Gangsta Rap Analysis

Gangsta Rap Analysis
In her article, Kim Barnes takes a supportive stance on gangsta rap. She says, "Now, rap music
appeals to many people, including teen–agers, who are this style's biggest fans. Some people would
say it is bad for teen–agers to listen to some types of rap music, such as "gangsta rap."I have to
disagree with them" (Barnes). Gangsta rap sends a powerful message to its listeners. Gangsta rap is
just one form of rap and teen–agers should not be discouraged from listening to it. Even gangsta rap
has important messages. When different artists preach about their gangster lifestyles, they are
speaking about what their lives are like on a daily basis. People need to start paying attention to the
deeper meaning of these lyrics. Gangsta rap brings up the social justice issues that are occurring in
our world. By gangsta rap addressing these problems it helps raise awareness and unify us. "Rappers
are telling people what is going on and that something should be done about it. For instance, many
rappers are warning young brothers and sisters that there is police brutality out there and to watch
their backs" (Barnes). The rappers tell a story about their life and send a message of hope to the
listeners. After the rapper's become famous they continue to give hope. These rappers prove that
anyone can ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
So, for all the rappers who are speaking the truth and sending positive messages in their lyrics, keep
on what you are doing" (Barnes). Gangsta rap is more than inappropriate lyrics and themes. The
motive of gangsta rap is to help educate others on the social justice issues occurring in today's
world. By listening and interpreting the lyrics it tells a story about a person's life. Gangsta rap music
sends a powerful and inspiring message to its listeners. By learning more about the message behind
gangsta rap it can help how it is
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Tupac's Influence On African American Culture
As hip hop continued to progress in society this musical genre became incorporated into the
gangster lifestyle. This gangsta rap became iconic in society creating various amounts of artist that
contributed to this subgenre of hip hop. One of the most important rappers to contribute to gangsta
rap was Tupac Shakur. This an was an individual that used his music to advocate on behalf of the
African American community and speaking of the injustice that the community has been facing
since the introduction of slavery into the United States. Shakur's style of gangsta rap incorporates
ideas of respect, identity, and importantly representation among people of color in a white
dominated society. Shakur's music is still iconic and forever living in society because of how he
speaks of issues plaguing America. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
However, in Eithne Quinn's novel, Nuthin' but a "G" Thang: The Culture and Commerce of Gangsta
Rap, introduces this new side of Shakur that I personally have never thought was possible for man
with such a gangster reputation. Quinn describes Tupac's sense of style in gangsta rap as, "rhymes
[being] indignant and accusatory, pointing the finger at the racist social order and most defiantly at
repressive law enforcement" (Quinn 175). Mentioning how Shakur's rhymes were meant to express
the injustice brought down by the racism within America demonstrate how Tupac used his music to
demand for social change. With explicitly rapping these remarks Tupac is calling out for change,
and ultimately respect for himself and his community because they have been victims of this racist
society since the introduction of slavery. Without his rhymes of social injustice, it is possible that
change would not have progressed as it did without the help of Shakur's music. However, with this
mention for respect, Shakur also speaks of

O Shea Jackson's Ice Cube: Gangsta Rap
This is the story of Ice Cube, Songwriter, rapper, composer, director, producer, actor, screenwriter,
and industry mogul. Ice Cube was born O'Shea Jackson on June 15, 1969. He was raised in South
Central Los Angeles by his mother Doris and his father Hosea, who, fearing the effects bad
influences would have on their son, had O'Shea bussed to Taft High School in the suburbs of San
Fernando Valley where he graduated in 1987.
Living in a neighborhood rampant with gangs and drug use, he used the violence and adversity he
witnessed in his community as inspiration for countless hardcore rap hits. Jackson changed his
named to Ice Cube, started rapping at the age of 14 and eventually became what some people
consider the founding father of "Gangsta rap". He achieved industry recognition through
nominations and awards including the VH1 and BET Hip Hop Honors. In the beginning of his
career, Ice Cube was a member of N.W.A., a notorious rap group that quickly rose to fame during
the birth of Gangsta rap and hip hop. The group had a falling out over money, however, and ended
up in an infamous battle of the rap stars which prompted Cube to take his music career solo. ...
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He began writing, producing, directing, and acting in over 35 movies including the Friday movie
trilogy which gained a huge following in the 90s. In 2015 Ice Cube co–produced the award–winning
biopic Straight Outta Compton, a movie about the rise and fall of N.W.A. and starring Ice Cube's
oldest son and namesake O'Shea Jackson Jr. as his father's younger self. The movie thrilled fans and
critics, making over $200 million worldwide and receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best
Original Screenplay. Ice Cube also owns his own production company Cube Vision and record
label, Lench Mob Records where 2 of his sons are among the many artists

Gangsta Rap And Its Impact On The Rap Game
"You are now about to witness the strength of street knowledge" (Rob,2002). Gangsta rap, music's
biggest rebellion formed from this "street knowledge." "In a pop world where rap was still
considered a novelty, it was a serious shock to the system" (Rob,2002). N.W.A short for N****s
With Attitude affected the rap game in three ways, positively, negatively, and overall. It was twenty
years ago that the rap group N.W.A with Ice Cube as its most vital lyricist released its album
"Straight Outta Compton". They called their music reality rap, everyone else called it gangsta and
music history was made. Hip hop music came from the clubs and sidewalks of New York City as
party music made with turntables and rhymes by performers who usually couldn't afford music
instruments. It was party music and then it came west and got a beat down by a swaggering
collective that called itself N.W.A. They took the genre to the dangerous side of the street
(Boucher,2008). N.W.A's first album 'Straight Outta Compton' influenced a number of films
depicting inner–city violence, such as "Boyz N The Hood" and "Menace II Society." N.W.A
influenced an attitude change about rap music and its impact. 'Straight Outta Compton' changed
what was considered extreme and explicit. N.W.A's music affected people similarly to Nirvana's
"Nevermind" album that introduced grunge in 1991. Their music allowed for a certain freedom.
Now rappers were free to speak their minds no matter how explicit their lyrics were. "At

Sociological Analysis Of Hip Hop And Rap Music
1.) In this class we have examined the sociological forces that created the social conditions from
which Hip–Hop emerged in the Bronx. Drawing upon Chang, as well as videos (Bronx is Burning,
Flying Cut Sleeves etc.), discuss the sociological roots of rap. Specifically, what social forces (for
example: state policies, global economic trends, technological advancements, community
characteristics as well as race, class, gender politics) were present and facilitated the development of
Hip–Hop? Hip–Hop is an extensive and a broad conglomerate of various artistic forms that
ultimately originated in the South Bronx and then quickly spread throughout the rest of New York
City among African–Americans and other African–American youth mainly from the Caribbean and
from Jamaica during the 1970's. Over the course of decades and recent years, controversy
surrounding Hip–Hop and rap music has been the vanguard of the media. From the over hype of the
East and West Coast rivalry to the deaths of Tupac, Biggie, and even Michael Brown and Trayvon
Martin, it seems that political and broadcasting groups have been injudicious to place essentially the
blame on rap and Hip–Hop music for a superficial trend in youth violence. Even though critics are
very quick to point out the vehement and intense lyrics of some Hip–Hop artists, they are ultimately
missing the point of their message. Similar to other different forms of music, Hip–Hop and rap
cannot be understood unless it is studied and analyzed

