How Does Rap Music Affect Teens

1306 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Rap music influencing teenagers negatively

Music plays an important role in socialization of teens and adolescents. Rap music lyrics have lots of slang and profanity, which has caused a major concern among many. These music videos also illustrate attractive but yet very dangerous fantasies. The rap industry has expanded tremendously and a manifold genre. The rap genre is known for expressing a wide variety of realities and aspirations. Teenagers tend to imitate these fashions, language, and lifestyle promoted by rap artist. The rap industry has influenced our generation far as violence, sexual activities, and fashion. Research done at Western Connecticut State University found that those who listen to music with violent lyrics are more likely to be violent. Artists often talk about the lifestyle lived and prompt these lifestyles, which teens feel they can duplicate these lifestyles and have the same outcome. Rap music was born in poor urban …show more content…

Males who listen to rap and hip-hop music will tend to wear baggy jeans, called sagging, oversized t-shirts, and a cap. (Theo, 2006). Influential rappers such as Jeezy and Future encourage our teens to continue to dress this way. Young men began to think that these types of clothing is attractive and cool. Not realizing how others look at them, when dressing this way. For example, if two sixteen-year-old males was to go on an interview, one male with sagging pants the other with fitted pants. The hiring manager will rather choose the young men with fitted pants, because he seem more professionally and presentable. Some teens will also go as far as getting grills just like their favorite rap artist. Grills are like having jewelry for your teeth, you can get them in either silver or gold. Teens think it is cool, because when they smile their teeth are all shiny. Teens may also start to get tattoos because of their favorite artist. The affect that rap music and its artist has on our teens is

Show More
Related

  • Synthesis Essay On Rap Music

    746 Words  | 2 Pages

    Music can be reflection of our life experience. Each genre of music invokes different emotions and reactions in it's listeners. Rap has become a very popular genre in today's society. Is today “Gangster rap” and rappers exploiting society, introducing drugs and instigating violence? In the mid-1980s Gangster rap came to be portray images of violence, guns, gangs, drugs, and sexism. By the 1990s rap music became a major part of the industry and topped the charts. As people begin to operate different things; different music was engendered and that contributed to the variety of music that we have today. This is one of the many things that makes America different but is astringently under looked by everyone. There are many types of different raps

    Read More

  • Hip Hop as an Industry

    715 Words  | 2 Pages

    The second article, “Commercialization of the Rap Music Youth Subculture” by M. Elizabeth Blair, expresses the point of the use of rap music to sell a product even though advertisers know nothing of the subculture....

    Read More

  • Types Of Rap Music

    1313 Words  | 3 Pages

    It is widely believed that “the Rap industry is dominated by artists' who mostly dedicate their lyrics to either violence, drugs, or sex” (brightkite.com). While some rap songs fit this stereotype, a large amount of songs include emotional narratives that can often explain a situation someone is going through. According to the National Music Bureau, “65% [of listeners of rap] live in run-down homes, or impoverished areas, usually being inner cities” (brightkite.com). In addition, “teens are drawn to the fantasies of wealth, glamour, and sex appeal in rap videos”(Livestrong.com); since the majority of rap fans are living in inner cities, they are able to use rap songs to escape their realities and dream of a better life. This also allows for “rap [to offer] a creative outlet and a way to connect with peers” (Livestrong.com). This only proves that rap is beneficial despite the foul language or inappropriate topics because it allows teens to escape their possibly rough lives and fantasize about a place where life is full of exhilarating events and astonishing amounts of

    Read More

  • Effects of Hip-Hop Culture on the Youth

    1789 Words  | 4 Pages

    Hip hop culture is known for its negative reputation. It is often thought as an entrance way into gangs, illegal drug activity, and malicious behavior. In today’s culture it is important to lead kids toward a positive direction in life but the hip hop culture of today is not steering youth in that direction. This is because hip-hop has moved away from what it was supposed to be used for. This genre of music was supposed to be used to for personal expression and growth not to create negative images for the youth and encourage them to change their behaviors and beliefs. Hip hop was supposed to give hope to the youth. Give them a reason to pursue their dreams and give them a positive outlook on life. Are there artists who keep it “old school?” Yes there is, but it is never heard on mainstream radio. Hip hop culture has the potential to help the youth follow their dreams and become better people. It just needs to go back to its roots and bring those morals back up again.

