When I started going to school in Georgia, I have to admit that I was almost immediately intimidated by the black members of the class. I was afraid, not because they were black, but because to me, they looked really mean and unfriendly. What made them this way, in my mind, was the fact that most of them dressed like thugs – something I hadn’t experienced in Utah. They had baggy pants, t-shirts with popular rap artists emblazoned on the front, diamond earings and bandanas tied around their heads. This “gansta” appearance intimidated me greatly, and caused me to avoid any kind of interactions for fear of getting myself beat up.
I found, though, as I lived my middle school and high school life, that such dress, appearance, and behaviors were simply part of their culture. I found that among my friends and peers, those who resembled members of the Wu Tang Clan were often the nicest, kindest and best educated among the students at school. So I began to wonder why, with their smarts and character, they would dress like street thugs.
I found my answer on MTV. It has become part of popular culture that current African American rap artists try hard to maintain the thug-life persona. One only has to watch a movie like “Get Rich or Die Trying” starring 50 Cent, to turn on VH1 in the morning before school, to get the idea. What is interesting to me about this is that we often discuss the topic of African Americans in the “hood” in a solemn manner – we discuss, in government, on talk shows, etc., that something must be done to help those who are “stuck” in the intercity projects with no way out. In fact it is a primary recipient of many charities all over the United States.
But what I also find interesting is that among the African American culture (and even more now among white teenage boys – thanks largely to Eminem’s movie “8 Mile”), being a part of the hood and the projects is celebrated. More and more the rap and hip hop songs celebrate the life of single parents raising kids with no money, shooting the leader of the rival gang, stealing cars and money, experimenting with drugs and sex, and using crude and vulgar language. This kind of behavior is not only celebrated, but also encouraged, causing many to seek out that lifestyle to be part of the culture.
Now granted, I am not saying that every African American wants to be a thug, but what I am saying is that such activities and behaviors are more and more a part of the African American culture. And it seems like, in a big way, the same people who talk so much about getting an education, being a good example and making one’s way in the world, are also the ones perpetuating, celebrating and encouraging the thug lifestyle and behavior.
So my question is this: how do you feel about the rap culture that has swept our nation, and do you feel that the lifestyles and actions in rap culture encourage, celebrate and perpetuate the problems often found among those who struggle in the projects (usually African Americans), or do you think rap culture doesn’t have much of an effect? Why do feel the way you do?
22 comments:
I love rap music. I don't necessarily agree with the values that are presented in rap music, but I find that there is a lot of truth in the lyrics. I think that the beauty of rap is that there is something that everyone can identify with on some level, and that is why it is so popular. I think that dressing the way that rap artists dress is a way to further attempt to identify with them. If people connect with their music, they may try to connect with them in other ways as well. I think that sometimes the connection is taken too far and people are encouraged by the literal messages about money and girls and guns. Especially for kids from the same backgrounds as these rappers, they see their lifestyle as one to pursue and maybe that following their footsteps will lead them out of the ghetto too.
I also enjoy a good rap song now and again. I think that rap music can be part of the self-fulfilling prophesy that happens. The African-American children see that the only way to succeed as a black minority is by playing sports or rapping then they are going to try to excel within those realms. They often times do not have examples in the home to show them the benefits of going to college and that going into debt for college is a good thing because it prepares you to be able to enter the working work and obtain self sustaining paying jobs.
I think that many times it depends on the person and the support and love they receive from not only parents or guardians but teachers and educators as well. I think that the thug life has also moved into many of the other cultures that white, suburban America has mostly overlooked.
For some people, I would say that the "thug life" and more commonly now the "street life" and "rap culture" have seriously affected the way they act or react to different situations. Many teens and even young adults, know nothing else, it was essentially the way they were raised.
Because these are environmental factors, my opinion is that they can be changed or removed, with serious work.
I honestly don't have much of an opinion on this one. I grew up in Idaho, and now I'm going to school in Utah, where seeing someone who is black is a rare event. I like some rap music though, and while some of it does encourage the problems faced by those in the projects, some of it (the stuff I like anyway) focuses on the issues facing the world and what we should do to change it(black eyed peas where is the love for example).
I actually heard a rap song the other day I really liked that actually focused on this lifestyle that's seems to come with rap and whether or not it should be that way. Check it out: B.O.B. Airplane.
I do not believe this culture has “swept the nation.” The “business culture” seems to far out way people who embrace the rap culture. These actions do have some effect on those in the projects, however. The people living there don’t know how to get out of a lifestyle they’ve always known, and, in some instances, don’t have the desire to find a new one
I think there are some insightful ideas presented throughout rap music but the image that most rappers portray doesn't usually promote a good lifestyle. Kids see rap artists who have gone through many of the same things they are going through but who have become rich and famous, many times while continuing bad habits they learned when they were younger. I think rap artists have a great opportunity to show kids that they can be successful without living up to the stereotypes often placed on them by society.
