Essay Example on the Evolution of Hip Hop: From Struggle to Glorification

Hip hop music that traces its origin from the Black Americans who used the genre to expose the political, social, and cultural struggles which they had to contend with as black people. Hip hop in its original form was objective and more subtle in its approach towards the existing challenges of the people. However, with time it underwent a drastic transformation. Deep introspection of the hip hop culture depicts the life that is dominated by misogynistic lyrical messages, the glamorization of drugs, violence and hypersexuality which influence the mentality of the listeners to embrace such lifestyle thus defeating the intended role of the genre in fighting for black equality.

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Various hip hop artists such as Eminem, Ja Rule and Kudacris explicitly shows objectification as well as abuse of women in their songs which then entrenches a culture of misogyny among their listeners. The artists inadvertently portray women as objects for male use and domination. The genre has embraced a misleading conception of female submission that construes that women have no rights and feelings that need to be protected (Stankiewicz and Francine 583). Therefore, they hail patriarchy and normalize female exploitation. Based on these portrayals, various forms of violence and gender-based discrimination against women have become commonplace in different parts of the world. Men have been engendered to demean the feelings and abilities of women through sheer objectification. Such a mindset motivate the men to perpetuate various forms of violence such as rape, abuse, and domestic violence against the less defenceless women. The misogynist themes in hip hop music which gained momentum in the 1980s have inclined men to be more aggressive, violent and abusive towards the women (Stankiewicz, and Francine 581). No wonder, men perpetrate most cases of domestic violence while women are relegated as passive partners even in marriages.

The dehumanizing graphics and messages that characterize most hip hop music desensitize the youth who are the main fans about the sensitivity of issues such as spousal violence, bigotry and drug abuse (Gourdine & Lemmons 65). Based on the cultivation theory, long-term exposure of the children and youth who are still undergoing psychological development to violent music desensitizes them to the extent that they do not conceive any harm from abusing others. The derogatory lyrics fundamentally undermine the development of a highly moral society where people understand and respect the feelings of others as much as possible. As the youths grow, eventually get into romantic relationships and marriage, they become highly motivated to commit relationship violence and sexual aggression (Harakeh and Tom 1824). The hip hop culture portrays drug life as cool, and those who use such drugs adventurous. Ordinarily, listeners come across the messaging of sex and drugs more often in rap and hip hop music than any other genre. The artists freely embrace hard drugs such as bhang and cocaine which makes such drugs look healthy (Harakeh and Tom 1820). They fail to depict how drugs undermine the sense of self-control, self-respect and dignity of those who use them. Such portrayal has the net effect of motivating the youth towards the abuse of various forms of drugs that adversely affect their health, expose them to social risks and increases their chances of being reprimanded by the law enforcement agencies.

Hip hop music has considerably veered off its original intended purpose and currently focuses on showing a life of wealth, high-end life and expensive lifestyle without directing the audience on the best ways they ought to follow to attain such. For instance, it is common to see hip hop artists adorned in golden bangles, expensive clothes and driving high-end vehicles. This has the physiological effect of inkling the listeners to believe that people can quickly become rich. This stance is the reason why crime has proliferated, and the youth look for short cuts towards elusive riches (Gourdine and Lemmons 67). The hip-hop culture has been turned into a multi-billion industry which generates cash despite the obscenities that the artists portray. For instance, people become attuned to regard money beyond sheer decency, respect for dignity and sensitivity towards other people's feelings. Most of the songs have graphics that loath drugs, nudes and sex but with a significant focus on how such artists still manage to live an expensive lifestyle despite their apparent social vices. The obscenities imbued by hip hop music is highly attributable to America's struggle with youth violence (Gourdine and Lemmons 69). The fact that the genre desensitizes teenagers and other audiences alike, it predisposes them to inculcate a culture of violence, guns, drugs, gang and indecent acts of shootings in public places and schools.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the original intention of hip hop culture and the music was to demystify the struggled of the blacks in a society that socially, economically and politically repressed them. However, over the years it has metamorphosed to the modern and postmodern hip hop culture which glorify misogyny, hail drug life and violence. Psychologically, such videos and songs that contain insensitive messages have adverse effects on the sexual decision and general temperament of the listeners. People become incessantly irritable and ready for confrontations. The effect of hip hop music and culture is more prominent among the youth who are misled to believe that it is cool to get rich without working hard, it is okay to get intimate with anyone without posing to consider the possibility of contracting sexually transmitted diseases. In essence, the genre influences the audience to live a reckless, indifferent and disillusioned lifestyle where immorality and indecency are tenable.

Works Cited

Gourdine, Ruby M., and Brianna P. Lemmons. "Perceptions of misogyny in hip hop and rap: What do the youths think?" Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment 21.1 (2011): 57-72.

Harakeh, Zeena, and Tom FM Ter Bogt. "The Effect of Rap/Hip-Hop Music on Young Adult Smoking: An Experimental Study." Substance use & misuse 53.11 (2018): 1819-1825.

Stankiewicz, Julie M., and Francine Rosselli. "Women as sex objects and victims in print advertisements." Sex Roles 58.7-8 (2008): 579-589.