Contrary to popular belief, rap is not a negative influence on teenagers. Rap music gives teenagers freedom of expression as well as hope, rap also unifies a diverse population all around the world. In order to grasp this idea that rap is actually a positive reinforcement for teenagers, one must know how rap was first used in a constructive way since the beginning of the genre’s emergence. The first known trace of rap music was done by none other than Gil Scott-Heron in his album that was released in 1970 titled Small Talk at 125th and Lennox.
Gil Scott-Heron’s approach to rap however was much different than what is heard on the radio today. While today’s style of rap consists of synthesized beats as well as rhymes with unique flows, Gil Scott-Heron’s style of rap, involved rhythmic spoken word with simple drum beats as the instrumental. Gil Scott-Hernon (1945-2011) was a poet, novelist, rap artist, and political activist whose music was often the source of many political topics in the 1970s and 1980s. Through the many topics that Gil Scott-Hernon covered in his career, he is most notably known for using his music during the Black Arts Movement as a way of resistance to the injustices and racism that plagued America at the time. Gil Scott-Heron’s use of music to fight for what he thought was right is one of the main reasons why he is so admired in the hip-hop world today, he didn’t have the best lyrics in terms of intricacy and creativity, but he did have a lot of heart and personality which has influenced a number of generations of aspiring rap artists. Through the likes of Gil Scott-Hernon, it's obvious to see that rap music was used in a positive and constructive way in the 1970s and there is no reason to believe that it still cannot be used in the same way today.
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All the negative criticism that rap music has received over the years became an inspiration for the choice of this topic due to the fact that many people that criticize rap haven’t given the music a fair chance and have essentially judged the genre from what they see on the surface. This research is important because rap is a beautiful and interesting genre of music and it is unfair that many people haven't listened to rap primarily because of the stereotypes that rap is a negative influence which has been made by the critics who they themselves have not given the genre a second chance. Throughout this research paper, the point will be made that rap is not a negative influence because it gives teenagers freedom of expression, and hope, and also helps unify a diverse population around the world. Whenever a teenager does something wrong, such as stealing, misbehaving, or acts of violence, there are more questions than answers on what might have led to that action transpiring.
Many “experts”, state that the type of music that these teenagers listen to on a daily basis has affected teenagers in a negative way and has led teenagers to act out. This seems like a reasonable statement since according to pewresearch.org, more than 7/10 people among the general public agree that raps societal impact is bad. However, many of these people when asked about rap are primarily thinking about the notorious genre gangsta rap which is a subgenre of rap that includes many themes that may be seen as detrimental to society such as glorifying violence, sexualization of women, and glorifying drug use. Many do not take into account the many other forms of rap which can invoke positive influences in the life of teenagers. For example, one reason that rap is not a negative influence on society/teens today is that rap allows people to express themselves freely. Rap music is a form of expression. Rap music is not just about sex, drugs, and violence, it’s a style of art in which one can freely express themselves in a way that reflects on their character.
Rap doesn't always include these negative themes. Rap can be seen as a spoken word which is a form of oral art in which poets recite their poems in front of other poets. According to an article by theconversation.com titled The Healing Power of Hip Hop, hip hop/rap was used as a way to cope with gang violence in the Bronx during the 70s. Rap allowed primarily African-American teenagers in the Bronx to clear their minds since many were struggling with the daily fruits of living in the Bronx, which included, violence, poverty, and neglect. This essentially became one of the reasons why rap became so popular because of its primary strength which was allowing young, innovative Black and Latino youth to create art that mirrored the realities of their everyday lives. While violence and social discrimination in the Bronx have changed over time, the way rap is used to express oneself was still the same in the 80s, 90s, and until the present times. In the 1980s, the evolutionary steps that rap took were huge. The overall sound of music that Gil Scott-Hernons introduced in the 70s completely changed during this time due to the likes of NWA and Run-DMC. This new style of rap was called gangsta rap and didn’t revolve around the spoken word but rather around hardcore lyrics with unique flows.
One of the main pioneers of gangsta rap, NWA, would become a hot topic in 1988 because of the group's hateful attitude towards law enforcement. NWA released their classic debut album Straight Outta Compton in 1988 which included the iconic track titled F*** Tha Police that concentrated on the injustices done by law enforcement in the black community. To put in perspective on the content of the song, one of the more notable lines in F*** Tha Police is this line from Eazy-E, “Without a gun and a badge what do you got? A sucker in a uniform waiting to get shot.”F*** the Police created a negative view of the police which prompted radio stations to outright ban the song from being played on the airways. Even the FBI got involved and sent the group a letter that stated the problems they had with the song. As a result of the backlash and the censorship that NWA received following the release of F*** Tha Police, NWA released the song Express Yourself in which the lyrics reflect on the notion of free speech and the restrictions radio censorship imposes on rappers. In the song, Dr. Dre raps, “I'm expressing with my full capabilities. And now I'm living in correctional facilities.” The meaning of this line revolves around the censorship that NWA received by radio, media, and the FBI. Dr. Dre exclaims that his use of freedom of speech to express himself will cause him to become incarcerated which is presumably related to how the FBI threatened NWA with jail time if they did not comply with the FBI’s conditions.
