The Role of Hip-Hop in the Lives of Adolescents

2016 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: How hip hop music affects teenagers

Here’s a task… Ask an individual one of the factors that may cause unacceptable behavior in adolescence. The culprit is Hip-hop. This genre of music receives a bad reputation for its violent, overly sexualized and graphic lyrics. Stereotypically, a typical rap video may consist of an African-American male, riding in the newest car, accompanied with one or more attractive female. This image although it may seem very simplistic poses different implications on both male and female adolescence. The messages sent out are different and without proper guidance, an individual perception of beauty and values on life may change. Rap is an expression of art, where individuals try to escape reality. It is a presumption that adolescence are risk-takers and are easily influenced by the media. The images that are portrayed in rap videos, may influence an adolescent male to think that certain lifestyle is ideal and it is the path to success. This research will examine the implications rap videos have on the mindset of young men in America. In addition, to young men, what messages are sent out to adolescent female viewers? In this research, the terms “hip-hop” and rap are used interchangeability. Grandmaster Flash and Kool Herc are known as the founders of the development of rap music, which was the newest genre emerging in the 1970s. During 1980s, according to Grandmaster Flash, rap was a tool to call attention to the harsh conditions individuals endure in inner cities. Later, gangsta rap manifested as a result of Grandmaster Flash's song, "The Message." As a result of the song’s explicit and violent lyrics, political controversy began to arise. Rappers protested against police brutality and exposed the realities of violence in the communities ... ... middle of paper ... ...ear cool. Overall, all of the interviewees gave similar answers. It appears that rap music is mainly entertainment but there enact behaviors may be linked to rap whether its lyrics or the video. I believe that adolescence aren’t aware of the negative messages that are expressed in rap videos, they are attracted to the beat or the rhymes and puns in the lyrics. Works Cited Richardson, Jeanita W. and Scott, Kim A. “Rap Music and Its Violent Progeny: America's Culture of Violence in Context” The Journal of Negro Education 71. 3, Juvenile Justice: Children of Color in the United States (2002) Sullivan, Rachel E. “Rap and Race: It's Got a Nice Beat, but What about the Message?” Journal of Black Studies 33.5 (2003) Peterson, Shani E. “Images of Sexual Stereotypes in Rap Videos and the Health of African American Female Adolescents” Journal of Women’s Health 16 (2007)

Show More
Related

  • How Is Rap Music Harmful To African American Communities

    899 Words  | 2 Pages

    This article is titled “Rap music is harmful to African American communities” and is written by E. Faye Williams. Williams is a chairwoman of the National Congress of Black Women (NCBW). The national congress of black women is a non-profit organization dedicated to the educational, political, economic, and cultural development of African American women and their families. Williams’s article “Rap music is harmful to African American communities” makes her qualified and a credible source to be writing on this question: If rap music and other media is harming the African American community? In her article, she states her side of the argument of how rap music and media are indeed harming the African American community, using the context, and reasoning,

    Read More

  • The Influence of Rap/Hip-Hop Music

    1403 Words  | 3 Pages

    Oswald, Janelle. “Is Rap Turning Girls into Ho’s?” The Black Book: A Custom Publication. 3rd ed. Ed. Sam Pierstorff. Modesto: Quercus Review Press, 2012. 171-175.

    Read More

  • Changing Themes in the Art of Rap

    1806 Words  | 4 Pages

    It is a day in the summer of 1974 on the block of 1520 Sedgwick Avenue, Bronx, NY. The grass is blazing, the air is fresh, and the kids are shrieking with joy. This is where it happened. DJ Kool Herc popped in his new record playing smooth rhythms of jazz and blues with the integration of Jamaican sound creating a new genre that would soon sweep the nation. He called it Hip-Hop. Some would call it “black noise”, but to urban African Americans it was music they could own; music they could learn to appreciate and adore. As they faced afflictions like racism, oppression, drugs, and much more, they used this new found hip- hop to express their thoughts and feelings. Today, we try to understand where this passion and substance in rap has escaped; if it was left to wither in the blazing grass, or blow away in the fresh air. Today, we try to understand what is hip hop, and why it’s becoming the “black noise” we once denied it to be. Ever since rap officially emerged in the 1970s, critics had a negative reaction; even when rap had meaning and substance and consisted of people telling their stories. Now that rap has become more contemptuous, critics have began to question what rap is really about. It is clear themes have changed: But at what point? And how? Furthermore, how has this impacted blacks and their image, who dominate the rap industry. Conclusively, while themes in mid 20th century rap have been known to revolve around aspects like politics and unity, currently rap has underwent a dramatic change now producing themes that promote violence, among many other things, and has ultimately painted a negative image of African Americans.

