It’s no doubt that 2017 was a good year for music. We had great hits and albums in the hip hop scene, to name a few: Bucket list by Saba, Princess Nokia’s 1992’s deluxe album or the underground collective Brockhampton and their latest albums. All of which took us back to what hip hop was inherently about, the rhythm, the poetry, and most importantly expressing thoughts and one’s take on life.
Nevertheless, I can’t help but think about today’s hip hop culture and how it seems to be failing to reflect it’s true values. Lets be real, hip hop culture at its core, was built on social justice, peace, respect, self-worth, community, and having fun. This is why when rapper post Malone said “nobody talks about real sh*t in rap, If you’re looking for lyrics, if you’re looking to cry, if you’re looking to think about life, don’t listen to hip-hop,” and offended a large amount of people, I couldn’t help but feel there was a considerable amount of truth in his statement. Lets face it, we can all agree that so many of the mainstream musicians in our day and age rarely ever put forth lyrics of substance. Artist’s bet more on catchy rhythms and good visuals, but much more alarming is that, in our musical generation violence and substance use, aren’t being called out as they should but rather, they are put on a pedestal. This obviously will come with consequences, as these songs are undoubtedly sending high risk messages to the youth who is more than ever influenced.
Of course, violence or substance use are still the realities of many today, but shouldn’t we as a community trying to raise conscious children try to create awareness in order to eliminate these negative influences rather than indirectly suggest them?
To make matters worse, with the media being more than ever accessible to children, there’s really no way to make sure they understand behaviors seen or heard in music are not ones to emulate. Now, don’t get me wrong, the media has given people platforms to put forward their narratives. We are now given visual representations of the fact that some people still live in difficult situations, still resolve to drugs and crime, and some children are still exposed to all this. Moreover rappers should get to speak the truth that pertains to them.
Nevertheless, having rappers as young as seventeen making references to “murder,” “guns”, or indulging in hardcore drugs and alcohol as though such things aren’t problematic WILL have a negative effect on the youth. What is even more mind blowing in all of this is that when interviewed about their implied drug use certain rappers will simply say ” I don’t do hard drugs”, “or that “they’re not about that life” leaving us wondering why it is still included in their music.
Recently rapper lil Peep Passed away only at 21 from substance abuse. His medical report indicated his death was caused by a fentanyl and Xanax overdose. In addition, cocaine and marijuana were also found in his system. Two years ago we also lost Asap Yams to drugs, the list could go on and clearly indicates there is an issue that should be addressed. Musicians should be held accountable for passing “Junky lifestyles” as cool and yes, no one should be strictly be influenced by what they listen to but the fact is that with children being exposed to mass media from young ages, there are strong possibilities to be affected in some way.
Looking at our modern societies, they are beginning to evolve in better ways. We are making improvements and moving towards creating a more ethical world but how can we improve while perpetrating ideas and behaviors that are harmful? How can we teach the youth to find healthy ways to deal with life, respect others, or overall have the right approach to life when we still nod our heads to music that goes against those ideas? Hell we’ve even got rappers who have rape and murder charges against them yet they somehow still have supporters (not to demonize them but it is troubling) This is why I think in 2018, we shouldn’t be so quick to “bump” to a song when it doesn’t reflect the attitudes we want to see exhibited. We should refuse such content. Musicians should be more responsible with their platforms and practice more of hip hop’s original values. This is not to necessarily demand that artists be better role models (because parents also have a role to play) but that they exhibit more socially conscious attitudes. Express their life experiences without glamorizing them to the detriment of the youth.
Glamdom 