DOCSLIB.ORG

Hip-Hop and Adolescence: the Effects of Popular Culture Media on Adolescent Identity Development

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Hip-Hop and Adolescence: the Effects of Popular Culture Media on Adolescent Identity Development Hip-Hop and Adolescence: The effects of popular culture media on adolescent identity development. By Heidi M. Haynes A Project Submitted to the Faculty of The Evergreen State College In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree Master in Teaching 2005 11 This Project for the Master in Teaching Degree Heidi M. Haynes has been approved for The Evergreen State College Ter~. ME:ihe Faculty June 2005 lll ABSTRACT This paper examines the effects of popular culture, specifically hip-hop media, on adolescent identity development. Hip-hop music has been targeted as a negative influence on people, particularly adolescents. The global popularity of hip-hop music has provoked research into the messages and interpretations of rap music by youth. Critical review of the literature reveals the pervasive presence of mass media in adolescent lives coupled with negative messages in rap music and videos that impact youth, perpetuate stereotypes, and affect ethnic/racial identity in both Black and White youth. Understanding the developmental stage of adolescence coupled with the prevalence of mass media communications of popular culture, specifically hip-hop, educators can employ media literacy as a means of enabling students to make informed media consumption choices and relationships to identities in popular culture. IV AKNOWLEGMENTS I would like to thank my faculty advisor, Terry Ford, Ph.D. for her support and suggestions during the process of writing this paper. In addition I extend gratitude to the other MIT faculty, Sherry Walton, Ph.D., Masao Sugiyama, Ph.D., and Gery Gerst, M.Ed. for their added knowledge and help throughout the program. I offer endless thanks to my MIT cohort colleagues who provided academic, social, and spiritual support throughout the program. Most importantly I have to thank my mother, father, and sister for their continued love, encouragement, financial support, and lively discussions. v TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 1 Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. I Rationale ............................................................................. ................ .......................................... ............ 2 Definition of Terms .................................................................. .. ... .................................... .... .................. 5 Limitations .......................... ............................................... ....................................................................... ? Statement of Purpose .............................................................................................................................. 7 Summary ................................................................................................................................................... 8 CHAPTER TWO: HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ..... .......................... .................................................. 9 Introduction .................................................................................... .......................................................... 9 Adolescence, Popular Music, and Media ............................................................................................. 9 Identity Development ........................................................................................................................... 23 Media Literacy ....................................................................................................................................... 25 Summary ................................................................................................................ ..... .. ..................... ..... 26 CHAPTER THREE: CRITICAL REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ........... ........................................... 27 Introduction ............................................................... ........................................................ ..................... 27 Media and Identity ................................................................................................................................ 29 Rap Lyrics and Video Images Promote Violence, Drug Use, and Misogyny ............................... .40 Hip-Hop and Race ..................... .. ....... .. ... ................. ...... ........ .. ............................................................. 65 Hip-Hop in School .... .............. .. ............................................................................................................. 77 Summary .... ................. ............................................................................................................................ 86 CHAPTER FOUR: CONCLUSION ... .. .. ................................................ .................................................. 87 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 87 Summary of Findings ............................................................................................................................ 88 Classroom Implications ........................................................................................................................ 91 Implications for Further Research .. .. ................................... ................................... ..... ........................ 94 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................................. 97 REFERENCES ............................................. .......... .. .................................................................................... 