Estrada 1

Jose A. Estrada
Conrad
ERWC / Period 3
1 May 2016
The Influence of Hip Hop & Rap
We hear different types of genres of music on the radio all the time. Many people are
attracted to Hip Hop and Rap initially because of the music, not because of the words or
messages the artist is trying to portray to the
listener. People tend to judge Hip Hop and Rap
because of the words and images that are woven
into them such as; criminal behavior, drugs,
promiscuity and degrading black stereotypes. In
modern day, Hip Hop and Rap has symbolized
crimes, awareness of poverty, money, politics,
drugs, etc. Without a doubt, not all Hip Hop and Rap expresses negativity. There are many artist
who promote positive messages through their music, but not all music has positive messages.
Although Hip Hop and Rap is young, it has had a strong influence on society. Rap music started
as early as the 1970s. Hip Hop and Rap was produced with origins of rhythm, blues, and jazz. It
continues to influence fans who struggle at the time or could relate to the lyrics of the song.
Many question, in what way does Hip Hop and Rap defy the stereotype of drugs, misogyny,
gangs, and politics?

Hip Hop and Rap music continues to soar on radio hits as it did when it was born.
However, it all started when hip hop and rap became part of mainstream music in the 1980s

Estrada 2

and 1990s (Hip Hop and Rap Music). A majority of the Hip Hop and Rap industry is made up
of African Americans. Rapping is a vocal style of singing in which the rapper speaks with
Rhythm And Poetry with an instrumental beat. New York city became the laboratory for the
invention and creation of Hip Hop and Rap. It all started in New York Citys South Bronx
neighborhoods at block parties where African
American youths played vocal music with
instrumental beats. As Rap grew it found a wide
multicultural audience and emerged as one of the
most original forms of music in the late twentieth
century (Ladies Of). As rap continued to grow in
the East Coast a new type of style also started to form. In the 1990s on the West Coast, the rise
of gangsta rap was the big story, which utilized old school funk beats and dwelt on hustling and
violence(Narins). A group named N.W.A (Niggaz With Attitude) began to upset social
conservatives with their megahit F*** the Police and lead towards the fight Rap against
politics. At first sight, the song may seem vulgar and ignorant, but there is a message within the
song that is valid. With Raps different styles and points of view Rap has emerged as popular
genre of music for young African Americans.
In the late 1980s to 1990s it was an amazing decade for Hip Hop and Rap, it is referred
to as hip hops golden age. It was great for a matter of time, N.W.A. an american hip hop group
from Compton, California was one of the earliest and most popularizers of the gangsta rap and
West Coast Hip Hop. They were known for their deep hatred of the police system, which sparked
many controversial issues over the years. N.W.A. is a great example of the type of Rap lyrics that
spoke out to the crowd expressing their opinions. With the rising anger of urban youth their hit
F*** the Police protested police brutality and racial profiling, at the time it was a big

Estrada 3

controversial issue in Southern California. With N.W.A.s hits on the rise, the crossover success
of these recordings [were] so worrisome to aforementioned conservatives that gangsta rap lyrics
became a staple in political speeches, and politicians and activist groups threatened to take action
against record companies that released such material(Rap: From). It is clear that N.W.A.s
music embodied a deep message, so deep that politics wanted to end the gangsta rap genre.
Gangsta Rap music created a lot of controversial issues because of its strong sense of racial
and political consciousness (African). By focusing on racial and political problems, N.W.A.
raised awareness of
Americas own civil war
on racial profiling and
police inequality. N.W.A.
was not the only Rap
group creating awareness of what was going on in America, there was also Grandmaster Flash
whose music came to express an increasing sense of racial militancy (Rap: A Voice).
Grandmaster did not express his opinions quietly, he expressed it aggressively through his music.
Rap is constantly informing their audience of controversial and political issues that are occurring
on a daily basis.
As Hip Hop and Rap continued to grow, artist used Rap to condone drugs and violence.
For example, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, too well known West Coast gangsta rappers, their lyrics
consisted of drugs. In fact, one of Dre Dres albums is labeled The Chronic showing a
marijuana leaf plant on the cover. Throughout
the album, Dr. Dre portrays smoking
marijuana as a source of pleasure. Hip Hop
and Raps fan base is young; therefore, they are

