Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Revised Assignment Two
Revised Assignment Two
Introduction/Background
American culture is one lead by the majority population with small influences by
minority contributions. However, there is one component of this diverse culture that has an
exponentially increasing influence- hip hop. Derived from African oral storytelling, hip hop
erupted in the early 90s in the African-American community and slowly tip-toed its way into
mainstream culture, and is now on par with other music-based subcultures, such as pop. From its
roots, hip hop has expanded its frame of reference and influence internationally and has affected
our culture as Americans in a plethora in ways. However, its potential effect is controversial and
often on aforementioned culture has been debated as either detrimental or beneficial.
I found my way to hip hop early in life, beginning with listening to Biggie Smalls in the
car seat of my dads Volkswagen Jetta, bobbing my head and eating chicken nuggets. My dad
taught me the importance and value of hip hop at an early age, fueling my love for deep lyrical
content, hard base lines, and negative disposition toward most mainstream hip hop. Today,
although I enjoy many other genres such as alternative, pop, soft rock, and grunge, hip hop is
still my all-around favorite, so Im exposed to a particular bias, in favor of its effect on culture. I
tend to pride myself on the ability to be very open-minded, and hip hop as an entity is strictly for
the open-minded.
Although there are some negative consequences on both the American culture and the
counterculture hip hop derived from, the benefits produced from the assimilation of hip hop into
the mainstream American culture heavily outweigh the negatives. Some of the controversial
topics that revolve around hip hop include the possible appropriation of black culture, suggestive
lyrics effect on youth, and the glorification of disreputable activities, but what most people fail
Although most artists in hip hop share the common goal of achieving and immeasurable
amount of success, for the most part they all come from similar beginnings. Poverty stricken,
discarded by society as useless, and faced with extreme adversity, those with true talent and
drive push their way to the top with blood, sweat, and tears and work hard to achieve their
successes. Veteran hip hop legend Sean Carter, better known by his stage name as Jay-Z, started
from the bottom, being an impoverished youth in one of the areas of Brooklyn hit hardest by the
crack-cocaine epidemic of the late 80s. Carter is now a multi-millionaire with stakes in very
lucrative stock companies, close friends with the president, and married to one of the most
influential figures in the world. In addition to his accomplishments, he has also become a
renowned philanthropist, giving back to the community and empowering kids who are just like
how he used to be. (Biography.com, Jay-Z article, Personal Life) This path has been followed by
tons of successful artists, including Kanye West, Common, 50 Cent, Kendrick Lamar, and plenty
of others. These extremely influential individuals contribute positivity to American and youth
culture through their philanthropy, typically encouraging kids to avoid crime and the streets to
work on a craft and get an education to better their lives. Kendrick Lamar used the proceeds from
his song Keishas Song (Her Pain) on his debut album Section .80, a touching song about the
vicious cycle of prostitution, to create awareness toward the subject and even headlined a
concert, of which the proceeds went to various Womens groups (10 Great Moments in Hip Hop
Philanthropy #1).
Behind the glitz and glamour, behind the microphone, hip hop artists realize that their
purpose is not only to create the music they love, but to entertain their fans. With that said, many
artists are against some of their subject matter, citing sheer entertainment as their purpose for
creating it. Many who rap about dealing drugs, murder, misogyny, and other controversial topics
arent generally promoting it; in fact, many of them are speaking for the struggles people face in
the inner city. Many encourage their listeners to be themselves, one excellent example being the
great Kanye West. West, no matter what anyone has to say about him, is still going to be West
and he encourages others to do the same. Many of Wests crusades for individuality include the
reassessment of society:
Society has put up so many boundaries, so many limitations on whats right and
wrong that its almost impossible to get a pure thought out. Its like a little kid, a little boy,
Many ongoing concerns facing hip hop coincide with youth culture, often involving ideas
such as misogyny, violence, drug abuse, and other discussions not quite suitable for those under
a certain age although the amount of hip hop containing these subject matters is overexaggerated. Children and young adults are very impressionable and, without proper guidance,
occasionally have a hard time deciphering between whats right and whats wrong. However, as
with certain television programs, parents should be there to reinforce their childrens moral
compass; not bar them from listening to hip hop but rather explain that most songs involving
potentially hazardous topics like drug dealing or violence is for entertainment; one major
proponent of this ideology is the late Tupac Shakur, who often expressed that a majority of his
violent rhymes were either describing the way he grew up in Los Angeles or merely
Those who claim that hip hop serves no purpose and therefore should be ignored are just
completely ignorant. The sphere of influence that hip hop possesses is actually incredibly large
Life is about perception and perspective- many who claim that hip hop artists use their
large span of influences for negative purposes generally leave their attempts to spread positivity
and knowledge. Mac Miller is known for his racy lyrics typically involving sipping lean,
smoking marijuana, doing other drugs, and womanizing, but his campaign against self-harm and
suicide, heavily focused in the song Clarity on the Macadelic project, doesnt tend to get as
much coverage. Hip hop gets its ridiculously negative image primarily from the media, who
hardly recognizes its valiant efforts to promote peace and progression within popular culture,
devaluing and deprecating the genre- theres more news coverage about Kanyes rants and
tussles with photographers than him motivationally speaking at a college campus in Los Angeles
(Hilton, P. article).
Hip hop has garnished a reputation as a genre listened to only by thugs and gangsters and
criminals, thereby deepening its negative reputation. The law of association indicates that those
who listen to hip hop are then associated with those characters, when however this is far from the
truth. Many of hip hops core fans are suburbanites, with even the older generation taking part in
All in all, hip hop gets a bad rap (punny!) As most view it as barbaric and violent, most
have only scratched the surface of the complex and diverse genre. If the most of the opposition
of hip hop were to actually do an in-depth analysis of this misunderstood culture, it would be
open to much more interpretation. When hip hop is mentioned, most without any exposure to it
will most likely associate the words with rowdy when in all reality, its much more than that. Its
the voice of millions of Americans and even Internationals without the ability to speak up
themselves. It is extremely important to deconstruct that conception to bridge the gaps in
between cultures. Knowledge is power and ignorance is weakness, and with the correct
knowledge, we as a people can help destroy discrimination and stereotypes regarding the hip hop
culture and unfortunately, subsequently, black culture. Research in this specific topic is
beneficial to the future of American culture, as the country becomes more of melting pot as time
persists. Could the universal understanding of hip hop lead to the ratification of cultural
tensions? Are kids picking up the good or the bad aspects of hip hop, and does that have to do
with the context or with their personal lives involving their level of intelligence, teachings, and
parental discretions? Will the medias depiction of hip hop continue to deter people from
News One Staff. (2011, December 22). 10 Great Moments in Hip-Hop Philanthropy | News
One. Retrieved from http://newsone.com/2000385/10-great-moments-in-hip-hopphilanthropy/
SaeNgian, Kathy.(2008, June 13) "Researcher Cites Negative Influences of Hip-hop."Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette. http://www.post-gazette.com/life/lifestyle/2008/06/13/Researcher-cites-negativeinfluences-of-hip-hop/stories/200806130124