Rap: Dominant Forces In Popular Culture
Whether rap is amongst the most dominant forces in popular culture has been an ongoing argument.
Rap has been a favorite musical genre amongst all Americans, specifically young teenagers. Rap has
been intensively growing and has reach global success. Different forms of rap have been adapted in
various different countries in order to satisfy the public's enjoyment of the genre. More specifically,
gangsta rap is a subgenre to the broad genre of rap. "Artists offering other kinds of rap are
categorized as either "alternative" or "non–gangsta wing of hip–hop" (Armstrong 335). This is
because gangsta rap is rap's dominant subgenre. Eminem, or Slim Shady, is gangsta rap's biggest
star. Eminem, the professional name of Marshall Mathers III, is a ... Show more content on
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Eminem complains that, "Every interview I do is like, your lyrics are deadly, man, they're violent
and misogynistic; or black this, white that" (Wiener 61). Eminem's construction of authenticity is
clearly portended through appraisal of race and, or violent misogyny as thematic features. Most of
his work is seemingly directed towards his dominant white hip–hop audience. Some of this work
includes his announcements of his being white and his view of violence and conflict against women.
Eminem is clearly an authentic gangsta rapper due to his heightened hatred that is more seriously
acclaimed than the rappers before

Gangsta Rap Research Paper
Gangsta rap music, existing for a long time in America, has drawn much attention in contemporary
popular culture compared with other genre of music. World wide albums of gangsta rap sold greatly
and we could see growing popularity among gangsta rap singers. For example, Eminem is the best
gangsta rapper and album selling singer in the first decade of 21centry. His worldwide albums sales
stand at surprising 100 million, singles 120 million. Holding thirteen Grammy Awards, he has been
praised for "The best Rapper Alive" by the readers of the Vibe Magazine. Moreover, he was even
listed as 13th on MTV's 22 greatest Voice in Music and 82th on Rolling Stone's "The immortals".
Such great trend was followed by people who believe gangsta rap is a popular ... Show more content
on Helpwriting.net ...
For a long time, gangsta rap music has been associated tightly with crimes and drugs. Since the first
creation of the gangsta rap is from the Mexico and American drug trade in 1980s, the gangsta rap
has tight association with crimes and drugs. The crime rates and drug consuming rates have raised in
the past five years in the United States. the purpose for gangsta to purports to reflect urban crime
and the violent lifestyles of inner–city youths and the relationships with illegal gangstas made
gangsta rap music a bad music in it's essence. Gangsta rap music which contains drug and crime
lyrics thus became people's claim for propagating this crime and drug situation. This association
with drugs and crimes made the government to think that yet there is nothing but the legally way to
stop it. There one of the most sustained censorship in gangsta rap music drives in the American
history came to the fore. "Gangsta rap celebrates gang culture, talks in non–condemnatory terms
about drug use, and is disrespectful of authority"(Johnson). So when we considering about gangsta
rap music, we only see the manifestation of the gangsta culture and the reflection of criminal life in
the gangs culture. Thus it is easy to brings about the anger towards them. In addition, the gangsta
also provoking and sustaining the gang wars that have decimated the ranks of young black men in
recent years and provoking the hostile towards the

Analysis of Will Smith's Party Starter
In order to analyze Will Smith's song and video entitled Party Starter, it is important to understand
the history of hip–hop music. Hip–hop music was created out of rap music. Rap has been around
since the 1970s. It was originally used as a way for inner city African American youths to voice
their daily struggles. Most rap songs had a simple beat with words spoken to the rhythm of the beat.
These songs were usually upbeat even when the subject matter was serious. There was the
impression or hope that things will get better. Soon, corporate record labels started to repackage rap
music as it gained in popularity. The business minded executives were looking to create a wider
appeal by erasing hip–hop's historic function. Hip–hop ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The new music was labeled hip–hop. Many of today's hip–hop artists grew up listening to classic
rap or at least the 1990s gangsta versions. The lifestyle that was once frowned upon is now
glamorized and sought after. Even though hip–hop has become commercially successful, it is still
distributed by white dominated corporate America. It is marketed through white dominated,
mainstream media outlets. Record companies seek out controversial artists that draw attention and
free publicity in the media. Female artists are marketed as sex symbols. If they aren't, their careers
are short lived. They may speak about equality between the sexes in their songs; they are still
sexualized in a negative way in the media. They are disrespected and often referred to as "bitch" or
"ho". Exotic dancing is glamorized. Videos of half naked women dancing played on mainstream
music networks has made today's youth feel that this behavior is acceptable. Will Smith's Party
Starter conforms to the commercial and acceptable trends of hip–hop in several ways. The way
women are shown in the video is very typical of hip–hop today. There are a lot of beautiful, scantily
dressed women dancing in a provocative way. They are mostly African American women. The video
portrays them as sex symbols. The clothing worn by Will Smith is also fits the commercialized
image of hip hop. He has on baggy jeans, a warm up jacket, sneakers, a t–shirt

Gangster / Gangsta Rap, A Hip-Hop Music
Gangster/Gangsta Rap is a hip–hop music that it has a theme and has lyrics on the lifestyle of a
gangster. Gangster music is more than the "Gangster lifestyle" it is about the artists getting people
see the reality of society and through gangster rap that is how they got their point across.
Gangsta rap started in the late 1980s and early 1990's, it became a dominant lifestyle in the genre.
Ice–T was the first to release a gangsta rap song which was 6 in the mornin'. N.W.A was the first
group to make gangsta rap known when the album Straight Outta Compton was released in 1988,
which was about protest of police brutality and racial profiling. The artist who was involved in
gangsta rap were, Notorious B.I.G., Tupac, Snoop Dogg, Ice.T and etc. Gangsta rap was considered
to be similar to narcocorrido genre that is played in northern Mexico.
N.W.A was a rap group who became known when their album Straight Outta Compton came out in
1988. N.W.A's song "Fuck Tha Police," from their album Straight Outta Compton became popular
because it's controversial message. Some people did not find, N.W.A's " Fuck Tha Police" amusing
because they thought it was, offensive. While others had different opinions on "Fuck Tha Police."
For example, a Minnesota attorney named Hubert Humphrey III said, "This is frankly offensive to
me, and to any parent–If they were to hear and know what