There is a story of a general authority on an airplane sitting next to a rapper who told him that his music was written specifically to drive people to sex. Ever since i heard this story i have thought twice about the rap music that has swept a generation of young kids. I dont know if it necessarily influences those in the projects only but i think all music influences us in one way or another.
I am not a fan of rap. I don't feel like I identify with its themes or lifestyle. But I do know a lot of people who do.
I think the biggest fans of rap are young people--middle school to college aged people. I think the biggest reason for them to identify with it is the same reason that people are attracted to those who are successful and popular. It seems like they know who they are, like they know where they're going. They don't need someone to tell them what to do with their life because they already have it figured out. And young people want that for themselves. We want stability. We want a plan. We want to know something is going to go according to plan. So we emulate those people who seem to have it figured out. We dress like them. We talk like them. We eat what they eat and we go where they go. All in an effort to find what they have found.
But there is one big flaw in this plan: we can't find ourselves in being someone else. So we'll try--oh you better believe we'll try. But nothing will come of it. Because you can't be who you are until you decide that its okay, that you are good enough. That you don't have to be like someone else to make things all work out.
To pretend that rap culture doesn't represent values that are corrosive to society is laughable in my opinion. There are even some issues that are glorified in rap music that you didn't mention, but that are touched on in the book, such as misogynistic and derogatory treatment of women, violence toward authority figures/police, promotion of drug culture and so on and so forth. This is not a new issue, and many music labels have been pushing what is considered acceptable (almost anything is nowadays). This is not to say that rap music does not contain rhythms etc that are not pleasing, but the messages are overwhelmingly negative.
Rap culture definitely perpetuates the kind of problems that exist in African American communities. It began with East-West hip hop rivalry sparked with the killing of Tupac Shakur and hasn't improved much. In-fact it seems that rap culture is becoming more and more mainstream as even controversial rappers like Ludacris are courted as advertisers by big corporations like Pepsi.
I am an avid rap fan, and have even been known to throw down the beat myself, but does that mean I dress like a hood rat and sling crack? no.
I dont think the music has anything to do with how people will act. The lyrics may talk about bullets and hoes, but I do not feel that has much influence. I think the culture was already established and rappers along with it. They are merely a small part, not the cause.
I also doubt the lives of African Americans living in the ghettos would change much by eliminating this culture.
A lot of rap music glorifies crime, drugs and sex making the discussion of them an integral part of teenagers’ everyday lives. The way these things are casually presented has created a problem in today's society in that it portrays them as though they should be a part of every "cool" kid's life.
I enjoy rap once in a while and mainly only for the beat-- they make for good dance songs. But if you really listen to the words, I think for the most part they present a very negative message. I think that if people listen to the messages then yes, rap music perpetuates the problem of thug/gangster life in America.
I believe there is both good and bad, as with many things, in rap music. Rap music in some aspects shows many of the struggles that African Americans in lower income areas go through on a daily basis. On the other hand, I agree that the "thug life" is celebrated and encouraged. As young boys and girls listen to various Rap artists and their glamorization of the thug life, these young people are socialized to think that this type of life is not only accepted, but wonderful. To say that rap music is only an artistic form of expression or it is only perpetuating a dangerous lifestyle is going too far. I believe it is somewhere in the middle, a little of both.
I think there are definitely some parts of the rap culture that have a huge effect on thug-life. whether people notice it or not if your listening to the kind of music that praises that behavior eventually it will start to have an effect on you.
I think the rap music does help to perpetuate a thug lifestyle. I am from the Detroit area and I definitely see the glamorization of that lifestyle in every aspect of their lives.
First I think it's important to remember that everyone has something to offer. Just because they dress differently than you doesn't mean they aren't worth being friends with. Personally I love rap. Kanye, lil wayne, you name it. That being said, i do realize there are rap songs that glorify violence, rape, theft, etc. If music videos show young black people participating in these things, it's no wonder that some black youth in our country are trying to emulate this. They see it as an example of how they should be. To fix the problem I think it's important for young people of all races to be educated and exposed to opportunities that are better than living "thug life"
I think that rap/hip-hop culture makes the problem even worse. It has largely become music about sex, drugs, and having lots of money and I have no doubt that people in the "projects" hear these things and figure that's what they need to become.
I think many people are fascinated with rap culture because (most of us) have no idea about the culture they rap about, or the backgrounds they come from. In part it does resemble America--violence, sexual images and other things are constantly surround us we either just tune them out or are accustomed to it. I think music sometimes has an even powerful effect on us because the lyrics of a song are inescapable.
I think young people are affected by rap music, and the "lifestyle" in general. Not all people are, but I think there is a group that underachieves because they are influenced by rappers.
I think that rap creates a sense of community that everyone is trying to achieve. Rap/Hip Hop is part of the community that I've grown up. I think that the sense of community that it creates is a ok thing. It would be ideal to be getting that sense of belonging in a family, but the rap scene is better then the gang.
I think rap is just an expression of another culture. If it is all you are listening to then it is going to have an influence. But this can be said for just about anything. You are what you surround yourself with.
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