It's more than lyrics
HIP-HOP OR GANGSTA RAP MUSIC IN THE 1990'S STARTED A VERY CONTROVERSIAL TREND IN THE RAP GAME. VIOLENCE ENTERED ITS WAY INTO MUSIC AND IT WASN'T WELCOMED WITH OPEN ARMS. THE AFFECTS THAT THIS NEW FORM OF MUSIC HAS HAD ON OUR SOCIETY IS HORRIFIC AND IRREVERSIBLE. THE RAP GAME HAS EVOLVED TREMENDOUSLY FROM THE BEGINNING IN THE EARLY 1970'S TO THE PRESENT DAY. BELOW IS A DOCUMENT THAT SUMMARIZES 4 SEPARATE JOURNAL ARTICLES REGARDING VIOLENCE IN HIP-HOP MUSIC.
David Sosebee
COMM 2360
Final Project/Paper
4/19/2014
There are quite a few different viewpoints on the current issue of violence in hip-hop/rap music. Although many of the journals that I read never really seem to all agree on one specific issue, they all note that there is an issue present. In Jeanita W. Richardson and Kim A. Scott’s Journal “Rap Music and Its Violent Progeny: America’s Culture of Violence in Context”, they discuss in detail the current problem America has with violence and the influence rap music has on young adults. This article puts the majority of the blame on America itself. The authors talk about how America rewards these violent behaviors with financial stability and fame. Rap music has not only impacted its listeners, but it has influenced a much larger audience. It was also noted that hip-hop music is in fact persuasive towards the entertainment industry as a whole. Ms. Richardson mentions in the article that rap music may serve more than one purpose, meaning not solely for a profit. A voice…some artists simply want to voice what’s on their hearts and minds, which is talked about in the article. Their lyrics may be the only way for anyone to ever hear what they deal with day to day. Also discussed in the article is the difference between hip-hop, rap, and gangsta rap. Gangsta rap came along in the late 90’s following both hip-hop and rap. Gangsta rap really set the ground work for obscene lyrics almost always infused with some sort of violence. The biggest difference in the “gangsta rap artists” was that they were considered the first to actually rap about such violence and actually be apart of it. This wasn’t for show or to make money, this was their daily life.
A study was conducted by Theresa Martinez in 1997 in which picked apart the gangsta rap genre and took a closer look a quite a few artists and some of their lyrics and songs. The article, Gangsta Misogyny: A Content Analysis of the Portrayals of Violence Against Women in Rap Music, written by Edward G. Armstrong, takes an in depth look into the lyrics behind these so called violent gangsta rappers and the music that they create. Martinez gathered lyrics from over 490 gangsta rap songs produced from 1987 to 1993 to further analyze why these artists felt the need to say such harsh things in their lyrics. She kept her study to only big name gangsta rappers such as Ice-T, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, N.W.A, Snoop Dog, as well as a few other groups and rappers. The main point conveyed in this article is how women are looked at as material possessions and how violent these gangsta rappers can be towards females. A lot of these songs are fueled by sexist lyrics which are seen as misleading and harmful towards the opposite sex. Other than obvious gang violence, this study reveals the rape culture and the sexual abuse of women. It is portrayed in some songs as being “ok” and socially accepted among the gangsta rap community in the 90’s. Young kids who listen to these songs may be influenced to act upon what they are learning in the songs. “Punch the bitch in the eye/then the ho will fall to the ground Then you open up her mouth/put your dick, move the shit around”, this is just one example of one of the lyrics Theresa Martinez quoted in her study regarding how rape is portrayed as ok in gangsta rap. Rape isn’t the only horrific thing Martinez discovered in her study, murder is also a topic that deserves some attention. Talking about murder and other forms of bodily harm in gangsta rap songs has been popular from the beginning. It’s viewed as a way of showing some sort of street power and respect from other gangsters. But in reality, it shouldn’t be socially accepted. Some of the murders discussed in the lyrics were very vulgar and detailed. So much that it’s hard for most to even listen to. Martinez noted this is a very big problem that needs to be dealt with.