Gangsta Rap Essay
This can actually be seen in a study by Herd (2009), in 1985–1989 32% of songs had violence in
them that increased by 23 % in 1990 that made it go up to over 50%. In 1994–1997 60% of rap
songs contained lyrics about violence and it kept on increasing as the years went on. The content of
these rap songs can range from sex, drugs, race, religion, social issues, and crime. The early 1990s is
when Gangsta rap, new form of hip hop first came out. Once "gangsta rap" was formed the negative
influences started to increase. The debate suggests that rap or "gangta rap" encourages anti social
and pessimistic behavior. Gangsta rap is a subgenre of hip hop music that many people believe
promotes procriminal behavior through glorifying involvement in criminal ... Show more content on
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50% of all rap songs talk about drugs and criminal behavior and 93% of gangsta rap talks about
violence. Many of these 'Gangsta rap" lyrics talk about the person being a drug dealer, doing drugs
and in the music videos they are even seen smoking weed. This does influence youth's behavior.
Lyrics have become more explicit as they reference drugs, sex and violence. Some rap music has
been characterized by presence of messages of violence, racism, homophobia, and hatred towards
women. Drug, tobacco and alcohol use are also glorified in a lot of these songs. Regarding the
effects of popular music on behavior, several studies have demonstrated that preference for certain
types of music could be correlated or associated with certain behaviors, such as the association of
drug and alcohol use.
A lot of people also form stereotypes about people who listen to hip–hop and rap music, especially
the black male teenagers. They are stereotyped as kids that only wear sagging pants, oversized t–
shirts, and caps and the " I don't care about anyone" attitude listening to loud music all the time and
using vulgar language, the females are seen as loud, ghetto, ready to fight at any minute, and walk
around with barley any clothes on. Some of the guys will even go as far as wearing grills, and some
also get

Kanye West Influence On Hip Hop
Flashing lights, money, and fame, for many hip hop artists these are just normal aspects of life that
they experience everyday. For many rappers, this stardom came through gangster rap in 80's and the
90's. Gangsta rap is known for being based off of gang relations, drugs, and sex, and because of this,
many people were hindered from enjoying a very popular form of art. In the era before Kanye
West's influence, hip hop only catered to those who lived in the "hood", while a majority of people
could not listen to this form of music without feeling out of place. This form of hip hop was popular
for its "edgy, noisy sound [, and] lyrically it was abrasive, as the rappers spun profane, gritty tales of
urban crime" ("Gangsta"). The aggressiveness of this type of ... Show more content on
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Kanye grew up in a relatively nice neighborhood where he never experienced the tales that gangster
rappers told. Because of this Kanye could never relate to these lyrics, this drove him to change hip
hop. " Relatable to anyone with lofty goals... [The College Dropout] spoke to the concerns of
everyday people." (Fairfax). With this change in subject matter, a wider scope of people can listen to
hip hop and relate to the problems that everyone experiences, even Kanye West. Many music critics
and fans believed hip hop can only be based on the abrasive lyrics it previously was, and if a change
were to happen it would only make hip hop worse. With Kanye's debut album The College Dropout,
Kanye "[Demonstrated] that being socially conscious didn't have to equate with being boring" ("15
Ways Kanye"). With the majority of rap listeners listening to the likes of 2Pac, B. I. G, or Snoop
Dogg, who expressed mostly gang related sentiments, most believed anything else would be
lyrically boring, but Kanye West changed this social stigma. However, this was not the only change
Kanye created with the release of his debut

Contextualization Of Sex In Big Poppa
The atmosphere surrounding the rappers are often reflective of the gangsta theme as the rappers
themselves deliberately provide bad role models for youth to follow. Through the development of
the rap music genre, the rappers themselves were seen to have cultivated a gangsta image that
served as an important visual tool for the youth. As discussed by Canton, "similar to actors who
portray gangsters in film, the majority of gangster rappers were not gang members and some
attended college; they were getting paid to talk about a life that they were extremely familiar with,
but did not live". In a way, by cultivating this lifestyle, these rappers promoted this lifestyle as it was
seen as a popular topic for music. Their songs became representative ... Show more content on
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These negative connotations isn't just representative of a small sample of rap. The concept of
gangster rap is so prevalent that it has created a culture that openly embraces the violent messages
that it portrays in its lyrics. Furthermore, these statistics show the problem of acceptance whereas
such a large amount of the population have already accepted the messages in these lyrics to be
socially acceptable. As opposed to being appalled, these songs are being promoted as economic
successes. In response, artists are following this trend to make their lyrics more controversial and
with more negative ideas in order to fully grasp the market. Especially in the current society, the
recent conflicts between minority groups and authorities have caused a return to gangsta rap as
people look to identify with their current feelings. Given the fact that Billboard 100 have recently
released an article stating how "listeners have become increasingly obsessed with gangsta rap", it
signifies a drastic change within our society as gangsta rap has once again become a rallying cry
towards violence against the authorities. In this case, the negative effects of gangsta rap is shown
where it represents the fact that it will and has a significant impact that turns the youth towards
violent

Rap Music And Its Effects On Society
Who some call the call the godfather of rap, Eazy E, once said, "Who gave it that title, gangsta rap?
It 's reality rap. It 's about what 's really going on." There has been a great injustice done to the form
of expression called rap. In essence rap is just lyrics over a basic beat or rhythm. Many members of
society today assume that rap is a dangerous and violent influence, however what they seem to be
ignorant of is the fact that rap music is actually beneficial. The majority of the world we live in
today has unjustly classified rap as a barbaric form of music, unfit for any decent human to listen to,
but the reality of the situation is, that people simply cannot accept the culture known as rap into
society. Nowadays, rappers such as Kanye, Soulja Boi, and Wiz Khalifa are receiving much
criticism about the way they portray their "hoodlum" lifestyle or the way they "encourage" violence
through their music, when in actuality they are venting about the unfair circumstances society has
forced them into. Listening to rap music and it's positive vibes is in fact beneficial based on
evidence which shows that consumption of rap music not only assists the listener in several ways,
but also aids the rapper. The form of music that we know as rap is heavily influenced by earlier
African American music forms. Modern day rap, originates from it's previous form of gangsta rap.
Gangsta rap is an extremely controversial form of music, even to this day, people argue about how
"safe" it is

Gangsta Rap Influence
The influences that are taken from listening to music can have both a positive or negative affect.
Depending on the music it can also present different stereotypes that can have a negative influence
on a specific group of individuals. In a recent study it examined the influence of Gangsta Rap on
Academic and Behavioral Issues among 5th grade African American Males. Decades of criticism
and controversy have earned gangsta rap a bad reputation because of its apparent admiration of
drugs, sex, and violence (Chideya, 1995). Is gangsta rap a deterrent to academic achievement. The
scope of this study only focuses in on 5th grade boys who are African American. It also focuses on
one form of music and that is gangsta rap. Gangsta rap has formed a bad reputation over the years
due to the stigmas and stereotypes that this type of music provides. When it comes to gangster rap
and its influence it is assumed that it can change the ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Ten fifth grade African American Students from a private elementary academy in a suburban in
Atlanta attended. Each student was referred by their teachers and were selected on present level of
low academic performance and multiple discipline referrals. To determine this data, information was
gathered through two surveys, a pre–intervention survey and a post student survey. The both the pre
and post–intervention survey a Likert scale was used. The method used in this was a Quantitative
data collection method. When it came to the limitations of the study it was clear that the small
sample size had a impact on data collected. Due to the size of the sample this study can't be
generalized for all 5th grade African American Students seeing that it only focused in on those with
behavioral and academic issues. The length of the program beings that it was only 6 weeks long
leads room for the possibility of having some

