During the last two decades, gangsta rap has been a highly controversial topic approached by many scholars, such as Michael Eric Dyson, William Jelani Cobb, Eithne Quinn and Nelson George, to name a few. Both George (in " Hip Hop America " published in 1999) and Cobb (in "To the Break of Dawn" published in 2007) argue that gangsta rappers took their inspiration from movies, in particular The Godfather and Scarface.
In his book, Cobb asserts that: "The hip hop narrative is the unrequited step-child of the American crime epic; the music takes as its primary concerns those same themes expressed in this country’s primordial folklore, the themes projected onto screen of the mind by Coppola, Scorsese, and De Palma.” A closer look at Cobb's statement reveals that the similarities between gangster movies and gangsta rap run deeper than what's shown on the surface.
The Godfather and Scarface
When listening to gangsta rap and watching it being represented in music videos, it is inevitable to wonder how authentic or how fake what is described in the lyrics is. The films that most of all have been source of inspiration for the gangsta rappers are: The Godfather and Scarface.
Gangsta rap lyrics repetitively remind us of some specific sentences from the movie script. Maybe the most well-known sentence of The Godfather is “I’m going to make him an offer he can’t refuse.” This is usually what Don Vito Corleone says when he has to convince his enemies to cooperate with him in what he calls ‘business.’ Gangsta rappers have repeated this expression over and over in their lyrics. Jay-Z, for example, in a song entitled “1-900-Hustler” says:
Other niggaz who gettin it - DEAD IT
Make 'em an offer that they can't refuse
He resists, box him in, til he can't be moved
(Jay-Z, "1-900-Hustler" The Dynasty: Roc La Familia, 2000 Album)
Movie script lines aside, the real notion that The Godfather and Scarface brought in gangsta rap is that crime, or ‘business’, pays. The new representation of the criminal as a businessman has inspired a new image of gangsta rappers who not only have become businessman, but they have been investing so much in their own stage persona that they have become a business in themselves.
References in gangsta rap to the movie Scarface are innumerable. The first rapper who deserves to be mentioned is Notorious B.I.G. and his song “Ten Crack Commandments” where he lists the ten rules of what is a sort of how-to-deal-drugs manuscript. The fourth rule cited in the song :
Number four: know you heard this before
Never get high, on your own supply
(Notorious BIG, "Ten Crack Commandments" Life After Death, 1997 Album)
Rappers as businessmen
A good example is Sean “Puffy” Combs. He is not only a producer and a rapper but he is also the designer of his own clothes. He has invested in his rap figure and has built what he calls an “empire”. Another good example of rapper as astute businessman is Jay-Z, who declares in the remix of Kanye West’s song “Diamonds from Sierra Leone” that:
I sold Kilos of coke, (so?) I'm guessin' I can sell CD's
I'm not a businessman, I'm a business, man
Let me handle my business, damn!
(Kanye West, "Diamonds From Sierra Leone" Late Registration, 2005 Album)
Gangsta Rappers and Italian Fashion
The representation of the rapper improved in elegance and appearance over the last two decades. No more shabby clothes but nice Italian suits, especially Versace. Just like in gangster movies, wealth in hip hop’s world is based on possession of material goods. Not only expensive Italian suits, but also cars, jewelry, mansions, and the best champagne on the market. The car par excellence, besides Italian cars such as Ferrari and Lamborghini, has become the Lexus, which replaced the symbol of African American machismo, the Cadillac.
It is not a coincidence that gangsta rap exploded almost at the same time of Scarface’s release (1983). Hip hop artists created stage characters whose image changed dramatically along with their lyrical content, inspired by the two previously discussed gangster films. In a world like hip hop’s where 'keeping-it-real' is the key to its success and legitimacy, it is fascinating to find so many similarities between major motion pictures and rappers’ lyrics.
Brunella Irma Costagliola - Brunella Irma Costagliola is a full-time writer and a published author. Her book is titled "Gangster Movies in Gangsta Rap"
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