The REAL Problem with Rap
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I dumb down for my audience / And double my dollars / They criticize me for it / But they all yell "Holla"
-Jay Z "Moment of Clarity"
Every time I hear some news anchor or political pundit blame the problems of modern society on rap music I get a little bit angrier. Today I'm finally ready to publish my response. It may not change the world, but if brings some relief to the twitch over my right eye then I'll call it a victory.
There's no reason to bore you with details of the criticisms hurled at Hip Hop, you've heard them all before: "Rap these days is all about bitches and hoes", "Rap promotes materialism", "Rappers are thugs and murderers", and so on and so on, we get it.
But before I say what I need to say, let's get one thing straight: Violence against women is bad. Anything that promotes it is also bad. Materialism is America's Bubonic Plague. Cyclical violence and drug abuse are destroying US cities everyday.
Now let's do a quick thought experiment. Think about the problems Rap is supposedly causing: violence against women, drug abuse, and materialism. When did these problems begin? Well, violence against women goes back pretty far. A few thousand years at least. Drug abuse is the same. From opium dens in China 400 years ago, all the way back to rules against drunkenness in the Bible. And materialism? The Buddha had a lot to say about that, and he was born 2500 years ago. So Rap, which began in the 1970's, didn't create these societal problems.
So lets think now... what's that...? OK, you don't have to scream at your computer, I can hear you: "Maybe Rap didn't create these problems, but it promotes them and that is still terrible."
Are you done? No. Then please continue.
"Why don't rappers write verses about puppies and Jesus and mama's home baked apple pie?" You ask. Good question, and I'll answer it: They do. "But I've never heard it." You protest.
So if your done interrupting I'll give you a quick lesson on capitalism which should make everything very clear.
In a Capitalist society there are producers and consumers. Producers produce a huge amount of varied products and bring them to market, and consumers purchase those products which they like. Then producers make more of the products which consumers buy, and less of those which they don't.
In this way rap, hamburgers, and eyeglasses are all the same. Producers produce what consumers will buy. Period.
There are rappers who talk about bringing peace to the streets of New York. Just like there are hamburger shops which use organic meat and vegetables and prepare their food fresh to order with healthy side dishes served in recyclable containers.
The reason you don't know about the peace rapper is the same reason you don't know about the healthy burgers. They are not commercially successful.
There might be a niche which loves their work, but the mass market does not accept it.
What the mass market loves is greasy, flash frozen, processed burgers; and violent, materialistic rappers.
In a perfect world rappers and burger makers would make the goal of their lives producing products which are healthy and moral and good for society. But in reality the goal of producers is to make money, and they sell whatever the consumers will buy.
So if you must blame someone for teaching the youth about violence and greed, don't stop with rappers. Criticize the CEO's who feed us cheap, unhealthy food. Criticize Movie and TV producers who make shows about violence and greed. Criticize car companies for selling materialism, and beer companies for selling drug abuse. Criticize world leaders everywhere who use violence to accomplish their goals.
Join with me and rewrite the protests: "TV these days is all about bitches and hoes", "Wal-Mart promotes materialism", "Presidents are thugs and murderers"
That was fun. Now pay attention to this last part because it's important.
Rappers are not the problem. Rappers just write what people want to buy. Society is the problem.
If you want to change rap, change society. Don't be another Lazy consumer.
If you don't like the verses someone writes, don't listen to them. Do some research and find someone with a good message to listen to. Buy their albums or go see their concerts.
If you don't like violence, don't buy violent video games, don't see violent movies, and don't vote for violent politicians.
And if you see a problem with society, don't try to find someone who looks and talks differently then you to blame. But take a good look at your own life. If we all change the way we consume, producers will change what they produce; and then maybe we can get more rappers worth listening to, and more burgers worth eating.
- Robinson Rex' Other Hubs
Other works from this writer.
CommentsLoading...
The article makes a very valid point, but the author still skirts the issue of responsibility. He calls on consumers to be responsible about what they buy, but what about rappers who write the materialistic and violent lyrics knowing full well that millions of impressionable youths will listen to them and take what they say seriously. Not all people have the ability and means to do the kind of research he is suggesting and it's naive to think so. That's the "real" problem with rap, the overall lack of responsibility on the part of the artist.
I agree, great article!
If lil wayne tried to rap about apple pie, his record label higher ups would share a good hardy laugh and tell him to gtfo of their office and make more songs about bitches. People need to realize that artist have VERY little power. You can blame artists if you want, but the reality is if lil wayne won't talk about jewels they can find plenty of eager unsigned rappers to take his place.
great article! I wish more people could actually read this.
i din't though it that deeply i used to blame new music and new singers because when i was little i looked at rap as a skill of rimes but not as something violent but nowadays i wanted to know what was the real problem and i found my answer thank you
I don't buy this explanation. Non-violent, non-sexist rap would sell very well, internationally. Rap-cd:n sell all over the world and most of us non-Americans don't understand half of what they are saying anyway.I think part of the problem is the rappers competing by themselves in who is the toughest and most provocative. This tends to happen in other young male-populated genres as well, such as metal.
The fast food-example was a bit dated as fast food places are trying desperately to fit in to the rising trend of eating healthy food. Even my local McDonald's painted its walls green and uses local meat producers. Being responsible is starting to be fashionable. The evil CO:s people tend to blame (therefore making artists helpless pawns) don't care what you sing about, guns or rainbows, as you present it in a sellable package.
Arists are not helpless pawns. Most of my favourite artists have day jobs - that gives a lot artistic freedom when your survival doesn't depend on sales from the beginning. But tell that to the macho guys who just want to get rich fast before their rivals...
Very Excellent Hub! Thanks for writing
I agree 100%, as long as people WANT to hear this stuff, they will hear it. I don't want to hear music about puppies and rainbows, honesty, who does?
Beancrew49 4 years ago
Excellent article. Someone should forward it to Hillary Clinton.