With Young’s massive influence in the Hip-Hop industry as an artist and as a producer he has become one of the major faces of the industry. Some believe that his influence on culture has even reached Shakespearean heights. Although many would dismiss this comparison, there are actually some similarities between the two icons. However, much unlike the bard, it can be argued that Young has negatively used his influence and has spread the wrong messages to society. Selling the Wrong Message In the early days of Young’s musical career with American Westside gangster rap group N.W.A he introduced the gangster lingo into popular culture. Young produced the group’s first album Straight Outta Compton (1988) which redefined the direction of hip-hop. …show more content…
Whether it has been the adding of the phrases such as "bling-bling" to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2003 or the addition of the term "crunk" in the 2007 Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, rap culture is leaving its mark on the English language. Words such as "hood" (neighborhood), "crib" (a place of residence), and "whip" (car) have become commonplace within everyday conversation. Or even more commonly used phrases such as "what’s up" (hello), "peace out" (good-bye), and the popular "chill out" (relax) are frequently used in television shows, movies, and even …show more content…
There is a substantial amount of evidence that this is relatively true. According to research Hip-Hop’s poor messages and violent lyrics are damaging our culture beyond just a few ‘kids’ using poor grammar. In fact according to the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, avid Hip-Hop listeners are more likely to use alcohol and drugs and behave in an aggressive manner. The results showed that almost 70 precent of students who listened to music regularly listen to rap or hip-hop. When this data was compared to the students’ answers on their aggressive behaviour the survey found that “substance use and aggressive behaviours among young people were significantly associated to certain genres of popular music,” With rap winning as the biggest influence on the youths abuse of alcohol and psychiatric
Signing with Def Jams in 1984, LL Cool J gave hip-hop a new component which is love. As Guestlist explain his type of rapping as “LL cool J’s song adopted a ‘soft’ style which bred
Hip-Hop became characterized by an aggressive tone marked by graphic descriptions of the harshness and diversity of inner-city life. Primarily a medium of popular entertainment, hip-hop also conveys the more serious voices of youth in the black community. Though the approaches of rappers became more varied in the latter half of the 1980s, message hip-hop remained a viable form for addressing the problems faced by the black community and means to solve those problems. The voices of "message" hip...
Dr. Dre (b. Andre Young, February 18, 1965) became involved in hip-hop during the early '80s, performing at house parties and clubs with the World Class Wreckin' Cru around South Central Los Angeles, and making a handful of recordings along the way. In 1986, he met Ice Cube, and the two rappers began writing songs for Ruthless Records, a label started by former drug pusher Eazy-E. Eazy tried to give one of the duo's songs, "Boyz N the Hood," to HBO, a group signed to Ruthless. When the group refused, Eazy formed N.W.A. -- an acronym for Niggaz With Attitude -- with Dre and Cube, releasing their first album in 1987. A year later, N.W.A. delivered Straight Outta Compton, a vicious hardcore record that became an underground hit with virtually no support from radio, the press or MTV. N.W.A. became notorious for their hardcore lyrics, especially those of "Fuck tha Police," which resulted in the FBI sending a warning letter to Ruthless and its parent company Priority, suggesting that the group should watch their step.
Blair, M Elizabeth. "Commercialization of the Rap Music Youth Subculture." Rpt. in That’s the Joint!: The Hip-Hop Studies Reader. Ed. Murray Forman and Mark Anthony Neal. New York, NY: Routledge, 2004. 497-504. Print.
These articles depict the controversies of the hip hop industry and how that makes it difficult for one to succeed. Many of these complications and disputes may be invisible to the population, but these articles take the time to reveal them.
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.
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.
Many believe and have charged that these lyrics promote racism and violence and show contempt for women. Those in the mainstream have long considered rap music controversial. However, its controversy escalated to a whole new level when the world was introduced to “Gangsta Rap,” where violent acts and suggestions are graphically portrayed (yale). The notorious rap group responsible for the introduction of gangsta rap was NWA (bomp). Gangsta rap has been criticized and debated over for its graphic sexual content, and violent imagery (yale).
In Total Chaos, Jeff Chang references Harry Allen, a hip hop critic and self-proclaimed hip hop activist. Harry Allen compares the hip hop movement to the Big Bang and poses this complex question: “whether hip-hop is, in fact a closed universe-bound to recollapse, ultimately, in a fireball akin to its birth-or an open one, destined to expand forever, until it is cold, dark, and dead” (9). An often heard phase, “hip hop is dead,” refers to the high occurrence of gangster rap in mainstream hip hop. Today’s hip hop regularly features black youths posturing as rich thugs and indulging in expensive merchandise. The “hip hop is dead” perspective is based on the belief that hip hop was destined to become the model of youth resistance and social change. However, its political ambitions have yet to emerge, thus giving rise to hip hops’ criticisms. This essay will examine the past and present of hip hop in o...
Music producers have an influence on the music that today’s youth listen to that many are affected by, even though the producers are unaware of it. Today there’s a lot of drug abuse, violence, and sexuality all on the rise, even though hip hop itself is not to blame. Imagine our youth all over the country being exposed to this explicit 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.
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.
The first reason I agree that rap music has negatively affected our youth is because most rap songs glorify criminal behavior and street violence. 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. Modern rap music has a major negative impact on teenagers because of its use of explicit language. Listening to violent lyrics can lead to violent thoughts and actions.
Throughout these decades music has evolved, “The music of today is not like the music of past generations and the messages in today’s music are nothing like before. Today’s rap is more about obtaining and maintaining an image, whether that image is fact or fiction is often a mystery.” (RJ4AY) Teenagers nowadays a...
Hip-hop is supposed to uplift and create, to educate people on a larger level and to make a change.” These words spoken by Doug E. Fresh outline the purpose of hip-hop culture in its’ entirety. This cultural movement originated in New York City from the African American, and Latino American communities in the 1970’s. This culture consists of DJing, break dancing, graffiti-art, and beat boxing. It has been and still is somewhat of an outlet for the youth to express themselves in a positive manner. Most classic hip-hop has a positive undertone and message to be conveyed to an audience. It is strongly based off of self-expression and addressing negativity in a way that their voices can be heard. Although hip-hop culture is overall a constructive movement that gets the youth involved in productive, self-satisfying activities there are many misconceptions about it. It is a misunderstood culture that has much to offer our younger generations today and pave the way for more positive outlets. Hip hop is a positive cultural movement that the youth today should learn about and get involved in because of its efficacious results in keeping teens off the streets and away from negative influences.
Not only is hip-hop a way of expressing ones feelings or views, but it is a part of the urban culture and can be used as a communication tool. Slang originally came from hip-hop music and has become a very popular use in today’s society, especially the urban parts. Hip-hop is a standout amongst the most compelling musical sorts on the globe. There are rappers everywhere that know what amount of an impact their music can have. Some entertainers attempt to utilize that force of impact to do great (Ruiz INT).