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Rap music history
Effect of rap
evolution of rap music and its effect on society
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Rap Music Since the late 1980's rap music has been called the Anti Christ in our culture, because of it's so-called influence in people's life. People swear up and down that the music is why people, specially the youth resort to violent crimes. I think by saying this they are trying to cover up the real truth by giving simple answers. Rap is defined as a style of popular music consisting of improvised rhymes performed to a rhythmic accompaniment. The first rap song was made in the late 70's, the songs were seven to eight minutes long and was mostly used in small clubs to dance to. It didn't really become popular until the early 80's. Over the years it has become mainstream music, everyone is listening to it. In the last four years rap made up 60% of music bought in stores in the United States. In 1989 a local group called N.W.A.(Niggaz Wit Attitudes) came from out of L.A. and changed rap, which was the start of Gangsta Rap. In their lyrics they talked about crime, street violence and killing. Once they were a huge hit, it caught on, and really that's when all this madness started. Everyone started rapping Gangsta style. More and more people started rapping about police brutality and killing people and with that crime rose to high levels. In my opinion it's not the artists or the record company's fault that crime rose. It's not their responsibility to look after every person who listens to their music. In all these years of rap though there are three people who took the most criticism from the public. Dr. Dre was one, after N.W.A. broke up he went on to do his own thing, and after he released "The Chronic" he became a star.
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,
Music reflects the times. In the 60's and 70's, musicians preached peace and empathy towards the human race. In the 80's music was a form of rebellion. Today, music has manifested itself into many different forms, one being "hip hop" more commonly known as "rap". In the early 80's, rap was about break-dancing and graffiti. Now, as we approach the year 2000, hip hop has become the most listened-to form of music nation-wide and many rap artists have adopted the new title of "pop-artists", pop. meaning "popular culture". A hip hop single recently took the number 1 spot on the Billboard charts for most sales recorded. The problem here is the message many rappers are telling the world. From the beginning, rappers have flaunted their money with the expensive cars seen in their videos and the thick gold chains they wear in public, not to mention the numerous references made to wealth in their lyrics. However, many rappers are telling tales of violence and wealth as one. In fact, there are more than 10 hip hop songs actually entitled "Crime Pays". In the chart topping single, "Money, Power, Respect", Yonkers based rapper DMX raps "hit him up/ split him up/ shut him up/ then watch him come/ get him up…CLICK, step back like I did work", portraying a beating, then murder, the "CLICK" being the sound made by the trigger of a gun. The chorus then goes on to proclaim "Money, Power, Respect,...
Many people do not like rap music because they say that it is too violent or the people that are involved are just very violent. Many people say this because most people who rap or listen to rap music, grew up in the “Ghetto”. The “Ghetto” is a place no one wants to be because it is very violent, hearing gunshots and people screaming and fighting because of the situation they are in. The people in the ghetto are in a bad situation because...
“The Hip Hop Wars What We Talk About - And Why It Matters” by Tricia Rose explores what hip hop has done to society in recent years and what people think it has caused. Though it has become one of the most commercially successful genres in mainstream music Tricia Rose explains that the topics in hip hop music have narrowed. Commercial hip hop mainly consist of black gangstas, thugs, pimps, and hoes. In the book she looks into the different points of views of people who think whether hip hop invokes violence or if it reflects life in a black ghetto and if it slows down advancement for African Americans in US. The author goes back and forth with the opinion of the mass on hip hop, she says people view hip hop as a music like heavy metal which people associate with violence but she refutes most of these points by showing the positives of hip hop.
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.
How does certain music attract its audience? Specifically Hip Hop. People all over the country seem to be really attracted to that genre of music. But for some reason over the years, a different sort of audience has been taking an interest in the genre. Middle class youth seems to be enjoying this music more and more each day. Rap and Hip Hop at times can speak about the harsh lives these artists have lived through, or it can talk about the money and fame that comes with it. Why does middle class youth enjoy this genre so much? Some people would think that these kids are living vicariously through these artists. Listening to this music allows them to romanticize the life of “the gangster” with no real risk to themselves. The aspect of fame
Rap is becoming more popular than ever, soon most of the world will have some type of knowledge of rap music. Rachel Sullivan from the University of Connecticut stated “White respondents in this survey had difficulty naming three rap artists, which indicated that they did not have a high level of commitment to the music.” This statement was produced in 2003, also seemed to be very one dimensional. Recently, rap music has been surging through the masses no matter the race. Furthermore, rap is becoming very prevalent especially in the youth of this era. Many trends, commercials, social media, etc. are revolving around rap music.