The Mafia 's Influence On Hip Hop
The Mafia's influence on Hip–Hop In Rap, there is a unique culture, history, social impact and
influence on society. Hip–Hop/Rap is one of the most popular genre of music. It has helped shape
the pop culture into what it is today. What is popular culture? The ideas, activities or products,
which are popular among the general mass. In today's pop culture, one subject that is at the top of
the list is hip–hop/rap. Hip–Hop music highlights verses consisting of slang and catchy phrases,
which some parents find troublesome. However, the younger generation find it to be an expression
of an artist's life. Although rap is very influential, other elements in the past have influenced rap.
You can see this through the Mafia and their cultural ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
When talking about the American Mafia, mostly it's referring to the Italians and their influence.
During the height of the Mafia its influence on society was massive and mostly in a negative way. In
pop culture, the Mafia represented violence, gang affiliations, and criminals. Although, in the
perspective of our generation today some view them as heroes. The reason for this is mostly from
the rise of hip–hop in society and how people view it. The Mafia 's impact on hip–hop goes up
against various structures, glorifying the lives of mobsters over a significant time span such as Al
Capone, John Gotti, and Bugsy Siegel. The American Mafia originated in New York, Chicago, New
Orleans, Detroit, and Philadelphia during the 1920's. Many generations later, rappers would
predominantly be born from these cities aspiring to get the many benefits of fame, the sudden
notoriety and popularity. Despite the fact that the height of the Mafia 's impact was largely found in
New York in the 1990's, rappers such as Jay–Z, Biggie Smalls, and Mase are key examples of
rappers who were influenced by the Mafia in some degree. The 1990's consisted of other impacts
like movies, commercials, news and a few New York rappers influenced by the long legacy of
movies like The Godfather, GoodFellas, and Casino, revealed to the world hip–hop 's true form.
These rappers mostly consisted of Tupac Shakur, Biggie Smalls, N.W.A, Snoop Dogg and many
more. Rappers such as these where

Rapper's Charm Analysis
The starting point of this analysis begins with the 1979 single "Rapper's Delight " by the Sugarhill
Gang, as it is the first rap song in history to peak in the Billboard Top 40 . During this time, many
African Americans in the Bronx were throwing block parties, thus the need for music that would be
suitable for these occasions . Hence, the theme of this hit single was on partying so it could
complement another form of hip–hop: breakdancing. For example, "The beat starts getting into your
toes. You start popping your fingers and stomping your feet. And moving your body while you're
sitting in your seat. And then damn you start doing the freak" uses imagery, mixed in with the
positive emotions given off from the upbeat tempo to encourage the audience to dance to this song.
Another example is the line, "But first, I gotta bang bang the boogie to the boogie. Say up jump the
boogie to the bang bang boogie", which shows us that these lyrics were meant for partying with the
word "boogie ". Also, this song is quite materialistic in its lyrics. Examples include, "I got a Lincoln
continental and a sunroof Cadillac" and "Hear me talking 'bout checkbooks, credit cards, more
money than a sucker could ever spend", which shows us that materialism in rap music was already
present ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
One incredibly famous example is Lil Jon's "Real Nigga Roll Call" featuring Ice Cube where it still
holds the Guinness World Record for most number of swear words in a song with 295 swear words
in just over five minutes. N.W.A.'s "Gangsta Gangsta" contained 63 occurrences, showing us the
major discrepancy between the two types of music. In fact, on a linear scale, the amount of swearing
in each song has been generally increasing in the graph below, which could indicate that the record
executives attempt at making money off of gangsta rap was quite

Gangsta Rap Pioneer
Gangsta rap pioneer Dr. Dre aka Andre Romelle Young was born on February 18, 1965. He grew up
in Compton, raised mostly by his mother (after his parents split up).
They moved around frequently, and finally settled in the Compton area. At Centennial High School,
Dre showed lots of talent for drafting, but he paid very little attention to his other course work. He
transferred to Fremont High School and then went to the Chester High School. He had very less
interest in schoolwork, he wanted to make music. Dre then got a music mixer for Christmas in 1984
and soon turned his home into his studio.
Dre started going out to L.A. Nightclub more often, where he got his chance to sing, dance, act, in
front of people when he joined the "World Class ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
He is known as The King Of Hip–Hop by many because he shares knowledge and wisdom to the
younger generations (like me). He wears many other hats that people appreciate him for. I
appreciate him because he stands out for all African Americans and says that "they are the strongest
hard working people in the world". He is a fun loving guy that will keep a smile on your face. If you
don't believe me, please see the photo of him and Oprah. Oprah doesn't even like rappers. Dre is
also an inspiration to people that are poor, he said that he used to do $50 a week and now he earns
$19.66 per second. Not only that but to help those people he donated $1 million dollars to pay for
hospital bills, schools, and funerals. Dre and Jimmy Lovaine also donated to the University of
Southern California $70million. The money goes toward giving students the opportunity to learn
marketing, business, design, and liberal arts. In fact, Dre also made a donation to help Los Angles be
a safer city. Most rappers are sometimes decent people. Sure they smoke weed, but there's always
more than

Gangsta Culture And Cultural Resistance
For the longest time art has been a tool for expressing one's self, passion, anger, pain, grief, or even
resistance. Cultural resistance, as Stephen Duncombe claims, can "provide a sort of 'free space' for
developing ideas and practices" (S. Duncombe 5). There have been multiple theorists trying to
identify what depicts a subcultural group as culturally resistant. Cultural resistance can take
different forms and can be expressed via different media depending on the subcultural group. Some
theorists also identify cultural resistance as a form of political resistance (p. 6). The Gangsta Culture
is a widely known subcultural group that developed in the late 20th century in the "wild, wild west,"
and it can be argued that the subculture is highly ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
154).
The music produced by the subculture is quite straightforward in explaining what the group is
resisting and what it stands for. Tupac Shakur is known for creating musical content that is against
the dominant society where police brutality against African Americans, racism and sexism was
ignored. "When gangsta rappers do write lyrics intended to convey a sense of social realism, their
work loosely resembles a sort of street ethnography of racist institutions and social practices..." (p.
153) Tupac's music is directed towards conveying the message that the world needs a change.
"We gotta make a change...
It's time for us as a people to start makin' some

Effects of Gangsta Rap Essay example
"Obviously rap music is too violent. It serves as a musical accompaniment to the entire underclass
culture of violence," says the author of "See No Evil", David Klinghoffer, in an article in the
National Review. This extremely narrow minded philosophy has neglected to discover what rap
music really is and what it means to its millions of buyers, who are mostly of upper–class status.
Rap is not only music, it is also a black cultural expression that prioritizes black voices from urban
America, and it is a form of rhymed storytelling accompanied by highly rhythmic, electronically
based music. Rap music is a form of art or expression like any other type of music. Rap music in
itself is not violent. Rap music of today is merely a reflection of ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
Take the late Tupac Shakur for example. The deaths of Tupac Shakur and the events surrounding his
death had and still have many people believing that rap music and the industry in general played a
part. Everyone that was against rap music used his death as an excuse to blame rap for violence.
They were saying that his violent lyrics are part of the reason that he was murdered. C. Delores
Tucker, a very famous anti–rap music advocator, was quoted as saying "Mr.Shakur always talks
about violence and now it has come back to him." What type of thing is that to say about someone
who has died? Shakur did talk about violence in a lot of his music but he also has just as many
positive lyrics. He has made songs about teen pregnancy, suicide, and one of his all time bests was a
song called "Keep Ya Head Up." This is a song dedicated to black women. He tells the black woman
that he loves her and begs other men to honor and respect her as a mother, sister,etc... The point of
this brief on Tupac is that yes he talked about violence but rap music is not to blame for his death.
Shakur grew up in a terrible environment which caused him to have a negative outlook on life.
Tupac like many other rappers was educated and wanted to be positive all of the time. He said, "Yes,
that's what I want to do. I want to move people. I want to heal them, but I'm still just tryin to silence
the

