Week 6

How Do You View Hip-Hop Music?

This week I want to open up my blog to find out what you all think about hip-hop and its influence on youth. There are several arguments discussing the positive and negative effects of hip-hop, and I was wondering how do you all view hip-hop music.

Personally I feel that it is obvious that hip-hop music affects teens lives In fact it probably does so more than it should. Young kids often mimic rap artists and how they dress, act, and speak. And I feel that this can be both a good thing or a bad thing. If hip-hop artists use their popularity to support good causes then they will generate a huge following. Furthermore, they can also use this popularity to make young children more aware about different social issues. However, although there are positive messages in hip-hop, the general perception is that it's about wearing lots of jewelry, getting drunk, doing drugs, women, and crime. And while this a way of life for a lot of people in the inner cities, it adds to the negative image that society has about hip-hop artists because the media and listeners often forget that music is simply entertainment.

This is an interesting article that I found discussing how music influences teen's sexual behaviors.

Week 5

I was on the internet when I found a website showcasing a video called Hip-Hop for Kids. This is an exercise video that uses hip-hop music and dances to get kids to be active and have fun by learning the latest dances. I found this to be very interesting because this video is also using hip-hop in a positive way to help our youth. The video features Roger G, who has been featured with Jay Z and has appeared on 106 & Park and Def Comedy leading several kids in a hip-hop dance workout. Hip Hop for Kids recently won the Parent Choice Honors Award for Best Children’s Video and is currently distributed in the USA and abroad. This video tackles the issue of obesity in kids and uses hip-hop dances as a means of exercise. This is just one of the many strides that the hip-hop community has taken to use its popularity for a good cause.