Hip-hop is a form of popular music that’s comprised mainly of emceeing and deejaying. As hip-hop continues to evolve into a successful enterprise, it has emerged into trends, such as clothing styles, improper dialogue known as slang, and an overall general mindset. While the secular industry of hip-hop promotes sex, drugs, and violence, to name a few; the Christian objective of hip-hop is to encourage you to devalue the idolization of these things, and look to your creator rather than “creation.”…
This article is a response to Kevin Powell’s article “Notes of a Hip Hop Head”. In his article, Kevin states “just as it was unfair to demonize men of color in the 60’s solely as wild-eyed radicals when what they wanted, amidst their fury, was a little freedom and a little power, today it is wrong to categorically dismiss hip-hop without…
Culturally, hip-hop has affected how people behave, think, and what is important to African Americans. Since it emerged and became popular hip-hop has affected African-Americans in a negative way. In the majority of hip-hop songs there is the presence of violence, sex, drugs, misogyny, and money. These characteristics are violent and may lead to it being acceptable in African…
Although some people believe hip hop has a positive influence on young people not ALL hip hop is positive. “Rappers” like Young Thug has literally no purpose. He’s just rapping to be famous and take advantage of girls. People like him make a bad name for hip hop. Most listens to his songs just for the hype. “Prior research has linked levels of exposure to rap music with a range of undesirable health behavior” (Ethnic Identity,Self-Esteem, and Variability in Perceptions of Raps). Hip hop has been found linked to the cause of disrespectful behaviors in this…
Like Minstrelsy, Hip Hop music is steeped in images and iconography relating to African American culture and is popular with predominantly white audiences. Author Bakari Kitwana explores the multi-racial appeal of Hip Hop music in his book Why White Kids Love Hip Hop: Wangstas, Wiggers, Wannabes, and the New Reality of Race in America…
Throughout any culture religion has had a strong influence and presence on many things and continues to be influential. For example, religions have influenced the food we eat, the video games we play, the sports we watch, and more. It is also present in many of the shows people watch without them knowing. There is so many things influenced by religion it’s amazing to look at it all. Another one is the music we listen to. If the words hip hop or rap music are used in the same sentence with the Christian religion many would not understand as rap is viewed negatively in the Christian church by many. But in fact, Christianity has been playing a huge role influencing hip hop music and it is now being spread throughout the Christian church. Christianity has influenced hip hop by creating many new concepts, artist that rap only about a life with God, songs being written revolving around having faith in God, and the culture divide and spread of hip hop music throughout Christin religions and the increasing popularly it has created.…
Hip-hop can destroy other citizens. For instance, violence in some songs cause the youth to starts fights and also kill themselves. On the other hand, gangs and street thugs are a few examples. However, teenagers are starting to kills, steals, vandalize. Therefore, hip-hop culture and movement has an negative impact on contemporary African American identities based on how they represent themselves. This is due to the fact it promotes an unhealthy lifestyle towards attitudes and behaviors of American Youth. In addition, it teaches African American youth to use profanity. Furthermore, American youth do not have a role model when listening to hip-hop.…
To start at the roots of hip hop however you can clearly see that the message of the music was not to promote violence, but to help curb crime and show that it’s not glamorous. During the 1980’s you had artists like Grand Master Flash, and Public Enemy who preached black empowerment, and left imparting lessons that didn’t hinder but allow black culture to grow, as well as morale. This leads people to pondering nowadays, what happened to this once positive, intelligent music that defined a race and culture? You have 12 year old children listening to vulgar raps about sex, and prostitution, and for black kids in poor ghetto neighborhoods this fantasy driven music glamorizing crime, is seen as the sole “voice” for these children ultimately view that lifestyle as the true way they should be acting. It is as if hip hop music is still attempting to sell this image of the crime life, even when most of the artists have all the money in the world. Hip hop basically reversed the accomplishments of the black community, disguising itself as pertaining a…