The way that NWA stood up for themselves against the government inspired not only black Americans but overall many people living in communities where police brutality was a common theme. NWA also proved it to be true that one can make a difference in society without the use of physical violence but through the use of expressing yourself. While this whole ordeal between NWA and the upper authority was not pretty, it was definitely necessary in order for people around the country to realize the truth about what was going on in the black community. All in all, rap is not a negative influence on society because it allows people to express themselves. In addition to stating how one truly feels, rap isn’t a negative influence because it gives teens a sense of hope through famous rappers that also serve as role models to the youth. It is no secret that many rappers rap about negative themes a lot of time, such as drugs, misogyny, and gang violence. However, many of the rappers that rap about these themes do it as a result of the environment that they grew up in.
Many of these rappers grew up struggling in impoverished cities across America which directly exposed many of them to a life of gang violence. Often times many of these artists will rap about the hardships that they faced while growing up and their rise to fame. This message gives teenagers who are in similar positions hope. An example of a rapper speaking on the hardships they faced growing up is seen in this song by Tupac titled Dear Mama, Tupac raps, “I shed tears with my baby sister, we were poorer than all the other little kids...A poor single mother on welfare, tell me how you did it.” In this lyric from Dear Mama, Tupac reminisces on the times when he often cried with his little sister because of the fact that they didn’t have the same type of money that all the other little kids had. Tupac also marvels at the fact that his mother was able to raise two kids on welfare without a father figure in their lives. There’s a good chance that someone is in the same position that Tupac mentioned in the song, and that person can hear this song and be inspired to do great things in life. It's in these types of songs where rappers have the most impact on lives.
A good example of a rapper that is a role model to the youth is Kendrick Lamar who is a grammy winning rapper from Compton, California. Kendrick Lamar has made it one of his goals to inspire young kids to stay in school and as a result, has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Compton school district sports and programs. Many kids were grateful for the nice gesture by Kendrick Lamar but the biggest impact made from the donation isn’t the actual money the schools received, but the example that Kendrick Lamar sets on the youth that no matter how rich you get you always want to give back to the community that brought you up. Many of the kids affected by the donation will gain hope for school program improvement and have viewed Kendrick Lamar as a role model. These two rappers in their own ways prove that rap music is not a negative influence on society by providing a sense of hope to teenagers and kids alike.
An additional reason why rap isn’t a negative influence on society/teenagers is that rap unifies a diverse population around the world. Rap began as a subculture for African Americans in the Bronx but has grown to be a huge international community, so much so that 75% of the global rap audience is made up of non-black communities. It's almost impossible to find a country that has no hip-hop/rap scene. The reasons for this expansion include; the marketability of the rap industry and the accessibility of hip-hop music. The marketability of hip hop/rap has gone through the roof over the years and has easily become one of the most influential industries in the world. With the prospect of how much money can be made through expansion, labels took notice and pushed for global involvement in rap. This is one of the reasons why hip hop has expanded and grown in many different countries all over the world and is a big reason why rap is able to unify all kinds of people. The other reason is accessibility, it’s very easy to make hip-hop music, all you need is a beat that can be created either through beatboxing with the mouth or tapping on a desk, and lyrics that can be recited. With the simplicity of rap music and the accessibility that is around today, the global expansion of rap music was bound to happen. Rap music isn’t the only aspect of hip hop though, there are other elements in hip hop such as graffiti, dancing, and dj’ing. These four elements combined with rapping have created a culture where basically there is something for everyone to equally enjoy. Through the use of the globalization of rap, rap is not a negative influence because it unifies a diverse population of people from all around the world. All in all, the research stated throughout this paper is important because of the false narrative that rap music is bad for the youth, when in fact, the influence that rap has is quite the opposite. Rap is not a negative influence because rap allows people to; express their true feelings, gives people hope that they can be great, and by unifying all sorts of people around the world. Whether it be through the music of Gil Scott-Heron and NWA, through the gratitude of Kendrick Lamar, or even through the sense of community and family that hip hop has around the world, rap influences society in many unique positive ways. Right now rap music is at the top of the music world and this is just the beginning, as far as the future, rap will continue to grow exponentially and there are no signs of it slowing down any time soon.
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