Read the following article and write a response:
Is Rap Actually Music or is it a Bad Influence?
August 23, 2006 By
Is Rap Actually Music or is it a Bad
Influence?
By renee
www.associatedcontent.com…tml?page=2
By renee
www.associatedcontent.com…tml?page=2
original article-August
23, 2006
Eighty percent of the rap music that is currently on the top ten lists around the world contains violence. They glorify the acts of beating up another person, or even worse shooting them. Looking like someone who just got released from prison in their eyes is a good thing. Not to mention that half of the time they are yelling their lyrics in such a loud and annoying way you may not be able to really understand what they are saying. Remember this is where the fashion statement of wearing pants off of your butt and looking sloppy came from in addition to women who are half naked. What is the end result of half naked women in a rap music video?
Obviously girls think this is the way for other boys or men to notice them and to make themselves more popular in school. Another thing that rap music also seems to glorify is that what matters most when looking for a good woman is what her body looks like. This is why there are so many teenagers who have eating disorders or other emotional problems. They just don't feel that they fit the diagram of what teenage girls should like. Rap music also glorifies drinking, and sex. Two things which happen to be a major problem among many children today.
There are some rappers however who keep their lyrics clean and try to rap about positive things. Although the numbers of rappers who do this are very few there definitely are some out there who send a good message to children. One of these is Will Smith who has outwardly spoken about how he does not see the need to include vulgar language or lyrics in his rap music. So the bottom line is that when you are trying to determine whether or not to allow your child to listen to rap music, it is not so much rap itself, but the artist which they choose to listen too.
Rap music did originally start as a poetic form of music, it has just been distorted by people who choose to use rap as a way to promote gang violence and other means of self destruction. Make sure that you take the time to listen to the music that your child listens to. And don't be so quick to rule out rap music, just make sure that you take the time to listen to the lyrics first and then make your decision. For additional information you can visit the following websites: www.uic.edu, www.yale.edu, www.rapworld.com, www.rhino.com.
I think rap music is a bad infkuence. I say it is a bad influence because it has people do bad stuff they should not do. I also believe that when people look up to the rap artist, they tend to listen to the lyrics and take it the wrong way. This is why I believe rap music is a bad influence.
ReplyDeleteI feel like rap is not a bad influence on our generation. Rap music has a very intimidating sound and look of it but the artist speaks the truth and it's all about understanding it properly. People blame crime on rap music but it's not, rap talks about the struggles people go through on the street and at home. The media just puts a negative out look on rap but if you truely understand the music and artist and understand the lyrics then you'd agree with me.
ReplyDeleteRap music is a bad influence because kids misunderstand the message the artist is trying to tell them. Listen to what the artist and the lyrics to understand it .
ReplyDeletei think rap music is not a bad influence on our generation. rap music is just a different way of music to express feelings or send out messages. it is the artist who says certain things in lyrics that give out a message for our generation. some rappers may have positive lyrics and kids will think this is positive message is the way of life. other rappers may have negative lyrics and kids may also think this is a way of life and what we have to do. it all comes down on the the children listening to the music and to really think , is there true meaning behind these lyrics or are rappers just saying this to produce a song to get money.
ReplyDeleteRap is both real music and a bad influence. I believe rap is good and it takes skill to really make it. You can't just rhyme words and expect it to be what, despite that's how many people see it. The artist has to rhyme the words, make it catchy, pick words wisely, pick instrumentals wisely, organize a well executed hook, and really have a message ti say to get it across. Muisc can be bad however for anyone who is trying to be someone theyre not, or are very impressionable. They act as if they have a million or sell drugs or have even shot a gun before. They know nothing about that life, but they try to act as if it is THEIR life.
ReplyDeletei think it all depends on the artist/writer. Rap doesn't have to be necessarily bad, but because these artist us their influence on society negatively it now becomes a bad influence. i believe it is stereotypical to say that all rap is bad when thats not true, even if most of the rap music out now is a bad influence.
ReplyDeleteI would like to say that Rap music is both real music and it could also be a bad influence. Rap is only real music when there's an actual message behind the lyrics , like a song that really makes you think. For Instant Kanye West songs make you sit there, try and put two & two together. But then sometimes there song that's about that precipitation of how the society see things , like some rap songs is just about sex , money and drugs when its not really all about that. So in my opinion is how the rapper portrays their music that makes it good or bad.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the article rap is just another way of expressing yourself through music. It is not rap that has a negative influence on children but the artists' that they listen to. People are so quick to blame it on rap because of how their child grows up to be. Rap music is just like any other music, its all about the message of the song. Some artist just take it to the extreme because they know their audience and that we enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, rap is not a bad influence. It all depends on the rapper and their style. Some rappers talk about their own life story and others talk about society and how bad it is. It can actually be bad because some people do what the rapper tells them to and doesn't really get what they are trying to say.
