How Does Hip Hop Music Affect Society

Even though, hip-hop is viewed as primarily of promoting negative message, however, it has reveled the pain behind the lyrics. “Hip hop music, had for over three and half decades, delivered a resounding message of freedom of expression, unity, peace, and protest against social injustices”. (Anderson & Jackson) As hip-hop continues to grow it has continued to remain a strong influential social impact. Hip-hop created a way for many individuals to express themselves on controversial issues seen throughout society.

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

Their music consisted of police brutality,gun violence, hardships and overall insight from a perspective America was unfamiliar with. The group received large criticism by the press and most notably the government as they were credited for the massive violence in inner cities.That same mindset has carried over carried over to modern media today.For generations the impact that hip hop has on the youth has been over exaggerated by the media. Hip-hop has been used as a scapegoat, instead of identifying and fixing the real problems such as drugs, gangs, and the environment itself. Kids are more influenced by their families and environment then they are by rap music. Even if a person listens to music that portrays violent crimes and overall violent lifestyles, there is no guarantee they will go out in their neighborhood and commit a violent crime. Society itself does not give teens enough credit, and ultimately sells them short. For a lot of kids in the inner city, hip hop is a stimulus for what they see or do in

The music videos that show a disturbing mix of rap and hip hop dance styles and profane language leaves us many people wondering if hip hop is harming our generation. Some things that said through hip hop and rap are a young person’s desire. The hip hop culture is an instant route to take to live the considered “good life” to our young generation. Many of us

Even with the seemingly endless list of negative influences, there are countless positive influences deeply rooted in the soul and culture of hip hop. Hip hop is facing the same criticisms that every new type of music has faced in the development of that genre of music. Blues, Jazz, and Rock (in their beginnings) all scared parents and were criticized by the media, but they are now widely accepted and considered “clean” music. New music of any generation is always scary to the non-youth in society because the media only focuses on bad points and downfalls, but always fail to mention the good being done. Breaking down cultural barriers is the most positive influence rap has had on society. It creates/sustains community, is the voice of the people, defines generations, fuels needed protest, and calls attention to injustices. This new style of music allows anybody to control their destiny from the ground up, and has become a new medium for social commentary. Hip hop allows the underprivileged and discriminated to express their feelings, and

According to numerous sources, Hip Hop has been attributed to ignorance, crime, incarceration, disrespect and has created negative monikers reinforcing the negative connotations and stereotypes associated with the oft misunderstood art form. Lyricists have been shunned and ostracized by the nation and

Chang writes in his book about how hip hop connects with many different real world problem going on politically and socially in many different places. He tells a story of a beaten and battered area of South Bronx. In this small area there was no law or order since many jobs were lost and most of what was left there were people of color from different parts of the world, including Puerto Rico and Jamaica. Due to the lack of protection Chang tells us that gangs were created as a means of protection from the junkies and other scavengers. Their way of dealing with things was very violent in nature, later on when more and more gangs started popping up they became territorial. They attacked other members who wore their “colors” on another gang’s turf. South Bronx became a very dangerous place full of nothing but youthful gangs and gang related violence. Socially it was the lack of jobs and other necessities that led to the creation of hip hop. There became a treaty of sorts, although its terms weren’t really discussed, but the gangs decided instead of focusing on violence and other things maybe they could focus on music to show the world their struggle. So all the different gangs started producing different strands of what we call hip hop. Each had different roots in it that all became mixed into a sort of melting pot.

