Rap and Race: It’s Got a Nice Beat, But What About the Message?

Rap and Race: It’s Got a Nice Beat, But What About the Message?

I grew up as a rap fan, however, I would say that mine was influenced by other peers in the community. My peers were lovers of rap music and I couldn’t resist being part of the team. However, at the age of thirteen years, I started having a reason to why I was listening to such music. First, the beats were so good and would lift my mood whenever I was down. Secondly, the message that rap music came with was so educational. The quote I chose was; 

“The wider variety of rap acts Black adolescents listed provides evidence that they have a broader knowledge of rap. Some of the White respondents’ answers to the question, “Why do you listen to rap?” indicated that Whites were listening to rap because it has a “good beat,” so the message of the music was not as important as the sound. This leads me to believe that although Black and White adolescents are saying that they like rap, they may be getting two different messages from the same music (Sullivan, 2003).”

 The quote resonates well with this week’s lessons. In most cases, rap music has been associated with African-American and Latino. During the initial years of rap music, many Whites criticized the genre stating that it was associated with violence and crime and never viewed it as a genre that was instilling social awareness on sensitive matters like racism to its fans. Today, even though Whites have become fans of rap music, its popularity is much felt among the Blacks. The article indicates that most whites listen to rap because of the beats and not the messages contained in the music. 

I chose this quote because it helps in answering how rap is constructed in different social settings. It also gives a solution between the relationship between race and representation. Most African-American fans listened to rap songs because of the messages contained in the music. When asked by the researcher, most of them responded that rap music help them connect with the experiences they undergo. These songs contain different messages such as the effects of police brutality and how the Blacks are segregated by the Whites in authority. However, the Whites might not connect the messages the music contain because of lack of experiences. Most fans love the beats and not the message because they are things that do not affect them directly. It is the reason why rap music is popular among the Blacks. The experiences listed by the artists in the songs enable them to feel at home because they are things that happen to them on a daily basis. Therefore, it can be said that rap music is perceived differently among different types of races. Unlike the Blacks, the Whites do not undergo some form of discrimination and therefore may fail to identify with the messages hence are more attracted to the beats more than the messages in the songs. 

The quote helps individuals in understanding that even though most Whites and other groups perceive rap as a fad and a phase, it should be noted that it has a wide-reaching effect on developing and maintaining identity. It is evident that even though different groups have a different perception about rap music, it is a source of information to a certain identity i.e., the Blacks. Some Whites also indicate that rap music influence their opinions about racism. However, they do not identify with it as an immediate effect on their social lives. When asked to describe why they listen to rap, one White representative responded that it helps them identify with things that happen to “somebody” in the hood. The statement clearly depicts that even though some listen to the messages, they don’t identify with the experiences mentioned in the music. However, the Blacks feel that rap music makes them to feel at home. 

Reference

Sullivan, R. E. (2003). Rap and race. Journal of Black Studies, 33(5), 605-622. https://doi.org/10.1177/0021934703033005004