Benjamin Haggerty, or as many know him by “Macklemore”, is one rapper who uses his lyrics to inform and instruct his listeners to make positive decisions. Macklemore uses his music as an outlet of reflection especially regarding his past mistakes. One topic that many share a common understanding of is the dangers of drugs. Today, in especially rap music, drugs are glorified. Today, teens are constantly exposed to misleading images from the media and they truly do have a lasting impact on a young adult’s ideology. With every song, music video, or movie, a young teen is listening or watching something that persuades them to think a certain way. However, Macklemore instead advocates for his audience and urges his listeners to avoid his past mistakes. …show more content…
Within this music video, a negotiated position is taken by the audience. While some people can relate to the images shown in the video, not everyone identifies with or understands the dangers. Some may claim that this video is an inaccurate representation of drug users and its effects, whereas outsiders may completely accept the overall argument. Drug users should view this video with complete acceptance and agreement, but like Macklemore said in his lyrics, the majority of users do not believe they have a problem. This video however was intended to reveal that drugs are destructive and there is nothing beneficial about them. In reference to Marian Young’s Five Face of Oppression, drug use is many times the result of cultural imperialism. Young defines this as, “Cultural imperialism involves the universalization of a dominant groups experience and culture, and is establishment as the norm.” The dominant group in this case is rappers. On the outside, rappers are stigmatized for taking a lot of drugs, but in some cases, this is not always true. This was once true for Macklemore, but through his song “Otherside”, Macklemore challenges his listeners to not follow the “norm” of other rappers. Even though Lil Wayne uses drugs, this does not mean that everyone who likes his music has to do the same. Furthermore, Young states, “Those living under cultural …show more content…
Not only is he white, but his music is refuting the norm of rap music specifically regarding that drugs are a necessity to success. He has ultimately proved this fact with his great success in this business without the aid of drugs. Macklemore’s specific song “Otherside” however, was a reflection on his past mistakes and urges teens to not follow in these footsteps. There was no way to commend his past, and no one should glorify anybody’s drug use no matter who they are. Macklemore’s lyrics and music video are striking and influential. Substance abuse is a serious issue and from the help of those in the spotlight like Macklemore, drug use will become more stigmatized each and every
This song have showed us very different representation of what it means to be our own person and what this world has come to. Macklemore shows us makes us realize we buy things based on what’s popular and makes us fits in, how we let material items determine our identities and change who we are as people, the people we look up to make us do things and how Americans buy items based on an advertisement. He brought back a way that was effect knowing we would listen because it came in a form that was direct, but you would not understand if you did not listen so closely. With what message we were giving are you really going to let matlertic items make you as a person or are you going to be yourself creating your own identity by standing outside
Ellen Hopkins’ Crank is an epic poem geared toward warning young people of the various consequences of using dangerous drugs. However important its message, it provides a single story, a stereotypical tale influenced by pop culture about addiction and the people it affects. In the poem, the heroine, Kristina Snow, gets addicted to methamphetamines, otherwise known as “crank”. Her life takes a downward turn that includes pregnancy and dropping out of school. The poem depicts just one experience with drug abuse and links it to what is perceived to be the most likely thing to happen if you get addicted to drugs, providing a false single story for the young people it targets.
There is a multitude of reasons as to why people use drugs. Current theories on drug use include using drugs to rebel against authority, as a means to escape personal issues or in response to conflict occurring in the world around them. There isn’t a sole valid explanation for drug use, but all these reasons have overlapping themes: context and environment, which relates back to a new theory that aims to change the ways in which we analyze drug use. Drug, set and setting is a theory coined by Norman Zinberg which is necessary to validate drug use in all its variations because it considers a multitude of factors, including context and environment when attempting to understand drug use in society. Before we can apply Zinberg’s theory to different
Hip Hop was the wildfire that started in the South Bronx and whose flames leapt up around the world crying out for change. James McBride’s Hip Hop Planet focuses on his personal interactions with the development of Hip Hop culture and his changing interpretations of the world wide movement. Many of his encounters and mentions in the text concern young black males and his writing follows an evolution in the representation of this specific social group. He initially portrays them as arrogant, poor, and uneducated but eventually develops their image to include the positive effects of their culture in an attempt to negate their historical misrepresentation.
Hip Hop is seen as something inspiring, but most people see it as a way to speak out the truth about a problem. As in “Hip Hop planet” being able say the truth can sometimes worsen any situation because sometimes what we say can promote violence and whatever happens after is not in our control. The essay is about how hip hop has changed into speaking out the issues that need to be taken care of in order to maintain a proper society. McBride talked about how rappers use violent lyrics to degrade women and gays and because of this it shows how the music has evolved into something entirely different that no one would have ever expected to have changed. In James McBride's essay “Hip Hop Planet,” he argues that hip hop has a negative influence on American Culture despite people thinking of it as inspirational and how people live through different experiences in life despite of your race.
