Gangster Rap Influence

The nature and influence of gangster rap have had on society are obvious. Ultimately, it is upon us to decide what we surround ourselves with. Education and the support of No Limit Records will help minimize the negative of gangster rap and promote the non-violence campaign.

The way to effectively battle the problem of a negative influence on society is through education. This education, however, will not take place within the walls of a school. In these cases, it is more important to educate parents and adults than children, so they can then try to regulate what they will allow to be present in their environment. There are many organizations that have voiced their opposition to the nature of gangster rap. Two of these have been the Combined

Law Enforcement Association of Texas, along with other police officers nationwide, and Focus on the Family.
Those who feel they are put at risk by lyrics from gangster rap must fight for their safety. Understandably so, police feel that gangster rap threatens them. It is their responsibility not to let the issue die. They can educate the communities they protect, giving examples such as that of Officer Davidson to warn parents about what their children are exposed to. Focus on the Family is a Colorado Springs based Christian group that often monitors violent entertainment has already helped with the cause and can continue to do so. When Ice-T's "Cop killer" song was released, they were one of the major organizations fighting for it to be recalled. With their help, the song was taken off of the album. If no one would have criticized the work, nothing would have been done about it. Focus on the Family can also inform their readers with articles and advertisements in their publication. Ultimately, though, the responsibility falls on individual families and people. It is not legal to take this material off of the market, but with education people can make better choices about what kind of music they listen to. Unfortunately, this is not the case for many African-American children that are exposed to the harsh lyrics and rap through the radio everyday.
“A recent study by the Prevention Research Center of the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation in Berkeley, Calif., suggests young people who listen to rap and hip-hop are more likely to abuse alcohol and commit violent acts.” Popular songs like “Pass the Courvoisier” by rap artist Busta Rhymes are strongly linked to alcohol addiction, drug use, and violence among young people. The report comes from the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluations Prevention Research Center in Berkley, California. It was released days after the rapper “Proof” was gunned down in a Detroit nightclub last month, reportedly after shooting to death another man. Proof's blood alcohol level was said to be four times the legal limit. There's no question rap music is a powerful influence. Marketers have shown a correlation to the release of these tunes and increased sales of alcohol beverages mentioned in these songs. Researchers maintain alcohol marketing, particularly targeted to young black people, has become even more prominent.
African American children are exposed to much of the glamorization of alcohol that rap music entails. One of the main ways they are exposed is the radio. “When we looked at African American youth's exposure to alcohol ads on radio compared to youth in general, African American youth are hearing 56 percent more ads for distilled spirits on the radio than youth in general. And when we compared youth in general to adult exposure on the radio, youth are overexposed. That is youth in general hear more of this kind of advertising— under-aged youth, hear more of this kind of advertising--than adults.” The negative influence and morality issues stretch beyond the scope of gangster rap.
Although rap can be seen as violent and harmful to listeners and the African-American culture, there are cultural reasons as to why rap sends the message that it does.

“If rap music appears to be excessively violent when compared to country-western or popular rock, it is because rap stems from a culture that has been seeped in the fight against political, social, and economic oppression.” For many artists, rapping about violence, gangs, and drugs is just a way of reflecting on what some of the rappers live through every day. Many rap artists come from housing projects, areas of poverty, and ghettos in which violence is commonplace. Because of this, some people argue that lyrical violence in rap is not harming the youth, but yet it is an outcry of existing problems that many African-Americans living in slums and facing deep economic equalities carried on generation by generation face every

day.
The way that rappers make violence and criminal activity seem acceptable through their lyrics is defended by many artists as understandable, as many of these artists face many hardships that most people do not have to live through.

“America's most recent census reported that African-American youth are the most likely group in the nation to live in poor households and neighborhoods, to be unemployed, to be the victims of homicide or AIDS, or to spend time in prison at some point in their lifetimes.” Cornel West, a professor at Harvard University once stated, “It's no accident that one would see various rap songs and various lyrics that revolve around death.” Gangs and violence may be so prevalent in gangster rap because the feeling of belonging to a gang, or even selling drugs could provide African-Americans living in these communities a sense of social power and economic stability. Owning a gun also gives one living in these communities a sense of power, and some even use them to gain the respect of

others.
In addition to the communities artists grow up in, some artists will include topics such as violence as a manifestation of their history and culture. Journalist Michael Saunders wrote: “The violence and misogyny and lustful materialism that characterize some rap songs are as deeply American as the hokey music that rappers appropriate. The fact is, this country was in love with outlaws and crime and violence long before hip-hop.” African-American culture has been shaped by slavery, economic and political defeat, and segregation, and has been marked by violence. Many violent lyrics stem from hate that minorities face every day in the United States. Artists of the gangster rap genre also claim that it is not only African-Americans who have a predisposition for violence, but rebellion and bloodshed can be seen all throughout American history. Politicians are quick to judge rappers for their violent lyrics, but at the same time will drop bombs on countries to kill thousands of people because they disagree with their culture.
Politicians and groups searching for easy solutions to America's struggle with youth violence have tried to blame rap music for desensitizing teenagers to the effects of guns, drugs, and gangs and inciting violent incidents. They have attempted to present the "objectionable" aspects of some songs as a universal aspect of the rap genre.