The documentary we watched in class
got me thinking about the lyrics of hip-hop. Do people actually listen to the
lyrics of a song, or do they just sing along because of the beat? Jay-Z’s song
“Minority Report” is about the suffering and destruction of Hurricane Katrina. Did people really dissect this song and
realize it’s significance more than one of 2 Chainz songs?
Some of the men interviewed in the
documentary said that the only thing that sells and will get them signed is
violence in their lyrics. If this is true, how come artists like Lauren Hill
and Lupe Fiasco have sold so many albums? “Muhammad Walks” by Lupe Fiasco is
about religion and religious stereotypes of Muslims. He is talking about
acceptance instead of shooting everyone up just for the hell of it.
Violence is not the only thing that
sells. I believe that personally experience sells as well. Lupe Fiasco talks
about personal beliefs and experiences in “Muhammad Walks,” and Jay-Z’s
“Minority Report” reveals the truth about a tragic hurricane that affected the
entire nation in one way or another.
One of my professors made an
interesting point the other day in class. When listening to a song like “Laffy
Taffy,” by D4L, do you listen to the lyrics or just the beat? If a girl is
dancing to or singing along with this song, does that automatically mean that
they believe they are the equivalent to a ten-cent piece of candy? I would hope
not. I would hope that people are simply listening to the beat and the catchy
tune instead of agreeing that they are worth the same as a piece of Willy
Wonka’s Laffy Taffy.
This got me wondering, should
people really take offense to derogatory lyrics when they are simply meant to
make money? I have my own feelings on the matter, but I do understand people
wanting to make money and doing anything to make sure that happens. However,
the people making money off these lyrics are influential to their fans. Even if
they don’t believe something that they rap about, their fans will simply
because they said it. Is making money off of something really worth the
possibility of sending society on a downward spiral? Artists should thing about
what they write and rap. They should not simply record a song because it will
make them money. They should release it because they believe in it. I am tired
of meaningless lyrics trashing our radios and TVs.
I remember in the documentary that we watched today one of the interviewees said something along the lines of “it’s just for entertainment- no one is actually going to shoot anyone or anything up. We’re just trying to be entertaining”. In that rappers opinion, no one should take offense to his words because they are not meant to be the truth, they are just meant to give people something to sing along to. In a sense, I do agree with him. I don’t think girls listening to songs about hos view themselves as such (I certainly don’t) and I don’t think that men listening to songs about being “hard” and having guns spend their lives trying to achieve this. I do think that the lyrics are offensive to the African American race though. Lyrics like the ones often used in hip hop songs and the images portrayed in hip hop videos are often taken as the “norm” for African Americans, even when, as the rapper in the video said, it’s all just meant for entertainment and not of it is true. The imagery portrayed by hip hop creates a damaging stereotype for many African Americans and it’s hard to believe that hip hop artists don’t realize this.
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ReplyDeleteMajority of the times that I listen to mainstream music, I personally do not take offense to derogatory lyrics, but when I do stop to listen to the words (which rarely happens) I sometimes tend to get caught off guard, and I may get a little offended by what is being said. However, I also know that it does not apply to me directly, so it does not have that much of an effect and I think this is the way most people see it. Although violence is one of the main subjects rapped about, I do not think that music is a proponent of the violence in society, meaning that I do not believe people hear songs about guns and go out shooting other people because of the song. I would like to believe that they’re just lyrics to listeners and not words to live by. After all the white community makes up a large portion of hip-hop consumers, and you don’t see gang banging and drive by’s in white suburb communities as a result of those kids listening to hip-hop. Additionally, when artist record songs they do not think of how what they are saying is going to affect someone else, which is unfortunate. I also find it disturbing to have learned that if we were to ask these rappers elaborate on their words and the effects of their words on society, most would not be able to give a straight forward answer. As seen in the video rappers, and hip-hop promoters do not think about their music in that way, it all comes down to making money.
ReplyDeleteAs for the claim that violence is not the only thing that sells, I believe that you're right: sex and drugs sell too! Citing "Muhammad Walks" to prove that rappers can be successful in selling "smart" music confuses me because Lupe Fiasco made no money whatsoever on that song, it was part of a free tape. Lauryn Hill, after her FIRST and only solo album, quit the industry because she couldn't handle the way the system operated. In her words:
ReplyDelete"In fact, as musicians and artists, it’s important we have an environment — and I guess when I say environment, I really mean the [music] industry, that really nurtures these gifts. Oftentimes, the machine can overlook the need to take care of the people who produce the sounds that have a lot to do with the health and well-being of society, or at least some aspect of society."
