ill, not [sic]...an intro in 250 words

The English word “sic” is of Latin origin and means “intentionally so written.” In formal writing, it is placed in brackets after a problematic word or phrase to indicate a quotation has been transcribed exactly as it appears in its source material. A highly circumspect writer might quote:

            See now we smart [sic]. (Kanye West, “We Don’t Care.”)

When we write about hiphop, the convention [sic] reveals the power relationship between “standard” and other forms of English. One vocabulary deems another incorrect. Thus the line quoted above, which appears exactly as written in the liner notes to The College Dropout, is denigrated by the insertions of [sic]. The sic’s say, “It is not me the author who is making these grammatical errors but rather some less intelligent or educated person I'm quoting and I want to make sure you don’t confuse us.” Well, that’s sick.

Throughout this blog you’ll notice bloggers using the singular, non-hyphenated word “hiphop”—without the [sic]. This linguistic experiment is based on the primacy of the web search in our everyday lives, the desire to keep track of our hips and our hops, and (most recently) the popularity of the #hiphop hashtag on Twitter.

If the revolution is not televised, we may need to search for it.

These posts were written by the talented freshman (and one fine sophomore) of English 125, “College Writing on The College Dropout,” an introductory composition course at the University of Michigan. They represent earnest inquisitions into hiphop music and culture.