ReplyDeleteI feel like rap music can be a bad influence as well as regular music. Many teenagers look up too rappers and what they are saying in their music. Many teenagers like to follow other people and if they think what they are doing is cool most likely they are going to follow and do it. But on the other hand music can send out a message to the people, especially to the younger crowd. If something is going wrong, rappers can send a message to change what is happening. So it can go both ways
ReplyDeleteRap music is not a bad influence. Just because rap music include vulgar language doesn't mean it's bad, it's the artist freedom of speech. It also depends on the audience who is listening to the particular song, or artist. I personally believe that it's common sense that the lyrics on these songs are just words to rhyme with other words , yes the do give meaning. For example "My momma watered me with a plan to succeed. I was that kid in the ghetto, hand full of seeds. But I’m here now and I don’t plan to recede" although this particular artist is famous for his wordplay and punch lines, this punch line has a message. Rap isn't a bad influence it's the artist who wrote the lyrics who grab the listeners attention. Overall I don't think that rap is a bad influence.
ReplyDeleteI do not feel that rap music is not the poblem. The problem is within the people, every one understands things differently. It's the people who listen to the rap music that make there choice to let it influence them negativily. So rap music should not be blamed or given a bad name because of people's choices.
ReplyDeleteRap music is a good influence but also a bad one too. It teaches many people about life but it has bad sayings. Some rappers rap about how life is and how the rappers life is. Rap entertains many and even though it can influence people in a bad way, its still needed.
ReplyDeleteRap music is not a bad influence. As we study in school there are many forms of "rap" music today. i believe it is only about the message being portrayed through the music. It also depends on the person and how they receive the music and the message .
ReplyDeleteSome might say rap is a bad influence but in my eyes its 50/50. Not all rap is bad, in some rap songs you can actually hear the message that there trying to say. Some people just listen to rap songs just because it sounds good and don't hear the message of the song sometimes.
ReplyDeleteRap music is not a bad influence it is all the way people interpret things they are talking about the struggle they went through to successful because success always come with a struggle
ReplyDeleteI am not offending anyones music tastes let me state that first. But majority of the music includes violence, drugs, sex ,degrading women and etc. Young people these days don't even listen to the lyrics any more, they just listen to the sound of the beat cause it sounds nice to them and not all rap music is bad.
ReplyDeleteRap is not always a bad influence, I believe it depends on the type of message the song has behind it. Some rap music has a good message and some doesn't. I also believe it can be a bad influence because some rap music doesn't really have a relevant meaning to it
ReplyDeleteRap music is a good influence but can also be a bad influence. As we are learning in class there are different types of rap such as gangster rap and conscious rap. I think it all depends on the artist you listen to and their style. Some artist give a meaningful message to their listeners behind their lyrics and others talk about sex, drugs, and money.
ReplyDeleteOn my opion i dont listen to Wordly music. As the article says rap music isn't Bad?! It's just the person or style you could relate or want nod your head up and down. But now in our society in this country I come to a conclusion that there is NO "conscience music" you have little bit about everything for example getting high, drink, get the most women to sleep with you, gang violence, judging other on how they dress up, speaking to there parents as if "AS IF I WAS PARENT"with no respect living life as if they govern them self. In my opinion most of the hip hop and I don't know other types of genre set bad example for children youths also elder because there mind set could get corrupted. If the music that people are listen edifying there no point of listen to it . "JESUS"
ReplyDeleteAbdur Atiq
ReplyDeleteI think rap music is a bad influence because most of then are very violent. They contain explicit content in videos and explicit language in songs which kids begin to use and learn. Rap music talks mainly about money drugs sex and how you need those things. Rap music ruins the thoughts of young teens and even 10 year olds because they want to be these rappers when they grow up
I feel like it's not a bad influence depending on the message and the artist itself. Yes they talk a lot about negative stuff but it's all about sending a message in a positive way if you do research on the song. The violence was there before the music which is the point.
ReplyDeleteI think rap music has it's perks. It's a form of poetry & it can have it's bad and good influences on society. Depending on the message it tells then that's what it is. It's hard to say if it is bad or good, it's just a way most people express there anger and society takes it to make it either a bad one or good message.
ReplyDeleteI think rap music is very influentia because of the fact that so many people listen to it and its a form of expressing your feelings. Some mainstream rap artist are not as deep as the underground artists. So rap can make somebody or break them. Rappers are respected through out the world
ReplyDeleteRap music is actually music. Even though right in front of your face would be an influence that is not good it is still trying to get a message across that children and teens can learn from. Rap delivers a message and that is what "real music" is.
