... cultural and spiritual vessel." Without a doubt the artists who create rap music are extremely talented, and it has gone beyond the African American culture as many of today's artists are of varying races and ethnicities. Music and cultural critics praise rap's role as an educational tool, they ... by blacks and minorities. Curtis R. Tucker, former California assemblyman whose district covered many black areas of Los Angeles, said that rappers preach drug culture and violence. He also says that embracing this lifestyle consequently encourages young people to emulate the rapper (Krohn et...

• Word Count: 3654
• Approx Pages: 15
• Grade Level: High School

... it jumped ahead of country music in America for the first time. Rap/hip-hop accounted for 11.4% of total sales revenue for that year. It trailed only rock and pop (Teacher"s Guide, Vol. 101 issue 14, 1 para.). Sexual lyrics in rap are not the only controversial issues at hand. Violence in rap songs has also taken center stage and is ... other types of music artists use their surroundings and what is going on around them to make songs. Rap music is criticized because it accurately shows a negative side of American culture. Rap music cannot be blamed for showing to the public both the ple...

• Word Count: 1463
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School