Hip Hop vs. Ethics Essay
Ethics of The Music Industry Works Cited Not Included Hip–hop culture has been socially labeled
as deviant, a counter–culture, un–American because of its lack of moral. Specifically, "gangsta rap"
which glorifies guns, sex, violence, drug use and gang activity has been castigated. This type of rap
promotes a nonconformist and rebel adaptive behavior. As a result, it gives hip–hop culture a
deviant label. A simple definition of deviance is "behavior that does not conform to group–shared
norms; behavior that (in some way) does not meet the expectations of a group or a society as a
whole and is subject to social control" (Liska 2). Mr. Kirkland, along with rap entrepreneur Russell
Simmons, Grammy award–winning Chuck D, Charles Fisher and ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
Larger society may disapprove due to their immoral ethics and promotion of deviant ideas, but
larger society also supports freedom of speech. Whether or not morals are worth the loss of a basic
constitutional freedom of speech is in question. The indicator of moral panic surrounding hip–hop
music is: volatility. The eruption of this newly found threat to fans of rap music by famous
"gangsta" rappers and it's fairy–tale like "gangsta" life themes have occurred within the last decade.
The volatility and eruption of these rebel ideals, specifically "gangsta" rap started on the West
Coast, innovated by N.W.A., "Niggaz With Attitude." NWA was most controversial music group to
top the charts on the "Soundscan system, which tracked sales of national record sales, during the
early 90s" (Farrish 2). NWA's lyrics and images heuristically analyzed and promoted gang
affiliation, drug dealing and use, homicide, sex, misogyny, alcohol abuse, and hate on police
campaigns. "The rap industry is an oligopoly where 5 large firms dominate the market" (Rose 55).
According to hip–hop philosophers such as Rose, hip–hop music has become homogenized.
According to Marxian theory, "fetishism of

Essay about Rap Music and Teen Violence
Music can be a reflection of our life experiences. Each genre of music invokes different emotions
and reactions in its listeners. Rap has become a very popular genre of music. As its popularity has
increased, some people have questioned whether it can trigger violence in teens. While some rap
songs do have violent lyrics, there is no direct evidence that rap music provokes violence in
teenagers.
Rap music has African roots just like jazz, the blues and rock 'n' roll. African slaves sang songs to
tell stories about the pain and struggles experienced during slavery. However, music was also a way
to celebrate life, love and share tales about the life they had before slavery (Lommel 10). Rap music
began in the slums of New York in ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The raw emotions and lyrics in early gangsta rap songs made it a very profitable form of rap (Quinn
4). While gangsta rap would eventually appeal to a larger audience, it purpose was to shock and tell
a story like original African storytellers.
Since gangsta rap was first introduced by the group N.W.A., this type of rap music has sold more
albums than any other form of rap. Gangsta rap in some ways glorifies violence, drugs, and easy
money. N.W.A. wrote a song about killing cops that created a firestorm of controversy. As a result of
several such controversies, the Parental Advisory Explicit Lyrics labeling system was enacted in
1985 (Lommel 68). This system required the music industry to label songs that have explicit
language and limit the sale of these albums to adults.
Like many musical genre before rap, some people believe that rap music influenced teenagers in a
negative way that could lead to violence. Some criminals have blamed movies, books, and music as
inspiration for their crimes. However, one cannot solely rely on these sources as the main reason for
any act whether good or bad. "Millions of heavy metal and gangsta rap fans spend hours with their
chosen music genres and never threaten others or themselves. Moreover, most researchers
concerned with the causes of suicide and violence point to a broad array of risk factors unrelated to
popular culture (e.g., depression, access to guns, substance abuse, etc.) that seem to be precursors of
such

When you listen to music today just know 9/10 they are influenced in some way by the "gangsta
rap" group NWA. This group had formed in the late 80's. Following they had made 2 of the most
popular songs to this day "F#ck Tha Police" and "Straight Outta Compton". The groups lyrics were
real, brutal and in a way inspirational. They made others want to be themselves and not follow
others, to be unique. Even after the split the men continued to influence and pursue in the hip pop
world by finding more rappers who end up making a huge impact as well in the world. In a more
simple example, NWA was a rap group of 5 men who wanted to voice what was happening to the
blacks in america with brutal honesty and how they were being mistreated, little did ... Show more
content on Helpwriting.net ...
The group had already made a difference in pop culture. But, individually is when they made even
more of a impact. Everyone who was in the group ended up being successful in some kind of way,
either by producing music, being a film director or buying other businesses like Dr.Dre had done.
NWA started to split in 1989 when Ice Cube had first left and decided to go solo because he didn't
feel right about what was happening to his money. Same reason Dr.Dre (Andre Young) had left was
because of the money. It worked out for both of them though. Each one made a impact in the world
in other ways. Ice cube makes films now like "Boyz In Tha Hood" the reason for that movie was to
show how black lives were growing up in Compton,California or even just most blacks in general.
Also, by doing all these movies he directed or was in some of his money goes to charity that helps
less fortunate. He helped direct the movie about NWA which went to show the people the struggles
all of the group and other black people who had lived inside the so called "hood". If it wasn't for
Dr.Dre honestly don't think music now would be the same. Dre had discovered some big name
people who do more than just rap. For example, he found Tupac,Snoop Dogg, Eminem and
Kendrick Lamar. There are way more but these are the main ones who contribute more than just
lyrics. All those people are donating to charities, schools or even just random kids

Ice Cube ( O ' Shea Jackson
Gangsta rap originated in the late 1980's. "Ice Cube (O 'Shea Jackson) of the rap group NWA
(Niggaz with Attitude) wrote the song "Gangsta Gangsta," and it shocked America with its violent,
sexist, and obscene lyrics. "Gangsta Gangsta" ushered in a new genre of hip–hop music called
gangsta rap, which became identified with Compton, a predominately black and Latino working–
class and working poor neighborhood in Los Angeles". Many people did not agree with the sexist
and indecent lyrics in gangsta rap even though the lyrics were telling the story of many people who
lived in this reality.
"Gangsta rap acted as an outlet so such people could express themselves angrily and not in fear that
they were going to be silenced for telling the truth. They often used gangsta rap to tell the stories of
their lives, which sometimes included strong violence, hypersexuality, and drug abuse." This music
style was new and different. Gangsta rap was authentic and helped tell a story with its deep lyrics.
"During the 1990s, Republican and Democratic politicians and some black leaders blamed, not all
hip–hop music, but gangsta rap for all of the black communities ' social problems: drug use, teenage
pregnancy, unemployment, gang violence, and high school dropouts. Even though these problems
existed in the black community prior to gangsta rap, this music and culture has provided a
convenient target to avoid addressing the causes of the real problems of black America: racism,
sexism, and poverty".

