SoundCloud Rappers and their Influence

It is getting very easy for artists to get into the music industry. Rappers can become successful overnight and it is crazy. It is very easy to make a career in the music industry very quickly. All it takes is an idea and some effort. Don’t get me wrong, it takes talent and dedication as well, not just anybody can get into the industry. There are many new rappers these days that have a really bad influence on kids. Rappers rap about drugs and having money. They wear expensive designer clothing and live a reckless lifestyle. Kids find this type of stuff “cool” even though it really is not. Kids want to live the lifestyle and do the things these influencers are doing.

To begin, it is getting easier and easier to get into the music industry. Which is not a bad thing, people dream of becoming famous and starting a career in that industry. SoundCloud is a very known app that can be downloaded on every device. SoundCloud is a very easy way for rappers to get themselves out there. Many of the new rappers that have made it into the industry came from SoundCloud. SoundCloud has opened up many opportunities for rappers and other artists to release music without such a high expense and no label needed. An author by the name of Patricia-Anne Tom wrote an article named “What’s the right age to give your child a smartphone?. In the article Patricia states,” A recent survey indicates 56 percent of children ages 10 to 13

have a smartphone.” This means that more than half of children age 10–13 own a smartphone and have the capability to download social media apps and SoundCloud. An article called “16 amazing SoundCloud statistics and facts” the author states that SoundCloud receives 78 million users a month.

The issue is that children are listening to these new rappers music and following their influences. Rappers rap about whatever they want, they do whatever they want on social media and kids find that to be “cool.” Kids follow these rappers on social media and see how they’re living, they then want to live that kind of reckless life. rappers that do get into the industry, don’t always have positive things to say. According to an article on medium named “The Gatekeepers of SoundCloud Rap,” the author states, ”Once a year, on career day, Nick Catchdubs, the DJ, producer, and founder of the independent record label Fool’s Gold, drives across the Hudson River to the New Jersey school where his mom teaches. He visits fourth, fifth, and sixth-grade classrooms and every year he asks his students the same two questions: “What music are you listening to? And how do you listen to it?” The reaction and answers those young fourth-sixth grade children give are not reactions that should be given. Rap is one of the most popular genres that kids and adults listen to these days. The author states, “This year they told him they were listening to XXXTentacion, 6ix9ine, and the Migos. And how do the kids find these artists? They just go on SoundCloud and search the phrase “sad music.” These 9–12-year-olds are listening to music that talks about drugs, depression, and money. Let me remind you that these kids are 9–12-year-olds. Of course, generations change, I didn’t grow up listening to the music kids my age are expected to listen to, however, the lyrics these new rappers are putting out are not kid friendly. The fact that kids as young as 4th graders, probably even younger in some places, are listening to music about drugs, money, depression and much more says quite a bit about the influence these rappers are showing. I am 18 years old and I listen to lots of rap, I even find these lyrics a little too brutal even for me. The fact that rappers are influencing kids to find their raps “cool” is not good at all. A lot of new coming rappers rap about being sad. Kids listen to that type of stuff when they are feeling down and that makes them be even sadder. A lot of the songs that are being put out talking about murder, drugs, depression, suicide, guns, and kids find that cool. That is a really bad influence. This issue can be defined as young immature rappers putting out music that badly influences the youth. Another reason this issue can be occurring is that parents don’t monitor what their children are doing on social media, what kind of music they listen to, or what age they are given a phone.

This is an issue that is very hard to keep away, but there are ways we can stop it. The easiest and simplest way to resolve this is for parents to monitor their children. It is hard, but it has to be done. Many of these rappers that these kids look up to are getting killed, using drugs, exposing drugs and money to the youth, and some have even committed suicide. At such a young age like that, kids don’t know how to cope with that. Children shouldn’t be exposed to that type of behavior. Children don’t understand real life things that adults understand. They believe what they see. Rappers manipulate the youth to like what they do, rappers do things that will bring lots of attention to them and the kids just go with it. In the article “The Gatekeepers of SoundCloud Rap,” the author states, “SoundCloud artists have thrived on the controversy and conversation they’re expertly able to build on platforms like Instagram. They start a beef, possibly do something illegal, wait until it goes viral, and then laugh it off. It was a joke the whole time. If you don’t get it, that’s your problem. It’s a tactic that sows confusion for those who don’t understand and an even deeper bond for those who feel like they’re in on the joke together.” Kids don’t understand these things, not even I would understand it. Children will always follow the influence of these rappers and don’t even know if its real or not. A kid may go out and do some illegal stunt he sees an influencer does and he will think its a joke, but others don’t perceive it the same way.

I agree that children shouldn’t be exposed to social media at such a young age. Being exposed to social media at such a young age can be confusing and make the youth follow examples that they see on social media. According to an article called “Why Social Media is Not Smart for Middle School Kids” the author states, “A teen’s underdeveloped frontal cortex can’t manage the distraction nor the temptations that come with social media use. While you start teaching responsible use of tech now, know that you will not be able to teach the maturity that social media requires. They will use social media inappropriately.” Parents can’t always teach the maturity needed to use social media. They can always tell them not to look at bad things but children won’t always understand what that means. They won’t know what’s bad or good. I don’t know of anybody that uses social media appropriately. Social media doesn’t always have a good influence on children.