The Negative Influence of Hip-Hop Lyrics on Young Kids - Research Paper Example

Running Head: Hip-hop…. Hip-hop Lyrics By Richie Johnson Order#: 338321 Topic: Hip-hop lyrics With the intent of the purpose of this research is to investigate the negative influence of hip-hop lyrics on young kids. Specifically, the problems of this study are these: The mind of children is highly impressionable. It is like the potter’s mud. It can be given any shape. Once the shape is formed and the mud dries, it can not be remolded. It can break and the broken pieces are of no use. Similarly, the ideas planted in the minds of children, once they influence the child, perhaps the damage is done, unless the counter-influencing reformation measure are taken by the parents/caretakers. Parents own the main responsibility; next is the influence of the teachers. The listing of factors that influence the mind of children is endless. The degree of influence varies from one child to another. Experts are not unanimous in their conclusions. The influence of rap music, which is synonymous with hip-hop music, is intense on the minds of children and it can have mostly negative or some positive effects. The worrying factor is, hip-hop has become part of the popular culture. It has made rapid strides since it originated 1970s. “It is a known fact that hip-hop has taken over, in a sense, the mainstream youth culture,” said Emmett Price, a professor at Northeastern University in Boston, who teaches hip-hop culture. “So, the young kids from the age of being able to speak to going on to high school are influenced by hip-hop culture whether they listen to music or not.” (Killion…) Researchers are busy analyzing and trying to prove that a correlation exists between rap music and increased criminal behavior, sexual activity and drug use. Tricia Rose opines, “A key aspect of much of the criticism that has been leveled at hip-hop is the claim that it glorifies, encourages, and thus causes violence. This argument goes as far back as the middle to 1980s—the so-called golden age of hip-hop—when politically radical hip hop artists, such as Public Enemy, who referred to direct and sometimes armed resistance against racism ‘by any means necessary,’ were considered as advocates of violence.”(p.34) Young kids have a tendency to believe what they see over and over again, as truth. The wise saying goes—a lie repeated from a platform a thousand times, becomes the truth.’ In the present times of internet revolution, it is necessary that the young kids should know many things, but is highly desirable that they should not know some things. Their minds quickly receive information that may prove intensely harmful in the long run. Kids interpret what they see from the level of their understanding and without the proper contextualization. The issue is, children take what they see and listen seriously. The influence on their mind is not casual, but very strong. “A lot of young people listen to their [rappers’] lyrics and take their word as law,” said Salome Thomas El, a principal of an elementary and middle school in inner city Philadelphia, who has been interviewed on “The O’Reilly Factor” on Fox News about the issue of rap and its effects on children.”(Killion….) Hip-hop lyrics prove handy to express the resentment of the children who come from broken homes and poor families and at the opportune moments they look up to the rapper and the message of hip-hop lyrics becomes their way of life. The rapper becomes the teacher for the children and the role model to be emulated. Their lifestyles become the living culture for the children and every aspect of their life, like the dress, food habits, (like smoking, branded articles etc) is copied by the young children enthusiastically. Children begin to use profanity and wear baggy pants. Girls take to inappropriate dresses. Psychological problems and/or poor economic conditions compound the issue further. Children begin to think about the soft options to find money to fulfill their needs. Stealing, taking to minor crimes are the outcome of such urges. “The criticism that hip-hop advocates and thus causes violence relies on the unsubstantiated but widely held belief that listening to violent stories or consuming violent images directly encourage violent behavior.”(Rose, 2008, p.35) Even when it is generally agreed that the negative influences of hip-hop lyrics far outweigh the positive ones, it is necessary to give appropriate consideration to the latter. Some of them are: dealing in hip-hop music is a business and the source of livelihood for many. They can not be denied those rights so far as they do business within the legal and ethical framework of business. Moreover, hip-hop is one of the artistic forms of music. People have the right to express themselves, in the style which they feel appropriate to their tastes. Even though the American constitution grants equal rights to all, irrespective of the fact that the race to which one belongs, blacks have suffered gross social and economic injustice for generations, in America. It is not easy to erase the memories of history from one’s mind. Hip-hop lyrics are a favorable medium through which the younger generations of blacks are able to find the channel to ventilate their grievances, especially about their life in the urban environment. Music is a form of expression. It appeals to one’s emotions and heart directly. Killion writes, “At a certain level we need to listen to what these folks [rap artists] are saying because they are in a sense telling us perhaps what’s wrong in society or they may be telling us what’s good in society,” he said. “So, in a sense, I think it’s all important.”