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hip hop effect on society
hip hop effect on society
hip hop effect on society
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Racism in different perspectives Throughout history, rap music has been a voice for an artist to express their beliefs and address world issues. I 'm an 18-year-old African-American Male who was raised in a middle-class family. Music has always been an important way for me to express myself like many other teenagers. It is common to hear rappers take a standpoint on a controversial topic, such as racism, wealth inequality, and violence, and speak about it. With the increase of police brutality and the growth in the Black Lives Matter movement, rappers and other phenomenon’s have gravitated towards addressing this topic. Most recently, Macklemore released a single, which explained the story of being at a Black Lives Matter protest in his
According to Wikipedia, “white privilege is a term for societal privileges that benefit people identified as white in Western countries, beyond what is commonly experienced by non-white people under the same social, political, or economic circumstance”. In this song Macklemore expresses the importance on race and how white privilege affects people in different ways. Because Macklemore and other white people accept the fact that white privilege benefits them, it is difficult for them to speak about racial issues and discrimination. Many whites tend to have a Sporadic feeling of an unspoken guilt. “White Privilege II”, share the perspective of white people who’re acclimated with the black movements while also addressing the racial issues within our society and encouraging both races to work
This eight-minute song by Macklemore holds a substantial amount of content which is evident in his verses. Throughout the song there’re many lines which are meaningful but towards the end he says, “If I 'm aware of my privilege and do nothing at all, I don 't know/Hip-hop has always been political, yes/It 's the reason why this music connects/So what the fuck has happened to my voice if I stay silent when black people are dying/Then I 'm trying to be politically correct?” (Lines 82-88). Going back to what hip-hop originally means, Macklemore expresses the idea that hip-hop is closely linked wit the black community and it has always been the genre of music known for addressing issues around the world, especially in urban neighborhoods. Macklemore admits that although he’s white he is connected with the black community because of his ties within hip-hop, therefore he refuses to sugar coat his lyrics simply because it might be addressing him as well. In this verse Macklemore is also expressing the idea that if he is truly trying to be politically correct, he needs to honestly explain the racial issues or he’ll just be part of the problem. “White privilege is a set of advantages and/or immunities that white people benefit from on a daily basis beyond those common to all others. White privilege can exist without white people 's conscious knowledge of its presence and
Everyone has privilege in one way or another. People feel that privilege is give to one race more, instead of every race. The race that it’s getting more privilege is the White race and with that comes White privilege. White means the people who have a light skin color also known as Caucasian or European and privilege means an advantage over others. An example of privilege is getting away with something that someone may not get away with. So White privilege is defined as “an invisible package of unearned assets that [someone that is White] can count on cashing in each day, but about which [they were] ‘meant’ to remain oblivious” (McIntosh 1990: 1). McIntosh is saying in that quote is that Whites do not recognize that they have this privilege
In her 16 January 2016 The Washington Post editorial, “What is White Privilege?”, Christine Emba asserts white privilege is a societal advantage inherent in people who are white, irrespective of their “wealth, gender, or other factors.” According to Emba, white privilege makes life smoother and is an entity that is hidden or unknown until the privilege is taken away. Although racism is still a rampant issue in society today, white privilege is a concept created by the progressive left in order to brand whites as a scapegoat for issues and adversities that non-whites face. This concept of privilege ultimately causes further dissension between whites and non-whites.
Rap started as a social movement during the mid-1970’s, once the 80’s arrived it started expanding dramatically, and became popular among white suburban youth. During the late 1980s and early 1990s rap became overtly political with its messages, which expanded its popularity further. Unfortunately, political rap lost its popularity in the mid-1990s; regardless of this artists and their voices have been marginalized because of corporate control. Although there does not seem to be a direct connection between rap music and its whitening, the author claims that it is not coincidental. Despite the political messages within the genre, rap has been viewed through a racist
White privilege is a term used to refer to societal privileges granted to people identified as white in western countries. These privileges are beyond what is experienced by non-white or people of color living under the same economic, political and social environments. These privileges could be obvious or less obvious that white people may not realize they have. These include cultural affirmations of one 's own worth, presumed greater social status, and the freedom to move, buy, work, play, and speak freely (McIntosh, 1990). The effects of these privileges can also be seen in personal, educational and professional contexts. In both Tim Wise’s, ‘White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son’ and Ta-Nehisi
Race, as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is a category of humankind that shares certain distinctive physical traits (“Merriam-Webster” 2016). “The concept of race, as a construct distinguishing one group of humans from another on the basis of shared biological appearances, emerges from a legacy of human-different making that traces across humanity” (Radano and Bohlman 2000: 10). In my opinion, it is inevitable for musicians to subconsciously incorporate their ideas of racial differences in music making. With the influence of the mass media, racial differences are communicated through music, which then modifies the pre-existing perceptions of racial identities of the audiences. First, I will
