Hip Hop Songs Are Harmful To Children

For thousands of years, music has been a form of self-expression that has united groups of people through its historical and traditional meaning. In the 1980’s, a new, more diverse genre took over the music industry by storm., Hip-Hop/Rap. This contemporary genre has raised much controversy over the years from parents, educators, and conservatives. These groups worry that Rap music glorifies negative lifestyle choices such as drugs, violence, sex and gangs; and those lyrics’ influence on youth. Since music is more apart of youth’s life than ever, these concerns are questioning the limitations on Rap’s explicit content. However, Rap serves as a positive outlet for self-expression without limits, allowing artists to freely communicate their journeys and struggles. In addition, Rap sheds light on current political/social issues in a relatable, digestible way; allowing youth to be more conscious and involved in society & its struggles; resulting in improved race relations and narrowing the gap between the rich and poor.

In her article “It’s Easy, but Wrong, to Blame the Music” Rosen writes from parent’s perspective but keeps teenagers and children in mind. She argues that Gansta rap music just reflect the violence, but do not create it. Just because an artist sings about violence, it does not mean that he or she encouraging listeners to perform it. Her key purpose is to make people aware of music instead of making people dislike music because of its bad content of lyrics. She present music as an opportunity for parents to understand their children well through the type of music they listen. She deny the complete censorship of music, because she understand that censorship of music does not prepare children for the real world. This article is interesting and

Censorship in music has been a major problem plaguing America since the early nineteen forties. It came to a head during the nineteen sixties with the Vietnam War and the hippie movement. During the nineteen seventies and eighties heavy metal and hard rock were getting the brunt of the censorship heat. Now in the nineteen nineties the major focus of censorship is rap; primarily gangster rap. Some of the main factors of music in general that cause legal ramifications are sexual content, suggestive violence and obscene language. Censorship is an attack against our first amendment right guaranteeing the freedom of speech. However if a song or album is deemed obscene the first amendment does not protect this.

There should not be any censorship in music because it prevents the level of knowledge in children. Though some types of hip-hop/rap may encourage immorality, that is not an authentic description for the genre. Statics show that seventy-seven percent of Americans listen to rap music, teenagers also listen to music two and a half hours a day. The music that kids are listening to today is not always the best kind of music, the type of lyrics that are in these songs do not always send a great message. Which is why critics, families, friends, and teachers are still trying today to get music censored and or gotten rid of. Young children are extremely affected in many negative way because some of the songs today send a negative message. In today’s society multiple groups of different aged children make their decisions based off of what's popular, and right now music is popular specifically rap/ hip-hop. This can be proven a negative effect of rap/ hip-hop because, not all rap music and hip-hop music talk about good things.

Censorship, if used in the correct way and context, can be an appropriate way to counteract explicit content in today’s pop culture. Tupac, a famously known rapper, is frequently seen as a negative influence on adolescents. Yet some of his lyrics include, “For every dark night, there’s a brighter day,” “If you believe than you can achieve,” and many more uplifting messages imbedded throughout his songs. He has created a blend of inspiration, sentiment, and provision for the future, even though his work is all in the rap industry. The censorship of rap music has become an increasingly more popular debate topic as the genre takes over music charts worldwide. This notion has begun to call more attention to the content of which the youth are tuning in to on a daily basis. Parents and authorities are wanting to not only discourage the genre, but also rid it from radios, TVs, and many streaming sites. Although some portions of rap can be violent and condescending, censoring the genre would be repressing many positive aspects of it as well.

The first reason why lyrics of popular music is harmful to teens and children because it have inappropriate content in the song . According Varda Epstein lyrics written by men and artist by color where most likely to include sex references . This shows that men and younger boys have an effect on how to treat females . The author states that “parents don't know that sexualized lyrics are a growing trend “ ( epstein 1 ) . Parents are unaware that lyrics in sexualized songs is played everywhere . Lyrics in music can be degrading to women not all music but most music . Music can be degrading to women in many different ways such as the looks of sexual appeal and sexual tension that can increase early sex for teens .

Many Hip-Hop lyrics contain swear words. The words can be offensive, harmful, or just common swear words. The hearing of these swear words are enough for them to be added to a minor’s vocabulary. Explicit language can get the child in trouble all through his school life, stir up negative views of the child, and become a harmful habit that can damage the child's future. Swear words are often viewed as a lack of vocabulary. When constantly used, this may negativity affect your social skills. They may offend people they just met, provoke others they do not know, and hurt their chances of being hired for a job or career. Children often mimic what they see or hear, so when large amounts of Hip-Hop music contain swear words that are not allowed on the radio are barely censored. You can almost hear the full swear word when it is censored which makes it fairly easy for the youth to adopt the many explicit words into their everyday vocabulary. We want a future where children’s are learning proper language and impacting the world in a positive