(Killion….) Any new, developing music form can not be dismissed outright as bad for children or for the society. A system adopts new techniques and innovations and can develop to fantastic heights. The mixing of the old and new styles has many a times produced remarkable music styles. If some style is discouraged and nipped in the bud, it is no justice to the art/music. Handling the white and black children in USA: Race is a highly sensitive and explosive subject. The internet evolution has exposed the children to a wealth of information. Television is easily accessible for the children at schools and at home. The dissemination of information to the children can be controlled in schools by the teachers, but who can totally prevent the children from viewing the information, which they are not normally supposed to view? Fortunately or unfortunately, hip-hop has become synonymous with the subject of race in USA. The black artists have availed the opportunity through this music form, which has ‘fighting’ notes included in the lyrics, and they find an outlet to assuage the age-old feelings of psychological grudge against the society. This is the danger area. If the impressionable minds of the children catch some negative ideas which disrupt the social harmony between the white and blacks, they will grow up with that concept and it may find violent outlets. This issue of hip-hop crisis demands detailed examination. The outline of this music form has become saturated with caricatures of black gangsters, pimps and the characters with negative tendencies. It is supposed to depict the violent ghetto culture. Hip hop is supposed to project the negative image of sex and hence extremely harmful to the psyche of children. By projecting the problems of the black with a negative attitude, does it actually help the social cause of blacks? Or will it give rise to bitter reactions? It appears that hip-hop music is irretrievably related to violence. Was there no violence in the American society before the trend of rap music engulfed America? Rose writes, “Social psychologist Carrie B. Fried studied this issue and concluded that the perception of violence in rap music lyrics is affected by larger societal perceptions and serotypes of African-Americans.” (p.37) The hip-hop music is intentionally coded with implied and symbolic meanings and the children are able to catch the hidden meaning of such phrases and begin to use them in their day to day conversations. It is neither innocent music nor art form. The top hip-hop artists may not indulge in such negative projects. But for not-so famous artists, who wish to earn quick money through this music form, the downward spiral begins. Thinking on racial lines by an educated hip-hop artist is more dangerous than the thinking of an ordinary black individual. What is important is the manner in which deviance of the black children and youth is projected. If the issues are addressed in a half-hearted manner and with emphasis on negative aspects there are very real consequences for harmony in the society and the social atmosphere gets vitiated. Hip-hop versus racism: Whether hip-hop was born out of racism or hip-hop promotes racism is the moot question. The answer to both the questions is ‘yes.’ In the case of the second option the statement ‘yes’ is qualified. When it ventilates the grievances through attractive and emotionally-charged lyrics, even without the deliberate intention, it kindles the latent race psychology in the black youngster, and one begins to recall the atrocities committed by the white community against the black during the times of slavery. “Rappers’ claims that violence is everywhere aren’t a compelling case for hip hops heightened investment in violent story-telling, especially for those of us who are worried about the extra levels of destructive forces waking against poor black people.”