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Hip Hop Research Paper

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I think it is safe to say that pretty much everyone listens to and enjoys music. Who would be able to resist being soothed into relaxation by a favorite song or even an entire album after a hard, long day of stress? I know I definitely would not be able to. It is no lie that music is a very big part of our lives today, especially for the youth. It is even used as a type of therapy to help the pathways of the brain heal from stress and traumas. However, not a lot of people realize how bad some of today's music is and the negative impacts it has on today's youth. It alters behaviors and neuronal pathways, holds no regard for who it offends, and promotes violence as it shapes today's culture.
For some cities and ethnic groups, music pretty much …show more content…
"Critics of Hip Hop have much to deplore about the "gangsta" lifestyle. The ever-present young women who are portrayed as rappers' sexual playthings, draping themselves around star performers and shaking their booties and the incessant use of the N-word are what makes Hip-Hop. Anger over Hip Hop has been simmering for more than a decade, largely among African-Americans. Much of the concern has focused on its glorification of violence, sexual exploitation and crime." (Katel 529-52) Some popular songs in Hip Hop actually say to "screw the police" and promote things such as prostitution, stripping, drugs, cheating, and much more that is not healthy at all for impressionable youths to be listening to and …show more content…
Dalton Higgins makes a very good point of explaining, "Hip Hop is so wildly popular that it's crossing continents and oceans. The incorporation, appropriation and wholesale celebration of the music has taken shape internationally, far from its American birthplace. Take Japan, where many Japanese youth have aped African American rappers' stylings by tanning their skin dark brown and wearing cornrows and dreadlocks. In Iran, heads of state complain that rap's obscene lyrics diminish Islamic values, and its influence is so pervasive that it has been officially banned. In France, it's considered the unofficial voice of the impoverished suburbs where African and Arab youth have staged violent anti-racism riots." (Higgins) I think that is saying something when certain cultures have banned Hip Hop due to the violent context and language used in the songs. It teaches today's youth that being violent and disrespectful is okay. That it is okay to drop out of school and do nothing with your life. That it is okay to get into fight and use illegal substances. Even though some youth do not succumb to the negative influences, many today do exactly that. They grow up doing nothing with their lives because music has taught them that it is okay to party your life away and never make any meaningful relationships or life decisions along the way. This sometimes turns out being the only

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