Rap Music's Message of Money, Cars, and Women Gives Young Society the Wrong Message?

Rap and hip-hop music, while a main staple in today's young society, has now went from a positive embracement of the world to a world that is filled with guns, drugs, illegal activity and women whom have no longer been called women, but the efferemal term of 'ho'.

In what has been termed as the 'old school years' when rap music first began, the meassage had always been plain and simple: to have fun in life. But, we also cannot forget the other sociological messages that came forth, such as the tracks 'White Lines' and 'The Message' by rap pioneers Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. As time progressed, the nature of the music and the message drastically changed and grew, with even stronger and more hardcore issues, such as the gang life and the common and purposeful mistreatment of women such as NWA's 'F*** Tha Police' and Public Enemy's 'Fight The Power', which spoke of the murder of law enforcement officers or the rights of African-Americans to stand against the governmental fathers of this country. This has not, however, changed at all, as now the lyrics are becoming even more hardcore and grandiose, with many of them actually supporting the gangsta lifestyle and everything that goes with it. Many rap artists have taken this trail, and it has become a great and booming business for record producers and labels, as well as the industry itself. But, have any of these people taken into consideration the way they are presenting themselves and how they are looking to the global youth of our planet, who merely take the music as the way of the artists presenting themselves and their glamourized vision of the criminal lifestyle. Have they taken into account that their lyrics may be, inadvertently, creating a recent rise in crime simply because the listener thinks it's okay to do certain things such as beat up their girlfriend or rob a bank?

Being from this genre of music since my teens and a great follower of that style of music, I am not suggesting that rap music should be outlawed, or that the availability of the music should not be allowed. If one were to think about it, just from simple observation alone, we can see that today's rap scene is not only listened to, but embraced by many both young and old. We see them on the street in the typical garb of low-hanging jeans, a bandana and/or cap, with a t-shirt and a pair of sneakers. Should this suggest that simply from the way that they dress that our kids are going to be gangstas when they grwo up. By any means, no, but from what can be seen in everyday society, it makes one wonder what will become of them as they are so into the music and into the way of life that today's current rap scene purports.

Also, we cannot forget the actual true violence that has come from the rap industry, with prime examples being of the murders of rappers The Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur. These were normal people who met an unfortunate end due to their music as well as to the former lives that they led before they became celebrities. For instance, Big Pun, the Cuban rapper from New York was a former drug dealer that used rap music as a way of normalizing his life, and with that, he had everything until he died of a heart attack just a few years later. We also cannot forget the death of Jammaster Jay just two years ago, who was killed in a bar simply because he did not agree with what someone had to say.

But, even with all of the deaths, we also cannot forget the other types of crime that has erupted from the rap industry, such as rapper DMX' arrest when he was found to have murdered a person nearly six years ago. Snoop Dogg, another one of the top money-makers, met with the same charges, as well as being arrested for possession of marijuana in his home, vehicle, and other places, and was also ejected one year from the MTV Movie Awards one year for smoking marijuana on his tour bus while getting ready for the show.

Now, with all of this controversy that has arisen over the last decade, we also cannot forget controversial rapper and record producer, Marshall Mathers (a.k.a. Eminem), who has had his own set of court appearances over things that he had done that most would consider a great faux pas. The suicide of his wife, who took her life after a televised recording of one of his shows had pulled out an inflatable sex doll and compared it to being his current wife, Kim. Then, there was also the rehabilitation that he went through recently over his addiction to sleeping pills and the constant barrage of child custody battles over his daughter, Haley, and his own mother who wanted a percentage of the money that he was bringing in.

But today, Eminem has actually been working to help keep younger children from getting their hands on his own CD's. In the classic video, 'Without Me', Mathers dressed as a Robin-like character who in order to save the day, takes one of his own CD's from the hands of a small child, wagging his finger in the 'no-no' fashion and making the Parental Advisory sticker come into plain view for the viewer. Does this make everything okay because of this act? Probably not, but it is a prime example that perhaps some rappers are willing to take the extra steps that are needed in reforming the industry and helping children stay away from more explicit content.

What needs to happen is that artists who perform rap or any version of it should look at Mather's example, in letting others know that a lot of what they show or play within their music is nothing more than a mere illusion. Their dreams are what are contained within the lyrics, and that just because they came from bad circumstances does not mean that their formula will work for everyone.

Where parents need to come in is while the music may be fine for their kids and that they enjoy the music, there needs to be a lesson taught in one specific area: Individuality. Is it not true that our country embraces diversity and individualism? While the rap industry pumps out clone after clone after clone of rappers who dress and act the same, and their message is the same, what is not realized is that their music is done to make money. They don't actually care too much about who the fans are, but only that they spend their money on their concerts and create a larger fan base. This is the nature of their business. While more commercial rappers take the lead on the charts, there are many others who are left behind that may give a more positive message to our youth. This, in my opinion, is a sad statement of those that work in the music industry. If they cannot learn to differentiate between what is good music and what is money-making music, then what are our teens actually learning? Music is about being able to create and envision, and as the years have passed, the industry has passed on these ideals to be able to get that next house that they have been wanting in the Caymans.

There needs to be a line drawn. Not from the record labels, but from the listeners. Instead of selling out for the popularity vote, let the listener decide. It will allow not only the creativity or individualism that comes from fledgling singer/songwriters, it allows our kids to have a broader taste base and a better way of expressing themselves without having the same taste in their mouth continually.

Instead of a baggy pair of pants, why don't we pull our pants up and try using the English tongue a little and see what we get!