Singers often get asked how they feel about their songs, when they respond with a “well it’s a selling hit” they tended to forget that all of those people are youth members and we need to teach them to love and not to rebel. Most hip hop singers make millions of dollars on there albums and don’t really care on what the words say or how it makes people feel. This can make a minor insurgent against older and more responsible people. Since the 1980’s, hip-hop has changed the way people think, but not always in a positive manner. Hip-hop has been a trend setter and has guided our culture over the last couple of decades. Unfortunately, corporate sales have taken over the content of hip hop music, motivating artists to take different approaches to

The history of hip hop is so revolutionary and has molded and altered over the years into something so “unique”. The music genius’ that paved the way for hip-hop would not be able to recognize what it has become today. There are many ways that the new hip-hop world has affected our society which involves fashion, rap lyrics, musicology, technology, crime, the way other races have accepted hip-hop, and sexuality. Of these, the newly unrecognizable music has dramatically altered our societies sexuality in a numerous amount of ways. The explicit lyrics and inappropriate music videos lead to influence the future of our society negatively.

Hip-Hop music and the sub genre, Gangster Rap, has deep roots dating back from as early as the 15th and 16th century but since the mid 1980’s and early 1990’s this sub culture has taken over mainstream and has had a negative effect on both Hip-Hop as a culture and the american society. The word rap was first used in Brittain and meant to hit or to strike. As the word evolved over the centuries the definition of the word changed to mean to speak or to talk. The word rap also has many ties to the African griots dating back thousands of years ago. These griots where the village storytellers that would pass down the history of their family through story and song as well as communicate current local events to the people of the village. These African

It has been 30 years since Hip-Hop was first “introduced” to the world. Whether it be fashion or politics, this musical genre/culture plays a huge role in everyday life and has generated billions of dollars across the globe. In this paper I will be discussing when, where, and how Hip-Hop was created, “old school Hip-Hop, “Hip-Hop’s Golden Age”, “Hardcore rap” “Gangsta rap”, “G-Funk”, 21st century Hip-Hop, and how Hip-Hop affects society.

Throughout the past 30 years, there has been much speculation about how negative hip-hop music truly is, and how it actually affects the youth. The hip-hop music of recent years has been the foundation of many controversial issues and has been illustrated negatively by the media countless times. Issues such as gun and knife crime which has escalated heavily within younger age groups in the last 15 years, especially in the USA and UK and also drug abuse, the use of marijuana being used openly within the younger generations. Hip-hop has been accused of influencing the youth to become more misogynistic towards women by constantly having explicit content, such as

Hip-Hop is much more than simply a type of music. Hip-hop is a culture and a way of life that traverses many years of African-American along with inward city life. From the break-dancers in the Bronx to the cutting edge def stick artists, hip-hop has had a significant effect on the way of life of the United States and whatever remains of the world. Genuinely, hip bounce is an exceptional development in its very own class.

Hip Hop in the most popular genre of music between all African American communities, not just in America, but worldwide. Hip Hop has expanded itself into music, fashion, advertisement, movies, and it’s given many rappers, and those associated with the genre, the chance to influence their communities, societies and their culture in general, but commercial Hip Hop in the U.S. has branded Hip Hop in a negative way. (The Young and The Hip-Hop, Hip Hop Culture Center in Harlem, 2012, Web, Oct. 27, 2014) This is all due to the negative imagery and negative lyrics like the term nigga, negative implications of Hip Hop include exploiting black adolescent girls, promoting unhealthy lifestyles, and implying that the open use of the word nigga is not harmful. Hip Hop has become a global phenomenon where it has evolved from a genre of music to a lifestyle for the African American community.

Many individuals associate the art of Hip-Hop music with drug abuse, explicit sex, senseless violence, gang activity, misogyny, crime, and luxurious lifestyles. Hip-Hop was constructed as a form of artistic expression among many underprivileged African American communities during the late 1970s. Due to the many systemic racial barriers that limited many individuals of color from possessing resources, these individuals created a platform that allowed them to express their frustrations. The popularity of hip-hop music rapidly expanded, but as time progressed, the intent and purpose of the music would become distorted and altered. Hip-Hop music served as a reflection of the realities that existed in many impoverished communities. Drugs, lack of resources, extremely high crime rates, and poverty were extensively present within such communities, providing individuals within these communities to express these issues to individuals outside of their communities. Hip-Hop music has seemingly became a mechanism that provided impoverished communities a voice that would be heard by the masses of society.