(p.37) But the other side of the issue is how can one claim that hip-hop lyrics alone are responsible for the negative influence on the minds of young kids? What about the role of print and the electronic media? What about the viewing of Us weekly’s coverage of Britney Spear’s mental breakdown with great enthusiasm, of buying Mylie Cyrus cds and making a desperate presence in her concerts? The stories and programs about what blacks think about whites, and what whites think about blacks make a success, as they feed the ‘psyche’ of the ‘diametrically opposed’ sections of the society. The influence of hip-hop lyrics can not be judged in isolation: If one criticizes the influence of hip-hop lyrics as if it is the be-all and end-all in the life of young children that is leveling unfair criticism on an upcoming and growing music form. The children become partners in the parental choices of music sooner or later. A section of the songs may contain a negative connotation but such lyrics may be in other forms of music also. It is the prime duty of the parents to guide the children and introduce them to good lyrics. It is true that the children catch up with the wrong slang and profanities too soon and will not forget them, and make use of it. But when the rappers promote negative tendencies as positive ones that is the danger area. Promotion of street gang lifestyles, encourage the children and youth not to co-operate with the law enforcing authorities if they witness a crime, and promote the attitude of rebellion against the established procedures governing the society, are not healthy developments. Young children have their own music taste. They do not like all songs, and the same rule is applicable to hip-hop music. The sensibilities of the children are great. A piece of advice from the children to their parents-if we like the song, we listen to it again. We are able to recognize whether any particular song is suitable for our use or not. Kids, as young as eight-years-old, are striving to be gangstas and pimps. This industry overtly and covertly tells the children to drop out from the school and make a career in stardom. The era of “gangsta rap" began with the introduction of Onyxs music video "Throw Ya Guns in the Air". The hip-hop has matured: Children are neither good nor bad. Each child is different! But there are many bad parents. During the last 4 decades, hip-hop has matured. From individual profiteering it has taken up philanthropic causes. Rapper Ludacris has raised more than $500,000 through his foundation for the underprivileged section of the society, mainly the youth. Such success stories are bound to influence the young kids. Ludacris says, “By the standard that it started in the 1970s and you still have individuals who started around the 70s or the 80s and they’re still relevant now, so what I’m saying is, it’s matured,” he said. “You have individuals--pretty soon rappers gonna’ be in the Vegas man. We gonna’ have Vegas shows, so there you have it. It’s as simple as that…. “But it’s also matured on the level of why I’m here today, especially talking about individuals taking responsibility of their own communities. I feel like rap and hip-hop and the urban culture have matured on that level also. Trying to help out--reach out and give back.”(CNSNews….) Ludacris was able to sell more than 17 million albums in America and more than 24 million records worldwide. He has earned three Grammy Awards. Issues that go against black children…. “Black kids have the highest criminal rate, highest shooting rate, highest dropout rate, lowest employment rate, highest teen pregnancy rate, highest health problems rate. The list of ills goes on and on and this rapper continues to feed his garbage filth to these very same kids. Money talks especially to this low life.” (CNNNews…) Many strongly believe that hip-hop culture empowers children to the negative lifestyles. But nothing is permanently good of totally bad. Programs teaching negative values are there everywhere, in print as well as electronic media. There are good friends in a school as well as bad class-mates. The negative influences over a child can not be totally eliminated. The best course is to provide the children with positive alternatives. Provide them the quality education, get some good books, read a moral story and set a common prayer time for the family, and help them to make right decisions. The choice is yours…. That which is fair and good finds acceptance from the society. Only that which is harmless, viewed from any angle, is accepted by the society on a permanent basis. Many of the groups in USA when rap made the initial appearance, like Tavaes, The Village People, The Tolling Stones and the Sunshine Band are still popular. Because the music they made was harmless and it was a source of good entertainment. Due to the impact of materialistic civilization and the aggrandizement to earn more and more money, irrespective of the fact how it is earned, the playing ground of hip-hop music came be maligned much. The glorification of the thug, affected many African American communities, and instead of bridging the gap between the whites and the blacks, disturbing trends, and the widening of the psychological gap, were the consequential outcomes. Hip-hop is like the octopus… Hip-hop is like the octopus that grows in all the directions. On this stage, there is scope for the talented, intelligent and the one who can highlight the progressive American ideas and ideals. Hip-hop on the other hand, eulogizes misogyny, drug and crime. This side pictures the blacks as the permanent sufferers and does not contribute to the positive frame of mind. But one’s approach to the hip-hop needs to be like the researcher-view both the positive