Rap is one of the most popular music genres among African American youths and adults today. For a long time, it has been the basis of defining the culture and social aspects directly related to this group. Substantial studies point to the effects that this music has on its listeners, both positive and negative. This paper aims at analyzing the effects that pop music has on its African American fans, specifically youths and adults. It addresses the positive impacts, such as being used as an advocacy tool, a way of expression as well as a form of therapy. Besides the above, it addresses the cons, such as perpetuating a culture of violence, drug use, unhealthy sexual behavior, aggression, crime, among others. The political, cultural, and social implication of this genre of music is hence evaluated, both from the positive and negative viewpoints.
Developed in America inner city in the 1970s by African Americans and Latino Americans, Rap is a music genre that has gained prominence all over the world. For a long time, it has been stereotyped to be a form of music that represents negative aspects such as sexual exploitation, crime, drug consumption, sex as well as negative retrogressive attitudes towards women. This characterization is intertwined with the notion of the strong profanity of the genre's lyrics. Regardless of the negative views associated with Rap, it has a myriad of positive impacts. The implications of Rap music on African Americans adults and youths are discussed based on cultural, political as well as social outcomes related to the influence of Rap on these demographics.
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Positive Implications of Rap on African American Youths and Adults
Rap acts as an outlet of the inner struggles that African American youths undergo in the communities they live as well as neighborhoods. For the youth, adolescence is a difficult time in which physical and emotional changes could influence how a person reacts to environmental factors influencing their lives. Even worse, African Americans youths have been historically negatively impacted by white supremacy; hence, they are more disadvantaged in coping with adolescent changes in comparison to their white counterparts. Rap, hence, has been utilized by several youths as a form of expression. The forms of expression in this genre of music, such as graffiti writing, hip-hop dance styles, and Rapping has been harnessed by these demographics and used to express their struggles and feelings. This way, they have been able to embrace who they are other than being victims of circumstances.
A direct correlation and hence positive impact of Rap is related to the therapeutic approaches of hip-pop which is a culture expressed through Rap. A conceptual framework that ensures the effectiveness of hip-hop therapy has been put in place by proponents of this type of therapy. Hip-hop is considered to be therapeutic, and hence, its positive impacts have been harnessed in clinical settings to help in mental healthcare. Rap as therapy is also used as a conduit to helping participants to have better analytical skills, especially in relation to challenging irrational thinking that leads to inappropriate behavior. The therapeutic essence of Rap music hence ensures social change to a large extent (DeCarlo, Alonzo & Hockman, 2004). Aside from the above, Rap music is being used as a tool to help in the development of prosocial skills among youths. The underlying objective of this therapy is building resilience against violence and delinquency among vulnerable youths, for example, African Americans.
Although it started as a subculture among African Americans, based on the wide adoption by different societies worldwide, it has become a source of hope, and a social awareness tool for its fans, regardless of the cultural divide that might be evident in some societies. This way, it has had an unfathomable social impact, especially on the desperate poor minorities. For both African American youths and adults, the menace of poverty, as well as other negative aspects prevalent in poor neighborhoods such as crime, have negatively impacted such societies. Rap lyrics by many Rappers focus on poverty and environmental struggles in inner-city America. In addition to criticizing the above and talking about how to overcome such obstacles, other lyrics is a source of encouragement that there is light at the end of the tunnel. The above can be a source of hope for struggling youths and adults. As a tool used to create social awareness, it has mostly been used to denounce the use of drugs and engagement in crime while at the same time giving information on the state of some living environments, for example, Ghetto life. Rappers such as late Tupac Shakur were often criticized for painting a bleak picture of urban America. Although such revelation may shock consumers and might not be their preference, this is an instrumental tool of showing the world the social problems in the urban settings in question.
