Tuesday, February 22, 2011
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.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
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
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
Thursday, February 3, 2011
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)