In today’s society music has turned into one of the most influential factors of socialization in children and youth. Young audiences are constantly exposed to popular music through various radio stations, internet websites, and technology. Since popular music has been making a notable impact on young generations, the government has put into place the censorship of music. Censorship is the alteration of ideas or lyrics in music that are deemed unsuitable for public hearing. Music that sends messages against moral norms of society are subject to get censored when getting aired on radio stations or sold in stores. Everyday people are exposed to the censorship of music especially when listening to music on the radio. Censorship takes effect every time a word or phase gets bleeped out or removed from a song. A national debate between artists and government has become a real issue of whether music should be censored or not. On one hand, artists have the rights to freely express themselves through music. In opposition, the government can censor music that has any philosophical objections in its meaning. Artist may feel a challenge in boundaries when it comes to writing and publishing music since they have to abide by many laws, or accept that their music will be modified. As a teenager that listens to a variety of different music, I can see why censorship has to take place, however I do sympathize with artist that may feel artistically blocked. I also

I found this newspaper article through the Metro State library. I clicked on the online databases and clicked on Proquest Newsstand. I chose this specific database because it generally cover news and newspapers. I typed in the search bar “hip hop's negative influence on youth” and sorted it by relevance. This newspaper was the fourth one, it intrigued me and got me hooked. It speaks about the history of hip-hop and negative image rap and hip hop exploits throughout the music videos. I could not agree more. This newspaper covered exactly what my thesis was trying to prove. Not only did it talk about hip-hop but also discusses the artist. If I was to write a full research paper of this subject, I would reference this newspaper throughout my essay.

“After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.” This profound statement from English writer, Aldous Huxley, demonstrates the importance that music obtains in today’s society. Simply, music is a form of expression, not limited to any specific genre. Although this expression is not limited to one genre, there is one that seemingly obtains the title of most controversial. The Rap/Hip-Hop genre has been harshly criticized for the topics of discussion in which many songs entail, and the various projected images. Everything has its pros and cons; many people have lost

While there are many positive things associated with rap music, the negative aspects must also be considered while assessing the true value of the genre. In several studies, rap music has been found to promote violent behavior due to its aggressive nature and questionable messages. One study, for example, showed that when listening to rap songs that contained violent lyrics, college students were more likely to associate with violent words and commit hostile actions. In contrast, music that contained no violent lyrics had no discernable effect on the subjects’ behavior (Palmer 15). Along with its violent nature, there is also the issue that some rap music is degrading to women by portraying them as sex symbols and playthings for men. When this type of attitude is broadcasted for young people to listen to, the false idea that it is acceptable to mistreat women is presented. In addition to the degradation of women, some rappers also use their lyrics to create distrust in the police and question the justice system (Giovacchini 2). Some rappers have no respect for the law and glorify their criminal actions. This can leave the impression on young, susceptible minds that criminal behavior can be considered “cool” or justifiable. While all of these points are valid and must be addressed, one also cannot ignore the positive ways in which rap music impacts youth and these aspects must be considered when assessing the value of the genre as a whole.

According to Debate.org, 84% of people around the world believe that censorship of music should not exist. If music is censored, so many things would be taken away from the song. Artists write their explicit lyrics for a reason. They want their feelings to be heard. They deserve their freedom of speech. When musicians need to express their feelings they let it out through their songs, they are letting out their emotions. When the lyrics are censored the true theme or message of the song is taken away. How are artists supposed to express themselves if their thoughts are being censored. Artists deserve freedom of speech, they also deserve to be able to let out their emotions, and their message of the song should not be changed.

However, those who oppose successful music with training gives the impression of the lyrics being violent. Those who oppose feel that music may have a negative influence on youths. Becky L. Tatum verified that, "The effect of rap music has significant limitations and claims that more studies need to be conducted before any definitive conclusions can be drawn." They believe that lyrics has an affect on youths attitudes and behaviors. Therefore, the accuse the artist's violencenlyrics as an exposure to

Censoring entertainment stops artists from expressing ideas freely. An artist creates movies, music, television shows, books to express their ideas for others to enjoy, censoring stops creators originality. Censors change what the creator intended so viewers could watch obsolete versions of the movies, music, television, and music that was not intended to be shown. It is a problem that audiences are not able to watch what was intended due to the government believing that society can't accept certain material. Society can make decisions on whether something is unacceptable so the artists should be allowed to express thoughts freely so viewers and listeners can take in the information the way it was

The world of hip-hop would have you believe that rap is a poetic way of expressing yourself through music”(Renae). Music is a form of expression and also a form of art. A child shouldn’t be listening to a song that has the F word multiple times but the type of music a person or a child listen to doesn’t not define or make and excuse for why they act the way they do. I have been listening to all different types of music, including Rap and Pop since I was very young.