ABOUT | hiphopviolence

Hip Hip is not to blame

The songs that many see as violent or violence causing are merely the thoughts of a person from certain area, demographic, or cultural background speaking on what they know. They are the voice of their people. Instead of seeing these lyrics as violent, we can view them as a cry for help. Without the platform that Hip Hop has provided, these individuals would remain voiceless, as are the people of the urban communities. With rap, these people have been able to inform the world of what is going on in the impoverished areas of America. Instead of taking it and trying to help, people are labeling it as the problem, even though violence was equally strong even before Hip Hop.

Davey D, a Hip Hop newsletter writer expressed his discontent with the blaming of Hip Hop in his A Rapstation Editorial, “for a long time we've had the misinformed and malcontent running around stating the exact opposite. 'Hip Hop causes violence'. That was rapidly becoming the American mantra. Hip Hop has been everyone's convenient scapegoat. Everyone from former Senator and Presidential candidate Bob Dole to former Education Secretary William Bennett has blamed Hip Hop for staining the moral fabric of our society and corrupting our youth.” In the 90’s when a cop was killed a lot blame was through at rapper Tupac Shakur because his music was what the killer was supposedly listening to at the time of the crime. Over the years, society has been very quick to blame Hip Hop for whatever possible; if some aspect of Hip Hop is present during a violent act, then the blame is on Hip Hop, but if another form of music is present nothing is said.

So, instead of putting the blame of all the violence occurring on the art form of Hip Hop music, we could rather try to understand it. When I say “it” I mean the violence and the music. To understand the violence, you have to understand the community and the unwritten code of beliefs and values. To understand the music you must first understand the artist. Artists express themselves based on their location, upbringing, and views on society. Sure, some Hip Hop music is pure trash, but what inspired them to make that sort of music is what we have to understand. Was it to fit in? Was it to make money? Or was it simply just to have fun? Before judging things we don’t know or understand, we have to become well informed.