Is rap really bad for you?

Question

Does rap music really affect you adversely, or is this media hype?

May I just say, that I do not listen to rap myself, I am merely asking the question.

Answer 1

Of course not. I hate this stereotype that has conjured up by the media and politicians.

I started listening to rap (although I prefer 'hip-hop', as the word 'rap' means the style of lyrical delivery) around 1985 when my friend's older brother gave me a copy of Run DMC's first album. I was only 9 years old at the time, but I was addicted, and while other kids my age were spending their money on Transformers toys I was spending it on music.

At such a young age, the music and it's content were very influential to me, but they were influential in a positive way. As a white kid, and with the external influence from other white kids, I could have very easily developed a racist attitude. Many other kids were picking up prejudices from there parents and other kids, but I was learning about tolerance and unity from the music I was listening to.

By the time I reached my teens, hip-hop had changed. The media was picking up on the trend of so-called 'gangsta rap', but they only gave it a small glance before they demonised it as evil. But being a teenager I didn't see it as evil, there was something enthralling about it. What people didn't seem to realise was that the music wasn't glamorising gangs and drugs, it was simply stating the facts about what was going on. They were telling stories about life in the bad areas of city, they told told you about the good stuff AND the bad stuff so you had an unbiased picture. They told you about how the drug dealers would have all this money and beautiful girls and flashy cars, but they also told you how they usually end up in prison or dead at a fairly young age. If you constantly tell a kid something is bad without telling them what the appeal is for people in the first place, then they're going to find out for themselves the hard way.

Today I still listen to hip-hop, and hear many artists coming out with a positive message in their music, they tell the listeners about the glamorous life of the criminal world, but they still tell it as a cautionary tale. There are stories about crack, prostitution, gangs, guns and other bad elements of society, but they always tell it as it is, so there is no room for doubt, that it's a glamorous life, but also a very, very dangerous one.

Anyway, as I said, I've been into hip-hop most of my life and now I'm reaching 30 I think I've turned out okay. I'm a good person, I have no criminal record, I'm not a drug dealer or a pimp and I've never touched a gun in my life.

Answer 2

Rap music has its origins in the late 1970s. It seems to me most rap music is to do with the here and now and not of the past or future. Most rap tunes I hear have a very short shelf life and are rarely re-recorded by any other artist than its originator. Some rap seems harmless but some of it isn't. Latterly, some famous names have come under the spotlight for glorifying violence and gun crime. Media hype serves to highlight the good from the bad, it just depends on how much you value rap music as an entertainment item. As I say, it is very much a 'today' only kind of music which is also tomorrows metaphorical 'chip wrapper'!

Answer 3

Depends on your personality. Unfortunately if you're young and feel out of place then the whole 'bling bling take no sh*t from anyone' pose can seem very appealing. For a certain type of person you see someone who has an eight bedroom house and five big cars then you're not going to care too much that they can't spell or even speak correctly and you're also not going to realise that being fourteen and brandishing a gun in Burger King is hardly the same nor is it setting you en route to that.
It comes down to perspective and having or not having that. Enjoy the beats, even sing along to the lyrics but keep in mind the publicity machine bringing you the artists and don't try to emulate the life, you'll just look like a moron.

Answer 4

As much as I admire some rappers I can't help but to wish some of them would stop having America and all around the world think that all Black people are into what their into b/c that's the crappy part about it is ... As Black people we've come a long way and this i'm from the projects street thug **** is getting old ... I mean take Snoop for instance he's been rapping and pretty wealthy for a long time now so how Gangster can he possibly be? giving out awards and on these talk shows ..the real gangsters are in prision or the street corners I commend him for getting out of that life but now he's selling that gangster lfe image to whoever is willing to pay for it and is a little fake to me right now....

Answer 5

Ive been a fan of rap/hip hop for years now, I'm white, British, not a criminal, i don't own or have ever used a gun, drive a typical European car and I'm not prone to violence. If this type of music has taught me anything it is that Ive had an good stable life & that what these artists have been through is hell and that it shouldnt still be going on, and how people should stay away from this violent and dangerous hatefull life style, not to join it. They are voicing thier opinions in thier own way. Its story telling at its finest. Thats all.

Answer 6

Ya, When you listen to some music you feel happy some you feel sad or some other feelings. So you know yourself Music has an influence. Normally Heavy metalic sounds not good to listen for a long time, better if you can avoid. Those music can help night drivers to keep them awake while driving or someone works during the night(still it is better be avoided). Why you need them if you aren't a driver

Answer 7

I believe the following quote answers your question

In 1995 Roger Ebert wrote:

"Rap has a bad reputation in white circles, where many people believe it consists of obscene and violent anti-white and anti-female guttural. Some of it does. Most does not. Most white listeners don't care; they hear black voices in a litany of discontent, and tune out. Yet rap plays the same role today as Bob Dylan did in 1960, giving voice to the hopes and angers of a generation, and a lot of rap is powerful writing."

Answer 8

I believe that as long as you are aware of what is bad in the music that you choose to listen to you will be fine. I mean they say Rock/Punk/Emo (whatever you want to call it) is bad for you because itll make you want to do (I.E Sucide, Massacres or whatever).....It's all about your brain and using it really...becuase if you think walking up to a woman and grabbing her bum and or whispering perverted stuff in her ear is good then well thats just terriable...Just when you listen to lyrics and things dont get caught up in it, use your brain to filter out what you know from right and wrong. Dont base your morals or beliefs on songs, just use them to express how youre feeling at any given moment. And also keep in mind...(which I find a lot in rap) that as a woman when listening to rap you have to remember to respect yourself and your body.......

Answer 9

a bit of both. i've been listening to all kinds of rap: gangsta, g-funk, political, psychedelic, hardcore for years, and it hasn't affected me or the way i behave. but some of it is extremely catchy and throwaway, which is why a lot of young people like it immediately. when impressionable kids listen to music like that it has a negative affect on them, they try to emulate that macho, in-your-face kind of attitude. i'm not denying that, but thugs and yobs will always be around in different forms, the real problem is bad parenting and people who are led to easily. rap music, videogames, movies; whatever, they're all scapegoats for an underlying problem that people don't want to face up to

Answer 10

No! but i understand why many people don't like it, as it contains bad language! However, it's up to you how you react to it, the words can influence you in a good way or a bad way. so it's your choice! everyone has a story to tell and most artists feel that the best way is to express it through music.