Rap has been instrumental in fighting social evils such as police brutality and political injustices, especially those perpetrated against the minorities. “Alright” by is one of the Rap songs that has been blurred by controversy due to the ambiguity of the lyrics as well as its contextualization. It highlights the social struggles experienced by African American minorities. Besides, it has mainly been considered as the official anthem of the Black Lives Matter movement (Manabe, 2019). Other than being a source of hope in dark times, it has also been instrumental in condemning police brutality. Analyzing the song with a different lens could contextualize it differently. The other outlook is relating the lyrics with the To Pimp a Butterfly album’s contents. The metaphors central to the album, for example, the caterpillar, the butterfly, the pimp, and the cocoon, all have a message to the audience. It signifies the springing up of life from stages that can be considered fickle. All of these can be viewed as an explanation of how the Rapper behind the song came into terms with material success and how this has impacted on his relationship with his peers and others in the environment. Besides, this signifies how the artist reaccepted himself, reconnected with values that define his undertakings as well as how he assumes leadership rolls. Based on the content, the song has a positive impact on African Americans, especially the youths and adults. It preaches hope and encourages such populations to view life positively other than negatively (Manabe, 2019).
Rap acts as a positive form of entertainment to both African American Youths and Adults. It presents an opportunity for the artist to come up with hypothetical scenarios or directly address problems in society in a way that is entertaining. Although it might be viewed as negative, in some cases, artists create fictionalized accounts related to unacceptable social norms such as squandering of money and consumption of drugs for the sheer joy of it and not the reality. In addition to this, studies have shown that it is not a guarantee that the message passed by Rap music will influence the actions of the audience. The first explanation is the fact that in some circumstances, the lyrics are not understood by the listener. In other cases, the impact of listening to Rap music might not be as strong as that of viewing music videos. There could, therefore, be disparities in the social impact that listening to Rap music and watching videos of Rap music have. Entertainment, in some cases, keep people busy, hence, deter them from being involved in social evils such as crime. Besides, for others, writing the lyrics or Rapping about them is a form of employment. This has a positive social impact since employment makes people busy and gives them an income, hence, prevents them from engaging in negative undertakings such as drug trafficking. Besides, with a source of income, people are likely to be less involved in crime. Whether directly or indirectly, Rap has a positive social impact.
Negative Implications of Rap on African American Youths and Adults
The interconnection between Rap and race help in understanding the social and political effects of Rap. Regardless of the meaning of the lyrics, oftentimes, Rap has been viewed as deleterious by different politicians. Vice President Dan Quayle, for example, told off Tupac Shaku for allegedly promoting violence through Rap music. Besides this example, President George H. W. Bush also criticized Ice-T and Body Count's song. Also, President Bill Clinton alleged that Sista Souljah, through her songs, promoted the killing of the whites. Although the music by these Rappers might actually encourage violence, to a large extent, the remarks made by the politicians are mainly made in a highly racist context. The above has been viewed by African American adults and youths as victimization. Such accounts remind them of the hard truth that racism is far from finished, and that they remain disadvantaged as a result. Closely related to the above, in her article Rap and race: It's got a nice beat, but what about the message? Sullivan, (2003) paints a real picture of how African American Rappers have undergone in the past as a result of racism on the part of the governmental and non-governmental institutions. The refusal of insurance companies to insure concerts by African American Rappers, being forced to musical divisions that have less budget as well as being given poor record contracts exemplify the above. The author further asserts that the struggle by African American Rappers and fans to get respects has mostly been negatively impacted by institutionalized white racism. Although politicians argue that Rap is highly corrupting, a genuine concern related to the above is whether such politicians consider or value the political and social opinions voiced by African American Rappers through music. Closely related to the above, Rap has been used to address politically charged aspects such as crime and Rape. On this context, it has been successful in ensuring the necessary stakeholders get the intended message, hence, they are directly or indirectly prompted by this music to institutionalize strategies that ensure social change, especially in communities with
Rap music, through its lyrics, has a negative impact on drug abuse and aggression by African Americans youths and adults. It has been particularly noted because of how it glorifies substance use and aggression. This genre of music has mostly been criticized on the basis of hip-hop culture, which encourages the use of pf profane language in expression, misogynistic lyrics, and the glorification of violence, among others. Being the biggest demographics consumers of this type of Rap music has had a detrimental effect on the attitudes as well as the behavior of African American Youths and Adults. In most Rap songs, referral to drug abuse is evident. Research undertakings have identified a direct correlation between Rap music consumption and engagement in drug use by African Americans. Three conclusions can explain the above. First, the socialization hypothesis can be used. Here, Rap artists can be viewed by the audience as role models and hence, their propositions or their orientation towards drug consumption adopted by such individuals. Given the fact that Rap music has a huge following by African American adults and youths, it is likely that substance abuse-related behaviors are negatively impacted. Smoking and drinking undertakings, for example, could be escalated by constant exposure of Rap music that endorse this music. Another explanation is that although listening Rap music might not cause negative behavior, it might reinforce already existing negative behavior related to substance abuse. The third possible explanation is shared ‘third factors’ . This is largely intertwined with the audience’s personality traits. (Harakeh, Zeena & Bogt, (2018), in their article The Effect of Rap/Hip-Hop Music on Young Adult Smoking: An Experimental Study assert that students with a high level of sensation seeking are more likely to listen to Rap or hip hop. In addition, they are likely to abuse drugs. The authors further report that controlling sensation-seeking, ensures a decrease in aggression as well as drug abuse-related behaviors.
