Does rap have a positive or negative impact on people?

Rapper/hip-hop artist Showkey was stabbed by rival gang members at a party. Brixton gangs, 150 (gas gang) and 67 (onsight gang) have been known to write negative lyrics to portray each other causing many of these rappers to get themselves locked up. Rapper Scribz from gang 67 has been known to talk about the some of the crimes he has committed, and the police have used his own lyrics against him in court and scribe has recently just finished serving his two year sentence showcasing that rap music can lead to violence and can even ruin the lives of young people who get seriously hurt by being involved in the rap and gang culture.

On the other hand, people see rap as a way for people to express themselves positively. For example, grime artist Dave has a song called “Question Time” where he talks about real life problems and how the government is not always doing their job the right way. Other rappers who have been known to use their platform in an ideal way are Big Zuu, AJ Tracey and Krept. This can influence the younger generation to use rap as a way to show what current problems there is in the world we are living in.

One final reason why rap/ hip-hop music can create violence and preach negativity among the youth in society is that of the way some women are portrayed in lyrics. While there are rap and hip-hop artists of both genders, the industry is mainly male, and the marketing strategies of each gender are different, from musical promotions to lyrical content. Male musicians tend to play on their criminal activities and their ability to get women, the degrading lyrics involving commanding women to perform sexual acts this can affect the youth massively making them unaware of the value that woman hold in our society.  Artist Skepta has been known in particular to do this who is a huge figure in the UK rap/hip-hop scene.