99 1 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION Introduction The purpose of this paper is to critically review literature of adolescent media use, identity development, rap lyrical content, and rap used in curriculum to draw conclusions about the effects of popular culture, specifically hip-hop media, on adolescent identity development. Developmentally, adolescence is a time to try on new identities gained from role models most often outside the youth's norms, i.e. parents and family. Through the commodification of hip-hop culture, the role models most often portrayed in popular media from the hip-hop scene are predominantly ultra-rich artists who can use lyrics imbedded with violence and degradation of women. Media coverage of rap artists has added fuel for those in favor of censorship by focusing on the crimes, arrests, and tragic deaths of hip-hoppers. Incidents like the shooting of rap artist 2Pac and the Notorious B.I.G., both of whom claimed the other was conspiring to kill him, have become attached to the hip-hop community as common occurrences, when in reality they are isolated incidents. As music historian Garaffalo (2002) noted, "Such instances, cannot be used legitimately as the occasion for indicting a whole genre of music" (p. 362). Popular music has been targeted as a negative influence on people, particularly adolescents. An example of this can be seen in the widely publicized coverage of Columbine High school shootings where the music preferences of the boys responsible was magnified and music artist Marilyn Manson was targeted as partially responsible for the boys actions because they found his compact discs in the boys' rooms (Manson, 2 1999). In the realm of hip-hop, concern has been constant due to rap lyrics that describe violence, misogyny and drug use. Efforts to censor media, such as ratings systems, V­ chips, and CD warnings, confirm the strong appeal of some in society to limit popular media rather than understand it (Ryan & John, 1999). Still, hip-hop has widespread appeal among adolescents in urban areas and continues to grow in popularity among the White, middle class demographic. Figures from the hip-hop magazine The Source suggest that more than 70% of rap music buyers are White (Rose, 2001). The popularity of hip-hop, moreover, the globalization of hip­ hop proves its staying power. As hip-hop expands and branches off into other popular media formats, its prevalence in our everyday lives becomes inescapable. Therefore, this paper examines research that questions how adolescent consumers of hip-hop, and more generally popular culture, interpret hip-hop media and act based on their interpretations. Rationale The time between the dependence of childhood and the responsibility of adulthood is a unique life stage in which youth attempt to gain autonomy and at the same time belong to a group. As adolescents struggle to find identity, popular music saturates mass media and "helps to cement a larger social constellation linking media images of stars and celebrities and particular musical genres to specific peer groups, cliques, or gangs" (McCarthy, Hudak, Allegretto, Miklaucic & Saukko, 1999, p.7). Youth find expression through their group identification and their popular culture choices. Popular music culture, in every genre, offers a set of dress, speech and social behavior 3 patterns of which to emulate. As adolescents choose which parts of popular music culture they want to emulate, they form individual identities. Hip-hop's history is short, but filled with turbulent times lead by young disenfranchised youth from the South Bronx area of New York. Corning from
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Learn Unity3d Programming with Unityscript Suvak Also Available: ONLINE
    Learn Unity3D Programming with UnityScript TECHNOLOGy iN ACtiON™ earn Unity Programming with UnityScript is your step-by-step Also available: Lguide to learning to make your first Unity games using UnityScript. Learn You will move from point-and-click components to fully customized features. You need no prior programming knowledge or any experience with other design tools such as PhotoShop or Illustrator - Unity3D Learn you can start from scratch making Unity games with what you’ll learn Unity3D in this book. Through hands-on examples of common game patterns, you’ll learn and apply the basics of game logic and design. You will gradually become comfortable with UnityScript syntax, at each point having everything explained to you clearly and concisely. Many beginner Programming Programming programming books refer to documentation that is too technically abstract for a beginner to use - Learn Unity Programming with UnityScript will teach you how to read and utilize those resources to hone your skills, and rapidly increase your knowledge in Unity game development. with UnityScript You’ll learn about animation, sound, physics, how to handle user interaction and so much more. Janine Suvak has won awards for her game development and is ready to show you how to start your journey as a game developer. The Unity3D game engine is flexible, Unity’s JavaScript for Beginners cross-platform, and a great place to start your game development with adventure, and UnityScript was made for it - so get started game programming with this book today. UnityScript CREATE EXcITING UNITY3D GAMES WITH UNITYScRIPT Suvak ISBN 978-1-4302-6586-3 54499 Shelve in Macintosh/General User level: Beginning 9781430 265863 SOURCE CODE ONLINE www.apress.com Janine Suvak For your convenience Apress has placed some of the front matter material after the index.
    [Show full text]
  • Images of Aggression and Substance Abuse in Music Videos : a Content Analysis
    San Jose State University SJSU ScholarWorks Master's Theses Master's Theses and Graduate Research 2009 Images of aggression and substance abuse in music videos : a content analysis Monica M. Escobedo San Jose State University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/etd_theses Recommended Citation Escobedo, Monica M., "Images of aggression and substance abuse in music videos : a content analysis" (2009). Master's Theses. 3654. DOI: https://doi.org/10.31979/etd.qtjr-frz7 https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/etd_theses/3654 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Master's Theses and Graduate Research at SJSU ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of SJSU ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. IMAGES OF AGGRESSION AND SUBSTANCE USE IN MUSIC VIDEOS: A CONTENT ANALYSIS A Thesis Presented to The Faculty of the School of Journalism and Mass Communications San Jose State University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science by Monica M. Escobedo May 2009 UMI Number: 1470983 Copyright 2009 by Escobedo, Monica M. INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion.
