Preview

Effects of Music on Human Behavior Essay Example

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1771 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Effects of Music on Human Behavior Essay Example
Effects of Music on Human Behavior

As music has changed through out the years, artists have become much more lax with the message that they send to the public. As laws of censorship change, a separation of the public’s freedom of speech and the medias has become very significant. As the government cracks down, many artists fight to keep their freedom. With people blaming their actions on the lyrics of the music they are exposed to, this is going to be a hard feat for the artists to accomplish. Although the fight of the musical artists against the government has been going on for the past 20 years, it has become even more emanate now. Are the actions of people to be blamed on the music? What effect does music have on the social behavior? Should these effects make harder censorship laws, or is music protected by the Bill of Rights?

Music has become a large part of everyone’s life. Preservation of music is very important to the preservation of the american culture so these problems cannot be ignored.

The most misunderstood music is Rap. Children as well as teenagers have a hard time interpreting emotions in music (Weinberger). This misunderstanding is most relevant in rap music, because it is harder for children to relate to the artist. In cases like these, apparent or older sibling has to explain the message to the child (Weinberger).

In particular, "gangsta rap" is distinguished by lyrics that often involve references to street gangs, gunplay, sex, drug use and violence, and has been accused of extolling violent behavior. Studies have found that exposure to rap music "tends to lead to a higher degree of acceptance of the use of violence." In addition, several major rap artists have been charged with violent crimes in real life, and many worry that their actions seemingly condone the violent messages in their music. Their celebrity status also serves to glamorize their violent behavior (Mediascope).

Although there is violence, sex, and drug

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    A different point of view on this situation is that people claim music is a positive influence. Truthfully that is the most popular opinion in today’s time, but some people are on the side of it being negative. A few years ago this topic came to the surface after a radio host named Don Imus went on air [and] called women on a college basketball team, "Nappy Headed Hos". His remarks about the women set off a firestorm with people calling for him to be fired. He in turn countered and claimed that he made the unsavory remarks because he was “influenced by rap music” (Davey). By that statement alone it only seems that music is mainly a negative influence instead of a positive one,…

    • 865 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Though many have protested that “gangsta rap” is to blame for its influence in the violence, female discrimination and violent behavior that take place throughout America, others argue that it is simply the other way around, implying that the artist is influenced by his own personal experience of being a part of and/or bearing witness to violence, drugs and crime that have taken place around him thus influencing him to express himself through lyric and rhyme becoming “gangsta rap”. This leaves us to question does gangsta rap music encourage violence or does violence influence what the artist raps about?…

    • 846 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Swing Music Essay

    • 1004 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Music, a defining aspect of Human culture for centuries, is influenced heavily by the social institutions of the time. This can be most evident in “pop”, short for “popular”, music. Music is a demonstrative language of culture. It tells a story, conveys ideas, opinions, and emotions of life experiences. Music has the power to link generations. In recent history such themes include Jazz and blues, the Big Band era, country, rap, and various other genres of music. Each of these classes of music are drawn from and represent the particular culture and time of the background of the artist or the events that inspired it.…

    • 1004 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The other way media portrays violence is by music. Rappers like Eminem have violent lyrics. One example is when Eminem wanted to kill his wife and ask his daughter to help throw her mom in the bottom of the ocean because he made a bed at the bottom of the ocean. When reporters ask him why he has such violent lyrics he blames his alter ego Slim for everything that happens, with his family, and work, that is bad. “I do promote violence and I don't care.”-Eminem. Artists don’t get in trouble for the negative message they send to teens. Rap music puts teens at risk to get arrested 2.5 times more. 66% of 13- to 17-year-olds believe violence in music is partly responsible for violent crimes. Music has a big impact on a teenagers life it helps up when were down and to make us happy.…

    • 562 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    No, that's not true," says Wendy Wright of an organization, Concerned Women for America, on the enemy list of virtually all other anti-censorship supporters. "Censorship means that the government restrains speech. We are in favor of those in the music industry using common sense: In essence, that they don't promote behavior or activities that they wouldn't want committed against their wife or children." CWFA sees music the music in question as having potential to cultivate certain ideas in the minds of the youth."The argument that it does not affect kids, that it does not promote similar behavior, is ridiculous. If that were true, they would not advertise or rely on marketing – both fields depend on the fact that humans can be enticed into doing something that they wouldn't have thought up on their…

    • 599 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Elements Of Country Music

    • 935 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Music, a defining aspect of Human culture for centuries, is influenced heavily by the social institutions of the time. This can be most evident in “pop”, short for “popular”, music. Music is a demonstrative language of culture. It tells a story, conveys ideas, opinions, and emotions of life experiences. Music has the power to link generations. In recent history such themes include Jazz and blues, the Big Band era, country, rap, and various other genres of music. Each of these classes of music are drawn from and represent the particular culture and time of the background of the artist or the events that inspired it.…

    • 935 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Rap music has been around since the 1970’s. People have questioned why it has only recently gotten such bad publicity. Denise Herd did a study on rap and hip hop music to determine if the lyrics in rap music have increasingly gotten worse in promoting sexism and violence. In her study she “examined 130 platinum (rap) albums with 430 songs released from 1992 to 2002 using Anderson’s conceptualization of ‘the street code’ and found that violence was the central theme of the lyrics along with wealth, violent retaliation, nihilism, and objectification of women.” (Herd p395) She also took songs from the 1970’s and discovered “that despite the stereotypes, violence is not the central focus of rap” (Herd p396). Between 1979 and 1984 only 24 per cent of rap songs mentioned violence, between 1985 and 1989 it rose to 32 per cent and between 1994 and 1997 it rose to 60 per cent. Herd’s studies made it evident that rap music has increasingly gotten worse. Nathan McCall who served nearly three years in jail for armed Robbery and now works for The Washington Post stated “We're going to take away the market value of these attacks on our person. Anyone black or white who makes money calling our women bitches or our people niggers will have to face our indignation” (Suggs p3). It’s an indignity that people are making money for putting such negative media out by which today’s youth is being influenced.…

