In the essay, “Rerouting Rap Music,” Nick Vinci focuses on the issues of censoring rap music and the common stereotypes of the genre. He states how the media and older generations criticize rappers due to their music displaying violence, drugs, and ignorance, which is why rap censorship is encouraged. Nick attempts to contradict the claims by revealing the social, political, and economic messages rappers send to listeners. Nick uses interesting sources, facts, and comments to support his topic, however, there are a few concerning errors in his essay. Moreover, Nick proves an argument rather than exploring a deeper issue of censorship in the music industry. His first paragraph does not contain the factors he will be researching or questioning.
Commercial hip hop is too blindsided by making profit to assist in the rallies for Black justice the same way that hip-hop proper is doing. #BLM has liberated rap from its default setting today, and is beginning to break the white stereotype that hip hop is defined as a consumer market where “rhyming negro gentleman callers and ballers sold vernacular song and dance to an adoringly vicarious and increasingly whiter public” (para.6). Tate concludes with stating that #BLM’s “reclamation of hip-hop proper has brought complexity and revolutionary street cred back to the race conversation in commercial rap. The public can no longer be sold the noxious and recherché notion that 21st-century rap culture is only about trap-happy nigras getting paid for getting dumb, or coldstoopidwackretarded, even. Thanks to #BlackLivesMatter, the beautiful struggle against racialized injustice once again matters where rap and hip-hop proper live” (para
As Can’t Stop Won't Stop continues to progress to the 1970’s, Jeff Chang addresses the developments, changes and increasing influence of hip-hop. Hip-hop’s influence and popularity seemingly spread globally overnight. Hip-hop culture took on new aspects and the motives for expressing the art continued to grow and change for artists. Throughout the chapters, Chang highlights the evolutions of hip-hop, hip-hop’s new audiences and the increase in drugs and violence in hip-hop during a rebellion ear. In the late 1970s, many citizens in the Bronx began to see a dramatic change in hip-
Fried states that the criticism of rap music has been directed primarily at its lyrical content, which is thought to have a negative influence on youth. She argues that, due to biased perspectives, rap music has been unfairly stigmatized, and that the discussion of the genre has been distorted. Fried's research revealed that the negative reactions to rap music lyrics were significantly greater than the negative reactions to pop lyrics with similar content. She concludes that the disproportionate criticism of rap music is due to the fact that the genre is not understood as well as other forms of popular music, and that this lack of understanding has resulted in a strong biased perception. Fried's essay provides an insightful look into the effects of bias and its role in the discussion of rap music lyrics.
Censorship is the form of blocking entertainment for people of all ages. Adults and authority figures like to ban/censor books, music, and TV because they do not like what is being shown. The most common form of censorship is music. The music that the artist puts out there may have cuss words and sexual references. People do not want young ears to hear that type of music so the radio stations bleep the songs.
In her essay “hip hop’s betrayal of black women,” Jennifer McLune implies that “(h)ip-hop owes its success to the ideology of women-hating” (193). She does not agree with Kevin Powell’s article that hip-hop does not mean to “offend” black women, but instead artists are only letting out their temper throughout their music. McLune feels infuriated that many artists in hip hop (including black men) rap about their community and downgrade their own women. In the hip-hop genre, sexism is mainly used, not only by black men but also by many other race hip-hop artists. Artists assume that women-hating in their rap songs will be accepted by women, but do not realize that it is affecting all women.
Hip Hop is seen as something inspiring, but most people see it as a way to speak out the truth about a problem. As in “Hip Hop planet” being able say the truth can sometimes worsen any situation because sometimes what we say can promote violence and whatever happens after is not in our control. The essay is about how hip hop has changed into speaking out the issues that need to be taken care of in order to maintain a proper society. McBride talked about how rappers use violent lyrics to degrade women and gays and because of this it shows how the music has evolved into something entirely different that no one would have ever expected to have changed. In James McBride's essay “Hip Hop Planet,” he argues that hip hop has a negative influence on American Culture despite people thinking of it as inspirational and how people live through different experiences in life despite of your race.