However, if black men hurt women through male violence, then they should save themselves and the race by resisting. Many progressive women realize they should criticize the disadvantages of hip-hop rather than keep silence. They also find the women who love hip-hop can become great leaders that create terms to protect black women from attack. However, the public debates on hip-hop always keep black women out of the conversation who are supposed to be the most powerful individuals to object the hip-hop. If normal people comment too much on hip-hop, then others will think they are anti-hip hop. Moreover, if these people comment on aspects other than sexism in hip-hop, it will make those artists who insulate women become more powerful. Progressive black feminist should be the central of the debate, and then the public will focus on sexism and take steps to protect black women. As many women are ignored in the hip-hop war, they decide to make change to gain extensive attention. For example, many women play in clubs until they hear songs that are very offensive, and then they will leave at the same time. This strategy is very useful to eliminate sexism because it can attract more women to join in and gain attentions from others in the club. And then others will find something is wrong and they will realize those offensive songs are bad. Public debates always turn things into a “blame and explain” situation where one group blame and the other side explain, but it does not solve the sexism in the hip-hop. Thus, when talking about hip-hop, people should put black women in the central of the debate because these women have the strongest power to depict how hip-hop influences them, and then the public will focus on how to free these women from…
In the 1980s, we saw many different genres of music emerge, genres such as Pop, Rock, and R&B. But a new genre emerged that sparked a lot of controversy: “Gangsta Rap” otherwise known as Hip Hop. Rappers/Rap groups such as NWA, Run DMC, Big Daddy Kane, and more changed the industry with catchy tunes and lyrics that talked about hard topics like slavery, violence, and police brutality. These lyrics sometimes caused major conflict, whether between races or with civilians and police. Hip Hop was very controversial in the 80s. “Gangsta rap” has caused a lot of controversy, many people protested this music in the late 80s and 90s due to the message within its lyrics and what those lyrics conveyed. Many accused “Gangsta Rap” for promoting things such as crime, killings, profanity, drugs, sex, racism, and more. But Gangsta rap doesn’t influence this type of lifestyle; it’s telling a story/conveying a message of the individuals who wrote the lyrics.…
Media often paints a different picture than as seen by the eye. Often heard on the headlines are the bad and the ugly never the good. One picture that is often skewed by the media is that of hip hop. It is often heard that this genre is a negative influence on children, as the message put out by these rappers is not appropriate for today’s youth. The lifestyle is too violent and the lyrics are too harsh. All this is skewed in the wrong direction. As the hip hop genre is impactful and helpful for the youth of the world.…
The moral focus on music should be about respect. Even tough some individuals doesn't have a problem with not respecting themselves by exploiting their personal lives but, exploiting the individuals that lives in the similar situations is completely wrong. This writer had experienced many biases and ideas from white people that were totally wrong. They believed since the writer is black, he has experiences violence which is depicted in highly publicizes hip hop music. People from other culture listen to hip hop music and has formulated thoughts from the language and actions of the music. At times, many individuals who are black understands that people from other cultures believes that they all from broken homes and know somebody that sells narcotics. Now the black culture is misrepresented and has trouble erasing that…
Hip-Hop lyrics describe extremely violent acts that include guns, beatings, and murder. The songs seem to be condoning this behavior and are mostly performed by African American males. By seeing a black man singing lyrics such as, “I’m just waiting for a fool/ so I can use his blood for my backyard pool” (The Terrorists f/ Point Blank, “Dead Bodies” 1991) or “Crack that jaw, what’s more bring it/ Ill rip your fuckin’ arm out the socket if you swing it” (Apache “A Fight” 1992), endorses the idea that African Americans are prone to violence and killing.…
In recent years, controversy in Hip-hop culture has been in the mix of America media. From the hype of the lyrics and the impact that Hip-hop music has on the youth. It seems that political and media groups have been quick to place all of the blame on rap music for the trend in youth violence from the murders and the gang related problems. However, forms of music cannot be understood unless you study the fame of its historical and social context. Hip-hop culture reflects the young, urban, working-class African Americans and uses the voice to express the views of the everyday life and the struggle. Now in the pop culture Hip Hop music popularity has grown, and now commercialization has took place and the culture and the origin is controlled by the music industry.…
Hip hop is one of the most controversial and beloved genres of music amongst the youth and working class culture of the 20th century (Aldridge et al. 2016). Even though it is popularized as just a form of music, some would argue that it is a lifestyle that transcends borders. It is an art form that has been driven through the social, economic, and cultural realities that individuals face on a daily basis while sampling jazz, rock, blues, and soul to compose a breed of its own (Aldridge et al. 2016, Rice 2003). The imbedded realities within hip hop create a social consciousness that reflect the ideologies of the Civil Rights Movement and serves as a positive outlet that lets the youth express their frustrations while pushing towards a solution…