Persuasive Essay on the Aesthetics of Music

Rap is the movement and rhythm of the modern world. Rap or road rap as it is sometimes called in the United Kingdom, is a result of public outrage against grime music of the 2000s. This music was born in South London in Brixton and Beckham. Rap is becoming more and more popular thanks to artists like Travis Scott. The rhyme schemes, the beats, and the 808 patterns mixed with the high hats all have produced an addicting and fast-growing genre of music.

Rap in and of itself is rhythmic dating its origin back to tribal Africa. The impact rap has made on the United States and the United Kingdom is varied. As an expression of music and art, rap stands out because it is the voice of youth. It was born on the streets and made its way into the homes of Americans and Brits everywhere. The United Kingdom is interesting because it is more racially diverse than the United States. Neighborhoods are much more inclusive in the sense that various ethnic groups are sprinkled freely throughout the communities. This allows for the sharing of culture, music, art, and many other things. Music culture as a whole is very interesting, especially for minority groups. Rap is normally associated with violence. Artists include sex, gun violence, and many other negative things in their rapping.

Critics are worried that lyrics could be used to perpetrate gun violence. Rap music can have a positive effect on young people because it allows them freedom of expression. It is a creative art form. The young artist also has a chance to make something of himself and escape possible violence on the streets. Rap music has long had a reputation for being a form of music that represents violence, and sexual exploitation as well as celebrating street warfare and gangs, consumption of drugs and alcohol, sex, and negative attitudes towards women. Another notion prevalent in society associated with rap music is the frequent, strong profanity used in the lyrics. Despite all this, hip-hop has generated a huge fan base around the world with a wide demographic of listeners, mostly among youths. (Impacts of Rap Music on Youths, 2019)

Rap music has become the heartbeat of youth. Despite the negative views on rap music it continues to grow and expand its listeners. Something about the honesty in it, no matter how brutal, attracts listeners like a moth to a flame. Examples such as Chicago where a lot of music was born. Atlanta where Trap was born. Music kept those kids out of trouble. Instead of being on the streets, they were making music. They were learning how to make beats. Rap unified a culture otherwise scattered. Hip-hop has been vital in promoting social and political awareness among the youth of today. Rap music educates people from several different perspectives and raises many social issues.

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Rap is a channel for people to speak freely about their views on political or social issues and by doing so, it engages teenagers to become concerned and aware of these issues. This is important in making the youth aware of the world around them and the conditions they face in society, enabling individuals to discuss ways in which they can make a positive change within society. (Impact of Rap Music on Youths, 2019) Rap music brings to the surface issues of racial discrimination, prejudice, gun violence, and gang activity. The artists that make the music are most times living in the situations they are singing about. Rap music unifies individuals in the sense that it creates solidarity among people facing similar or the same situations. The way rappers dress talk, and even the way they carry themselves are all symbolic of their lifestyle. Due to rap’s increasing popularity, it has proved to be an excellent platform to speak out about social issues.

Many rappers use their platform and their voice to talk about societal problems. Many rappers promote peace and are anti-violence. In recent years, the controversy surrounding rap music has been at the forefront of the American media. From the hype of the East Coast-West Coast rivalry that shadowed the murders of rappers Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G. to the demonization of modem music in the wake of school shootings in Littleton, Colorado, it seems that political and media groups have been quick to place blame on rap for a seeming trend in youth violence. (Becky Blanchard, 2019) It is always easier to blame anything or anyone for something than the person who is actually responsible. Social media and media outlets have created a paranoia around rap music and the culture associating it with gun violence and other crimes, but most often they miss the main message of the song. Most rap is to expose the crimes and depravity being committed.

The nihilistic approach to violence and criminal activity for which rap is often criticized is defended by some artists as the understandable result of the disparities that face African-American communities, from which rap originated and remains rooted. America's most recent census reported that African-American youth are the most likely group in the nation to live in poor households and neighborhoods, to be unemployed, to be the victims of homicide or AIDS, or to spend time in prison at some point in their lifetimes. (Becky Blanchard, 2019) When writing or singing or rapping, the artist is telling a story. It can be fictional, or it can be true. Rap is sometimes just reflecting the reality of an individual’s life. It is an interesting concept to argue that music can or is inciting people to violence. Police departments claim that the rise of drill music is directly related to crime increase. They also argue that the censorship of such music is necessary to keep their cities safe. Many critics are divided on this issue. Some critics argue that artists have every right to talk about their situations. Some people say that by singing and rapping about their realities, the artists are bringing attention and awareness to the crime and violence that rules the area.

Writing for The Guardian in response to Skengdo & AM’s suspended sentence, youth worker and UK rap journalist Ciaran Thapar argued that criminalizing and censoring young people for making drill music “will be ineffective at achieving any reduction in violence because it simply does nothing to address its root causes: childhood trauma, daily poverty, stretched youth services, exclusionary schools, intergenerational family breakdown, and so on.” (Redbull Music, 2019) These journalists petitioned the police stating that the creative rights of the artists and producers were being called into question and penalized when all they were doing was stating their reality. It is unbelievable how diverse the United Kingdom music scenes are in terms of style and form of art. For instance, tracksuits or any designer clothing are generally worn in Grime and Drill music. Other key elements like jewelry show their wealth and status. Considering most United Kingdom artists comes from a working-class background and use music as a platform to express their daily struggles and visually show what they accomplished, many artists enjoy showing off and wearing their jewelry proudly for everyone to see. Those who are unfamiliar with United Kingdom rap will find it hard to understand why they have this sort of dress sense. For example, people who wear tracksuits or a balaclava in music videos get a lot of criticism because they may believe it links with anti-social behavior.

Drill music is unique to London where it originated. It is characterized by its dark and ominous lyrics and its trap-influenced rhythm and beat. This type of music can also be called, ‘mumble rap.’ Drill music slowly migrated to the United Kingdom where it became extremely popular. Drill music is considered part of the hip-hop genre of music also. Drill music developed from the trap; earning its merits slowly and heralding its 90s roots. Hip-hop has always been controversial and for good reason. Jay-Z stated, “When you watch a children's show and they've got a muppet rapping about the alphabet, it's cool, but it's not really hip-hop. The music is meant to be provocative—which doesn't mean it's necessarily obnoxious, but it is (mostly) confrontational, and more than that, it's dense with multiple meanings. Great rap should have all kinds of unresolved layers that you don't necessarily figure out the first time you listen to it.” (Kathleen Odenthal, 2019) Hip-hop or rap music is a blend of reality and fiction. Critics are concerned that young impressionable teenagers will view the violence present in some rap and manifest it into reality. It is important that society as a whole does not get lost in misconceptions. Rap is a wonderful way for young artists to express themselves and be creative. Instead of being in a gang or dead, they are instead providing for themselves a future. “More than simply entertainment, hip-hop is a major part of contemporary identity circuits–networks of philosophies and aesthetics based on blackness, poverty, violence, power, resistance, and capitalist accumulation.”