themes
GLORIFYING VIOLENCE
'Gangsta rap' is a hip-hop sub genre that focuses primarily on the negative aspects of inner city life. The lyrics often glorify criminal activity and degrade women. This genre of hip-hop has been a source of tremendous controversy and is often cited as the cause of the increase in violence within communities. This is particularly true amongst black youth as they think its cool to act what is said in the lyrics. According to federal statistics cited by the "Charlottesville Daily Progress," homicide is the leading cause of death for black men between the ages of 15 and 34.Many gangsta hip-hop artists justify the connotations of their music by claiming they are only retelling the experiences of their lives on the streets when they were growing up. However, close analysis of the song lyrics often reveals a plethora of curse words and no substance. According to commentators such as those found on Urban Dictionary.com, many artists have been forced to create artificial 'gangsta' images for the sake of a lucrative career. Many young people idolise these artists and imitate their behaviour, which is one example of how rap music isn't benefiting society.
SEXUALISATION
A topic that has heated up recently is the sexualisation of women not only in the lyrics of rap music, but more importantly the visual representation of women in music videos. The popularity of music videos has reinforced the overt sexuality found in hip-hop music. Women in these videos are often scantily clothed and use their bodies to get material things. Young women are surrounded by these negative images, and many have adapted their lifestyles to fit them. Black Entertainment Television (BET) broadcasts approximately 15 hours of music video each day. According to the research of Carolyn West (University of Washington), " many of the young women who watch these videos do not believe they can be successful without using their bodies." This is a terrible consequence and degrading women should not occur in society.
'Gangsta rap' is a hip-hop sub genre that focuses primarily on the negative aspects of inner city life. The lyrics often glorify criminal activity and degrade women. This genre of hip-hop has been a source of tremendous controversy and is often cited as the cause of the increase in violence within communities. This is particularly true amongst black youth as they think its cool to act what is said in the lyrics. According to federal statistics cited by the "Charlottesville Daily Progress," homicide is the leading cause of death for black men between the ages of 15 and 34.Many gangsta hip-hop artists justify the connotations of their music by claiming they are only retelling the experiences of their lives on the streets when they were growing up. However, close analysis of the song lyrics often reveals a plethora of curse words and no substance. According to commentators such as those found on Urban Dictionary.com, many artists have been forced to create artificial 'gangsta' images for the sake of a lucrative career. Many young people idolise these artists and imitate their behaviour, which is one example of how rap music isn't benefiting society.
SEXUALISATION
A topic that has heated up recently is the sexualisation of women not only in the lyrics of rap music, but more importantly the visual representation of women in music videos. The popularity of music videos has reinforced the overt sexuality found in hip-hop music. Women in these videos are often scantily clothed and use their bodies to get material things. Young women are surrounded by these negative images, and many have adapted their lifestyles to fit them. Black Entertainment Television (BET) broadcasts approximately 15 hours of music video each day. According to the research of Carolyn West (University of Washington), " many of the young women who watch these videos do not believe they can be successful without using their bodies." This is a terrible consequence and degrading women should not occur in society.
DRUG USE
The promotion of drug use is consistently found through rap verses and often glorified. Rappers fail to show the negatives and the consequences of using and doing them. You’ll hear in multiple rap songs how they hustled in the corner to gain streetcred and eventually become wealthy and live “large” as they would say. Young and poor youths from the ghetto are the most impressionable. If he can do it, why can’t I. The music videos only exhibit the women cars and houses, who wouldn’t want that. 2008 article on sciencedaily.com found that drug references in rap songs had increased sixfold since 1979. The same study also found that drug references had evolved from cautionary tales to stories that glamorised illegal drug use.
The promotion of drug use is consistently found through rap verses and often glorified. Rappers fail to show the negatives and the consequences of using and doing them. You’ll hear in multiple rap songs how they hustled in the corner to gain streetcred and eventually become wealthy and live “large” as they would say. Young and poor youths from the ghetto are the most impressionable. If he can do it, why can’t I. The music videos only exhibit the women cars and houses, who wouldn’t want that. 2008 article on sciencedaily.com found that drug references in rap songs had increased sixfold since 1979. The same study also found that drug references had evolved from cautionary tales to stories that glamorised illegal drug use.
EGOTISTICAL
There are a number of rappers that are quite egotistical and many rap songs can be basically be boiled down to "I'm the best, toughest, and hardest. Don't agree with me, I'll prove it"?
The scary thing is that this mentality seems to be contagious and when combined with the glorification of violence, we have people murdering other people for inconsequential slights. We've gone from "words will never hurt me" to "stick and stones may break my bones, but words will cause me to get a bunch of friends, drive by your house, pepper it will bullets, kill you, maim your girlfriend, kill the little girl playing out front, and get myself imprisoned
throughout the formative years of my adult life so I have destroyed whatever opportunity my life may have held. "
According to a study conducted by the American Journal of Public Health from 1996-99 on African-American teenage girls participants who were exposed to rap music videos were "3 times more likely to have hit a teacher; more than 2.5 times as likely to have been arrested; 2 times as likely to have had multiple sexual partners; and more than 1.5 times as likely to have acquired a new sexually transmitted disease, used drugs, and used alcohol over the 12-month follow-up period."
There are a number of rappers that are quite egotistical and many rap songs can be basically be boiled down to "I'm the best, toughest, and hardest. Don't agree with me, I'll prove it"?
The scary thing is that this mentality seems to be contagious and when combined with the glorification of violence, we have people murdering other people for inconsequential slights. We've gone from "words will never hurt me" to "stick and stones may break my bones, but words will cause me to get a bunch of friends, drive by your house, pepper it will bullets, kill you, maim your girlfriend, kill the little girl playing out front, and get myself imprisoned
throughout the formative years of my adult life so I have destroyed whatever opportunity my life may have held. "
According to a study conducted by the American Journal of Public Health from 1996-99 on African-American teenage girls participants who were exposed to rap music videos were "3 times more likely to have hit a teacher; more than 2.5 times as likely to have been arrested; 2 times as likely to have had multiple sexual partners; and more than 1.5 times as likely to have acquired a new sexually transmitted disease, used drugs, and used alcohol over the 12-month follow-up period."