Music is a Drug... The Hip Hop Life of Youth in America
|
Posted By: Jasmine Spence on July 16, 2008 *Now this is a story all about how*… Music is a drug: The hip hop life of youth in America. *My life got flipped turned upside down*… Music contains a certain quality that influences the actions of its listeners. *And I’d like to take a minute just sit right there and let me tell you how*… sounds, vibrations, and the patterns of melody’s can create the fundamentals of what youth love the most_ the aspirations of music. Music… is everywhere, from video games, to cell phones, to television… so how can it not be addicting when its location is always near? *Have you ever been *to your local doctor’s or dentist’s office and got so profoundly bored because of your long wait? What do you notice? Few more patients waiting to be seen, a couple books and magazines here and there, and maybe even a small window in the corner…but who can u pass up the unusual musical selections that is softly pouring out of the near by speaker that’s posited right above you?.. *Welcome to the good life*… Music… is everywhere: grocery stores, carnivals, restaurants, waiting areas, so it’s only natural for a typical teenager in America to get adapted into a cultural society of music. The essence of music reflects a person’s individuality, creating something of a drug that portrays to its listeners a memorable captivating quality… *so welcome to the good life*. Ever since the mid 1970’s and the origin of hip hop, music has evolved into its own society that not only benefits, but also dominates the lifestyles of America's youth. *And I aint gotta tell you that*, In Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary and Thesaurus, music is defined as the science or art of combined tones in a composition with structured melodies, while a drug is defined as a substance that can cause an addiction and possibly even cause a slight change in a person’s mental status… This is the process of how music can become a drug to its listeners. Setting the tone for inspiration, teens often use music to gain knowledge and information about the mysterious and hidden messages of this unknown social world. *I get so weak*…music portrays a freedom of expression that entertains, relaxes, and even excites its listeners. Listening to a song’s melody and lyrics can define the characteristics of a situations that sometimes a person can not quite handle, creating music to be a self-explanatory instrument. For the times when *its just those rainy days*, or maybe when *I wanna be like those girls in the movies*, to make you want to *stop with straight shots and then pop bottles*, music is a temple that possesses certain definitions, that may or may not be different from its actual meaning…So if you just feel like *slappin somebody today*, or if you found love to the point where *its just to good to be true,* Youth use sounds and melodies as passage to escape from their reality into a fantasy world. *Just one of them days*… Youth tend to use their music to enhance or intensify their moods; affecting their emotions unknowingly, music is an active tool that continues to express the feelings of their daily activities…*I hate you so much right now*…In a case study that was examined in 1999 by the Roper Organization, music was considered to be the most popular way to relieve stress, with such information, why is music such a problem by most when it comes down it its youthful listeners? Over the past decades the rhythms of hip hop and cultural music has been portrayed by the public to be negative, putting down the music itself as well as the teens who listen to it. Not liking the fact that *I’m so hood *and that I just maybe want to *Party like a rock star*… Music is merely a mechanism that functions throughout the process of expressions. *Back in the day when I was young I’m not a kid anymore but some day’s I sit and wish I was a kid again*... Do you remember as a child learning the easiest rhymes? Research shows “that music dramatically enhances the abstract reasoning skills of children.” Although it may be quite awkward that it seems as if a numerous amount of kids don’t know their ABC’s or 123’s may know how to *get it shawty*… *Take me there, I wanna go there*. In another case study that was examined in September of the year 2000, the Federal Trade Commission noted that music was the most popular interest for kids as well as teens. *Ayo I’m tired of using technology*… Is America's youth really influenced by one of the mass media’s? With so many forms of technology like the internet, video games, ring-tones, and ring-backs, the advancement of music provides its listeners with the aspects of expression. *Is you rollin?*…So what is music really for youth? Is it a definition substituted for a drug? Or is it really what it appears to be; you know the science or art of combined tones in a composition with structured melodies? So the next time if you feel like you *cant leave it alone*…just run to your *b-u-d-d-y*, and let them know that *this is the way I live*... from the aspects of teenagers, *just share my world, don’t you leave*…Music truly is something of a drug that makes teens just wanna *snap ya fingas*! ... Music is a drug: the “life” of youth in America.... Music is a drug: the “hip- hip” life of youth in America....Are you addicted? If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
 |
Jasmine Spence
From seattle, WA Wilberforce University class of 2010 Member Since May 2008 |
Comments
More From This Author
Latest Blogs
 |
Time of life: The legacy you leave defines who you truly wereA symbolic image showing a lone figure walking toward a bright horizon of a journey of life, legacy, and the moral choices that define a person beyond wealth or fame.
In every era of human histor ...more
Joel Savage • 40 Views • October 2nd, 2026 |
 |
The unimaginable world: How war profiteers exploit human sufferingA photo showing civilians walking through a devastated, war‑torn street while distant smoke rises, amid human suffering and exploitation.
In an unimaginable world where conflict has become ...more
Joel Savage • 72 Views • October 1st, 2026 |
 |
Nepal’s landslide tragedy: A global wake‑up call on disaster preparednessA symbolic mountain landscape with unstable slopes and heavy clouds representing Nepal’s landslide and the global need for stronger disaster preparedness.
Natural disasters often arrive like sile ...more
Joel Savage • 88 Views • September 30th, 2026 |
 |
The silent crisis of small publishers being crushed by Big TechAn image showing a lone independent publisher working at a desk, struggling for digital visibility in a world dominated by Big Tech algorithms.
For years, digital publishing was celebrated as ...more
Joel Savage • 116 Views • September 30th, 2026 |
 |
Los Angeles/Burbank Based R&B Artist JOE LEONE Is Back With New Single "Future"#JOELEONE @JOELEONE
Socials General link page:https://joeleone.lnk.to/music
Play link page: https://joeleone.lnk.to/future
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joeleonesings
Tik Tok: https://www ...more
LaMarr Blackmon • 138 Views • September 28th, 2026 |
Popular Blogs
 |
Divorce in America in 2009 – What’s love got to do, got to do with it?
Join Brother Marcus and the cast and the crew of the Brother Marcus Show live this Sunday evening on February 1, 2009 @ 8:00 p.m. for another hot topic in our community! “Divorce in America in 2009 ...more
Brother Marcus! • 75,453,253 Views • January 27th, 2009 |
 |
VISINE ALERT!!!Seemingly innocent medication such as Visine eyedrops are used by people to concoct a mixture with similar effects as a date-rape drug.
When mixed with alcohol and taken orally, the eyedrops can l ...more
Siebra Muhammad • 122,559 Views • May 23rd, 2009 |
 |
"Chain Hang Low" check out the real meaning of the Lyrics!Recently there is a new artist out of Saint Louis that goes by the name JIBBS. Jibbs debut single "Chain hang low" has a history that most people are not aware of. The particular nursery rhyme that th ...more
Tyhesha Judge-Fogle • 81,412 Views • November 9th, 2006 |
 |
HBCU Marketplace Gifts: Divine 9 Premium Fraternity / Sorority Playing CardsVendor: Charles Jones
Item Price: $20.00
Price Includes Shipping: Yes - Shipping Included
Item Description:
Pantheon Series - Divine 9 - Premium Playing Cards (choose Gold Series or Silve ...more
Hija Chang • 64,595 Views • December 2nd, 2018 |
 |
Black College Student Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Kissing a White GirlAlbert N. Wilson, a former University of Kansas student, has been sentenced to 12 years in prison and a lifetime of probation after being convicted by an all-white jury of raping a white teen girl. Bu ...more
Roger The Great • 57,381 Views • June 4th, 2020 |
