Rap Music Effects On Teens

958 Words2 Pages

Effects of rap music on teens The results of a survey done by the nonprofit Pacific Institution for Research and Evaluation, states “almost 70 percent of the students who listened to music “daily or almost daily” listened to rap and hip-hop, and when that data was compared with the students' answers about alcohol, drugs and violence, the survey found that “substance use and aggressive behaviors among young people were significantly associated to certain genres of popular music,” mainly rap, reggae, rock and techno.” (Montgomery 2). In 2013, rap music grew into one of the most popular and dominant types of music around the world. Specifically, it has become the top music choice for teens in the United States (Brookins 2). Reasoning’s behind Rap music has many effects on teens; therefore it is important to know the effects of rap music videos, how violence is related to the type of music and the contents of rap music and how the amount exposed “Music plays a vital role in a teen’s life,” said Brad H. Reddick, M.D. and Eugene V. Beresin, M.D. (New Research Explores 1). Thomas L. Jipping claims that “… gangsta rap glamorizes violence, rape, and murder, and could be harmful to vulnerable young people” (Haugen 75). A recent studies result that was published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, showed that songs that contained violent lyrics increased aggressive thoughts and feelings. “A study performed in 1999 with a sample of 345 mothers from public schools revealed that 47% of the mothers believed that violent messages in rap music contribute to school violence” (Impact of Music 5). A study was done in 1997 by DuRant et al. In this study, it revealed that “the percentage of violence in music videos ranged from 11.5% to 22.4%, with the most violent videos having been presented on MTV. When analyzed according to type of music, rap videos had the highest portrayal of violence (20.4%), closely followed by rock videos (19.8%)” (Impact of Music 5). Western Connecticut State University conducted research and found that people who listened to music with violent lyrics were more likely to be violent. Also, rap music was started in poor urban communities, in which violence might have been controlled poorly. Social and economical factors contribute greatly to the appearance of

Open Document