Additionally, you illustrate the pop culture as being aware of the importance to recognize value as well as the warning it is sounding, in which we should begin paying attention. You challenge us, as a society, to take the initiative to embrace expression and to change the social inequalities that still plague us and other cultures from around the world. The main purpose of writing your article is an appeal to the adult generation to not dismiss hip hop, but to listen carefully to the message and realize that a generation wants acknowledgement and a resolution to these troubles and inequalities. I entirely agree that we have metamorphosed into a “hip hop planet”. No matter where you look or travel, hip hop has wriggled into our everyday lives, and cultures all around the world.
The number of drug references in songs have increased almost 600 percent over recent years. A study showed that 69 percent of rap songs mentioned the use of drugs. It has become a trend in today’s music scene as almost every song makes some type of reference. As an effect of this teens are more likely to take part in drug activity because it has widely spread among the youth. When asked about their opinion on the situation a lot of artist replied that “it is a type of fashion or way of life”.
Music has been an object of miracle, amazement, and even fear since the start of its presence. It has been used as a tool to shape culture and society through history. Music and its people influencing the lives and activities of society. Is this a good thing? Most would say yes.
The explicit sexual language used had significant influence on the teenagers and youths in the major areas surveyed. The research proved that the lyrics have significant influences on the student behaviors in their schools. The lyrics are associated with alcohol and marijuana abuse. Most of the rap music portray images whereby youths and teenagers use guns, feel violence, and create gangs to terrorize and become popular. The negative lyrics create impacts on the listener, making him/her have negative perceptions and fantasies in life.
Hip-hop culture has been the topic of various academic, social, and political discourses. Rap music, in particular, has made its way to mainstream media which is evident in the numerous films and movies that centers on what was once a part of an underground culture. Scholars explain that the popularity of hip-hop in both music and films are partly due to its potential to disseminate information, address an issue, and promote social change. Tinson and McBride (2013), for example, note that hip-hop is a “…form of critical education at the intersection of, and inseparable from political engagement” (1). Scholars further note that hip-hop’s current state “…requires frequent accounting of its engagement with the social, political, and cultural climate
Even though my parents listened to KRS-One and Public Enemy, while my sisters engaged in Kanye West and OutKast, both eras of the hip hop genre purpose were to discuss economic problems and push people toward the right path of life. In Yan Dominic Searcy’s article, he says, “Many rappers grew up amid violence, police harassment, poverty, drugs and promiscuity. Rappers will tell you they rap about what they know. If the community wants to change rap lyrics, the community must change reality.” (Searcy)
“Beyond Beats and Rhymes” Summary This movie was a broad discussion about hip-hop music (or more specifically gangster rap) and what kind of social issues the music not only showcases but seems to promote. The producer of this film, Byron Hunt, interviewed people involved in all aspects of the hip-hop industry, including famous rappers, to try to get to the bottom of this. Some of the most prominent issues discussed in the film were the over-sexualization of women, gun violence, and anti- homophobic attitudes. Hunt would ask those involved in the industry about why they think these themes are so prevalent.
Ladies and gentlemen, Rap music is often stigmatized as violent and degrading, but it is so much more than that. It is a powerful form of self-expression and storytelling that has the ability to inspire and uplift its listeners. First, rap music provides a platform for marginalized communities to share their experiences and perspectives. It allows them to speak truth to power and brings attention to important social issues that may otherwise go unheard. It's a form of resistance and self-empowerment for the historically oppressed.
It is true that most artists use explicit language in their music. However, the purpose of their music is not to emphasize the profanity, but rather, to focus on the meaning behind the lyrics. Some may argue that rap and Hip-Hop music encourages violence and vulgar language through the lyrics the artists use and the background the artists come from. A popular problem with rap music is that rap music tend to demean women and show violence and drug abuse through the words used (Krohn). However, the artists focus more on the overall message the song portrays rather than the individual lyric used.