In Chapter 7 of Michael Eric Dyson’s book “Know What I Mean”, is titled The Culture of Hip-Hop. Dyson discusses the evolution of hip-hop and rap and how a lot of rappers turned to violence, there were still a few who aimed their message towards antiviolent and antidrug behavior. This outlook on rap is different from the previous articles discussed. Despite the attempt of many rappers to portray their music against drugs and violence, it seems that the people don’t really understand the real message. Nobody is able to look beyond the growing problem of violence in music to understand what groups like KRS-One are trying to convey to listeners. The group has lines like this in a few of their songs:
“Well, today’s topic is self-destruction, it really ain’t the rap audience that’s buggin’. It’s one or two suckers ignorant brothers, tryin’ to rob and steal from one another/…’cause the way we live is positive/ we don’t kill our relatives…”.
This displays a message that many have a hard time believing due to the ignorance of the rest of the rap community. It’s hard to get across a valid argument when everyone around you in the rap game is saying otherwise. Dyson’s view is unique compared to the others and it definitely deserves to be considered.
Denise Herd, professor at the University of California Berkeley wrote his take on violence in hip-hop in his journal article “Changing images of violence in Rap music lyrics: 1979-1997”. Herd mainly focuses on how rap music has harmful effects on the youth of the nation. His article tracks the change hip-hop music went through between the 70’s and 1990’s. As discussed earlier, the change was dramatic as violence increased nearly 30 percent in the first 5 years after 1979 and then jumped up to 60 percent during 1944-1997 (Herd). It was noted that youth violence has risen significantly since the 1980’s and a lot of fingers have been pointed towards gangsta rap music. Young kids are seeing all of these rappers talking about violence and drugs while they also see the wealth, fame, and glamour. It’s easy to see how kids can get the two grouped together and how it can easily affect their life. While youth violence is an obvious trend that is on the rise, violence of all ages increased substantially in the 1990’s. It’s not just young kids that are influenced by the music.
Bibliography
-Dyson, Michael Eric. "The culture of hip-hop." That’s the Joint (2004): 61-8.
-Jeanita W. Richardson; Kim A. Scott. (2002). Rap Music and Its Violent Progeny:America’s Culture of Violence in Context. The Journal of Negro Education, Vol. 71, No. 3, pp. 175-192. Retrieved from http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/marilynm/Theorizing_Black_America_Syll bus_files/Rap_Music_and_Its_Violent_Progeny.pdf
-Armstrong, Edward. "." GANGSTA MISOGYNY: A CONTENT ANALYSIS OF THE PORTRAYALS OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN RAP MUSIC, 1987-1993* (): 97-108. Print.
- Herd, Denise . "Changing images of violence in Rap music lyrics: 1979-1997." (): n. pag. Print.
COMM 2360
Final Project/Paper
4/19/2014
There are quite a few different viewpoints on the current issue of violence in hip-hop/rap music. Although many of the journals that I read never really seem to all agree on one specific issue, they all note that there is an issue present. In Jeanita W. Richardson and Kim A. Scott’s Journal “Rap Music and Its Violent Progeny: America’s Culture of Violence in Context”, they discuss in detail the current problem America has with violence and the influence rap music has on young adults. This article puts the majority of the blame on America itself. The authors talk about how America rewards these violent behaviors with financial stability and fame. Rap music has not only impacted its listeners, but it has influenced a much larger audience. It was also noted that hip-hop music is in fact persuasive towards the entertainment industry as a whole. Ms. Richardson mentions in the article that rap music may serve more than one purpose, meaning not solely for a profit. A voice…some artists simply want to voice what’s on their hearts and minds, which is talked about in the article. Their lyrics may be the only way for anyone to ever hear what they deal with day to day. Also discussed in the article is the difference between hip-hop, rap, and gangsta rap. Gangsta rap came along in the late 90’s following both hip-hop and rap. Gangsta rap really set the ground work for obscene lyrics almost always infused with some sort of violence. The biggest difference in the “gangsta rap artists” was that they were considered the first to actually rap about such violence and actually be apart of it. This wasn’t for show or to make money, this was their daily life.
