Rap music is a genre of music that produces large sales, influences society, changes lives, and creates controversy. Personally, I am a huge fan of rap music; however, I’m not a very big fan of radio and mainstream rap. I am referring to artists that have one goal in mind, and that goal is to make large amounts of money. Without a doubt, rap music has had both positive and negative effects on society. I want to explain my opinion on rap music, and also give some good background information about the rap movement. What better place to start than the beginning of the genre, right?
It’s pretty challenging to name a first “MC” or a first rapper, but the first rap song to “popularize” the genre would arguably be “Rapper’s Delight” by Sugarhill Gang. If you aren’t familiar with this song, the well-known opening lines are “I said, a hip hop, the hippie, the hippie, to the hip, hip, hop, a you don’t stop” ( http://www.metrolyrics.com/rappers-delight-lyrics-sugarhill-gang.html). Ah, you remember now, don’t you? Rappers and their songs were around before “Rapper’s Delight,” but this song really put rap on the charts. This song had a huge success.
With hip hop becoming more popular, a genre called gangster rap developed. Gangster rap is where hip hop gets it’s negative, drug, and street-filled image. Gangster rap artists are famous for rapping about drugs, women (in negative ways), murder, stealing, and other illegal activities. This genre alone has created a stereotypical image for rap. When people image a rapper, they immediately image flashy diamonds, tons of money, a few women, and a nice car. But, hidden more so underground, are several rappers who deliver positive messages.
Lupe Fiasco’s song “Words I Never Said,” creates a promising, brighter image towards the negatives about the world. Rapper Hopsin attempts to deliver a positive message in his song “The Ill Mind of Hopsin 5.” Hopsin talks about the typical ambition-lacking druggie, females who only search for love and blame their problems on everyone else, and he also talks about the gangster rap mirroring African-Americans. Other artists, such as Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Dizzy Wright, Ludacris, and many more have escaped the typical gangster rap image. These artists focus on sending a positive message towards society. The mentioned artists are the type of rap artists that I prefer to listen to.
As mainstream rap is popular, it is just a type of hip hop that I prefer to stay away from. I personally enjoy rappers with complex rhymes, unique lyrics, and lyrics that attempt to send a positive message towards society. While the gangster rap genre has created the typical “thug” image of hip hop, it is very important to know that many hip hop artists attempt to break this stereotype. If you ever get tired of hearing the negative lyrics about money, women, drugs, partying, and material items, give those artists I mentioned a listen. But remember, you have to pay attention to the lyrics to get a good feel for the positive message.
resources: http://www.metrolyrics.com/rappers-delight-lyrics-sugarhill-gang.html
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