Hip Hop and Rap music started in the 1970’s in the Bronx with people reading their poetry over a beat. In the 1980’s, hip hop music was about their struggles, the changes they want to make and sending a message to their fans. The 1990’s started gangster rap which rappers talk about drugs, violence, money, sex and calling women offensive names like bitch and ho. A lot of the new hip hop artist have no talent and are just a commercialized act.
The song “The Message” by Grandmaster Flash started the conscious hip hop movement in 1982 that focused on social issues. Themes of conscious hip hop include religion, aversion to violence, culture, the economy, or simple depictions the struggles of ordinary people. The band Run DMC and the Beastie Boys started New School Hip Hop which is characterized in form by drum machine-led minimalism, with influences from rock music. These artists were rapping, and socio-political commentary, both delivered in an aggressive, self-assertive style.
The hip hop music you hear today is influence by the gangsta rap which started in the late 1980’s and the 1990’s. Gangsta rap is about violence youth black males face in the inner city, drugs, money and sex. Many songs were about their hatred towards the police like N.W.A’s song F**K The Police. These artist also offend women by calling them bitches and ho’s which we read about in our text. Gangsta rap caused much controversy and the rappers defended themselves by saying they are telling about their struggles in the hood. The strange thing is that they continued to rap about the same thing while they were living in a mansion in a gated community.
Today the rappers like to talk about all of the money they have and the cars they spend it on. They also like to rap about bitches and ho are doing sexual acts to them, slinging drugs and shooting up gangs. The music videos are degrading to women by promoting them as sex objects. Because this is a common thing we see in the media today, the younger generation will think it is okay to act like rappers or the women in the music videos. I think this is why hip hop music gets a bad reputation. A lot of the rappers today have no talent; they are commercialized for their act like using auto tune (T-Pain) or saying Yeah, What, Okay (Lil Jon). There are still a handful of artist which is trying to bring back the roots of hip hop like Common and Nas. Even though I was not in born the 1980’s, I am still a fan of classic rap music because of their talent and what they were fighting for. I do not want to hear songs about how many escalades a rapper have and all the drugs they do.
Obviously the hip hop entertainment production has evolved completelly from back in the older days. Since the technology has evolved over time, new ideas and better sound effects has changed the game. Artist have more privaleges and are free to act on anyodeas that they may choose to play. All we hear now, is artist rapping abou cars, money, houses and women because freedom of speech has completey changed the music industry.
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