Mac Miller The "New" Rapper

Mac Miller is a 19 year old white rapper from Pittsburgh and is climbing the ladder of fame fast.  His music is different compared to traditional rappers and rap groups.  Mac's music does not include killing, struggles, violence, rape etc.  His music is mostly about life in general and even the good in life.  Yes, he raps a lot about marijuana, except these types of rappers (Mac) show how the genre is evolving and becoming less destrucive.  Mac does not degrade women in his music, and most of the time he is talking about his own life and how grateful he is to have all that he does.  I find this music very relaxing and fun to listen to because this type of music relates to everyone.  Although Mac Miller still curses and uses drug references, his music is not nearly as destructive, and detrimental to people and children when compared to the music of Notorious B.I.G., 2Pac, N.W.A, 50 Cent, Eminem etc.  Furthermore, Mac Miller is a good example of how rap and hip-hop music is taking a step in the right direction.  Yes, there is still some explicit aspects, but Mac's music is a step towards rappers making happier music, and music that EVERYONE not just "Gangstas" and "Thugs" can relate to. 

Check out Mac Miller's New Mixtape "Best Day Ever" and hear first hand what i'm talking about!    

http://www.listentobestdayever.com/

Mac is also visiting JMU April 2, so get your tickets and listen to this great music live!

Rappers Cleaning up?

http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2007-08-02-rap-lyrics_N.htm

Are today's new Rappers Cleaning up?  This article shows how some of today's younger rappers are not all about the cussing and explicit lyrics.  Rapper Chamillionaire has changed his rapping style so that his lyrics are no longer filled with curse words.  He is now a "clean" rapper as some would say.  Another young rapper, Sean Kingston, has seen great success with these non-explicit lyrics.  Kingston has had numerous nominations at many award shows, has won a teen choice award (kids awards show), and his single "Beautiful Girls" went Gold/Platinum, and topped the Billboard Hot 100 in the US.  Furthermore, Chamillionaire has had seven awards won and sixteen nominations.  This proves that rappers can be successful with "clean" lyrics, but some of the older rappers don't see the need to change their ways, like 50 cent, since they have made so much success with their old lyrics.  Ultimately, some rappers are changing the way that they rap and it has proven to be beneficial to some.  It is clear that rap is not all bad, and there is some "clean" rap out there.

Experiments on Rap

http://www.suite101.com/content/rap-musics-psychological-effects-a53370

This article is a clear indication that rap music does not necessarily spark unacceptable behavior.  The article speaks about many studies done that were conducted to see the effects of rap music on people.  In almost all of the studies, rap music itself had no effect on the people listening to it.  What did have an effect, was the music videos that went along with the song.  After explaining a number of experiments and their results, the article then goes on to tell us that, "there is no consistent evidence that rap music on its own (without videos) significantly influences behaviors or attitudes (Copely 11)."  People should be aware of these studies and realize that rap is not necessarily causing unacceptable behaviors.  The article looks at how rap is related to crime, attitudes towards women, mood, academic behavior, and more.  It was also found that in one study people who watched politically focused rap videos were more likely to accept a liberal black political candidate.  So, in a way, you could make the argument that rap music in fact makes people more accepting of each other.

Read more at Suite101: Rap Music's Psychological Effects: Research into Mood, Behavior, Crime, Violence and Gender Relations http://www.suite101.com/content/rap-musics-psychological-effects-a53370#ixzz1DF5h6Iwl

Jay-Z's Opinion

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1652555/jayz-defends-rap-art-form-on-daily-show.jhtml

Is rap today harmful?  Yes today's rappers tend to rap about marijuana, girls, jewelry, and other various things.  Some raps are so simple such as rapping about shoes or a chain, others tell deep stories and convey messages.  In the article above, rapper Jay-Z talks about his new book on "The Daily Show with John Stewart" where he talks about rap.  He explains how he care about rap and its culture.  He wants people to recognize it as a respectable form of art.  Jay-Z says that rap has been a scapegoat when it comes to some of societies problems.  John Stewart agrees with this, and gives a sarcastic comment saying, "As a Jew, I want to thank you for that. ... When you guys came along, it really took the heat off our shoulders (being he is Jewish) (John Stewart 4)."  I think that when it comes to rap, people don't realize that it is not all about the bad in life.  Many raps today are all about rappers bragging about themselves and their lives.  There is nothing wrong with this, and in fact, it gives listeners a way to build their own self-confidence by relating the songs to themselves.  The beat of rap, the skill that goes along with rhyming to create a story is truly remarkable.  By only looking at the bad things in rap is foolish.  Jay-Z and many other rappers have done a lot of charity such as a number of charity concerts, and donating some of their wealth to the less fortunate.  Rap has created a new level of  creativity that I think we should all embrace.

The Problem

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/386184/the_influence_of_rap_music_upon_youth.html?cat=9

Sone of the people in today's society have a problem with rap music and the message that it sends to people.  The majority of raps are about people's struggles, sufferings, and "street" experiences.  Rap music is also notoriously known for using profanity as a part of the lyrics.  The critics of rap today are mostly from the older generations.  Today's youth has embraced rap music, and really helped rap become one of the most popular genres.

