Does Rap Influence Teenage Violence?

Does Rap Influence Teenage Violence?

Music is said to be the backbone of life, it soothes emotions and help us cope with hardship and heartaches and youths in America are considered part of the rap culture. One genre of music some people disagree on is rap music, yes those people might listen to rap but would prefer R&B. Rap music has a major effect on the violence that teens involve themselves in today. The term rap in itself means some form of violence, if you look at the synonyms that pertain to rap such as smack, hit, and knock you will see that rap itself is only violence. Just about every lyric in a rap song refers to how thuggish that person is, how many times that person has put a bullet in someone's chest, exposing numerous cursing words, and naming over six different weapons (the different type of guns especially). Even down to the videos that go along with the rap song illustrates violent behavior such as: fighting, shooting, stabbing, and raping females.

Not all rap music has a negative vibe, some rap music are teaching the latest dance steps, the ample amount of jewelry they own, the cars they drive, and even the shoes they wear, overall majority of rap music is only negativity. Even though there are different types of rap music, teenagers seem to focus more on hard-core rap pertaining to violence. Rappers such as 50 cent, Lil'Wayne, Dip-Set, Remy Ma, Terror Squad, Young Jeezy, just to name a few, all rap about gang banging, owning guns, hustling on the block, and taking someone's life. Whether these rappers know it or not they are inspirations to teenagers all over the world of various races and ages. Although when many hear rap music, they automatically think "black music", there is no such thing as "black music". All nationalities/race listen to rap music as well as any other genre of music. What these teenagers see these rappers do on television and hear them say in their songs influences their reactions towards their own lives. Teens who are involved in activities such school shootings and holding others hostage are more than likely fans of the rap industry.

Rap lyrics are about the situations rappers have witnessed, such as poverty, crime, violence, racism, poor living condition, drugs, and alcoholism. How can anybody get a positive vibe after hearing lyrics discussing those situations? Displaying evidence in this essay is proving that society should look at these lyrics as negativity even though it is related to a rappers biography. These rappers are telling their life and past experiences through their lyrics. As generation has passed rap music became more violent, around the early nineteen eighties rappers such as Run-

DMC, Salt -N- Pepper, Queen Latifah, and MC Lyte expressed partying, and having a good time, hanging out with their girls, and finding a man on Saturday nights through rap songs. In earlier generation graffiti and break dancing represented rap music verses guns and gangs, which represents rap today. How rap was represented in early generations is not the issue here, the issue is how rap has escalated into violence, drug-abuse, and sex.

Other studies shows that rap music could be the true influence of crime