Do Violent Rap Lyrics Possess Harmful Effects for Listeners?

My assignment this week was to write about a mass medium that could send undesirable messages. I chose to examine violent rap lyrics. Based on the secondary research which I conducted, I do believe that violent rap lyrics can create violent feelings or emotions among listeners.

According to the research which I found, violent rap music has been shown to have a significant effect on audiences. In a study conducted at the University of North Carolina, African-American males were shown either violent or nonviolent rap videos (Johnson, Jackson, and Gatto, 1995). Afterwards, they read a vignette about a violent act and responded to the story. The males who watched the violent videos showed both a higher acceptance for the violence committed in the story and a higher probability of engaging in violent acts (Johnson et al., 1995).

A study done from 1996 to 1999 observed the effects of violent rap videos on African-American females, based on the hours of rap videos that the girls watched during their free time. In the follow-up assessment after twelve months, the subjects with greater exposure were three times more likely to have struck a teacher, two point five times more likely to have been arrested, twice as likely to have had multiple sexual partners, and one point five times more likely to have contracted an STD or used drugs and alcohol than those with less exposure (The Brown University Child and Adolescent Behavior Letter, 2003).

In another study done by Iowa State University, five hundred college students listened to both nonviolent and violent songs. They then were given words with ambiguous meanings to classify with violent or nonviolent interpretations. Listening to violent songs led to more aggressive connotations, meaning that violent lyrics can trigger unprovoked hostility in listeners (The Brown University Child and Adolescent Behavior Letter, 2003). Considering the diversity of the college students, this study could support the WWI era Magic Bullet Theory, which stated that mass communication has a strong and universal effect on listeners.

Another study I found drew inconclusive results (Rudman and Lee, 2002). It found that violent rap increased prejudice levels, but initial levels of prejudice also varied in participants.

 

 

 

Rapper 50 cent

Research is one of the most effective ways to examine the repercussions a mass medium can have on a particular group of subjects. The studies that I found are relevant to the issue because they focused on the probable age group for listeners, and the research spans the timeline in which violent rap has gained overwhelming influence. Many could question the generalization of the studies’ findings, considering that some of the studies only focused on African-Americans, whites, or only one gender. Or, perhaps, some would say that the study based on how much time the girls watched rap videos in their free time was not an accurate way to draw results. Dissenters could refer to the Limited Effects Model (Klapper, 1960), which claimed that mass communication alone is not responsible for audience effects. According to the model, the effect on all the girls would vary because of their perceptions, retention, and opinion. However, all participants and controls differ individually, and it is impossible to secure immaculate conditions for a study. Yet in this day and age, research is the most efficient way to measure the effect a medium can produce on the public, and any other theories can only be called speculation in comparison.

Critics may question the degree of the effect that violent rap music can have on listeners, but there is no denying that the effect exists. The secondary research clearly shows that violent rap music (or any violent lyrics) can trigger certain feelings and behaviors. I do not believe that violent rap music is responsible for the actions which a person takes, or that violent rap music is the source of violence and crime in our streets and among our youth (I myself am a fan of rap music). But the music can clearly alter moods, either subconsciously or consciously. Based on my findings, I would advise both parents and listeners to exercise caution with violent lyrics, because we cannot be sure what effect they may have on one’s mentality.

References:

“New research explores effects of rap music on adolescent.” (2003). The Brown University Child and Adolescent Behavior Letter, 19(6), 1, 3-5.

Johnson, James D., Lee Anderson Jackson, and Leslie Gatto. (1995). Violent attitudes and deferred academic inspirations: Deleterious effects of exposure to rap music. Basic & Applied Social Psychology, 16(½), 27-41.

Rudman, Laurie A., and Matthew R. Lee. (2002). Implicit and explicit consequences of exposure to violent and misogynous rap music. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 5(2), 133-150.