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David Nichols

Computer Applications

Mr. Eric Ratica

October 12th, 2017

The Evolution of Hip-Hop and Rap Music

“Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of

progress, in every society, in every family.” said by Kofi Annan. People constantly

underestimate the power of hip-hop and rap culture in our society. It's either viewed as a

gateway to drugs, gang violence and other bad things that people commonly associate

rap music with. That being said, there is a lot of rap music out there like that, hence why

people have formulated this opinion. Talking about drugs, violence, growing up “in the

hood” and everything else that comes with it. What people generally don't see is the

impact these hip-hop and rap artists have on the culture and the way our youth views

the world. Despite the bad things that some artists talk about, hip-hop and rap have

transformed our culture and created an evolution.

Rap music is just now finally being widely accepted in society and becoming

popular. With rap music constantly being on the top 50 billboard for the most popular

music in the United States, it's creating a new culture for music. Artists are now able to

use this platform to spread positive messages, talk about their life and give people

hope. “The truth of the matter is that there is rap music that is positive and can serve the

purpose of improving social consciousness by increasing awareness of some of the

issues that many residents of our nation’s inner cities face.” (Romano, Kathleen) Just
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because a rap artist speaks of less than desirable subjects in his or her music does not

mean that they intend to corrupt the minds of the audience. “Music is a form of

expression, hip-hop and rap dive into the major problems with society. It could be gang

violence, racism or even suicide.” (Romano, Kathleen)

“Logic” is a rapper that just released the song “1-800-273-8255” which he

dedicated just to help with suicide prevention. The day the song released there was a

27% increase in phone calls to the number. Google searches of the number increased

by 100 %.( “Logic’s “1-800-273-8255”) just showing a minor example of the major

impact this music has on our culture. Another example is the song “Same Love” by

Macklemore. It became the anthem for the gay rights movements, yet the artist is

straight. Showing how the positive messages artists are trying to convey.

Hip-hop and rap is a great platform to get your message out to people. “The vast

majority of rap artists are from the inner city where sub-par social conditions and

inequality can be seen the most.”(Romano, Kathleen) In which case a rapper can talk

about drug use, violence and other criminal activity, because that is what people living

in these areas can relate too. The same applies to country music in Creston. It's more of

a social norm to listen to country music because people can relate to it. Hip-hop and rap

has the ability to relate to a larger population. Making rap music a bigger and better

platform for send messages.

I think this part of our culture is amazing. Showing how the way we give brands a

cool meaning, so when rappers wear their logos it makes them seem cool. Or how their

messages can help an enormous amount of people. From inspiring people to giving

them hope, rap music could shift the culture with one song. .” (Romano, Kathleen)
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Works Cited

Romano, Kathleen Odenthal. “How Hip-Hop Music Has Influenced American Culture

And Society.” Spinditty, Spinditty, 20 Apr. 2016, spinditty.com/genres/Hip-Hops-

Influence-on-America.

THE SOCIAL SIGNIFICANCE OF RAP & HIP-HOP CULTURE,

web.stanford.edu/class/e297c/poverty_prejudice/mediarace/socialsignificance.ht

m.

“Logic’s “1-800-273-8255” Single Has Had a Profound Effect on Suicide Prevention

Awareness.” DJBooth, djbooth.net/news/entry/2017-07-13-logic-1-800-273-8255-

effect-on-suicide-prevention.