Differences Between Rap And Rap Music
I. Introduction
Rap music is defined as popular music advanced by disc jockeys and urban blacks in the late 1970s.
This kind of music consists of a repeated beat pattern that provides the background for rapid, urban
language, accompanied by a vocalist. Hip–Hop music is a genre that originated in the United States
by inner–city African Americans in the 1970s which consists of a stylized rhythmic music that
commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted. The Difference
between rap and hip–hop music defined by EBONY is that hip–hop is a culture while rapping is one
of four elements contained therein–the others being breakdancing, DJing and graffiti. The
perception of rap music/hip–hop music by academic scholars is often accurate, in the portrayal that
types of rap/hip–hop musicians often exhibit violent, misogynistic, antisocial, and materialistic
content and behavior. Writer's Johnetta B. Cole, Tia Tyree, Michelle Jones, Matthew Oware, and
have all discussed the topic of rap music, and the ways in which it exhibits violent, misogynistic,
antisocial, and materialistic content and behavior.
II. Literature Review
The article titled, "What Hip–Hop Has Done to Black Women," written by Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole
starts off the piece by explaining how the nursery rhyme, "Sticks and stones may break my bones
but words can never hurt me." Remains a defense mechanism for the younger generation against
verbal bulling. But Cole counter argues the rhyme saying that

Summary Of Gangsters: Real And Unreal By Nelson George
In his "Gangsters– Real and Unreal", Nelson George discusses the rise of drug use and the
manifestation of criminal activity originating from drugs, prostitution, and dominance relating from
the influence of gangsta rap lyrics. George observes the rise of cocaine "[i]n the 'Superfly' '70s" (22)
and the prevalence of its "first references" (26) in 1983, a sign of the rise in popularity, concurrently
though slightly succeeding the crack price drop from 1980 to 1992. "The bitter street–hardened
sense of irony" (George 55) is developed throughout gangsta rap lyrics, where George emphasizes
on the growth, severity, prevalence, and influence that drug use has, specifically crack due to its
widespread distribution and affordability in the era, on

Essay about The Problems of Gangsta Rap
The Problems of Gangsta Rap
The cultural majority in America is up in arms over the rising levels of violence and horrific images
that have seeped into popular entertainment.
Movies, television, and music have always been controversial, but even they can cross the line
between poor taste and immorality. Entertainment corporations and record labels don't even blink,
when told of the excessive torture or satanic lyrics found in material. Producers and directors
continue to push the envelop on what is "done in good taste."
Gangsta rap is one of the current problems of society. Popular music for teens has always been
controversial, or at least in conflict with middle class attitudes. Teen music has always been under
scrutiny ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
According to the American Psychological Association, a typical child sees 8,000 murders and
100,000 acts of violence on TV before graduating from elementary school (Nation, 1994).
The results of how television, specifically sex and violence, affect children is not completely known.
Although psychologists state, "Aggressive children like to watch violent TV shows, and it appears
that watching violent TV shows makes children more aggressive; this is presumably due to their
exposure to aggressive models" (Eron, 1987). One of Hollywood's more remarkable aspects, is that
it has produced approximately 400 pictures that convey traditional integrity and the mainstream
virtues of love, loyalty, honor, duty, and compassion. Consider movies such as Forrest Gump, Little
Women, and The Lion
King. In contrast, a movie such as Natural Born Killers was intended to imitate the link between
violence and media attention in our culture.
In the long run, individuals will make decisions about what they will buy, read, or see. Some will
lean towards the vulgar and the pornographic. The
American society has some sense of this. They may be irritated or outraged by pop culture, but the
polls state that the principal courses of violence and other national problems lie beyond the
entertainment industry (Congressional
Quarterly Weekly Report, 1995).

Hip Hop And Its Effect On Society
Many people believe that Hip Hop is detrimental to society. I do believe that a lot of hip–hop culture
revolves around negative things, whether it be objectification of women, violence, drugs, pimping,
the care free lifestyle, now worrying about anyone but yourself, and being materialistic. All of that
does not lead society in a good direction. And if you as a black person consider that to be you
culture, that hip–hop is your culture, and the hip–hop you listen too predominantly promotes things
such as violence rioting, and stealing, then to say that that culture is partially responsible for what is
happening is correct. Before around the time my dad was growing up hip–hop was positive, then
what starting happening is NWA (Niggas With Attitude) came out, and all these other groups that
were just trying to "tell it how it is" or "tell it how it was" in their hood, constantly pushing violence,
violence, and violence. This became much more acceptable. Anything that permeates the culture the
way hip–hop has or the way movies have, they have an effect. Young people have taken on gangster
mentalities like, do whatever you have to do to get by, if you have to sell drugs and murder then do
what you have to do, and if someone disrespects then fight for respect. And all of this that you hear
in music affects not only the black culture but also society as a whole, and if you do not believe that
then I believe are delusional. No one person, no one group of music, no culture is

Gangsta Rap Thesis
Greg Tate of the Encyclopedia Brittanica (insider for hip–hop music) stated best that "...the
romanticization of the outlaw at the centre of much of gangsta rap appealed to rebellious
suburbanites as well as to those who had firsthand experience of the harsh realities of the ghetto."
Here, Tate explains the true meaning behind the genre 'gangsta rap'. Though brutal and
straightforward, this music selection was an expression of freedom for those stuck in low–income
homes, poverty stricken neighborhoods, drug polluted streets, and gang filled high schools. Gangsta
rap not only proved to be an outlet from the 'ghettos' but it also altered the hip–hop sound. Gangsta
rap proved, in the early 80s and late 90s, to be the music that would alter the previous hip–hop
movement through narrative lyrics, hardcore beats, and realistic messages from the east and west
coasts. Gangsta rap is a genre of music that become very popular in the 1990s that reflected the
violent lifestyle that was seen on both the east and west coast. This music would become a ... Show
more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The bonds that you made, the codes that were there, all have an influence on you later in life. You
can reject them. You can say "Okay, those codes don't exist for me, because I'm not of that world
anymore." But the reason for those codes–why people live that way– are very strong lessons. The
most important reason is survival. It comes down to that, That struggle of the human form, the
corporal, the flesh, to survive–anything to survive. I think those things you carry with you the rest of
you life." Agreeing with Scorsese's statement, I too believe that people are who/what they come
from. Gangsta rap truly portrays this and that is why the sound completely changed the hip hop
movement. Hip hop music went from rappers spitting rhymes about what they wanted (cars, money,
houses, women, etc) to straight–up, real world rhymes that gangsta rap called the 'harsh reality

Gangst Gangsta Raps
1) While Denise Herd argues in her article, "changing images of violence in Rap music lyrics:
1979–1997," that the impact of gangsta rap lyrics was extremely harmful that "lyrics celebrated a
rape culture," it is necessary to recognize that lyrics provided the message to the colored people to
take a stand against the authority who were against them (396). 2) As Pancho McFarland mentions
in his article, "Chicano Rap Roots: Black–Brown Cultural Exchange and the Making of a Genre,"
about the noisy background sound of gangsta rap that "noise are necessary elements to tell the
stories of postindustrial urban America," rappers used noisy sound to send a message to their
listeners to become violent and raise their voice against the authority (944). Paragraph–level
Counter Argument: ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
In her article, "From Compton to Cape Town: Black(faceless)ness and the Appropriation of Gangsta
Rap in Die Antwoord's "Fok Julle Naaiers," Kitchiner Lanisa brings up a quote from "The Art of
Rap" where Ice Cube adds that "[Gangsta rap] is street knowledge...[Its] letting the streets know
what the politicians is trying to do to them. And then, letting the politicians know what the streets
think of them, if they listening" (77). This quote implies that their lyrics told everything that the
minorities wanted to tell the authorities and lyrics also informed the colored people about the
injustice. By admitting the fact that Ice Cube presented, it is undeniable to say that the lyrics had a
great impact on making colored people mindful about their rights. In conclusion, the lyrics of
gangsta rap produced an anti–authority movement because of the fact that the authority was using
illegal power against colored

