Is Rap Music To Blame?

My opinion is biased because I don't like rap or the subgenre's, but I will do my best to portray what I see with the way pop culture affects the world.

Whatever is popular at the time, the youth will flock to it. When Elvis was huge he had the following of the same type as these Boy Bands. Teen girls, going crazy as they dance around singing love songs. Elvis sang black music. Yes, there was a war going on during part of his time, but that had nothing to do with the music. Look at the 80's. You have people wearing neon, skin tight pants and shirts, dancing to some pretty crazy music. I was born in '81 so I didn't get to really acquire any culture until the 90's. When real "gangsta" rap came out in the 90's it was banned in a lot of places. Hell, a senator ripped apart Ice-T's "Cop Killer" and had the album banned, plus Ice-T lost his contract with Warner Bros. (I think that was the record label he was on, may be mistaken). Remember the PMRC? That lovely group put together by Tipper Gore, blaming rock music for all the bad stuff in society? Every year a politician jumps on the "blame music, video games and anything else we cn on society" bandwagon.

I think it's not a cultural thing, it's a popular thing. If death metal were popular like rap they'd be blaming more stuff on death metal. You don't hear of many church burnings in the media simply because Death and Black metal aren't "in".

Sorry if this post jumped back and forth and didn't make sense in some ways, I did it of the top of my head. And it's all opniion, no facts were harmed during the making of this post.

Quote:

Originally posted by caribonz

I don't blame it on rap..... it's a message...it's an artform. When John Ashcroft became the U.S. attorney general he covered up nude statues. .... but inner city violence has been happening for MANY sociological reasons.... such as: Lack of sex ed, poor prenatal planning, poor early diets, low minimun wages, shitty jobs, drug abuse (a LOT of drug abuse is handed down.. generation to generation), poverty, the INCREDIBLE inverse incarceration of blacks to whites (black=crack... white=coke).

Just curious JonM have you ever been to a real ghetto? Have you ever been inside a real tenement house? I have... grew up a few blocks from the projects (as they were then called). Why do you choose to pick on the underclass and not get incited against the oil companies, the Walmarts, the McDonalds of the world. That always seems really cowardly to me. Personally I don't know a lot of rap. What I have heard is not particulally offensive to me. The ho thing.. is kind of weird, but there is a tendency in black culture to be a little more confrontive towards the sexes. It certainly isn't as if black women don't put down the guys. . So much of what I see is just a reflection of what is coming out of the black situation in America. Randal Robinson wrote an incredible book called "Leaving America" Check it out

OH... and the news media.... hey.. sex and violence sells!!!

Lastly: Parents don't like rap....kids ALWAYS rebel.

I pretty much grew up in the housing projects. I stayed with my grandparents instead of going to a daycare and they lived in one. My house was a 3 minute walk from "the other side of the tracks

The Walmarts, oil companies, etc are the way for those in the ghetto to get out of them. Without large companies, there will be no jobs for people to lift themselves out of poverty. Say what you will about the wages, benefits, etc, but at least they are paying people to work. Without the taxes these alrge companies pay, there would be no security net (welfare) for people to fall into when they need it.

The real problem in the black ghetto in the US is largely based on racism by those living there. Any kid who tries to do good in school and stay out of trouble is labeled an "Uncle Tom" or accused of being "too white". Until the black residents of the ghetto realize that bettering yourself through hard work and study is the way to go, they will never leave it.

The worst thing about RAP is that the music has gotten too cheesy. The Rappers have always been clowns. Now the music is too.

I Agree!

I don't blame rap directly. I blame the parents of kids that grow up to do bad things, and of course the kids themselves. However, this type of music does not help the situation when our youth listens to it. So called "gansta rap" does influence them in that it glorifies a certain lifestyle. If you are a mature adult and enjoy rap, or listen to rap for your own intellectual purposes than fine. Go for it. But any music about shooting people, pimping hoes, killing cops, beating people down, worshiping satan, is completely inappropriate for a child, period (rap, metal, whatever). Yes I live in the US and you have a right to listen to whatever you want, but parents need to do a better job to step in and filter our children from bad influences. Most children that listen to this stuff do not go on to college, get a degree, and get a high paying job. Rather they don't do well in school, or they drop out, and put themselves on a path where they don't achieve what they are really capable of.

Yes, yes, I know there are exceptions, but most kids that listen to rap and metal don't have the most financially productive lives, nor the socially pleasant lives. I work with and meet all types of people, this is just what I have seen with my own 2 eyes.

And shame on corporations that market this stuff to kids. There is such a thing as too much freedom in a democracy, and I think many countries need to think about this.

I vote a 5 on this topic. I suspect half the people in this thread agree, the other half disagree. This topic is borderline political, I hope nobody crosses the line so it does not get locked. I wish we would have a political forum here at WBW. It would have to be closely monitored, but I love politics.

My 2 cents...

Quote:

Originally posted by rocknthefreewor

I pretty much grew up in the housing projects. I stayed with my grandparents instead of going to a daycare and they lived in one. My house was a 3 minute walk from "the other side of the tracks

I’ve read your posts before and I know you’re pretty conservative...possible neocon. From what you said above, you should, of all people, have an appreciation for the struggle. As a white guy, with a brain, you have been afforded a HUGE advantage.

