Notorious B. I. G And Ice Rape Analysis

In the last twenty years, a new form of music widely referred to as rap has gained national attention as it popularity surged with young adults and racial minorities. Through the development of rap since its inception, the perception of rap have gradually changed to a form of negativity as lyrics within rap glorifies negative aspects of society. Specifically, the sub-genre of gangsta rap was developed by rappers such as Notorious B.I.G and Ice Cube where it quickly gained influence as one of the main concepts associated with rap. Given its strong popularity with the younger population, many critics have argued that rap will influence the audience towards negative effects as it incorporates violent, sexual, and extravagant concepts in its lyrics.

As seen through the pimp imagery in artist Notorious B.I.G’s “Big Poppa”, the demeaning of woman as seen through artist N.W.A’s “Efil4Zaggin”, and the depiction of violence in Ice Cube’s “Cop Killa”, these ideas for gangsta rap were mainly drawn up from the environment of the rapper himself. Though many critics may consider these to be an old trend, the continued popularity and actual increase in album sales through time suggests a growing influence of gangsta rap as a trend. Thus, rap influences the younger generation negatively as the lyrics and the rappers themselves present a negative lifestyle for youth to follow as they glorify violence, sex, and gangs under the overall theme of what is meant to be “gangsta” and present this style of living to be something desirable.