Review of Literature
As soon as I began conducting my research, I was surprised to find so many results on my first attempt searching. A simple search of the phrase "positive influences of rap music" brought back immediate hits of relevant information. It was apparent to me that many people had the same stance as me and wanted to voice their concerns so they can try and make a difference. I was able to deduct that from the fact that almost all of my results were from blogs or some other type of informal publishing. A high school student even did a similar project as his final senior thesis [2]. This made those sources not very trustworthy, but I backtracked where they obtained their information and used those as my research material combined with other sites, facts and organizations that I had already been aware of.
At the heart of the rap industry it is truthfully meant to be a positive influence on society [5]. With that being said, there is a great misunderstanding with rap music and its subgenres [1]. Even though some of the sub-genres are straying away from the main goals and origins of rap, it has still reached out and touched the hearts of listeners today on a personal level [3]. Also, there are a vast amount of incredible organizations and programs for today's youth that uses hip-hop as a common ground to relate to one another, these organizations are discouraging violence, gangs, and drug use as well as setting them up for success by having them focus on school and giving them opportunities for careers in the music industry itself [4][5][6].
At the heart of the rap industry it is truthfully meant to be a positive influence on society [5]. With that being said, there is a great misunderstanding with rap music and its subgenres [1]. Even though some of the sub-genres are straying away from the main goals and origins of rap, it has still reached out and touched the hearts of listeners today on a personal level [3]. Also, there are a vast amount of incredible organizations and programs for today's youth that uses hip-hop as a common ground to relate to one another, these organizations are discouraging violence, gangs, and drug use as well as setting them up for success by having them focus on school and giving them opportunities for careers in the music industry itself [4][5][6].