Violence In Rap Music Essay

Violence is something you see everywhere around the world. Although rap music has become one of the most popular genres of music, and it seems there is no way to slow down the amount of violence in the songs, teenagers are becoming more violent because of the music, so the artists should rethink their lyrics. Jeanita Richardson, author from “Journal of Negro education” says that “As a result, of the prevalence of violence in music, movies, television and video games, America has nurtured an environment that some have come to call a culture of violence”(Richardson, 2002). In many places, particularly bad neighborhoods, teens are influenced heavily by rap music, and those areas are also known to have much higher crime and violence rates than other neighborhoods. These kids in bad neighborhoods are being raised listening to rap music, which
talks about owning guns, being in gangs, and many other violent acts. Over the years, rap music has been becoming more popular, but lately, it is becoming the most popular music genre in America. Therefore, it is no wonder why when somebody turns on the news, the majority of what they hear is “Episodes of violence litter the daily reality of some urban youth”(Richardson, 2002). Not only is rap music making teens more violent, it is making them sexist in some cases. Many rap songs mention violence against women, which includes rape. “Gangsta rap gained notoriety, in part, due to its misogynist themes”.(Richardson, 2002). These kids, violent and misogynistic, use this music as their inspiration. Rap music certainly isn't the only genre of music that is offensive and violent, but of all the genres that are, it is the worst, and it has by far the biggest impact on today's youth.
Many rappers have their own specific style of rap that tells a story of their lives, but while doing this, they also use an abundance of profanity, make many references about violence, and sometimes even killing. Snoop Dogg is a rapper who is guilty of doing this. John Leland, author of the article “Criminal Records: Gangsta rap and the culture of violence” says that “Snoop Doggy Dogg is not everyone's idea of a role model”(Leland, 1993). Kids in today's age that listen to this type of music think otherwise however. “Rappers may send a specific message to certain people”(Leland, 1993). The people who use rappers as role models are getting influenced negatively, and are more violent because of it. Rap music also objectifies women, and those who like rap, even the women, continue to support it. Many things are said about rap, such as that the beat and the tune is what people like about it, but the lyrics clearly still have an effect on
them. With the people that say that rap music is too violent and misogynistic, there also come those who say that there is nothing wrong with rap, and that it should remain the way it is. Rap, of course, isn't the only genre of music that either mentions violence, or has artists that have had run ins with the police. Lorne Manly states in her article “Violent lyrics in rap songs play contested role in murder cases” that “If you aspire to be a gangsta rapper, by definition your lyrics need to be violent”(Manly, 2014). If your lyrics are not violent, it goes against the standard set by modern day rappers. The way that rap music is being produced, there seems to be no way to stop the amount of violence in it, but supporters of rap don't seem to care about any of that. In his article “Hip hop objectifies Women, but so does society” Thembi Ford states that “Hip hop artists are usually proud of their misogyny, while filmmakers and other musicians tend to smirk and claim to simply be reflecting reality with their work”(Ford, 2013). Fans of rap don't think that rappers should change the way they do things, because the genre is thriving, and most rappers seem to be telling a story of their lives in their music. The rap music industry has been gaining a substantial amount of popularity over the years. Early rap contained lyrics of violence and misogyny, and that hasn't changed at all. Teenagers today, and even children are growing up listening to rap, and the lyrics are influencing them by making them want to shoot people, and be violent against women. these lyrics, although very popular, should not be used in music, because all you see on the news these days is mass shootings and other forms of violence, and rap is more popular now than it has been in past years. Rap music certainly isn't the only cause of increased violence, but it is one of the biggest factors.