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By: Akon Angara
Music, no matter the genre, is undeniably an expression of emotion. It’s been used to spread a message, no matter what the message particularly is. The versatility of music allows you to express yourself in endless ways, and many artists use this to send messages of joy, love, and even hate. In many cases, controversial lyrics and topics have been used in music, by artists throughout time.
Certain genres have been seen as negative, or have been bashed for the messages that they display. Hip hop has been stigmatized for decades, with many bashing messages that have been spread in other genres that face no hate. The treatment of rap and hip hop in comparison to other genres only strikes the question of the stigma that surrounds it, and more importantly why there is so much stigma surrounding it.
Rap can be traced back to centuries ago, all the way to griots in West Africa. Griots were historians who would tell rhythmic stories of the past to villages, all over the simple beat of a drum. Caribbean folk artists would also tell stories in rhymes. However, rap became known as a genre around the 1970s, originating from block parties in New York. DJs would sample percussive elements, creating a repetitive beat, and would interact with the audience. Soon, MCs began to join in, and rappers and groups began to form, with unique styles of rapping and storytelling. Soon enough, rap would form into the genre we know it as today.
Hip hop as we know it today is an extremely versatile genre, and is one of the most influential. We can see inspiration from rap being taken into other genres, and even creating new sub-genres. It is undeniable that rap is constantly evolving, with many new talented rappers coming out and popularizing new genres and styles of music every decade or so. Through this, we can see rap’s versatility and how diverse of a genre it truly is.
However, it is still heavily stigmatized in the media. Many condemn the genre, and claim that it promotes violence. Often, it is said that rap is about “sex, violence, gangs and murder.” This is not true in the slightest. While some rap songs or artists may write about this, is it fair to generalize an entire genre of music, especially one as versatile as rap, to these topics? At the same time, many other songs of different genres promote the same thing, however they are nowhere near as for it as rap is.
At the same time, many people who make these claims are coming from a place of ignorance and bigotry. While it’s totally fine to have preferences for music and not listen to specific genres, to bash a genre simply based on presumed stereotypes is extremely ignorant. Many times, rap is painted as a
glorification of violence, gang affiliation and hyper sexualization and materialism, even though it isn’t in the slightest. And while rappers of different races exist and are successful, it’s no doubt that black people often dominate charts and are commonly associated with rap, especially considering that rap and hip-hop is also very prominent in African American culture. Is it really much of a coincidence that the same stereotypes about black people being thugs, hypersexual, and violent are being applied to our music as well? In the same way, be sure that the reason you hold preferences to specific genres is not because of prejudiced beliefs.
In fact, much of today’s rap continues to bring light to and is used as a voice against political, economic and social oppression. Once again, music is a form of expression, and so it’s no surprise that many rappers discuss social issues within their music. Artists such as Kendrick Lamar, J Cole, Childish Gambino and Jay Z often bring up social issues within their music. But there are so many more artists who also use rap as a way to express their emotion and thoughts on political issues. Rap has always been a platform people have used to shine light on issues and express their thoughts on it, and one that African American people have used in the past and now to express themselves. The same stories are still being told, just in different ways.
Overall, rap is a versatile genre, one that holds incredible importance. It's scrutiny by the media does not erase the historical and political importance it has for the black community, as well as the value it holds as it remains an outlet and a way to use your voice.
SOURCES
http://www.collegiatetimes.com/opinion/rap-music-unfairly-stigmatized-despite-holding-cultural-soci al-value/article_d692c418-3b44-11e8-a47c-e75385f4f501.html
https://fouroverfour.jukely.com/culture/history-of-rap-hip-hop/