    [Show full text]
  • Representations of Women in Music Videos
    Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Master's Theses Graduate College 8-1999 Creativity Or Collusion?: Representations of Women in Music Videos Jan E. Urbina Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses Part of the Sociology Commons Recommended Citation Urbina, Jan E., "Creativity Or Collusion?: Representations of Women in Music Videos" (1999). Master's Theses. 4125. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/4125 This Masters Thesis-Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate College at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. CREATIVITYOR COLLUSION?: REPRESENTATIONS OF WOMEN INMUSIC VIDEOS by Jan E. Urbina A Thesis Submittedto the Facuhy of The GraduateCollege in partial folfitlment of the requirementsfor the Degree of Master of Arts Departmentof Sociology WesternMichigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan August 1999 Copyright by Jan E. Urbina 1999 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS There are certain individuals that touch our lives in profound and oftentimes unexpected ways. When we meet them we feel privileged because they positively impact our lives and help shape our futures, whether they know it or not. These individuals stand out as exceptional in our hearts and in our memories because they inspire us to aim high. They support our dreams and goals and guide us toward achieving them They possess characteristics we admire, respect, cherish, and seekto emulate. These individuals are our mentors, our role models. Therefore, I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to the outstanding members ofmy committee, Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • THE WRITE CHOICE by Spencer Rupert a Thesis Presented to The
    THE WRITE CHOICE By Spencer Rupert A thesis presented to the Independent Studies Program of the University of Waterloo in fulfilment of the thesis requirements for the degree Bachelor of Independent Studies (BIS) Waterloo, Canada 2009 1 Table of Contents 1 Abstract...................................................................................................................................................7 2 Summary.................................................................................................................................................8 3 Introduction.............................................................................................................................................9 4 Writing the Story...................................................................................................................................11 4.1 Movies...........................................................................................................................................11 4.1.1 Writing...................................................................................................................................11 4.1.1.1 In the Beginning.............................................................................................................11 4.1.1.2 Structuring the Story......................................................................................................12 4.1.1.3 The Board.......................................................................................................................15
    [Show full text]
  • “The Beatles Raise the Bar-Yet Again”By Christopher Parker
    “The Beatles Raise the Bar-Yet Again” by Christopher Parker I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, Parker, everyone knows that 1967’s Sgt. Pepper‘s Lonely Hearts Club Band is the Beatles’ greatest album and in fact the greatest album of all time. Nope. No way. I beg to differ. In my humble opinion, 1966’s Revolver, the Beatles album released the year before Sgt. Pepper, is the greatest. Why, you ask? In many ways, Revolver was the beginning of a new era, not only in the career of the Beatles, but in the ever-changing world of rock & roll. The world’s greatest rock band was beginning to tire of the endless touring amidst the chaos of Beatlemania. The constant battling against hordes of screaming fans, and a life lived being jostled and shoved from one hotel room to another were becoming more than tiresome. In addition, during a concert, the volume of screams often exceeded 120 decibels-approximately the same noise level as one would be exposed to if he were standing beside a Boeing 747 during takeoff. No one was listening to their music, and consequently, they were beginning to feel like, as John Lennon would later say, ‘waxworks’ or ‘performing fleas.’ Revolver signals a change from the ‘She Loves You’ era-relatively simple songs of love and relationships- to a new era of songs designed to be listened to. These were songs that could never be played at a live concert. They were creations-works of art-songs that were created to be appreciated and discussed-not to elicit screams from teenage girls.
    [Show full text]
  • Video Game Systems Uncovered
    Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About... VIDEO GAMES But Never Dared To Ask! Introduction: 1 With the holidays quickly approaching the odds are you will be purchasing some type of video game system. The majority of U.S. households currently have at least one of these systems. With the ever changing technology in the video world it is hard to keep up with the newest systems. There is basically a system designed for every child’s needs, ranging from preschool to young adult. This can overwhelming for parents to choose a system that not only meets your child’s needs but also gives us the best quality system for our money. With the holidays coming that means many retailers will be offering specials on video game systems and of course the release of long awaited games. Now is also the time you can purchase systems in bundles with games included. Inside you will learn about all of these topics as well as other necessities and games to accompany to recent purchase. What you’ll find here: 2 In this ebook you will learn about console and portable video game systems, along with the accessories available. You will also find how many games each system has to offer. You will get an in depth look at the pro’s and con’s of each current system available in stores today, and the upcoming systems available in the near future. As a concerned parent you should also be aware of the rating label of the games and what the rating exactly means.
