T10 0873314 Rap Music

Rhythmic American Poetry or Rap is a musical art form that will be remembered in history as one of the most important and influential mediums for youth culture worldwide .

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People who listen to rap are not thugs or gangsters that stand on street corners. Ignore the common misconception that all rap listeners are black males who reside within the “ghettos” of America. Recent soundscan data shows that 70% of rap listeners are white.

Rap music stretches its long arms to touch a wide audience of a mixed race and gender. Not only are its devoted fans both men and women of many ethnic backgrounds, but also of many different classes. While the majority of its artists emerge from the poorest neighbourhoods, Rap fans live a lifestyle contrary to the portraits painted by the composers.

Music lovers who subscribe to Rap as a genre of choice control a large level of buying power. This is evident in the marketing of major corporations who have skewed their messages to tap into a much “cooler” target audience.

Jay-Z is a rap superstar and one of the most successful businessmen in the world. The Brooklyn, NY native was the first rapper to turn corporate entity via his Rocawear clothing line. He is a partial owner of the NBA’s New Jersey Nets and the president and CEO of Def Jam recordings. To put it in perspective…Vince Carter and Kanye West both work for him. His success is obvious by his recent engagement to Beyoncé.

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Snoop Dogg was the first rapper to have his own language/style of rap recognized in the dictionary. He coined the phrase, “Fo shizzle”. Among his many other off-the-wall trends the “pimp cup” can be seen in music videos and clubs worldwide.

Lil’ Wayne is one of the hottest rap artists today. He has done collaborations with almost everyone in the rap industry. What sets him apart from other artists are his unique features in other genres like his song with Rock star Travis Barker and singer Robin Thicke.

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Rap music should be given appreciation for being a tool for creative expression. Oftentimes the subjects or concepts discussed by artists in their songs give a negative portrayal of what Rap is. Rhythmic American Poetry should not be viewed in a negative light because the truth of the matter is, there is a difference between what is said in a song and what happens in the real world. Many artists within this genre come from broken homes and poor neighbourhoods and this music has afforded them the chance at a better life. People who are fortunate enough to make a career out of writing, performing, and producing Rap music give back to the low income communities from which they came. This ultimately helps individuals from these areas from perpetuating the negative lifestyle that is often depicted in the music.

The most common misconception about Rap music is that its only content pertains to violence, women, drugs, and money. While the majority of artists that contribute to music in this genre touch on subjects of that nature, it does not reflect the entirety of that music. Mainstream artists release songs that will get radio/television play in order to create a buzz about their albums. True fans understand that the music on the album is what the artist has truly put effort and creativity into, not just the single that gets played on the radio. When judging an artist take into account their whole body of work, not just the aspects that support a preconceived notion. Many artists like Young Jeezy, Plies, and T.I. include political and socio-economic opinions within the lyrics of their songs.

RAP LISTENERS BY AGE (2008) mediafilemagazine.com

RAP ALBUM SALES infoplease.com 2004 81,418 2005 75,062 2006 59,534 2007 41,662 YEAR # of Sales (Millions)

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