Rap: The Music of Today?

Picture this, it is a Saturday afternoon and everything is great. The weather is beautiful and you are driving with the windows rolled down. As you pull up to the red light at the next intersection, something grabs your attention. The "music" in the car next to you is rattling the interior of your own car. As you look over, you see a young man with his seat reclined, wearing a bandana, and singing to the "music." It is as if he has turned the treble all the way down and turned the bass to the max. This has made it so the young man cannot make out the lyrics or, for that matter, find any context to this "music" at all. This is a scene that has become all too common in the suburbs of America. 

Fifteen years ago, rap was seen as a menace to society. Parents were appalled if their children listened to rap music, but now the next generation of teens is called the hip-hop generation. What has happened in the past fifteen years that has completely changed the moral values of many youth and parents?

The same sort of phenomenon has happened before. During the 1960's there was a sudden increase in the "Beatnik" culture. Many felt that this music was unacceptable because it was based off of black music such as Jazz and Blues. Now, many would argue that rap is no worse then rock and roll. During the seventies and eighties, rock music was strictly prosecuted for its vulgar use of sexual imagery and language, but, once rap emerged as a prominent force, the assault shifted towards it. Before dissecting this subject, one must understand just what rap is. "Rap or Rap Music, genre of rhythm-and-blues music (R&B) that consists of rhythmic vocals declaimed over musical accompaniment. 

The accompaniment generally consists of electronic drum beats combined with samples (digitally isolated sound bites) from other musical recordings" (Bowman 1).Today it is not uncommon to see an upper class white mother buying a parental advisory rap CD for her seven year old. It is also normal to see teens trying to emulate the rap culture. By this I mean wearing doo rages, extremely baggy clothing, bandannas, and engaging in activities that rap encourages. 

hip hop iconic boom box

Credit: http://www.csusm.edu/electronette/boombox.jpg

Copyright: http://www.csusm.edu/electronette/boombox.jpg