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Jaynell Nicholson
College Writing I
Prof. Robisch
4/5/2014

Hip-Hop: The Lifestyle Behind the Lyrists

When it comes to music, there are two types of people: those who listen to it, and those
who live it. For many people, their musical interests perfectly reflect their daily lives. There are
some, however, that take it one step further: they live their lives through the music letting it
take them to places they never could imagine. It almost sounds like a drug, and for the most
part it can be considered one. Is it safe, however, to assume that the things artist talk about in
their songs are exactly what they do and how they act on a regular basis? Hip-hop is an urban
culture that is constantly progressing despite the controversy it has faced since the beginning of
its existence. Rap music, a music genre form the culture of Hip-hop, takes on the role of the
victim of social oppression and an expectation of what artists should include, not only in their
songs but in their daily life sometimes creating fraudulent lifestyles for artists that want to be
successful in the culture.
Epoch explains the beginning popularity of Rap music, Rap quickly became one of the
premier forms of expression for the youngest members of the inner city black and Latino
communities in New York (Rebollo-Gill, and Moras qtd. Epoch). The inner city communities
were often hit by economic decline in every generation. Like most art, rap music became a way
for these communities to express themselves in a positive way that was not mainstream or
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what the man wanted them to do. It can be considered a silent rebellion until its popularity
spread across the country. Rap music is well-known for keeping it real. The unapologetically
direct lyrics that make up the music are usually as raw as it gets. Its contents usually includes
details about what goes on in the environment they live in and what needs to be done to
survive, and can sometimes be vulgar unless censored (Saalam 303-305). Rap music is broken
down into six categories: Gangsta, which focuses on murder, money and mayhem; Apolitical
pop, which has easygoing lyrics and a danceable beat; Political, which has socially analytical
lyrics; Positive, which encourages awareness of social and personal ills and steps to change;
Experimental, has a continuous modified style; Feminists, challenges the definition of rap that
was created by males (Piekarski 47).
Many inner cities are known for hosting low income families. I have witnessed countless
times young men that believe the only way to help their families and get out the hood is to
sell drugs. More often than not, people make more money selling drugs in a week than they
would at a legitimate establishment so the role of a drug dealer is praised. The Drug Dealer is
praised because he found a way to make it ,a way to not struggle anymore and unfortunately I
have seen this happen more than a few times myself. The risk that came with being a drug
dealer often times does not outweigh the benefits. Even though it was illegal, and often times
dangerous, to most people in his community, he has figured it out. Some people can work the
entirety of their life and still not make it out. Women go for him to ty to live off of his success
and children look up to him. This role model is something that many young MCs, such as the
Notorious B.I.G. and more recently Schoolboy Q, aspired to be long before their musical
dreams. Their original aspirations became inspiration for their rhymes. They rapped about the
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things that they went through, the things they heard and the things they wanted. Many people
could relate to this type of music mostly because they were going through the same exact
situations. It became a uniting factor for inner city communities and people of color.
The things that these famous rappers talk about can be proved correct in their former
life. Often times, however, they continue to rap about the same gangbanging even after
theyve relocated and made millions. One would wonder if the artist just clinging on to his old
life and refuses to believe it can be over, or just uses it as a front or cover to keep their
reputation intact. The famous rapper Tupac Shakur is known for his intricate philosophical lyrics
and rap style varying between political, gangsta and inspirational. He did grow up in a
neighborhood that was not exactly the best, but he actually attended a performing arts high
school that did not exactly parallel with his gangsta look (Tupac Shakur). Rick Ross, a popular
artist today, raps about being a gangster but it was recently revealed in the media that he was a
correctional officer for a few years prior to his rap career (Ross). Even with the pasts of the two
rappers, the public still sees them as gangsta and continued to support the music and the
lifestyle. Some might even assume that the two thought they could become rich and famous by
not only becoming a rapper, but becoming exactly what the people want.
Rebollio-Gill and Moras write According to Kitwana, when it comes to the mainstream
and commercial portrayal of rap music and its stars, often high- lighted are those aspects of
rap which reinforce negative stereo- types about blacks (24). The business world of America
has always been about whats profitable, and marketable. This doesnt always mean that
something that can have a positive influence will be marketed due to fear of it not being
profitable. More often than not, this means that the CEOs of large distribution companies
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wouldnt make as much money as they would on something with a negative influence. Recently
with the 99% rallies in 2011, we see that the people at the top own and control our economy
because unfortunately in America, the amount of money a person has directly correlates with
how much power they are presented with.
Feminist rap has and will always be controversial mostly because of how women are
usually portrayed in rap music. For the most part, in rap music by men, women are looked at as
objects to be used or as a queen to be worshiped; it usually depends on the artist and the style
that they choose to express themselves. Rap music had a large influence on low income
communities which make up most of America. So the messages being presented were vastly
idealized by children and young adults. It is mostly male dominated, so young girls only found
themselves fitting into the rap scene as an object to be used, or a queen to be worshiped.
When women first came onto the rap scene, they did not have success unless they showed
skin, and their music contained promiscuous and vulgar lyrics. Lil Kim is the greatest example of
a successful female rapper. She first hit the scene in the 90s and came up under Notorious
B.I.G. and was always encouraged giving the people what they want to hear. A woman who
went against the social norm of rap was Queen Latifah. As a true feminist, she demands a
general respect for herself and for other women by claiming that shes not a bitch or a hoe.
Through her efforts, unfortunately today artists continue to refer to women as bitches and
hoes and are actually encouraged to do so.
There are many women rappers today that not only refer to other women as bitches
and hoes but they constantly refer to themselves as it too. New artists such as Nicki Minaj,
Iggy Azalea, and Snow: the Product often establish themselves as better than the rest, and see
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themselves in a position of power and demand the same if not more respect than male rappers.
A trending topic in the public eye is that sex sells: always has and always will. Celebrities are
silently encouraged to be sexy, show skin, or talk about sex, and generally it would make them
more famous, thus successful. The big question is whether or not the things these women talk
about are what they actually do behind closed doors.
The idea that famous figures such as rappers have created certain lifestyles for
themselves to stay relevant can be quite disturbing to the public eye. It may be possible,
however, that they create fallacies as a way to escape their own reality. It is not uncommon for
most people to create fantasies in their heads about what they want their lives to be. So it is
easy to see how a celebrity, with thousands watching their daily lives, could construct a false
life to not only live out their dreams, but to keep the attention of the media. Celebrities always
have a lot of pressure to fit into a specific role. Rappers have even more pressure form not only
the media and fans, but from the history and subculture of hip-hop. Even as the art form of Rap
continues to progress, the public constantly tries to smash it into this mold made of
assumptions and misunderstandings. This mold unintentionally shames anything that doesnt
fit the lifestyle and context they believe rap music should have encouraging fraudulent
lifestyles for those who dont fit the mold but want to be successful in the business.




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Citations:
Piekarski, Bill. "The Rap on Hip Hop." Collection Development I. 07 2004:
47-50. Print.

Rebollo-Gill, Guillermo, and Amanda Moras. "Black Women and Black
Men in Hip Hop Music: Misogyny, Violence and the Negotiation of (White
Owned) Space." Journal of Popular Culture. 45.1 (2012): 117- 132. Print.

Ross, Rick. Personal Interview. 4 Mar 2014.

Salaam, Mtume y. The Asthetics of Rap. African American Review. 29.2
(1995): 305-315. Print.

"Tupac Shakur." 2014. The Biography.com website. Apr 09 2014