Music Lyrics being Nonviolent Essay Example For Students

Music Lyrics being Nonviolent Essay Rap music can be considered a style of art, and a way for the artists to expressfeelings through their words on paper. However, there are quite a few rap artists that getcriticized for their lyrics. In my essay, I want to discuss why rappers use certain lyrics intheir music and why people shouldnt believe that it causes violence among the youngergenerations. People shouldnt censor the music just because of violent, vulgar andabusive messages it promotes to the world. I believe in my own mind, that there is areason for these types of lyrics that rap artists use and I will simply explain those reasonsRap has been called one of the most important music forces to emerge in twodecades. Its pounding beats and staccato rhymes exploded on the streets of the urbanAmerica in the early 1980s and since have become the theme music and lyrical heart ofthe vibrant youth culture called hip-hop ( SIRS 1993). There are many different types of rap artist. There are some that talk aboutmoney, some talk about righteousness, and the list goes on and on. Every rap artist hadtheir own way of expressing themselves. There are those that talk about sex, drugs, andviolence who receive the negative attention( SIRS 1993). People, think this so- calledgangster rap is a bad influence on children in the world and that it promotes violence andthat it also is abusive to women. Delores Tucker, head of national congress of blackwomen has been among those pressuring different record companies to stop distributinggangster rap music. There were other significant names that participated in this action. Names like Senate Majority leader Bob dole, and former education Secretary William J. There are some rap artists that have been openly criticized for their lyrics. Rappers like Lil Kim, Too Short, Snoop Doggy Dogg, and a member from Too LiveCrew, named Luke Skywalker. These rap artists in the past have been appointed for thethings they say in their music. Lil Kim talks about sex in her music, Too Short talks aboutdrugs, sex, and how much of a pimp he is, and Luke Skywalker talks about girls and sex. The lyrics that these rap artist use in their music might not be suitable for everybody tolisten to but I dont think their music should be banned or criticized because you donthave to listen to it if you dont choose to. Rap music, how much influence does it really have on its youthful listeners?Many, from record company executives to high school students agree that it plays acritical role in the lives of many tans, affecting the way they dance, dress and speak(SIRSPersonally, I feel that rap music is a form of art. I think it takes a great deal oftalent to write lyrics that rap artists write, because you have to use metaphors and similes,and at the same time get your point across so the listeners can understand. I give rappersa great deal of credit because I know it took them a long time to get where their at today,and I know it takes a tremendous amount of time to write a song. Its also true and I strongly agree with that rap artists use lyrics that reflect ontheir childhood and the way they grew up. That could be the reason why gangster rappersand rappers talk about sex, drugs, and violence in their music because that was what theywere exposed to through out their life. Rap artists generally write about what they knowbecause it is easier to write about things and situations that you know, and if sex, drugsand violence is what you know about, then you are going to write about situations thatinvolve those subjects. Not just write about them in hopes to cause more violence in ourYoung rap fans caution it is wrong and simplistic to believe music can dictatetheir actions. Upbringing and circumstance steer a childs behavior, they say, not a recordon a turntable or a performer posturing on stage(Newsweek, 1998). .u9109afceb3a65aee735d6933d871a112 , .u9109afceb3a65aee735d6933d871a112 .postImageUrl , .u9109afceb3a65aee735d6933d871a112 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u9109afceb3a65aee735d6933d871a112 , .u9109afceb3a65aee735d6933d871a112:hover , .u9109afceb3a65aee735d6933d871a112:visited , .u9109afceb3a65aee735d6933d871a112:active { border:0!important; } .u9109afceb3a65aee735d6933d871a112 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u9109afceb3a65aee735d6933d871a112 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u9109afceb3a65aee735d6933d871a112:active , .u9109afceb3a65aee735d6933d871a112:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u9109afceb3a65aee735d6933d871a112 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u9109afceb3a65aee735d6933d871a112 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u9109afceb3a65aee735d6933d871a112 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u9109afceb3a65aee735d6933d871a112 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u9109afceb3a65aee735d6933d871a112:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u9109afceb3a65aee735d6933d871a112 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u9109afceb3a65aee735d6933d871a112 .u9109afceb3a65aee735d6933d871a112-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u9109afceb3a65aee735d6933d871a112:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: After the Reconstruction years, blacks and whites EssayThere are other reasons why gangster rappers should not be criticized for theirlyrics. One reason is that I would rather hear gangster rappers talk about violence on thestreets than them actually going out on the streets and participate in the violence. Anotherreason why rappers shouldnt be criticized is because the world was violent long beforerap was invented, and it is not rap music that is making the world more violent then it isalready. I strongly believe that people have the freedom of choice to listen to rap musicand if you dont like what rap artists talk about, then you do not have to listen to themusic. If