Ross Goldfarb

Negative Influences of Hip-Hop in America

September 7th, 1996: The date that will forever haunt the minds
of hip-hop fans. It was 11:15 at night in Las Vegas when a white, fourdoor, late-model Cadillac pulled up next to a 1996 BMW 750 at a red
light. The Cadillac rolled down a window and fired multiple rounds at
the man standing through the sunroof of the BMW. The man was hit in
the lung. The man died from internal bleeding. The man was Tupac
Shakur.
Tupac Shakur is the most iconic hip-hop figure of all time bar
none. His name has become synonymous with bandanas, nose
piercings, and basketball jerseys. People often praise Shakur for being
a good guy by rap standards. Lots of people look at his song Dear
Mama and his infatuation with both Machiavelli and Shakespeare and
think that he is a good role model and someone to look up to, but in
reality, Shakur was no different than any other criminal. He was
charged with sexual assault and sentenced to four and a half years in
prison, he was charged with assault on multiple occasions, and he even
shot two police officers. These crimes just adding to this hypermasculinity image that was sweeping men all over the country,
rappers included. Iwamoto says, The most significant and often
overlooked factor that perpetuates and reinforces extremely violent
and competitive behavior is the way that the American culture defines

Ross Goldfarb
and lionizes masculinity (1). Basically, because America set its
standards for men as figures who are tough, aggressive, and show no
signs of vulnerability or feelings, people are trying to prove that they fit
the mold and usually cross the line by doing so. Tupacs song Hit Em
Up epitomizes this hyper-masculine gang-infused movement. In this
song, Tupac makes direct threats to specific people, namely Notorious
B.I.G. and Puff Daddy, as well as calling out almost everyone on the
east coast. But not only does this song indicate the immense tension
of the bicoastal rivalry, but also it is symbolic of the hyper-masculine
front that was characteristic of Tupac and other urban city and gang
members (Iwamoto 1). While this aggressive nature was started in the
age of Tupac, it certainly didnt die there.
Current rap has become a melting pot full of violence,
criminality, drug use, and objectifying women. I can count on one hand
how many rappers actually rap about real world issues instead of just
sex, drugs, and material objects. Of the top 10 songs in the hip-hop
category on iTunes, six are about the luxury lifestyle that these rappers
live, two are about sex, one is about drugs, and then one is about
learning to love yourself. So, out of the 10 most popular rap songs, only
one of them delivers a positive message to its listeners. What do you
think this is saying to Americas youth?
I think that it is fair to say that hip-hop music has really gained
steam in mainstream American music and is becoming more widely

Ross Goldfarb
accepted with three of the top 10 songs of 2013 being considered hiphop. Also, I dont believe that it is a coincidence that the use of
marijuana in high-schoolers has increased by almost six percent in the
past 8 eight years according to www.drugabuse.gov. Recently, there
has also been an increase in domestic violence cases in the news,
specifically in the NFL where the majority of athletes are listening to
hip-hop/rap.
Most people think of Beyonc as a saint-like feminist figure. But I
ask you, have you ever listened to the song Drunk In Love by herself
and her husband, Jay-Z? Have you ever listened to the lyrics? At one
point, Jay-Z says:
Im Ike Turner, turn up, baby, no I dont play
Now eat the cake, Anna Mae, said eat the cake, Anna Mae!
In a movie that Tina Turner had based on her life, there was one
scene when her then husband, Ike Turner, shoved cake in her face,
forcing her to eat it against her will. Safe to say, this line had its fair
share of backlash, but the majority of people, teens especially, have no
idea what that line is referring to. This just goes to show how easily the
idea of domestic violence can appear in mainstream media without
anyone even batting an eye.
Currently, the main subject in rap music tends to be sex instead
of the violence that was so prevalent back when Tupac was the biggest
in the rap game. For example, one of the most common messages

Ross Goldfarb
conveyed by artists. since Tupac Shakur's death, is the concept of
being a "player." A player is someone who exploits the opposite sex,
uses people, and cheats others (even friends) as a game. Whoever
plays the most, wins (Larson 1). This music has severely influenced
the hook-up culture that is especially prevalent in todays youth. Gone
are the days of dating, and in are the days of hooking up with random
people for no reason at all. These acts arent just for men though, Lil'
Kim, the popular female rapper whose lyrics make Madonna look like
Mother Teresa, does not want to be left behind. She touts how girls can
play the same player games as the guys. In songs like "Call Me,"
"Crush on You," and "No Time," she describes in embarrassing detail
the most perverted of sex acts-for the sole purpose of being able to
"play just like the big guys (Larson 1). This culture still looms large in
todays world, especially in college. But these acts make it hard for
people to become good friends. If someone is always hanging out with
different people, they never have time to form a good healthy
relationship with any of these people, resulting in barely any true
friendships and having basically no one to confide in. This hook-up
culture leads to many people feeling lonely, so they go to hook up with
more people so that they can feel some sense of belonging and
experience the feeling of being wanted. This is a never-ending cycle
that only makes kids feel worse than they originally did. The culture we

Ross Goldfarb
have today in Americas youth is basically a track leading directly to
depression.
Hip-Hop encompasses way more than just rap music. Hip-Hop
touches almost all of your senses. Yes there is rap, which is the oral
sector, but there is also graffiti (vision), break dancing (physical/touch),
and DJing (sound). Also, while hip-hop has its origin in black urban
America, it has evolved into a cultural form that transcends race, color,
and gender, reaching across the world (Wilkins 2). People say that this
music brings people together. They say, rap music and the hip-hop
culture represent the pulsethe thoughts, values, and experiencesof
youth worldwide today (Wilkins 2). But what they dont realize is that
this is not for the better. If rap music really does represent the values
of the youth, then I am most definitely scared for the future of our
country. If sex, drugs, and violence are what the youth of the world is
thinking about, then our youth needs a wake up call.

*It should be noted that Hip-Hop is my favorite genre of music

Works Cited
Iwamoto, D. (2003). Tupac shakur: Understanding the identity
formation of hyper-masculinity of a popular hip-hop artist. The Black
Scholar, 33(2), 44-49. Retrieved from https://ezproxy.elon.edu/login?
url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/229773867?accountid=10730

Ross Goldfarb
Larson, S. J. (1998). The evolution of hip-hop culture and its influence
upon the sexual views of mainstream youth. Reclaiming Children and
Youth, 7(1), 18. Retrieved from https://ezproxy.elon.edu/login?
url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/214195883?accountid=10730
Wilkins, Nathaniel. "Hip-Hop Generation/Youth In High-Risk
Environments." Journal Of Park & Recreation Administration 17.2
(1999): 107-112. Academic Search Complete. Web. 10 Oct. 2014.