The Rise Of Rap In American Culture

KRS One once said, "Rap is something you do, Hip-Hop is something you live." The difference between how Hip-Hop is portrayed (rap) and what the Hip-Hop movement is, is that Hip-Hop is a lifestyle but the Hip-Hop we see on television is a media creation. We have to look at hip-hop as a whole culture and rap as something that comes out of it. Although Hip-Hop was originated by a mostly Negro constituency, it has evolved since its creation into a "worldwide forum through which family, community, social and political grievances" (HHC) can be voiced through various art forms. Today, the Hip-Hop movement (if looked at as it's meant to be looked at) plays a very positive role throughout the political and social spectrums in America, and is

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.

Who some call the call the godfather of rap, Eazy E, once said, “Who gave it that title, gangsta rap? It 's reality rap. It 's about what 's really going on.” There has been a great injustice done to the form of expression called rap. In essence rap is just lyrics over a basic beat or rhythm. Many members of society today assume that rap is a dangerous and violent influence, however what they seem to be ignorant of is the fact that rap music is actually beneficial. The majority of the world we live in today has unjustly classified rap as a barbaric form of music, unfit for any decent human to listen to, but the reality of the situation is, that people simply cannot accept the culture known as rap into society. Nowadays, rappers such as Kanye, Soulja Boi, and Wiz Khalifa are receiving much criticism about the way they portray their “hoodlum” lifestyle or the way they “encourage” violence through their music, when in actuality they are venting about the unfair circumstances society has forced them into. Listening to rap music and it’s positive vibes is in fact beneficial based on evidence which shows that consumption of rap music not only assists the listener in several ways, but also aids the rapper.

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

Rap music has taken its’ shape over the last six decades, starting in the 60s and still modernizing today. Over the last fifty years a new era has developed in American culture. This era is modern rap. Rap has taken over modern culture as a popular form of music for many different age groups. The rap industry has been booming for the past three decades. With what I have said, this leads me to my research question. How has modern rap come to be in American culture?

Hip hop is both a cultural movement as well as a music genre. It started to grow in the American suburbs in the early 70s which gave us old school rap. Kool Herc and Grandmaster Flash were two of those who created music especially for the suburb parties and for those who wanted to put music to their words. And so, the MCs appeared. The Old School era ends when Run DMC releases the album “Raising Hell” which had an immense success and thus starting the golden age of hip hop. (History facts, 2012)

Rap has changed society Rap music has progressed to the point where it has controlled teenagers culture. Rap has usually been misunderstood to be bad due to the fact that some rap involves bad language, sexual activity, and use of drugs and alcohol. Artist like Lecrae have tried to have a rap mindset while keeping it in a positive way. Rap has changed throughout the time causing most teen to fall in love with the culture. Rappers have created popular name brand shoes for teens to wear, it has become vital in social awareness, and rap gives hope for youth to become a rapper.

The history of rap music started in Africa with rhythmic beats using drums. From Africa to the Caribbean islands it came to America and started its influential change on American Music. The first rap song to take flight and make its mark on the up and coming rap culture was the Sugar Hill Gang in 1979. In 1986 rap music finally reached the top of the music charts and was show on MTV for the first time featuring Run-DMC. Continuing to change in the 90's in the east coast came the more harsh and raw of the rap music scene like Wu-Tang Clan and Notorious Big. As for rap music on the East coast rap music was mellower. When these rappers first started rapping the music videos were

This paper will take an in depth look into beats by dre a division of the produces headphones and other audio equipment. Beats have always been a very pricy brand of headphones with prices ranging from $200 to $500 and are known worldwide for their clean look and class status. Off of these few facts you would assume this is a product that is only targeted at the upper class or an older demographic that can afford it. This isn’t the case as they have a hip hop or rap core in terms of their brand image so a lot of the ads are directed to what feels like inner city youth. The ads usually have prominent black community member’s showcasing their products and adding their own flair. This ranges from sport stars to rappers and singers but the area

