How Does Hip Hop Music Influence The Lives of it’s Audience
Wallace Moses
Mrs. Lindinger
Friday, March 15, 2013
My name is Willard Smith; I was born in Philadelphia on September 25, 1968. I was raised in West Philadelphia. As a kid my mom worked on the school board and my pops owned a refrigeration company. I was raised up in a Baptist religion but I went to Overbrook High School which was Catholic. In school I was a very charming student to the point where I got the nickname “prince”.My personality would always get me out of trouble. One day I was kicking it with my boys and I started rhyming for fun to find out I was pretty good at. From then I started taking this rapping thing pretty serious. I went to a party one night where I met this pretty dope DJ his name was DJ Jazzy Jeff. Since that day he’s been my right hand man. We started the rap Duo DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince. This rap game came easy to me; I started rhyming for real when I was about 12 years old. While every other rapper was on that gangsta rap wave I was making music about my problems as a teenager. I didn’t use profanity or nothing except in my song “You saw my blinker B****”.I made music for families to be able to listen to together without being offended or worried about what kind of language their children were going to be exposed to. DJ Jazzy Jeff and I really made it when we release our album “He’s the DJ”. Jeff and I won the very first Grammy Award for a rap performance, which was exciting. After the rap game was done with me I went on to be one of the best actors in Hollywood.
TalibKweli once said that“The beautiful thing about hip-hop is it's like an audio collage you can take any form of music and do it in a hip-hop way and it will be a hip-hop song that's the only music you can do that with.” Hip Hop influences the lives of its audience by the positive and negative images in its music and culture.First, hip hop influences the lives of its audience through the lyrics in the music. Second hip hop music influences the lives of its audience through fashion choices in music videos and culture. Last hip hop music influences the lives of its audience in the images portrayed in stories and music videos.
In1990 a woman named Georgia Lee Smith writes an article called,
“The effects of using rapping as a method of teaching directional map reading skills to African American third-graders Public school teacher”. She states she got the idea from a movie called dangerous minds by Michelle Pfeiffer she used Hip-Hop lyrics to teach urban high school students and was successful after that Academy in Brooklyn, NY, began incorporating Hip-Hop into the curriculum in the early 1990s. This is reliable because this shows that with the right thinking we can incorporate anything with a negative name giving to it to help young children in the educational field.
On November 19th, 2012 Martin Rand III wrote an article called, “Professor: Enter the Wu-tang to teach high school science”. This article is about a Columbia University professor who has used hip hop to teach high school science. He has said that since the lesson was introduced to the classroom attendance, interest, and graduation rates have increased. Martin Rand says that” science has been one of the harder subjects to teach black and Latino students, who make up 70% of the city’s rolls.” according to New York’s independent budget office.
On April 25th, 2007 KelefaSenneh wrote an article called, “Don’t Blame Hip Hop”. This article is about how there a controversy about the language and things that are being done in hip hop. In this article people such as Russell Simmonds and Anderson Cooper talk about the censorship of the words “Bitch” and “Ho” on the radio and in albums. Anderson Cooper talked to rapper Cam’ron about the stop snitching policy in hip hop music and what would happen if he were to cooperate with police.
On May 22nd, 2010 BrunellaCostaglolia wrote an article called “Censorship in rap music: right or wrong? In this article Costaglolia says that many Politian’s blame rap music for the violence in the African American community. She also talks about how Reverand Al Sharpton protested to major record labels demanding the banning of the words “Nigger”,”Bitch” and “Ho”. Costaglolia also wrote about how critics blame rap artists for all of the problems with black youth today and that censoring the lyrics in rap music will not start solving the problems that black youth have today.
On April 23rd 2013, an interview with former hip hop rapper Hansoul was conducted. In this interview Hansoul stated that in the hip hop industry people will be lead into darkness without knowing. He said that while he was in the music business his life was changing and his personality was changing also. He said that he started to become cockier due to the money he was receiving and the lifestyle he was starting to live. Hansoul believes that in the music industry there is a devil pulling you down and most rappers get stuck in that lifestyle that’s why he transitioned to gospel rap. Hansoul says that rappers forget who they are making music for and they fall in love with the money and the lifestyle that they give up their soul to the devil once that is done.
