The Importance Of Rap Music

Register to read the introduction… Rap music has enjoyed popularity in American culture. It is a musical art form that tells a story in a fast, shortened word fashion while providing a heavy background beat. The content of rap music covers a wide range. Rap has changed America not only with the message it sends, but with clothing, language, and all the culture it comes with. We can see the power of influence Rap music has had on the recent generation through the 1990s West Coast vs East Coast hip hop scenes in the United States. The rivalry ended in a violent and deadly way, as we can see through the Tupac and Notorious B.I.G murders. Rap music had the power to get completely different coasts and fans to feud with each other on a violent scale and should cause concern.
Some rappers use it as an outlet for comments on social and political issues or praising a corrupt lifestyle. Many rap songs praise criminal behaviors or express …show more content…
Martin argues violent lyrics in rap music have a direct effect on violent crime. Martin, a former police chief, argues against rap music based on the proven power of music on the human mind. Using biblical and historical examples, Martin hypothesizes that music “has the power to „soothe the savage beast‟ and to stir violent emotions in man.”1 He states that the materialization of rock and roll meant a shift in accepted music from one that embraced the “values of society” to one which “glamorized rebelliousness and adolescent sexuality.”2 Rap, according to Martin is the end of the descending public spiral of rock music. Martin believes the violent content of rap music undermines the usefulness of law enforcement officers because it damages public respect for them. “This, coupled with the fact that certain police officer murderers attributed their motivation to the violent rap songs they liked, is enough reason to ban such music, despite First Amendment