Drugs And Violence In Abdul Ali's Song 'Kim'

Another area that the media often associates with hip hop music is its relation to drugs and violence. Violent and explicit themes are what makes rap music often subject to controversy. Looking at Eminem, a notorious artist known for his provocative and explicit songs, is very often criticized for the vulgar themes and aggressive behavior. His “The Marshall Mathers LP” album details his rage with drugs, his relationship with his estranged wife Kim and his mother, and his price for fame. Despite the major backlash, the album was the fastest-selling studio album by any solo artist in American music history (Skanse 2000). In his song “Kim”, which is one of his most controversial and vulgar songs, he explicitly details what he would do to his …show more content…
Artistically, the song is authentic with the rage the man feels inside. One can hear the raw emotion in his voice which is what rap music is about. Would someone listening to the song be so inspired that they commit such a violent crime? Parents seem to jump to conclusion when they see that their kids are listening to said music. Writer for The Washington Post, Abdul Ali uses hip hop music as a tool for education and states, “As a card-carrying member of the hip-hop generation who supports rap music, I think the task for parents like me isn’t to hide hip-hop’s sexism but instead call it out to our children.”(Ali 2012). It is critical to be able to deconstruct the meaning for kids to better understand what they are hearing. He uses the example of “wifebeaters” having a double meaning behind it. While it could just be referred to as the sleeveless tank top, it also comes with the negative connotation of domestic spousal abuse. It carries on to how the message is conveyed to its young …show more content…
When rappers speak about drugs, they are simply saying that it exists in the societies they had lived in or are currently in. Before Jay-Z became a successful hip hop artist, entrepreneur, and investor, he sold crack cocaine during the 1980’s. He never tries to hide his past because he is successful because of it and continues to use his past struggles to learn from then and show his fans that there is a way out of it. The message is often misconstrued and is given a negative connotation that artists depends on its drug references to sell music. In a Press release discussing Denise Herd’s study about the glamorization of drugs in rap music, Sarah Yang in Media Relations stated that Herd’s reasoning for why songs referencing drugs have become the