A lot of people classify hip hop as bad, violent or gangsta music. They have to understand that hip hop is first of all a type of music just like Jazz and Blues. The content of a Blues song depends on the writer of the song and the same goes for hip hop.
To tell you the truth hip hop started in the hands of vibrant young party goers. Along the line it spread into the hands of gang members and rough neighborhoods. Out of the heart the mouth speaketh. You don’t expect to get clean water out of a dirty cup. So also the music took the form of the gangstas that where writing the songs. Remember that art especially music is self expression. So when a gangsta took the pen to write rythmes .It was actually a criminal given the freedom of speech to express himself ( which most of the time is uncensored).
This tragic new shift changed everything. It was like the bullies in Kindergarten invading the section of the playground for normal kids. But in this time they had a twist: going us or get bullied..
This made many rappers join the gangsta rappers (bullies) not necessarily for the money but so they won’t look soft and because of pressure from the media.
Many folks think that people go into gangsta rap because of the money. Well, that isn’t always true. You could make as much or even more money making love songs. Remember gangsta rap doesn’t appeal to majority of hip hop’s female audience. So releasing a gangsta rap record restricts you from profit in that area. Also only kids with little or no guidance would buy your record. A normal kid with a good relationship with both parents would be too busy spending time with them, going to the park or a playground of some sort for recreation, going on family or camping trips, etc.
Most importantly their taste in music would be a result of what they hear around the house or the places they are at frequently. If the are always around hip hop they would most likely grow up loving it. The same goes for other genres of music.
Haven’t you noticed that in most families where they spend time together and learn together at a young age they also grow up loving the same genre of music. In some families you would notice they all play the saxophone or all of them sing Pop. It’s not a coincidence.
Do you think it is a mystery that 99.9% of Jamaicans love reggae. It’s what they heard frequently while growing up.
Gangsta rap happens to be on of the most popular movements in hip hop. One of the down sides is that it has gotten many attracted to the gangsta’s way of life.
As they say “garbage in garbage out” . Whatever you allow to get into you is what is going to come out of you. If you keep listening to gangsta music although you may not have killed anybody { yet}. It gradually changes you and programmes you to became something I won’t like to say.
Yours Truly,
Alfred Benjamin King.
http://alfredbenjamin.blogspot.com
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