Tahir Hemphill launched a project called The Hip-Hop Word Count: A Searchable Rap Almanac. Learn all about it here—including a video presentation starring Hemphill. Check this excerpt from the creator:
The Hip-Hop Word Count (HHWC) is a searchable ethnographic database built from the lyrics of over 40,000 Hip-Hop songs from 1979 to present day. The database is the heart of an online analysis tool that generates textual and quantified reports on searched phrases, syntax, memes and socio-political ideas.
The idea to build the Hip-Hop Word Count came out of having hundreds of heated & passionate discussions about Rap music: Who was the best rapper of all time? Which rapper had the smartest songs? Which was the most popular champagne in Hip-Hop during 1999-2003? Which rapper uses the most clever metaphors? Which city's rap songs use the most monosyllabic words? Does living in higher altitudes create a natural proclivity for Gangster Rap?
Tired of having these answers left up to conjecture or whoever had the loudest voice, I decided to build a tool that would help give answers by charting the culture described within Hip-Hop music.
You can help fund the effort, too. So cough up some cash for the man. Hey, Hemphill might inevitably find himself featured in a Black History Month Black inventors ad.
Hat tip to Hadji Williams.
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