#rap being misogyny and violence (and talking about being poor or having been poor) and country being misogyny beer farm

[5-htagonist]

lol if any of you who still read my posts find yourself in the position where you dont listen to rap/hiphop and have never given it a try, here are my personal recs:

brockhampton (good intro, bc its pop with rap and hiphop elements. heavily recommend the saturation series, with saturation II having a bit more of a classic spin to the sound and sat III having a 2000s party pop vibe. great emotional sad girl hour songs too)

tyler the creator (highly diverse, skip his earlier albums if you fear the scawy violence and shockcore though, cherry bomb has some bangers, but flower boy is excellent, igor is more rnb/pop oriented with some skillful vibesetting, call me if you get lost is a pretty straightforward rap album with fun beats and great lyricism. tyler is great at showcasing vulnerability and deep feelings, but he is also a comedian and his personality shows. very authentic, raw artist who does not conform to the rap genre and is often outcasted by the industry for it. he is 10/10)

denzel curry (im not suuuuper versed in his work, but unlocked and melt my eyez are excellent. unlocked is more unconventional, idk how to describe its sound. its nerdy, its unique, it tickles my brain. melt my eyez is a chill sounding album, with raw ass lyrics. theres also a cold blooded soul version of some songs super jazzy, live band, awesome. if you are put off by the violence in rap, this is an album that might help you understand *why* violent imagery is utilized in rap)

jpegmafia, danny brown (im also not crazy versed in their music, however jpegmafia features on a gorillaz song, and together he and danny brown made an album called scaring the hoes. it is super inaccessible. it is weird sounding. it is funny, and raw, and its the shit you play at full volume when you need a goooood brain scratching. the beats are crazy!!!! it sounds very little like generic rap and hiphop you probably think of)

kendrick lamar (of course i would recommend him, he is probably one of the greatest poets of the last century. also he is actively exposing drake's predatory behavior while being the top rap artist and one of the top artists in the world but unrelated, good kid maad city is a story album, at this point its a hip hop staple, im sure youve heard bitch dont kill my vibe, money trees, swimming pools, or poetic justice at some point. the lyrics are violent, yes, but its not glorified, its a tragic story. which is much more common in rap than i feel a lot of people who dont listen to it think! to pimp a butterfly is my personal favorite, very jazzy, empowerment album with high highs and low lows. damn. is a pretty mainstream album, pretty generic sounding, but if you get around the overplayed songs you will continue to see his awesome lyricism. mr morale is also a very good album with some hype bangers and introspective lyrics)

more recs i dont have much to elaborate on:

kid cudi outkast childish gambino MF DOOM lil yachty (lots of stuff of his i dont like but he is just so all over the place there will probably be something you like)

[itsmultifaceted-blog]

hip-hop & mental health.

HIP-HOP! 

a music genre developed in the United States by inner-city African Americans in the 1970s, accompanied by rapping over a rhythmic beat. 

It is a relatively newer genre of music that is adored by masses (since it is currently the most listened to genre in U.S history... https://www.vibe.com/2017/07/hip-hop-popular-genre-nielsen-music/) 

BUT - it is also one that stirs up controversy, ill-feelings, and contempt for its lyrical content. 

I myself have been influenced by hip-hop from a pretty young age. Growing up with brothers, it is how I felt connected to them - and it is still how I feel connected to them. It’s a part of African-American culture that has caused division and unity, a sense of pride, awareness of important topics amongst the African-American community... as aforementioned, it is a newer but very influential genre of music. 

       In my experience, (which I recognize is limited), I’ve noticed that first generation Ghanaian-Canadians who are male have a harder time connecting with the Ghanaian culture than females. This may not be true, but it’s an observation I have made. While I was pretty accepting of both Canadian and Ghanaian culture, it appeared that my brothers connected more to the African-American male subculture. They could relate to the aggression expressed in the hip-hop’s lyrics, they found appeal in the lavish lifestyles/rags to riches success that was commonly displayed, and the difficulties in expressing emotional vulnerabilities, masked by all of the aforementioned factors.

       As for myself, I have always just enjoyed the beat of the music. Again, because I am rather emotional and vulnerable, this is was really my only connecting point to my brothers. However, the older I get, the more I’ve become more cognizant of how much mental illness is expressed and almost disguised in hip-hop. Behind the upbeat tempo, the overly sexualized women in the videos… it’s very easy to miss their cries for help. Hip-hop is scrutinized for its misogynistic and violent lyrics (which I do not deny or condone). However, it should be known that the vast majority of these artists who rap such content:

*Had an incredibly difficult upbringing (struggling with poverty, institutional racism, neglect, poor housing and schooling)

*Surrounded by violence (gang crime, domestic violence, prostitution, pimps, drug abuse and trafficking).  

