Shields 1
Susan Shields
Professor Tinajero
English 1301-11231
11 May 2010
The Effects of Rap Music on Children
Throughout history music has provided controversy between the generations and rap music of today is no exception. Rap music in its infancy was said to have had a positive influence on young people of the day, however, modern day rap comes in many different forms and ranges from religious and educational styles to “gangsta” and hardcore sexual messages. The American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Communication and Media states, “Music plays an important role in the socializationof childrenand adolescents. Popular music is present almost everywhere,and it is easily available through the radio, various recordings,the Internet, and new technologies, allowing adolescents tohear it in diverse settings and situations, aloneor sharedwith friends.” The Council goes on to say, “A teenager's preference forcertain types ofmusic could be correlated or associated withcertain behaviors” (1488). The impact of this or any other genre of music on the next generation should not be underestimated. Depending on the message within the music, rap has the potential to be beneficial or detrimental to a child’s development.
In an effort to more effectively reach today’s youth, many Christian artists are producing religious music in the rap style. The infectious rhythm and rhyme that has made rap music so widespread is reaching an entire generation of people that might not normally tune in to traditional Christian music. In an interview with K. Lenon Fenelus, with Rapzilla.com, Christian rap artist J’son states, “I was in the hood shooting burners; I was in the hood selling dope; I was in the hood posted every day. And I realized that God didn’t make me to be that, you know what I’m saying? And now I’m yelling at every dude that’s there like, He didn’t make you to do that.” J’son uses his talent as a rap artist and his personal experience with life on the streets as a form of Christian ministry. His message is reaching troubled youth and showing them that there is a better, more positive way to live their life.
In addition to religious rap, educational rap is also having a positive influence on today’s youth. Experts have known for years that educational material set to music enables one to better learn and memorize information. In an online article titled “Techniques that Connect with Net Geners” the “Higher Education Advocate”, a publication of the National Education Association states, “Leverage the multimedia resources in your students' world to generate motivation, interest, and attention for them to learn new material from our world.” An example of leveraging these resources can be seen in the Science Rap Challenge issued by the Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre at University College Cork and Teagasc Moorepark for Science Week Ireland 2009. Students were required to video and upload raps to YouTube showing how innovation and creativity contribute to science. Rosemary Ferriter, a teacher at St.Vincent's Secondary School in Cork states, “School vibrated with science during the competition. Students and staff who never associated fun and music with science enjoyed performances by a mixture of second and fifth year students. The students themselves enthused about the subject as they bonded while trying to put science facts into rap.” This demonstrates how rap music has the ability to bring both students and faculty together with the common goal of education.
While rap music in the form of religious outreach or education has been shown to have a positive influence on children, the same music in the form of “gangsta” rap can be detrimental. In a study for “Psychological Science in the Public Interest”, Craig Anderson states, “Influences that promote aggressive behavior in young children can contribute to increasingly aggressive and ultimately violent behavior many years later” (83). “Gangsta” rap can be said to promote aggressive behavior. Eminem, one of the most popular rap artists today, in the song “Stay Wide Awake” on his latest album “Relapse”,writes:
I see my target with my car and park and approach her tender
Young girl by the name of Brenda and I pretend to befriend her
Sit down beside her like a spider
Hi there, girl, you mighta heard of me before
See whore, you’re the kinda girl that I’da
Assault and rape and figure why not try to make your pussy wider
Fuck you with an umbrella, then open it up while that shit’s inside ya
While promoting extreme violence against women in describing a stalking and rape scene, Eminem is in effect influencing any young person who picks up his music and then attempts to identify with and emulate the artist. According to the U.S. Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women, “individuals age 12 or older experienced an estimated 222,000 rapes or sexual assaults in 2008. Research indicates that, over the course of their lifetimes, 18 percent of women in this country are raped.” With statistics regarding sexual assault and rape as startling as these, we cannot afford to ignore or downplay the desensitizing effect that violent music has on our youth’s socialization. While the music itself may not be to blame for the rampant sexual assaults and rapes, it is a priming mechanism. Christy Barongan and Gordon C. Nagayama Hall state in an article titled “The Influence of Misogynous Rap Music on Sexual Aggression Against Women”, that “misogynous music facilitates sexually aggressive behavior and support the relationship between cognitive distortions and sexual aggression” (195). Pornographic movies and magazines are available only to people 18 years of age or older, but sexually explicit music CDs can be purchased or downloaded by anyone, which puts youth at a greater risk of developing sexually aggressive behaviors and attitudes.
While extreme violence is depicted in some “gangsta” rap lyrics, hardcore sexual rap songs are exposing children prematurely to negative sexual stereotypes. Studies have shown that teenagers exposed to sexually degrading music develop negative attitudes concerning sex in future relationships. In an article titled “Exposure to Degrading Versus Non-degrading Music Lyrics and Sexual Behavior Among Youth,” Steven Martino reports, “That the effect of sexual music content on adolescents' sexualbehavior is specific to degrading lyrics suggests somethingabout the process by which this effect occurs. Musicians whoincorporate this type of sexual imagery in their songs are notsimply modeling an interest in healthy sexual behavior for theirlisteners; they are communicating something specific about whatare appropriate sexual roles for men and women. These lyricsare likely to promote acceptance of women as sexual objectsand men as pursuers of sexual conquest” (e438). In the song “How Many Licks” Lil’ Kim raps, “12 a.m. I’m on the way to club / After three bottles I’ll be ready to fuck / Some niggas even put me on their grocery lists / Right next to the whip cream and box of chocolates.” The rest of the song describes different sexual acts she would do with as many different men. The video of the song adds the visual element of sexual stimulation. Lil’ Kim is depicted as an anatomically correct edible doll which can be purchased in three versions and who dances while stroking her crotch suggestively. The video ends with an advertisement to collect all three and taste the difference.
Another effect hardcore sexual rap lyrics and images has on youth is that it predisposes them to engage in premature sexual relationships. When young people engage in sexual intercourse before they are ready for the responsibility that involves, they are put at risk for unplanned and unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. According to Martino, “Early sexual activity is a significant problem inthe United States. A recent survey suggested that most sexuallyexperienced teens wish they had waited longer to have intercourse;other data indicate that unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitteddiseases are more common among those who begin sexual activityearlier. Popular music may contribute to early sex” (e430). One year into the study conducted by Martino, youth who listened to sexually degrading music lyrics were more likely to initiate intercourse and progress to more advanced levels of sexual activity. When teen pregnancy rates rise, abortion rates rise, and healthcare costs rise. This does not just negatively affect our youth, this affects all of us.
Music is the social capital of our children. It can be motivating, encouraging, educational, and provide endless hours of entertainment and bonding experiences. It also has the potential to negatively influence youth in ways that cannot be easily undone. Rap music is no better or worse than any other type of music. Rap’s potential to influence children to make positive or negative decisionslies in the choice of artist and their lyrics. Our youth are our most precious natural resource and we must protect them. As such, it is ultimately a parent’s responsibility to make wise choices for their child and to provide appropriate monitoring and oversight into the activities they choose to participate in. Parents should educate themselves concerning the music their children are listening to and appreciate the impact that particular music has on their child’s well being.
Works Cited
Anderson, Craig. "The Influence of Media Violence on Youth." Psychological Science in the
Public Interest 4.3 (2003): 83. Web. 4 May 2010.
Barongan, Christy, and Gordon C. Nagayama Hall. "The Influence of Misogynous Rap Music on
Sexual Aggression Against Women." Psychology of Women Quarterly. 19.2 (1995): 195.
Print.
Council on Communications and Media, "Impact of Music, Music Lyrics, and Music Videos on
Children and Youth." Pediatrics 124.5 (2009): 1488-1494. Web. 28 Apr 2010.
Eminem. “Stay Wide Awake.” Metrolyrics.com.
eminem.html
Ferriter, Rosemary. Irish Universities Promoting Science. Interview. DEC 2009. Web. 4 May
2010. <
J'son, Interview by K. Lenon Fenelus. 26 APR 2010. Rapzilla. Web. 2 May 2010.
<
Lil’ Kim. “How Many Licks.” Metrolyrics.com.
kim.html
Lil’ Kim. “How Many Licks.” Youtube.com.
Martino, Steven. "Exposure to Degrading Versus Non-degrading Music Lyrics and Sexual
Behavior Among Youth." Pediatrics (2006): e438. Web. 5 May 2010.
"Office on Violence Against Women." United States Department of Justice. N.p., n.d. Web.
5 May 2010. <
"Techniques that Connect with Net Geners." Higher Education Advocate APR 2008: n. pg. Web.
4 May 2010. <