Hip Hop and Culture

by Jerrica Rucker
University of Memphis Student

As I’ve stated before, Hip Hop is one of the most criticized cultures in America. The images of hip hop portrayed in the media have a large part to do with that. I question whether or not extensive studies have been done to expose why hip hop is viewed in such a negative light. Is there an underlying cause deeper than the degrading images of women or the foul language that stirs this discomfort or distaste for the culture? Is the disdain for hip hop directly correlated to the attitudes towards African Americans in America?
The portrayal of hip hop in the media fuels the battle between the culture and society. Through the media, hip hop is accused of being the bad influence on young children today. The albums and music videos—which are publicly rated according to age appropriation—are heavily scrutinized by concerned parents and have often fallen victim to petitions and demands for censorship laws. No one considers how the birth of hip hop changed the black community for the better and gave young blacks a voice. Although newer hip hop music is said to be trash compared to older music, hip hop still serves as an outlet for young people. It is something that takes them away from the realness of life for just a few minutes. It is not a coincidence that a large percentage of the news stories or blog articles feature hip hop artists who have been recently arrested or killed. The charity events, donations, and other humanitarian acts these artists commit goes unnoticed. Why is hip hop America’s favorite “bad guy”?
This type of publicity lays the foundation for the many stereotypes concerning hip hop. Even worse, these stereotypes have been directly associated with the black race as a whole. Whenever the word rapper is mentioned people automatically think “baggy clothes, flashy jewelry, lack of intellect, foul mouth, etc.” in spite of the fact that current artists such as J. Cole and Lupe Fiasco excelled in school. In fact, J. Cole’s GPA was higher than a 4.0. African Americans living in struggling neighborhoods are almost expected to be on some type of drug. Black women are expected to become single mothers and black men are expected to be incarcerated. These stereotypes can lead—and have led—to inclinations to discriminatory actions towards blacks in general. People see the negativity of hip hop on television and hear about it on the radio and take it to be the image of the typical black neighborhoods in America.
Is hip hop attacked because it is the only way to criticize blacks without being called a racist? If hip hop was a predominantly white culture would America have the same problem with it that it has now? Why is it that the increase of the selling and use of drugs in black communities got more publicity than the white neighborhoods that have had the same problems for a longer period of time? The answers to these questions may never be known but they do make me think. The media may have played a larger part in the “death” of hip hop than the artists has. The constant bashing of the culture and the negative attitudes it has influenced has not helped the strides made towards making hip hop meaningful again.