The social problem of increased teen violence in America is one of intricacy and one with with many proposed causes. One proposed cause that has certainly gained popularity is that a child’s exposure to rap music at a young age and into their adolescence is to blame for the violent acts he or she commits as a teen. What’s behind rap’s bad rap? Its correlation to teen violence is a complex social issue that has quite polarizing stances taken on it.
Sid Kirchheimer of WebMD Health News points out that traditionally cutting edge and trendy popular music has been blamed for society 's negatives. From Elvis and his shaking hips to Nirvana, songs and artists have frequently been at the forefront of the blame for anti-social behavior. But rap especially …show more content…
His stance is that rap and hip-hop music reflects real life and society’s ills as opposed to causing people to act out those ills. “Many rappers grew up amid violence, police harassment, poverty, drugs and promiscuity. Rappers will tell you they rap about what they know. If the community wants to change rap lyrics, the community must change reality.” (Seary, 2008) Many opponents of the view that rap music is a direct link to teen violence stance tend to look at music through the ages to support their stance. They are quick to point out that looking at what rap is and how it is defined is more important than looking at strictly the content of the song. According to African American Registry’s timeline of rap, rap is defined as “Urban music that grew out of the hip-hop movement of the South Bronx, New York, in the 1970s. It blends rhythmic instrumental tracks created by a disc jockey, with the spoken, rhyming lyrics of an MC.” (Unknown, …show more content…
Ralph J. DiClemente, PhD, of Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, conducted one such study in 2003. “After studying 522 black girls between the ages of 14 and 18 from non-urban, lower socioeconomic neighborhoods, researchers found that compared to those who never or rarely watched these videos, the girls who viewed these gangsta videos for at least 14 hours per week were far more likely to practice numerous destructive behaviors.” Some of these behaviors were often connected and included but were not limited to hitting teachers, getting arrested and using drugs and alcohol. (Kirchheimer,
Sid Kirchheimer of WebMD Health News points out that traditionally cutting edge and trendy popular music has been blamed for society 's negatives. From Elvis and his shaking hips to Nirvana, songs and artists have frequently been at the forefront of the blame for anti-social behavior. But rap especially …show more content…
His stance is that rap and hip-hop music reflects real life and society’s ills as opposed to causing people to act out those ills. “Many rappers grew up amid violence, police harassment, poverty, drugs and promiscuity. Rappers will tell you they rap about what they know. If the community wants to change rap lyrics, the community must change reality.” (Seary, 2008) Many opponents of the view that rap music is a direct link to teen violence stance tend to look at music through the ages to support their stance. They are quick to point out that looking at what rap is and how it is defined is more important than looking at strictly the content of the song. According to African American Registry’s timeline of rap, rap is defined as “Urban music that grew out of the hip-hop movement of the South Bronx, New York, in the 1970s. It blends rhythmic instrumental tracks created by a disc jockey, with the spoken, rhyming lyrics of an MC.” (Unknown, …show more content…
Ralph J. DiClemente, PhD, of Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, conducted one such study in 2003. “After studying 522 black girls between the ages of 14 and 18 from non-urban, lower socioeconomic neighborhoods, researchers found that compared to those who never or rarely watched these videos, the girls who viewed these gangsta videos for at least 14 hours per week were far more likely to practice numerous destructive behaviors.” Some of these behaviors were often connected and included but were not limited to hitting teachers, getting arrested and using drugs and alcohol. (Kirchheimer,