Soon, corporate record labels started to repackage rap music as it gained in popularity. The business minded executives were looking to create a wider appeal by erasing hip-hop's historic function. Hip-hop became a business. Rap music was a valuable commodity. In the 1980s, the music was sold back to the streets through marketing ploys such as videos and Top 40 charts. With the rise of rap, a sub-genre called gangsta rap was started. Many rappers went from talking about how they want the killing to stop to talking about them being the ones doing the killing. By the late 1990s, gangsta rap became more common. Many artists did as the records labels wished, to write lyrics that sell. Audiences became more ethnically and economically diverse. Gangsta rap was successfully marketed to rebellious teens in both the inner cities and the suburbs. Business minded artists were pressured to take on the role of "gangsta" or "playa" or "pimp" which lead to large paychecks. Why does this version of rap sell? Because America, especially it's youth, loves sex, drugs and violence.
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...
From the 2pacs of the world to the Ludacris’s, rap has rapidly transitioned into the music industry in the past twenty-five years to become a global art form for many around the globe. However, much like every other form of music, rap has listeners who don’t approve of it, therefore accusing the genre of causing violent-oriented influence on the youth. This is where Eminem would be introduced to the topic; Eminem is one of the world's best-selling music artists. He has been listed and ranked as one of the greatest artists of all time by many magazines, Selling more than 80 million albums and over 120 million singles worldwide. Being as well renowned as he is, he works as a clear-cut example of many other artists who are accused of being an influence for violence for the youth. Music much like everything else could be altered towards the bad however, it depends on what you take from it; even the youth should have a certain sense of differentiation, which in this case is being able to take the positive from rap.
Rap music is on its way to becoming one of the most popular forms of music on the market today. Although rap has only been popular for the last 15 years, it can be traced back to the days of slavery and even further to the tribes of Africa. Rap is used now as it was used for the past few centuries, as a form of communication. This music has been a way for the young African-American's to speak out about their lives and the struggles they go through. Like rock-n-roll and other forms of music that achieve national attention, rap is being blamed for corrupting our youth. There is a new type of rap music out called "Gangster Rap". This form of rap music is not the same and should not be compared with rap durived from the hip hop era. There has been many attempts by people in the rap business to bring positive attention to their music. They are spending a lot of time promoting the "Stop the violance" campain and others that promote education and drug awareness.
Today 's rap music reflects its origin in the hip-hop culture of young, urban, working-class African-Americans, its roots in the African oral tradition, its function as the voice of an otherwise underrepresented group, and, as its popularity has grown,
Richardson, Jeanita W., Kim A. Scott. “Rap Music and Its Violent Progeny: America’s Culture of Violence in Context.” The Journal of Negro Education 71.3 (2002): 175 – 192.
anyone who I found for their definition of "hip-hop." I wasn't able to ask everyone on the floor, but I really didn't need to either. From the 15 or so people I asked, I got a similar answer, and each was that which I expected to hear. Some of my floormates thought that hip-hop was rap music, others said it was both rap and R&B, and only one person had a good idea of what it actually is. Hip-hop is a culture, and there is a common misconception that hip-hop refers solely to a genre of music.
You learn so much about a rapper, and all the hardships they had to overcome in their lives to get to where they are now, through their music. Hearing their stories, really makes me wonder that, if they can get through so many hardships, why can’t I? I use rap as motivation to achieve my goals in life, and as a stepping stone, where one day I want to be driving a million-dollar car and living in a mansion with tons of money because of my hard work, dedication and persistence. I know that in today’s society, people look down on rap due to the things that are spoken of in it and it is affecting kids. However, that applies to almost everything; somehow, somewhere someone always finds a way to find a flaw and exploit it and make it a bigger issue than it should be. I understand why people think it is wrong when rappers tell their audiences to go out and do drugs and other wrong things, however, a lot of artists have given rap a bad name, when it had really started out as a form of expression and a way to convey messages about the hardships people went through. Rap has changed remarkably from when Tupac was alive and now. There have been a plethora of rappers that have come and gone but some stuck around and produce music until this day. Additionally, rap back in the day was better than it is now because back then every song had a deeper message within it, whereas artists are mass-producing just to make money and putting less and