and negative aspects. This is true of the print and electronic media and the full-length movies. Just one friend with negative tendencies has the possibility to take a child to the path of deviance. Viewed practically, rap music has destroyed the psyche of the children and has pushed them to the wrong path. A spirit of undesirable rebellion has been infused in them. A child with a don’t-care attitude will ignore the sane advice of the parents, and perhaps he has taken inspiration from the rap music concerts. The children must be counseled in clear terms, by applying strictness if necessary, that the school is the first place for him, and issues like rap music, the avenues of entertainment, can follow much later. Hip-hop can not be the voice of the younger generation, and the kids who are on the threshold of this generation, should not be allowed the liberty of the evil influences of this genre of music. There are many other better avenues to influence the psyche of the young kids positively. The kind of women they see half-naked and their acts of perversion are not going to influence the children positively. Children start repeating sexy version of the curses, and once the downward march begins, it is difficult to check, as the path of evil is slippery and difficult to retrace. The communication revolution has added new dimensions to the problem. Kids get their iPods and listen to rap music during class and during the intermission. Kids are often heard singing and repeating the lyrics. This is the warning signal for the parents and they need to exercise better control on the children. Conclusion: Hip-hop music can be interpreted in many ways. On the one hand it is glorifying the rich by wearing the fancy clothes and dance over fast beats to demand the attention of the spectators. This is the immediate purpose for this hip-hop music, and not the ultimate one. What is important is the proper application of hip-hop culture. Hip hop artists exercise tremendous influence on the young kids as they mimic the artists as for their dress, acts and speech. This influence can work in either ways. If the artists use their popularity for good social causes they are likely to command huge following and may serve the great needs of the society. But the margin between the good and evil of hip-hop music is like the razor’s edge. Unfortunately though, the pendulum of hip-hop swings favoring the negative side of the young kid’s life. Lots of jewelry on the body, spreading the alcohol culture, consumption of drugs, suggestive sex acts and lessons on crime—all these do irreparable damage to the psyche and physical health of the young kids. These provocative agents have the capacity to destroy the life not only the concerned kid, but the peace of the entire family. Music is simply the source of entertainment and it is the soul-satisfying power. It has no other purpose. On the Xzibitcentral.com web site, Slum Village group member Elzhi said “its good to take a safety message and put it into a Hip-Hop song, because Hip-Hop is youthful.” “Hip-Hop holds a lot of influence over kids. Some kids even want to be like us - to do what we do - so we hope they will listen to our message.” This just shows the power of hip-hop music and its potential to impact the lives of children.” (Music….) So the final question is, does allowing children to listen to rap at an early age make you a bad parent? The answer is, keep a careful watch on your children, and allow them to enjoy the hip-hop lyrics of your choice. References List: CNSNews.com - Rapper Ludacris Not Concerned That Rough Lyrics ...28 Oct 2009... Retrieved on November 21, 2009 Killion, Chris: BYU NewsNet - Experts debate hip-hops influence on American ...13 May 2005 ...Brigham Young University… Retrieved on November 21, 2009 Music Influence on Society In this essay, Richard Wallace writes about how hip-hop lyrics are... Retrieved on November 21, 2009 Tricia Rose: The Hip Hop Wars: What We Talk About When We Talk About Hip Hop--and Why It Matters: Basic Civitas Books (December 1, 2008) , February 24, 2007 Week 4 On the Xzibitcentral.com web site, Slum Village group member Elzhi said “its good to take a safety message and put it into a Hip-Hop song, because Hip-Hop is youthful.” “Hip-Hop holds a lot of influence over kids. Some kids even want to be like us - to do what we do - so we hope they will listen to our message.” This just shows the power of hip-hop music and its potential to impact the lives of children. Posted by Lamar at 3:48 PM 0 comments Sunday, February 18, 2007 Week 3 Today, hip-hop and rap is the fastest growing music genre in the U.S. Because of its widespread appeal, the hip-hop culture is has a significant impact on diverse populations. In Decoding hip-hops cultural impact, Ronald Roach states “as a cultural movement, hip-hop manages to get billed as both a positive and negative influence on young people.” Although created by inner-city African Americans, hip hops influence has become worldwide. Approximately 75% of the rap and hip hop audience is non-black. It has gone from the streets to the