Rap Music's Influence On Pop Culture

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”.

Southern hip hop also referred to as southern rap originated from the southern cities like New Orleans, Houston, Atlanta, Miami, Memphis, and Virginia Beach, just like the names implies. Rap music has transformed modern music greatly during the decade of 1997 and 2007 (Dyson 61). The decade has seen the southern artists rise to both national and international prominence. The southern cities have churned up modern rap artists like Dwayne Michael (Lil Wayne), Clifford Joseph (T.I) and many others .This papers aims to examine various artists, music and scholarly articles in analyzing rap music in southern cities and its effects on modern music industry.

A problem that Bennett makes clear is how impressionable the younger audiences are when they are exposed to rap and Hip-Hop. There’s many debate on the topic of children listening to the music, but before we can argue over whether children should be able to listen to the music we must go over the pros and cons to the music genre. The positive side is that rap is an accepted form of self-expression, and educators have shown that it has inspired kids to write. Many kids feel they can relate to the songs, and it persuades them to write their own in an attempt to make sense of the world around them. On the other hand Hip-Hop can have some negative effects as well. A large number of artists such as Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Eminem, and others involve the use of profanity, violence, references to sex and

Within History, Rap has been considered the “CNN for black people”; what started as a way to express struggles in the ghettos of New York has transformed into one of the most popular genres of music in America. The popularity of rap has allowed many to have their voices heard, created new fashion trends, and even developed popular modern slang used by people throughout the world. The commercialization of rap has resulted in a significant following of the culture in America but also a large number of people who oppose the music. The culture of rap music has a substantial impact on popular culture in America, and by using an open mind and looking past the violence and language, people can better understand the meaning behind rap and the perception that follows it in America today.

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.

Whether you love it or hate it Rap music has come to be one of the most popular, yet arguable, music genres of the past decades. Today’s rap music has changed enormously since the 1970’s. Rap music was about having fun, being able to express what youth were feeling and a way to keep youth out of trouble. Rap songs usually use explicit and demeaning lyrics, which has huge influence on the youth of today. While rappers say that they’re plainly rapping about reality. They often use violence, the use of drugs and Guns as the main tool to tell the story of their lives and show how hard it is growing up in their neighbourhood. This surely does not set any good examples for the young men and women, listening to this trash and singing along with the

Music has an important role in children and adolescent’s life. Mainstream music is heard almost everywhere whether it’s on a laptop, phone, radio, cd, etc. The accessibility allows anyone to hear it at any place and situation, alone or with friends. The lyrics can have a big impact on everyone’s life’s differently. Lyrics have become more explicit in their references to misogyny, drugs and violence particularly in certain genres, like rap. I used to love to listen to rap all the time, never paying attention to what the rapper was saying. According to the dictionary rap means “Words (that) are recited rapidly and rhythmically over a prerecorded, typically electronic instrumental backing” I used to listen to rap because

Rap music has the power to influence people in ways such as dictating fashion or wardrobe choices, promote rebellious ways, and can even affect the morals you live by. The youth in America is highly influenced by famous rap and hip hop artist due to the many relatable stories they tell in their music. Many times the stories are speaking of hardships in life and crimes committed. Their lyrics are significantly influential enough to have caused people to commit crimes such as robbery, violence, and even murder.

In addition to increasing awareness of issues that are going on in America, Hip Hop gives youth a needed outlet from their lives and an outlet for self-expression. Many hip hop artists rap and talk Their poverty and daily struggles they experienced while growing up in an inner-city America. Many rappers like Kanye West and Logic now use their platform to talk about rising to the top and the obstacles they overcame. Those messages implanted in the music give hope to younger kids going through the same situation. For example, when an artists talks and raps about their distressed childhood with drug-addicted and abusive parents. A kid going through the same situation and get through it easier and see that if this person made it out so can I. When

The impact music has on the life of people is very powerful. It can easily revamp the way people act and take control of people’s emotions. Rap music is a very common and popular type of music within the world today. Rap music has existed since the mid 1970s, nowadays it is practically everywhere. It is easily a central focus of many young people’s lives. Rap music was essentially intended to create a voicing of one’s frustrations and disappointment with society, it has recently taken a turn and is creating a negative impact on the youth. It is the root that influences and encourages degrading women, violence, and is filled with sexual content.

Rap music has been around for around 40 years but became nationally popular in the 1990’s. As the music became more popular within the public, the lyrics of these songs became notorious for being vulgar, derogatory, and a bad influence on the listeners. The new sound consisted of heavier beats and a more intense sound than songs of earlier decades. These heavier beats and lyrics about alcohol, sex, drugs, violence and crime all were thought to be the cause of adolescent misconduct. Almost all of the music portrayed a lifestyle that was not wanted among most of the population, but definitely influenced

Each and every child (teenagers included) that listens to artists like Lil’ Wayne, Fetty Wap, Drake, Kodak Black, or any similar rapper, will more than likely be influenced by them in an extremely negative way. It does not matter where you are from, what color your skin is, or how much money you have, modern rap is poisoning the minds of all who listen to it, and if things do not change soon, it is unlikely that race relations in America will ever improve past the point that they are at

Rap is becoming increasing influential of the American society, a considerable amount of rappers are using their platform to bring light to mental illnesses within the community, donate schools and charities that will help underprivileged families, and speak out against social issues besides having an inspirational message in their songs. Kendrick Lamar sheds light on his battle with overcoming depression through his music. In his song “U” he openly describes his depression including his battle with suicidal thoughts. He says “I'm fucked up, but I'm not as fucked up as you… The world'll know money can't stop a suicidal weakness” Mental illness has always been stigmatized in Black culture because it seen a “white people” problem or that the

Hip Hop journeyed through civilization as a cultural movement developed in New York City during the 1970s, which has today disseminated its widespread influence all over the world. Popular cultural is impacted heavily by the evolution of hip-hop; its cross over appeal has resonated with all people, from all walks of life. It united diverse populations. The inception of Hip Hop began with a mission to combat the status quo, to spark change. This multi-faceted art form has challenged the oppressive systems that are the foundation of the country. African American artists such as Russell Simmons, Jeff Johnson, and Michael Dyson, aspired to form a revolutionary movement among the youth and hip-hop fans.

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.