Rap Music Research Paper

10:30am
Rap Music, Hip-Hop Culture, and “The Future Religion of the World”
Music is a subject that has united people for generations. Its stylized flow of language provides for a potent form of communication that can build communities around self-expression. It can inspire, generate emotion, relax, and provide the perfect backdrop for a good time. Moreover, certain types of music have had much deeper meanings, as well as much greater impacts.
Firstly, the text expands upon the impact of rap on the African American culture and the unity it created through shared pain converged into song. The text implies that the rap music touches on topics of spirituality and can often contradict what mainstream media and popular culture believe (Mazur, McCarthy

21). In a way, it makes itself into its own belief system. It becomes more than just music and creates a sense of community among people who may not know each other, but who are united through these powerful musical messages. Throughout history, music has become much more than purely vocalized forms of expression; songs sung by slaves held encoded messages and formed a community among those enslaved, as well as new forms of expression in the Harlem Renaissance provided the opportunity of identity for a race of people.
Secondly, slavery is known as one of the most brutal and oppressive events to ever occur on American soil. Music’s importance to slaves during this distressed time of history is consistently overlooked by many although it was a crucial part of these individuals’ lives. They used it to pass messages, convey hidden codes, boost morale, pass time, mourn loved ones, and to celebrate (The History Engine 2017). It was an integral part of their daily lives. It became a ritualized part of life to sing specific songs during specific events. Although the songs they sang were often based on Christianity, it was the music itself that became a powerful force in their lives. It became a uniting factor and made them a tight knit community. Song not only brought people together; however, it also was used to express the pain and oppression these individuals underwent. When they would come together through song, song provided a sort of sacred space within their communities that allowed them to overcome all the obstacles they faced.
Thirdly, slaves, being under constant watch and scrutiny, led to many people using song to communicate in code to one another.

For example, “The title of a very popular slave song, Wade in the water, specifically explains to runaways how to escape from bloodhounds. Furthermore, the song contains a reference to Jordan and a promise land. This refers to Canada which at this time was a non-slave state.” Another example is, “Follow the drinking gourd this is probably the most popular slave song ever created. It was a popular song because of the wealth of information that was provided in its lyrics. Most of all, what made it special was that it not only gave hidden advice, but also contained a complete coded map with full details of how to escape to Canada.” (The History Engine 2017). These are just a few examples of the encoded messages that allowed the slaves to communicate and demonstrate comradery under the nose of their captors. Music, and all it provided, was most definitely essential to creating a tight knit community. It became a ritualized event in order to make it through the day no matter the brutal tasks they were forced to complete. In a sense, it provided a sacred space by allowing them to have a form of communication and community, that was unknown by the slave masters. To slaves, music was more than just song and dance, it took on the role of traditional religion providing sacred space and

community.
Fourthly, the Harlem Renaissance was a movement in the 1920s through which African American writers, artists, musicians, and thinkers sought to embrace black heritage and culture in their American lives (The Harlem Renaissance 2017). This movement worked to create a new identity for the African American community, taking great influence from their African heritage and bringing forth their heritage with a new sense of pride. Alain Locke stated that this Renaissance was to, "repair a damaged group psychology and reshape a warped social perspective" (The Harlem Renaissance 2017). This movement’s newly created sense of identity of an entire race of people brought African Americans from all over the country together. It provided a sense of community among all African Americans, bringing them all together through self-expression, pride in their heritage, and their new-found identity. They used music, lyrics, and literature to unite the community, sharing their hopes, beliefs, and fears. Harlem became the place to go in order to express the hardships and oppression of the outside world in an artistic form. It became a place for all African Americans to be who they wanted to be. It truly united a community of people through shared history, suffering, and expression.
Finally, often when people describe themselves, one thing they discuss is their religious affiliation because they are proud of the community they belong to, who they are, and what that religion brings them. The Harlem Renaissance provided the same sense of identity to African Americans. Harlem took on the role of the church for this community and crafted them an identity of their own. It made them proud to be African American by showing the world they were different and proud of it. They used music, art, and literature to express themselves. Bringing black culture to the forefront of society. Their new-found identity and style even began to be emulated by others of different ethnicities. It made Harlem a sacred space for African Americans where they could be free of judgment and be who they were. Moreover, Harlem itself became a church for African Americans, as well as it became the mecca for all forms of expression uniting people through music, literature, and art.
In conclusion, music and self-expression has, throughout history, provided functions traditionally provided by a church. It unites people and creates a community around shared beliefs, interests, morals, and shared suffering. Also, slaves used music for just about every aspect of life. It provided the escape from the hardships of life that traditional church provided. Harlem provided a community based around expression and music as well. It united an entire ethnicity and made an entire nation recognize the validity and beauty in being different. Harlem itself became a mecca for African Americans, and arguably provided the role of a church for an entire race of people in the 1920s. Furthermore, music is arguably one of the most powerful forms of expression. It can in many ways preform the role of a traditional church.