Violence, Drugs, and Sex sell, period. The difference between "personal experience" as either true or fabricated by the artist/record label has been lost for the most part in popular music. There is no question what a smart musician's priorities are, should they want to take the system for all its worth. Its all in the eye of the consumer. Lupe's best selling song? "Superstar," a complex song of course, but one which could have easily been misinterpreted by the mainstream listener as another song about fame and fortune... and that is what lead to the song's success more than anything else.
Lucy you pose a great question “is making money off of something really worth the possibility of sending society on a downward spiral?” Honestly, from the documentary we just watched, it is clear that many rappers will do whatever it takes to get them to the top even if it might be detrimental to the listeners. In this era of massive growth in technology, so many kids are exposed to hip hop videos which portray violence, sex, drugs, etc. Some people may ask “Well, why are the kids up this late in the first place?” Well, that is not the question to ask in a society in which kids have ipads, ipods, internet access, etc. In the documentary, one of the hip-hop freestylers was asked “Is this the kind of life you would want your children to be exposed to?” and he answer was “No, but that’s the only way to make it in the industry.” Well, kids pick up what they hear or see very quickly. Although, these rappers wouldn’t want their children to live lives filled with violence and drugs, kids are exposed to these images in media, and these images could be subconsciously imbibed into the minds of kids. There is no telling what would happen when these kids grow older.
ReplyDeleteLike Piper and Memphis have said, as a girl, when listening to the derogatory things being said about females in hip-hop songs, I often do not take offense to it. This is sad though because although many rappers say that they don’t really mean the things that they rap about, and listeners say they are listening to the beat rather than the lyrics, the fact that is that people are influenced by the words. I may not take offense to what the lyrics say about females because they are not specifically about me, but I definitely am influenced by the way in which women are portrayed. Women’s body image, sex appeal, and attitude are all defined by artists and women try very hard to follow rapper’s opinion on what each body asset should look like and how all women should act. As Emmanuel points out, although rappers are supposedly just doing whatever it takes to get to the top, this pattern of people rapping about sex, drugs, and violence is going to continue if we are constantly making kids believe that it’s the only way to succeed, especially within the hip-hop industry. As for girls, even if they don’t take offense to what is being said, they are definitely listening to the lyrics and watching the music videos and judging themselves based on what rappers say they should look like and often times their standards are unattainable.
ReplyDeleteResponding to your question as to whether people listen to the lyrics in songs or the overall beat, I think it really depends on the person. To use myself as example, I used to exclusively listen to heavy metal and would typically only play close attention to the guitars, drums, etc., as most “singers” in the genre are a little difficult to understand, to say the least. Over time, and especially since coming to Rhodes, I’ve greatly diversified my taste in music, and I’ve noticed that even in genres where lyrics are brought to the forefront, I don’t really pay attention to them. That is of course not to say that I don’t hear them, but I feel like I focus more on how they say things, not what they say. I think that this is from not paying attention to vocals over the years. On the other hand, my best friend from back home is a serious rap enthusiast, and always has been. Quite often, I’ll send him a song that I think is great, only to have him comment on how stupid the lyrics are. After taking a look at them I’ll realize that they are, in fact, stupid. What I’m trying to get at here is to 1.) answer your question regarding what aspect of songs people listen to, which in my opinion varies on genre and 2.) to show that lyrics are key in rap music.
ReplyDeleteI think that part of the reason that we do not become immediately offended by derogatory lyrics is that we have become desensitized to the voices of people in the industry. We don't listen to that music to affirm our values or develop our personal character. However, I still believe that as consumers, we have a responsibility to remember the role that we play in perpetuating these verbal myths. If we buy a shirt that was produced with child labor, we have made a choice as a consumer. If we buy an album that was made in part with the denigration of women and homosexuals, that is also our choice as a consumer. We have the power as consumers to reshape our culture and we cannot dilute that power.
ReplyDeleteI am an avid lover of hip-hop and I must admit that unless I am listening to more conscious rappers, I hardly ever listen to the lyrics of popular yet derogatory songs. For younger, more impressionable listeners, however, I definitely think the themes suggested in these songs have a heavier influence on them. Yes, money plays a large role in what songs sell in the hip-hop music industry; nonetheless, I don’t think that constitutes the demeaning subject matters presented within these songs. If the beat is the only thing we pay attention to, why are there any words at all? Why are the violent, derogatory lyrics necessary to incorporate into these songs? Needless to say, lyrics matter just as much as the beat. They sell right along with the up-beat tempo and the booming bass.
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