The Psychological Effects of Rap Music: The Negative Outweighing the Positive
Violence among modern day youth, males in particular, is often attributed to the influence of hip hop or rap music. Studies have shown that rap music, lyrics and videos promote violence, sex, and materialism. However, there is also some research that shows that rap music, especially gangsta rap, drive a positive reaction such as facing oppression, community unity and attaining respect, an idea found to be promoted as much as violence . Hence, it can be said that, the nature and content of rap music has changed in step with the evolution of the African American society. As such, there is a need to note what influence it has on the psychology of youth, especially black males, today.
“Hip hop and rap lyrics are so catchy that they become embedded in our minds, to the extent where they potentially motivate our actions . In addition, gangsta rap usually reflects inner city life, glorifying criminal activity and degrading women. “The pattern was that rap music industry was becoming more like crime and running side by side with traditional steps of organized crime . As such, rap music has had an increasingly negative impact on the youth, especially young men, alerting their psychological state, perceptions of what is ‘acceptable’, and whether being within the societal definitions of acceptability is even necessary.
In 2004, the Motivational Education Entertainment Corporation or MEE conducted a study across ten American cities, name: a) Atlanta, b) Baltimore, c) Chicago, d) Detroit, e) Los Angeles and Longbeach, f) New Orleans, g) New York, h) Oakland, i) Philadelphia, and j) Richmond. The focus group was African American youth between the ages 16 to 20 coming from families with USD 25,000 or lesser total income . The MEE stated that it aimed to survey the ‘Hip Hop generation’, and hence the study was focused on but not limited to at-risk urban youth. The study revealed that, when compared to other demographic youth groups, black teens are the larger consumers of rap CDs as well as viewers of television.
Out of every ten African American youth, three listen to over four hours of radio every day while another 17% listened over three hours. An astounding 67% noted BET to be their favorite music video channel, while only 10% preferred MTV. 80% of those surveyed had a television at home while 95% of this group also owned a DVD player and/or VCR. Strangely, it was found that 70% of all rap music sales were made to white consumers, although the music itself is dominated by black artists. The findings of the MEE survey have been highlighted through Figure 1 which is a graphical depiction of the exposure of African American youth to various forms of media.
Figure 1
Both male and female respondents in the MEE survey indicated that sexual content is predominant on cable and broadcast television as well as music videos. Themes of homosexuality and alternate lifestyles are also present on HBO and MTV. Further, it was found that youth, especially males, were exposed to pornographic images or programming with sexual content as early as 10 years of age.
Rhythmic American Poetry or Rap music, the traditional genre, evolved from jazz, blues, soul and slave spirituals, as a means of expressing the sentiments and thoughts of African Americans . The prominent themes at the beginning of the genre were mainly political and cultural during the 1960s, as well as glorifying African Americans such as Malcolm X. In 1979, rap had its first single hit in Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight,” and rappers have not left the charts since. The recordings of raps original superstars Grandmaster Flash, Kurtis Blow, Tupac Shakur were all original innovators of this music. During the 1980s, rap music took on the mantle of ‘Gangsta Rap’, again, focused on political and social issues, albeit those facing a more liberated black community when compared to that which existed in the 1960s. It was during this time, that rap got associated with hip hop, a term that has commonly replaced rap today.
In the year 1979, 27% of rap songs contained negative images of violence. The figure had risen to 60% by 1997, with rap songs increasingly glamorizing acts of violence . In 1995, Johnson et al. found that youth that viewed rap videos with violent content were more accepting of acts of violence, especially against women. It was also found that, regardless of the presence of violent content, those among the youth who regularly watched rap videos were more prone to materialism and would agree to resort to crime to attain possessions . They also believe that academic achievement is not necessary for success. In a separate study, the same researchers found that young women who were regularly exposed to rap videos that showed women to be sexually subjugated were more likely to consider violence against them in a dating situation to be acceptable. Further, Tanner et al., through a study, found that, when compared to crimes of violence, property crimes are more common among youth that regularly listen to rap music, although poverty was found to be a greater contributor than choice of music .