    Read More

  • Hip Hop's Effect on American Culture

    3349 Words  | 7 Pages

    Hip hop has permeated popular culture in an unprecedented fashion. Because of its crossover appeal, it is a great unifier of diverse populations. Although created by black youth on the streets, hip hop's influence has become well received by a number of different races in this country. A large number of the rap and hip hop audience is non-black. It has gone from the fringes, to the suburbs, and into the corporate boardrooms. Because it has become the fastest growing music genre in the U.S., companies and corporate giants have used its appeal to capitalize on it. Although critics of rap music and hip hop seem to be fixated on the messages of sex, violence, and harsh language, this genre offers a new paradigm of what can be (Lewis, 1998.) The potential of this art form to mend ethnic relations is substantial. Hip hop has challenged the system in ways that have unified individuals across a rich ethnic spectrum. This art form was once considered a fad has kept going strong for more than three decades. Generations consisting of Blacks, Whites, Latinos, and Asians have grown up immersed in hip-hop. Hip hop represents a realignment of America?s cultural aesthetics. Rap songs deliver a message, again and again, to keep it real. It has influenced young people of all races to search for excitement, artistic fulfillment, and a sense of identity by exploring the black underclass (Foreman, 2002). Though it is music, many people do not realize that it is much more than that. Hip hop is a form of art and culture, style, and language, and extension of commerce, and for many, a natural means of living. The purpose of this paper is to examine hip hop and its effect on American culture. Different aspects of hip hop will also be examined to shed some light that helps readers to what hip hop actually is. In order to see hip hop as a cultural influence we need to take a look at its history.

    Read More

  • Drug Use In Rap Music

    1062 Words  | 3 Pages

    Rap has been around since 1973, when Kool DJ Herc introduced this new mash of jazz, soul, gospel, and reggae. This culture has been focused around African Americans, and since has served as a voice for the underrepresented, that is spreading violence, alcohol, and drugs. In this genre the most popular and successful boast about who has murdered more foes as breezily as other artists sing about love. Rap music tells stories of drugs, violence, and alcohol. The youth of America is constantly exposed to this kind of music, and our teenagers are being desensitized to the effects of these stories.

    Read More

  • The Rise Of Hip Hop

    1042 Words  | 3 Pages

    Across the world teens feel like they’re losing their voice. In an Independent article, a magazine I found online, Geraldine says “Rates of depression and anxiety among teenagers have increased by 70 percent in the past 25 years” With such a high percentage teens feel like no one can help them and that they have no one to talk to about their problems so they tend to start breaking away from their families and depend more on music. Hip Hop gives teens a chance to feel like they have someone to talk to or someone who understands what they’re going through because a lot of what the artists rap about are life situations that they’ve gone through throughout their lives. Not everyone will understand the message of Hip Hop. “Over the years the instruments change, but the message is the same… They’re telling us something. Our children can hear it” (Mcbride 11) Rappers all have different skills, but it’s all based on telling a story. As long as Rappers tell a story all they need is the right people to listen to those stories, in this case, teens are the people that really understand the message. Hip Hop does sometimes talk about violence but it’s not always about violence, it’s what people make it seem like and if the older generations don’t listen to rap or Hip Hop then they will associate rap with gangs but what they won’t know is that it’s also about

    Read More

  • Raps Controversy

    947 Words  | 2 Pages

    The most popular new music to emerge from the ‘80’s was rap music. It first developed in the mid ‘70’s in New York City, and soon in other urban areas, primarily amongst African-American teen-agers. It became very popular with the urban public that it soon began to spread throughout the United States and much of the world. It replaced rock music as the creative force in music of the ‘80’s and ‘90’s. However, as popular as it was then and it is now, the lyrics of many rap songs have caused controversy. Many believe and have charged that these lyrics promote racism and violence and show contempt for women.

