Essay topic: Hip-Hop and Rap Music is Hurting Teens
Hip-Hop/Rap Music Negatively Impacting our Youth
According to the New York Times, teens listen to an average of 2.5 hours of music everyday. Studies have shown that music improves mood, decreases risk of depression and also releases dopamine, the chemical in your brain that makes you feel happy. So what is the problem then you might ask? The problem is nearly 80% of all music teenagers listen to on a daily basis contains references to substance abuse, alcohol abuse or explicit sexual behaviour. 65% of the music in question contains references to all three. A shocking statistic put out by ABC News states that not only do 77% of teens listen to the genre of Hip-Hop/Rap, but that 96% of this genre contains more than one reference to either substance or alcohol abuse! With the extreme frequency that this kind of music is exposed to our nation’s highly impressionable youth, their behaviour is being negatively influenced whether it be conscious to them or not.
Substance abuse has always been a critical issue that America and our world as a whole has struggled with for many years. CBS News conducted a survey focused on US teens, asking whether or not they had tried drugs or alcohol in their lifetime. 78% answered in the affirmative that they had in fact consumed alcohol in their lifetime, while 42% of those teens also have consumed illicit drugs such as but not limited to cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana. By itself this number would leave most in awe, however when these modern day statistics are compared to the same question asked in 1980 the results are shocking. Since 1980, teen drug and alcohol use has risen nearly 25%. Another, extremely eye opening statistic put out by Complex. Music, is that Hip-Hop/Rap music has increased from 17% of all music heard by teens, to nearly 40% in the past 30 years. I find it very interesting that teen substance and alcohol abuse has increased hand in hand with the percentage of Hip-Hop/Rap music heard by today’s youth. Hip-Hop and Rap music is a direct cause of the hideous increase in drug use by teens that plagues our world today.
The world we live in today is a progressively more and more violent place. We live in a country divided by hatred, negativity, ignorance and politics. The terrible truth is that drugs and violence sells. Many artists and rappers have realized this and are quick to capitalize. Rappers such as 21 Savage, OFWGKTA and many more directly condone and promote violence, with lyrics telling stories of shootouts with police, gang violence and even rape. Music is so readily available to all, young and old, why would we expose our teens, or anyone for that matter, to even more violence in a world already set ablaze by burning hatred and negativity? Rap music promotes violence as a way to create a more masculine identity and gain respect from one’s peers. Unnecessary violence is never, and will never, be justifiable under any circumstances especially towards women and yet a majority of artists today feel it is perfectly fine to put these ideas in their work because “It’s just a song...” according to artist T.I. in a 2014 interview by All Hip Hop, when asked about some questionable lyrics on his songs. Research by Violent Rhymes Blogs, has shown that 22 percent of rap music deals with violent and misogynistic lyrics.
An interesting case is that from 1994 in Milwaukee, where two 17 year olds shot a police officer with a long ranged rifle while he turned the corner is his car. Both teens had acquired an extensive lists of crimes over the years and when questioned about the murder, they stated a song by rapper Tupac Shakur, had inspired them to kill the innocent policeman. A week prior Tupac had been in the same city, rapping his songs and even at one point flashing a gun he was carrying in his waistband to the crowd of young fans. Over the years the popularity of rap music has exploded alongside that of teen substance abuse and violence amongst US citizens. Hip-Hop and Rap promotes ideas to our youth which they absorb, (knowingly or unknowingly) degrading and desensitizing them to very serious issues.
Hip-Hop and Rap might never lose its cult following of young and energetic teenagers, waiting tirelessly for the new Kodak Black album to release. However parents need to understand the risks associated with listening to these genres of music. We as a people need to educate our youth about the critical issues that are drugs and violence. We need to teach them how to grow up safe and with respect towards others so that when they come of age they can continue these teachings to their children and so on. If you do your part, you might just save someone in need.
The scary truth about this increase of violence and substance abuse in teens is unconsciously brought on by Hip-Hop/Rap music. Children and teens idolize these artists and rappers, modeling their behaviour after them whether it be negative or positive. Every time a new song is published with lyrics containing violence or substance and alcohol abuse it desensitizes our impressionable youth to the severe reality that plagues so many in their everyday lives.
Works Cited
"10 Things Rap Haters Say-And How to RespondSampling Is Cheap, Easy, and Essentially Just Stealing Someone Else's Music." Complex. Web. 13 Nov. 2016.
Parker-pope, Tara. "Under the Influence Of…Music?" The New York Times. The New York Times, 05 Feb. 2008. Web. 13 Nov. 2016.
Preidt, Robert. "1 in 3 Hit Songs Mentions Substance Abuse, Smoking." ABC News. ABC News Network, 23 Mar. 1970. Web. 13 Nov. 2016.
"Survey Reveals Shocking Levels of Teen Drinking, Drug Abuse." CBSNews. CBS Interactive. Web. 13 Nov. 2016.
"Violence & Rap Music." Violence & Rap Music. Web. 13 Nov. 2016.
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