A study was conducted by Theresa Martinez in 1997 in which picked apart the gangsta rap genre and took a closer look a quite a few artists and some of their lyrics and songs. The article, Gangsta Misogyny: A Content Analysis of the Portrayals of Violence Against Women in Rap Music, written by Edward G. Armstrong, takes an in depth look into the lyrics behind these so called violent gangsta rappers and the music that they create. Martinez gathered lyrics from over 490 gangsta rap songs produced from 1987 to 1993 to further analyze why these artists felt the need to say such harsh things in their lyrics. She kept her study to only big name gangsta rappers such as Ice-T, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, N.W.A, Snoop Dog, as well as a few other groups and rappers. The main point conveyed in this article is how women are looked at as material possessions and how violent these gangsta rappers can be towards females. A lot of these songs are fueled by sexist lyrics which are seen as misleading and harmful towards the opposite sex. Other than obvious gang violence, this study reveals the rape culture and the sexual abuse of women. It is portrayed in some songs as being “ok” and socially accepted among the gangsta rap community in the 90’s. Young kids who listen to these songs may be influenced to act upon what they are learning in the songs. “Punch the bitch in the eye/then the ho will fall to the ground Then you open up her mouth/put your dick, move the shit around”, this is just one example of one of the lyrics Theresa Martinez quoted in her study regarding how rape is portrayed as ok in gangsta rap. Rape isn’t the only horrific thing Martinez discovered in her study, murder is also a topic that deserves some attention. Talking about murder and other forms of bodily harm in gangsta rap songs has been popular from the beginning. It’s viewed as a way of showing some sort of street power and respect from other gangsters. But in reality, it shouldn’t be socially accepted. Some of the murders discussed in the lyrics were very vulgar and detailed. So much that it’s hard for most to even listen to. Martinez noted this is a very big problem that needs to be dealt with.
In Chapter 7 of Michael Eric Dyson’s book “Know What I Mean”, is titled The Culture of Hip-Hop. Dyson discusses the evolution of hip-hop and rap and how a lot of rappers turned to violence, there were still a few who aimed their message towards antiviolent and antidrug behavior. This outlook on rap is different from the previous articles discussed. Despite the attempt of many rappers to portray their music against drugs and violence, it seems that the people don’t really understand the real message. Nobody is able to look beyond the growing problem of violence in music to understand what groups like KRS-One are trying to convey to listeners. The group has lines like this in a few of their songs:
“Well, today’s topic is self-destruction, it really ain’t the rap audience that’s buggin’. It’s one or two suckers ignorant brothers, tryin’ to rob and steal from one another/…’cause the way we live is positive/ we don’t kill our relatives…”.
This displays a message that many have a hard time believing due to the ignorance of the rest of the rap community. It’s hard to get across a valid argument when everyone around you in the rap game is saying otherwise. Dyson’s view is unique compared to the others and it definitely deserves to be considered.
Denise Herd, professor at the University of California Berkeley wrote his take on violence in hip-hop in his journal article “Changing images of violence in Rap music lyrics: 1979-1997”. Herd mainly focuses on how rap music has harmful effects on the youth of the nation. His article tracks the change hip-hop music went through between the 70’s and 1990’s. As discussed earlier, the change was dramatic as violence increased nearly 30 percent in the first 5 years after 1979 and then jumped up to 60 percent during 1944-1997 (Herd). It was noted that youth violence has risen significantly since the 1980’s and a lot of fingers have been pointed towards gangsta rap music. Young kids are seeing all of these rappers talking about violence and drugs while they also see the wealth, fame, and glamour. It’s easy to see how kids can get the two grouped together and how it can easily affect their life. While youth violence is an obvious trend that is on the rise, violence of all ages increased substantially in the 1990’s. It’s not just young kids that are influenced by the music.
Bibliography
-Dyson, Michael Eric. "The culture of hip-hop." That’s the Joint (2004): 61-8.
