Rhythm of Resilience: Poverty’s Influence on Hip Hop
While many factors contributed to the creation of hip-hop culture, the poverty faced by those living in the ghettos of inner cities may be the most prominent. Despite what some critics say, rap and hip hop started as an outcry against the conditions people in an impoverished environment faced. This point is supported by the statement that “Hip-hop emerged as a vehicle for speaking out about and against oppressive social, economic, and political conditions” and that hip hop has “achieved a status for social change” (“Rap and Hip Hop Music”). Poverty was, and still is, one of the most significant driving forces behind the emergence of hip-hop music.
It has been argued that rap, gangster rap in particular, promotes gang violence (“Rap and Hip Hop Music”). But when tracing back to the beginning of the messages behind the music, it is clear that it has always been about advocating for social change and spreading awareness of issues like extreme poverty and systemic racism. According to “Street Culture,” one of the main issues that urban sociologists study is the “disproportionate poverty in ghettos, defined as parts of American cities that are composed of mostly poor African Americans.” Within the economic and social conditions faced by these communities, hip-hop culture offers “a critical voice capable of accurately portraying the black urban experience and affecting social change within these impoverished neighborhoods.” The themes heard in early hip-hop music were highly influential to future groups. And they were most concerned with describing the conditions they were living in, not in promoting violence.
One of the first popular rap songs that emerged was “The Message,” performed by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. First released in 1982, the song is described as having a “down-tempo atmospheric vibe providing the backdrop for lyrics that articulated the ghetto plight under postindustrial poverty” (Sajnani, 92–96). Many of the song’s lyrics highlight some of the environmental conditions experienced by those living in the ghetto. According to “Conscious Hip Hop,” the lyrical themes within “The Message” were influential to future groups like Run D.M.C and Public Enemy. The point here is that “The Message,” a song about the conditions faced by those living in the ghetto, inspired new hip-hop groups to continue spreading messages about what they were dealing with in their everyday lives.
Even in more recent years, poverty remains an issue, particularly within communities of color. In an article by The Washington Post, Britt stated that “Nearly half of black children live below the poverty level — on less than $12,980 for a family of three.” Such levels of poverty are reminiscent of the economic conditions that gave rise to the need for hip-hop’s emergence and show that there is still much work to be done. One potential solution may be to amplify the messages about these issues without preaching to the choir. While there will always be an audience receptive to the messages portrayed in rap lyrics, it may be more beneficial to spread that message to those who don’t know about it or don’t want to hear it.
Rap about Poverty Playlist
“Rock Bottom” by Eminem (1999)
Eminem’s “Rock Bottom” highlights some of the difficult economic conditions that he and many others faced in Detroit. The following lyrics show how the economic conditions plaguing the city make living hard, let alone living comfortably.
“I’m hopin’ things look up, but there ain’t no job openings
I feel discouraged, hungry and malnourished
Livin’ in this house with no furnace, unfurnished”
The song details how, in many places, people struggling in poverty don’t have a way out as there may not even be good job openings. The song even opens up by addressing an audience that doesn’t know what it is like to be broke.
“The Message” by Grand Master Flash (1982)
“The Message,” written by Melle Mel and Duke Bootee, is one of the most important songs to emerge in the early days of hip hop due to it being one of the first to spread the message about the harsh conditions living in the ghetto.
“I can’t take the smell, can’t take the noise
Got no money to move out, I guess I got no choice”
This line suggests that even though they recognize a problem with the conditions they are living in, they have no way of getting out due to lack of money.
“You’ll grow in the ghetto livin’ second-rate
And your eyes will sing a song called deep hate”
I believe this lyric is saying how the conditions of the ghetto many are born into are what fosters hatred against those perceived as responsible for it. The message here is that failing to recognize or do anything about the extreme poverty will only continue to create more hatred.
“Supa Star” by Group Home (1994)
“Born in the ghetto it’s hard to survive
Some have achieved and many brothers tried”
As shown above, the song opens up by talking about how survival in the ghetto is difficult, and most fail to do survive it — or get out of it — successfully. It then goes into more specific examples of what the people living in these impoverished communities see every day:
“At night I use to scream and shout
Livin’ in the ghetto trying to get the hell out
So I would try as I watch my friends die
But all I could do was sit back and cry”
The economic conditions within the ghettos often facilitate drug and gang violence. He is likely rapping about hearing gunshots and other violence in his neighborhood as a kid in this line. Many of those who would try to escape from it ended up caught up in this vicious cycle, regardless of their ambition to get away from it, which is highlighted in many of the songs about poverty.
While rap music is not the only music genre that has tackled the issue of poverty, I believe rap artists have made the most effort to get across the messages of the struggle of poverty to their audiences by not shying away from being open about their experiences. No other communication channel has been more effective in describing the conditions that impoverished communities face than rap music has.
The conversation surrounding poverty is an important one within hip-hop culture. In part, because without the economic and social conditions that were taking place, hip-hop culture may not have emerged as a response, robbing the world of a powerful tool for vocalizing grievances and advocating for social change. Just as it was important for the crowd to hear the messages spoken by rappers they looked up to, it is essential for any audience to hear the messages that highlight the issue of poverty.
Many refuse to listen to or even hear rap music, because they perceive it as doing nothing other than advocating violence and drug use. But many of the songwriters are simply trying to describe the difficult conditions that many communities were dealing with. The first step in addressing the issue of poverty is for the audience to listen to the messages sent to them rather than ignore them while hoping the problems solve themselves.
Given that the economic conditions that led to the creation of hip hop were partially rooted in systemic racism, there ought to be a united commitment to erase these systemic problems and make a community where everyone has the ability to escape from extreme poverty, regardless of their racial and socio-economic background. Poverty still remains an issue, affecting millions of lives and hindering the potential of the communities that suffer living through it. Continuing to raise awareness and advocate for policy changes will begin to bring an end to poverty and create a world where everyone is given equal opportunity.
- Britt, Donna. “Hip-Hop Guys Who Break the Mold: [FINAL Edition].” The Washington Post, Mar 14, 1997, pp. B, 1:1. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/hip-hop-guys-who-break-mold/docview/408312596/se-2. Accessed 18 Sep. 2023.
- “Rap and Hip-Hop Music.” Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2021. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, link.gale.com/apps/doc/RWOLBM087794399/OVIC?u=mcc_chandler&sid=bookmark-OVIC&xid=856b5397. Accessed 28 Sept. 2023.
- Sajnani, Damon Chandru. “Conscious Hip Hop.” St. James Encyclopedia of Hip Hop Culture, edited by Thomas Riggs, St. James Press, 2018, pp. 92–96. Gale eBooks, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3679700051/GVRL?u=mcc_chandler&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=f8aab69a. Accessed 18 Sept. 2023.
- “Street Culture.” International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, edited by William A. Darity, Jr., 2nd ed., vol. 8, Macmillan Reference USA, 2008, pp. 172–173. Gale In Context: U.S. History, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3045302638/UHIC?u=mcc_chandler&sid=bookmark-UHIC&xid=264f6df5. Accessed 28 Sept. 2023.