One of Williams main topics of concerns is the wrong messages that “public airwaves” are sending to their listeners and followers. Williams claims rap and other medias are representing and sending the wrong message about African American communities. She mentions that rap music once held a positive message but now rap music is bombarding the public with the use of profanity, violence, and obscenity throughout their lyrics and music
“If I was gay / I would think hip-hop hates me / Have you read the YouTube comments lately? / ‘Man that's gay’ / Gets dropped on the daily / We've become so numb to what we're sayin.'” In these few lines, Macklemore brings up the fact that the genre of hip-hop has become one that is “anti-gay.” Hip-hop is a very common genre of music and it reaches a large population of people, mostly young people who will have an effect in the future of America. This is Macklemore’s target audience: the general public who can make a difference. Macklemore has surprised many by coming out with this popular, pro-gay, hip-hop song. It is rational to see that he took a stand against the issue as well as a risk in his career by supporting this idea. The listeners understand that those lines are very truthful; the hip-hop genre and most of society has become anti-gay. Almost all of his audience is familiar with YouTube and can understand where Macklemore is coming from in these lines. Most of his audience has seen comments on YouTube similar to “Man that’s gay.” Macklemore is bringing attention to the fact that his audience has become numb to harsh words like so and the general public has lost a sentimental feeling. Macklemore goes on to give an example of the desensitizing of society by giving the reference to “faggots”, “a word rooted in hate, yet our genre still ignores
White privilege is a benefit that society gives to a white person. It is embedded in and supported by institutions, where it overtly manifests and reproduces as inequality (Cox & Taua, 2016, p. 48). This translates into preferential treatment for white coloured individuals. Such injustice results in the oppression of those who are not white, leading to unequal access to education, healthcare, housing, and employment (Gorski, 2003, p. 9).
Rap is about giving voice to a black community otherwise underrepresented, if not silent, in the mass media. It has always been and remains … directly connected to the streets from which it came. (144)
Do you believe that one’s words can reflect on a certain person’s action? Today, Rap has become the most popular type of music in the US. The Rap industry is dominated by artists’ who mostly dedicate their lyrics to either violence, drugs, or sex. Through 1998 and 1999 the survey taken by the National Music Bureau, stated that 46% of the listeners of Rap are under the age of 19. While 65% of the listeners, live in run-down homes, or impoverished areas, usually being inner cities. The National Music Bureau also reported that in the 66% of the listeners of Rap who are under the age of 19, 86% of those teen-agers are black. Along with that fact, many of the artists sing about their ghettos, and their past ways of life, which included, drugs, sex, murder, and alcohol. The listeners of rap living in run down areas in the inner cities see themselves in the same situation as many of the rap artists’, and duplicate what they hear. So although a person may be responsible for his or her action, rap music dramatically affects the lives of America’s inner cities and slums.
This violent theme continues to be prevalent within rap music because just recently have white capitalists overtaken ownership of many of these artist’s recording labels, thus selfishly dictating how the music must be portrayed in order to produce revenue. Within this rhythmic poetry, artists will assume hyper-masculine roles in demands of a respected reputation and an attempt to disrupt peace solidified and enjoyed by the racially privileged. This only reinforces and attempts to justify institutional interventions, such as racial policing, police brutality, and high incarceration rates, in which Rebollo Gil and Moras refer to as “hip hop in crisis” (2012, pg. 120). Today, rap music continues these same narratives, while other musical genres, such as heavy metal group, Metallica, have also became more active in describing violence through song lyrics, although they experience far less criticism and branding from audiences when doing so. There is an assumed exception among white critics and white artists themselves who deem their expression of violence as more appropriate than rap’s, simply because they lack imposing stigmas attached to their race and
The music industry’s history is a convoluted mess. There is no real consensus on what the music industry IS and what paths it has taken. Were the Beatles the greatest band to ever exist? Maybe. Is there a hyper objectification of women throughout the “men’s club” that is the music industry? Probably. It’s this hard to define, frankly confusing business that is worth roughly $130 billion dollars today. With it’s flimsy and opaque edges, can the music industry ever be called into question on its wrongdoings? The racist undertone throughout its history may force it to. With the music industry as an ever growing business that seems to change almost every decade, the one thing that has not changed throughout time is an undercurrent of racism that
...atching MTV music shows or any music channel on television. As we continue to watch these programs, we will then notice that almost all the rap and hip-hop artists being shown are African-Americans. It is the particular lifestyle, and behaviour that is connected to what particular artists chose to vocalize about. This usually can harm the image of African-Americans due to the fact that many artists aid in the misconceptions of their particular race such as the example provided with 50 Cent’s song entitled P.I.M.P. These lyrics and song titles simply reinforce the negative image some individuals may have of both Caucasian’s and people of colour. Rap and hip-hop is one of the most intimate, personal, legitimate and important art form. Instead of perpetuating injustice, and prejudice artists should be addressing these different issues in a different matter.
Dixon, Travis L., TaKeshia Brooks. “Rap Music and Rap Audiences: Controversial Themes, Psychological Effects and Political Resistance.” Perspectives. 7 April 2009. .
White privilege is associated with rights or immunities given to an individual and provided as a particular benefit or favor because they are White. The advantages are given to white people due to societal racism. White privilege exists unconsciously and it is usually not obvious to White