Analyzing What We Say & Why We Say It
Lyrics in hip-hop music are often a controversial issue in today's society. Artists' raps often degrade women or contain explicit and violent language that tend to upset some listeners. However, it's important to be able to look past the vulgarity and see the story or message each artist is trying to send. In 2010 Interscope Records released Eminem and Rihanna's hit "Love the Way You Lie" speaking out against domestic violence. The song warns and breaks down the cycle of abusive relationships and sends a message to take a stand. People often times don't consider hip-hop lyrics a factor in changing culture or politics, but in reality it has the ability to totally shift our understanding of what is normal or accepted.
Even though at times the explicitness and vulgarity of hip-hop lyrics can be shocking, artists often find it necessary in order to get their message across. In order to get people's attention, they aren't going to sugar coat their lyrics. Those that rap and explain their struggles growing up in the ghetto and poverty want to provide their listeners with a vivid picture and give them a true understanding of the obstacles they went through. This won't be accomplished by sensoring lyrics or leaving out the violent or disturbing descriptions. Rapper Immortal Technique demonstrates this with his song "Dance With the Devil". The song describes the struggles growing up in Harlem involving gang culture, drugs, and the inescapable violence. The lyrics are very detailed and at one point describing a woman getting gang raped. Though the lyrics are unsettling, this is Immortal Technique showing the reality of his childhood. He uses the lyrics to create these harsh images to give listeners a real idea of what growing up in the ghetto is like.
The harshness and explicitness in many hip-hop songs can be a turn off for many, but it's important to understand that many artists feel that it is necessary in order to give listeners a true understanding. In many cases their songs are their stories and personal experiences and they know best how to get their messages across.
A lot of older generations do not like hip hop because of its "vulgar" language and they believe that it has a negative affect on the youth. It does have inappropriate themes at times but it does frequently reflect the values of society as well as the hard times an artist went through. Art is used to express opinions and events. Mainstream hip hop's vulgarity is typically aimed to attract listeners through its raunchy or shocking themes. Hip hop would not be hip hop if you took away its raw lyrics.
ReplyDeleteYeah, hip hop is all about what is said and how it is said. The greatest usually have the best lyrics, the best delivery of the lyrics, or a combination of both. And like you said, sometimes violent and explicit lyrics are necessary to get some of the messages across by a lot of rappers.
ReplyDeleteI liked the examples you used in you blog. The song by Immortal Techniques is a great example how lyrics in hip hop songs can be very vulgar. However, the culture of hip hop has a tendancy to use vulgar language. Do you think there is anything that can change this?
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with this blog. People have to understand that words in hip-hop arent literal. Hip-Hop is poetry, metaphors are at use all the time. And even if it's not a metaphor they're speaking the truth.Yeah hip-hop may be harsh at times, but look at the world we live in!
ReplyDeleteI feel as though very frequently hip hop is targeted as just being very vulgar and not a way of story telling and being an influential aspect of society. Instead it is often deemed as being outrageous and quite outlandish when in fact it can reach the individuals who are not able to connect with rock and country music. I like the fact that you pointed out the beneficial attributes of hip hop that can open the eyes of many biased viewers. In a way the vulgar undertones that the songs hold is used in an artistic way in order to demonstrate the real world struggle of living in the hood, and growing up in such severe conditions.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with this blog, the language artists use and how they use it in their raps are ways for them to get their points across. It sucks that the older generation focuses so much on the ways things are said and not the message that comes from it.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this. I believe that this is not only what makes hip-hop so great, but music in general. The fact that theses artist are so creative a clever when they're trying to say what they want to say it cool to listen to. As a listener I often try to look past the sometimes over explicitness of some music.
ReplyDeleteThis blog explains further the main reasons I like the hip hop artists I listen to. A lot of people dislike boosie and webbie and other street hood rappers but I love the way they deliver..unsensored .
ReplyDeleteThis blog marks a great point. Violence and vulgarity is a predominate feature of rap and sometimes necessary but other times not. In times, it is needed in order to get the message across of what the rapper went through growing up but other times the rapper was just having one bad day and wanted to complain about it.
ReplyDeleteI liked the blog. Language in music is very powerful and certain things will make people act out more than others. I feel Eminem was a very good example because he is always in the midst of a diss track or lyrical controversy.
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