Quote:

Originally posted by rocknthefreewor

The Walmarts, oil companies, etc are the way for those in the ghetto to get out of them. Without large companies, there will be no jobs for people to lift themselves out of poverty. Say what you will about the wages, benefits, etc, but at least they are paying people to work. Without the taxes these alrge companies pay, there would be no security net (welfare) for people to fall into when they need it.

The means don’t justify the end. You cannot tell me that there aren’t better solutions. You cannot tell me that all these CEO’s deserve to get paid millions and millions (and in many cases for running businesses that are losing money. You cannot tell me that the minds that come up with complex financing and leveraged buyouts couldn’t use that energy to help the underclass, if they REALLY wanted to. As small an effect as it has been the man that just won the Nobel Prize in economics formulated a plan for micro loans to the poor in India. The religious freaks in the U.S. made it a mission to become elected to or influence school boards around this country to further their delusional agendas. This has, in turn, affected the inner city schools (and as I stated before budgets have been cut for food and sex education has been denied). To go on to college, unless you go into the service (and look what that gets you!!!), it’s just not going to happen. This is called hopelessness. People of WBW think about how frustrating that would feel.

Quote:

Originally posted by rocknthefreewor

The real problem in the black ghetto in the US is largely based on racism by those living there. Any kid who tries to do good in school and stay out of trouble is labeled an "Uncle Tom" or accused of being "too white". Until the black residents of the ghetto realize that bettering yourself through hard work and study is the way to go, they will never leave it.

That’s like saying “blame in on the rap music” I'm shocked to hear you say something so simple... like the world is all black or white (pardon the reference). These are complicated sociological issues. People that don’t read or study society believe that propaganda. “The REAL problem is black on black prejudice”. Nonsense!!!! Misinformation and hatred is just a way to pit under and middle class against one another so that those in power can maintain and solidify their control.

i didn't read any of these comments because i know that the percentage of crime in America is the lowest it has been since the 60's

Quote:

Originally posted by misanthropos

, but parents need to do a better job to step in and filter our children from bad influences.

I agree, but most kids listening to rap music nowadays, probably have their parents listening to it aswell, they had kids in the 90's when the "gangster" rap was becoming popular, and now their offspring are pushing 16 years old themselves, and listening to the same music their parents have in their own collections.

Just because you have kids and "grow" up and it doesnt mean you stop listening to the music you loved, and love, so the parents are having a direct influence on their kids, saying that this music is fine because they listen to it themselves.

Its the old saying, that a bad parent will bring up a bad kid!
(im not saying that all people that listen to rap music are bad people, hell i listen to it, and my daughter is an angel!)

Quote:

Originally posted by Burn

i didn't read any of these comments because i know that the percentage of crime in America is the lowest it has been since the 60's

And unfortunately its at its highest rate in the U.K.

Quote:

Originally posted by JonM

[reply=rainbowdemon]
All I can blame rap for is the stupid "wigger" fad. Which is pretty much dead anyway.

No it isnt!
Every Person who is into rap, talks like they should be black, walks like they wish they had a big black cock, and dresses like they are black, so Wigga is here with us unfortunately!
[/reply]

it´s the hole hiphop culture, they don´t dress because they want to be black

More to do with the lyrics. I remember when rap first hit the scene. It was just about having fun, sleeping with chics, and drinking your Gin and Juice. It has just degenerated since then.

Ultimately though - it is a personal choice and no one is to be blamed but the person themselves.

Quote:

Originally posted by jsonhenry

More to do with the lyrics. I remember when rap first hit the scene. It was just about having fun, sleeping with chics, and drinking your Gin and Juice. It has just degenerated since then.

Ultimately though - it is a personal choice and no one is to be blamed but the person themselves.

But what if they are easily influenced?
Looking for a group that accepts them because they ahev never been accepted anywhere else?

what about UK Rappers like Braintax, Skinnyman, Eastborn, Roll Deep and more, they are all anti gun crime and run workshops in their local communities! The press never pick up on that eh!

Quote:

Originally posted by chrisbex

what about UK Rappers like Braintax, Skinnyman, Eastborn, Roll Deep and more, they are all anti gun crime and run workshops in their local communities! The press never pick up on that eh!

Read the earlier post!
The press will always follow the sensational stories, not any of people doing good.
Im not denying that good comes from hip hop/rap, but there is also a massive negataive cloud created by it too?

The press WILL NEVER show the good side as as you said bad news sells, so therefor you will only see the bad side and thus see it ALL in a bad light!

do you listen to UK Hip Hop?

Quote:

Originally posted by chrisbex

do you listen to UK Hip Hop?

Not really, i have a couple of old skool things,
Tricky, DJ Yoda, DJ Cam, but not really.
why?

you should listen to more UK Hip Hop, I dont really like US Rap. Check out the guys I mentioned

Quote:

Originally posted by chrisbex

you should listen to more UK Hip Hop, I dont really like US Rap. Check out the guys I mentioned

Will do.
Thanks.

Well you gotta have something or someone to blame...

but all rap aint bad..... some of it is thought provoking stuff... maybe the 50 cents of the world are to blame, but if your going to blame music you may as well start to blame tv and video games