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Effects of hip hop in todays culture
Hip hop's effect on popular culture
Hip hop's effect on popular culture
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Celebrities have the ability to change the way people think in an instant. Currently in society, it is easy for an individual to get their opinions noticed. With the help of social media and instant news, celebrities can post something and the whole world can have access to it in the blink of an eye. Due to this quick form of communication, it is no wonder celebrities use their access to inform their audience not only about their personal life but also about issues that are affecting their communities, such as poverty and violence. Hip- Hop is the perfect platform for this. It is rare that you will find a teenager following politics. Therefore, through Hip-Hop culture, it is made possible for issues such as gun violence, drugs and high prison rates in cities to be noticed by the youth. One way in which Hip-Hop addresses these social issues is through lyrics of Hip-Hop songs. There are many artists who have songs that contain lyrics that both outwardly and subliminally state the issues that minority communities face. One such artist is J.Cole. In many of Cole’s songs, you can...
Hip-Hop became characterized by an aggressive tone marked by graphic descriptions of the harshness and diversity of inner-city life. Primarily a medium of popular entertainment, hip-hop also conveys the more serious voices of youth in the black community. Though the approaches of rappers became more varied in the latter half of the 1980s, message hip-hop remained a viable form for addressing the problems faced by the black community and means to solve those problems. The voices of "message" hip...
“To understand how any society functions you must understand the relationship between the men and women” (Angela Davis). Artist such as Tupac and J Cole use hip-hop as a form of expression to bring attention to the social issues within the African American community. Songs such as Keep Ya Head Up, Brenda’s Got A Baby, Crooked Smile, and Lost Ones communicates the social issues affecting the black community, during the 90’s as well as the current matters in today’s society. All of the songs touch on topics such as abortion, rape, drugs, and poverty. Within the African American community, it has not changed as it relates to how we act as a race when dealing with situations we encounter as African Americans.
In the words of rapper Busta Rhymes, “hip-hop reflects the truth, and the problem is that hip-hop exposes a lot of the negative truth that society tries to conceal. It’s a platform where we could offer information, but it’s also an escape” Hip-hop is a culture that emerged from the Bronx, New York, during the early 1970s. Hip-Hop was a result of African American and Latino youth redirecting their hardships brought by marginalization from society to creativity in the forms of MCing, DJing, aerosol art, and breakdancing. Hip-hop serves as a vehicle for empowerment while transcending borders, skin color, and age. However, the paper will focus on hip-hop from the Chican@-Latin@ population in the United States. In the face of oppression, the Chican@-Latin@ population utilized hip hop music as a means to voice the community’s various issues, desires, and in the process empower its people.
A race issue that occurs within the rap and hip-hop musical genre is the racial stereotypes associated with the musical form. According to Brandt, and Viki rap music and hip- hop music are known for fomenting crime violence, and the continuing formation of negative perceptions revolving around the African-American race (p.362). Many individuals believe that rap and hip-hop music and the culture that forms it is the particular reason for the degradation of the African-American community and the stereotypes that surround that specific ethnic group. An example is a two thousand and seven song produced by artist Nas entitled the N-word. The particular title of the song sparked major debates within not only the African-American community thus the Caucasian communities as well. Debates included topics such as the significance and worth of freedom of speech compared with the need to take a stand against messages that denigrate African-Americans. This specific label turned into an outrage and came to the point where conservative white individuals stood in front of the record label expressing their feelings. These individuals made a point that it is because artists like Nas that there is an increase in gang and street violence within communities. Rap and hip-hop music only depicts a simple-minded image of black men as sex crazed, criminals, or “gangsters”. As said above, community concerns have arisen over time over the use of the N-word, or the fact that many rappers vocalize about white superiority and privilege. Of course rap music did not develop these specific stereotypes, however these stereotypes are being used; and quite successfully in rap and hip-hop which spreads them and keeps the idea that people of color are lazy, all crimin...
Over time, some rap artists might adapt the stated sexist and racial beliefs, and think that they become something better and consciously place themselves above their audience and pretend to be more superior than women Hip-Hop Culture + Politics). The following lyrics provide examples and show how misogynistic beliefs are represented in rap music. The presented excerpts are highly offensive and controversial, but they show the contemporary type of rap that has been and is still produced by well-known recording studios (Adams and Fuller 949).
