Artist Responsibility: Rap Culture is not Black Culture

In class, a student talked about rap music and culture, and the role the media plays in it. The discussion centered around the idea that modern day rap lyrics based on sex, drugs, alcohol, parties, girls, and money is considered Black culture instead of rap culture. He said this is because the media portrays the entire African American community in this negative way, even subtly and unintentionally. He used an example of White video producers making music videos for Black artists, and how they portray the artists and their culture in the same negative way that they always do.

My argument is that while the media does absolutely skew its content in favor of White culture, the media is not responsible for the content that well known artists are putting out. When a new song comes out by your favorite rapper, and the entire song is about a huge party and strippers, you aren't going to see a music video without a scene of a half-naked dancing girl on a table with four liquor bottles, no matter if the video producer is White or Black.

Here is an example of what I mean:


Ludacris, a popular rapper throughout the early 2000's had come out with a number of explicit songs about sex, fighting, and drugs like: What's Your Fantasy in 1999, Move Bitch in 2001, and Blueberry Yum Yum in 2004. His music videos matched the content, and of course any media the music gained was not in a positive or respectful light.

By 2006, most of his songs had been about the same things, many of them quickly turning to club and party favorites. One of my personal favorite Ludacris booty-shaking songs and music videos from that year is for the song Money Maker. Here it is:

As awesome as that video was, do you see my point? What kind of conceptual wiggle-room does the media and his producers have when dealing with such a specific messege? Not much. But in 2006 Ludacris also debuted his "Runaway Love" music video and it was glorious and gained a ton of media & fan attention. The music video matched the content, and I personally remember it being powerful and moving watching it as a young girl for the first time. I'll never forget it! Here it is:

My point is, artists can do what Luda did and take their influence and fan base and use it to spread a great message! Music should help you get through your day, inspire you, transform you or simply evoke emotion in you. It should be as diverse as the people singing, and should be an outlet to share the horrors of the worst days living in the ghetto as well as all the super-star perks of living in Beverly Hills. Artists have the right to sing, say, act and portray through music whatever they want, but they also need to realize the importance and influence of their role.

Ultimately, the artists who are making these songs are adults, and have the option to sing about whatever they want. These musicians know that people of all ages and ethnicity's are listening to their music. If a Black artist doesn't want to be seen in a certain light, he/she should set the example for what they do want to see. Black community members should continue to follow their diverse interests, and kick butt in the real professional, family, and social world that we live in, proving that rap culture is not in fact Black culture. It is up to the role models and the men and women in the spotlight to start making the changes that they want to see.