    Read More

  • Racial Stereotypes Associated With Rap and Hip Hop Music

    682 Words  | 2 Pages

    A race issue that occurs within the rap and hip-hop musical genre is the racial stereotypes associated with the musical form. According to Brandt, and Viki rap music and hip- hop music are known for fomenting crime violence, and the continuing formation of negative perceptions revolving around the African-American race (p.362). Many individuals believe that rap and hip-hop music and the culture that forms it is the particular reason for the degradation of the African-American community and the stereotypes that surround that specific ethnic group. An example is a two thousand and seven song produced by artist Nas entitled the N-word. The particular title of the song sparked major debates within not only the African-American community thus the Caucasian communities as well. Debates included topics such as the significance and worth of freedom of speech compared with the need to take a stand against messages that denigrate African-Americans. This specific label turned into an outrage and came to the point where conservative white individuals stood in front of the record label expressing their feelings. These individuals made a point that it is because artists like Nas that there is an increase in gang and street violence within communities. Rap and hip-hop music only depicts a simple-minded image of black men as sex crazed, criminals, or “gangsters”. As said above, community concerns have arisen over time over the use of the N-word, or the fact that many rappers vocalize about white superiority and privilege. Of course rap music did not develop these specific stereotypes, however these stereotypes are being used; and quite successfully in rap and hip-hop which spreads them and keeps the idea that people of color are lazy, all crimin...

    Read More

  • Hip-Hop as a Cultural Movement

    1580 Words  | 4 Pages

    Rhodes, Henry A. “The Evolution of Rap Music in the United States.” Yale New Haven

    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

  • Analysis Of Hip Hop

    1282 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hip Hop a grass movement started in 1974 in the South Bronx in New York City. Created to end gang violence, a voice for the underrepresented minority. Rap music is critical to understanding the hip hop generation’s gender crisis, a crisis between sexes that allows African American males to blatantly disrespect African American women for the sake of the culture. The consistent referencing of African American women as ‘bitches’ and ‘hos’ and the hyper sexualization of their bodies is harmful to the African American community. These images instill that it is alright to represent black women in this nature, and harmful to the young girls who are intaking all these negative images. Harmful to both the perspective of young men and women Hip-Hop is like a pillar in the African American culture. It represents how each generation views themselves in this society and how they internalized these narratives. In this essay I will summarize the main arguments in Chapter 7 of Gender talk , discuss the creation and deconstruction on views

    Read More

  • Effects of Hip-Hop Culture on the Youth

    1789 Words  | 4 Pages

    Rhodes, Henry A. “The Evolution of Rap Music in the United States.” Yale. Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute. 2014. Web. 10 Mar. 2014.

    Read More

  • Rap is Crap

    592 Words  | 2 Pages

    “She ain’t nuttin but a hoochie mama…Smackin’ on your lips, put your hands on your hips…She ain’t nuttin but a hoochie mama…Oh I love those big brown eyes and the way you shake your thighs, acting like you’re so damn cute...” Rap music with lyrics like this play on the radio and in home stereos every day. Rap music pounds messages of sex and violence into the minds of young adults leaving behind their sexist and repetitive influential messages. Music has a very powerful influence on our emotions, moods, and behavior. Rap music influences teenagers negatively by increasing violent attitudes and promoting sexual aggression against women.

    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

  • 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 Exploitation and Objectification of Women in Rap

    1182 Words  | 3 Pages

    Women have consistently been perceived as second-class citizens. Even now, in times when a social conscience is present in most individuals, in an era where an atmosphere of gender equality 'supposedly' exists, it is blatantly apparent that the objectification and marginalization of women is still a major social issue. In reality, progression in terms of reducing female exploitation has been stagnant at best. Not only is the degradation of women a major problem that to date has not been eradicated, but it is actually being endorsed by some music celebrities. There are a growing number of people who purchase rap albums that support the fallacy that women are mere objects and should be treated as such. As the popularity of rap continues to climb at unprecedented rates, so too does its influence on the perception of women. In the vast majority of hip-hop songs, the depiction of women as sexual objects, the extreme violence directed towards them and the overall negative influence these lyrics have on the average adolescent's perception of women make rap the absolute epitome of female exploitation.

    Read More

  • How Does Hip Hop Music Affect Teens

    577 Words  | 2 Pages

    In this particular subject, one sample of data would be the negative and positive aspects and effects created by tattoos and hip-hop music. On one hand, tattoos can allow teens to create a display a greater level of self-expression and even boost confidence. The body is often viewed as a blank canvas on which to release artistic creativity. At the same time though, a tattoo could lead to judgement from select individuals or limit job opportunities. Hip-hop music demonstrates similar contrasts. Depending on the lyrics, hip-hop music could act as an outlet for a positive message that invokes change. Equivalently, lyrics with poor messages could have negative implications when interpreted by younger minds. In fact, many individuals immediately think of lyrics that promote violence, sexism, or even inappropriate activities when they imagine hip-hop. However, this is an overgeneralization. As with all things, the exact aspects would vary from case to

    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

More about The Role of Hip-Hop in the Lives of Adolescents

Open Document