Rap Music Essay, Research Paper

In our society today, music is a very important part of our lives. With all the many different types of music out there, it allows everyone to enjoy the style they prefer. Even though people of all ages listen to music, teenagers for the most part are the main audience in today s music world. For the past 20 years, rap has played a major role in the lives of teenagers, but it had seemed to fade away for quite a few years and now it seems to be on an up rise with the young people once again.

The style of rap music for the most part is very fast in beat, and that keeps the attention of the audience. Rap has always been associated with dance and dance has always attracted the younger generation of people. There are a few good reasons why rap is so appealing to many people. One reason is that the rappers speak not only what they feel but also what the audience wants to hear. Another reason is that style that the rappers live and finally, the emotional factor it gives to the audience.

Rappers are always talking about sex, drugs, and violence and that is what grabs the attention of most rap listeners, especially the teenagers. In our society today with all the trouble going on, drugs and violence, many of the teens can relate to what the rappers are rapping about. I am not saying that everyone who listens to rap does drugs or takes part in violent acts, but in many parts of the world, especially in the slums or ghetto, the fact is that the ones who listen to this type of music participate in these kinds of acts. The trend has always been that all rap is bad and the rappers use nothing but foul language. This is not always the case. Take Will Smith for instance; he has never used a curse word in his music. He isn t about violence and yet he is still very successful in his music sales as well as his popularity with the fans.

Every rapper that I can think of lives the life of the rich and famous. If you ever watch the videos of them on television, you will see all of the expensive cars and houses that they portray to be living in. Rappers life style goes over big with the young people, because they see these rappers as being role models in their minds and thus they try to imitate their styles. You see the singers walking around with all the gold jewelry and most of all; you see them with the best-looking women. I think this gives the teens a sense of confidence with the way the way they act and dress. The dress style is another trend that could be figured in by rappers. Most of the rappers dress in very baggy clothes and always the name brand clothing. This influences the listeners to go out and buy the baggy jeans and oversized shirts.

Rap plays a very important role in gang life as well. Many of the songs that are out there in the rap industry are focused on the gang life. This is because many of your rappers have either come from or have seen the gang life from where they have grown up. Just in the past few years, about 4 or 5 rappers have been killed by drive by shootings or from the use of drugs. A few of the rappers who have fallen victim to shootings include: Christopher Wallace, a.k.a. Notorious B.I.G., and Tupac Shakur. It s not so much that rap can brain wash you, but it does have some kind of psychological influence on you. When the music you listen to glorifies violence and drugs, of course you are going to be at least tempted to experiment with them.

The final reason why rap is such an appealing trend in today s society is because of the fact that it can relieve you of your feelings, no matter what they may be. This is not to say that you listen to rap every time you are in a bad mood or when you are happy for that matter. The feelings change everyday. I know that some days I like to listen to rap before a baseball game due to the fact that it gets me pumped up; I get pumped from the beat, rhythm, and bass that the music produces. On the other hand I will listen to rap sometimes when I am not so much in a good mood. You would think that when you re down, listening to rap that talks about depressing issues would just make you feel even worse, but that s not the case for me. So even though most rap is considered a bad influence, it can sometimes be used as a healing factor for some people. On the other hand of the matter, if you are down or not confident of yourself at the time, you may listen to rap due to that fact that everything they speak is negative.

In conclusion, even though rap is focused towards drugs and violence, it can also convey a positive message, for example, AIDS awareness. And even though you would think rap is mostly listened to by the so called gangsters or wannabees, who live the life of thugs and in the ghetto, rap is also popular with those who may be living in wealth. It is a trend that has come and gone over the years and as of right now, it is back and seems like it is here to stay.