Rap Music and Society Rap Music Currently

Rap Music and Society

Rap Music currently enjoys a status of mouthpiece for society's rebels. In fact, since the music of Elvis, various forms of music have pushed the boundaries of acceptability and decency in culture. According to some critics, rap has done this to an extent that cannot be condoned in terms of social norms. Below a short historical overview of this music genre is examined, followed by a consideration of its significance for society. While it is true that some rap artists have broken rules and norms not only in their music, but also in their lifestyles, and sometimes to an extreme extent, it is also true that other rap musicians attempt to use their art for social upliftment.

Historical Overview of Rap Music

During the 1920s, urban street jive was a form of speech developed in Chicag0, Ill. (Current Events). According to some historians, this is the tradition at the root of rap music as it exists today. In its current form, rap music emerged in New York City, courtesy of a Jamaican immigrant, Clive Campbell, or DJ Kool Herc, as he is also known. During the 1970's, Campbell pioneered this art from by mixing music from two records on two separate turntables. The beat created in this manner was accompanied by Campbell speaking to match the rhythm of the music. The first hit in this genre was created by the Sugarhill Gang in 1979, and entitled "Rappers Delight" (Current Events).

It was during the 1980's that rap music became increasingly popular. DJ Africa Bambaataa for example introduced drum machines and synthesizers to popularize the new "techno sound"

Current Events). With its rising popularity, rap artists began to turn their attention to social problems such as economic equality and abuse issues. During the late 1980's this culminated in "gangsta rap," still addressing inequality and injustice, but also glorifying the violence and misogyny that is often a part of life for disadvantaged individuals (Current Events).

Rap and Social Values

Rap artists such as Eminem (Marshall Mathers), Ice Tea, and others have reveled in the controversy raised by their explicit and violent lyrics. According to Fields, the results of social shortcomings are portrayed in the darkest and most explicit way possible by many rap artists. This serves not only as a window to the sad childhood worlds many of these artists come from, but also as an incentive to uphold and fight for conservative social values. Indeed, broken families where the father is absent, children illegitimate, and welfare the only income, more often than not make the world in which the average rapper grew up. The desperate alienation created by this situation finds its expression in violent rap lyrics (Fields).

The nature of most rap lyrics have solicited a wide variety of responses from society. Fans of Eminem for example approve of the fact that the artist is testing the limits of what society deems appropriate (Current Events). These fans position Eminem at the same level as Elvis relative to his own society during the 1950's. Coupled with this is the artist's perceived honesty regarding his own position in society, as well as the shortcomings of the paradigm in which he grew up. Some music critics hail the verbal skill inherent in the music, while others accept rap as the social commentary and artistic form it is, but still do not condone the values or indeed lack thereof demonstrated by the art form (Current Events).

Fields disagrees that growing up in less than ideal conditions justifies the extreme and violent lyrics of rap music. She uses the example of Frank Sinatra to demonstrate this view. Sinatra, despite the fact that his childhood included the an in-depth knowledge of violence and the Mafia, he strove for class and sophistication in his music (Fields). When faced with choice as an adult, he chose honorable values and respect rather than the values that were forced upon him as a child. Fields contrasts this paradigm with the one by Eminem and others. The latter choose the values of their childhood not only in their music, but also in their lifestyle and behavior. While this is valuable in terms of raising public awareness regarding the conditions breeding such values, it is also destructive in terms of cultivating and encouraging rebellion, substance abuse and prejudice in society. Teenagers and young adults, who make the largest base of fans for rap artists, are naturally rebellious and identify with the brutality in this music. Thus, the more brutal and more explicit the lyrics, the higher the number of fans is likely to be.

On the other hand, some artists have shown that, while the brutality, violence and depravity present in society can be acknowledged, this can also be used to create a more positive outlook. A Tribe Called Quest for example has devoted an album to love instead of sex or drugs. The members of the "Tribe" originate from Brooklyn and Queens, environments from which typical rappers could say to emerge. For their art, this group relies on exploratory rhythms and art that is honest while it is wholesome. Following in their footsteps are De La Soul, Monie Love, The Jungle Brothers, and others (Ehrlich).

What is striking about the new movement of rappers is their honesty relating to social shortcomings. They do not attempt to hide the realities of the above-mentioned childhood worlds that some are forced to grow up in. In this way they differ from Sinatra, who gave the illusion of sophistication while denying the paradigm of his childhood world. Instead A Tribe Called Quest and those following in their footsteps focus on healing rather than hardening and rebelling (Ehrlich). This is then a healing without the denial of brutality. Brutality is acknowledged for what it is: a defense mechanism against a society that has been unfair to a certain portion of humanity for lifetimes. Yet, this is then replaced by a more acceptable paradigm of healing and moving forward with a life that is profitable and sustainable.