March Blog Post

The week before our spring break, we touched a bit on rap and hip-hop and the influence it has on our culture and media. When I talk about rap and hip-hop, I am talking about the rap and hip-hop that is essentially telling a story through poetry. Rap and hip-hop is my favorite music genre, and I especially enjoy listening to artists such as Kendrick Lamar, J.Cole, and Chance the Rapper because to them, music is art and they are telling a story with their words.       

Rap and Hip-Hop has this negative connotation around it. It is often criticized with its violent and derogatory messages hidden in their lyrics. Many believe that this type of media is feeding negative thoughts into society and the way people are represented. However, according to an article by Brittney Williams titled “The Misrepresentation of Hip-Hop Culture in the Media”, Rap and Hip Hop were not always like this. This genre of music started out as a way for the younger population, more specifically “African American youth to express themselves and make their voices heard”. The Hip-Hop and rap culture was developed in the late 70s, early 80s in the Bronx and it became this cultural movement that just gained widespread popularity.

Hip Hop and Rap play a significant role in our media. The artist have a great platform to express themselves and sometimes, the oppression they feel. “Hip Hop artists such as Tupac are able to create a balance between the promotion of black rights and self-purportment in the face of questionable racism” as stated by the article “How Hip-Hop Music has Influenced American Culture and Society”. Some Hip Hop artists are using their platform by giving a voice to people who feel oppressed. They are using their music to convey their plight and their circumstances so everyone’s voices can be heard loud and clear.

Kendrick Lamar built a platform with To Pimp a Butterfly and unlike his previous albums, made strong politically charged statements. He has received countless recognition and praise for the message(s) he is trying to get across to not only his fans, but the world itself. For example, on his song “The Blacker the Berry”, some of the lyrics say, “You hate me don’t you? You hate my people, your plan is to terminate my culture. You’re fuckin’ evil I want you to recognize that I’m a proud monkey. You vandalize my perception but can’t take style from me. And this is more than confession. I mean I might press the button just so you know my discretion. I’m guardin’ my feelings, I know that you feel it. You sabotage my community, makin’ a killin’. You made me a killer, emancipation of a real nigga.”Kendrick Lamar is poetic in many of his lyrics. He is showing strong emotion about the oppression he feels as an African-American, and he is letting the world know how he feels.