A load of c(rap)?

Modern Rap 

Since the 1980s, rap music' popularity has increased significantly. However, many argue that the quality of the music has decreased, in recent years years. Nowadays, rap seems to revolve around fast cars, expensive jewellery and excessive alcohol and drug usage. So, how did rap music go from this...

To this...

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It seems as if the increasing commercialisation of rap music has caused it to lose much of its soul and purpose. Modern rap has often been criticised for promoting negative values, such as sexism, homophobia and violence. While these values were present in some older rap music, they are more prevalent today. While early rap was concerned with rejecting material values, modern rap songs seem to be brags about how rich and successful the rapper is. It is common to see rappers talking about their 'bling' and designer labels, while partying in a huge mansion or private yacht. This kind of commercialism promotes a lifestyle which is uncontainable to most people, particularly young working-class African-Americans, who are the target audience.

There are many harmful and degrading stereotypes in modern rap music. Black male rappers are often portrayed as 'pimps' or 'hustlers' and as being sexually aggressive. This is not so different from the way slave handlers viewed African American men, as lustful beasts whose energy needed to be contained. Rap videos usually show black women as underdressed and oversexed objects of male desire. This is a particularly dangerous portrayal, as African-American women are the social group most likely to be victims of sexual violence.

There are three major corporations who control 95% of music in the world (Bell, in Aggarwal, 2012). Viacom is an American media powerhouse which owns MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon, Paramount pictures, and various other channels, stations and websites. In 2001, Viacom purchased Black Entertainment Television (BET),  a channel which had previously been owned by African-Americans. As a result, artists have very little control over the music they make anymore, and if their music is too provocative, it simply won't be played. It seems as if rap is cool, as long as it doesn't challenge the existing hierarchy or attempt to break stereotypes.Also, it is okay to be rebellious, if that rebellion does not challenge authority. Blanchard (1999) mentions that modern rappers often talk about hurting other black people, but rarely talk about rebelling against the government or promoting social activism.