Since it's beginnings in the 1970s, Rap and Hip-Hop music has changed the world with it's 808 bass tracks, samples form other artists and artwork presented like never seen before. But what began as a positive and uplifting party vibe for the inner city youth, morphed, sometimes, into a more socio-political movement that has both raised awareness to the rest of the world about what goes on in the inner-cities of America and has grown legs to give the voiceless a chance to talk about everything from violent crimes to drug abuse. All laced over a catchy and melodic beat.
Alot of people now find that Rap and Hip-Hop has more sad and upsetting content than they would have imagined and now they are asking why? Why Is Rap & Hip-Hop So Distressing?
Rap Is A Reflection Of The Environment
Hip-Hop started in New York City, New York in the boroughs of the city where some of the roughest and toughest grew up. Around the time it found it's beginnings, the Vietnam War was ending and the vets were coming home, unemployment was at a high for the city, the city of New York was also facing bankruptcy, and the demand for drugs was ever increasing.
Out of these hard times of struggle and strife the urban youth seen their parents go through, as a release, they threw house parties and dances. While they would play the latest music from that period, the DJ's or the party promoters would shout over the microphone many different phrases and rhymes that related to the climate they were living in. These phrases would often be something that would encourage the party-go-wers to keep living and keep dancing while staying positive.
This time in history, as should be realized, for the black and latino community came on the heels of movements like the Nation of Islam (where the chant "The Roof Is On Fire" was inspired by one of Malcolm X's speeches) and the Black Panthers (who inspired most of the earliest revolutionary rap music). The listeners and producers of rap music were being socially oppressed and angry, so some of the music release expressed that sentiment. It's was a way for them to get off of their chest certain injustices and atrocities they would see everyday.
Rap Is More Informational & Emotional than Inspirational and Cheerful
By the 80s, especially in urban communities, the distribution of illegal drugs such as Cocaine, Crack & Heroine became an epidemic. This epidemic not only affect the rappers of that time, but also the families of those rappers and upcoming talents. The revolutionary movements of the 60s and 70s evolved into gangs that started to grow in many cities. Police forces used Ronald Reagan "War On Drugs" to launch a full on attack against the people in these communities, while the ongoing conspiracy is that the government was being used to transport drugs directly into these urban areas. This brought about even more angry, depression, death, loss of love ones and ultimately fear which opened the wounds of those who faced the troubles of the 60s and 70s.
Just as before, many artist grabbed the microphone and used it as their therapy, expressing how they felt about their circumstances and lashing out against the government using more and more profane language to do so.
Rap Is For Everyone, but It's Not For Everyone
Since then, rap has become the world's dominate music genre in just 45 short years of it's existence. Many people believed that it was mainly because of the youth (and to an extent, it is) but a lot of adults today have grown to love the genre for the same reason that they once criticized the genre. They became to understand the topics of struggle and hard times, why drugs are so prominent in lyrics and why the artist feel that the system that they live under is unjust.
Rap and Hip-Hop has become like a universal language to many because it lets the listeners in on the real thoughts of urban america through the voice of the artist. It also has allowed the creators to easily reach newer audience and make a new avenue that helps steer their families away from the 'everyday struggles'. It has also helped form many new businesses influenced by it's culture.
The part that seems to upset people the most is, many of the people in the genre have criminal past that sometimes has crossed paths with corporate america many times. The urban cultures of drugs and violence has impacted the music scene like never before in history and has caused a stir since the days of the infamous rap group N.W.A. The messages relayed by the artist in the genre has forced an oppressive government to pay attention to the oppressed, when it the past, a blind eye had always been given to the same community.
Even though there has been genres of music that has expressed the same type messages that Rap and Hip-Hop does, it seems as though the genre has been able to translate over better with the youth. The even more distressing part is that the youth try to live what is talked about in the music more than stray away from it or heed the warnings given by the genre's artist.
As Rap and Hip-Hop grows, it's may continue being distressing to some because of it's direct messages of drugs and violence, it's stand against government tyranny, it's high influence on the youth inside and out of the urban community and it's threat to the traditional build of the world.
