"Hip Hop and Violence"
Written by Patrick Hampton (2012)
From Grandmaster Flash to 50 Cent, Hip-Hop has evolved through time, only to wax worse and worse. I believe hip-hop not only promotes violence, but it creates violence. This belief continues to be argued among many scholars and educators, therefore let me explain my position with facts. First, we must ask the question, does music really have the power to change human psyche and behavior? The answer is yes. Many studies support he fact external music creates atmosphere that has the potential to shift the mood of a person without their permission. For example, Franz Anton Mesmer, a physician and astrologist, called biorhythms the spiritual forces that groups together to mesmerize a person. When we observe Hip-Hop today, we observe different kinds of music and rappers, some are positive rappers and some are gangsta rappers, some rappers have fashionable swag, some rappers have lyrical skills. We must admit that although there are a variety of rappers and music, they all seem to promote and condone Hip-Hop Culture. These rappers possess the ability to influence us positively or negatively. As we look at the condition of our community, I beilieve the latter to be true. Secondly, I believe we have go a little further and ask, does Hip-Hop music have the power to influence violent behavior?
One might respond to that question and say, not all rappers are
violent. For instance, you have rappers like Common and Lupe Fiasco that talk
about their life in a way which doesn't require violent lyrics or images. I
will agree to an extent but I also have read lyrics from Common's Universal Mind
Control, that reinforces misogynistic ideas. So, that answer to my question is
invalid. I would like to submit that we take a look at the rapper 50 Cent, one
of the most recent and popular gangster rappers of the Millennial Generation.
His debut album, “Get Rich or Die Tryin’,” was the No. 1 album of the year and
also lead to Hollywood movie. One of his singles from this album, titled “Many
Men,” was a huge hit. You couldn’t turn on the radio without hearing this
track’s throbbing beat and 50 Cent’s stern voice rapping over the microphone.
But what was he saying? The song goes like this:
This song is a perfect example of how Hip-Hop artists and the music
industry glamorizes violence and gangsta rap and use it as their own personal
marketing ploy. Hip-Hop has the potential to influence not just preferences of
music , but it also influences fashion, beliefs, attitudes, and perceptions.
Everywhere you look you see or hear the influence of Hip-hop on our
generation. When we view commercials we see Burger King using P Diddy to sell
whoppers. We see Sprite using a young black Hip-Hop character to sell its
product and SPRITE in return sponsors major Hip-Hop events. We also notice
how Hip-Hop has the power to influence and even create it's own language.
Words such as "bling bling", "chill", "hood" and "crib" have been added to the
dictionary with its respective definitions.
Not only is Hip-hop used in advertisements to sell clothes, but Hip-hop artists and Hip-hop record labels also market dangerous products to youth. For example, Roc-a-Fella Records experienced great success with their Roc-a-Wear clothing line, and the label even purchased Armadale, a “premium” vodka brand from Scotland. As reported by Fox News in “Hip-Hop Label’s Foray Into Vodka Business Stirs Controversy,” CEO of Roc-a-Fella, Damon Dash, tells the Wall Street Journal that Roc-a-Fella artists are not required to plug the liquor, but they will be “encouraged” to do so. Dash is aware, but unconcerned of the power Roc-a-Fella artists have over their audience in selling products through their music; in fact, he states that he was “inspired to make the deal after he noticed the buzz created by Jay-Z’s mention of Belvedere vodka in one of his songs." It’s one thing to market fashion through Hip-hop, but it’s another thing to promote negative lifestyles and bad choices to a segment of the population that is primarily underage. But if you listen to artists they will tell us that Hip-Hop has more a positive influence on the Millennial Generation than negative.
The founders teach that Hip-Hop was initially used to keep kids off the streets and also used to channel their energy into positive pastimes to keep them from becoming involved with gangs. The founders also state, Hip-Hop promoted positive and peaceful messages through intelligently written rhymes. They also state that in Hip-Hop, it used to be cool to use a dictionary to write rhymes and rap about science and political issues. Now, I know this is all sounds good, but are their statements true? After doing my own research on the origins of Hip-Hop, I found that in its inception, Hip-Hop only recruited the most notorious gangstas in the Bronx. Most of them were members of a local gang called the Black Spades. Hip-Hop started as a "rebellious movement" against capitalism. After all, we know for a fact that Afrika Bambaataa, the father of Hip-Hop Culture, was the leader of thiswell-known gang before his life changing trip to Africa. My research suggests that only after many wild parties, violent arrests, and artists selling out to labels, did Hip-Hop seek to be a positive force in the community. Now that Hip-Hop has been sold by its founders and bought by entertainment companies, gangster rap and violent lyrics has become mainstream Hip-Hop. Millennials don't have the desire nor the attention span to to listen to music that's positive or talks about "math, science and politics" as the founders try to imply. Positive Hip-hop record sales attest to the fact their is essentially no sustainable market for them. This is why so called Holy Hip-Hop has to make the church it's primary market. They fail to realize that in todays' youth culture, if a Hip-Hop artists doesn't mention pimpin’, hoein’, drinkin’, or smokin’ blunts the youth call it lame, wack or gay music. Please hear me, Hip-Hop has been fused with violence, misogyny and negativity, on purpose. What's the purpose? To sell records not to be a positive force in the community. The artists create these type of lyrics to brand themselves as hardcore or tough. Why? Because if you are from the "hood" you must project this type of imagery as a mechanism of survival. The entertainment companies know that these types of attitudes and images are marketable, so to increase their bottom line they promote it to our inner cities and now our churches. Hip-Hop artists must take responsibility for their lyrics and the Hip-Hop industry should also accept responsibility for creating and reinforcing violence in the minds of Millennials.
Hip-hop is compiled of five elements: Break dancing, DJing, Graffiti, MCing and Knowledge. The knowledge is the element that I consider the most dangerous element of Hip-Hop. It's roots can be traced back to the ancient Egyptians, South African Zulus and Black Panthers. All of whom started violent movements for self-preservation and to obtain territory. Although rebellion is not only exclusive to Hip-Hop. Rebellion has has become the most recognizable and consistent fruit of young Hip-Hoppers. I understand that the corporate media glamorizes Hip-Hop's rebellion against mainstream and uses it as a marketing tool to sell products. It still does not negate the fact that Hip-Hop Artists has a major role in the delivery of that message and must be held accountable for contributing to the destruction and decay of the moral fiber of the African American community. Hip-Hop has weakened our nation and our senses to that which is honorable and right. I’m waiting for the day when science catches up with reality and realizes that Hip-Hop music has a powerful affect on the behaviors of humans especially teenagers. Science delay to recognize this atrocity is similar to the delay in the scientific community when it failed to realize second hand smoke was just as harmful as first hand smoke. This awakening revelation about second hand smoke lead to many federal regulations that protected citizens that from being exposed to it. Now, If only the same revelation would come to science about Hip-Hop Culture and its violent rap lyrics. (see RAP LYRICS) That will be the day that the African American inner cities will begin to heal from four decades of the degradation, disintegration and destruction caused by our own ignorance of Hip-Hop culture.
I believe it's not a coincidence that while Hip-Hop was flourishing in the mid 80's and early 90's and Media and Entertainment companies were making investments in Hip-Hop Culture, that the number of violence crimes rose over that period of time. I honestly believe until the citizens of this great Nation vow to to put an end to the promotion and distribution of violent images and lyrics of Hip-Hop culture, we will continue to witness these types of staggering statistics among our African American youth.
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