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media type="youtube" key="lCvCFn64VfY" height="344" width="425" This page was created by Akesha H. Christopher W. Ramisi C. and Richard S.

We chose to do our project on the [|Czech Republic.]

Today is Monday, July 20, 2009
 * ==The Czech Republic == ||
 * [[image:czech-republic-flag.gif width="270" height="210" align="center" caption="Image Courtesy of http://www.mapsofworld.com/images/world-countries-flags/czech-republic-flag.gif"]] || [[image:czech-republic-map.jpg width="285" height="297" caption="Image Courtesy Maps of the World" link="http://www.geographicguide.net/europe/maps-europe/czech.htm"]] || [[image:thumbs_gipsy-cz.jpg width="264" height="198" align="center"]] ||

I chose to look up Hip Hop for social justice in the Czech Republic for several reasons.
 * 1) I don't know much about the Czech Republic and I figured this would be a good way to learn.
 * 2) It also seemed like something different to do. I bet no one else will pick my country and if they do I will erase their page.
 * 3) One site I found in my research talked about racism faced by certain groups. Check out: []I was curious about what racism was like in a place outside of the United States.

The group/person I chose is called Gypsy.cz. According to their official website, [], Gypsy.cz is an artist. However, he collaborates with several other artist like violinist and accordian players who perform under the name Gypsy.cz as well. The band has been in existence for about 3 years. While different members have joined and left, the lead performer seems to have remained the same. In an [|interview with Steve Paxton of Eurovisionary,] the group does not want to be labeled under one particular genre. They stated, "Gipsy.cz do not want to be categorised in one particular type of music but we mix fusions of rap, Romany music, funk and pop." However in their most popular songs, //Romamo Hip Hop in the House// and //Jednou//, many of the hip hop elements are prominent in both the music and videos. For example, there are emcees, rapping and mixing in both of the videos. In one there are b-boys and girls. For those who include fashion in the mix, the artist are usually in hip hop gear. While hip hop is mainly underground in the Czech Republic, Gypsy.cz has won the equivalent of the Czech Grammys and has made it as far as #8 on the world music charts in Europe. Please see: []

There are two themes that seem to be prevalent in the samples I saw and heard. One is racism. We also had a guest speaker from the Czech Republic come in to talk about what it meant to be a Gypsy in her country. Kamila Rosolova is not a Gypsy but explained that Gypsys are treated differently because they usually have darker skin and have ancestors from Egypt. She also explained how Gypsy is similar to the N-word for some, not all. As we looked through the video, she translated the words for us. The artist is basically saying they live in a world where they can't be accepted for who they are. We see a hate crime performed on a Gypsy who falls in love with a non-Gypsy, and dies as a result. The other theme is self-pride. The artist is proud the be a Gypsy and infuses traditional Romanian music in with hip hop beats. In Gypsy's interview with the Old School G, he specifically says he is not trying to bring in social justice like old school rappers, yet he states he tries to rebuke stereotypes such as Gypsy's being abusers of the social welfare system. He states that he does so using irony and comedy moreso than harsher moves found in hip hop.

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In my opinion his music is very interesting. I learned a lot just from watching the videos before the music was translated. I also think it is cool the way the hip hop beats are fused in with more traditional music, because that definitely brings him a wider audience. If I had to compare him to a rapper, I would say he is a lighter version of Kanye West or Lupe Fiasco. Gypsy.cz speaks to serious issues but for the most part keeps it light. A lot of what seems to be going on for the audience occurs after they think about what he said or why he was dressed a certain way for a performace or photograph.