Hip Hop: Seeking Freedom Through a Counterculture

Music has transformed drastically in recent years and has emerged as a form of counterculture. Specifically, hip hop music, has been identified as a counterculture that has inspired social change through its message. Although many consider hip-hop controversial, it has become a global phenomena in its ability to unify races, classes and cultures. However, societies have argued that this art form is riddled with violent lyrics, degrades women and is uninspiring. This paper will examine …

…the messages of sex, violence, and harsh language, this genre offers us a paradigm of what can be. The potential of this art form to mend ethnic relations is substantial. In the 1950s and 1960s, the "Beat Culture" challenged the status quo in ways that unified liberals and prompted change. In the same vein, the hip hop culture has challenged the system in ways that have unified individuals (particularly youth) across a rich ethnic spectrum.