-Jeanita W. Richardson; Kim A. Scott. (2002). Rap Music and Its Violent Progeny:America’s Culture of Violence in Context. The Journal of Negro Education, Vol. 71, No. 3, pp. 175-192. Retrieved from http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/marilynm/Theorizing_Black_America_Syll bus_files/Rap_Music_and_Its_Violent_Progeny.pdf
-Armstrong, Edward. "." GANGSTA MISOGYNY: A CONTENT ANALYSIS OF THE PORTRAYALS OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN RAP MUSIC, 1987-1993* (): 97-108. Print.
- Herd, Denise . "Changing images of violence in Rap music lyrics: 1979-1997." (): n. pag. Print.
Rapper 50 Cent is notorious for rapping about shooting violence and protecting his people from anything that gets in the way.
"I keep hearin' niggas is happy, the D's come, niggas wit guns
When I'm out on bail, ridin' wit' some new ones
Big got hit in that passenger seat
Pac got hit in that passenger seat
Now I'm ridin' 'round in that passenger seat
Come near the whip, I'm blastin' my heat
It don't take long, for my juvenile delinquent thinkin' to sink in
The consequences mean nothin', those semi auto's is bustin'
Crack sellin', predicate villain, spit big words but I can't spell 'em
Put a shot to your melon, that'll keep you're punk ass from chillin'
Then I got that nine and a fo'-fo', that H2 is never full
Bullet proof windows and doors, gangsta how 'bout yours
Southside tatted on my back
My last gun shipment got the whole hood strapped
Now all I got is two 380's and a nine
Nigga you can knock and tell the cops but you're dyin'"
"I keep hearin' niggas is happy, the D's come, niggas wit guns
When I'm out on bail, ridin' wit' some new ones
Big got hit in that passenger seat
Pac got hit in that passenger seat
Now I'm ridin' 'round in that passenger seat
Come near the whip, I'm blastin' my heat
It don't take long, for my juvenile delinquent thinkin' to sink in
The consequences mean nothin', those semi auto's is bustin'
Crack sellin', predicate villain, spit big words but I can't spell 'em
Put a shot to your melon, that'll keep you're punk ass from chillin'
Then I got that nine and a fo'-fo', that H2 is never full
Bullet proof windows and doors, gangsta how 'bout yours
Southside tatted on my back
My last gun shipment got the whole hood strapped
Now all I got is two 380's and a nine
Nigga you can knock and tell the cops but you're dyin'"
Rapper Lil Boosie is known for his catchy songs which often include controversial lyrics including violence, sexual abuse, as well as drugs.
"Take a walk across that track where you see junkies pheens and robbers
Calicos and choppas infa-reds that spot yah
My niggaz got on dem reeboks wit dem baby 9's tucked
Hollin I don't give a fuck if you love yo hood then throw it up
Now where the prayas prayers to us we need a Mill. man
Two days from Christmas and I gotta pay the bills man
So I'm on a rainy night with a gangsta who don't play no games
He love them fortys and them fortys don't get jam man
Now you wanna be gangsta step to me and you gon' disappear
My momma raised all dicks it ain't no pussy here
Now I love them gangstas from the lil ones to the ol g's
From the weed papers to the Optimo leaves we blow trees
So think about it when you step in that water
You wanna thug but you gotta thug harder nigga"
"Take a walk across that track where you see junkies pheens and robbers
Calicos and choppas infa-reds that spot yah
My niggaz got on dem reeboks wit dem baby 9's tucked
Hollin I don't give a fuck if you love yo hood then throw it up
Now where the prayas prayers to us we need a Mill. man
Two days from Christmas and I gotta pay the bills man
So I'm on a rainy night with a gangsta who don't play no games
He love them fortys and them fortys don't get jam man
Now you wanna be gangsta step to me and you gon' disappear
My momma raised all dicks it ain't no pussy here
Now I love them gangstas from the lil ones to the ol g's
From the weed papers to the Optimo leaves we blow trees
So think about it when you step in that water
You wanna thug but you gotta thug harder nigga"