Young men who heard or read rap music with lyrics showed more adversarial sexual beliefs than those who were not exposed to rap music. Those who had a liking for rap and hip hop were more likely to suspect the opposite sex as well . However, rap music with particularly misogynistic lyrics was found to encourage violence against women , while those lyrics that not have misogynistic content still promoted sexism among young men. Hence, it can be said that, although rap music in general does not promote violence and subjugation of women, lyrics can play a crucial role in influencing the youth’s perception of sexuality and gender dominance.
Researches by Baker and Bor have shown that youth who report substance use, arrests based on acts of violence, and sexual promiscuity are more likely to prefer rap music. The findings are backed by Miranda and Claes who showed that those who loved rap music, particularly French and gangsta rap were more prone to violence and drug abuse when compared to listeners of soul and hip hop . Race was also found to be a decider so far as delinquent behavior is concerned. Whites and Asians who listened to rap were more likely to resort to acts of violence and property crimes than others of the same race while black rap fans were equally prone to crime as those of the same race who listened to other forms of music . While there are several researches that have shown that those who listen to rap music achieve lower academic grades, the condition is usually pre-existing and hence it can be said that rap music is only one of the many contributors of low academic performance among the youth. Ballard and Coates found that those who listened to rap songs with non-violent content were strangely more prone to depression when compared to those who listened to violent lyrics. However, rap songs, in general, were found to aggravate anger among listeners .
The face and purpose of rap music has changed drastically since the time the genre came into being. While it initially served as a means of uplifting a discriminated African American society, it has increasingly diverged from this objective and has swerved towards messages of sex, violence and male dominance. Today, it is common for rap videos and lyrics to carry sexually explicit content, glorify acts of violence and crime as means of proving yourself to be above the law. Male dominance and the subjugation of women, generally and sexually, is also a common theme in modern day rap lyrics. Images that encourage substance abuse, including drugs and alcohol, are also commonplace.
It is evident from the MEE study that rap music and media have a wide reach over modern day youth. The study stated that there is a tangible war being waged between mainstream media and adults, including parents, in urban areas across the country. According to the study, media is winning this war. Despite calls being raised to enhance television content sponsorship, sexual and violent content in music videos and lyrics, particularly in the case of rap and hip hop, persists. Among teens that were more exposed to rap music, between 12 to 14 hours in a week over a yearlong study period, 37.6% suffered from a new Sexually Transmitted Disease or STD, while 14.8% has sex with ‘non-steady’ partners. Youth who regularly listen to rap music are also twice as likely to have multiple intimate partners as well as acquire new STDs.
The studies that have been cited earlier have shown that rap music is known to have a direct and significant impact on the psychology of youth. Unfortunately, while early rap culture has positive influences, today the impact is mainly negative in nature. Fans of rap music develop a more materialistic perspective, craving products and lifestyles being promoted through rap videos. Such great is the impact on young minds that they often resort of property crimes and theft in order to meet their growing lifestyle wants. Fans of rap are also more likely to believe that academic achievement is not a requirement for success and hence may not make sufficient efforts to educate themselves. This gives rise to illiteracy among the youth, which breeds further social evils such as unemployment, lowered standards of living and rise in crime. Among black communities, rap music has become such an integral part of culture that it is difficult for potential high academic scorers to break the cycle of negative perceptions. Peer pressure in such communities also gives rise to gang culture and this in turn leads to rises in crime.
Those who have regular exposure to rap music have skewed perceptions about what is acceptable behavior in modern day society. Sexual promiscuity, degradation of women, substance abuse, gang wars, poor education, crime and extreme materialism, all concepts that are spurned by the general community, seem acceptable to those who see these actions being performed and encouraged by their rap idols. It is clear from this analysis and discussion that the negative impact of rap music on the psychology of the youth today greatly outweighs its positive influences that are nearly non-existent. Considering the fact that rap music is viewed and followed by a large segment of the youth of both, white as well as black origin, its psychological effects need to be further analyzed. The need for enhanced television censorship and raising the awareness of the negative impact of hip hop and rap culture among the youth may be greatly aided by facts, figures and statistics attained by further studying this genre of music and its impact on the youth.
Works Cited
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Tanner, J., Asbridge, M., & Wortley, S. (2009). Listening to Rap: Cultures of Crime, Cultures of Resistance. Social Forces , 88 (2), 693-722.