    [Show full text]
  • MTO 23.2: Lafrance, Finding Love in Hopeless Places
    Finding Love in Hopeless Places: Complex Relationality and Impossible Heterosexuality in Popular Music Videos by Pink and Rihanna Marc Lafrance and Lori Burns KEYWORDS: Pink, Rihanna, music video, popular music, cross-domain analysis, relationality, heterosexuality, liquid love ABSTRACT: This paper presents an interpretive approach to music video analysis that engages with critical scholarship in the areas of popular music studies, gender studies and cultural studies. Two key examples—Pink’s pop video “Try” and Rihanna’s electropop video “We Found Love”—allow us to examine representations of complex human relationality and the paradoxical challenges of heterosexuality in late modernity. We explore Zygmunt Bauman’s notion of “liquid love” in connection with the selected videos. A model for the analysis of lyrics, music, and images according to cross-domain parameters ( thematic, spatial & temporal, relational, and gestural ) facilitates the interpretation of the expressive content we consider. Our model has the potential to be applied to musical texts from the full range of musical genres and to shed light on a variety of social and cultural contexts at both the micro and macro levels. Received December 2016 Volume 23, Number 2, June 2017 Copyright © 2017 Society for Music Theory [1.1] This paper presents and applies an analytic model for interpreting representations of gender, sexuality, and relationality in the words, music, and images of popular music videos. To illustrate the relevance of our approach, we have selected two songs by mainstream female artists who offer compelling reflections on the nature of heterosexual love and the challenges it poses for both men and women.
    [Show full text]
  • Interconnections and Uneasy Alliances Between the Black and South Asian Diasporas: a Study of Hip Hop Videos, Film, and Literature
    INTERCONNECTIONS AND UNEASY ALLIANCES BETWEEN THE BLACK AND SOUTH ASIAN DIASPORAS: A STUDY OF HIP HOP VIDEOS, FILM, AND LITERATURE VISHA GANDHI A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY GRADUATE PROGRAM IN ENGLISH YORK UNIVERSITY TORONTO, ONTARIO SEPTEMBER 2014 © Visha Gandhi, 2014 Interconnections and Uneasy Alliances Between the Black and South Asian Diasporas: A Study of Hip Hop Videos, Film, and Literature This dissertation challenges the belief that racialized communities do immediately support and identify with each other; my research on the Black and South Asian diasporas unearths the Orientalist thoughts and anti-Black racisms that exist in each respective community. Using the work of Edward Said in his text, Orientalism, and research on racial triangulation by Asian Americanist Claire Jean Kim, my work attempts to clarify the often-conflicted relations and dynamics between South Asians, Blacks, and whites. Chapter two of this dissertation looks at romantic and sexual involvement between different racial communities; I specifically look at the films Mississippi Masala and Bhaji on the Beach to delve into the cultural rarity that is the Black-South Asian romance. Chapter three discusses Black Orientalism in American hip hop videos by such artists as Truth Hurts, and Timbaland and Magoo. Finally, chapter four looks at gendered dynamics and longings for blackness in the texts Consensual Genocide, by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, and Londonstani, by Gautam Malkani. ii This dissertation is dedicated to my family, and especially to Catherine Thompson, for her unending support. And to all hip hop brown girls who practice their appreciation respectfully.
    [Show full text]
  • Popular Culture, Migrant Youth, and the Making of 'World Class' Delhi
    University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations 2015 Aesthetic Citizenship: Popular Culture, Migrant Youth, and the Making of 'World Class' Delhi Ethiraj Gabriel Dattatreyan University of Pennsylvania, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations Part of the Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Dattatreyan, Ethiraj Gabriel, "Aesthetic Citizenship: Popular Culture, Migrant Youth, and the Making of 'World Class' Delhi" (2015). Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations. 1037. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/1037 This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/1037 For more information, please contact [email protected]. Aesthetic Citizenship: Popular Culture, Migrant Youth, and the Making of 'World Class' Delhi Abstract Delhi has nearly doubled in population since the early 1990s due to in-migration (censusindia.gov, 2011). These migrants, like migrants around the world, strive to adapt to their new surroundings by producing themselves in ways which make them socially, economically, and politically viable. My project examines how recent international and intranational immigrant youth who have come to Delhi to partake in its economic possibilities and, in some cases, to escape political uncertainty, are utilizing globally circulating popular cultural forms to make themselves visible in a moment when the city strives to recast its image as a world class destination for roaming capital (Roy, 2011). I focus on two super diverse settlement communities in South Delhi to explore the citizenship making claims of immigrant youth who, to date, have been virtually invisible in academic and popular narratives of the city. Specifically, I follow three groups of ethnically diverse migrant youth from these two settlement communities as they engage with hip hop, a popular cultural form originating in Black American communities in the 1970s (Chang, 2006; Morgan, 2009; Rose, 1994).
