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The Effects of Rap Music

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Rap/Hip-Hop: The Effects on Today’s Youth
Brenda L. Williams-Capers
Columbia Southern University
English Composition II
Professor Dana Taylor
December 11, 2011

Abstract Rap/Hip-Hop first became popular among African American and Latinos among youth in the streets of New York during the 1970’s. It was their way of expressing themselves in a friendly manner in the form of speech, fashion, and personal style. Rap/Hip-Hop music was a way for them to get their message out, by telling stories of their lifestyles. However, over the years Rap/Hip-Hop music has become much more popular for its explicit lyrics, reference of drugs, alcohol and sexual explicit videos. Many may ask “Could Rap/Hip-Hop music have a negative influence on today’s youth, because of its unhealthy messages”? This research paper will examine the effects of rap/hip-hop music on today’s youth and whether or not it has a negative influence.

Brenda L. Williams-Capers
Professor Dana Taylor
English Composition II
December 11, 2011

Over the year’s many researchers have conducted studies on the effects of rap/hip-hop on today’s youth. The results have been mixed; however there are indications that some forms of Rap/Hip-Hop music could have negative influence on today’s youth. This is due to the fact that youth start to adapt the negative aspects of the gangster rap, by displaying aggressive behaviors and committing crimes of violence. Rap gets a bad rap because some songs contain explicit lyrics, drugs, alcohol and sex. A study conducted by Ralph J. DiClemente (2003) indicated that teen girls who spend more than 14 hours per week watching the sex and violence depicted in the “reel” life of “gangster” rap music videos are more likely to practice these behaviors in real life. Also, this study suggested that those teens were also three times more likely to hit a teacher, over 2.5

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