Rap Music its association and impact on black youth and community
Rap music, which is also commonly and interchangeably known as Hip Hop music, emerged in the mid-1970s as a base of alternate identity foundation and societal status for the youth of South Bronx in New York (Rose). Though this genre of music can be traced back to several centuries, when Africans use to deliver stories over the drumbeats, in mid-1970, the birth of contemporary hip-hop culture and the social problem faced by the urban black society initiated the current rap music. Some of the inventors of such music genres were Grandmaster Flash and Kool Herc, who performed at various clubs and gathering in the mid-’70s (Wilson). Moreover, the DJs, the b-boying, and the MC’s also contributed to spreading the rock culture across nations, as they use to introduce rapping while entertaining the street or house crowd. It was in 1979 when the Sugar Hill Gangs rap “Rapper’s Delight” got famous and brought the new music genre in national sport light. It was the first rap music that made through to the Billboard top 40 charts, and it became the mode through which the black society raised awareness about the ruthless social and economic condition they have to live in. Such music was not just a way for the youth of the black community to entertain themselves, but they also associated themselves with their local experiences and intercultural bonds.
Furthermore, it also helped the youth of the black community to avoid trouble, as they expressed and indulged in the music, rather than in criminal activities offered by their treacherous neighborhoods. The suppressed black youth needed a way to express their feeling and their music through which they can convey their struggle and pain of everyday life. In this essay, the association and the impact of rap music on the black community’s youth will be analyzed and how it has positively changed their lives.
It is a common belief that rap artists and their music support ferocity, association with drug cartels, and drug abuse. On the contrary, the historical review of the rap artists suggests that they all started expressing their feeling at the time of few resources in minimal economic conditions through the use of obsolescent industrial technology to cover the lack of desire among the youth of the urban Afro-scattered communities. The content of rap music was different from other musical content because it originated from Afro-American youth’s unique life experience. Many argue that lyrics of most rap songs are harsh, refer to violence, drugs, and indicate profanity. Still, when heard with an open mind, the lyrics display the emotion of a youth who has faced and lived underprivileged with an unsafe neighborhood. It is argued that rap music has shown a positive impact on the youth of the black community because it became a vent for both the musicians and listeners, and allowed them to channel or relate with the hardship of living in a dangerous locality with institutional racism.
Music is an imperative tool of communication, specifically for African people (LOONEY JR). The history of African culture indicates that there was music for every tradition, commemoration, ritual, or dance. According to Southern 1971,” Ritualistic music composed the major part of the musical performance of village natives, Music convoyed religious ceremonies such as labor, commencement, combat, bereavement and nuptial (Eastman). During slavery times in the United States, it was the African music that enabled the survival of black culture and recited the history of black people.
Recently, the culture of communication through music is continued more specifically among the black community through rap, which offers to mean, and expression to African music, sentiments, and culture. I believe that the rap genre has not just given a positive direction to the black youth, but has also reintroduced the black identity and consciousness among the youth. Rock genre has given a powerful expression specifically to metropolitan black communities. Furthermore, the rap genre and famous rap artists have provided the youth with inspiration and hope. Famous rap artists certify that through their content, they endorse social and political change that could benefit the communities faced with institutional racism. It has been demonstrated in the concert and videos of many rap artists such as Kendrick Lamar.
The track analysis of famous rap artists Kendrick Lamar shows that in most of his songs, he is expressing his journey of trying to escape bad impacts around him (Manabe). In one of his track “The Art of Peer Pressure,” the artist expresses his one of the life incident in which he invaded a house at the age of 16 with his friends, which he regarded as “homies.” The analysis of this particular track indicates that how Lamar was being influenced and compelled to be part of certain negative activities because of his friends. This particular experience can be easily related to the Black youth since most of them experience the same circumstances. These songs offer alternative ways to the Black youth through which they can avoid drug abuse and violent circumstance in their neighborhood.
Apart from offering hope and alternative ways to escape violent circumstances, rap music also explains the political and social injustice towards the black community. From the beginning of this genre, artists have been addressing police violence against the black youth, and how it impacts their lives. Songs such as “good kid,” and “F—- tha Police” indicate the discrepancies in the criminal justice system, which indicate the racial bias against the Black Americans (Haile III). The rock artists consider their music a way to speak about the injustice of the society, specifically for the black community. They feel that their music can bring hope and encouragement for the suppressed societies to fight for their legal rights.
Rap genre has many commonalities blue’s music genres, as it is believed to be an extension of it. One of the biggest commonality among both music genre is the content. In both music forms, most of the songs have been written money, ferocity, sex, and drug abuse. Furthermore, both music genre borrows as a compositional practice from other work.
In the end, it can be concluded that Rap music has a strong association with the black community, and have a positive impact on the community’s youth. It can be stated that rock music offers a vent for the youth specifically related to the black community and offer a substitute to ferocity, drug abuse, and gang activities. Furthermore, such a music genre also provides an insight into the criminal justice and racial biases against black communities. Positive notion regarding the impact of rap music, will not just help in appreciating the unique art form, but will also help in addressing the national, racial issues. Though rock music has now equally popular among the white community, the music is still closely associated with the African-black community.
Bibliography
Eastman, Jason T. “Southern masculinity in American rock music.” Perspectives on males and singing. Springer, Dordrecht, 2012.
Haile III, James B. “Good kid, mad city: Kendrick Lamar’s Autoethnographic Method.”.” The Journal of Speculative Philosophy (2018).
LOONEY JR, H. A. R. O. L. D. “Mediated Messages and African-American Culture:” JR, “VENISE T. BERRY HAROLD LOONEY. Contemporary Issues. 1996.
Manabe, Noriko. “We don’t, Alright? The Ambiguities of Kendrick Lamar’s Protest Anthem.” Music Theory Online (2019).
Rose, Tricia. Youth music and youth culture. Routledge New York, 1994.
Wilson, Natalie. “Rap Music as a Positive Influence on Black Youth and American Politics.” 2018.