Hip-Hop Gangs: The Oppression Of Black People

In the history of the United States, African Americans have always been discriminated against. When Africans first came to America, they were taken against their will and forced to work as laborers. They became slaves to the rich, greedy, lazy Americans. They were given no pay and often badly whipped and beaten. African Americans fought for their freedom, and up until the Civil War it was never given to them. When the Civil War began, they wanted to take part in fighting to free all slaves. Their opportunity to be soldiers and fight along side white men equally did not come easily, but eventually African Americans proved themselves able to withstand the heat of battle and fight as true American heroes.

Throughout history, African Americans have encountered an overwhelming amount of obstacles for justice and equality. You can see instances of these obstacles especially during the 1800’s where there were various forms of segregation and racism such as the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan terrorism, Jim- Crow laws, voting restrictions. These negative forces asserted by societal racism were present both pre and post slavery. Although blacks were often seen as being a core foundation for the creation of society and what it is today, they never were given credit for their work although forced. This was due to the various laws and social morals that were sustained for over 100 years throughout the United States. However, what the world didn’t

. The shutting down of factories in South Central Los Angeles contributed to a number of gangs forming. Many African Americans moved to that particular part of the city because of how well the factories. The city also grew in population because of all the jobs that were available. When the jobs were gone and the factories shut down and move to other states the youth were left without role models. A fifteen year old boy named Raymond Washington started the gang which eventually became known as the Crips. Furthermore, with all of the other young people without jobs and role models they pulled together and started another gang of people that were not a part of the Crips. This gang will also change names a couple of times and become the Bloods.

During the colonial period early American settlers came up with the idea to bring African natives overseas to America and use them as slaves. The white man was higher up than the black man in society at the time because of the color of his skin. Americans consider this the biggest blight on our history. The shame of this period in our history still continues today for many whites, but many blacks still feel angry and oppressed. With the election of our first black president, we are really showing how anything is possible here in America and that it doesn’t matter what color or ethnicity you are.

Through songs many people express their feelings of the world threw the words they have wrote. Many songs talk about civil rights of the people and how change should be an option. In the world we live in today we have social issues that people have to face such as: police brutality, racial profiling, discrimination etc. Through Kendrick Lamar, Public Enemy, The Game, Bebe Winans, and N.W.A they will use their voice as a weapon for change among all people. Music with a message thrives in a live setting, for obvious reasons, and many politically conscious musicians aim to channel the heightened emotions

After the Civil War, slavery was deemed illegal, giving any native born African-American freedom and citizenship. Alas, the mindset of an American ideology viewed African-Americans as inferior. Why was that? Well, for over 200 years, slavery was legal in the United States. In other words, Black people were viewed as inferior to the Whites for over 200 years in the U.S. That mindset stuck around for many decades after the Civil War and still exists today, unfortunately. This negative ideology towards African Americans was greatly influenced across the country. Many Anglos did not agree with the idea of free African Americans, so they let their disagreements stir up wild accusations and assumptions about Africans. With their new established freedom, African-Americans went to live amongst White settlers. This caused racial issues to arise amongst light skins and dark skinned citizens. Anglo settlers viewed Blacks as inferior to them despite slavery being deemed illegal. Well, their pessimism was what helped guide them in their attempt to create an Anglo America, even if it meant attacking whoever they view as

Violence against black people in America began when slaves were kidnapped from Africa and sent to America. White slave owners would beat them, breed them, make them work without pay and sell them as if they were animals. When Abraham Lincoln was elected president of the United States in 1860, he wanted to abolish slavery in the south. This lead to the civil war, a war between the north, called the Union, and south, which was called the Confederacy. The Confederacy wanted black people to still be slaves and the Union wanted to abolish it. The war ended with the Confederacy losing and the creation of the Emancipation Proclamation which freed all of the black people in the south. Once black people were freed, a white supremacist group called the Ku Klux Klan was created to prevent black people from fighting for equal rights. They would do this by terrorizing and murdering innocent black people. Not only did black people had to deal with the KKK, but they also had to deal with Jim Crow laws. Jim Crow laws were the laws that were specifically made to hurt the black community. All of these injustices lead to the beginning of the civil rights movement, where people fought for equality. After the Civil Rights movement, a majority of black people have equal rights, but still, have to face violent acts of racism in America.

