The Modern Hip Hop Era is Brainwashing our Black Youth

Every year that I grow older, I have come to the realization that there is a huge distraction that Black youth are faced with everyday, and that is Hip Hop aka rap music. Don't get me wrong, I am very well aware as a Black educator that social media platforms like TikTok are causing just as much havoc in our Black youth, but we will focus on one topic at a time. The reality is that there are a lot of young Black youth who are completely lost, especially our young Black men. There are numerous reasons as to why, but I would like to state the obvious ones that we are all well aware of. Issues like poverty, single parent households, Black fathers being incarcerated, and the list goes on and on. In the mist of these issues, a lot of our youth are trying to find ways to cope with these everyday realities that they face, and rap has become a reliable outlet. They find solace in the lyrics, because a lot of the rappers speak on the same struggles that they face everyday, while also bragging about how they went from being poor to now rich. This eventually leads to a false sense of security for Black youth. They begin to believe that they to will live this luxurious lifestyle, but the vast majority will not. In this blog today, I would like to point out a few reasons why the Hip Hop Era is brainwashing our Black children or youth. 

Brain Development  

If I am going to talk about how Hip Hop is brain washing our Black youth, than it only makes sense that I talk about the brain. According to the National Institute of Mental Health it states, "Although the brain stops growing in size by early adolescence, the teen years are all about fine-tuning how the brain works. The brain finishes developing and maturing in the mid-to-late 20s". I wanted to give this amazing fact, because it shows that even though the brain has stopped growing during adolescent when most teens are listening to rap on a consistent basis, the brain does not fully develop until the late 20s. This indicates that anytime during this time period where the brain is still developing, it can be subjected to certain influences which can impact it negatively. I also want to mention that during the adolescent years, youth are more impressionable as well, which can lead to them being led more easily astray.

How Music Impacts the Brain/ Drill Music

Music is very powerful, but humans don't seem to give it the credit that it is due. When a person listens to music their limbic system responds, which is in control of processing memories and emotions. Also when someone listens to music, dopamine is released, which is responsible for giving off sensations of pleasure. This is a great thing, if the music is positive, but if the music is negative like Drill music, than you can see how the feel good sensation would not be a great idea to be linked to something so negative and aggressive. For some of you who may not be familiar with Drill music, this genre of rap was originated from Chicago, but many other cities adopted this style of rap as well. It literally just talks about going out and killing other people. The beat is usually catchy, and the music videos will usually consist of Black young men in black ski masks that cover their face, while holding guns, and talking about who they will kill next. Though this music is disgraceful, it has become very popular, and most big time rappers are incorporating it into their music. According to CNN Health, it states in the article How Music can Change the way you Feel and Act that "drill music – a genre of rap characterized by threatening lyrics – might be linked to attention-seeking crime". In a world where Black people are getting killed everyday by cops, or even each other, this music just makes the world a bit more treacherous. The sad part about this is that drill music has actually become popular from black youth sharing it on social media platforms. Many young black men have been sent to jail as a result of killing someone after listening to this music. Drill music is literally encouraging Black youth to kill. What makes things even worse, is that we are the only race that allows this type of music to be advertised by us for us. White society now has another tool that can pawn more young black youth into jails, and keep the Black community down and not uplifted. 

Where do we go From Here?

Hip Hop music was not always this way. Hip Hop used to be a vehicle in which Black artist would rebel against racism, and the mistreatment of Blacks. Now it has become a vehicle to dehumanize the Black race, brag, degrade Black woman, and honestly it has become very distasteful. When it comes to our Black youth, who will lead the world tomorrow, it is important that parents do their parts to monitor what their child is listening to, and most importantly have the hard conversations around the dinner table where phones are not allowed. We must talk about what is happening in the world, and how it can affect the minds of our youth. Youth are like sponges, and though many parents may not be able to control the environment around them, they can at least monitor what they listen to and watch to create a more productive experience during their youth.