Hip-hop and rap have been the mainstay for youth for several years. Artists of today such as Drake, Chris Brown and The Weeknd are widely known by individuals of all ages for their catchy songs and memorable beats. Their music is commonly used in movies, advertisements, and stores worldwide. This fact alone stems an issue; artists today create songs in hopes of being promoted on a popular television show or the next Fast and the furious trailer, not to tell a story as their predecessors did. Think about the last song you listened to, did you fully comprehend what the artist was saying? Do you remember the songs meaning, or do you only remember the song because of its catchy beat? The meaning behind the rap genre is being diminished as the year’s …show more content…
Rap was not limited to being broadcasted through radios and downloaded onto phones, it could also be successfully used on television to tell stories. One particular example is the introduction to the once popular television show The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. I remember as a child, as many children born before the year 2000 may remember, how fascinating it was to listen to this introduction. Will Smith was able to tell a direct story about his life while making words rhyme and making the lyrics memorable. A section of this introduction song reads “I was shootin’ some b-ball outside of the school when a couple of guys who were up to no good, started making trouble in my neighborhood, I got in one little fight and my mom got scared and said 'You 're movin ' with your auntie and uncle in Bel Air '”. His words communicated a clear story in a way that could easily be remembered and is a prime example of a story being told through rap. A recent example of a story told through rap is a song called Where you at by artists Future and drake where they explain how fame can make people claim to be affiliated with you when in reality they were never there. A popular line from this song is when Drake says “Where were you? When all the dogs needed help? Lawyers and the commissary ain’t gon’ pay itself. Where were you when we …show more content…
Several years ago during the Compton drug epidemic, where poverty stricken residential areas were being destroyed by tanks under suspicion of cooking cocaine, individuals were not able to express their concerns through the news or through articles because they were never given a chance. So, some individuals stepped up and expressed themselves in the only way they could gain attention through; rap. A month before the Los Angeles riots a man named Toddy Tee wrote a song named “Batterram” about the drug epidemic. he says “you’re mistaken my pad for a rock house, well I know to you we all look the same, but in not the one slingin’ Caine, I work 9-5 ain’t a damn thing changed”. What Toddy Lee portrays here is what police were doing in the 1980’s to innocent African Americans that worked normal jobs, and he knew he could only commincate these lyrics to the entire world through rap. It is a rarity these days for rappers and hip-hop artists to talk about real world issues that affect the masses, rather than their current focuses on money, women and
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...
The lyrics in today’s hip hop music are completely pointless. An example of this is 2Chainz “Birthday Song,” in which the rapper says, “She got a big booty so I call her Big Booty,” the song continues with “I’m in the kitchen, yams everywhere.” The majority of hip hop songs on the radio involve three main themes: money, drugs, and women. Rappers brag about the massive amount of money they have, along with their intake of drugs. Hip hop also sexually degrades women by labeling them with offensive words, and overall all being very misogynistic towards women. The message that the new hip hop today is sending is incredibly negative for the audience as well. The negative message that the music is sending poses a large effect on the young listeners. Young listeners are influenced by the antagonistic lyrics in these hip hop songs that they are listening to. Unlike today’s hip hop, old school rap music had meaningful lyrics and when hip hop went to the mainstream media the message was destroyed. Old school rap music has lyrical significance. Rappers wrote lyrics about important subjects such as racial inequality, politics, life struggles, and police brutality. An example of a lyric with actual meaning is N.W.A.’s “Express Yourself,” “I’m expressing with my full capabilities. And now I’m living in correctional facilities.” This lyric explains how the very act communicating their beliefs will cause trouble and could possibly lead to
Since the early to mid 90’s, hip-hop has undergone changes that purists would consider degenerating to its culture. At the root of these changes is what has been called “commercial hip-hop". Commercial hip-hop has deteriorated what so many emcees in the 80’s tried to build- a culture of music, dance, creativity, and artistry that would give people not only something to bob their head to, but also an avenue to express themselves and deliver a positive message to their surroundings.
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)
Since hip-hop has expanded from the undergrounds in Bronx in the 70’s it has grew into a popular accepted music genre. Consequently, as it progressed from the golden age it gradually grew away from its original roots. If one were to evaluate the change of lyrics in hip-hop, they would see a difference between early hip-hop and today’s hip-hop. The current state of hip-hop is in a stage where things like hey young world are outdated. Instead of broadcasting out a positive message, hip-hop sends out a message of sex, drug, and violence. The early musicians who helped solidify hip-hop, by producing music that told stories on subjects of race, respect, or even music that had a positive message.
“Hip hop has been named the most influential musical genre to emerge since 1960, beating the British invasion of the Rolling Stones and The Beatles, soul, punk, prog rock, heavy metal, disco and many more in a new study” (Von Radowitz and Webb).
Music can be a very fun topic to discuss. Many people have different preferences or other first choices in the type of music they listen to. I like many different types of music. But as any other person I have one I prefer. Me, being the normal teenager, I prefer hip-hop.
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.
In the culture of Hip, Hop rap began to rap in the streets expressing their thought and opinion through their songs, to get the attention of people. The attention the rappers wanted was to be heard and wanted other people to feel connected. In that time period, rappers became more popular because of what they produce based on their feelings. The rappers used their music to
These are the kinds of music that often use violent lyrics and violent beats, depicting urban street gangs. Typical themes and ideas deal with street life including pimping, and hustling as well as killing and shooting (Malek 108). “I’m bout to bust some some shots off. I’m ‘bout to dust some cops off” (Ice-T). The lyrics of Ice-T’s Cop Killer evoked a loud outcry about whether ideas about killing police officers should be expressed publicly. It is not only the violent ideas expressed within the lyrics, but the context of which they are expressed. Rap is criticized because rappers are known to “sing of guns with almost lascivious glee”. They talk about their “pieces” or “glocks”, “ninas” or pistols as the “object of their affections”
Has Hip-Hop given us a warning of change or is it simply a part of musical evolution? In “Hip Hop Planet” by James Mcbride he argues that hip hop is destructive to our society. Hip hop provides a variety of beats, intense rhymes, and yet provocative language. The author has many negative views on the genre but sees some positive influence. With this said, his warning to our future generations can be challenged. Hip hop can have a negative impact on young adults but it also provides large amounts of support to people who struggle with similar complications.
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.
Dixon, Travis L., TaKeshia Brooks. “Rap Music and Rap Audiences: Controversial Themes, Psychological Effects and Political Resistance.” Perspectives. 7 April 2009. .
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).