Social Issues In Rap Music

1343 Words3 Pages

“Keep in mind when brothas start flexing their verbal skillz, it always reflects what’s going on politically, socially and economically.” – Musician Davey D Whether you realize it or not; rap is an art form that is here to stay. Rap as it exists today was pioneered in the Bronx 1973 by Jamaican native Kool DJ Herc. Herc used an innovative turntable technique to extend the drum breaks of songs, during which he would toast in rhyme to party guests. As it caught on the Sugarhill Gang released the first successful rap song in 1979 titled “Rappers Delight.” -(Blanchard) (Rap or (Rhythmically Accentuated Poetry) has the ability to influence change on a global scale as well as inspire a culture that youths everywhere can identify with that is poles …show more content…

“…. Rap has the powerful potential to address social, economic, and Political issues and act as a unifying voice for its audience.” –(Blanchard) Social Issues that rap has addressed in the past include racism, police brutality, gay rights, as well as the the struggles faced by those growing up in the inner cities. The lyrics and messages hidden in rap songs can have a major impact on what people view as socially acceptable as well as the morals of …show more content…

Grandmaster Flash tells the story of a kid making bad choices and the consequences they lead to in the last verse of The Message “You say I 'm cool, huh, I 'm no fool, But then you wind up droppin ' outta high school, Now you 're unemployed, all non-void….Turned stick-up kid, but look what you done did, Got sent up for a eight-year bid….Till one day, you was found hung dead in the cell, It was plain to see that your life was lost, You was cold and your body swung back and forth, But now your eyes sing the sad, sad song, Of how you lived so fast and died so young.”-(Grandmaster Flash) Grandmaster flash was trying to say that those who live the life of a gangster don’t get happy endings. While “gangsta rap” often talks about fornicating with women in a vulgur manner some rap songs promote positive sexual behavior; “Not all rap songs are sexually explicit, and some promote healthy sexual relationships.”-(Jackson) Some rap songs also discourage violent behavior to settle differences “….and some songs condemn violence and even propose

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