.A. (Niggaz Wit' Attitudes) suggests these epics remain grounded in real-life experience. "F--ck tha' police," an anthem of black rage against law enforcement, crystallizes the everyday hostilities of blacks and other ghetto residents. Lines like, "You'd rather see, me in the pen, than me and Lorenzo (MC Ren) rollin' in the Benzo," typify the belief among the disadvantaged that the police ...

See this essay or coursework document in full right now