The Roots And Stylistic Foundations Of The Rap Music...
Cheryl L. Keyes' "The Roots and Stylistic Foundations of the Rap Music Tradition"
1. Keyes points out that rap music derives from what she refers to as the "West African bardic
tradition." What is this tradition? What is the role of the griot in this tradition? What parallels do you
see between the groit and a hip hop MC (the rapper, often the main writer of lyrics for a group)?
The West African bardic tradition refers to the passing on of empirical knowledge from elders,
known as griot, via a media of rapping, which occurs as a tradition where "the grandfather...bring[s]
all the immediate children around him to rap." This tradition is the expression of historical culture
and lessons via a media of poetry, rhythm, and music. The role of ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
In regards to its influence, the prevalence of the chaos and gangsta–driven era, though being a factor
that led to the popularity of gangsta rap, also played a role in supporting and contributing to the
recurrences and prolonged period of gangster–driven supremacy.
Tricia Rose's "Rap Music"
2. Rose argues that women "are not major players in the use of sampling technology nor have they
made a significant impact in rap production." List some reasons why Rose makes this claim. Does
Rose provide evidence that counters or complicates her argument? In other words, how have women
been, despite being clearly marginalized, essential to the development and production of hip–hop.
As Rose notes, "women have been virtually absent from the area of music production" and were
"often actively discouraged from learning about and using mechanical equipment" due to a variety
of reasons. "this takes place informally in socialization and formally in gender–segregated
vocational tracking in public school curriculum. Given rap music's early reliance on stereo
equipment, participating in rap music production requires mechanical and technical skills that
women are much less likely to have developed." Rose also notes that since many needed access to
equipment, such as how Red Alert's success was widely due to his access to his neighbour, Otis, and
thus stereo equipment was readily accessible to him–for social, sexual, and cultural reasons young
women would be

Violence In Rap Music Essay
Boom, boom! Boom, boom! The kind of bass that drains batteries and the kind of lyrics that unload
clips, these are the sounds that rap music produces. I chose this topic because I am extremely
interested in rap music and I want to explore the violent aspect of the industry. I have never had a
chance to look at the violent side of it and I plan to find answers to questions I have in my search.
Tupac Shakur is one of my favorite artists and when he was shot and killed I really started to take
notice of the violence. People were getting killed because of an image that was being set. What I
really want to know, however, is why rappers feel compelled to graphically describe the violence.
In my search I plan to ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Hip–hop wasn't a new form of music in 1989, in fact it started in 1982 with Run DMC, but nobody
was ready for this form. The police and politicians didn't like what N.W.A was saying in their lyrics,
but all of the things they were rapping about were things that were going on around them on a daily
basis. They were seeing people being shot, drug deals going down, and women being called
b*tch*s. "I remember when Straight Outta Compton came out, where I lived we could all
relate to what they were rapping about because it was our lifestyle."(Wilson. Interview). So
basically art was imitating life. But as the decade took a turn into the '90's, so did things for N.W.A.
(Tha Biography of Tha E) Ice Cube left to pursue a solo career (Ice Cube– Westside Times) and
after him Dr. Dre left to start Death Row Records with Marion "Suge" Knight in 1992.
(The Untouchable Death Row Records)
From the beginning Death Row Records was like a family, according to Dr. Dre. With acts like Dr.
Dre, Snoop Doggy Dogg, Tha Dogg Pound, and Warren G, Death Row
Page 3 was a dominant force in rap music. Suge Knight, a former college football player for
U.N.L.V (University of Nevada Las Vegas), used his 325 lb. frame as a scare tactic. A former
employee of Knight, Vanilla Ice ( Rob Van Winkle) recently said in an interview that Knight held
him by the ankles over a hotel balcony demanding rights to the song "Ice, Ice

Does Gangsta Rap Harm Black Americans?
Does Gangsta Rap harm Black Americans?
Gangsta rap is a form of music that is enjoyed by everyone and there should be no stereotypes
attached to it. It has been debated if Gangsta Rap harms Black Americans; it is a heavily criticized
art form since its inception. The Encyclopedia Britannica defines "Gangsta rap: a form of hip–hop
music that became the genre's dominant style in the 1990s, a reflection and product of the often
violent lifestyle of American inner cities afflicted with poverty and the dangers of drug use and drug
dealing. The romanticization of the outlaw at the center of much of gangsta rap appealed to
rebellious suburbanites as well as to those who had firsthand experience of the harsh realities of the
ghetto. " We all know that Hip Hop's audience has expanded past our inner city youths. Hip Hop
concerts are a melting pot of races, cultures and ethnicities enjoying music. "Hip–hop is as popular
among youth in Europe as it is in many parts of the world and has had an active if relatively small
underground scene since the early 1980s." writes Miles White, who is a former staff writer for USA
Today and author of a critical social–historical study of hip hop culture. "In 2007, I attended a
concert by 50 Cent in the Czech Republic capital of Prague that had been heavily advertised for
several weeks with a darkened, grimacing image of the Queens, New York, rapper on large posters
throughout the city. I was admittedly more curious to see who buys enough tickets to a

Art Is Free Flowing, And It?
Art is free flowing, and it can be argued that it's what makes up most of our lives in today's
American society. Just about anyone is into art in one way or the other; and despite common beliefs,
art isn't always the conventional drawings or paintings. Art can be seen as writing,
Television/Movies, and music. More commonly known as art, music, is seen as one of the biggest
industries in America today. From Country and R&B to Rap, possibly one of the most scrutinized
genres of music, the creative potential is limitless. To some rap, more specifically Gangsta Rap,
sounds all the same and they would argue that it in fact isn't or shouldn't be considered art. Art is
broken down and defined based on the uniqueness of the art. For example, ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
Gangsta Rap and anime consist of a number of stereotypes in there publications, and as a result both
reinforce preexisting stereotypes about specific groups of people. It is often one of the roots of
discrimination in a society, which leads to other forms of hatred. A stereotype is commonly formed
when a person sees a small number of people who do a common action, look a certain way, or even
act certain way and makes a blanket statement like "all people do". In Gangsta Rap, many artist use
lyrics in which strengthen stereotypes specifically about rappers; and in turn African American
citizens. By this I mean, rappers would rap about five core topics. These topics, as stated by John
Paul Hampstead, "feasting, raiding, treasure, misogyny, and fatalism" are five topics that Gangsta
rap and Heroic Poems cover (Hampstead 77). Overall, these trends we see in Gangsta rap become
habits of the everyday person, and become ritualistically a way of life for some. Lyrics, commonly,
speak about sex with women, use of drugs, crimes and money. For example, in Nas's "NY State of
Mind" he says "I'm like Scarface sniffin' cocaine/ Holding an M16, see with the pen I'm extreme,
now/ bullet holes left in my peep holes/ I'm suited up in street clothes, hand me a nine and I'll defeat
foes" (line 9–12). In truth, the lyrics often gives a picture of a criminal; since a majority of

