Hip Hop Effects on America

By Mike Bojanowski

Over the past century, American music has had a profound impact on popular culture, and when a new genre emerges, the music itself seems to be making a statement against the establishment of the time, before becoming the popular music of the day. During the roaring 1920?s, jazz prevailed and angered the elders. In the1950?s, it was rock-n-roll that worried parents, and now, it is Hip-Hop music that is making an impact on youth culture in America.

When a new wave of music bursts onto the scene, it appears to challenge the prevailing moral and ethical standards of the day. It has been said that Hip-Hop music makes a bad impression on youth, and is the cause of violence, drug use, and sexual promiscuity. The music is seen as ?anti-establishment,? and is seen by the nation?s political leaders and educators as the leading reason behind ?youth corruption.?

Hip-Hop, despite being put through the rigor, is not the only genre of music that has been scrutinized and labeled as a supposed ?deteriorate of moral values.? In the 1920?s, jazz was looked upon by proponents of prohibition as the corrupting music of the day, and was believed to be the facilitator of all the social problems that occurred during that time. The same thing happened with rock-n-roll in the 1950?s. It was seen as the ?devil?s music,? and was connected with counterculture movements and sex among the youth. It, too, was blamed for all the social ills of the time, just as jazz was before, and Hip-Hop was after it.

The irony behind the backlash and condemnation that Hip-Hop has received is that the proponents of previous popular music, such as jazz and rock-n-roll, are using the same criticisms against the new genre as their elders did.

?I?m sick and tired of the rap out there,? said Laura Chabot, 49, mother of two. ?It?s bad for our kids, and portrays violence and drugs as cool. I won?t let my kids listen to it.?

Chabot went on to say that her favorite music growing up was rock-n-roll, and named Elvis Presley as her favorite. Presley, who was despised by the elder generation, was a musician who received a lot of political and religious criticisms. Presley, now dubbed as the beloved ?King of rock-n-roll,? was seen as an insolent rebel of the 1950s, who encouraged youth to be just as rebellious and disrespectful.

Today, it is rap musicians are categorized and judged in the same way that Presley was. Rappers are seen as individuals who live flashy lifestyles, make bold statements against the establishment, and are responsible for the violence, drug use, and sexual deviance of today?s youth.

However, rap, just like with rock-n-roll and jazz, has been underestimated in its power, impact, and ability to affect those who may or may not listen to it. A recent example of Hip-Hop?s reverberating message is when rapper Kanye West, who appeared on a benefit show for the victims of hurricane Katrina, made the controversial statement, ?George Bush does not care about black people.? West?s statement made national headlines, but he was only one individual among many to openly and publicly criticize the President and the government for their actions.

West also wasn?t the first rapper to speak out against the injustices that black Americans face. The government?s handling of the poverty situation in America is something Tupac Shakur alluded to in his songs of the early 1990?s, and the conduct of America?s police forces were a central theme of rap of the 1980?s and early 1990?s. NWA was another group who released music that bluntly stated what many in America?s poorer neighborhoods felt about the police forces throughout the country. With the Rodney King beatings in Los Angeles in 1992, the music and criticisms give credence to the argument that the establishment does not care about the low income population of the United States.

?The police are racist,? said Jerome Bates, 20, an Eastern Michigan University student who grew up on the East side of Detroit. ?They profile all the time. Don?t they have anything better to do than mess with us all the time??

The government and rappers have been long-time critics of one another. The government has been known to blame gangsta rap for gun violence and prevailing high crime rates in America?s poorest cities. Rappers are also seen as the ones who exacerbate the dreary state in the ?hoods? of the country.

Rappers, however, see things from a different perspective. As the ones who have lived within the most violent and poorest neighborhoods, they feel the government is simply attacking things that they do not understand or know about. Rappers view the government as being oppressive, and believe they spew out convenient, political rhetoric to appease the middle aged affluent voters that want to blame hip hop for the social problems of the country.

It is because of their popularity and affects on youth and government that jazz, rock-n-roll, and Hip-Hop all have been able to survive. Each genre has been the brunt of social and governmental backlash and criticism, and yet, the music and messages within it have been able to prevail. Every song may not be filled with challenges to social institutions and inspiriting, poetic lyrics, but each genre has had the ability to change perceptions and promote new ideas.

Just like with jazz and rock-n-roll, rap, though still controversial, is slowly becoming much more accepted as part of the music scene. Rappers still aren?t looked upon fondly, but with that label of ?pop music,? rap and Hip-Hop cannot be considered as counterculture, because just like with its predecessors, it has become the culture, and will remain so until the current youth generation comes of age, and a new one emerges to challenge it.