Argumentative Essay: Does Rap Music Promote Violence?

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.

The first ‘commercially successful rap song’ (Genius) was Rapper’s Delight by the Sugarhill Gang in 1979. Although Afrika Bambataa and other rappers featured rap in their songs first, Sugarhill Gang was known for composing a song which popularized rap. In 2011, their song was preserved into the National Recording Registry for being ‘culturally, historically, [and] aesthetically significant’. (The National Recording Preservation Board). The song features a simple bassline and hi-hats resulting in a funky beat combined with simple and straightforward lyrics with no vulgarity or derogatory terms. It is important to note this as language used in rap gradually changed to become more explicit from classic to today’s rap.

Hip-hop culture has been identified by the lifestyles of many. Hip-hop encouraged violence throughout society. Hip-hop songs promote violent behavior and some of them drugs. And They used degrading lyrics towards women.

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. Some lyrics focus on success and making money. Nevertheless,

What seems to us now as excessive violence and misogyny in hip hop stems from a culture that has been consumed in a continuous battle against social and economic oppression since its early days. In the beginnings of hip hop, there was an explosion of defiance against the subjugation these artists had to experience on a daily basis. For many artists, rapping about guns and gang life was a reflection of daily life in the ghettos and inner-city housing projects. Not only did rap provide an outlet to voice the struggles of black youth, it also gave them a sense of pride. Before major hip hop groups such as NWA arrived on the scene, people would refuse to admit they were even from Compton. Nowadays, everyone wears the identity with pride. The genre was a testament to triumphing over hardships, to having enough confidence in oneself not to let the world drag you down, and to rising above the struggle, even when things seem hopeless. Violence in rap did not begin as an affective agent that threatened to harm America 's youth; rather, it was the outcry of an already-existing problem from youth whose world views have been shaped by the inequalities and prejudice they have experienced.

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.

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) In this quote, the author is details that the only reason hip hop artist write about things that are real and actually going on in the world, so we should put blame on the community on violence. Searcy goes on to

Do you believe rap music is the cause of violence and hostile behavior in teens? Yes, because it persuades them toward a real negative mindset and lifestyle. The influence it posses on teens is extremely huge plus very misleading. Its lyrics paint images of a life filled with drugs along with guns that teens believe in. As a result of rappers being so influential it makes others easily convinced. Over the years rap culture has changed from being motivational to a negative industry. The more time teens spend watching videos put them further at risk as they are more likely to engage in careless or in some cases illegal activities. Once known as a inspirational outlet and a way for people to express their everyday struggles rap has since become extremely controversial and deceptive to the youth.

Rap music has negative influences on teenagers and youth lives, as they are drawn to the lifestyle of drugs, sex, and violence, which is contained in the music lyrics and videos. Research has supported this, arguing that exposure for a long time to this music is likely to affect the overall mood, behavior, perceptions, and create fantasies among the youths (Miranda and Claes, 2004). This has had significant influences on their behaviors at school and at home. Parents are concerned, since they are unaware of the lyrics, as the teenagers prefer to download the songs and listen the music through the headphones. Research has proven that popular rap music effects explore the student schoolwork, social interactions, moods, and overall behavior. The

Since the beginning of its creation in 1970 rap music has always been judged. People think of rap in a negative way because of the subjects it normally references. In some cases this is understandable but in most cases it is not. Rap just like any other form of music is a way to express thoughts and feelings that not everyone can relate to but this doesn’t mean individuals should be able to criticize the music and its listeners based off the lyrical content.

Along with the creation of music videos, hip-hop’s popularity has soared and changed in many ways. Men and women are depicted in distinct and vivid ways in the media – particularly music videos – that may subconsciously affect our views of the norms of today’s society. That is, catchy songs and glamorous music videos that society thinks are harmless entertainment actually shape our worldview and can cause people to accept false impressions of women (Shrum & Lee, 2012). For example, as Sarnavka (2003) posits, women are victims of violence in society, as well as victims of violence in media (as cited in Bretthauer, Zimmerman, and Banning, 2007).

The overall purpose of this study is to scrutinize the influence of Hip Hop music on the adolescents of South

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. Can it be manipulated to carry a harmful result? A lot, considered such varieties as rap, would say yes. Rappers communicate through the specialty of music. Rap artists use their music to express their perspectives, opinions and feelings in their songs. From their lyrics, you will have the visualization of what they are trying to deliver, and how do they feel and see towards the society. The artists should be happy because they can compose any types of music to express themselves. However do these rappers truly need to use disrespectful and profane words? Do they need to publicize swearing words to youths? Do they have to speak explicitly about drugs? Rap music has created a disagreement in many ways, especially among parents and teenagers. First debate is lady and how they are degraded/ humiliated in the lyrics. Another reason that rap music causes problems today is by the way they take drugs and alcohol, to be something they are most certainly not. They talk about murder, rape, assault as if they were okay. Almost everybody and everything that has to do with rap music is associated with drugs and alcohol. The impact of rap music has numerous negative impacts in our culture and society today. This

Because the lyrics of many rap songs tell stories of an artist’s personal experience of their everyday lives growing up, urban youth can relate and connect to the lyrics because they see and experience very similar things. Listening to the artist’s lyrics about their own experiences can teach the listeners to not make stupid mistakes and if they continue to follow the right paths, they can achieve more and be successful like the rappers. Hip-Hop literacies can be applied in and outside of the classroom. Students can identify themselves through Hip-Hop culture. In the article, “You Don’t Have to Claim Her”, the author and English teacher Lauren Leigh Kelly, explains that women of all ages can use Hip-Hop to identify themselves despite the genre

“Without music life, would be a mistake”- Friedrich Nietzsche Music has always plays an important role in our society and it is a part of our life as we grow up. Music is something that is totally subjective, different people has different taste of music and each type of music can have a different impact on the one listening to it. Some music can makes you feel relaxing, some makes you feel excited and some may even makes you feel depress or sad after listening to it. Music has the power to affect teenager or youth so parents have always been worried about the music teenagers listen to and the negative effects on teens, rap and heavy metal music are considered to be the form of music that have negative