The Cultural Impact of Popular Music on American Society

Introduction

Popular American music is a reflection of American culture, contributions, cross-fertilization styles and a blend of dreams. Popular music has in many ways shaped the American culture in the 19th and 20th centuries. This period was characterized by the rise in modern music, audience expansion, new technologies, a new song and dance styles and the birth of minstrelsy. This essay aims to review an example of popular music between the 1950s and 2000s, with the aim of evaluating its impact in the American society at the time of its production. The song in focus is 'The World Is Yours' by Na.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

About Nas

Nas, formerly Nasir Jones, was born in New York in the year 1973. He is the son to jazz musician named Olu Dara. He is a beneficiary of the largest housing project in America, Queensbridge Houses. Though he had an interest in writing at an early age, he dropped out of school in the eighth grade. He developed his musical talent while leading a street but later mentored by Willy Graham.

In the year 1990, Nas made a significant impact on the American pop music industry. He came with the song 'The World is Yours' which was part of his rap album Illmatic. This gave him a title as one of the greatest rap musicians with over 25 million records sold.

'The World is Yours': Analysis of Lyrics

The song is an account of the struggles Nas faced while growing in the New York City. He refers to the city as 'The Rotten Apple' in his song. The lyrics present different social issues and themes that affected young people like Nas at that particular time. These issues he sang about in the song include poverty, violence, and racist cops. The idea of the title of the song came from the movie Scarface. In this film, Tony Montana receives a message 'the world is yours' when a blimp flies by your side. This was an advertisement for Pan American Airlines, though Nas saw this as a sign.

The lyrics of the song also reflect Nas' vision for a family and life after. In the words of the song, 'Thinking a word best describing my life to name my daughter, my strength, my son, the star will be my resurrection' Nas predicts the birth of his children. He later gets a daughter and a son and names them Destiny and Knight respectively.

How the Song Represents Popular Culture in American Society?

Most people believed that rap music was about the problems faced by society. This was the perception, especially in the 1900s. However, with the song 'The World is Yours' this perception dramatically changes. It is true that some races and classes in the American society felt frustrated just like Nas puts it in the sing. Despite such facts, the song goes beyond the frustration. The song is not aonly frustration but a genuine narrative about life that some lives are not fair.

The essence of struggle in American society is reflected in the song. It first refers to one of the figures of struggle and adversity, Gandhi. The American culture was once characterized by this struggle for one's rights and sense of belonging. On the other hand, American society is also marked by optimism and a desire to succeed. All these come out clearly in the lyrics of Nas' song. The song was a significant critic of the American Dream'.

The Cultural Impact of the Song/Symbolic Nature of the Song

Culturally, the song bears a strong power to appeal to the younger generation who love listening to new music. Nas comes out as a revolutionary musician of his kind, trying jazz and hip-hop together to allow children and their parents to listen to such a song together while seated in their homes. Looking at Nas' song, 'the world is yours,' every American family would find something to enjoy about the song.

The reason for such declarations on the impact of the song on American culture comes with the idea that 'the world is ours.' These words carry weight, meaning that the American society can decide not only their future but the future of people in this world. This is also shown by the powerful images of people from all races in the song. The people from all other parts of the world face the same challenges as every other American. Thus, they need to come together just like Nas brings generations together through two generations of music. To the society, it entirely means that 'we can beat the struggle.'

The Social and Political Issues Present in America

The song was recorded at a time when most Americans especially the middle class and low class were experiencing extreme poverty. Nas is an example of a child who dropped out of school in grade 8. New York city had a rise in the crime rates while cops were practicing racism instead of policing. It was at the time of this song that many Americans believed that success could come in the face of adversity. They found that victory could not happen without a struggle, for it was not always bright and shiny.

Conclusion

Nas is an actual demonstration that American popular music can influence the way people think and hope for the future. They need to recognize that everything comes through a struggle, but all they need to know is that 'the world is theirs.'

References

Galano, D. (2018). Nas- The World is Yours: The Beauty of the Sample in the Context of Hip Hop [Single Review]. [online] Medium. Available at: https://medium.com/@chasingairwaves/nas-the-world-is-yours-the-beauty-of-the-sample-in-the-context-of-hip-hop-single-review-eac9384c22b6 [Accessed 14 Nov. 2018].

Historymatters.gmu.edu. (2018). American Popular Song: A Brief History. [online] Available at: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/mse/songs/amsong.html [Accessed 14 Nov. 2018].

Anon, (2018). [online] Available at: https://www.songfacts.com/facts/nas/the-world-is-yours [Accessed 14 Nov. 2018].

Biography. (2018). Nas. [online] Available at: https://www.biography.com/people/nas-507692 [Accessed 14 Nov. 2018].