ipl-logo

Argumentative Essay: Does Rap Music Promote Violence?

718 Words3 Pages

Rap music is an expression of one’s feelings thorough poetry and instrumental. Although it has gained many accomplishments throughout society, it is still one of the most criticized genres of music. Rap music dose not promote violence; it only depicts the destruction that is happening all over America. Music should not be criticized based on its style. Rap music receives a variety of brutal critic from critics attacking the lyric that rappers use. Most people believe that “lyrics should appeal to us, not degrade us” (Glidden3). There is controversy surrounding “some artists accused of rapping sexually inflammatory lyrics” (Encyclopedia4). The actions of a few is causing people to put a bad label on rap in a whole. This bias opinion is becoming the cause of listeners to believe that rap lyrics “are setting a bad example for kids and teens” (Glidden2). I can understand where this may lead to critics to misapply such distaste to the rap form, but “there are rap artists who don’t use offensive language or portray women in a negative light” (Glidden1). People are being so quick to jump to harsh opinions and are not even attempting to understand the ways of rap. They only listen to one song and assume that this is how all rappers are. This quick assumption is unfair to the rap genre as a whole, because rap does not deserve …show more content…

“Large business” (Spotlight 13), utilize “hip-hop artists as” (Spotlight14) spokesmen to gain attention. Many believe that by doing this companies are “purposefully --promoting negative values” (Spotlight15). Yet to say that all rappers promote negative values is completely bias, because as we have previously established not all rappers rap about negativity. “No connection is found between antisocial behavior in young people and controversial genres of music such as ‘gangster music’”

Show More
Related
932 Words | 4 Pages

Most rappers write about sex, drugs, and women and this is not what we want our children looking up to. LaBarge says that many children are identifying celebrities and rappers as heroes rather than civil rights figures or historical activists. He says, “Gangsta rap is a disaster for heroism.” (LaBarge 2). LaBarge goes on to describe that this type of heroism will most likely be the downfall of the upcoming generations.

Read More
902 Words | 4 Pages

According to Perry, “Violence, sexism, and criminal activity are all depicted as horrifying features of rap music” (27). However, people may say rap music is a bad influence. “That image often does not correlate the actual lyrics or the personality of the artist; it reflects the music’s perception as violent ghetto expression”, acknowledges Perry. Regardless of the language hip hop artist use they paint a picture of real life situations of black americans. The realism of these stories causes destructiveness in these areas which fuels the words of an artist.

Read More
566 Words | 3 Pages

Fried states that the criticism of rap music has been directed primarily at its lyrical content, which is thought to have a negative influence on youth. She argues that, due to biased perspectives, rap music has been unfairly stigmatized, and that the discussion of the genre has been distorted. Fried's research revealed that the negative reactions to rap music lyrics were significantly greater than the negative reactions to pop lyrics with similar content. She concludes that the disproportionate criticism of rap music is due to the fact that the genre is not understood as well as other forms of popular music, and that this lack of understanding has resulted in a strong biased perception. Fried's essay provides an insightful look into the effects of bias and its role in the discussion of rap music lyrics.

Read More
1065 Words | 5 Pages

I’ve gone after clueless bloggers and hipsters for praising the very worst that rap has to offer. I’ve watched an industry blossom from the exploitation of the most vile and obscene racial stereotypes imaginable and openly accused it of promoting a covert white supremacist agenda.” Many artist who discuss crime, sex and drugs in their lyrics typically have nothing else to rap about. When people come from violent or neglectful backgrounds and that is all that surrounds them, they typically do not see the positive outlook on things.

Read More
1609 Words | 7 Pages

With the influence hip-hop artist have over a younger generation that lacks male role models, this example has become problematic. The glorification of gangs and violence is a problem that is loudly proclaimed by the hip-hop genre. It is easy to be quick to judge these rappers and the lives they live, but maybe learning who these people are and where they come from would help in understanding why they have tendencies to use drugs and engage in violent

Read More
1186 Words | 5 Pages

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.

Read More
1935 Words | 8 Pages

It’s composed of the new generation of rappers who have gained inspiration and skills from the pioneers of hip-hop and rap as well as creating new techniques in music. While classic rap focused on experimenting with themes and language, modern rap focuses on the rapper’s lavish lifestyle and boasting their wealth, fame and sexual prowess. The transition of rap is somewhat big as it shows how it went from inclusivity and community based themes into self-centeredness and looking down on others. Majority of the rappers have stopped rapping about equality and rather they are degrading women and even groups of people. The world and the lavish lifestyle of celebrities are slowly starting to take over the minds of the youth.