Hip hop has gone from just DJ-ing, graffiti, break dancing and just rapping to self-expression, mannerisms and demeanor. Hip-hop has made its way to mainstream tv such as Wild N Out, Love and Hip-hop, and Growing up Hip-hop. Hip-hop has influenced the lives of today’s youth, mostly African American youth. The influence that hip hop has on today’s youth can be both positive and negative. Unfortunately, it has more negatives because of the lyrics can be rather aggressive, the want for material gain, and encouraging misogynistic behaviors. Hip-hop has been positive, when a rapper such as T.I raps about a song it brings awareness to the community, it gets everyone talking and wanting to make a change. The Black Lives Movement going on he wrote a song called “We Will Not”. The meaning behind this song is to bring awareness, for police brutality and justice for African Americans. Hip-hop has become a platform for people to be able to
Music is very powerful. It can control people’s emotions and change the way they act. What people see in music videos or lyrics may affect what they do, especially teens. Hip hop song lyrics include violence, sex, vulgar language, drugs, and alcohol use. Unfortunately, teenagers are the number one fans of this types of music. Most people worry about the negative influences of hip hop and rap on the teenagers still too young to choose what is right or wrong. I believe that hip hop and rap music has lots of dangerous effects on today’s youth, especially the violence, sex, and bad
Ever since it became popular in the late eighties, hip-hop music has been a target of moral disapproval. Many critics have labeled the music as an offensive, vulgar, misogynist form of expression, which negatively influences its listeners, particularly children. Early in rap music's' development "concerned citizens" and various government officials held protests against the release of certain rap albums. Rap music's opponents demanded strict censorship. But hip-hop was increasingly attracting large audiences and its supporters were ready to fight the censors who they believed were taking away their constitutional right of freedom of speech, and the freedom of the urban black culture to express itself. What critics of rap music don't comprehend is that rap music is a part of our culture, which is impossible to ignore. Although it may be untraditional, it is a very eloquent form of expression that illustrates the conditions and feeling of a vibrant African -American young culture
Through the past about thirty years, music has evolved into new forms of expressions. Hip-hop has become a world widespread form of communication and it is enjoyed around the world. It is no longer limited to rap and break dancing; in this cultural it represents a multi-billion dollar industry that influences the nation from design and fashion to television and professional sports, mass media marketing and advertising. Hip-hop today is involved in numerous aspects of young people’s lives in addition to sending a lyrical message that influences positive actions. Hip-hop is a positive guide, such as helping to understand what people in the world are going through, gets teens to understand that they are not alone, and writing lyrics along with composing music giving people a voice when they are scared to speak.
As one of the most popular genres of music, hip-hop has an extremely wide reach to a global audience no longer limited based on age, race, or gender. With each new single, artists such as Drake, Jay-Z, Kanye West, and Nicki Minaj occupy spaces at the top of the billboard charts. The current success of rap is unlike what it was when hip-hop was emerging in the early 90s. Originally as a subculture in opposition to the mainstream culture, hip-hop was an extremely diverse genre that placed importance on lyrical genius. It was socially conscious, politically aware, and often challenging of the dominant power struggles seen in modern society. As the majority of rap and hip-hop artists were underprivileged minorities, they spoke of their experiences
Hip Hop culture has come from a inner city expression of life to a multi-billion dollar business. At the beginning of the new millennium it was the top selling genre in the pop charts. It had influences not only on music, but on fashion, film, television, and print. In 2004 Hip Hop celebrated its 30th year anniversary. It wasn’t big for the fact that it was still kicking. It was big because the once Black/Brown inner city culture had grown into a multi-billion dollar global phenomenon (Reeves). Hip Hop culture has provided a platform for all walks of life to speak their mind. Over the past 36 years it has provided us with both entertainment and controversy alike and had a huge impact on our nation’s history. `
Since start of its genre, hip hop music has been the reason behind masses of debates and disagreements. There are many who contend hip hop music to be a mere glorification of violence, and nothing more than bad influences on those who listen to it. However, there are others who oppose this opinion and consider hip hop music to be a voice for the unheard. The true impacts of hip hop music cannot be represented by taking this debate, and can rather be realized by the increasing variation of this form of music across the globe.
I believe that when we look at this question the main issue that one must confront is one of content and the use of that content. Any type of music whether it be rap, rock and roll, opera, country, or even Christian music is about expression. Expressing ones ideas and emotions though music is as old as music itself. Take for example the latest craze of Latin music. The vernacular of the people in which the music comes from is reflected in the music in the form of Spanish words and phrases throughout the songs. The history of the Latin culture can be seen in the rhythms and instruments played by performers as well as in the lyrics. In rock and roll music of today the rebellious words of the times can be heard in the lyrics of the music. In Christian music, the Word of God and of the scriptures can be heard in the lyrics of that type of music as well. The 'history' and beliefs of the church can be heard in the type of words that are heard. In ancient Indian verses and song warriors would chant before they went to war and to the gods. These chants and songs reflected the image of the culture and a small piece of each participant can be seen and heard in the music.
“We teenagers are growing up in a society where the media has a great impact on our lives,”said a teenage author of an article on Teen Ink. Hip-Hop, is the most influential source of media that is affecting today’s teenagers. How is it affecting them? The Hip-Hop and Rap music industry rap about drugs, money, women, and cars causing them to want to experiment with new drugs, steal, sell drugs, have sex, vandalize, disobey the law and try to be someone they aren 't. Even though some teens from the ghetto look up to rappers that were once like them and became successful, hip-hop music still has a negative influence on teenagers because they want to model the rap artist lifestyle and listening to hip-hop music encourages teenagers to try drugs.
Hip-hop is everywhere. The genre possesses a distinct function, operating as a perfectly accessible medium that simultaneously soundtracks a high school, middle-class house party and an authentic, bleak representation of inner city anguish. To most youth, rap is this generation’s interpretation of punk rock. Insubordinate. Aggressive. Crass. Yet, to many older individuals or parents, hip-hop is synonymous with ignorance. To them, hip-hop is the manifestation of musical illiteracy and immaturity of not particularly the African-American community, but youth culture as a whole. The disconnect mostly resides within the content and topics discussed within the music, and how said topics and content are presented. In the current climate, there seems to be no middle ground between teens and young adults