Today it is hard to focus on hip hop music itself. There are many pillars of hip hop which make up the culture itself but the main parts of hip hop are; DJing, Rapping, Graffiti and Breakdancing. DJing is playing records for a crowd using a set of turntables. DJ KoolHerc innovated turntables in the 1990’s by “cutting” and “breaking” records which was looping a specific part of a song so that it plays in a loop usually the hype part of a song or the bridge. In hip hop there is rapping which is the most known part of hip hop due to its genre of the same name. Rapping is related to poetry but has its own kick to it. Rapping is the flow of lyrics onto an instrumental rhythmically. Breakdancing is a form of dancing which was once known as B-Boying which came from early 1930’s street dancing. Breakdancing is done to hip hop music. Graffiti is the posting of any words or images on a public place illegally. Graffiti has dated back to ancient times which were known as hieroglyphs. Graffiti is known as a way to express once emotions. “A poet's mission is to make words do more work than they normally do, to make them work on more than one level.” Jay-z
Hip Hop Music has a large audience, mostly targeting teens and young adults up to the age of 30. Since Hip Hop Music is mostly listened to by teenagers it tends to have an effect on their daily lives. The average teenager listens to about two and a half hours of music each day, mostly Hip Hop/ Rap Music which does not have the best lyrics or images in its music. Statistics say that one in three popular Hip Hop songs contain explicit lyrics that have to do with drugs or alcohol use. The explicit lyrics are nothing new but from the innovation of the internet over the past few years obtaining music with these harsh lyrics has become so much easier. Kids do not have to go to the store to get artists CDs or MP3s anymore they can simply download them from online stores such as ITunes or Amazon(Nelson E. Harrison,2012). Stores such as Wal-Mart only sells clean versions of artists albums for the parents that care about what their child is exposed to while listening to music. Music started off as just Vinyl but it has innovated and moved on to tapes, compact disks, and now MP3s that can be download with only one click on the internet(Tara Parker-Pope,2008). “Hip-hop reflects the truth, and the problem is that hip-hop exposes a lot of the negative truth that society tries to conceal. It's a platform where we could offer information, but it's also an escape.” (Busta Rhymes)
Barack Obama once stated that “The thing about hip-hop today is it's smart, it's insightful. The way they can communicate a complex message in a very short space is remarkable.”In Hip Hop Music today, there are not many songs that can found that will contain lyrics that someone would consider positive. Many people will say that Hip Hop has its positive influences and it also has its negative influences. Hip Hop Music is known to be positive for its ability to help express opinions on politics, religion, and even living conditions(Grolier, 2003, pg.208-210). Hip Hop also has its positives from its lyricism, it makes people who may want to be rappers or singers improve their vocabulary and lyrics to meet a certain standard or just to improve themselves. Even the themes of the music, they sometimes have stories in which are very motivating and interesting due to the ability to draw in the listener and how they can rhyme and tell a story with such detail at the same time. Another way Hip Hop Music has a positive influence is that many of the artists that have made it to the spotlight and are making money, they take the time out to help and give back to their community and the underprivileged kids and families with the money that they have made from their sales (Nelson E. Harrison, 2012). Hip Hop artists may sometimes also make positive music for its audience. An artist who goes by the name Lupe Fiasco makes plenty of positive music. Lupe creates songs that’s informs its audience on politics, and world events.
Russell Simmons once stated that “The thing about hip-hop is that it's from the underground, ideas from the underbelly, from people who have mostly been locked out, who have not been recognized”. Music can be defined as sound organized into meaningful patterns that express human emotion and meaning. The word music comes from “Muse” the name for the goddesses of ancient Greek mythology who presided over the arts and sciences(Grolier, 2003, pg.531-533). Hip Hop Music originated in New York City during the 1970’s by African Americans and Latino’s but the soon to be Genre of music started to shine when a DJ by the name of DJ KoolHerc started using two of the same Vinyl during a block party and creating his own remix of songs with his turntables, are a while of people trying to duplicate his actions and the word of the new wave starts getting around a DJ/MC named LoveBugStarski started referring to this new found style of music as hip hop. Hip Hop Music is a rhythmic vocal style called rap which is tagged on by beats and or instrumentals which flow to the words of the artist(Tara Parker-Pope,2008). The roots of hip hop music actually go all the way back to West Africans which were called the “Griots” who were traveling singers and poets whose style is like that of Hip Hop/ Rap today(Grolier, 2003, pg.77-78). Hip Hop arose when block parties started to become popular in New York City, and DJs would come and play music for the community during that day, that is where DJ KoolHerc AKA “The Godfather” came in and picked everything up. Since many Africans were brought to the United States their culture were moved here too, that’s why black people are referred to as African Americans. The singing and poetry of the west African “Griots” was now in the United States, people were still performing this music but it was soon to be evolved and turn into what we now call rap. MCs in New York had started rapping and recording their demos not long after the Hip Hop Era had started but one of the first MC’s to get signed to a major recording label was Kurtis Blow. Many other artists were signed after that but many of them have had DJ’s accompany them so they would be known as a group such as “DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince”(Tara Parker-Pope,2008).
