Hip-hop is arguably the biggest influence on today’s youth. Being born in the 1990’s, I was able to witness the positive and negative influences hip-hop has had on my generation, as well as be a part of the audience that has brought hip-hop to be as prevalent around the world as it is today. Now, as the artists of my generation were raised by hip-hop, these same artists will be responsible for the future of hip-hop. I did not always like hip-hop, so my first impression of it came with a bad taste. I remember as a kid I was too young to know the difference between genres, or understand music as a whole for that matter. As a child, my biggest influence was my sister, who was older by four years. Whatever music she liked, I
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Hip-hop is often misrepresented as just a violent genre of music that refers to influence of drugs, guns, sex, and other acts. While there is no doubt that these themes do reside in the music that influences our youth, there is also the other side that often goes overlooked, and it is that side that is my favorite part. The side of hip-hop that talks about life, love, self-enlightenment, and the trials and tribulations of everyday life is the side that resonates with me the most. My favorite artists in hip-hop are great storytellers first and foremost. Those artists include the like of Isaiah Rashad, Nujabes, Childish Gambino, and the very popular, Kendrick Lamar. A prime example of the positive side of hip-hop would be “Feather”, by Nujabes. Featuring Cise Starr and Akin from the group CYNE, it was first released in 2008 and since then, it has been one of hip-hop’s most treasured tracks. The three minute long track features an angelic piano riff looped over a smooth bass line and hip-hop’s iconic “boom-bap” drums. While the meaning of the song is up to interpretation of the listener, to me the lyrics are about finding enlightenment through our imperfect world. Whenever people ask me what type of music I like to listen to, this is my go-to song. It is this side of hip-hop that unites people without the boundaries of race and
Hip-hop is often misrepresented as just a violent genre of music that refers to influence of drugs, guns, sex, and other acts. While there is no doubt that these themes do reside in the music that influences our youth, there is also the other side that often goes overlooked, and it is that side that is my favorite part. The side of hip-hop that talks about life, love, self-enlightenment, and the trials and tribulations of everyday life is the side that resonates with me the most. My favorite artists in hip-hop are great storytellers first and foremost. Those artists include the like of Isaiah Rashad, Nujabes, Childish Gambino, and the very popular, Kendrick Lamar. A prime example of the positive side of hip-hop would be “Feather”, by Nujabes. Featuring Cise Starr and Akin from the group CYNE, it was first released in 2008 and since then, it has been one of hip-hop’s most treasured tracks. The three minute long track features an angelic piano riff looped over a smooth bass line and hip-hop’s iconic “boom-bap” drums. While the meaning of the song is up to interpretation of the listener, to me the lyrics are about finding enlightenment through our imperfect world. Whenever people ask me what type of music I like to listen to, this is my go-to song. It is this side of hip-hop that unites people without the boundaries of race and