Rap Music And Its Effects On Its Audience - 1813 Words

Rap music began in the 1970s in Bronx, New York. It started as an unknown type of music, but with its commercialization, rap music has turned into a multi-billion dollar industry that influences many people around the world today. When rap first began, it had â€Å"sociopolitical messages that had been absent in other forms of music† (Edwards-Stewart). For instance, artists, such as Run DMC and Public Enemy, rapped about the trial and tribulations of African Americans who lived in American inner cities. Songs like this became well known and are even considered the greatest hits of rap history. However, as a result of fame and commercialization, the nature of rap music changed. It went from focusing on sociopolitical messages to less important†¦show more content†¦Another behavioral effect of rap music is the â€Å"intensely violent, both sexually explicit and sexually violent, misogynistic, drug and gang oriented, and politically radical† culture influences the judgement of its listeners (Hansen 44). A study discovered the use of aggressive behavior as a solution to problems increased after watching rap videos. Test subjects were shown a situation where John discovered his girlfriend kissing her old boyfriend; he reacted by hitting him. The participants were then asked about John’s behavior. They agreed with John’s behavior after watching rap videos more than when they watched nonviolent rap music videos and no video (Hansen 45-46). In addition, rap music can influence the judgement of its fans because young audience members will seek to imitate their favorite rappers. Since their role model is doing something, they will try to do the same because they think highly of that person. Furthermore, the third and final behavioral effect of rap music is the acceptance of violence and materialism. In a study, forty-six African American males (ages between eleven to sixteen) were either shown violent rap music videos, nonviolent rap music videos, or no music videos. In the violent variable, the test subjects watched eight videos that had violent images, acts, and lyrics. In the nonviolent variable, the test subjects watchedShow MoreRelatedDrugs in Popular Culture1317 Words   |  6 Pagesamongst teenagers and the popularity of West Coast Rap Music Introduction Marijuana has been around for hundreds of years and the use of marijuana has been becoming more and more popular especially among teenagers (Lee, 2012). Music has also been around for a very long period of time, in a vast aray of genres. 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