Example research essay topic: Hip Hop Culture Hip Hop Music - 2,096 words

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Analytical Paper The hip hop culture has permeated popular culture in an unprecedented fashion. Because of its enormous crossover appeal, the hip hop culture is a potentially great unifier of diverse populations. Although created by black youth on the street, hip hop's influence has become worldwide. Approximately 75 % of the rap and hip hop audience is non black. It has gone from the fringes, to the suburbs, and into the corporate boardrooms. Indeed, McDonald's, Coca Cola, Sprite, Nike, and other corporate giants have capitalized on this phenomenon.

Although critics of rap music and the hip hop culture seemed to be fixated on the messages of sex, violence, and harsh language, this genre offers us a paradigm of what can be. The potential of this art form to mend ethnic relations is substantial. In the 1950 s and 1960 s the Beat Culture challenged the status quo in ways that unified liberals and prompted change. In the same vein, the hip hop culture has challenged the system in ways that have unified individuals (particularly youth) across a rich ethnic spectrum. This paper will discuss the development of the hip hop culture, the crossover appeal of hip hop, and the potential of this culture to mend ethnic cleavages in our society.

Influence of Hip-Hop Controversy has always been a prominent characteristic of popular music throughout the twentieth century. Whether it be the controversy surrounding Elvis's winging hips, the Doors's uggestive lyrics, or Alice Cooper's stage antics, this controversy always seems to be followed by undue criticism from the media. One form of musical expression that has been in the news recently because of its negative attention is hip-hop. Rap, a relatively new form of musical exposition, has been criticized for its so-called anti-women lyrics.

Some have even said that these types of lyrics are veering toward rape music. This is just simply not true. Once thought of as a passing fad, rap has been able to fabricate many facets of popular culture. Due to their raw and insouciant lyrics, many artists have met opposition by conservative groups that believe rap spreads an anti-women message. These groups argue that the lyrics in many rap songs degrade women by calling them bitches, hoes, and tricks. These words, however, do little more than sell records.

It is the image that rap artists represent as a whole that the youth of America buy. Although these terms may sound degrading, these lyrics have no real influence on America's image of women. These words are just a tool of the musicians that helps give them an appearance of being Benninger 2 gangsters, pimps, or dealers. It is these types of people that represent power and control to some or a glimpse into an unknown world to others. Either way, this image is what makes money. Further proof that rap artists are selling an image and not real life is that many rap artists are happily married men with wives and children that they truly care about.

Dr. Dre, one of the forefathers of hardcore rap, in an interview with MTV, readily admitted that what he sells in his music is not a life that he himself wishes to live. He, like many other rap artists, does not view women as derogatory sex objects as they are depicted in his lyrics (MTV 3). Songs such as Bitches ain't Shit and Bridget in which women are referred to as hoes do not really represent how Dr. Dre and many other rap artists feel about women.

Dre said, people buy the type of music that I make. As long as people keep buying it, I will keep making it (MTV 2). Linda Tuzynski, a mother of six and housewife, sees no problem with rap music. It is just an image. No one really thinks of their mothers, wives, girlfriends, or daughters as bitches or hoes. She says the only issue she has with rap music is young children listening to it.

However, she says, as long as parents monitor what their children listen to when they are too young, it is not a problem. Society has always been able to move on and eventually accept different ways of expressing oneself, and hip-hop should be no different. Although the message may not be the best one, each musician has the right to say whatever he or she feels. Rap music has no real influence on the image America has of women. In this age of enlightenment Benninger 3 toward the images and ideas the media present, the only real image America should have of women is the image that women themselves furnish. These groups that bash rap music and tell people to avoid it because of its negative reflection on woman are missing the big picture.

All musicians have a right to say whatever they want in their music, no matter how offending it might be to some people. It is protected under their constitutional rights as Americans. The bottom line is, if you do not like something, do not listen to it. Often times when people hear about Hip Hop/Rap music, they paint a picture in their heads of black men cussing, guns, marijuana, lots of gold, and girls looking like prostitutes. Parents and teachers put an image in their kids head that Rap music is bad and they do not want their kids to be influenced by something that is negative. With the way Rap music is advertised in the US, I would have to agree with that looking at it from an average parents point of view.

However, what people do not know is that Hip Hop is not just a type of music, it is a culture. A culture full of original elements, and it is also a place where people can show others what they have got and who they are. Within this original society called Hip Hop, there are basically four main elements of MC, Break, Tag, and DJ. Moreover, each is represented by millions of people all over the globe.

When the four come together, it makes Hip Hop music, and people live the music instead of listening to it. MC-ing is what people know as rapping. The main point of an MC is to make your crowd enjoy your music, and to send a message out to them. Unlike most of the lyrics out on the market today, Hip Hop contains meaning and it sends a message to the listeners.