*Grew up without a father (which is very challenging.) Or their father figures were violent, inconsistent or emotionally detached.

Try looking up a few of the prevalent hip-hop artists that you are aware of. Chances are, that they might’ve grown up with such circumstances.

OF COURSE, NOT ALL OF THEM, but most.

Essentially, what they rap about is what they know. It’s all that they’ve ever known.

Now - take the ones who grew up in a “normal” or even wonderful household. This does not take away from the fact that the way black men are (and continue to be) portrayed in the media is often thugs, gangsters, drug dealers, aggressive, nonemotional.

Below is an interview with an older rapper from back in the day (Styles P), with his wife. He discusses the suicide of his daughter, and how she struggled growing up without a biological father. Styles himself notes the difficulty of growing up without his father, too. 

From 25:33-27:52

In watching that, imagine the pain one would feel without ANY father figures.

A LOT of these rappers grew up this way. 

        As I had mentioned, the way black men are consistently portrayed in the media is emotionless and aggressive. In reality, they are expressing themselves the only way they know how and wish to.

Now I find myself listening to these lyrics, and I have become very concerned for the artists and their mental well-being. I wonder almost.. what is our role as consumers of this music? When we hear these artists saying they're “not afraid to die”, and that they are suicidal, and we are blasting it in our cars and at parties and almost ignoring their cries for help? I don’t know. It’s becoming unsettling for me. Below are a few lyrics of popular hip-hop songs at the moment:

I'm in pain, wanna put 10 shots in my brain I've been trippin' 'bout some things, can't change Suicidal, same time I'm tame  XXXTentacion - Jocelyn Flores 

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Two cups, toast up with the gang <- <i>(reference to lean... the leisure consumption of cough syrup and codeine)  From food stamps to a whole 'nother domain Out the bottom, I'm the livin' proof   ... My guillotine drank promethazine <- <i>(cough syrup drank for leisure. Essentially, he admits it’ll be the death of him.) TEC and beams, go to those extremes  Future - Mask Off 

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 I Feel Like That - Kanye West The. Entire. Song. 

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The skreets raised me, I'm a whole bastard I bought a 'Rari just so I can go faster  21 Savage - Bank Account 

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I might blow my brain out Xanny, help the pain, yeah < - (Xanax, anti-anxiety medication) Please, Xanny, make it go away I'm committed, not addicted, but it keep control of me All the pain, now I can't feel it I swear that it's slowin' me  Lil Uzi Vert - XO TOUR Llif3   

Not only do I worry about these artists, but I also worry about the black men (and really, any individual) who are close to me who only listen to this music, and this music ALONE, as I know they're struggling with their mental health as well. I do believe that the content you put into yourself is essentially what you will put back out into this world - whether we recognize it or not, it ultimately manifests in our actions and how we perceive the world.

While people can be listening to this music without necessarily struggling with their mental health, there are people who do. I think it’s important to recognize those who are struggling. 

How? Well.......

As individuals who care for the well-being of other individuals, (particularly our impressionable young people who listen to these artists), I think it’d be a good idea to familiarize ourselves with upcoming artists with growing popularity amongst youth.

This shouldn’t be done for the purpose of being able to relate to them, and gear them away towards that music - that is ultimately their choice. But rather...…well.... for example; I started to pay attention to the music that a young person I know, who was gravitating towards. A lot of its content talked about abusing Xanax and drinking codeine. It was through that that I discovered he was experimenting with those drugs, too.  I know that he is someone who has trouble expressing himself emotionally, and how he did it was through the music he listens to. 

~ Honestly I feel like this post is all over the place... this has been a growing concern of mine and I just have so much I want to say about it .... but I guess essentially, what I’m trying to say is: ~ 

For consumers of this music - be careful! Trap beats are infectious and poppin’... trust me, I know. I am guilty of obsessing over them... buuuut what we put in is what we put out. This is fact. 

For the binge consumers of this music - I hope you are able to find someone to confide in, in regards to the negative feelings that you have. Even if it is just showing someone what your favourite songs/lyrics are. There is help. There is hope. I am here to listen. 

For those who may have nothing to do with the music, but care how it is affecting people - Again, don’t necessarily think every black boy (or individual of any sort) listening to this music is troubled... take time to invest into the lives of young people... even if it’s regularly greeting them, or treating them to a McDonald’s gift card or something - small gestures can sometimes have great magnitudes in one’s life. Show warmth, show care, dedicate random acts of kindness (consistently!!!!!!!!) to a young person. These are different times, and they are facing a l o t of pressure.  

For the loathers of hip-hop - I hope that this post has given a bit of insight into the lyrical content, and why it’s not the most flattering. Again, I’m not trying to make excuses for the misogyny and heavily violent content...but at the same time, recognize that this genre is NOT just that. These too, are hurting people, who are expressing themselves the only way that they can. 

- danielle.