The American Legal System through the Eyes of Hip-Hop

“Do Hip Hop Lyrics Deserve Bad Rap.” Brooklyn Today. March 2011. Web. 21 April 2014. Stoute, Steve.

Tupac told his life, from the beginning to the end, in his music. He was in a gang, he did drugs, and he was also known as a “thug.” If peop... ... middle of paper ... ...ofound impact on the African American community in the United States. Rappers want to make people aware of the obstacles faced in urban society. Although the media reports the crime and violence, the rapper gives an overall view of the negative, as well as trying to produce the positive. The violence, sex, and drugs come with the rap music because that was apart of the lifestyle that the artist lives.

In 1964 the Civil Rights Act was passed to outlaw discrimination due to ones skin color. Although this act was passed we still continue to live in a society where discrimination is quite relevant but systemized. Through Michelle Alexander's book we can understand her argument that there is a new form of legal discrimination although laws state that discriminating an individual because of their race is illegal. Michelle explains that there is a current mass incarceration among black men in the United States. The use of, possession of, or selling drugs is illegal but it has been systematically created that laws make it impossible to.

The dynamic duo mentioned here certainly aren’t the only members of this ilk, nor are they unique specimens of any particular breed. In fact, they could even be labeled as poster children for the hip-hop culture. Indeed, many people have encountered similar “thugs” and “thuggish” activity, the putting-down others and degrading society, seemingly as they wish. This has caused a general fear of most of these types of people, in addition to staining the mind of the American consciousness with the thought that this is somehow “cute” or a passing trend. To this effect, the hip-hop culture is the most detrimental to the American consciousness, because of its poor moral code and mental attitude that produces underperforming citizens.

It can also be used to give people ideas on how they can help better these negative happenings. Generally rap music, whether you believe it is negative or positive, can be agreed that it is one thing by all people, and that is, influential. People all around the world are influenced by music, but gangster rap has its own type of influence. “In 1992, former vice-president, Dan Quayle, (R) called for Interscope to stop selling Tupac Shakur's album entitled 2pacalypse Now because it had been linked to a murder in Texas. Nineteen-year-old Ronald Howard said that after listening to cassettes of rap music, including music by Shakur, he was influenced to kill a policeman.

25 February 2010. URL: http://www.psychology.iastate.edu/~dgentile/106027_08.pdf Quinn, Eithne. Nuthin’ but a “G” thang: The Culture and Commerce of Gangsta Rap. New York: Columbia University Press, 2005. Tropeano, Eliana.

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.

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. Even before the party in the Bronx rap music made a mark. Some say it originated in Jamaican under th... ... middle of paper ... ...mages of Violence in Rap Music Lyrics: 1979-1997” Journal of Public Health Policy, Vol.

"Rapper Nas Says Maybe Hip Hop Isn't Dead After All." Wall Street Journal, 20 May 2010. Web. Merwin, Scott. "From Kool Herc to 50 Cent, the Story of Rap -- so Far."

The problem lies here as “the ways in which rap has been consumed has had a deleterious (harmful) affect on how black people have been viewed not only in the united States but also globally” (Belle 2014.) By reducing an entire culture to a few stereotypes not only are you erasing the previous history of their race and the struggles they’ve been through but it also removes their individual identities and leads to an idea of them all being the same which doesn’t let them express themselves