Amanda Labrado

Fraser
English CP 6
02/9/10
The Rise of Rap and the Fall of Youth
“To stop the flow of music would be like the stopping of time itself, incredible, and
inconceivable”

But under certain conditions, would it really stop time? Or would it save us from
experiencing the destruction of “the greatest good that mortals know”; for the
modern music of teenagers “is as dangerous as cocaine”, and is destroying the
coming generation.

We have all heard some kind of music that was out of rhythm, but rap has
completely distinguished itself by adding foul lyrics to the chaos with which it
began. No one would have imagined that this cacophony of sounds might enter into
our homes and try to corrupt our youth. But it has.

It is common knowledge that adults have their own kinds of music such as
contemporary and oldies, and those styles have caused them to act accordingly,
and if this is so, then teens are most likely to act in the way that their music
influences them to. Unfortunately, I fear, this means kids will act in a manner more
rowdy and disrespectful than ever before.

We’ve all heard the cacophonous sounds of the rap our kids play on the radio ,the
music without cadence, and with little rhythm - a complete horror to the ears of the
older generation, whom are used to listening to music with both flow & rhythm.
Parents and teachers of today’s generation have taken note of the rise in violence,
swearing and sexuality of our children, and have come to the conclusion that rap is
the perpetrator. Rap has influenced our kids to practically have sex on dance floors
in middle and high schools across the nation! Even in clubs and dance studios, the
sexual and often profane movements associated with rap have become more
common place than ever before. Furthermore, according to a survey taken in high
schools across America, it is more ordinary or “cool” to join gangs of teens now,
than to join sports clubs. Many adults also agree upon the fact that they hear
swearing from the mouths of our youth at younger ages every year, and more
frequently too.

If our teens are interpreting rap in this manner, then what will become of their
future? Will it be more violent, more irreverent, or more sexual?

The interpretation of raps by teens is going to change the future negatively; their
interpretation will bring them, and the society they are left to care for down. Our
society will turn into a frightful teen utopia filled with gang bangers, cursing,
fighting, and prostitution brought about by the boys and girls who listen to today’s
rap. Rap essentially tells teens that it is alright to treat women as they would dirt –
without out care or regard. Rap also promotes drugs and sex among youth, and we
can see this today in the high number of marijuana smoker and pregnant young
girls that are in high school or have dropped out.

A school’s principal has barred rap from his school in an attempt to eliminate any
negative influences that children may have as a result of rap. His barring has
worked so far with students’ grades rising by a slight 3%. The parents are happy,
but the students don’t seem to understand the favor we’re doing for them; there
are still frequent usages of the foul lyrics in rap music.

A club in San Francisco has strictly forbidden rap and only allows pop, hip- hop, rock
and techno. This has worked well for them, especially since they are located in the
Castro district, where the population is mostly constituted of gay men who favor
pop and adult contemporary. The adults in the area are extremely proud of this
accomplishment.

As you may have noticed from the statement above, hip- hop is not the same as
rap, there is a difference. Hip-hop has much more rhythm and way better lyrics than
rap; It has more harmony and more of a melody than rap does. Teens are also able
to dance to hip-hop music without the sexual innuendo that our movements require
when teens dance to rap.

In the dictionary, rap is defined as “a rhythmic chanting often in unison of usually

rhymed couplets to a musical accompaniment”; Meaning that it is true: rap has no
rhythm to match the lyrics. It is simply talking with music playing in the background
making for a symphony of ugly, dissonant sounds.

We, as the parents of our children, need to step in and eliminate those negative
influences every child receives through the radio. Rap needs to be prohibited from
youth, until they are of the age where they can decide what is moral and what isn’t.