We can do it real big, bigger than you ever done it.

I want this forever, I swear I can spend whatever on it.”

-Drake 

 

Every time that I hear this song by Drake, I love it all over again. What girl doesn’t like this song? It’s by Drake! He has the talent and the looks to match! 

 

“She makes me beg for it until she gives it up

And I say the same thing ever single time…” 

 

Say what? He’s cute, but he most definitely lost my respect with those last two lines, mostly because he wasn’t showing us female fans any. What’s that about? 

 

For majority of urban youth today, hip-hop has become an outlet for expression and field full of celebrities to look up to. The aspiration to become a doctor or lawyer has been over ruled by the dreams of becoming the next hottest rapper in the game. From what we see on BET and MTV Cribs, hip-hop artists seem to have everything that they could ever want. The cars, the clothes, the nice homes… In a way, this is a very great thing because it motivates those of us who are young and aspiring to go higher in our lives. However, couldn’t we all agree that the way hip-hop motivates isn’t that perfect? 

Although I loved Drake’s mainstream hit “Best I Ever Had”, my level of respect for him fell once I actually began listening to the lyrics of his songs. As teenagers today, I’m sure majority of us can admit that we memorize the beats and words to the music that we listen to but we don’t truly process the meaning behind them. I believe this is the root of the problem of how hip-hop is negatively affecting America’s young people from coast to coast. If we actually slowed down and comprehended the lyrics being spat at us, I’m sure all of us would stop and say, “Say what?!” 

 

So I’m sure you’re wondering what’s the problem with the content of hip-hop music? Maybe you have listened to Drake or Lil Wayne’s lyrics but you don’t understand what the big issue is. Recognizing that the music is vulgar but not being bothered by it is even worse than not recognizing the vulgarity in the first place! Violence, alcohol abuse, drugs, and misogyny…These are all the things that we seem to bypass and just push to the side. “Oh, he just called me a four-letter word. It’s okay. He just said he gets high every day. It’s alright. He’s only talking about taking someone’s life with the rest of his gang. It’s all good.” Whether we want to believe it or not, we’re letting these same trends grab a foothold in our lives by simply excusing it. The more we accept it as simple entertainment, the more hip-hop artists will pump it out because they believe that it’s what we want to hear. Sadly, the issue only gets worse as they do so. “You can not change what you don’t acknowledge,” says one of the country’s best psychiatrists, Dr. Phil McGraw. Obviously the artists aren’t recognizing the vulgarity of the music so as their consumers, we can not expect them to miraculously change the way that they master their craft. It’s our job to show that the negativity is an issue and must be dealt with. 

Although being a hip-hop star today seems to only promote negativity as a result of the music, there are celebrities past and present that can admit to the craft changing the course of their future. In many ways, hip-hop has saved the lives of many in the past because they were able to pick up a mic instead of a gun when the world seemed to be closing in on them. Today it seems that the complete opposite is happening because the music itself is condoning it. It’s condoning killing someone over money, condoning selling drugs instead of getting an education, and just as in my own situation, condoning disrespecting females with vulgar language, and sometimes, even actions. It’s easy to say that we don’t get involved in these types of things but we are still unconsciously letting these issues into our lives once those headphones are on. The question is: What are we going to do about it? 

As youth, we have the most powerful weapon to use against the negativity being portrayed in our music: our voices.  Without supportive fans, the careers of celebrities aren’t promised; thus, we are very important to them. By speaking out about our feelings and ideas concerning the messages being sent to us in the music, artists will acknowledge that in order to continue their career, they must please their fans. This is the only way that they will know we disagree with them! Starting today, let us all begin to search for ways to let our musical entertainers of Hip-Hop know that no, we don’t agree with what the messages they send through their music, and no, we won’t accept it at any cost.