The Link Between Rap Music And Violence

First and foremost, society today is one of continual progression. If one were to look at the various aspects of life, say communication, philosophy, technology, etc. they would notice that these areas continue to develop as our species continues to advance through learning and experience. Though it can both be seen and understood that multitudinous positive developments have stemmed from the continual progression of the human race, so too have certain impediments and negative drawbacks developed. One of such negative drawbacks and the primary focus of this essay is the issue of violence as it persists modern society. Altogether, the following will expound upon the issue of violence through analyzing and answering the question “Does Rap Music Provoke Violence?”

To begin, as was previously mentioned, society has seemingly an equal number of negatives as it does positives that have developed over the course of time. One of the negatives that have arisen is violence, and as the human race continually advances, the problem of violence becomes more complex and further exacerbates. One such complexity to the matter is the music that we listen throughout our everyday lives. Naturally, music is as unique as every individual on the planet; however, as numerous genres of music reflect certain emotions and speak on certain instances, could it be possible that rap music in particular influences violence? In short, the answer to this question would be no; however, though the answer is no, this is a complex answer that considers the inherent nature of human beings from facets such as age, mental capacity, circumstance, etc.

Reflecting on why rap does not provoke violence, Ben Beaumont-Thomas’s article gives a unique insight into the issue. In his article, “Is UK drill music really behind London’s wave of violent crime?” he focuses on a particularly violent sub-category of rap known as drill music. This drill music speaking frequently of fighting, robbing, stealing and even killing. What is interesting about this article is that rather than utilize research statistics or other analyses, he went out into the drill music scene in London to interview different rappers. As he found out, and as is the case with most forms of raps and its lyrics, the rappers used their platform to speak to their circumstances growing up or that they are currently in. If rappers grew up having to sell drugs, then they rapped about the life of a common street-peddler. If the rappers had to grow up stealing cars or stealing purses, they rapped about the circumstances that forced their hand in committing such actions. The unanimous response that Beaumont-Thomas received from each interview, though, was that drill music and rap, in general, is unfairly scrutinized. Rap tends to have a certain rawness and animosity to it that could be seen as violence, but as the rappers would reveal, this is merely the storytelling of past events and circumstances. This same rap is not an open invitation to incite violence and commit a crime. These rappers, much like other forms of music, express their emotions, feelings, and thoughts through music. This music is meant to be interpreted and enjoyed in an abstract manner, not in a literal manner through which the audiences and rappers go out to commit violence on behalf of the songs and their artists.

Further, to speak on a contradictory perspective to the question, there has been no sufficient evidence that rap has provoked violence, but it has promoted a certain idolization of the concept that is violence. One study conducted at Elon University cited:

… Rap/hip-hop music’s portrayal of domestic violence matters because of the significant influence its misogynistic messages have on audiences. This study found male and female college students’ listening behaviors greatly affect their perceptions of misogynistic lyrics. (Cundiff, p.81)

In concomitance with this, another study conducted by the American Academy of Pediatrics revealed:

The preference for heavy metal music, rap, and associated genres among adolescents must alert us to increased vulnerability and tendency toward risky behaviors. Adolescents at risk and with a feeling of alienation because of previous failures or problems tend to prefer these types of music, which might reflect their pessimistic view of life and the world. (Fuld, p.1490)

What these two studies reveal is that there are underlying factors which could potentially lead to violent tendencies within individuals who consume rap music. One of such factors is age, meaning that younger individuals, particularly that of teenagers, are more susceptible to the ideology that is spoken of within rap because these individuals are more impressionable and have less life experience than older counterparts. Similarly, individuals related to the subjects rapping rather than being the subject of are also prone to idolizing the violence and negativity that can be found in rap. As the Elon University study found, the male students, of which males comprise the majority of rappers and tend to frequently subjugate their female companions or harbor misogynistic views, were able to better understand and even enjoy the music as there was the shared male perspective whereas the females showed no such inclination to the enjoyment or understanding of the misogynistic lyrics or beliefs.

In sum, in poring over the question of whether rap music provokes violence or not, one must consider all aspects of an individual and a society. Certainly, there are circumstances and instances where individuals would engage in violent tendencies spoken of in rap because they already have a select predisposition to violence or pessimism within life. Yet, in using an objective barometer through which everyone is gauged equally, it would be found that the music is simply a means to an end. For the rappers, it is a means for the creation of wealth and expressing pent up emotion from having survived within particularly unfruitful environments. For the audiences, it is a way to comprehend the culture beyond one’s own and find a link between music and a facet of one’s own personality. All in all, it is true that rap music speaks positively of violence, misogyny and other such deplorable aspects of life, but it is not true that rap is the link or causal factor of crime and violence within society.