Rock & Roll Matters

Rebellious music plays an important role in our society. In middle America, adolescents feel a natural urge to rebel against their parents. This is good because it allows them to experiment with independent thinking and prepares them to leave home. Also, at this time, their hormones are going crazy. Since most are nerds like I was as a teen, they cannot truly act on either their rebellious nature or crazy hormones. Instead, they turn to rebellious music. This is why record companies target this demographic with their most aggressive artist. This is the birthplace of rock and roll. This is why young people listen to Nicki Minaj, Miley Cyrus, Nirvana, Ozzy Osborne, Kiss, The Rolling Stones, Elvis Presley and Little Richard

2Pac Shakur and the music of reality rap fits into this genre. It was sold primarily to middle class, suburban kids as a way to capitalize on their natural urges of rebelliousness and their crazy hormones. Pac wrote and rapped about the realities of growing up in east Harlem New York and young American suburban kids loved it. He sold 75 million records.

We should not be too hard on our musicians and poets. One of the original gangsta rappers was a poet by the name of Allen Ginsberg whose poetry was so controversial that book store owners were arrested for selling his book of poems. We should avoid making this censorship mistake with hip-hop and rap music.

Also, we should note that 2Pac wrote a song entitled “Dear Mama,” a homage to his mother, which was one of his best sellers. Yea, I know. He also wrote Hit Em Up.

I enjoy listening to Pac and reading Ginsberg and I try to appreciate all of our great poets without being too influenced by a media image that is used to sell music to kids.