Read More
633 Words | 3 Pages

In her essay “hip hop’s betrayal of black women,” Jennifer McLune implies that “(h)ip-hop owes its success to the ideology of women-hating” (193). She does not agree with Kevin Powell’s article that hip-hop does not mean to “offend” black women, but instead artists are only letting out their temper throughout their music. McLune feels infuriated that many artists in hip hop (including black men) rap about their community and downgrade their own women. In the hip-hop genre, sexism is mainly used, not only by black men but also by many other race hip-hop artists. Artists assume that women-hating in their rap songs will be accepted by women, but do not realize that it is affecting all women.

Read More
993 Words | 4 Pages

In her essay "Hip-Hop's Betrayal of Black Women," Jennifer McLune expresses her stance on the positions some African American women receive from both the songs and music videos pertaining the hip-hop music genre. According to McLune, hip-hop would not be as successful as it is today if it were not for the objectification of African American women. Although this may be true to some extent, McLune seems to not realize that African American women are not the only ones being degraded in the contents of hip-hop, but instead women in general. The author also seems to assume that all African American male rap artists objectify women, when the reality is, many other music artists of different subgenres have been found guilty of committing the same

Read More
748 Words | 3 Pages

In the early 1970s, hip hop got its’ start. It started off fun and innocent and has now dramatically changed. Now, hip hops lyrics are filled with references to drugs, violance, and sex. Some artists portray themselves as a pimp, often describing women as prostitutes and/or strippers. The negativity of women and rarely authority, show that hip hop has lost it’s way and is now extremely different from what it used to be.

Read More
347 Words | 2 Pages

Along with the creation of music videos, hip-hop’s popularity has soared and changed in many ways. Men and women are depicted in distinct and vivid ways in the media – particularly music videos – that may subconsciously affect our views of the norms of today’s society. That is, catchy songs and glamorous music videos that society thinks are harmless entertainment actually shape our worldview and can cause people to accept false impressions of women (Shrum & Lee, 2012). For example, as Sarnavka (2003) posits, women are victims of violence in society, as well as victims of violence in media (as cited in Bretthauer, Zimmerman, and Banning, 2007).

Read More
1173 Words | 5 Pages

Rap music has negative influences on teenagers and youth lives, as they are drawn to the lifestyle of drugs, sex, and violence, which is contained in the music lyrics and videos. Research has supported this, arguing that exposure for a long time to this music is likely to affect the overall mood, behavior, perceptions, and create fantasies among the youths (Miranda and Claes, 2004). This has had significant influences on their behaviors at school and at home. Parents are concerned, since they are unaware of the lyrics, as the teenagers prefer to download the songs and listen the music through the headphones. Research has proven that popular rap music effects explore the student schoolwork, social interactions, moods, and overall behavior.

Read More
1219 Words | 5 Pages

Since the beginning of its creation in 1970 rap music has always been judged. People think of rap in a negative way because of the subjects it normally references. In some cases this is understandable but in most cases it is not. Rap just like any other form of music is a way to express thoughts and feelings that not everyone can relate to but this doesn’t mean individuals should be able to criticize the music and its listeners based off the lyrical content. Rap music has always been an intriguing topic in society.

Read More
885 Words | 4 Pages

Over the years rap culture has changed from being motivational to a negative industry. The more time teens spend watching videos put them further at risk as they are more likely to engage in careless or in some cases illegal activities. Once known as a inspirational outlet and a way for people to express their everyday struggles rap has since become extremely controversial and deceptive to the youth. One of the biggest negative effects rap music has is the promotion of drug sells and usage.

Read More
1586 Words | 7 Pages

Rap music gives people a chance to freely express their feelings and express whatever they cannot express through behavior. Allen (2014) states that rap can actually help teenager understand more about language and how to use it so that it is the most effective. Rap lyrics word of choice and sentence structure is very poetic; also rappers will use techniques such as metaphor, simile and rhyming. Some rap lyrics are very subjective so it can help teenagers that listen to it build their critical thinking skills, it gives them a chance to think about whether or not they agree with what the lyric

Read More

More about Argumentative Essay: Does Rap Music Promote Violence?

Open Document