Hip-hop Essay

   Hip-hop music does have negative influences on black people however it also has many possible outcomes on black people as well but as normal the media chooses to portray the negative results of cultures such as hip-hop because it’s more entertaining to the public which ultimately makes good business for the media industry. An example of this is when a tragic thing happens that involves predominantly black people and news reporters repeatedly suggest the person was negatively influenced by gangster rap/hip hop music  that promote death and violence. However there’s a measurable amount of rap music that doesn’t promote criminal and violent things available to people this aspect on rap/hip-hop can be questioned as quite a biasing aspect. That then makes it unfair to have negative stereotypes of black people who listen/are involved in/value a musical genre that are normally fuelled by most people expect for the actual rapper themselves. Then makes us question if the root of materialism, misogyny and criminal  actibity among the balck community is even rap or shmor likely to be from shortcomings of  peole in authorative postions in society. 

 ‘So I got mine, I hope you ("got yourself a gun")’ this a quote from Nas’ (rapper) song ‘Got Yourself a Gun’ first word on the line is ‘so’ the word indicates that the following actions are a response/retaliation of another action. Now this implies that Nas if he is talking for himself or in a created persona they didn’t wish to get one but to protect himself he felt obliged to so the first word shows reluctance to even owning a weapon let alone using it. ‘I got mine’ the persona shows strong ownership over this weapon which could imply he cherishes it because it brings him power however the earlier word in the line also suggests that alternatively that he is taking strong ownership because he recognises the enemy as a fear-worthy opponent and sees the gun as his only defence. He then says ‘I hope you’ the word hope means to believe for/in something so Nas’ persona is showing how he believes that his enemy will already own or get a gun this interpretation of this part of the line supports the idea that the persona morally wishes not be involved in this war. You also indicate that the persona is addressing his enemy meaning that he must have some sort of relationship with his enemy and due to earlier lyrics we can assume that he was familiar with his enemy before guns came into the picture. So from this second line of the chorus of this song there is evidence that what is called ‘gangster rap’ might not just be encouraging violence but telling stories of people’s life experiences or a situation someone is presently in. Looking at this sub genre of rap music in the storytelling aspect allows us to compare rap music with other forms of media that report current events such as the news and newspapers so if a news report reports a majority of negative news can it be criticised for influencing people to commit the same actions that are being reported to them? Of course not as they are simply just informing the public with things they may be unaware of just as gangster rap is doing.  

  Looking at rap as a possible form of storytelling brings me to my next point of another positive aspect of rap which is strengthening /relating to an insecure or a suicidal audience.  Another rapper who is more successful than Nas  is Eminem who is well known and credited for his story telling skills shown in his music, in the sing ‘song  for the moment’  in the last verse he says ‘But music is reflection of self, we just explain it, and then we get our checks in the mail, sit, cry, wishin' they'd die, they throw on rap record, and vibe, We're nothin' to you but we're the f**kin' s**t in they eyes’. ‘Music is reflection of self’ through this line it is evident that rap is just more than just talking about violence it’s an artistic form that artists use to channel their feelings through. Then looking at the next extract of the lyrics that is explicitly referring to suicidal teenagers and here Eminem is expressing how rap can often be an alternative to depression; as its nice to know you are not going through something alone so this genre that tells stories in rhythm that are therapeutic just as a character in a novel can have similar contextual background as the reader. The next set of lyrics starting with ‘we’re nothing’ is proof that rappers are aware of their influence on  a certain type of audience, the words ‘the f**king s**t’ is metaphorically stating that they are being worshipped by their target audience as the rap culture often uses the phrase ‘The sh**t’ to say something is good or even the best sometimes. The media often suggests that this pillar that rappers are put on is the vital component that makes rap  a dangerous genre but on the other hand  these lyrics once again bring an alternatively beneficial effect of this genre, that it is motivational to hopeless people and pushes them to keep on living. 

 Still referring to the song ‘Sing for the moment’, ‘critics crucify you, journalists try to burn you, attorneys all want a turn at you’ here Eminem is revealing the pressure rappers receive from numerous people in all positions including that of the same people that are of a high authority. 'crucify' is a powerful adverb that directly compares Eminem to Jesus specifically to the intense pain he went through when he was on the cross to give the audience an image of level of pain and frustration critics can give a rapper. The irony of that the very people that are supposed to be supporting rappers are the ones who are using their position to damage that very artist's career. So is it possible that some of the negativity in a certain rapper's transmits could also come from pressure he or she reiceves from the media.