Analysis Of Gangsta Rap By W. A.
1988, That's when the so called "Gangsta Rap" emerged with the album Straight out of Compton
N.W.A as a huge product that appealed to the younger generation of African Americans since it was
the rawest thing they've heard, in my opinion, it is as raw as the reality surrounding young African
Americans, which is the reason why it became something huge. The album Straight out of Compton,
N.W.A is one the most successful figures in the hip–hop industry by being a classic that is still being
played to this day. The huge success was rewarded by the most important certifications in the world
of music, by being a double–platinum which means this it doubled the minimum limit for the
certification of a platinum record by selling more than one million ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
The first three songs of the Album are a truly unsafe intro to the streets of South central L.A,
Compton. The song "F the Police" in particular have caused a wide outrage because it came in at a
time when the streets are frustrated with the police for police brutality, harassment, racism, and
being labeled as thugs. The frustration has reached its limits with protests and outrage by the public
when the police refused to provide security for the N.W.A concert tours, as if the police picked its
side against whoever takes part of the movement against its own harassments to the African
American community in Compton. In 1989, a rare scene in the history of music occurred when the
F.B.I notably sent a message to Ruthless Records, the label company for N.W.A, excoriating the
music and all of its content. The message have caused the N.W.A to put it out to the public, even
though it felt like a threat to stop making the music that caused the N.W.A to be more powerful,
mainstream and even noticed outside of the United States for places that go through same
difficulties in life and roughness that the world was totally ignoring. The message from the FBI is a
historical figure in representing the approach by the government to demolish the rights of the N.W.A
group members to freedom of speech even though it invites to fighting the power, and it is today at
the Rock and Roll

A Modern Day Minstrel Show
It is clear that our country 's criminal justice system is the new Jim Crow; with a huge majority of
felons being African American, it is obvious that people of color have it harder when it comes to
crime sentences. We must acknowledge that mass incarceration and the Jim Crow era are greatly
similar. Minstrel shows, which showed black men to be lazy, dumb, and clownish, once justified the
oppression of african americans. Many now believe that gangsta rap does just the same and is the
modern day minstrel show, by portraying blacks to be drug dealers, angry, and violent men. Though
many people believe that gangsta rap reinforces these stereotypes, it's important for one to realize
that this form of expression is not a modern day version of blackface performances.
Blackface performances were popular in American theaters for roughly 100 years, beginning around
the 1830's. In 1950's blackface minstrel shows, white and black performers were not able to share
the stage therefore they opted to paint their faces black with polish. These "black" characters were
always portrayed as either villains or comedic. Blackface had been used to make arguments for
slavery and why African Americans should not be given full human rights. These are narratives
created by white men that were made to oppress and dehumanize an entire race of people. The
minstrel show clip titled "Cotton and Chick Watts Blackface Minstrel Show Comedy" we are shown
a very degrading performance put on by two white

Drake, jay z, Kendrick Lamar, j Cole are all famous famous rappers. They are the new hip hop
rappers changing the world with their talent. Some rappers start from the bottom, they start from
nothing, then they work their way up to be prosperous. They bring new style of rap to the world,
telling stories about their struggle in their lyrics, but the more famous they get, the more they start to
modify. Rap and hip–hop music, as we know it today, actually began thousands of years ago in
Africa. You would be astonished with how rap music has evolved over the last couple of years. Rap
is supposed to tell a story about struggle or hard times, not attacking someone who likes a different
color than you do. First let's talk about rap and its actual meaning. Rap is one of the most salient
music genres of the late twentieth and early twenty–first centuries. "Gangsta rap, in particular, with
its focus on urban street life, has become a dominant means of expression within contemporary
African American adolescent culture. As such, it speaks directly to issues of identity, culture,
violence, and nihilism–themes that permeate recent research on inner–city black communities." ...
Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
It has achieved global prominence through its vivid sexist and homophobic lyrics, as well as its
violent depiction of urban ghetto life in America. Gangsta rap has also helped bring attention to
other styles of rap music. So many people are in love with rap because some of the stories the
rappers tell might relate to them. Although gangsta rap originated on the East Coast in the late
1970s, it has widely become associated with California, particularly Los Angeles, due to the
multimillion album sales of West Coast rappers such as Ice Cube, Ice T, Dr. Dre, and Snoop Dogg.
Los Angeles might proclaim itself as the home of gangsta rap, but gangsta lyrics and style were part
of the hip–hop scene from its origins in the South Bronx, New

Hip-Hop / Rap Music
Possibly one of the most controversial forms of art is hip–hop/ rap music. Since its birth, the genre
has influenced unique styles, forms of dance, as well as expression of one's self, but has also
influenced hate, murder, crime, and racism. Hip–Hop has brought people together, and has pulled
them apart. Some may argue that the music has changed the world (which in some ways it has),
however, it is constantly influencing the young teen mind in ways they should have never been.
Though the genre has influenced many to fight for what they believe in and stand up against being
mistreated by the government, hip–hop music (as well as the industry) has affected the minds &
behaviors of young teens and society around the world. Hip–Hop started in New York during the
1970's (Issues & Controversies), and has since then changed its sound, purpose, and overall attitude.
At first, there was funk, which then influenced hip–hop, then later came hip–hop/ rap who
developed their own styles of the art form ("gangsta" rap, hard–core, trap, and others). It was not
just the beats and rhythms that changed, but also the lyrics. These controversial lyrics led hip–hop to
become one of the biggest faces in mainstream media; But it was not recently, several moments in
history have led to the rise of the music. Individuals would turn to music to let out their frustrations
during the Civil Rights Movement. Nowadays, rappers' lyrics come from the influence of where
they're from, mostly "ghetto"

Gangsta Rap
In conclusion, you have take many factors into consideration to understand the mainstream cultural
reaction to this material and why its highly varied. In both Jamaica and urban poor US cities, there
are a lot of gang–related violence that have helped fill a leadership void in the community among a
dispossessed people. There is poverty in that it's almost a trap to get out of as black families have
been struggling for so many years to break the cycle that has kept them apart of this system. This
system sets them out for a life of crime that could eventually lead them prison. For example,
especially in the United States, black males are so prevalent in the prison populace in the country in
that on any day, a male with no degree is more likely in jail than working. And so with such
struggles like this, a lot of it is then reflected in reggae and hip–hop music. "As hip–hop gained
popularity, musicians who'd actually lived something resembling the life they sang about in their
song faced the temptation of ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
But essentially it didn't, but instead you have white people who are inspired by the dangerous
lifestyle and their bourgeois attitude. These social groups call for such boycotts because the music
itself does not adhere to the normality of suburban middle class America, but in reality these
boycotts are a response to this idea of systematic slavery that still takes place in that white people
saw and heard something that made them feel uncomfortable or not safe and so these groups then
take actions

Gangsta Rap Analysis

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Gangsta Rap Analysis