    [Show full text]
  • TBS GCSE MUSIC A4 Revison.Indd
    GCSE Music. Comprehensive resource pack to support the popular Music area. GCSE Music. Contents. 1. Introduction 2. Learning Aims and Objectives 3. Before Sgt Pepper 4. The ‘concept album’. 5. Pop Art, Peter Blake and the importance of album art in the 60s and beyond 6. L yric Analysis: (exploring melody, harmony, structure, rhythm and meaning behind the lyrics) — Lucy in the Sky — Within You/Without You — With a Little Help from my Friends 7. Worksheets – exploring structure: With a Little Help from My Friends and Within You, Without You 8. Sgt Pepper lectures @ The Beatles Story 9. The Beatles story and Liverpool Hope Partnership 10. Booking a visit to the Beatles Story 11. L yrics: With a Little Help from My Friends, Lucy in the Sky, Within you, Without You 12. Fascinating facts about the album 13. Recommended reading list/websites 2 Introduction. Located within Liverpool’s historic Albert Dock, the Beatles Story is a unique visitor attraction that transports you on an enlightening and atmospheric journey into the life, times, culture and music of the Beatles. Since opening in 1990, the Beatles Story has continued to develop our learning resources to create a fun and educational experience for all. Our commitment to life-long learning ensures every guest has a valuable experience, whatever their age or ability. We have linked the story of the Beatles, their early lives, their fame and combined creativity to selected areas of the National Curriculum: history, literacy, art and music to actively encourage and involve pupils in their own learning. This resource pack focuses on GCSE Music in accordance with the AQA specification.
    [Show full text]
  • The Influence of Rap/Hip-Hop Music: a Mixed-Method Analysis by Gretchen Cundiff — 71
    The Influence of Rap/Hip-Hop Music: A Mixed-Method Analysis by Gretchen Cundiff — 71 The Influence of Rap/Hip-Hop Music: A Mixed-Method Analysis on Audience Perceptions of Misogynistic Lyrics and the Issue of Domestic Violence Gretchen Cundiff* Strategic Communications Elon University Abstract Using a qualitative content analysis and online survey, this research examined how college students perceive and respond to the portrayal of women when exposed to misogynistic lyrics. Based on cultivation theory, this study analyzed the lyrical content of popular rap and hip-hop songs (n=20) on Billboard’s “Hot 100” chart between 2000 and 2010. Song lyrics were classified into one or more of the following coding categories: demeaning language, rape/sexual assault, sexual conquest and physical violence. Themes of power over, objectification of and violence against women were identified as prevalent throughout the content analysis sample. Survey results indicated a positive correlation between misogynous thinking and rap/hip-hop consumption. I. Introduction This study examined the culture of rap/hip-hop music and how misogynistic lyrical messages influ- enced listeners’ attitudes toward intimate partner violence. Adams and Fuller (2006) define misogyny as the “hatred or disdain of women” and “an ideology that reduces women to objects for men’s ownership, use, or abuse” (p. 939). Popular American hip-hop and rap artists, such as Eminem, Ludacris and Ja Rule, have increasingly depicted women as objects of violence or male domination by communicating that “submission is a desirable trait in a woman” (Stankiewicz & Rosselli, 2008, p. 581). These songs condone male hegemony in which “men find the domination and exploitation of women and other men to be not only expected, but actu- ally demanded” (Prushank, 2007, p.
    [Show full text]
  • The Counterculture, the Straight Society, and the Beatles
    Myles Libby 10/14/09 CORE 2638 The Counterculture, the Straight Society, and the Beatles The counterculture of the mid to late 1960’s had an enormous impact on the musical and artistic culture of the era. Many artists were products of the underground scene, while others were legends before the scene emerged. In such cases, due to the influence of the counterculture, the development of different sounds and new images of particular groups is easily noticeable. One such group, the Beatles, is of great importance due to their unusually extreme popularity worldwide. Analyzing their career from start to finish, it is effortless to see and hear how they altered their appearance, image, and more importantly, their musical styles over time. Looking at early albums created by the Beatles, such as With the Beatles and A Hard Days Night, we see a generally constant theme. Their music tends to be very poppy and their lyrics very straightforward, made up of mostly boy/girl love stories, such as their early single ‘Love Me Do.’ At this point in time, for the fans at least, the Beatles seemed to be an image (the ‘fab four’) rather than a strong, musically talented influence. Discussing one of the early American tours, Ringo Starr describes, “I never felt people came to hear our show, I felt they came to see us.” (Beatles Anthology Part 5) Both Paul McCartney and Starr seemed to feel that because of the immensity of the screams and the poor quality of the speakers, the result of the music must have been very poor; but that’s not what mattered for the fans.
    [Show full text]