(the) American (Novel of)

The Art of the Dis
Signifying, as it is discussed here, becomes a way of interpreting
the MC’s role in the continuum of African vernacular cultural traditions.
Floyd writes, “Signifyin(g) is a way of saying one thing and
meaning another, it is a reinterpretation, a metaphor for the revision of
previous texts and figures, it is tropological thought, repetition with
difference, the obscuring of meaning—all to achieve or reverse power,
to improve situations, and to achieve pleasing results for the signifier.
For in Signifyin(g), the emphasis is on the signifier, not the signified.
In African American music, musical figures Signify by commenting on
other musical figures, on themselves, on performances of other music,
on other performances of the same piece, and on completely new
works of music.” 2
Clearly, rapping, as performed by an MC, is a direct descendant
of this vernacular tradition. It can be heard in MCs boasting, dissing,
and heavy use of pop cultural references. In “Rapper’s Delight,” recorded
by the Sugarhill Gang in 1979 and said to be the start of the
commercialization of hip-hop music, Big Bank Hank boasted:
Well I was coming home late one dark afternoon
A reporter stopped me for an interview
She said she’s heard stories and she’s heard fables
That I’m vicious on the mike and the turntables
This young reporter I did adore
So I rocked a vicious rhyme like I never did before
She said damn fly guy I’m in love with you
The Casanova legend must have been true.
When Grandmaster Melle Mel and the Furious Five released
“Step Off ” in 1984, we heard a prime example of dis rap. In the song,
Keith Cowboy rapped:
Well, I’m Keith Cowboy and you’re my cow
So what you MCs gonna do now?
It’s gonna be a slaughter and here’s my plan
You won’t even get bread and water, my man
Gonna put you on the racks like a pair of slacks
With another wack rapper tied to your back
And if you wanna hang yourself out to dry
It’s the beautiful round up in the sky.
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