Estrada 4

easier to be influence. If young adults see someone they highly value portraying marijuana as a
positive they are more prone to experimenting with marijuana. Many of the artists songs
persuade the young people to believe that drugs and violence enrich your life. As Notorious
B.I.G. once said, "just risking my life every day on the street (Notorious) was his way of
surviving his hardships. Many artist express their own stories and experiences dealing with drugs
and violence. A great example of rap creating violence, is when there was the big East and West
Coast feud. It all started with Tupac Shakur, from the West coast and the Notorious B.I.G., from
the East coast. With violence occurring back in forth,
fears about the cost of East and West Coast-related
violence escalated with Tupac Shakur's September 13,
1996, death in Las Vegas, Nevada, following a "driveby" shooting there (Notorious). The origin of Tupac
and B.I.Gs feud was prior to B.I.G. s release of his
new song Who Shot Ya after Tupac was shot. Tupac
also released a song called Hit em Up where he
bashes B.I.G. With Tupacs death law enforcement, they thought Biggie Smalls was behind
Tupac's death and according to witnesses, B.I.G. was shot by unknown men while sitting in his
parked car; police counted five bullets in the passenger's front door (Notorious B.I.G.).This was
all caused by offensive Rap lyrics.
There being violence and negative messages there are also positive messages in the Rap
music. According to the Broadcast, A Look At Hip Hop, Beyond Beats and Rhymes, Mr. Byron
Hurt expresses his opinion on how Hip Hop and Rap has had a dramatic change from when he
was a fan of the music. There are big differences from today's Rap and early rap, today's rap
consists of machismo, drugs, and misogyny. Hurt also explains that not all of today's rap has

Estrada 5

explicit content. Many artist such as; Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, Eminem and Immortal Technique
all have positive messages to express through their music. Many artist include their personal
testimony on their struggles to show others who are going through the same thing to always have
hope. Artist such as Eminem believed that ,sometimes [he felt] like rap music is almost the key
to stopping racism (Eminem). Rap music and hip hop rose in twenty short years from a
subcultural expression to one that has changed the course of American popular culture in
profound ways. Due to Hip Hop and Raps poor passed
many people tend to stereotype Rap as a bad genre of
music, but in reality it has developed positive messages.

Estrada 6

Hip Hop and Rap created bad stereotypes because of the constant reference to sex, drugs,
violence, and profanity. Behind every lyric in a rap song this is a past of pain, hardships,
loneliness, love and abuse. Rappers dont make their music controversy, their goal is to reach
their audience in some way. Rap is just another form of
expressing of what is going on in society. Artist use Rap to
inspire others that are going through a hard time. Rap is all
another language, you can learn from what it is saying and to
inform yourself about society. Critics dont take their time to
look beyond the music and seek the true message of the song. Raps journey was like a roller
coaster, it had its ups and downs but will always be one of the most unique music genres. Rap is
filled with artistic energy and descriptions of the human experience. All of the diversity in Hip
Hop and Rap will make it iconic on a global level for historians to study from and admire. For
some, Rap music is an escape and a positive genre of music. For others its a negative form of
music filled with controversial topics and sexism. We are all entitled to our own opinions

Estrada 7

Works Cited
"African American Music: Rap." Student Resources in Context. Web. N.p., 2 May 2016. Web.
A Look at Hip-Hop, 'Beyond Beats and Rhymes." Talk of the Nation, 20 Feb. 2007. Web.
Benson, Sonia, Daniel E. Brannen, Jr., and Rebecca Valentine. "Hip Hop and Rap Music." N.p.,
1
May 2016. Web.
Narins, Brigham. "Rap: From the Subculture To Mass Appeal." African American Almanac. Ed.,
2
May 2016. Web. 2009.
"Ladies Of Hip Hop Tell Their Side Of The Story." News & Notes 23 Oct. 2008. Student
Resources
in Context. Web. 2 May 2016.
"Notorious B.I.G." UXL Biographies. Detroit: UXL, 2011. Student Resources in Context. Web. 2
May 2016.
"Rap: A Voice From the Subculture." DISCovering Multicultural America: African Americans,
Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Student
Resources in Context. Web. 2 May 2016.

Estrada 8