The Negative Effect Of Rap Music On Teenagers

Although theories differ as to its actual origin, the majority of writers and historians agree that rap music originates in the late 1970’s in the rundown, crime and drug infested slums of the South Bronx, New York. Steven Hager (1984), author of the book, “Hip-Hop; the Illustrated History of Break Dancing, Rap Music and Graffiti,” states that there were three major events which took place in the Bronx that led to the birth of rap.

The explicit lyrics of RAP music push teenagers to reproduce what is said in the songs. Some teenagers have committed suicide because they were listening to RAP music, although rap music is not the cause of their death, it encourages and influences them to act on what they hear in the lyrics. A girl named Hannah Bond committed suicide and many felt it was because of the music she was listening to, she was a fan of emo music. Before committing suicide, she tried to harm herself and told her dad that it was an Emo initiated ceremony. In another example an 18 year old named Steve Boucher committed suicide in Delafield as he was listening to Pink Floyd’s album ‘’The Wall’’, which contains songs with suicidal themes.

There is also evidence that suggests that teenagers who spend more time watching rap music videos that depict sex and violence are more likely to emulate these behaviors in real life. 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 videos for at least 14 hours per week were far more likely to practice numerous destructive behaviors. Over the course of the one-year study, done by the, they were:

• Three times more likely to hit a teacher
• Over 2. 5 times more likely to get arrested
• Twice as likely to have multiple sexual partners
• 1. 5 times more likely to get a sexually transmitted disease, use drugs, or drink alcohol.

Rap music has an adverse effect on teenagers. It affects not just their way of thinking, but their behavior. These teenagers could have been thinking about suicide due to other factors, but listening to songs with suicidal themes most likely encourage young people who listen to it to act on such messages and thoughts. This is an important topic, because today many teenagers listen to RAP music. When you don’t listen to RAP, it is not uncommon to automatically be considered an outcast. The truth is that we don’t really have an idea of the impact it can have on teenagers which is why it needs to be studied further. I took my time to observe people that listen to RAP music, as well as the ones that listen to other genres, and those that listen to both RAP and other genres. Personally I have remarked that the behavior of those that listen to RAP music is very different. RAP music affects teenagers in a more negative way then in a positive way, my purpose here is to demonstrate this by presenting evidence and examples that shed more light in this controversy.

Rap music is certainly one of the most popular music genres nowadays but how well do we know the history of rap? Rap is a very old word. The term popped up as early as the 15th and 16th century in Britain. Initially the word rap meant to strike or to hit. A few centuries later a slight variation of this definition appeared which meant to speak or talk. In America around the 1960’s it began to pop up in the black community and was used as a slang word to mean that someone was talking or having a conversation. Thousands of years ago in Africa “griots”, where village story tellers who played basic handmade instruments while they told stories of their family and local current events. This style of talking while music is playing is rap music as it was known in its root form. The griot is still a major form of communication in Africa still to this day. This griot tradition carried over when Africans were captured against their will, transported to America & forced into slavery. One way they would cope with the tremendous amount of pain & heartbreak of slavery would be to sing. While they were working in the fields they would often sing using “call to answer”. One leader would call out a certain part of a song and the rest of the slaves would answer with the next line. In modern times performing artists call this Mcing or crowd participation.

Everything started on August 11, 1973 in the Bronx. DJ Kool Herc (now known as the first DJ & founding father of hip hop) & his sister Cindy began hosting back to school parties in the recreation room of their building. It was these gatherings that would spark the beginning of a new culture we know today as Hip-Hop. Within the next few years DJ’s & Rappers were popping up at every block party to showcase their talent, but record companies considered rap music a fad & were not compelled to invest in it. Rap music finally reached mainstream recognition in 1979. The first rap song to get commercially released was “King Tim III (Personality Jock)” by the Fatback Band. However, this song was pushed to the B-side of the tape, but after getting a huge response from the clubs, it was later released on the a-side and became a top 30 hit on r&b charts.

‘’For the last 20 or so years, rap has dominated mainstream music and culture. Rappers like Eminem and P. Diddy have made millions and millions of dollars off their music; Kanye West, Macklemore, and countless other rappers have won Grammys every year; Dr. Dre recently sold his brand Beats to Apple for one billion dollars; Rap motifs and quotes appear in pop culture every day. Needless to say, hip hop is one of the most successful and popular genres in all of music’’. In fact although we know that RAP music originated from the African that were enslaved in America, it became popular for several reasons. First, rap music is a very diverse genre, and most importantly it unites everybody from all different parts of the World. A black person can rap, a white person can rap, anybody can rap, and it traverses racial barriers. Rap music also became popular because it talks about all the subjects: Politics, money, suffering, sex, war, fight, pain, joy. And these are the subjects people want to hear about, Rap is not only a genre of music, it’s a way of expression, it’s a way of representing reality as it is, experienced by those that perform it. Rap music appeal to teenagers because some are attracted to the themes of money, sex and violence they find in rap music. Other, mostly poor and marginalized, listen to rap music because it describes the reality they are facing, they identify with the realities portrayed in rap songs lyrics. ’’ Rap lyrics are emotionally intense and often spin a rags-to-riches tale. According to Michael Delpleache of Hip Hop Gives Back, a youth empowerment organization, teens are drawn to the fantasies of wealth, glamour, and sex appeal in rap videos. For teens in poor communities, rap lyrics speak to their current reality and their fantasies of escape. And like all forms of music, rap offers a creative outlet and a way to connect with peers. ’’

Rap music affect teenagers differently, and I also believe that it depends on the teenager’s behavior, way of thinking, and the kind of community in which he lives. These factors play a huge role in the way the teen interprets the rap music lyrics he listens to. However some people are still convinced that RAP music doesn’t affect teenagers in a bad way but instead, it helps them visualize their goals and be motivated.

‘’Several studies have sought to determine whether violent lyrics, and in the case of music videos, violent images, can cause violent behavior. One study by researchers at Western Connecticut State University in 2006 found that people who listen to music with violent lyrics are more likely to be violent. However, these studies don't always account for factors such as the presence of violence in the home or community. Dr. Tricia Rose, a professor of Africana Studies and author of 'The Hip Hop Wars,' states that assertions about hip hop causing violence are 'incredibly dishonest about the profound role of structural racism, of economic disadvantage that has been produced over decades. ’’

‘’Hip hop testifies to the experiences and aspirations of kids growing up in areas where music or sports can seem to be the only ways out of poverty. Hip hop didn't create the ghetto; it just talks about it. ’’ Rap music affects teenagers in a more negative way then in a positive way. Many teenagers listen to RAP songs today not being aware of its effects on them. In fact RAP music is very popular nowadays and I think people deserve to know the bad effects it can have on a teen. Some people might say that listening to RAP music is not related to a teenager’s bad behavior, but the question is: Will a teenager who listens to Classical music behave the same way as a teenager who listens to RAP music? My answer to this question is a no. I live in a community where we all have differents genres of music, and I see the way some of my classmates who listen to RAP songs behave, and speak. The human brain is made to work in a way that the more you see, or listen to something, the more you adopt it because your brain gets used to it and adopts it as its language. Maybe listening to RAP music is not the cause of the bad behavior of a teen, but it contributes to it. The more a teenager listens to violence, the more he adopts violence. Based on all these proofs, I can firmly say that RAP music affect teenagers negatively.