Rap is a type of music that originated in South Bronx in the 1970s As a form of cultural expression that includes numerous conventional and unconventional principles, thoughts, beliefs, and ways of being seen by people of African descent it has become an increasingly popular genre over the past few years and its influences are felt throughout all of society.
Although a lot of people seem to believe that rap music is a bad influence on people as a whole and more directly of a bad influence on teens that idolize a lot of these rappers even though some of those teens are able to sit and listen to rap music and learn from it and by allowing teens to listen to rap music gives them an opportunity to learn in that way that might be more interesting them along with still allowing them to hear about real societal and life problems that are talked about in many of these rap songs. A study done by a professor at Northeastern University in Boston by the name of Murray Forman actually concluded after his studies that “rap helps young artists get out of economic depression, and young artists help their family, friends, and neighbors overcome economic depression as well ” (Forman). Rap music is used as empowerment for the rappers, the people involved with them, and the teens that listen to it. Along with rap music being an empowering type of music, it is also able to bring African American culture, motivation, history, and social injustice into the light in a creative way that is enjoyed by millions of people.
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Rap is an intricate art form that allows artists to elaborate on many different aspects of life. One of the most well-known names in rap music Is an artist by the name of Kendrick Lamar who leads in motivation for many African-Americans and fellow rap artists. Lee and Lindsey are elementary schools in the state of Georgia that used rap music as a counseling tactic for African American students in order to help them “develop an understanding and appreciation of Black culture, development of motivation to achieve, development of positive and responsible behavior, and modeling of positive Black images”(Washington) which is exactly why the artist Kendrick Lamar made the song “Alright”.This song by Kendrick Lamar is meant to empower people to keep pushing themselves in life as he vividly expressed that there are bigger and better things in life than the struggles you are going through in your life by repeatedly saying “it's gonna be alright”(Lamar) in the hook of his song. This is one of the many ways that the influence of rap music is great for teens and younger individuals because it allows them to see and understand that there are brighter things down their road in life. Rap artists are good at understanding that in life they're going to be rough patches and that there are things that go on in the world that aren't fair to people in society such as African Americans that have dealt with racial and social injustice for many years now.
One of the biggest names in rap music since his most popular song “This is America” Is an artist by the name of Childish Gambino. With this song and corresponding music video Childish Gambino lived up to the statement that “A lot of times the rapper becomes the teacher” (Thomas-El ) especially with this whole song being a brilliant verbalization of African American culture along with the integration of present-day societal problems. This allows teens to learn about African-American history and the unfair society that they live in, which is hidden from them or portrayed in a way such as the news which most teens do not bother to watch making it incredibly hard for them to learn about these important things that they will grow into adults noticing and maybe even falling victim to. Along with that “from an assessment perspective, rap music, as an expression of Hip‐Hop culture, can function as part of a conceptualizing lens through which counseling professionals might achieve greater insight into Black males’ worldviews, contextual experiences, and short‐ and long‐term aspirations”(Washington) which shows that being able to listen to and understand the underlying facts in rap music allows for anybody who puts in the effort to understand and actually listen to rap music to be more connected with black males that have grown up listening to rap music and any group of people that have gone through what is talked about in many rap songs.
With all of that being said in the world we live in today music is a very important part of society especially when it comes to African American culture and its link to rap music. Rap music is one of the few ways to further understand the struggles, injustices, cultures, and history of African Americans. Not allowing teens to listen to this music that is such a huge part of African American culture is literally taking away their chance of being able to further understand over 42 million of their African-American peers just in the United States. If a teen isn't allowed the opportunity to listen to rap music it automatically makes them disconnect from African Americans because of the lack of knowledge about what they went through in the past and what they are going through in the present day along with having no understanding of rap music at all which is apart of many other people’s lives that aren't African American as well. As said Chang “Frustrated by inconsistent employment, insufferable chronic poverty, and attendant violence, young Black and Latino men and women developed Rap culture to communicate their feelings.”(Chang) In conclusion, there is always something to learn from rap music “Subsiding tensions and fostering constructive dialogue about the indispensableness of collective struggle was what Hip‐Hop culture helped to accomplish. This sociopolitical consciousness and activism, which would become one of Hip‐Hop's most recognizable characteristics”(change) have been overlooked by many that Oppose rap music for teens or for people as a whole.
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