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Argumentative Essay On Rap Music

890 Words4 Pages

Music, like most forms of art, often shares subjective views with its listeners. An individual favourite song may be the next person's most hated song. Although different factors come into play when determining if music is good or not, there is no concrete definition of ‘good music’. Society continues to label certain songs originating from genres such as hip-hop, blaming the music for violent acts committed within society. In 1994, a 17-year-old shot a cop in Milwaukee, telling police that he was inspired by a Tupac Shakur song to kill the officer (Thurtle, 10 Attempts To Blame Murder On Music). To condemn hip-hop music, a form of self-expression and art, as the root cause of violent acts committed within society is unacceptable. While some may view the profound topics of sexual assault, misogyny, and substance abuse discussed within the lyrics as distasteful, others may find what hip-hop music discusses to be comforting. As a society, the violent lyrics in songs written by hip-hop artists depict their reality, merely reflecting society’s current state as opposed to being the motive for crimes committed. …show more content…

Gangsta rap, a subgenre within hip-hop, often favours aggressive lyrics and hard-hitting beats in order to reflect the violent lifestyles of inner-city youth (Adaso, Gangsta Rap). In the 1990’s, Gangsta rap may have gained a greater acceptance amongst the mainstream, but remained controversial due to its content ranging from gang violence, misogyny to substance abuse and various other forms (Adaso). But with the increase in listeners came greater exposure to the vulgar in nature lyrics, followed by a greater

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