peo ple didnt have a choice that would be one thing, but as long as people havea choice to do or not to do something then they shouldnt try to criticize it. To me, rapmusic is more than a strain. It is the reflection of horrible suffering, struggle and pain ofthe ghetto life. I feel that art reflects life, so I ask myself why arent the National Blackleaders like Delores Tucker, more concerned about where the source of rap music existsthan the work denuding these types of harsh conditions(SIRS 1993). I think that kids know the difference between right and wrong, music andreality. They know its not right to go kill somebody and if there driven to that, thats notthe fault of the music, says Jon Shecter, editor of The Source, a rap magazine(SIRSIf the people throughout the world that criticize gangster rap music would beginto really care then they would try to find and fix the conditions that this art of musiccomes from and stop criticizing the artist. In other words, the abusive language and riseof violence found in most gangster rap songs are the reality of our present day society. Americans should be mature enough to realize that not talking about something wontPeople talk about the violence of gangster rap music, but look at the violence wesee on television everyday, on almost every channel you turn to. Violence is everywhere,you might see or hear something violent every day of your life, whether it is ontelevision, radio or in real life. Violence has been existing for hundreds and hundreds ofyears, gangster rap music hasnt remotely made violence more intense or worse than italready is( Surveys, pg. 1).So is it then fair to pin point rap music and blame its lyrics onthe violence happening around the world? Teen-agers, both black and Latino, say it is thedriving beat that attracts them and many other young people to rap. That, and the musicshonesty(SIRS 1993). Its not the guns and drugs that make them like the music. Therappers arent saying to solve a problem you must kill, they are just stating what theyknow. In which, ever since they were young, that violenc e around them always ends in ashooting or stabbing, so is it right to blame them for singing about it when really theySex in rap music shouldnt be criticized either because look at all thepornography that is in the world today. There are magazines that are being sold nearlyeverywhere. They have triple X rated movies that could be purchase and you could rentthese kind of movies at your nearest video store(Showbiz, pg. 1). So, lyrics that talkabout sex cant hardly be no worse than the movies and magazines being sold all over theWhen rappers talk about drugs in their songs, they could be talking about howdrugs were used in their neighborhoods growing up, and maybe they had to sell drugs fora while to put food on their table( Newsweek 1998). I feel, people get confused aboutwhat the rap artist is trying to say to people. They are missing the whole point. Justbecause rap artists talk about drugs in their songs doesnt mean they are actually sellingthe drugs or using the drugs. These rap a rtists are making thousands of dollars just bymaking records, why would they go out and sell drugs? That doesnt make any sense. .u25ec1822afdca35d72fcd378edd566af , .u25ec1822afdca35d72fcd378edd566af .postImageUrl , .u25ec1822afdca35d72fcd378edd566af .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u25ec1822afdca35d72fcd378edd566af , .u25ec1822afdca35d72fcd378edd566af:hover , .u25ec1822afdca35d72fcd378edd566af:visited , .u25ec1822afdca35d72fcd378edd566af:active { border:0!important; } .u25ec1822afdca35d72fcd378edd566af .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u25ec1822afdca35d72fcd378edd566af { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u25ec1822afdca35d72fcd378edd566af:active , .u25ec1822afdca35d72fcd378edd566af:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u25ec1822afdca35d72fcd378edd566af .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u25ec1822afdca35d72fcd378edd566af .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u25ec1822afdca35d72fcd378edd566af .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u25ec1822afdca35d72fcd378edd566af .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u25ec1822afdca35d72fcd378edd566af:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u25ec1822afdca35d72fcd378edd566af .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u25ec1822afdca35d72fcd378edd566af .u25ec1822afdca35d72fcd378edd566af-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u25ec1822afdca35d72fcd378edd566af:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Trifles By Susan Glaspel EssayThere are plenty of artists that are positive, and speak positive aspects in theirmusic about life, like A Tribe Called Quest, the Roots, De La Soul, and many others. Sofor those that think that rap music has a negative effect on children, and people in theworld, there are a lot of rappers that speak unity, and things that are positive aboutlife(Showbiz, pg2). If a person could listen to some of these positive rap artists, theycould learn about life. There have been plenty of times where I was in a terrible mood orI was upset about something, and I popped in a CD of a rapper, and after I was finishedlistening to the CD I felt much better. The words and phrases used, are words of actuallife events and the positive things or outcomes of them. In conclusion, I speak in favor of gangster rap, and I dont think people shouldcriticize these rap artists because they are speaking the truth. Situations theyve been inare shown through their lyrics and we need to try to find the source of the probleminstead of criticizing the person speaking about the problem. Drugs, Sex, and Violenceare what gangster rappers are considered to be glorifying, but drugs, sex, and violencewas in effect long before rap music was even thought of and so we shouldnt use the typeof music against the type of behavior caused by teens around the world. Bibliography: