Hip hop music has helped to culturally mold an entire generation. Although it started in the late 1970s with roots in rock & roll, reggae, jazz, blues, and funk, people still feel its effects to this day. Nearing its 4th decade, its rhythmic influence has spanned nearly the entire globe. However, the spell that it has placed on the masses over the years has not always had the best of outcomes. It is true that many artists have used the platform of the genre to profess violence, among other things. Personally, I think that the feedback on hip-hop is entirely dependent on the critic themselves—that is, whether or not they truly understand the genre and its constituents. As I said, the genre has its roots in many different types of music. These
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Hip-hop has a given a voice to the voiceless masses of disenfranchised, impoverished people around the globe. However, as is evident throughout history, crime has a stronger grip on such environments than it does on the opposite. I believe that this is at the center of the argument that hip-hop music is used to proliferate violence and a criminal mentality. It is true that the genre has a larger presence in parts of the world that have been crushed underfoot by Corporate America; however, as I said before, the way one sees music is dependent on the degree to which one understands its constituents. Let’s use the specific sub-genre that is most often found in the crosshairs of this argument: “West Coast” hip-hop. Artists such as Tupac Shakur, record labels such as Death Row, and groups such as NWA have been targeted for their seemingly destructive and degrading lyrics. The debate over this subgenres supposed influence on gang culture and crime has often taken on aspects of the “chicken-or-egg” scenario; “gangsta rap forced America to confront the issues in its ghettos” (BBC.com, 2017). Interestingly, many documented gang members and criminals have maintained throughout the decades that music was not a cause of their destructive lifestyle. Poverty and unemployment have been the main contributors to crime and violence across the globe (World Development Report,
Hip-hop has a given a voice to the voiceless masses of disenfranchised, impoverished people around the globe. However, as is evident throughout history, crime has a stronger grip on such environments than it does on the opposite. I believe that this is at the center of the argument that hip-hop music is used to proliferate violence and a criminal mentality. It is true that the genre has a larger presence in parts of the world that have been crushed underfoot by Corporate America; however, as I said before, the way one sees music is dependent on the degree to which one understands its constituents. Let’s use the specific sub-genre that is most often found in the crosshairs of this argument: “West Coast” hip-hop. Artists such as Tupac Shakur, record labels such as Death Row, and groups such as NWA have been targeted for their seemingly destructive and degrading lyrics. The debate over this subgenres supposed influence on gang culture and crime has often taken on aspects of the “chicken-or-egg” scenario; “gangsta rap forced America to confront the issues in its ghettos” (BBC.com, 2017). Interestingly, many documented gang members and criminals have maintained throughout the decades that music was not a cause of their destructive lifestyle. Poverty and unemployment have been the main contributors to crime and violence across the globe (World Development Report,