Furthermore, studies have shown that messages in music have made an impact in the lives of children for example a child listening to a song about smoking will increase the chance of them picking up that habit. Children that are also exposed to the use of alcohol are also increasing the chance of them trying it and maybe it becoming a problem in their lives. Researchers from the University Of Pittsburg School Of Medicine conducted a study from the billboards 297 most popular songs and 77% of the Hip Hop/Rap songs on the list contained explicit lyrics that have to do with drug and alcohol use compared to Pop songs which was at nine percent and Rock songs which was at 14%. From a study in 2008 four percent of all music have an Anti-Drug and Alcohol Message in their music. Tara Parker-Pope said that “Music is a powerful social source that also taps into an individual’s personal identity, memories, and mood” (Tara Parker-Pope, 2008).Doug E. Fresh once said“Hip-hop is supposed to uplift and create, to educate people on a larger level and to make a change.”
LL Cool J once stated“Hip-hop's always reached out to kids. If you look at the last 10 big albums it might seem ironic. But when I look at the history of this music it's always had a lot of positivity.” Many people say that Hip Hop Music and the artists are the ones to blame when it comes to children picking up habits and following after what they hear in the music they listen to. Someone said that artists are taking too much of the blame of what people’s children have done after being exposed to the music that music artists have produced. Some think that instead of putting the blame on the artists for making the explicit music but that the blame should be put on the parents for their lack of discipline and responsibility when it comes to their children(Tara Parker-Pope, 2008). It is not the responsibility of the artist or the record companies to make sure those children do not follow after what they are hearing. The only thing they have to worry about is if they are making enough or any money at all. Parents should be stricter when it comes to what they are letting their children be exposed to. It may not be possible to protect them from every single explicit lyric or image but disciple will help let kids know what is right and what is wrong(Nelson E. Harrison, 2012).
Not only has the music influenced the lives of its audience but also the fashion. Hip Hop Fashion has also plays parts in the influence, people tend to like what they see in rappers music videos or pictures. Hip Hop artists now sag their pants in most of their videos, and or pictures. These artists got the idea of sagging their pants from the prison system which prohibited belts in the facility. This way of wearing pants was popularized by hip hop artists in the 1990’s and even today they are keeping up with this trend. Due to the reactions from this new found style, President Barack Obama acknowledged that that passing a law prohibiting the practice of low-slung pants would be a waste of time but in 2008, a city council in Georgia passed a indecent exposure ordinance due to the practice. Artists such a Jay-z have been promoting the business look in his music videos and pictures. Jay-z has been seen in his videos wearing a suit and tie. Jay-z does not wear his pants low under his butt. Some but very few rappers such as Lupe Fiasco and J Cole do not sag their jeans, and they wear expensive belts to keep their pants up. “You could name practically any problem in the hood and there'd be a rap song for you.” Jay-z
Another common problem among hip hop music is the way that women are portrayed in Hip Hop Music. It is not just women being portrayed as sex toys but the idea of sex period. Music artists talk about how much sex they have in their music all of the time. Teenagers already know about sex by their age due to their peers, music, and health classes. But in music artists talk about how they may not be using protection or about the female that they were with is pregnant. Teenagers who are exposed to this kind of music may be in risk of catching a STD or becoming pregnant because a lot of them are getting the idea that sex without protection is cool, or “feels better” but at the same time they are not thinking of the outcomes of their actions. Kids may have unprotected sex not thinking about what may be in store for them in the future and end up getting someone pregnant or catching a STD(Nelson E. Harrison,2012).Rapper Jay Z once said “hip-hop has done so much for racial relations, and I don't think it's given the proper credit. It has changed America immensely. I'm going to make a very bold statement: Hip-hop has done more than any leader, politician, or anyone to improve race relations.”
