When thinking about rap music, one does not associate it with political activism and civil rights automatically, but in its earliest beginnings, the Hip-hop culture was the political voice for impoverished youth living in the urban cities of America (Wright 2010). Hip-hop represented the experience of impoverished blacks living in the urban city during the 1980s and 1990s, and allowed African Americans to express their pain and suffering through art instead of violence. Issues such as racial segregation in the housing sector and income inequality between blacks and whites are still present after the Jim Crowe era and the passage of the Civil Rights Act. The early beginnings of hip hop were essential for African Americans developing a culture
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The housing sector has provided distinct advantages to white, suburban communities compared to blacks in the urban city. The Housing Act of 1934 increased homeownership opportunities for millions of Americans by placing federal granted credit over private loans, but the majority of the loan money was acquired by white Americans in suburban districts (Lipsitz 2007). This contributed to white privilege due to the high population of blacks living in urban neighborhoods. The majority of impoverished blacks were never able to move to the suburbs given their financial condition, and are commonly surrounded by drugs and violence still today. Wright explained “…hardships associated with postindustrial society like unemployment, poverty, crime, and drugs dramatically increased in the predominantly African American urban centers around the country, creating an even larger black lower class” (2010:10). During the Reagan administration, federal aid for local and city governments was reduced considerably, causing 6.5 million Americans to fall below the poverty line (Jeffries 2014). The majority of poverty-stricken Americans were black, creating immense wealth inequality between non-white and white …show more content…
The majority of rappers are African-Americans, but the producers, distributers and media outlets are controlled by a white dominated business (Wright 2010). Record producers realized in the early 21st century they would make a higher profit if they advertised to the youth of white America. This had a major impact on the meaning of rap and the direction hip-hop culture would take, changing the messages behind hip-hop from political messages that discuss racial issues, to a superficial, stereotypical ghetto lifestyle created by the media outlets and producers. The corporate executives of modern hip-hop financially benefit through the exploitation of the African-American culture and labor, helping maintain white privilege and power over blacks (Wright 2010). The new creation of “ghetto rap” has contributed to a false meaning of the urban community. The lyrics in today’s rap music centers around woman, money and cars, disregarding racial issues the hip-hop culture was based on and losing its sense of authenticity. The majority of blacks in urban communities do not live lavish lifestyles as modern rap
The housing sector has provided distinct advantages to white, suburban communities compared to blacks in the urban city. The Housing Act of 1934 increased homeownership opportunities for millions of Americans by placing federal granted credit over private loans, but the majority of the loan money was acquired by white Americans in suburban districts (Lipsitz 2007). This contributed to white privilege due to the high population of blacks living in urban neighborhoods. The majority of impoverished blacks were never able to move to the suburbs given their financial condition, and are commonly surrounded by drugs and violence still today. Wright explained “…hardships associated with postindustrial society like unemployment, poverty, crime, and drugs dramatically increased in the predominantly African American urban centers around the country, creating an even larger black lower class” (2010:10). During the Reagan administration, federal aid for local and city governments was reduced considerably, causing 6.5 million Americans to fall below the poverty line (Jeffries 2014). The majority of poverty-stricken Americans were black, creating immense wealth inequality between non-white and white …show more content…
The majority of rappers are African-Americans, but the producers, distributers and media outlets are controlled by a white dominated business (Wright 2010). Record producers realized in the early 21st century they would make a higher profit if they advertised to the youth of white America. This had a major impact on the meaning of rap and the direction hip-hop culture would take, changing the messages behind hip-hop from political messages that discuss racial issues, to a superficial, stereotypical ghetto lifestyle created by the media outlets and producers. The corporate executives of modern hip-hop financially benefit through the exploitation of the African-American culture and labor, helping maintain white privilege and power over blacks (Wright 2010). The new creation of “ghetto rap” has contributed to a false meaning of the urban community. The lyrics in today’s rap music centers around woman, money and cars, disregarding racial issues the hip-hop culture was based on and losing its sense of authenticity. The majority of blacks in urban communities do not live lavish lifestyles as modern rap