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THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RAP MUSIC AND THE PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING OF AFRICAN AMERICAN ADOLESCENTS by Tony L. Camp A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of George Mason University in Partial Fulfillment of The Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy Education Committee: Chair Program Director Dean, College of Education and Human Development Date: Spring Semester 2017 George Mason University Fairfax, VA The Relationship Between Rap Music and the Psychological Well-Being of African American Adolescents A Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at George Mason University by Tony L. Camp Master of Arts Howard University, 2006 Bachelor of Science Bowie State University, 2002 Director: Fred Bemak, Professor College of Education and Human Development Spring Semester 2017 George Mason University Fairfax, VA THIS WORK IS LICENSED UNDER A CREATIVE COMMONS ATTRIBUTION-NODERIVS 3.0 UNPORTED LICENSE. ii Dedication This is dedicated to my mother, Gloria D. Camp, and my father, Tony L. Camp, Sr. Thank you for your guidance and support during this extremely difficult journey. I could not have made it without the support of both of you. I am proud that the both of you are my parents. Thank you mom for all of your prayers and your tremendous help and support as I progressed through the dissertation stage of my program. I would also like to dedicate this to my second family who have provided me with words of encouragement and support during my time in the program. iii Acknowledgements I would first like to give thanks to the almighty God for leading me through the dissertation process. I could not have made it without you, God. I would also like to thank my family and friends for their unwavering support through this difficult time of my life. A special thanks to Pastor Delman L. Coates, Ph.D and my Mt. Ennon Baptist Church family and friends. A very special thanks to Dr. Mark Bolden, my mentor and friend. Moreover, I would like to thank my supervisors and co-workers at AFGC for their words of encouragement and allowing me to take time off from work as I went through the dissertation process. Thank you to my ABPsi family for their guidance and support. Thank you to the researchers and professionals who are striving to make rap music an evidence-based approach in counseling and educating the youth population. Furthermore, I would like to thank the staff of Unchained Talent for believing in me and my study. I would like to thank the students for taking time out to speak to me about your attitudes and perceptions of rap music. Dr. Fred Bemak, Dr. Rita Chi-Ying Chung, Dr. Regine Talleyrand and Dr. Frederick Harper were of significant help to me as I moved through the process. Dr. Fred Bemak, Dr. Rita Chi-Ying Chung, Dr. Regine Talleyrand and Dr. Frederick Harper, I know that I asked a lot of questions and seemed troubled at times with the things I needed to add and remove from the dissertation, but I thank you all for challenging my thoughts and encouraging me to dig deeper into what I needed to say and do for the dissertation. I also thank you all for not giving up on me, offering me words of encouragement and seeing me through the entire dissertation process when I was almost ready to give up. I am iv grateful for the multiple meetings in order to complete the writing and analyses successfully. You all were the best. I would also like to thank my peer reviewers, Mr. David Rhodes and Mr. Travis MaGhee for reviewing my coding and thematic results and offering me suggestions on what to add and remove from the qualitative results section of my dissertation. You all are going to change the world with your dissertations before you know it. A very special thank you to Ms. Joan Stahle and Dr. Anastasia Kitsantas for helping me with the supporting documents for the dissertation and being available when I had questions concerning the dissertation process. I also thank Mrs. Sally Evans for allowing me to submit my dissertation for review a number of times in order to avoid waiting to the last minute to submit the final copy and make last minute changes. Thank you to all my friends, especially Mr. David Ritter, Dr. Raymond Shorter and Ms. Laura Guillion for their support at a very difficult time for me within the dissertation process. v Table of Contents Page List of Tables................................................................................................................. ix Abstract ...........................................................................................................................x Chapter One: INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................1 Statement of the Problem ............................................................................................3 Background of the Study .............................................................................................7 Operational Definition of Terms ............................................................................... 11 Chapter Two: LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................................ 13 Theoretical Framework ............................................................................................. 13 Resiliency and Youth ................................................................................................ 17 Family and Social Issues Related to African American Adolescents and Psychological Well-Being ............................................................................................................... 18 The Struggles of African Americans ......................................................................... 19 Linkage Between Rap Music and the Struggles of African Americans ...................... 21 African American Family as a Cultural Phenomenon ................................................ 23 Teenage Pregnancy ................................................................................................... 26 Substance Abuse ....................................................................................................... 28 Social Support and Well-Being ................................................................................. 29 Church and School Activities and Well-Being........................................................... 31 Physical Activity and Well-Being ............................................................................. 33 Coping Styles of Adolescents .................................................................................... 34 Bullying and Criminal Behavior on Well-Being ........................................................ 36 Impact of Music ........................................................................................................ 38 Music and Well-Being .............................................................................................. 38 Rap Music................................................................................................................. 41 Rap Music Adolescent Listeners ............................................................................... 41 Brief History of Rap Music ....................................................................................... 42 vi The Categories of Rap Music .................................................................................... 45 Sexual Rap ................................................................................................................ 46 Positive Rap .............................................................................................................. 46 Political Rap ............................................................................................................. 47 Spiritual Rap ............................................................................................................. 47 Gangsta Rap.............................................................................................................. 48 Materialistic Rap ....................................................................................................... 48 Programs and Organizations That Promote Knowledge Using Rap Music ................. 53 Rap Artists Who Use Fame to Promote Society and Community Needs .................... 55 Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 56 Chapter Three: METHODOLOGY ................................................................................ 57 Research Questions ................................................................................................... 57 Method ..................................................................................................................... 57 Participants ............................................................................................................... 57 Sampling Procedure .................................................................................................. 58 Setting ...................................................................................................................... 58 Measures................................................................................................................... 59 Perceptions and Attitudes About Rap Music ............................................................. 59 Well-Being Manifestation Measure Scale.................................................................