Luke Gilner
Music can give a marginalized group a voice that otherwise would not be heard by society, resulting in greater attention to the societal problems the music addresses.
Line of Argument
The first time someone listens to a song, they may enjoy the song a great deal but may not even realize what the musician is saying. But very often after a few listens or as a song becomes more popular, a listener may have an a-ha moment where they say, “Oh! That’s what this song is about.” This epiphany moment isn’t necessary for all music, as many songs may not be about anything too serious. However, this epiphany moment is often important when the music has been created by a marginalized group, as they often address various social issues. It is harder to understand the meaning of a song if the song has metaphors and an underlying meaning. This is common in counter-culture music. While hip-hop music often uses metaphors or slang that may be difficult for an average listener to understand, rappers often use direct expression. For example, take the song “F**k the Police” by the rap group NWA. This song is aggressive and controversial, but the lyrics are a display of frustration and anger by being marginalized. In an early verse of the song Ice Cube says, “I’m brown and not the other color so police think they have the authority to kill a minority” (Genius). This line one allows Ice Cube to express his frustration, but it also lets the rest of society to hear about police relations in a different, more memorable way. As police relations have not improved, in fact as they have become more tense in recent years, the discussion of police brutality within rap music has persisted. Kendrick Lamar is one of the most successful and popular rappers today. In his song “Alright,” Lamar says, “Lookin’ at the world like, ‘Where do we go?’ N***a, and we hate po-po, Wanna kill us dead in the street fo sho’” (Medium). Ice Cube and Kendrick Lamar have had similar experiences with the police, and then through the power of music, were able to express their experiences for the rest of the world to hear. While these verses may not have fixed the problem of police brutality, it is fair to say that they showed a social problem that many people may not have paid attention to prior to these songs.
Comment Section
This argument is true, but it fails to recognize that some of the lyrics produced by these groups are very negative and are societal problems by themselves. A great deal of rap music is filled with misogyny, abuse, and homophobia. So, it isn’t necessarily a good thing for a marginalized group to express themselves if they are going to do it in a manner that furthers the marginalization of another group. Numerous rap songs include derogatory language towards women and the LGBTQ community. Also, some lyrics about police relations may just further that problem due to an overall disrespect towards law enforcement.
