Rap music has recently been under fire for its misogynistic,
materialistic, explicit content and for delivering negative messages to
today’s youth. But upon deeper examination, one tends to see that those
ideas are merely the same ones being transmitted to the society at large
by the institutions which govern society.
The parallels between the ideas propagated through the mass media and
other sources; and the ones rapped about on the radio by recording
artists are not hard to recognize. While this society proposes to thrive
on such “rights” as “freedom of speech” and embraces such abstract
concepts as individualism, materialism, and using sex to make profit, it
lambasts and condemns artists who are the products of such defunct ideas
and who have chosen to endorse and promote them for monetary
gain–similar to their capitalist counterparts and employers–only
creatively set over catchy beats in rhyme form.
While the hip-hop/rap culture is made up primarily of lower-class, urban
youth, generally from the New Afrikan community. the question that
arises is: Why are these destructive, negative values so unacceptable
now? It seems that as soon as these inner-city youth find a way to use
this society’s own value system to their benefit, and use their
experiences an conditions of poverty, drugs, and crime as an avenue to
create material wealth, they are demonized for their efforts. “Rap
music” as a whole is condemned. This is as backwards a reaction as is a
child growing up around parents who constantly use foul language, then
reprimanding that child when he uses that same language, without holding
the parents to account.
Before further analysis, the distinction must be made between what is
referred to as “rap” and hip-hop. This may seem minor to some, but it is
an important contrast in regards to the subject at hand. The difference
between the who can be compared to saying “I love you” to somebody (rap)
and being IN love with somebody (hip-hop). Rap is a more commercial
venture, where the artists typically brag about who has the flashiest
jewelry, the hottest cars, the highest body count, and the most
extravagant sexual exploits. Included in this category would be such
popular artists as 50 Cent, Young Geezy, and Lil Wayne. Hip-hop, on the
other hand, tends to be the expression of the artist’s perception of
life, their experiences, and an art form where they can articulate ideas
and feelings. Artists falling into this category include Mos Def, Talib
Kweli, Common, and Dead Prez. Unfortunately, both categories are lumped
together and branded simply “rap” by the mainstream.
Most of the concepts being attacked come from artists in the “rap”
category. Here, one can find rappers largely objectifying wimmin,
advocating individualism and gangsterism, and supporting their general
materialistic message by endorsing such acts as murder, robbery, and
deceit, among others. After identifying these trends in rap music, one
can’t help but see the similarities between rap and the society at
large.
Every time one turns on the television, they can not help but notice the
many overt references to sex. Wimmin are scantily clad in commercial
advertisements to sell almost any commodity imaginable. Wimmin in
bikinis walk around boxing rings holding placards showing what round has
begun; reality shows televised with wimmin competing for some random guy
while employing a wide array of seductive tactics; the list could
continue much further. All this is available to a general audience at
any given moment throughout the day. The underlying idea is that “sex
sells,” and this idea is overwhelmingly used by men to objectify and
exploit wimmin participants for profit.
Then there is the main reason that these wimmin are objectified–money.
They stand next to an expensive car that is supposed to be the fastest
and most popular; are in advertisements selling the “classiest” jewelry
and apparel; and generally promote obtaining as many of the newest,
flashiest, in-style material possessions as possible. This idea has
become so widespread and acceptable that in schools the youth who are
found to possess the newest, flyest clothes and products are the more
popular, while those without the latest trendy clothes and items are the
less socially acceptable.
Then there is also the issue of crime. While rappers are being chastised
for glorifying violence and criminality, the chastizers fail to confront
the underlying causes of such crime and its solution, instead placing
the blame on rap culture. From a young age, youth are taught by society
that accumulation of wealth is the desired goal of life, to look out for
yourself and obtain as much as you can. At the same time–through acts of
war at home and abroad– our country reinforces the idea that during the
quest for the “almighty dollar.” any means may be employed to get more
money, including violence, murder, and deceit (among others)–only
accepting those from the lower-class. When a person not from a
privileged upbringing and background employs these same tactics, even
for the same objectives, they are labeled “criminals” and are subject to
incarceration and, in some cases, death. The laws that govern this
country blatantly display the fact that they were made to protect the
privileges of the upper-class at the expense of the lower-class.
This is not a defense for the clearly negative aspects of a culture that
influences people from all kinds of different persuasions and races.
Objectifying and degrading wimmin, and glorifying drugs and crime are
definitely counter-productive and really reflect a symptom of a far
wider problem. I am simply attempting to show the correlations between
rap music and society, how they both inherently share and promote the
same ideas and values, and how by and from the former they are
criticized and scorned, yet by and from the latter they are accepted and
embraced.
If we want to get to the root of the problem, our attacks shouldn’t be
aimed at a rap culture that developed from the harsh conditions of this
society and which only reflects the same backward ideas and values that
have been indoctrinated into the masses since birth. Instead, our
attacks should be concentrated at a capitalist system that
institutionalizes these degenerate values and ideas, and the ugly
conditions it has consequently created in this country. Only when we
begin to confront the root causes of crime, poverty, unemployment and
racism will we be able to teach and educate our youth, and society as a
whole, to new positive and progressive ideas and values, based on people
helping and caring about other people-in one world: socialism. Anything
short of this is a failure to confront the real issues and is simply a
step backward.