suburbs and into the corporate boardrooms. Indeed, McDonalds, Chevrolet, Sprite, Nike, and other corporate giants have made billions of dollars by investing and endorsing the hip-hop community. Although critics of rap music and the hip-hop culture seem argue that it promotes messages of sex, violence, and harsh language, this genre offers us a paradigm of what can be. This musical genre is very important to our society and has the ability to shape ethnic relations in our society. Furthermore they also have had huge impact on mainstream White Americas music. For years African-Americans have been innovative in what is known to be popular music in our society. In Music - influence of Black music on White America, Lynn Norment examines the effects that African-Americans have had in the music industry. She presents an interesting argument on how blacks have been able to shape the music arena and the trends in music. Furthermore its shows how music has the ability to transform the way a society thinks because even during the days of segregation African-Americans were still able to be successful and create music that was appreciated by all races. Everyday you see hip-hop artists such as T.I. and Ludacris branch off into different fields of entertainment creating commercial appeal. These artists have huge masses of fans who follow their every actions and support everything they do. Because of this, what they say has a huge impact on what millions do. These artists not only shape the lifestyle of blacks, but everyone. Hip-hop artists do not fit into in a specific demographic instead they are all different types of people. Because of this they are opinion leaders in our society and have the ability to mold the youth generation. Posted by Lamar at 6:15 PM 1 comments Monday, February 12, 2007 Week 2 Does allowing your children to listen to rap at an early age make you a bad parent? Many people feel that rap music is negative and if a parent allows their child to listen to it, than that parent is a bad parent. This is because many rap songs condone the use of drugs, sex and violence. If the child is expose to this at a very young age, then there is a greater chance that the child will engage in those activities later on in their life. By exposing toddlers through kindergartners to rap music or allowing others to expose them to it, they often start to conform to what they think is cool or funny. Some young kids might hear a rap song, start to dance and try to sing to it and people will comment about how funny or cute it is, often enough and so that child might be inclined to want to listen to it because of the attention they get. I was on youtube.com and I came across a video of some young kids rapping the song Grillz by Nelly. Although the song isn’t really referring to violence or drug, it does discuss sex. The kids in the video are also dressed up with jewelry and fake “grills” in their mouths. This showed how the parents seemed to encourage the children to mock hi-hop artists without careful consideration of their actions. They also seemed to encourage and make fun of many of the stereotypes of the African-American and hip-hop community. I’m not saying they are bad parents, it just seems that the parents were contributing to the negative stigma that many people have towards the hip-hop community. However, allowing your child to listen to rap music does not always have to be bad. Listening to diverse music is actually beneficial to your child’s social and cognitive learning. Parents just should monitor what exactly their child is listening to and make sure there isn’t any profanity and obscure language. Because children often tend to listen to what they hear, a parent should try to use the music to teach the child about different cultures and how to be more acceptable of those cultures. Furthermore, the parent should try to find kids appropriate songs such as those produced by Kidz Bop, which recreates popular songs and have children sing them. So with this I ask again: does allowing your children to listen to rap at an early age make you a bad parent? Music Influence on Society Sunday, April 8, 2007 Week 8 This week’s entry was the hardest entry yet because we had to use a Technorati to track and find blogs related to our subject. This was because there was rarely any blogs that related to my topic of Music’s Influence on Society during my first couple of searches. I tried various search words and phrases and it just did not work. The majority of the results focused on musicians and new music releases. However I was able to find my blog and also another blog which I thought was interesting. The Just Listen, the unexpected connection Blog, focused on many aspects that was related to my discussion. This blog focused on the connection between music and society. Although it did not focus on the hip-hop genre of music it did focus on how people can be moved by music. It also focused on how people are moved by different types of music because of their personality and the different events that are going on in their life. All-in-all I find blog tracking to be