Critical Analysis redeeming Rap music

Music and society have always been closely related. For years now music has been apart of people’s everyday lives all around the world. Having so many different genres out there, it makes it easy to be appealing to so many different ethnic backgrounds. However, one type of genre in particular has seemed to grab the attention of a younger generation. Rap music has undoubtedly had its utmost impact on African American youth, since many of the performers themselves are African American. An overtly masculine culture dominates rap music and creates gender stereotypes that become abundantly popular to the youthful audience. Three constant themes that are found within the rap culture are encouragement of violence, the misogynistic representation of women, an extreme hatred of homophobia. Each theme plays a detrimental role in the process of defining black masculinity as well as shaping the values, morals, and beliefs that its younger audience adopts after tuning into this “gangster lifestyle”.

Rap music has become one of the most distinctive and controversial music genres of the past few decades. A major part of hip hop culture, rap, discusses the experiences and standards of living of people in different situations ranging from racial stereotyping to struggle for survival in poor, violent conditions. Rap music is a vocal protest for the people oppressed by these things. Most people know that rap is not only music to dance and party to, but a significant form of expression. It is a source of information that describes the rage of people facing growing oppression, declining opportunities for advancement, changing moods on the streets, and everyday survival. Its distinct sound, images, and attitude are notorious to people of all

Many Americans today embrace the culture of hip-hop. Since hip-hop became mainstream its influence has surrounded most Americans. People engage in social issues from the hip-hop culture In his recent work, How Hip-Hop Holds Blacks Back, John H. McWhorter have offered harsh critiques of hip-hop for delaying and marring the success of black people. McWhorter asserts hip-hop music “celebrates a ghetto life of unending violence and criminality(10).” He believes hip-hop contributes to the stereotype nearly all Americans maintain in regard to black people. Reflecting on harsh song lyrics McWhorter attempts to strengthen his argument. McWhorter acknowledges not all hip-hop promotes violence in people. He concedes “not all hip-hop is belligerent

For many years, the youth have been known for singing along to their favorite song and taking that song as whole and using it as their motto for life. It may seem that sometimes these kids do not know what is being said in the music but this shows that they do know what the lyrics are saying. According to Franklin B. Krohn and Frances L. Suazo in their article “Contemporary Urban Music: Controversial Messages in Hip-Hop and Rap Lyrics,” many teenagers and minority groups view rappers as their spokesmen because of their ability to speak in street language and bluntly express their frustration (Krohn, 1995). Unfortunately, hip hop lyrics usually tend to talk about drugs, sex and violence leading kids to think that everything they hear is okay and that is how they have to live their life. Yet, there are artists out there who take their lyricist skills to give positive lyrics and messages in their music, but these songs are not often played in the mainstream.

Music is something that surrounds us every day, whether you are driving in your car, walking in the mall, or even watching tv. Music has a way of connecting people; it has a way of connecting people to their emotions and allowing you to feel. Music calms you down, and it can bring you up. When rap was brought to light, it shook the world, the expressions and mood of the music were like nothing before. In "Redeeming the rap music experience" by Venise Berry it speaks about the most talked about issues people with the topics that rap brings to light, sex, violence, and racism.

Rap has grown to become such a immense industry, giving its culture even more diversity and dimensions. It can be argued that the definition of American rap culture is too vague and in order to make a fair analysis of the possible influences rap might have on its listeners the topic should have been narrowed down even further to make it more specific. One suggestion would have been to only analyze the influence of a specific rap artist or a specific hip-hop subgenre or expression in order to make a more thorough analysis. These data would need to include testimonies from a large amount of individuals. Further, as this study includes a lack of primary sources in the form of interviews or personal encounters with individuals with first hand experiences of the subject, this study lacks the depth and nuances that it would have had if it included interviews.

