Essay Sample on Rap in American culture

A silent segment on my walk. I match my feelings to a song and put in my headphones. An entire genre instantly recognizable by the first notes I hear. And for a little bit, I feel weightless. This is what rap gives me. I don't just hear the lyrics and instruments, I hear the artists soul and passion on a track that they have put constant hours of focus and inspiration into. When I hear Andre 3000 say the lines “Hey, Miss Donda/ You run into my mama, please tell her I said, “Say something”/ I'm startin' to believe ain't no such thing as heaven's trumpets/ No after-over, this is it, done/ If there's a Heaven, you would think they'd let ya speak to your son” I project sympathy. He can capture his emotions and reconcile his inner demons through a musical genre and allow the world to see what his experience and hardships are. By giving attention to an idea like advocating against and dissolving a crucial organ of the music spectrum such as rap, we surrender an integral part of American culture and modern music. By losing rap, we would be causing a detrimental effect on our history and a massive loss of our modern music scene.

Rap music has a much larger place in modern American history than people think. The Smithsonian, a group of some of the world's greatest historians and researchers,  have recently started to recognize and collect pieces of rap history. They have also started to collect objects relevant to rap history, such as J Dilla's beat mixing instruments, and some of Run-DMC’s clothing and original mixtapes. If an organization like the Smithsonian feels it is relevant to collect these pieces, it is fair to assume that rap music is not only an important medium to American culture but also to world wide culture. When we try to erase or discredit a medium as large and influential as rap music we lose sight of a massive part of our culture, and give no credit to where a lot of artists in today's modern music group get their inspiration from.

Rap is one of the most influential art forms of the 21rst century, and by erasing and canceling it we are erasing a large part of our history. It can uplift people through messages of self help and positive outlooks. On the song Beautiful by Eminem he says “God gave you shoes to fit you. So put ‘em on and wear ‘em. Be yourself man be proud of who you are. … Never let anyone tell you you ain’t beautiful.” This message tells people that they should be themselves and shouldn't let anyone else tell them what they can be. When you try to dissuade an entire style of expression such as rap you may lose important messages such as Eminem’s. While you may think you are helping to cancel a small portion of rap that isn't helpful, you are losing a much bigger part that is helpful. This is related to a much bigger movement that is cancel culture and how many people are quick to judge and cast opinions without knowing the full details of a situation. The best thing individuals can do is reserve judgment for as long as possible and only cast an opinion when they know exactly what they are talking about.

By demeaning levels of rap you are actually tearing down much bigger movements than what can be seen at the surface level. Rap has a large history in Black American history and during the recent wave of BLM support it doesn't feel right to demean a genre like rap without seeing the benefits it has to teaching about a much more important motion like Black History. Just like other genres such as ‘the blues’ or Motown music, rap music was created in African American communities for people to send a message, both political and emotional, and be able to easily participate in the movement. Many arts have come from rap too such as breakdancing, graffiti, and beatboxing. This is because rap itself is a rebellious artform and has been used as a platform to de-platform both in the past and present. Recently a big artist called Lil Baby who is a big advocate for the BLM movement released these lyrics on a song called “The Bigger Picture”. "I find it crazy the police'll shoot you and know that you dead. But still tell you to freeze. F---ed up.” He talks about the discrimination he and many others face from the police. 

“I seen what I seen/ I guess that mean hold him down if he say he can't breathe/ It's too many mothers that's grieving/ They killing us for no reason/ Been going on for too long to get even/ Throw us in cages like dogs and hyenas/ I went to court and they sent me to prison/ My mama was crushed when they said I can't leave." He references George Floyd who was a big part of the rise of the BLM movement in America which shows how rap can have a big and influential impact that is bigger than itself.

Rap is an important part of American culture and should not be erased based on short and petty assumptions about its few negativities. Its deep history with a much larger movement (BLM) shows the positive influence it can have on people everywhere. By keeping the genre mainstream and accessible it can also help spread messages like that of Eminems’, or Andre 3000’s to those who need a positive message in their life. I hope in the future people can completely understand how to appreciate rap, and identity with its positive messages.