Rap Cultural Impact

Since the founding of rap/hip-hop music in the 1980s, the landscape of its music had drastically impacted the cultural aspect of the industry ever since. Rap music itself expresses and exposes society to many realities whether it is negative or positive. The music genre can be very controversial at times, revealing the parts of somebody’s perspective that can change how others judge each other. It can be a voice of reason and/or change for others who can’t speak for themselves. Some would say that rap originated from street poets in areas like Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx (East Coast), and Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Compton (West Coast). The down south also produced many artists like Ludacris, Young Jeezy, And TI who come from Atlanta, Ga. So the question that comes to mind is what cultural impact does rap/hip hop music have on society?

“Though elements of social commentary had already been incorporated into the genre by artists such as Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five and the Public Enemy, the infamous gangsta rap subgenre was a product of the distressed and poverty-stricken neighborhoods of the inner-city Los Angeles” (Hip-Hop and Rap Music 6). Those are some examples of rappers who grew up on rap music and use it to become something of themselves. Some people would disagree with me because of the fact that rap music glorifies the life of violence, drugs, and disrespecting women which expose kids to use foul language and do what the rappers say in their songs. Sometimes that is the case but some tell the stories of their past experiences and other songs would actually encourage kids to not follow the lifestyle of violence but that means they would have to understand the message and act upon