    Read More

  • Rap Music And Hip-Hop Music

    922 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the late 1970’s hip-hop/rap music emerged as one of the most popular musical genres, and it remains as one to this day. However, there is a big difference in the content of a song like Sugar Hill Gang’s 1978 single “Rappers Delight” and a modern day rap song. When hip-hop music first began it served as a type of party music that was made primarily from African American men. The music quickly gained popularity, and before long, members of all races were enjoying it. However, in the early 1980’s hip-hop music became more of a mirror into ghetto culture rather than just upbeat enjoyable music. Rappers began to write edgy lyrics celebrating street warfare, drugs, and promiscuity. Unfortunately this style of hip-hop never died off, and now it

    Read More

  • Bad Influence of Hip Hop on Youth

    1022 Words  | 3 Pages

    Imagine our youth all over the country being exposed to this explicit kind of language. There is no need to imagine, because it is already happening. Ever since the rise of Rap and Hip Hop music, teens have been turning to them to help solve their problems. However these kinds of music can be very destructive to teens. It is not the youth’s fault; it is the content that the music contains. Although Rap and Hip Hop music can be a force for good, they can also have an extremely negative impact on the attitudes and behaviors of our youth.

    Read More

  • The Influence of Rap and Hip-Hop on Music and Pop Culture

    566 Words  | 2 Pages

    Known also for its explicit and violence lyrics, Rap has a strong influence on the personalities of

    Read More

  • Does Rap Cause Violence In Today's Youth?

    724 Words  | 2 Pages

    One of today's biggest rappers is 21 Savage, he is a great example of how a rapper can negatively affect the youth. Most of his lyrics mention violence, and murder, and using derogatory terms towards women. 21 Savage often talks about killing people if he doesn’t like you. Its music like this that gives our youth the wrong idea of how to live life because that is the rappers reality not the youth’s reality. That makes the youth think that it's okay to rob or "gang bang" because their favorite rappers do it.

    Read More

  • Rap Music's Influence Upon Teenagers

    1389 Words  | 3 Pages

    In today’s culture where rap music has become increasingly popular, many teens aren’t realizing what they are listening to. A lot of teens would argue that the music they listen to has no effect on them, but they are wrong. Rap music, especially, has had a major impact on teenagers in today’s society. The lyrics of many rap songs encourage violent and aggressive thoughts in teenagers.

    Read More

  • Why Do Violent Lyrics Cause Teen Violence?

    540 Words  | 2 Pages

    Teens and the human populous have been draw to music, and the relief it gives off. As recent as the 1990’s, we’ve seen an increase in explicit and violent lyrics and deviant behavior in the music industry surrounding such genres as heavy metal, rock, rap, and gangster rap. During this past decade, lyrics are becoming more violent and sexually explicit. It is approximated that teens listen to an average of 40 hours of music a week, and somewhere along the way, a child will hear something derogatory, or cruel. Along with this, teens don’t necessarily interpret what is said through lyrics in the right manner. In one study, only 30% of those somewhat questionable lyrics by popular bands were comprehended by the teen population.

    Read More

  • The Effects of Hip Hop on Today's Youth

    1578 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Effects of Hip-Hop Music on Today’s Youth Does hip-hop music effect today’s youth in a positive or negative way? The effects of hip-hop music have been disputable following the time when its rise into the social standard in the late twentieth century, but hip-hop music is not just one sided but can be both positive and negative in today’s youth. What is hip-hop about? Assuming that you address hip-hop fans, the term alludes to more than simply a musical type - it incorporates an entire society, including dance structures, graffiti symbolization, and fashion (Selke INT).

    Read More

More about How Does Rap Music Affect Teens

Open Document