Moreover, the critics of rap music today focus more on what the music portrays to people.  Many say that by rapping about violence, sex, drugs, ect. rappers are promoting this type of bad behavior.  People are worried that children will get the wrong idea and start commiting violent crimes, or engaging in inappropriate behaviors.  People are also concerned with the way that rap music portrays women.  Many say that rap music portrays women as bitches and hoes, but what about Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats," and many of Taylor Swift's hits?  All of these songs degrade men, so why isn't anyone complaining about this?

Unsupervised children that are being exposed to rap music and rap videos are the main concern for critics.  People are concerned that these rappers are promoting gangs, violence, drugs and sex.  They say that rappers are not good role models for children and that the rap culture convinces kids to stay out of school and try to make it big in the rap industry.  However, many rappers today like Jay-Z, Diddy, 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, are not failures that just dropped out of school to rap.  These rappers and many others have become very successful business men by creating clothing lines, headphones, drinks, and even starting their own record company.

Rappers can serve as a sense of hope for the poor child in a dysfunctional family.  Most of the rappers today have been able to escape the harsh atmosphere of the ghetto, and live productive lives.  Yes, some of the songs are very explicit, but the majoity of this music is not promoting bad behavior, it is explaining real life experiences and hardships.

The Reverend vs. O'Reilly

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,97471,00.html

Joseph Simmons, the lead singer in the famous rap group Run-DMC appeared on Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor in 2003 and spoke in an interview about rap in America. Host Bill O'Reilly went straight into saying how Run-DMC was nothing like todays rappers, but Mr. Simmons, also known as Rev Run, cut him off explaining how the older generation is always mad at the new generation because they are use to things being done a certain way.  Back then, people were against Run-DMC, times have changed, and now today's rappers are frowned upon while Run-DMC is known as a "clean" group.

Rev Run then goes on to explain how some words in rap are not suppose to be taken literally.  He explains this language as a new way of talking, and O'Reilly arugues that it is not alright for ten year-old children to go around calling ten year-old girls hoes and bitches. Rev Run then explains how these words were not created by rappers.  He says that rap is just a "refelction of the world as a whole."  Rev Run says that rap is showing America what it is really like in the ghetto, and O'reilly goes on to say how it is corrupting our children.  Rev Run then fires back saying don't blame it on rap.  We have the media to blame, the negative news, movies, and different events like 9/11 all hurting our youth more than rap.

The most important thing that we get out of this interview is that we get to see rap in a new perspective, Rev Run is a rapper and he really shows how rap is not to blame here when it comes to corrupting our youth.  He is giving America a new look on rap and explaining how there are other things in this world that are corrupting the youth, rap is just a small aspect of a larger world.  He also explains how rappers are expressing what they are going through in America.  I think what Rev Run is really trying to say is that by people critisizing rap, they are ignoring what is going on in the inner city ghettos.  They just simply don't want to hear it, and by rapping, it is the rappers' way of calling for help.

I think we can all assume through this interview that Rev Run is all for rap and it's culture, and Bill O'reilly is completely against it.  I sensed a lot of tension throughout the interview since everyone was cutting each other off.  Based on how Rev Run explained rap and its culture, i'm also assuming that he came from a poor family before he made it big in the rap industry.  O'Reilly on the otherhand, does not seem to see the perspective of poor inner city kids which is hindering his judgement on the situation.

All in all, in this interview, Bill O'reilly wants you to see rap as a negative thing while Rev Run wants you to see it as a positive thing or a form of art.  The arguement all centers around our youth and how the lyrics of these songs are affecting them.  They focus more on the poor inner city kids, and the children with no supervision.  Rev Run is known as a classic rapper, and by today's means he is a lyrically "clean" rapper, but through this interview the readers can see that he still sees today's rap a a positive thing, and a form of art/expression.

Is Hip-Hop/Rap Good for Society?

Thoughout the years, the Hip-Hop/Rap industy has had many critics.  People saying that the music is too vulgar, explicit, and inappropriate.  I have created this blog to discuss this topic.  Is hip-hop/rap music not good for our society?  Is it too vulgar or explicit?  Or is it just people expressing themselves and/or their true inner feelings to the world?  Is there more to rap than curses and rhymns? And is this music appropriate for our youth?  This blog is a place where we will discuss all of these issues.  This genre of music has had so much negative publicity, and we forget some of the good that comes with this type of music.  Someone needs to stand up to this criticism and this blog is the perfect place.

Thoughout this blog, I will discuss many of the good things that hip-hop/rap music brings to our society.  From the symbolism, rhetoric, expression, the release of inner emotion, and much more, this genre is not all bad.   I will also discuss some of the negative things that people are saying about this type of music.

My inspiration for this blog came from the media. The media portrays this music as bad, violent, and inappropriate for society.  It is time that someone sticks up for this genre of music that millions listen to on a daily basis.  I simply can't stand to hear my favorite genre get trashed by the media and this is why I became intrested in creating this blog.  I encourage you to comment and share your thoughts to me.  Add to what I am saying, or argue what I am saying, even simply email me some of your favorite hip-hop/rap songs from the past or present if you want.  This blog is a place where hip-hop/rap lovers and haters can unite and discuss what some people think is a problem, and what others think is inspirational.