Influence of Rap

Influence of Rap Music

Today, Rap has become the most popular type of music in the US. Many people listen to music while they drive their cars, are at work, do housework, and study, etc. Music as we know it today is the voice of a generation. It gives us entertainment, and speaks out for a community of people in many ways. Most people listen to at least some sort of music, and serve a purpose. Just about any expression can be shared through music. Rap is one type of fastest growing music in the United States. Rap music comes from the streets using street slang incorporated in the music. When I was thinking about the topics given to us in class, I thought rap music would be an interesting topic to pursue. Also I wanted to have a topic that would be easy to research, and if I were to interview others, I could get a lot of feedback. At first I wanted to talk about rap music only and how it affects teens, but during my research, I found that rap music also affects our society as well.

The article "Does Rap Put Teens at Risk?" by Sid Kirchheimer mostly talks about the young teen's behavior changes when they spend more time watching sex and violence in rap music videos. It also talks about black girls between the age 14 to 18 from non-urban lower socioeconomic neighborhoods who view these videos at least 14 hrs per week, they were far more likely to practice destructive behavior. As I observe today's teenagers, it is true that the first thing they will do when they get into their cars is to turn on the radio. They flip through the channels, hoping to find that latest hit that all the stations are playing.

We all know in almost any generation, the behavior and beliefs of the majority of pre-teens and teens can be differentiated with those of the popular music artists of that time. In fact, some parents would compare themselves with their children and could see a huge different especially in behavior. Rap music has not only affected young teens, but it has also affected our surrounding and our society. Gangster rap is one of the current problems of society. In the article "Rap music promotes violence" by Alison Langley, a South Carolina Detective Ernest Cuthbertson said that, "A recent study of rap videos revealed 75 percent contain sexually suggestive images that demoralize women and 57 percent glorify violence." Most of the kids who listen to rap music have no clue whatsoever about what that song means. Despite its entertainment value, I think gangsta' rap misleads our teens by showing them that violence and aggressiveness is acceptable behavior; and unless government officials decide to make a change, gangster rap will continue to influence the behavior of young teens for the worst. Almost every teenager has that song memorized, or it could be one of their favorite songs. I really think that parents should really get involved with the music their children listen and to make sure that whatever kids are doing is appropriate. It is parents' duty to know what their children doing they are the one who can tell their kids why not to listen to some particular music and how it is not worth listen to. Parents are becoming concerned about the potentially misleading content of violent themes and lyrics in gangster rap.

This brings me to the next discussion on language and lyrics that these artist use in their songs. Throughout the past years, rap and all other types of music, artist use their music to express their views, opinions and feelings in their songs. From their lyrics, teens will have a little understanding towards what the artists see and feel about the society. As rap music developed and more artists started bringing their own styles to the rap community, more messages are expressed to the public. Rap artists in their first couple albums told the story of their lives and how hard it was for them before the fame and glory they live today. I think some people can thrive on that, and, in turn, it will motivate them to do something for the greater good because they can relate to the experiences and the hard times rap artists have gone through. But now most of the songs include violence, sex and words that are not advisable for teens who are listing. For example, the article, "Your children are rap victims" by James Delingpole mostly talks about Eminem who is the biggest rap star ever. Delingpole points out that how Eminem in his "Kill You" song suggests to the young teens that are his fans about taking drugs, raping sluts, taking weed and pills, killing people and dropping out of school. One reason why rap impacts kids so much is that some rappers rap about sex and drugs in almost every song or lyrics or albums, and kids or young teens who look up to these rappers, think if its okay for those famous people to do it, then the teens can start to use illegal things and to go against