Does Hip Hop Influence Violent Behavior?
View Full Essay “I got twenty-five dollars on my dresser, and if I give it to my hoe she gone bring back more”, a lyric from “Cash Money Millionaires” by hip-hop star Lil Wayne. Would hearing this lyric encourage someone to become a pimp? Hip hop music does not affect its listener’s behavior; it only expresses situations that are already happening. In “How Hip-Hop Holds Blacks Back,” by John McWhorter, he states “By reinforcing the stereotypes that long hindered blacks, and by teaching young blacks that a thuggish adversarial stance is the properly ‘authentic’ response to a presumptively racist society, rap retards black success.” That quote provides a one sided view; in opposition I would argue that hip-hop is a verbal expression of frustrations caused by sub standard living conditions, a racist and unforgiving society, and the obstacles faced by black inner city youths. Hip-hop is one of the most controversial and misjudged forms of music. Critics view it as a promoter of violence, d
