For my WP3 I
really want to focus on the topic of Gang Violence. The scholarly article that
I found is titled “Listening In . . . to
Gang Culture”. The main focus of this article is centered on why gangs appeal
to younger children, and how the dynamics of gangs mimic the family structure
that gang members sometimes lack at home. I would like to use this article in a
podcast, comparing it to a song titled “Paranoia” by Chance, The Rapper. The
goal of my podcast would be to try to mix different genres of podcasts,
entwining a musical podcast (podcast that play music with little to no words)
with the genre of a talk-show podcast (podcast that have all words for 2+ hours
sometimes).
I
feel that the artist I’ve chosen would fit in perfectly with the article and
could potentially help to establish credibility. Chance would be a perfect
choice for musician because he is only 22 years old, and is from Chicago-a city
known for its high murder rate and gang violence. He has a daughter of his own,
so he knows what being a parent is like and before rapping, he worked for the
Barack Obama campaign as an intern. Also, in 2014, he was nominated as Chicago's
"Outstanding Youth of the Year Award" by Mayor Rahm Emanuel. I
believe he would be the perfect candidate to showcase a song from, because not
only is he loved by millions of people, he also has contributed to his
community outside of hip hop.
Once
the podcast begins I would try to have a funny intro that would ease my
listeners into the process. The intro would feature background music from some
of my favorite artists, allowing some time on the background of the podcast. By
this, I mean that this would be the time where I pretend that I’ve done like
400 shows and bring the parallelism of openings that each podcast normally has.
After
I try to establish my credibility as an experienced podcaster, I would begin by
introducing the author and musician, giving background on each, and then focusing
on what the purpose of each piece is. Soon after, I would start the analysis,
beginning with the similar moves that each uses, as well as elaborating on how
the purposes of both are similar. Once similarities are covered, I would transition
into the expected audiences of both. I would focus on how each genre has a
different audience and each audience has different expectations that they’re
looking for. After focusing on audience, I would move into the conventions each
artist/rhetor has to follow in order to fit inside their genre and be
successful. This would also allow me to connect certain conventions to their
appeals and why audiences prefer specific genres over others. Later, I would
begin to speak about and elaborate on the limitations that each genre faces.
This would also follow the pattern of connections to the audience as the
limitations of many genres are centered around the audience. As a final point,
I would begin to wrap up the podcast by focusing on specfic moves that each
rhetor performs, then elaborating on how/why they’re specific to their genre.
Overall,
I don’t really know if I’m hitting the prompt enough with this idea. I feel
like it may lack an argument, or whether I should even put an argument in (it
may betray the conventions of my genre). In the end, I think there may need to
be a change in how I approach this prompt, but I still really wanna incorporate
it to music.
The topic you chose sounds really interesting and I like how it focuses on the psychological reasons for why kids turn to gangs. It’s a really neat idea to create your own podcast for this project. I also like how you will be comparing the article to that song because it gives a more realistic glance of what life in a gang is really like. Your first goal of adding credibility to yourself as an experienced podcaster is definitely key in gaining an audience for your show. I like how you can still answer all of the question within the prompt such as-comparing the article to the song, talking about the audiences, conventions, and the limitations faced by each genre- and still make your project fun! You are headed in the right direction I feel. I think you should definitely stick to this idea. The final product will be awesome!
ReplyDeleteJoseph, I like your idea, man!doing a podcast on a song would be a really cool WP3. I think that relating chance the rapper to gang violence and what makes it so appealing to kids would be a really creative way to translate your genre. I'm a bit unclear as to what exactly you're going to do with the podcast though. I see how you're going to talk about how the song relates to the article, but because I'm not familiar with the song, I can't get a great idea of how in-depth it talks about gang violence and how you could relate the two. However, If it does, then this WP3 could be awesome! I think if you compared the structure of the article and how it unfolds with content to the structure of the song and how it unfolds with content, you could talk about some really meaningful stuff that would show a strong connection between the two. Nice proposal!
ReplyDeleteSlider Joe,
ReplyDeleteThe podcast idea is phenomenal—equal parts music/”talk” is perfectly fine by me, and I think there are probably plenty of examples out there you could check out.
I like how you’re laying out lots of (rhetorical) reasons for the decisions you’re making, which is what this WP3 is all about. Some of my questions are: what, exactly, are you going to be basing the comparison on between Paranoia and the scholarly piece? You mention audience and purpose—so as the podcast DJ, are you going to assume more of a “writing/composition DJ?” In other words, instead of discussing musical aspects like the singer’s vocal performance or the booming drums or whatever, you’d be bringing out the rhetorical aspects of the pieces?
That could work, for sure, just make sure that you consistently maintain this approach, otherwise it might seem like you’re just kinda randomly pointing out stuff (if you’re switching between musical aspects, the content of the scholarly pieces, and the rhetorical “moves” the people are making).
So yes, do it. If you do a lengthy podcast—I’m thinking, oh I dunno… a tight ~12 total minutes, including the song—this would account for a 3rd option, in other words, I won’t be expecting you to be making another genre transformation in addition to this one.
Cool idea, Joe. Have fun with it, and go in there with a specific plan of what you’re doing.
Z
I think the podcast idea is really interesting! I love music also and definitely fuck with Chance so you got me there. There are just a few things I am confused on. Are you going to make a podcast for both a younger and older audience? How will they be different from each other? Also, you said that you are going to analyze moves, conventions, audiences etc in your podcast but from my understanding, that sounds like more of something that would be included in the self reflection. I definitely think this idea can work, you just have to figure out the purpose of the podcast and what you message you are ultimately trying to send to each audience. It may be a lot of work but I think the final product will be worth it!
ReplyDeleteJoe, I really like your topic of gang violence and the article you chose seems very interesting! A podcast?! thats unique. I feel like doing a podcast could be very challenging; however, I am a little confused with what you are going to include in the podcast? are you going to have similar conventions of a podcast but speak of moves/conventions/audience?
ReplyDeleteI have a difficult time trying to imagine how the podcast is going to come out but through your analysis I feel like you will do an amazing job! Good luck Joe