This project investigates the history, sonic function, and authorial significance of producer tags in hip-hop. Over the past two decades, producer tags have become a ubiquitous component of rap production as a means of signaling authorship, branding, and aesthetic identity. Industry titans, such as Metro Boomin and Tay Keith, have created famous tags that rile up audiences and resonate within rap communities. Underground rap producers–especially those making “type beats” and beat tutorials on SoundCloud and YouTube–require producer tags to maintain ownership and increase visibility of their work. In these digital spaces, however, tags have transcended simple utility to undergo a process of meme-ification, where producers employ absurdist humor and ironic performances to stake their claim in the industry. Despite their prominence, producer tags remain relatively understudied within musicological scholarship. This paper seeks to examine producer tags at the intersection of authorship, authenticity, intellectual property, and musicality. Through a combination of theoretical, historical, and sonic analysis, the paper will argue that producer tags constitute a vital authorial gesture that both reflects and reconfigures the unique producer-rapper relationship in contemporary hip-hop.
This paper seeks to explore how the corridos of Los Tigres Del Norte, specifically discussing experiences regarding immigration aid in bringing these issues and stories to a larger audience and in turn helps foster unity and solidarity within the Latin American community. The group’s own experience as undocumented immigrants has shaped their dedication and willingness to highlight the stories of their audience, many of whom can relate closely to the experiences and events recounted in their songs. While analyzing these songs, it is important to be aware of the significant differences between corridos and narcocorridos. Although both forms share similar instrumentation, musical form, and have evolved alongside one another, both consider very different subject matter. Narcocorridos tell stories regarding the narco lifestyle while corridos can present a variety of themes such as love, religion, politics, and discrimination to name a few. Through lyrical analysis of “La Jaula De Oro,” “Tres Veces Mojado,” and “Somos Más Americanos,” and research into immigration history between the United States and Latin America, this study demonstrates how traumatic struggles are brought to light in these songs and argue that these corridos, among many others, can be tools for change, foster a collective identity, and promote unity amongst immigrant communities.
Adolescence represents an incredibly complex period of human development that is marked by rapid neurobiological and personal change. Uniquely positioned between childhood and adulthood, adolescents search intensely for a sense of personal identity. This is more than just a search, however; it reflects a ubiquitous, biologically programmed hunger to know the self and establish a connection to a transcendent force—the core of what is understood as spirituality. When properly cultivated, spirituality encourages a sense of connectedness, meaning, purpose, and contribution. When disrupted, adolescents become significantly more susceptible to depression, anxiety, and other mental disorders. While genetic predispositions and psychosocial factors have been widely discussed as contributors to depression and anxiety, verbal abuse remains an overlooked yet pervasive risk factor that directly impacts two fundamental aspects of spiritual development: parent-child relationships and the formation of identity and personal expression. Although adolescent psychotherapy is widely utilized, its focus on disease and treatment may unintentionally reinforce stigma among participants. This limitation highlights a need for approaches that prioritize positive functioning and support long-term well-being. Sound healing offers such an approach. Unlike music therapy, sound healing employs acoustic vibrations, eliminating the pressures of musical literacy and structured performance. Using a positive psychology and spirituality framework, this study examines how group participation in singing bowl and vocal sound healing sessions can help adolescents cultivate positive emotional states and well-being, foster a strong sense of spiritual identity, and reclaim an inner voice silenced by verbal abuse.
