Rappers Delight in Helping Others
Over the years, arguments involving rap music have covered the tabloids and other sources of media in America. From the East Coast-West Coast rivalry shadowing the murders of Tupac and Notorious B.I.G., to the idea that this music style is a factor in crime rates going up. It seems that political and media groups have been quick to place blame on rap for putting the idea in children’s heads on violence. Though critics are quick to point out the violent lyrics of some rappers, they are missing the point of rap's message. Rap, like other forms of music, cannot be understood unless it is studied without the frame of its social context. People are eager to point fingers when something begins to go wrong, but there are positive things that rappers do for others that fly under the radar because of all of the negativity that the media portrays.
Mac Miller for instance, he uses positive upbeat lyrics to encourage children to be more open-minded about different groups of people, whether in a different “clique” or from a different country altogether. Miller once pointed out,” If everyone—the whole generation—came together, it’s much more powerful than being separate”. Miller is trying to help eliminate the close-minded ways of thinking that so many people have, simply by using his music and positive lyrics. “Whatever your background, you’ll have goals in common with kids from other backgrounds, so if you don’t put barriers in between each other and just ‘knock them down’, things will get done,” said Miller. Rap has changed America by improving racial relations, doing more than any politician.
Although Michael Jackson isn’t really a “rapper”, many sources classify him this way. Michael was able to bring social and global issues to the attention of millions through his lyrics to We Are the World. Through this he was able to raise $60 million dollars to help people victimized by famine, disease, and other adversities in Africa. Michael was able to appeal to a greater sense of who we were as a people: “There’s a choice we’re making, we’re saving our own lives, it’s true we’ll make a better day, just you and me.” He is promoting the