Hip hop is seen as a culture and it is expressed in terms of dance, poetry, visual art, social and political legacy of African, African American, Caribbean and Latino immigrant communities in the United States. The main elements associated with hip hop are MCing (which is rapping), graffiti, DJing, and breakdancing. Hip hop shows that it has a deep meaning behind it as it suggests that hip hop is a way of life with its own ethical code.Even so, hip hop has still created some controversy hence there is the idea that hip hop is a bad influence on individuals and the society.
An obvious reason why it seems as though hip hop is bad is that there is excessive profanity used, especially in rap music. The fact that hip hop artists swear frequently in most, if not all, of their songs could arguably have a negative effect on listeners. But is this really true? I listen to hip hop/rap and sometimes I think that the swearing is too much and yet I do not believe that hip hop has influenced my behaviour in a negative way.
I read an article where an Attorney, Eamon Courtney expresses the fact that hip hop is degrading because of the language and how it was inappropriate for his daughter. This got me thinking, thinking about how old his daughter is, especially as he used the words ‘little girl’. Anyway, this point can be counter-argued as for one, there is swearing everywhere, be it movies, or other music genres such as rock and these have nothing to do with hip hop (generally speaking), although in movies they will only be available for an older audience (for example, 15+ years old). Thus it can be said that hip hop only contributes to the influence of society in terms of profanity. Moreover, it can be suggested that the swearing alone will not make such an effect; there will be other factors which can have an effect, for example people’s upbringings, who they intermingle with (family or friends), and (many) more.
I read an article where an Attorney, Eamon Courtney expresses the fact that hip hop is degrading because of the language and how it was inappropriate for his daughter. This got me thinking, thinking about how old his daughter is, especially as he used the words ‘little girl’. Anyway, this point can be counter-argued as for one, there is swearing everywhere, be it movies, or other music genres such as rock and these have nothing to do with hip hop (generally speaking), although in movies they will only be available for an older audience (for example, 15+ years old). Thus it can be said that hip hop only contributes to the influence of society in terms of profanity. Moreover, it can be suggested that the swearing alone will not make such an effect; there will be other factors which can have an effect, for example people’s upbringings, who they intermingle with (family or friends), and (many) more.
Additionally, it seems that a substantial amount of the ‘newer’ hip hop is about sex and lust (and thus possibly degrading women), drugs, alcohol/getting drunk, etc. Even some of the older songs express some of these. This links in clearly with the use of profanity as when rappers show sexual remarks in their songs, they do swear for example they will use the word ‘hoe’. This is just one example. Nonetheless, just because a rapper swears it doesn’t mean that they are rapping about the more usual concepts (I thought I’d point that out), they could be conveying their hate or dislike for a particular artist/person (known as disses or beef); comparing themselves to others in that they are ‘better’. In other words rappers can show rivalry. Also, the points mentioned for the excessive use of profanity can be used again in this context, for example the media shows sexual content in movies, magazine, music videos, or online and not just in the lyrics of hip hop songs. So it cannot be claimed that hip hop is to be fully blamed for the creation of such things, although hip hop could contribute to it. Despite this, it can be asserted that movies and magazines are not as inspirational and provocative, and also there seem to be more restrictions to access to them in comparison to hip hop music. There is, however, one exception and that is pornography, where it can be seen as easier to access.
It must be added that there are some hip hop artists and rappers who do not use profanity in their music. Such artists can include Will Smith, Young Chozen and Grits, the latter two being Christian hip hop artists. Additionally, Christian hip hop artists are known for expressing deeper (positive) meanings in their songs and they are actually quite popular globally.
Further, some may argue that hip hop artists have a bad influence due to their ‘gangsta/thug’ behaviour. A gangsta or a thug is not the same as a gangster because a gangsta is defined as someone who is ‘a sociopathic member of the inner-city underclass, known primarily for being antisocial and uneducated. Also known for ready access to illegal drugs and weapons…’, whereas a gangster is just a member of a gang of violent criminals, take Al Capone for instance or the movie The Godfather, they were gangster but they had nothing (obvious) to do with hip hop.
A gangsta will signify their behaviour by being aggressive and being ‘pro-violent’, whether these are expressed by their words or actions. This thereby suggests that hip hop is so powerful that there is a correlation between hip hop listeners and crimes committed, meaning that more criminal offenders are those that listen to hip hop. There have even been some offenders who had committed serious criminal offences due to the influence of hip hop music and artists, including rapper David Gaynor who was influenced by 50 Cent when he shot someone in the head. Nevertheless, correlation does not imply causation and it has been proclaimed that there is no factual evidence of such a link between hip hop music and violence and thus it is only something which can be assumed. We could go deeper by saying that there are different reasons for committing crimes, and some of them are unrelated to hip hop, for example committing a crime for reasons of protecting oneself but using excessive and unreasonable force or assisted suicide, which supports the point just made. Then it could be argued that hip hop influences and encourages gun crimes, gang-related crimes; not every single crime and this means that the motive point above would be seen as irrelevant.