ReplyDeleteYes, I feel that Rap is actually music. Its not based on rap music being bad but it is based off of the artist and the lyrics they are writing in the song. Rap music can be very good and can have a positive influence on the community. In the rap music, they have had cursing ,aggressive, violence and sex because they are trying to tell a message about the world. Rappers use words that they have seen everyday and events that have happened to them in there life. This is real music.
ReplyDeleteI believe rap music is a bad influence because people are misunderstanding the message the artist is trying to tell them.
ReplyDeletei believe most rap music has a bad influence on youth, and sme have a good influence. it is not every rap song that is violent' i depends on the artists that you listen to. also rap is a very poetic way of expressing yourself through music.
ReplyDeleterap music is not bad music it actually has messages in the lyrics even thoe the words are foul
ReplyDeleteI think that rap music is not a bad influence. Music is not what's influencing kids to do bad things, it's the lyrics that a particular artist says. If anyone should be blamed for glorifying half naked women and violent acts, it should be specific artists and not the genre as a whole.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that rap music caused the teens to die. For example " I robbed the bodega, because gangsta rap made me do it" it just doesn't add up. I could have robbed it for a different purpose, maybe I'm in debt or trying to feed my family. Maybe the man felt threatened and used self-defense.
ReplyDeleteMusic can influence kids in many ways. It all depends in the way they listen to the lyrics and how they take the meaning of the song. Not all rap songs are bad. Some rappers put more meaning into their song other than putting random words together. Rap songs that make kids think twice about what they are doing and that it is something wrong. So no I do not think rap is a bad influence on kids or any age group.
ReplyDeleteI think rap music is a bad influence because those who do not get what the song is trying to say then they can misunderstand it and try to get a wrong idea from the song.
ReplyDeleteRegardless the type of music, music is music. Certain music helps certain people. Rap music helps a lot of people by usually making them do something that will benefit them in the long run. Rap music also helps me personally in the gym. It motivates me and pushes me to lift more weight or run longer.
ReplyDeleteRap music definitely has its negative & positive outcome to its audience. The profanity & images that they show can influence youngs to do the same & it could lead to affect their own education . But rap music can rap about making a movement & the sing becomes catchy to you & you start to hear youself sing it & you begin to listen to the lyrics & you realize hat your're singing is right.
ReplyDeleteI feel like rap is not a bad influence on our generation. Rap is the way of the artist expressing how he/she feels and sending out messages. But Sometimes rappers forget about the bad images and they use profanity which is inappropriate for some kids , but they don't really care because all they want is the money. Honestly Rap is not always a bad influence, I believe it depends on the type of message the song has behind it.
ReplyDeleteI think in the 1990s rap music was really music because they rapped about their real life experiences. But, in my generation rap music is not really music because half the time listeners don't really know what the rapper is saying and usually the rapper is talking about what they want to do to a girl.
ReplyDeleteI believe rap is real music but also can be a bad influence too. I think rap is real music when the lyrics of the song has a meaning. It is not real music when all the rap artists do is talk about sex and getting money. It is a bad influence too because when they rap about weed and drugs and liquor and even guns that can influence the rap artists fans to do those things in a bad way.
ReplyDeleteMusic is music. There are all types of genres. Rap music is not bad. Tap music is the newest form of music and there is concscience rap and gangsta rap. They both tell a story and provide the artist to express feelings and maybe personal problems in another way.
ReplyDeleteI feel like Rap Music can be positive and negative, there are Rappers out there that Rap about everyday struggles that we all can relate but on the other hand there are rappers who rap about how much money, clothes, or girls they got, and those types of songs influence many teenagers in our generation where they got them thinking they have all the stuff they want trying to get it the easy way(selling drugs) and people dont think about the unforeseen contingency and there people put their hats where their hand cannot reach. but then again there are rappers like Kendrick lamar, who shares positive vibes.
ReplyDeleteReally Focus on the words and what they mean. who sends a good message to children. one of these is will smith who has out wardly spoken about what he does not see the need to include vulgar language or lyrics in his rap music.
ReplyDeleteIt all depends on your preference, morals and common sense when it comes to defining rap as "actual music" or "a bad influence". The sexual aspects are almost unanimously agreed to be unidealistic and inappropriate, but you don't have to listen to rap as a woman and then start whipping your booty around. It's reliant on your self-image and whether you're willing to recognize that you have self-control and can inhibit your actions. Music is only what you make of it, and I believe that we should teach children and teenagers to control themselves rather than police creative rights.
ReplyDeleteyes i feel like rap is still music ,i feel this way cause rap stills express and still tells a story /still has a message to it its just a different genre.
ReplyDeletei think that rap is music because, some artist don't know how to show their emotions and they do it in a way to try to get people attention so they actually understand and listen. sometimes the lyrics are bad showing what happened to them as children or even a relationship but, if you actually listen to the lyrics you can see what the person is feeling/coming from.
ReplyDelete