The Influence of Rap and Hip-Hop on Music and Pop Culture

566 Words2 Pages

Music is one of the most powerful and influential language which to many people in many cultures view as an important part in their way of life. Music ranges from strictly organized compositions which is divided into genres and subgenres. Although the dividing lines and relationships between music genres are often subtle, it sometimes is occasionally controversial and relates to many personal problems. One of the most influential and controversial genres of music is Hip Hop. Rapping, which is often associated with and a primary ingredient of hip hop music, has brought this genre music to the top; attracting and influencing many youth with its sophisticated style.
Subsequently in “Go Brooklyn”, by Monique Ferrell, Hip Hop is constantly barraged for its excessive lifestyle. With its focus on a rap artist named Big Ru, Ferrell argues on how Hip
Hop turns Black men into animals, giving a stereotypical representation of an ethnic group.
Known also for its explicit and violence lyrics, Rap has a strong influence on the personalities of today's youth. As youth we are easily i...

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of Hip Hop Planet By James Mcbride

    730 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hip Hop’s according to James McBride article “Hip Hop Planet” is a singular and different form of music that brings with it a message that only those who pay close attention to it understand it. Many who dislike this form of music would state that it is one “without melody, sensibility, instruments, verse, or harmony and doesn’t even seem to be music” (McBride, pg. 1). Though Hip Hop has proven why it deserves to be called music. In going into depth on its values and origins one understands why it is so popular among young people and why it has kept on evolving among the years instead of dying. Many of Hip Hop values that make it unique and different from other forms of music would be that it makes “visible the inner culture of Americas greatest social problem, its legacy of slavery, has taken the dream deferred to a global scale” (McBride, pg. 8). Hip Hop also “is a music that defies definition, yet defines our collective societies in immeasurable ways” (McBride, pg. 2). The

    Read More

  • REGGAE AND ZYDECO

    3174 Words  | 7 Pages

    If one were to look back into the world’s history, one would find that an important and consistent element is the world of music. Music has presented itself in various forms throughout its spread and through our identification of its magical realm, people have been fortunate enough to come across a means of relation. Whether it is blues and reggae or rap and pop rock, there is music out there for everyone. Music can serve as a stabilizer for some, a relaxant to others, and to many a form of inspiration.

    Read More

  • Hip-Hop as a Cultural Movement

    1580 Words  | 4 Pages

    The longevity of Hip-Hop as a cultural movement can most directly be attributed to its humble roots. For multiple generations of young people, Hip-Hop has directly reflected the political, economic, and social realities of their lives. Widely regarded as the “father” of the Hip-Hop, Afrika Bambaataa named the cultural movement and defined its four fundamental elements, which consisted of disc jockeying, break dancing, graffiti art, and rapping. Dating back to its establishment Hip-Hop has always been a cultural movement. Defined by far more then just a style of music, Hip-Hop influences fashion, vernacular, philosophy, and the aesthetic sensibility of a large portion of the youth population (Homolka 2010).

    Read More

  • Raps Controversy

    947 Words  | 2 Pages

    The most popular new music to emerge from the ‘80’s was rap music. It first developed in the mid ‘70’s in New York City, and soon in other urban areas, primarily amongst African-American teen-agers. It became very popular with the urban public that it soon began to spread throughout the United States and much of the world. It replaced rock music as the creative force in music of the ‘80’s and ‘90’s. However, as popular as it was then and it is now, the lyrics of many rap songs have caused controversy. Many believe and have charged that these lyrics promote racism and violence and show contempt for women.

    Read More

  • Music, Emotion and Language: Using Music to Communicate

    3292 Words  | 7 Pages

    There has yet to be a culture discovered which lacks music. Making music is seen historically to be as fundamental as the characteristically human activities as drawing and painting. Many even go so far as to compare music to language and claim that music functions as a "universal language." But it is rarely the same music, however, that all peoples respond to. What is it that we are responding to when we listen to music? Strictly speaking, music is not a language, (1) because it has neither outside referents nor easily detectable meaning. Ludwig Wittgenstein explains that although we understand music in a similar way as we understand language, music is not a language because we still cannot communicate through music as we can through language. (2) More recently, Susanne Langer argues that although we understand music as symbol, because we are so caught up in seeing symbolic form function like language we tend to want to make music into a language. But, Langer argues, music is not a kind of language (3) because the significance of music lies not in w...

    Read More

  • The History of Hip Hop Music and Its Transition to Popular Music

    893 Words  | 2 Pages

    In conclusion, these theorists who explore hip hop all have generalized ideas of what hip hop represents. Johnson is more oriented towards the female side of hip hop, whereas Jeffries is focused on the unity side of what it offers and Smitherman thinks that it is a black CNN. Although each scholar focuses on different aspects of hip hop, it is evident to point out that all these aspects correlate with one another. Hip hop is a cultural tool formed out of a need to take a stance on the issues that relate to the black community. And that it’s a voice to relate and unite people who share the same struggles on which to advocate change.

