Topic > History of Hip Hop Music

Hip hop hasn't always been what it is today, but people have always had mixed opinions about hip hop and whether it is good for the masses to listen to. Due to the foul language in music referencing drugs, alcohol, sex and gangs, it is understandable why hip hop is viewed the way it is now and the reasons why stereotypes exist. Doug E. Fresh, a famous beatboxer in rap music, said that hip-hop should uplift and create, educate people on a broader level and make a change. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Over the years, musical artists have evolved and changed the way hip hop is perceived. Considering how it started, hip hop is now the most popular music genre, finally surpassing rock in 2017 according to Nielsen's year-end report. However, is music really the direct explanation for the way adolescents behave, or could their behavior presumably be the result of music tapping into the emotional feelings of those who listen to it? could it be peer pressure and therefore the proven fact that with technology nowadays it has become more durable to control what teenagers listen to? After analyzing these questions, it became clear that it's not just why people listen to music, but that it affects everyone, presumably leading to inappropriate fashion choices. Hip-hop music hasn't always had an unpleasant name; It had a really positive start. DJ Kool Herc was the first to establish the building blocks of hip hop in 1973 in South The Bronx (Swanson). Unlike things in today's society, hip-hop music was a cry against oppression and the easiest way to release the anger created while trying to move away from gang violence in inner-city neighborhoods. Once hip-hop began to achieve quality, salting contests replaced violent gang fights. Even then, this musical genre seemed destined to influence the people who noticed it, however in a very different way than it has today. Unfortunately the problem with music today is that most artists don't care if the lyrics have any meaning or not as long as they go viral. And with platforms like YouTube, Soundcloud and social media, more artists can explode out of nowhere more easily unlike before artists could only sell physical copies and couldn't explode without a record deal. The influence of music these days seems to be combined with the foul language and aggression found especially in hip-hop and popular rap music. Some rap artists use aggressive language in their lyrics, which is easily adopted by teenagers. It's not just why certain lyrics have influenced the way teenagers speak, but it fits their actions.