What is the song about?
The song is about New York City and how strong, busy, and important the city is. LL Cool J talks about growing up there and how the city shaped him.

Do you find any relevance with today?
Yes, because New York is still a fast and exciting place and people still face challenges and show pride in their city.

What are some of the NYC themes?
Themes include city pride, toughness, surviving hard times, and representing where you are from.

How do they drive home the beat?
The song uses a strong drum beat and a steady rhythm. LL Cool J raps in a way that matches the beat and makes the song catchy.

What about the visuals? What choices do they make in the videos?
There is no video

Where did the artists take their names from (if this applies)?
LL Cool J means Ladies Love Cool James.

What is sampling. What do they sample in the song your chose?
Sampling is taking a part of another song and using it in your own song. LL Cool J uses sounds that feel like classic New York hip hop beats, but he does not use a very obvious direct sample in this version.

Dread Scott makes art that talks about racism, unfair treatment by police, and what it really means to be an American. His famous artwork, What Is the Proper Way to Display a U.S. Flag?, lets people walk on a flag so they can write their opinion in a book above it. A lot of people got upset because the artwork showed the difference between what the flag is supposed to stand for and how many Black Americans are treated in real life. By making people actually step on the flag to take part in the artwork, Scott makes everyone think about what freedom, fairness, and patriotism really mean. His piece was shown in New York, and it shows how art can make people face uncomfortable truths about our country. It is displayed at the Whitney Museum in NYC.

The Bosnian coffee set connects to my background and family because it’s an important part of our culture. Bosnia was under Ottoman rule for about 500 years, and that’s where these specific designs come from. In my family, and all around Europe, drinking coffee is more than just having a drink, it’s a way to spend time together. We sit, talk, and enjoy each other’s company while drinking coffee from the traditional set. It reminds me of our culture and the value we place on family and togetherness.

An icon is a well-known image, symbol, or object that has social, cultural, or historical significance. Icons often trigger strong cultural associations or emotions and can represent an important figure, movement, or idea. Essentially, icons are used to express meaning and ideas. New York City is full of icons that capture the character of the city, such as food items, notable athletes, musicians, statues, architecture, and more. I chose the hot dog stand because it is one of the first things that comes to mind when I think of New York City streets. The NYC hot dog stand represents the city’s immigrant history and fast-paced life. Hot dogs first appeared in New York in the 1860s when German immigrants began selling sausages in buns, quick and cheap meals, from pushcarts throughout Manhattan. Nathan’s hotdogs started in Coney Island in 1916, helping push the NYC hotdog across the country. By the 1950s, hot dogs were everywhere in the city, and still to this day, they have major prominence for both tourists and locals. Overall, hot dog carts are a major part of the city, and they represent New York’s fast-paced life and mix of cultures. 

Sources

Mittenthal, Eric. 2016. “Hot Dog History | NHDSC.” Hot-Dog.org. 2016.   

“This Is the Original | Nathans.” n.d. Nathansfranks.sfdbrands.com. 

https://nathansfranks.sfdbrands.com/en-us/about/

I chose Grace Wales Bonner’s “Aime” because of it’s uniqueness. The use of cowrie shells and materials like crushed velvet and crystals shows the fancy and luxurious clothing worn by European men in the 1700s. It also tributes African traditions and symbols of wealth. This object specifically displays Black beauty and luxury, challenging conventional ideas. It is a contemporary fashion item that tells a much deeper story about identity and heritage. Overall, this clothing shows cultural pride and self expression by mixing history and modern times.

The object that I chose was the portrait based on a 1982 photograph of Andrea Motley Crabtree. I chose this object because it caught my eye right away. I was also intrigued since it honors Crabtree’s achievements as both the first woman and the first Black woman deep diver in the United States Army, showing great accomplishment in an area that has historically excluded people like her. The artwork of her wearing the diving suit shows Afrofuturist ideas of strength and adventure. In this portrait, the ocean is connected to both technology and the history of slavery, using Afrofuturism to transform that history into a story of Black identity and hope.