HOW RAP GETS A BAD REP
From its early days in the Bronx to its international popularity, rap and hip-hop, the two words used interchangeably, have become a big part of the entertainment industry. Despite its success, the rap industry has been plagued with controversy. News media's attention on rap seems fixated on instances of violence at rap concerts, "gangsta" rap's lurid fantasies of cop killing, female bashing, and black nationalist rappers' suggestions that white people are the devil's disciples. The reality of the situation, however, is that the lyrics many rappers use contain positive messages of philosophy and of personal experiences. Artists use their songs to express themselves and their situations. Much of the criticism Received is due to a biased media which portrays content of many rap songs as nothing but endless profanity and extremely offensive language. In addition, much is said about the extent to which violence is used in the songs. Violence towards women, homosexuals or rival rappers. Also, rap artists themselves, for the most part have become victims of the stereotypical media which portrays them very negatively. Finally The urban youth of America have been given a bad reputation as gang members
For example, in a recent issue of the L. Take for example his song "Keep Your Head up" I give a holler to my sisters on welfare Tupac cares, if don't nobody else care And uhh, I know they like to beat ya down a lot When you come around the block brothas clown a lot But please don't cry, dry your eyes, never let up Forgive but don't forget, girl keep your head upTupac is referring here to young black women in the ghettos and inner streets of America who are living on welfare and are in abusive relationships. You cant paint a pretty picture-all you can do is hold up a mirror. G's song Me and My Bitch, the "b" word is used to describe a woman who he had wanted to make his wife in the near future. As many hip-hop fans were being introduced to this powerful new medium, the traditional media outlets were trying to counter their long history of limiting their rap music coverage by instead highlighting the negatives associated with rap. Here we can see a classic example of the media being fixed on the negative aspects of rap songs, while at the same time looking beyond coarse language in other areas of entertainment. The media also contributes to negative publicity of hip-hop when it is preoccupied with the violence in rap. Furthermore, because hip-hop speaks the voice of a younger generation in urban areas, it is only natural that different audiences may interpret certain words differently. If the media continues to depict rap songs as meaningless ranting consisting primarily of swear words, this is what the public will come to believe of rap. In an interview with Rolling stone, former Def Jam head Rick Rubin summed up the notion of Hip-Hop as an expression of youth culture. Celebrities in other forms of entertainment, like TV and movie stars, have the luxury of having both good and bad news reported about them. " If a man kills his girlfriend after listening to a rap CD which degrades women, it would be outrageous to claim that rap music is to blame for the woman's death.
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