Although those messages might have bad words, and show images of things that are socially, wrong that is actually, what is going on where they are from, and that is whom they are. Their music represents their area and their people, and it is no different from a farmer singing about his cows and chickens in Idaho. Besides, Gangster Rap is not the only type of Hip Hop music; it is actually only a small sect of it all. Many rappers put out lyrics about what they believe in, their own philosophies, entertaining others, and although it may seem unlikely, many lyricists seem like Einstein to me. Just like all of the other geniuses like Newton, Galileo, and musically Jimi, there are MCs that are geniuses too. What makes those guys remarkable compared to others are their strength and choice of words, and their flow, or the melody, of their rhymes.

I personally cannot relate to the ghetto, guns, and all of that stuff, so I do not listen to that genre very much, but there are many element people can pick up from the Hip Hop music. There is a whole Japanese Hip Hop scene that is growing bigger and bigger. This is probably the most popular form of Hip Hop today because it is so easy to begin and watch. DJs have one simple task: make people dance. Before, their main goal was to have the knowledge of the music so they can make people dance according to the mood and time. In addition, scratching records were their performance.

Now, DJs have lots more jobs and probably the toughest element of all. Most DJs team up with MCs so they can act as the rhythm section of the Hip Hop performance, and to do that and be original, they must create sounds of their own. They make the beats and the MCs lay the words on it. The steps to be able to make beats and tracks takes lots of time, money, and mind, so most DJs cant take a step further into the scene. Today, more and more artists are creating their own tracks, for the money, and they tend to realize that they cant be rapping at age 40 while its perfectly normal for a 40 year old to be playing the guitar.

This is actually a controversial issue because many people believe its wrong. However, it is a form of art to the culture, and it shows character of each artist. It is definitely not just about claiming area by the gangs, and it is not just about vandalizing other peoples property. People need to admit that New York City would not have its flavor that it has today without all of those artwork, and there are many artists that put up their pieces just so they can show others what they got. It is a way of communication in the form of Hip Hop. Many other types of music can be a culture too, and each person feels if it is a culture to them or not.

If music means culture to that person, then they probably feel that uneasy sensation of going to bed without music, going on the train without your Walkman, and have that anger towards vacuum cleaners. Music also is a form of communication when there is the kind of society where people understand one another through it. Which creates influences on others, and makes music grow. If messages of love, peace, anti-racism, and human uplift are resonated among the hip hop population, it can have an enormous impact on ethnic relations in our society. In the 1950 s and 1960 s the Beat Culture spoke of love yet challenged the status quo in ways that did not compromise their rebellious spirit. In the same vein, it is possible for the hip hop culture to keep its rebellious street flavor and speak to issues such as love and respect for all.

It is possible for rap artists such as Master P, Wyclef Jean, and Busta Rhymes to empower America and the world's youth like Bob Dylan, John Lennon, and Bob Marley did. Artists, such as the late rapper Tupac Shakur, have rapped about such compassionate issues without losing the rugged flavor of the streets. In his song, I Wonder If Heaven's Got A Ghetto, Shakur sings: "I see no changes, all I see is racist faces misplaced hate makes disgrace the racist... I wonder what it takes to make this one better place... take the evil out the people (then) they " ll be acting right cause both black and white are smokin crack tonight and the only time we deal is when we kill each other, it takes skill to be real, time to heal each other... "Millions of hip hoppers all over the world have heard these lyrics. If more artists concentrated on positive messages such as this, the impact could be revolutionary.

Unlike any other subculture in American history, the hip hop culture has transcended ethnic boundaries. Because of its eclectic audience, it has the greatest opportunity to build ethnic bridges and mend ethnic relations. Hip hop has taken hold and permeated significant regions of the world. The clothing, music, mannerisms, and lexicon, are unmistakably the same in New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Zurich, Milan, and Tokyo. Indeed, this culture has the potential to make it cool not to commit hate crimes, not to discriminate, and not to be a racist. Words: 2 002 Bibliography: 1 Keith L.

Alexander, Hip-Hop Magazine Gets Fiery Start, Good and Bad, USA Today, December 30, 1998, B 1. 2 Gregory Lewis, Hip Hop Gives Birth to Its Own Black Economy, The San Francisco Examiner, December 6, 1998, E 3. 3 Strauss, Neil, The Pop Life; Crossing Racial Boundaries, Rap Gains Ground, 4 The New York Times, October 15, 1998, E 1. 5 Robert Hilburn, Year in Review/Pop Music; In the Shadow of Hip-Hop; Rap is Where the Action is, and its Popularity Still Hasn't Peaked. Could Rock 'N' Roll Be Finally Dead? The Los Angeles Times, December 27, 1998, 6.

Research essay sample on Hip Hop Culture Hip Hop Music