In the show ABDC (America’s Best Dance Crew), which aired in 2008, blacks along with other races such as whites and Asians participated, in which they are able to showcase their breakdancing talents and help expand the culture hip-hop to a wide variety of audiences. But In the article, “Started in the Streets’ Criminalizing Blackness and the Performance of Asian American Entrepreneurship on America’s Best Dance Crew, Season 1, Brian Chung states how hip hop breakdancing in ADBC “participates in reproducing neoliberal anti-black narratives” (Chung, 120). Many black participants in the show are shown to be part of criminalizing blacks showing how they come from impoverished backgrounds and made their way up in the industry through hip-hop.

For decades, African Americans have been on a racial discrimination and extremely deadly roller coaster ride for justice and equality. In this new day and age, racial tendencies and prejudice has improved since the 1700-1800s,however, they are slowly going back to certain old ways with voting laws and restaurants having the option to serve blacks or not. It all began with the start of slavery around 1619. The start of the New World, the settlers needed resources England and other countries had, which started the Triangle Trade. The New England settlers manufactured and shipped rum to West Africa; West Africa traded slaves to the West Indies for molasses and money . From the very beginning, they treated African Americans like an object or

African Americans were always thought to be inferior to the white supremacy in the United States. Although the Civil War had abolished slavery, blacks were still very ill-treated. Blacks were to not associate with the white society. They were banned from restaurants, bathrooms, parks, schools, hospitals, and much more. Whites constantly abused the blacks to the point that African American life expectancy was 7 years less compared to the whites (http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/). Society believed that a black could cause something to lose value for example “property values would drop a great deal if an African American family moved into a neighborhood that was not considered a ghetto”. African Americans began to stand up against the racial

Centuries ago, black people were thought to be ignorant and not worthy of equality. Their labor was used as a means to generate wealth for the south – this is why the South was opposed to ending slavery (they weren’t going to find white people who wanted to do the hard labor that was required on their farms). White people made sure that black people were submissive and didn’t allow them the same basic rights such as purchasing goods or a home, traveling freely, or attend school. This continued to stifle them through time and kept them in an inferior position that could be used to continue the stereotype that they weren’t smart or worthy of anything more than they had. This view was passed on from generation to generation – even after black people were given their full rights as

Even in 2015 we still see how protest music is being used in the Black Lives Matter Movement. As protests and anger against the police grew again like it did in the late 80’s and early 90’s “F- Tha Police” became the anthem for a new movement of civil rights protesters. In Ferguson, chants of “hands up, don’t shoot” turned to “F- Tha Police” as the protests turned to riots. In Denver, protesters dumped red paint over a police memorial and tagged the back of it “f- the police” during a Black Lives Matter protest. We still see how relevant the protest song is today even though it was released over 20 years ago. The protest rap just like protest music in the 1960’s resonates with people. The listener has this stimulated experience were they

Hip hop groups like Public Enemy and N.W.A. during the late 80’s and early 90’s made determined efforts to deal with an attitude of sensitivity toward and sense of responsibility regarding injustice and problems in society. Their music served as social awareness movement during their generation. Their music is meaningful and powerful because it reminds black people to stand up and fight against injustice. Inequality and racial

(1575)Racism in American Culture: The Framing of Gangster Culture in the Visual Image of Snoop Dogg: St. Ides Advertisement (1992) This media study will define the impact of framing in African-American gangster culture through a visual analysis of Snoop Dogg. In 1992, the image of the Snoop Dogg selling an alcoholic beverage presents a negative image of a black African American in gangster culture. Snoop Dogg’s image as a gangster rapper provides a popular image that reinforces the dominant white view of black men as “street people” that encourage alcoholism, drug addiction, and sexual exploitation. Franz Fanon’s (2000) analysis of framing provides a racial evaluation of Snoop Dogg’s image that reinforces negative stereotypes about black

Gangs have direct effects on a society, such as increased levels of crime, violence and murder. Gangs also have long-term or late suggestions in that gang members are more likely to drop out of high school, struggle with unemployment, abuse drugs and alcohol or in end up in jail. These factors not only contribute to the gang members, but they also force taxpayers to pay for welfare and community-assistance programs. Common reasons for the younger generation to join gangs, include trying to find a place where they belong and sharing in mutual desires for safety from family problems or life challenges. Together, the feelings and attitudes among gang members haze them to act violently, often self-contradictory with rival gangs. This violence leads to injury and death of not only members but also of bystanders in the community. High gang activity also causes fear among community members, discourages business activity and obstructs home-value appreciation. Communities, also must pay for higher levels of law enforcement when gangs are prominent.