interesting however, I think it is difficult to narrow down your search results to fit your particular topic. But I am pretty sure I will grasp the concept of it eventually. Posted by Lamar at 9:15 AM 1 comments Sunday, April 1, 2007 Week 7 This week I wanted to examine hip-hop music and give it some meaning. To some hip-hop just seems like a blur of words, with no significant meaning except glorifying money and clothes, over fast beats. But to others hip-hop serves a purpose. And no matter what your reasons are for liking or disliking hip-hop its presence is felt. I was online this weekend when I came across an essay by a student entitled My Hip-Hop Reality. In this essay, Richard Wallace writes about how hip-hop lyrics are applied to his everyday outlook on life. I found this interesting because he choose songs which people would usually give a negative connotation and gave them a positive meaning. I think this just shows the many ways rap music can be interpreted, and how it can impact one’s life. In the study FROM THE FRINGE: THE HIP HOP CULTURE AND ETHNIC RELATIONS, R. Reese examines hip-hops’ impact on the economy and society. This study presents another positive view on the hip-hop culture. It outlines many arguments for hip-hop including the argument that the hip hop culture that it encourages corporations to recruit a diverse cadre of individuals. Posted by Lamar at 4:48 PM 0 comments Sunday, March 25, 2007 Week 6 How Do You View Hip-Hop Music? This week I want to open up my blog to find out what you all think about hip-hop and its influence on youth. There are several arguments discussing the positive and negative effects of hip-hop, and I was wondering how do you all view hip-hop music. Personally I feel that it is obvious that hip-hop music affects teens lives In fact it probably does so more than it should. Young kids often mimic rap artists and how they dress, act, and speak. And I feel that this can be both a good thing or a bad thing. If hip-hop artists use their popularity to support good causes then they will generate a huge following. Furthermore, they can also use this popularity to make young children more aware about different social issues. However, although there are positive messages in hip-hop, the general perception is that its about wearing lots of jewelry, getting drunk, doing drugs, women, and crime. And while this a way of life for a lot of people in the inner cities, it adds to the negative image that society has about hip-hop artists because the media and listeners often forget that music is simply entertainment. This is an interesting article that I found discussing how music influences teens sexual behaviors. Posted by Lamar at 7:18 PM 0 comments Saturday, March 24, 2007 Week 5 I was on the internet when I found a website showcasing a video called Hip-Hop for Kids. This is an exercise video that uses hip-hop music and dances to get kids to be active and have fun by learning the latest dances. I found this to be very interesting because this video is also using hip-hop in a positive way to help our youth. The video features Roger G, who has been featured with Jay Z and has appeared on 106 & Park and Def Comedy leading several kids in a hip-hop dance workout. Hip Hop for Kids recently won the Parent Choice Honors Award for Best Children’s Video and is currently distributed in the USA and abroad. This video tackles the issue of obesity in kids and uses hip-hop dances as a means of exercise. This is just one of the many strides that the hip-hop community has taken to use its popularity for a good cause. Posted by Lamar at 8:43 AM 1 comments Saturday, February 24, 2007 Week 4 I was watching BET today, when a news update came on highlighting the rap group Slum Village’s new song. What was so interesting about this was the new song is focused on the use of child safety restraints in cars. I felt this was relevant because it showed a positive use of hip-hop. The song is targeted towards young children and encourages them to always buckle-up. The song and video, titled "4 Steps," was written by Slum Village members T3 and Elzhi, urges young children (especially those between the ages of 8 and 10) to travel safely. It will be made available through a CD distributed by Safe Kids Worldwide and through web downloads. The group met with representatives from Chevorlet and Safe Kids before going into the studio, to hone the songs message. Realizing how respected Slum Village is throughout the entire music industry, they will be appearing in nationally televised spots for Chevrolet and there new line of 2006 Impala and HHR automobiles. The homegrown union will include an integrated campaign with a music video feel, using Slum’s “Ez Up” single; which will include an “Ez Up” Motor City remix and remixed lyrics. as Chevy and Slum Village bring the American Revolution home to Detroit. According to the Slum Village Web site “this deal is a very hip one for Chevrolet and one that will warrant intensive media coverage; radio spots will start airing in mid-October, with national TV spots running in early November.” On the