IS HIP HOP MUSIC TOO INAPPROPRIATE FOR THE MILLENNIAL GENERATION? BY: Madrid Thomas

MY CAUSE & HIP HOP’S EFFECT  I wanted to do my paper on how hip hop effects society today.  It started off as a pure art form. Now however people view it as degrading and offensive.  The Millennial generation, or generation Y, is the generation of people born after  That means the millennial generation is currently receiving the most exposure to these influences whether they are positive or negative. Thus is hip-hop music to inappropriate for the millennial generation?

MUSIC IS REBORN  Hip-hop was first viewed in academia in the 1990’s, it however appeared in higher education in the 1960’s-1970’s.  In the 80’s and 90’s hip-hop was viewed as more than just an art form but a way of life.  Hip-hop was not always big on lyrics and rappers. At first the main focus was the DJ or disk jockey.  Their main task was to use their words and poetry to describe and portray various ideas and themes.

HIP HOP HAS A TWIST  In the beginning hip-hop was a pure art form that was the product of young urban African Americans.  Now only a few decades later this art form has been misused and tainted to make money and corrupt our youth.  The media takes rappers that perpetuate ignorance and makes them major celebrities.  However other rappers that have substance and intelligence receive much less exposure and fame.

BETTINA L. LOVE FINDINGS  In the article by Bettina L. Love she discusses the impact of rap music on both race and gender.  Love’s research however shows that many kids from generation Y show a misunderstanding of what being black means.  One such belief is that black females are to have a large butt.  However whether they know it or not their subconscious picks up on the lyrics and makes note of it. This ultimately will have an impact on how they feel about certain situations.

LOVE’S FINDS CONTINUED  A few kids admitted to listening to hip-hop to fit in with their peers.  They also stated the hip-hop music help explain black womanhood to them.  The women depicted in these songs are often times a negative and derogatory stereotype of women.  This would mean that at some point while listening to these songs they really thought about the points the rappers were making.

IN CONCLUSION  The current state of Hip Hop is bad but not completely damaged.  Certain precautions should be taken by adults to try and regulate the listening of some of the more inappropriate songs.  Also the media should try and promote the more positive forms of this media.