    • 2202 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Gangsta Rap Thesis

    • 1513 Words
    • 7 Pages

    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.…

    • 1513 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Hip-Hop and Violence

    • 499 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The article ''Hip-Hop Causes Violence,'' focuses on society's generalization that rap music promotes, encourages, and thus causes violence. For the most part, the author of the article defends the genre, claiming that there is limited evidence that supports the argument that listening to violent storytelling has a direct effect on everyday life, which scientifically is very hard to prove. The author states that there are many other forms of entertainment outside of hip-hop that encourage violence. But violence in film, and other genres of music aren't nearly criticized as much as in rap music. Rappers claim that hip-hop is at the mercy of unfair targeting and blame. Many who have studied the topic say this criticsm has much to do with the stereotypes of African- Americans. The author also points out that hip-hop's main target audience (the youth of poor black communities) are more at risk to violence than the typical middle-class teenager playing violent video games or watching violent movies. Another factor that plays a huge part in this argument is that most skeptics of rap music interpret it all as autobiographical. Even though many successful rappers have openly said their lyrics should not be taken so literally. Jay-Z even confessed that it is important for rappers to exaggerate the ghetto lifestyle as that is the only way for their voices to be heard.…

    • 499 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Essay On Rap Music

    • 673 Words
    • 3 Pages

    One of the most influential, and probably the most popular types of music is Rap. Rap music has its own stereotype of what it stands for. Many people think rap music is always about shooting cops, drugs, money and sex. Rappers use quick speaking rhyming sounds to aim for the urban ghetto and speaks of poverty, drugs, money, and fame. Many trends are also associated with rap music. For example, wearing baggy pants, gold chains, and violent…

    • 673 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Violence In Rap Music

    • 631 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The association of violence with alcohol also increased, but the relationship was not as pronounced as that with drugs, Explanations for the rise of gangster rap and violence in rap music have tended to focus on two basic themes. Representatives from the music and other media industries have argued that media violence is a reflection of actual social trends. Echoing this perspective, some scholars have focused on the structural conditions – oppressive economic and social conditions, the crack cocaine drug trade and ensuing drug war, and high levels of police brutality – within urban ghettos that promote violent themes in rap music. Within this framework, other writers have focused on the violent lifestyles of major rap artists as an explanation for the rising tide of violence in the…

    • 631 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Rap Music Controversy

    • 618 Words
    • 3 Pages

    They claim rap music is “merely another creative expression that is an outgrowth of prevailing entertainment practices.” The evolvement of rap music, therefore, is the fault of an America who financially applauds the embellishment of such behaviours that are now deemed, unacceptable. Disdain for the music genre directly attacks the outlet created by young people to voice their anger with American society. “Gangsta rap gained notoriety, in part, due to its misogynous themes, encouragement of hypermaterialism, violent lyrics, and the behavior of some of its artists. However, antisocial behaviors, or activities considered reprobate by predominant cultural norms (e.g., shooting police officers or rival gang members) are symptoms of far more complex and multifaceted issues than commonly acknowledged.” This basically enforces the idea that rap music is merely an expression and is not the cause growing misogynistic beliefs and gang fights in society. However, this form of rap may have just glorified the “gangsta…

    • 618 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Weapons, drugs, gang affiliation, murder, and incarceration are some of the topics rappers discuss and promote in their lyrics. These artists glorify a life of crime. Some will argue that rap music doesn’t promote violence; it reveals their life experience that is derived from their reality, which also happens to be the reality of many of its listeners. “Most children between the ages of 2 and 18 spend upwards of seven hours a day ingesting some sort of media. We know that with any type of repeated media exposure, desensitization can occur that makes these images seem normal,” says Susan Buttross, MD, FAAP, chief of child development and behavioral pediatric at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. When children/young adults hear repeated messages that emphasize violence as a way to solve problems they are more willing to apply it to their lives. There are many people who will argue that rap music doesn’t have an influence on anyone’s mind at all. They dispute the fact that the messages we send to brain can actually influence our thought process and actions. This is not saying people are not responsible for the crimes they commit, but are more likely to engage in such crimes when repeatedly fed to their brains. “When man first comes into contact with crime they abhor it. If they remain in contact with crime from time to time, they…

    • 1121 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Gangster Rap And Crime

    • 126 Words
    • 1 Page

    One of the biggest debates is over the relationship between gangster rap and crime. Many believe that gangster rap glorifies and encourages criminal behavior, but those that are in support of the music, argue that the problem of crime has nothing to do with gangster music, that it is the result of poverty, and the lack of opportunity. It is also believed that blaming rap music is only a way to stir up unwarranted moral panic, causing people to look at the music through a racially charged lens. Creating stereotypes of young black males as being criminals and dangerous Stereotypes and assumptions are bad enough when they lead to moral panics over rap music, but they could also lead to the death of young black…

    • 126 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Rap music controversy escalated when Gangsta Rap was introduced to the world. The lyrics of so many songs talk about killing with the sounds of gun shots in the background. This level of rap was criticized because of its graphic sexual content and its promotion of violence. Explicit lyrics include talks about drugs and women are referred to with derogatory adjectives.…

    • 539 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays