I spent the past week leaning over peoples’ shoulder to ask the common question, “What are you listening to?” How much do your musical preferences correlate to your personality? From the answers I received, one of the most controversial genres of music prevalent at Winston-Salem State University is rap music. Talking with some students around campus, I found the ideas about how they viewed rap to be interesting. For the moment, we will take a brief history lesson to explore the origins of rapping. Some people use the word “rap” and “hip-hop” interchangeably; however, there is a difference between the two terms. Rap is the combination of emceeing and dee-jaying, whereas hip-hop possesses four main elements: graffiti, break dancing, emceeing and dee-jaying. ”Rap is something you do; hip-hop is something you live,” states music artist KRS-1. The origin of rapping can be traced back to West Africa where ancient griots, or storytellers, would use poetry, proverbs, and rhythm to teach villagers about their history. The stories were recited over the sounds of musical instruments and drums. Over the years, the art of rapping seems to be less regarded as an art and more considered as a means to make large sums of money. Stereotypically, rap music contains lyrics depicting images of violent, criminal behavior, drug and alcohol abuse, and a condescending view toward women. Some may argue rap artists write songs about past experiences or things they witnessed throughout life. However, many of these stories seem to portray negative experiences, attitudes, and beliefs. A study conducted by F.R. Wester in 1997, found that exposing men to rap music with sexually explicit lyrics, increased adversarial sexual beliefs toward women. It’s hard not to ask yourself if rap music plays a role in the “miseducation” or ignorance of today’s youth. A 2003 study published in the “American Journal of Public Health” by Dr. Ralph J. DiClemente of Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, studied 522 African-American females between the ages of 14 and 18. The women were from non-urban, lower socioeconomic neighborhoods. Researchers found that compared to those who never or rarely watched rap videos, the girls who viewed the rap videos for at least 14 hours per week were: three time more likely to hit a teacher, over 2.5 times more likely to get arrested, twice as likely to have multiple sexual partners, and 1.5 times more likely to get a sexually transmitted disease, use drugs, and drink alcohol. “[They] were more likely role-modeling the behaviors they see,” says DiClemente.
Around WSSU’s campus, I asked students whether they feel what they listen to has an effect on their mood or behavior. “I think it’s the person and how they were raised,” April Fowler said. Business major Ashley Farmer, stated, “What you surround yourself with, affects how you act and your whole mood. I surround myself with mellow music, like neo-soul and old school music.” Bianca Shealey stated, “Different types of music give you different emotions. Rap makes me feel excited while R&B allows me to mellow out.” Some students viewed listening to rap music as a means to relieve stress. “I listen to the rap group 36 Mafia when I need to vent about things. It’s relaxing,” said Trace Young. The idea that rap music is to blame for a portion of the violence in America is debatable. Numerous studies have been conducted and their results are alarming. Perhaps student, Kevin Edmond said it best, “Rappers are entertainers and all they rap about is their life. So don’t try to live their life over again.” It’s important to censor the things you expose yourself to. So the next time you push ‘play’ on your stereo or turn on the television to watch your favorite music videos, make sure you know what you’re listening to.