Rap Music And Hip example essay topic

... ugly cut across almost every ethnic boundary. Indeed, a significant number African American, Whites, Latinos, and Asians youth between the ages of 12 and 22 dress the same irrespective of their ethnicity. According to Russell Simmons, hip hop's first millionaire entrepreneur who is chairman and CEO of Rush Communications, states that one reason rap is so popular is because of the resistance it has met. The more resistance there is and the more controversy there is the more people are going to want to buy it. The heated debates that took place in the late 1980's and early 1990's about censoring the lyrics of rap music only spawned sales. The infamous group "2 Live Crew" was the beneficiary of their highly publicized court case regarding the First Amendment.

Individuals such as Tipper Gore and C. Delores Tucker have lead the charge to censor the lyrics of rap music. According to Russell, kids like the fact that status quo does not condone the music and tries to control it. It becomes an experience for kids to rebel against the status quo. Some parents are leery of rap music and its rebellious message.

According to Nelson George, hip hop's most prolific and perhaps best chronicler, "New music of any generation is always scary to the parents". Before rap music, there was Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Bob Marley, and more recently, punk rock that stimulated the rebellious spirit of youth across the U.S. Now what seemed to be a passing trend, fitting between heavy metal and alternative rock, has become the chosen platform of rebellion for youth. A good example of how rap music and hip-hop has cut across ethnic boundaries can be found in the Asian community. In Los Angeles, there is a blossoming Asian American rap scene, consisting of groups like Bubu la Tribe, Undercover, Asiatic Apostles, Brotherhood from Another Hood, the Seoul Brothers, Lani Luv, and the Boo-Yaa Tribe.

These groups represent various styles. Messages range from social issues such as hate crimes against Asians to relationships between blacks and Koreans in nearly every major city. White rappers such as The Beastie Boys, 3rd Bass, and Vanilla Ice have also had success in the industry. Cypress Hill, Fat Joe, and Big Punisher, are Latino artists who have impacted the hip hop culture. The overall message of this music is the same. It is cool, d and unabashedly rebellious.

According to Russell Simmons, Hip-hop has transcended beyond just music. It has become a lifestyle and / or a culture for people worldwide. Hip-hop is an attitude and hip-hop is a language in which a kid from Detroit can relate to a kid in Hong Kong. Seventy-five percent of our audience is non black kids. Now you have kids in Beverly Hills are now sensitive to situations in Compton. Simmons goes on to state that although racism still exists in our society, it was not strong enough to block the collective enjoyment of rap by the youth of America and around the world.

The hip-hop culture has prompted various industries to pay attention to their appetite. Sit-come such as the Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Martin, Malcolm, Steve Harvey, and the Jamie Fox show all capitalize on this population. In the past, black humor appealed to few outside of this population; now it is widespread. Movies such as Boyz N the Hood, New Jack City, Jason's Lyric, Juice, and Menace II Society are rugged movies that depict the reality of the urban streets. These movies have been highly successful in cutting across ethnic boundaries.

Movies such as Friday, Booty Call, I've Got the Hook Up and Wu have been comedies that have depicted the humor that is still strangely ever present in on the urban streets. These comedies have also been widely popular among this diverse population. Magazines such as Vibe, Blaze, The Source, Rap Pages and Stress were created to appeal to this population. Because of its multiethnic popularity, Vibe Magazine's circulation has risen to 606,237, a 17.1% increase from 1997 to 1998. Advertisements that appear in these magazines run the extent from small unknown companies to powerful companies that are household names. Vibe's editor-in-chief, Daniel Smith states, "Although Vibe may seem like a black magazine, its perspective and appeal are much broader than its covers would indicate.

Vibe is a multicultural music magazine based in the African American culture and sensibility". Magazines such as Vibe, along with the aforementioned sit come and movies, have done a remarkable job of "keeping it real" -- speaking the language and to the imagination of this culture. One of the many positive side effects of the hip-hop culture is that it encourages corporations to recruit a diverse group of individuals. Recruiting minorities who have the pulse of this culture becomes an imperative. The African American market alone has $325 billion in buying power. A vast number of organizations that appeal to the hip-hop culture have diversified for competitive advantage.

It makes good business sense. For example, half of Universal Music Group's employees are minority. This organization is number one in market share in the U.S., Europe, Latin American and Australia. The record label's overall market share is 23 percent globally and 25 percent in the U.S. 92.3 The Beat is the most popular radio station in Los Angeles. It appeals to a broad multiethnic hip-hop population in the greater Los Angeles area. They have taken advantaged of their broad appeal by launching initiatives to bridge ethnic cleavages.

If messages of love, peace, anti-racism, and human uplift are resonated among the hip-hop population, it can have an enormous impact on ethnic relations in our society. In the 1950's and 1960's the "Beat Culture" spoke of love yet challenged the status quo in ways that did not compromise their rebellious spirit. In the same vein, it is possible for the hip hop culture to keep its rebellious street flavor and speak to issues such as love and respect for all. It is possible for rap artists such as Master P, Wyclef Jean, and Busta Rhymes to empower America and the world's youth like Bob Dylan, John Lennon, and Bob Marley did.

Artists, such as the late rapper Tupac Shakur, have rapped about such compassionate issues without losing the rugged flavor of the streets. In his song, "I Wonder If Heaven's Got A Ghetto", Shakur sings, 'I see no changes, all I see is racist faces misplaced hate makes disgrace the racist... I wonder what it takes to make this one better place... take the evil out the people (then) they " ll be acting right cause both black and white are smoking crack tonight and the only time we deal is when we kill each other, it takes skill to be real, time to heal each other... ' Millions of hip hoppers all over the world have heard these lyrics. If more artists concentrated on positive messages such as this, the impact could be revolutionary. Unlike any other subculture in American history, the hip-hop culture has transcended ethnic boundaries.

Because of its eclectic audience, it has the greatest opportunity to build ethnic bridges and mend ethnic relations. Hip-hop has taken hold and permeated significant regions of the world. The clothing, music, and mannerisms are unmistakably the same in New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Zurich, Milan, and Tokyo. Indeed, this culture has the potential to make it cool not to commit hate crimes, not to discriminate, and not to be racist.