There is no doubt that music influences and reflects both culture, society and language. But few music genres have created as much controversy as rap and hip hop. Why is that, what are the effects and has it changed through the years?
by MariaSoerensen
Hip-hop is a form of popular music that consists of hosting, deejaying, grafitti and breakdancing. It is believed that it emerged in the Bronx, New York. Hip hop is not only music, it's an entire lifestyle and culture with its own kind of language, dress code, etc., and rap music comes from this culture.
In a speech at Weber State University, February 19, the rapper Talib Kweli says that he believes that people have false ideas about hip-hop, such as the idea that hip-hop artists are just “tough guys.” "Really they’re poetic nerds,” he says.He agrees that rappers use hip-hop to brag as a way to empower themselves and how they feel, but it's really the “love for the rhyme” that makes rappers do it. Kweli argues that there are different ideas taken into the hip hop music. Some are definitely about violence, clothes, cars and women, but Kweli says that his music for instance is more used as a social activism tool.
20 years ago, rap and hip-hop was associated only with tough words and attitudes, and it was not until recently that rap music began to move away from those thoughts. In the mid 2000s the hate towards women, blasphemy and violence were just as common, but Lil Wayne and his associates (Young Money Entertainment) began to change this. The music was now much more about the importance of 'pleasure' in life, than emphasizing social issues like police harshness and racism.
What marked a major shift in the rap genre was when Drake won the award for Best Rap Album at the 2013 Grammy’s with his album "Take Care". The album contains themes like love, sorrow and loneliness, and Drake actually takes rap deeper than it has been done before. He admits his insecurities and he is honest, which is things that up until now have not been seen that often in rap music.
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So how did the music change?
When it comes to music, sometimes the separation between art and the artist disappears, and the early gangsta-rap was violent and it often reflected internal 'wars' between gang members. One of the people who became a victim of this was the well-known rapper Tupac Shakur who died in a drive-by shooting.
In a way, this is one of the reasons why the music had to change itself. The traditional gangsta-rap cannot any longer hold on to the 'impressive' power they used to have.
The music has now become more peaceful, much of the conflict in hip-hop is hidden, and the rappers are now singing about battles of ideas and emotions, not drugs and violence.
When it comes to music, sometimes the separation between art and the artist disappears, and the early gangsta-rap was violent and it often reflected internal 'wars' between gang members. One of the people who became a victim of this was the well-known rapper Tupac Shakur who died in a drive-by shooting.
In a way, this is one of the reasons why the music had to change itself. The traditional gangsta-rap cannot any longer hold on to the 'impressive' power they used to have.
The music has now become more peaceful, much of the conflict in hip-hop is hidden, and the rappers are now singing about battles of ideas and emotions, not drugs and violence.