    Read More

  • Hip Hop's Effect on American Culture

    3349 Words  | 7 Pages

    Hip hop has permeated popular culture in an unprecedented fashion. Because of its crossover appeal, it is a great unifier of diverse populations. Although created by black youth on the streets, hip hop's influence has become well received by a number of different races in this country. A large number of the rap and hip hop audience is non-black. It has gone from the fringes, to the suburbs, and into the corporate boardrooms. Because it has become the fastest growing music genre in the U.S., companies and corporate giants have used its appeal to capitalize on it. Although critics of rap music and hip hop seem to be fixated on the messages of sex, violence, and harsh language, this genre offers a new paradigm of what can be (Lewis, 1998.) The potential of this art form to mend ethnic relations is substantial. Hip hop has challenged the system in ways that have unified individuals across a rich ethnic spectrum. This art form was once considered a fad has kept going strong for more than three decades. Generations consisting of Blacks, Whites, Latinos, and Asians have grown up immersed in hip-hop. Hip hop represents a realignment of America?s cultural aesthetics. Rap songs deliver a message, again and again, to keep it real. It has influenced young people of all races to search for excitement, artistic fulfillment, and a sense of identity by exploring the black underclass (Foreman, 2002). Though it is music, many people do not realize that it is much more than that. Hip hop is a form of art and culture, style, and language, and extension of commerce, and for many, a natural means of living. The purpose of this paper is to examine hip hop and its effect on American culture. Different aspects of hip hop will also be examined to shed some light that helps readers to what hip hop actually is. In order to see hip hop as a cultural influence we need to take a look at its history.

    Read More

  • African American Culture: Hip Hop And Black Culture

    862 Words  | 2 Pages

    Black culture in our society has come to the point where it is allied with pop culture. The most popular music genres, slang terms, to dance forms it all comes from black culture. Hip hop emerged from black culture, becoming the soul of it that is seen in the media. Hip hop helped the black community by creating new ways of expressing themselves, from breakdance, graffiti, rap and other music, to slang. This culture was rooted in their tradition and created from something new. Hip hop created a new form of music that required the use of turn tables, ‘cuts’, loops, rhythm, rhyme, stories, and deep-rooted emotions, but also incorporated black oral forms of storytelling using communal authors.

    Read More

  • Musical Characteristcs of Rap

    739 Words  | 2 Pages

    All types of music from all different genres around the world use some of the most basic elements adapted by western music. It is evident in Negro spirituals, Gospel, Broadway Musicals, Rhythm and Blues, and Rap. These elements provide for certain congeniality between music in the world. It shows that no matter how different a certain selection of music may sound, there are many characteristics that can be found in the opposing selection of music. Rap is a brilliant form of art that has been, and will continue to express the minds of men and women through various elements of music.

    Read More

  • Rap Music's Influence Upon Teenagers

    1389 Words  | 3 Pages

    Morrison, Brent. “Violent Rap Lyrics Can Encourage Violent Behavior.” Popular Culture. Ed. John Woodward, Farmington Hills, MI: Thompson Gale, 2005. 138-140.

    Read More

  • Effects Of Technology On Hip Hop

    1500 Words  | 3 Pages

    Technology has helped hip-hop in several ways. The first and most obvious way is through the introduction to digital music. With software such as Pro Tools, Logic, Cubase, and more, technology has opened to portal to a completely new world of digital music. Such an expansion has allowed hip-hop artists more creativity in their craft. There are many artists

    Read More

  • Music and Cultural Identity

    1236 Words  | 3 Pages

    Music plays a huge role in the structure of a society. It can have both negative and positive influence on cultures and communities. First, musical sounds and instruments can be a dividing factor between the people within the same culture. These opposing social and economic identities within these cultures can lead unnecessary animosity between the members. However, music can also be one of the forces that unite members of a culture and provide a sense pride for everyone. This makes it easier for people to display their identification to that culture.

    Read More

  • The Effects of Hip Hop on Today's Youth

    1578 Words  | 4 Pages

    Hip-hop music is portrayed by an entertainer rapping over a track that regularly comprises of loops or specimens of other music woven together (Selke INT). Hip-hop originally appeared in the Bronx around the 1970s and steadily turned into the predominant mainstream music structure by the 1990s, representing a multi-billion dollar industry today (Selke INT). Hip-hop music can additionally have some positive impacts. For example, its verbal imagination can motivate audience members to play with dialect, and acknowledge musicality and rhyme (Selke INT). Just like poetry, hip-hop can be a way of expressing oneself.

    Read More

  • Hip-Hop Culture Influence On Youth Culture

    1693 Words  | 4 Pages

    Hip-hop has become a mainstream culture in youth today. It is a classic of music that contains both rap and break dancing. Hip-hop culture, originally from African Americans in the United States, has influenced many young generations. For example, there are many famous hip-hop artists who are supported by new generations, such as Jay-z, Snoop Dogg, and Eminem. However, there are some controversy arguments about hip-hop culture has been influenced youth culture with reinforcing bad behaviors, such as academic performance in school and behavioral problem with drug use. Since hip-hop culture adopted the idea of subversion, an idea in popular culture, which defines as a counter-culture attempt to change the status quo. The attempt of subversion

    Read More

  • The Important Role of Music in Society

    447 Words  | 1 Pages

    Music is an essential part of life because of the expression it allows people to have, its entertainment, and its therapeutic ways for the world.

    Read More

More about The Influence of Rap and Hip-Hop on Music and Pop Culture

Open Document