Luke Gilner
While music gives marginalized groups a form of expression, the rest of society is often unable to interpret the lyrics and therefore understand their struggles.
Line of Argument
Music is hard to interpret, and it is often misinterpreted or not interpreted at all. So, while music serves as a good form of expression for marginalized groups, it doesn’t matter that much because the rest of society doesn’t interpret it and therefore doesn’t respond to it. Some people make music for themselves, others make music for other people to listen to. And if the music made for other people contains serious social issues, correct interpretation is a necessity. However, not everyone correctly interprets songs, or even bother too. An example of misinterpretation could come from Tupac Shakur’s famous song “Changes.” In this song, 2Pac has a conversation with an anonymous person. The conservation is as follows: “‘I made a G today,’ but you made it in a sleazy way, Sellin’ crack to the kids, ‘I gotta get paid!” – well hey, but that’s the way it is” (Genius). A listener could very well demonize this person for selling crack to kids and then make a vast generalization about the African American community. But, that listener would fail to see the societal issue of intergenerational poverty and the lack of employment within African American communities that 2Pac is addressing. A reason for no interpretation at all is by the mere fact that the artist is a member of a marginalized group. A marginalized group is already forgotten and ignored, so in turn the meaning behind their music is as well. Tupac Shakur is considered one of the greatest rappers of all time. However, many people fail to recognize the expression behind many of his songs. For example, in “Keep Ya Head up,” 2Pac says, “And when he tells you you ain’t nothing don’t believe him, And if he can’t learn to love you, you should leave him, ‘Cause sister you don’t need him” (Genius). This advice from 2pac was profound and challenged the stereotype of misogyny within rap music. However, many people might have been unable to look past his personality, or his “Thug Life” or AK-47 tattoos, and labeled him as a bad man that is unable to provide deep insight.
Comment Section
Some music may be hard to interpret or may not even be interpreted at all, but for some songs, it is not hard at all for the listener to know what the artist is upset with, specifically in rap music. If people fail to recognize deep meaning behind some rap lines because of the artists image, it may be because the artist’s image portrays a certain negativity that outweighs any other positive. For the example of Tupac Shakur, there are instances where he is derogatory towards women. So, if on one song he was deep and insightful, it is taken away by his next if he is hurtful and violent.
