The Epidemic Of Violence Throughout Rap History

Throughout Rap history, the use of explicit and vulgar lyrics in songs has always been a topic of conflict within the listeners. Many people believe that the use of these lyrics often is the root of much of the violence. Although the violent content of rap music might contribute to some of the violence that occurs in the world, it is not near what people work it up to be. There are many reasons why the use of explicit lyrics in songs is acceptable, such as freedom of speech, expressing artistic freedom, and reflecting an accurate image of what the meanings of some rap songs really are.

To some artists, the explicitness of their music has no meaning to them. Tyler, the Creator, an African American rapper born in Los Angeles, California, feels

In an interview when asked how he thinks his music is different from other mainstream artists such as Jay-Z or Kanye, he states, “I think everyone is articulating a worldview you know everyone's articulating a paradigm what they believe about life, about love, about people and um and I think the difference is that I'm articulating a vastly different worldview you know where at the end of the day we're all. people we are all flawed, none of us have all the answers” (RNS). When making this statement, he is explaining that the reason that other rappers use explicit language and speak on vulgar subjects is because the other rappers see the world and feel that the only way that they can portray how they feel accurately is by using vulgar and explicit language. Lecrae sees the world in a unique way and does not feel he needs to use that type of language to express himself fully. Although the wording of choice may be a result of articulating an explicit and vulgar worldview, it is still wrong to censor an artist’s writing/song. The reason it is wrong to censor an artist’s writing/song is because to censor the artist’s work is to take away the intended meaning of their word choice. An example of this reason is in the songs “Love Me Harder” by Ariana Grande and The Weekend, the original lyrics were “Can you feel the pressure between your hips?” The music group Kidz Bop had changed the lyrics to recreate the song in a more appropriate way and resulted in the lyrics becoming, “Can you hear the song singing in my heart?” (Lipshutz). In altering the lyrics, the line does not make sense anymore and takes away all the original meaning. The original meaning was a sexual inuendo and made the reader think about explicit things at the mention of the lyrics. But with the new censored version, it takes away all the previous sexual meaning and becomes a line that does not fit into the