Rap music has been a staple of American music and culture since the early 1970s. The rap industry produces around $3 billion a year in America, and that number is only growing.
Rap music, by definition, is a rhythmic vocal style over an accompanying beat.
Why is it so successful, and what makes it so appealing to listen to? I personally listen to rap music because I was introduced to it at a young age, and it helps me focus when I am studying, doing homework, or working out.
Most people listen to rap music because they enjoy the fast-tempo lyrics over a melodic beat. Others listen to it because they resonate with the lyrics personally.
One of America’s most successful rappers, Eminem (who has sold 60 million records in the U.S.), is best known for his fast-tempo and emotional lyrics about growing up in a house without a father and a drug-addicted mother. Many kids raised in impoverished single-parent households resonate with his music and struggles.
Another reason people enjoy rap music is that there are so many different sub-genres within it. Trap rap, gangster rap, mumble rap, drill rap, and, my favorite, conscious hip hop are among the genres. So many sub-genres mean that there is something for every type of music listener.
Rap music became popular in the early 90s with iconic artists and music groups such as N.W.A., Snoop Dogg, Biggie Smalls, and Tupac. One thing all of these rappers have in common is that they all sing about the Black struggle.
That is why they are considered some of the best rappers ever, even twenty years later. N.W.A. sang about over-policing in black neighborhoods and police brutality against black people. Tupac sang about the unfortunate and racist reality that forced young, impoverished African Americans down a path of gang violence.
Biggie Smalls sang about his tough childhood as a poverty-stricken child growing up in the poor neighborhood of Bedford, Brooklyn, and how he used rap to escape this reality and become wealthy. Snoop Dogg sang about mastering whatever you do and trying every day to be the best you can be.
These are all positive messages that inspire people, especially young African Americans, to always rise above their circumstances.
Also, quiet as it is told, Chris Kydd, the publisher of The Coast News, is a rap music aficionado who, if you catch him on the right day, can give you some bars.
Overall, rap music is so popular in American culture due to its positive messages and the recurring story of rappers going from rags to riches due to the success they had in music.
Many young people, including myself, listen to rap music because it inspires us to apply ourselves academically and physically. America’s obsession with rap music stems from the negative aspects of the struggle in impoverished black neighborhoods, such as gang violence, drugs, and guns.
Young African Americans use rap as a way to speak out against the horrible things they see going on in their communities.
Yes, I’m obsessed with rap music, too; it is the source of my information, just as you receive my perspective. This is my first hot take with The Coast News, and I welcome the opportunity to share ideas, get feedback, and learn more about you. Thanks for reading.
Christian Howell is a rising senior at Sage Creek High School in Carlsbad.
