ing, degradation of women, and violence and this being one of the biggest reasons why society has perceived this art form generally as derogatory. It is hard however to distinguish the two since both contain the same beats, rhymes and style.
             The raw beginnings of contemporary Hip Hop music can be traced to the Bronx in the mid 1970s. Hip Hop music was a way that urban black youth expressed themselves in a rhythmic form. This art form, along with graffiti and break dancing was the poetry of the street. The collective message of this art counterculture told candid stories of the urban streets stories of drugs, violence, injustice and crime. No matter how hedonistic the message, urban youth found a platform to outwardly express their rage towards the system. To them, the police embodied the system; they were indeed a reflection of America's attitude towards them. Before Hip Hop, there was Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Bob Marley, and more recently, punk rock, which galvanized the rebellious spirit of youth across the U.S. Now what seemed to be a passing trend, chronologically fitting between heavy metal and alternative rock, has become the chosen platform of rebellion for youth. Hence, vicious verbal attacks on police behavior reflected urban youths' most intimate conceptualization of the system.
             According to a recent report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, It is estimated that about 12 percent of black men ages 20-34 years old are incarcerated, compared with less than 2 percent of white men that age. Additionally, about one in three black men will be incarcerated in their lifetimes. As a black male, Hip Hop has helped voice the tales of injustice in our prison systems as well as the lack of opportunities and racism which forces us to turn to crime as the only avenue to better ourselves and our families.
             The film "Shawshank Redemption", tells a story of how the decades of life pass behind prison walls. It depicts ...