A gangsta will signify their behaviour by being aggressive and being ‘pro-violent’, whether these are expressed by their words or actions. This thereby suggests that hip hop is so powerful that there is a correlation between hip hop listeners and crimes committed, meaning that more criminal offenders are those that listen to hip hop. There have even been some offenders who had committed serious criminal offences due to the influence of hip hop music and artists, including rapper David Gaynor who was influenced by 50 Cent when he shot someone in the head. Nevertheless, correlation does not imply causation and it has been proclaimed that there is no factual evidence of such a link between hip hop music and violence and thus it is only something which can be assumed. We could go deeper by saying that there are different reasons for committing crimes, and some of them are unrelated to hip hop, for example committing a crime for reasons of protecting oneself but using excessive and unreasonable force or assisted suicide, which supports the point just made. Then it could be argued that hip hop influences and encourages gun crimes, gang-related crimes; not every single crime and this means that the motive point above would be seen as irrelevant.
On the other hand, hip hop is just like poetry. Artists show wittiness by producing lyrics with a rhythmic beat, in the form of rapping. It is a talent, just like singing (or anything else). In addition, they are merely expressing themselves, in this way, to their listeners. In fact, we all express ourselves but we do it in different ways. We all express ourselves by the clothes we wear, what we say, the actions we take, and some people show more of a ‘bad’ attitude at times regardless of whether they are hip hop artists, or others who have no interest in hip hop. So, everyday we encounter different people expressing themselves in different ways and therefore it is not hip hop alone which creates a bad influence…okay, you could say that person A is influenced by person B who was influenced by hip hop, but my point is that it is the society as a whole which plays a part, and society does not equate to hip hop (obviously).
On top of that, hip hop artists would have worked hard to get where they are now (or then); successful with a significant amount of money, by writing and rapping so much so frequently, and they can tell this to their listeners by putting it in their lyrics and it is thereby possible for them to encourage us as listeners to work hard as well, especially as we all do want to be successful in our own ways and it can be inferred that we can get given a broad idea, but it is us ourselves that think deeper about the idea if we choose to do so. Another example could be a mention of killing someone. We could then think ‘would this be a good idea or not? If we do this, we could get caught and go to prison for a long time and consequently reduce our time to become a successful person (theoretically)’. Or you may think differently. Everyone thinks differently thus hip hop can influence some people in good ways…but it can also influence others in bad ways, it all depends on how react to the nature of society, our morals, etc. Besides, hip hop can be seen as a small sector of our society and accordingly, hip hop is not seen as so potent as it may not stand out as much, yet even though it may be a small part, hip hop can still have such a significant impact on people.
In conclusion, hip hop is capable of having such an influence on those who appreciate the culture based on reasons of behaviour, use of language, and the way in which they express themselves. However, hip hop is only part of the society and there are other sectors of the society which play a role in influencing people. It is stereotypical that hip hop is classed as low culture in that the culture consists of gangstas and that they are known for their violent, aggressive and criminal behaviour because there are various hip hop songs which express a positive attitude by tailoring songs to people who are struggling by rapping about hope, faith (ie Christian hip hop), some do not appreciate that so much because a substantial amount of hip hop music is about the clichéd, possibly degrading, stuff (sexual, alcohol/drugs, etc). It is also stereotypical to say that hip hop is one of the main causes of an increase in criminal offences. At the end of the day, we are all allowed to express ourselves, it’s a human right, and it is not just hip hop which shows negative expressions and therefore it is not just hip hop which can create a bad influence meaning that we can be influenced by other factors. Also, hip hop can create a positive influence by encouraging others to do good things, comforting those in tough situations, giving people hope for the future.
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References (order in which they were used):
‘What is Hip Hop? A Music, History, Art and Culture Lesson’ (EducationWorld, 2011)http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/what-is-hip-hop.shtml accessed 24 July 2014
‘What is Hip Hop? A Music, History, Art and Culture Lesson’ (EducationWorld, 2011)http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/what-is-hip-hop.shtml accessed 24 July 2014
‘Issue Brief: Hip-Hop’ (Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats & Rhymes) http://cdn.itvs.org/hip_hop-issue-brief-hip-hop.pdf accessed 24 July 2014
‘Defining Hip Hop Culture: What is Hip Hop Culture’ (Global Awareness Through Hip Hop Culture Program, 2014)http://globalawarenessthroughhiphopculture.com/Defining_Hip_Hop_Culture.htmlaccessed 24 July 2014
Jodie Dalmeda, ‘Hip-Hop On Trial: Hip-Hop Doesn’t Enhance Society, It Degrades It’ (Global Grind, 2012) http://globalgrind.com/2012/06/28/hip-hop-trial-hip-hop-doesnt-enhance-society-it-degrades-it/ accessed 15 August 2014 (blog)
Kim Jones, ‘Top 10 Christian Rap Albums’ (About.com)http://christianmusic.about.com/od/specialcharts/tp/top10rapalbums.htm andhttp://christianmusic.about.com/od/rapandhiphop/f/faqhiphop.htm accessed 16 August 2014
Urban Dictionary (Urban Dictionary, 2003) http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=gangsta accessed 16 August 2014
Oxford Dictionaries, ‘Oxford Dictionaries: Language Matters’ (OUP, 2014)http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/gangster andhttp://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/gangsta accessed 16 August 2014
Ladel Lewis, ‘Stop Snitching: Hip Hop’s Influence on Crime Reporting in the Inner City’ (Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU, 2012)http://scholarworks.wmich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1029&context=dissertationsaccessed 16 August 2014 (dissertation)