Xzibitcentral.com web site, Slum Village group member Elzhi said “its good to take a safety message and put it into a Hip-Hop song, because Hip-Hop is youthful.” “Hip-Hop holds a lot of influence over kids. Some kids even want to be like us - to do what we do - so we hope they will listen to our message.” This just shows the power of hip-hop music and its potential to impact the lives of children. Posted by Lamar at 3:48 PM 0 comments Sunday, February 18, 2007 Week 3 Today, hip-hop and rap is the fastest growing music genre in the U.S. Because of its widespread appeal, the hip-hop culture is has a significant impact on diverse populations. In Decoding hip-hops cultural impact, Ronald Roach states “as a cultural movement, hip-hop manages to get billed as both a positive and negative influence on young people.” Although created by inner-city African Americans, hip hops influence has become worldwide. Approximately 75% of the rap and hip hop audience is non-black. It has gone from the streets to the suburbs and into the corporate boardrooms. Indeed, McDonalds, Chevrolet, Sprite, Nike, and other corporate giants have made billions of dollars by investing and endorsing the hip-hop community. Although critics of rap music and the hip-hop culture seem argue that it promotes messages of sex, violence, and harsh language, this genre offers us a paradigm of what can be. This musical genre is very important to our society and has the ability to shape ethnic relations in our society. Furthermore they also have had huge impact on mainstream White Americas music. For years African-Americans have been innovative in what is known to be popular music in our society. In Music - influence of Black music on White America, Lynn Norment examines the effects that African-Americans have had in the music industry. She presents an interesting argument on how blacks have been able to shape the music arena and the trends in music. Furthermore its shows how music has the ability to transform the way a society thinks because even during the days of segregation African-Americans were still able to be successful and create music that was appreciated by all races. Everyday you see hip-hop artists such as T.I. and Ludacris branch off into different fields of entertainment creating commercial appeal. These artists have huge masses of fans who follow their every actions and support everything they do. Because of this, what they say has a huge impact on what millions do. These artists not only shape the lifestyle of blacks, but everyone. Hip-hop artists do not fit into in a specific demographic instead they are all different types of people. Because of this they are opinion leaders in our society and have the ability to mold the youth generation. Posted by Lamar at 6:15 PM 1 comments Monday, February 12, 2007 Week 2 Does allowing your children to listen to rap at an early age make you a bad parent? Many people feel that rap music is negative and if a parent allows their child to listen to it, than that parent is a bad parent. This is because many rap songs condone the use of drugs, sex and violence. If the child is expose to this at a very young age, then there is a greater chance that the child will engage in those activities later on in their life. By exposing toddlers through kindergartners to rap music or allowing others to expose them to it, they often start to conform to what they think is cool or funny. Some young kids might hear a rap song, start to dance and try to sing to it and people will comment about how funny or cute it is, often enough and so that child might be inclined to want to listen to it because of the attention they get. I was on youtube.com and I came across a video of some young kids rapping the song Grillz by Nelly. Although the song isn’t really referring to violence or drug, it does discuss sex. The kids in the video are also dressed up with jewelry and fake “grills” in their mouths. This showed how the parents seemed to encourage the children to mock hi-hop artists without careful consideration of their actions. They also seemed to encourage and make fun of many of the stereotypes of the African-American and hip-hop community. I’m not saying they are bad parents, it just seems that the parents were contributing to the negative stigma that many people have towards the hip-hop community. However, allowing your child to listen to rap music does not always have to be bad. Listening to diverse music is actually beneficial to your child’s social and cognitive learning. Parents just should monitor what exactly their child is listening to and make sure there isn’t any profanity and obscure language. Because children often tend to listen to what they hear, a parent should try to use the music to teach the child about different cultures and how to be more acceptable of those cultures. Furthermore, the parent should try to find kids appropriate songs such as those produced by Kidz Bop, which recreates popular songs and have children sing them. So with this I ask again: does allowing your children to listen to rap at an early age make you a bad parent? Read More