Also, in hip hop music rappers add a story line into their music videos. In these videos rappers tell stories about how they were once poor but pursuing their dreams led them to a bigger and better life. A rapper but the name of TalibKweli made a song and a video about just getting by and struggling and what he had to do to make sure he was going to live a better life. Jay-z also has a video for his song “Roc Boys” which is about him celebrating the life he’s living and the money he’s making. In his video he shows himself as a teenager hanging out with his friends and driving around in his old neighborhood but there are also cut scenes showing him in a room full of his friends celebrating and having a good time together. “Rap has been a path between cultures in the best tradition of popular music.” Jay-z
Additionally, people look at Hip Hop/ Rap music as a voice for the people who are not able to speak for themselves. People listen to Hip Hop music and are shocked at how much they can relate to it. People also make music for their personal use so they can ventilate, and express their feelings through rhythm; many people do it just for a hobby. Hip Hop Music can influence the lives of its audience by introducing them to the culture of Hip Hop itself instead of having them stuck on only the music that is associated with the culture(Patrick Hampton). Hip Hop music can help people achieve their dreams but showing that people who were in worse circumstances than themselves have made it out of the struggle and on to a better life. If Hip Hop artists made more music that helped people learn more about the world especially the youth who are not exposed to much of the “real” world. The youth should be educated about world events and what better way would it be other than putting it into what they listen to the most (Ralph Heibutzki). “Love yourself and your expression, you can't go wrong.” KRS One
Furthermore, Hip Hop artists say that their music benefits the community. Hip Hop music is believed to benefit the community by having its audience able to relate to the stories and situations put into the lyrics of the music. Hip Hop artists say that hip hop music can be used for education. This is true; there is an article about a man that has used Tupac Shakur’s music and lyrics in his class lesson for poetry. It was noted that since the kids liked and could relate to Tupac’s music they were more ready to learn than before. Kids were excited to get to class because they were having fun with the teachers lesson. Hip Hop is also used to keep a lot of kids out of the streets by using it with after school activities. There is a DJ in California that uses his skills to keep kids occupied and teach them the ways of being a Disk Jockey. Hip Hop is not always a bad thing. Artist Lupe Fiasco and Common use hip hop to explain their life experiences and to even talk about politics to help shed light on things that need to have more attention rather than talking about sex, money, and drugs in their songs(Ralph Heibutzki). “I'm fascinated by rap and by hip-hop. I think there's a lot of poetry in it. There's a lot of anger, a lot of social energy in it. And I think you'd better listen to it pretty carefully, 'cause it's important.” John F. Kerry
Hip Hop Artists can start creating some anti-violence songs that will help people realize that being violent will not solve anything. Making better music for people to listen to will help people see that there is more to life than drugs, and death. Hip Hop music can help get people more into politics and everyday situations that actually affect them other than hearing artists talk about sex, money, and drugs. People will understand Hip Hop music more after the history is explained to them. People will also understand once they hear some examples of the effects that Hip Hop music has on the younger generation. It will also make a difference once people are shown the positivity Hip Hop music has for everyone and what it can do to people(Nelson E. Harrison,2012).
In conclusion,Hip Hop Music influences the lives of its audience by sending out images in the music it creates for the public. Hip Hop music has its advantages and disadvantages. Hip Hop does promote sex, drugs, and violence but it also has its positives. Hip hop is also used to help keep kids in a positive mind set. Hip Hop is usually stereotyped as a bad genre and a lot of people do not listen to it because of that reason. People do not listen enough to know that there is some good in hip hop music.Hip hop is not just only bad music, Hip hop is used in gospel music, and these Gospel artists rap their beliefs into song and on an instrumental instead of singing it. Hip Hop music has saved many lives by shedding light on political events and spreading the word of things that should be watching in the environment. Hip hop music is not for everyone. Hip hop should be singled for people who know what they are listening to and exposing themselves to. Hip hop has given people dreams and has given people hope that if the artist can make it out of bad times that they can do the same. Hip hop artists give hope to the people that are down and feel like there is no way back up to get on their feet again. Hip hop music talks about the troubles of living in the projects and rough neighborhoods so the people that are actually experiencing theses similar problems can notice that they are not the only ones that have been through these troubles in their lives.TalibKweli once stated that “Hip-hop is a vehicle.”
Bibliography
Grolier(2003). Music. The New Book of Knowledge (Vol.12 pg. 530-550) Grolier publishing Company IVVC
Grolier (2003).Music of Africa. The New Book of Knowledge (Vol.1 pg. 77-79) Grolier publishing Company IVVC
Grolier (2003).Music of the United States. The New Book of Knowledge (Vol.19 pg. 206-210) Grolier publishing Company IVVC
Nelson E. Harrison (2012, November 23)“Psychologist says Hip Hop Beats/ Violent Lyrics Hypnotize Kids and Change Their Behavior”
http://www.techyville.com/2012/11/social-media/psychologist-says-hip-hop-beatsviolent-lyrics-hypnotize-kids-and-changes-their-behavior/
No Author Displayed (2006, July 10) “Hip Hop And Violence: 'I have to ask myself - did I help promote violence?'”
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/hip-hop-and-violence-i-have-to-ask-myself--did-i-help-promote-violence-407335.html
Patrick Hampton “Hip Hop and Violence”http://www.mysteryofhiphop.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=28&Itemid=21
Ralph Heibutzki “Positive Influences of Rap & Hip Hop Music”
http://www.ehow.com/about_5455550_positive-rap-hip-hop-music.html
Tara Parker-Pope(2008, February 5) “Under the Influence of…Music?”
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/05/under-the-influence-ofmusic/