I think Andre's voice was extremely monotone so it was really hard to listen because he just sounded really uninterested about his topic. When Andre interviewed Josh Scheer and then he filmed the rap concert he switched cameras. I would have liked to see every camera shot consistently the same. I like how Andre used difference types of music to say that it has an effect on culture like how he said bubblegum pop lets young teenagers become more image conscious and how rap is believed to create aggressive and violent behavior among it's consumers. I just wish he used more of that because there are so many genres of music. I really didn't enjoy the quality of a video because it was kind of fuzzy and just turned me off because I couldn't

It no longer matters what part of the world you live in. Rap music can be heard playing from car’s passing in the streets and the hottest night club scene all across the globe. There is no doubt that Rap music has made a name for itself. With hard baselines and incredible word play put together in what is considered a standard sixteen bar versus has brought fame to artists of all styles. A virtual cash cow in the industry from music sells “it now generates over $10 billion per year and has moved beyond its musical roots, transforming into a dominant and increasingly lucrative lifestyle (Watson, Rapper 's Delight: A Billion-Dollar Industry).” The growth of the rap industry from a subcultural movement started

I found this article very interesting because I believe it correlates heavily with today’s society. The space I think Morgan is trying to create is one that helps each other grow. I think she really wants to draw attention to the lack of community within the black population. She’s saying that the black population needs to pull together as whole as opposed to attacking each other. Rap lyrics aren’t accurately representing what it is actually like to be a black person in America. They need to feel more comfortable in their music and use their lyrics to vent about the issues they are facing. I believe that if more rap songs accurately depicted what life was like in the black society, that people would realize that they aren’t alone. These lyrics

Rap is about forty-five years old, and yet the density of its history is staggering. Starting with roots starting in West Africa bards, rap evolved from DJs and spoken word poetry related to the Black arts. With the background of DJ dance music and the rhyming scheme of poetry, rap started to evolve into its own genre which we know today. Even today you can find references to rap’s forefathers in such albums as Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly or Kanye West’s College Dropout. Their jazzy instrumentals or gospel influences are nods to what gave birth to rap. To be even more specific Fahashima Pratricia Brown noted that similarities between rap and its forefathers are “toasts and boasts … , shouts, jubilees, gospel songs, field hollers, work

One of the most obvious signs of a changing language is the rapid development of its lexicons. As society changes, so does its language. American dictionaries have been expanding vastly over the past thirty years, with words created for many different purposes. Words are created for many different reasons including scientific use, technological advances, and lastly, words that are created in contemporary culture. Expressions that have been created by the youth have become such a part of American culture, that they often times end up being added to the dictionary. A large portion of these words coined by the youth are making their way into mainstream media through Hip Hop music. The creation of these words stems from the youth feeling the need to label their realities with new expressions and phrases that represent ideas, activities and new ponderings. Hip hop was at one point, was limited to urban American music and dance, but is now a prominent culture around the globe. Hip Hop was not the first genre of music that influenced the youth and culture, Rock ‘n’ Roll had the same effect on language, and held its own set of ideas, concepts, style and values, just like hip hop. These types of music are creative means of self-expression and heavily influences culture as well as the way we speak. Through the influence of Hip Hop culture, many words and phrases have become integrated and commonly used by communities who understand the context and definitions of these lexicons. Hip

Linguistic innovation is a crucial component in Hip-Hop or Rap music and in everyday life. As Curzan and Adams mention in How English Works, there are an infinite number of possible utterances one can create from the English language. Therefore, who determines what is acceptable and what is not? Over the centuries, language has changed because of different influences. For example, Hip-Hop and Rap music emerged when African Americans used it as an expression of their struggle against oppression and economic limitations. These changes may be acceptable in some circles, but are frowned upon by the society that judges a person by the way they speak. We the people change the English language and no authority can control those changes. The use