Meagan Bens

With my research project, I want to bring about awareness concerning rap music stereo-

types and their consequences on society. People who listen to the music, whether black or white,

rap along because it is a popular genre, but not everyone considers the power behind the words.

Whether it be walking around campus, at parties, or just hanging around, students can hear rap

songs blaring from speakers. People also may not realize that a majority of rap music’s con-

sumers are suburban youth, also shedding light onto discrimination. Through my experiences, it

seems as if rap music containing these stereotypes are for the enjoyment of white people. From

my personal experience, people will use examples from rap to solely create the image of “black-

ness.” People believe this single representation covers the whole black community, but that is far

from the truth. The hip hop culture was created in Bronx, where poor black and hispanic families

accompanied with crimes, drugs, and violence lived around the 1970s. DJs and rappers emerged

at block parties, and rap started as conscious rap, rap that publicly speaks out against issues.

“Conscious” rap moved to the underground, and “gangster” rap moved to the top of the charts due

to its popularity. This gangster rap overshadows the origins of rap and ultimately undermines

blacks in society today.

My intended audience is the rap-listening audience, whether they are black or white.

White people who read this will be more educated and realize the consequences of their actions.

They will hopefully realize how much rap and hip hop culture affects their perceptions of blacks

and that these stereotypes stem from the days of America’s establishment, highlighting that racial

discrimination is still an issue. Also blacks who listen to rap will be more informed about the

motivation behind the music today and understand the consequences they face due to the music’s

prevalence in society. People who will lose support are rap music producers today. Music pro-

ducers tend to focus on gangster rap because it sells, considering their main desire is to profit. I

want my audience to be persuaded that the music that we nonchalantly rap along has a lasting

impression on society’s perception of blacks.

I imagine starting with a background consisting of the hip hop culture and how rap music

emerged. From there, I will address the transformation of rap music back then to the rap music

popular now. I then will address the common aspects of rap: violence, misogyny, and drugs, all

contributing to the perception of extreme masculinity today. Then I want to dive into the stereo-

types individually crafted in the music, and then reveal common preconceptions whites have to-

day. I want to highlight the effects each stereotype has on blacks and how it prevents them from

living just as normally as a white person. After going through the common stereotypes and ef-

fects, I want to leave the audience more aware of their actions. Considering a majority of rap lis-

teners happen to be from the suburbs, they do not experience or witness what gangster rap de-

scribes. They merely take what is thrown at them through music and assume it is applicable to all

blacks. Also being the youth from the suburbs, the majority of rap consumers do not consider

how these stereotypes will affect others since it does not pertain to them. I ultimately want to

highlight this ignorance throughout my paper.

Sources I have found so far explain the history behind the evolution of rap music. One

source comments on the effects of white people’s interpretations of the music. Another source

comments about white people’s new masculine desire has given rise to popularity in gangster

rap. One source also comments on the new black youth culture resulting from the music and

racial issues that stem from the stereotypes. I want to continue finding sources that prove how

the stereotypes I am focusing on affect blacks on a daily basis. I want to find stories and results

from surveys revealing initial thoughts white people have concerning blacks and what they form

these stereotypes from. I need these stories, psychological survey results, and statistics to prove

the dominance and consequences of the stereotypes, hopefully dismissing my audience’s reaction

to point at the news or current events in disagreement. Those who believe that rap music is just

for enjoyment and results in no consequences for blacks will have to be convinced through out-

side research. My outside research needs to stress the prevalence of the stereotypes and how they

are no different from stereotypes created years ago in respect to affecting blacks’ lives.

While writing this paper, I do not want to get caught up in reporting the history of rap and

its evolution. So far, it has been easy to find information concerning the common stereotypes

people have due to rap music. Finding information about the specific consequences of these

stereotypes and how it affects blacks’ daily lives may be harder to find. The consequences are

clearly displayed through current events and news, so it is definitely an arguable and relevant

topic. I just need to find credible sources to support my argument. My last concern is about the

stereotypes I am exploring. I want to cover a few effectively and not get lost in the endless list of

negative stereotypes. I am afraid it will turn into explaining all the negative perceptions and not

explaining the consequences. Without the consequences, my paper is more of a report than an ar-

gument.