The normalization of drug use perpetuated by an increase in drug-oriented lyrics and their further promotion by music labels is considered harmful to both the listener and society entirely. Music labels need to recognize their considerable impact on their audience and take action to prevent this increase. Though, it is evident that these labels seemingly only care about capitalizing on popular trends to increase revenue, exploiting the startling rise of deaths caused by drug overdose because it is a profitable
In his article, “Toward a Policy on Drugs,” Elliot Currie discusses “the magnitude and severity of our drug crisis” (para. 21), and how “no other country has anything resembling the American drug problem” (para. 21). The best way to describe America’s drug problem is that it is a hole continuously digs itself deeper. America’s drug issues were likely comparable to other country’s at one point in time, but today it can be blamed on the “street cultures” (para. 21) that continue to use and spread the use of illegal drugs. These street cultures transcend the common stereotype of drug users, such as low income communities in cities or welfare recipients, and can be found in every economic class and location. They are groups of people who have
Giving white people, uninvolved with the afro-american culture, the opportunity to make money of cultural expressions that do not belong to them. Unlike all earlier black urban music genres, rap music has given young black Americans the opportunity to gain control over their own situation. Basu states that, "Rap differs in fundamental ways that have profound implications on ownership and control" and continues by saying, later on in the article, that,
The portrayal of drugs in music has been a pervasive and controversial issue that has the potential to significantly impact society. Music, as a powerful medium of expression, has the ability to shape attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors, including those related to drug use (Primack et al., 2008). Drug references in music have been prevalent across different genres and time periods, influencing how society perceives and engages with drugs. In this essay, we will explore the historical and cultural context of drug references in music, discuss the effects of drug references on listeners, analyze the broader impact on society, and consider criticisms and controversies surrounding this topic. Drug imagery in music is a complex and mixed issue that
As #OscarsSoWhite, #BlackLivesMatter, and police brutality circulate newspapers and social media, people mention- or rather shout- the evidence of white privilege again and again. In response, Macklemore released a sequel (White Privilege II) to his earlier White Privilege in which he uses powerful, inclusive phrases paired with a reverent tone, repetitive figurative language, and rhythmic sentence structure to expose and emphasize unconscious racial biases in society. He also questions how his position as a popular white rapper influences black culture appropriated by society. Towards the middle of the song, he becomes assertive in questioning the motives behind much of the white support of the movement through lyrics, "are you marching for
This song was a response from Eminem to the media and anyone who did not like his music and basically telling them that he does not care what they think. The reason why I chose this song is because everything that the song represents also pertains to who I am. I am someone who does not care about what other people think of me. That is why I am able to live my life and say what I want to say without it negatively affecting me. This is similar to what Eminem raps about in “The Way I Am” because he does not care how much you hate or criticize his music, he will continue to make music because it is the one thing he loves to do; just how no one can stop me from doing what I love to
Brent Staples, an author, wrote an article called “How Hip-Hop lost its way and betrayed its fans,” (2005) was originally published on the New York Times. Brent argues how rap artists were betrayed by their song lyrics with dealing violence and drugs. Brent supports his explanation by arguing that there’s dangerous myths about race that is targeting African American Teenagers are beset on all sides. To prove this, “People who pay only minimal attention to the rap world may have thought the killings would sober up the rap community.” This means that rap artist have been mentioning a lot of violence in their rap songs which gained of attention to the community.
The African American community has not gained full equality to this day. Even after fighting for many years this present day issue has come to light in Hip-Hop artists songs like Macklemore & Ryan Lewis song, White Privilege II. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis are respected in their line of work because they have become very popular in today 's Hip-Hop music. Hip-Hop has been the newest way of news being broadcasted. As many artists like Macklemore have become more of an activist in this day and age.
The music industry over the past several decades has been transforming, as well as the artists. Musicians have become more politically involved and their music focus on controversial topics that are happening in America. The song “White Privilege II”, by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis featuring Jamila Woods is a song that focuses on white privilege, cultural appropriation, and racism in the perspective of Macklemore. Ben Haggerty, also known as Macklemore a white rapper from Seattle The song mainly focuses on Macklemore’s perspective and how artist in the music industry appropriate Black Culture and do not acknowledge what is going on in the nation through representation.
But if your addiction doesn’t fit in among all of the things I said, you better listen to me. How my addiction to an award-winning film franchise with initials, H and P and to a respected artist named Macklemore has inspired me to write this speech, my own version of 7HPs. HP 1: How placid are the people getting stoned? They even take videos of them getting high, smoking weeds, eating “brownies”, and other stuff. They feel so proud about it