Music and the Impact on Youth in America Essay Example For Students

Music and the Impact on Youth in America Essay Music and the Impact on Youth in America Film: 8 Mile Florida International University Synopsis 8-Mile Film The film begins in the rugged streets of the 8-mile section of Detroit, Michigan. A young man by the name of Jimmy aspires to become a rapper. The odds are stacked against him because of the complexion of his skin as well as the fact that he is a By rigmarole 2 much since high school shows signs of frustration and as such blames others for his setbacks in life. Set against Detroit Hip-Hop scene in 1995, Jimmy struggles to find his voice. The people of Detroit know 8-mile Road as the citys perimeter. It is also a psychological dividing line between what it is urban and what it is suburban, between black and white, between where Jimmy is and where he wants to be. In Detroit, survival is key, and for many in 8-mile, the emotional life preserver is Hip-Hop music. In the absence of nurturing parents, Jimmy and his friends, the cool and the very charismatic Future, optimistic dreamer Sol, aspiring activist DC Z, and the slow but steady Cheddar Bob who shoots himself in the leg with his own gun, have created a circle of friendship, and unbreakable bond, their own family. Mine, 002) Jimmy and his crew which they call themselves (Three One Third), live on hopes of getting their big break while struggling to sustain a living at their everyday dead end Jobs. As the nightlife comes to life, Three One Third feed their dreams in the Hip-Hop clubs where the citys best rappers battle each other with abusive rhymes, slick words, and derogatory remarks that are wielded like weapons. In the rap ba ttles words are meant to wound and victory belongs to the quick-witted. No matter whom we are, no matter where we live, borders bind us all but its the music hat frees and connects us all. (Loving Hanson, 2002) Many of us are content to live within these bordersothers are simply forced to exist within them. For Jimmy, the end of simply being forced to exist comes to end as he shows his lyrical prowess by winning the rap battle against the big bad Free world. History of Hip-Hop Influence It has been almost 30 years since the introduction of Hip-Hop. Over time, Hip- Hops become immensely popular, not Just in America, but also worldwide. Hip-Hop has expanded itself into music, fashion, advertisement, movies, and more. Its given papers, and those associated with Hip-Hop the chance to branch out into other ventures and create their own brands, for example Bad-Boy Records and Sean John. Also, it has allowed them to bring Hip-Hop to other communities through organizations and fundraisers as well. As of today, Hip-Hop has become an international phenomenon that ranges from music to a lifestyle. Hip-Hop has gone through many evolutions that some people do not agree or identify with. It has impacted a lot of things in the world from fashion to politics. Hip-Hop music has been used as a means to create songs that deliver somewhat negatives messages such as ex, drugs, violence, and the degradation of women (The Message by Grandmaster Flash), police brutality (F**k the Police by NNW), poverty in America (Heard Me Say by Kenya West), and the degradation of women (Wonder Why They Call You B*tech by OPAC) etc. Change Cool Here, 2005) But Hip-Hop has also been used to advocate more positive messages about being whatever you want to be (l Can by Nas), a father son relationship (Just the Two of Us by Will Smith), HIVE/AIDS awareness (Lets Talk About Sex by Salt-n-Peep), poverty and how women should be treated (Keep Yea Head Up by OPAC) etc. Overall, Hip-Hop has had its share of praise and scrutiny. The Hip-Hop economy increases at an astonishing rate. Hip-Hop is, according to Forbes, an industry that garners 10 billion dollars a year. Advertisers see rappers as an generation. It is reported by the NYPD Group, that more than 50% of people who purchase Hip-Hop albums are either teens or in their early ass. (Lealer, 2005) Young fans gravitate towards the images that they see of the Hip-Hop lifestyle, the cars, jewelry, expensive clothing, etc. For that reason, when seeing a rapper associated tit a particular brand, they are more inclined to buy a certain item in order to be a part of that lifestyle. For example, when Busts Rhymes, Pass the Couriers Part Two was released, sales for Couriers cognac increased. Guide Music Appreciation EssayRap music has changed since then as the industry has not wanted to commit the same mistakes. In a class of 1 lath graders at my school, I inquired on whether they felt that Hip- Hop has been a positive influence in their lives. In order to understand their answers, one must understand their background. The school is located in Hialeah, where most families are from the poor class. Most students are of Hispanic origin and African American origin. The class was divided in terms of whether Hip-Hop had a positive influence or negative influence. Students in my class stated that Hip-Hop expresses knowledge is power and as such they must empower themselves and educate themselves in order to make a mark in this world. Take into account when Kenya West came out to the rap world ND stated that he had dropped out of college and as such named one of his albums College Dropout. The students in my class stated that education is no longer the traditional idea of going to a college or university. They felt that education could be on the Job training, street knowledge, and life lessons. The idea of education is no longer the gauge for measuring who is and who is not successful. This example to me was a bit contradicting because even though I agree that knowledge can be acquired in many different ways, the Jobs on the global market require these degrees that come from the traditional university setting. The second point they stressed was that Hip-Hop has taught kids from a poor socio-economic background to deliver their creativity not through the usual means of art, poetry, and painting, but through the use of instruments, a beat, and quick-witted word play. The negative influence according to students was that Hip-Hop and its lyrics serve as a distraction from their real world. This makes me understand that the stance that rappers take with regards to their lyrics and their bragging of what they have, what they can buy, the women they can get and sleep with, drinking, and drug buses distorts certain realities for these young minds in America. Much like the movie we saw in class Regeneration, as much as these students enjoy Hip-Hop music they have become apathetic towards that lifestyle because of the fact that they see it as something that might be unattainable. Another point a student made is that Hip-Hop in its purest form is not what Hip-Hop is today. The student called it have, buy, attain, and do. He stated that when Hip-Hop started it had more substance in the sense that they spoke about things that were important in the community. However, little by little, this form of rhyming found its way into the rap game and thats the music thats being delivered to Americas youth. Very few lyricists today within their lyrics talk about societal issues. The young ladies in my class came up with the next negative influence that Hip-Hop has had with regards to women. They were hesitant at first to share, but I made it an open forum, and soon they began sharing their views on Hip-Hop and young women. The young ladies stated that certain rappers, in their lyrics and music videos, degraded them as hoes, sluts, and other derogatory terms. These young ladies were highly insulted in the sense that they felt not all girls want to be groupies or video vixens. The conversation got much better with the next statement! One of the girls stated that how can they compete with the girls in those videos when their body types are not even close to looking like those girls. These rappers are making it so that they have to have certain measurements in order to be attractive and/or meet certain standards. Rappers are painting an unrealistic picture of what true beauty is, and its unfair to them to have to live to those kinds of expectations. This is a universal hem in America that certain body types are the pictures perfect view of what beauty is and these young ladies feel as if it is an unrealistic goal to look like them.