Rap music, also known as hip-hop, is a popular art form. Having risen from humble origins on the streets of New York City during the mid-1970s, hip-hop has since become a multifaceted cultural force. Indeed, observers say, hip-hop is more than just music. The culture that has blossomed around rap music in recent decades has influenced fashion, dance, television, film and—perhaps what has become the most controversially—the attitudes of American youth. For many rappers and rap fans during it’s early time, hip-hop provided an accurate, honest depiction of city life that had been considered conspicuously absent from other media sources, such as television. With a growing number of rap artists within this period, using hip-hop as a platform to call for social progress and impart positive messages to listeners, the genre entered a so-called Golden Age

In today society’s hip-hop music exemplifies the various changes and developments in ideologies in media content over the past 30 years. It seems that African Americans within the hip-hop industry have allowed masculinity to become a natural characteristic, not just for male artists but also female rappers. According to Journalist, Sasaki-Picou, she believes that, “viewing the construction of gender in the past reveals the central role that gender occupies in the construction of black identity.” Generally speaking, male rappers focused their music on the known factors in the hip-hop industry: “money, power, and sex.” Still to this day, I believe male rappers create their lyrics from the foundation of those specific elements.

From it's inception, rap indured a lot of hostility from listeners--many, but not all, White--who found the music too harsh, monotonous, and lacking in traditional melodic values. However, millions of others--often, though not always, young African-Americans from underprivileged inner city backgrounds--found and immediate connection with the style. Here was poetry of the

Through education and understanding, rap music has spurred social awareness in communities around the country. Rap music has served as a tool to speak out against negative aspects of life such as violence and guns. Many artists use their talents to promote peace and non-violent acts. By communicating messages about violence and discrimination, and relating to youth people, it provides an opportunity for them to make positive changes in their own life. “Rappers such as the late Tupac Shakur were often criticized for their lyrics, which painted a bleak picture of urban America.”

Rap was originally created as a means of self-expression, while conveying present conditions within marginalized African American communities. Attaining global awareness in America, rap music emerged as one of the most controversial genres America has seen, influencing both white and black culture. Birthed in the mid- 1970’s rap music came to fruition in the Southern Bronx area of New York City. As rap culture began to emerge and grow in New York, rappers began to utilize their voice and voice their opinions. An array of topics were now being discussed from race to survival in America. With subject matter constantly evolving with each generation rap music took a drastic turn in the 90’s. This became an era in which the glorification of

To understand this you must understand a fundamental shift in rap culture that helps highlight how beats by dre's advertising scheme works. The message that rap used to carry was once filled with hope/dreams for a better future for the rapper and maybe his people/family/community. This paper will look how this culture will be twisted and changed to become more profitable and cater to a bigger audience. To understand this change we must observe how rap was, when it first begun and how it’s changed over the years as well as how the audience have changed over the

According to certain authors, it defines youth culture worldwide. What started in “the hood” with primarily African American interest has continued to take over the nation and impact other countries as well (Higgins, 2013). This is all thanks to rap music’s diversity among artists and adaptability among culture, which sets it apart from other genres, such as, country and rock. Whether somebody is black, white, male, female, Christian, or even atheist, rappers like Nicki Manaj, Eminem, Trip Lee, or Mac Miller will be sure to satisfy their musical

In 1982, Fela Kuti, a famous Nigerian musician and activist stated, “When you’re king of African music you’re the king because music is the king of all professions” (Quoted in Music is the Weapon, 1982). This statement is held true as music, specifically rap, has been a staple in modern day pop culture since its beginning in the 1970’s in the South Bronx area of New York. Rap started as an underground movement started by many artists and DJs’. It started as a form of expressing oneself and discussing many social and political issues through music. But now in the 21st century, rap has changed dramatically to where the meaning of rap is almost entirely forgotten and squanders to a whole new low. Hip-hop/Rap of this generation now condones vulgar activities to a young audience which unknowingly causing much harm that the media and even parents have yet to discuss to a further extent. Rap music today is bad due to its negative influence on the youth of America.

Throughout history, music has been used to express the feelings of people or groups whom may have no other outlet to express themselves. The best example of this occurrence would be the lower class of America’s use of rap music. Rap music started out as a fun variation of disco with the purpose to make people dance and enjoy themselves, but it later transformed into one of the best outlets to express the struggles of poverty in the United States. The genre gained popularity when the song “Rapper 's Delight” hit the charts in the early eighties; rap evolved into a plethora of different styles from there, Gangster Rap formed with NWA in the late eighties, and rap really hit it’s zenith in the mid nineties. Modern rap began in the early starts of the twentieth century. Because of the storytelling that rappers do in the music, it gained notice in the inner city where the demographic could relate. Many young teen in the inner city environment built dream to be famous rappers just like their own favorite artists . Rap connects to me by its style, its purpose, and its political incorrectness.