Results in a study conducted by Wright, Chrysalis & Craske, (2015). Indicate that there is a direct correlation between the consumption of musical content and particular sexual orientation with the behavior of the audience in question. The study shows that repeated exposure to such music results in obscured lines between fiction and reality. Other than a negative social impact of such music, the authors also assert that cultural impact is likely due to the disparities in music listening behavior among the audience. Tenets of cultivation theory have been utilized to explain the effects that current media has on the perception of the music. The more a person listens to the given type of music, regardless of their age, they are likely to blend with the music, and normalization of what is portrayed by the music is a likely outcome. Although the artist might create a false reality, the audience is likely to make a decision, adopt the thinking process utilized, and hence, behave in a similar way as the lyrics imply. In the case that such lyrics endorse sexual promiscuity, it is possible that the individual in question will be involved in unhealthy sexual undertakings. Such behavior puts the people involved at the risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases, among others.
A recent study by the Prevention Research Center of the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation concludes that individuals who listen to pop music are most likely to abuse drugs and be involved in violent acts. The research was released a couple of months after the death of the Rapper Proof, who was killed because he allegedly gunned down another person. The situation surrounding the death of the two has to do with alcohol and aggression. Closely related to the above, previous studies show that African American youths are more exposed to alcohol advertisements. The exposure level to content about distilled spirit for this group is 56 percent more in comparison to other youths in general. The heaviest exposure is for cognacs and the brandies, alcohol, which is directly or indirectly linked to hip-pop culture (Chen, et al., 2006).
Conclusion
In conclusion, Rap music has a positive and negative impact on African American youths and adults. As a form of expression, this music has been used by black American artists as a way of letting the world know about their struggles, especially those linked with the environments they live in. Closely related to this, it has been used as an advocacy tool, especially when these demographics feel oppressed by different government regimens. On the other hand, however, it has been considered a type of music that encourages violence, sexual misconduct, aggression, drug abuse, among others. On such grounds, it is possible to see the view of politicians on the social and political implications that this music genre has. Regardless of the implication of Rap on its listeners in terms of the cultural, social, and political impact it has, fans should ensure they listen to music that adds value to their lives.
References
Chen, M. J., Miller, B. A., Grube, J. W., & Waiters, E. D. (2006). Music, substance use, and aggression. Journal of studies on alcohol , 67 (3), 373-381.
DeCarlo, A., & Hockman, E. (2004). RAP therapy: A group work intervention method for urban adolescents. Social Work with Groups , 26 (3), 45-59.
Harakeh, Z., & Bogt, T. F. T. (2018). The Effect of Rap/Hip-Hop Music on Young Adult Smoking: An Experimental Study. Substance use & misuse , 53 (11), 1819-1825.
Manabe, N. (2019). We Gon'Be Alright? The Ambiguities of Kendrick Lamar's Protest Anthem. Music Theory Online , 25 (1).
Sullivan, R. E. (2003). Rap and race: It's got a nice beat, but what about the message?. Journal of Black Studies , 33 (5), 605-622.
Wright, C. L., & Craske, M. (2015). Music’s influence on risky sexual behaviors: Examining the cultivation theory. Media Psychology Review , 9 (1).
